English Expression of the Day: Roger

"Roger" is a man's first name in English. Roger Maris was a famous baseball player.

"Roger" is also an expression in radio communication meaning: "I heard you".

In spoken English, there is a similar expression: "I hear you".

Example:

Charlie: "You should stop sucking your thumb, Linus".

Linus: "I hear you." (meaning "I don't agree or disagree with you.")

English Expression of the Day: No worries.

no worries = no problem = it's ok

example:

Linus: Sorry I forgot about your birthday.
Charlie: No worries.

English Expression of the Day: muggy

It's muggy - hot and humid.
mud/muck + foggy = muggy

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In the World Cup, Germany beat England.

in English: Germany
in French: Allemagne
in German: Deutscheland
in Japanese: DOITSU

English Expression of the Day: happy campers

happy campers: happy, lazy, sitting around doing nothing

not happy campers: very angry

example: They are not happy campers in Toronto.

English Expression of the Day: PIIGS states

The P.I.I.G.S. states are the EU (European Union) countries with dangerously high debt: Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain. Some people are afraid that the Euro will collapse because of the bailouts of the PIIGS states. Some people include Iceland as a PIIGS state, but it's not a member of the EU.

English Expression of the Day: G5/G6/G7/G8/G20

The G8 meeting is today in Ontario.
The G20 meeting is tomorrow in Toronto.

Originally there were the G5 meetings starting in the 1970s, with the 5 biggest Western democracies: U.S., Japan, Germany, France and Britain.
Then they added Italy and called it G6. Later Canada was added for G7. Finally Russia was added for G8.

G20 adds some newly-developed countries such as China and Brazil.

There's a lot of security in Toronto this week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AGA1dCY2qA

epicenter / epicentre

The centre of an earthquake is called the 'epicenter' (U.S. spelling) or 'epicentre' (British/Canadian spelling).

The epicentre of yesterday's quake was north of Ottawa. Some bridges and bricks fell down at the epicentre.

QUAKE

hey, we just had an earthquake - first time there's ever been a quake in Toronto.
My apartment was shaking and the light fixture was swaying.
5.5 on the Richter scale
The news says that it is all over the North-East section of North America.
no reports of injuries

English Expression of the Day: bring in

Anne Rohmer is retiring after 31 years at CITY-TV today.

CITY-TV will have to bring in a replacement.

English Expression of the Day: flying flags

A lot of cars are flying national flags now because of the World Cup; but no one is flying the Canadian flag because Canada is not in the World Cup. Soccer is not popular in Canada, except among immigrants.

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In Toronto now there are police every 5 feet on the street downtown. There was a demonstration today, so the subway was delayed and the traffic was slow. A lot of people are not working this week.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!

I got Chinese food for my father: Singapore Noodles, Pad Thai and Beef with Rice.

English Expression of the Day: security blanket

security blanket - is something that you keep because it makes you feel safe.

English Expression of the Day: jump drive

jump drive
or
memory stick

- is a small USB device to store files, or to move files from one computer to another

English Expression of the Day: USB

USB = Universal Serial Bus

This is the small flat rectangular plug where you plug things into your computer.

USB port - is the hole

USB plug - is what goes into the hole

USB device - is a machine with a USB plug

USB hub - is a machine where you can plug in a lot of USB devices

English Expression of the Day: The Big Bang theory

The Big Bang theory is a scientific theory that the universe started as a tiny speck of matter that exploded outward to create all the stars.

English Expression of the Day: going to the dogs

Canada is going to the dogs.

meaning: Canada is going down / downhill.

Toronto is going to the dogs.

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The government has taken away all the garbage cans, newspaper boxes and statues for the G20 conference. They are afraid that demonstrators will throw things through the windows.

Banks and businesses will be closed.

Doors are boarded up (covered with plywood).

There are a lot of police everywhere and security guards at every door of every building.

English Expression of the Day: I'm caught between a rock and a hard place.

