title: Cultural connotation of American English — some examples?

text: I am from India and we speak English there as well, albeit not as culturally refined as I see in the US. In India, and perhaps in the UK, English is spoken in a straight and 'as it is' manner. For example, I found in the US, people would say "You might want to do this..." when they actually mean "You should/have to do this." For once, this kind of sentence with its tacit meaning in American culture has got me into a problem. Can you give more examples here which would help me to understand more of these cultural connotations in American English?


title: what do we call the way women tie up their hair

text: Different word or phrases to describe the way the way women tie up their hair in a bundle on top of their head.


title: Should "portray" be paired with "to be"?

text: Is it acceptable to pair "portray" with "to be"? As in > The novel portrays life to be a... Would it be better to use _as_?


title: Synonym with positive connotation for "peeping through the door"

text: > She peeped through the door asking for permission to enter. Does _peeped through_ have a negative connotation? If so, is there a better word or phrase to be used in such context?


title: "Listen to music" vs. "listen to the music"

text: English is not my mother tongue. I once came across information that _listening to music_ and _listening to **the** music_ mean something different. _Listening to **the** music_ would mean you put whole heart into it, which can be evident by dance, other similar behaviour like improvised accompaniment or changes in face expression. Is this true?


title: Why is "f" in a singular replaced with "v" in its plural?

text: For example, "wife" is "wives" in plural, as is knife, strife, etc. What's the reason and/or etymology behind this?


title: Is it "my passion lies in" or "my passion is"?

text: I have the following sentence in my résumé: > My passion **lies in** analyzing complex algorithms. Someone pointed out to me that it is not correct, and that it should be: > My passion **is** analyzing complex algorithms. I found this reference, but it only addresses the first version. Which is correct? If they are both correct, which is 'better'? My native language is not English, so I'm having a hard time deciding.


title: "Totally agree" and "completely agree"

text: What is the difference between _totally agree_ and _completely agree_? In other words, what is the difference in meaning between _totally_ and _completely_ in such combinations in conversations?


title: What does "out" mean in this passage?

text: What does **_out_** mean in this passage? > And it’s no accident that this selection of the best poems from three > decades begins with the word “between,” for Heaney was a poet of the in- > between (as his friend Helen Vendler has observed), writing from a zone > somewhere between north and south, between Catholic and Protestant, between > Ireland, England, and America, between formal and free verse, between public > and private, between realism and allegory, and between plain speech and > loading “every rift with ore,” while also balancing the gravitas of his > subject matter with the frolic and grace of poetic language. As Heaney said, > “ ** _The point is to fly under or out and beyond those radar systems_**.” It is easy to understand "fly _under_ the radar" and "fly _beyond_ the radar"; but "fly _out_ the radar" is ambiguous? Does it mean _to circumvent the radar_ or what?


title: What do you call a heterosexual who wonders what it would be like to have a relationship with a gay person?

text: In "Perfect Zen" by E. A. St. Amant it is written: > “You're a breeder voyeur,” Paulo remarked. “She loves the explicit gay porno > stuff, like at the Barn.” I found that a _breeder voyeur_ is 'A heterosexual person who attends a gay bar or event in order to observe gay life', so, I'm wondering what do you call a heterosexual who, not only observes gay life, but wonders what it would be like to live and to have a relationship with a gay person. The first word that come to my mind is _curious_ , but it seems too general and I'm looking for a word that fits more precisely that meaning.


title: Is “break for” something an idiom or a set of words? What does it mean?

text: In the New York Times’ (October 11) article titled, “Debating points, Vice Presidential Edition” dealing with Vice Presidential debates held on October 11, there was the following sentence: > “How are the undecided voters breaking after the first debate? Does the > trend toward Obama, which began in mid-July, continue? It does. The still > undecided voters continue to break for Obama by more than 2 to 1. Whether > the wave that _broke for_ Romney in most national polling after the debate > will come later to our cohort, there is of course no way to know.” I thought “ _break for_ ” is just a casual idiom, and guessed it means to “go for / support” from the context of the above sentence. However, when I checked dictionaries to make sure of it, I was unable to find “break for” as an idiom in any of Cambridge, Oxford, and Merrimu-Webster dictionary. Oxford registers “break away (down, forth, in, off, out trough, up, into),” but for “break for.” Cambridge registers only “break away (off, up)” as idioms. Merriam-Webster registers only break (down, in, off) as idioms. Google NGram registers “break for,” whose usage is consistently upward since 1840. I was barely able to find the following definitions of “break for something” in idioms.thefreedictionary.com/:   1. to stop working for something else, such as lunch, coffee, etc.    2. to run suddenly toward something; to increase dramatically one's speed while running. But neither of the above definitions seems to be applicable to “the wave that _broke for_ Romney in national polling” Does “ _break for_ ” in “the wave that broke for Romney” mean “go for / support” Romney, or otherwise? Isn’t “break for” an established idiom, though no major dictionaries carry the word?


title: Capitalizing processes in a law suit

text: When writing about a trial, should _four-year Statute of Limitations_ have the _four-year_ spelled out or as _4 year Statute of Limitations_? Also, should _Preliminary Hearing_ , _Mediation_ , _Discovery_ , _Pre-Trial Conference_ , _Civil Trial_ , and _Statute of Limitations_ be in title case or lower case?


title: What can a user do with a checkbox?

text: When user is presented with a checkbox on a webpage. What can he/she do with it in order to place a little birdy inside it?   * check (Please, check the checkbox...)   * tick (Please, tick the checkbox...)   * mark (Please, mark the checkbox...)


title: Adding "-ing" to a verb ending with a pronounced "e"

text: When a verb ends with a "e" that is pronounced, do you get rid of the "e" when you add "-ing"? For example, would you say "His karaoking last night was really unique", or "His karaokeing last night was really unique"?


title: Word to encompass object's location or size

text: What is a word to encompass an object's x location, y location, width or height? Basically the word (if it exists) could mean either its location or size. It would probably have to be rather vague.


title: Word for "collecting money for a special event from a group of people"

text: What is the English word for "collecting money for a special event from a group of people"? For example, say some friends are planing a party. Each one has to contribute some amount of money to the event. What is the word or phrase that can be used to explain this kind of activity? I have found "fund raising" to have a similar meaning, but I feel it's more along the lines of "collecting money for some charity event". Is that right, and is there a better word I can use?


title: "to amend" vs "to make amends"

text: What are the similarites and differences? I'm guessing from https://www.google.com/search?q=%22amend+for%22&btnG=Search+Books&tbm=bks&tbo=1&gws_rd=ssl#q=%22amend+for%22&start=10&tbm=bks that they mean the same (cp amend)? If so, why write the latter that contains more words? I confirm that commonly-available references don't answer this question.


title: "Rejoice to hear it"

text: I came across the sentence, "I rejoice to hear it," and wasn't exactly sure how to read it. So I looked up "rejoice to hear," and found it again in a poem by Isaac Watts: > How did my **heart rejoice to hear**   >  My friends devoutly say,   >  "In Zion let us all appear,   >  And keep the solemn day!" Does my original sentence, "I rejoice to hear it," mean, I rejoice at having heard it, or I rejoice **_to_** hear it -- I rejoice so that I may hear it.


title: What is the plural form of "status"?

text: What is the plural form of "status"?


title: "Toy for your kid" or "Toy for your kids" as you don't know how many kids they have?

text: Say you are a toy shop owner, who wants a slogan.


title: apostrophe that goes with a noun which precedes a phrase

text: Suppose you wanted to place a possessive apostrophe in this sentence: Billy, who goes to my school, favorite game is tag. I know it's not standard, but I can hear kids (or older) saying an s sound after "school" to make the possession clear.   So I'd like to know if this could be written in the way that it's spoken (albeit not spoken in standard English). Obviously, the sentence could be reworded, but that's not what I'm after.


title: Is there a real difference between wait and await?

text: In the context of the discussion in this blog post and comments on using `await` as a keyword for a potentially asynchronous operation in C#5, I wondered if there is any real difference between await and wait? Already as a dictionary definition, but also in common usage.


title: Is it a splice comma if an interjection-phrase is involved?

text: It's certainly poor style, if not actually wrong, to join independent clauses with a comma when a semicolon or other punctuation would have sufficed. But interjections are usually offset from other clauses by commas, as in: > Dang, what do we do now? It seems to me that this naturally applies to certain longer phrases, such as: > I don't know, what _do_ we do? In which "I don't know" functions as a single interjectory unit. According to usual style, that comma ought to be replaced, but to replace it subtly changes the pacing of the sentence, doesn't it? So, does a comma used in this fashion count as a splice or not? Valid examples:   * I'm sorry, who are you?   * What the heck, you only live once.   * You're welcome, it was my pleasure. Invalid examples:   * I'm sorry about that, what can I do?   * What the heck is going on, these zombies are ruining my earlier example.   * You are of course very welcome, I'd be happy to lend you my shotgun.


title: formation of comparisons

text: Is it incorrect to phrase a comparison in the following way: > Men are prone more than women to depression. Or must the adjective always follow _more_? > Men are more prone than women to depression.


title: What's the difference between "I have the ability to" and "I have an ability to"

text: What's the difference between the following? > I have **the** ability to speak English.   >  I have **an** ability to speak English.


title: "thanks to (command)"

text: A friend who works in business says that she has been hearing a lot of polite commands worded as e.g. "thanks to ask any questions at the end of the presentation" (she has also seen this written a few times, so it isn't just spoken). I find this surprising since I would have avoided the infinitive here ("thanks for asking") or I would have turned the "thanks" into a verb ("I'll thank you to ask"). For context, she works in a very international setting, but has heard this turn of phrase only from USAmericans. Is this a "correct" turn of phrase? how widespread is it? how recent is it? can anyone find examples in established writing?


