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39,700 | 101,901 | 76823_0 | Generally, I would tell an interviewer that I have "hands-on experience" with this technology, by which I mean that my experience in this field is very limited, but quite efficient and knowledgeable. I've had this feeling that quoting it this way does not give the correct message. It does not clearly explain the "efficient and knowledgeable" part. So how do I say it? Is there a one-word expression for it, or is there any better statement to express this? |
39,701 | 33,100 | 76823_0 | I was listening to Dire Straits and wondered what "brothers in arms" are... |
39,702 | 115,138 | 76823_0 | If you didn't want to say someone is "inefficient", how would you concisely describe someone who has bad efficiency - badly/poorly efficient doesn't sound quite right, or is this ok? |
39,703 | 33,104 | 76823_0 | Is there any difference between _admonish_ and _warn_? |
39,704 | 33,109 | 76823_0 | Part of a fingernail known as the hyponychium is informally known as the "quick". It is referenced in the saying "cut to the quick". What is the etymology of the word quick as in reference to the fingernail? |
39,705 | 134,653 | 76823_0 | In the following sentence I prefer saying _relatives_ but I am unable to explain why. > It's going to be a small wedding. Only a few friends and **relatives** have > been invited On doing research I found that both nouns can be collocated after the following adjectives; _distant_ , _blood_ , and _close_. We also have the phrase: > **Friends and relations** 307,000 results > **Friends and relatives** 1,210,000 results Judging from the Google Ngram graph below it looks like the former was more commonly used in BrEng and is becoming increasingly rare.  I can't even say that _friends and relations_ is an old fashioned BrEng expression because according to CDO (set at American English) for **relation** it offers this example of usage: > _On our trip, we visited friends and relations on both sides of the family._ In TFD **relation** is defined thus; > _n. 2. The connection of people by blood or marriage; kinship. 3. A person > connected to another by blood or marriage; a relative._ > > **Relative** _n. One related by kinship, common origin, or marriage._ Is there any difference in usage? Are both terms interchangeable? Are _relatives_ and _relations_ , truly synonymous when referring to family members? _EDIT_ I would like to expand my question and ask: * What is the difference between _relations_ and _relatives_ when talking about family? * Is _relations_ a word that is becoming out-of-date, or as @WS2 commented, is it the "downmarket" version of relatives in BrEng? * Does the term _relatives_ sound more intimate and meaningful compared to _relations_ as suggested by @Kris? |
39,706 | 105,263 | 76823_0 | I often read sentences where the idea is "I would say" but it starts with "I guess". For example: > * **I would say** he is not coming. > * **I guess** he is not coming. > Do both have the same meaning? |
39,707 | 105,261 | 76823_0 | I run a vacation rental and require renters to pay me a $400 refundable security deposit. A customer from Australia was confused by this and when I explained it, they said "oh, in my country that is a called a bond." So now I refer to it as "$400 refundable security deposit (bond)" when I'm dealing with Aussie guests. I think the U.S.-based customers, the word "bond" is not common and could end up being confusing (since it typically refers to the instrument traded in financial markets, i.e. stocks and bonds). But what other countries would refer to this as a bond? |
39,708 | 84,163 | 76823_0 | Why is it correct to say "it later came to pass" instead of "it came to pass later"? What is the rule for this placement? |
39,709 | 84,160 | 76823_0 | When I read the phrase > The biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone I interpreted it to imply that the first occurrence of iPhone happened to itself -- that is, > the first iPhone happened to iPhone. Is this the correct interpretation, or are there any alternatives that I am missing? If this is the only interpretation, assuming the _happen to_ phrase is being used to mean _have a significant impact on_ , how does the notion of iPhone happening to itself make any sense (if at all)? |
39,710 | 113,356 | 76823_0 | What noun means "the state of being intrigued/amazed by something"? For example, the state of _being poor_ is **poverty**. Is there such a word for _being intrigued/amazed_? |
39,711 | 113,350 | 76823_0 | I recently shared with several coworkers that I wanted to go to a particular class. My coworker responded to me with the following question: "Why would you want to do that?" I responded with a sarcastic comment. Her question seemed negative to me. Can someone explain the "usage" to me. > One of the district's maintenance supervisors, John, came to the school > where I work one day looking for the asst principal. We had a conversation, > during which I said to John, "After I get my F.O.I.D. card, [your wife] and > I should go for shooting lessons." > > The other secretary in the room then said, "Why would you want to do that?" > > I replied with the following flippant comment: "To shoot you." > > I am now getting fired. I was joking, but I need to explain in technical terms that I thought she was being negative. |
39,712 | 113,352 | 76823_0 | I'd like to say something like "My enthusiasm declined after I read the news", but I'm not sure _decline_ goes well with _enthusiasm_. Is there a better alternative? Or is _decline_ just fine? |
