Recently I bought a capsule coffee machine. I also bought some capsules (pods) with Tim Horton’s coffee inside. Tim Horton’s is the most popular café in Canada. Today I shared the Canadian flavor with co-workers. Actually, I learned a new Korean expression, 커혈. It is a portmanteau of coffee (커피) + blood transfusion (수혈). So, … Read More
If something is running like a well-oiled machine, it is working perfectly. Machines usually work best when they are supplied with a lot of oil. There is a lot less noise and the machines will work more efficiently. So, a well-oiled machine is a metaphor for something that is working smoothly (very well). The phrase … Read More
Today’s quote is an often repeated one. I actually didn’t know this quote was attributed to anyone. I thought it was just a saying. However, it seems Jerry Belson has been credited with it, though he said he heard it years before from a teacher in a typewriter repair class. The quote is often used … Read More
Recently my family was on pins and needles as my grandmother was taken to the hospital. It looked like she had a stroke and our family was very concerned. However, the doctors determined that it was only a TIA (transient ischemic attack). We are thankful that she is fine now. The term on pins and … Read More
This phrase means to understand something without being told explicitly. It is a way to suggest something, as in, “I’m really thirsty, if you catch my drift.” It is implied that the speaker wants to be given something to drink. The phrase calls attention to something that is not explicitly said. It tells the listener … Read More
Friday is my second favorite f-word. Food is my first.
When a group of people are all thinking the same way, they have a hive mind. “Hive mind” can also be called groupthink, group mind, shared intelligence, swarm intelligence or universal mind. The term hive mind comes from the behavior of some animals (bee and ants are good examples). As a matter of fact … Read More
Crocodile tears are fake tears. They are usually when someone is pretending to be sad. If someone is pretending to cry, we call that crocodile tears. I suppose the idea is that crocodiles are emotionless creatures and so would never cry. This phrase has been around since the 14th century and is present in a … Read More
This phrase means that it is certain to happen. It is most often used to give encouragement to someone. In Korean, 화이팅 (Fighting) is a phrase used to encourage others. It is a difficult thing to translate as there isn’t an exact equivalent in English. While “Let’s go!” might be the closest English … Read More
“I am.” is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that “I do.” is the longest sentence? – George Carlin Here is a joke by comedian George Carlin. A lot of humor comes out of a deeper understanding of a language. Sometimes jokes subvert our expectations (do the opposite of what … Read More
