An American speaks to a group of French nationals and tries to purge his vocabulary of American idioms. Illustration by Eric Palma Some years back I was invited to speak at a black-tie event for the ...
In a bright, airy classroom above the busy streets of Westwood, a group of advanced English students is puzzling over one of its toughest challenges to date: What is the distinction between “bum” and ...
The English language is a treasure trove of colorful expressions that paint vivid pictures with words. But what happens when you take these expressions literally? You get bizarre scenarios like cats ...