39,713 | 113,358 | 76823_0 | "Cost-effective" is a generic term that can be used to describe anything that is "productive relative to the cost" whereby _cost_ is a very vague term which can refer to either time, money, or human resources, etc. "Time-effective" will be a specific case of "cost-effective", in the context of "time". What may be a word to mean "cost-effective" in the context of "money"? |
39,714 | 159,808 | 76823_0 | The Harrap's New Shorter French and English dictionary Ed. 1985, defines both verbal and adjectival "tame" as Americanisms for respectively "to cultivate" and "cultivated", as of a plant or a land [ _adj. 1.(b) NAm: (of plant, land) cultivé_ (cultivated, farmed, tilled)] and [ _v.tr. (b) NAm: (of plant, land) cultiver_ (to cultivate, to till, to farm)]. But then, checking on the definition online and searching the Net for examples, I realized these terms could also encompass respectively the sense "to domesticate" and "domesticated" -- i.e. to convert to domestic uses, as of farm animals -- but also, occasionally, coincide quite strangely with the sense "to farm, to raise" and "farmed, raised", as in "Our wild salmon compete with the organic tame salmon." The subtlety to all of this is that in France we use "domestiquer" [to domesticate] as the general term to mean to reduce an animal from the wild to a domestic state. Then -- specifically -- we use: "élever" [to raise] for farming; "apprivoiser" [to domesticize, to housebreak] for pets, [to tame] birds, wild animals; "dresser" [to tame or to break] for large or fierce or erratic animals (like elephants, horses, ornery dogs, etc.); "dompter" [to tame] especially for lions and tigers; and "cultiver" [to grow, to till, to cultivate] for plants and lands. And so, saying "tame" for a plant or a farm animal (e.g. tame carrots, a tame lamb, tame salmon, etc.) sounds kind of unnatural to my ear. Do any of these senses have any currency in AE today? If "yes", how does saying "to grow (a carrot), to cultivate (a land)" and "to domesticate (a lamb, salmon)" differ respectively from saying "to tame (a carrot, a land, a lamb, salmon)? Consider these sourced examples: > "Domestic bird" means any tame poultry raised for food or as a pet, > including but not limited to turkeys... source > > He rendered about twenty-five pounds of tallow of each bear and discovered > that it took less salt to cure bear bacon than it did wild or tame beef, > venison... source > > There is a debate in the relationship of "wild" and "farmed or tame" salmon. > source > > Trying to tame tomatoes? I am. I'm a beginner to growing veggies and > fruits... source > > One word of caution tho -- if you have wild carrots in the area your tame > carrots will cross with them. source http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tame |
39,715 | 139,970 | 76823_0 | I feel there is a word for an object that is interesting or entertaining. For example, > I find that song or magic trick entertaining, and because I find it > entertaining it is a ___. I'm positive there's a word for that, and I believe it starts with F. |
39,716 | 139,972 | 76823_0 | If a person is very social in a party, striking up conversations with different people from one end of the hall to the other end, are there some good expressions to describe this person? In Chinese, we say she is a butterfly dancing among the flowers. What is the closest expression or metaphor in English? |
39,717 | 180,897 | 76823_0 | How exactly do the literal meanings of doctrine and dogma differ? Or do they? Are their definitions suitable in religious context only? |
39,718 | 180,892 | 76823_0 | Someone that looks exactly like you is a dead ringer or a doppelganger. But what if they just _sound_ exactly like you? |
39,719 | 75,013 | 76823_0 | What are the terms for tradesmen involved in making carriages? One specific vocation comes to mind: **wheelwright** or, simply, **wheeler**. But, obviously, that name implies narrow focus of the profession. Did they, historically, concern themselves with wheels only, or did they work on other parts as well, especially as applied to undercarriage? Would the general blacksmith be producing iron-work (springs, stays, plates, joints, nuts, bolts etc.)? Was the regular carpenter the one to work with timber articles? Who, then, makes axletrees (axle beam made of wood, but trimmed with metal pieces and fittings, and considered as part of carriage iron-work)? William Felton, author of “A Treatise on Carriages” (1794) calls himself a **coach-maker**. Would that be a one-man show, or hands-on supervisor of a large operation? Given Mr. Felton’s apparent expertise, would such skilled professional be solely involved in production of most exquisite machinery, or were they your half-pence, run of the mill, everyday coach-makers? Is coach-maker someone who works primarily with finer, bodied, passenger carriages? Were there different tradesmen who made industrial cargo transport, or simpler ox-drawn village cart? In general, how availability of specialists differed from large cities to rural areas, or from established countries to the far colonies (e.g. British Isles or Continental Europe vs. West and East Indies). The more terms, archaic and otherwise, the merrier. Historical references to changes overtime are welcome. My current project is focused on mid-XVIII century New England, but I wanted to make the question as possibly broadly applied. |
39,720 | 75,010 | 76823_0 | What is the difference in being physically _capable_ and physically _able_? When would one choose one over the other? |
39,721 | 147,832 | 76823_0 | People in London, who live in the suburbs, may tell you they work 'up town', meaning in the City or the West End. In other large cities in Britain, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds etc., I think people who earn their living in the City Centre (equivalent to Downtown with capital D) will say casually that they work 'in town'. I think I'm right when I say that only Londoners go 'up town'. So where did the idea of 'Downtown' come from? |
