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Idiom of the Week: He has a short fuse!
“Man! I asked Carl to show me how to fill in this form, and when I didn’t get it right away he just blew up!” “Yeah, he has a really short fuse.” If a bomb or a stick of dynamite has a long fuse, it will take a long time for the fuse to burn before the bomb explodes....
Word of the Week #10: paisley (ペーズリー)
“Do you like this paisley wallet?” Paisley is a design using tear-drop shapes. The drop is twisted on the narrow end. It looks a little like a Japanese magatama. 「このペーズリーの財布はどうかな？」...
Picture of the Week: Australia: Beware of Kangaroos and Cows
A multi-lingual road warning sign: Beware of kangaroos and cows on the road. It is uncommon to see a sign written in languages other than English on the outback roads of Australia, so this must be an area that sees a lot of tourist traffic. カンガルーと牛に注意...
Modern English Phrase of the Week #9: Strike while the iron is hot
“Strike while the iron is hot,” is an old proverb. It tells us not to miss an opportunity by waiting. When we have a chance to get something done, we should go ahead and do it! This proverb is the same in both Japanese and English. It comes from blacksmithing. A...
7月7日までの入会限定！七夕キャンペーン始まりました！
７月７日（土）までに新規ご入会の方限定のとってもお得なキャンペーンが始まりました。 大人 １０レッスン ￥１２，６００（１レッスンあたり1,260円！） キッズ １０レッスン ￥９，４５０（１レッスンあたり945円！）...
Today’s TOEIC Practice Question
Ask for directions at the police box if you __________ the way. A. do not know B. would not know C. had not known D. did not know 道がわからなければ交番で聞いてください。ここは、今わからないので、現在形のAが正しいです。 Do more TOEIC practice here!...
Trivia of the Week: A Joke
“Why was six afraid of seven?” “I don’t know, why?” “Because seven ate nine!” This is a very old joke. The number “eight” sounds like the word “ate”. If you count from seven to nine, it sounds like the number seven has eaten the number nine. In this joke, the numbers...
Modern English Idiom of the Week: Put a sock in it!
“And then I went to the beach again, and I brought－” “Put a sock in it, will you? I’m sick of hearing about your vacation.” “Put a sock in it!” is another way to say “Be quiet!” It is not very polite, similar to “shut up”....
Word of the Week #9: hot air balloon (熱気球)
A hot air balloon is a big balloon with a basket attached at the bottom. People can ride in the basket. It has a burner to heat the air and make the balloon go up. You can also go down by letting out some hot air. The first hot air balloon flight was on June 5, 1783....
Picture of the Week: Australia: Watch Out for Fire
This sign warns about the danger of bush fires, which are a common threat in the hot, dry countryside in many regions of Australia. The marker on the sign shows a ‘high’ danger of fire on the day the photo was taken. 火事に注意...