title: "Four plus two equals six" (or "is equal to six" or "is six")

text: You write > 4 + 2 = 6 and say "four plus two _equals_ (or _is equal to_ or _is_ ) six." In the question “Is equal to” or “equals”, I read the following comment: > _Equals_ is _equal_ being a verb, in the present tense. _Is equal to_ is > _equal_ being a predicate adjective, with its auxiliary verb in the present > tense. English is full of pairs like this, useful if one needs an extra > syllable. [...] – John Lawler Jun 16 at 16:18 I am thoroughly confused about the bit " _Is equal to_ is _equal_ being a predicate adjective, with its auxiliary verb in the present tense". Is the verb in the present tense the word _is_? and is _to_ the predicate with the adjective being _equal_? Also, does the word _is_ represent a verb in the present tense in the phrase, "four plus two is six"? Finally, could you please provide another example that is useful if one needs an extra syllable. Yes, I understand that they all mean the same thing. What I'm looking for is a grammatical syntax analysis with more examples, since, as John Lawler says, "English is full of pairs like this, useful if one needs an extra syllable." (As an aside, I once read that this symbol "=" is called an "equals sign" in British English and is called an "equal sign" in American English. A related post can be found here.)


title: Is there any difference between remembers everything and never forgets?

text: If we have the two sentences: > John remembers everything. and > John never forgets. Are there any nuances or tones that give different meaning to the two phrases.


title: What is the difference between "horrify" and "terrify"?

text: When would I use one, versus using the other?


title: Is "I'm screwed" a rude expression?

text: Is "I'm screwed" a rude expression, or can it be used when someone tries to say they made a mistake? I overheard it from someone who seemed to have failed at his task.


title: If enough people say "supposably" instead of "supposedly"

text: "Supposably" sounds awful (to my ear) and I'm surprised at how often I hear it said. How often would it have to be used within the general population for it to become an acceptable alternative pronunciation to the correct word "supposedly"?


title: What's a word for avoiding a question with a generic (fake) answer?

text: Examples... > Q: Why is the sky blue?   >  A: Because God made it that way. > > (A kid to their parent)   >  Q: Why do I have to clean my room?   >  A: Because I said so. What is it called when someone answers a question this way? I've said "That's not an answer, that's a 'cop-out'" but that's not right.


title: What is the grammatical structure of this sentence?

text: A particular kind of sentence seems a bit strange to me... it might be, for example, "How interesting it was to see him go!" or... "How dreadful I felt when I heard those words." Are they grammatically correct? And if so, what are the parts? It seems like they're missing something..


title: Writing a dedication for a picture

text: I'm drawing a picture that I want to dedicate to a friend of mine. What's the proper way to write the dedication if I want to point out that I'm the author? I'm thinking: "To {my friend's name} by {my name}.", but I'm not sure if that's correct.


title: When should you write "answer" versus "response"?

text: In context, when would it be appropriate to use "answer" or "response"? I always tend to use "answer" personally, but I have always this nagging feeling I could be wrong.


title: No. 1, 2, 3 is right or Nos. 1, 2, 3

text: I cannot decide whether to add -s after words like "No.", "Fig." etc. For example, in my paper, usually I need to express: "Fig. 1, 2 and 3 are illustrations of xxx", "This figure shows the results of frame No. 1, 2, 3 in our video"... As you can see, there are multiple numbers after the words like "Fig.", "No.". In my option, words like "Fig." or "No." never have plural. But someone said they have. I have confused. Which one is correct?


title: "Context Cue", or "Context Clue"

text: I'm writing a mock business plan for a translation company. Alongside the text they have to translate, there is some accompanying media, so they can pull more information out of the sentences (plurals, etc, that vary in languages) I want to describe these additional media as context c(l)ues, but I'm not sure of the correct spelling. I've seen both used online. Which version is the most correct?


title: Is there a word that describes seeing and hearing as one thing?

text: I'm looking for a single word that is the synthesis of seeing and hearing together.


title: When someone falls and tries to stand up again. In one word?

text: In movies we see the protagonist character fight but sometimes our hero can't... he falls down every time... but never loses hope.. and tries to stand up again... In one word what it's called?


title: what does the logical fallacy "shifting issues" mean?

text: what is the meaning of the logical fallacy "shifting issues"? I have tried a web search on many different forms of the question "what is the definition of the logical fallacy shifting issues. I have tried purdue owl and texts such as The Little Brown Handbook. I cannot find either a definition or synonym for "shifting issues".


title: Word meaning appearance of a word on a page? (emboldened, italicised etc.)

text: I'm sure there's a word referring to the appearance of a written word, such as its font face, whether it's emboldened or not and so on. I can't remember what it is - can anyone help? Edit: Some of the responses are only appropriate for printed or typed words. They're close, but not quite what I'm looking for


title: Pronunciation of "great" vs. "treat"

text: Why is _great_ pronounced /greit/ while in other words the _ea_ is pronounced differently? Take _treat_ , for example: /tri:t/. Why are two words with the same number of vowels and consonants and the same syllable structure are pronounced differently? Is there any way for people to guess a word's pronunciation at first place correctly? How can we trace pronunciation history of a word?


title: One-word synonym (not a compound adjective) for "time-consuming" and "less time-consuming"

text: As regards **time-consuming** , I tried http://thesaurus.com/browse/time- consuming for time-consuming but the results don't categorically pertain to time. As concerns **less time-consuming** , I tried resesarching synonyms for productive (http://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/productive) yet again, the results don't categorically pertain to time. **Examples upon request:** Inasmuch as it'd be overly time-consuming to Google each individually, what are some less time-consuming ways to find bestselling French nonfiction (either originally written in or translated into French) which are available as audiobooks?


title: What might "knock me over with a feather" mean?

text: I recently received a text message which read: "well, knock me over with a feather!" It was in response to a statement which may or may not have been surprising (I honestly have no idea). Has anyone heard this expression before? I am curious about what it was meant to express.


title: Why does "fishwife" mean "mean woman"?

text: I have looked at the meaning of _fishwife_ at Collins Language (I can't link directly to the definition) and it tells me: > fishwife _n_ ( _pl_ -wives) a coarse or bad-tempered woman with a loud voice Other places I've looked say similar things, with the additional definition of > a woman who sells fish. Which I'm guessing is the original meaning. But I can't make the jump from someone who sells fish to someone who is mean, bad tempered, speaks bad language and is loud. Looking at Etymonline only yields > from fish + wife in the woman sense. Which is nice, but not helpful here. Why are fishwives mean?


title: Can I write "the model due to X et al"?

text: Until ten minutes ago I thought sentences like "The model due to X et al. (2016) explains Y and Z" were common in academic writing. Our post-doc raised doubt about the phrase's correctness, and Googling it I find very few uses. None of them I can confirm were written by a native speaker. So, is that a common/correct way of saying X et al. proposed the model in their paper from 2016, and if not, what are alternatives?


title: What is meant by "a carriage that returns"?

text: http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lite/big-picture.html#faq-6.17: > And '\r' is the carriage return, even though your computer might not have a > carriage that returns. I know that he is trying to play with the words. Does anyone know what exactly the author means by "a carriage that returns"?


title: Lack of reliability "in" or "of"?

text: Researchers' communities think bananas have a lack of reliability. How should I say this? >   1. There was a lack of reliability **in** the bananas, from the > researchers' communities. >   2. There was a lack of reliability **of** the bananas, in the researchers' > communities. > Or none of the above?


title: "practitioners' community" or "practitioners community"

text: I would say the first is the correct one (with apostrophe), but I see the other one much more. Don't know if it is relevant, but I'm a British English user.


title: Antonym of 'to request'

text: I would like to have an antonym of _to request_. A computer process requests a resource and when the resource is assigned to the process, the process does not request the resource anymore, since it is assigned. So I need a word to express this undo mechanism. Any ideas?


title: "Yeah Right" expression

text: Where does "Yeah right" come from? Can it be used in a formal writing? If not, what is a good alternative?


title: Is the use of 'shew' and 'glew' as the past tense of 'show' and 'glow' commonplace in some areas?

text: A friend informed me recently that in some areas of England (he named Suffolk) it is relatively common to find 'incorrect' past tenses being used. His examples were:   * 'I _shew_ him', instead of 'I _showed_ him'   * 'It _glew_ in the dark', instead of 'It _glowed_ in the dark' So, can anyone corroborate this or was he pulling my leg? And if this is true are there any other common 'incorrect' past tenses being used out there? What if, for example, in Suffolk some think the past tense of _wink_ follows the same rules as _drink_ and _sink_? It could be rather embarrassing.


title: What is the pejorative for people who only practice their faith while at the place of worship?

text: What is the phrase or word for person that are very faithful in their place of worship (the pejorative usually applies to persons who are showy to the point of hypocrisy), but that are anything but during the rest of the week? If I recall there are some pretty derogatory ways of putting it (from both faith/less camps); I am looking for a relatively less mean, faith neutral pejorative (i.e. not some incendiary atheist phrase). The words that are somewhat forming in my head are something like "Sunday Christian" or "Someddays Faithful" or something like that.


title: What does “apiece” modify?

text: The head of the American postal system recently lamented the fact that a first-class stamp costs only 46 cents: > If you think about 30 billion pieces [of mail] at today’s rate of 46 cents > apiece, it’s almost $14 billion that we've lost. What does _apiece_ modify in that sentence? Or does it modify an ellipted verb?


title: Why use "Hell" to emphasize a statement?

text: I was watching Rocky last night and one of the lines got me thinking. I was wondering why we use _Hell_ in sentences like " **A Hell of** a lot better than…," " **Hell** , that's the best thing that's ever happened to me" and " **Hell** , I don't know." The first example was what got me thinking the most: " **A Hell of** a lot better than something." The contradiction between _Hell_ and _better_ was what seemed a bit confusing to me.


title: How should lists of questions be punctuated?

text: If one wishes to pose a series of questions in the form of a list, how would one go about punctuating that list? For example: I write to a colleague asking for an update on a project he is working on. I phrase my request like so: > Dear xxx, > > How are you doing with regard to:   >  \- Sourcing the moose hair   >  \- Reticulating the splines   >  \- Extolling the virtues of silk underwear   >  \- Estimating the project completion time In this case, should question marks be placed after each bulleted item? Or should one only be placed after the last item? If this is the case, should semi colons be placed after each item? E.g. >   * Extolling the virtues of silk underwear? >   * Estimating the project completion time? > or >   * Extolling the virtues of silk underwear; >   * Estimating the project completion time? >


title: A single word for this type of question

text: What is a single word used to describe the following question in the following scenario: John comes in from the supermarket having not brought the jam and his brother says to him: > 'Why didn't you get the jam?' Now, I looked at the definition of a rhetorical question and it is one that doesn't need an answer / an answer is not required; but here, John's brother actually wants an answer even though the answer(s) are obvious - either John forgot, didn't have enough money, or they ran out of jam in the supermarket.


