carpenter's pencil ...

... is a pencil with flat sides, so that it can't roll away when you put it down on a flat surface.

These pencils are often used by carpenters.

There's no use crying over spilt milk. ...

... is an expression which means:

There is no point in thinking about the past, because the past cannot be changed.

bear

A bear - in slang, means: a big dangerous person, or a big dangerous problem

In business slang, a "bear market" is when the stock market goes down. Bears are slow and dangerous.

The opposite of a bear market is a bull market. That is when the stock market goes up. Bulls are fast and powerful. A "bear" is someone who thinks that the stock market will go down. The adjective is "bearish". For example: "He's bearish on gold." means: He thinks that the price of gold will go down.

in a stew / to stew ...

... is an expression which means: to be worried or upset

It comes from the idea of being hot and bubbling for a long time.

for example: He was stewing over the lost lottery ticket.

"carrot and stick"

... is an expression meaning: to motivate someone to do something by using rewards (carrots) and punishment (stick). This expression comes from the idea of making a donkey walk by holding a carrot in front of its face (or hitting it with a stick).

for example: You want your child to do their homework. The carrot is: going out to a movie. The stick is: no dinner.

small potatoes ...

... is an expression that means: not important, or not a lot of money.

For example:
 "He made $40,000 playing hockey in 1969, but today that's small potatoes."

First Day of Spring

Last Day of Winter

It's the end of winter, sort of.

This is a Hindu temple.

triskaidekaphobia

"triskaidekaphobia" means "fear of the number 13".


In North America, the number 13 is bad luck.
Elevators do not have a 13th floor.


Some people also believe that the day "Friday the 13th" is bad luck (for example, March 13).


Black cats are also bad luck.

Mickey Dee's ...

... is slang for: MacDonald's

It's spring today, but it will be winter tomorrow.

Daylight Savings Time

DST starts in North America today.
Spring forward, fall back.
In the spring, we put our clocks forward one hour.
In the fall, we put our clocks back one hour.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

base camp

'base camp' is an expression in mountain-climbing. It means: the buildings or tents at the bottom of the mountain where you start climbing.

March comes in like a lion, but goes out like a lamb. ...

... is an old expression that means: The weather is cold at the beginning of March, but will be warm at the end of March.

F1

"F1" stands for "Formula One" and it is a type of auto racing.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/21/sport/sochi-formula-one-winter-olympics-ecclestone-tilke-f1/index.html?hpt=isp_t2

rags-to-riches

This is an expression meaning: a person who starts out poor, but becomes rich ...
or a story about such a person.

selfie

'selfie' is slang for a photo that you take of yourself, usually using a mirror.

3-D printer

"3-D" means "three-dimensional".
A "3-D" movie is a movie where you wear special glasses, and it looks like objects are coming out of the movie screen towards your face.
A "3-D" printer is a new invention that can make objects out of plastic, or metal, or other materials, even food:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVOVOe89TZ4

Olympics

I think that they should have an Olympics where no one mentions what country any athlete was born in. ...

Robinson screwdriver / Philips screwdriver

A Robinson screwdriver has a square tip, and is only used in Canada.


A Philips screwdriver has a tip shaped like a cross.


Both screwdrivers come in various sizes.

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