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Proverbial
Word of the Day: Proverbial Of course, the word proverbial relates to something from a proverb, but today, I will introduce its other usage, which is to be well-known. Proverbial describes something whose characteristics are well known to most people. In North America, most people would think about a traditional door-to-door salesperson or maybe even…
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Beyond the pale
Expression: Beyond the pale If your actions are described as beyond the pale, it means that your actions are not acceptable behaviour. Let me explain this so that you have a visual image. In the picture, you can see a fence. Each of the vertical boards is called a paling. A paling fence usually surrounds…
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Cog in the machine
English Idiom: Cog in the machine A cog in the machine is a small part of a large organization. Despite its small size, it’s necessary for the organization to run smoothly. When people describe themselves as a cog in the machine, they often feel underappreciated, or their superiors do not notice their contribution. Poor Aggretsuko,…
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Cog
Word of the Day: Cog A cog is part of a gear. Most people know what a gear looks like. You can see it in the picture accompanying this post, or if you have some small change in your pocket, you can look at a five-yen coin. There is a stalk of wheat and water…
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Limber
Word of the Day: Limber A limber person can bend their body in all kinds of strange ways and move quite smoothly. It’s the same as being flexible. One of the main reasons many people have back or shoulder pain is that they don’t stretch and exercise to maintain some level of limberness. The young…
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The cream rises to the top
Idiom: The cream rises to the top The idiom the cream rises to the top means that the most skilled people and best ideas are more noticeable than the others because they rise to the top and stand out. Have you ever enjoyed a glass of fresh milk? I don’t mean pasteurized milk in a carton sold…
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Wake
Word of the Day: Wake When a boat moves through the water, it leaves a V-shaped wave pattern behind it, called a wake. You’ve probably heard of wakeboarding. Well, wakeboarders surf that V-shaped wave or wake created by a fast-moving speedboat. Most words in English have more than one meaning, and today’s Word of the…
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Cross the Rubicon
Idiom: Cross the Rubicon Cross the Rubicon is an expression that means once you do something, you cannot undo it. It refers to Julius Caesar returning to Italy and fording the Rubicon River with his army. It was illegal for a Roman general to bring his army into Rome at the time. Once Caesar had brought…
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Pronto
Word of the Day: Pronto Pronto is an adverb which means immediately or without delay. People usually insert it into a sentence after the verb they want to modify to add effect. From my experience, it’s also generally used in short sentences, such as when your mother gets angry at you because you’re late for dinner and…
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Raise a red flag
English Phrase: Raise a red flag The term raise a red flag means you should be alert when something indicates danger or a potentially hazardous situation. If you are on a hike and notice an alligator, a crocodile or something that even resembles an alligator or crocodile, that should make you more alert and on…
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