title: "Renewal meeting"?

text: What do you call a meeting which has the goal to renew the delegates/members of an association/organization/board? _Renewal meeting/re-election meeting_? Or is _assembly_ the word I'm looking for? I just couldn't find the right expression.


title: What is the difference between 'framework curriculum' and 'curricular framework'?

text: I know that _curricular_ is an adjective and _curriculum_ a noun, but are they both used in exactly the same meaning? Or are there some differences concerning what they imply or apply to? Being a non-native English speaker I would say that they are the same or at least are used as synonyms. I would prefer to use "curricul **um** framework" but quite often the translation e.g. from German 'Rahmencurriculum' is made with "curricul **ar** framework".


title: Is “Hissable” a well-received English word?

text: I posted a question about the receptivity of the word, “non-view” in “views and non-view” a few days ago. One answerer responded me that though “non-view” is not registered in any (or most) of dictionaries, authors and journalists have freedom of coining neologism. I understand the view – words evolve along with time. But when I come across an unfamiliar word that I cannot find its heading in any dictionary, I feel uneasy, and start to suspect if that particular coinage of the word is really meaningful, does it really achieve the writer's purpose of inventing word, isn’t it too much for his own good? With that said, I found the word, “hissable” in the following sentence of a review of the latest movie, “Margin Call,” appearing in today’s New York Times (October 20) under the title, “Number Crunching at the Apocalypse.” > “There are no _hissable villains_ here, no operatic speeches condemning or > celebrating greed. Just a bunch of guys (and one woman, Demi Moore) in well- > tailored clothes and a state of quiet panic trying to save themselves from a > global catastrophe of their own making.” I looked for “hissable” in Oxford, Cambridge, Merriam-Webster and other online dictionaries, none of which carries the word, “hissable,” though I could find “kissable.” I guess “hissable” means to be reproached or damned. But is “hiss-able” a received English usage? If it isn’t, I wonder what was the additional value or gain of the author’s deliberately coining “hissable,” or using the word that is not contained in dictionaries at hand, instead of simply using plain English such as reproachful, damnable or whatever well-received. Am I too conservative? PS. I checked Google Ngram after posting this question, and found that the use of “hissable” has started to rise around 1920 after a hiatus of a brief emergence and quick demise around 1860. It seems to have gained currency though dictionaries cannot catch up it. I tried to find currency of “cryable,” “scoldable,” “tearable,” “shortendable,” “lengthendable” at randam just for fun on Ngram, without success. I still wonder if I can say “you are not coughable during piano concert / pissable on street,” instead of saying “you should refrain from coughing during piano concert / urinating on street.”


title: Proper English translation for the Dutch word 'welstandsgebied' (roughly translates to 'wealth zone')

text: I'm trying to find the English translation for the Dutch word 'welstandsgebied', which roughly translates to something like 'wealth zone' in the context of land use control by municipalities. A 'wealth zone' is an area that is controlled by a municipality (which issues building permits) to ensure that architectural cohesion is maintained on a predefined level. To my knowledge, nearly all built-up areas in the Netherlands are part of such a zone. What is the proper English word or expression for this?


title: "Like" versus "as"

text: Is there any difference between the following couples of sentences? > Dress as you would if you were having guests.   >  Dress like if you were having guests. > She kissed him goodbye, as usual.   >  She kissed him goodbye, like the usual. > Sweet as she is, she doesn't pay his bills.   >  Sweet like she is, she doesn't pay his bills.


title: What does "c'tee" mean?

text: I have been seeing the word _c'tee_ frequently. Here are some examples: > Sports minister sets up c’tee to find solution to football crisis > http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/08/sports-minister-sets-up-ctee-to-find- > solution-to-football-crisis/ > > Trajtenberg C’tee Presenting Final Recommendations Today > http://www.israelidiamond.co.il/english/news.aspx?boneid=918&objid=9925 > > ADIA - National C'tee Meetings http://www.adia.org.au/meetings/national > > Safety & Equipment Audits - YNSW Special Regs C'tee Reports > http://www.rpayc.com.au/sailing/safety-equipment-audits/page-7 > > Ramelton Fever Hospital C'tee meeting 1905 > http://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/history-heritage/heritage- > towns/the-heritage-towns-of-don/ramelton/ramelton-fever-hospital-c-1/ From the context the word seems to mean either a [political] investigation or a [government] minister. I cannot find any English-English or English-Hebrew dictionary definitions, though. Using Google Translate I cannot find the word in French, German, nor any other obvious European language. What is it, exactly?


title: Indirect Speech Backshifting in Commands & Requests with Time Clauses

text: I know that backshifting can used when reporting _statements_ and _questions_. This is clearly stated in many grammar books. Aside from a mere example on some webpage, I haven't found any reference in the authentic books and websites I've checked that I could use as a **proof** that backshifting can be used in reported **imperatives** and **requests** with _complex time clauses_. If backshifting can be used what is the rule for using it in the imperative and request sentences? Always used? depends on whether the reported situation out-of-time or not? never used? The following is some sample request and imperative sentences with reported speech as I see it for the first two sentences. Pronouns are not important. Choose as you see fit. > Can I come back again when I find my book? I asked her **to come** back when > I **found** my book. > > Come back when you find your lost keys He told me to come back when I found > my lost keys > > Shutdown the computer before you leave > > Do exercise 10A after you've finished this one > > Tidy up now if you are leaving tonight


title: Noun of What a Straight Shooter Gives

text: A straight shooter gives information in an honest way. One could say, "He (the straight shooter) gives me the ...".


title: What does the term "first-class" mean?

text: What does the term "first-class" mean in this sentence? "We live in a flawed world, and Hadoop [computer software] is designed to survive in it by not only tolerating hardware and software failures, but also treating them as first-class conditions that happen regularly" Websters defines first-class as being of the best quality, first-rate; as, a first-class telescope, or as in a first-class car. However that traditional definition does not seem to fit, because I would not think of incidents of hardware failure events being of high or low quality. Lets say my car breaks down while driving, we do not say the car failure was first-class.


title: Which is more correct: "further established in" or "further established by"

text: Are both these usages correct, and if so is one preferred? > ... and was further established **in** follow-up studies (e.g., Doe et al., > 2013). or > ... and was further established **by** follow-up studies (e.g., Doe et al., > 2013). The intent is that the follow-up studies helped to confirm/establish the original premise. I am uncertain if "in" or "by" is more appropriate. I personally think both are fine, but I am far from an expert in English and may be overlooking an important nuance.


title: "The song is on Reservoir Dogs" vs. "is off Reservoir Dogs" vs. "features within Reservoir Dogs"

text: During a discussion today, the song _Stuck in the Middle_ came on. One of the members of my team asked, "is this on _Reservoir Dogs_?" Another said, "this is off _Reservoir Dogs_ ". To which the team manager stated, "no, what you meant to say was, this song features within _Reservoir Dogs_ ". I stated that syntactically, all three are correct. While only the third is the correct way, the first two are still valid. Is this correct, are any valid?


title: How to pronounce/say the abbreviation 'i.e.'?

text: I know that 'i.e.' is an abbreviation of 'that is'. But, my question is about pronouncing it perhaps,   1. in normal speech,   2. reading from a piece of text containing the abbreviation, etc. In the US, most people (I have interacted with) pronounce 'i.e.' by uttering the two letters 'I' and 'E'. So, it would sound like 'eye ee'. However, I have heard very few Americans say 'that is' instead of 'eye ee'. I have observed this when I saw them read a piece of text like a news article. It's like they replaced 'i.e.' with 'that is' in the text and then, read it. How common is the latter pronunciation in the US? How is 'i.e.' said in the rest of the English-speaking world?


title: When to use decline for polite refusal and when not to

text: In a business English class: One of my students said: "I _decline_ your report." I said that was wrong, but I couldn't think of a concrete reason, or rule for when I can use _decline_ as a polite refusal. My question is, is there a rule for using _decline_ as a polite refusal? (For example I can say: "Your credit card is _declined_.", but I can't decline your report).


title: A better "better"

text: What is an adjective that can be used in the place of _better_ that is synonomous, less over-used, and more interesting?


title: Meaning of "little heart" vs. "less heart"? and why

text: Little heart/less heart? And why? I have read the following sentence: "he has little conscience and less heart." Can I write that "he has less conscience and little heart"? Could you solve my problem?


title: marketing style of fairness products

text: If you have seen any ad of fairness related products, most of them show women who are disadvantaged by their complexion. Say, they show she isn't selected for a job interview because she isn't "fair" and confident. Then towards the end the ad shows that she is trying for the same job opportunity (looking fair this time), and she nails the interview - all is happy this time. What _kind_ of marketing is this?


title: "Geteth the tax"?

text: I was driving today, and I saw this billboard: > The tax man cometh. Geteth the health insurance. Is this spelling correct? I'm not used to -eth, so I am not sure. Should it be "getteth"?


title: What exactly does "bear witness" mean?

text: The Oxford English Dictionary defines "bear witness" as 1- Testify to. 2- State or show one’s belief in. Are both these definitions correct? I mean for instance, you don't bear witness or become a witness in a courtroom to "show your belief". You do it if you are an eye-witness or have solid evidence. Please clarify this. Thanks.


title: "Visible strap of the bra on shoulder"?

text: Is there any word for the strap of the bra that is visible on shoulder.? Mostly it is addressed as strap which is obviously a common word not specific to bra or any inner-wear.


title: When do Americans began to use practice instead of practise?

text: I am writing an historical novel, and I try to make my characters speaking and writing as everybody did at the time. But I don't know when we began to use "practice" as a verb instead of "practise". Could you give me an approximative date?


