Cookies

Congratulations to Japan on their most successful winter Olympics yet. They really were;  Stronger, Faster, Higher.

Today’s topic is White Day / Cookies.

 

From Wikipedia:

White Day is a day that is marked in Japan, South Korea, Vietnam,Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China on March 14, one month after Valentine’s Day.

White Day was first celebrated in 1978 in Japan. It was started by the National Confectionery Industry Association as an “answer day” to Valentine’s Day on the grounds that men should pay back the women who gave them chocolate and other gifts on Valentine’s Day. In 1977, a Fukuoka-based confectionery company, Ishimura manseido, marketed marshmallows to men on March 14, calling it Marshmallow Day (マシュマロデー, Mashumaro Dē).

Soon thereafter, confectionery companies began marketing white chocolate. Now, men give both white and dark chocolate, as well as other edible and non-edible gifts, such as jewelry or objects of sentimental value, or white clothing like lingerie, to women from whom they received chocolate on Valentine’s Day one month earlier. Flowers and other gifts are also given on this day. Eventually, this practice spread to the neighboring East Asian countries of South Korea, China, Taiwan and Vietnam. In those cultures, White Day is for the most part observed in a similar manner.

Here are some cookie idioms:

    1. The Student was caught with his hand in the cookie jar during the test. 　やっている最中に捕まった。
    2. During this tax season, I’m sure glad I married a smart cookie! I could never do this myself! (or sharp cookie)　　頭が良いやつ。
    3. I’m really upset about losing so many school classes this year, but I guess that’s just how the cookie crumbles.　　それが人生だ。　　または、仕方がない。
    4. I want a unique house, not one of those cookie cutters they’re building.　　型通り。
    5. I was afraid my son was going to toss his cookies after we got off Big Thunder Mountain.　　　　おう吐する。
    6. That Nana Takagi is one tough cookie. She never gave up!　強いやつ。
    7. So you finished your homework in time. What do you want, a cookie?　　クッキーでも欲しい？　（皮肉っぽく、　当たり前のことをやっただけだけど）
    8. If you give a mouse a cookie . . .　　エスカレートする、　または、終わりが予測できない。

 

See if you can figure our the meanings of these idioms.  I’ll come back with the answers next Monday.  Good luck!