39,722 | 46,387 | 76823_0 | As I understand it, comparatives compare with something. So something that is _colder_ is _more cold_ than another thing. However, can't a word like _colder_ be used as an adjective without being compared to something else? For example, is it ungrammatical to say the following? > People who live in _colder_ climates should be careful about their heating > bills. The adjective _cold_ could be inserted in place of _colder_ , but I think the meaning would be different. To me _colder_ sounds like 'somewhat cold' as opposed to 'absolute cold.' So my questions are as follows: 1\. Is this use of _colder_ grammatical? 2\. If so, is it still considered a comparative? 3\. Do you agree with my understanding of _colder_ vs. _cold_ in the example? |
39,723 | 138,009 | 76823_0 | I heard this idiom "The chips will fall as they may." in the Elementary drama. I want to know what it means so I have been trying to search it on the internet. But what I could only find is "let the chips fall where they may". I want to know if the idiom "The chips will fall as they may." really exist or it does not? |
39,724 | 138,006 | 76823_0 | The adjective _nice_ can be inflected: _nicer, nicest_. Can the derived adverb _nicely_ be inflected as well, or does it only have the absolute form? |
39,725 | 49,110 | 76823_0 | What is the term for this? In my language we have a special word for it, not just _mask_. |
39,726 | 41,475 | 76823_0 | So there's a guy on Oxford Street in London who's always shouting through a PA system from his shop that they're "closing down tomorrow" and all their crappy perfume is on sale. I walk past this place every day and I realised that just as he opens the shop, two people with sullen expressions turn up, say a few words to him, then stand in front of him with fake smiles pretending to offer him money for stuff. It's a typical East End wide boy scam. I know there's a word for people who do this - I'd read it somewhere but have since forgotten it. What is it? |
39,727 | 138,005 | 76823_0 | What is the opposite to being "consumed" in a sense of being soon to be "consumed" but not yet happened to be. Or, to put it in a different way, is there a nicer way (synonym?) to say "unconsumed"? _Background & context_: The subject of "consumption" here is a character (a symbol/letter from a long line of text). I am working on a parser, so for each given rule the outcome of feeding a character to the parser can be either consumed (we can move on to the next character) or unconsumed meaning we should try to apply another rule if any, for either outcome there must be a type that represents it, the type needs a name, hence the question, I know I can go with unconsumed but it sounds a bit awkward. |
39,728 | 41,472 | 76823_0 | The French idiom _“mi figue, mi raisin”_ (literally: “half fig, half grape”) refers to someone or something that is neither entirely good, nor entirely bad. I guess the meaning of the expression can be rather well conveyed by translating it as “neither good nor bad”, “not entirely good or bad”, or “part good, part bad”, but… is there a common English idiom that express this idea? |
39,729 | 138,001 | 76823_0 | I have heard a television news figure say what sounds like _verse_ when it seems he means to say _versus_. Is this an alternate pronunciation, or is it a different word? If it's a different word, what is the spelling? I suspect it's a mistake, but it is MSNBC news talk show host, Chris Hayes, who generally seems to speak in standard English in a way that indicates he is highly educated, who I've repeatedly heard use this word. For instance, he might say what sounds like, "Consider policy A "verse" policy B." There is a very similar question here on ELU asking about using _verse_ as a verb to mean _challenge_ , which I believe is related but not the same as my question. |
39,730 | 140,955 | 76823_0 | If not, what is a suitable word for such people who are almost universally venerated as political heroes after their death? |
39,731 | 40,704 | 76823_0 | In this recording of a Documentary about Dark Age > For three days, the `great capital of Caesar and Augustus`is ravaged by its > unwelcome guests, the stunning architectural marvels that stood for > centuries are buried to ground, Germanic slaves rise up to enslave their > masters I have 3 questions about it 1. Does Caesar and Augustus refer to the same person? if so why use 'and' between the two in this recording? 2. Does the `great capital` refer to the capital city or properties. 3. Why the narration use `simple and present` tense to describe the things that happened in the past? |
39,732 | 40,702 | 76823_0 | What is the difference between _scheme_ and _schema_? Where do you use one and not the other? **schema** 1. a diagram, plan, or **scheme**. Synonyms: outline, framework, model. 2. an underlying organizational pattern or structure; conceptual framework: A schema provides the basis by which someone relates to the events he or she experiences. 3. (in Kantian epistemology) a concept, similar to a universal but limited to phenomenal knowledge, by which an object of knowledge or an idea of pure reason may be apprehended. **scheme** 1. a plan, design, or program of action to be followed; project. 2. an underhand plot; intrigue. 3. a visionary or impractical project. 4. a body or system of related doctrines, theories, etc.: a scheme of philosophy. 5. any system of correlated things, parts, etc., or the manner of its arrangement. The funny thing is that the dictionary entry of _schema_ refers to _scheme_. Does that mean they can be used interchangeably? If not, can someone please give _practical examples_ of how and when to use one and when the other? |
