Blog
Word of the Week: Cowabunga
“Cowabunga, dude!” “Cowabunga” is an exclamation used to show happiness. It appeared in the 1950s on the American TV show Howdy Doody, and was later adopted by surfers. It also owes popularity to the cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 「カウワバンガ！」 Cowabunga...
Picture of the Week: Cardinal
Male cardinals have striking red feathers, so they are easy to recognize. Northern cardinals live in the U.S. and Mexico. They look beautiful against the snow in winter....
Phrase of the Week: Whichever You Like
“Should I write with blue or black ink?” “Whichever you like.” “Whichever” is like “whatever” (“I’ll buy you whatever you want”), “wherever” (“Wherever you go I’ll follow”) or “whoever” (“Whoever told you that was wrong”). “Which ink should I use?” “Whichever. It...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“The protected costs far outweigh the profits, making the project unfeasible.” Find the mistake. A. protected costs B. outweigh C. making D. unfeasible 「予想の経費は利益をはるかに超えていて、このプロジェクトは現実的ではありません。」...
Trivia of the Week: Call vs. Talk
“I’m calling him on the phone.” “I’m talking to him on the phone.” What’s the difference between these sentences? In the first sentence, I am dialing his number on the phone, but he hasn’t answered the phone yet. In the second sentence, he has already answered and we...
Idiom of the Week: Somebody Else’s Shoes
“What did I tell you? It’s not as easy as it looks, is it?” “Yeah, I had no idea! Now that I’ve walked a mile in your shoes, I really appreciate all the work you do around here.” To “walk in someone’s shoes” is to experience their life and the difficulties they face....
Word of the Week: Noise
“What is that awful noise?” “It’s not noise, Dad. It’s music!” “Noise” is another word for “sound”, but it has a negative connotation. Noise is a sound that is unpleasant, or that we don’t like. If there is a lot of noise in a certain place, that place is “noisy”. A...
Phrase of the Week: I Don’t Care For It
“Try this new tea.” “Hmm. No, I don’t care for that at all.” By adding “for” to “I don’t care”, you change the meaning. To not care for something is to not like it or dislike it. For example, “I don’t care for action movies.” 「新しいお茶飲んでみて。」 「ふーん、いや、好きではない。」...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“Please ____ a list of the issues we need to address before the project can move forward.” Fill in the blank. A. complete B. commit C. compile D. compost Aの「完成する」はありえますが、もっと自然な言い方があります。Cの compile は「集める」という意味があります。 Bは commit a crime で「罪を犯す」、 commit resources...
Trivia of the Week: Hope Springs Eternal
“He still hasn’t given up? He’ll never get that terrible book published.” “Hope springs eternal.” Have you ever heard the phrase “Hope springs eternal”? “Hope” is easy to understand. “Eternal” means “forever”. “Spring” here is not the season, or “jump”, but more like...