"caught between a rock and a hard place"
-- means that you have a choice between 2 things, but both of them are bad.

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The government is building a 10-foot fence (3-metre fence) around downtown Toronto now for security for the G20 conference next week.

English Expression of the Day: It's the furthest thing from my mind

"It's the furthest thing from my mind."

- is an expression which means:

"I'm not thinking about that. / I never think about that."

for example:

Q: How much money does he make?
A: It's the furthest thing from my mind.

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farther - means 'more distant'.
Ex: Ottawa is farther from here than Niagara Falls.

further - means 'more time' or 'more quantity'.
Ex: The problem requires further study.

English Expression of the Day: quick like a bunny

bunny: cute slang word for a rabbit

quick like a bunny: meaning, very fast

English Expression of the Day: my bad

'my bad'

meaning: I did something wrong (but it's not so important)

example:

I was late for work. my bad.

English Expression of the Day: hype

hype: exaggeration about a product or person to increase sales or popularity

from "hyper" (very fast)

English Expression of the Day: to ride someone's coattails

coattails - is the long piece of cloth that hangs in the back of a formal jacket.

to ride someone's coattails - means to get somewhere with someone else doing the work: especially, in politics, to get elected because the leader is popular

example:

Naoto Kan hopes that the Democratic Party will be able to ride his coattails in the up-coming election.

English Tip of the Day: in / on / at the corner

The table is in the corner of my room.
(inside the room)

The house is on the corner of Main Street and Second Avenue.
(a large area where the house is)

I'll meet you at the corner of Main Street and Second Avenue.
(a small spot where we stand)

English Expression of the day: hit it off

meaning: to have a good relationship on the first meeting

Example:
During a 15-minute phone conversation, Kan and Obama hit it off personally.

English Word of the Day: span

'span' is a noun or verb.
It means to cover a period of time, or a length of distance.

examples:

The bridge spans the river.

I was in Japan for a span of 2 weeks.

English Expression of the Day: Cheers

かんぱい

English Expression of the Day: I'm at the end of my rope

"I'm at the end of my rope" means:

I can't do anything. / I can't go anywhere. / I can't stand it. / I can't take it any more.

The expression comes from tying up a horse or a dog with a rope so that it can't go anywhere. (tether)

English Expression of the Day: grass-roots

"grass-roots" means: coming from the bottom of society, or having support from ordinary people

Example:

"TOKYO - Japan's ruling party picked grass-roots populist Naoto Kan as its new chief Friday, paving his way to replace political blueblood Yukio Hatoyama as prime minister while the party struggles to reclaim public support ahead of July elections.

"...Unlike recent prime ministers, he was not born into an elite political family. Several past prime ministers, including Hatoyama, had fathers or grandfathers who were also prime ministers.

"I grew up in a typical Japanese salaryman's family," Kan said Thursday. "I've had no special connections. If I can take on a major role starting from such an ordinary background, that would be a very positive thing for Japanese politics."

English Expression of the Day: It's for your own good

meaning: It will benefit you. / It will help you. / It will protect you. / It is good for you.

English Expression of the Day: sinkhole

A sinkhole is when underground water dissolves the rock, and the ground falls down suddenly.

English Expression of the Day: Unrequited Love

This expression is used in poetry and literature only, not in normal conversation.
It means that one person loves another person, but the second person doesn't love the first person.

For example: Sally loves Linus, but Linus doesn't love Sally.
The "Peanuts" comic strip has many cases of unrequited love.

In casual conversation, we would say that Sally has a crush on Linus.

English Expression of the Day: NTSC PAL SECAM

NTSC is the TV/DVD system used in North America, South America, Japan and the green countries on the map.

PAL is the TV/DVD system used in Australia and the blue countries on the map.

SECAM is the TV/DVD system used in the brown countries on the map.

Videotapes, TVs and DVDs in one system don't work in another system.