Money is no object~!

Continuing the money theme from my last post I thought of this expression while in class today:

Money is no object!

Now unfortunately, I've never been in a position to say this but I've heard it in movies & TV shows often enough. It simply means that "I don't care about the cost" or "I will pay whatever price you like" or "Spare no expense". Basically, it's used to tell a shopkeeper that you want the best and don't care about the price. You can find thefreedictionary.com's definition here.

I just won the lottery, give me your best bottle of champagne! Money is no object.

After my uncle got promoted he started spending like money was no object, eventually he went bankrupt!

Here's a great video of a talk where Alan Watts a British philosopher asks the question:

What would you do if money was no object?




Have a great weekend!

Phil

Put your money where your mouth is~!

Today we'll look at a few idioms linked to gambling. If you are very sure about something you could say:

I'd put money on it.

This means that you believe it so much that you are willing to bet money that you're right. It is generally used in the following grammar structure:

X would put money on Y

And since you are telling people about your high degree of certainty X is usually I.

I'd put money on it raining tomorrow.

I'd put money on Tom getting the promotion.

You might talk about other people but this isn't so common:

She'd put money on him proposing on their anniversary next week.

In this case it is a form of reported speech, you are telling someone that she told you he is sure he will propose on their anniversary.

Another, more dramatic way, to express a high degree of certainty that something is true/will happen is to say:

I'd stake my life on it

You often hear this in casual English and it is in a ton of movies where gangsters catch someone and want them to talk:

Gangster: Where's the money?

John: I don't know~!

Gangster: (breaks a finger) Where's the MONEY?

John: Tom might have it...

Gangster: MIGHT? (pushes on the broken finger)

John: He has it, he has it. I'd stake my life on it.

Gangster: You just did.

In this case you are literally saying "I'd bet my life on it" so if you are wrong they'll kill you!

The last idiom we'll look at is one where two people are arguing and someone says"

Put your money where your mouth is!

This means that you talk tough like you are right or can do something but prove it - make a bet and show me I'm wrong.

Al: I can sink 3 basketballs in 1 minute from half-court.

Bill: What? No way!

Al: I can, I do it all the time.

Bill: Put your money where your mouth is, 20$ says you can't.

Al: You're on, let's go to the basketball court and I'll show you how it's done.

So Al said he could do something, Bill didn't believe him and bet him 20$ he can't. They made a bet and now they will go find out who is right.

Have a nice weekend guys,

Phil

to milk X

This expression comes from farming and milking a cow. Yes in English milk can be used as a verb!

The original meaning is simply: to milk a cow. 



From this verb we got the expression to milk something for all it's worth. 

Hal: Did you hear that Tomo won an award?

Bill: Yeah, he's milking it for all it's worth! He's been telling everyone he meets about it.

This was eventually shortened to milk X. So this usage of milk means to exploit something as much as possible, to take of advantage of something as much as you can.

Husband: Oh, I'm so tired from yesterday's marathon. Can you do the dishes?

Wife: Stop milking that! Yes you ran a marathon but you haven't done any work since then!

Fred: He's really milking the sympathy card from his breakup.

Jeb: Yep, he's had a whole string of new ladies recently.

Fred: Well wouldn't you do the same thing?

Jeb: Yeah, probably. hahaha

Have a nice weekend,

Phil

It's gonna be a long hard slog.

Have you guys heard this before? 

A slog is a long hard exhausting walk. 

The image in your head should be of soldiers marching along a muddy road where their boots get stuck in the mud & pop out with sucking "slog" type sound.

So when someone says:

It'll be a hard slog but we can do it.

They mean it will be a long tough job but we can do it!

For example:

Alice: I heard you finished your diet?

Betty: Yeah, I'm so happy! It was a long hard slog dieting for 6 months but I lost 20 pounds and am ready for swimsuit season!

Have a nice day,

Phil

He has a hidden agenda.

Have you guys heard this expression before? It sounds somewhat formal so it might be used in business but could also be used among friends or acquaintances (知り合い).

agenda

This word is used in French for your schedule book, this word is used in English to mean a list of things to do or consider. It's often used in British English as well as Business English.

Boss: What's on the agenda today?

