Tag: plethora
Have blinders on
Idiom: Have blinders on There is a plethora of ongoing scandals in Japan involving government members or close associates. One primary reason for this is the political class in Japan tends to go through life while wearing blinkers. Another is that they fail to understand the reach of technology in modern society, but we won’t…
Gamechanger
WotD: Gamechanger It’s been said before, and I’ll repeat it. COVID-19 is a gamechanger. Probably one of the biggest ones we will ever experience in our lives. Not only is this disease a game-changer, but it has sparked a plethora of other gamechangers that have disrupted and will continue to refashion our lives. A gamechanger…
Lose the Plot
Phrase: Lose the plot Is it just me, or do you also think politicians around the world have lost the plot? Yes, there is the argument that they can’t lose what they never had. I’ll give you that. However, look what’s going on. Every time someone asks the Japanese prime minister a question, he begins…
Take the cake
Phrase: Take the cake Japan has had a plethora of PMs (Prime Ministers) while I’ve lived here, but Suga takes the cake. So, what do I mean by that? Of course, explaining the phrase is the point of this little post, and I hoped you would not know what it means. Take the cake is…
Join the club
Phrase: Join the club One of my first observations while living and working in Japan was that the Japanese love two things: clubs and awards. Almost every student in school is in a club. Some are in two or even three. There is a plethora of sports clubs, culture clubs for things such as calligraphy…
Gloss over
WotD: Gloss over Little problems, inconvenient facts or faults that we’d rather not deal with are all glossed over to make things progress smoothly or avoid a hassle. I’m not saying that we are all walking around with a small paintbrush and a can of varnish in our back pockets, but human nature intentionally overlooks…
Put off
WotD: Put off You may not have been left standing at the altar on your wedding day, but chances are you have been put off a few times. Things don’t always go according to plan, and events or meetings have to be postponed or even cancelled, which is one of the meanings of the phrasal…
In the cold light of day
English Phrase: In the cold light of day It’s often hard to make a rational decision when we are feeling emotional. That’s one of the reasons why the healing effects of retail therapy are usually short-lived. At this time of year, I’m delighted to be living in Japan. It’s the shopping season, you see, and…
Actions speak louder than words
Proverb: Actions speak louder than words You know, they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but I prefer to say actions speak louder than words. As an English teacher, I understand it’s never good to use one proverb to explain another, but today, I couldn’t resist. Both of these proverbs have…
Date yourself
Phrase: Date yourself No, this is not the ultimate in self-love. If you date yourself, you do or say something revealing your age. As you already know, language is in constant flux. What I mean is it has a life of its own. You do not use many of the words that your parents used. Likewise, many of…
