-
With a vengeance
Phrase: With a vengeance Japanese people seem to be a little nervous at the moment. It’s not because of the spread of the coronavirus. It’s due to the early start of the rainy season. Everyone is hoping this doesn’t mean summer will hit with a vengeance when it arrives. Hay fever season began early this…
-
Overnight success
WotD: Overnight success Before we even begin to discuss it, you should realize that there is no such thing as overnight success. With that understanding, overnight success is someone or something that becomes successful very quickly. Remember the comedian Pikotaro and his pen-pineapple-apple-pen video? Yeah, well, where is he now? See, that was not an…
-
End up
Word of the Day: End up Have you ever tried to figure out how you ended up where you are right now? I have. Let me relate to you how it happened. The other morning, my dog woke me up just after 4:00 am because she wanted to pee. When she does this, she sits…
-
End of the world
Phrase: End of the world Have you ever become tired of people telling you to smile and be happy? How many times has someone said, ‘It isn’t the end of the world!” when you complained about a bad day? I know. It ticks you off and makes you want to throw something at them. But…
-
Deadbeat landlord
WotD: Deadbeat landlord Before looking at what a deadbeat landlord is, we need to make sure you know what it means to be a deadbeat. Someone who is a deadbeat is lazy and good for nothing. They will never offer to help, and if you ask them to contribute, they will find a way to…
-
Smooth talker
WotD: Smooth talker Watch out for smooth talkers. They can persuade anyone to do anything, and you won’t even realize what’s happened until later when the smooth talker has gone. They are especially dangerous when they work as a salesperson. In North America, the stereotypical smooth talker is a car salesman or a con man.…
-
Hot-desking
WotD: Hot-desking Back in the 1960s, the concept of the office cubicle was invented. It was intended to simultaneously make offices more open and breezier while giving workers a sense of privacy. The typical Japanese office follows an open plan, with everyone sitting side by side at rows of desks in one huge room. Now…
-
Between a rock and a hard place
Phrase: Between a rock and a hard place Young people are between a rock and a hard place today. The decisions they have to make about what career to pursue, what educational institution to attend and how much debt to take on are seemingly impossible. Let’s say a young person in their last year of…
-
Walk in someone else’s footsteps
Expression: Walk in someone else’s footsteps Hello, and welcome to another week of posts here at ArtisanEnglish.jp. Based on your perspective, walking in someone else’s footsteps could be the right thing to do or the easy way to get ahead. I say this because when you follow in another person’s footsteps, you do the same…
-
Parsimony
Word of the Day: Parsimony We have a ten-dollar word today, and that’s US dollars too. Parsimony is one of those words that can have both positive and negative nuances depending on the context in which it is used. It can mean to be thrifty. If you shop at discount stores and wear fast fashion,…
Got any book recommendations?