title: "Does our process cause users to abandon tasks they WERE/ARE about to perform?"

text: I have written the following sentence as part of the conclusion to my thesis. This represents one of the future research questions, i.e., it is not part of my research questions, it is something that should be researched later on:   * One interesting question is whether the more complicated and less predictable sign-in process **_causes_** users to abandon tasks they **_were_** about to perform. (Background: signing in with the new system is more complicated, and some users mentioned that if they thought they'll just check something 'optional' (i.e. "I'm interested in this, but I don't have to do/know it"), and they have to sign in again, they will just think "it's not worth the hassle", and abandon it.) I could not find any references as to what the tenses of the verbs in the latter part ("causes" and "were") should be, or whether the current format is correct. What are the rules for this? If this is correct, why can "causes" (present tense) and "were" (past tense) be combined like that?


title: A sentence for a person who is greatly tired

text: Occasionally, I meet someone who is working hard. He looks so tired and needs to hear some kind words and I don't know what to say. Some time ago, I asked this question of a native speaker and she replied: > Tell him “What a great job!” Maybe I couldn’t represent my question properly because I didn’t see that the above formula had decreased his exhaustion in doing the job. What can we say to somebody who looks tired doing a job, in order to soothe his pain?


title: Use 'suggest' passively

text: How can I use passive voice to say this sentence with _suggest_? Is this grammatical: > These models are suggested to be phased out by us.


title: Alternative word for jealous (without the negative connotations)

text: I was wondering whether there is a word similar to jealousy but without the negative connotations? For example, if I really admired someone for their memory and wished mine could be as good - however, I didn't feel begrudging of their good memory, or wished I could have good memory and they didn't. Basically, a word meaning I'm happy for someone for their good fortune, but wished I also had it. Thank you :)


title: Capitalization of the word "county"

text: Which is correct when listing counties: >   * Harding, Platt, and Garner Counties >   * Harding, Platt, and Garner counties >


title: Why is "head for" in the passive voice in "Mitt Romney was headed for a decisive victory in Arizona”?

text: Today’s Washington Post article titled, “Romney wins big in Arizona, AP says” begins with the following sentence: > Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney _was headed for_ a decisive > victory in Arizona Tuesday night, where he had the support of the state’s > governor, Jan Brewer, and a sizable contingent of Mormon voters. I am interested in why it isn’t “Mitt Romney _headed for_ a decisive victory,” in the active voice as “Romney wins big in Arizona.” If I put it “Romney headed for a victory,” am I making a serious grammatical error?


title: Is this a participle or verb?

text: From what I understand, a participle is: "...a form of a verb that is used in a sentence to modify a noun or noun phrase, and thus plays a role similar to that of an adjective or adverb[1] (some languages have distinct forms for adverbial participles and adjectival participles)." Here's are the sentences in question: "Having smashed the ball over the left-field fence, Rodriguez hustled around the bases." "Having" is an auxiliary verb right? "smashed" is a participle here? How is it not just a verb? I am having trouble identifying verbs here vs adjectives. 2) "Butler, sliding into home face-first, got dirt all over his uniform." Is "sliding" a participle? Or a verb? How is it not a verb? How can you tell?


title: Can I omit "one" in the following case?

text: > Rich people's lives are the most complicated (ones)—and also the most > meaningless (ones). Can I omit both? If not, which one should I keep?


title: "True" is to "false" as "truth" is to... what?

text: If I were to reverse the sentence, "I care about the truth" I would want to say: > I care about the false. Is that correct? It seems awkward at best: > He speaks the truth! / He speaks the false! > > This one truth is important to all / This one false is important to all


title: A word to describe "people I care about"

text: I am looking for a word that describes people who are important to me or whom I care about. They could be family, friends, or just people I adore. Is there any word for them or anything that comes close? Basically, I want to give a one-word title to my own public list of people.


title: What do we call questions which have a definite, known answer?

text: Is there a standard adjective or term which classifies "questions with a known, single, unambiguous, objective, and _correct_ answer"? That is, questions like " _2+2=?_ " or " _What is the capital of Ohio?_ ", as opposed to questions like " _Who's the best band of all time?_ " or " _What is human nature?_ ". If you wanted to describe the kinds of questions StackExchange welcomes and encourages in as few words as possible (ideally two: _adjective_ \+ "questions"), what would you say? _PLEASE: No philosophical debates about whether "objectivity" is possible or a meaningful concept, or the infinite possible interpretations of "2+2"; for the sake of answering this question, assume objectivity and correctness are meaningful and achievable goals._


title: Is the use of "Elysial" acceptable / correct?

text: Based on the following definition: > elysian > > adj > >   1. (Classical Myth & Legend) of or relating to Elysium >   2. delightful; glorious; blissful > > > Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged   >  © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003 Is it acceptable to apply the -al suffix to this word, as an adjective with the same meaning, or as an alternate form? **Use Cases:**   * The wedding was an elysial event of grand stature and beautiful scenery   * The men were met by an elysial sight I'm considering this form as part of the name of a business venture, and I am curious of the ramifications of using the word in this form.


title: What's a noun for the group of people who you're very close to, such as family, friends, relatives, and significant others?

text: If I wanted to describe all of the people close to someone such as their close friends, family, relatives, and spouse/significant other, how would I do so with one noun? The simplest 'noun' that comes to mind is using the term "friends and family", e.g. "He sought consolation from his friends and family during the tragic incident." Is there a more specific/powerful noun for this? An example of a loanword for this would be the Hawaiian _Ohana_. I might be missing something obvious here, but I'd like to know what you guys think. I'm not looking for a specific answer, and loanwords would be great as well - possibly better! edit: I don't care if it's a single word, actually.


title: Who invented "dooblidoo"?

text: The word _dooblidoo_ is used by several different youtube channels as a different word for the youtube description bar. I've seen it used by the vlogbrothers and by PBS Idea Cahnnel. Who was first to use and invent the term?


title: Does ‘approximate' mean "approach" here?

text: > Rousseau's strategy in both Emile and the Social Contract is to develop > artificial environments which enable us to approximate our rational nature > given our foreseeable human limitations.   >  -- _Routledge philosophy guidebook to Rousseau and the social contract_ , > chhp. 1, by Christopher Bertram It might seem that this "approximate" means the same thing as "approach". But I think "approach" refers the subject only to an external object, whereas "approximate" can also mean the subject reaching a new state of itself. Am I right?


title: Mob/Riot/Protest?

text: There are three words that I know that refer to groups of people in the public: mob, riot and protest. What is the difference between these words? Are there other words with similar meanings? Also, are these words considered offensive? Definitions from oxforddictionaries.com (only the revelent meanings) Mob: a large crowd of people, especially one that is disorderly and intent on causing trouble or violence Riot: a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd Protest: an organized public demonstration expressing strong objection to an official policy or course of action


title: Where did the words "white-collar" and "blue-collar" come from?

text: I can kinda see the "white-collar" image, with formal dress shirts, but "blue- collar" is not intuitive to me, and Dictionary.com and Etymonline are not helpful as to the reason for the color choice. Does anyone know the reason for the color blue in "blue-collar"?


title: What does “playus nigh” mean in Cockney?

text: Quotation from _A history of the cries of London ancient_ (p23). Refer to _What does “him as writ plays” mean?_ ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/s8F1c.jpg)


title: "fix me that account" or "fix that account for me"

text: Can we say "Did you fix me that account?" Or should it be "Did you fix that account for me?" assuming something is wrong with the account. Account represents a computer based system user id.


title: Single word for taking advantage of the situation?

text: What is that word that is used to say someone "takes advantage of the situation". This word usually has a mildly negative connotation. It is related to being clever.


title: What do “truxtop” and “thumb tax” mean?

text: What do _tru **x** top_ and _thumb ta **x**_ mean? I found them mentioned in this quotation from _English Words History and Structure_, 2nd edition (p. 113): > The replacement of the sequence [ks] by **_x_** is a spelling convention. It > has no effect on the pronunciation of the consonant cluster. This > replacement practice has given rise to attention-getting facetious spellings > like _thanx_ , **_truxtop_** , **_thumb tax_**.


title: Are hatters really mad?

text: Given the winter festival and the wearing of hats on stackexchange, I'm reminded about the expression "as mad as a hatter." Does the term "mad" here apply to derangement or anger management issues? Is a hatter someone who manufactures hats, or simply the retailer? And how does a hatter come to be mad? When we today say someone is "mad as a hatter," do we mean angry or deranged?


title: What's the action of banging two beers together called?

text: When beers in cans or bottles are banged together in rejoice of the company you're with, what is the action called?


title: "during one of my girlfriend's games"

text: I was trying to say "During one of my girlfriend's soccer games..." The problem is when I spoke it, it could be interpreted as > "Out of all of my girlfriends... during one of their games this happened" -or- > "Out of all of the games that my girlfriend has played in... during one of > those games this happened" I have only one girlfriend, so how can I word this sentence so that when I speak it, it can only be interpreted as "during my one of my (singular possessive) girlfriend's games..."


title: How can i turn down/refuse a project/product quote politely?

text: For example, you work at at an industrial company and you want to buy an accessory for a machine that broke. You ask several supliers to send you a quote for the accessory and then you decide to purchase one of those. What is the polite way to answer to the other supliers you have turned down their products?


title: Expressing the state of something that is planned to be executed

text: I am searching for the right expression that describe the state of something that is planned to be For example, I plan to bake a cake, and try to hide that from my kids. How do I ask for a hiding place for my not yet baked cake? With emphasis on the planned activity of baking. Can I say > Do you know a hiding place for my to be baked cake? Or do I say > Do you know a hiding place for my cake to be baked?


title: 'Preciseness' and 'Precision'

text: Ok, by my current understanding of the two words, the sentence: > _The preciseness of this precision is very definite_ Is grammatically correct. Correct me if I'm wrong, and if so; what is the distinction between the two words? Also, what is the word for the situation in which this can occur? (I want to say it's the opposite of an oxymoron?) Edit: feel free to edit the tags if I'm wrong.


