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Mindset
Word of the Day: Mindset Boy, it is hot! I mean, it is stinking hot! It is so hot that my brain is going to melt. The rainy season ended, and the summer heat started very quickly in Kansai this year. I’m sure that most people feel the same way I do. However, this mindset…
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Power vacuum
Word of the Day: Power vacuum I apologize, but I can’t get away from Brexit. It sounds a little funny because Brexit is all about Great Britain getting away from the EU, and now I can’t get away from Brexit. Anyway, to get back on track, I mean, it is just a slow-moving political disaster…
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At hand
English Idiom: At hand The last two days, I have introduced go off on a tangent and back on track. I have also used the idiom at hand in both of those posts. At hand can have two meanings. One meaning is to be physically close. For example, I live in the countryside, and there…
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lumber
Word of the Day: Lumber (verb) How’s this for a word? Many nouns can be turned into verbs in English. They do not always have similar meanings, though. For example, rain is a noun and raining is a verb version of rain. They both have connected meanings. Well, lumber is a noun and lumbering is…
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Repertoire
WotD: Repertoire If you know something about how to tell the origin of English words, you probably have already noticed that repertoire comes from the French language. A person’s repertoire is all the things that they can do. For example, if a person is a poet or author, it contains all their written works. If you are an English…
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Back on track
Idiom: (Get) back on track Let me pick up where I left off yesterday. Of course, after someone taking part in a conversation goes off on a tangent, they have to get back to the subject at hand or get back on track again. To get back on track means to begin talking about the…
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The thing
Word of the Day: The thing You will hear native English speakers say the thing multiple times daily, but what are they talking about? The thing is precisely the idea, fact, question, etc., that the person needs, is talking about or means. Many students say, ‘English is too difficult!’ But, you see, that’s just it. English…
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Go off on a Tangent
Idiom: Go off on a tangent Frequently, at ArtisanEnglish.jp, students and I go off on a tangent. This does not mean that we take a trip together; it means that we talk about something unrelated to the matter at hand. Go off on a tangent means to begin talking about something unrelated to the original…
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Fallout
Word of the Day: Fallout Today is the last day of my Brexit-related idiom and word-of-the-day marathon. The last word that I will introduce related to Brexit is fallout. Fallout is the unfortunate result of a fight, election, referendum or a wrong decision. It’s not clear what will happen after the Brexit vote. Many predict the…
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Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it
Adage: Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it Wow! This one is quite long. It may be long, but the meaning is pretty easy, actually. Think about it this way: You watch a movie that has a cute chimpanzee in it. You tell your friend that it would be cool…
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