What's the latest English word you learned thanks to WK

WaniKani
#283

Anticipation is the feeling of excitement when waiting for something you expect to happen in the (near) future.

“Fans of the franchise looked forward to the release of the next installment with eager anticipation.”

“To anticipate” is to expect something to happen (among other things), and anticipation indicates experiencing that wait with a feeling of excitement, expectation, or sort of eagerness. You might say somewhat ironically “we waited in anticipation for the train to arrive, only for it to be cancelled”, and you could describe things like “the courtroom was filled with anticipation”, like everybody is eagerly waiting to see what will happen.

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#284

People tend not to use “by means of” in usual conversation, usually abbreviating it to “by” or “with” or “using”.

So, sentences like “I went into town by bus” actually mean “I went into town by means of a bus”, but since “by means of” is unweldy to say, we just say “by”. “We crossed the stream by means of a log” becomes “We crossed the stream using a log” or “over a log”.

Your first sentence is ok, though “I walk using a cane” flows better. Your second and third sentences appear to have the words out of order, though.

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#285

@Radish8 @Belthazar Thank you very much for your help! :bowing_man:‍♂️

My second sentence, I basically wanted to say: I climbed a tree by a magical leaf.

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#286

Thank you very much for the explanation!

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#287

Okay yep, that would just be “I climbed a tree by means of a magical leaf”. But @belthazar is correct that this phrasing tends to sound a little stiff and formal in natural speech. You’d be more likely to see something like this in writing, especially in things which are trying to sound a little fancy.

@Rinchannn no problem! Does that make sense? It was a little difficult to explain, because I just wanted to use the word ‘anticipation’ to define it :joy:

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#288

I totally understood it!

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#289

For “anticipation” I always think of Tim Curry and Sweet Transvestite, for some reason

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#290

I somehow remember plutocrats because I think those guys are so rich they get some Greek legend association. If it ever fails, zaibatsu will do :joy::sweat_smile::joy:

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#291

Not from WaniKani, but today I learned 三段論法 (さんだんろんぽう) which means syllogism, which I had never heard before. For those who have also never heard the word, syllogism is a three pointed argument like “If X, and Y, then Z”. Pretty weird feeling to learn English while studying Japanese

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#292

“Vermillion” from 朱, which apparently means “a brilliant red color”. It’s also “a brilliant red pigment made from mercury sulfide (cinnabar)”. Isn’t cinnabar poisonous?

Anyway, I decided that there was no value in learning this English word so I just added “red” as a synonym.

#293

Yep. It’s supposedly “the single most toxic mineral to handle on Earth”… though if that’s true, it’s probably because most other minerals aren’t quite as concentrated in their unrefined form.

I know a few people who wear jewelry made from cinnabar. Fortunately, they’re aware that it’s poisonous, so they have backing on it that separates it from their skin.

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#294

I didnt pay attention to it while watching but now I am never gonna forget it thanks!:joy:

#295

Torii gates are usually vermillion. I confess I’ve got no idea if that means they’re all painted with cinnabar, though.

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#296

You have died of dysentery.

#297

Oh… I thought they were Pokémon cities/places =p

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#298

03%20am

this has a different meaning in Australian and British English…
hole in the wall means an ATM (but this is referring to a small food place)
which i just looked up is the american meaning…

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#299

Meanwhile I’m still stuck at the literal meaning :sweat_smile:

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#300

I can’t say I’ve ever used “hole in the wall” to mean an ATM, but at the same time, the meaning I’m used to doesn’t seem to be quite the same as the one WaniKani expresses. My mental picture is that of a tiny cafe which is little more than a hole in the wall (though that might be influenced by the fact that it’s the name of one such cafe that I pass on the bus occasionally - I don’t really use the phrase on a regular basis).

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#301

Hm.
I think it might be a bit worse than a small food place.
A hole in the wall would probably be a restaurant or a bar/pub that is really, really run down. The sort of run down where the establishment lacks airconditioners/heaters, and has really drafty walls. You’d usually visit it at night, too. They’re known for being cheap.
You’d see them in Hell’s Kitchen, and probably in Times Square (the land of tourist traps).
(Apologies if those examples are a bit inaccurate. I just looked up “most dangerous neighborhoods in NYC” and went with it. That, and it’s practically common knowledge that Times Square is not as grand and perfect as it is often portrayed to be.)

The meaning might have changed since I first heard of it, though. I see it used to refer to normal, small restaurants relatively frequently, now.

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#302

To me, a hole in the wall is just an obscure shop/restaurant. It could be obscure because it’s run down, but it could also just be really small and hard to find.

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