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Add insult to injury
Expression: Add insult to injury I was having difficulty coming up with an example to explain the phrase add insult to injury, but Japan gave me a perfect example. What should have been a happy day turned out to be quite the opposite. The Japanese national soccer team, Samurai Blue, could only add insult to injury by playing…
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Watch your tongue
Idiom: Watch your tongue What I want to do today is introduce the English idiom watch your tongue, which is similar to the idea of speak no evil. Most of my readers will know the three monkeys or the three wise monkeys and their proverb, ‘hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil.’ In English-speaking…
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Secondary infection
WotD: Secondary infection Some people are concerned about the risk of developing a secondary infection due to receiving the influenza shot. A secondary infection is an infection that a person develops during or after treatment for a different virus. Back in October – November last year, I created a lesson called To Vaccinate or Not about the flu shot…
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Drop-a-dime
Phrase: Drop-a-dime If you are a fan of old movies, you may have heard the term drop-a-dime more than once. Back in the day, before the invention of smartphones or cell phones, for that matter, people had to use public payphones. I’m forty-four, and I remember walking up to the local payphone on the corner to apply…
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In vino veritas
Proverb: In vino veritas For all the wine lovers out there in cyberspace, I have some Latin for you – in vino veritas. It’s nice to throw out a Latin word or phrase now and then, especially if you can do it in the right situation. However, we have to be careful when using Latin. Get…
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Can’t be bothered
Phrase: Can’t be bothered It’s Sunday, the day when many people can’t be bothered to do anything. It’s a great day for sleeping in, eating a late breakfast outside, taking a short stroll around the neighbourhood and then keeping yourself busy by lying around the house for the remainder of the day. When you can’t be bothered, you…
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Trust in
Word of the Day: Trust in Citizens of Western countries, for the most part, trust in their social and government institutions. What I mean is that when people trust in something, they believe that it is right, good and can do what it is supposed to do. Being able to trust in their institutions is one of the main reasons why…
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False sense of security
Phrase: False sense of security Even though you may feel comfortable and safe, you should stay alert so you don’t get lulled into a false sense of security. When you have a false sense of security, you believe you are safer than you actually are. Often, this is because a person is unaware of the actual danger…
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Naysayer
WotD: Naysayer We all have a naysayer or two in our lives. Believe me when I tell you there are too many naysayers in this world. Naysayers are the first to say something is impossible or that a new idea is bound to fail. These are the people who breathe negativity wherever they go. Unfortunately, we all have to deal…
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One bad apple spoils the whole barrel
Proverb: One bad apple spoils the whole barrel At a party, one bad apple spoils the whole barrel. Imagine that you’re having a little dinner party with some old friends. Everything is going great. The food is fantastic, and the conversation is engaging. Then you suddenly realize that one of your friends has had too many…
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