J-WOTD: 侮れない

あなどれない (anadorenai)

* “J-WOTD” = “Japanese Word of the Day”

“look tough” “(be) a force to be reckoned with”
手ごわい[侮れない]ライバル
rival to be reckoned with
無視できないもの、侮れないもの
something to be reckoned with

Usage: An friend of mine in an old company, said this about a manager that was trying to make us work hard on the very last day of our assignment on a certain project.. I guess it meant, “She (the boss) is just trying to look tough..

J-WOTD: おちょくる

おちょくる (ochokuru)

* “J-WOTD” = “Japanese Word of the Day”

“make fun of” “wind up” “take the piss out of” etc..
~をおちょくる
make fun of.., make a mock of..
~をおちょくる余裕がある
see the funny side of
「日本人をおちょくってんの?」
“Are you taking the piss out of Japanese people!?”

J-WOTD: 杞憂

きゆう (kiyuu)

* “J-WOTD” = “Japanese Word of the Day”

“alarmism” “groundless apprehensions” “groundless fear” “needless fear”
悩むほどのことではありませんよ。/それは杞憂だ。
You’re worrying over nothing.
「健康診断はどうだったの」「心配は杞憂に終わったよ」
“How was the checkup?” “My fears turned out to be groundless.”
その不安は杞憂に終わった
That concern proved unfounded.
杞憂に終わりました。。
I was worried about nothing..

J-WOTD: 憤慨

ふんがい (fungai)

* “J-WOTD” = “Japanese Word of the Day”

“embitterment”, “fury”, “resent”
憤慨する
Be outraged, be annoyed with, burn with resentment, get indignant
(だれかの)過ちに憤慨する
Be upset at (someone’s) mistake
スタッフは新しい給与体系に憤慨していた
The staff were up in arms about the new pay structure.

J-WOTD: 案の定

あんのじょう (annojyou)

* “J-WOTD” = “Japanese Word of the Day”

“As anticipated”, “as expected”, “sure enough”, “to noone’s surprise” etc etc..
案の定の結果
foregone conclusion
Example sentence: ご婦人がHDDを買いに来た。店を出る直前、手が滑って「スコーン!」とHDDが床へ落下。しかしHDDの弱さを知らないご婦人は、何事もなかったように拾って帰路へ。案の定、数日後に「動かない」と来店。

WaiWai: Marriages in the mire as housewives frolic further afield

This article is reproduced from the discontinued, but much loved Mainichi Waiwai column by Ryann Connell. Read more about this at the bottom of this article.

A 34-year-old Tokyo housewife started her fling a couple of years ago, according to Shukan Post (5/5-12). “My husband works for a foreign company, so he makes a bit more money than most. But he’s always so busy, it’s been ages since we’ve had a romp,” the woman, identified only as Mrs. A, tells Shukan Post. “I started going out at night more. Recently, a friend of ours invited me out to a disco, which is back in fashion again now. While there, I wait for somebody to come along and put the hard word on me. We’ll go for a date a few nights later, but invariably end up heading off to a hotel. Feeling guilty about my husband while having sex with somebody else just makes it all the more thrilling.”

Continue reading WaiWai: Marriages in the mire as housewives frolic further afield

E-WOTD: Vernacular

“The language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region”
“The terminology used by people belonging to a specified group or engaging in a specialized activity” : gardening vernacular
Difference between “Vernacular” and “Dialect”:
When a New York City cab driver calls out the window, “Hey, wassa madda wichoo?” he is using the vernacular, which is the authentic, natural pattern of speech among those belonging to a certain community.In some areas of London, on the other hand, one might hear the Cockney dialect, which is a form or variety of a language that is confined to a specific group or locality; it has its own pronunciation, usage, and vocabulary, and may persist for generations or even centuries (: he spoke in the dialect of the Appalachian backwoodsman).

A fresh look at Japan, by gaijins for gaijins!