Secretary: We have a meeting at 11 & then a factory tour at 2:30.

So the term hidden agenda means that someone has a hidden goal or a secret plan.

I don't trust him, why's he suddenly being nice to me? I think he has a hidden agenda.

My company was bought by an international giant but they had a hidden agenda. They only wanted our software division, now the rest of us are getting fired!

Remember, this is a NEGATIVE expression used when you want to say that a 3rd party has a hidden motive or evil plan. What they say they want is not what they REALLY want.

Have a good week,

Phil

Take it with a grain of salt.

Have you heard this idiom before? It means that you should be skeptical of something, you should have doubts about it, or you shouldn't believe something completely. You can find some example's from the urban dictionary here and in Japanese here.

Take this with a grain of salt but I've heard Sega will launch a new game console in 2014.

This means, I'm not sure if this is true but...

Gerry: My teacher said I'm his favorite student!

Kal: I think you should take that with a grain of salt he told me that last week, too. 

This means that you shouldn't believe what he said completely.

I always take online product reviews with a grain of salt, many reviewers are getting paid by the manufacturers!

This means that I don't completely trust online product reviews.

Have a great week,

Phil

No sweat.

For the last lesson of the month and as summer is ending we will look at two idioms/expressions that use the word SWEAT. In Japanese, it means 汗, あせ. Idioms or expressions that use this word tend to be Guy's English. Women don't usually talk about sweating so they rarely use these expressions...

No sweat.

This simply means no problem. It comes from the fact that doing something is easy and won't cause you to sweat.

Jill: Can you help me fix my car?

Jack: Sure, no sweat. I'm good with cars.

----

General: How did the mission go?

Soldier: No sweat. Everything went according to plan.

I'm sweating like a pig.

This is used when you want to say you're sweating like crazy or sweating a lot. It is very casual and kind of crude so it's usually used between close male friends.

Warren: Wow, it's 42C! 

Dick: Yeah, I'm sweating like a pig.

Warren: Me too, let's go somewhere with air conditioning.

Dick: Good idea.

If you use this expression to talk about someone else it is HIGHLY NEGATIVE so be careful. In this situation men or women may use it.

Nancy: My new boss is always sweating like a pig.

Fiona: Eww... gross!

Enjoy the upcoming cooler weather~!

Phil

Close but no Cigar

Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted in awhile but I've been busy with many things since I got back from Europe. Including my other blog: Kansai Beer Lovers & it's Facebook Page. But I thought it was high time(which means the appropriate or urgent time) that I get off my lazy butt and post some English tips~!

Today we are looking at the popular saying close but no cigar. This came from the days when carnival games would give out cigars as prizes in the US during the early 20th century. It basically means you almost won. It means you came close to succeeding but no prize for you.

In terms of usage it is most often used by your opponent. This is something the carnival staff would say when you nearly won the game.

Al: I knocked down 3 glasses one more and I get the biggest prize!

(throws the ball and misses)

Carnie: Close but no cigar, better luck next time kid.

Carnie is North American slang for someone who works at a carnival.

You could also use it when talking to yourself or friends to describe nearly getting what you want or almost winning.

Glen: Did you get the promotion?

Harry: Close but no cigar, I got a raise though.

Glen: Not bad!

--------
(playing a crane claw game at an arcade)

Dan: Almost there, just a little more... now.

(misses the Nitendo DS)

Dan: Oh! Close but no cigar. Ok one more try...

In Japanese it means: もう一歩の or すれすれの. You can find more about this expression on weblio or on phrases dot org. Another good example would be when talking about online auctions on ebay or similar sites...

Tim: Did you win the auction for that new pc?

Jim: Nah, close but no cigar... I lost by just 25 cents!

Tim: That sucks dude.

Ok everyone that's it for now. I'll leave you with a song by Weird Al Yankovic called "Close but no Cigar!

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

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

Here's a little something to tide you over...

Hey everyone, I am out enjoying the cherry blossoms in Kyoto for a few days so here's a lesson to tide you over until I get back!

Do you know what "to tide (someone) over" means?

I think it comes from the days when sailors depended on the tides (the movement of the ocean going in & out in time with the moon) and after landing somewhere they often had to wait for the tide to come in again before they could leave.

