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Spur of the moment
English Idiom: Spur of the moment Have you ever been checking out after shopping for groceries and added something to your shopping basket because it appealed to you? You know what I mean. Batteries, energy bars, sunscreen, candies, gum, or other small items are usually bought on the spur of the moment. These are not…
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One-of-a-kind
Word of the Day: One-of-a-kind Most of you know what a limited edition means: only a few of something is available. Well, one-of-a-kind is a super limited edition, so limited that there is only one. The Donald, Pokémon Go at the moment, and I am one-of-a-kind. No other English teacher in Japan can teach in my…
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Get a lot of Press
English Expression: Get a lot of Press Those who read my posts often and are eagle-eyed noticed that on Friday, I wrote, ‘…Both Donald Trump and Pokémon Go have been getting a lot of press coverage recently.’ I slipped in this little expression there while explaining another expression, namely, fever pitch. If someone, something, or…
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Something/someone is back
English Expression: (something/someone) is back Many people thought Nintendo was no longer a significant game maker because it refused to adapt its games to cell phones. Well, Think again! Pokémon Go has shown the world that Nintendo is back! Nintendo stock has dramatically skyrocketed, downloads of the Pokémon Go app are increasing exponentially, and people…
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Superimpose
Word of the Day: Superimpose Hey, now, this is an exciting word. Superimpose means putting something, such as a picture or map, over something else. You have two layers, and you can see the bottom layer through the top one. Pokémon Go superimposes the game over real-life, real-time maps. You can see the Pokémon Go characters…
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Take by storm
Idiom: Take (something) by Storm I’m going to do it again! I’m going to mention Donald Trump’s name. Why? Pokémon Go and The Donald have taken the world by storm. Taking something by storm means making vivid impressions on people and conquering or succeeding very quickly. Donald Trump has taken the world and especially…
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Augmented reality
Word of the Day: Augmented reality To augment something means to make something better by adding value to it. Some Mazda cars now come with a head-up display. You can see information such as speed displayed on a small transparent screen while you are looking ahead out of the windscreen. You do not have to…
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Fever pitch
Word of the Day: Fever pitch Please don’t hate me for this, but I will refer to The Donald* and Pokémon Go in the same paragraph here. My students know I use current events to teach English, and both Donald Trump and Pokémon Go are current events that have been getting a lot of press…
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Fad
Word of the Day: Fad In United States politics The Donald has proven that he is not just a fad. A fad is something very popular for a very short time, and then it is gone. He has shown that he is going to be involved in the political world for longer than most people…
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The only game in town
English Idiom: The only game in town Yes, the Republican Party is holding its convention this week, and yes, The Donald is headline news again, but The Donald is not the only game in town, folks. The only game in town means that something is one-of-a-kind or there is only one of something. It can…
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