APRIL FOOLS' DAY 2026 - THE MOST ENTERTAINING PRANKS

Hiya, again!

Long time not see! I haven't written for a long time because I really had a lot on my plate, but from now on I'll try to resume my writing habits so that my English won't become rusty.

Anyway, today's entry is just a warm-up. Yesterday it was April Fools' Day, and in this entry I will just make a compilation of the most hilarious pranks of the day. 

Before starting, you can consider revisiting my old entries on April Fools' Day: an entry with expressions and phrases related to April Fools' Day and the compilation of the best April Fools' Day pranks 2017.

Here you have the most hilarious pranks of April Fools' 2026!

1. Josh, a new AI powered by your mind control

Can you imagine an AI that can actually read your thoughts and execute your commands? This may well be invented in the near future, but in April 2026, it's just an innocent prank! I hope you haven't bought it!

2. Traceable socks: You'll never lose your socks again thanks to these socks that incorporate Apple Find-Me compatible trackers

From: https://www.theverge.com/tech/905216/april-fools-2026-satechi-trackable-findall-socks-apple-find-my

3. Are you addicted to doomscrolling? Don't worry! Yahoo has devised the perfect scroll stopper!

From: https://www.cnet.com/tech/april-fools-day-2026-the-internets-sneakiest-pranks-are-coming/

4. Prevent your cat from messing around while you are online thanks to MEG Cat Holder X87: If you puss-friend is always around while you're working on your computer, this is the perfect solution!

From: https://x.com/msiUSA/status/2039326924997341504?s=20

5. Smart AI powered grilling eyeglasses: Thanks to these glasses you can not only learn to cook, but they will tell them whether your steak is well cooked or not, for example. Can you imagine?

From: https://www.cnet.com/tech/april-fools-day-2026-the-internets-sneakiest-pranks-are-coming/

Did you enjoy these pranks? Did you find them hilarious? I hope so and I hope you have enjoyed your April Fools' Day.

See you around

GROUNDHOG DAY

 Hiya!

Now that the wintry weather is making us freeze, I'm bringing you an interesting and cultural entry...related to Groundhog Day. You'll have to excuse me, because I wanted to write this entry before, but I had no time...

First of all, I might need to explain what a groundhog is. A groundhog or a woodchuck is a rodent similar to a squirrel, which hibernates and lives in a burrow. Actions speak louder than words, so I'll post an image. 

From: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Groundhog_Female_Standing.jpg

Well, in some parts of North America and Canada, they have a weird tradition involving this cute animal. The most famous celebrations take place in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where thousands of attendees witness the event...

On February, 2nd, in Punxsutawney and other parts, a groundhog typically named Phil, is taken out of its burrow with the ardous task of predicting how long the winter will last. Wow! Too much responsibility on one small animal. If the groudnhog sees its shadow, it will go back to its burrow and that will mean there are (apparently) six more weeks of winter ahead Americans. If groundhog Phil doesn't see his shadow, it means winter is probably over and the spring season will start in no time! But how does the groundhog communicate its prediction? Well, it has to speak its language (groundhogese) to the president of the inner circle and, based on that, the vicepresident will take the scroll with the prediction and will read it aloud.

Well, sounds crazy but the whole ritual is worth seeing: people shouting Phil's name in unison; spectators thrilled about its "predictions..." 

It goes without saying that from a scientific point of view, this ritual has no value. In fact, poor Phil has only been right 34% times. 

Again, actions speak louder than words, so, here you have the video of Graoundhog Day 2023:

On this video, you have a full explanation of Graoundhog Day, including its origin:

Last but not least, here you have the trailer to the film: Groundhog Day, which made this tradition popular. In it, the protagonist is trapped in Groundhog Day and lives it again and again and again. 

Well, I really hope you liked this entry. 

See you around.

National Hamburger Day

Hello folks,

Today is a really special day, or so they think in the US. As you might be aware, celebrating something every day has become a preposterous tradition: Mother's Day, Father's Day, Black Friday, and the list just goes on and on. This tradition has culminated by having a National Hamburger Day, which happens to be today. Well, as you know hamburgers have become quintessential in American cuisine. No matter where you go, you'll always find a place nearby where you can grab this mouth-watering, yet unhealthy meal. But what is the story behind this well-known meal? 

