title: Is "yesterday night" acceptable?

text: I catch a lot of grief about this from family and friends, so I figured I'd settle the score once and for all. In verbal context (though not written), I tend to use the phrase > ... yesterday night... rather than _last night_. Is this grammatically correct, regardless of how uncommon it might be?


title: How can I say "girl" in archaic English?

text: I'm looking for an archaic replacement for the word _girl_ ?


title: What's the meaning of "Acme developers for IPhone"?

text: I have recently heard the term "Acme developer of IPhone." I was just wondering what it stands for? I think I know the meaning: Is it when a developer goes to a client and presents his/her ideas for the app?


title: A word which comes with meaning like "something that works in parallel"

text: I need to write about a technology which works with another in parallel. What is a single word which means something like "something which works in parallel" or "works in parallel"?


title: Is this usage of "now" correct?

text: Consider this piece of a poem: > Crouched at the elder's feet, the knight > > Now kissed his hand in exultation. > > The world before his eyes turned bright, > > Forgot his spirit's sore vexation. Is this usage of the word "now" correct? Is there a name for this usage?


title: In what ways is Appalachian speech closer to Elizabethan English than contemporary British?

text: I read this question in the sample questions section. It hasn't been asked yet, now I'd like to know. I have heard that regional dialects of English are often more closely related to provincial dialects because the comparatively well-to-do Londoner did need or want to move to a strange new land and instead people from the countryside went abroad.


title: How to abbreviate “compare”, “see”, “refer to”

text: In my native language (Italian) there are convenient abbreviations for _compare_ ( _cfr_ ) and _see_ or _refer to_ ( _vd_ ). Is there anything similar in English? Or should I just use the complete words _see_ or _refer to_ in these cases? I am referring to something that I can use in an informal note, where citations and bibliography seem an overkill. E.g: The method they developed gave better results respect the traditional methods ( _cfr_ “Traditional methods for the task”) The results for those experiments ( _vd_ paragraph “Those Experiments”) show a direct correlation between A and B.


title: Describing the type of family a person belongs to

text: Okay, trying to come at this from a different angle... I need a more concise way to say "Families for which you are a child and therefore show your siblings and parents" – something that would be suitable for a title of a table/listing. Additionally, I need a more concise way to say "Families for which you are a parent and therefore show your spouses and direct descendants." Again, something that would be suitable for a title of a table/listing. Ideally I'm looking for a single word to precede "Families" for both titles, but 3 or 4 words at most would be okay as well. I just don't want to put a full sentence as a title. * * * Originally Asked: I'm listing two types of families. One where the person is a parent and the other where the person is a child. The title for the section listing families where the person is a parent I'm using "Parental Families". I'm not sure what to use for the title for the section listing families where the person is a child. I really don't thing _Childal_ is a word :) Per Bradd Szonye's comment: > Are there specific terms for your immediate family including your children, > versus your immediate family including your parents? If there are no specific terms, what the best way to title the two grouping on a report? Example 1 (Parental Families):               *Person* & Spouse 1 (divorces)         Child 1         Child 2         Child 3          *Person* & Spouse 2 (so there are 2 families)         Child 4         Child 5      Example 2 (??? Families):               Spouse 1 & Spouse 2 (first marriage)         *Person*  (biological)         Child 2   (biological)         Child 3   (biological)          Spouse 1 & Spouse 3 (2nd marriage)         *Person*  (adopted or step)         Child 2   (adopted or step)         Child 3   (adopted or step)         Child 4   (biological)


title: Is "what a pity" used as often as "what a shame"?

text: As an ESL speaker, I'm puzzled by these two phrases... Is "what a pity" used as often as "what a shame" in an English-speaking country? Is there any difference between them in meaning or usage?


title: When to use a comma before "and"

text: I often see people on the Internet using a comma before _and_ in many cases (not adversative cases). Is it ok? In my language it is stricly prohibited to use a comma before an _and_ except for adversative cases or when an apposition is in the front of that _and_. Examples (which I consider **not ok** ): > He is a great player, and he prefers to play _Counter-Strike_. > > John joined the Army, and George joined the Marines. What I consider exceptions: > Yes, and what is the problem? > > I called John, my brother, and now I’m speaking with him.


title: Usage of uncountable nouns

text: Which option is correct to use in this sentence and why? > I have ( _much_ , _many_ , _an_ ) orange juice.


title: Look to the south vs Look south?

text: Reading some grammar rules for this topic (points of the compass), there was one saying that if it is "where - asking for direction, not position, 'the' should not be used". E.g. Go west, the river flows south. But when I google for "Look north" and "Look to the north", the latter has much more hits.


title: Usage of "there follows"

text: I wonder if it is correct to say:   * From A there follows B  if you want to say that A entails B (or B is a consequence of A).


title: Meaning of "take title in"?

text: > Tomorrow around 3:30, I need a ride from the 7-11 to the quick cash place, > gonna take my title in for some funds. I take it _title_ here means the legal right to own something? And _to take your title in for some funds_ means to get some funds in your title?


title: "I know that that that school that is famous because of its rules." — Can this sentence work?

text: This is the sentence: > I know that that that school that is famous because of its rules. I think the first _that_ is a relative pronoun, the second also and the third is a demonstrative pronoun, the fourth _that_ is a relative pronoun again. The problem is that I cannot add punctuation, I was hoping to add a comma after the first that but he says this is not allowed or that it is not needed.


title: what does 'the roll of duck tape' mean?

text: what does ' **the roll of duck tape** ' mean ? Would you please give me some examples to know how to use it?


title: Please explain the statement

text: > In fact, Brian Lara and Bravo's mother are first cousins meaning Bravo and > Brian Lara are first cousins once removed. Source: Darren Bravo Wiki


title: Using the word "deadbeat" as an adjective

text: BBC quotes President Obama: > America is "not a deadbeat nation", US President Barack Obama has said, as > he warned Republicans unconditionally to approve a rise in the US debt > ceiling. It appears to me that _deadbeat_ in this context is an adjective. The definition of deadbeat lists it solely as a noun. Has President Obama used _deadbeat_ incorrectly?


title: Is there a word that describes the separation of dollars and cents?

text: Take the following amount: > $ 12.54 I am looking for a term that describes the separation of dollars and cents. Of course there is a term that describes the character that does the job which most people would call decimal or period. Another example: > John, Adams, Male This is a small comma-separated list of values. In this case, a comma separates the values "John", "Adams", and "Male". The comma is also called a _delimiter_. **Is there a term that describes the decimal point as a separator? Is it a separator?**


title: How does "among" vs "between" affect the meaning of this sentence from the Times?

text: I realize that this has been discussed elsewhere on the site, but I was interested in the use of the preposition "among" in a sentence from a story in yesterday's New York Times: > Research done by Emmanuel Saez, left, and Thomas Piketty has shown that > inequality **among** the middle class and the rich is nearly as acute as it > was before the Great Depression. My first impression was that the sentence was incorrect, and that "between" should have been used instead. After thinking about it for a minute, however, it seems like the use of either preposition may be valid, but that the sentence would mean different things depending on the choice. With "between", the sentence is referring to inter-group differences between the incomes of the rich and the middle class. With "among", the sentence is referring to intra-group differences in income among the individual members of each particular group. Honestly I have no idea if this interpretation is correct. Can someone please clarify this for me?


title: What is the best term to categorize a lolcat image and text?

text: I've seen the captions described as a dialect, patois, "kitty pidgin" and language play which is well and good but doesn't get to the key visual aspect (silly/cute/adorable cats). Wikipedia offers _image macro_ , a term with hazy etymology but looks like the best candidate at this point. I suppose one could just call it an _internet meme_ but that lumps it in with a vast number of other things that are less well-known.


title: "Winter sales" vs. "winter discounts" vs. "winter offers"

text: We have a service, and we provide season discounts at this time of the year. Which of the following is the most preferable? >   * The winter sales started at "Company X"! >   * The winter discounts started at "Company X"! >   * The winter offers started at "Company X"! >


title: Direct Object. Is there a rule?

text: > _rain_ : verb, [ **no object** ] (it rains, it is raining, etc.) > > _fall_ : verb, [ **no object** , with adverbial] Are the following sentences grammatical? (a) The package fell a great distance. (b) It rained cats and dogs. My doubts arise from the fact that "a great distance" and "cats and dogs" seem the objects of _fell_ and _rain_ respectively.


title: "More twisted than a neurotic pretzel"

text: What does this phrase mean: " _more twisted than a **neurotic** pretzel_"? I remember reading an article in cnet.com with the above phrase used in the first sentence. I can understand the phrase "twisted as a pretzel" as pretzels are twisted by design. But, what does "neurotic" have to do with this phrase? If someone could add the origin details too, then it would be even sweeter.


title: Is it correct to say

text: Is it correct to say "There used to be abandoned cotteges and now it was replaced with nice hotels."?


title: Is this correct grammar — "which feature in C/C++ don't you like?"

text: The question in question is this: > Which feature in C/C++ don't you like? Just wanted to know if that is proper way of asking. Not sure if "don't you like" is the right way there.


title: Was the word for the BDSM costume "gimp suit" coined by Tarantino in Pulp Fiction?

text: I recently read the opening chapter of _Middlemarch_ and was surprised by the appearance of the word _gimp_ in relation to articles of clothing. In this context it meant > twisted silk, worsted, or cotton with cord or wire running through it, used > chiefly as upholstery trimming However, I was only familiar with the gimp from _Pulp Fiction_. According to wiktionary this is : > A sexual submissive, almost always male, dressed generally in a black > leather suit. This is apparently derived from another meaning of _gimp_ that OED dates to the 1920s (origin unknown). > a physically disabled or lame person Wiktionary suggests that the word is a mutation of _limp_ and therefore unrelated to gimp fabric. But what about the BDSM sort of gimp, when and where was the first such usage and which came first, the gimp or the gimp suit? Does the 'sexual submissive' meaning originate from the Tarantino film?


