I Made A Good Comparison

Image by JAGADEESH S from Pixabay I've never come up with one good metaphor ever. I always want to but I have never achieved that. However, I made a beautiful comparison today and inspired somebody unexpectedly. I felt very good about myself. I wish I can do this every day. What happened was that I … Continue reading I Made A Good Comparison

How To Make It More Interesting?

Image by Tiểu Bảo from Pixabay It has come to the point that I feel so bored with learning Spanish that I just can't watch another video or listen to a minute of podcast. I guess every language learner experiences this moment of crisis at one point or another when reading or listening is still … Continue reading How To Make It More Interesting?

New Word: Beauty

Image by David Mark from Pixabay New Word # 132 Whenever I hear a story of somebody doing a blepharoplasty (a procedure to double the eyelids), or microdermabrasion, botox, laser resurfacing (all wrinkle reducing treatments), I don't know what to say and how to feel. On the one hand, we all want to be beautiful. … Continue reading New Word: Beauty

New Word: A Little Bird

Image by homecare119 from Pixabay New Word #131 There are many misconceptions about birds. If one wants to describe a person who eats very little, one would say, "eat like a bird." However birds eat a lot since it has to eat enough to provide energy for its wing flapping flights. There's another saying, "one … Continue reading New Word: A Little Bird

New Word: Rabbit & Calendar

Image by Anrita from Pixabay New Word #130 Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, that's observed in many East and Southeast Asian countries. And this year is the year of rabbit. This particular zodiac has a twelve-year cycle, each year being represented by one animal. In the ancient time, one's age … Continue reading New Word: Rabbit & Calendar

New Word: Gambling

Image by PIRO from Pixabay New Word #129 I can't help making a lottery post when the mega million jackpot approached a historical high number yesterday. I used to buy one or two lottery tickets once a week when I was young, naive, and dreamy of impossible things. Fortunately time and experiences, though not bringing … Continue reading New Word: Gambling

New Word: Pairs, Pairs

Image by ElinaElena from Pixabay New Word #128 I've heard of phrases like "good things come in pairs" or "bad things come in pairs", which are probably wise old idioms or song titles or advertising buzz words. However what I have encountered more frequently are confusions coming in pairs. I've had posts about confusing pairs … Continue reading New Word: Pairs, Pairs

Holiday Food Reinterpreted

Image by Joseph Levesque from Pixabay Many Asian immigrants interpret English words different, especially during holidays, when we have to pick and choose which mainstream customs we want to adopt, which customs we want to adopt but can't, which customs we want to admire from a distance, which customs we think we understand but we … Continue reading Holiday Food Reinterpreted

New Word: Holiday Celebrations

Image by timokefoto from Pixabay New Word #126 I was trying to compile a holiday word list, for which immigrants have alternative interpretations. Then I realized that it's a list that requires more thoughts and it wouldn't be completed today. For example, turkey is a mischievous reminder that one can never be Americanized enough to … Continue reading New Word: Holiday Celebrations

New Word: Winter

Image by Brigitte Werner from Pixabay New Word #125 Vapor In The Air nebulize: convert (a liquid) to a fine spray, usually by the ultrasonic method. aerosol: a substance enclosed under pressure and able to be released as a fine spray, typically by means of a propellant gas. vaporizer: a device that generates a particular … Continue reading New Word: Winter

New Word: Election

Image by Photo Mix from Pixabay New Word #124 I am often confused by the word "landslide", which originally means "the sliding down of a mass of earth or rock from a mountain"-- it is obviously a disaster. Paradoxically this word also means overwhelming victory in an election. I think people who are more superstitious … Continue reading New Word: Election

Searching For Something New

from my phone I am forever searching for a new vegan recipe. Not that I am a vegan since I know I can never achieve the status of not eating eggs, turkey slice for sandwiches, or Campbell chicken noodle soup at all. However what I can do is reducing animal products in my diet to … Continue reading Searching For Something New

New Word: Second

Image by Merja Partanen from Pixabay New Word #121 runner-up: It is used to describe the second winner in a competition. And the number one is called champion, a beautiful word, of course and the second is called runner-up, which sounds like a reluctant name one gives to something (or someone) one doesn't really want … Continue reading New Word: Second

New Word: Health

Image by Couleur from Pixabay New Word #120 well-being: being healthy and happy indisposed: unwell in one's health. wholesome: conducive to or suggestive of good health and physical well-being. healthy vs. hearty vs. healthful: These three words all mean being healthy, but I particularly like the last word, for the simple reason that it sounds … Continue reading New Word: Health

