Questions from Itasan

[Itasan]

"My computer died on me yesterday."
I think "My computer died yesterday" says the same thing.
That 'on me' expresses the feeling of my regret?
Are there similar English expressions with 'on me' used?

Thank you.

[Amy_H]

Hi Itasan

Yes, the meanings are basically the same. I'd consider "My computer died on me yesterday." to be a bit more informal or personal.

I think the "on me" adds a feeling that the dead computer is inconvenient for me and/or it's frustrating.

Adding this sort of "on me" would happen in a sentence about a negative or undesirable occurrence. Here is an example with "on us":

"The band we had hired for the wedding reception canceled on us at the last minute."

Amy

[Itasan]

Thank you very much, Amy, for the
very kind answer with the nice example.
I wonder what is a more bookish expression.
"My computer was broken"?
Thank you.

[tigertiger]

Thank you very much, Amy, for the
very kind answer with the nice example.
I wonder what is a more bookish expression.
"My computer was broken"?
Thank you.

My computer broke down.

[Itasan]

I think this is one of the typical Japlish.
As I see it, it is a bar or pub, with karaoke facilities in most cases.
In most cases, there are no professional entertainers. The guests
sing to karaoke, mostly one person at a time.
It's a little different from American bars or British pubs, don't you think?
Anyway, we just call that a 'snack'.
I would appreciate any comments about that.

Thank you.

[sbourque]

In American English, a "snack" refers to something you eat, usually light such as a bag of potato chips, a candy bar, yogurt, fruit, possibly a sandwich.

We do have "karaoke bars", however. Usually a bar will just advertise "Karaoke on Wednesdays" or something.

[Itasan]

Thank you very much, sbourque.

[tigertiger]

In American English, a "snack" refers to something you eat, usually light such as a bag of potato chips, a candy bar, yogurt, fruit, possibly a sandwich.

We do have "karaoke bars", however.

New Nestle Karaoke Bars, now in three flavours, chocolate, vanilla, and peanut.

No. Only kidding

[tigertiger]

"My computer died on me yesterday."

Are there similar English expressions with 'on me' used?

I have heard 'My computer went down on me' from a native speaker, which caused a chuckle.

[Itasan]

"someone whose job is to make certain that people
do not leave their cars in illegal places" (CALD)
I think the commonest term for this is 'traffic warden',
but I see 'parking warden' also. Do they mean the
same thing?
Also, I wonder if those are both British terms. If so,
what is the American equivalent?

Thank you.

[tigertiger]

"someone whose job is to make certain that people
do not leave their cars in illegal places" (CALD)
I think the commonest term for this is 'traffic warden',
but I see 'parking warden' also. Do they mean the
same thing?
Also, I wonder if those are both British terms. If so,
what is the American equivalent?

Thank you.

UK Traffic Warden is an official post. They are employed by local governement. They are trained and managed by the police. They enforce some traffic laws, especially parking laws. They may assist police with traffic management.

There are also local government managed parking bays, these are patroled by other employees of the local government. This came about as a result of the decriminalisation of parking offences. They have the power to give tickets and tow away illegally parked vehicles. However they cannot manage traffic.

Three are also private parking management firms that clamp peoples cars if parked in spaces that they manage. aka 'clampers'.
These are often cowboy outfits. They often break the law, which is why there were many calls to regulate the industry a few years ago. I do not know if this has happened.

[Itasan]

If something doesn't go well, especially because of
some problem in the initial procedure, we say something
like 'It was an error in button fastening'. I think we say
that because if the button was not fastened at an appropriate
place, the clothing will never work properly thereafter.
I wonder if there is any such figurative expression in English.

Thank you.

[Itasan]

Is this sentence correct?
"The final death toll was exceeded 180."
Thank you.

[Itasan]

I see this kind of expression here and there:
"I am constantly scouring the classies, garage sales, web sites, and music stores for deals and steals --"
Does 'deals and steals' mean 'a good buy' or something like that?

Thank you.

[sbourque]

was over 180=exceeded 180
thus, only one of these expressions is used.

"deals and steals" does mean "good buys".

And in the U.S. we have "meter maids", who check to make sure your parking meter has not expired, and write you a ticket if it has. I've never heard of, or seen, a "meter man".