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1. Modern Japanese has a lot of buzzwords, such as "KY" "OL" or "イケメン". Name one that did not exist when you were a child. What does it mean? When and how did you learn its meaning?
2. Modern Japanese has a lot of loan words and phrases, such as "ケース‐バイ‐ケース" or "スマホ". Name one that did not exist when you were a child. What does it mean? Which country or language is it from? Is there a Japanese word for this? If there is, which is used more; the loan word or the Japanese? Why do you think that is?
3. Abbreviations, acronyms and jargon play a part in all businesses. Tell us about a time when you have had to adjust to and use new terminology at work or when learning something new.
4. The public often pick up catchphrases, tag lines, slogans and catchlines from advertising, movies and pop culture. Some examples would be "ピアノうってちょうだい" (from the Takamoto Piano television commercials) or "Shaken not Stirred" (from the James Bond movies). Name one. Where is it from? Why did it become famous do you think?
5. Tell us about a buzzword, loan word, idiom, phrase, saying, portmanteau, proverb, slogan, catchphrase, acronym or abbreviation, either in Japanese or English, that you really like or that makes you laugh? What does it mean? Where is from? Why do you like it or find it funny?
6. Are you good at picking up new word and phrases (either in Japanese or in English)? If yes, how do you retain new words and phrases? If no, why not?

For teachers:

1. Modern English has a lot of buzzwords, such as "hangry" "crowdfund" or "blockchain". Name one that did not exist when you were a child. What does it mean? When and how did you learn its meaning?
2. Modern English has a lot of loan words and phrases, such as "anime" "bokeh" or "hygge". Name one that did not exist when you were a child. What does it mean? Which country or language is it from? Is there an English word for this? If there is, which is used more; the loan word or the English word? Why do you think that is?
3. Abbreviations, acronyms and jargon play a part in all businesses. Tell us about a time when you have had to adjust to and use new terminology at work or when learning something new.
4. The public often pick up catchphrases, tag lines, slogans and catchlines from advertising, movies and pop culture. Some examples would be "Just Do It" (Nike) or "Shaken not Stirred" (from the James Bond movies). Name one. Where is it from? Why did it become famous do you think?
5. Tell us about a buzzword, loan word, idiom, phrase, saying, proverb, portmanteau, slogan, catchphrase, acronym or abbreviation, either in Japanese or English, that you really like or that makes you laugh? What does it mean? Where is from? Why do you like it or find it funny?
6. Are you good at picking up new word and phrases (either in Japanese or in English)? If yes, how do you retain new words and phrases? If no, why not?

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Question 1

I like the term "earworm". The word has apparently been around for centuries, used to refer to a type of insect. A more modern usage of the word refers to a catchy song or tune, something you just cannot get out of your head. I like the imagery; it enters through the ear before burrowing deep into your brain. I first discovered this word reading an online article about interesting new terms and phrases.

Question 2

I don't really use this word myself but I've heard the word "schadenfreude" quite a bit recently. It's borrowed from German and describes the satisfaction or pleasure someone feels at another person's misfortune. There is no English equivalent that I know of. To be honest, I'm not really sure how to use it in a sentence!

Question 3

My current job here at English-Please! requires me to use quite a bit of terminology that I haven't really used elsewhere. We call classrooms "kyoushitsu", trial lessons are "taiken", and so on. As someone who doesn't really speak Japanese, there was a bit of a learning curve internalising these terms. I'm fine with them now – it's really no different to other job-specifc jargon I've had to learn in past positions.

Question 4

After James Cameron's "Titanic" came out, I remember hearing "I'm the king of the world!" literally everywhere. It was pretty annoying at the time. It turns out that it was nothing compared to the fallout from PPAP though. For at least six months, in every one of my kids classes, at some point during the lesson somebody would start in with "I have a pen, I have an apple..." It still makes me grind my teeth today.

Question 5

I really dig portmanteau. They're fun and clever. Here are some of my recent favourites:

• BEERBOARDING: noun, verb; extracting secret information from a colleague by getting them drunk (see beer and waterboarding).
• UNKEYBOARDINATED: adjective; when you're unable to type without repeatedly making mistakes (see uncoordinated and keyboard).
• DESTINESIA: noun; when you get where you were intending to go but forget why you were going there in the first place (see destiny and amnesia).
• NONVERSATION: noun; a completely worthless conversation (see non- and conversation).
• FLOORDROBE: noun; leaving your clothes on the floor instead of putting them away in a closet or dresser (see floor and wardrobe).

Question 6

I think I'm pretty good at picking up and using new words and phrases. I don't know how I do it exactly, I just do it. Perhaps it's because I genuinely enjoy the English language and how versatile it can be. The trouble with using new terms is when you are apparently the only one in your group who has heard of them. If the terms are easy enough to understand, there's no problem; if using the new word or phrase requires an additional explanation, then it's just not worth it, no matter how fun or clever it may seem.

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
modern usage	現代の使用法
a catchy song	キャッチーな歌
misfortune	不幸
to be honest	正直に言うと
elsewhere	他の場所
learning curve	学習曲線
internalise	内面化する
fallout	フォールアウト; 結果
grind one's teeth	歯を磨く
I really dig	とても楽しんでいます
versatile	多用途