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Aptitude
Word of the Day: Aptitude An aptitude is a natural skill or ability with which someone is born. Most language students work very hard to improve their skills in the language they are studying. However, sometimes, a student seems to learn super quickly. Some people are naturally good at math, others at baseball, and still others at…
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(Keep something) on the down low
English Idiom: (Keep something) on the down low There are some things that you do not tell everybody; you keep them secret. In other words, you keep them on the down low. Perhaps you are eating too many doughnuts. That is something you may not want your doctor to know about, even though what she doesn’t…
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Voice
Word of the Day: Voice (verb) I’m sure that everybody knows how to use voice as a noun. Can you use it as a verb, though? Voice is used as a verb when someone expresses concern or complains about something. For example, many Japanese are voicing their concerns about the future of the Japanese pension system. Many…
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Keep an ear to the ground
English Idiom: Keep an ear to the ground In today’s fast-changing business world, it is imperative to keep an ear to the ground at all times. This means you need to watch and listen for clues about what will happen next. People who have their heads in the clouds may one day find that things…
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Keep your powder dry
English Idiom: Keep your powder dry It’s raining heavily today, and just by coincidence, the idiom I have chosen is keep your powder dry. Lucky me, what a coincidence. Today’s idiom comes from history. To use an old gun, the soldier had to put loose gunpowder into it. However, when gunpowder is wet, it…
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Frail
Word of the Day: Frail As we age, we become frail. This is not necessarily a bad thing; it’s just what happens. The older we get, the easier it is for us to break our bones if we fall. When something is frail, it’s weak and delicate. Even the strongest person will eventually grow old…
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BC / AD
Abbreviation of the Day: BC / AD The calendar that we use today starts at the birth of Jesus Christ. BC is used to mark a year that occurs Before Christ was born. Usually, the BC abbreviation is written after the year. 3,500 BC, for example, is when the wheel was invented. AD is used…
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Keep your stick on the ice
Patrick Roy (the goalie) displays the benefits of today’s idiom, and the puck stays out. English Idiom: Keep your stick on the ice Today’s idiom is related to ice hockey. I know you think you do not want to know any ice hockey idioms. My answer to that is you never know when you may…
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Nibble
Word of the Day: Nibble Think about a rabbit, prairie dog or another rodent. If you give a prairie dog a carrot, it will nibble on the carrot gradually until it is gone. Nibbling is a way of eating with tiny bites. It’s how a rodent such as a mouse, hamster or rabbit eats. They…
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A lemon
English Idiom: A lemon So when is a lemon not what you think it is? When it’s a smartphone, it could be a car, a TV, a microwave oven or any machine or device that does not work well. Come on, it makes perfect sense. You see, in English, any machine or device that does…
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