He's a shoe in~!

For the last lesson of the month I have a short idiom lesson. Sorry I didn't post more often but after getting hitched (married) and going on vacation for 3 weeks, but I am out of my blogging groove... it will take me awhile to go back to normal and post 6-8 times a month. Wish me luck!

Anyways, this idiom lesson is about:

to be a shoe in

This means that you think someone is sure to get a job/position or be picked for something. It means something/someone will definitely win.

John's a shoe in for the Assistant Manager position.

Who do you think will get the promotion? I think Tara's a shoe in!

Apparently, the correct spelling is "shoo-in" which I don't think I've ever seen until researching this lesson! Here's a good explanation I found posted by fireflyscout on College Confidential:

Shoo in is how I've always seen it.

Just did a google search, and here's what I found:

This one is spelled wrongly so often that it’s likely it will eventually end up that way.The correct form is shoo-in, usually with a hyphen. It has been known in that
spelling and with the meaning of a certain winner from the 1930s. It came from
horse racing, where a shoo-in was the winner of a rigged race.

In turn that seems to have come from the verb shoo, meaning to drive a person or an animal in a given direction by making noises or gestures, which in turn comes
from the noise people often make when they do it.

The shift to the horse racing sense seems to have occurred sometime in the early 1900s. C E Smith made it clear how it came about in his Racing Maxims and Methods of Pittsburgh Phil in 1908: “There were many times presumably that ‘Tod’ would win through such manipulations, being ‘shooed in’, as it were”.

A rigged race is one where the winner has been (illegally) decided in advance. And from common errors in English usage they say:

"This expression purportedly comes from the practice of corrupt jockeys
holding their horses back and shooing a preselected winner across the finish
line to guarantee that it will win. A “shoo-in” is now an easy winner, with no
connotation of dishonesty. “Shoe-in” is a common misspelling."

So feel free to use shoe in or shoo in both are ok I think! Anytime you think someone is sure to win you can say:

She's a shoe in~!

Phil

R/L sound... and B/V...

Hey everyone, I am not sure if I mentioned this app before but it's lots of fun! I often have my kids play it to check their listening skills for the difference between R and L. Most of them get about 50% correct... so I guess they need more practice! How about you?

It's called the English Ear game and it is FREE. Check it out here:

English Ear Game R/L

Here is a sentence you can use to practice your pronunciation, using 3 English words that sound very similar: boiling (BOY-Ling), boring (bow-RING) and bowling (bow-LING).

It was boiling at the boring basketball game so the boy went bowling.

Apparently, they have also made an English Ear 2 which is so you can practice your listening for the B/V sound. You can find it here:

English Ear Game 2 B/V

And I'll give you a sentence so you can practice it too ^_^

Betty & Veronica like the very berry butterscotch banana Sundae very much.

Have a nice Tuesday!

Phil

You should bring your umbrella...

...just in case.

Today we will be looking at this expression. Have you heard it before? It is often used by parents, teachers and friends when giving advice or suggestions about what you should do. Most often, the case we are talking about is not mentioned because it is clear from the context.

You should call her before going to her place just in case.
(...she is out and you waste your time)

You should bring an umbrella just in case.
(it rains)

Billy bring your jacket just in case.
(you get cold)

According to bablefish, the online translation program ,it means ちょうど場合で. A more formal way to say the same thing is: to be on the safe side. Which babelfish translates as: 大事を取って.

You should go to the station now to be on the safe side.
(so you don't miss your train)

Tom don't forget to bring extra socks to be on safe side.
(so you don't run out of clean socks)

I always write down a grocery list before going to the store just to be on the safe side. (so I don't forget to buy anything)

So we use these two expressions in pretty much the same way. Have a nice weekend!

Phil

Plastic surgery

I will continue talking about medical topics today: plastic surgery.

Or sometimes it is called cosmetic surgery. In North America, the most popular types of plastic surgery are:

botox ボトックス

This is an injection (注射 - ちゅうしゃ) of a neurotoxin which kills your nerves to stop wrinkles (老いの波 - おいのなみ). It only lasts a few months and then you need to do it again.