title: What's the difference between "get it" and "got it"?

text: They are not "I get it." or "I got it.". They are only "Get it." and "Got it.". I'm wondering what's the difference between them.


title: About a sentence structure including 'arise' and a relative pronoun 'that'

text: I'm not sure about the sentence structure below; "All kinds of problems arise that smaller animals or plants do not have to cope with." It looks like 'that' works as a relative pronoun for 'all kinds of problems', but I couldn't find such usage in my dictionary or online. This sentence could be divided like; "There are all kinds of problems." "Smaller animals or plants do not have to cope with all kinds of problems." But, I can't figure out where 'arise' fits... If you have any thoughts, please share them. Thank you in advance.


title: What is the relationship name of my sibling-in-law's sibling to me?

text: For example:   1. I have a sister named Charlotte.   2. Charlotte is married to Martin.   3. Martin has a brother named William. Martin is my brother-in-law, but what is William to me?


title: Why does "is" replace "has"?

text: I am continually surprised to hear people use _has_ and _is_ interchangeably. The erudite Peter Segal has been guilty of saying: > This song is been written by XXX. > > YY is been a producer on the show ZZZ and now lives in California. Should the two sentences use _has_ since they refer to events in the past? Are _is_ and _has_ really interchangeable? If so, under what circumstances can one be substituted by the other?


title: When did the word "intercourse" become sexual?

text: When reading books written in the 1800's, the word intercourse is used without any sexual connotation. Example: during our intercourse with others. It is similar to relationship or dealings.


title: First syllable of "gravity"

text: Is "gravity" pronounced /'græ.vɪ.ti/ or /'græv.ɪ.ti/? I had always assumed that it was the former, but the latter is shown in most dictionaries. Is there variation between accents?


title: What is the origin of the phrase "I rest my case"?

text: I hear this phrase quite often, but I've never heard the origin of it. It would be also nice to find out what it means, exactly.


title: The usage of "sic" in writing

text: I have seen many articles that use quotes from players like: > We gonna [sic] be working hard over the summer cause we gotta [sic] get > better. What is _sic_? Where does it come from?


title: About the 't' in 'listener'

text: The 't' in 'listener' is not pronounced, and these kinds of words always make me misspell them. Instead of memorizing each of them, can you give me some advice/insight/cause? How common are these kinds of words in English?


title: Do "willingness" and "effort" imply different things?

text: In a post on Meta Stack Overflow, I used the word "willingness" in the following context: > [X] is showing a willingness to learn. I justified this because [X] had posted a question asking to have a few lines of code explained. However, another user took it to mean > [X] has not demonstrated that they have put forth any effort to learn. > Willingness means actual effort [...] Personally, I believe that there is a very great difference between the two words, both as defined and the underlying connotation, in that effort is not a prerequisite of willingness. Am I correct, or is "willingness" generally understood to require effort?


title: Can "a person" be considered a collective noun

text: If used in the sentence: "Once a person has become X their psychological state becomes Y." does the "a person" count as a class and thus make the use of the plural "their" correct?


title: What's the word for 'online-extrovert-offline-introvert'?

text: What is the exact word (not necessarily a single noun) to use for a person who seems to be introvert when in real-life, but is very much extroverted and free when they talk to you online?


What is the name of equipment that is used in films, like when saying "scene one, take two"? The equipment is usually black and white in color.


title: Alternate database term for variations in data?

text: I heard someone use the word 'permutation' for variances in data values, they used the word incorrectly. What is an acceptable database term for variations in data? i.e. a phone number can come in as 877-555-1212 or (877) 555-1212 or 877.555.1212 etc.


title: usage of "only" and "have"

text: If I say this: > You don't have only what it takes to master English but all the languages. For you, is it a compliment or an insult? The usage of "only" and "have" is a little bit confusing.


title: Why "integrity" means "honesty"

text: The word _integrity_ meaning _wholeness_ seems to come from the word _integer_ which, roughly speaking, refers to whole numbers. Why does _integrity_ also mean _honesty_?


title: Strong Wind(s) or High Wind(s)?

text: Which one is more popular? I always used strong wind, but I found high winds also used some times.


title: How did 'sanction' come to have two opposite meanings?

text: _Sanction_ is an unusual ambiguous word to me. In some cases it means to approve some action, while in other cases it means to prohibit or punish some action; and there being near opposite meanings, context is especially essential for correct interpretation. What is interesting to me is: historically, how did _sanction_ come to capture two opposite meanings like this? The etymology seems to trace back to the single Latin word _sanctio_ , meaning a _decree_. But did _sanctio_ have strong opposing meanings or connotations like our modern word _sanction_? Or how and when did the divergence occur over time?


title: How to shorten this sentence?

text: Therefore, this study evaluated DOM products, as a contribution to the validation of the DOM products, by comparing them with products derived, by implementing the Land Model algorithm, from the observations of FGOMY.


title: Are there any practices to use onomatopoeia in English for describing the degree of joyfulness / funniness by laughter and sorrow by crying?

text: Japanese use a plenty of onomatopoeia in expressing the degree and level of joyfulness / funniness when laughing and sorrow when crying, and they always come in refrains of onomatopoeia. For examples: We laugh,’ Wat, ha, ha,” or “Kyatkya, kya” when laugh loud. We laugh “Geta geta” or "Kero kero" when we laugh rustically. We laugh "Niya, niya" when we laugh indecently. We laugh “Niko, niko” when we laugh mildly, or smile. We laugh "Hera hera" when we laugh ingratiatingly. We laugh “Kusu, kusu” when we chuckle. We cry “Wah wah” or “Gyah, gyah” when we cry loudly or bitterly. We cry “Meso, meso” or “Same zame” when we weep. We cry “Shiku, shiku” or "Beso, beso" when we snivel. These onomatopoeia are not only uttered and heard in voice, but also writen and read in literature. I wonder if this is unique to Japanese language. I don't know if Chinese and Koreans have the similar linguistic (or behavioral) trait or not, though I understand we imported the phrase,"呵々大笑 – laugh ha, ha (loudly)” from Chinese idiom. Though I’ve never seen the case, do Anglophones use onomatopoeia in describing the degree or level of laughter and tearful voice? If the answer is No, the case is closed.


title: Usage of "channelize"

text: Do you find this usage wrong? > Instead of channelizing our energy to fight against poverty we are promoting > industrialization, which will continue to increase the rich-poor divide.


title: "It could/might/may be funny" — what is the correct usage?

text: What is the difference in meaning in these three sentences? > it might be funny   >  it could be funny   >  it may be funny The answer was partially touched on in this post.


title: "I had no sooner returned than I turned on" vs. "I have no sooner returned than I turn on"

text: Context: As a teacher who loves writing, I am interested in posting messages on the twitter. Which of the following options is correct? Please explain the reasoning. >   1. I am so interested in posting messages on the twitter that everyday **I > had no sooner returned** home **than I** immediately **turned on** the > computer to write something. >   2. I am so interested in posting messages on the twitter that everyday **I > have no sooner returned** home **than I** immediately **turn on** the > computer to write something. >


title: What's another word for "enemy"

text: Say you hate eggplant, but you're forced to eat it. Eggplant is your **___ ____** (enemy?)


title: How did "Captain" become a term for a businessman who employed prison labor?

text: My great grandfather, who owned a small railroad and lumber business in central Georgia after the Civil War, was referred to frequently as "Captain." I learned that that was not a military rank, but an honorific for persons who employed prison labor. (Think of the lyrics to "I've Been Working On the Railroad" -- "Can't you hear the captain calling ...."). Was that honorific applied nation-wide or regionally? When and how did it start?


title: What is the origin of Y2K?

text: To commemorate the 2,000th question on the English Language & Usage stack, I would like to actually know the origin of that word, and whether it originated for the negativity of the "end of the world" or otherwise.


title: How to write in a scientific way?

text: Could anybody help me in rephrasing these sentences in a scientific way? > Both d1 and d2 perform well under sparse vegetation (LAI<1), for LAI larger > than 1, d1 (with almost constant performances up to LAI =6 ) outperforms d2 > (performances decreased quickly with increased LAI)


title: single word adjective for 'temperature-related'

text: As temporal is the adjective which describes things relating to time, is there such a word for temperature? The hyphenated 'temperature-related' works, but it is not a single word. For context, I'm looking for an equivalent phrase to:                "one's culinary preferences"      but with the word as described above. Google has thus far been unhelpful in my search, though it did lead me to this fantastic list.


title: adding a prefix "re" to a word, with or without a hyphen?

text: In science we often invent words, but that doesn't mean we know how to spell them. Most of the time words are invented by adding prefixes. In that case should there be a hyphen or not? Specifically, I need to use   * reexcite or re-excite (reentry is similar and a official word)   * repolarize or re-polarization The second seems fine in the no-hyphen form, but for the first, the double "e" makes the word difficult to read. I've seen similar use with a i diaeresis over the _e_ : _ë_ as in _reëxcite_ , but that looks strange; any pointers?


title: What does "to become controversial" mean?

text: As a non-native speaker, I do not fully understand the meaning of the term "to become controversial" in the following text, which I have to translate into German: > Where translators have made their presence felt _they have become > controversial_ , with those who characteristically intervene, seeking to > domesticate texts, contrasted with those who foreignise, supposedly allowing > other languages to alter our own.


title: "The doors is closing" — correct?

text: A friend of mine tried to convince me that the expression "the doors is closing" is correct. It sounds completely wrong to me, but googling for it turns up some results.


title: What is the origin of the phrase, "Put two and two together?"

text: I used the phrase, "She put two and two together..." the other day and, shortly after saying, wondered about its origin. My understanding is that it means to "connect the dots" or to figure the answer to a question, but I'm uncertain why "put two and two together" became a synonym. My guess is that it originally had a longer form, like, "She put two and two together **to get four** ," but that the "to get four" part has fallen out of usage.


title: Difference in pronunciation between "your" and "you're"?

text: I'm a native English speaker (Texas counts, I suppose), and I pronounce "your" to rhyme with "core", and "you're" to rhyme with "cure". Is it just me or did I pick this up somewhere?


