What's your ETA?

Hi everyone, ETA is an acronym that stands for Estimated Time of Arrival. You pronounce it E - T - A. It comes from the military and so is most often used by men. You might hear an airline pilot use it.

Good morning passengers, this is Flight 2304 to Munich our ETA is 2:30PM local time.

It is a useful acronym for text messages or online chats.

My ETA's 10 minutes from now.

Our ETA's around 4PM.

Any questions?

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

Ditto

Does anyone know this word & how it is used?

It means the same as what someone said before. We use it when we're in groups.

Al: I hope you had fun.

Bob: Yeah, it was a great party, thanks for inviting me.

Carl: Ditto.

In this case it means: "Great party, thanks for inviting me too."

Kay: The new math teacher's horrible.

Helen: Ditto.

In this case it means: "I think so too".

Have a nice week,

Phil

Practice your onomatopoeia~!

Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of posting last month but I was busy traveling. Today we will look at onomatopoeia are words that are based on sounds. For example, squeak is the sound of a rusty door hinge and boom is the sound of a bomb exploding.

This is a cute funny video that starts of listing a bunch of English onomatopoeia for animals and then asks the question "What does the fox say?" because it is true in English no one seems to know what sound a fox makes... maybe because they're so quiet?

Enjoy the video!




A cow goes moo moo.

A bird goes tweet tweet. (which is where the word twitter comes from)

A dog goes woof woof or bow wow.

A cat goes meow meow.

A pig goes oink oink.

A chicken goes cluck cluck.

A duck goes quack quack.

Have a nice day,

Phil

Wanna go for a dip?

Hey everyone, summer vacation has started so I am not sure how often I will be posting on this blog so here  is a small lesson.

to dip

This is a verb that means to go down briefly. It can be used in many ways:

When he slow-danced with me, he dipped me & we kissed. It was romantic!

I dipped my toes into the pool to check the water's temperature.

Don't dip your chips into the dip twice! No double-dipping!

You can see in the last example that dip can also be a noun. The first meaning is a kind of sauce that you dip your chips or vegetables in to give it some extra flavor.

The second meaning is a short swim. This is a word we often use during the summer. So if someone asks you:

Wanna go for a dip?

They mean:

Do you want to go for a quick swim?

Have a great summer vacation!

Phil

Let's grab a bite!

Way back in 2010 I did a two part series on the word bite. During this summer vacation you can revisit that lesson here.

The most useful expression is:

to grab a bite

Bite means ひとくちin Japanese. Kids often say:

Wow, that looks good! Gimme a bite!

which in Japanese would be:

ううわー美味しそう！一口ちょうだい！

When someone uses grab a bite they are talking about having a quick light meal.

Wanna grab a bite together sometime?

This is a casual invitation to a date.

I'm hungry, let's grab a bite somewhere.

This means let's take a break and eat something.

Another interesting use of bite is an idiom you can use when you are full.

Man, I'm stuffed. I couldn't eat another bite.

or

I'm so full if I eat another bite I'll explode!

Have a nice weekend,

Phil

Some words are older than they appear...

This is a great article about many slang words which are much older than most people think.

Check it out:

http://www.mentalfloss.com/article/51857/16-words-are-much-older-they-seem

Enjoy,

Phil

When it rains it pours...

Have you guys heard this saying before? 

We use it when many bad things happen to someone all at once. It means that when it rains it isn't just a light drizzle it is a torrential downpour!  So people use it when suddenly many bad things happen to them at once and they'll just say "When it rains it pours..." meaning that is life, bad things tend to all happen at the same time.

Ah man, my bike chain popped off, I missed my train and now I'm late for work!!~! This sucks! When it rains it pours!

Any questions?

Phil

A black joke..? huh? - Katakana English

Hey everyone, today while I was at work I heard my co-workers talking in Japanese and they used a Katakana English word in their conversation. I was kind of shocked because they said black joke.

Now, from they context I could see they meant a kind of dark joke about death or some other horrible event. BUT in English a black joke meands a racist joke about black people!

It is not politically correct and not funny. I told my coworkers they should have used a different expression because people may get offended if they hear you saying black joke... instead use one of the three following terms

black humor

Whenever something bad happens I also use black humor to lighten the mood.

dark humor

Tom has a really dark sense of humor, he's always joking about death and other tragedies.

gallows humor

This is when people make jokes about death before a coming battle, execution(gallows are the execution platform for hanging) or other terrible event happens.

So tomorrow we all lose our jobs when the factory closes, I guess it is time for some gallows humor...

Be careful guys! Sometimes katakana English can be misunderstood and get you in trouble~!

Phil

When I was a kid...

...I always used to play using my imagination. It was great!

Today we are looking at the word:

kid

This word has a few meanings.

The original meaning is a baby goat!

Wow, what a cute mama goat & kid!

These gloves are many of the finest kid skin.

These days most people don't use this meaning as most people aren't farmers anymore.

The most common usage in North American English is as the casual word for child.

Saying "When I was a child" sounds very formal and old fashioned to people in Canada & the US. Instead, we say "When I was a kid".

Did you see that kid break the window?

Do you want to have kids?

Kids often get into trouble.

When I was a kid, I loved Star Wars!

I'm not a kid anymore, I'm 19!

He's just a kid, he can't play with us.

