話をする

Expression:

• Have a word with someone

Meaning:

• Talk about something important or serious

Examples:

1. Can I have a word with you?
2. I want a word with you about your behaviour.
3. He's going to have a word with her about being late for work.

Please note:

• This expression is used only for serious matters or discussion, usually between two people in private.

酔っ払い

Adjectives:

• drunk
• pissed
• blotto
• paralytic (extremely drunk)

Examples:

• Don't get drunk because you have work tomorrow.
• I was so pissed at the party; I can't remember anything.
• She shouldn't drink any more champagne because she's blotto.
• He absolutely paralytic; it's disgusting!

Expression:

• beer goggles = he is drunk and every woman looks beautiful

Example:

• Look at that awful girl with Takeshi! He must be wearing beer goggles tonight.

尻に敷く

Idiom:

• She wears the trousers

Meaning:

• Wife controls husband
• Weak husband

Example1:

Yoshi: "Poor Yusuke always says he can't go drinking after work."  

Taka: "I think his wife wears the trousers."

 Example2:

Yusuke: "Sorry, I can't go to the pub tonight."

Taka: "You always say that. Who wears the trousers in your house?"

ショッピング

Phrase:

• Shop around

Meaning:

• Check the price in several shops
• Don't pay the first price you see

Examples:

1. This shop seems expensive; I recommend shopping around before you buy.
2. I always shop around for the best price.
3. If you shop around, you might find it cheaper.

秘密をばらす

Idioms:

1. Let the cat out the bag
2. Spill the beans

Meaning:

• Tell a secret

Examples:

1. I didn't want to tell my parents about my new boyfriend but my brother let the cat out the bag.
2. Michiko has spilt the beans on her affair with the boss.

無口

Idiom:

• Has the cat got your tongue?

Meaning:

• Why don't you speak?
• I don't like your reticence.

Example: Angry mother to child:

"Answer my question! What's the matter, has the cat got your tongue?"

疑わしい

Idiom:

• Something smells fishy.

Meaning:

• Suspect
• Suspicious
• Dubious

Example 1:

Yuri: "The boss transferred company money to his private bank account."

 Saori: "That smells fishy to me."

Example 2:

Yuri: "Mr Okawa spends a lot of money in Macau and Singapore.

Kaori: "Really? Something smells fishy."

食べ残し

食べ残し　＝　leftovers

Examples:

1. I'll finish the leftovers for my lunch tomorrow.
2. There are some leftovers in the fridge that need finishing.
3. Don't throw away the leftovers. Waste not want not.

Scraps =

• small leftovers
• small inedible pieces of food
• small unwanted pieces of food

Example:

• I'll give the scraps to the dogs.

Doggy bag =

• A container for leftovers from a restaurant meal

Example: At a restaurant:

• Please put the leftovers in a doggy bag; we want to take them home.

瓢箪から駒

Idiom:

• Out of the blue

Meaning:

• Unexpectedly

Examples:

1. My cat disappeared three years ago and yesterday he returned out of the blue.
2. I got a letter out of the blue inviting me to a school reunion.
3. Out of the blue, the police stopped me and searched my pockets.

病気

Nouns:

• Sickness
• Illness
• Disease
• Infection
• Virus
• Bug

Adjectives:

• Sick
• Ill

Verbs:

• Have got
• Catch
• Suffer from
• Come down with
• Contract

Common examples:

1. I've been ill today with a virus; I think I've got flu.
2. He's come down with a chest infection; I hope he hasn't contracted bronchitis.
3. She's caught a stomach bug; she's really sick.

Slang expressions:

• I've got the lurgy.
• I'm Tom & Dick.
• I'm feeling under the weather.

早起きは三文の徳

Proverb:

• The early bird catches the worm

Meaning:

• If you get up early, you will be successful
• If you get up early, you will prosper

チョークとチーズ

Idiom:

• They are (like) chalk and cheese

Meaning:

• Very different to each other
• Dissimilar
• No resemblance

Examples:

1. Despite being brothers, they're like chalk and cheese.
2. Ten years ago, Sony and Samsung were like chalk and cheese but these days they're quite similar.
3. Ozzie beef and Kobe beef are like chalk and cheese!

朝の人

Expression:

• Morning person

Meaning:

• A person who can wake up early
• A person who prefers the morning
• A person who is more active in the morning

Example:

Yuko gets up at 5:30am and goes jogging. Then she cooks breakfast and a lunchbox for her husband and does the laundry before going to work; she is truly a morning person!

