Picture of the Week: Persimmons

What is orange and round and sweet, and eaten in the fall? Persimmons are well-known in Japan, but actually they can be grown in many other places as well, such as the U.S., Europe, and Brazil. America also has its own species of persimmon, and there are other...

Phrase of the Week: Rags to Riches

Newscaster A: In a Dickensian twist, the orphan child turned out to be a long lost princess and is now living in the lap of luxury. Newscaster B: She’s really gone from rags to riches. A “rags to riches” story tells about someone who starts out very poor and ends up...

TOEIC Practice Question of the Week

We were forced to cancel the contract with them because their work did not meet our expectant. Find the mistake: A. were forced to B. contract with them C. did not meet D. our expectant “Expectant” is an adjective describing a person who expects something. (For...

Trivia of the Week: Japanese English: Mansion

In Japanese, a mansion is a nice apartment. It may be big for an apartment, but it is only one apartment in a building full of other apartments that belong to other people. In English, a mansion is a big, expensive house that belongs to one wealthy person. It may have...

Idiom of the Week: Go overboard

Bill: So, for Helen’s birthday party, I want to hire a clown, a magician, a pony ride… Karen: Hang on, Bill, let’s not go overboard. She’s only three. I think that might be too much excitement. To go overboard is to get carried away and do too much. Literally, if you...