title: What is a "local preposition"?

text: 1. I bought a sweater for myself.   2. I don't have any money with me. My books tell me that I cannot use a reflexive pronoun in #2 because the preposition in that sentence has "a purely local meaning." What does that mean?


title: Is it correct to write "He takes part in a project"?

text: I searched for an answer at this site, but didn't find it. Is it correct to write "He takes part **in** a project"? Is "takes part **in** " correct in the aforementioned sentence? Or should other preposition be used instead of " **in** "? The meaning of the sentence is that someone works **on** a project, i.e. he is a member of the project's team.


title: What does "people of the concrete steppes" mean?

text: I read this on an economics blog (http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2014/02/in_the_1930s_it.html) and tried to google it, but the results seem to just be people using it, no one explaining it. Thanks for any help!


title: What do you call a person who gets hungry easily?

text: Is there a word to describe a person who gets hungry easily? If there is, are there any antonyms for it?


title: Usage of "Do you know x?"

text: I'd like to say something like "You do know grappa, don't you?", intending to mean "You have indeed heard something about (or tasted) grappa (an alcoholic beverage), haven't you?" Does this (the first quoted sentence) sound weird? Is there a better alternative?


title: Term for sentences using multiple repeated words

text: Is there a term to describe the repeated usage of the same word in a sentence. Repetition is probably too broad for this, as it does not quite capture the deliberate and multiple nature of the repetition. Some examples include ELU favourite > "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo." (covered > here) and > That that exists exists in that that that that exists exists in. > > James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect > on the teacher. > > Time times time times time squared equals time times time times time times > time Some of these were listed here What are some examples of awkward sounding but grammatically correct sentences? but the question/answers don't refer to what this deliberate structure is called. Murray Walker was always great for > and and and and... he's into the barrier. But I think that's slightly different.


title: A word for something similar to persistence

text: For example, sometimes if I am working on something and it doesn't seem to be working out as it is supposed to I will just keep at it just because it annoys me so much. Another example can be assume that someone tells you not to do something and you do it anyway just because you don't want to be told what to do. Someone does something bad to you and you can leave it. But you can't just because it annoys you that he goes with out any response. You get the idea I guess. Now is there a specific word for this behavior?


> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  How obsolete is the word "overmorrow"? Is there a one-word English term for the day after tomorrow? Perhaps a term that has fallen out of modern English usage. One that would complete the sequence of: today, tomorrow, ...


title: Which is correct, "summiting" or "summitting"?

text: This form of the word is not very common but does see some use as the present participle/gerund of "to summit" as in "Upon summit(t)ing the mountain we took photos but had to begin our descent immediately to make it down before dark". Wiktionary only includes "summiting" but of course its publicly editable so no guarantees it's right. Google suggests "summiting" as a correction when you search for "summitting" but there's not really many Google hits for either to be truly conclusive. Google Ngram Viewer shows "summiting" in the lead recently... ![all time](http://i.stack.imgur.com/crdDL.png) ... but "summitting" has the highest peak in the graph around about 1910 and was also in the lead from 1974 to 1980... ![1974-1980](http://i.stack.imgur.com/2vYrl.png) So I'm interested in whether any of the style guides, usage guides, or trusted English dictionaries such as OED or Websters Third have anything to say.


title: What is the correct use for "practised"?

text: Which use of _practised_ is correct, if any? > I **practised** my singing. > > I **practised** at singing. > > I **practised** singing.


title: Capo = Cheerleader?

text: I noticed that the demi-official USA national (soccer) team supporter's group has a name for the folks who lead their section of the stands in chants/cheers; a word I'd never seen used for that before: "Capo". I'm curious if this is just something they came up with on their own, or is this an actual common use for this word? The proper English word for this role probably really ought to be "Cheerleader". However, while that's probably what cheerleaders did in the 1920's, these days cheerleaders are essentially glorified dance/gymnastic troupes. So I suppose I can see where a new word for the actual act of leading the fans in cheers would be required. Is this that word, or just American Outlaws' attempt at it?


title: usage of indefinite articles

text: I am writing a title and I was wondering whether I can skip the second article just like you would say a pen and pencil. Can I say, "A cap and tie for Zed," or must it still be "A cap and a tie for Zed?" Have been searching the net and books for some answers but have been unsuccessful. Would appreciate a quick response from some Grammar Genius! Need clarification here to finish up my work. Thanks ya.


title: "Thanks for having me"

text: Recently, I finished my phone job interview with the phrase "Thanks for having me". It was a reply to the other person's "Thank you for your time". So, does "thanks for having me" sound alright in this context?


title: A word or phrase meaning the opposite action of embedding

text: When I want my document to be displayed the same on different devices, I can embed used fonts in the document. But sometimes I want my documents to take less space so I want to remove previously embedded fonts. How should I call the action in the second case?


title: Is there the word, “Fortunity”? If there is, what does it mean?

text: I "think" I clearly heard the word, _“Fortunity_ ” in the following statement of the Wall Street Journal Report of this week (November 5th), introducing the unique service of Sanchez Delta Airline via Far East Network Radio broadcast. > "Airlines Sanchez Delta, a charter company caters to teams with tricked-out > jets, hand-picked flight attendants, meals from some players’ favorite > restaurants. Team charters often used to amount a _fortunity party_ \- beer, > pizza and junk food. But the airlines say the days of raucous party flying > have gone. Many teams ban alcohol, have nutritionist’s select menus, and set > up plane chairs so coaches can study games when some players can sleep.” As I’ve never heard the word, “Fortunity,” I checked both Cambrigde and Oxford online dictionaries, neither of which carries “Fortunity.” Spell checker keeps recommending me to correct “Fortunity” into “Fortuity” or “Fortunate” while I’m typing this question. On the other hand, I see a lot of captions including the word, “ _Fortunity_ ” on Google Search, though none of them provides its definition. Is “Fortunity” a current English word? If it is, what does it mean?


title: Inverted conditional sentence using 'can' and 'will'

text: On this page in Wikipedia!, it states for first conditional sentences: > The condition can also be expressed using the modal verb _should_. This form > can be used to make an   >  inverted condition clause without a conjunction:   >  If you _should_ make a mistake, ... (equivalent to "If you make a mistake")   >  _Should_ you make a mistake, ... (inverted form again equivalent to the > above).   >  Otherwise, the condition clause in a first conditional pattern is not > normally formed with   >  a modal verb, other than **can**. On English Stack Exchange many people write about _should_ replacing _if_.   For example on this page called 'A special use of “should”?' the sentence   'Wilkinson is contesting the release, and threatened to sue **should** it be released.'   is given as an example. But are there usage for other modal verbs in an inverted   conditional sentence such as _can_ and _will_ , as opposed to the more commonly used _should_ , _had_ and _were_? We know the following four pairs are equivalent: If you feel hungry, ...(usual condition clause)   Should you feel hungry, ... (inverted form) If she were here, ...(usual condition clause)   Were she here, ...(inverted form) If you shot, ...(usual condition clause)   Were you to shoot, ... (inverted form) If he had written, ...(usual condition clause)   Had he written, ... (inverted form) But is this pair equivalent?   1). If she can be here, ... (usual condition clause)   Can she be here, ...(inverted form) And what if you use it in the second part of a sentence?   2). Only with good teaching practices **can** you make the biggest impact in the classroom.   3). Only with more practice **will** you become better at it.


title: Which possessive pronoun should be used with "assignment"?

text: I am a little confused by the word "assignment". The dictionary says it refers to a piece of work that is given to someone as part of their job. For example, Tom assigns something to me. In other words, I am going to do the assignment. When I communicate with Tom, which possessive pronoun should I use? The task is assigned by Tom; I think it is reasonable to say "Tom's assignment" or "his assignment". On the other hand, I am supposed to handle this task; I think it makes sense to say "my assignment". It beats me.


title: What's the meaning of "all too often", for example, in this sentence?

text: What does "all too often" mean in this sentence? > A poorly designed distribution system can ruin the performance of any water- > based system. **All too often** , people, including heating professionals, > focus their attention on water-based heat source selection and simply assume > that heat source ...


title: Is "Most of the world does not distinguish captions from subtitles" true?

text: In the wikipedia article about _closed captioning_ one reads > Most of the world does not distinguish captions from subtitles. In the > United States and Canada, these terms do have different meanings, however: > "subtitles" assume the viewer can hear but cannot understand the language or > accent, or the speech is not entirely clear, so they only transcribe > dialogue and some on-screen text. "Captions" aim to describe to the deaf and > hard of hearing all significant audio content [including] music or sound > effects ...   >  The United Kingdom, Ireland, and most other countries do not distinguish > between subtitles and closed captions, and use "subtitles" as the general > term—the equivalent of "captioning" is usually referred to as "Subtitles for > the hard of hearing". Questions: Are these assertions about the respective meanings in United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, and "most other countries" correct? If so, on what authority? If not, what meanings are correct?


title: How much time must elapse for an item such as a book to become classic?

text: Mentioning a book to an individual to include in their list as _classic_ was met with... > I wouldn't call "Book Name" a classic - it's less than 11 years old. This got me thinking about when a book or other item (car, slang, recipe, etc...) becomes a _classic_. In my initial investigation I stumbled upon this description... > A novel can be called a classic when there is a significant time period > between its publishing and the current age we are in. In other words, it has > to be old, as well as critically renowned as a good novel. Then, it can be > called a classic. While the above may help define what constitutes a classic, it doesn't define the amount of time that needs to pass before that criteria is met. Does the designation _classic_ truly imply that a significant amount of time has passed since the work's creation, and if so, how long must that period be to qualify as "significant"?


