Paper Tiger

The newspaper says that the largest opposition party "Democratic Party of Japan(DPJ)" rejected the measure to send Japanese self-defense force to Indian Ocean in the House of Councilors the other day. However, the bill has been passed later in the House of Representatives by the ruling coalition. I don't know why DPJ decided to refuse it because it's an important mission for international contributions. The party looked energetic and powerful when they won the latest House of Councilors election, but now they look like a paper tiger. Actually there's a a Japanese idiom "張子の虎" similar to "paper tiger". The meaning of "張子の虎" is totally the same as "paper tiger." What a coincidence! :D

新聞で見たのですが、最大野党である『民主党』は参議院で、自衛隊をインド洋に送る法案を先日否決したそうです。けれども、その法案は、後で、連立与党によって、衆議院で可決されました。なぜ、民主党が、その法案を否決することにしたのか、よくわかりません。直近の参議院選挙で彼らが勝ったときは、エネルギッシュでパワフルに見えたのですが、今は"paper tiger"のようです。実は、日本語の表現で、『張子の虎』というのがあります。その意味は、"paper tiger"と全く同じ！なんという偶然。(^^♪

Look Like Something the Cat Dragged in(だらしない)

2007年11月17日(土曜)
Saturday, November seventeenth, two thousand and seven



上の写真は、工場で仕事中の私の顔です。疲れて、風邪をひいて、無精ヒゲをはやしてます。
だらしくなく見えるでしょ？
実は、昨日、面白いイディオム"look like something the cat dragged in"を某メルマガで読んだので、写真をアップロードして、この記事を書くことにしました。(^^♪

The above picture was taken when I was working in my factory. I was tired, caught a cold and have stubble.
I look like something the car dragged in, huh?
The idiom "look like something the cat dragged in", that I saw in an email newsletter yesterday, made me write this article and upload the photo actually. :D

To Tighten My Belt(=財布のひもを締める？)

2007年11月16日(金曜)
Friday, November sixteenth, two thousand and seven

昨日に続いて、違う英語の表現について言及してみます。(^^♪

英語で"to tighten one's belt"というと、私の辞書(ロングマン)によると、以前よりもお金を使わないようにすることを意味するそうです。この意味は、私にとって簡単に推測できます。別の辞書では、このイディオムは、飢えているときに気を紛らわすためにベルトを締めることに由来している、と書いてます。
日本語では、(非常に有名なイディオムなので、ほとんどの日本人が知っているに違いないのですが)出費を減らすときに、『財布のひもを締めよう』と言います。

余談：あかん・・・風邪ひいて、しんどい。今夜は、ヒロシさんという友人宅で、英会話喫茶のオープンについて、打ち合わせをしなくちゃいけないのに・・・どうしよう？(ToT)


Following the previous post, let me mention another English expression, kind of an idiom. :D

In English "to tighten one's belt" means to try to spend less money than someone used to, according to my dictionary, LONGMAN Dictionary of Contemporary English. The meaning is very easy for me to guess. Another dictionary says that the idioms derive from tightening your belt to take your mind off when you are starving.
In Japanese, they say "Let me tighten my purse strings" when they have to cut down on expenses, which is such a famous idiom that almost all Japanese people must know about it.

Gee..... I'm under the weather now to catch a cold. However, I have to discuss a new English cafe with my friend whose name is Hiroshi at his house tonight. How can I help myself? :(

Sleep Like A Dog? or Log?

Wednesday, April fourth, two thousand and seven

I've just seen an English idiom, which is "sleep like a dog" that means "sleep tight". But I can't find it out in all of my dictionary. I found out a similar idiom, which is "sleep like a log". I'm really confused now... I didn't sleep like a top last night, actually. So let me sleep like a log tonight. (-_-)zzzz
Umm... Whenever I'm sleepy, my diary tend to be too short. Anyway, the name of the game for me is writing some English sentences everyday. I'm not sure it's an effective way of learning English though. :)


sleep like a (top/log/dog?): sleep tight
the name of the game: the most important thing in a particular activity or situation(肝心なこと)

New Fiscal Year, Apple of My Eye

Tuesday, April third, two thousand and seven

Since my factory is very small, there are no changes even though the new accounting year has just started. No new faces... But my brother and I have a plan to hire some employees next month, so we are going to advertise a job opening this month.
If we can have some excellent workers, I want to veg out at a hot spring place or somewhere for a while. To be honest, we have been eager(keen) to have time on our hands. In my case, I'd like to spend much more spare time with my daughter, who is the apple of my eye. :) The idiom "apple of my eye" sounds very similar to the Japanese idiom, "目に入れても痛くない(me ni iretemo itakunai)". If I translate literally it, it means "Someone or something doesn't hurt you even if it comes into your eye." When you say "Someone or something is 目に入れても痛くない", it means that someone or something is very important and cute for you. My explanation is probably correct. Sorry to make some mistakes in the above interpretation, if any. m(_ _)m


fiscal year(accounting year): 会計年度, 事業年度
advertise a job opening: 求人広告を出す
veg out: 仕事をせずにのんびり過ごす
have time on one's hands: 自由な時間がある、時間を持て余す
apple of one's eye: 非常に大切にしているもの(目に入れても痛くないもの)

