Words April 2025 Week 4

She was embarrassed when he spilled his drink. (We say “embarrassed” when we make a mistake.)

You should be ashamed for hitting your sister. (We say “ashamed” for doing something bad.)

They were legally married in March but will not have a wedding ceremony. (You can do this at the city office by just signing official documents that say you are married.)

He met 20 ladies on a dating service but couldn’t find a good match. (He subscribed to a matchmaking site online.)

Our vice principal moved to another school and was promoted to principal. (A vice-principal can also be called the assistant principal.)

They installed a vanity in our two bathrooms. (A vanity includes a sink, mirror and place to keep things.)

My daughter’s school bag from when she was in junior high school is now worth twice as much as we paid for it. (This was a popular sports bag that isn’t sold anymore.)

Lamb and mutton both come from sheep, lamb is typically less than one year old, while mutton is typically three years old. (I’m not crazy about either of them.)

She is an anesthesiologist. (She has a license to administer anesthesia.)

The doctor gave me local anesthesia before the surgery. (He injected the anesthesia near the place where he would cut my skin.)

I broiled the fish. (Broiling cooks the food on a grill with the heat coming from above rather than below.)  

I took some Dramamine for motion sickness, but it didn’t help.  (She would rather take a train than a plane.)

I used bold print for emphasis. (I want to emphasize the importance of exercising.)

We often use envy and jealous as the same meaning, but…

Envy is when you want what someone else has, but jealousy is when you're worried someone's trying to take what you have.

If you want your neighbor's new convertible, you feel envy.

If she takes your husband for a ride, you feel jealous. (Don’t worry about which word to use.)

I weighed the strawberries. (She went on a strawberry bus tour to Tochigi.)

Some of the berries were bruised. (She decided to make jam with them.)

That was the last straw. (That was the final thing that convinced her to quit the exercise program.)

You can poach an egg in the microwave. (Cook the egg in a glass for about 50 seconds but don’t forget to put a little water on the egg before cooking.)

I have many bad habits. (I’m sure we all have some bad habits.)

The laws for bicycle riders are too lax. (The laws are too lenient, or not strong enough.)

He has cancer of the pancreas. (He has pancreatic cancer.)

The fine for using your phone while riding a bike is 12,000 yen. (The penalty for breaking this law is 12,000 yen.)

The cancer spread. (The cancer moved to different parts of his body.)

The video went viral. (It became very popular very quickly)