title: Prepositions for "Wednesday night" and "the night of Christmas Eve"

text: Which of the following prepositions would be most appropriate to be used before _Wednesday night_ and _the night of Christmas Eve_ when referring at exactly during these time(s) (not before or after)?   * _at_ the night of Christmas Eve   * _on_ the night of Christmas Eve   * _in_ the night of Christmas Eve


title: "Son-in-law" or "son-by-law"

text: Why is there _in_ in _-in-law_ instead of _by_ or something similar? Simon Jester, in his answer to this question, quotes the Oxford English Dictionary which says that it originally applied to step-relatives rather than those now considered in-laws, but I still don't know why we use _son-in-law_ instead of _son-by-law_.


title: Two single word (if possible) each to describe two different Leave types

text: There are two scenario as follows:   1. Person who receive "Leave Credit" when attending some events.   2. Person who "Request Leave" when they want to take time off. I was thinking of using "Credit" to replace "Leave Credit" and "Request" to replace "Request Leave but to the user, they find it quite "ambiguous". Some more, they want single word instead of two words to describe the type of leave they are applying. So, may I know if there are single word each to replace "Leave Credit" and "Request Leave"? **Update** Let me rephrase my question: I am looking for a single word alternative to replace the following words:   * Leave Credit   * Request Leave **Update** Insert the table below describe my questions further.               |------------------------------------------------------------------------------|     | Name               |   Leave Type           |        From    |       To      |       |------------------------------------------------------------------------------|     | Jack               |   Leave Credit         |  2010 06 06    | 2010 06 07    |     | Jill               |   Request Leave        |  2010 07 16    | 2010 07 17    |     | John               |   Leave Credit         |  2010 08 20    | 2010 08 21    |     |------------------------------------------------------------------------------|           Based on Hugo, it is difficult to use single word like 'Credit' or 'Request' (as shown in the table below) as it will increase confusion.               |------------------------------------------------------------------------------|     | Name               |   Leave Type           |        From    |       To      |       |------------------------------------------------------------------------------|     | Jack               |   Credit               |  2010 06 06    | 2010 06 07    |     | Jill               |   Request              |  2010 07 16    | 2010 07 17    |     | John               |   Credit               |  2010 08 20    | 2010 08 21    |     |------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


title: What does "quick parts" mean?

text: The following is from _Pride and Prejudice_ : > Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, > and caprice, that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been > insufficient to make his wife understand his character. What does the phrase _quick parts_ mean?


title: More formal way to say "just in case"

text: I thought "provisionally" was what I was looking for, as in:   **"As a provisional measure, I'd like someone with Volkswagen Corporate to follow up with me next week."** What I really mean is:   **"Just in case anything remains unresolved, I'd like someone to follow up."** But "just in case" sounds too informal. By this I mean, "just in case all my car's issues aren't solved by then." But when I looked up "provisional" in the dictionary, the closest I could find was these: \- "accepted or adopted tentatively; conditional; probationary." \- "providing or serving for the time being only;" \- "existing only until permanently or properly replaced; temporary" These make it sound like, unless something comes into conflict or I don't actually need them, then contact me, otherwise forget it. What I'm trying to say is that "I want them to contact me no matter what because it _might_ be that my issues are resolved, but I still want them to call me and that will not change." Maybe I would be better to say, "because of something uncertain that may turn out good or bad," I _definitely_ want them to contact me to make sure everything is ok.


title: What does the phrase by Sloterdijk mean?

text: "A session of a carnival club" - what's that? What kind of club is it? Any synonyms? Descroptions? Examples? Anything?


title: Origin of "off-color"

text: What is the origin of "off-color", as in "an off-color joke"? I can't think of an obvious explanation, and fishing the internet produced conflicting explanations (gems, choleric moods...).


title: What's the right punctuation for the following list?

text: > Many cases of animal suicide were discused. A duck drowned itself after the > death of its companion. A school of dolphins stranded on a beach with no > reason whatsoever. A deer threw itself from a cliff to avoid being eaten by > hunting dogs. And the list went on and on. Should I use comma, semicolon, or just leave it as it is? If I chose the semicolon, where should it start?


title: "the oxygen concentration" OR "oxygen concentration"

text: SITUATION: I've carried out a thorough chemical analysis of Thing X. It underwent heating, cooling, bending - you name it. In conclusion, should I say: _"No increase in **the oxygen concentration** implies that..."_ OR _"No increase in **oxygen concentration** implies that..."_ Should the "oxygen concentration" here be a general phenomenon, or a quality specific for Thing X and its analysis? Maybe both are OK? And the difference is a question of preference, that is whether I wish to sound academically accurate, or go out on a limb with it and claim to have discovered something universal?


title: "Share me" or "Share with me"?

text: I heard people saying: > Can you please share me the slides? or > Can you share me the note, etc.? I think it should be: > Can you please share the slides with me? or > Can you share the notes with me? which one is correct?


title: Is there a word for someone who has a flaw?

text: I'm not asking "what do you call a person with a problem". It's close, but the question there is too broad for what I'm looking for. I'm trying to describe a Superman-esque character, where this character is good at everything but has one flaw. The word superman doesn't work because it doesn't make people think of a flawed person, and I need this word to mean something like "a flawed individual". And saying "a flawed individual" doesn't get across how perfect the character is outside of their flaw. Someone told me I wanted the term "tragic hero" but I'm looking for a word for someone who's good at everything except one thing, not really someone destined for failure. But that's close... I just don't particularly need a "fatal flaw". As an example of what I'm looking for, imagine two people were talking about Tom Cruise, in a conversation like this: > A: Tom Cruise is great. I love all of his movies, he's generous, he's [list > of positive traits]. > > B: Yeah, too bad he's crazy. How could a third person say "He's perfect except in one area" in one word or phrase? > C: Tom Cruise is **[word]**. > > A: What? He's great in movies, he's funny, he's [list of positive traits]. > He's perfect! What could possibly be _wrong_ with him? > > C: ...He's crazy. > > B: _Exactly_. It doesn't have to fit this sentence structure. > Tom Cruise is not perfect in the slightest.


> How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? > > A woodchuck would chuck all the wood he could if a woodchuck could chuck > wood! What is the origin of this tongue-twister and what exactly is meant by **woodchuck** here? * * * **Details:** Woodchuck is used as an alternative name for groundhogs. The etymology of woodchuck suggests that the word is not related with "wood" and "chucking" and I think the tongue twister touches on this in a humorous way because woodchucks cannot chuck wood actually. (Can they?) From Etymonline: > **woodchuck (n.)** 1670s, alteration (influenced by wood (n.)) of Cree > (Algonquian) otchek or Ojibwa otchig, "marten," the name subsequently > transferred to the groundhog. How did this word emerge (alteration because of similar-sounding?) and how did it end up in this tongue twister? How is the name transferred to the groundhog? Bonus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q6Ti9xCX_M#t=14


title: Punctuation in a series of verb phrases

text: > A youngster literally pulls himself up by his bootstraps; finds a hero; > establishes a dream; and then goes for it. Is a semicolon the correct punctuation here?


title: What does this actually mean?

text: '...Conferred on the whole country its name of China' I'm reading it but I'm not quite sure I understand what it means. Is it saying they told the country they they'd name it China?


title: Word for where speakers and honoree sit at a comedic roast?

text: I've heard this word a few times when watching roasts, and was never able to look up what I thought I was hearing. I don't know the IPA so I will link to a clip of someone saying it: @3m11s (word start with "d").


title: "Bother and do" for "bother doing/to do" in colloquial speech and writing

text: As far as your English variety goes, does it sound acceptable to say "bother and do" instead of "bother doing/to do" in colloquial speech and not so formal writing? E.g. _Please spend a moment of your time to **bother and read_**... http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-416-640-3489/2 _It impressed you enough to **bother and reply_**... http://www.flickr.com/groups/capturenx/discuss/72157634028025270/ _If you are black and voted for Barry, did you **bother and look_**... http://darrenyancy.com/2012/11/07/you-were-forewarned/


title: What does the British idiom "taking the piss" mean?

text: I most recently heard this in the context of a business deal: > Sorry gents, looks like we'll be taking the piss on that one. I understood that the business had suffered a financial loss, although I expected I was missing some nuance. In entirely different scenarios, I've heard _piss_ used in British idiomatic phrasing that suggested a lack of concern, or carelessness. Those phrases are difficult to reconcile with the previously mentioned usage. Are there multiple idiomatic meanings for this word, or am I missing some kind of unifying theme? **Updated:** I might not have a perfect recollection of the quote. But given the typical meaning of the phrase, I wonder if the speaker's intention was along the lines of "We'll be laughing about this later." Or maybe I just missed the real meaning.


title: What is the meaning of "He did not have that gift with her"?

text: What is the meaning of "He did not have that gift with her" in the following paragraph? > No, Kelsey did not "remember the culture." She could care less about the > culture. However, Robert, the history professor, was obviously enthralled by > the contractor's findings. He had an innate way of understanding other > cultures and other people that amazed Kelsey. **He did not have that gift > with her**.


title: What is the origin of "cross country skiing"?

text: I was speaking of skiing when I was in USA, and I discovered that one type of ski is called _cross country skiing_. What is the origin of that phrase, which is not really referring to skiing through countries?


title: Is the use of "ignorantly" correct in the context?

text: > Person A ask a question person B.   >  B answers something.   >  A argues with B.   >  B ignorantly says (thinking its no issue arguing person like A) hm, people > like you won't understand. Is _ignorantly_ the correct word here? Look at that word _hm_ ; it’s like _hmmm_ but not uttered to that level stress but uttered very quickly to express the dissatisfaction or thinking other persons’ argument is wrong. My question is whether _ignorantly_ is the correct word to use.


title: How does "have to" function in this sentence?

text: Usually, I think "have to" indicates obligation, which is pretty similar to "must". But today I found this sentence and its usage of "have to" confused me: (it is from NYTimes.com) > Long-term forecasts seem to me rather like time capsules, designed more to > provide retrospective amusement for those who eventually **have to** read > them, than to be taken seriously as they are first uttered. It would be uncomfortable to interpret _have to_ as _must_ since we are not "compelled to read them". Can anybody explain this for me?


title: What does "Take the disguise" mean?

