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Keep your feet on the Ground
English Idiom: Keep your feet on the Ground This expression means you should stay practical and not become too excited or overly confident about something. When entrepreneurs start a new business, they need to keep their feet on the ground and remain practical. It is common knowledge that most new businesses fail. Therefore, a person…
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Pictogram
Word of the Day: Pictogram/Pictograph As we all know, the Summer Olympics are coming to Tokyo in 2020. The Japanese government has begun trying to create pictograms that people from all countries will be able to understand. A pictogram or pictograph communicates information through pictures. Even if you are in a foreign country and cannot…
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Put Food on the table
Phrase: Put food on the table Yesterday’s post was bring home the bacon. In that post, I said that ‘bring home the bacon’ means that a worker brings home their salary to the family. Today’s idiom put food on the table means the same thing. Every person who is employed is working to put food…
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Breadwinner
WotD: Breadwinner Breadwinner, a term used to describe a person who is the primary earner for their family, was traditionally associated with the male gender, as men were seen as the sole providers for their families. The term breadwinner comes from the idea that the person who brings home their salary and provides for the…
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Bring Home the Bacon
Idiom: Bring Home the Bacon It’s Friday, and if you’re getting paid weekly, this is the day you bring home the bacon. It’s the perfect idiom for the people out there who are feeling hungry right now. Anyway, a person who can bring home the bacon is a person who can provide for their family…
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Do your Business
English Idiom: Do Your Business Sometimes, an idiom and a euphemism can be very similar. Some people feel uncomfortable talking about using the toilet. So, a unique idiom to use in this situation is to say that someone is doing their business. Instead of saying that they were using the toilet, some people will say…
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Euphemism
WotD: Euphemism Quite often, English language learners have difficulty understanding the meaning of what a native speaker says. Sometimes, this is because the native speaker is using a euphemism. A euphemism is a gentle word used instead of a harsher word that someone may find offensive or unpleasant to hear. Let’s look at the word…
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Double-Double
Word of the Day: Double-Double Earlier, I said that I am Canadian. Every English-speaking country has its unique lingo, and Canada is no different. In Canada, we have a doughnut/coffee shop called Tim Hortons. It is similar to Doutor in Japan. A double-double is a coffee of any size with two creams (double) and two…
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Go Native
English Idiom: Go Native So, I have been living in Japan for close to 20 years now. Some of my friends think that I have gone native. I’m not so sure. You see, to go native means that a person living overseas for an extended time gives up their own culture, customs, or way of…
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Slogan
Word of the Day: Slogan A slogan is a phrase that is easy to remember and helps a company or person attract attention to themselves. These days, in the United States, because of the presidential elections, many slogans are used by the different candidates. For example, Hillary Clinton’s is ‘Love Trumps Hate’ (which is also…
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