Words December 2025 Week 3

He thought that the sewage (sewer) pipe broke underground. (The concrete in their carport was sinking.)

He replaced the broken pipe with a bigger one. (The larger pipe has a smaller chance of breaking.)

They put up scaffolding around the house before painting. (Scaffolding gives workers a walking space to do maintenance on the upper parts of a building.)

I asked her to choose the style and color she liked.

It was her choice. (Choose is a verb and choice is a noun.)

To prevent phishing on my PC, I installed antivirus software. (Norton and McAfee are two popular antivirus software but you must pay a monthly fee to use them.)

Microsoft Defender is free and pre-installed on Windows 10 & 11 and includes phishing protection. (There are several other free antivirus software.)

I quickly hung up the phone. (He thought that it was a telephone scam.)

He was the family’s bread winner at a very young age. (His father’s business went bankrupt so the 10-year-old son had to quit school to earn money to feed the family.)

No students like reading Japanese textbooks in school. (“Every student doesn’t like” is ok, but “no students like” is more common and sounds more emphatic, or stronger.)

Some people were neutral on the subject. (A few people had no opinion on the story.)

I look for books that have received literary awards. (The Akutagawa Prize is the most prestigious literary award in Japan. Other awards are the Naoki Prize, the Mishima Yukio Prize (experimental literature), Yoshikawa Eiji Prize (popular fiction), Yomiuri Prize (general literature), and the Japan Booksellers' Prize.)

A lone thief disguised as a motorcycle cop stopped an armored car and stole 294 million yen. (He pretended that a road flare was a stick of dynamite.)

The statute of limitations for a major theft is between five and seven years. (The length of time depends on the severity of the crime.)

A cold case is an unsolved criminal investigation. (These criminal cases are dormant, not closed. The investigation of the crime stopped, but if new information is found, the case will be reopened.)

Hiiragi is called holly in English. (Holly has green leaves and red berries.)

I had rice porridge for breakfast. (Oatmeal is a type of porridge.)

Vegetables can be pickled in vinegar or brine. (Brine is very salty water used for preserving food.)

The acupuncturist is a woman. (It is believed that acupuncture was based on Indian acupressure in China about 4,000 years ago.)

Did the acupuncture help? (Did it relieve your pain?)

 An orthopedic doctor, a.k.a. orthopedist, is also called a “bone doctor”. (A bone doctor performed surgery on my foot. A podiatrist, a.k.a. foot doctor, is a bone doctor who specializes with the foot.)

She got a second opinion from a different doctor. (The second doctor recommended the beat treatment.)

The Chanchiki-do Himitsu Kojo Shiobune Ten is open from 12 noon to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. (You can call 080-5491-4400 for reservations or other information.)

If you download Google maps to your smart phone just type in Chanchiki do cake shop. (It is a 2-minute drive or 6-minute walk from Shiofune Shrine.)

Above is a photo of the cake shop.

There is an atmospheric river from Vancouver BC to northern California. (This is like a river in the sky, and it causes severely heavy rain.)

I had a case of the hives. (This is a very bad skin rash.)

There will be a practical test. (A practical test is when you are tested doing something such as testing your driving abilities.)

A practice test is also called a mock test. (These tests are preparing you for the final exams.)

Rogaining rules involve teams of 2-5 navigating on foot to score points by visiting checkpoints in any order within a time limit (often 24 hrs.), using only a map and compass. (The rules have changed over the years and now GPS is allowed.)

I met her about 15 years ago. (They have known each other for about 15 years.)

I have a misguided grudge against the government for legalizing gambling. (A grudge is a persistent feeling of resentment or anger toward someone who has wronged us, whether intentionally or unintentionally.)