pack a punch

この週末は大雪でしたが、関東地方では10数年に一度の規模の大雪ということで、普段なれない雪かきなどに苦労された方も多かったのではないでしょうか。

今週末ももしかしたら雪かもしれないという予報ですが、個人的にはもう雪は結構ということで思い遣られます。

さて、下記はアメリカの話ですが、向こうでも寒波が猛威を振るっているようです。


As yet another fierce storm wallops much of the nation, creating havoc from Texas through Maine with ice, freezing rain and snow, Americans are growing weary of a winter that keeps spreading misery even to places unaccustomed to frigid conditions.

The latest storm, termed "mind-boggling if not historical" by the National Weather Service, was bringing dangerous ice and freezing rain to heavily populated corridor of the South, from Atlanta to Raleigh, N.C., before moving north with as much as a foot of snow from Virginia to New England.

Though it's not quite the middle of February, this winter's toll has already delivered more than a season's worth of hard punches.
(William M. Welch. Another blow from winter that has packed a punch. USA Today. February 11, 2014.)


さて、今日の1語、記事のタイトルに着目したいと思います。

"pack a punch"という表現です。

"pack"という単語は、日本語でもカタカナで“パック”と言いますからそちらに引っ張られて"punch"とは馴染まないように思いますが、辞書を引くと、


（人・言葉などが）（強打・衝撃などを）与える
（ランダムハウス英和）


to make or be capable of making (an impact)
(Merriam Webster Dictionary)


という意味があることが確認できます。

この意味での動詞"pack"は"punch"を目的語に取ることがほとんどのようで、口語表現として定着しています。


Though alpha particles have a limited range of a quarter-inch or so, they pack a punch 20 times more powerful than beta or gamma radiation, and can lodge easily in the body if inhaled or ingested. Many US vets believe DU may also be a key factor in Gulf War syndrome, the set of symptoms for which the Veteran's Administration has already provided compensation for nearly 1 in 4 vets.
(Christian Science Monitor. 2002.)


When the Federal Reserve pushed a key short-term interest rate higher Friday for the first time in five years, it was firing a warning shot against inflation. The rate increase was modest. The Fed bumped to 3.25% from 3% the federal funds rate - the rate banks charge each other for overnight loans. Such a small move means consumers won't see much of an increase in consumer loan rates or mortgage rates. And inflation is low enough that the Fed probably won't raise rates again for several months. But the Fed's action packs a big psychological punch.
(USA Today. 1994.)