title: History of "Asian American" / "African American" nomenclature

text: Why are some Americans named to indicate their ancestry? It is not common to say, _German Americans_ , or _Russian Americans_ ; however, _African American_ , and _Asian American_ are accepted nomenclatures. Even President Obama's Wikipedia entry reads, "He is the first _African American_ to hold the office." What is the origin / reason for this? **Update** : " _I am an American. Black. Conservative. I don't use African- American, because I'm American, I'm black and I'm conservative. I don't like people trying to label me. African- American is socially acceptable for some people, but I am not some people._ " -Herman Cain


title: What words sound like opposites but are synonyms?

text: Somewhat related to this question, I am curious to know what words in English would seem to be opposites at first blush but are in fact synonyms? Immediately I can think of **_flammable_** and **_inflammable_**.


title: Did "breaking news" originate from the phrasal verb "break in?"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Why is news said to be "breaking"? Studying phrasal verbs I found **_break in_** meaning as **_interruption_**. My teacher suggested that it can be also used in news as **_breaking news_** , but usually the midia use the gerund form. Actually, both sounds very similar in speech so I was wondering if **_breaking_** is an evolution of **_break in_**.


title: Adjective for "on the scale of a building"

text: Municipal means roughly "of the city" or "on the scale of the city." Is there a word for "of the building" or "on the scale of the building"? For example, wifi provided by the city is municipal wifi. Wifi provided by the apartment or office building is **_** wifi -- fill in the blank please! _edit: This is not a wifi-specific question, as some respondents have understandably assumed. The actual use I'm looking for is for a building-wide network of accelerometers installed in the concrete for structural health monitoring._


title: Should I use "grid connectivity" or "grid connectivities"?

text: I am confused whether I should use connectivity or connectivities in the following sentence: > This processor analyzes the statuses of various switches and circuit- > breakers in the system and determines the grid **connectivity** among > different electrical nodes (i.e., buses).


title: Is this usage of "Just as well" correct?

text: Is it okay to use " _just as well_ " in the next scenario: > Person 1: When I'm mad I can be stubborn as hell. > > Person 2: And when you're not, just as well!


title: Which article do I use for a "concept" that introduces the actual thing

text: Which article do I use for something that has't yet been made or introduced. For example, consider a new website being built and the designer tells me, "We need to create an/the author's page for the new site." Both the designer and I know about the author's page (we discussed it previously), but it only exists in idea and the final version may differ a lot from how we might have envisioned it. I appreciate your answer.


title: Should we say "the sun is risen." or "the sun has risen"?

text: > Of course we can always say "the sun is up", but is it acceptable to say > "the sun is risen" just as we use verb "to be" before other past participles > like "she is gone"? Or should we say "the sun has risen"? Does it make any > difference?


title: generic stealthy attacks

text: In the following I think I should use "generically". But I am not quite sure. Please confirm In this light, we present a formal framework to systematically investigate the feasibility of **generic** stealthy attacks considering Thanks


title: Allegedly/Presumably/Supposedly - what's the difference?

text: I am not a native speaker, and I'm having a hard time consciously understanding the difference between "allegedly", "presumably" and "supposedly" (There are many others!). From what I've heard: "allegedly" is used when someone in particular made an allegation (does that include oneself?), "presumably" is used when there is a great level of uncertainty and "supposedly" is for when you are making assumptions that are not based on anything in particular. Can someone explain the proper differences to me as if I'm 5 years old?


title: Which word(s) can be used to express causal relation in modern English?

text: > I will skip it over, because nobody will have doubt on this. > > Since nobody will have doubt on this, I will skip it over. > > I will skip it over, for nobody will have doubt on this. An American friend told me that we should avoid using “for” or “since” when describing a causal relation. Is this true? I feel that these three sentence have no differences at all.


title: What is the word used to describe the fear of the unknown?

text: I believe it is a recurring theme in "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" where the characters are scared of what they can't quite explain. Something like supernatural/transcendental. I can't remember the exact word, would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.


title: Origin of the word "fou"

text: Wiktionary lists "fou" [1] as meaning "Crazy", which most likely comes from the French word "fou" [2] meaning "crazy". The French word is said to come from the Old French "fol" [3] that means "mad, insane, foolish, silly". "Fol" is said to come from the Latin "follis" [4] which, based on wiktionary data, means "bellows", "purse, sack, money bag", etc. None of the definition of "follis" seems to relate to crazy, foolish, mad or insane whatsoever. Therefore, what is the exact origin of "fou" in the sense of "crazy" OR how did it evolve from "follis" to "fou"? [1] http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fou#English   [2] http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fou#French   [3] http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fol#Old_French   [4] http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/follis#Latin


title: A word which means "military-like" or "authoritative looking"

text: I ran into a word recently that I never knew existed and now it is killing me that I forgot what it was. It was a word that described what someone is wearing that looks like it is military, or of an authority or official, but isn't. Something like perhaps what people sometimes wear from Salvation Army when they ask of donations or maybe some dictators. I think I perhaps saw it in a New York Times article or even an Economist article. Anyway, I didn't know there was a word for it. Any clues would be appreciated. Other examples would be a doorman's uniform or Mariachi band member's uniform, seemingly military-like but not. I don't remember the word as being with negative connotation, as in impersonation or masquerading. It was more descriptive.


title: What is the word that describes a word that is used in literature/writing, but not normally in common dialogue?

text: The question says it all. I see a lot of examples on this site of a word that is accepted for a question, but I would never hear that word in my life. I may see it if I read something, but my friends, coworkers, and family would never use it. Note: Bonus if the word would not describe itself!


title: What is a word for a situation in which one thing becomes the be all end all for everything in that group?

text: Ex: Burning man makes every other festival you go to boring after it.


title: Stag party vs. Bachelor party

text: Do they mean the same "a men-only party" or are there differences in their specific usage?


title: What is the difference between "here we go" and "there we go"?

text: As a non-native speaker, I cannot grasp any difference between the expressions "here we go" and "there we go": both expressions seem to underline an event that is going to happen immediately. Is there any subtle usage detail that I am missing?


title: Word for the "strength" of an adjective

text: Is there a word which describes the strength of an adjective within an ordered set? For example, these words describe “quality” in ascending order of their “power”:   * _good_   * _great_   * _fantastic_ Is there a name for a set like this or a tool, similar to a thesaurus, that could be used to identify such a set? Background information: I asked a question on UX StackExchange regarding naming different levels of system stability. I was looking for confirmation that the ordering of _Operational_ , _Temperamental_ , _Unstable_ , _Critical_ , _Dire_ was appropriate when it struck me that there must be a name to describe the relationship between these words.


title: Should I use a hyphen after -ly when modifying a verb in the past participle verb?

text: Which of these are acceptable? Is one preferable over the other?   1. "Chemically-deposited tourmaline is never periwinkle."   2. "Chemically deposited tourmaline is never periwinkle." Also, is the title to the this question asking what I'm trying to ask? (I realize that there are other questions about hyphenation in similar contexts; I'm asking specifically about -ly adverbs.)


title: Quantitative to Qualitative Description Treatment

text: If this has already been addressed, I apologize, but, for the life of me, I can't figure out what this issue might be called. I have a sentence that switches from describing the subject in quantitative terms to a qualitative one, and I'm wondering if it is correct to do so: "Not that it was a debilitating amount [of pain], to be sure, but neither was it trivial, either." "Pain" is clearly defined as the subject in the previous sentence (not shown here). If it remains so here, I feel it works. However, if the subject in _this_ sentence now focuses on _how much_ of something there is (in this case, pain), then does the above sentence still work, or is there too much inconsistency? Any thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated, thanks!


title: Can 'though' introduce a clause?

text: I'm a newcomer. Nice to see you. Is the following sentence right? "There was little money left, we felt happy though." I'm not clear whether,"though", as an adverb, can introduce a clause. In other words: "There was little money left, though we felt happy " can be replaced by "There was little money left, we felt happy though" ? Thanks a lot.


title: A word for sacrificing oneself for a higher cause?

text: Is there a concise word for the act of sacrificing one's own life for the greater good? I know martyrdom, but that tends to imply suffering more than it does death.


title: Word for "rich and wasteful"

text: We were just thinking that that is a concept that really ought to have a word. "Wastefully rich"; for example, smoking a $100 bill as a cigarette.


title: Is this correct English or is it slang from a particular region?

text: Is it correct to ask "Are you in area?" when you are asking if someone is from that city or township?


title: Present perfect Present perfect continuous

text: What is the difference between those two sentences: a) A past activity in a time up to the present b) An activity which began in the past and continues up to the present Thank you!


What is the best word for a place where programmers work? I'm looking for something like "studio," which is a room where an artist, photographer, sculptor, etc., works or where performers, esp. dancers, practice and exercise. Thank you.


title: Apartment building - flat building?

text: Does anyone in the UK say 'flat building'? I live in the US, mind, so I have no clue. It sounds a bit funny saying that. Do they say 'apartment building' instead, maybe? Or is there another word for a whole building of flats?


title: What word means a “collection of diaries”?

text: I like to collect diaries but I couldn’t find any word for this hobby nor for what a collection of diaries is called. If anyone knows please share.


title: IEEE X or IEEE's X

text: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has a Project Management Body of Knowledge. When referring to the PMBOK, should I use the possessive: > IEEE **'s** Project Management Body of Knowledge or > IEEE Project Management Body of Knowledge


title: Use of "elide" --common or esoteric?

text: Is the word "elide" a word commonly used by English speakers, or is it a more esoteric word used in law or crossword puzzles?