Well, as you know, burger is a clipping from hamburger. Its origin is unclear given that all the countries want to take credit for this yummy invention, but, apparently, hamburgers are the result of immigration. Some German immigrants introduced it in the United States (in its origin called Hamburg steak, named after the city of Hamburg). How did the Americans contribute to the invention? Well, a cook would have come up with the idea of serving patties (the minced meat of burgers compacter together as seen in the photo) between to buns of bread in a fair in 1904 and from that day on, they started selling like hot cakes ! How clever! 

Now that you know about the origin, let's learn some figures about hamburgers:

- It is estimated that McDonalds sells a 75 burgers each second! Wow! 

- 60% of the sandwiches in the world are actually burgers

- Americans eat an average of 50 billion of burgers per year.

- Today there are countless types of burgers including veggie burgers. Most of them have a name (and tons of fat).

Well, in order to know more about hamburgers and National Hamburger Day, here you have two very interesting videos. See you around.

Easter glossary: get to know some terms related to Easter in English

Now that Easter is practically history until next year... I thought it would be a pretty good idea to devote an entry to Easter vocabulary, that is, words and expressions that one can use to refer to some Easter moments and traditions. Before reading this post, you may as well want to revisit my post about Easter traditions, my post on Easter videos to practise your listening, or my post on Maundy Thursday. Well, have you caught up with some knowledge on Easter? Now it's time you learnt (or rather revised) some of the Easter vocab and expressions. Let's begin:

Important dates associated to Easter

- Lent: It is a six-week period starting on Ash Wednesday (just right after Carnival) and finishing on Maundy Thursday. During this time, Christians are supposed not to eat meat on Fridays and also to fast. During this period, there are no weddings, baptisms or other religious sacraments.

- Holy Week vs. Easter: Holy Week is the week starting on Palm Sunday and finishing on Holy Saturday, not including Easter Sunday. Easter, on the other hand, Easter, as such, begins on Easter Sunday with the resurrection of Jesus Christ and finishes on Pentecostes Sunday. 

- Palm Sunday: This happens just one week after Easter Sunday, that is, before Jesus Christ resurrection. People go on procession carrying palm branches to commemorate Jesus Christ's arrival in Jesuralem. 

- Maundy Thursday: This important day pays tribute to the Last Supper. In addition, on this day, Jesus Christ himself washed the feet of his disciples to prove himself humble. In the past, monarchs would do the same with beggars to commemorate this, but now this long-standing tradition has deeply changed and in the UK, the queen of England gives Maundy money to different men and women. 

- Good Friday: This day is a reminder of Jesus Christ's crucifixion and death.

- Holy Saturday: This is the day after Good Friday and it is considered the last day of Holy Week. 

- Easter Sunday: On this day, Jesus Christ resurrected. The last procession takes place on this day. It is officially the first day of Easter. On this day, gardens and houses are decorated with Easter eggs and there are Easter egg hunts in different parts of the globe. 

Holy Week and Easter traditions

- Easter eggs: At Easter, people buy and exchange Easter eggs. There are two types of eggs: chocolate eggs (very typical nowadays), or hard-boiled eggs used to decorate houses or play different games, such as egg tapping (breaking other people's egg by tapping them with your own egg without breaking it), Easter egg hunt (finding Eggs around the garden) and Easter egg roll (a race where people have to push their eggs with a spoon).

- Easter bunny: It is a figure bringing the Easter eggs.

- Simnel cake: A fruitcake typical at Easter. 

- Morris dance: A typically English dance to scare spirits away.

- Processions and religious pilgrimages: They are some kind of "religious parades" to commemorate different events related to Jesus Christ. 

Well, technically the Holy Week is over and Easter begins. If you are lucky and are on holiday, enjoy it!

Blue Monday

Hello folks,

Has your return to work after the Christmas holidays been smooth for all of you? I hope so, because now there's a dark day ahead of us, no other than Blue Monday. 

