Sunday Word Puzzle from NPR

Let me share the interesting Sunday Puzzle, which is an on-air challenge, on National Public Radio (NPR). (October 28th, 2018) This Sunday, the caller was supposed to give a word or name that has the accented syllable of the sound "row" somewhere inside it.

For example, what is the word meaning savagely violent? The answer is FEROCIOUS

1. What is the noun meaning ‘a smell, especially an inviting one’?

2. Name the Kraft pasta product with cheese.

3. Brand name of the Mexican beer usually served with a lime wedge.

4. What are the vigorous physical exercises that you might do in a class or any exercises designed to strengthen the heart and lungs?

5. Name the capital of Liberia.

6. Name the capital of Kenya.

7. What is the adjective meaning ‘brave, courageous, valiant, valorous, intrepid’ as in the act of a lifeguard saving a drowning person or a hero saving people in need.

8. Give me the adjective meaning ‘not correct as a statement’.

9. Name the woman in Greek myth after whom a continent was named. She is the mother of King Minos of Crete.

10. Name the setting for "two gentlemen", which is Shakespeare’s first play.

11. Name the Polish dumpling.

12. What is this adjective meaning ‘related to a church parish or Catholic schools’?

13. Give me the name of the fort captured by Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys in 1775.

Answer Keys

   1.   aroma

   2.   macaroni

   3.   Corona

   4.   aerobics

   5.   Monrovia

   6.   Nairobi

   7.   heroic

   8.   erroneous

   9.   Europa

   10. Verona

   11. Pierogi

   12. parochial

   13. Ticonderoga

What Keeps Me Going

I have always been a morning person who wakes up in the wee hours no matter how late I go to bed. Although I do not have to get out of bed that early to go somewhere for work, I just do. Being wide awake in the hours of serenity that is only sporadically interrupted by birdcalls like owl’s hooting or some random cars with loud engine noise out there in a distance brings me to the sense of peace. Doing my daily pre-run stretching, I wonder where and why the sounds out there are being made. It feels good to know that I am not the only one being awake in this quiet time slot. Even with those total strangers, some kind of comradeship is coming to my mind hearing the sounds.

Among the people who had shared my mornings through the years, the exercise cohort at dawn and the fitness coach (who is also the gym manager) are always the most important and precious group of friends in my life. We are different ages with different backgrounds in life, but all single-hearted when it comes to starting a day in active ways. There have been countless starry skies, full moons (but we are certain that we’re NOT moonstruck to be out here at the gym in this hour), serene daybreaks harmonized with woodnotes, moments of laughter, and the saddest news of Ray’s passing….to name a few in our mornings. No matter what had brought us all to that same place at the same time for a decade, what bonded us together was warm thoughts for one another. We didn’t need to be a humdinger to have each other’s hooly attention. I have counted each of my friends there more than twice every time I count my blessings.

Now that I am currently living in another State away from those loving buddies of mine, my mornings do not look or feel the same at all. Lonely, unaccompanied, isolated, desolate, and still. However, I am still getting up early in the dark and lace up my shoes in the hope of finding my niche somewhere out here at a local gym. I am open to new culture and atmosphere, but what keeps me strong and poised enough to carry on is my good ol’ friends and their TLC. Patty, Brian, Julie, Mary, Margo, Laura, Amy, Merri, Penny, Sarah, Linda, Andre, April, Lynn, John, Barb, and Ray.....I miss you all so much.

Expressions

   

   1.  comradeship: fellowship/ solidarity/ companionship

   

   2.  single-hearted: sincere and dedicated

   

   3.  moon-struck: mad/ crazy/ mentally deranged

   4.  woodnote: a song or call of a woodland bird

   5.  humdinger: one that is extraordinary or remarkable

   6.  hooly: careful/ gentle

   7.   niche: a situation or activity specially suited to a person's interests, abilities, or nature

A new batch of Idiomatic Expressions (which has COLD words)

The time has come to feel wintry chill in the North hemisphere. Even in this State where Summer never seems to go, it has started to feel chilly. With a decade in the Midwest town in my life, the memory of shoveling the snow from our driveway will always be fresh enough to give me goosebumps. Why don’t we brace ourselves to survive the upcoming winter and brush up on some interesting English idioms that have “cold” words that are or are not related to cold weather. (source from https://www.kaplaninternational.com/blog/winter-idioms-vocabulary-english-lesson)

   1.   to put ….. on ice: to stop (doing) something or to postpone/ delay acting on something

   2.   the snowball effect: when something small keeps growing in importance or significance

   3.   to weather the storm: to survive a difficult situation/ to find one’s way out of troubles

   4.   pure as the driven snow: absolutely virtuous or chaste; unsullied by sin or immoral behavior

   5.   the lull before the storm: a quiet time or calm before a busy or difficult time

   6.   brass-monkey (weather): (noun = adjective) very chilly/ brutally cold (weather)

   7.   be snowed under: to be very busy

   8.   a storm in a teacup:  a lot of fuss over something small

   9.   a snowball's chance: very little chance (as much chance as a snowball has in hell)/ not have any possibility

   10.  to get cold feet: to suddenly become too scared to do something planned   

Let us practice the above expressions in sentences below!