text: I was reading this particular sentence: > She **_took the disguise_** of an old woman and came to Eleusis, where she > was welcomed by the family of King Celeus. _Disguise_ means costume. So, does it mean she took an old lady's clothes?


title: What are some of the most influential or obscure phrases and literary constructions drawn from the Bible?

text: I was reading through some English L & U SE questions, and happened across one asking about the origin of the phrase "Through a Glass, Clearly / A Scanner Darkly / In a Mirror, Darkly / etc" — apparently derived from 1 Corinthians 13:12 — and came away with a profound realization of how influential the Bible has been in making prominent certain literary constructions and phrases, even as perhaps its practical influence in society is declining. Every so often I've thought I've chanced across most of them, but as I keep reading, I keep finding more. So I thought that perhaps I might start the "definitive" collation of famous Biblical phrases and constructions on English L & U SE, with (metaphorical) bonus points given for examples that are obscure and ill-remembered, or ones that give an engaging account of the usage's history. Of course, the example I'll seed this thread with, the "time to kill / time to heal...time to build / time to tear down" construction, from Ecclesiastes 3:3, is familiar enough to almost be hackneyed; can anyone else do better? **EDIT:** I think it would make for a richer thread if everyone limited themselves to one phrase or construction at a time, and provided a little background that exemplifies how that example provides shared cultural context. See my comment below for a brief example.


title: Is the word Concurrence synonymous with the word harmony

text: recently I sat for an exam where I was asked this question - Concurrence means all of the following except: A. Agreement B. Accord C. Consensus D. Coincidence E. Harmony What could be the correct answer ? I opted for D. Coincidence. Was I right ?


title: Why are people from Sunderland called "mackems"?

text: In the north-east of England, if nowhere else, people from Sunderland are called "mackems". Does anyone know why this should be? Wikipedia suggests a number of possibilities. Are any of these correct?


title: Using "and" to combine two sentences

text: I would like to combine these two sentences. > Have significant experience of managing office and warehouse. > > Have experience of managing people at office and warehouse. Can I use _and_ to do that? > Significant experience of managing office and warehouse, **and** managing > people in them.


title: Complex sentence using "instead"

text: I would really need help with the following sentence. > The significance of culture and identity in development has to do not so > much with the cultural factor in the process of development as with > abandoning Eurocentric development thinking, i.e. development as catching up > and imitation, and instead conceiving and conceptualizing development as an > inclusive, liberating process, in which different worldviews are > accommodated and constitute a dialogical process. The _and instead_ part confuses me. Instead of what? I cannot understand what it relates to. I read that _instead_ can be used without _of_ but still means _of that_. It does not make any sense in this case.


title: "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream"- Is there a term that describes this 'word play'?

text: What is the term that describes the word play found below? > “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream” Another example might be the punchline: "Orange you glad to see me"?


title: Correct usage of "The" within this sentence

text: A client has requested that I put a notice in the form of               ALL THE PRODUCTS ARE FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY      on a web page. However, the word "THE" in the sentence appears unnecessary in my opinion. Is this phrase correct as is? Would it be better phrased as               ALL OUR PRODUCTS ARE FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY.


title: "Request was made" or "request has made" or "request has been made"

text: Which of the following sentence is correct/apt to notate the past action which was not executed till date? Sentence 1: > A request was made for grant of permission to X on April 2013 but it was not > done yet. Sentence 2: > A request has made for grant of permission to X on April 2013 but it was not > done yet. Sentence 3: > A request has been made for granting of permission to X on April 2013 but it > was not done yet.


title: Does 'soi-disant' have a close English equivalent?

text: I considered 'self-proclaimed' but that, I believe, suggests an element of self- _promotion_ (the proclamation aspect) whereas soi-disant, at least as I think of it, is more about self-presentation and in some contexts self-deceit.


title: Cleft sentences

text: Let's assume that **John gave me a cat**. I can rephrase the fact with: > _What John did was to give me a cat_   >  _What John did was give me a cat_   >  _What John did was, he gave me a cat_ But can I say the following phrase? **_What John did was gave me a cat_**


title: When is it allowable to elide "is"?

text: In an article in _The Economist_ , I have observed the following sentence: > The less positive point out that human rights are routinely abused, freedom > of speech is restricted and corruption endemic. Clearly the following modification is unacceptable: > The less positive point out corruption endemic. Can someone explain why the first sentence is acceptable but the second is not? Is there a theory that describes when this kind of elision is acceptable? Is there a name for this phenomenon?


title: Another meaning of the vulgar word "slut"

text: I guess people who speak American and Philippine English will unanimously agree that the word "slut" is a very offensive term referring to a promiscuous woman. However, Merriam-Webster and Oxford Advanced Learner's also attach another meaning to the word--a slovenly woman--and this is supposedly chiefly British. slut: a lazy, careless, or slovenly woman : slattern (that slut of a housekeeper — Margaret Kennedy) --Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary To speakers of British English: how often would one use the word "slut" in reference to a messy or untidy woman? Is this usage current or obsolescent?


title: Denotation of Paradox

text: Google defines paradox in three ways, the first two being:   1. a statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory.   2. a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true. These are almost opposite definitions. My English book defined it as the second, but I've always understood it to mean the first. Which is the most common usage?


title: At this point, are “military” and “armed forces” synonymous?

text: Looking at the free definitions online, and not including too much history, it seems to me that at one point the Navy was not directly associated as _”military”_. Or rather, that the Navy included not only military ships, but all ships of a nation. Today the terms at top seem synonymous. Only perhaps that the word _military_ carries more weight, and can be used for either a more powerful sentiment, or more pejorative, depending on the context. Likewise _”armed forces”_ , and even more so _”armed services”_ seem to be softer representations of otherwise exactly the same thing. (..not unlike _”dead”_ vs. _”deceased”_? [Sorry, couldn't resist.]) Is there any technical difference, or situations today, where these are _NOT_ interchangeable?


title: Meaning of "Y-o-u-u Tom!"

text: In the opening chapter of Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom's aunt Polly calls out to him in a rather peculiar fashion: > She went to the open door and stood in it, and looked out among the tomato > vines and "Jimpson" weeds that constituted the garden. No Tom. So she lifted > up her voice at an angle calculated for distance and shouted: > > **"Y-o-u-u Tom!"** > > There was a slight noise behind her and she turned just in time to seize a > small boy by the slack of his roundabout and arrest his flight. What's with this "Y-o-u-u" business? How is it meant to be read? Is it perhaps an antecedent of yoo-hoo?


title: using "the"+adj without a noun

text: Is the following sentence good/legal/understood English? > Meditation melts the coarse and solidifies the subtle. If it isn't, how can this be otherwise expressed, in a neat and concise way?


title: What is the difference between "what do you think" and "how about"?

text: These two sentences seem to be the same to me. Is there any difference between them, and are there circumstances in which I can only use one of them instead of the other?


title: Usage of "ain't"?

text: As far as I understand, "ain't" can mean either "isn't" (ain't no sunshine) or "hasn't" (you ain't seen nothing yet). Are there any rules when "ain't" is used? Does it have a different meaning than "isn't" or "hasn't"? **Edit** : Maybe asking for rules was not the best idea. A better question would have been: when do _you_ use "ain't" instead of "isn't"/"hasn't"?


title: The computer has 48GB memory (or memories?)

text: What's the correct form? If both are correct, what's the difference?


title: Origin of the phrase "Oh, Dear!"

text: When something bad happens, sometimes you'll hear _Oh, dear!_ or _Oh, dear me!_ Why is this? Is it a shorter version of another phrase that makes sense in these situations?


title: Thanking you in anticipation

text: Is this correct to use **Thanking you in anticipation** to say thanks?


title: How to punctuate combinations of 'and' and 'or'

text: For this question, please bear in mind that **or** denotes [[ **either or both** ]]. I need to express that Mary will go to the movies with, either one of, or both of, Jane and John. > **Jane or John and Mary will go to the movies.** Aside from adding punctuation, I cannot amend the sentence. How should I punctuate the sentence?


title: Articles and prepositions in a series

text: I am writing a technical report. After finishing the first draft, I asked my friends, who are native English speakers, to proofread my writing. They found and corrected several errors in my report. For example, my original writing was: > The bound scales with the aperture size, coherence width, spatial spread, > and signal strength. One guy corrected it like this: > The bound scales with the aperture size, the coherence width, the spatial > spread, and the signal strength. On the other hand, another friend corrected it as > The bound scales with the aperture size, with the coherence width, with the > spatial spread, and with the signal strength. To me, both look OK. But, I am not sure which one is better. Problems related to repeating or omitting articles and prepositions in a series of items always confuse me.


title: Can "modality" mean "having modes?"

text: A widget has one button. This button performs different functions depending on the widget's mode at the time the button is pressed. Can this be said to have _modality_ , or a _modal_ design?


title: Origin of "bug" in reference to software

text: What is the origin of the expression _bug_ when used to refer to software? Wikipedia says it's from 1843 in Ada Byron's notes on the analytical engine. Another source I found was on dictionary.com: > The latter observation may explain a common folk etymology of the term; that > it came from telephone company usage, in which " **bugs** in a telephone > cable" were blamed for noisy lines. Though this derivation seems to be > mistaken, it may well be a distorted memory of a joke first current among > _telegraph_ operators more than a century ago! It seems to me that nobody really knows and that it's just a reference that came into being maybe through another domain than software and eventually creeped into it when computers and software were born. I've always thought that it might have been because an actual bug (insect) went into a mechanical calculator and got jammed somewhere which messed the process.


title: Impel and compel and the finer nuances

text: I was contemplating over the two words - impel and compel. consider the examples: 1\. she impelled me to take the job 2\. she compelled me to take the job. is the word compel somewhat derogatory or coercing something against one's will? Can one be used in place of the other. someone ratiocinate please.


title: Usage of Phrase 'Hit the Bricks'

text: Can we use the phrase 'Hit the bricks' at the context of asking people to work hard?