That's my kid brother.

The last two are a related meaning that says someone is younger than yourself.

The last major meaning of kid is as a verb: to kid. This means to joke, to pull someone's leg, to try and trick someone, to tease.

No kidding, Tom got married again?
meaning really, you're not trying to trick me

I was just kidding.
meaning I was just joking.

Stop kidding around this is serious!
meaning stop making jokes

My Dad likes to kid around.
meaning my Dad likes to make jokes & trick people

Are you kidding? No way!

The last one can be used to ask someone "Really?" when they tell you something incredible or add me at the end to express frustration when something unbelievable happens.

Are you kidding me? Someone dented my car! Again!

Are you kidding me? The train is late again!?

Have a nice week,

Phil

Let's talk about parking!

Now here in Japan if you live in the city you don't really need to think about parking all that much but in many parts of North America the car is king and parking can be a big issue so today we'll look at some parking related words.

Most homes have a driveway. This is the strip of asphalt or gravel you drive up to get to your house, in the countryside or for rich people with a big estate the driveway can be quite long but most people simply have enough space to park one or two cars.

When we talk about parking we use three similar sounding words:

parking lot

This is usually the big parking area around a shop or mall. It's also the area under buildings or the lot where many people leave their cars and have to pay an hourly(or daily) parking fee to park their cars.

A: Did you hear about that innovative parking lot in Florida?

B: No, what's so special about it?

A; It's a multi-story parking garage but instead of being all gray concrete it's full of shops and even trees. Take a look!

http://www.isaacsandcompany.com/listings/1111-lincoln-road/

B: Wow, I can't believe that's a parking lot!

Often, when it isn't a lot (a piece of land, usually empty) but is instead a building we call it a parking garage. 

parking space

This is used as a place where you regularly park your car. Think of an office building where many parking spaces are assigned to employees and have their names written on them using paint. The key thing here is when you say parking space, you emphasize it's yours & you probably often park there.  It conveys a sense of possession.

This morning when I came into work, some car was in my parking space!

I moved into the city and I need to find a parking space for my car.

parking spot

This is more casual than parking space and it feels more temporary. We often use this when looking for a place to park... Parking space & parking spot can be used interchangeably. It is more of a feeling than a hard rule and can change based on different English dialects

I spent 30 minutes driving around the mall parking lot looking for a parking spot!

I hate driving downtown, it takes forever to find a parking spot on the street & I refuse to pay the high prices at paid parking lots.

Can you believe it? We found a parking spot so close to the elevators? We got lucky!    

Have a nice weekend,

Phil 

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

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

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  

  

He has a big mouth!

Today we will look at two similar idioms. The first is:

to have a big mouth

This has two meanings, the first is that someone can't keep a secret.

Bill: John, tell me what happened.

John: No way, you have a big mouth!

Bill: I swear, I can keep a secret.

John: No, everyone knows you love to gossip!

The second meaning is that you speak when you shouldn't, you don't know when to keep your mouth shut.

Tom: Terry has a big mouth!

Helen: Huh? What are you talking about?

Tom: I was talking to our boss about our project and she interrupted him to attack the project!

Helen: What?! Really?

Tom: Yeah, now the boss is rethinking it. That's 2 months of work down the drain...

The second idiom we will look at is:

to be a blabbermouth

This also means someone can't keep a secret. It doesn't have any other meanings.

Chris: Ted's a real blabbermouth.

Pat: Why do you say that?

Chris: Every time I tell him something private, the next day everyone in the office is talking about it!

So if you know someone that can't keep a secret you now have two ways to describe them! But remember these expressions are pretty negative so be careful.

Have a nice week,

Phil 
  

 

Abrasive

Abrasive is a great high level vocabulary word. It is a noun which means a substance that is rough or scratchy, like sandpaper, which is used to polish, clean or smooth surfaces.

It can also be used as an adjective:

Do not use abrasive cleaners on your non-stick teflon pan.

Because the original meaning of abrasive is one of a rough surface which is a bit painful to rub against your skin so when you use this word to talk about people it has a negative meaning. It means that someone's behavior is harsh or rough.

It's most often used with the word personality.

I don't like Chris, he has an abrasive personality. It rubs me the wrong way.

My new teacher is annoying her voice is high pitched and abrasive.

Have a nice week,

Phil

I can do it for sure!

Hey everyone for the first real lesson of the month I am looking at the difference between for sure and definitely.

The meaning of these two expressions is the same, they are adverbs used to predict the outcome of an action. They mean you think there is a 100% chance something will happen.

It will definitely rain tonight.

Tomorrow's gonna be sunny for sure.

Since you use them to predict something you generally use them with future verb tenses. Definitely can be used in all situations but comes BEFORE the verb/action you are talking about.

He can definitely eat 10 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

My company can definitely fulfill your order on time.   

For sure is much more casual and it comes AFTER the action you are talking about, most of the time it is added at the end of a sentence. It sounds like something kids and young people say, so it is used in casual English. It is usually used to talk about yourself as well.

I'm gonna be on time tomorrow for sure.

I'll win for sure!

But can be used to talk about other people, usually friends or in a casual situation.

Tom will show up for sure. He told me he's coming.

Betty will marry him for sure. He's handsome & rich. 

Any questions? I think you definitely understand!

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