Why the name and what does it mean? Well, as you know form my two entries on colour idioms I, and II, blue is a colour link to sadness and depression. In fact, one of the definitions of blue in the dictionary (other than the obvious definition of colour), is "sad or depressed in spirits". It's very common to hear the sentence "I feel blue today." This connotation has even appeared in songs :

Blue colour is also associated to a certain sense of surprise, hence expressions such as 'once in a blue moon' (very rarely) or 'out of the blue' (all of a sudden).

Now that the meaning of blue is clear, let's analyze its homonym well-known day. Tomorrow is Blue Monday. According to some Dr. Arnall, Blue Monday, which usually takes place on the third Monday of January, is, officially, the most miserable day of the year.  He developed a formula to calculate the bluest day of the year (why on earth would a person do that?) and he included some variables such as weather, the end of the Christmas season, motivational levels and, of course, debt and money, among others. Even New Year's resolutions are considered in his  formula. Here you have his piece of research :

So, what about you? Do you agree with his formula? Do you feel miserable this January? Although it makes much sense to place the bluest day of the year in January, after the indulgences and expenses of the Christmas season and the advent of winter and its dull frosty weather, there are always reasons why one must be happy and  optimistic and January is also time to embark on brand-new projects.

To conclude this post, I'm going to share with you the song "Blue Monday" by New Order. I think is catchy and its rhythm invariably reminds me of this depressing day. Don't be too miserable tomorrow! I'm sure January will soon go by!

Meet... the US currency !

Are you one of the luckiest people with 5 days off this week ? In any case, I'm spending one of these days to write another post about money. As you know, some weeks ago, I wrote an entry on money vocab and another one related to the song : The Price Tag by Jessie J. Today I'm writing an entry about the US currency. I chose to write an entry about this given that US currency is quite interesting and there are many words to refer to the different US coins or notes. Do you know them all ? Let's see : 

As you know, the US currency is the dollar and as usual US dollars are divided into coins and banknotes. Let's start by analyzing coins :

1. Penny : A penny is worth one cent and it is the smallest dollar unit. You can't practically buy anything with a cent. 

2. Nickel : A nickel is the five-cent coin. It receives this name because it is made of nickel (only 25%).

3. Dime : A dime is the American ten-cent coin. It is the smallest coin in diametre. It is called dime because it refers to the tenth part of a dollar. 

4. Quarter : A quarter is a coin worth 25 cents, that is a quarter of a dollar.

5. Half dollar : A half dollar has a value of 50 cents.

6. Dollar coin : It is quite a strange coin, given that one-dollar currency is represented by means of a banknote and not a coin. It is a special coin for me, one that I cherish and treasure, as it's become a souvenir from my honeymoon to New York and a reminder of the happy moments I lived there !

Now, let's continue by showing US banknotes. There are seven notes in total, worth 1 dollar, 2 dollars, 5 dollars, 10 dollars, 20 dollars, 50 dollars and 100 dollars. Unlike in Spain, there are no 200-dollar or 500-dollar banknotes. 

Other quirks related to US currency and money

• Bucks : The word 'buck' ('bucks' in plural) is a synonym for dollar in informal English and is used a lot by American citizens. In the UK, however, they have pounds and in informal English they use the word 'quid' instead.

• How do you write and pronounce amounts of money ? Well, to write an amount in English, firstly, you have to write the symbol of the currency, then the total amount. However, if there are cents (or pence) involved, you must write them with a period (not a comma). To pronounce the price correctly you must follow three steps : 1) Firstly, you pronounce the number of dollars (or pounds, euros or other currency). 2) Secondly, you say name of the currency (it is not necessary if you are in the country where the currency is used); 3) Finally you pronounce the amount of cents / pence without saying the words 'cents' or 'pence'.

          $ 17.99 = seventeen (dollars) ninety-nine

• Other quirks about amounts of money : For normal people, big amounts of money are difficult to read and pronounce. So, in informal English, they read big amounts of money like dates, that is, in twos : 

         $1250 = twelve fifty dollars

   

         Besides, they use the word 'grand' instead of thousand.

