Words April 2026 Week 1

Trump gave Iran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. (A strait is a narrow passage of water between two land masses.)

“TACO” Trump changed his mind and gave them five days to do it. (“TACO” stands for “Trump Always Chickens Out.”)

Translators work with documents, while interpreters handle live conversations. (My friend once told me that his wife was the interpreter and he was the interrupter.)

We thought that he would never get married. (He finally got married last year.)

To impeach a public official means to accuse them of misconduct. (Trump was impeached twice but was not removed from office.)

Japan had a once-in-30-years drought in February. (There was a big shortage of rainwater in Japan last month.)

Okutama Dam fell below 41 percent capacity. (Fortunately, we are getting a lot of rain this week.)

There are eight people in our group. (Don’t say, “we are eight people” or “our group is eight people.)

Three of us are women. (Out group has three women and five men.)

I got his autograph. (We get signatures on documents for official business and autographs from famous people.)

I sat in the twenty-third row. (She attended a special event with a famous kabuki actor telling stories and dancing.)

I forgot to bring my opera glasses. (Opera glasses are like mini binoculars used for watching stage plays.)

I asked ChatGPT how to prune my lemon trees. (Pruning is the removal of specific branches to improve plant health. Trimming is the cutting of tree or bush branches to maintain a nice shape.)

The baby macaque monkey named “Punch” was abandoned by its mother. (The zoo staff took care of him.)

He was bullied by other monkeys and clung to his stuffed orangutang monkey. (He felt safe holding the monkey doll.)

He was finally accepted by the other monkeys. (Now he plays with other young monkeys.)

“Cuz” is short for “because” and “cousin.” (My cuz didn’t come to the party cuz he had to work.)

“Fall between two stools” means to fail because they couldn’t choose between two choices. (This idiom is more popular in British English.)

I raise Medaka and they are now spawning. (Medaka are also called Japanese rice fish and Japanese killifish.)