I feel like a zombie in the morning and hate getting out of bed. I need three cups of coffee before I can do anything; I'm definitely not a morning person. 

ロウソクの両端を燃やす

Idiom:

• Burn the candle at both ends

Meaning:

• Go to bed very late and wake up very early

Example:

Hitomi: "Your husband looks so tired."

Rieko: "Yes, he's been burning the candle at both ends working on his new business."

夜中

Idiom:

• Burn the midnight oil

Meaning:

• Busy after midnight
• Work after midnight
• Study after midnight
• Go to bed very late

Examples:

• I've been burning the midnight oil chatting on the internet to my friend in England.
• She was burning the midnight oil last night preparing for an exam today.
• I'm burning the midnight oil writing my blog.

流れに任せる

Idiom:

• Go with the flow

Meaning:

• Do the same as everyone
• Don't be different
• Follow the crowd
• Agree with the majority

Example1: At the office:

Miku: "We're going drinking after work, which pub would you prefer?"

Mami: "Anywhere's OK; I'll go with the flow."

Example2:

Atsushi: "Why did you eat lunch in McDonald's if you hate it?

Ichiro: "My colleagues wanted to go there so I decided to go with the flow."

お終い

Idiom:

• Let's call it a day

Meaning:

• I want to finish
• Shall we finish?

Example: At the office:

Yoshi: "I'm hungry and knackered; let's call it a day!"

Yuki: "OK, see you tomorrow!"

See also: I'm off

猫を振る

Idiom:

• No room to swing a cat

Meaning:

• A small space

Example:

"My apartment is so small; there's no room to swing a cat!"

橋の下の水

Idiom:

• Water under the bridge

Meaning:

• Forgiveness
• Reconciliation

Example 1: At a high school reunion party:

Mrs Sato: "I'm sorry I kissed your boyfriend at our school graduation ceremony." 

Mrs Ono: "Oh don't worry! That's water under the bridge. I've been happily married for years."

Example 2: At the retirement home:

Mr Sato: "I used to let my dog pee in your garden; I feel so ashamed."

Mr Ono: "Forget about it; it's water under the bridge; I'm glad we're friends now."

頭がおかしい

頭がおかしい　＝

Adjectives:

• Crazy
• Mad
• Mental
• Insane
• Nutty

Nouns:

• Lunatic
• Loony
• Madman （男）
• Fruitcake
• Psycho
• Nutter
• Nutcase

Expressions:

• He has a screw loose
• She's as mad as a hatter
• He's not all there
• She's funny in the head
• He's not right in the head
• She's barking mad
• He's (stark) raving mad

There are lots more expressions!

カーペットの下に

Some people ignore problems; they try to forget the problem and hope it goes away. There is an idiom for this situation:

• Sweep it under the carpet

Example:

"You should face your problems; don't sweep them under the carpet!"

"Sweeping it under the carpet won't resolve the issue."

"The company has swept its problems under the carpet because management are feckless."

秋

Do we need the article the with season names?

Without the

• It is cold in winter and hot in summer. This case is generally speaking and is not about a particular time; it could be written as follows: Winter is usually cold and summer is usually hot. 
• Cherry blossom blooms in spring and persimmons are harvested in autumn. (usually)

With the

• The summer was hot but the winter will be cold. This case refers to a particular time (only this year) and could be written as follows: This year, the summer was hot but the winter will be cold. 
• The summer of 2003 was the hottest on record. (only in 2003)

かわいそう

かわいそう！

• Poor thing!

Yumiko: "I've lost my job and my boyfriend has left me."

Kazumi: "You poor thing!"

• Poor him/her/you

Masakazu: "My neighbour is quarantined in hospital with meningitis."

Tadashi: "Poor him!"

• Pitiful

Look at those homeless people sleeping in the station; it's pitiful!

かわいそうに

• I feel sorry for (person)

"I feel sorry for Tomomi; her husband is a chain smoker and refuses to quit."

"I feel sorry for the people living near the damaged nuclear power station."

• I pity (person)

"I pity the person who cleans the toilets at the beer festival.

"I pity the innocent people caught up in the war."

インドの夏

Sometimes during Autumn in Britain, summer weather briefly returns; this phenomenon is called Indian Summer. People are usually very happy at such times because the temperature exceeds 20℃ and it is dry and sunny.

Examples:

We are experiencing an Indian Summer.

There was an Indian Summer in Britain last week.

We'll have an Indian Summer this weekend.