New Word: Cooking But Not Really Cooking

Image by Trang Pham from Pixabay New Word #119 roast: cook (food, especially meat) by prolonged exposure to heat in an oven or over a fire. However this word has extended to mean to criticize or reprimand severely. And then the word has stretched its meaning again mainly in the U.S. to mean a banquet … Continue reading New Word: Cooking But Not Really Cooking

New Word: Types Of Students

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay New Word #118 Let me think what kind of student I was when I was in school. I was not a diligent student but I pretended to be just to keep up the appropriate appearance to fool others as well as myself. I was a coward since I never stood … Continue reading New Word: Types Of Students

New Word: Rain

Image by Pexels from Pixabay New Word #117 We are praying for rain here, but there's no rain in sight for the foreseeable future. I remember that in the past, U.S. Open tennis was always disrupted by rain showers, sometimes for hours. Then three retractable roofs were installed in 2017 for the Ashe stadium. I … Continue reading New Word: Rain

New Word: Classified

Photo by Alina Vilchenko from Pexels New Word #116: Classified classification classified: This word originally means "arranged in classes or categories". Then I saw it at the back page of newspapers allocated for small advertisements. That section is usually called "classified." However classified information takes on a new meaning. According to wikipedia, classified information is … Continue reading New Word: Classified

New Word: More Inflation Related

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay New Word #115 shrinkflation: Shrinkflation is to reduce the size of a product while maintaining the price. price gouging: According to Wikipedia, price gouging occurs when a seller increases the prices of goods, services, or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. tax holiday: … Continue reading New Word: More Inflation Related

Make It More Interesting

The local grocery stores have free newspapers that one can pick up after one's shopping. The most popular one is this newspaper "El Españolito", which one can only get on Saturdays. On Sundays, it's all gone. Sigh. Language learning is a marathon and it is too slow. After a year of learning Spanish for 30 … Continue reading Make It More Interesting

New Word: Run

Image by Pexels from Pixabay New Word #114 Runaway: Runaway means a person who runs away, an animal out of control, or an event happening too quickly. For example, runaway inflation, runaway bull, or a runaway success Runner: Runner has many meanings. The two meanings I have encountered is: a person who runs, or a … Continue reading New Word: Run

New Word: The Heat

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay New Word #113 I don't know where the birds have gone? Maybe they've flown to Canada to seek some cool air since I don't hear birds chirping as much in the morning anymore. For the entire week, temperature hovers around 100ºF (about 38ºC) each day, which will last until … Continue reading New Word: The Heat

New Word: Trees

Image by Simi Luft from Pixabay New Word #112 sequoia tree According to Wikipedia, sequoia usually refers to giant redwood trees, which occur naturally only in groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. Each can grow to 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter and 250 feet (76 meters) high. … Continue reading New Word: Trees

New Word: Games

Image by Rick Brown from Pixabay New Word #111 I haven't watched the South Korean TV show "Squid Game" on Netflix--maybe I will do so during the holiday season. According to google, "Squid Game" depicts people in dire financial straits who sign up to play children's games in the hopes of winning an enormous cash … Continue reading New Word: Games

New Word: Colored Patterns

Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay New Word #110 There are a lot of words to describe different patterns of color, shades, arrangement, style, and material. However I only collected a few. Whenever I want to describe certain pattern, I often feel that I am lost for words. For example, how to describe the fall foliage, … Continue reading New Word: Colored Patterns

New Word: From The News

New Word #108 ghosting: It is said more than 10% of the new hires are ghosting their employer, meaning they don't show up for work and do not give notifications. great resignation: It means that many people have volunteered to resign from jobs since the beginning of 2021. gift economy: This means people exchange household … Continue reading New Word: From The News

New Word: -STLE and -STLER and -LSTER

new word #106 words with -stle or -stler Here I only chose the words that are often used. rustle and rustler rustle: make a sound like dry leaves scratching each other. It also means to round up livestock and to steal themrustler: people who steal other people's livestock hustle and hustler hustle: (North America) try … Continue reading New Word: -STLE and -STLER and -LSTER

New Word: To Describe The Spring

New Word #105 There's an old Italian couple living in a small house not far away from where I live. They have made their front yard a beautiful Italian garden. Since they live at the corner, their garden stretches from their neighbor's hedges on the right hand side to the edge of the sidewalk on … Continue reading New Word: To Describe The Spring

