The 2021 (alternatively the 2020) Olympic Games have begun and whenever Korea participates in a sporting event as a country, we hear a lot of “대한민국 파이팅.” 파이팅 can be Romanized to “Hwaiting”, “Painting”, or (more often) “Fighting.” For my foreign readers who are not familiar with this term, it is a remark used to … Read More
Make a stink means to cause a disturbance or to loudly protest (complain about) something. There are many forms of this phrase that you can see at the end of this article. Thesaurus.com gives an additional 39 synonyms for make a stink. Example: The child made a stink in the store because her father wouldn’t … Read More
I’m usually a very productive person, but I do take time to relax. And for me, watching YouTube gaming channels helps me to relax. It is also where I am introduced to a lot of new language. One word I have heard a lot lately is stonks. For example, apqLIVE used it in his video … Read More
My job can be pretty busy sometimes. Even when there is some free time, supervisors like to schedule meetings. But there are also times when things get really busy. A supervisor will have a meeting with us and assign some work. Then, another supervisor will ask us to help with something else. We also might … Read More
A valediction is a way of ending a conversation or letter. It is a word or phrase to say goodbye. The opposite of valediction is salutation. A valediction can also refer to the speech given at a graduation. There are many types of valediction including goodbye, sincerely, your friend, cordially, etc. Your signature (or printed … Read More
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch is an English proverb about expectations. The phrase warns us against counting on something to happen. We shouldn’t take things for granted (expecting a certain result). The proverb is an allusion to a chicken farmer who expects all his eggs to hatch and become chickens. With natural incubation, … Read More
I recently watched a video where the presenter was complaining about idioms. He seemed to be distraught at the fact that idioms exist. If you have seen my other posts here, you probably know I have the opposite opinion. I think they are very interesting and learning about them can show us a bit about … Read More
At this time of year, it is important to wear suntan lotion. Today, I went for a long walk. I was smart and I put suntan lotion on my arms, legs, and neck. However, I forgot to put lotion on my hands. Now, my hands are red. My story doesn’t have anything to do with … Read More
Yesterday I went cycling for the first time since my leg was injured about 2.5 months ago. It was nice to get back in the saddle (bicycle seat). I felt strange sitting on my bicycle. My injured leg felt like it was too short when I started. After about 10 minutes it was fine. Also, … Read More
A lot of people are surprised to learn that I am a smoker. Even though I only have a few cigarettes per day, I am a smoker. I only smoke after work and it helps me to fall asleep. The phrase ‘close but no cigar’ means that you almost accomplished something but fell just short. … Read More
