執筆者 Modern English | 2016年07月13日 | Idioms
“The witness gave the police enough information to find a clue that cracked the case.” A “case” here refers to a mystery or a crime. Think of it as a hard nut that is impossible to open by hand. A good clue makes a crack that allows you to open it all the way....
執筆者 Modern English | 2016年07月06日 | Idioms
“She’s the president of the company but actually her husband is the one pulling the strings.” Whoever is “pulling the strings” is in control, but hidden, like a puppeteer who controls a puppet using strings. 「彼女が社長だけど本当に糸を引いているのは夫なんだ。」 ...
執筆者 Modern English | 2016年06月29日 | Idioms
“It’s a good idea, but ideas are a dime a dozen. Carrying it out is the hard part.” When something is “a dime a dozen” that means it’s very cheap, or not worth very much. You can buy 12 (a dozen) for a dime (ten cents). 「良いアイデアだけど、アイデアは安い。実行するのが大変なんだ。」...
執筆者 Modern English | 2016年06月22日 | Idioms
“My daughter said she wants to be President of the USA.” “Oh, my daughter said she wants to be an accountant. She’s always been very down to earth.” Something that’s “down to earth” is practical and not fanciful. It’s often good to have someone with big dreams, and...
執筆者 Modern English | 2016年06月15日 | Idioms
“When you feel like giving up, that’s when you have to dig deep and train harder!” Digging deep means reaching deep inside yourself to find energy and determination in order to keep going toward a goal. It’s often heard in relation to sports, but you could use it for...
執筆者 Modern English | 2016年06月08日 | Idioms
“This game has a steep learning curve, so it’s good for people who like a challenge.” A steep learning curve means that, even if something is easy at the most basic level, the difficulty increases very quickly. A more gradual learning curve can be less...