        $20,000 = twenty grand

• US mottos : In the coins and banknotes of the US you can read some of the country's mottos.  E Pluribus Unum (out of many one) and In God We Trust, the former (out of many, one) indicating that out of thirteen colonies emerged a new nation, and the latter somehow illustrates the importance of religion for the Americans. 

Money in America could be quite interesting, don't you think? See you next week and remember that you can always post your comments, they'll be really appreciated!

Thanksgiving must-watch videos to practise your listening

Hello there ! Are you here listening to my blog or, rather, are you shopping for bargains on this Black Friday ? Over the last two years, I wrote two posts about Thanksgiving : one about Thanksgiving traditions and another one with Thanksgiving material for you to improve your English.  Today I'm bringing you two hilarious videos related to Thanksgiving that will put your listening comprehension to a test. Each video has different questions that you need to answer and, as usual, you can see the answers under the questions. Are you ready? Here you have the first one. It's the history of Thanksgiving told and dramatised by some innocent children. A must-watch video !

1. How does the first boy describe the pilgrims ?
2. According to the girl, why did the pilgrims go to America ?
3. How did they get to America ? What's the name of the transport they used ?
4. According to the children, how long did they take to cross the ocean ? (3 answers)
5. They were really cold, what did the forget to bring to America ?
6. How do you say corn in American English ?
7. What did the Indians teach the pilgrims ? And according to the children ?
8. What does the the chief of the Indians say ?
9. What did they have in the banquet? 

Here you have the second video. This one is related about the quirks of Thanksgiving.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9NDuxL4WA4

Listen to the video and choose the right answer a), b) c)

1. The First Thanksgiving feast :
a) lasted one day
b) included eating and other activities
c) celebrated the Indian's first successful harvest

2. In the first Thanksgiving menu : 
a) didn't include cranberries
b) included turkey
c) included deer provided by the Indians

3. Thanksgiving :
a) was celebrated every year until 1789
b) wasn't celebrated in subsequent years
c) immediately became a national holiday

4. Some traditional Thanksgiving dishes such as stuffing are due to :
a) a writer's idea
b) an idea established in a diary of a pilgrim
c) to historical reasons : Pilgrims would often cook those dishes

5. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday :
a) because Franklin Delano Roosevelt did so in 1939
b) as was established by Abraham Lincoln 
c) as a result of different protests

6. One of the quirkiest traditions is :
a) turkey pardoning
b) turkey slaughtering
c) saving turkey farms

Answers to the first video :
1) "The pilgrims was a bunch of people that wore belt buckets on their heads."
2) They came to America because they wanted to go to a church, but the king of England wouldn't let them. 
3) They got to America onboard a ship called the Mayflower. 
4) 8 days / 4 months / 100 days.
5) They forgot to bring blankets.
6) Maize
7) They taught them how to grow crops, how to hunt and how to dance. According to the children they also taught them how to grow stuff like flowers, how to learn race bicycles and how to shop. 
8) he says :" I bet there won't be problems between the Englishmen and the native American ever again."
9) They had turkey, fruit and vegetables, deer and pumpkin pie. 

Answers to the second video : 
1b; 2c; 3b; 4a; 5c; 6a

To finish this post and to connect to the second video, here you have a video of president Trump pardoning first first turkey. Don't miss it !

Wedding traditions II : best men and maids of honour

My body is approaching and in approximately two weeks I'll be down the aisle with my lovely bride. Some time ago I wrote a post about some parties before a wedding. This time I would like to talk about two important figures in English weddings, no other than the best men and the maids of honour. 
Let's begin with the best man. The best man is not a godparent but its role is far more important. Before the wedding the groom must select the best man among his best friends and the best man is in charge of organising the stag party with the other groom's friends.The best man has other more important duties. During the ceremony, he must stand just behind the groom, he must keep the rings in custody until the exact time, he must be one of the legal witnesses of the ceremony and sign as such and, especially, prepare and read a speech during the celebration. 

