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Trivia of the Week: Horse Words
Nowadays, most people have never ridden a horse, but for most of history many people relied on horses. Even today, we have many words for different kinds of horses. Here are just a few. A female horse is a mare, and a male horse is a stallion. A baby horse is a foal,...
Idiom of the Week: Big Words
“I bet I can beat you at this game even with a handicap.” “Ooh, big words. You’ll regret them in a minute!” This is a taunting phrase we use to suggest that someone’s words may be big but their abilities do not match. It’s easy to say grand things, but much harder to...
Word of the Week: Stay
“How long will you be staying in Japan?” “Please stay here and wait. I’ll be back in five minutes.” “Use an umbrella to stay dry.” “Stay” means “remain the same”. While you stay in Japan, or stay inside the house, your location doesn’t change. Then when you leave...
Phrase of the Week: Never mind
“What were you doing outside at 3 in the morning? Never mind, I don’t want to know.” “Never mind” is a phrase we use to drop a topic or question. “Mind” here means “be concerned about (something)” or “worry about (something)”, so it’s a little like “Don’t worry about...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“When George retired, Jill stepped forward to ____ his role.” Fill in the blank. A. apply B. subsume C. usurp D. assume 「ジョージが定年退職した後、ジルが彼の役目を果たすようになりました」...
Trivia of the Week: Avocado
Although it’s green and not very sweet, avocado is actually a fruit. Avocados grow on trees and contain one large seed. Another name for avocado is “alligator pear”. We think avocados first came from Mexico. One popular avocado dish is guacamole, a dip for corn chips....
Idiom of the Week: Harp On
“I know the test is next week. You don’t have to harp on about it.” If someone keeps talking about a subject you don’t want to hear about, you can say they are “harping on”. Perhaps the talk is unnecessary, reminding you of something you haven’t forgotten, or perhaps...
Word of the Week: Lately
Doctor: “What seems to be the problem?” Patient: “I’ve just been so tired lately.” “Lately” is an adverb that means “in recent times”, similar to “recently”. If you meet a friend you haven’t seen in a while, you can ask, “How have you been lately?” If you have been...
Picture of the Week: Butterfly Stroke
It’s starting to get cooler now, but here is one more swimming stroke. The butterfly stroke, also called “fly”, is the newest competitive stroke. It is difficult for beginners to learn....
Phrase of the Week: I’m Locked Out!
“Oh no! I’m locked out of my car!” “What happened?” “I left my keys inside by mistake and locked the door.” Although many modern cars make it hard to lock yourself out, this remains a problem. You can also lock yourself out of your house or office, or if you forget a...
