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All downhill
English Idiom: All downhill Depending on the situation, all downhill can have a positive or a negative meaning. Let’s make a positive start here. In a positive sense, today’s idiom is usually used when a situation is difficult at the beginning but becomes easier once a certain point is passed. For example, imagine that you…
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Birdsong
Word of the Day: Birdsong This one is relatively straightforward. Birdsong is the beautiful sound of singing birds. Many people enjoy birdsong in the morning. Sometimes, there are many birds and other times, there may be just one bird. In my case, there is one bird, a tiny bird, who sits on the tree outside…
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Flip through
Word of the Day: Flip through (something) People often flip through reading material such as books, magazines, or work documents. When we flip through something, we do not spend a lot of time reading it. We look at the pictures, peruse the writing, and then turn the pages. In almost every dentist’s office I have…
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Firing on all cylinders
English Idiom: Firing on all cylinders If you hear the idiom firing on all cylinders at your workplace, it means people are doing their best work. This phrase refers to a part of an engine. The cylinder is where fuel is burned. Usually, engines have more than one cylinder, and if they are all operating correctly, the…
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Ephemeral
WotD: Ephemeral If something is ephemeral, it only lasts for a very short time. This is the end of the cherry blossom viewing season in Wakayama. Cherry blossoms are ephemeral because they last for only a week or two. Sometimes the season is even shorter if it rains. This is one of the things that…
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Wait for the other shoe to drop
English Idiom: Wait for the other shoe to drop Wait for the other shoe to drop is used after one event has happened when you are waiting for something else that is connected to that first event also to occur. Usually, these are not positive things. Often, there is something negative connected to them. I’ll…
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Pub crawl
Word of the Day: Pub crawl Remember the good old days of the pub crawl? Remember getting together with a bunch of friends, going to the local entertainment district and visiting all the bars in one night? If you do remember, then it’s evident that you did not drink enough. A pub crawl occurs when friends…
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Slam dunk
English Idiom: Slam dunk Yes, of course, this is a basketball term, but even if you are not talking about basketball, you can use this term. In daily conversation, a slam dunk is something sure or guaranteed to happen. Imagine that you are a salesperson who has just made your sales pitch to a prospective…
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Diligent
WotD: Diligent Yesterday I introduced the meaning of aptitude. If you do not have a talent for English, don’t worry. By working diligently, you can increase your English language skills. So, what does that mean? Diligent means being careful and using a lot of effort. Rome was not built in a day, and there is no such thing…
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Keep your head above water
Idiom: Keep your head above water Are you able to say that you can keep your head above water? In the financial sense, I mean. Our friendly little sea turtle here has no problem doing it, but she has no money worries to keep her up at night. From the time we enter adulthood until the day…
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