-
Punch the clock
English Idiom: Punch the clock Most of us punch the clock every day. Some want to, and some enjoy it, but many are looking forward to the day when we don’t have to. What does it mean? Well, punching the clock means going to work every day. The expression comes from time clocks, which stamp…
-
Looming
WotD: Looming Many things are looming over Japan these days. Of course, the big one is North Korea and their missiles. Another is the monetary crisis which a rapidly ageing society is creating for the younger generations. When we say that something is looming, we mean that something unwanted or unpleasant will happen soon. As you can see…
-
Fly the coop
English Idiom: Fly the coop To fly the coop means to escape. Think about chickens on a small farm. The little building in which people keep chickens is called a chicken coop. Sometimes, when the door is open, a chicken will escape. If you are in a situation you do not like, such as a…
-
Seeing is believing
English Phrase: Seeing is believing Seeing is believing is an expression, which means we have to see something first before we think it’s true. In my post, believe in, I mentioned Sasquatches. Perhaps you do not believe in Sasquatches. Maybe you have doubts about whether they exist. Would you change your mind if you saw…
-
Nifty
WotD: Nifty A corkscrew is nifty. So is a smartphone, and even idioms and expressions are nifty. That’s why I added a section named Nifty Little Expressions to the feedback sheets I create for students after each lesson. I put excellent sentences or phrases that are useful and practical. With an idiom or expression, we…
-
Promise the moon
Expression: Promise the moon Often investment advisers, politicians or even boyfriends will promise the moon when, in reality, they have absolutely no possibility of being able to carry out their promise. We must always be careful when people make promises that seem too good to be true. There are many stories in the news about retirees investing money…
-
Giveaway
Word of the Day: Giveaway We have two options for today. One is a giveaway, and the other is a dead giveaway. A giveaway is something unintentional that reveals a secret. A pet owner could not find their cat anywhere because their cat was hiding. Then they saw it under a blanket on their bed.…
-
The genie is out of the bottle
English Idiom: The genie is out of the bottle Imagine you try to have a surprise party for your brother’s birthday. You want to keep it on the down low, but when his girlfriend accidentally tells him, the genie is out of the bottle. You may hear this expression when a secret is not a…
-
Mantra
Word of the Day: Mantra A mantra, like the one written on the blackboard, is a phrase or single word that expresses a person’s strong beliefs. People often repeat these little phrases to reinforce their beliefs and inspire themselves. Enjoying the little things in life is one that I try to follow. Of course, variety…
-
Shoot yourself in the foot
Idiom: Shoot yourself in the foot If you shoot yourself in the foot, you make things unnecessarily difficult for yourself by saying or doing something you shouldn’t. Politicians do this all the time. The current president of the United States shoots himself in the foot daily. If you read his Twitter account, you will see…
Got any book recommendations?