Tag: vocabulary

It’s a piece of cake! Understanding American food idioms.

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Americans talk about food, think about food, and eat food – a lot. It’s not surprising that so many expressions in American English are centered on food. Here are a few you will hear frequently:

Let’s start with our title – “It’s a piece of cake” means that something is easy to do. You might also hear the similar, “it’s easy as pie.”


Desserts are always good – eating them is a piece of cake!

“Spill the beans.”


Shhhh – don’t tell anyone you’re learning these idioms! “Spill the beans” is another way to say you’re telling a secret or giving away a surprise.


We didn’t want Luis to spill the beans about the surprise party for Dmitri.

“Cool as a cucumber.”


This means that someone is very relaxed and confident in a situation.

Maria went into the interview as cool as a cucumber.

“Bring home the bacon.”


This means you’re going to work and earning money, or you’re competing and win a prize.


Xiting worked hard all week to bring home the bacon for her family.

“Go bananas”

We use this idiom when we want to describe someone getting very excited about something – even acting a little crazy.

The crowd went bananas when Beyonce stepped onto the stage.

And let’s finish with another ‘sweet’ expression: “the icing on the cake.”


We say, “that’s the icing on the cake” when something good becomes even better when added to.


Ekaterina was happy to ice skate at the Olympics; winning the gold medal was the icing on the cake!

If you can use all these idioms, you’ll be the Big Cheese in your English class!

(“Big Cheese” means the most important person in a group.)

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It’s holiday time!

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Winter Holidays Around the World

Winter is a special season. The days are shorter, the nights are longer, and in many places, it is cold and snowy. Around the world, people celebrate different winter holidays with family, friends, food, and traditions. Let’s look at some of the most popular winter holidays.

Christmas

Christmas is celebrated on December 25th in many countries. People decorate a Christmas tree, hang lights, and give gifts. Families often eat a big meal together. In some traditions, children wait for Santa Claus to bring presents. Popular Christmas colors are red, green, and gold.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that usually happens in December. It lasts for eight nights. Families light a special candleholder called a menorah. They eat foods fried in oil, like latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts). Children often play with a small toy called a dreidel.

Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is celebrated in the United States from December 26th to January 1st. It honors African traditions and culture. Families light candles in a holder called a kinara. Each day represents a different value, such as unity, creativity, or faith. Music, dancing, and storytelling are also part of Kwanzaa.

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day

All around the world, people celebrate the New Year on December 31st and January 1st. Many people stay up until midnight to welcome the new year. Fireworks, parties, and special foods are common. People also make resolutions—promises to themselves about things they want to do in the new year.

Vocabulary to Remember

  • Tradition – something people do again and again over many years
  • Celebrate – to enjoy a holiday or special event
  • Candle – a stick of wax with fire at the top for light
  • Meal – food eaten together at one time
  • Resolution – a plan or promise for the future

✨ Winter holidays bring light, joy, and warmth during the cold season. Even though traditions are different, the message is often the same: spending time with loved ones and sharing happiness.

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History of Indigenous Peoples’ Day: today, October 13, 2025.

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VOCABULARY

Indigenous – adj., of or relating to the earliest known inhabitants of a place

Disrupt – v., to throw into disorder

Recognize – v., to admit that something exists

Hurtful – adj., causing pain, especially emotional

Glorified – v., to make something seem great

Colonial – adj., relating to people settling in a new place, often belonging to someone else

Oppression – n., cruel or unjust use of authority or power

Trauma – n., a psychological state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or injury

Erased – v., to wipe out, to make something disappear

Self-sufficient – adj. to be able to take care of oneself

Sustain – v., to keep up, to supply nourishment

Movement – n, series of acts working toward a desired end

History of Indigenous Peoples’ Day: today, October 13, 2025.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day began in 1977 as an idea expressed at a UN conference on discrimination.  In 1990, South Dakota was the first state to recognize the day.

In 1992, protests and demonstrations disrupted planned Columbus Day celebrations in San Francisco and Santa Cruz. People began referring to that day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, to celebrate the rich culture and the lives of the Native American people. Soon, those cities also recognized the holiday.

For the Native Americans, Columbus Day was always hurtful as it glorified the violent past of 500 years of colonial torture and oppression by European explorers like Columbus. Indigenous Peoples’ Day draws attention to the pain, trauma, and broken promises that were erased by the celebration of Columbus Day. Before his arrival, the indigenous folk were successful self-sufficient communities that sustained life for thousands of years.

Year by year, the movement to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day spreads to more and more states, towns, and cities across the United States of America.*

*https://nationaltoday.com/indigenous-peoples-day/

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LABOR DAY, AMERICAN STYLE.

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It’s Labor Day!

The first Monday in September is Labor Day in the USA.  Unlike many US holidays, it is a celebration without rituals – except for shopping and barbecuing. For most of us, it marks the last weekend of summer holidays and the start of the school year.

Ritual – n., an established form for a ceremony or observance

Founder – n., someone who takes the first steps in building something

Envision – v., to imagine, to picture to oneself

Means – n., things that are useful or help to achieve a desired end

Unify – v., to make different things into one unit

Reduction – n., to make something smaller, to decrease

Recall – v., to remember

Struggle – n, the act of working hard or fighting for something

Maypole — n., a tall pole decorated with flowers and ribbons

The holiday’s founders in the late 19th century envisioned something very different from what the day has become. The founders were looking for two things: a means of unifying union workers and a reduction in work time.

  • If you’re living in the USA, don’t confuse this day with May 1st, (May Day), which is International Workers’ Day.

