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今日单词 Word of the Day

gaslight verb
gaslighting gaslighter noun

Meaning
Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a targeted group, making them question their own memory, perception, and sanity.

Using persistent denial, misdirection, contradiction, and lying, gaslighting involves attempts to destabilize the victim and delegitimize the victim's belief. (wikipedia.org)

字面意思：点亮煤气灯；后来比喻通过心理手段操纵某人接受对现实的虚假信息或虚假描述，从而怀疑自己的理智行为。

“点亮煤气灯”这一词语来源于1938年的一部戏剧，以及后来1944年的电影改编。在这部电影中，一个杀人的丈夫通过慢慢调暗家里的煤气灯，然后否认发生了这种事，来操纵和迷惑他的妻子。

心理学认为：这种手法比你想象的有效，任何人都容易受到“点亮煤气灯”的侵害。这是虐待者、独裁者、自恋者和邪教领袖们经常使用的手法。这种手法很缓慢，所以受害者不知道他们已经被洗了多少次脑。

Citation
Donald Trump is a classic gaslighter in an abusive relationship with America. Gaslighting is outrageous behavior from anyone, let alone a U.S. president. Don't get confused, don't get exhausted, and don't stop fighting back.

The United States is in an abusive relationship with the president. As a therapist in clinical practice, I’m trained to spot the signs and offer strategies to help people cope. Abusive relationships are extremely dangerous, and this is no exception. Donald Trump’s gaslighting has led the country into a spiral of doubt, anger and despair.

Gaslighting behavior has always been present in history, to a degree. It is par for the course whenever a person or entity wants to exert as much control as possible over others. But we haven’t seen this level of gaslighting since the Axis powers of World War II. ( usatoday.com )

今日词组 Phrase of the Day

sound out
phrasal verb

Meaning
If you sound someone out, you question them in order to find out what their opinion is about something. ( collinsdictionary.com )
试探（某人）的看法，探（某人）的口风

Citation
Pelosi Sounds Out Democrats on Impeachment.

“Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been quietly sounding out top allies and lawmakers about whether the time has come to impeach President Trump, according to multiple Democratic officials, a major development in the ongoing investigation of the president that suggests the House could eventually vote to oust him,” the Washington Post reports.

“Pelosi has asked colleagues whether they believe that Trump’s own admission that he pressured a Ukrainian leader to investigate a political foe is a tipping point. She was making calls as late as Monday night to gauge support in the caucus, and many leadership aides who once thought Trump’s impeachment was unlikely now say they think it’s almost inevitable.” (The Washington Post & EDT by Taegan Goddard September 23, 2019 )

今日俚语 Slang of the Day

run between the raindrops
walk between the raindrops

Meaning
This is a military, combat slang phrase meaning to maneuver under heavy fire without being hit (onlineslangdictionary.com) ; avoid or deflect repeated political attacks.
躲避枪林弹雨；躲闪政治对手的攻击

现在它经常被用作一个政治术语：躲避或转移对手的政治攻击。有时，Running between the raindrops（在雨滴之间的奔跑）也可以用来形容那些在执政期间能够转移丑闻或将责任推给他人的政客。

Citation
In the increasingly anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist world, Israel and her Jewish supporters are thought to be powerful and manipulative, controlling large nations and bending them to their will. In truth, tiny Israel must walk between the raindrops with the US and Russia in order to survive (Benjamin Netanyahu has been good at this, which is one of the reasons for his political survival).

I think it’s hard for Americans or Canadians, who are insulated from an unstable world by two oceans, and who live in resource-rich nations that stretch between them, to fully grasp the insecurity that is Israel’s lot. This is one reason why Israelis have very little patience with North Americans telling them what’s good for them in matters relating to security. (abuyehuda.com Sep 24, 2018)

今日习语 Idiom of the Day

read my lips

Meaning
listen carefully (used to emphasize the importance of the speaker's words or the earnestness of their intent). 听好了，仔细听，注意听我说，看我的嘴型，说到做到

小布什在1988年共和党总统提名演讲中使用的这个一个短语。完整的引语是' Read my lips: no new taxes' (听好了:不加税），这句话被认为是帮助他在1988年赢得总统宝座和在1992年失去连任的金句。

Citation
Trump’s base takes the wall itself seriously, and, like George H.W. Bush’s 1988 campaign pledge on taxes, the wall has become the president’s “read my lips” albatross.

The border wall is Donald Trump’s “read-my-lips” trial. For a brief moment last week, he seemed to waver. But it seems now that was mere appearance, a feint, not reality. He has dug in more firmly than ever. One way or another, he will get the wall. If it were up to me, I’d take the advice of a friend and begin by mining the border, but no one has asked for my opinion. We probably won’t get the mines. We will get the wall. (amgreatness.com Dec 22,2018)