2011年1月5日水曜日

Year of the rabbit

This year is year of the rabbit.

Here are a coupe of English expressions to do with rabbits for you:

Eat like a rabbit
Have you ever seen a rabbit eat? They take very little bites. Nibbling and nibbling away at their food. Someone who eats like a rabbit is someone who takes a long time to eat a small amount of food. Do you know someone who eats like a rabbit?

Like a rabbit in the headlights
I don't think I've ever seen a wild rabbit in Japan. Do we have them here? In Australia we have lots of wild rabbits. They come out at dusk. When you're driving along at dusk rabbits get scared of the lights and run. Sometimes they run into the bush. Sometimes they panic and run the wrong way and run into the road. If they stop to look at your car they freeze. They get stunned by the bright lights and can't move. Someone who is like a rabbit in the headlights is someone who is stunned into silence. Especially by sudden and unexpected news. Have you ever been caught like a rabbit in the headlights?

Rabbit food
A derogatory term for raw vegetables and/ or salad served as a meal. My father doesn't like rabbit food for dinner, how about you?

Pull a rabbit out of a hat
Have you ever seen a magic show where the magician shows everyone a completely empty hat and then waves his wand and walah! a cute white rabbit hops out of the very same hat. Magic! Someone who pulls a rabbit out of a hat is someone who manages something you think is impossible. A goal in soccer when it looked like the defence had the ball, an idea in a business meeting when the situation looked hopeless, making a delicious dinner from what's in the fridge when you realise you haven't prepared anything and the shops are closed. What situation have you been in when you pulled a rabbit out of a hat?

Enjoy the year of the rabbit and try out a rabbit expression for good measure!

2011年1月1日土曜日

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of you from all of us at Richard's Easy English Schools.

Hoping it's a happy, healthy and harmonious one for us all.