39,733 | 38,680 | 76823_0 | "product in your hair" yields "About 602,000 results" on Google. To clarify, for those who are unfamiliar, I'm asking about the common case wherein the word is used _alone_ , not in conjunction with some other word. "You should use product to keep your hair tidy," "I stopped putting product in my hair a couple years ago" etc.. Does anyone know where this usage came from, or have any information on its background? |
39,734 | 76,666 | 76823_0 | Why do complex words like “citilink” or “citibank” use “i” at the end of “city”? I bet they mean city in the first part of word. I’m not sure if there is some rule for complex words when “y” must be changed to “i”; is this true? |
39,735 | 125,160 | 76823_0 | This sentence is ridiculously complicated. What made it so? > Until last week, I would have said that your best hope for being more than a > bodiless brain in a chemical stew was the fact that no scientist was yet > capable of sustaining a viable brain in a jar. Source I kind of know what it means ... "If you want to be more than a highly-developed brain in a jar, then your hope is dashed because it's not even possible to sustain life in a jar in the first place... at least that's what I would have said... until last week." Am I right? |
39,736 | 38,688 | 76823_0 | Suppose someone writes "undergraduate students need only apply" when posting a job ad. Does this really mean "We'll take anybody off the street right away with no further questions as long as they're an undergraduate student" like it seems to? What are the implications for people who aren't "undergraduate students"? Do they merely have more work to do, or is the requirement outright excluding them? |
39,737 | 70,994 | 76823_0 | What are words that contain other, often contradictory words or phrases, such as "manslaughter" ("man's laughter") or "therapist" ("the rapist")? I found "to get her" ("together") on another site. No anagrams, please. |
39,738 | 70,990 | 76823_0 | I understand that the alphabet for the English language is not strictly English as languages such as French, Dutch and many more use the same alphabet, with few additions in other languages. Is _Roman alphabet_ the common term to refer to this set of symbols for writing texts? |
39,739 | 70,991 | 76823_0 | English speakers from the West Country seem to glottalize their tees just like Estuary English speakers do. I can't find a word about T-glottalization in the West Country accents on the internet. I'm guessing it must be a pretty recently acquired characteristic. Am I right? Is it spreading from around London? |
39,740 | 30,456 | 76823_0 | Is it same as come from, but use in formal relationship ? This is the context. I hail from commercial division of midas bank. |
39,741 | 30,453 | 76823_0 | For preposition of places, should Facebook, an internet space, be used as _in_ or _on_? E.g. > Find us in Facebook. |
39,742 | 138,800 | 76823_0 | Consider the following sentence from wikipedia. > Many people embrace their fetish rather than attempting treatment to rid > themselves of it. When I read it, it flows naturally.But when I analyze it, it seems to me that something is wrong with it. "Rather than" connects heterogeneous forms: people _embrace_ rather than _attempting_. The logically correct alternative would be: > Many people embrace their fetish rather than **attempt** treatment to rid > themselves of it. But I can't say if it hits the ear right or wrong. So... which one, if any is more common/correct/natural? |
39,743 | 89,658 | 76823_0 | I need to use a word in a warehouse. We need to know: * capacity of package? * type of package? * price, quantity in package? However, I need to use another word to explain the material which is around the package itself (and here I have a problem, because I think the best word is, well, _package_ ). Yet I can't use the same word for this (image of many of packages in a warehouse), and this (image of a single package). I have to determine a unique word for each. |
39,744 | 14,598 | 76823_0 | I know nothing about fishing, but I need to describe what happens when a fish snaps at the bait and gets hooked. Specifically, what does the hook do? Does it _catch_? Does it _burrow_? Does it _seat itself_? Does it _embed itself_? I'm looking for vivid, evocative phrasing, not a dry, technical description. Also, what does a fisherman do to ensure the fish is hooked properly and won't jump off the hook? What terms describe this action? |
39,745 | 33,815 | 76823_0 | What do **contrapositive** and **contranegative** mean and when are these used with respect to **positive** and/or **negative**? I specifically have this article in mind. The word **contranegative** is used in the fourth paragraph. |
39,746 | 18,073 | 76823_0 | You may say "node rhymes with toad", or "the words load and toad rhyme", but what about the relation of rhyming? > The relation between "node" and "load" is purely **___ __ ___** \- they just > sound similar. "Rhymic" fails all spell checks. I went with "rhythmic", but I don't think it's quite right... |
39,747 | 108,575 | 76823_0 | When is complacent used in a positive or a negative sense? I always thought it was used in a negative sense, please correct me if I am wrong |
39,748 | 76,597 | 76823_0 | Why would it be OK to say "provide confidential advice" but not "provide confidential help"? To me, the latter form seems wrong, but I can't explain why. |