title: OxFORD and CamBRIDGE

text: All of a sudden the scales fell from my eyes: OxFORD and CamBRIDGE. Is there a serious reference for this - not so surprising, but linguistically amusing - fact that these two prominent university cities (by the way both of them doubled across the ocean) share their names by ways to cross a river?


title: Use of "of" to define objects?

text: I argue that the "United States of America" is different than the "Kingdom of Cambodia", for instance, because one uses "of" to describe a relationship with something larger (ie: the continents of America) while the other is describing an object that is one in the same (ie: the Kingdom IS Cambodia). What kind of terminology would apply to these differences?


title: "License" and "licence"

text: What is the difference between _license_ and _licence_? Are both variations accepted in US and UK?


title: Why I remember a wrong sense of the word "moron"?

text: I thought that the word "moron" means a very smart person (a genius), but my English teacher has said it means the opposite (an idiot) and it was confirmed by lexicons. Where did I get this incorrect definition?


title: Good English expression for sorting this between ourselves?

text: If there is a problem at work and I want to convey to others at a similar level to me, that I would like to solve the problem "between ourselves" and not involve the boss or management - is there a good phrase or expression for that? Usually I would use something such as "keep this between ourselves" or "sort this out amongst ourselves" or "figure this out ourselves", but I cannot help but feel there should be a good expression to use.


title: How to express the skill of "thinking focused and clearly"?

text: Is there a word to define the skill of "thinking focused and clearly"?


title: How to express the skill when someone does not stop working until the task is done?

text: What is the skill of trying the best to finish a hard task assigned? While having impediments on the way, without complaining, exploring solutions and putting in practice till the end.


title: What noun describes how much a tag is used?

text: When I say "tag", I mean the tags we have on StackExchange, and imageboards or other websites which use a tagging system. Is there a single noun to describe how many things the tag applied to? single-word-requests has ~4500 questions to which it applies, so I could say for example: > The [noun] of the single-word-requests tag is about 4500. "Strength" comes to mind, but I would imagine that word is more applicable in military contexts. Is there such a word? I realise there are far more elegant solutions without a single noun. I'm looking for a concise field name for a Tag table in a database. The field describes how many entities to which the tag applies. So it would look something like:               Tag(_TagID_, TagName, [NumberOfXWithThisTag])      And the SWR tag could look like:               (0016, single-word-requests, 4481)


title: Verb for coming into contact with another using one's shoulder

text: I would like to phrase the action of 'hitting' someone with one's shoulder, perhaps in a single word. Disappointingly, _shoulder_ is already an actively used verb for a different action entirely: > **shoul·dered, shoul·der·ing, shoul·ders**   >  v.tr.   >  1\. To carry or place (a burden, for example) on the shoulders.   >  2\. To take on; assume: shouldered the blame for his friends.   >  3\. To push or apply force to, with or as if with the shoulder.   >  4\. To make (one's way) by or as if by shoving obstacles with one's > shoulders. > > _(Source: The Free Dictionary)_ I will give out even higher praise for a solution that incorporates the specific aspect of coming into contact with the 'shouldered' person's teeth. It does not have to be a single word, although I would appreciate a concise phrase.


title: What does the term "delicate genius" refer to?

text: Do a Google search for _delicate genius_ and you will get many results, none seem to be a definition though. I was referred to as a delicate genius today after making a mistake at work. I am not a lawyer or a doctor. I was not sure what was intended by the phrase, I thought it was because I usually pay a lot of attention to details to avoid such mistakes as the one I made today.


title: Why is "insatiable" pronounced as if it was "unsatiable"?

text: Why is _insatiable_ pronounced as if it was _unsatiable_?


title: Words that are often used in repartee

text: Why are the words "obviously" and "apparently" often used in repartee? What are some other words that are often used, and for what reasons?


title: Meaning of literal interpretation

text: I'd like to understand the correct meaning(s) of the word literal. And by literal, I mean to ignore the colloquial pollution of the word in which one uses it to mean "virtually". According to a dictionary, "literal" means "taking words in their usual or most basic sense without metaphor or allegory." So does this mean, a **literal interpretation** is one that is   1. _according to the dictionary_ ,    2. _according to the most primitive senses of the words in the dictionary_ ,   3. or both 1. and 2. depending on how literal is being used. **Example:** "I look at tennis as a means of exercise."   1. "I gaze at tennis as a means of exercise."   2. "I regard tennis as a means of exercise." The first interpretation is meant to take look in its most basic or simplest form. So look means "to gaze" and nothing else. If this is the way we interpret literal, then the second interpretation would be non-literal. In the second interpretation, look is interpreted in a dictionary sense. So literal means according to the dictionary. Another example, a literal translation of text is usually interpreted as a naive word-for-word translation, using the most basic senses of the words. And finally, expository writing is usually interpreted literally, but in this case, meaning according to the dictionary. So is it really 1. and 2.?


Were American, Australian, and New Zealand English dialects ever spoken in Britain before the colonization of these lands?


title: The word "afterclap"

text: Merriam-Webster defines "afterclap" as "an unexpected damaging or unsettling event following a supposedly closed affair." However, a pastor from Oregon, John Mark Comer, wrote an article about marriage in which he used "afterclap" this way: "Like millions upon millions of other Americans, I married for happiness. That sounds innocuous at first glance. Heck, it sounds romantic. But the trouble is that happiness is the result of a healthy marriage. It’s not the reason for marriage. Happiness is a great thing, but it’s the by-product, the AFTERCLAP of marriage. It’s not the point." Read more at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/relationships/promise-you- cant-keep-marriage#a0K12TzL7VVJFqTa.99 It seems that "afterclap", here, simply means "consequence". Happiness is obviously not an "unsettling or damaging event", so, basing solely from Merriam-Webster's definition of the word, "afterclap" is probably not the best word to describe happiness. So, native speakers: how would you define and use the word "afterclap"? Does it have a positive or a negative connotation? Was Merriam-Webster wrong? Did the writer of the article use the word correctly? Thanks a lot.


title: "someone nodded abstractly"

text: for the first time, I read something using the 2 words "nodded abstractly". I Google it. People use it quiet often... I read it there: > “Welcome aboard,” said Justin, one of the programmers. He stood up and > grabbed a rubber chicken from a nearby desk. “Kevin and I are going to > integrate our changes now,” he announced to the rest of the group. A few > people **nodded abstractly** , already intent on their work. My question is, how can a person nod abstractly or in an abstract way...?


title: Rising out of its own momentum

text: > The bellow rose and fell, then it blared out one last time, **rising out of > its own momentum** as if it were escaping finally, after centuries of > waiting, into silence. The beady night noises closed in again. _Flannery > O'Connor: The Violent Bear It Away_ Does the phrase in bold mean   * to rise out of proportion   * to spin off on its own?


title: Is the following usage of the word "suggest" correct/common?

text: > Sharing the first hours of the day with someone **suggests** you want to > spend the rest of your life with that person. Is it correct/common to use the word like this? Does it sound weird? If so, what's a more appropriate alternative (aside of _mean_ )?


title: Pronunciation of "accepted"

text: I just realized that I pronounce 'accepted' more commonly as " uh-sep-ted" than "ak-sep-ted". I'm nowhere near home (Maryland, USA) so I can't listen to see if it is a regional thing. Anyone familiar with this pronunciation possibility? Google seems unfamiliar with it.


title: Why the word building is used insead of using built?

text: We used to say the word as **building**.   Generally, we use the gerund form in the present continuous tense.   Why are we using the word _building_ when it is already built?


title: "Training on" or "Training about"?

text: What preposition usually follows the verb "training"? Given a particular piece of software on which the staff is going to receive training in the boardroom, should one use "training on", "training about", or some other preposition? Or to use an example: > There will be a session for staff training **about** [Software title]. > > There will be a session for staff training **on** [Software title].


title: Usage of "of" in the following sentence

text: I would like some help in understing the usage of "of" in the sentence: > Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals > based on their gender.               perceptions of individuals          treatment of individuals      To my understanding, the sentence implies something done to individuals not by individuals. But it is unclear to me how it is used here. Would anybody kindly help me to understand this usage more clearly? thanks in advanced for any help


title: Interpretation of the meaning of a quote of J. C. Shairp

text: I wish to understand the boldfaced part of the sentence _The true poet is not an eccentric creature, not a mere artist living only for art, not a dreamer or a dilettante, sipping the nectar of existence, while **he keeps aloof from its deeper interests**._, which belongs to J. C. Shairp.


title: Can the term evergreening be used outside a legal context?

text: I have used the term `evergreening` in the context of replacing PC systems at a pre-determined rate; that is, that such a scheme would replace every PC in an office every 3 years by gradually replacing systems a few at a time over an extended period. I cannot however find this word used in this context in dictionaries online and I'm not sure if it's a colloquialism in the IT field or if it would be recognized in the general populace. If the latter, what are some alternative terms?


title: Brainstorm: a pun on rainstorm?

text: The Online Etymology Dictionary unsurprisingly says _brainstorm_ is from the combination of _brain_ and _storm_. What I want to know is whether or not this neologism was an intentional pun on the word _rainstorm_ and also whether or not, when people use _brainstorm_ today, they think of it as a pun or an independent word from _rainstorm_. I, for one, used _brainstorm_ my entire life without thinking about _rainstorm_ until last week when, as if in a thunderous mental flash, it suddenly occurred to me. Am I just late to make an obvious connection here? Or is this news to other people as well?


title: "exact soluble model" or "exact solvable model", "analytic" or "analytical" solutions

text: In physical science and math, we encounter some models that can be analytically solved. This means that the properties of models are fully understood and determined by the analytical solutions. In the literature, we will refer those models as: > exact soluble model or > exact solvable model or > exactly soluble model or > exactly solvable model **Q1.** I wonder whether the usage of **exact** , **exactly** , **soluble** and **solvable** are interchangeable? **Q2.** When we say the solutions are analytical, are that both **analytic solutions** and **analytical solutions** are correct usage?


title: “What” or “where” is his standing

text: > _What_ is his standing in the community?   >  _Where_ is his standing in the community? Which one is better? What if _community_ is replaced by _competition_?


