Words February 2025 Week 2

Most of the residents in our condo are in their 60s and 70s. (They were in their 30s and 40s when they moved into the condominium.)

Batteries are not allowed in check-on luggage. (There is a chance of the batteries exploding.)

The president is blackmailing other countries. (He threatened to stop helping the countries unless they do what he asks.)

We tell white lies to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. (She asked if I thought that she looked chubby, but of course I said, “No.”)

We should practice what we preach. (We should do what we tell other people to do.)

Her condition is up and down every day. (She is 97 years old.)

“Preaching to the choir” means telling people what they already know. (Telling a straight-A student to study hard is like preaching to a choir.)

The student plagiarized another person’s thesis. (This is when you use someone else's research and say that it was your research.)

Synonyms for “off the rack” are “off the shelf”, “ready-made” and “store-bought.” (The opposite would be “custom made.”)

"I’d like to talk about ____” is ok and I’d like to tell you about ____” is ok, but don’t say “I’d like to tell about ______.” (This is a common mistake.)

He is the same height as you or he is as tall as you. (Don’t say that he is as “long” as you.)

I made a list of expenses. (She found that someone was using the credit card that her husband lost.)

I relished the special cup of coffee. (She greatly enjoyed every drop of the delicious coffee.)

I go to “downtown Tokyo” only once in a blue moon. (A blue moon is the second full moon in the same calendar month.)

It was a “behind the scenes” documentary. (They showed what happened behind the camera.)

Burning moxa stimulates acupuncture points and promotes healing. (This is a common Chinese medical treatment.)

Food deliveries are typically delivered within 30 minutes to an hour. (Hamburgers, pizza and chicken are usual foods for quick delivery.)

Catering usually requires booking days or weeks in advance. (This is usually for larger gatherings and the food is usually of a higher quality than regular deliveries.)

She feels depressed. (You can say “she feels down” but I think that “depressed” is easier to understand.)

A "white out" is when visibility is severely reduced due to heavy snowfall. (In a story that I heard today, she could only see one meter in front of herself because of a snow blizzard.)

Each episode ends with a cliffhanger. (Cliffhangers are used to make the viewers watch the next episode to see what happens.)

They made an underwater video of my swimming technique. (You can say “movie” but “video” is better.)

She didn’t sleep enough so she was tired. (She will be 97 years old next month.)

He has been on dialysis for several years. (He passed away last week.)