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Niggle
Word of the Day: Niggle Sometimes a thing will niggle you for a long time. Have you ever left your house and then started to worry that you had left the kotatsu on? You’re sure you turned it off but can’t clearly remember doing it. That thought continues to niggle you all day long. Niggle…
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Tricks of the Trade
Phrase: Tricks of the Trade Ever notice how you try to do something, but it seems impossible? Then, a professional comes along and makes it look easy. That’s because the pro knows the tricks of the trade – and you don’t. Tricks of the trade are little tidbits of experienced people’s knowledge that others don’t…
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Nag
Word of the Day: Nag There must be a reasonable explanation for why some people love to nag others so much. I’ve heard the expression misery loves company, but that doesn’t seem acceptable to me. To nag someone means to be a persistent thorn in their side by annoying them with criticism or stupid suggestions.…
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Bang for your buck
Idiom: Bang for your buck Not many regular people earning an average wage can afford to spend money like water anymore. We’re all looking to get the best bang for the buck. Simply put, this means we want to get the best value for our money. Now, you may be wondering why is a dollar, a US dollar,…
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Fine print
WotD: Fine print How often have you read the fine print before accepting the terms of usage for an app or computer software? I’m willing to bet that if you are like me, you’ve never read a ‘terms of use’ contract in its entirety. Those things are B-o-r-i-n-g with a capital ‘B.’ They’re full of legal jargon…
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Let yourself go
Idiom: Let yourself go It’s unfortunate and, in some cases, quite sad, but it happens to most of us men in the West. As you age, you tend to let yourself go. Ladies, you know what I’m talking about. That wonderfully svelte (you can check that one in the dictionary) young man with a lush head…
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Bane
Word of the Day: Bane I heard it on the BBC. The bane of the great United States of America is not drugs, guns or climate change – it’s student debt. When something is described as a bane, it’s the source of pain, suffering and perhaps the ruin of the person involved. High levels of student debt with…
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Turn a blind eye
Phrase: Turn a blind eye Today’s expression has nothing to do with not being able to see. When we turn a blind eye, we wilfully ignore something or pretend not to notice it. People usually do this when they don’t want to get involved in something. For example, let me tell you a story about something…
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Hash out
Word of the Day: Hash out Aren’t you glad you read this blog daily? I ask you because everyone around you hash out their problems every day, and you never knew they were doing it. Sure, you thought they were having regular, everyday discussions, and I can’t blame you for that. You had never heard of the…
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Take as given
Phrase: Take as given The small things in life keep us sane. Make it a personal rule never to take anything as given. Without them, we’d all go bonkers in a New York minute. The cherry blossom viewing season has officially started in Japan. This weekend is the best time to see them in full bloom.…
Got any book recommendations?