The Little Match Girl — Idioms & Expressions

慣用句

what was the good of that

字義: その良さは何だったのか

意味: それは何の役にも立たなかった / それに何の意味があったのか

When she left home she had slippers on, it is true; but what was the good of that?

反語的表現。「what is the good of...」で「...して何になるのか（無意味だ）」

慣用句

some day or other

字義: ある日または他の日

意味: いつの日か / いずれ

he thought it would do capitally for a cradle when he some day or other should have children himself.

'someday' の強調表現

慣用句

a world of comfort

字義: 快適さの世界

意味: 大きな慰め / 計り知れない安らぎ

Oh! a match might afford her a world of comfort,

'a world of X' で「非常に多くのX / 大いなるX」

慣用句

the match went out

字義: マッチが外に出た

意味: マッチの火が消えた

And what was still more capital to behold was, the goose hopped down from the dish, reeled about on the floor with knife and fork in its breast, till it came up to the poor little girl; when--the match went out and nothing but the thick, cold, damp wall was left behind.

慣用句

burns out

字義: 外に燃える

意味: 燃え尽きる、火が消える

You go away when the match burns out; you vanish like the warm stove, like the delicious roast goose, and like the magnificent Christmas tree!

慣用句

frozen to death

字義: 死ぬまで凍った

意味: 凍死した

But in the corner, at the cold hour of dawn, sat the poor girl, with rosy cheeks and with a smiling mouth, leaning against the wall--frozen to death on the last evening of the old year.

比喩

a very picture of sorrow

字義: 悲しみの一枚の絵

意味: 悲しみそのもの / 悲しみの象徴

She crept along trembling with cold and hunger--a very picture of sorrow, the poor little thing!

比喩表現。'a picture of X' で「Xの典型 / 化身」

比喩

trail of fire

字義: 火の道、火の跡

意味: 流れ星の光の軌跡

The lights of the Christmas tree rose higher and higher, she saw them now as stars in heaven; one fell down and formed a long trail of fire.

流れ星が残す光の尾を火の道と表現している

比喩

they were with God

字義: 彼らは神と一緒にいた

意味: 彼らは死んで天国にいた

She took the little maiden, on her arm, and both flew in brightness and in joy so high, so very high, and then above was neither cold, nor hunger, nor anxiety--they were with God.

死を婉曲的に表現する慣用表現

古風な表現

hitherto

字義: ここまで

意味: 今まで / これまで

They were very large slippers, which her mother had hitherto worn; so large were they;

古風な副詞。現代英語では 'until now' や 'so far' を使う

古風な表現

laid hold of

字義: 保持を置かれた

意味: つかまれた / 奪われた

One slipper was nowhere to be found; the other had been laid hold of by an urchin, and off he ran with it;

古風な表現。現代英語では 'grabbed' や 'seized' を使う

古風な表現

off he ran

字義: 離れて彼は走った

意味: 彼は走り去った

One slipper was nowhere to be found; the other had been laid hold of by an urchin, and off he ran with it;

倒置構文。現代英語では 'he ran off' の語順

古風な表現

the whole livelong day

字義: 全体の生きている長い日

意味: 一日中ずっと / 朝から晩まで

Nobody had bought anything of her the whole livelong day;

古風な強調表現。'livelong' は 'live-long'（生きている限りの長い）の意

古風な表現

of which one advanced more than the other

字義: そのうち一つが他より前進していた

意味: 一方が他方より前に突き出ていた

In a corner formed by two houses, of which one advanced more than the other, she seated herself down and cowered together.

古風な関係代名詞構文

古風な表現

Her little feet she had drawn close up to her

字義: 彼女の小さな足を彼女は自分の方へ引き寄せていた

意味: 小さな足を体に引き寄せていた

Her little feet she had drawn close up to her, but she grew colder and colder, and to go home she did not venture,

目的語の前置による倒置構文

古風な表現

as though

字義: あたかも...のように

意味: まるで...であるかのように

It seemed really to the little maiden as though she were sitting before a large iron stove, with burnished brass feet and a brass ornament at top.

