Live and Learn English with Jean Lee

The new year has arrived! Do you have a family ritual or traditional way to celebrate the new year’s day? Here are some fun facts about new year traditions of many different countries.       1.    In the early American colonies, the sounds of ___________ shots rang through the air, and black-eyed ______________ and pork foretell good fortune in southern United States.       2.    The Irish enjoy pastries called _______________.       3.    In India and Pakistan, rice promises _________________.       4.    _____________ dipped in honey are a Rosh Hashanah tradition.       5.    In Swiss homes, dollops of __________________ cream, symbolizing the richness of the year to come, are dropped on the floors and allowed to remain there.       6.    “Wassail”, the Gaelic term for “good ______________”, is served in some part...

  The 12 Days of Christmas Ode to All the Cooks at Home in 2020 by Jean Lee   On the 1 st day of Christmas, my true love sent to me A spare fridge instead of a tree   On the 2 nd day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree   On the 3 rd day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree   On the 4 th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree   On the 5 th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree   On the 6 th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Six cheese I’m saving, five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree. O...

This is the latest Sunday Word Puzzle from NPR! Here are some sentences about Christmas. For each one, change one letter in one of the words to reveal a state capital . Example: I'm a lover of the whole Christmas season. --> DOVER (Delaware)   1. The kids made a lot of noise unwrapping their presents.   2. Did you hear Santa Claus landing on the roof?   3. Christmas is a season of traditional sacraments.   4. The little sock hanging by the fireplace is my baby brother's.   5. You'll have to pierce the packaging to get out the Christmas ornament.   6. Julys and Augusts are when stores place their Christmas orders.   7. Is this the same Santa we ran into at the other mall?   8. I can't wait for the after-Christmas sales.   Answer Keys     1.   Boise (Idaho)     2.   Lansing (Michigan)     3.   Sacramento (California)     4.   Little Rock (...

Time to play the puzzle! This is the latest NPR Sunday Puzzle (created by Will Shortz) aired on December 13 th , 2020. Every answer today is a familiar phrase in the form "___ & ___," in which the first two letters of the first word plus the first two letters of the last word themselves spell a word. I'll give you that word as well as a definition of the phrase. You tell me the phrase.   Example: SODA — combination performance --> Song & dance   1. BOAR — Native American weapon   2. CAMO — cunning game that a feline and rodent might play   3. EVAN — old-fashioned phrase meaning "occasionally"   4. ABBE — more than could possibly be expected   5. LASE — amphibious   6. SHAW — overwhelm through a show of force   7. BACH — heavy restraint to keep a prisoner from escaping   8. HOVE — like the positions of the x and y axes on a graph         Answer Keys     ...

  It’s time for this last Sunday’s (December 6 th , 2020) ‘on-air challenge of Word Puzzle by Will Shortz’ on NPR!! Three consecutive words somewhere in each sentence to be read are the first three words of a familiar proverb or saying. Tell me what it is.   Example: Put out a saucer of milk when the cat's hungry. --> When the cat's away the mice will play.       1.    As meteorologists know, every cloud has water droplets.       2.    Variety is the daily publication of show business.       3.    The surgeon put a stitch in the gaping wound.        4.     Through the mountains the road to the next town is very twisty.       5.    On average the proof of most whiskey is 80.       6.    In this motel a picture is hanging over every bed.       7.    The joke start...

Here’s another batch of NPR Sunday Puzzle created by Will Shortz. Ready to solve the puzzle? With given three words starting with "F", you give me another word that could follow each of the three words, and in each case it has to form a compound word OR a familiar two-word phrase.   Example: Full, Flex, Father (four letters starting with T) --> TIME (full-time, flextime, Father Time)    1. Fly, Fifth, Ferris (5, W)   2. Fresh, Flood, Fire (5, W)   3. Fun, Full, Fraternity (5, H)   4. Flash, Focal, Freezing (5, P)   5. Fuel, Firing, Finish (4, L)   6. Feed, Flight, Flea (3, B)   7. Foul, Foot, Fur (4, B)   8. Fig, Fir, Family (4, T)   9. Fat, Fair, Fighting (6, C)   10. Fish, Funnel, Fruit (4, C)   11. First, Free, Farm (4, H)   Answer Keys     1.   wheel     2.   water     3.   house     4.   poin...

Popular Slangy Expressions Today When you study a foreign language, one of the most challenging things is to know and tell the phrases or expressions that are most up-to-date from the ones that have become outdated or even archaic. Let us go over some slangy expressions that are currently in today.      1.    to be apocalypsing : to treat every single relationship just as if it were one’s last (or final in this world) and get very serious with someone he/she just started to see      2.    to cap : to tell a lie (used as a verb or a noun) No cap!= No lies!      3.    fit : meaning ‘outfit’/ ‘clothes’ (The “out” was hastily removed at some point, for reasons that remain somewhat unclear)      4.    basic : an insult describing someone or something that is boring and just goes with the flow rather than makes his/her own decisions or develops his/her own taste   ...

This last weekend’s puzzle was a tribute to Alex Trebek , the longtime host of "Jeopardy!," whom we lost last Sunday. Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name with the initials A-T.   Example: 180-degree reversal --> ABOUT TURN 1. Part of an orchard   2. Something controlled by a tower at O'Hare or LAX   3. Clumsy   4. Appreciation for something that you get only through repeated exposure   5. Clock setting in Anchorage or Fairbanks   6. Something you can hike from Georgia to Maine   7. LSD experience   8. Band of tissue that connects the calf muscles to the heel bone   9. Sticky material for fastening things   10. Worker with tigers and elephants at old circuses   11. Author of "The Joy Luck Club"   12. Something affixed to a wall or ceiling in a sound studio   Answer Keys     1.   apple tree     2.   air traffic ...