title: "Sorry to have kept you waiting" vs. "sorry for having kept you waiting"

text: Can I transform "I am sorry to have kept you waiting so long" into "I am sorry for having kept you waiting so long"? Is there a difference between them? Additionally, is "I'm sorry having kept you waiting so long" grammatical?


title: More common expression for "move your bowels"

text: _Move your bowels_ may be too polite and sounds strained, and merely saying _shit_ sounds offensive. What do native English speakers say then when you need to move your bowels, especially when a parent asks his toddlers whether they need to shit?


title: "Trust arrives walking and departs riding."

text: That is the translation (provided by Wikiquote) of the Dutch proverb "Vertrouwen komt te voet en vertrekt te paard." I don't like this translation very much for conversational use. It doesn't "feel" right. Neither does "Trust comes on foot, but leaves on horseback." The actual, somewhat lengthy, meaning of the proverb is that a single stupidity can ruin trust or reputation that took years to build. I tentatively prefer "Trust is hard to gain but easy to lose." However, I'm not native-English speaking. What is the "best" way to succinctly express the idea behind the proverb in English?


title: Does a bare plural imply "(nearly) all" as a quantity?

text: Sometimes you'll see various assertions or claims made which go something like: > Doctors say that eating chocolate is good for you. Does this imply "all doctors" or "nearly all doctors"? I instinctively think that it does but I want to see whether this is a widespread interpretation in English or something that I made up. Could it, on the other hand, reasonably be read as meaning "some doctors" or "a few doctors"?


title: What is the difference, if any, between "divine providence" and "Providence" (with a capital p)?

text: ODO defines providence as: > **providence** : [mass noun] 1 the protective care of God or of nature as a > spiritual power: they found their trust in _divine providence_ to be a > source of comfort > > ( **Providence** ) God or nature as providing protective care: I live out my > life as _Providence_ decrees So is there any substantial difference in meaning if I were to replace "divine providence" with "Providence". For instance, in the following context: > Eugene acquired the chimpanzee, believing the chain of events experienced by > him to be _divine providence_. They did not make sense otherwise. The > chimpanzee was God’s emissary sent to him for a certain purpose. If he > ignored the chimpanzee, it would be like ignoring _Providence_ : impossible > for a mere human to do.


title: What is the origin and prevalence of the term "server" meaning "wait(er/ress)"?

text: In a comment on this question, the term "server" is used to refer to the guy working at the register in a pizza restaurant. I have never heard this usage before (in Australia), and was only able to guess the intended meaning from the context. Is this a US term? I would refer to him as the cashier or, if I was eating at the restaurant and he brought the pizza to the table, the waiter.


title: What does "off the strip" mean (Las Vegas)?

text: > We went to a restaurant that was a little bit off the strip (about Las > Vegas) I found in Wiki that Strip is the place where most Las Vegas casinos are. So what would such sentence mean?   * Restaurant was very good as it is close to the best(?) location in the city   * Restaurant was in sketchy neighborhood   * Nothing about being good/bad, just a location


title: Is it appropriate to use 'eagerly' while ending a formal e-mail

text: Nowadays, I always use the below phrase when I am ending a formal e-mail; > I eagerly await for your response. > > Regards, I've seen this phrase somewhere, kind-of a formal e-mail and I am using it since then instead of always saying `I look forward to your response` I would like to know if it is suitable to use that phrase for formal e-mails or not.


title: Do's and don'ts - wrong apostrophe?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  “Do’s” and “don’ts” or “do’s” and “don’t’s”? I always see Do's and don'ts, but in my opinion it must be "Dos and don'ts", or is there any rule where there is an apostrophe in plural? (In German there is never ever an apostrophe in plural, not even in abbreviations, so I guess it's the same in English).


title: Where I can find many good sentences?

text: First of all, I am really sorry if this topic does not fit here. I need to do an English sentences analysis, so I need to create a database. I need to find and input many English sentences into a program. Therefore, I need to find GOOD sources to copy from.   1. I do NOT want anything like the newspaper style because it always has speaking language style, like "someone said:""".    2. If I can directly copy from a source without too many modification, then it is preferred. I don't want to copy something from CNN because their website has too many HTML styles. It makes the sentences cut into many pieces.


title: Is it ok if I start an opinion composition with the word 'Indeed'?

text: I was just wondering, is it's OK to begin an opinion composition with the word 'Indeed' in the first sentence? For example: > Indeed I believe people's consumerism is one of the main causes for our > planet's demise. (In case the opinion composition is about whether or not consumerism is a big problem.)


title: Is there any situation where I should use ‘Thank you’ instead of ‘Thanks’?

text: The EL&U’s archives told me ‘thanks’ is slightly more informal than ‘thank you’. I’d like to get a little more specific info. I’m now reading Harry Potter series and came across the following scene. > “Well, I just thought I’d congratulate you again on your splendid > performance against that Horntail, Harry,” said Bagman. “Really superb.” > > “ **Thanks** ,” said Harry, but he knew this couldn’t be all that Bagman > wanted to say, because he could have congratulated Harry in front of Ron and > Hermione. (Harry Potter 4 [US Version]: p.445)[Bold font is mine] **N.B.:** Bagman is the head of a department of Magical Ministry and he is much older than Harry. They are acquainted with each other. It seems to me that ‘thanks’ can be used in any occasion, even if the speakers are distant in their ages and social positions, but is there any occasion where the word isn’t appropriate? What makes you choose ‘thanks’ over ‘thank you’? Also, can I use it for answerers and commentators in this site? I often see ‘thanks’ this site, but I think they might be acquainted with each other in a chat or something. I tried writing ‘Hi, thanks’ a couple of times, but I can’t wipe off a feeling that I might be far too familiar and make people unpleasant.


title: What construction does ‘A wise man is never less alone than when alone’ have?

text: I think this proverb roughly means that a wise man isn’t lonely even if he is without company. However, when considering its construction, my understanding is starting to get shaky. Let me explain what happens in my mind. > My daughter is **no less** talkative **than** my wife is. My wife is (very) talkative. That’s true. However, my daughter might be more talkative. The speaker wants to emphasize his daughter’s talkativeness. > A wise man is **never less** alone **than** when alone. A wise man is lonely when he is without company. That’s true. However, a wise man might be lonelier. Of course, I can’t understand my explanation at all. I’d be happy if you could tell me about its construction.


title: Difference between "plenty of money/friends" and "a lot of money/friends"?

text: What is the difference between: >   * I have plenty of money/friends. >   * I have a lot of money/friends. >


title: Why 'a friend of mine' is not 'my friend's friend'?

text: I have some questions about the expression "a friend of mine" and I'm quite confused with it. Actually I have found some threads about this topic but they don't hit my point. I'm not a native English speaker. General people may interpret that "a friend of mine" is "one of my friends" but it sounds to me like "a friend of my friend" or "my friend's friend" who I may or may not know him/her. I was taught that "mine" is a possessive pronoun and it's used to replace the noun mentioned earlier; for example, This is Adèle's book so the book is hers.   1. Why "a friend of mine" is not "a friend of my friend"? And why "a daughter of mine" is not "my daughter's daughter" or "my grand daughter"?   2. Why we use "a friend of mine" instead of "a friend of me" to mean "my friend" but we use "a part of it" to mean "its part"? "Mine" is a possessive pronoun but "it" is an object pronoun.  I probably have read all things people trying to answer the questions but I still haven't found the comprehensive rules yet. Can anyone give the comprehensive rules for using the double-possessive form? I myself may conclude that: 1\. The double-possessive form is used when the personal subject pronoun is used. 2\. If the noun indicating that the owner is a person or people, either the double-possessive form or the noun itself is used but slightly different in interpretation. 3\. If the possesser is an animal, robot, or any inanimated objects; the objective pronoun or the noun itself should be used. Anyway, is there any mistakes or leakages in those rules? so I can say that: > a friend of mine = my friend   >  a computer of yours = your computer   >  a house if his = his house   >  a book of hers = her book   >  a school of ours = our school   >  a car of theirs = their car   >  a part of it (not a part of its) = its part   >  a shirt of Mary's = Mary's shirt (Mary has many shirts)   >  a shirt of Mary = Mary's shirt (Mary can either has only one shirt or many > shirts)   >  a wing of a bird = a bird's wing   >  a leg of a robot = a robot's leg (one of the robot's leg)   >  an office of an engineer = an engineer's office (one of the or only > office(s) of a certain engineer)   >  an enemy of France = France's enemy (one of France's enemies) Is that correct? Thank you for all of your answers. They are very helpful.


title: Is "and then some" an offensive expression?

text: I started an internal email discussion with the title "Editorial: link issues, some spelling issues and then some". However, upon rereading my own mail, it occurred to me that this might express something like "I found some link and spelling issues, but really, much more is wrong here", implying finger-pointing to the receiver for how bad it is. Yet, I wanted to express something like "I found some link and spelling issues and some uncategorized minor stuff". Is the implied meaning of the original sentence relatively rude to English natives, or would you consider it more or less neutral? How should I rephrase, if at all?


title: Should I use "with" or "and"?

text: > Jack gave Billy a glass of some drink and asked him to add couple of ice > cubes to it. Billy took the glass and went to the kitchen. Moments later he > came back with the same glass of drink **and** some ice in it. Should I use _with_ or _and_?


title: The form of future implication: to be

text: As we all know "to be continued" refers to the future. However for some reason (I don't know why) we do not use "to be going to + verb" for this. > Sarah to take to the stage tonight What does this usage mean? Why we don't use " _is going to_ " ?


title: Ambiguity of "We discourage X from doing Y by using Z"

text: Given the sentence, > We discourage people from committing crimes by using law enforcement, > religion and education. I see two possible interpretations:   1. [We discourage people by using law enforcement, religion and education] from committing crimes.   2. We discourage people from [committing crimes by using law enforcement, religion and education]. Of course the second interpretation may not make sense in this particular case, but generally speaking both interpretations are equally valid. So my question is, how to rearrange the sentence for it to be well-structured and have only one clear interpretation?


title: How to document a change to an earlier proposal

text: I wrote an e-mail proposal to send to a client but after asking a co-worker's opinion I decided to reformulate it. Now I have to describe what has been done but I'm not sure if the expression below is correct or if there is a more idiomatic way to say it. > Revision of the email proposal. Is this correct, and if not, what would be a better way to express this?