title: in early am or at early am (time)

text: > Sexy, let’s go to AC for the whole night this or the following Friday night. > We can leave around 8-9 pm and come back **in early am.** Is this correct?


title: Which is correct: "web host" or "web hoster"?

text: Which is the best way to refer to a **company that hosts your website** : > My **web host** supports Ruby. or > My **web hoster** supports Ruby. or > My **web hosting service** supports Ruby.


title: When should I use "Would",  "Would have", "Will", and "Will have"?

text: I hope someone, once and for all, can clarify (with examples) the difference in usage of _will_ vs. _would_ vs. _would have_ vs. _will have_.


title: Is there a common word for floor and ceiling?

text: Walls divide rooms but what do you call what divides stories? Looking from below it would be the _ceiling_ , looking from above it would be the _floor_. But when looking at it from the outside? Is there a common word? I am looking for a word which describes structures that divide a space vertically as opposed to _walls_ which divide the space horizontally.


title: More concise word or phrase for "people who have been taken advantage of"

text: I’m hoping for a single descriptive word for “people who have been taken advantage of”, but a shorter phrase would be ok. These are people who now have a lack of trust and are in need of loyalty in their relationships.


title: I don't tell you or I won't tell you

text: Is it correct to say I don't tell you or shall we use I won't tell you ?


title: How to refer to "mainland Europe"

text: As a Europhile living in England, it really bothers me when journalists refer to mainland Europe as "Europe". We're _in_ Europe! But I appreciate that it offers a neat shorthand for referring to the continent. Is there an alternative that doesn't offend my inclusive sensibilities?


title: Is there a word for the use of a nationality to change the meaning of a noun?

text: In phrases such as _Russian Roulette_ , _Dutch Courage_ and _French Letter_ the nationality changes the meaning of the noun. Is there a word for this?


title: When a person replies with a sentence starting with "then"/"than", should it be then or than?

text: I've heard people sarcastically respond with sentences of the form "then [effect of persons actions]" even though the person was not soliciting for advice. For example   Joe: "I wrote my paper on why George Bush was a good prime minister for Canada"   Jane: "Then you are going to get a bad mark" Should it be "then" or "than"? Initially I thought "than" as it shows the relationship between writing a poor paper and receiving a poor mark, but since it's talking about something hypothetical that may happen in the future it would be "then".


title: Meaning of ‘silvan game’

text: Does anybody know the meaning of italicized phrase? > Fye upon your name!   >  In wrath, for loss of _silvan game_ ,   >  Saint Hilda’s priest ye slew. It's passage from Walter Scott's Marmion, Canto Second. Something about ‘silvan’ I found here, however the phrase ‘silvan game’ still makes no sense for me. > Then Whitby’s nuns exulting told,   >  How to their house three Barons bold   >  Must menial service do;   >  While horns blow out a note of shame,   >  And monks cry ‘Fye upon your name!   >  In wrath, for loss of _silvan game_ ,   >  Saint Hilda’s priest ye slew.’—   >  ‘This, on Ascension-day, each year,   >  While labouring on our harbour-pier,   >  Must Herbert, Bruce, and Percy hear.’ This is whole text of complete thought, but it brings nothing useful, I think. Thanks.


title: "Vision For" or "Vision Of"?

text: I'd like to know which of these is more correct: > ... a vision **of** the company for the future or > ... a vision **for** the company for the future (I do realise that the phrase 'for the future' could be redundant here, so it could be changed to some other construct, such as 'for the next year' etc. I just want to find out which sounds better in a usage like this.)


title: WHY should I put comma after a dependent clause?

text: For example, > If you vote, you can have a say. Or you'd also have to put a comma after any other dependent clause beginning a sentence. So we should put a comma after dependent clause—why?


title: What is the difference between "maybe" and "may be"?

text: What is the difference in meaning and usage between _maybe_ and _may be_? Are they synonymous?


title: "Local crumbed scallops", or "crumbed local scallops"?

text: Recently I was in a fish and chip shop in Mandurah, WA, selling local crumbed scallops.   * Is _local crumbed scallops_ the correct form?    * Is _crumbed local scallops_ more appropriate?    * What if "nonlocal" scallops were also available?   * [optional] What form would a native German speaker find more natural, and why?


title: How do you properly pronounce 'mall'?

text: In America, it's pretty much universally pronounced "moll" but in the UK, I have heard a few different ways of pronouncing it:   * Mall (rhymes with pal)   * Maul (rhymes with ball and hence the American pronunciations match up)   * Moll It may depend on accents but which is the correct way?


title: What is the meaning of this quote?

text: I heard this in a movie. What does it mean? > My time, as does most time, comes with a price. You make time.


title: what is the meaning of competing alternatives

text: does it mean that in a company, for instance, the most probably hired interviewers left in the second round of testing? does it have to do with competent and still remaining . then if it is solved, can you guys give me some sentences to illustrate it?


title: Could "totally implausible" mean "impossible"?

text: The question "What is the difference between 'impossible' and 'implausible'?" has generated an interesting discussion on the differences, if any, between "totally implausible" and "impossible". More precisely, the debate arose from the following statement: > Probably, in some contexts, "totally implausible" could mean "impossible." Since it seems that there is controversy on this matter, as the following comments show,   * "there's certainly scope for disagreement about what exactly totally implausible means. There's no doubt in my mind that the negating im- prefix is doing something subtly different when applied to “plausible” vs. “possible”. Even if not everyone (or perhaps no-one) agrees with me on that point."   * "implausible is often used thus, as if implausible and improbable were synonyms; and what is "totally improbable" is, by definition, impossible. But I think this is a misuse: "not seeming probable" is not the same thing as "not probable". Plausible speaks to perception, probable to fact."   * "Not sure I agree that totally implausible could mean impossible. Why does the addition of the adverb change the meaning of implausible to impossible?" I wonder: could "totally implausible" mean "impossible?"


title: What is the meaning of being politically monochrome?

text: I recently read an article about how a state had become politically monochrome. I know what monochrome means. But I am unable to associate it with the phrase "Politically Monochrome"


title: Is “Know how to cook leeks”an idiom? What does “Read “Hamlet” and know how to cook leeks” mean?

text: There was the following sentence in New York Times’ article (February 28) titled “What you learn at 40s.”: > "Victor Hugo supposedly called 40 “the old age of youth.” - - The > conventional wisdom is that you’re still reasonably young, but that > everything is declining: health, fertility, the certainty that you will one > day **read “Hamlet” and know how to cook leeks**. Among my peers there’s a > now-or-never mood: We still have time for a second act, but we’d better get > moving on it." http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/01/opinion/sunday/what-you- > learn-in-your-40s.html?hp&rref=opinion&_r=0 What does the line -“Read Hamlet and know how to cook leeks” mean? Is “Know how to cook leeks” an idiom, for instance, to mean to get 'the worldly knowledge'? Readers English Japanese Dictionary at hand carries “eat the leek” and “not worth a leek” as idioms, but don’t include “know how to cook leeks.”


title: Popular novelty books for intermediate reading

text: I've bought George R.R. Martin's The Game of Thrones book today, but the vocabulary in it is too complicated for me. Please suggest me some books with a lot of dialogs and more common vocabulary


title: Broad word covering preferences and dispositions

text: I'm looking for a broad word to cover preferences and dispositions, such as 'I'll work on weekends' or 'I don't mind scut work'. As you may have guessed, it's to phrase a question on a job application form, which is currently phrased as 'Is there a reason why we should hire you that you’ve not had a chance to tell us about in the CV or application forms? For instance, skills and experience relevant to the roles you’re applying to.' I realise it may be hard to find such a word; I only need a word to use in the above question that will elicit a broader range of reasons than just those related to 'skills and experience'.


title: Word meaning: "to make one reconsider"

text: I am looking for a one-word synonym (or short phrase) meaning "to make one reconsider" or "to make one rethink". This would be used in the context of explaining how an event makes one step back and realize what has passed them by over time.


title: One word for simplicity, expressiveness, and error avoidance?

text: Is there a good word to describe all three of them? Currently, I'm writing my thesis, and it's about designing an API. So one of my goals is to achieve all of these: simplicity, expressiveness and error avoidance. Meaning, that the API should be self-explanatory, be expressive and help the programmer to produce less errors. Any ideas how to combine all of these in one word?


title: Participle phrase — what can it modify?

text: Must a participial phrase always modify the subject of a sentence, or can it modify the object?


title: "You have ... " vs "Your .... is ". What's the difference?

text: For example: "You have a beautiful smile" vs "Your smile is beautiful". What's the difference between these phrases?


title: Question marks at the end of statements

text: Do either or both of the two sentences below require a question mark? >   * Just confirming that we are still on tomorrow for our 3 pm meeting with > S&P management **?** > >   * I am free to chat this evening as well, if that works better for you > **?** > >


title: Differences between summary, abstract, overview, and synopsis

text: Are there subtle differences in meaning between the nouns _summary_ , _abstract_ , _overview_ , and _synopsis_? Which would be the most appropriate term for a one-page "executive summary" of a research report? From Wiktionary:   * summary: An abstract or a condensed presentation of the substance of a body of material.   * abstract: An abridgement or summary.   * overview: A brief summary, as of a book or a presentation.   * synopsis: A brief summary of the major points of a written work, either as prose or as a table; an abridgment or condensation of a work.


title: Did the slang term "The Bomb" meaning "Very Cool" come from the American Jazz scene?

