Gut check

ちょっとネットで見かけた表現gut checkが気になったので確認です。

（オックスフォード）

gut check

informal North American

An evaluation or test of a person's resolve, commitment, or priorities, typically with respect to a particular course of action.

（ウエブスター）

gut check

: a test or assessment of courage, character, or determination

（ウィズダム）

gut

1(くだけて)[～s](困難に立ち向かう)根性, ガッツ, 勇気, 決断力

▶Running a marathon takes a lot of guts.

マラソンを走るにはかなりの根性がいる

▶I didn’t have the guts to tell the truth.

私は本当のことを言う勇気がなかった.

3Ｕ直感, 本能, 感情

▶feel [know] in one’s gut

直感する[勘でわかる].

test or evaluationとかtest or assessmentと定義されているように、使われ方は２種類ありそうなんですよね。以下の2種類の動画で違いがわかります。

8分30秒あたり

How does it feel in my gut? Do a gut check on whether or not you feel like this person is telling the truth and just ask open and honest and non confrontational questions.

Quoraにあった説明がこの二つの違いを説明してくれていると思います。

What does 'gut check' mean?

This is a two-word phrase. It is an established slang expression in English. We must consider both words to understand the meaning.

The word “gut” literally refers to an internal body part. That part is the intestine. But the established slang meaning of the word “guts” is raw courage. In this two-word expression, the word is used as an adjective and for that reason is presented as singular instead of plural.

The word “check,” in this context, means the process of examining something and evaluating it. For instance, one might check the oil in one’s car. In this case, one checks one’s “guts.”

So a “gut check” is a moment of crisis, at which time one is challenged to evaluate one’s own courage. Although the gut check is actually the process of evaluating one’s courage, the phrase “gut check” typically refers (instead) to the scary situation that provokes this response.

最初のバスケの動画は、困難な状況で「根性」が試されているとき、つまりtestですね。二つ目の女性の動画は「本心」を確かめること、evaluationやassessmentでしょう。文脈にもよりますが、一般的には２番目の女性の例のように、自分の本心を確認する感じで使われている感じです。

ちなみに冒頭のFriendsのモニカが言っていたIt’s gut-check time!は「気合いを入れろ！」と訳されていました。こちらは一番めの例の根性が試される時の意味で使われていますね。10時間ぶっ通しでボール投げのゲームに付き合わされ皆がヘトヘトのところに語った言葉です。

[Scene: Chandler and Joey’s, Joey, Ross, Monica, and now Chandler are still playing catch. The guys are exhausted and sitting around the room. Monica is still standing all pumped up and being hyper-competitive yet again. {Okay! We get it! She’s competitive!! Must we see all the time?!}]

Ross: I’m starving!

Monica: Come on guys! Suck it up! We’re closing in on ten hours! It’s gut-check time!

Joey: I don’t know who made you the boss? All right? We (Ross and him) invented this game!

Monica: Please! I made this game what it is.

Chandler: Not fun anymore?