title: Word or phrase for multilingual pun/word play

text: The question is about multilingual jokes or puns, and if there is a word for them in English. Some examples: A German-English friend sometimes says _Senkfuss_ instead of “thank you.” _Senkfuss_ means “flat foot” in German, but the joke is that it sounds a little like “thank you” said with a German accent. A French-English family I used to know would say “quel smell!” The French _quel_ and the English “smell” rhyme, and put together, if you understand both languages, they mean “what a smell!” In this documentary, Hélène Cixous describes how her non-German-speaking father used to say in French, _en dessous du bras_ (“under the arm”) in reply to a question to which he did not know the answer. Under the arm, you would find _Schweiss_ (sweat in German), which to HC’s father’s untrained ear, might have sounded like the German _Ich weiss nicht_ (I don’t know). There are thousands of these jokes that require a knowledge of two or more languages to make sense. In my observation they tend to arise within families or small communities where the knowledge of multiple languages is shared. Is there a name in English for this kind of multilingual word play? I Googled “multilingual puns” and “multilingual word games” without a lot of success, neither in finding a more concise or descriptive term or phrase, nor in actually finding more of what I’m talking about. (I know extra questions are discouraged -- and this part'll get shot down for being off-topic -- but if anyone knows of any sites where these jokes are shared, I would be very much indebted to you if you could leave the addresses in the comments!).


title: Difference between "convert" and "transform"

text: In the dictionary, the words "convert" and "transform" both have the meaning of changing the form of something. So how should I distinguish them? In what situation they are of the same meaning, and in what situation they are different?


title: Is there a special common name for goods sold at public events?

text: Is there a special common name for goods sold at public events, such as T-shirts, cups, stationery, etc. being sold at conferences, concerts.


title: Concise term for Native Americans of California

text: I'm trying to figure out what the concise, non-offensive term is for Native Americans from the area that became California (like Ohlone or Chumash people). _California Natives_ doesn't work, since it would include anyone born in California. _Californian Native Americans_ seems too unwieldy. _California Indians_ is concise, but I'm not sure how people feel about it. Anyone know what the term is?


title: 'You can' or 'You may' in online instruction text?

text: I need to add a small piece of help text to a search field in an online form. The placeholder text (grey text inside the text field) says "Type at least three characters". Then directly under the text field is either: > You can enter a name or an address. or: > You may enter a name or an address. Which is preferred? I want to let people know that they can search by name or address.


What's the difference between "to confirm" and "to verify"?


title: Is reusal an English word?

text: Is the word "reusal" part of the English language? For example, given this sentence: > ROS tries to facilitate the operation, development and code reuse of robot > systems by organizing the parts of the software in independent packages. _reuse_ sounds wrong to me and I thought of _reusal_ as being correct. I could only find it on some webpages, but not in an online English dictionary.


title: Why the discrepancy between number and case in (some) British English?

text: By chance, I've heard a lot of Midlands English in the last few weeks, and have noticed this sort of disconnect: "It cost me five pound" (rather than 'pounds'); "The ball rolled ten foot" (rather than 'feet') I'm tempted to think it's just a sort of English oral economy (like "he gave it me") but I'm intrigued to learn if it may have deeper, or different, roots.


title: give a lift to or without "to"?

text: Reading a text I have seen the following: > A man and two girls he gave a lift to. But doesn't this mean that I can say "give a lift **to** "? What about this: > I gave my friend a lift.   >  I gave a lift to my friend. Dictionary says "give sb a lift". But then I dont understand the "to" (A man who I gave a lift to - would not work without to?)


title: "Offer an opinion" or "give an opinion"

text: Our company is about to relocate. Employees have been asked for input on the new campus. My thought was to preface my email with > I would like to offer my opinion ... but should it be > I would like to give my opinion ... instead?


title: Where to place the word "easily"?

text: Where should I place the word _easily_ — before or after _edit and share your bookmarks_? > Do you want to edit and share your bookmarks easily? or > Do you want to easily edit and share your bookmarks? Context: Promotion text or a kind of slogan for an online service.


title: What is the word for something that has not yet been configured?

text: I am writing a user-interface for a program that configures some things. Let’s call them _entries_. To help the user keep track of what is left of configuration, a section such as the following is somewhere inside the UI: > Unconfigured Entries: > >   * This >   * That > Now, _unconfigured_ is not recognized by the spell checker. Oxford dictionary doesn’t have this word. and Wiktionary says of it: > **unconfigure** : To remove or undo a configuration. Well, I wouldn’t be referring to entries that have been _un_ -configured, but, rather to those that have _not yet_ been configured. What term should I use instead of _unconfigured_? I insist on having the word _configure_ in the phrase for the user to be able to link the _unconfigured entries_ with the _configure_ operation easily. Because this is a computer program context (rather than a piece of expositional writing, for example), similarity of terms is preferred over absolute correctness.


title: Meaning of '-onomy', '-ology' and '-ography'

text: I have always wondered about the similarity of the two words > **Astronomy** and **Astrology** that describe two very different things but have their beginning in common and are sometimes confused in everyday language. The linguistic difference (if one can say so) between them is only in the endings _'-onomy'_ and _'-ology'_. Two further examples are > **Topology** and **Topography** > > **Geology** and **Geography** where now we have the endings _'-ology'_ and _'-ography'_.   * What are the meanings of the different endings _'-onomy'_ , _'-ology'_ and _'-ography'_ ?   * I would also be curious about whether it is a coincidence that _'-ology'_ appears in all the examples above? Does it maybe have historical reasons?   * And furthermore, are there more such pairs to be found? (I can't think of any others)


title: "How does it look?"

text: Formally, in my English education, I have learned to ask for the outward appearance of something using the expression: > "What does it look like?" Since my mother tongue is German and we say "Wie sieht es aus?", I frequently catch myself saying: > "How does it look?" which would be the direct translation from German. Since I think the translation does not sound wrong (I am certainly biased though) I would like to ask you if this is correct English in at least some cases or just a mistake of mine? Thanks!


title: "With all that said" in spoken English, contradict or not?

text: I know "with that said" or "that being said" or "having said that" can be used as an alternative to "though" in written English, to introduce something that will contradict what has been previously said. As explained here: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=862674 But how about "with that said" or "with all that said" in spoken English? Is the meaning different? In this video at 0:27, it looks to me that the meaning is different. It is more like a linking phrase to indicate that more details of the same ideas will be discussed.


title: Plural of "learning"

text: What is the plural of _learning_? Is it _learnings_?


title: What is the meaning of "I've gotten over __ recently"?

text: I came across the phrase "I've gotten over [tool] recently" in an article written by someone who had tested the tool. From the article's context, it seemed that the author was not particularly fond of the tool and that therefore the phrase means something like "I stopped using [tool] recently". Is that correct, or is there another meaning behind the phrase?


title: The beginning place of love

text: How do you express "the beginning place of love?" > Here, we start to love.   >  Here, we start out our love.


title: Are "polite" and "politics" etymologically similar?

text: I read of the words "polite" and "politics" on Wiktionary. They originate from Latin word for "smooth" and Greek word for "state", so superficially i concluded they have nothing in common. But the connection makes sense. Wiktionary defines "politics" also as "Political maneuvers or diplomacy between people, groups, or organizations, especially involving power, influence or conflict". To be successful with politics an individual has to be polite, woo the crowd, be a nice guy. Rude and hostile people in such environment are quickly marginalized and shut up. Were "polite" and "politics" connected etymologically at some point?


title: English pronuciation of proper Roman names

text: What are the correct English pronunciations of (Roman emperor) names such as Theodosius, Anastasius, Decius, Leontius, Gratian, Marcian... I am having difficulties with -tiu vs. -siu, -tia vs. -cia. Should those be pronounced as [ʃə], [tɪə] or [sɪə]? I was unable to find that online. ("tchrist"'s Wikipedia link on traditional English pronunciation of Latin does not provide an answer. My question is pretty specific about pronunciation of proper Latin names containing -tiu, -siu, -tia and -cia. No such information is to be found anywhere on that webpage. )


title: Is there an English idiom for 'your silence implies your consent'?

text: I was asked an interesting question today, is there an English equivalent of the saying _Zwijgen is instemmen_ , that is "since you didn't answer, then you agreed with me". I could not come up with any good example; although I could think of a few similar, but not quite the same, including the following:   * I'll take that as a 'yes' then.   * I don't hear any No's. The first is different, since you could also use it if an answer was given, but was not sufficiently clear. The second is different since it is much weaker, it is tacitly agreed that you didn't agree, but you also didn't _disasgree_. Is there any idiom for _your silence implies your consent_?


title: Can you still call a woman "handsome"?

text: On the recommendation of some regulars here, I managed to watch the movie _The Madness of King George_ over the weekend, and found it excellent. Anyway, one funny scene in the movie is when King George, who despite being contentedly married is quite flirtatious, remarks on the looks of one of the Queen Consort's ladies-in-waiting to the head of his attending guards: > That's Lady Penbrook. Handsome woman, what? Daughter of the Duke of > Marlborough...husband's an utter rascal. Is the usage of "handsome" here archaic, or just rarely used by those in the know? If the former, when did it become so?


title: Capital letter in parentheses after full stop

text: I am writing up a project and I am wondering whether or not I would capitalize the first letter in brackets where the brackets are the start of the sentence. For example, consider the following: I like French. (Not really). Should it be (not really) or (Not really)? Thanks in advance


title: What is the word for converting the code to version for publishing?

text: What is the word describing the process of converting the source code to the format appropriate for publishing on WWW site (usually HTML format with syntax highlighting, but also wiki format etc.)? I have problem finding correct and understandable word.   * **formatting** is used to describe the process of improving the format of the source code, not converting to other format   * **prettification** is usually associated with processing the source code to make it more human-readable   * **beautification** \- I've met with using that term as synonym to prettification


title: When writing "The Marriage Of," which preposition is correct?

text: I understand "the marriage of X TO Y" is more common, but could it be said to be grammatically incorrect to say "the marriage of X WITH Y"? If so, why?


title: What's the meaning of "on a comparable basis"?

text: I'm not a native English speaker and I'm having a hard time trying to translate it. What could be the definition for "on a comparable basis"? **Edit** : Here's the context in which I've encountered it: > ... statistics were presented _on a comparable basis_.


title: Is "may the force be equal to mass times acceleration" proper English?

text: There is a meme going around in which a game-show contestant is given the phrase: > May the force … And they finish the phrase with: > … be equal to mass times acceleration. My question is whether the sentence > May the force be equal to mass times acceleration is grammatically correct. Would a member of the 'grammar police' point out that this is wrong? i.e., Would it be proper to show a third geek complain about this sentence? And if so, what would they say? I have a suspicion that the word "may" cannot be used for a statement that is always true. However, maybe there are other problems with it that I am not aware of, as it just feels wrong to me. Edit: Explanation of the Meme. The phrase "May the Force be with you" is a well known phrase in geek culture, from the Movie Star Wars. However, in that instance "May" is used to express a wish, and it's possible that the force will not be with someone. In the context of physics however, that equation can be assumed to always be true. It is a "given".


title: "Strange as it may sound" vs "Strange sound though it may be"

text: I'm trying to write something and this question popped up. Which would be more correct? "Strange as it may sound ~" or "Strange sound though it may be ~" Thanks.