title: Usage of the phrasal verb "to wind down"

text: -Barclays to _wind down_ commodities trading. (from Financial Times, April 21st) -Senate Bill seeks to _wind down_ Fannie Mae in five years.(Bloomberg, March 17th) Is the use of _to wind down_ becoming more frequent also in less informal contexts? Plus, could this expression be used in a intransitive way?


title: Why is the 'w' silent in "sword"?

text: In RP English, the 'w' in "sword" is silent. Wiktionary suggests /sɔːd/ and /soʊrd/. Why? Are there other words like this? The 'w' is pronounced in words like "swollen", "swoop", "sworn" and "swore".


title: What does the saying "any time now" really mean?

text: > Any time now Nana will show up with the cookies. What is the meaning of "any time now"? Should "any time" be one word or two? The words seem to conflict and are sort of nebulous because now refers to an exact instance whereas "any time" refers to multiple possible instances.


title: Usage of "unbelievably likely"

text: When listening to BBC commentary of a World Cup game last week, I stumbled upon the expression used by the commentator. In my ears, to describe something as "unbelievably likely" is a contradiction in terms as the probability that something happens makes it either unbelievable and thus unlikely or, then, likely. What do you think?


title: Where did the expression "my two cents" come from?

text: I've seen "$.02", "2¢", "just my two cents", etc, similar in meaning to IMHO, except usually appended to the main text. As the Ngram shows, it is only "two cents" that is popular in this usage: ![show vs shew](http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/chart?content=my+cent%2Cmy+two+cents%2Cmy+three+cents&corpus=0&smoothing=3&year_start=1800&year_end=2000) How does "two cents" express humility of opinion?


title: Difference: Meanwhile vs meantime

text: > Meanwhile vs. meantime Are they really the same? I've been using them interchangeably...


title: What is the etymology of "fanboi"?

text: In a recent Daring Fireball post, John Gruber wondered about the origin of "fanboi" as a spelling of "fanboy". I tried searching for this, but couldn't find anything definitive. Harry McCracken has a Technologizer post about the origin of "fanboy", but doesn't mention the alternative spelling. Is anything known about the origin of the "fanboi" spelling? For example, when it was first used, how it was popularised, and what the reason for the "i" is?


title: Using "to" along with "help"

text: Do we use _to_ along with _help_? > This book helps to improve our knowledge or > This book helps improve our knowledge Which one of these are correct?


title: What is the word for attending a party without being invited?

text: What is the word for "attend a party or event without being invited"? I read it some time back but can not recollect it.


title: Preceding article in foreign words

text: For articles on GL&U it is usual to use German words in English texts. While writing an answer, I was unsure how to use articles in a right way. Finally, after I had read my answer again, I became aware, that I mixed up several possibilities. Especially for German words starting with I, U, E... ( _An_ as for an English words or _A_ because it is foreign) Moreover, I can imagine that the environment is important. I think on GL&U it is important to name the German article (as you know, in German articles are much more complicated as in English), so "Ein/Der Fehler" could be the better solution. This is in contrast to dissertations in which the German article doesn't matter. Which one is the correct way to use articles for foreign words?   * **A** "Fehler" can be affected by **an** "Irrtum"   * **A** "Fehler" can be affected by **a** "Irrtum"   * " **Ein** Fehler" can be affected by "Irrtum"   * "Fehler" can be affected by "Irrtum" Hints: This is the German sentence: > **Ein** Fehler kann durch **einen** Irrtum entstehen. (For those who knows German: Yes, I know that my translation into English is not the best one. _Create_ , _Produce_ , _Develop_ should be the better translations) In the 3rd example I left out the second article, because it sounds terrible if I would insert it. For those who are interested in the article, this is the question and here's my answer.


title: How to improve my English?

text: To improve my vocabulary, I read a lot of novels and learned more than few new words. Though I am able to comprehend the word when I see them, I am unable to _use (or recall) them_ when needed. What should I do to actually improve my English.


title: "Semantic" vs "Meaning"

text: I have come across writing which says > "Trending topics in Twitter do not carry much semantics" as well as > "Trending topics in Twitter do not carry much meanings" I am aware that semantics and meanings are similar, what I am curious is when is the right time to use "semantics" vs "meanings"?


title: What’s a word for someone who appreciates the little things?

text: I’m looking for an adjective that describes a person who appreciates the little things in life: someone who takes life at a little bit slower a pace, who enjoys being outside instead of forever inside, and so on and so forth.


title: Parentheses or parenthesis

text: Parentheses or parenthesis - What's the difference? When each one of them should be used? An example would be appreciated.


title: What are the component words of 'Cliffpocalypsemageddonacaust'? Can this be accepted as a practical English word?

text: I was amused to find the unusually lengthy word, “Cliffpocalypsemageddonacaust” in Maureen Dowd’s article titled “Watch Out Below!” in December 15 NY-Times. Dowd admits she used a word invented by Jon Stewart: > "We have reached the quivering moment of truth that Jon Stewart calls “ > **Cliffpocalypsemageddonacaust**.” Other metaphors have been suggested: > “fiscal obstacle course,” “debt bomb,” “austerity bomb.” But we’re stuck in > the year of cliffian thinking." Comedy Central (Nov 30) carries the lede, “The Daily Show on the looming **Cliffpocalypsemageddonacaust** ” with Jon Stewart’s comment: > "There's an asteroid headed toward the Earth. We made it and fired it at > ourselves. Because otherwise we would never have done the hard work required > to protect ourselves from asteroids." I suppose this lengthy compound word simply means Armageddon - the end of the world, and I don’t think it’s an important, practical, and long-abiding word that I ought to stock in my vocabluary. But what are the redundant components of this word? Is the word used particularly in the context of financial cliff, or other disasters like the onslaught of asteroids? Additionally, is “ **cliffian** ” an accepted English word?


title: What are "stocks" called in English for online shops?

text: In a piece of software, what would I call a place or building where products may be stored before their export or distribution for sale, particularly for online stores (such as Amazon.com)? It will look like this: >   * Small Independent _**___ ____**_ has 200 item(s). >   * Books, Electronics and DVD/VCD products in the Medium Owned _**___ > ____**_. >


what are the quality of mercy? how is mercy twice blessed?


title: Difference between *splendid* and *splendiferous*

text: I just read a post where someone was using the adjective _splendiferous_ and even remarked he would not use that word lightly. So I did a quick search and found that it has the same meaning as _splendid_ , as well as the same function, i.e. both are adjectives. **What is special about _splendiferous_ in contrast to _splendid_?**


title: Sentence correction (vote, voted)

text: How to say: > Comment was already voted by you In this sentence I mean that someone made some choice about a comment and I want to tell him about it. Please help me to make my sentence correct and explain to me the correct grammar being used.


title: "Hierarchical" vs. "hierarchic"

text: When do you use _hierarchical_ and when _hierarchic_? For example, _hierarchical database_ sounds much more native to me, even as a non-native English speaker. But why isn't it _hierarchic database_? **Edit:** I just realized there are more words this question applies to: _acyclical/acyclic, aesthetical/aesthetic, cosmetical/cosmetic,..._


What is synonym for "people who can very quickly think what to say". I mean like funny people who have great timing. Is there one exact word for that ability. Not "smart", "canny", "savvy" or "shrewd". Thank you.


title: "Synced" or "synched"

text: Which is correct: _synced_ or _synched_? Is one of these American and the other British spelling or are they interchangeable? I have only ever seen _sync_ used in the computing industry.


title: Is "May I have some drink?" incorrect?

text: This weekend, I took my family to Arby's to eat. My wife ordered us all some food, and filled the cups with some ice and some soda, then I got some sauce for my sandwich as well as some sauces for the kids' food. I wanted to share my wife's drink, so I asked her if I might have some drink, and she corrected me in a playfully pedantic way saying that "some drink" was not correct grammar in that case. In perusing the Internet, I have found several people agreeing with her, but while I've seen plenty of assertion that my wording was wrong, nothing that I read explained why. During my searches, I also found several instances of "some drink" being used in that context, including Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" (which I figure has to count for something, right? :) ) I thought the community of experts at StackExchange could help me out. I've set the stage for my story deliberately, because the way I used the noun "drink" seems comparable, to me, to the way I used "food," "ice," "soda," and "sauce," and none of those other terms seem offensive to anyone. So I'm curious if "some drink" in my case actually _is_ wrong (and why it's different from something like "some sauce"), or is it simply that alternative phrasings also exist (e.g. "some of your drink", "something to drink") which may be preferably more specific, but not technically any more correct?


title: What are the different ways an accent mark can go over the letter A & how are they pronounced?

text: I've found specifically these ones: á, à, â, å, ä. I believe they COULD be used in the English language, or root ones such as Celtic & Germanic, but I don't know how they are pronounced. Oh, and I've glanced at the articles What does the grave accent mark on words mean? and Diacritic if that helps jumpstart you on your assistance. Thank you, and _please_ give examples of how they are used!


title: Is it "Chinese simplified", or "simplified Chinese"?

text: What is the correct way to call one of the scripts used for Chinese? Chinese simplified, or simplified Chinese?


title: What does "low-growing" mean?

text: What does **low-growing** mean in the following sentence? > _She planted some "low-growing" stuff._


title: Meaning of "double dose"

text: What is the meaning of _double dose_? For example, > I wish for you a **double dose** of health. Is it used in everyday English? What are its synonyms?


title: A word for storing pre calculated-constructed data

text: I precalculate data and store it in a static table and call this process 'caching' but that doesn't seem correct based on a quick dictionary search (hiding, concealing) I'm just saving the data statically to avoid the process time to make the calculation. Is there a more appropriate term/word?


title: Is there a connection between the various "states of being" that you can be "on"?

