執筆者 Modern English | 2014年01月15日 | Idioms
“Let’s kick off this party with a game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey.” “Kick off” means start. A football game starts with a real kick, but you can kick off any event. The first activity at this party is a game where blindfolded players must attempt to attach the tail...
執筆者 Modern English | 2014年01月08日 | Idioms
“Do you need to take a break?” “No, I’ve got my second wind.” If you are doing something tiring, such as working or running, you will, of course, start to feel tired. However, if you just keep going, you may start to feel less tired. This is called getting your second...
執筆者 Modern English | 2013年12月18日 | Idioms
“I used to get extra help from my science teacher after school. I would talk to him about my problems, and I learned more from him than just science. He was a real father figure for me.” A father figure is a man who is not your father (including other male relatives),...
執筆者 Modern English | 2013年12月11日 | Idioms
“I dare you to jump out the second floor window. What are you, yellow?” Similar to “chicken”, “yellow” means “cowardly” or “afraid”. A longer version of the insult is “yellow-bellied”. Someone who is afraid might also be called “lily-livered”. People used to believe...
執筆者 Modern English | 2013年12月04日 | Idioms
“Hey, throw me that light bulb.” “Are you nuts? It’ll break!” “He brushed his teeth with whipped cream? He must be nuts!” “Nuts” means “crazy”. It sounds like peanuts, walnuts, cashew nuts, etc. But don’t worry! Eating nuts will not make you crazy. 「その電球こっちに投げてくれ。」...
執筆者 Modern English | 2013年11月27日 | Idioms
“I hate waiting to see the dentist. I can’t relax enough to read the magazines in the waiting room. I’m just a bag of nerves!” Someone who is very nervous could be called a “bag of nerves”. The words “nervous” and “nerves” look similar, but “nervous” is an adjective,...