39,749 | 76,598 | 76823_0 | If a company is a producer of a product we have consumers who 'consume' it. So we have a "producer-consumer" noun relationship. But if a company "creates" value it can be called a value-creator. So what would that make the users who "derive" value from it? "Derivators?" Sounds a bit weird. Would they also be called consumers? So what would be a right word to use for the following analogy: Producer:Consumer::Value-Creator: ? **EDIT** : I don't wish to state if it's business-wise right or wrong. I want to know language wise what would be the appropriate noun-phrase to use in this regard. E.g.: Google creates value for it's users by offering seamless search, Apple for usability, Microsoft for platform etc. etc. I am using 'Value' in the subjective sense and not necessarily money only. |
39,750 | 138,809 | 76823_0 | Why do we use indefinite articles in sentences as follows: > John is a doctor. > Mary is training to be an engineer. > He wants to be a dancer. |
39,751 | 83,309 | 76823_0 | I have a grammatical question regarding one of the worst pieces of grammar imaginable. One of my students made the argument that _better things_ could be considered a single item. Is it possible for the sentence: > I have so many more better things to do than grade your homework. to be considered grammatically correct? It is grammatically abhorring, but ultimately, I can't find in my head if this is grammatically wrong. Could someone please clarify if this is grammatically feasible? My question specifically has to do with _more better_ in this sentence. * _EDIT: To clarify the exact context of the example, it would go: "There are better things that I could be doing instead of grading. In fact, there are so many things that I could be doing which would be better than this, i.e. there are so many more better things that I could be doing._ |
39,752 | 5,779 | 76823_0 | What is the meaning of the phrase "after a fashion"? I take it that the word fashion has different connotations here than its usual meaning. |
39,753 | 132,169 | 76823_0 | > A: **When** you insist, I will reconsider the matter. > > B: **Since** you insist, I will reconsider the matter. Sentence A is incorrect (or to me, not natural) while B is correct. I would parse the "Since" in sentence B as "Now that", which makes sense. What is wrong with sentence A from the grammatical point of view? |
39,754 | 5,771 | 76823_0 | What's the difference between "shrouded with" and "covered with"? Any different hues of meaning here? |
39,755 | 132,165 | 76823_0 | The whole paragraph is like this: > An experiment has three possible outcomes, l, J, and K. The probabilities of > the outcomes are 0.25, 0.35, and 0.40, respectively. If the experiment is to > be performed twice and the successive outcomes are independent, what is the > probability that K will not be an outcome either time? I'm not sure about the `either` in `K will not be an outcome either time`. Which of the following is the right meaning? (1) In any of these two times, K will not be an outcome. Or (2) K will not be an outcome in both time, which means, K can be the outcome in one time at most. The right answer is 0.64, which supports (1), but I suspect it's wrong.. Does anyone have ideas about this? |
39,756 | 5,772 | 76823_0 | What's the difference between "drivel" and "nonsense"? |
39,757 | 5,777 | 76823_0 | What's the difference between "to herald" and "to announce"? |
39,758 | 132,160 | 76823_0 | what does the phrase "hog the mirror" mean? I think I am just not sure what "hog" means. I heard it in a talk show. |
39,759 | 144,874 | 76823_0 | What do you call a power cord for example that doesn't fit perfectly in the power socket and you can move it if you press it on the side. I used _fiddle_ but am not sure if that's the correct term. |
39,760 | 144,870 | 76823_0 | I always assumed the phrase "craic on" was actually "crack on", however my naivety was corrected today when I was informed that the correct spelling is, in fact, "craic". I have never seen this word before. Where did it come from and what does it actually mean? |
39,761 | 144,871 | 76823_0 | From http://css-tricks.com/css-font-size/ (the 1st paragraph is quoted for additional context): > Setting font-size in pixels is the most accurate (and I find the most > satisfying) method, but do take into consideration the number of visitors > still using IE 6 on your site and their accessibility needs. We are right on > the bleeding edge of not needing to care about this anymore. > > Em values are probably the most difficult values **to wrap the ol' noodle > around** , probably because the very concept of them is abstract and > arbitrary. Here's the scoop: 1em is equal to the current font-size of the > element in question. What does "to wrap the ol' noodle around" mean? |
39,762 | 155,001 | 76823_0 | Having acknowledged that the meanings of these verbs overlap, how would describe the prototypical use of each of these verbs? 1. _Become_ * It was becoming dark. * He became a pilot. 2. _Get_ * It was getting dark. * You get older every day. 3. _Go_ * She went white with rage. * The milk will go sour. 4. _Come_ * I came to realize it was the best thing to do. * My predictions usually come true. 5. _Turn_ * Bruce Banner turned into the hulk. * The traffic light will turn green soon. |
39,763 | 156,430 | 76823_0 | If you get divorced, are your ex spouse's siblings' children still your niece or nephew? |
39,764 | 147,230 | 76823_0 | What does "knocks it out of the park" means? example : "All should read this book as it knocks it out of the park" |