現代英語では 'as if' の方が一般的

古風な表現

capital to behold

字義: 見るのに資本である

意味: 見事な、素晴らしい光景

And what was still more capital to behold was, the goose hopped down from the dish, reeled about on the floor with knife and fork in its breast, till it came up to the poor little girl; when--the match went out and nothing but the thick, cold, damp wall was left behind.

capital は「首都」や「資本」ではなく「素晴らしい、優れた」という古風な形容詞用法

古風な表現

never formerly

字義: 決して以前は

意味: かつてこれほど～だったことはなかった

And the matches gave such a brilliant light that it was brighter than at noon-day: never formerly had the grandmother been so beautiful and so tall.

倒置構文を伴う古風な否定表現

古風な表現

entered on

字義: ～の上に入った

意味: ～を始めた、～に入った

No one had the slightest suspicion of what beautiful things she had seen; no one even dreamed of the splendor in which, with her grandmother she had entered on the joys of a new year.

enter on/upon は「（新しい段階などに）入る、始める」という古風な表現

連語

do capitally for

字義: 資本的に...のために行う

意味: ...として申し分なく使える / 立派に役立つ

he thought it would do capitally for a cradle when he some day or other should have children himself.

'capitally' は「素晴らしく」の意。'do for' は「...として使える」

連語

for you know

字義: あなたが知っているために

意味: ご存知の通り / というのも

From all the windows the candles were gleaming, and it smelt so deliciously of roast goose, for you know it was New Year's Eve;

理由を説明する口語表現

連語

cowered together

字義: 一緒に縮こまった

意味: 身を縮めた / 丸くなった

In a corner formed by two houses, of which one advanced more than the other, she seated herself down and cowered together.

'cower' は恐怖で縮こまる意だが、ここでは寒さで体を小さくまとめる様子

連語

did not venture

字義: 冒険しなかった

意味: あえて...しなかった / ...する勇気がなかった

Her little feet she had drawn close up to her, but she grew colder and colder, and to go home she did not venture,

'venture to do' で「思い切って...する」

連語

get blows

字義: 打撃を得る

意味: 殴られる / 叩かれる

from her father she would certainly get blows,

'blows' は「殴打」の意

連語

drew one out

字義: 一本を引き出した

意味: 一本取り出した

She drew one out.

'draw out' は「取り出す」の意だが、学習者は 'drew' の過去形認識でつまずく可能性

連語

blessed influence

字義: 祝福された影響

意味: ありがたい効果 / 恵み深い力

The fire burned with such blessed influence;

古風な表現。'blessed' は「ありがたい」の意

連語

stretched out

字義: 伸ばし出した

意味: 伸ばした / 差し出した

The little girl had already stretched out her feet to warm them too; but--the small flame went out, the stove vanished:

句動詞。'stretch out' で「伸ばす」

連語

steaming famously

字義: 有名に蒸気を出している

意味: 素晴らしく湯気を立てている、見事に湯気を立てている

On the table was spread a snow-white tablecloth; upon it was a splendid porcelain service, and the roast goose was steaming famously with its stuffing of apple and dried plums.

famously は「有名に」ではなく「素晴らしく、見事に」の意味で使われている古風な用法

連語

in the lustre

字義: 光沢の中に

意味: （マッチの）輝きの中に、明かりの中に

She drew another match against the wall: it was again light, and in the lustre there stood the old grandmother, so bright and radiant, so mild, and with such an expression of love.

lustre は「光沢」だけでなく「輝き、光」を意味する文学的表現

連語

stiff and stark

字義: 硬くて厳しい

意味: 硬直して冷たく（死んでいる様子）

Stiff and stark sat the child there with her matches, of which one bundle had been burnt.

死体の硬直状態を表す慣用的な組み合わせ