text: Prompted by the title of this question and a couple of comments on it, I'm minded to think there that many "states of being" that you can be "on", as in... > _on fire_ , _on holiday_ , _on guard_ , _on the blink_ (intermittently > faulty), _etc._ Sometimes we just use _[verb]ing_ to generate an appropriate word ( _holidaying_ , _guarding_ , _resting_ , _etc._ ) Or different prepositions ( _in purdah_ , _at play_ , _under suspicion_ , _etc._ ) Is there a (even partially-applied) rule indicating when **on** should be used? Just to muddy the waters a bit (or maybe it'll inspire someone to see the rule, I dunno). You're **at lunch** , but **on your lunch-break**. By way of one final 'tickle', I wonder if the difference between **in retreat** and **on retreat** will spark a line of thinking in someone ("in..." meaning "running away", whereas "on..." probably implies you're spending some time at a monastery or similar).


title: That which is vulgar, obscene, or profane (title reflects contents)

text: When I look up the word "fuck" in the dictionary, I see that it is listed as a _vulgar_ term. However, if I use it in church, I might be scolded for speaking profanity in the Lord's house. If I use it at work, I might be reminded that professionals shouldn't use obscenities. But which is it really, _vulgar_ , _obscene_ , or _profane_? How do we tell the difference when classifying other words in this fashion?


title: Capitalisation of "Hall effect"

text: How should I capitalise _Hall effect_? I am using this in a brochure and want to get the capitalisation right. I am certain that _Hall_ is capitalised, as this phenomenon (concerning the behaviour of electrical currents near magnets) was named after its discoverer, Mr. Hall. But what about _effect_? Should it too be capitalised?


title: Why "sense of humour"?

text: I always had this question in my mind: Why people use the phrase " ** _sense_** of humour" for the quality of being humorous and funny? The word **sense** suggests it is about perceiving and receiving something. But when somebody has good humour and hence referred to as _having a good sense of humour_ , it shows that they create humour rather than receiving and appreciating someone else's humour. Does this mean that to be able to create good humour one must have a sense and appreciation for good humour as well?


title: Can “stemwind” be used as a verb?

text: Further to my question on the suitability of the word, heartland to “shout- out” in today’s New York Times’ article, “The Rough Rider and the Professor,” I have one more question about the usage of the word, “ _stemwinding_.” In the following sentence, _stemwind_ is used as a verb in the set phrase of “stemwind one’s way.” > "Roosevelt, who was born to Manhattan wealth but could be at his most > passionate on behalf of the 99 percenters of a century ago, also spoke for > about an hour in Osawatomie, _stemwinding his way through_ what became known > as the New Nationalism speech. It's worth remembering that he was no longer > president at the time, but was mulling a challenge to his chosen successor, > the malleable William Howard Taft." As I found this usage interesting, I checked three dictionaries of OED, Cambridge and MW online dictionaries. Cambridge doesn’t register neither ‘stemwind’ or ‘stemwinder’. MW: registers stem winder as a noun meaning; > 1.stem-winding watch > > 2[from the superiority of the stem-winding watch over the older key-wound > watch]: one that is first-rate of its kind; especially: a stirring speech OED registers ‘stemwinder’ as a noun meaning; > 1 an entertaining and rousing speech: a stem-winder of a speech > > 2 _dated_ a watch wound by turning a knob on the end of a stem. However, there is no usage of “stemwind” and “stemwinder” is indicated in all three dictionaries. Can ‘stemwind’ be used as a verb? Does the expression, “stemwind one’s way” pass as the normal way of saying barnstorming passionately / actively?


title: Grammatical explanation of "what the blank"

text: In emphatic questions, it's common to see or hear an interjection such as _the heck_ — or something more vulgar — between the interrogative and the verb. > What was that? becomes > What the heck was that? Is there any way to interpret this grammatically, other than taking _the heck_ as an interjection in its entirety? I guess it doesn't even qualify as an interjection, does it? I can’t think of a way you would parse the sentence properly. The problem is that it comes before the verb and not after. “What was the heck?”, although nonsensical, is grammatically simple. Bonus points if you can explain how this language feature evolved.


title: What is the opposite of "down-home cooking"?

text: What is the opposite of _down-home cooking_? Somehow _uptown gastronomy_ doesn’t sound right.


title: What does "run down a ball" mean?

text: What does "run down a ball" mean? Here's a past tense example, in this comment heard after a tennis match: > _I can't believe you ran down the last ball._


title: "Great Divide" synonyms

text: I am looking for strong, yet poetic expressions/synonyms of "Great Divide" which, beside its other meanings, expresses _"a major point of division, especially **death.** "_ The context I need is the act of parting (death) by lovers presented as a strong, sad and dramatic act. **Example:** _They tasted each other's lips for the very last time and closed their Great Divide._


title: Sweating on Somebody: meaning?

text: I listen to my fair share of Hip-Hop but I'm still not sure what * exactly* it means for a guy to be " sweating" on a girl or vice-versa. I had a look on Urban Dictionary but couldn't really find anything that fits. So what does it mean to be "sweating" on someone?


title: Is employing hyperbaton correct in English?

text: I've often seen the sentence structure "____ does not a ____ make" which I've now discovered is called _hyperbaton_. > the use, especially for emphasis, of a word order other than the expected or > usual one   >  — from Dictionary.com I'm wondering though if it would be considered correct use of English?


title: What does "suite" mean in "C-suite?"

text: What does "suite" mean in the "C-suite?" I understand the meaning of C as follows but want to know what the word "suite" mean in this context. C-Suite gets its name because top senior executives' titles tend to start with the letter C, for chief, as in chief executive officer, chief operating officer and chief information officer.


title: untypical, atypical, nontypical

text: I'm trying to label customer data with a word describing how typical they are. There is basically 3 possible values: typical, temporarily untypical, untypical. But I'm not sure if "untypical" is the correct word. Should it rather be "atypical" or "nontypical"? Does it matter if we're talking about technical things? Is there a difference for british and american english?


title: A word for high level officials in the government

text: What is a good word for high level officials in the government? The officials I have in mind are in the upper echelon in the government hierarchy and can wield broad power. What I want to say is: (this group of officials) is the target of corruption inquiry.


title: Suggestions for a word meaning both testimony and reminder?

text: What is a word that means both **testimony** and at the same time **reminder**?


title: What does "bordered on narcoleptic" mean?

text: What does _bordered on narcoleptic_ mean in the following passage? > But if an explanation is where the mind comes to rest, the mind that stopped > at “lucky” when it sought to explain the Oakland A’s recent pitching success > **bordered on narcoleptic**.


title: Is it correct to say "to make her acknowledge"?

text: I came across a sentence in a blog post that says > ...to make her acknowledge the fact that I loved her. Is it correct to write _make a person acknowledge a fact_ or is there a better way this could be put up?


title: Expressions that are not words, but sounds

text: Jamaican-style patois and derivations thereof seem to be on the rise again in British cities after a lull (I remember it being very popular in the 70s and early 80s). While on a trip to London I was struck by what native speakers of that idiom refer to as _kissing teef_ [sic] - a sound made to indicate disapproval by sucking the tongue through clenched teeth. This is analogous (I think) to 'tutting' in British English which although not strictly speaking a word, has become one and is included in the OED. Do these parts of speech have a name? And can anyone offer other examples of these in English or any other languages? UPDATE: Just found an academic paper on the subject which refers to them as _oral gestures_.


title: Cannot find whether it is past or present

text: I came across a question in a book. It says: > If any of the following sentences show that something happened in the past, > make the italicized verb simple past by adding -d or -ed. If you cannot tell > whether the past or present is intended, do not change the verb. > >   1. I _realize_ that you are right. >   2. My Mother _appear_ at the door. > What should be the answers? I am a bit confused with those two sentences.


title: What is the proper term for a manufacturer of charcuteries?

text: I’m looking for the term for a business that takes raw meats from a slaughterhouse and refines them into charcuteries.


title: An adjective meaning "along with" right after "quite"

text: > Jack: Do you remember that situation at "Denver Enterprise Hall"? > > Jim: Oh yes! So how was it resolved? > > Jack: Well, it turned out that Crawbery was a fake agent. Dina scrapped the > whole thing.... You don't seem to be surprised. > > Jim: Well, this outcome was kind of predictable and quite **along with** my > expectations. Is there any adjective in English that would have a meaning of "along with" (implying correspondence or similarity to someone's thinking, guessing or expectations) that I could place right after the word "quite" (which means that I could substitute it for the words "along with" in the example above)?


title: Difference between "the main reason" and "the chief reason"

text: What's the difference between _"the main reason"_ and _"the chief reason"_? I've heard both, but have no idea where exactly these two differ.


title: Sentences which could be read as meaning its opposite as well

text: I recently saw this headline on the Granuaid front page: _Havelange 'paid millions in bribes'_ In this case, Havelange **received** the bribes, but the headline still works. It struck me that its naive meaning would be the opposite i.e. Havelange umm.. **paid** the bribes to someone else. Is there a term for this sort of double-loading where a sentence could represent a proposition and also its converse? Any other examples? Thanks.


title: Can early riser used in a similar way as early bird?

text: Hi I always say early bird but I have heard people use the term early riser. Do they convey same meaning?


title: What is the use of By the time?

text: What is the best way of using By the time ? I searched in google where there wasn't exact example ?


title: How to form sentences starting with "it"

text: I would like to learn how to reconstruct this sentence to use _it_ at the beginning: > The reason why they chose this way looks weird to me. I think we could form it as follows, but of course I am not really sure about it: > It looks weird to me the reason why they chose this way. And, could you please also explain the grammatical approach to form sentences like the above starting with _it_?


title: The origin word "English"? Language that dominated the beginning of English existence?

