Idioms of the week

Beyond any reasonable doubt

Bide one’s time

Lessons September 2024 Week 2

Richard Plaud created the world's tallest matchstick building.

It took eight years to build the 7.19m tall Eiffel Tower using 706,900 matches and 23kg of glue.

He began building the tower by cutting the red sulfur tops off commercial matches.

He asked the match company to sell him the match sticks without the sulfur.

They rejected the record because only "commercially available" match sticks could be used.

On the following day, he was told that they would accept using the matchsticks that he bought.

47-year-old Mr. Plaud said this week had been an "emotional rollercoaster".

September 7 is Grateful Patient Day.

Many stories about health care are too often negative, focused on the high cost of healthcare.

The Grateful Patient Project provides a platform for patients to share their stories of gratitude.

During my stay at the Keio University Hospital, the nursing staff became my family.

Many patients looked depressed, but I tried to make jokes to put smiles on the nurses’ faces.

On my first monthly checkup, I brought two shopping bags full of cookies and banana breads to show my appreciation.

“The best of both worlds” means “to have the benefits of two different things.”

Living in Japan for me is the best of both worlds practicing both Japanese and American cultures.

“Better late than never” means “it's better to do something late than not do it at all.”

I often say this when someone comes to class late.