39,765 | 47,169 | 76823_0 | I'm having a hard time understanding the real distinction between accumulative and cumulative. **accumulative** > _adjective_ > > 1. tending to accumulate or arising from accumulation; cumulative. > 2. tending to accumulate wealth; acquisitive. > **cumulative** > adjective > > 1. increasing or growing by accumulation or successive additions: the > cumulative effect of one rejection after another. > 2. formed by or resulting from accumulation or the addition of successive > parts or elements. > 3. of or pertaining to interest or dividends that, if not paid when due, > become a prior claim for payment in the future: cumulative preferred stocks. > These definitions (and those from other dictionaries as well) say different things but I can't understand how they aren't _really_ meaning the same thing. Yet, when thinking about it, it seems there are some cases where it is distinctly more correct to use one or the other. **What's the difference, practically?** |
39,766 | 87,530 | 76823_0 | I’ve been seeing a lot of “ _binders_ ” in recent newspaper and magazine articles dealing with the recent Presidential debates. For examples: Time magazines October 19 issues carries the article titled, “ _Romney’s Binders_ : The Meme Women Love to Hate - How one little phrase became a potent political symbol. There was another article in the same issue titled, “Obama and Romney dish out jokes, Not Jabs, at Annual Al Smith Dinner,” followed by the paragraph: > "At the outset, host Al Smith IV, the director of the Alfred E. Smith > Memorial Foundation -- first acknowledged women in the room and said, “It’s > good to see who’s getting out of those binders.” It was a quip that proved > the proliferation of what’s become a new meme, after Tuesday’s debate when > Mitt Romney explained that while serving as governor of Massachusetts, he > was provided with “ _whole binders full of women_ ” to help him fill his > Cabinet. In the article of New Yorker magazine October 19 issue titled “Obama on “The Daily Show”: A Gaffe is a Gaffe,” there comes again “Binder full of women”: > “When he (Romney) said, on Tuesday night, that as governor of Massachusetts > he got help from women’s groups in staffing his administration - “they > brought us whole _binders full of women_ ”-he was trying to come across as > enlightened on gender issues, but managed to give the opposite impression.” My favorite Maureen Dowd also quotes “women in binders” in her articles, “Pampered princes fling Gorilla dust” (October 20) and “Of Mad men, Mad women and Meat loaf” (October 27) on NY Times: > “Obama’s contempt for Romney gleamed through as Mitt got all O.C.D. with > Candy Crowley about the rules, and rambled on about his weird retro > worldview, where _women in binders_ have to bound home to make dinner, - - > where we just tell “our kids that before they have babies, they ought to > think about getting married to someone.” > > “Mitt hopes Americans are ready for some rules — and _binders_. He is baked > in the fuddy-duddy dad image from the era when white men ruled and the > little women toiled over a hot stove.” Oxford Dictionaries defines ‘binder’ as: 1. a cover for holding magazines or loose sheets of paper together. 2. a substance used to make other substances or materials stick or mix together. 3. a reaping machine that binds grain into sheaves. 4. a bookbinder. However, the word, ‘ _binder_ ’ seems to be becoming a ‘new meme or symbol’ as the authors of both of the above articles say, containing different meaning. What does it mean in those contexts? |
39,767 | 161,741 | 76823_0 | In friendship, what does _have a big row_ mean? Is it a common expression? What about its style (formal or informal)? Example: > It is not long before Soosan falls out with Hooshang, and Kobra and Han have > a big row. |
39,768 | 15,241 | 76823_0 | > The fundamental principle of gestalt perception is the law of prägnanz > (German for pithiness). In German, all nouns are capitalized. Should the above text be written as is, or with "the law of Prägnanz"? |
39,769 | 15,243 | 76823_0 | I searched on Internet for _country fellows_ , but I couldn't find definition. What is the origin and the real meaning of _country fellows_? |
39,770 | 39,228 | 76823_0 | Would an average reader know what "pusillanimous" means? That would be the kind of word I'm looking for if anyone would - it sounds more distant than "cowardly". "Cowardly" sounds like you have a personal vendetta against the person/deed you're referring to. I'm trying to avoid that. The situation is this: someone is anonymously attacking someone I know, and will not reveal him/herself or back down from attacking, and I want to find a good way to describe such activity, without sounding personally irritated. Not necessarily professional or dignified, but something similar. |
39,771 | 35,977 | 76823_0 | I'm learning English and recently I have found that there is a difference in pronunciation between such words as: _hit_ and _heat_ , _sit_ and _seat_. I want to know if there is a similar difference in pronunciation between _steal_ and _steel_ (and perhaps _still_ ), _peak_ and _peek_. |
39,772 | 35,972 | 76823_0 | Are the etymology and status of _hosed_ known, and if so, what are they? For this question, "hosed" is used as at onlineslangdictionary or at urbandictionary. (That is, with meaning _broken, messed up, worn out_ , rather than its probably-older "put hose on" or "attached hose" past-participle meanings.) My question about the status of the word is whether it indubitably is slang, vs. being a "proper dictionary word". I've always supposed it should be the latter, and imagined that dictionary compilers have left it out by mistake. Note 1: as a plus, the onlineslangdictionary site tabulates votes on frequency of use and sense of vulgarity of words, and tabulates hundreds of recent tweets containing 'hosed'; perhaps as a minus, it gives a needlessly wordy definition: "utterly and undoubtedly affixiated in a troublesome situation". Note 2: ngrams.googlelabs.com shows frequency of use of 'hosed' tripling between 1930 and 1940. Update 1: Among answers given so far, the "police brutality [by] use of water via fire hoses" and/or "being beaten with a rubber hose" explanations seem less compelling than (i) the explanation stemming from _hose_ as "transparent metaphor for the penis" (supported by specialised slang dictionary references) or (ii) the explanation based on SCTV / Mackenzie Brothers / Great White North reference and Wikipedia _hoser_ entry. If it becomes more clear in a few days I'll checkmark an answer. - jiw |