text: I've read so many questions in ELL on the origin of English words. But I've never found the origin of the word _English_ itself. I'm also curious about the history of English as a language. I mean, in my country, our language (Indonesian) originated from a "mother" language (Malay) which also has developed into some other languages such as in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and East Timor. I read that English was influenced by German, Latin, French, and so on. But I don't really know the dominant language that affected English existence. Google just told me about "Old English", nothing more on how, when, and where the "Old English" came out. **So, questions:** >   1. What originated the word **English**? >   2. What language did English come from (a "mother" language perhaps)? Did > it affect English the most? >   3. When did English appeared to this world? >


title: Meaning of a Jane Austen fragment in this letter

text: This jwpat7's question inspired to me searching something on Jane Austen. Hence, this question. In a letter dated Saturday (9 January 1796), Austen mentioned: > You scold me so much in the **nice** long letter which I have this moment > received from you, that I am almost afraid to tell you how my Irish friend > and I behaved. Imagine to yourself everything most profligate and shocking > in the way of dancing and sitting down together. I can expose myself > however, only once more, because he leaves the country soon after next > Friday, on which day we are to have a dance at Ashe after all. He is a very > gentlemanlike, good-looking, pleasant young man, I assure you. But as to our > having ever met, except at the three last balls, I cannot say much; for he > is so excessively laughed at about me at Ashe, that he is ashamed of coming > to Steventon, and ran away when we called on Mrs. Lefroy a few days ago. Now, let us read the origin of the word "nice". Oxford Dictionary of English: > **nice** \- origin: Middle English (in the sense 'stupid'): from Old French, > from Latin nescius 'ignorant', from nescire 'not know'. Other early senses > included 'coy, reserved', giving rise to 'fastidious, scrupulous': this led > both to the sense 'fine, subtle' ..., and the main current sense. Etymonline: > **nice** \- late 13c., "foolish, stupid, senseless," from O.Fr. nice "silly, > foolish," from L. nescius "ignorant," lit. "not-knowing," from ne- "not" > (see un-) + stem of scire "to know." "The sense development has been > extraordinary, even for an adj." [Weekley] -- from "timid" (pre-1300); to > "fussy, fastidious" (late 14c.); to "dainty, delicate" (c.1400); to > "precise, careful" (1500s, preserved in such terms as a nice distinction and > nice and early); to "agreeable, delightful" (1769); to "kind, thoughtful" > (1830). In 16c.-17c. it is often difficult to determine exactly what is > meant when a writer uses this word. By 1926, it was pronounced "too great a > favorite with the ladies, who have charmed out of it all its individuality > and converted it into a mere diffuser of vague and mild agreeableness." Considering that Austen wrote this letter on 1796, can someone clarify what Austen intended with the word "nice"? (I presume it's all explained in annotated versions of some book, but I don't have an annotated copy.)


title: end-to-end alternatives

text: I just received an email that included the phrase > soup-to-nuts meaning "end-to-end." Are there any other alternatives to this? eg cradle-to- grave? I want to include some in the reply email.


title: Is using of “each” along with “apiece” redundant in this sentence?

text: I was interested in the following sentence which appeared in an article titled “Kooky Politics Make for Entertaining Races" by Albert R. Hunt in The New York Times (June 20, 2010). > The figure seemed odd until it was disclosed that of Mr. Ensign’s parents > each gave $12,000 apiece to the four members of the aide’s family, the > maximum allowed without having to file a gift tax return with the Internal > Revenue Service. Can someone clarify if the word "apiece" is unnecessary, as I think it is? I would drop "apiece", but I'm not sure on this correction because constructions like "each ... $[X] ... apiece" occurs on many occasions on The New York Times and it frequently occurs in others newspapers. So I am wondering if it is in common usage, albeit it isn't the highest register.


title: Is "triple" the proper counterpart of pair when describing a group of three items?

text: I'm writing a tech doc and this question bothers me, though I know it should be simple. I know I should say "A pair of [Key, Value]", but when I have something like "A ____ of [Key, Value, Flag]", I'm just not sure if the proper word is _triple_ , or something else. Is _triple_ often used as an adjective instead of a noun? Is there a better word?


title: Is there a word or expression for the "no it isn't." "yes, it is." to and fro, mutually?

text: The point in a conversation where it all gets rather child-ish from both sides: A: That ball is pink. B: No, it isn't. Are you blind? It's obviously purple! A: No, it isn't! B: Yes, it is! A: No, it isn't, you blind c***. B: I am not a c***! A: Yes, you are, obviously, a c***! B: Am not! A: Are too! ...(etc.)


title: Can I use 'could' instead of 'might' in this unreal situation?

text: Are **might** and **could** exchangeable in this _unreal situation_? > If I were in Tom's position, I think I **_might_** look for another job.


title: Is this a proper use of the word "vested?"

text: Does the following sentence use the word "vested" correctly? > Those vested in keeping you from creating change want you to believe that > change is futile.


title: Which preposition to use with "forum"

text: I would hugely appreciate your help thinking through the tagline for a new online forum we are creating. The current version reads: > A **Forum on** Our Economy, National Security and Sustainability. _On_ seems to be the most common preposition to follow _forum_ , except when there is a gerund involved - e.g., _a forum for discussing, a forum for sharing_ , etc. I would really like to use _about_ but that seems unconventional. Also, if we said > A **Forum on** National Security, Sustainability, and the/our Economy, that would seem to work. But we want _Economy_ to be first in the list of three and we don't want to say _Economics_ so we went with _our_.


title: "worse" vs. "less better"

text: What is the right way to convey the meaning that I want to say? > Your job _is worse than_ mine, so I am not going to quit my job. Is there a better choice to say this? Should I use _less better than_ instead?


title: Is there a word that means "over-enunciate the k sound"?

text: I am trying to say the word **_week_** but focus on the **_k_** sound at the end and really emphasize it. I tend to do this naturally in my everyday speech. It kinda sounds like an odd throat sound when I do it. Is there a name for this?


title: Is "Do it faster than with any other product" correct?

text: I'd like to describe a procedure that take less time with a product A than any other product B or C.... Note that I don't want to say that product A is faster but just that doing something is faster with A than it is with any other product. So is "Do it faster than with any other product" correct?


title: How to define an acronym? using capital or small letters?

text: Consider the following sentence: "Those elements are called Super Elements (SE)". It is ok to write like that ? Or should I write: "Those elements are called _super elements_ (SE)". or would it be better to also use italics? "Those elements are called _Super Elements_ (SE)". or "Those elements are called _Super Elements_ ( _SE_ )". ...


title: "Let alone" vs. "much less" when followed by a verb

text: > If this is Kant's position, it is certainly difficult to make sense of, much > less accept.   >  — _Kant's Ethics_ , ed. by Thomas Hill I tend to think that "much less", used in this sense, should be followed by a noun. Here I find "let alone" more acceptable. What's your opinion?


title: "unpack" as "analyze" rather than "remove from container"

text: The older dictionaries I have include "remove from a container" as the only meaning of unpack. More recent dictionaries list "to analyze the nature of by examining in detail : " or "analyze (something) into its component elements. " as a tertiary meaning. When did unpack start to be used to mean analyze?


title: Consistent & accepted style(s) for hyphenating a shade of color used as an adjective for hair?

text: I'm helping edit a friend's book. Generally, I'm confident with my edits, yet one thing keeps nagging me. I'd appreciate expert guidance. In the book, some characters have shades of _brown hair_ , e.g.: >   * "… his shoulder-length, light brown hair …" >   * "… her long, dark brown hair …" > On the one hand, when I come across " _light brown hair_ ", I want to change it to " _light-brown hair_ ". My thinking: the " _light_ " in " _light brown hair_ " could be misunderstood as modifying the hair--as in, hair that is neither thick nor heavy (as in " _light, brown hair_ "). If a reader were to briefly consider " _light brown hair_ ", they'd probably guess correctly that " _light_ " modifies the brown, not the hair. Yet, I want to eliminate potential speed bumps. On the other hand, when I come across " _dark brown hair_ ", it doesn't strike me as needing a hyphen. My thinking: " _dark_ " tends only to describe the color of the hair, and no other characteristic (hair doesn't have a personality, so it wouldn't be dark in that sense). Since disambiguation seems unnecessary, hyphenating as " _dark-brown hair_ " feels odd. I don't want to introduce any speed bumps. I also value consistency. Hence, my problem. Is there an accepted approach? Thank you.


title: Does this "coming up with" make sense?

text: > What I try to do here is to borrow from Confucius the doctrine of > “benevolence”, and then modify it in light of the significant and exigent > issues we face nowadays, finally **coming up with** a new doctrine of > “benevolence”. (self-made) Does the "coming up with" make sense to you? My interpretation of what I am going to do is too complicated, involving three consecutive verbs, so I write three verbs in a temporaray order, and changing the last verb into the form of a participle. Can I do this?


title: Interpretation of the adjective "outstanding"

text: In my holidays I met a woman who is originally from Australia. She told me she lived in many places due to her husband's work and also traveled much around the world. Although she's already seen many places, she added that there are still a lot of places she'd really love to go to. I asked her: > Which places are outstanding? What I actually intended to ask is which places she want to visit but she answered that question regarding which places she considers as most amazing. I was aware of the other meaning of _outstanding_ but I didn't expected she to perceive the question that way since the previous sentence of her was about "she hasn't seen everything yet". Probably the sentence had been more clear if I'd say "still outstanding" but I now wonder if the usage of _outstanding_ regarding "not yet done" is less common that people tend to interpret it as "excellent" if reasonable in context (which indeed is in this context). Furthermore, is it perhaps an unusual collocation of _outstanding_ and _places_ regarding "not yet done". Considering examples of OALD and M-W Learner's Dictionary, they are limited to "unpaid" and "still existing problems". "Not yet visited places" are neither problems nor money issues. * * * I don't use australian-english as I don't want to restrict this question to one particular area. I don't believe there's a specific interpretation of this word peculiar to Australian English. For that reason, opinions from British and American people are also appreciated.


title: What is the noun to use when describing the characteristic of another word being plural (or not)?

text: In editing a document, I changed a word from a singular form to a plural one, and I want to leave a comment explaining what I did. The comment I wanted to write went something like this: "changed the ??? of this word for consistency". My first guesses were "plurality" or "multiplicity", but after reviewing the definitions of those, I'm don't think that's quite right. Any suggestions?


title: Term for varies with jurisdiction

text: Is there a term for the concept of homo/heterogeneity of jurisdictions when it comes to legal status of a certain action? That is being illegal in all jurisdictions [limited to context] or being legal in some an illegal in others. For example:   * theft is illegal everywhere   * being naked varies Ideally a short expression, e.g. _uneven legal status_ or something like that.


