Phrase of the Week: All bets are off.

執筆者 | 2013年07月27日 | Phrases

Commentator: “Normally I would expect the Tigers to win this game easily, but with their star player injured, all bets are off.” When something unusual makes it impossible to predict what will happen, we say “all bets are off”. When you bet on a sport, you can see how...

Trivia of the Week: The Pied Piper

執筆者 | 2013年07月25日 | Trivia

“The Pied Piper” is a fairy tale about a man who saved a town from rats. The town was overrun with rats, so they asked for the piper’s help. He played his flute and the rats followed him out of the town. Then he asked for the money the town had agreed to give him, but...

Idiom of the Week: On Your Game

執筆者 | 2013年07月24日 | Idioms

Businessman: “I can’t believe Shirley got us such a good price! She’s really on her game!” When you are on your game, you are doing something to the best of your ability. “Game” refers to sports, but you can say this about any skill. If you are off your game, you are...

Word of the Week: Aunt

執筆者 | 2013年07月23日 | Words

An ant is an insect that lives in a hill of dirt and sometimes bites. An aunt is your parent’s sister. Sometimes children call older women who are their friends or their parents’ friends “aunt”. But it is not as common as the use of “aunt” in Japanese to mean any...