Tag: around the corner
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Late to the table
Phrase: Late to the table More than 13,000 people were stuck at Narita Airport during Typhoon Faxai. One of the chief complaints was that there was very little information in English. When it comes to English language fluency or bilingualism, Japan has been late to the table. It’s not too late to change, but the…
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Like a moth to a flame
Phrase: Like a moth to a flame The coming of spring has caused me to think about the phrase like a moth to a flame. The phrase indicates how much a person is attracted to someone or something. It also has a negative connotation: a moth will be burned if it gets too close to a…
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Munchies
Word of the Day: Munchies When you’re feeling a little peckish and need a little snack, you, my friend, have the munchies. I’ll take another trip down memory lane now, and we’ll go back to Canada in the 1980s. Back then, Hostess was the most prominent brand of potato chips in Canada. There were many flavours. The ones…
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False sense of security
Phrase: False sense of security Even though you may feel comfortable and safe, you should stay alert so you don’t get lulled into a false sense of security. When you have a false sense of security, you believe you are safer than you actually are. Often, this is because a person is unaware of the actual danger…
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Around the corner
Idiom: Around the corner The days of humans and technology morphing are just around the corner. When you hear someone say that something is (just) around the corner, they mean that it will be happening in the very near future. Yes, I believe this to be true. In the very near future, we will see…
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In the depth of winter
English Phrase: In the depth of winter March is just around the corner, but it may still be hard to believe in some places. Here in Wakayama, the plum blossoms are just starting to open, whereas up in the northern parts of Japan, the snow continues to pile up. Those guys are still in the…
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All get out
English Phrase: (As) all get out Dare I say it? Christmas is just around the corner. Soon, everyone in North America will be as busy as everyone else. They will be clicking at Amazon and in malls across the continent shopping so quickly that the plastic credit cards will melt. I hope you are not…
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In the weeds
Idiom: In the weeds The idiom in the weeds can have two meanings. In the first case, it can mean a person has too many problems or difficulties to cope with. In the second sense, being in the weeds can mean paying so much attention to the intricate details and complexities of something that you…
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Joie de vivre
Word of the Day: Joie de vivre Let’s go, French, shall we? English has many French loanwords, such as joie de vivre, because French has been a significant part of English since William the Conqueror led the Norman invasion of England. We also use French phrases. Our pronunciation of French may not be entirely correct,…
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Silver bullet
Word of the Day: Silver bullet All Hollow’s Eve is just around the corner. Today is the last day of September, and before we know it, it’ll be October 31st (All Hallow’s Eve, Halloween, Hallowe’en). As we approach All Hallow’s Eve, we must be prepared for the potential presence of ghosts, goblins, spooks, vampires, and…