New Word: More Compound Verbs

New Word #105 Last week, I gathered several compound verbs here, and this week I find some more. These verbs are so often used that I can't afford to ignore them, although I have tried to avoid using them as much as possible. Now I am thinking of digging all of them out, one by … Continue reading New Word: More Compound Verbs

New Word: Crazy Compound Verbs

New Word #104 The problem with English is that it is very whimsical. Just when you think you've got a hang of it somehow and figured out certain hidden patterns, you are surely to have a new encounter that will completely overthrow your previous understanding. This whim, unpredictability, and mood swing is difficult to deal … Continue reading New Word: Crazy Compound Verbs

New Word: Not Really Similar

New Word #103 These are all words I encountered today while reading. Most are commonly used words, but several are not, like distonic, tropism, truckle. My interest in reading increases a lot when I skip and skim in portions I dislike. And always there are chunks that I don't like even in a book that … Continue reading New Word: Not Really Similar

New Word: Wild

New Word #102 Wild, Wildness, Wilderness, Wilder, Bewilder wildness or wilderness: It seems that these two words are similar. It is a way of making a noun out of the adjective "wild". However I think I see wilderness more often than wildness for some unexplained reasons. wilder and bewilder: These two words are also similar--both … Continue reading New Word: Wild

New Word: Sometimes It’s Confusing

New Word #101 wile and rile I encountered these two words again last week in reading, and I had to look them up again. No matter how many times I tried to remember them, the two words refuse to stick to my mind. Also the two words look and sound similar and I can't distinguish … Continue reading New Word: Sometimes It’s Confusing

New Word: Memory

Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay New Word #100 It's the 100 post for the "New Word" series, but I don't have an exciting topic for it. So I choose to list some words for memory. One Remembers It reminiscence: A remembrance of the past occurrences. nostalgia: fond memory of the past déjà vu: It's … Continue reading New Word: Memory

New Word: Varying Degree Of Want

Image by Erin East from Pixabay New Word #99: Varying Degree Of Want cacoethes: the uncontrollable desire to do something not advisable. Usually people use indulge, pamper, pander, coddle, cater. appetency: a natural inclination or a desire covet: the yearning to have something desiderium: a strong feeling of desire or loss velleity: a desire which … Continue reading New Word: Varying Degree Of Want

New Word #98: Event

Valentine's day and the Super Bowl are great occasions for learning new words. And for this year, the two almost fall on the same day. What are the odds? I typed "valentine" in google search, which tells me that it means "a card sent, often anonymously, on St. Valentine's Day (February 14) to a person … Continue reading New Word #98: Event

New Word #96: Lunar New Year

Image by Tú Nguyễn from Pixabay I was trying to go to HMart, the Korean grocery store, to get some photos with Lunar New Year display, but last weekend's snow storm made it impossible. So far I haven't been able to go. Then I searched online, but none of the photos really expresses the overwhelming … Continue reading New Word #96: Lunar New Year

New Word #95: Name

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay nickname, sobriquet, alias, aka, moniker, hypocorism I've never seen hypocorsim, sobriquet, or moniker being used, but I've seen alias, aka, and nickname very often. We all have nicknames and I just love people's nicknames more than their formal names. For example, American Indian warriors always have wonderful nicknames like Sitting … Continue reading New Word #95: Name

New Word #94: H And K

Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay Hike, Hiker, Hiking hike: It means a walk outside of the areas inhabited by humans. It can be a mountain, or a wild park. Usually in these places, there are hiking trails to accommodate hikers. Actually I went hiking several times, but I really didn't like … Continue reading New Word #94: H And K

New Word #92: Verb

Image by Tracy Lundgren from Pixabay Verboten is a word I learned from Bonnywood's post here. Although it starts with verb, it doesn't have much to do with verb. Other Words Starting With "Verb" There are more words that start with "verb", but I only selected several that are commonly used. verbatim: in exactly the … Continue reading New Word #92: Verb

New Word #91: Rag, Rig, Rug

Image by Jerzy Górecki from Pixabay Rag, rig and rug are all commonly used words. There's no "rog", but there is a word called "rogue", which I call "instant word". "Instant word" means a word that one can remember instantly, like love at first sight, and never forget. Rogue is such a word. rag: a … Continue reading New Word #91: Rag, Rig, Rug