飛行機

飛行機　＝

• Aeroplane (British English)
• Airplane (American English)
• Aircraft (British & American)

猫のひげ

Idiom:

• The cat's whiskers

Meaning:

• Excellent
• Superb
• High quality
• Perfect

Example:

"My new mobile phone is the cat's whiskers!"

Another idiom with the same meaning:

• The bee's knees

Example:

"Takeshi's new car is the bee's knees!"

A vulgar idiom with the same meaning:

• The dog's bollocks (This idiom is popular with low-class people; it is not recommended.)

Example:

"Akira's home cinema system is the dog's bollocks!"

豚の耳

Idiom:

• Make a pig's ear of something

Meaning:

• Complete a task badly
• Make a mess
• Make a muddle
• Make something and the result is bad

Example:

Ryoko: "You've made a pig's ear of our new Ikea furniture!" 

Masahiro: "Sorry, I couldn't understand the instructions."

馬の口

Idiom:

• Straight from the horse's mouth

= I heard it directly from the person in the story



Situation:

• A person tells you a story about himself/herself
• You tell another person the same story
• The other person thinks it is a rumour or a lie
• You say "I heard it straight from the horse's mouth."

Example:

Kazuhiko: "Natsumi had a date with the boss!"
Nanako: "No way; I don't believe that. Who told you?"
Kazuhiko: "It's true; I heard it straight from the horse's mouth." (Natsumi herself told Kazuhiko.)

好きじゃない

When we do not like something, we can use this idiom:

• It is not my cup of tea.

Example 1:

Haruna: "Shall we go skiing?"

Haruko: "No thank you, skiing is not my cup of tea."

Example 2:

Seiji: "How was the movie?"

Kouji: "It wasn't my cup of tea."

We never use this idiom for people.

Chisato is not my cup of tea. X

気を付けて

When there is some danger or risk we say:

• Be careful
• Take care

Examples:

• Be careful of that dish: It is very hot.
• Take care with that dish: It is very hot.
• Be careful in Rio de Janeiro: There are lots of criminals.
• Take care in Rio de Janeiro: There are lots of criminals.

When we say good bye to our friends and family we want them to be safe; we want to show we care and they are important; we use these expressions:

• Good bye! Take care!
• Go carefully! Good bye!
• Take it easy! (Very informal)

If a person is going on a trip or a long journey, we say:

• Have a safe journey!

くたくた

くたくた　＝

• exhausted
• tired out
• worn out
• knackered

Examples:

• I was exhausted after running the marathon.
• I'm tired out after that business trip to Dubai and London.
• My husband has been working for 15 hours and now he's worn out.
• I've worked 10 days straight; I'm knackered!

Idiom:

I'm dead on my feet.

= I'm exhausted.

出産

出産　= birth

When a woman is pregnant, we usually want to know the birth date. We can ask these questions:

• When is your baby due?
• When are you due (to give birth)?

When a woman is pregnant, we usually want to know the place of the birth. We can ask this question:

• Where are you having your baby?

性別　= gender

When a woman is pregnant, we usually want to know the baby's gender. We can ask this question:

• Is your baby a boy or a girl?

妊娠

妊娠している　= pregnant (adjective)

Examples:

• My wife is pregnant with our second child.
• Kumiko is 8 months pregnant so she's started maternity leave.
• I can't drink alcohol because I'm pregnant.

Expecting = pregnant (+ birth date) (not duration)

Examples:

• My wife is expecting our second child.
• I'm expecting so I can't drink alcohol.
• Mayumi is expecting twins in April!
• Kumiko is 8 months expecting. X 

Idiom:

Hayato's girlfriend's got a bun in the oven.

= Hayato's girlfriend is pregnant.

ゼロ

There are several ways to say the number 0

• Zero (formal maths, science, finance)
• Oh (time, telephone numbers)
• Nought (informal maths, science)
• Nil (sport scores)
• Nothing (general conversation about quantity)
• Zilch (very informal and less common)

お下がり

お下がり = hand-me-down (noun)

Examples:

• When I was a child, I wanted new clothes but I always got my sister's hand-me-downs.
• I don't want your old hand-me-downs!
• That ABBA T-shirt is a hand-me-down from my mother.

もったいない

もったいない　＝　wasteful

However, this expression is more natural:

• What a waste!

Examples:

• Sanae dropped a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne. What a waste!
• That watermelon is rotten; we can't eat it. What a waste!

This expression is to avoid waste (save and re-use):

• Waste not want not.

Example:

• Don't throw away your rice; I will use it for チャーハン tomorrow. Waste not want not.