text: Searching Google for the history of the slang term "the bomb" (as in "That song is the bomb") yields a number of results in 40s/50s jazz glossaries, but they tend to at best give an artificial example of usage, nothing about the actual history behind the usage. Here's one such glossary (there are numerous others): Jazz Slang. I'm wondering if this is based on some actual history of the term, or if a bunch of "jazz glossaries" are just copying from each other, especially since there are some other comprehensive glossaries that do not include the term. I also very much thought the term was more modern than the Jazz Era, but I could be falling for the recency fallacy there. Then again, considering that the atomic bomb was dropped in the 40's it's feasible that the term originated in the Jazz scene. The oldest reference I could find of this usage is from 1973 here, but I don't have access to the OED, so I'm not sure if there's an older reference in there. Several regular dictionaries include this meaning, but either don't list any origin or only say "Origin: US". I found an article on dictionary.com, Lexical Investigations: Bomb, which mostly focuses on a different related terms (just "bomb" not "the bomb"), but in passing says "the bomb" originated in Great Britain and rubbed off on Americans in the 90's. But it doesn't give any citations or references to support that. Related question about the term "cool", which did originate in the Jazz scene: Where did the slang usages of "cool" come from?


title: When can you omit words in a parallel strucutre?

text: First of all, I am not a native English speaker, so this is always confusing. I wrote the following sentence: > Due to its hydrophobic property, beta-carotene in carrots is more easily > absorbed into the system if digested with fat-based diet than eaten raw. Somehow I feel like there should be 'if it is' after 'than'. In this case, what should I do? Is there any general rule that I can follow?


title: Is "SSA triangle problems may have zero or two solutions." an ambiguous statement?

text: A test I took included the question > True or false: SSA triangle problems may have zero or two solutions. SSA triangles, as was taught in the lesson, can have zero solutions, one solution, or two solutions. I was unsure if the question asked if zero and two solutions were possibilities with SSA triangles, or if SSA triangles were limited to zero or two solutions. I went with the former (that is, answered True) and got it wrong. Is it just me, or is the test-question ambiguous?


title: What are the differences between "inverse", "reverse", and "converse"?

text: What distinctions can be made among the meanings of the words "inverse", "reverse", "converse", and, for good measure, "transverse" and "obverse"? Is it ever possible to use some of them interchangeably? Are they the same for purposes of casual discourse? Do the differences become more salient in a particular technical context, such as engineering, math, or linguistics?


title: What are the 'distances' among the major English dialects?

text: Yes, I admit, as an AmE speaker, that all non-North American accents sound the same: BrE, Irish, Scottish, Australian and South African. Or rather, I can tell they are different if placed side by side as in the excellent 21 accents but I can't name them off in isolation, unless I pick out one very specific feature (e.g. he said 'bairn' for 'baby', must be Scottish, she said 'bruvvah' for 'brother', must be London). Is there some way to say objectively, comparing them all to each other, that, say, dialects A and B sound more similar than A and C or B and C? And really, with specific dialects...To Australians, for example, does AmE and, say, BrE actually sound alike? I see a distance matrix:                    BrE  AmE  IrE ...     BrE   0    7    2  ...     AmE        0    4  ...     IrE             0  ...     ...                ...      (of course the off diagonal numbers are picked out of thin air). Is there some less subjective comparison of distances (like how many people of one kind misunderstand those of another)? Which ones are the most 'out there'? Do the accents in the British Isles share lots of similarities but the former colonies have little with each other or the isles?


title: Which is the correct spelling: “fairy” or “faerie”?

text: _Fairy_ vs. _faerie_ -- which is the correct spelling?


title: What's a positive phrase for "stating the obvious"?

text: This is somewhat of a dual to Word for "stating the obvious?", but what would be a good word selection to say that someone's point is obvious in hindsight, but without any sort of negative connotation that the idea is trivial? > His idea to fund prevention versus treatment is [obvious in hindsight]


title: Correct use of IN compared to FOR when describing an action

text: I find it rather odd when someone writes that an item was used "in prediction" of _'X'_ , however I don't know whether that is my own preference or it's actually incorrect. Personally, I think that 'for' is much more appropriate. To illustrate my point, here is an example of a sentence and how I would correct it: 1 : "Y is a risk factor **in predicting** cancer recurrence" 2 : "Y is a risk factor **for predicting** cancer recurrence" I feel both sentences convey the same point, but "in predicting" just sounds weird to me; I prefer option 2. Is there are difference between 1 and 2, or am I just being picky?


title: "something that the author is praised for not permitting"?

text: The sentence is from the Official Guide for the GRE General test: > Here, we must determine what word should indicate something that the author > is praised for not permitting. I can not fully understand this sentence. I tried to rephrase it into two shorter sentences, but I failed to manage the second one: > We must determine what word should indicate something.   >  Something ... How should I understand the clause "the author is praised for not permitting"?


title: When ordering coffee, do you say "two milks" or "two milk"?

text: I've already searched the site if this question had been asked before however I didn't find anything related to my question. Every time I order coffee some people sort of correct me by saying 2 milks some others use 2 milk. Can someone explain which is the correct form and why?


title: Late/early for numbers other than age/year

text: When referring to age or to periods in time, it is quite common to use expressions such as > He is in his _late twenties_ or > The best music was produced in the _early eighties_ I have recently heard somebody use it in the sense of > The number of shoes I own is in the _late thirties/early forties_. Is that an acceptable use of late/early?


title: What is a word for "the desire to be considered a victim"?

text: I'm wondering about this in relation to the notion of a "culture of victimization", when people want to garner sympathy and/or discharge their guilt by being considered victims. The phrase "culture of victimization" refers to the situation of many people having that desire and not to the desire itself. "Masochism" is close I suppose, but somehow not quite right.


title: How is a' in mathematics pronounced?

text: It often happens that two or more similar values are distinguished with the `'` symbol, e.g. `a, a', a''` and similar. How is this pronounced?


title: What is the exact phrase of Shakespeare’s for the phrase meaning “It’s not yet the worst when you are saying it’s the worst (situation).”?

text: I once posted a question in this forum asking what is the counterpart saying to Japanese proverb, “There’s no wild pig larger than the mountain (from where it emerges)” and am thankful for receiving many answers from users. Today I found the quote from Shakespeare’s work to the effect of “It’s not yet the worst when you are saying you are in worst situation” in “Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” a columnist’s column of the Asahi newspaper. The essay simply says it from Shakespeare, and doesn’t show English text of the phrase, nor what part of Shakespeare’s work it came from. After experiencing the M-9 earthquake and tsunami that devastated coastal and inland area of Eastern Japan, and watching many people going through tough time before our eys, I keep telling myself and others, “My heart goes out to you, but believe me, “There’s no wild pig larger than the mountain.” Can somebody tell me the exact wording, and what work of Shakespeare this axiom quoted in “the Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” came from?


title: Word meaning "not normal, but relatively normal in context"

text: Here's a passage from a story I vaguely remember: > The ritual involves gruesome acts like self-mutilation or sacrifice, but > also some __ steps like standing on a skyscraper and humming for three > hours. I'm looking for a single word that I can fill in the blank. I've been suggested phrases like "relatively normal", but I am pretty sure that this was a single word.


title: How to interpret the meaning of "I am surprised that..."?

text: When somebody says "I am surprised that...", does it mean to express not only surprise but also some level of disappointment or disapproval? If somebody uses that expression when speaking with me, I feel somewhat annoyed and guilty. It feels like there is some subtle expression of disapproval and even annoyance on the part of the speaker that they can't openly express. Would a native speaker of English interpret this expression the way I do? Or would it depend not only on the expression but also on the manner of expressing it?


title: Difference between distinctness and distinction

text: I want to say "the clear distinctness/distinction of the two formulas implies ...". Please could you tell me how to select the word?


title: Where to place "among other things"?

text: I'll be placing a short introduction on a web site and the introduction includes a sentence similar to this: > I'm - among many other things - a hobbyist coder. I'm unsure about the position of "among many other things". Other scenarios I can think of > Among many other things, I'm a hobbyist coder. > > I'm a hobbyist coder, among many other things. Which one should I be using? Or is there a better way to put it? * * * "Many" in "among many other things" is optional.


title: "Foos are menace" vs. "Foos are a menace"

text: One of my friends has this in one of his E-mail signatures: «"Kosher" Cellphones (cellphones with blocked SMS, video and Internet) are menace to the deaf. They must be outlawed!». Is this sentence correct or should it preferably be "a menace"? Comparing the Google results for "are a menace" vs. "are menace" and "is a menace" vs. "is menace" shows that the variations articulated with the "a" are much more common, and I also think an "a" is missing, but I'm not sure.


title: Are collective nouns taught at school (and one has to learn them) or are they just a fun thing?

text: I speak English as a foreign language and find it unique in several aspects. One of them is the large number of collective nouns, especially for groups of birds. Such high degree of specificity reaches the point where you have several nouns for a single species, just depending on whether the group is on land, flying together, or just flying at random. We say there is a parliament of owls, a murder of crows, a company of parrots, a plump or moorhens, a clutch of chickens, a kettle of hawks, a watch of nightingales, a covey of partridges, a pod of pelicans, a sedge of cranes, a flock of geese on land, a plump of geese flying close, a skein of geese in flight, and so on. The list is indeed very long. My question is – Are these nouns standard in every English Speaking Country ? Are they treated seriously so native speakers have to learn them at school ? Or is it just a fun thing ? Can these collective nouns take both a singular and a plural verb - depending on context ?


title: what is the term when the kingdom ruler changes through an assassination

text: In the ancient times ,there was periods they changes the ruler of a kingdom or empire by assassination him .   what do we call that? changing the king in a quick time through assassination? do we call it a coup ? overthrown ?   Then, what is the term when the army take a step and take the command of the empire or kingdom and throw the king in jail.


title: Is 'read' still synonymous with 'majored' in BrE?

text: See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_American_and_British_English#university "She read biology at Cambridge." That doesn't mean 'she read a book or something about biology at Cambridge'?


title: where- and there- compounds

text: Are these lexical formations considered archaic or can they still be used without fear of appearing extravagant or even old-fashioned? **... the book _in which_ I read that...   ... the book _wherein_ I read that...** Strictly in terms of stylistic clarity, which model is considered more efficient or even more beautiful? (Personally, I always prefer the latter to the former, but what do I know? I am not a native English speaker, though I am a pretty educated speaker of English).


