Live and Learn English with Jean Lee

School is back, and today I've brought a game of Categories based on the word TEACH. For each category I give, name something in it starting with each of the letters T-E-A-C-H. For example, if the category were "Things to Have for Breakfast," you might say Toast, Eggs, Apple juice, Cereal, and Hash browns. Any answer that works is OK, and you can give the answers in any order. ** Note: In some cases, there may be other answers. Any answer that works will be counted as correct.   1. PARTS OF THE HUMAN BODY   2. PARTS OF A CAR   3. PLACES IN AFRICA   4. SHAPES AND LINES IN GEOMETRY   Answer Keys        1.       Torso, Ears, Arms, Chest, Heart        2.       Transmission, Engine, Accelerator, Clutch, Hood        3.       Tanzania, Ethiopia, Algeria, Chad, Harare        4.  ...

Do you believe that feline friends are PURR-FECT prognosticators? What is the origin of the phrase “raining cats and dogs”? Can cats predict if a thunderstorm is on its way? How do cats seem to know about weather changes before we do? What do animals falling from the sky have to do with torrential downpours? Let’s explore the wonders of our feline friends!   Some authorities tie the idea of “RAINING CATS and 1. ____________” to Norse mythology. Odin, the Viking god of storms, was often pictured with 2. _________ and wolves, symbols of wind. Witches, who supposedly rode their brooms during storms, had black cats, which became signs of heavy rain. Therefore, “RAINING CATS AND 3. ___________” referred to a storm with wind and heavy rain. While the story sounds good, the expression didn’t become popular until the 1700s, when 4. Johnathan __________________ (author of Gulliver’s Travels) used it in a satire. He pictured snobby upper class aristocrats solemnly fretting that it ...

Do you often mishear what others say a word or two? Today, let’s talk about an eggcorn , which is a word or phrase that has been misheard but is commonly used in place of the original expression. The new word or phrase has a completely different meaning than the original, yet it is still used because it sounds similar and is seemingly plausible when used in the same context. E.g., “lack toast and tolerant” is the eggcorn of “lactose intolerant”   Guess what the following underlined eggcorns in each sentence are originally referred to.     1.    Whether a cup of coffee or two is good for your health is still a mute point . => ___________ point       2.    Tim hasn’t been recognized for his capability at work yet, but he’s never going to give up. He is biting his time .   => _____________ his time.       3.    It was hilarious when Eric said “ super salad ” when he was asked by the waite...

Every answer today is a baseball term. Name them from their anagrams.   Ex. IDLER + S --> SLIDER   1. UNDO + M   2. TREAT + B   3. LOBED + U   4. CIPHER + T   5. FLOUTED + I   Answer Keys       1.   mound     2.   batter     3.   double     4.   pitcher     5.   outfield

*Photos were taken from Jean's local grocery market Autumn is the season for pumpkins! Pumpkins are not just round and orange. Delight yourself with all those fun and creative pumpkins you’ll find at farmers markets, orchards, and garden centers! Technically, all pumpkins are edible with a long storage life. However, if you’re just going for a culinary pumpkin, the small, round sugar pumpkins called 1. __________ pumpkins are best for cooking. In 1842, Lydia Maria Child, wrote her famous poem about a New England Thanksgiving that began, “Over the river, and through the woods” and ended with a should “Hurrah for pumpkin pie!”   Pumpkins have deep American roots. The Pilgrims subsisted on these edibles during their harsh winters, thanks to 2.___________________ people, (which American Native Indian tribe?) who helped them survive their first year at Plymouth Colony. The Pilgrims had gone hungry their first winter, turning up noses at the long-storing foods like pumpkins and squas...

Today's theme is "H.R." Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase with the initials H.R. Ex. Corporate department --> H UMAN R ESOURCES   1. Kentucky Derby or Preakness   2. Big baseball hit   3. Vehicle in a drag race   4. List of top students   5. Waterway past New York City   6. African American cultural movement of the 1920s-'30s   7. Weapon in H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds"   8. Operation for someone who has difficulty with walking   9. Hobby through which amateurs send messages around the world   10. Place to hang one's chapeau   11. Spa Answer Keys 1. H orse R ace 2. H ome R un 3. H ot R od 4. H onor R oll 5. H udson R iver 6. H arlem R enaissance 7. H eat R ay 8. H ip R eplacement 9. H am R adio 10. H at R ack 11. H ealth R esort

People are enjoying the long weekend here in the U.S. this week. Monday (September 4 th , 2023) is “LABOR DAY” that celebrates all workers here in America. Work is a blessed endeavor. Whether it is baking a casserole or doing laundry; serving customers or compiling a report; teaching a class or making a hospital bed: Our daily labors earn our daily bread and more. It was envisioned by the founders to honor the American worker; the driving engine behind the most productive economy in the world, and the American work ethic that resulted in one of the highest standards of living in the world. All of this came out of a belief in economic and political democracy. Labor day not only celebrated the American workers but also protected their quality of life. Back in the 1800s, the Labor movement was created to address some of the serious problems of the day including long working hours and lack of time off. Do you know who invented Labor Day? Labor Day was the idea of Peter J. Maguire, a ...