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For Life
2003.09.22

Autumn greetings on a Monday! It was especially hard to say farewell to the summer this year, as it seemed to arrive so late! But we're sure the autumn will bring much that is good and welcome. We look forward to spending it with you!

The theme for the week? ... Foreign Travel!

Today's LessonCATEGORY: Japanese English
BODY SEARCH   ボディーチェック

Explanation

  • When someone at airport security or a policeman does a body search, they use their hands or a metal detector (a handheld device that makes a noise when near metal) to check if a person is carrying a gun, knife, drugs, etc.

    Be careful:
    We do NOT use the expression "body check" to mean body search. It's Japanese-English.
  • 拳銃やナイフ、麻薬などを所持していないかどうかチェックするために、空港の警備員や警官が行う身体検査のことを body search  と言います。普通、手や金属探知機（金属に反応して音が鳴るハンディー型の器械）を使って行います。

    注意：
    body check は、和製英語なので、意味が通じません。

examples

  1. I had to have a body search at the airport. It was so embarrassing!
  2. In movies, whenever the police make an arrest, they do a body search and then read the person their rights.
  3. While giving the man a body search, they found three grams of cocaine in his shoe.

Be careful what you carry on you the next time you fly!