39,773 | 171,768 | 76823_0 | Which should I say? > These are two fine _Homo sapiens_. or > These are two fine _Homines sapientes_. (Assume I insist on using the Latin _Homo sapiens_ in my sentence, for whatever reason. Edit to elaborate: For example, for ironic effect or humor or as one suggests, to demonstrate my erudition.) There's a brief discussion of this matter here. |
39,774 | 39,224 | 76823_0 | If you are writing something like a section/table in one page of a document and are forced to move part of it to a new place, what word do you use to signal "continuation"? For example, (Page 1:) Section 1: Bla bla bla, (Page 2:) Section 1 (cont.)(???) bla bla bla bla. The idea is to somehow signal that "Section 1" in page 2 doesn't start anew, I mean, it was already started somewhere else and we are signaling that fact. What word/abbreviation do you use? |
39,775 | 39,227 | 76823_0 | I was listening to NPR's The Politics Hour when I noticed the unusual construction > They refurbished eight of our libraries, eight brand-new libraries in D.C. > Public Schools, and **I want to shout Target out.** I'm familiar with the phrase _give a shout out to_ , which is something like _hat tip to_ , a type of name-dropping expressing kudos. I thought the _shout [name/noun] out_ construction might just be a slip of the tongue, because I've never seen it with this meaning with "shout" and "out" separated, but the speaker, DCPS chancellor Kaya Henderson (originally from NYC; this could originate there?) didn't seem hesitant. Most of the instances of this kind of shout out in COCA are about giving a _shout out_ (noun) to someone, like these: > I just wanted **to give a shout out to** my doctor... > I gotta **give my shout out to** them... > I would like **to put a shout out for** a whole profession of > nutritionists... the instances where _shout out_ is a verb (that aren't about literally shouting) are rarer; I found just a few: > And **we shout out to all of you** here this morning. > **Our hearts shout out to** all of the bereaved families... and I found no results for _shout [noun/pronoun] out_. There are a few, when searching Google for phrases like _shout you out_ , but it seems uncommon, except for the unrelated meaning of removing stains ( _shout **it** out_). So, does it make sense to replace _to give a shout out to [name]_ or _to shout out to [name]_ with _to shout [name] out_? (If so, is this limited to American English? Particular dialects?) |
39,776 | 16,530 | 76823_0 | I've been reading John Donne's **Song (Go And Catch A Falling Star)** and my query is on the usage of **to** in the line "to two or three." > Yet she > Will be False, > ere I come, to two or three. I understand this means _she will be false, before I come, **with** two or three others_, so is the usage of " **to** " instead of " **with** " common for the time? Are there other meanings I've not got? |
39,777 | 170,416 | 76823_0 | In a conversion, i was telling my friend about the importance of mathematics subject. I said that mathematics is a such subject which we do not need to memorize. So, is there any word available to say that > mathematics is not a ......(adjective) subject, like some others which must > be learned "parrot-fashion"? |
39,778 | 53,066 | 76823_0 | Which of the following sentences is correct, or are they both correct? > I'm not so cold-hearted that I wouldn't reply. > I'm not so cold-hearted as to not reply. |
39,779 | 12,623 | 76823_0 | Frank Herbert's Dune book begins with a sentence that describes Castle Caladan as a pile of stone that has been home to 26 generations of Atreides Dukes. Not being a native English speaker, I am left to wonder as of what does it mean. Does the word "pile" here really mean that the castle was actually a ruin? |
39,780 | 12,621 | 76823_0 | The word _just_ is one of those overused words that carries little meaning and appears to just clutter up a sentence (oops, did it again). * When is the use of _just_ justified? * What are better, clearer constructions (e.g. replace _just_ with _only_ ) * When should the word be dropped altogether? |
39,781 | 88,214 | 76823_0 | > Your current account balance is $X **smaller/less** than is required I have read that when we are talking about amount we say **small amount**. So in my case what word would be right to use? |
39,782 | 173,696 | 76823_0 | "Give him a box that everyone knows what it contains." Is this correct English? It sounds wrong to me. |
39,783 | 127,847 | 76823_0 | What does see you means? Is it bidding goodbye or saying that I am coming soon to meet u...means I am on my way to meet u? Does it has two meanings? |
39,784 | 12,628 | 76823_0 | Occasionally when I am writing a sentence, I end up in a situation where I do not know whether to use the singular or plural form of a noun because I used both just prior to it in a conjunction. For example: > The worst, and one of the most common, problems is […] > > One of the most common, and generally worst, problem is […] Should _problem_ be singular or plural in those sentences? Is there a rule for situations like this? (It certainly doesn’t help that for _one of the most common problems is_ has _is_ instead of _are_ right next to a plural noun.) * * * **Update** Here is another example which (along with its non-contraction versions) does not fit the currently accepted answer. > JavaScript / Bookmarklets don’t work […] > > Bookmarklets / JavaScript doesn’t work […] In fact, the sentence before the above example with the parenthesized segment is itself confusing as to whether the next word should be _does_ or _do_. |
