A Piece of Cake
- Mr. Brown :
-
Today,/we have a quiz.
Question 1.
Please tell me/when “a piece of cake” is used.
- Kai :
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Hmm …/for example,/“I had a piece of cake for my birthday.”
- Mr. Brown :
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That’s good,/but I want another meaning.
- Kai :
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Sorry,/I don’t have a clue.
- Mr. Brown :
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It means “really easy.”
- Moe :
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Ah!
In Japanese,/we say asameshimae.
“It’s a job before breakfast.”
- Mr. Brown :
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Why do you say “before breakfast”?
- Moe :
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Because we don’t need energy/to do the job.
- Mr. Brown :
-
Next question.
I wonder/if you know the phrase “pie in the sky.”
- Moe :
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No.
Please give us an example.
- Mr. Brown :
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Certainly.
If I say I want to build a time machine,/it’s “pie in the sky.”
- Kai :
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Do you mean/your plan is really difficult?
- Mr. Brown :
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That’s right!
- Moe :
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It sounds like “a rice cake in a painting”/in Japanese.
- Kai :
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You can’t eat it.
- Mr. Brown :
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There’s probably no chance?
I see.
- Mr. Brown :
-
Last question.
What does “fight like cats and dogs” mean?
- Moe :
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Please tell me/when to use it.
- Kai :
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Wait!
You mean/they don’t get along.
- Mr. Brown :
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Correct!
- Kai :
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We say/“dogs and monkeys dislike each other.”
- Mr. Brown :
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That’s weird.
Why?
- Kai :
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I’m not sure.
But there are some stories/about their problems.
- Moe :
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The animals are different,/but the meaning is the same.
- Mr. Brown :
- That makes sense.