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Walking on thin ice
Idiom: Walking on thin ice Walking on thin ice is a very precarious pastime indeed. Every year, Canadians die from failing to check the thickness of the ice before going out on it. With climate change such a huge factor, one never truly knows if the ice is thick enough or not without testing it…
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Tip of the iceberg
Phrase: Tip of the Iceberg Have you ever seen an iceberg? Before you answer that, let me explain what I mean. I don’t mean the slob ice or pan ice that can be observed off Hokkaido’s coast. I mean icebergs, huge floating chunks of ice that are at least as big as a house but…
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Not a snowball’s chance in hell
Idiom: Not a snowball’s chance in hell If you’re into the rock n’ roll band AC/DC, then you know Hell ain’t a Bad Place to Be. As long as you’re not a snowball, that is. According to legend, hell is supposed to be a little sultry. Therefore, a snowball being made of, well, snow would…
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Put on ice
Phrase: Put (something) on ice OK, ladies and gents, here we are. It’s the third day of December 2020, and what a year it has been. Because this is the last month of the year and the weather has finally decided to turn cold, my posts will have a winter theme before they switch to…
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Like the sound of your own voice
Phrase: Like the sound of your own voice You may be unfortunate enough to know someone who is a pompous, self-centred ass. If you do, I’m sorry about that, but you may have occasion to say they like the sound of their own voice. If you do, it means that person who is a pompous,…
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Living the good life
Phrase: Living the good life Check on the Internet, and you’ll discover living the good life means living in comfort and luxury with very few problems or worries. However, what do comfort and luxury mean? More specifically, what is a luxury, anyway? Well, it just so happens that I, entirely by coincidence, have recently created…
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A flea in your ear
Idiom: A flea in your ear Any otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor) worth their salt will tell you the smallest thing you should put in your ear is your finger. Why, then, would someone want to put a flea in your ear? Well, to send someone away with a flea in their ear means…
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On a first-name basis
Phrase: On a first-name basis Some Japanese love to say that they are on a first-name basis with someone. One of the main problems I’ve noticed is that they do not know how to do it properly. For example, when I was in my late thirties, I began working in a high school in Japan.…
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Desperate times call for desperate measures
Phrase: Desperate times call for desperate measures Travelling overseas in my youth without a financial umbilical cord to my parents was one of the best things I have ever done. I believe that only when faced with great adversity do people genuinely get to know themselves. They say desperate times call for desperate measures, but…
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Keep your distance
Phrase: Keep your distance The current state of the world with an ongoing pandemic gives new meaning to the phrase keep your distance. It usually means to stay far away from something or someone either physically, emotionally or socially. These days keeping one’s distance can be a matter of self-survival, a matter of life or…
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