Recently, on another SE page, I've asked a question about a painting that was used as a decoration in a particular movie. It contained the following sentence: > What is the name and **author** of that painting? Soon it was edited to: > What is the name and **artist** of that painting? with explanation that "paintings are created by artists". I'm confused, because in my native language the word "author" is very natural for the artist who created the painting (as with any other piece of art, the word specifies the simple fact of authorship) and I've seen it in use in English on the Internet. This way my question is: **Is the word "author" correct for the artist who created particular painting?**


title: Informal terms for money amounts

text: What informal terms are used in English as money amounts? I know the following US terms and I'm curious about the rest: > a grand: 1000 dollars   >  a buck: 1 dollar


title: Why does "under the sea" mean "in the sea"?

text: Why is it OK to refer to things in the sea as being "under the sea"? Wouldn't that really be the sea floor and below?


title: What is the difference between “Have got sb by the balls” and “Sb being over a barrel” in describing somebody in predicament?

text: I found two intriguing idioms in a pair in the following sentence of Jeffery Archer’s “The Forth Estate” (page 592) that I came to the last part at length. A media mogul, Dick Armstrong (seemingly modeling Donald Trump) is approached by Earl Withers, the lawyers of Chicago based newspaper that is on the brink of financial crisis for a salvaging acquisition: > “And is it true that it’s in debt for $200 million?” said Armstrong. > > “$207 million, to be precise,” said Withers. > > “And losing over a million a week?” “Around one million three hundred > thousand.” “And the unions **_have got you by the balls_**.” > > “ **In Chicago** , Mr. Armstrong, **we would describe it as _"over a > barrel"_**. But that is precisely why my clients felt we should approach you > - - -.” I’m curious to know why the Chicago lawyer deliberately rephrased Armstrong’s “ _got by the balls_ ” remark with the phrase, “over a barrel.” Are “Have got sb by the balls” and “Sb being over a barrel” exact synonyms that are interchangeable as Withers rephrased? To me, they seem to have different shades of meaning and occasions of use aside from decency of the wording.


title: Whether an omitted "that" should be replaced with a comma in certain situations

text: Consider a sentence like this: "I'm just letting you know that the meeting is at 6 tonight." It would be pretty common to omit "that" in this sentence: "I'm just letting you know the meeting is at 6 tonight." It has come to my attention that some people think that this manipulation requires the introduction of a comma, like so: "I'm just letting you know, the meeting is at 6 tonight." My intuition suggests the comma is not necessary and may even be incorrect according to some obscure rule of thumb, but I don't really know. What are the thoughts on this?


title: Term for guest’s obligations to host

text: I encountered the word in an X-Men comic once: > One person makes a show of the effectiveness of this weaponry but is unable > to use it because of the presence of Magneto. He informs him that they are > all guests and must behave as such. so I know it’s legit, :-) and I’d like to be able to use it with some welcome but irritatingly insensitive recurring guests. The term for my obligations to my guests would also be of interest. _Pardon the superhero references, but the context was where a group of mutants had escaped to Magneto’s headquarters and were bickering about whose fault it was that they were on the run. Magneto walked in and told them to stop fighting, because just as he has the obligation of . . . to them as his guests they have the obligation of . . . to him as the host._ **Update** : I located the word and @jwpat7 helped identify it.


title: Is the abbreviation "etc." or "and so on" acceptable in formal writing?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  On the usage of “etcetera” Is the abbreviation _etc._ or "and so on" acceptable in scientific writing papers?


title: Adjacent means side-by-side. What's the word for behind-one-another?

text: Example: rows 9 and 10 in the theatre are ??? rows. Alternatively: rows 9 an 10 are ???-ly adjacent (while seats B and C are _laterally_ adjacent). There are words like _subsequent_ , _consecutive_ , etc., which have a somewhat temporal flavour, or at the very least hint at a sequential context (both are cognates of _sequor_ , after all). But what's a good word choice for a strictly spatial context: an object behind/in front of another? **Clarification:** I am a quasi-native speaker specifically curious as to why such a word seems so elusive, and equally as interested whether such a word exists in _other_ languages. If there's no such thing, I'll accept that as an answer too.


title: What word describes text having a different meaning backwards and forwards?

text: Jonathan Reed's poem 'Lost Generation' is a pessimistic view of the future if read forwards. However, if you read it backwards linewise (not wordwise), it is still semantically meaningful, but the meaning is optimistic and almost completely opposite. Here are a few lines backwards and forwards to demonstrate: In the future   Environmental destruction will be the norm   No longer can it be said that   My peers and I care about this earth   It will be evident that   My generation is apathetic and lethargic   It is foolish to presume that   There is hope vs There is hope   It is foolish to presume that   My generation is apathetic and lethargic   It will be evident that   My peers and I care about this earth   No longer can it be said that   Environmental destruction will be the norm   In the future Of course, the first word that comes to mind is palindromic. However, a palindrome is exactly the same forwards and backwards (discounting punctuation) whereas this is opposite forward and backwards - so pretty much the antonym of a palindrome. I've spent a while searching for an existing word to describe this to no avail, so I am deferring to the geniuses here :-) Thanks, Matt


title: Is there a term for an offset quote that is only quoting the body of the text?

text: A trend in many magazine-style articles is to take a quote from the body of the article and place it in its own blockquote or other special formatting, then place it somewhere irrelevant in the flow of the document. > ### SOME NON-SEQUITUR NONSENSE Is there a name for this practice? It can occasionally add some context as an image caption, but most of the time it simply breaks the flow of reading with some non-sequitur nonsense, as above. In all honesty, the whole reason I want a name for this is so that I can complain about it more effectively. I work at a publishing company, and I've seen this practice sneak into a few of our books. In addition, it's quite common in professional blogs such as The Verge, witness the obnoxious orange text splattered throughout.


title: What's the meaning of the word "tad"?

text: I always see the word in sentence like, "it's a tad faser". Or people say "tad", as if they are frustrated. So, what's the meaning of the word? When to use it?


title: Can "take" be a synonym of "attempt", "approach" or "undertaking"?

text: Is it meaningful to say "we are preparing the last take at this battle" or "the third take finally brought them a victory" "I will try one more take at this"?


title: JFK (Mis)quote Chinese: "不怕神一样的对手 就怕猪一样的队友"

text: I've been looking for an English equivalent of the Chinese, "不怕神一样的对手 就怕猪一样的队友," which has been, rather directly, translated as: > We fear not God-like rivals, but pig-like team members and rather funnily enough attributed to JFK.   * Did JFK ever say anything even remotely close to this?   * Are there other idiomatic phrases in English that resemble "We fear not God-like rivals, but pig-like team members"? (i.e: who needs enemies, with friends like _you_?)


title: Abbreviations of St, Ave, Blvd, etc., for intersections and plurals of

text: For a document I'm preparing that includes photos, each photo caption includes the approximate street intersection from which the photo was taken, e.g.: > ...., Market St & Grant Ave looking east. In cases where both streets are of the same "type" (both "St" or "Ave"), I omit the first and pluralize the second, e.g.: > ...., Market & Kearny Sts looking west. Is that an OK thing to do? (I couldn't find this addressed in _The Chicago Manual of Style_. If it's in there, please give the citation.) One thing I did find in the CMOS is that I should put the period after the abbreviations, e.g.: > ...., Market St. & Grant Ave. looking east. If I do that, what is the proper plural? Still just the period after the abbreviation and no other punctuation? > ...., Market & Kearny Sts. looking west. Do the same rules apply for intersection abbreviations in the main body text? Thanks.


title: How to use a catch-phrase for a validated result when presented before an examining committee?

text: Imagine, that someone is preparing for a PhD defense. The thesis that he is going to defend is by far against the norm. That is, it uncovers deep-seated beliefs that led to 30 years of malpractice. So he knew in advance that if he will not be well prepared for that this would label his thesis a _heresy_. Therefore, he did his best to analyze the data at hand very carefully, doing everything possible to validate the results and justify his approach why this method and not that sort of thing. He adopted a very hard and long path just to be well prepared for the day of defense. In addition, he knew in advance that the examiners will be not that easy to convince unless a really solid proof is presented before their eyes. I want to describe the results of the PhD student using a catch-phrase:   One phrase came to my mind, but I am not sure how suitable it is here: > The results concluded form the analysis were _irrefutable_. Please, can you help me with better phrases or iterations of the same theme, e.g., using the committee-[something], I heard of one phrase but I lost the site where I read it, it was like: jury-[something]. Now looking for it like searching for a straw in a haystack.


title: Word for someone who wants to find a single word to describe a relatively obscure concept, and posts such questions on internet boards?

text: As the title suggests, I'm looking for a word for someone who wants to find a single word to describe a relatively obscure concept, and posts such questions on internet boards. If I'm informed of such a word (or even a short phrase to the same effect), I'll be able to communicate more clearly, concisely, and precisely in the internet fora that I frequent.


title: Is "well-connected" correct here?

text: I want to use _well-connected_ in the context of > The James family was a well-connected family in ... Can someone suggest better ways to say it? I want it to mean that that particular family was well known in the area, was well respected, and had clout.


title: "If it ain't in writing it don't exist" - why the broken grammar?

text: In the idiom "If it ain't ... it don't exist.", why is "don't" used instead of "doesn't"? I'm thinking the intentional error might serve to draw the attention of the listener to the word "don't"/"doesn't", and thus make it more emphatic. I've noticed that when spoken, the word "don't" is stressed. Is my assumption correct?


title: What brings you here? What has brought you here?

