standing on water
long board quickly shifts
suddenly wet

長い板バランス崩れ海の中

ながい いた　バランス くずれ　うみ の なか


Paddling on a standing long board is fun but risky. You have to keep your balance. If you aren’t careful, the board can shift suddenly while you are standing on it causing you to fall into the water and get wet.

長いボードの上に立って、櫂で漕ぐことは、楽しいですが、危険です。
バランスを取り続けなければなりません。気を付けてそろそろ動きます。
そうでなければ、立っている時に、突然、ボードがぐらぐら揺れます。
そして、水の中に落ちて濡れます。





Ben　（べん）

The phrase, “for the record,” means something like, “This is what I’m saying. Let me make myself clear. You can quote me on this.” It is used often when there are different versions of a story or issue and you want to make it clear that this is what you said so everyone will be clear about where you stand. For example, if people are arguing about what should be done and you want it to be clear where you stand you can say something like, “For the record, I think we should do….” You would say this when you really want other people to take note of what your position is. You would say this especially if you thought what everybody else said was wrong and you wanted to make sure everyone knew you thogught differently.

You can also use it in the past tense. It is often used in the past tense when something went wrong beause of what was done and you want it made clear that you had nothing to do with it. If the current public official isn’t doing a good job you could say something like, “Just for the record, I didn’t vote for him.” Or if a proposal was implemented and it didn’t work out you could say, “Just for the record, I thought we should have done….”

Mr. Frost: How’s development on our new product coming along.
Bob: Well, sir, it is progressing, but there are still some bugs in it.
Mr. Frost: Don’t forget, we have to ship it by next week. Make sure it is packaged and ready to go.
Bob: For the record, sir, I really think we should work out the problems before we ship it.
Mr. Frost: Noted. However, we need to ship it by next week or we will lose the contract.

The “record” in this phrase is any description of what you said, whether it is someone telling someone else what you said or some record of what you said in written (newspapers, magazines, etc.) or broadcast (TV, radio, etc.) media. Thus, this phrase is often used when reporters are asking someone a question about something important and the person wants  to make sure they get what he said right and don’t make a mistake in quoting him. It might also be used when there is a meeting where minutes are being recorded and someone wants to make sure the person taking the minutes gets what he said correct. There are other expressions that use the word, “record” in this way. “Let me set the record  straight,” means, “There is some confusion over what I said or meant; this is what I really said or meant.” You can also use the phrase “off the record,” meaning, “I’m going to say this but I don’t want you to write it down or tell anybody I said it.”

To pull out all the stops means to go to any means in order to achieve something or make something successful. You use all your energy and effort and all the resources at your disposal to make something the best that it can be. You go beyond what is normally expected and do whatever you can to make something happen. It could be that you spend a lot of money to buy the best things. It could also mean that you work really hard to do everything you can and everything you can think of. You would usually do this for some special event or big occassion that you really want to be successful. This might be a personal occasion like a special birthday, anniversary, wedding, or proposal. This could also be for some business venture that is really important. You might also do this if you really wanted to impress someone such as a husband or wife (or potential husband or wife) or in-law, a boss or company VIP, or a celebrity.

Bill: Wow, have you seen the budget for the new ad campaign?
John: Yeah, they even hired a new advertising firm.
Bill: They’re really pulling out all the stops on this one.

This is supposedly a phrase that was first used by organists. If you pull out all the stop levers in a pipe organ, it makes the organ produce thte maximum volume.

The phrase, out of the blue, means that something happened suddenly that was totally unexpected and without warning. It could be that it just happened unexpectedly. It could also be that someone said something that was off the subject of what was being talked about or didn’t have any relation to anything that anybody else was saying. I If someone does something unexpected and without any warning, you could say that he did it “out of the blue.” Someone you haven’t seen for a while can suddenly show up “out of the blue.”

John: What happened to you? I haven’t seen you for a while.
Dan: I was transferred to another project.
John: What? I thought you were working on Project X.
Dan: I was. The project manager showed up one day, out of the blue, and told me I was being reassigned to Project A.
John: Well, I guess they needed a good man for the job.

This expression seems to refer to it starting to rain unexpectedly, even though the sky was blue. There was no warning like gray clouds. It just happened “out of the blue.” An older form of this expression is, “out of the clear blue sky,” though this is not used much any more.

To give or allow someone free rein

5/7/2007

（イーストウエストジャーナル連載）

to measure up

4/15/2007

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Keep your eye on the ball

3/4/2007

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Keep your pants on

If someone is overly excited or impatient about something, you might tell him to keep his pants on. This expression means to calm down and be patient. It is often used when someone is calling you and telling you to hurry up because he can´t wait and is overly excited about it. You might reply something like, ¨Keep you pants on. I´m coming!¨ You could use this in more
casual circumstances with you friends or co-workers, but probably not in polite conversation with your boss or superiors.

A: When is the new product going to be ready? Engineering was supposed to be
finished with it a month ago. Our customers are getting impatient and are
threatening to back out if it´s not ready soon!
B: Keep your pants on. I´m sure they´ll get it to us as soon as it´s ready.
It wouldn´t be good to ship a defective product, would it?
A: I guess you´re right. I wish they would hurry it up, though. The
customers won´t wait forever.

This expression comes from the idea that an overly-amorous suitor might get too excited and take his pants off before the time is right. He would need to be told to keep his pants on and be patient.

On the tip of my tongue

This expression is used when there is a piece of information that you should know and normally do know but when somebody asks you about it or you are trying to think of it, you just can’t remember what it was. This is usually a frustrating time because you normally know it, but you just can’t think of it the moment you try to think of it and need to know it. In this case you would say, ¨It’s on the tip of my tongue, but I just can’t think of it. It’s like the word or name, or whatever it is, is just on the tip of your tongue waiting to get out, but just can’t get beyond that point. What you are trying to think of is being elusive, staying just beyond your memory. You are so close to remembering what it was but just can’t think of it. Because you are so close, it is frustrating that you still can’t think of it. The main point is the FACT that you are so close to remembering but just can’t do it so it is frustrating.

Drawing a blank

This expression can be used in the same situations, but has a more basic meaning that you are trying to think of something, but can’t think of what it was. This expression refers to drawing a blank lottery ticket with nothing on it so you can’t win the prize. This expression can be used in the same situations as, “on the tip of my tongue,” but doesn’t have the same sense of urgency or frustration; it is just a statement of fact. The main point is that you are stressing the ACTION of trying to remember but can’t.

Senior moment

To have a senior moment also means that you can’t remember something. This expression playfully refers to the fact that when people get older and become senior citizens, they tend to start forgetting things. It is said jokingly about oneself or someone else when the person is having the senior moment is too young for these kind of memory lapses to be happening. You would use this expression only in casual conversation with someone you are comfortable joking with. You should also be careful not to say it in front of a senior citizen, unless that person can take a joke. The main point of this expression is that you are referring to the MOMENT IN TIME when this forgetfulness took place.

Jean: Hey, who is that? He looks familiar.
William: Oh yeah, that´s… Oh, what was his name.
Jean: I´m trying to remember, too, but I keep drawing a blank.
William: Arrgh (sound of frustration), it´s right on the tip of my tongue. I just can´t think of it.
Jean: C’mon, we’re way to young to be having a senior moment.(笑)

As shown in the above dialog, these expressions can all be used to refer to the same event of forgetting something. The main difference is the focus of whether you are trying to express the frustration of not being able to remember, are stressing that you are trying to think of it, or are joking about this incident of not being able to remember.

to be in one’s element

1/9/2007

（イーストウエストジャーナル連載）