These days it is used whenever someone must wait for something and to help them survive the wait they will get a snack or sample to help them pass the time.

Ed: I can't believe we have to wait 4 months for new episodes of Dexter~!

Pat: Well, if you need something to tide you over there is a series of animated Dexter webisodes online.

Ed: What?! I had no idea cool!

--------------

Tommy: Mom, I'm starving~!

Mom: We're having dinner in 3 hours...

Tommy: But Mom I'm really hungry. I can't wait so long!

Mom: Ok, ok. Here's a granola bar to tide you over.

Tommy: Thanks Mom ^_^

Any questions?

Have a great day,

Phil 

I'm in a bind.

Do you guys know what this expression mean?

It means I am between a rock and a hard place, I am in a tough situation.

A: Hey man, what's wrong?

B: Can you help me out? I'm in a real bind.

A: What happened?

B: I forgot my wallet at home~!

A: That sucks, don't worry though. I can cover you tonight. You can pay for me next week.

B: Sure, that sounds great. Thanks alot.

To cover someone means to pay their share.

A cuter way of saying I'm in a bind is I'm in a pickle!  When you use this expression it sounds cuter and softer.

Sam: OK Don, why did you call me...?

Don: Sam, I need you to give me a hand!

Sam: Looks like you got yourself into a bit of a pickle.

Don: Yeah, I locked myself out and was trying to squeeze through the window.

Sam: Are you crazy? That window's tiny!

Don: Just push me through.

----PUSH----

Sam: There you're inside! Next time call a locksmith...

Do you know what a locksmith is? It's someone who builds, sells, installs and fixes locks.

Have a nice week!

Phil

 

Rock and a Hard Place revisted...

In English, there are some common idioms/expressions I think even low level students should know. One is:

It's a piece of cake.

This means it is VERY EASY and is most often used when someone is trying to persuade you to do something. For example:

A: Square dancing... I don't know, it looks kind of hard...

B: C'm'on (Come on) it'll be fun! Square dancing is a piece of cake~!

A: Really? It's not really my kind of thing...

B: How can you say that? You've never even tried it... give it a shot!

A: Ok, ok, I'll give square dancing a try.

Another expression I think is useful is:

to be (stuck) between a rock and a hard place

This means you are in a tough or impossible situation where both of your options are bad. Some possible Japanese translations are:


二進も三進も行かない

 板挟み

 進退両難 【しんたいりょうなん】 This is the one I think is closest ^_-

Al: I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Pat: What's wrong?

Al: Well my boss wants me to go on a business trip.

Pat: So? What's the big deal?

Al: Well, it's on my wedding anniversary. So if I go my wife will be really angry, if I tell my boss no he's going to get angry! Plus bye bye promotion...

Pat: Yeah, you really are in a tough spot! Where's does your boss want you to go?

Al: New York City.

Pat: I got it~! Take your wife with you and turn it into a weekend romantic getaway.

Al: Pat you're a genius~! You're a real lifesaver!

I went over this idiom a long time ago so feel free to check out that lesson here.

Have a nice night,


Phil

He got shot~!!!

Hey everyone, today I want to talk about the use of "a". It can really change the meaning of a sentence!


Let's go out for a drink. 


That means to go out for 1 or 2 drinks, you'll only be out for a short time.


Let's go out for drinks.


This means to go out for more than 2 drinks,  you'll be out for a long time.


I ate a watermelon.


This means you ate a WHOLE watermelon.


I ate watermelon.


This means you ate SOME watermelon.


Now let's look at the example in the title.


Tom got shot.


This means that Tom got shot by a gun~!!! A rare event and very scary.


Tom got a shot.


This can mean two different things depending on the context.


1- He got an injection(注射). For example: Tom got a flu shot. He got a flu vaccination.


2- He had a CHANCE. 


Give me a shot coach! I know I can beat him!

He has a shot at the World Heavyweight Title.


I got a shot at happiness but I blew it.


Are you crazy??? You don't have a shot with her, she's WAY too hot.


I blew my shot. (I messed up my chance)


So you can have, give, get or blow a shot. Any questions?


Phil