執筆者 Modern English | 2012年04月19日 | Trivia
We have a safety-pin, safety matches, safety-belt and safety-goggles, but no safety drivers. We say ‘safe driver’, but more probably, careful driver. Safety is a noun, the adjective is safe. Safety-driver is Japanese. セーフティードライバー...
執筆者 Modern English | 2012年04月18日 | Idioms
“I know you are planning a surprise party for me.” “You do? Who spilled the beans?” To spill the beans is to let out a secret. Another way to say the same thing is “to let the cat out of the bag.” In olden times, people would sell piglets in bags, but they tricked...
執筆者 Modern English | 2012年04月17日 | Words
“The fish I caught was about a mile long!” “Don’t exaggerate, there aren’t any fish that big!” 「俺が釣った魚の長さは1マイルくらいだった！」「大げさに言わないで、そんな大きい魚はいないよ！」 Sometimes we stretch the truth just a little bit. It’s not really a lie, but it’s not exactly true either. For example, we...
執筆者 Modern English | 2012年04月16日 | Pictures
Outside most tourist areas, red telephone boxes are now uncommon. These have been updated to use cards (left) and cash. 公衆電話...
執筆者 Modern English | 2012年04月14日 | Phrases
This can mean “Don’t give up!” or “Wait a second!” We say it to encourage a friend who is having a difficult time. We also use it to tell someone to wait a short time. “Can I talk to you?” “Hold on a second while I save my file.”...
