Blog
Idiom of the Week: Quality Time
“I’ve been working so much overtime to finish this project that it’s hard to spend any quality time with my family, even on the weekends.” “Quality time” is special time spent together with people you love. We usually think of quality time as time spent doing...
Word of the Week: Clear
“It’s not clear what he wants me to do.” “The water was so clear you could see the fish at the bottom of the river.” “Clear” means “obvious” or “easy to understand”. It also means “transparent” or “see-through”. If someone is speaking too fast and the words run...
Picture of the Week: Pomegranate
The pomegranate is an unusual fruit because it’s full of delicious fleshy seeds. In Greek mythology, Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds while in the underworld, and therefore has to spend six months of the year there. During those months the harvest goddess Demeter...
Phrase of the Week: Don’t Let the Door Hit You
“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!” This is an abrupt way to tell someone to leave. The sarcastic advice only applies if the person is leaving, so even if they wanted to stay, you are already speaking as if they are leaving. You can also say this if someone...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“Choose your desirable date from the pull-down menu and click ‘Next’.” Find the mistake. A. Choose B. desirable C. date D. pull-down 「メニューから希望する日付を選んで『次へ』をクリックしてください」 Desirable は desire （欲しがる）に able...
Trivia of the Week: Pegasus
A Pegasus is a horse with wings. The original Pegasus was a creature in Greek mythology. His father was Poseidon, the god of the sea. His mother was Medusa, a monstrous woman with snakes for hair. He helped a hero named Bellerophon to defeat a monster called the...
Idiom of the Week: He Drinks Like a Fish
“Isn’t that his third beer tonight?” “Yeah, he drinks like a fish. Maybe someone should run to the store for more beer.” “Drink” can be used with any kind of drink—water, fruit juice, soda, etc. But if it’s not clear exactly what is being drunk, it often means...
Word of the Week: Jagged
“This knife has a jagged edge.” “The window was broken, leaving jagged shards of glass.” “Jagged” means not straight. It’s a little like zig-zag, but it may be even or uneven. 「このナイフはギザギザしている」 「窓が割れてギザギザしたガラスの破片を残していた」 Jagged...
Picture of the Week: Artichoke
Have you ever eaten an artichoke? Last year, the artichoke became the official state vegetable of California. It’s delicious steamed or boiled....
Phrase of the Week: I Was Born
“I was born on a Thursday.” “To be born” is the passive voice of the word “bear”. You could say something like, “My mother bore three children.” But it is not common to hear “bear” in the active voice. Usually we just say, “She had three children.” 「私は木曜日に産まれました。」 「To...