Apples, grass and Tanabata

July 7th, 2006

About one year has already passed since I resumed my English study and started posting articles in English on my blog space. I'm not sure if I could improve my skills on those ways. Actually, these days any English idiom sounds interesting to me. It might be a proof that I cound improve my skills. :)

And now, an American guy often visit my blog and post some comments on it, who showed me an interesting idiom, which was "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree". After that I found out an idiom with the word "apples" when I was browsing my dictionary.
The saying with "apples":
"The apples on the other side of the wall are the sweetest."

I came a Japanese idiom into my head at that time, which is "隣の芝は青い(となりのしばはあおい tonali no siba wa aoi)". If I translate it literally, it means that your neighbor's grass always looks greener than yours. Those idioms have the same meaning as far as I consider. I think that they mean "The stuff which another person have always looks better than yours."

After a while, I dug up another English idiom at the time when I was browsing the Internet without any special purpose. It's "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." Wow! This phrase is completely the same as the Japanese one I wrote down above! Amazing! What a coincidence! I'm so lucky to find out it!
But.... my neighbor's wife doesn't look more beautiful than mine. Mum's the word. :p

By the way, it's 七夕(たなばた tanabata) today in Japan. If you wanna know about it, I recommend you to access the following web page.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata

| Japanese idiom | English idiom |

Like father, like son

July 5th, 2006

Yesterday I posted the good result of my eldest son's English test. After that I found out an English idiom, "Like father, like son."
Sounds nice! My eldest son got a good score on his English test, and also I'm good at speaking English.... No, no.. I'm not so good at it. I can speak it after a fashion. :)

There are some similar idioms in Japan. They are "蛙の子は蛙(かえるのこは、かえる kaeru no ko wa kaeru)" and "この親にして、この子あり(このおやにして、このこあり kono oya nisite konoko ali)", which mean that any behavior of children tends to resemble the one of their parents maybe.

I'm so lucky! I've just been able to study the idiom thanks to my eldest son! Thank you, son! :) Anyway let me keep teaching him English even though my English skill is awful. (^o^) In addition, I have to study harder not to lose to him in English study. He's sort of my rival from now on.

By the way, I saw another English idiom on an email newsletter, "put one's foot down". According to my dictionary, the idiom has 2 meaning. One of them is "speed up", and the other one is "refuse firmly".
I guess my wife's mother must be stubborn, because she always puts her foot down about anything I want to do and insists on her strict opinion. Like mother, like daughter. :)

| Japanese idiom | English idiom |

Copyism the most important

June 17th, 2006

I've introduced a Japanese proverb before, which is "習うより、慣れろ".
Let me introduce another Japanese proverb to you, which is made by myself right now. :)

"習うより、慣れろ" is very important for your study. But I don't know how to get used to what you want to study. So I've just come up with a phrase.
It's "慣れるには、真似ろ!(なれるには まねろ! nareruniwa manero)". If I translate it literally, it means "Copy, in order to get used to it."

I think this phrase is exactly correct in the case of studying foreign tongue.

| Japanese idiom |

Better Safe than Sorry

June 9th, 2006

I learned an English idiom yesterday, which is "better safe than sorry". The meaning is that it's better to prepare prudently for what you intend to do before you regret, I suppose. There are some similar Japanese ones.

- 転ばぬ先の杖(korobanu saki no tsue)

If I translates it literally, it means "Sticks not to fall over."


- 備えあれば憂いなし(sonae areba urei nashi)

If I translates it literally, it means "Sufficient preparation is preventing any trouble."

I'm not sure my translation is correct.....

| Japanese idiom | English idiom |

Some idioms of "Throat"

June 2nd, 2006

When you know someone's name but can't remember it, you would say like this:

"What is her name? It's on the tip of my tongue. Joan. Joan Simpson. That's it!"
- LONGMAN Dictionary

In Japan, they say like this:

"What is her name? It comes on the point of my throat.(喉まで出かかっている nodo made dekakatteiru) Joan. Joan Simpson. That's it!"

Actually, I sometimes forget my wife's name....

