It's raining HAIL!

Amazing how yesterday's hail decided to fall at 6:00 on the dot, don't you think? Just as all of us were leaving work.

What size hail did you see?

I read that some of it was up to golf ball-size.

What other objects do we use to compare hail to? I found:

pea
marble
grape
dime
nickel
quarter
(golf)
baseball
football (That's some big hail).

Frog vs. Toad

2 phrases in English:

frog in your throat - a feeling of hoarseness or a lump in one's throat - I feel like I'm getting a frog in my throat when I have to speak in public.

ugly as a toad (no explanation needed) and it is not a phrase that plays by the rules of "If you can't say something nice, say nothing at all."

Image credit given to http://its.susd.org/k6/1st/the_life_of_frogs.htm where you can find more info on frogs and toads if you're interested!

Gas Fitter

So, I learned a word today. In English. Since the first time I ever dealt with gas heaters or appliances was when I moved to Buenos Aires, I had never thought about the word gasista in English. Today when I wrote an email telling work that I would be a little late because I was waiting for the ________ (gasista), I had to look up the translation. (Otherwise I would have just said "gas man.") And here it is:

gas fitter

If you ever need a gas fitter who fixes ovens or stoves, I have one to recommend! (That's not him in the picture, by the way. That guy lives in Australia.)

Link to an article if you want to read more about gas fitters in Britain

Paperwork and Errands and Trámites, oh my!

We all know that trámite is a word used LOTS here in Argentina. Countless times I have gotten the question, "How do you say trámite?"

Trámite has many translations including procedure, step, stage, formality, etc. But the way we hear it used most is, "Tengo que hacer algunos trámites."

The translation in this case is not literal. There are several sentences that work:

I have some business to take care of.

I have some matters to attend to.

I have some errands to run.

Choose any of the above and your trámite will make sense in English!