A little boy's toy car is missing. He asks his mom where it is, and she tells him to ask his dad. Then he asks his dad, who tells him to ask his mom instead. It's not uncommon that we see two parties shift responsibilities for something to one another. In Chinese, this behavior is … Continue reading pass the buck / 甩鍋 / 踢皮球
Category: Learning
Despite the fact that the two words are interchangeable in some certain context, there are some shades of meaning. As a verb, replicate = (1) reproduce ... as a more desired result; (2) repeat the procedure for making ... because the new outcome is wanted An artist replicates a painting probably because the original one … Continue reading replicate vs. duplicate
[usually with negative] find fault with something that has been received as a gift or favor: They did not look a gift horse in the mouth when the opportunity for victory presented itself. [earlier as "look a given horse in the mouth" –– prospective purchasers would often inspect the condition of a horse's teeth.]
A financer (/ˈfī-ˌnansər/) is someone who provides money for a particular undertaking. A financier (/ˌfi-nən-ˈsir/) is a person or organization whose business is providing, investing, or lending money. In other words, a financier makes a habit of financing, while a financer might do it only once or occasionally. Some dictionaries don’t list financer — and your spell check might disapprove … Continue reading financer vs. financier
In the eyes of the tiger, both a human and a rabbit are edibles, and it may even think rabbit is way more delish than human flesh. However, Just because the tiger pegs them as food items doesn’t mean a human is biologically the same as a rabbit. Just because the tiger favors rabbit over … Continue reading A Human or a Rabbit?
