Word of the Week: Handful (一握り)

Tour Guide: Only a handful of people have ever seen the view from this mountaintop. Wasn’t it worth the hike? A handful is literally the amount that you can pick up in your hand. At Halloween, children may be invited to grab a handful of candy out of a bowl. But it is...

Word of the Week: Opposite (反対語)

Freddy: Dad, what’s the opposite of “tiny”? Dad: Hmm, how about “huge”? Freddy: What about “love”? Dad: Well, some say “hate”, but others say “apathy”. The opposite of a word is another word that is as different from it as possible on some scale (that is, “elephant”...

Word of the Week: Eyesore

Ellen: Did you see the new building down the road? It’s finally finished. Opal: Yeah! But what an eyesore! Ellen: I know! It’s a real monstrosity. An eyesore is something really ugly. If your neighbor puts up a big ugly decoration in his yard, you might complain that...

Word of the Week: Hammer

“Mind your manners, Billy! Stop hammering on the table!” A hammer is a tool used to pound in nails. The word can also be used as a verb, meaning to hit something with a hammer, or to repeatedly pound on something. 「ビリー、お行儀悪いよ!テーブルをバンバン叩くのはやめなさい!」...

Word of the Week: Bright

Bob: I heard your daughter won the spelling bee. Ted: Yes, she’s very bright. “Bright” usually refers to something that emits light, such as the sun or a light bulb. But when a person is bright, it means that they are smart or clever. Animals can be bright too....