Tag: go off on a tangent
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Bang for your buck
Idiom: Bang for your buck Not many regular people earning an average wage can afford to spend money like water anymore. We’re all looking to get the best bang for the buck. Simply put, this means we want to get the best value for our money. Now, you may be wondering why is a dollar, a US dollar,…
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Tread lightly
WotD: Tread lightly While some people have acquired the delicate art and ability to tread lightly, others value audacity and boldness. They believe in saying what’s on their mind no matter the consequences or who will be hurt by their thoughts and opinions. To tread lightly means to act carefully and behave so as not to upset or…
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Munchies
Word of the Day: Munchies When you’re feeling a little peckish and need a little snack, you, my friend, have the munchies. I’ll take another trip down memory lane now, and we’ll go back to Canada in the 1980s. Back then, Hostess was the most prominent brand of potato chips in Canada. There were many flavours. The ones…
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Elephant in the room
Idiom: The elephant in the room We need to discuss the elephant in the room. Before we do, though, I have a request. I want you to visit the zoo and check out the elephant exhibit. It’s probably been a while since you did that but do it. Get as close as you safely can and…
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Hot off the press
Idiom: Hot off the press Whenever a new post is published here at ArtisanEnglish.jp, I send a notice. The notice lets everyone who applied to receive them know that a new post is available hot off the press. That is your idiom for the day, folks – hot off the press. Anyone who knows me knows that…
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Freeloader
WotD: Freeloader Freeloaders are a roommate’s worst nightmare. Believe me. There’s nothing worse than someone who drinks your alcohol, watches your TV, eats your food, uses your toilet paper, and never cleans up, contributes to the grocery bill, or replaces anything. In a nutshell, a freeloader is a person who uses and abuses your hospitality without any thought…
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Segway
Word of the Day: Segway I would suppose that most people know that a Segway is a battery-powered, personal vehicle. However, have you ever heard the word used with a different meaning? Unofficially, the word Segway can be used when someone wants to change the direction of a conversation. Quite often, a person will go…
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Digress
Word of the Day: Digress Digress is a lovely, formal word for suddenly starting to discuss another topic in a conversation. For instance, you may be talking with your friend about buying groceries and how the price of vegetables will increase because of all the damage Typhoon Lionrock caused in Hokkaido. Yes, although Japan uses a…
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At hand
English Idiom: At hand The last two days, I have introduced go off on a tangent and back on track. I have also used the idiom at hand in both of those posts. At hand can have two meanings. One meaning is to be physically close. For example, I live in the countryside, and there…
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Back on track
Idiom: (Get) back on track Let me pick up where I left off yesterday. Of course, after someone taking part in a conversation goes off on a tangent, they have to get back to the subject at hand or get back on track again. To get back on track means to begin talking about the…
