You're robbing the cradle!

Hey everyone do you understand what that idiom means? It is North American English. We use it  when someone is dating someone much younger than them. A cradle is a baby's bed!

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cradle_2_(PSF).png

So someone who is robbing the cradle is stealing a baby from their bed, it is a bit of a joking/teasing expression used between friends.

 Anthony is robbing the cradle! His new girlfriend is 20 years younger than him!

It can also be used as a noun: a cradle-robber.

Pat: Tim's a real cradle-robber, he's always dating much younger women. When he was 25 he dated a 15 year old!

Sheila: Ewww, gross.

That expression can be used for both men & women who date people much younger than them. A fairly new expression is: a cougar. This refers to a woman who dates much younger guys, usually for their bodies.

Harry likes to go to cougar bars, he loves older women.

Shannon's a real cougar, she's always hitting on young guys since her divorce.

Have a nice week,

Phil

What's the occasion?

Hey everyone, do you guys know the subtext of this question? It is used when someone suddenly changes their look or behavior to be nicer or better than usual.

Ted: Hey Betty, you look sharp! What's the occasion? Got a hot date?

Betty: Oh, hey Ted. Yeah, I got a date with Rob tonight!

It is also often used with the word special:

Andy comes home to find the place spotlessly clean...

Andy: Helen, what's the special occasion? Why's the house so clean?

Helen: Andy, I told you! My parents are coming to visit this weekend!

You can also use this expression to ask why someone is throwing a party.

Gary: I'm having a little get together tonight, do you wanna come?

Jim: What's the occasion?

Gary: My wife's out of town so I'm having a guys poker night.

Jim: Sounds fun, count me in!

Have a nice week,

Phil

Wanna be my guinea pig?

Hey guys do you know what a guinea pig is?

It has 3 meanings, the first is a cute rodent similar to a hamster that is usually a pet these days but was also used as a meat animal in South America. You can eat it in Peru, there it's called cuy!

from: http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/10145/question-guinea-pig-poop-as-garden-fertilizer

The second meaning is as an experimental animal, it is often used to talk about a human guinea pig. So especially in medicine, it can be a person or animal which is used to test or experiment on.

My friend needed money fast so he decided to be a guinea pig for a new drug, he made 1000 dollars in 2 weeks-cash!

The third meaning is related to the second but it is a bit more positive. It means someone who is the first to try something.

A: Hey, can you be my guinea pig and try out my new recipe?

B: Uh, ok. (eats some)

A: How is it?

B: Ummm, it's ok but a bit too salty.

A: Ok, try it now. (B eats more)

B: Wow, it's great!

A: I added a bit of sugar to balance out the salt.

So everyone would you ever be someone's guinea pig?

Phil

It's the best money can buy!

Hey everyone, have you heard this expression before?

The best money can buy.

It's usually used by someone who is boasting. Boast in Japanese is 自慢 (じまん). This expression is used to talk about something you bought when you want to say it is very high quality while indirectly adding that it was very expensive without mentioning the exact price. This means it is a bit more polite expression that you can use when you bought something that is really new and cool and you're proud of your purchase.

Al: Hey Bob, nice laptop!

Bob: Thanks Bob, it's the best money can buy. It has all the latest features and the best processors on the market.

Al: Cool, let me try it out.

Any questions?

Phil

disposable <-----> reusable

I haven't done an opposites lesson in a long time so I thought I'd make a mini opposites lesson. During a class today, we were talking about pollution and many students mentioned the word disposable. This means something can be thrown away after you use it. 

Paper napkins are disposable.

I don't like disposable chopsticks, I've heard they contribute to deforestation in Indonesia.

You can often hear this word used to talk about people in crime dramas or mafia movies. In that case it can mean that you can kill them or abandon them...

That guys disposable after the jobs done, get rid of him.

Women like her are disposable, they're a dime a dozen in this town.

A dime a dozen is an idiom which means something is abundant, cheap and common.

The opposite of disposable is reusable. This is made of the prefix RE meaning again, the word USE and the suffix ABLE meaning can be done. So the meaning is something that can be used again.

I always bring reusable chopsticks with me. I think you call them "my hashi" in Japanese.

To help the environment, you should use a reusable shopping bag but be sure to wash it often.

I don't like disposable things, I prefer to invest in quality products that are reusable.

Have a great weekend,

Phil

I see you in a new light.

Hey everyone, for today's lesson we are looking at an idiom which is used when someone does something surprising and it changes your opinion of them. When that happens we say:

I see you in a new light.

For example:

Jill: Hey Tom, what are you eating?

Tom: Oh this? It's a homemade lasagna.

Jill: Wow, it looks good! Did your wife make it for you?

Tom: Huh? No, I made it myself. I like cooking.

Jill: I didn't know you could cook! I see you in a whole new light now.

In Japanese, you'd say 見直した which literally means to look again. This expression does have a bit of a connotation that because you see someone differently you now have a better opinion of them. When you add WHOLE to the expression, you make it STRONGER.

When was the last time you saw someone in a new light?

最後の見直した時はいつでしたか？

Have a nice week,

Phil

Stop talking behind my back!

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a nice Golden Week~! I just got back to Kyoto which is why I haven't posted in awhile. Do you understand today's lesson title?

It is a pretty common idiom used to talk about gossip ( ゴシップ) and rumors (噂 - うわさ ). In Japanese to talk behind one's back would probably be: 後ろ指を指される. This expression means someone is saying bad things about you secretly. When you see them they never say anything bad or tell you their true feelings BUT when they meet other people they will tell them all kinds of bad things about you which could be true or lies.

The opposite expression is: (to tell/say something) to someone's face. In Japanese you'd say, 向き付けに. This is usually used to confront someone who has been saying things about you secretly...

Kim: Betty you've been talking about me behind my back!

Betty: What?

Kim: You told Sarah that I was getting fat and not pretty enough to date Paul!!!

Betty: um...

Kim: If you thought that, you should have just told me to my face!

Any questions? Have a nice week!

Phil