text: Why do we ask people "What brings you here?" instead of "What has brought you here?" According to Oxford Dictionary, "bring" here means "cause someone to come to a place." The cause of the visit happened before someone's coming. Therefore, isn't the usage of the present perfect more grammatical, as in "What has caused you to come here?"


title: I support someone/something "to"?

text: "I support John to be our president." - I'm not sure whether this sentence is semantically correct. What I'm trying to say is that I support John (I would like him to be the president), and not that I support him, so **I** can be the president. If it's not correct, how can I put it elegantly (short), without having to say something like "I support John in order so he can be our president." Please don't stick to this particular example (John, president), what I'm looking for is "support/oppose" + someone/something + "to be".


title: -ing phrase tag-line?

text: I'm currently rebuilding a website for a client. On their website, the tag- line reads > "Specializing in Manufactured Housing Communities" Is this grammatically correct? In my opinion, > "Specialists in Manufactured Housing Communities" sounds better. If it is grammatically correct, however, I'll leave it how it is.


title: Isogrammatic sentences?

text: A _pangram_ is a sentence that uses each letter of the alphabet _at least_ once.   * Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs.   * How vexingly quick daft zebras jump. A _perfect_ pangram uses each letter of the alphabet _exactly_ once.   * TV quiz jock, Mr. PhD, bags few lynx.   * Hjelmqvist-Gryb-Zock-Pfund-Wax An _isogram_ (or _heterogram_) is a _single word_ that uses each letter _at most_ once.   * uncopyrightable   * subdermatoglyphic But what word/phrase describes a _sentence_ that uses each letter _at most_ once?   * Bide my frog’s quack.   * _Jaws_ flunked copyright.   * Put back my English word! Surprisingly, I can’t find any reference to sentences of this type either in a quick scan of _Word Ways_ or in Ross Eckler’s _Making the Alphabet Dance_.


title: How to pronounce to differ spatial from special?

text: It always bugged me that I do not know how to differentiate "spatial" from "special". I would just say "space" to be clear when "spatial" is the grammatically correct choice. Are the standard pronunciations different? If not, is there a way to indicate that I am saying either of the two?


title: Is there a word for a person who doesn't think the rules apply to him?

text: I'm trying to write a letter to the editor of my local paper about their report of a man who doesn't think the rules apply to him. Is there a word for this? He's a bit of an egoist, demanding to speak at city council meetings after the public hearing portion of the meeting has been closed.


title: Meaning of "to run to their left"

text: What does "to run to their left" mean in the following article in The Washington Post of today? > One is the fact that the vast majority of Democrats and Republicans in the > House are in districts where their only electoral concerns are primaries. > For a Democrat in a strongly Democratic House seat, then, voting for an > attack on Syria amounts to an invitation for someone **to run to their > left** in 2014.


title: The word 'Any tooth or any teeth"

text: Should we ask: do your have any "loose tooth" or "loose teeth"?


title: "Half" or "A Half"

text: This argument has come up at work, and I actually found it pretty interesting. My colleague is arguing that you might say "a quarter of a pizza", whereas you'd just say "half of a pizza" rather than " _a_ half of a pizza". So my question is:   * Which is correct: "a half of an [x]", "half of an [x]", or both?   * Is there a difference in how we treat the word "half" as opposed to "quarter" or other fractions?   * If so, why? Hopefully this isn't a duplicate - there are some similar questions on the site, but nothing that addresses the first "a" used.


title: What is the word for "stepping stone" if it is used in a derogatory sense?

text: I checked the meaning of _stepping stone_ in a dictionary, it was > a means of progress What would be the word for _stepping stone_ if I want to use it in a negative sense? For example, > He used him as a stepping stone in his business but when he became > successful, he left him for dead.


title: Meaning and etymology of "tiger by the tail"

text: Am I trying to take someone's Frosted Flakes? Is this sage advice or an old wives' tale?


title: Is "human resources" men?

text: > We help you verify, validate and monitor your systems live, 24/7, with our > human resources who are rich in experience, commitment, dedication, > flexibility and with high analytical skills... Could you help me check if the words I used in this statement make sense? Is _human resources_ a thingie noun that I should use _which_ with instead of _who_?


title: Where do “‑ess” and “‑ine” suffixes come from?

text: English has a lot of words that end in _‑ess_ or _‑esse_ , such as _actress_ , _hostess_ , _huntress_ , _finesse_ , _duress_ , _prowess_ , _Lyonesse_ , and _Westernesse_. That looks like a suffix that is also used frequently in Italian, so I’d guess it has Latin origins. Are those all the same suffix? _Heroine_ uses what seems to be a Germanic suffix. Are there any other instances of using a Germanic _‑ine_ suffix to make a feminine version of something in English, or is _heroine_ unique in this? Are both these _‑ess_ and _‑ine_ suffixes still productive in English, or can we only use premade forms that somebody else already coined?


title: Are you familiar with the term "air-conditioningitis"?

text: According to this article, "[a]ir-conditioningitis occurs when the body cannot adjust properly to the sharp differences in temperature between the cool air- conditioned indoors and the warm outdoors." But I've never heard any native speaker use this term or any other term even remotely related to this sort of "disease". How familiar are you, as a native speaker, with this term or this type of disease itself? Is this something you'd consider a disease at all? Edit: If the disease itself is legit, what would you call it?


title: difference between "confer" upon & "confers" upon

text: In an example like: Aristotle University upon recommendation from College of Nursing and by authority of the Board of Governors of Aristotle University hereby "confer" upon Mr. John Williams the Bachelors of Science in Nursing Degree. Please suggest if ("confer" upon) as used above is right or it is better to use ("confers" upon)


What was slang for "absentminded" before "space cadet"?


title: "Gamers of platform" or "gamers on platform"

text: We're duking it out to come up with a strapline on meta.gaming. Which is correct? > Welcome to Q&A for gamers **of** all platforms. > > Welcome to Q&A for gamers **on** all platforms.


title: What does the word "Rep." mean?

text: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/Oxkhh.png) What's meaning of the 'Rep.'?


title: What is the opposite of "meta"?

text: A while back I was talking about it with friends. Another question indicates a few meanings of the "meta-" prefix. Considering that "meta" means, in simple words, "about itself" (like how metadata is data about data), what would be the appropriate prefix to mean the opposite relationship? It seemed to us that "meta" raised a concept to a new level, and we were wondering what prefix would, conversely, lower a concept to another level. Is there another prefix I could use to cancel out the "meta" in "metadata" to get back to "data"?


title: Origin of the phrase "drink you under the table"

text: I have often heard people say > I could drink you under the table or > Mary drank Joe under the table This typically means that someone could drink more alcohol than someone else. What is the origin of this phrase? It doesn't seem to make much sense to me at face value. Sorry, I couldn't find any public uses of this phrase as I have never read it, I have only heard it used in conversation.


title: "Sour cream" versus "soured cream"

text: Does anyone besides my husband insist on adding an _-ed_ to _sour cream_? Etymonline dates "sour cream" to 1855, but has no mention of "soured", so I don't think this is analogous to "iced tea" or "ice cream". Is this a regional thing? He grew up in New England, but English is not his parents' first language, so his accent is more Uncle Walter than This Old House.


title: Why did Australian English change from spelling words like 'honor' to 'honour'?

text: I know there are other questions comparing the US and UK usage of _o_ and _ou_ in words like colour. My question is specifically in regard to Australian English. I was always taught that here in Australia we use _ou_ and that the other variant was yet another example of the insidious corruption of civilization as we know it by our cousins across the water. However, recently I've been reading old newspaper reports from the early 1900s and have consistently found them writing _color_ , _honor_ , etc. I wonder if anyone knew when and why this changed. As an example in a newspaper see the excellent trove in this article.


title: Why are foreign words used in modern vernacular?

text: Why are seemingly foreign words such as _hors d’œuvres, maître d’, garçon_ , and _Gesundheit_ used in American vernacular?


title: Yoga terms in English and the capitalization thereof

text: I'm editing a manuscript in English that contains numerous yoga terms for poses, concepts etc. These are generally derived from Sanskrit, if not actual Sanskrit transliterations. My publisher requires Chicago Style, however a search yields nothing helpful with regard to capitalization of these terms. For instance, is the word yoga itself to be capitalized? In some instances but not all? What about yoga/yoga concepts, like _Dharana_? Capitalized? Always? I'm in a pickle.


Why are social drinks referred to as cocktails?


title: Dull as ditchwater (not dishwater) ... specific questions thereon

text: (1) who specifically, or at least when specifically, did originate the phrase? _{Example answer - "that was one of Shakespeare's!"}_ (2) why? (3) when first did someone screw up and use " _..dishwater_ "? why? who? Thank you. (PS note that in print, apparently "...dishwater" become more popular from about the 1970s. I am interested in the above three questions, if anyone has any info on those three specific questions, thank you in advance.) BTW I appreciate very much that this question may be "easily answered by some reference book", if so, please (A) tell me the book and (B) close the question. (I'm afraid I couldn't find anything. Sorry.) * * * _Footnote - note too that "ditches" have sparkling clear water, like babbling brooks. So, if you go somewhere that's famous for the land culture cutting ditches (Bresse or whatever) they cut 'em beautifully and then you get torrents of bubbling brook -esque water in the spring and so on. (I'd guess the notion of "ditch" as "incidental messy puddle" is more modern; and "ditch" over the centuries would have surely meant the carefully-made land management structure?) Even if you think of muddy-filthy water, "dull" doesn't come to mind; it's more dirty, muddy, un-clear. So._


title: meaning of "mugging away ?"

text: What is the meaning of "mugging away ?" Can anyone help me with this ? I know mugging merely means attack on someone in public places to steal something . But what is the meaning when it become as a phrase like this "mugging away?"


title: Meaning of “panegoric”

text: What does _panegoric_ mean? Yes, it’s _panegoric_ and not _panegyric_. The word is given in my module with the meaning “medicine that allays pain”, but I can’t find any reference. Is it correct?


title: What is the correct plural of "chaise longue"?

text: Is it "chaises longues" or just "chaise longues"? Both examples exist in different dictionaries. Or should it be something else entirely?