The day after “Super Tuesday”

Feb 6th 2008 | NEW YORK
From Economist.com

Muddle for the Democrats, but John McCain pushes close to the Republican nomination

1.【muddle

verb, noun
verb [VN] (especially BrE)
~ sth (up) to put things in the wrong order or mix them up: Don't do that-you're muddling my papers. ◆ Their letters were all muddled up together in a drawer.
~ sb (up) to confuse sb: Slow down a little-you're muddling me.
~ sb/sth (up)
~ A (up) with B to confuse one person or thing with another: I muddled the dates and arrived a week early. ◆ He got all muddled up about what went where. ◆ They look so alike, I always get them muddled up.
Phrasal Verbs: muddle along (especially BrE) to continue doing sth without any clear plan or purpose: We can't just keep muddling along like this.
muddle through to achieve your aims even though you do not know exactly what you are doing and do not have the correct equipment, knowledge, etc: We'll muddle through somehow.
noun (especially BrE)
[C, usually sing.] a state of mental confusion: Can you start from the beginning again-I'm in a muddle.
[C, usually sing, U] ~ (about / over sth) a situation in which there is confusion about arrangements, etc. and things get done wrong: There was a muddle over the theatre tickets. ◆ There followed a long period of confusion and muddle.
[C, usually sing, U] a state of disorder in which things are untidy: My papers are all in a muddle.

muddle  

/ &s12;m&O52;dl; ˋm&O52;dl/ v
[Tn, Tn.p] (a) ~ sth (up) put sth into disorder; mix sth up 將某事物弄亂或混在一起: The cleaner had muddled my papers, and I couldn't find the one I wanted. 清潔工把我的文件弄亂了, 我找 不到我要的那份了. * My papers were all muddled up together. 我的文件全混在一起了. (b) ~ sb (up) confuse sb mentally 使某人糊塗: Stop talking, or you'll muddle me (up) completely. 別說了, 要不你把我全搞糊塗了. (c) ~ sb/sth (up) be confused about two or more things, people, etc and therefore make mistakes in arrangements 將事物與事物或人與人弄混淆（因而產生錯誤）: I muddled (up) the dates and arrived three days late. 我把日期弄亂了, 所以遲到了三天.
[Tn.pr, Tn.p] ~ A (up) with B; ~ A and B (up) fail to distinguish two people or things 分辨不出兩人或兩事物: You must be muddling me up with my twin brother. 你一定是把我看成我的孿生兄弟了.
(phr v) muddle along (derog 貶) live one's life in a foolish or helpless way, with no clear purpose or plan 混日子: We muddle along from day to day. 我們一天天地混日子. muddle through (often joc 常作戲謔語) achieve one's aims even though one does not act efficiently, have the proper equipment, etc 胡亂應付過去: I expect we shall muddle through somehow! 我看我們總能應付過去!
> muddle n ~ (about/over sth) 1 [C] state of untidiness or confusion 淩亂; 雜亂; 紊亂: Your room's in a real muddle. 你的房間真是亂七八糟. * There was a muddle over our hotel accommodation. 我們旅館的食宿安排十分混亂. 2 [sing] mental confusion 糊塗; 困惑: The old lady gets in(to) a muddle trying to work the video. 那老太太想開錄像機, 但是越搞越糊塗.
muddled adj confused 糊塗的; 混亂的: muddled thinking 紊亂的思緒.
muddling adj confusing 令人迷惑的; 令人糊塗的: These government forms are very muddling. 政府的這些表格真費解.
# ,muddle-`headed adj lacking clearness of thought; confused 頭腦不清的; 糊塗的; 混亂的: muddle-headed people, ideas, arguments 糊塗的人﹑ 思想﹑ 論據. ,muddle-`headedness n [U].】