A lot of movie stars get botox.

liposuction 脂肪吸引 (しぼうきゅういん)

This is when they suck the fat out of you.

A: Man, Bob's lost a lot of weight! Did he hit the gym?

B: Nah, I heard he got liposuction!

A: No way! He's looking good, I hope he can keep the weight off.

a boob job 豊胸手術 (ほうきょうしゅじゅつ)

This is casual English, it is also called a breast enlargement (medical term). Where the doctor will install breast implants to increase a woman's breast size.

My friend is thinking of getting a boob job but I told her she looks fine and doesn't need it.

a nose job 隆鼻術 (りゅうびじゅつ)

This is where someone will have their nose done. The medical term is rhinoplasty. In the west it is most often used to make your nose smaller. I think in Asia it is often to make it a bit more pointy.

Wow! She looks really beautiful since she got her nose job.

Those are the most common, you might also hear someone say:

A: I think she got a face lift!

B: Yeah, I think so too. Her wrinkles are gone but now her skin is too tight.

A: Yeah! She looks kind of scary...

A face lift is a surgery where they will lift your face up and tighten your skin to get rid of wrinkles.

In Asia, a lot of people have their eyes done. This is the surgery people get to have more western style eyes or bigger looking eyes.

Have a nice week!

Phil

illness vs. disease

Hey everyone, time for a quick lesson~! Today, I'll be talking about the difference between the words: illness & disease.

Illness n.

1. a. Poor health resulting from disease of body or mind; sickness.
   b. A disease. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/illness)

Disease n.

1. A pathological condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms.


2. A condition or tendency, as of society, regarded as abnormal and harmful. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/disease) Example: Crime is a disease plaguing our cities!

Illness isn't used as often as disease, it sounds more formal and old fashioned. I guess in terms of usage, we are usually vague when we use illness. It seems to focus more on the condition of your body.

He's ill. (adj, old fashioned)

He has an illness that makes him tired all the time. (n.)

Disease seems like something has gone wrong with you because of a virus or bacteria. But, apparently can also refer to genetic problems and stress related issues. It is used more to focus on the thing which is attacking or weakening your body. It is often used in a specific way.

He has Parkinson's Disease.

Have you heard of Lou Gehrig's Disease?

Cancer is a disease that is a real problem these days.

Malaria is a tough disease to eradicate (get rid of).

We also have a more recent and casual word which has the same usage as illness:

Sickness n.

1. The condition of being sick; illness.


2. A disease; a malady.


3. Nausea. Ex: motion sickness, sea sickness


4. A defective or unsound condition. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sickness)

He has some kind of weird sickness that makes him tired all the time.

His sickness is getting worse.

He's really sick. (adj)

Any questions?

Phil

I got hitched~!

Sorry everyone, I got married last month so didn't really have time to post any lessons but I want to try and make it up to you guys by posting 7-8 times this month~! To start I will cover a bunch of expressions that mean "to get married".

A: Hey, I heard you tied the knot last month!

B: Yup, it's true. I got hitched to my longtime girlfriend Anastasia.

A: So was it a shotgun wedding?

B: What?! No way!

A: Ha ha, gotcha! (got you)

B: Ha ha ha, very funny (said sarcastically). But seriously, we want to have kids in a few years.

A: Well good luck with the old ball and chain.

B: Ha ha, you're a real comedian today aren't you? (more sarcasm)

A: I do try to be funny.

B: You're not succeeding.

A: Ok, I get it. Anyways, congratulations. I hope you and Anastasia are really happy together.

B: Thanks.

A shotgun wedding in Japanese is dekichatta kekkon,　出来ちゃった結婚 . Meaning, you are getting married because you got the woman pregnant. It comes from the fact that farmers used to chase down boys who got their daughters pregnant with a shotgun and force the boys to marry their daughters!!

Got you (gotcha) means I tricked you or you fell for my joke.

The old ball and chain is an expression men use to describe their wives--it isn't very polite so men usually use it when their wives are NOT around. It comes from the fact that prisoners in jail used to wear a chain attached to a heavy metal ball that stopped them from running away!

More lessons soon, have a nice weekend!

Phil