Consumers locate their inner Scrooge

Coutney Hamilton’s mound of credit card debt turned her into a first-rate penny pincher this year.

  • mound of

大量の

  • penny

〈英〉〔通貨単位の〕ペニー
○ほんのわずかな金額

  • pincher

盗む人、盗人、どろぼう

Hamilton, 29, a legal secretary from Los Angeles, has $200 to stretch across six gifts.

  • stretch

○(自動)能力一杯に働く
(他動)〜を能力一杯に働かせる、ぶっ倒れそうになるくらいに働かせる

“I’m hard-pressed for some cash, and I’m trying to live beneath my means.”

  • hard-pressed

追い詰められた、土壇場の、困窮した、四苦八苦して

  • beneath

〜の支配下に

Frugal gift-shopping is nothing new, but it will likely become the norm this year, recent consumer research indicates.

  • frugal

〔暮らし・食事・お金の使い方などが〕質素な、つましい、節約する、倹約(的)な

  • norm

標準、基準、模範、規範、典型、平均

Although the plastic rectangles will still be among the most popular presents.

  • plastic rectangles

サングラス?
http://www.ninewest.com/Plastic-Rectangle-Wrap-w/Embellishment/2881265,default,pd.html

For many facing tighter budgets, paring back the number of people they give gifts to is the first plan of a attack.

  • pare

〜の皮をむく、(つめを)切る、〜を削り取る、削減する

People on the fringe of a gift giver’s social circle, such as teachers, should expect cookies or nothing at all this year.

  • fringe

へり、末端、縁、周辺、外れ
○〔社会・政治などの〕分派、非主流派、過激派グループ

Groups are going in together on gifts so individuals won’t have to shell out on their own.

  • shell out

〔お金をしぶしぶ〕支払う

Some shoppers trawl sales for gift items or set aside case each week for presents to avoid overspending with credit cards.

  • trawl

(名)トロール網
(他動)徹底的に探す

  • set aside

〜を脇[傍ら]に置く、取りのけておく、取っておく、蓄えておく


Slovakia revs up in its bid to be Europe’s Detroit

  • rev up

http://eow.alc.co.jp/rev/
〔エンジンの〕回転数を上げる、回転速度を上げる、回転を早める
○活性化する

  • bid

http://eow.alc.co.jp/bid/
入札、入札の機会、入札の順番}、競売[入札]に付されるもの
付け値、競売価格、指し値
○〔〜しようとする〕努力、企て、骨折り
〈米話〉〔入会などの〕案内、勧誘

Ex-communist Slovakia is fast becoming Europe’s Detroit: A humming automotive haven.

  • haven

http://eow.alc.co.jp/haven/
安息の地、安全な場所、安息所、避難所
○港、停泊港、避難港

Maria Novakova forecasts the creation of up to 30,000 new jobs between now and 2010 as the country’s fledgling automotive sector prepares to shift into higher gear.

  • fledgling

駆け出しの、巣立ちしたばかりの、未熟な、新入りの、新生の、芽生えたばかりの、始まったばかりの

To be sure, the U.S., Canada, China, Japan and Russia all dwarf Slovakia in sheer number of cars produced.

  • dwarf

小さい、ちっぽけな、小型の

The Big Three churned out just under 10.8 million.

  • churn out

大量生産する、量産する

But the tiny nation leads the world in per capita production.

  • per capita

〈ラテン語〉一人当たり、一人につき、頭割りで

Contrast that with the gloom settling over General Motors Corp., …

  • gloom

闇、暗闇、薄暗さ、(薄)暗がり、暗い所、暗影、陰影
○陰気、憂うつ、沈鬱、意気消沈[阻喪]、沈んだ面持ち[顔つき・表情]

  • settle

落ち着く、定住する

A lifeline they contend is needed to stave off even deeper layoffs or bankruptcy.

  • stave off

辛うじて避ける[防ぐ・食い止める]、免れる、回避する、歯止めをかける、払いのける

The payoff: its economy is one of Europe’s most vibrant, with 7.4 percent growth in 2008 despite the global meltdown and a solid 4 percent projected for next year.

  • payoff

〔給料や報酬の〕支払い(日)、給料(日)
○〈話〉〔出来事や話の〕ヤマ場、クライマックス、結末
〔最終的な〕報復、仕返し
〈話〉わいろ

  • vibrant

活気のある、力強い、活力のある

  • project

〜と見積もる、推定する、予想する

Pension and health care costs are also a fraction or what the Big Three pay out.

  • fraction

ごく少量、破片、一部分、ほんの少し、端数

“We are listening to our employees, trying not to have confrontations.”

  • confrontation

〔思想間の〕対立、〔異なる思想の人同士の〕論争

The Hingarian subsidary of Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp. is planning to cut 1,200 jobs.

  • subsidary

子会社