OF ALL places, John McCain went to Massachusetts【马萨诸塞州】to campaign just before the clutch（高頻詞了啊） of primaries on February 5th known as “Super Tuesday” in America’s presidential election campaign. This looked cheeky【厚颜无耻的】. Massachusetts is the state of his main rival, Mitt Romney. Mr McCain was acting like a cocky【驕傲的，趾高氣昂的】 presumptive front-runner. As if as a 2.rebuke【rebuke  

verb
[VN] [often passive] ~ sb (for sth / for doing sth) (formal) to speak severely to sb because they have done sth wrong
Synonym: REPRIMAND
The company was publicly rebuked for having neglected safety procedures. ◆ She rebuked herself for her stupidity.
rebuke noun [C, U]: He was silenced by her stinging rebuke. ◆ She answered with no hint of rebuke.

rebuke  

/ r&O18;&s12;bju&s20;k; r&O18;ˋbjuk/ v [Tn, Tn.pr] ~ sb (for sth) express sharp or severe disapproval to sb, esp officially; reprove sb 指摘或非難某人: My boss rebuked me for coming to work late. 我的上司指摘我上班遲到.
> rebuke n act of rebuking sb; reproof 指摘; 非難; 責難: administer a stern rebuke 予以嚴厲的譴責.】

, he had a more nervous night than expected, losing a few states many thought he would win. Was the “Straight Talk Express” off the tracks again?

Mr McCain saw Georgia, a big south-eastern state, go for【選擇】 Mike Huckabee, the still-battling darling of evangelical Christians. Missouri, a bellwether, looked like it might do the same. He had reason to worry but Mr McCain’s night was saved late, when Missouri finally went his way, and results from California showed that the senator from Arizona had won the biggest state of all. That, along with wins in other big states like New York, New Jersey and Illinois, cemented his position as the commanding Republican front-runner, a status he acknowledged with a broad grin in his post-election speech.

Mr Romney’s main hope was that anti-McCain opinion—strong in many important parts of the party—would gather around him, now that the race has narrowed. But Mr Huckabee 3.foiled【foil  

noun, verb
noun (BrE also silver foil)
[U] metal made into very thin sheets that is used for covering or wrapping things, especially food: (BrE) aluminium foil ◆ (AmE) aluminum foil ◆ Cover the fish loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
See also TINFOIL
[U] paper that is covered in very thin sheets of metal: The chocolates are individually wrapped in gold and silver foil.
[C] ~ (for sb/sth) a person or thing that contrasts with, and therefore emphasizes, the qualities of another person or thing: The pale walls provide a perfect foil for the brightly coloured furniture. ◆ His mellow guitar technique is the ideal foil for her soaring voice.
[C] a long thin light SWORD used in the sport of FENCING
verb [VN] [often passive] (written) to stop sth from happening, especially sth illegal; to prevent sb from doing sth
Synonym: THWART
to foil a plan / crime / plot ◆ Customs officials foiled an attempt to smuggle priceless paintings out of the country. ◆ They were foiled in their attempt to smuggle priceless paintings.

foil ¹  

/ f&o96;&O18;l; f&o96;&O18;l/ n
[U] metal rolled or hammered into a very thin flexible sheet 箔: tin, aluminium foil, ie such as is wrapped round bars of chocolate 錫紙﹑ 鋁箔（如包裝巧克力的）.
[C] person or thing that contrasts with, and so emphasizes, the qualities of another 陪襯; 襯托: Her sparkling jewellery served as the perfect foil for her fine complexion. 她戴著閃閃生輝的首飾, 更顯得容貌姣好.

foil ²  

/ f&o96;&O18;l; f&o96;&O18;l/ v [Tn] prevent (sb) from carrying out a plan; prevent (a plan, etc) from succeeding; thwart; frustrate 阻止（某人）執行計畫; 阻撓（計畫等）; 挫敗: He was foiled in his attempt to deceive us/His attempt to deceive us was foiled. 他企圖欺騙我們, 但沒有得逞.

foil ³  

³ / f&o96;&O18;l; f&o96;&O18;l/ n long thin light sword with a protective button on the point, used in fencing (fence²) （擊劍運動的）鈍頭劍. =>illus at fencing (fence) 見fencing插圖. Cf 參看 epee, sabre.】

 that strategy, by racking up【rack up [rack sth&S660;up] phr v
to get a number or amount of something, especially a number of points in a competition
　 He racked up 41 points.

