Disco

In the 60's, the word 'discotheque' (from the French) was used for a place to dance.
In the 70's, it was shortened to 'disco', and the word was used for 'disco' music (music for dancing).
But people got sick of disco music, so today we don't say 'disco music'; we say 'dance music'.
The places are still called 'discos' though.

Laura Branigan was a popular singer in the 80s. Her songs were often played in discos.

Rock

'Rock' music started around the 1970s.
Rock music has very loud electric guitars.
"Deep Purple" was a famous rock group in the 1970s.

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'rock' is also a slang verb meaning that you like something very much;

for example:

----- rocks.

Obama rocks.

means that you like Obama very much.

Pop

'pop' is short for 'popular', for example 'pop culture'.
'pop music' is music that is popular, usually light and happy.
the biggest pop music group was the Beatles. Their first hit in North America was 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' in 1964.

J-Pop is Japanese pop music. K-Pop is Korean pop music.

Rock n Roll

Rock 'n Roll is the music that was popular in the Fifties (1950s) and early Sixties (1960s). Rock and Roll is similar to blues, but it's faster. The first R&R song was probably "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry.

blue / blues

'blue' means 'sad'.

'blues' means 'feeling sad', for example, 'do you have the blues?'

'the blues' is the kind of music originally sung by slaves in the U.S. Rock and roll is a mixture of blues and other music.

B.B. King is a famous blues guitarist. Elvis Presley used to go to his concerts when he was a kid.

Out of the blue / bolt out of the blue

A man in Toronto was struck by a lightning bolt out of the blue yesterday.

'bolt out of the blue' or 'out of the blue' means: something that happens without warning.

for example: the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was a bolt out of the blue, or: it happened out of the blue.

Word of the Day: church

A Christian religious building is a 'church'.

A Jewish religious building is a 'synagogue'.

A Moslem religious building is a 'mosque'.




A Buddhist religious building is a 'temple' (OTERA). The word 'temple' is also used for other religions.




A Shinto religious building is a 'shrine' (JINJA). 'Shrine' also means a Catholic religious place.









Reporters asked Obama about plans to build a mosque in New York City.

Expression of the Day: Pink is the new black

"Pink is the new black" means: in the old days, black was the most popular colour, but now, pink is the most popular colour.

"30 is the new 20" means: in the old days, everyone seemed to be 20 years old, but now, everyone seems to be 30.

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th is bad luck.

The number 13 is bad luck. Buildings don't have a 13th floor in North America.

There is also a series of horror movies called "Friday the 13th".

In Asia, the number 4 is bad luck, because the word for '4' is the same as the word for 'death'.
Double numbers (like '66' or '88') are lucky in Asia. I think this comes from dice games where double numbers win.

clear as a bell

'clear as a bell' means 'very clear'.
This is because the sound of a bell is very loud and easy to hear.
example: Obama gave a speech about the economy and his message was (as) clear as a bell.

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This is a photo of the Peace Bell at Hiroshima. I took it 5 years ago.

In Japan they cut the branches off trees. We don't do that in Canada.

comic book

If you say "that movie is like a comic book", it means that the movie was simple, and the characters are not real.

with flying colours

This is a photo that I took of ORIGAMI paper cranes at Hiroshima.

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He passed the test with flying colours.
-- means: He passed the test very easily; he got a very high mark; he got honours.

colour/honour is the British spelling. color/honor is the American spelling.

Hawks and doves

This is a memorial to students in Hiroshima.

On top of the memorial are statues of doves.

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'Dove' is slang for someone who is against war.

'Hawk' is slang for someone who is for war.

for example: Hawks in Washington want to bomb Iran.

A-Bomb

"A-bomb" means "atom bomb" or "fission bomb".

"H-bomb" means "hydrogen bomb" or "fusion bomb".

This is a picture of the A-bomb dome at Hiroshima that I took 5 years ago.

This August is the 65th anniversary of the bombing.

canned

sorry, I have not been feeling good.

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I left a can of Diet Coke in the car, and it was so hot that it expanded and started leaking.

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'canned' is slang for 'fired'.

example: He got canned because he mouthed off to the boss.

'fired' means that you lost your job because you did something bad.

'laid off' means that you lost your job because the company has no work.

If you are laid off, you might get your job back if the company improves in the future.

roller coaster

This is a photo that I took 5 years ago from a moving train going thru Osaka.
('thru' is a slang abbreviation for 'through'.)

I think that the curved thing is a roller coaster track.
A 'roller coaster' is a ride where people sit in small open train cars and go and down.
If you say that something is a roller coaster, you mean that there are many violent ups and downs.
For example: my life is a roller coaster.
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There is a flu going around today. I might be getting sick.

English Expression of the Day: like talking to a brick wall

Example: Talking to him is like talking to a brick wall. = He doesn't listen.
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It's 40 degrees today.

downtown

'downtown' means: the central business district

'uptown' means: the rich area of New York City, but we don't say this in Toronto.

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I started a new job today :)

"Do you want fries with that?"

When you order at a fast food place, sometimes the counterperson says "Do you want fries with that?" even if you ordered fries. So this has become an expression meaning that someone is talking without thinking.

cool as a cucumber

'cool as a cucumber' means: calm, unemotional

for example: He robbed the bank and walked out cool as a cucumber.

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It is 19 degrees here now. The weather is weird. 2 weeks ago we were having a heat wave.

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Here's a video of a U.S. southern accent on YouTube:

click here