Blog
Word of the Week: Crutches
“I broke my leg last weekend. Now I have to walk with crutches.” Crutches are a tool to help people walk when they can’t use one leg. We also say something is a “crutch” if someone uses it to help them when they don’t really need it. For example, if your English is...
Picture of the Week: Cherry Blossoms
Cherry blossom season is a very beautiful time in Japan. Are the cherry blossoms blooming in your area yet? Do you have any hanami plans?...
Phrase of the Week: I can’t thank you enough!
“You saved our cat from the fire! I can’t thank you enough!” We use this phrase when we are very, very thankful. No matter how much we thank the person, it won’t be “enough”. Here is a similar phrase: “I cannot overemphasize how important this is.” No matter how much...
Trivia of the Week: Spring Equinox
In winter, the days are short and the nights are long. In summer, the days are long and the nights are short. In between, there is a day where the day and night are equal in length. This is called the spring equinox. This year’s equinox is today! (But it’s tomorrow on...
Idiom of the Week: What is the world coming to?
“Three dollars for a carton of milk!? What is the world coming to?” When something is surprising, strange, and often bad, we use this phrase to express despair or amazement at the new situation. The world is becoming very strange and different from what we are used...
Word of the Week: Hooligan
“Get off my lawn, you little hooligans!” A hooligan is a trouble-maker, often a young man or boy who commits vandalism or gets into fights along with a group of friends. It is also used for sports fans who become violent. The word may come from the name of a fictional...
Picture of the Week: Clover
Today is Saint Patrick’s Day, so here is a clover leaf covered in dew. Is this clover lucky? Odds are it has only three leaves and is not lucky....
Phrase of the Week: You can’t be too careful
“Mountain climbing can be very dangerous. You can’t be too careful.” No matter how careful you are, it isn’t too careful. It’s impossible to be too careful. In some contexts, though, this phrase can have almost the opposite meaning. “Jim is very sensitive. You can’t...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“As a customer, I find a three-hour wait to be served at the customer service desk completely bearable. I am never shopping here again.” Find the mistake. A. As a customer B. three-hour wait C. to be served D. completely bearable...
Trivia of the Week: Pi Day
Tomorrow is Pi Day! Do you know why March 14 is called “Pi Day”? If you write it with numbers it looks like the mathematical constant pi, because pi starts with 3.14. Pi tells us the ratio of the circumference and diameter of a circle. It is an infinitely long number,...
