-
Lunatic
Word of the Day: Lunatic The world is full of lunatics, and most of them drive cars. If you are a driver yourself, you know what I mean. When on the road, it’s not yourself you have to watch; it’s everybody else. When we describe someone as a lunatic, we mean they are acting silly…
-
Pet project
WotD: Pet project It’s becoming more common as the years go by for a person to have a pet project. This is often something that they are pursuing as an individual interest. It may be related to their job but is often not necessary or even approved by their boss or company. I suppose we…
-
Put the fear of God in you
Phrase: Put the fear of God in you Even though we are living in strange times, coronavirus, climate change, or the threat of nuclear attack is like water off a duck’s back for many people. We’ve been dealing with a pandemic for almost two years now. Millions have died. If that hasn’t put the fear…
-
Lose the Plot
Phrase: Lose the plot Is it just me, or do you also think politicians around the world have lost the plot? Yes, there is the argument that they can’t lose what they never had. I’ll give you that. However, look what’s going on. Every time someone asks the Japanese prime minister a question, he begins…
-
Straighten you out
Phrase: Straighten you out Ladies, I have a lot of respect for you, but I would never want to be you. They say a woman’s work is never done, and I don’t know how or why you ever do it. I’ve learned a few things in my life, and one of them is that for…
-
Double Jeopardy
WotD: Double Jeopardy To explain double jeopardy, we’ll first have to step into the law courts and then into the life of a middle-aged woman. I know it sounds complicated, but bear with me here. Under North American laws, a person cannot be tried for the same criminal offence twice. What that means is if…
-
Cooking with Gas
Idiom: Cooking with gas You either cook with natural gas or have an electric induction heating (IH) stove if you live in Japan. These days, if someone says you’re cooking with gas, they are not referring to how supper will be prepared this evening. The phrase is used to mean you are making excellent progress…
-
Caveat Emptor
WotD: Caveat emptor Raise your hand if you enjoy shopping. Don’t worry if you’re on the train and feel silly. No one’s looking at you. If you do like shopping, then you should be aware of the Latin phrase caveat emptor. It has become a proverb in English. The word caveat means “take care.” Emptor…
-
Mixed metaphor
WotD: Mixed metaphor So, you are an English learner, and you find it challenging to keep idioms, expressions and phrases straight. Well, you are not the only one to mix metaphors. Native speakers unintentionally do it all the time. You see, we have a mixed metaphor when someone uses two or more incompatible metaphors together.…
-
In stereo
Phrase: In stereo Listening to something in stereo means you are listening to the sound coming out of two speakers simultaneously. This gives a much fuller sound. If you are a child of the Showa era (1926 – 1989), you must have had the experience of listening to baseball or hockey games on a small…
Got any book recommendations?