title: Is there a single word for "Making a mistake just to make a point"

text: Google Chrome released an improved spell check option today. This is how the feature is described: ![bettar spell chek](http://i.stack.imgur.com/TmKTx.png) > Chrome as auto-updated with bettar spell chek. Try the "Ask Google for > Suggestions" feature in the right click menu of any text area. As you see, _bettar_ and _chek_ are deliberately misspelled just to make the point. Is there a single word or phrase to describe this? (I couldn't think of a better title. Feel free to edit)


title: Meaning of "with a steel ride that sends chills up her back"

text: I would like to know the meaning of the following phrase: "with a steel ride that sends chills up her back".


title: Is there a semantic difference between "pedophile" and "pederast"?

text: If I understand the etymology of _pedophile_ and _pederast_ , both mean _child lover_. Is there a difference in their connotation? In some recent local news stories that discuss changing sex offender laws, the controversy has centered around dividing the pedophiles and the rapists from the more questionable cases of older teens having sex with younger teens. In a lunchtime debate, I contended that we should not worry so much about the pedophiles as we should the pederasts. Which brings me to the crux of it. My understanding of these words is that > A pedophile is sexually attracted to children. > > A pederast has sex with children. Therefore, one can be a pedophile without having sex with children, and as a matter of fact, once a pedophile has sex with a child, then that person is a pederast. However, given the reaction to my statement, I feel I may have a fundamental misunderstanding of the meaning of the word _pedophile_. Does this word imply more than just attraction? I thought _-phile_ indicated an affinity for something, not necessarily an indulgence in it. **Update:** There are some great answers here. I was inspired to look deeper and found that in the English language, there are only four words ending in -erast. These are _pederast, paederast_ (alternate spelling), _philerast_ (the boy in a pederastic relationship), and _federast_ (merging "federalist" and "pederast"). It looks like _pedophile_ and _pederast_ may be unique in the English language for this -phile/-erast distinction.


title: Is there a known reason that English has so many short words?

text: Anyone who has played scrabble-like games in English and other languages cannot help but notice that English has an extremely high number of two and three-letter words. Is there a known historic-linguistic reason that English has so many short words?


title: What are the differences between simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex sentences?

text: These two sentences came up in a English Comp class and there was some discussion if the book was correct on whether they were simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex. >   * Whatever pizza Lucy orders is a meal in itself. >   * You can choose whatever crust you prefer and size you prefer. > I feel that the sentences are unnecessarily contrived; but could someone explain how you should properly parse them and define if the sentences are simple, compound, complex or compound-complex? A simple sentence has one independent clause.   A compound sentence has more than one independent clause.   A complex sentence has one independent clause with one or more dependent clauses.   A compound-complex sentence has more than one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.


title: Which is correct — "complaint by a customer" or "complaint of a customer"?

text: Which is correct usage? >   * complaint dated 01.02.2013 **by** a customer >   * complaint dated 01.02.2013 **of** a customer >


title: "There was some attempts" or "there were some attempts"?

text: Is the grammar in the following Alice in Wonderland quote correct? Would it be more appropriate to use _were_ given that the noun phrase is plural? > There was some attempts at applause, which was immediately suppressed by the > officers of the court,


title: What does "dish" mean in this context?

text: In this article about male friendships, there are two references to "dish": > "Well, what do you have for me?" Dish, she meant – like maybe some of that > marital strife. and: > "What do you got for me? Any dish?" I'm a pretty confident non-native speaker, and I know it refers to neither food nor plates and bowls nor antennas. Nor this sexist talk. I'm pretty sure this is about gossip or something in that area but I couldn't find any sources.


title: What does "The Pink Elephant in the Room" mean?

text: I know someone who keeps using the phrase "The Pink Elephant in the room". I know that phrase "The Elephant in the room". Is this the same thing? Does it mean something different?


title: Use of "had" in this sentence

text: This sentence pertains to a movie I watched:   1. I wish I watched it with subtitles.   2. I wish I **had** watched it with subtitles. What effect does adding **had** have on the sentence? Are both sentences correct? Is one form preferred over the other?


title: Which one is correct? "I have work experience in " or "I had work experience in"?

text: Which one is correct? > I have previous work experience in IBM in PHP domain during the period > 2009-2010. OR > I had previous work experience in IBM in PHP domain during the period > 2009-2010.


title: Is there any word for a person who gives the contract to murder to someone else?

text: Is there a word for a person who doesn't commit murder himself but gives the contract to murder to someone else?


title: How should I parse the name of the UK?

text: I've grown up in the UK and always considered that it is a United Kingdom of four countries: the three countries on the island of Great Britain and the country/province1 of Northern Ireland. Everything I've ever read supports it. But then an Irishman the other day said to me that he thinks of it as a United Kingdom of three countries, plus Northern Ireland. He was quite adamant, though this seems like a very strange way to form the name of a sovereign state, especially since the constitutional monarchy presides over all four constituent states. So, which is it? And can you _prove_ it?               The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  [^^^^^^^^^^^^^  +  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^]          The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  +  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^      * * * 1 Sources disagree on how NI should be officially described.   † I suppose this is geography or history in a sense, but I think we can also call this an etymology question.


title: Is "To say which method is better, it's a relative thing" correct?

text: Is "To say which method is better, it's a relative thing" correct to express that a method is better depending on the circumstances? Or is there a better way to express that? The context is: > Q:Which is the more preferred method now (method 1 or method 2)? I know > method 2 is newer but is it better? > > A: **It is a (relative?) thing to say which method is better.** Method 1 can > fulfill Kevin's request with minimal change to the current script that we're > using; in the contrast, method 2 can provide some more functions in addition > to fulfilling Kevin's request. So either one can be better, depending on > what you want. As you can see, there is comparison between method 1 and method 2, And either method can be better depending on the need. What word would be proper to replace "relative", which has similar meaning of "relative"?


title: What is the meaning of "down-level"

text: What does the word _down-level_ mean? I read an article here and it says: > But the versions for some browsers (like IE 10) aren't within those ranges > any more. Therefore, ASP.NET sees them as unknown browsers and defaults to a > down-level definition, which has certain inconveniences, like that it does > not support features like JavaScript.


title: What is the difference between "combine A with B" and "combine A and B"?

text: I wonder the difference between **_combine A with B_** and **_combine A and B_** so that I can use the phrase correctly. Thanks a lot!


title: Is “sand off the sharp edge” a well-established idiom?

text: I came across the phrase “ _sand off the sharp edges_ ” in the following sentence of Washington Post’s (January 23rd) article titled “Obama’s State of the Union is crucial balancing act.” “Obama’s senior advisers say he does not intend to shy away from his recent attacks on Congress or of the economic policies promoted by his Republican rivals, although he may _sand off the sharp edges_ he has employed outside the Beltway in recent weeks to make his case.” Though I guessed “sand off the sharp edge” means “blunt the edge,” I checked the meaning of the phrase on Cambridge, Oxford, Merriam-Webster online dictionaries to make it certain. None of them registers this expression. However, www.mojosells.com provides definition - The concept of “sanding off the edges” means that you decide to please some people less in order to please others more. There is no entry of “sand off the sharp edge” or “sand off the edge “in GoogleNgram. What is the exact meaning of ‘President Obama may sand off the sharp edge he has employed outside the Beltway? Does sharp edge mean straightforward, aggressive, and relentless rhetoric he used before? Is “sand off the sharp edge” relatively modern usage?


title: What do you call that sound uncouth people make by gurgling the snot in their sinuses?

text: There may not be a word for it, but maybe there is a better or more concise way of describing it.


title: Why does the Strait of Hormuz sometimes get pluralized?

text: On the map, there only seems to be one Strait of Hormuz, and I'd say about 50% of the time, I have indeed heard it referred to as the 'Strait of Hormuz', but the other half of the time people will refer to the 'Straits of Hormuz'. Is this an arbitrary, incorrect pluralization? If so, how did it originate?


title: What is a "cross over floor"?

text: While taking the stairs during a fire drill, I noticed that door to some floors were labelled **_cross over floor_**. Later I went to one of these floors, but didn't notice anything different. My searches so far have proved fruitless (I keep getting suggestions for _crossing the floor_ ).


title: "Past" or "passed"?

text: There are a few questions about past vs. passed, but it seems to me that this is very much a subtle matter, where small changes can change the answer, so here is yet another one. If you were to say, "Go past/passed the store, then take a left.", would it be _past_ or _passed?_ A friend of mine insists that it is _passed,_ but I disagree. She is so convinced that it is _passed_ that she believes I am being willfully ignorant. I am not an expert in the English language, so it's possible that I'm wrong, but it would be a surprise to me if I were. So, StackExchange, what's the verdict? Who's right?


title: What does "whip-snap" mean?

text: What does _whip-snap_ mean? > Lured by its splashy fight scenes and **whip-snap** dialogue


title: The phrase "were strong from"

text: I want to make a sentence like the following: > His arms were strong from lifting weights. I'm not sure if it's grammatically correct though. When I googled "were strong from" only 3 pages came up. Why is that? If it's not grammatically correct, then what could I use instead?


title: What is a single word for the capability of a theory, for example, to generate further thought and theorizing?

text: There are a few words which I blank on quite frequently. Perhaps my "advanced" age has something to do with it. I don't know. One such word for me is _euphemism_. There is another word I am blanking on right now. In my answer to this question I also blanked on the same word. It is a word which describes the power of a quotation, or memorable words, or a theory to stimulate further thought and perhaps research. The word is similar in meaning to prolific, which can denote having the power to generate many further thoughts and ramifications of the original quotation, words, or theory. If you would be so kind as to supply this word for me and perhaps give me a mnemonic device to make it accessible to me, I'd be very grateful.