title: Quite a lot / quite a few / quite a bit

text: Recently I’ve got stumbled upon the question: What’s the difference between _quite a lot_ , _quite a few_ , and _quite a bit_? This is very confusing considering _a lot_ and _a few_ have almost opposite meanings. As far as I can see in dictionaries _quite a <COUNT-WORD>_ is always _many_. Is that so, or am I missing some important difference?


title: How to choose verb after "there" in beginning of sentence?

text: Cambridge "Advanced Grammar in Use" provides following rule in Unit 95C: > If the noun phrase consists of two or more nouns in a list, we use a > singular verb if the first noun is singular or uncountable, and a plural > verb if the first noun is plural: > >   * When I opened the fridge there was only a bottle of milk, some eggs, and > butter. >   * When I opened the fridge there were only some eggs, a bottle of milk, > and butter. > But Grammar Girl in episode 278 Oddness When You Start a Sentence with "There Is" gives completely different explanation: > A listener reader named Joe wants to know whether he should say, "There is a > couch and a coffee table in the room," or "There are a couch and a coffee > table in the room." > > ... > > It's a compound subject since it has two nouns connected by the word "and," > which makes it plural ... Now that you know the subject is "a couch and a > coffee table" and that it's plural, it's easy to choose the right verb: > "are." I'm somewhat confused by these contradictory rules. Could someone explain what I'm missing here?


title: What is the adjective of "daughter-in-law" if she is "the wife of my younger son"?

text: Here, I am confused. I cannot say "younger daughter-in-law" as the order of sons is defined by their age but we can't say that about their wives. So shall I say "my second daughter-in-law"?


title: Instruments (tools) used by a thief

text: What is a good term for instruments (tools) a thief uses? > Thief tools > > Thief stuff > > Thief gear > > Something else?


title: Having trouble understanding this text

text: The text runs: > If your front door is directly opposite your back door the Qi will just > charge straight through your house and out the back without stopping for a > cup of tea.   >  If you stand in the hallway with a tennis racket it might slow it down long > enough for you to stuff it in a teapot. What is "Qi"? I've looked it up on Wiktionary, and it gives: > 1.A Chinese surname   >  2\. A state during the Zhou dynasty Also, it seems to be a variant spelling of "chi", "chi" meaning: > chi , ch'i or qi 2 (tʃiː) > > — n ( sometimes capital ) (in Oriental medicine, martial arts, etc) vital > energy believed to circulate round the body in currents If this is the case, why would the fact that your front door and back door are directly opposite cause your vital energy to flee out the back door?


title: Which sentence is better?

text: I have some questions concerning sentences.   1. [full name], having defended his thesis and passed the engineering exam conducted by the Examination Board, obtained his diploma and earned the title of Bachelor of Engineering.   2. [full name], having defended his thesis and passed the engineering exam conducted by the Examination Board, obtained the diploma and the title of Bachelor of Engineering. Which sentence is better? Thank you for your help in advance.


title: Following a statement with a question

text: > Person1: "I'm feeling quite rough today."   >  Person2: "That sucks - what's the matter?" Is Person2 using correct punctuation, or should there be a comma to separate the statement and the question?


title: Why don't most sources classify "when", "where", and "why" as relative pronouns?

text: I am researching the use of relative pronouns and most websites, including the British Council, list only: > who, whom, which, that, and whose What about here? > That's the house where I grew up. > > January is when we go on vacation. > > That broken window is why you are grounded.


title: What is the best word to translate passport for traveling abroad?

text: We have two types of passports in our country: internal and for traveling abroad. How can I specify that I have passport for traveling abroad? That's not to be called foreign passport and I'm not sure about international passport. What would you suggest?


title: "How did you know?" vs. "how do you know?" distinction

text: When someone makes an assertion, the distinction between "how did you know" and "how do you know" seems to be that "how did you know" implies that the person in question is correct in their assertion. "How do you know" is normally an inquiry into the person's credentials, and often expresses that the assertion is incorrect and/or ungrounded. Does anyone know what the reason for this distinction is? Why does simply changing the tense of the verb change the implication so strongly? I suspect that, linguistically speaking, the "did" might be a different tense than the past tense, but I'm not sure what it is, or I could be entirely wrong.


title: Single word request for ability to reject spurious hypothesis

text: I'm writing: "(...) in this way, we compromise precision, and the ability to reject spurious hypothesis (...)". I'm looking for something like: "in this way, we compromise precision, and **___ _**".


title: What's the difference between "get up" and "stand up"?

text: I'm translating Bob Marley's song "Get up, stand up" and, consulting my dictionary, I can't understand the difference between these two verbs. I have understood the overall meaning of this song, of course, but I'd like to understand why Bob Marley chose these two verbs. What is the difference in nuance between "getting up" and "standing up"?


title: What is the differences between these three words?

text: 1. tell apart    2. say apart    3. speak apart please tell me about differences between these words. And also what do they mean? Are they expressions?


title: Specific AmE term for chiefly BrE "workmate" other than "fellow worker", "coworker", and "colleague"

text: Is there a close synonym in modern day AmE for what is referred to in BrE as a workmate? Aside from being current, I wish I could get a term that is idiomatic with no space or hyphen, that would sit somewhere between "coworker" and "work pal" on the intimacy scale, and that would come right after "fellow worker" on the formality one. > http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/workmate > > !http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Mate?s=t Please consider this ngram source


title: What does "turn off" mean here?

text: Could it be a typo for "and one by one they will **be turned off** "? CNN: > Many of the existing space telescopes, Hubble included, are nearing the end > of their lifetimes, and one by one they will **turn off**. Without the James > Webb Space Telescope, our eyes on the universe would be closed for the > foreseeable future.


title: Term for "the story referred to by the title of the collection"

text: Many short story collections are titled something like _Foobar and Other Stories_. Suppose I am writing a review of such a collection and want to refer to the story entitled "Foobar". I wish to say something like > The [story referred to by the title], "Foobar", is the highlight of the > collection. What term or phrase can I use in place of "story referred to by the title"? If Foobar were a character, I would use the adjective "eponymous", e.g. "The eponymous Foobar and his sidekick Baz must embark on a quest to...". But this doesn't seem quite right when the entity is a story title.


title: In ancient times, could a prince use the royal "we"?

text: We know that a king can use the royal "we" to refer to himself. But can his son use it too?


title: present continuous, be going to, or both?

text: In _Grammar and Vocabulary for First Certificate_ (Prodromou, 2005), Chapter 2 covers "the future", "be going to", "present continuous", and "present simple". I put three of the End-Of-Chapter questions below with the corresponding back-of-the-book answers. **My concern is with Question #1 only.** (I wrote #2 and #3 for context.) _Put the verb in brackets into the most suitable form of the future.*_   1. "What **________** you **__________** this evening?" ( **do** ) 'Nothing.' **`[Answer: are ... doing]`**   2. "Well, **_______** we **___________** to that new pizzeria?" ( **go** ) **`[Answer: shall ... go]`**   3. In 2004 the Olympic Games **_________** in Athens. ( **take place** ) **`[Answer: will take place]`** For Question #1, the only answer in the back-of-the-book answer is the present continuous: "What **are** you **doing** this evening?" This has effectively ruled-out the possibility of using 'be going to' to complete the sentence. In other words, I think what he is saying is that "What **are** you **going to do** this evening?" is incorrect. Do you think he is right?


title: Is the term "KTV" in use in any English-speaking country?

text: While travelling recently for two months in mainland China I noticed many buildings with the English letters **_KTV_** in their signage. At first I thought this was something to do with company names or such and had no idea what the usually very gaudy buildings were for. Later I learned they were Karaoke places and still wondered about the Latin letters common in their signs. I finally discovered that **KTV** is widely believed to be an English term originating in an abbreviation of **Karaoke Television**. I found this to be quite odd as I'm a middle aged native English speaker and have travelled in the majority of the other English speaking countries of the world but had never seen this term before. In fact to me it has the feel of "foreigner English" a bit like the German term **_Handy_** and many Japanese terms, which look like English, are believed by many speakers of those languages to be English, but are not used, or do not have same meaning, by native English speakers. I also travelled in Taiwan after China but can't recall for certain whether I saw the term there also or just in mainland China. I've also travelled in Korea and Japan, which each have their own terms and haven't seen **KTV** used in either country. It does get Google hits in English speaking countries, but not many and, without further evidence, I assume it is infrequently used for Asian-themed karaoke places, or places run by and targeting Asian customers, in western countries. But I don't know everything, so maybe this is widely used by native English speakers in some English-speaking part of the world that I never ran into. Does anybody know the true origin and history of this term? Is it really used in English? Is it only used in "foreigner English"? Could it be due to some brand or product name in some Asian country that became genericised? - I believed that's how Germany got **Handy**.


title: Using "them" instead of "those"

text: **Background:** Nowadays, I see this usage a lot. I don't know if it was this common in the past. For example: "one of them people" When I did a research about it, some people say it comes from a dialect of **British English**. And some says it is a " **non-standard** " usage. I see this usage in **Canadian English** also and seems like some people use in a _sarcastic_ way. Moreover, I saw in a song title as "one of them days". And I saw in the book called "A Broken Promise" as "Now my mother become one of them people." And finally, Wikipedia says that it is a usage in **Appalachian English** (a common name for the Southern Midland dialect of American English): > **Pronouns and demonstratives** > > "Them" is sometimes used in place of "those" as a demonstrative in both > nominative and oblique constructions. Examples are "Them are the pants I > want" and "Give me some of them crackers."    * * * **Question(s):** What would you say about the usage of this word? Is it correct? Can we use it in daily speech? Can this usage go beyond a specific dialect and be used in other dialects, regions etc.? Is it really originated from Appalachian English? Why did this usage become popular among other English speakers? **Note:** I already saw this question: What are the grammatical rules for use of "these", "those", and "them"? But it only says "ungrammatical" there. This question is specific to this situation only and there is more to it.


title: Can “as soon as” ever mean “immediately after”?

text: Does _as soon as_ mean "immediately after" in the following sentence? > He got home as soon as 2 hours. I know that this could be a tad messy without context, but I found it as an example with the the meanings of _as soon as_ , but in this case, the meaning is not clear.