This day is celebrated in over 160 countries to recall the struggles and achievements of the labor movement. 

In France, people carry and give lilies-of-the-valley. Many countries, such as Italy and Nicaragua, celebrate with dances around a Maypole.

 

In America, Labor Day is less political and more about fun.

See you in class very soon! And:

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INDEPENDENCE DAY!

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Independence – n., freedom from outside control

Federal – adj., of or being a form of government

Parade – n., a great show or display,  a public procession

Demonstrate – v., to show clearly

Patriotism – n., love for one’s country

Reflect – v., to realize, to consider

Expat (Expatriate) – n., a person who lives in a foreign country

Embassy – n., the official residence and offices of an ambassador

Homesick – adj., longing for home and family while absent from them

Colonies – n., an area over which a foreign nation has control

Highlight – n., something which is especially interesting

Spectacular – adj., striking, sensational

On July 4th, Americans all over the world celebrate Independence Day. In the United States, it is a federal holiday, so many people don’t have to work. Parades, picnics, and barbecues take place during the day, with fireworks lighting up the sky at night. Americans demonstrate their patriotism on July 4th, reflecting on their freedom and the things they love about their country.

American expats living out of the United States still observe the 4th of July. American embassies all over the planet host parties and events. Individuals celebrate with their friends, and many get a little homesick.

The holiday marks the separation of the 13 colonies from the rule of Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence (the document) was completed on the 4th of July, 1776.  But it was not signed until August!

A highlight of Independence Day in New York City is the evening fireworks display, this year to be held near the Brooklyn Bridge, on the lower East River. The spectacular display is the largest Independence Day celebration in the nation. For more information and where to watch the fireworks: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/where-to-watch-the-4th-of-july-fireworks

Happy Independence Day!

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Solstice sustenance

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Vocabulary:

Sustenance — n., nourishment that maintains life, food.

potential — n., adj., able to come into being; possible

bountiful — adj., as much or more than is needed, abundant

mimic — v., to copy or imitate

approximately — adv., about, almost exact

Traditionally, people celebrated the return of light, life, fertility, and the potential for a good harvest on the summer solstice. The summer months bring a bountiful harvest and the foods served at solstice gatherings mimic the sun. Round, sun-colored fruits like lemons, oranges, peaches, and nectarines are the flavor of the day as well as vegetables like yellow squash, corn, and tomatoes.

source: https://chantallascaris.co.za/2021/12/22/summer-solstice-foods-from-around-the-world/#:~:text=The%20summer%20months%20bring%20a,yellow%20squash%2C%20corn%20and%20tomatoes.

ROASTED SUMMER VEGETABLES

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 zucchini
  • 1 yellow squash
  • 1 small red onion
  • 1 red bell pepper 
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil 
  • 1 tsp dried basil or 1/2 bunch fresh
  • salt and pepper to taste 
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Wash and chop the vegetables into approximately 1-inch pieces. 
  • Spread the vegetables out over a large baking sheet (or two, if needed) so they’re in a single layer and not piled on top of one another. Drizzle the olive oil over top, then add the basil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables until they’re evenly coated in oil and spices.
  • Roast the vegetables for 30-40 minutes, stirring once or twice (every 15-20 minutes or so), until the vegetables are soft and browned on the edges. Taste the vegetables and add another pinch of salt if desired. Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley over top just before serving.
Summer Vegetables Prepped and Ready to Roast

Roasted Summer Vegetables Finished

I like to add an extra pinch of salt after roasting, so you get some salt sitting on the surface to give each bite a little pop. I also like to sprinkle with a little fresh parsley for freshness and to add a pop of color, but that’s optional.

source: https://www.budgetbytes.com/roasted-summer-vegetables/

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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

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Vocabulary Preview:

Civil rights movement: n., actions between 1954 and 1968 taken to change laws of racial discrimination

Protests: n., a gathering of people who believe the same thing and want others to learn about it.

Abolish: v., to eliminate or stop something completely

Segregation: n., when all of one kind of people have to be together; for example, racial segregation.

Boycott: n., to stop buying or using something as a protest

Unconstitutional: adj., an act or belief that is not part of the ruling document of a country

Orator: n., someone who speaks powerfully and well

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an important leader in the civil rights movement in America in the ‘50s and ‘60s.  He used peaceful protests to secure basic rights for people of color, including the right to vote.  It was by nonviolent methods that he helped abolish the racial discrimination and segregation laws that were in place at the time.  These laws ruled where people of color could sit or walk or even go to school.

His first efforts in the civil rights movement were inspired by the Montgomery Bus boycott.  This began in 1955, when an African American woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white man, as the driver had told her to.  Parks was arrested and fined. Subsequently, people of color refused to ride the buses at all, and this boycott continued for over a year.  Eventually, the Supreme Court ruled that these laws were unconstitutional.

King went on to work hard helping people of color, changing many laws and attitudes in America. He became known as a great orator, and his speech “I Have a Dream” is one of the most famous in this country’s history.  Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated when he was 39 years old, while still trying to improve the lives of others.  We mark his birthday nation-wide as a federal holiday and try to increase our awareness of the racial problems that still exist in America.

Sign From Segregated Nashville Bus Number 351

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. addresses the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., where he gave his “I Have a Dream” speech on Aug. 28, 1963, as part of the March on Washington.

The speech was ranked the top American speech of the 20th century in a 1999 poll of scholars. The speech has also been described as having “a strong claim to be the greatest in the English language of all time.”

Sources:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_a_Dream

AFP via Getty Images

To listen to King’s famous speech:

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/122701268

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