   1.     There’s a ________________ chance that Peter would lace up his shoes for a morning workout. He hates getting out of bed, especially in the seasons when we have a _________________________ weather.

   2.   The singer had always been viewed as a very innocent and pure girl-next-door for years. People were stunned to learn that she was not as __________________________________.

   3.   Dan thinks he’d better put his rehearsal for the concert _____________________ today. He feels too exhausted to deal with the rigor of daily practice for hours now.

   4.   Joshua has recently been fired, but he’ll be able to ______________________ the storm with his severance pay.

   5.   Nike’s brave decision to hire Colin Kaepernick for ad campaign had a ________________________ effect in Sports business industry.

   6.   Jenn is _______________________________ at work day and night these days. She owes it to herself to go on some retreat even for a few days.

   7.   What if a princess-to-be got _______________________ right before her Royal wedding?!

   8.   Having a tavern built near our residential area would not be a matter of _______________________________, because most parents in this area are totally against the idea of seeing drunkards around.

   9.   The weeks right before Summer break is a _______________________ before the storm. Once the kids are out of school, moms need to cope with super busy days.

Answer Keys

1.   snowball’s, brass monkey

2.   pure as a driven snow

3.   on ice

4.   weather

5.   snowball

6.   snowed under

7.   cold feet

8.   a storm in a teacup

9.   lull

Expressions with Food and Taste in them that Have Nothing to do with Food and Taste

Are you in good relationship with food? Some might indulge in their favorite dish without worrying about getting fat, whereas most others always watch what and how much they take into their mouth. Well, one thing that we all have in common is that we love food! 😊    This week, let us brush up on some idiomatic expressions that have food and taste in them to mean something else.

(source from https://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/10-food-idioms)

   1.   to cut the mustard: to achieve the standard of performance necessary for success  to succeed; to have the ability to do something; to come up to expectations', but the phrase is most often used in the negative form, as "can't cut the mustard,"

   2.   meat and drink: When you find a task, that others find difficult, easy and pleasant, it is meat and drink to you.

   3.   cheap as chips: very cheap

   4.   to have a finger in every pie: to be involved in many activities and have a lot of influence or power. It usually has a negative or derogatory connotation which suggests that other people disapprove of so much involvement or influence

   5.   lemon: something that you buy which turns out to have problems - it is defective / it doesn't work well.

   6.   fishy: When something seems suspicious, dishonest or false, it is fishy.

   7.   Take with a pinch of salt: To take something with a pinch of salt means that you should not completely believe what you are told

   8.   a bad egg: a mischievous/corrupt/ untrustworthy person who is always in trouble

   9.   full of beans: full of energy

   10.               to be souped up: to be made more powerful or stylish or jazzed up or upgraded

Time to practice! Let’s fill in the blanks with proper expressions we’ve learned.

   1.   Did you see Jake’s 10-year-old car that has been ____________________ like crazy? He used to call his car a ______________ that’s not functioning well, but it looks like a brand new concept car now!

   2.   My go-to running shoes have been discontinued and are so hard to come by. If available on ebay, they must be really pricey. Once they’re out of market, you can never expect them to be as cheap as ______________ anywhere.

   3.   She tried to join the soccer team, but she couldn't _______________________________.

   4.   Mason is such a blabbermouth and always tends to dramatize stories he heard. When he tells you something, you need to take it with ______________________________.

   5.   I can’t believe that your kids are still full of _______________________ after playing all day long at the beach.

   6.   There’s something very _______________ about Thomas. He seems to have been holding a big secret back.

   7.   Hannah doesn’t want her son to hang around bad _____________ in the neighborhood. They are such a bad influence in every way.

   8.   Most people are not quite thrilled to be picked to answer teacher’s questions in class, but it is just ______________ & ________________ to Jason. He enjoys showing off his intelligence.

   9.   Jill is a full-time teacher, but she’s also a local councillor. Besides, she runs the local museum as well! She definitely likes to have a finger in __________________________.

Answer Keys

   1.  souped up, lemon

   2.  chips

   3.  cut the mustard

   4.  with a pinch of salt

   5.  beans

   6.  fishy

   7.  eggs

   8.  meat & drink

   9.  every pie