New Word #90: Figure Skating

Image by Дмитрий Бирюков from Pixabay Every year, I would watch half to one hour of figure skating competition. Every four years, I would watch two to three hours of figure skating Olympics. However my knowledge of figure skating never improves. I don't understand the differences between different jumps, can't distinguish between two, three, or … Continue reading New Word #90: Figure Skating

New Word #88: New Year New Beginning

Image by t3ddy4rt from Pixabay Let's celebrate the new year by compiling a list of words for "beginning", even though I am still the plain old me, with no difference whatsoever with one week, one month, or one year ago. A friend sends a message saying that he has very modest wishes for the new … Continue reading New Word #88: New Year New Beginning

New Word #87: Sweet & Bitter

Image by Pexels from Pixabay Sweet Words chocoholic: (informal) a person who is addicted to or excessively fond of chocolate. saccharophobia: Fear of. sugar, and sugary foods and drinks. sweetie, sweetheart, honey: (informal) used as a term of endearment (especially as a form of address). saccharine: excessively sweet or sentimental. dulce: a sweet food or … Continue reading New Word #87: Sweet & Bitter

New Word #86: Christmas

Image by Uschi Leonhartsberger-Schrott from Pixabay Christmas is a great occasion to learn new words. I know a lady who really wanted her kid to learn better English. She actually decorated her place and put labels on each item with English words on it. What a sweet mother she is. Holiday Decoration poinsettia: a small … Continue reading New Word #86: Christmas

Expectation And Reality

I expected that the boxed Narcissus bulbs would grow and thrive and smile back at me in hundreds of blossoms. The word "hundreds" is obviously an exaggeration, but twenty is a realistic number, which is exactly what the little dainty tag that comes with the box is claiming with its picture. However, after a little … Continue reading Expectation And Reality

New Word #85: Cave

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay Cave, Cavern, Caveat cavern: Cavern is said to be a cave or a chamber in a cave. caveat: a warning or proviso of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations. "there are a number of caveats which concern the validity of the assessment results". I really like this word and has … Continue reading New Word #85: Cave

New Word #84: Sound Of Holiday

Image by Gerhard G. from Pixabay I went to Trader Joe's today and grabbed its "Holiday Guide". The first sentence is like this: "What the heck is Jingle Jangle? It could be a reference to '70's-era Rankin-Bass cartoon characters or lyrics to a cowboy ditty referencing spurs." I have no idea what it is talking … Continue reading New Word #84: Sound Of Holiday

New Word #83: Combine PR with M

Premiere, Premium, Premier, Prime These four words are used very often, but I will never understand their differences. In my often mistaken views, they are the same--meaning something good--but they are used in different occasions. premiere: the first performance of a musical or theatrical work or the first showing of a movie. The debut of … Continue reading New Word #83: Combine PR with M

New Word #82: Thanksgiving

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay Thanksgiving is a great occasion for learning new words. I don't mean just food and holiday related words, but other words like vibe, corny etc. as well. I still remember my first Thanksgiving years ago when our most hospitable host made a joke about corn and used the word "corny" … Continue reading New Word #82: Thanksgiving

New Word #81: Recently Learned

Image by Pexels from Pixabay cabal: a secret political clique or faction. "a cabal of dissidents"From Pooja's post here. I've never encountered this word before in my reading, but it looks like a very interesting word. I've seen words with similar meanings like clique, old boys' club, inner circle, junta. ruckus: a disturbance or commotion.From … Continue reading New Word #81: Recently Learned

New Word #78: Friendship

Photo by Providence Doucet on Unsplash I am a little surprised there are quite a lot of words about friendship. I think there are more, and let me know if I miss any. These are all regularly used words. buddy:a close friend. sorority: a women's student organization formed chiefly for social purposes and having a … Continue reading New Word #78: Friendship

New Word #77: Halloween

Image by Robert Davis from Pixabay Halloween is an occasion to learn scary words, watch scary movies, light pumpkin lamps. Here I only list a few scary words that I am quite familiar with. There are many more. Please leave me a comment and add words to this scary list. Scary Words uncanny: strange or … Continue reading New Word #77: Halloween

New Word #76: Common Gestures

With Hands hand in hand: (of two people) with hands joined, especially as a mark of affection. wring one's hands: clasp and twist one's hands together as a gesture of great distress, especially when one is powerless to change the situation. "she was wringing her hands in agitation" tightfisted: not willing to spend or give … Continue reading New Word #76: Common Gestures