title: doubt about the past perfect, continuous,

text: I'm writing the profile section of my resumé/CV. I'm hesitating about the proper verb form: > During my work experience I have applied engineering methods to solve > problems. > > I have been involved in the development of new products. Is it right?. Or should I use "I have been applying engineering methods" instead? More information: I still do apply that methods. I'm not involved in the development anymore. Regards


title: What is better, 'double connected domain' or 'doubly connected domain'?

text: 'Doubly connected domain' returns more in google search, but it looks more strange for my ear. Which is the correct form according to rules so far?


title: Nuance of "Intellectual Bad Ass"

text: To me as a non-native to the English language, it reminds funny, geeky, nerdy hero, like Tony Stark (Iron Man) excluding his riches and Iron Man suit. But what are the nuances of "intellectual bad ass" to a native speaker of English?


title: Hit 'in' or hit 'on' (one's head)

text: Do you hit someone (or get hit) **in** the head (leg, arm, etc) or **on** the head? > Did you hit yourself in the head?   >  Did you hit yourself on the head? Would other expressions be more appropriate, when the poor kid bumps his head against something?


title: Synonym for "pissed off"

text: Can anyone help me find a little bit more polite way to say "I am pissed off at you"? I know this is used to show anger or irritation, but this is bit harsh. So, do you have any other option?


title: Are both "from the offset" and "from the outset" correct?

text: I had always seen that phrase as "from the outset", but recently I saw somebody writing "from the offset" (meaning "from the beginning"). Dictionary.com claims that "offset" can be a synonym for "outset": > 2) the start, beginning, or outset. Would this mean that both of these phrases are correct? Do certain dialects prefer one over the other? US vs UK usage?


title: skin in the game, idiomatically?

text: What does "skin" or "skin in the game" mean in the following sentence? "make sure that everyone has skin in the game".


title: How to understand "after" in "A man after my own heart"

text: I have always found the phrase "a man after my own heart" very endearing. It expresses a fond kinship in a charming way. However, there are (at least) two meanings of the word _after_ that would make sense in this phrase. One is _after_ in the sense of _in imitation of_ someone, in other words, "your heart takes after or resembles my own." The other is in the sense of _following_ or _pursuant_ , as in "you are attempting to win my affection." My question is, which meaning of "after" is intended in this expression?


title: Meaning of "take imprints"

text: What does _take imprints_ mean in the following passage taken from CNN? > People who approach the Wall have been known to break down in tears. They > touch the engraved names delicately, as if the letters are inscribed with an > electric charge. Many **take imprints** ; others leave flowers and mementos. Does it mean to make a copy of the imprints and then take it away?


title: describe health without using the word health

text: I'm looking for a word (or short phrase) that describes a continuum of health, without using the word "health" (or the word "wellness"). We are developing a construct that places people on a continuum depending on their physical state. At the far right, extremely high level, task specific, physically demanding jobs/hobbies that require physical optimization; at the far left, individuals who present with complex disease states which severely impact health and physical functioning. My suggestion is "health-performance continuum" but my colleague dislikes this use of the word health.


title: "[name] was here" (or concept)

text: Is there a word for specifically leaving behind a trace of yourself for others to find? Conceptually, something between a time capsule and geocaching.


title: Past tense of "to wing"?

text: Is there a past tense of the verb "to wing," meaning to make up on the fly? Inspired by a blog post of Wil Wheaton, quoted partially below. > "Is it from a recipe, or are you winging it?" > > "I've made so many different recipes from so many different places, I just > looked through the pantry and refrigerator and wung it." > > We looked at each other. "Wung it?" I said. "I think I mean I am winging it. > What's the past-tense of winging it? Wang it? Winged it?" > > "I don't know, but it's not 'wung it,'" she said. I couldn't argue with her.


title: Which is correct: "So far as I know" or "As far as I know"?

text: Which is more appropriate: "So" or "As"?


title: Noun for "receive"?

text: _Receipt? Receiving?_ I'm trying to come up with a name for "the acceptance of a delivery." I'd like to be able to say > Ten deliveries were made but there are only five [fill_in_the_blank_here] on > record. Any suggestions?


title: “For clarity” vs. “To make clear”

text: Compare: > **"He modified the sentence for clarity."** vs > **"He modified the sentence to make it clear."** Any difference here?


title: Is "messaging" a noun, a verb, or an adjective?

text: In the cruel jargon of software, it is common to see the phrase "messaging system", as if "messaging" were an adjective. Yet if I am "brushing" my teeth, it's a verb. There is an act of "brushing", and I suppose I could invent a "brushing device". Is the answer that it is all three parts of speech? If so, what is the name for this kind of word, formed from a verb and made so awkwardly useful?


title: Is the term 'String' too jargony to use in a user interface?

text: Having worked as a software developer for a long time, I'm out of touch sometimes with whether a word would be considered jargon. I am adding something to a user interface where a name is given, and a type. The type would be one of Number, Date, or 'String'. I'm just not sure if 'string' in the technical sense is a term that is in common usage, or if it is still considered jargon. 'Text' sounds mildly inappropriate to use, because that implies a length (to me at least), whereas this would be something short. So, is there a better word I can use?


title: Phrase: “Colder than a witch’s kiss!”

text: The following was used in a radio broadcast ( _The Adventures of Harry Lime_ , 14th December 1951, episode 20 “An Old Moorish Custom”) as Harry was hit on the back of his head with a rifle butt by a giant Moorish bodyguard: > “It was a blow that knocked me colder than a witch’s kiss.” Where did the phrase come from and when was it first used? Are there any common variation and is it also (or usually) used for temperature comparisons rather than the violent thwack of the quote?


title: The all-powerful "to have"

text: "To have" seems to fill a lot of different needs in the English language, apart from its literal meaning of possessing something. It's an integral part of perfect and perfect progressive verb tenses: _I have run_ , _I had run_ , _I had been running_ , _I will have been running_ , etc. It also indicates need: _I have to eat_ , _I had to leave_ (or is this another tense of some sort?) This leads to forms of _to have_ showing up multiple times in a sentence, and yet it makes perfect sense: _I had to have had at least three apples._ How did this come about? I've noticed _avoir_ and _tener_ also have these same uses in French & Spanish, respectively.


title: Ten bagger baseball explanation

text: Why would a "ten bagger" refer to baseball? Where is the ten involved in it?


title: "Pretty please with sugar on top"

text: Where does this expression come from? I understand when it's used, but I was wondering about its origin.


title: "You were already having been going to do that!"

text: From one of the _Futurama_ episodes: > Farnsworth A: You people and your slight differences disgust me. I'm going > home. Where's that blue box with our universe in it? > > Farnsworth 1: Oh, you'd like to get back to your evil universe, wouldn't > you? And destroy your box with our universe inside it. > > Farnsworth A: Nonsense! I would never do such a thing **unless you were > already having been going to do that**! The part in bold: is it grammatical, or is it just an intentional word play by the scriptwriters to emphasize time travel?


title: Is "latte" a countable noun?

text: ![screenshot](http://i.stack.imgur.com/A8lNA.png) I have learned that liquids are uncountable, except for measurements such as "three cups of water." So, does "three lattes" in this context refer to three cups of latte?


title: Percentage expression

text: Is it correct to say "15 percent less than 25"? To me, it doesn't make 100% sense.


title: "Learning always" vs "always learning"

text: What is the difference between _learning always_ and _always learning_ in terms of grammar and connotation? If the connotation is the same then which is preferred?


title: "fraction of relevant instances that are retrieved": Should it not be 'those are'?

text: I was reading a Wiki page which had this statement: > recall is the fraction of relevant instances _that_ are retrieved Shouldn't it be the following? > recall is the fraction of relevant instances **_those_** are retrieved


title: Is there lunchtime analogue of the 'breakfast of champions' idiom?

text: In British English (possibly US too) there is an an idiom which it is to suggest that something is the 'breakfast of champions' when the content of the breakfast is particularly notable.   * Perhaps a large quantity of breakfast.   * Perhaps something that would not normally be eaten for breakfast.   * Perhaps its not technically a breakfast but in the context of breakfast. Is there a lunchtime analogue of this idiom? Or a phrase that can be used in a similar context where the meal concerned is lunch. Note I am not looking for 'lunch of champions' but real unadulterated idioms.


title: Origin of "Knee-jerk"

text: I like to read the Economist to keep my English up to date. And today, reading the following news I came across the above mentioned expression. Merriam Webster defines it as: > reacting in a readily predictable way I'd like to know how come such words like `knee` and `jerk` could come up with such a definition.


title: "Germany is/are in the NATO alliance." clarification please

text: American English native speakers watching the World Cup have been very troubled regarding why British English announcers and writers treat country names as plural nouns. This issue has already been raised several times on this forum. I still don't get it. Please consider: (1) "Germany **is** one country in the World Cup."   (2) "One country in the World Cup **is** Germany."   (3) "Germany **are** in the NATO alliance." Are all of those sentences correct in British English? _"Germany **are** through to the final match on Sunday."_ seems to be correct British English. So, should I get the sensation that "Germany" represents:   (a) the members of the German team?   (b) the citizens of Germany? There are great existing threads about this topic. So, I just hope to have my questions above directly answered.


title: Can none and nor be used together?

text: Are the following sentences gramatically correct: "None of Tom, Dick nor Harry participated in the contest." "None of Tom, nor Dick, nor Harry participated in the contest." If it were a two-person list, the neither-nor construction would clearly be correct ("Neither Tom nor Harry participated"). It seems to me that nor remains the correct conjunction in a three-person list, but I can't find any supporting references. Thanks!


title: The verb associated with 'payment': come through or gone through?

text: Is it "the payment has come through" or "the payment has gone through"?


title: "Get in" or "Get into the car"

text: _Get in_ or _get into the car_ : Which is correct or what is the difference between them?


title: meaning of comparison

text: > (1) “You are mistaken in supposing me a beggar. I am **no** beggar; **any > more than** yourself or your young ladies.”(Jane Eyre) > > (2) “No blame attached to me: I am **as** free from culpability **as** any > one of you three.” (Jane Eyre) In (2), I and the others are compared equivalently, whereas (1) denotes that the word, beggar, could be applied to me less than you all, I guess, and it should be heard somewhat aggressively in this case. Is this right?