From : https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f1/93/5e/f1935ec365c7fd53dd5d3a51c3aec49c--bridal-party-proposal-ask-bridesmaids-bridal-party-ideas-asking.jpg

From : https://i.pinimg.com/736x/b9/47/fd/b947fdf8340dae0383c5c40063162a76--superheroes-one-day.jpg

Now let's speak about  the maid of honour. The maid of honour is chosen among the bride's friends (or bridemaids) and she is the best bride's friends. There can be more than one maid of honour but there must be the same number of maid of honours and best men. The maid of maids of honour must assist the bride and help her prepare the wedding and the pre-wedding parties (including the hens party). Among the bridesmaids, there is often a junior bridesmaid under 18. The maid of honour must act as a legal witness of the ceremony and must keep the wedding rings until the last moment. 

From : http://www.weddingomania.com/the-maid-of-honor-wearing-a-different-dress-34-cool-ideas/

From : https://www.zazzle.co.uk/glitter_hold_my_dress_while_i_pee_maid_of_honour_card-256165874494833860

Well, I find these figures of best man and maid of honour totally surprising and it's a pity they are not a tradition in Spain. Anyway, I'll soon be writing a final entry on wedding vocabulary. 
See you around.

Wedding traditions I : hens parties, stag parties and some other parties before the wedding.

September is here and want it or not it's time to go back to work, unfortunately, he he. Most of you will know that I'm getting married in October, and two weeks ago my friends organized me and my wife-to-be a really special party to somehow celebrate our last days as bachelor and bachelorette. It was a great weekend. We were made to dress as Hawaiians, but also as Leprechaun and Queen's guard (have a look).

Our friends wore green hats and bobby helmets. We did a bunch of activities including gymkhanas and paddle surfing. Anyway, to honour that weekend and our beloved friends, I think it is a pretty good idea to write a post about the parties organized for the bride and the groom prior to their wedding. Are you ready ?

In English these parties receive different names depending on the sex. :

1. Engagement party : It is a party organized and thrown by the bride's parents or by the future spouses themselves to celebrate their engagement and get the future guests of the wedding to know each other. Typically celebrated two or three months after the proposal, it involves careful organization and tons of money, of course. During this party it is customary to toast the well-being and prosperity of the future spouses. 

http://www.weddingpartyapp.com/blog/2014/07/28/7-steps-throw-engagement-party/

2. Bridal shower : This is a typical tradition in the US among other countries. Some weeks before the wedding, the bride's friends (normally females) are invited to an informal party at the bride's house, where all the guests are expected to hand their small gifts to the bride. This party is usually organized by one of the maid of honour or a close friend of the bride's. Similar to the baby shower, it is a party to celebrate the future wedding and hand in some gifts. 

From : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridal_shower

3. Stag party / stag night / bachelor's party : A party organized for the bridegroom (husband-to-be) is  This tradition receives many other names, such as stag night, stag weekend or buck's night. The male friends of the boyfriend attend a party shortly after his wedding (it usually lasts for a weekend). This party is usually organized by the bestman, usually the husband-to-be's best friend, and much like in Spain, the party includes binge alcohol, dressing up, dinners and shows, a bunch of different activities and why not some strippers. In short, the last night of freedom for the future husband. 

From : https://stagpartyljubljana.com/

4. Hens' night / hens party / bachelorette party : This is the counterpart for females. Where the English-speakers think of a hen, they do not only think of the animal, but they also think of chatty, gossipy women.  It normally includes a big dinner where the girls toast for the bride future happiness, but of course there are many other variants including strippers and naked butlers (in the UK). 

From : https://www.butlersinthebuff.com/uk/locations/east-anglia/

5. Hag party / Sten night: Hag is a blend word of the words : hen + stag. 'Sten' is the blend of stag + hen. A hag party is a modern variation of both the stag parties and hens' night, it is a joint celebration where both the bride and the bridegroom and their friends are present. This is the kind of party that my friends organized ! Since we're in the twenty-first century where there should be equality of sexes, what a better idea than to host a party for both the bride and bridegroom ? A hag party includes the same activities found in a stag party of hens' night but with males and females present. 