The Loan Words

Photo by Alina Vilchenko from Pexels It is said that recently the Oxford English Dictionary has included 26 new loan words from South Korea. Some of these are quite interesting. kimchi: a Korean dish of spicy pickled cabbage. It is said this word is recorded in this dictionary in 1976. I am really astonished since … Continue reading The Loan Words

New Word #75: Facial Expressions

Image by Digital Photo and Design DigiPD.com from Pixabay Expressions grin: smile broadly, especially in an unrestrained manner and with the mouth open. grimace: an ugly, twisted expression on a person's face, typically expressing disgust, pain, or wry amusement. frown: form an expression of disapproval, displeasure, or concentration, typically by turning down the corners of … Continue reading New Word #75: Facial Expressions

New Word #74: Recently Learned

Image by freestocks-photos from Pixabay loll: sit, lie, or stand in a lazy, relaxed way."the two girls lolled in their chairs"lollygag: spend time aimlessly; idle. "he sends her to Arizona every January to lollygag in the sun"Loll is easily confused with lull, which means "calm or send to sleep, typically with soothing sounds or movements."From … Continue reading New Word #74: Recently Learned

New Word #73: Partying

Image by ktphotography from Pixabay Parties My Friends Enjoy There's no such phrase like "harvest party" or "fruit party". I invented them just to describe the activities my friends enjoy. Since almost everybody is burdened by mortgages (house, car etc.) and his or her kid's education costs, people want inexpensive parties. harvest party: Backyard harvest … Continue reading New Word #73: Partying

New Word #72: I Love Cats

Image by Bessi from Pixabay Lion I had thought lions only exist in Africa until I watched a video showing that lions also exist around Gir Forest National Park in India. This is life. Whenever we think something is set in stone, an exception comes in to surprise us. Tiger I heard of Siberian tiger, … Continue reading New Word #72: I Love Cats

New Word #71: Between Two Things

Image by hudsoncrafted from Pixabay The Differences There are many words to describe the differences between two things, each being a little different from others, each being used in certain circumstances. dichotomy: A division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different. "a rigid dichotomy between science … Continue reading New Word #71: Between Two Things

New Word #70: C And P

Image by cocoparisienne from Pixabay Commonly Used scrap: a small piece or amount of something, especially one that is left over after the greater part has been used. It's often used in "a scrap of paper", "scrap metal", "wood scraps". scrappy: 1. consisting of disorganized, untidy, or incomplete parts. 2. (informal•North American) determined, argumentative, or … Continue reading New Word #70: C And P

New Word #69: Recently Learned

piranhas: A deep-bodied South American freshwater fish that typically lives in schools and has very sharp teeth that are used to tear flesh from prey. It has a reputation as a fearsome predator.From Boblorentson's blog here. sashay: Walk in an ostentatious yet casual manner, typically with exaggerated movements of the hips and shoulders.biscotti: Small, crisp … Continue reading New Word #69: Recently Learned

New Word #68: Confusing Pairs

deliver vs. deliverance For the longest time, I thought deliverance is the noun form for deliver until one day I realized that it's a mistake. Deliver's noun form is delivery, not deliverance. The two words share similar bodies, but with different tails. Deliverance is not used very often thankfully, which explains why I didn't realize … Continue reading New Word #68: Confusing Pairs

New Word #67: High And Low

The High Point in Height elevation: same as altitude, which means the height above a given level, especially sea level. For example, Edison Township of New Jersey has an elevation of 39 feet, which is equivalent to 12 meters. Since it is so close to the seaside (but no beach unless you travel two hours … Continue reading New Word #67: High And Low

New Word #66: Number 4

Photo by Yan Ming on Unsplash Many Words For "Four" quad: a quadrangle. In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or a courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. For example, several universities in the U.S. have quad like yard and architecture, … Continue reading New Word #66: Number 4

New Word #64: Recently Learned

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay charade: an absurd pretense intended to create a pleasant or respectable appearance."talk of unity was nothing more than a charade"From Terveen Gill's blog here. jaggery: a coarse dark brown sugar made in India by evaporation of the sap of palm trees.From Terveen Gill's blog here. codicil: addition or supplement … Continue reading New Word #64: Recently Learned

New Word #63: Commonly Used S&P

Image by Roland Mey from Pixabay Years ago, I was baffled by the phrases the native speakers often use that I had never learned at all from textbooks or classes or any of my readings. When it is a cold weather, people often say "nippy"; when something is not affordable, people don't say expensive but … Continue reading New Word #63: Commonly Used S&P