-
Tipping point
WotD: Tipping point Well, it has been on the horizon for a while now, and perhaps we’ve finally arrived at the tipping point. A tipping point is reached after a series of small changes added together cause a much more significant shift. Slowly but surely, technology has been changing the way we live and work.…
-
Caveat
Word of the Day: Caveat Many times, when we come to an agreement with someone about something, there are conditions attached to it. These conditions are similar to warnings or particular limits and can be called caveats. For example, Henry Ford is famous for saying a customer could have his car painted any colour he…
-
Have your wits about you
Phrase: Have your wits about you Japan is well-known for being a safe country. It is one of the reasons young Japanese do not have their wits about them when travelling overseas. Foreigners often remark that at Starbucks (in Japan), the Japanese will often place their bags on a chair to save it while they…
-
powers that be
Phrase: Powers that be They are the ones we blame for all of our hardships. They have the responsibility for the economy, the defence of our nations, our education systems and our taxes. They are the powers that be. Please note that all of the things I mentioned are some of the things we complain…
-
Hard done by
Idiom: Hard done by Probably many of us are feeling hard done by at the moment. With all of the travel limitations, cancelled plans and staying at home, it’s only natural to think that we’ve been mistreated. In the West, we’ve learned to love our freedom. Here we haven’t experienced any real hardship on a…
-
Pang
Word of the Day: Pang You can have a pang of jealousy or hunger. It’s much worse when you have both at the same time. First of all, I have to tell you that a pang is a sudden, sharp, painful emotion or an unpleasant feeling in your stomach when you are hungry. Now, imagine…
-
Lead you down the garden path
Idiom: Lead you down the garden path On a lovely sunny day, it is enjoyable to walk together with a pretty girl, lady or woman in a well-tended garden. That is internationally known as one of the things that help romance bloom. It is quite another thing altogether to allow someone to lead you down…
-
Rob the cradle
Idiom: Rob the cradle Today, we have an idiom that refers to an age mismatch between a romantically involved man and a woman. If you hear that a man or a woman robbed the cradle, it means that their romantic partner is significantly younger than they are. Unfortunately, it is often used negatively or disapprovingly.…
-
Have your number
Phrase: Have your number Although we may not like to admit it, life is all about competition. That’s why when someone has our number, we must be especially careful to bring our A-game. No, I am not referring to your telephone number, your Japanese My Number or your weight. When people say someone has your…
-
Like sardines
Idiom: Like sardines (in a can) Have you ever heard anyone say that they enjoy being packed like sardines on a commuter train in the morning? Me neither. It’s one of the things that convinced my wife and me to purchase a home in the countryside. We had both travelled together and lived in big…
Got any book recommendations?