Words March 2026 Week 1

He used to own a fish shop but now he is the owner of an eel restaurant. (He learned much about fish while working in the shop.)

He serves only domestic eel. (Japanese eel have a much higher quality than imported eel.)

The Unagi No Unako restaurant is located near Hinatawada Station. (It is very small and you need a reservation to eat there. Also, you must wait a while since he prepares live eel.)

We critique each other’s speeches. (We point out the good and bad points of the speech.)

A movie critic critiques movies. (The critics point out the good and bad points of movies.)

Apron theater in Japan is storytelling using decorated aprons with Velcro props. (This is also called “Apron pocket storytelling.”)

You can bring dried Japanese noodles into Australia if there are no meat or egg ingredients. (Most countries are strict about bringing foods into the country.)

I had to take a detour. (The road was closed for repairs.)

The seesaw originated in the early 1600s by men who sawed wood. (They had a rhythmic chant while sawing back and forth.)

In the 1700s, the playground toy was called a seesaw or teetertotter. (I was very heavy so I would only teeter.)

Hypnotize in Japanese is 催眠術をかける (Saimin-jutsu o kakeru). (I tried to be hypnotized once, but it didn’t work.)

Saying “right front headlight” is redundant since the head light is in front. (Here is an example of a redundant Japanese sentence: “Ryouri ni amari ni jikan ga kakarisugiru.”)  

He is getting weaker and has difficulty reaching for things. (He is getting old and was in a hospital for a while.)

I put a lazy Susan on the table. (A Lazy Susan is a rotating table or serving plate.)

In the eighteenth century, Susan was a common name for a household servant. (Nobody knows the origin of “Lazy Susan” but this is one idea.)

He is a member of a basketball team. (It is ok to say, “he belongs to a team” but more common to say he plays on a team” or “he is a member of a team.”)

I ate a Chinese gelatin dessert. (Annin dofu, a.k.a. almond tofu, is the most popular Chinese gelatin desert.)

Lazy Susans are good for holding condiments. (You can keep many spices in a very small area.)

They played wind and percussion instruments. (Horns are examples of wind instruments and drums are examples of percussion instruments.)

The Tokyo government supports the cost of raising small children. (Many young couples are moving to Tokyo to get this benefit.)

A monthly payment of 5,000 yen is made for all children aged 0-18 residing in Tokyo. (This payment is intended to cover high educational costs.)

Lie face down on the bed, extend your legs beyond the bed and hold that horizontal position for one minute. (This is a good exercise for the abdomen.)

“It’s a dog eats dog world” means “a situation in which people are willing to harm each other in order to succeed.” (The business world is very competitive.)

We want to buy a water heater before the old one breaks down. (Thew old one is not heating the water very well.)

Our kerosene heater suddenly stopped working. (The air vents needed cleaning.)

Two of the four elevators in Skytree stopped working about 30 meters above ground. (The passengers had to wait almost 6 hours to be rescued, but nobody was hurt.)

A Stimpmeter is used to measure the speed of a golf green. (Most average golfers have no idea what a Stimpmeter is.)