Me: What's your name? I usually call you "mama". I can't remember exactly, but it comes in my throat.... It starts with a M.....
My wife: Miwa!
Me: That's it! Thank you for your teaching!
My wife: Are you in your second childhood, honey?
Me: It might be true, so I study English not to be in my second childhood. Give me some money to take some more English lessons. hehe.


And also, there's a Japanese idiom with the word "throat".
When you really want something, you would say like this:

"I'm eager to have a new car."

In Japan, they say like this:

"I want to have a new car so much as to come out a hand from my throat."
(喉から手が出るほど、新しい車が欲しい！)
(nodo kara te ga deruhodo atarashii kurumaga hoshii!)

To tell the truth, I wanna have a new wife so much as to come out a hand from my throat! haha. Just kidding.

| Japanese idiom | English idiom |

Before Breakfast

May 26th, 2006

I found out some interesting English idioms - such as "No sweat." and "It's a piece of cake." Sounds exactly interesting to me.
The meaning of those idioms is "a thing that is very easy to do", according to OALD. In Japan they say, "Before breakfast.(朝飯前　あさめしまえ asameshi mae)" It means that they are able to do the thing easily even though they are so hungry - such as "before breakfast".

Anyway I'll try to talk about those idioms in the next English lesson I intend to take this evening. :)

| Japanese idiom | English idiom |

Put something on ice, Worn out

March 22, 2006

I've ever studied this phrase, "put something on ice", on en email magazine(newsletter) before. Sounds interesting !

In Japan we say "put something on a shelf(棚上げする, たなあげする)" for the same meaning. In addition, I've just studied the word "shelve" in my dictionary. Wow ! It's similar to the above Japanese idiom ! shelf.... shelve... haha.
The meaning of the word "shelve" looks like the verb "suspend", right ?

I always feel amused whenever I find out such interesting things between English and Japanese. :-)

And also, I've just studied the phrase "worn out" on an email magazine(newsletter).

I'm worn out by my job....

This phrase accurately expresses my current status, I suppose. haha.

Actually, I sometimes read some email magazines(newsletters) on my cell phone in order to study English when the production line in my factory is working well and I have nothing special to do.

| Japanese idiom | English idiom |

Pull one's leg

February 24, 2006

I studied myself a phrase a couple of days ago when I was typing an email to one of my friends. When someone say to me some jokes, I always reply "You're kidding." I found out another phrase which expresses the same meaning. According to my dictionary, the phrase "pull someone's leg" means "kidding".
That's interesting ! There's a Japanese idiom like that, but the meaning is so different. When Japanese people say the phrase "pull someone's leg(足を引っ張る：あしをひっぱる)", it means "ruin someone's efforts", "disturb someone's working" or "cause trouble" in Japanese.

For instance:
An employee broke down a machine in our factory yesterday, so I had to work overtime due to his error ! It's been one of those days ! I really wanted to shout at him angrily, "Don't pull my leg !(足を引っ張るな！：あしをひっぱるな！)"

As a matter of fact, the employee often cause trouble("pull my leg" in Japanese) in the factory. That's why my legs are very long. Sorry, just kidding. I have a Japanese typical figure, short legs and a long trunk. haha.

By the way, I had a steak for my last night's dinner as the following picture. But the steak was very thin because it was really very cheap one ! It was as thin as my hair. (ToT)

Come out of the blue

January 30, 2006

I studied a new idiom, come out of the blue, by chance last Saturday. It's interesting ! It sounds similar to Japanese idiom, 青天のへきれき(せいてんのへきれき - seiten no hekireki). And they have the same meaning ! The meaning is unexpected surprise, right ? Though there are so many differences between English and Japanese, they have a lot in common. I always get excited whenever I find such interesting things in English.

Eat a horse ?

January 15, 2006

I've found an interesting English phrase on the Net. It's "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse." Wow ! I've never heard such a phrase before. Sounds a little scary. But I occasionally eat some sliced raw meat of horse. I like it ! :-) When I visited Kumamoto prefecture in Japan, I had tons of sliced raw meat of horse, which is a very popular food there. However, I cannot eat a horse because it's too much for everyone to eat a whole horse, of course.
In addition, I found another phrase, "You eat like a horse."

I guess a horse was one of the biggest animals in English-speaking countries. On the other hand, they never eat horse and horses eat so much. I suppose that's why these phrases were exaggeratedly generated.

Let sleeping dogs lie

January 12, 2006

I've just studied an idiom on the Internet. It's "let sleeping dogs lie". Sounds interesting ! In Japan, we have very similar idiom to that. It's "let sleeping babies lie". I suppose this Japanese idiom has the same meaning of the English one. Amusing !