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Loose lips sink ships
Idiom: Loose lips sink ships As the world watches the Russo-Ukrainian War and cheers for the Ukrainian underdog, we can’t help but think of WWII. Although the fighting is mostly happening on land, there are warships involved. Where are they, and what are they doing? ‘Loose lips sink ships‘ was part of a US propaganda…
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Tight-lipped
WotD: Tight-lipped Wow! For the first time since the Second World War, a significant land war is occurring in Europe. Before an attack, all countries are usually tight-lipped about what is happening. In any conflict, information is as valuable as weapons. Being tight-lipped means being very careful not to allow yourself to forget and discuss…
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Entitled
Word of the Day: Entitled Some people who grow up in middle-class or wealthier families feel they should receive more than others. This is what it means to feel entitled. Feeling entitled is a personality characteristic. To feel entitled means you feel you deserve more than other people. It develops for various reasons, including how…
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Retool
Word of the Day: Retool Ladies and gentlemen, retool is a word with which you should become familiar. Why? Haven’t you heard the world is Going Electric? The Internal combustion engine (ICE) is going the way of the dinosaurs. To retool means to equip a factory with new or adapted tools. That means factories that…
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Deflationary spiral
WotD: Deflationary spiral Now and then, someone will ask me what it’s like to live in Japan. I used to say it’s like eating fried chicken through a straw. Now I say it’s like feeling dizzy all the time. Why dizzy? A deflationary spiral occurs after an economic crisis but leads to lower production, lower…
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Lot in life
Phrase: Lot in life It may be hard to believe, but the West is full of people unhappy with their lot in life, complaining that life is not fair every day and doing nothing about it. If you are unhappy with your physique but continue to eat junk food and do not have an exercise…
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Point the finger
Phrase: Point the finger Today we’re going to do something that your parents probably told you not to do – point the finger. Yes, it isn’t polite to point at people, especially in public. However, there are times when we feel compelled to point at someone, and I’m not talking about pointing a finger; I’m…
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Keep up appearances
Phrase: Keep up appearances How important is it for you to keep up appearances? Do you care about maintaining a particular impression of wealth or well-being? I, myself, don’t really care about those things, but then again, I’ve never had a high level of wealth to begin with. Keeping up appearances means you feel it’s…
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Neck of the woods
Idiom: Neck of the woods It is very seldom that I meet a person from my neck of the woods here in Japan. I’m originally from eastern Canada, and very few Canadians from my province seem to end up here. I’m not sure why, but maybe it’s because most of them end up going to…
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Born with a silver spoon in your mouth
Phrase: Born with a silver spoon in your mouth The average person is not lucky enough to have been born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Most of us have to work for everything we have. Sure, our parents try to give us everything they can, but eventually, there comes a time when we…
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