This expression is to say we don't use an item:

• It is wasted on him

Examples:

• Daisuke bought his grandmother a new Blue Ray DVD recorder but it's wasted on her because she can't understand how to use it.
• Tomoko gave her parents an expensive bottle of wine but it's wasted on them because they don't drink alcohol.
• Those running shoes are wasted on me because I never do any exercise.

Pattern:

• item + be + wasted on + person

面倒臭い

面倒臭い　can be translated according to the situation.

If you are tired or do not want to use your energy you can say:

•  can't be bothered

Miho: "Let's clean up the garden!"

Kou: "I can't be bothered; I wanna watch TV."

If something is complex and requires a lot of effort you can say:

• too much hassle

Yuki: "Shall we move to a new apartment?"

Hana: "Oh no! It's too much hassle."

If you check your dictionary, you will see the word troublesome but this is not a natural translation of 面倒臭い。

オフ

I'm off has four meanings:

1. I'm leaving now

Example:

• I'm off; see you! = I'm leaving this place now.

2. I'm going now

Example:

• I'm off to the pub. = I'm going to the pub now.

3. Absent from work

Example:

• I'm off tomorrow. = I will be absent from work tomorrow.

4. I'm abstaining

• I'm off chocolate. = I don't eat chocolate these days.

Pattern:

Subject + be + off (+ extra information)

いい人

Some people are good people. We want to say they are great. There is an idiom to describe good people:

• the salt of the earth

Examples:

• He's a really nice person; he's the salt of the earth.
• She's kind to everybody; she's the salt of the earth.
• He's always helping people; he's the salt of the earth.

Some people are passive; they never use violence or behave aggressively. We say:

• wouldn't hurt a fly

Examples:

• Hiro hates violence; he wouldn't hurt a fly.
• I've never seen Miki angry; she wouldn't hurt a fly.
• Ryou has never hit anyone; he wouldn't hurt a fly.

スタッフ

The word staff is uncountable. We need to use the word member to count staff.

Examples:

• A member of staff ＝　１名のスタッフ
• Two members of staff　＝　２名のスタッフ
• Nine members of staff　＝　９名のスタッフ

There is another pattern with the same meaning:

• A staff member ＝　１名のスタッフ
• Two staff members ＝　２名のスタッフ
• Nine staff members ＝　９名のスタッフ

This is wrong:

• A staff X
• Two staffs X
• Nine staffs X

Similar words:

• employee (countable)
• worker (countable)

高い買い物

Splash out =

• spend a lot of money
• buy something expensive

Examples:

• I splashed out on a pearl necklace for my girlfriend's birthday.
• The boss is going to splash out on champagne at the office party.
• Naoko has splashed out on a new Gucci handbag.

Note:

• subject + splash out + on + object (+ extra information)

傘

I've heard the rainy season is over in Kanto; it was short and not so rainy this year. There is still a risk of sudden downpours so you may need your brolly.

• brolly = umbrella = 傘
• sudden downpour = 突然豪雨

日傘

Today is a real scorcher. The sun is beating down and the humidity is high. In weather like this we should be careful of dehydration, sunburn and heat stroke.

Minor ailments may include prickly heat (also called heat rash) and muscle cramp.

Lots of Japanese ladies use parasols to shade themselves from the sun. A hat and sunglasses are also recommended.

• a scorcher = とても暑い日
• the sun is beating down = 強い日光がある
• humidity = 湿度
• dehydration = 脱水症
• sunburn = 日焼け
• heat stroke = 熱射病
• prickly heat = 汗も
• muscle cramp = 筋痙攣
• parasol = 日傘

引っ越す

Moving home can be expensive, stressful and hard work. We need to pack our belongings and arrange a removal company to move our stuff to our new home.

• 引っ越す = move home

Example:

• I'm moving home next month to be nearer my office.
• I've moved into a new apartment; please come and visit me!
• I want to move in with my boyfriend but my parents won't let me.

Also:

• 引越し業者 = removal company / remover

賃貸

Many people rent their homes; that means we don't own our home but we pay rent (money) to the landlord. If you rent your home, here are some useful words:

• 家賃 = rent (money)
• 不動産 = property（英）real estate（米）
• 不動産業者 = estate agent（英） real estate agent / realtor（米）
• 大家さん = landlord （男）landlady（女）
• 借地人 = tenant
• 保証人 = guarantor
• 礼金 = commission / fee
• 敷金（保証金）= deposit
• 契約 = contract

If a property is vacant, we can see a sign saying 「テンアント」but this is a bad translation from English. In England the sign says "To Let" or "For Rent".