title: You are waking up the whole house

text: My wife used the expression "you are waking up the house" when my son was making a lot of noise. Now that is actually wrong, I think - that would imply that the house as an entity was being woken, which is wrong as the house is brick. However, "you are waking up the entire house" is acceptable in British English. So why does adding "Whole" change the meaning so much? My only thought was that it could be a corruption of "Household". Any thoughts? [edit] Just for clarification, I do understand that "waking up the house" carries the same meaning, but the interest was that the normal usage is the whole house. And I am interested in why this "whole" makes a difference.


title: Where does the word "bravo" come from?

text: Where does the word "bravo" come from? In Spanish, it can be related to bravery but I fail to see the connection with the congratulatory mode it's used today in spectacles and related activities.


title: "Convenient for you" vs "convenient to you"

text: Is there a difference between "convenient for you" and "convenient to you"? And if it is, could you explain it?


title: meaning and usage of 'teh'

text: > “I wouldn’ say no **teh** a bit o’ yer birthday cake, neither.” > > “He usually gets me **ter** do important stuff fer him.” > > — _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone_ Hagrid’s pronunciation of _to_ is spelled _ter_ in the book, so _teh_ seems to be an article, at least according to Wiktionary. However, it seems to be an uncommon usage, so I would please like to know its meaning, plus when this particular usage may be safely adopted.


title: Guidelines for the use of the slang term "cise"

text: I heard an unfamiliar regional slang word used thusly: > I'm gonna go cise (rhymes with ice) me a sandwich and then I'll be back. When I questioned the user, the speaker insisted it has been around a few years at least, and that it has to do with overdoing something and something that makes one happy. According to Urban Dictionary, def 2, it is a regional slang for my area. And according to def 4: > word used when asking for something in place of whatever other verb one > would use. It looks like it means everything. I've attempted using this term in response, but kept getting corrected. What am I missing? Are there guidelines1 to use the word _cise_ (at least in the DC area)?   1: By _guidelines_ , I mean in order to use the term idiomatically, what contexts are not allowed, and for what terms can or cannot the word be used as a substitute


title: What is “non-guideline sentence” to allow the accused to serve as a diplomat instead of a prison term?

text: I read New York Times article (May 13) titled "ex-Senator gets 21-month prison term in tax evasion case." It says in abridgment: > The former Republican senator, Vincent L. Leibell III had faced 18 to 24 > months in prison, based on sentencing guidelines. > > His lawyer, David L. Lewis asked the judge to take into account Mr. > Leibell’s "life of public service" and urged him to consider a "non- > guideline" sentence allowing Mr. Leibell to do community service by letting > him serve as a diplomat to the Middle East instead of a prison term. > > "We don’t have public stocks anymore, where he can stand with his head and > arms in stocks," Mr. Lewis said, trying to convince the judge that Mr. > Leibell’s crime would be forgotten in jail, but that doing some sort of > "social restitution" would be more humiliating for Mr. Leibell and would > offer a broader, more public lesson. More than being puzzled with the logic that servicing as a diplomat can replace prison term, and to serve as a diplomat to Middle East is a humiliating work, I am interested in knowing what the word, "non-guideline sentence" to make it possible, and the phrase, "we don’t have public stocks anymore, where he can stand with his head and arms in stocks" mean. Can anybody tell me?


title: Verb preposition for "be at odds"

text: I found "be at odds" in some examples and in each example the proposition -which is used for it- is different: >   * They're at odds **over** the funding of the project. > >   * Her version of events was at odds **with** the police report. > >   * The liberal-left are at odds **on** Libya. > >   * EPA, Eco groups at odds **in** climate change case. > >   * A man's at odds **to** know his mind cause his mind is aught he has to > know it with. > Does it make a difference which preposition comes after "at odds"?


title: Dissimilarity vs Difference - What is the correct usage?

text: I am confused as to the appropriate use of _dissimilarity_ when the word _difference_ means practically the exact same thing. Are there any unique cases when _dissimilarity_ is a preferred term over the other, or is it down to the author's personal preference?


title: "in the same vein as" vs. "in a similar vein to" vs. "along a similar vein"

text: Which of these three are valid/accepted idioms? Is one of them the "original" one, and others variations on it? Do they have slightly different shades of meaning?


title: In a sequence of words where the "ends" are opposites, what do you call the middle word?

text: For example, in the sequence _late - on time - early_ , _early_ is the **antonym** of _late_ , and _delayed_ would be a **synonym**. But what about **_on time_** , the "neutral" word in the sequence? What is the relationship of _on time_ and _early_? Is there a word for this?


title: What's the meaning of the expression "bed burning" or "bed on fire"?

text: There's a song by Midnight Oil called _Beds Are Burning_ , and the song _Psycho Killer_ also says that "my bed's on fire". What do those expressions mean (if they mean the same thing)? _**update:** Some friends suggest they're talking about drugs effects. What do you think?_


title: Can we say "on the brink of off-topic"?

text: I recently learned _on the brink_ in context of _to teeter on the brink of disaster_. Now, when I want to mention that something is marginal or borderline I remember _on the brink_. > This question is on the brink of off-topic. > > The testimony is on the brink of truth. Are these acceptable, or does _on the brink_ only refer to negative circumstances? Note: The latter example works very well in my native language whereas the first one is awkward.


title: Please explain the meaning of the word "distance" in the sentence

text: **Distance** sometimes lets you know who's worth keeping and who's worth letting go Unless the **distance** is playing games with the vision and its all a mirage, a vagueness of a dream


title: Which mood is created with "everyone should visit"?

text: Which mood is created with the sentence, "Everyone should visit..." with the use of the auxiliary verb? I have decided already that it is not the imperative mood.


title: "Did/would he eat something?"

text: Do both of the sentences have the same meaning? > **Did** he eat something? > > **Would** he eat something? I've heard _would_ can also be used to refer to things that happened in the past.


title: Which tense when talking about books?

text: Which tense should you use when talking about a book if it is narrated in both the past and present tenses? I am asking this because in _To Kill a Mockingbird_ (Can you underline book titles here?) Scout uses both the present and past tenses when narrating the story.


Can you call a cheeseburger a hamburger? I am eating self-made ones.


title: Word for country in which parents were born

text: I am looking for a word that refers to the country in which one's parents were born. Something similar to mother-tongue except for location instead of language?


title: Word related to hosting

text: I recently had to thank my hosts and said, "Thank you for the host-age." 'host-age' is obviously my own coinage and if one were to stick to the dictionaries, it is incorrect, as hostage means something entirely different. Could someone provide me with a crisp alternative in "Thank you for the **_** "


title: What does “balls” mean as a reply word or interjection?

text: Here’s a question again in Jeffery Archer’s _The Prodigal Daughter_. Richard (husband of Florentina Kane, the heroine of the novel) finds in The Wall Street Journal that Jake Thomas, chairman of Lester’s Bank, took a countermeasure to block Richard’s cornering the stock of the bank in an attempt to take over the chairmanship. It goes: > Richard swore uncharacteristically as he left the table and walked toward > the phone, leaving his coffee to go cold. > > “What did you say?” said Florentina. > > “ **Balls** ,” he repeated, and passed her the paper. She read the news > while Richard was dialing. > > “What does it mean?” > > “It means that even if we do acquire 51% of the present stock, Thomas’s > authorized issue of further two million shares make it impossible to defeat > him.” > > – The Prodigal Daughter, Page 244. I don’t know what “balls” means as Florentina asked back to her husband. I looked for definitions of “balls” pertinent to the usage in the above quote in CED, OED, and Merriam-Webster without success. What does “balls” mean? Is it used casually in daily conversation?


title: Take advantage of - positively

text: The phrase "take advantage of" is usually perceived as negative. Is there a word or a phrase with a similar meaning which would convey a more positive meaning? Akin to "make use of the situation" but more refined.


title: Meaning and usage of "stuck in the craw"

text: Can you please explain the meaning and give some usage examples for "stuck in the craw" expression? Just come across this expression in following sentence (a bit lengthy): > **But what stuck in the craw** of those early biographers was a body of > material found in Newton's vast library and within his huge collection of > papers and notebooks that made it very clear that the most respected > scientist in history, the model for scientific method, had spent more of his > life intensely involved with alchemy than he had delving into the clear blue > waters of pure science.


title: "Summoning something into life" vs. "summoning something to life"

text: What is the difference between the following? >   * Summoning ... **into** life >   * Summoning ... **to** life > If it helps, I want to use the word _idea_ in the place of dots so it's like: >   * Summoning your ideas **into** life. >   * Summoning your ideas **to** life. > _Summoning_ in this context is supposed to mean that someone is creating, building, rising someone other ideas; bringing it to reality, crafting it. I wasn't able to find an answer to this question. What is the difference between these two versions and which one is correct (or perhaps both are?) Is one more American English and one British English?


title: Word for a person who likes to torture himself by learning something difficult

text: I want to describe myself as someone who likes to torture himself by learning something really difficult and not very useful. I know there's such a word for describing someone who likes to be tortured sexually. But it's not what I'm looking for.


title: What is the one word for doll witch

text: There are stories where children find a doll on the road. They take it home, and then all sorts of problems start in their families. What is one word for such witchy dolls ?


title: Is there a phrase for not arguing about taste?

text: In Hebrew there is a phrase that roughly translates: > On taste and smell there is no point in arguing. This is of course because both are very subjective.   Is there an English phrase that passes the same sentiment? (That it is senseless to debate tastes).


What is the origin of the phrase "needle in a hay stack"? Initially I thought it was a game once played but I haven't found any mention of it outside of it's idiomatic use.


title: Alternative, more commonly accepted parlance for "currentness"

text: The following two sentences are identical: > Ensure that X is current. > > Ensure the currentness of X. However, the word "currentness", while present in the dictionary, represents a very uncommon usage of the phrase. Are there any alternative ways to phrase this sentence while avoiding the "is current" construct?


title: A better way to phrase "his masterwork" or "his epic"?

text: In the context of an artist. Like, let's say, Dali's "melting clocks" painting; we would call that his (blank), AKA his most recognizable/meaningful/popular/"epic" work. I think there is, perhaps, a French/Latin term Americans use? I'm not sure...