日期：2009-04-15 Reader question: What does don't touch him on his sore spot mean? What is sore spot? My comments: The sore spot on the body is a wound or injury. If you bumped into a lamp post in the street say you were really absent minded that time and you had a... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-04-14 Reader question: What does it mean when they say he's a work in progress? My comments: It means that he's not a finished product in other words, he's got room for improvement. The phrase work in progress originally refers to a piece of unfinished ar... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-04-11 Reader question: What is stopgap, as in a stopgap measure? My comments: A look up any dictionary will yield you something, but let me find a way for you to remember it. There's a leak in the pipe in the garden. Instead of replacing the pipe with a n... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-04-11 Reader question: Please explain portmanteau words, and give examples. My comments: A portmanteau word is one created from combining two existing words. Portmanteau itself is such a word. Portmanteau is French, for a dual-purpose suitcase able to hol... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-04-11 Reader question: What is a lap dog, as in you're just his lap dog? My comments: A lap dog is a dog, a small pet dog, small enough to sit on its owner's lap. And petted enough, of course, to be allowed to do so. The lap dog is docile and obedient. In... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-04-10 Reader question: Main Street, Wall Street, what's the difference? My comments: Currently in the news, there's a general sense of doom and gloom over the global financial market due to problems from Wall Street, a real street in New York City where m... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-04-08 Reader question: In this sentence Pavarotti was known as much for his larger than life personality as he was for his voice please explain larger than life. My comments: Why not, let's begin with Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007). The Italian tenor, one... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-04-07 Reader question: In this paragraph In Pakistan and Afghanistan, anything that fuels the sense of an American crusade against Islam puts moderates on the defensive and empowers extremists. It is hard to think of a more self-defeating policy please ex... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-04-07 Reader question: What does new lease mean in Old hotel gets new lease on life? My comments: New lease on life is an American idiom meaning rejuvenation. The British prefer to say new lease of life. The old hotel getting a new lease on life means the... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-04-07 Reader question: What does this sentence He was equal parts friends, mentor and confidant mean? What is equal parts? My comments: The sentence means that he was a friend of yours. He was also a mentor from whom you get advice and guidance. At the sa... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-04-04 Reader question: What does this headline Has Google lost its mojo? mean? What is mojo? My comments: That headline asks: Has Google lost its entrepreneurial magic? Or has Google's pioneering tricks stopped working? In other words it questions whether... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-04-04 Reader question: In this sentence That is why arguments against professionals in the Olympics will always be cut down at the knees what does cut down at the knees mean here? My comments: Imagine the operating room in a hospital in which someone is b... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-04-03 Reader question: In this sentence seen in a fan forum on the web Go break a leg, Yao break a leg is explained as good luck, how come? My comments: Break a leg, Yao. It's a scary thought, isn't it? Any time I see Yao Ming fall to the floor clutching... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-04-02 Reader question: What does this headline A sea change on immigration? mean? My comments: It means a major change in immigration policy. Sea change is an idiom, referring to drastic change, fundamental change, a total about turn, a radical, dramatic,... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-04-01 Reader question: In this passage Sales on the high street suffered their worst ever fall last month, adding to evidence that the UK is heading into recession and prompting renewed calls for an urgent cut in interest rates (High street sales plunge 3... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-31 Reader question: He's a class act. What does that mean? My comments: It means he's an excellent person. How excellent? That depends on context. A person who's seen by others as a class act usually demonstrates some unique good qualities and those qu... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-30 Reader question: What does my heart is in the right place mean? My comments: It means there's something wrong with you. I'm kidding. If your heart is in the right place, you're fine. You're good. You're kind. You have a good conscience. You're perfe... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-27 Reader question: This Was Iraq a fool's errand? is a headline. What does fool's errand mean? Is it a set phrase? My comments: An errand is a journey one takes in order to do something for someone. It's a usually a short trip for some light task. For... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-22 Reader question: This Sorry doesn't cut it is a headline. But what does it mean? My comments: It means merely saying I'm sorry isn't good enough. Whoever feels sorry should do more to pacify those he's saying sorry to. Doesn't cut it is an idiom and... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-21 Reader question: In this passage President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is a man known for his surprising and often headline grabbing announcements but this latest one is extraordinary even by his standards. He's called on the left-wing Colombian FARC r... 阅读全文>>