パーティー

Thank you to everybody who attended the second anniversary party last Saturday. I hope you had a good time. I hope you all come to the next party. If you took any photos, please send them too me.

二日酔い

After drinking too much alcohol we often feel ill, especially the next day. We can say:

• I have a hangover (noun)
• I'm hungover (adjective)

Hangover symptoms usually include:

• headache
• dehydration
• nausea

飲み放題

「飲み放題」is very popular in Japan. This system is available in England too, however, it is difficult to find. In English you may see this system called:

• All you can drink
• Free bar
• Unlimited drink

「食べ放題」is much more popular in England, especially in Chinese restaurants. We call this system:

• Buffet
• All you can eat
• Unlimited food

懐かしい

After we see a person or thing from a long time ago, we can say:

• That was a blast from the past!

We also use this expression if we discuss some event from our distant past. This expression is usually positive.

If we talk about happy memories from our distant past, we can say:

• Those were the days.
• The good old days!

久しぶり

If we haven't seen a person for a long time, when we meet, we say:

• Long time no see!

or

• It's been a long time.

We can add:

• How have you been?

or

• What are you up to these days?

ハロッズのチョコ

Thank you to Sachiyo for the souvenir chocolate from Harrods, London. Sachiyo went on a business trip to England and Germany last week. She managed to sneak some sightseeing one evening in London.

二周年のパーティー

Our second anniversary party will be held on Saturday 11th June at 7pm. There will be party games, a quiz and a raffle. Please buy your ticket now!

無線

London Bridge English now has Wi-Fi. You are free to bring your gadgets and devices and connect to the Internet!

梅雨

The rainy season has officially started in Kanto. Here are some words associated with the rainy season:

• overcast = 100% cloud cover
• damp = lots of water in the air and cool or cold temperature
• humid = lots of water in the air and warm or hot temperature
• muggy = very humid
• sticky = very humid
• dull = low daylight because it is overcast
• mould = 黴
• mildew = 青黴
• grey day = overcast day

失礼します

As I have mentioned before, there are many expressions in Japanese that do not easily translate into English. Another everyday Japanese expression is 失礼します。So what does it mean? I think we could say:

• Excuse my intrusion
• Excuse my interruption
• Excuse me
• I beg your pardon

These expressions are very common if we want to disturb or interrupt a person, especially if they are having a conversation or blocking our way.

In Japan, waiters usually say 失礼します at our table in a restaurant but this is not the case in England.

薔薇

Thank you Kyoko for the pink rose in the office. It looks and smells great. The rose has come from Kyoko's garden. The national flower of England is a red rose. There are roses in every season but June is the best time to enjoy roses in England. There is a very famous quote from Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare:

• What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

お疲れ様です

Japanese has lots of polite expressions that do not exist in English. For example:

• お疲れ様です

There is no easy way to translate this expression into English. If a person has worked hard for you personally, you can say:

• Thank you for your hard work
• Thank you for your effort
• Thank you for your help

大雨

What terrible weather we are having! The rain is heavy today so please take care. There is a nice idiom you can use in this weather: 

• It's raining cats and dogs!

An amusing expression for a rainy day in England is:

• Nice weather for ducks!

お土産

Thank you to the Takeshima family for the souvenir from Hong Kong. They have given us a box of panda cookies. I shall be serving the cookies with tea.

和食

I didn't see any Japanese restaurants in Spain. Spanish people prefer to eat Spanish food most of the time. I did see some Chinese restaurants and some Italian pizza restaurants. Other countries' cuisines are difficult to find. I didn't eat Japanese food for one month! I went to a Japanese restaurant the day after I returned and had this food.

Mmm. Nice!

最初の聖体拝領

Spain is a Christian country with many Catholic traditions. An important event for Spanish children is called First Communion (English name). Children attend a course of religious lessons which culminates in a ceremony. The ceremony is a major event for Spanish children. They wear special costumes and receive lots of presents from friends and family. There are parties at the children's houses and the presents are displayed next to the costumes. People bring presents and food, usually cake, and the proud parents welcome each guest enthusiastically.

I was invited by two neighbours in Spain and took these photos.

観光地

I took these photos at a famous sightseeing spot called Guadalest. Definitely worth a visit.

アザミ

This plant looks like a thistle but I'm not sure of its name. Do you know?

By the way, thistle is the national flower of Scotland.

サボテンの続き

Have you ever eaten fruit from a cactus? There is a species of cactus that grows in Valencia (and other places) that bears fruit called prickly pear. It is very difficult to peel but if you are careful, you can enjoy its delicious fruit.

This one looks ripe!