仕切るのはオレだ！ ～ show who's boss, run the show

前回取り上げた rule the roost は単語を見ただけでは意味が想像しにくい表現だと思うが、同じく「支配する」ことを示す show someone who's boss は、逆にたやすくイメージがわく言い回しだろう。

直訳しても「誰がボスなのかを教えてやる」となるので、そのままと言えそうだ。自分で使う表現としても、こちらの方がずっと敷居が低い。

自分の学習ノートにメモしていた実例である。

- The people of Hong Kong want two things: to choose how they are governed, and to be subject to the rule of law. The Chinese Communist Party finds both ideas so frightening that many expected it to send troops to crush last year’s vast protests in Hong Kong. Instead, it bided its time. Now, with the world distracted by covid-19 and mass protests difficult because of social distancing, it has chosen a quieter way to show who’s boss.
("China has launched rule by fear in Hong Kong" The Economist, May 30, 2020)

英語圏の辞書から引用しよう。

- informal
Make it clear that it is oneself who is in charge.
We're going to show you who's boss.
He called a special election to show them who's boss and guess what happened?
(Oxford Dictionaries)

- make it clear to somebody that you have more power and authority than they have
I think it's time we showed these people who's boss, don't you?
(Oxford Idioms Dictionary for Learners of English)

なお、「実権を握る」「牛耳る」「仕切る」の関連で、辞書を見ていておもしろいと思ったのは、 run the show 「運営する、取り仕切る、切り盛りする」という表現があるが、この run は boss にしてもいいそうだ。

つまり boss the show となるわけだが、show who's boss と共通の単語があり、おもしろい、というより、こんがらがりそうな気もしてくる。

ということで、run the show についても辞書から抜書きしておこう。

- If you say that someone is running the show, you mean that they are in control or in charge of a situation.
They made it clear who is now running the show.
There's some serious problems with the way the state's leadership has been running the show.
(COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)

- informal
Dominate or be in charge of an undertaking or area of activity.
I suppose some European countries might have been prepared to undertake this adventure if Washington had not been running the show.
America has to believe that the people who are running the show actually know what they're doing.
Not all members of the group are women, but from the beginning, women have been running the show.
(Oxford Dictionaries)


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