rack  

noun, verb
noun
(often in compounds) a piece of equipment, usually made of metal or wooden bars, that is used for holding things or for hanging things on: a vegetable / wine / plate / toast rack ◆ I looked through a rack of clothes at the back of the shop. ◆ Remove the cakes from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
See also LUGGAGE RACK, ROOF RACK
(usually the rack) an instrument of TORTURE, used in the past for punishing and hurting people. Their arms and legs were tied to the wooden frame and then pulled in opposite directions, stretching the body: to put sb on the rack
~ of lamb / pork a particular piece of meat that includes the front RIBS and is cooked in the oven: a rack of lamb
a part of a machine that consists of a bar with parts that a wheel or GEAR can fit into
Idioms: go to rack and ruin to get into a bad condition: They let the house go to rack and ruin.
off the rack (AmE) = off the peg at PEG n.
on the rack feeling extreme pressure, anxiety or pain
verb (also less frequent wrack) [VN] [often passive] to make sb suffer great physical or mental pain: to be racked with / by guilt ◆ Her face was racked with pain. ◆ Violent sobs racked her whole body.
Idioms: rack your brain(s) (also less frequent wrack your brain(s)) to think very hard or for a long time about sth: She racked her brains, trying to remember exactly what she had said.
Phrasal Verbs: rack up sth (especially AmE) to collect sth, such as profits or losses in a business, or points in a competition: The company racked up $200 million in losses in two years. ◆ In ten years of boxing he racked up a record 176 wins.

rack ¹  

/ rak; rak/ n
(often in compounds 常用以構成復合詞) framework, usu with bars or pegs, for holding things or for hanging things on （放東西或掛東西用的）架子: a `plate-rack 盤碟架 * a `wine-rack, ie for holding wine bottles 酒瓶架 * a `toast-rack 麵包片架 * a `hat-rack 帽架.
type of shelf for light luggage, coats, etc over the seats of a bus, train, plane, etc （公共汽車﹑ 火車﹑ 飛機等座位上方放置輕便行李﹑ 衣物等的）行李架: a `luggage-rack 行李架.
rod, bar or rail with teeth or cogs, into which those of a wheel, gear, etc fit 齒條; 齒板; 齒軌: a `steering rack, eg on a cable car 轉向齒條（如纜車上的）. Cf 參看 pinion².
# `rack-railway (also esp US cog-railway) n railway that has a cogged central rail with which a cogged wheel on the train engages to drive the train up a steep slope 齒軌鐵道（設有帶齒的中軌, 與列車帶齒的車輪嚙合, 將列車送上陡坡）.

rack ²  

/ rak; rak/ n
(usu 通常作 the rack) (formerly) instrument of torture consisting of a frame with rollers to which a person's wrists and ankles were tied so that his joints were stretched when the rollers were turned （舊時）拉肢拷問台（一種刑具）: put sb on the rack 對某人施以拉肢之刑.
(idm 習語) on the `rack in severe pain or mental distress （肉體或精神上）受極大折磨.
> rack v
1 [Tn] torture (sb) on the rack 以拉肢之刑拷問或折磨（某人）.
2 [Tn esp passive 尤用於被動語態] (of disease, pain or mental distress) cause agony to (sb) （指疾病﹑ 疼痛﹑ 苦惱等）使（某人）極為痛苦: racked with pain, fever, etc 因疼痛﹑ 發燒等而痛苦 * A coughing fit racked her whole body. 她一陣咳嗽全身都十分難受. * a voice racked by sobs/weeping 抽抽搭搭[哭哭啼啼]的痛苦的聲音 * racked by (feelings of) guilt, remorse, doubt, etc 深受內疚﹑ 悔恨﹑ 懷疑等之苦.
3 (idm 習語) rack one's `brain(s) try very hard to think of sth or recall sth 苦思某事; 努力回憶某事: We racked our brains for an answer. 我們為尋找答案而絞盡腦汁. * I've been racking my brains (trying) to remember his name. 我一直在回想他的名字.
# `rack-rent n [C, U] unfairly high rent 過高的租金.