39,785 | 184,404 | 76823_0 | What is the correct way to spell "biochemical oxygen demand" and "dissolved oxygen" in the middle of a sentence? Should the initial letters be capitalized? |
39,786 | 184,407 | 76823_0 | How should the word "breve" be pronounced? |
39,787 | 184,400 | 76823_0 | Good day. I've been reading 'Short works of Lord Dunsany' for this morning. Among the short stories I've read one. Fortunately I found it through internet. it follows below. *George P. Landow created this formatted version of The Book of Wonder, which was first oublished in 1915, using the Project Gutenberg text produced by Anne Reshnyk, Suzanne L. Shell, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. Going down Piccadilly one day and nearing Grosvenor Place I saw, if my memory is not at fault, some workmen with their coats off--or so they seemed. They had pickaxes in their hands and wore corduroy trousers and that little leather band below the knee that goes by the astonishing name of "York-to-London." They seemed to be working with peculiar vehemence, so that I stopped and asked one what they were doing. "We are taking up Piccadilly," he said to me. "But at this time of year?" I said. "Is it usual in June?" "We are not what we seem," said he. "Oh, I see," I said, "you are doing it for a joke." "Well, not exactly that," he answered me. "For a bet?" I said. "Not precisely," said he. And then I looked at the bit that they had already picked, and though it was broad daylight over my head it was darkness down there, all full of the southern stars. "It was noisy and bad and we grew aweary of it," said he that wore corduroy trousers. "We are not what we appear." They were taking up Piccadilly altogether.* Here is my question. I don't fully understand what 'taking up Picadilly' means. Is it idiom used in Britain? Please let me know the meaning of this. |
39,788 | 84,946 | 76823_0 | "When did or will the event happen?" — This sounds silly to me. To make matters worse, I would like to use passive voice because the question is in reference to a statement that uses passive voice. "When were or will they be punished?" — This is especially bad because it sounds like "When were they be punished?" is an optional way of receiving the question. Any answer is appreciated, but I'd really like to do this using a single sentence. |
39,789 | 184,409 | 76823_0 | I saw an add saying "This iphone is brand spanking new" which sound like "brand _*_ new". I am not sure if this word has correct grammar + polite (ie people use it without any bad or joke meaning) |
39,790 | 100,629 | 76823_0 | Which article is appropriate in the blank below, _a_ or _the_? > — What are you singing? I've heard the song many times. > — This is ___ _ song by Lady Gaga. |
39,791 | 180,534 | 76823_0 | I have a malfunctioned speaker, its sound does not come out normally but is like being stuck, which word(s) could I use to describe a speaker with defected sound? Thanks in advance. |
39,792 | 120,319 | 76823_0 | I have a colleague who comes up with really very clever and funny things to say, but they are also very blunt. Is there a word (or two) that can describe this? |
39,793 | 69,458 | 76823_0 | There is this beautiful woman I always wanted, and who looked so beautiful and pure, like a goddess, and then we dated and she lost all this glory and she became just another girl. What do you call the process that my concept of her went through? Share your most beautiful words! |
39,794 | 180,530 | 76823_0 | If you're faced with two options and one of them is more _worthy_ of consideration, as in it takes less of your time, making the other option more " _unworthy_ of consideration". It has a clear disadvantage that needs to be highlighted with a "strong" adjective. "unconsiderworthy" was the word I thought would fit but it seems it's not a word. (although atleast one other person has used it) edit: agreeing with the comments, changed the phrasing. |
39,795 | 100,622 | 76823_0 | Is a song on a music album considered to be the _titular_ song if it doesn't share the title of the album, but incorporates it into the lyrics? If not, is there another appropriate term for this lyrical gimmick? |
39,796 | 69,456 | 76823_0 | What is adhesive tape (or "Scotch" tape) that is used for packaging things is usually called in the United States? What verb do you usually use for "package something with packaging tape"? Maybe "to scotch something"?  |
39,797 | 21,020 | 76823_0 | What is the difference between _find_ and _search_? Please suggest the proper usage. |
39,798 | 21,024 | 76823_0 | In English, is it correct to use the term 'reservability' for the ability to reserve a room? Or is the term 'bookability' preferable? Or anything else? Context: I'm translating a room reservation software system, where you can set whether a room in a building is bookable in a selection field named 'bookability' with choices yes and no (and null/void). |
39,799 | 159,855 | 76823_0 | What is the common phrases in BrE and AmE to say someone when he/she is beginning a journey? I know that in BrE we can say (according to http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/journey_1): 'Have a good journey!' 'Safe journey!' but what should we say in AmE? Can we ask in AmE: 'Was the journey long?' when we meet somebody at the station? **Edit** : And what about a flight? 'Have a good flight!' is common for BrE and AmE? |
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