Tag: the thing
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Drive
Word of the Day: Drive Why is it that some people succeed when others do not? Ask a million people this question, and you will receive a million excellent answers. For my purposes today, though, the answer I am looking for is “…because they have drive.” Some people are incredibly resilient. They get knocked down…
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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…
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The camera doesn't lie
English Proverb: The camera doesn’t lie Halloween is over, but I’d still like to scare your socks off today. We have entered the video era when everyone and their dog is posting videos to Instagram, YouTube, Vimeo and TikTok, among others. The thing is, though, that the camera doesn’t lie unless, of course, you want…
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Sweep under the carpet
Idiom: Sweep under the carpet Problems occur in life, and how we face them determines what kind of person we are. We could do the cowardly thing, sweep them under the carpet and hope they go away. The thing is, they never do. The other option is to face the problem head-on, challenge it, deal with it…
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Fall into place
Phrase: Fall into place I don’t know if you remember a TV show named The A-Team from the 1980s. That show had a character called Hannibal, and during almost every show, there was a line that he said, “I love it when a plan comes together.” The meaning of the phrase fall into place is very similar…
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Save your bacon
Idiom: Save your bacon You can be the breadwinner for a family and put food on the table by bringing home the bacon, but did you know someone can save your bacon as well? Food plays an integral part in English idioms. Bacon plays a vital role in American food culture. You can take any dish, add bacon and cheese, and it…
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Dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants
Metaphor: Dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants Have you ever thought that we are dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants? Just look around for a moment. Someone who came before us invented everything we have in life, enabling us to live the convenient, safe, leisurely lives we have today. All of the discoveries made…
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Down the road
Phrase: Down the road Down the road is a phrase used to refer to the future. Think about time as a road. The road that you have already walked on is the past. The road you are currently walking on is the present, and the road still ahead of you represents the future. Native English speakers…
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Lost art
Word of the Day: Lost art If you live in Japan for any length of time, you will need the soon-to-be lost art of hanko carving. This is because everyone in Japan needs a hanko – a personal stamp or seal. Other countries such as China, Korea and Taiwan also use personal seals. The thing…
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In and of itself
English Phrase: In and of itself We are all working for the almighty dollar, yen, baht, ringgit, or whatever currency people use in your country. The thing is that with money we can buy things to make us happy, but money in and of itself does not buy happiness. Although you may agree with this…