rack ³  

/ rak; rak/ n (idm 習語) go to ,rack and `ruin fall into a ruined or disorganized state through neglect 因忽視而致毀壞﹑ 混亂或瓦解: The old empty house soon went to rack and ruin. 這所舊的空房子很快就毀壞了. * This country is going to rack and ruin; we need a change of government. 這個國家正在分崩離析, 我們需要更換政府.】

 a clutch of conservative (largely religious) southern states. This left Mr Romney winning only Massachusetts, of which he was governor, and western and mid-western states that are generally sparsely【稀疏地; 不足地; 稀少地; 贫乏地】populated and will send few delegates to the convention. It is now Mr McCain’s race to lose.

California, too, determined the outcome for the Democratic candidates. But in this case that story ended only with an indecisive “to be continued”. Barack Obama won two southern states including Georgia by a punishing margin（差距）【adj [usu attrib 通常作定语] that makes one very tired or weak; severe 十分吃力的; 使人筋疲力尽的; 严厉的: a punishing climb up the hill 十分吃力的登山活动 * a punishing defeat 惨重的失败.  n [sing] (infml) severe defeat or damage 极大的失败或损坏: My boots have taken quite a punishing recently  I need a new pair. 我的靴子近来已经破得不得了了--我需要一双新的.】

. He also won a host of mid-western and western states; besides his home state of Illinois, he won in Missouri, liberal Minnesota, and picked up other smaller western states. He also snatched【 夺取, 攫取】 two prizes on the coast: tiny Delaware, and, more symbolically, Connecticut, which abuts【背過GRE的都背過】 Hillary Clinton’s adopted state of New York (where she is a senator).

Mrs Clinton’s camp could have a case for claiming victory on Tuesday night. She won fewer states, but they were big and decisive wins. She took New York state, New Jersey and Massachusetts, a powerful Democratic block. These were hers despite Mr Obama’s much-touted【tout  

verb, noun
verb
[VN] ~ sb/sth (as sth) to try to persuade people that sb/sth is important or valuable by praising them/it: She's being touted as the next leader of the party. ◆ Their much-touted expansion plans have come to nothing.
~ (for sth) (especially BrE) to try to persuade people to buy your goods or services, especially by going to them and asking them directly: [V] the problem of unlicensed taxi drivers touting for business at airports ◆ [VN] He's busy touting his client's latest book around London's literary agents.
[V, VN] (BrE) (AmE scalp) to sell tickets that you have bought at one price at a higher price, especially outside a theatre, STADIUM, etc.
noun (also ticket tout) (both BrE) (AmE scalper) a person who buys tickets for concerts, sports events, etc. and then sells them to other people at a higher price

tout  

/ taut; ta&O50;t/ v
[I, Ipr, Tn] ~ (for sth) try to get people to buy (one's goods or services), esp in an annoyingly insistent way 兜售（貨物）; 招攬（生意）: touting for custom 招攬生意 * touting one's wares 兜售商品.
[Tn] (Brit) sell (tickets to sports events, concerts, etc) at a price higher than the official one 賣高價票（體育比賽﹑ 音樂會等的）; 賣黑市票.
> tout n person who touts things 兜售者; 招攬生意的人; 賣高價票的人: a `ticket tout 票販子.】

 Tuesday momentum: many thought that New Jersey might be moving in his direction, and Massachusetts’s two senators and governor endorsed Mr Obama.

Most importantly, Mrs Clinton won in California. She had a built-in【內置的】 advantage: many voters had cast ballots by mail before Mr Obama’s nationwide spurt became apparent. But the Obama team poured money, celebrity supporters and energy into the state, and dared to hope they could pull it off. To no avail.

The furious【狂暴的，激烈的】 spin now sure to come from both sides cannot change a simple fact: in the only number that matters—the number of delegates chosen by the primaries—the two candidates are close to deadlock【僵局】, though Mrs Clinton now has the slimmest of leads. Super Tuesday, long expected to choose a winner finally and decisively for both parties, did no such thing for the Democrats.