From : http://www.henit.ie/blog/fun-party-games-for-your-sten-night-or-hag-do

6. Bridesmaid luncheon : It is a pre-wedding ceremony hosted by the bride where she somehow thanks her future guests (normally females) for supporting her during the process of wedding planning. This party involves a girl's reunion and having some meal at a local restaurant or at the bride's home. 

From : http://www.mywedding.com/wedding-ideas/showers-parties/how-to-host-a-bridesmaid-luncheon/

Well, it seems that in the English-speaking countries like to fully enjoy themselves before the wedding ceremony, he he. If you are interested in learning more about weddings, fear not ! I'll be writing about wedding vocabulary and traditions sooner than you can imagine ! 

All about the US III : places to visit

Last Tuesday was the most important day for the US, July, 4th, aka Independence Day. Last year I wrote an interesting post about this day. This post was accompanied by the emblems of the US. Right now I will continue to honour the US (country which I'll soon visit during my honeymoon) and to do so  I have prepared an entry about the US most famous places and monuments. 

1. LINCOLN MEMORIAL

Henry Bacon build this impressive statue to honour one the brightest presidents in the US history, Abraham Lincoln who fought hard against slavery. Located in Washington, this regal statue is visited by millions of tourists every year. 

2. CENTRAL PARK

New York is perhaps a busy, polluted city. However, in spite of that, it has an enormous park filled with green areas and trees. Considered the heart and lungs of New York city, it is considered one on New York's landmarks and must-see places.

3. GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

Located in San Francisco, this suspension bridge will look familiar to all of you, since it has appeared in countless and countless of films and TV series. Remember the TV series Charmed? Each chapter would begin by showing breathtaking images of this huge, amazing bridge. If you want to cross it and you don't like cycling, you'll have to pay a toll fare. 

4. NIAGARA FALLS
Nature is a rebel, unstoppable force and the Niagara Falls are the proof of it ! Distributed along Canada and the United States, these three waterfalls reach incredible heights and state the power -and beauty of nature. Wow !



5. MOUNT RUSHMORE

This one may be considered weird but, yes, it is what is looks like : four US presidents carved in the rock, namely George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Why ? Just to attract tourists to South Dakota. Purpose fulfilled ! 

6. LAS VEGAS

Who, on Earth, has never heard of Las Vegas ? : dazzling lights, luxurious hotels,lavish restaurants and shops and  tinkling sounds to attract all sorts of gamblers. It all makes sense, were it not for the fact that it all is in the middle of a desert. This city, today baptised as Sin City, has earned its reputation and is one of the most visited destinations in the US !

7. GRAND CANYON

Located in the state of Arizona, aka, the Grand Canyon state, this majestic, impressive geographical scenery is the result of the erosion of the Colorado River. This area was originally inhabited by Native American who worshiped this sacred place. Beware ! Weather conditions are changing and temperatures can soar or dramatically decrease in the blink of an eye !

8. THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

This high skyscraper in the heart of New York city somehow symbolizes the grandeur of the Americans : the building that overlooks an entire city. Its height reaches 443.2 metres, having the honour to have been the tallest building in the world from 1931 to 1970. However, this immense height has drawbacks : some people have committed suicide by jumping from the top. 

9. TIMES SQUARE

Probably one of the busies and most bustling spots in the world. This Square is filled with luminous billboards, advertisements and lights and is crossed by thousands of pedestrians every year. Most NY visitors take a photo in this singular spot ! 

10. WASHINGTON MONUMENT

This astonishingly high monument pays tribute to US first president : no other than George Washington.

11. DISNEYWORLD

This spot is considered to be the place where magic is created. This is probably the father of all the theme parks in the world. This resort includes not only theme parks and attractions but also golf courses, water attractions and much more fun ! Perfect to get to know your favourite Disney idols face to face. 

12. YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

This park hold the honour to be the first national park in the US. Along its more than 3,000 square metres, it is the witness of a wide range of geographical features such as canyons and valleys and it has a wide variety of ecosystems.

The US is a vast place to explore full of outstanding, quaint places. Which one is your favourite ?