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For Life
2004.10.29

Like a cool autumn breeze, Friday has arrived!

If the paper clip is the unsung hero of office supplies, then perhaps today's WordMaster is equally deserving of our respect!

Today's Lesson
STAPLER   ホッチキス

Explanation

  • A stapler is a device for attaching two or more sheets of paper together by pushing a small U-shaped piece of wire through them.

    A staple is one of the U-shaped pieces of wire used in a stapler.

    The verb staple means to attach something with a stapler.

    Be Careful! The word 'Hotchkiss' (ホッチキス) comes from the Hotchkiss stapler (made by E. H. Hotchkiss Company, Connecticut, U.S.A.), a stapler sold in Japan in the early 1900s. 'Hotchkiss' is NOT used to mean stapler in general.
  • stapler は、U字型の針金を突き刺すことによって紙を留める道具、つまり、ホッチキスのことです。

    staple は、ホッチキスに入れて使うU字型の針金のことです。

    staple は、動詞としても使われ、ホッチキスで留める、という意味になります。

    注意:日本語の「ホッチキス」は、E. H. Hotchkiss 社(アメリカのコネチカット州)製の Hotchkiss stapler から来ています。その会社のホッチキスは、1900年代のはじめに日本で販売されました。英語では普通、stapler の意味で、Hotchkiss という言葉は使いません。

examples

  1. That little stapler wasn't designed to go through so many sheets of paper. Here, use this big one.
  2. Why does the stapler always seem to run out of staples when I use it?
  3. (giving instructions to an employee)
    Never use staples on important documents; they damage the paper. Use paper clips instead.
  4. This report's too big to staple together. I'll put it in a binder.
  5. (instructions on a recruiting Web site)
    Staple a photograph of yourself to the application and send to the following address.

Find the magic this weekend!