title: Understanding U.S. President capitalization

text: I was taught at an early age in the USA that when we write about our President, we are supposed to capitalize the title in order to signify that it's on the federal level. Is it correct to always do this? And what about saying "the presidency" -- should that be "the Presidency"?


title: When should "Mom" and "Dad" be capitalized?

text: I am trying to understand capitalization rules with Mom and Dad. I believe I have it correct below, but please let me know if I do not. > The one thing I learned from my dad was that it was good to earn the trust > of one's children. Dad has shown me how good that a dad can be. One day when > I went to his house, and Dad wasn't there, I ran outside.... The above passage is just made-up just so that you would see what I mean about capitalization. Let's put numbers by each one, like so: > The one thing I learned from my **dad(1)** was that it was good to earn the > trust of one's children. **Dad(2)** has shown me how good that a **dad(3)** > can be. One day when I went to his house, and **Dad(4)** wasn't there, I ran > outside....   1. This is one where I'm not certain. I believe in this sense I'm showing possession here with "my", and it just didn't seem right saying "my Dad". I don't know what the grammar rule is here, or if I even have it right.   2. This one is obvious—it starts the sentence.   3. In this case, I'm using Dad like a name instead of saying "Larry". Therefore, it should be capitalized.   4. Again, just like 3.


title: Word that means "Something only a philosopher would argue with"

text: I remember reading (apparently not on the internet) a lighthearted definition of the word I want to use. This noun means a kind of quibble that is so trivial that only a metaphysician or similar flibbitigibit would point it out. To all normal people the matter is resolved. Can anyone help me get this word off the tip of my tongue and into electronic ink? I think it begins with the letter "p" and has at least three syllables.


title: How to properly use "reference database"?

text: Does it make more sense to say > a reference database of [somethings] or > a [something] reference database For example, by replacing [something] with "library" we get: > a reference database of libraries or > a library reference database So which is more proper? Or does it matter?


title: "burnt/burned out" vs. "frazzled" to describe a person

text: What are the differences in connotation and meaning between these two? > A. She is burned/burnt out from all of this work. > > B. She is frazzled from all of this work. Does one have a more negative connotation than the other? Does "frazzled" have a stronger sense of "disheveled" to it? Does "burnt out" imply a sense of permanence or severity? Which would you rather be called, between the two? Does one offend or insult more than the other?


title: antiquarian (adjective) misuse re: dictionary definition

text: multiple choice ... "antiquarian book" refers to: 1\. an antique book about anything 2\. any age book about old books 3\. a book about people who deal in old books 4\. a book in the antiquar language or from the planet antiquar in any language 5\. this week's NYT bestseller on the works of Plato (multiple answers ok .... current usage vs dictionary explanations appreciated!) George


title: Is "Please be reminded to ..." a valid construction?

text: I received an email today with the following sentence: > Please be reminded to bring your basketball gear in. He was subsequently made fun of by a co-worker: > 'Please be reminded' - Will you be doing the reminding, or should I expect > somebody else to be reminding me? I am wondering if:   1. the original sentence is valid and unambiguous, or if   2. the interpretation made by his co-worker is valid due to ambiguity in the semantic meaning of the original sentence.


title: Origin of the expression "Dead to rights"?

text: I was watching a TV show and this term was used. I am familiar with the definition, but I was wondering the origin of the phrase. It does not make sense to me if taken literally. Reference


title: When in connected speech do we read 'r' after the end of a sentence or a passage?

text: For example in policy debates, in continuous reading or for example an interruptive briefing - there is a dot (.) > It was summer. A strange shade was moving. Before the turning of the street > there was a red car. > > Andrew saw himself in the mirror. It was dark in the room. summe* _RA_ *strange ? ca* _RA_ *ndrew ? And if there is the case which regulates largeness of applicability of "connected R" and in which circumstances?


title: Verb to refer to objects that are orderly positioned side by side?

text: Like, say, books in a bookshelf. Example: > The books were [...] perfectly side by side. If objects are orderly positioned vertically we say they are _stacked_. What's the word to use when they are positioned horizontally?


title: What is the correct term for "rubbing statues' parts for luck"?

text: What is the correct term for the habit or action of rubbing statues' parts (noses, fingers, feet etc.) for luck or other superstitious reasons? I mean a learned word, like 'philately' for 'collecting stamps'. I'm fairly certain there is such a term, but for the life of me I can't recall what it is, and my Google-fu proved unequal to the task.


title: What's the origin of "with flying colo(u)rs"?

text: What's the origin of 'with flying colours', e.g. > "Great job! You passed with flying colours." I've always assumed it was something to do with flags in the navy, but I'm not entirely sure on this one...


title: Importance of writing down Mission Statement in improving English proficiency, Do I really need to?

text: The Asahi, one of leading Japanese newspapers carried a half page feature article titled “Brush Up Your English Proficiency This Year!” on its January 5 issue. In this article, a well-known English teaching expert emphasized the importance of setting the goal and roadmaps to reach the goal for mastering English, which sounds reasonable to me. And he also stressed importance of writing down a “Mission Statement”, for an example, “So little done, so much to do” which is a quote from British politician, Cecil Rhodes, and very similar to Japanese old saying, “The sunset is near. Yet there’s long way to go.” What is the difference between “Goal” and “Mission Statement”? What does “Mission Statement” exactly mean? Can an epigram or axiom like “So little done, so much to do” be a mission statement at all? Maybe I should ask this to the English teaching expert, but can somebody give me the definition of “Mission Statement (I thought it a marketing term),” how effective to have it in improving English capability, and propriety of using somebody’s witty phrase as a mission statement?


title: Reflexive pronouns and understood "to be"

text: So, I've got a fairly straightforward sentence: > Poe did not think himself a writer of inferior material. It is my understanding that "a writer of inferior material" is the object of the understood infinitive "to be," and that the sentence is saying that, in simpler terms, "Poe did not think that he (Poe) was a writer of inferior material." But _how does one break this sentence down into parts of sentence_? What I've got so far: _Poe_ is the subject; _did think_ is the simple predicate. My teacher said that "himself" was a reflexive pronoun serving as the direct object, or in other words that...erm..."Poe thought himself." This doesn't make much sense to me, since it seems like Poe is serving as more of an "indirect-object-esque-but-not-really" thing. Could someone please explain (and tie that infinitive in there too ;) )? Thanks!


title: Is "starboard" used for land vehicles?

text: Is it correct to use "starboard side" to refer to the "right-side" of a land vehicle (e.g. cars / trucks / lorries / motorcycles) ? Wiktionary seems to accept specifically ships, boats, and aircrafts, but I've seen people using it to describe trucks (link, expand the comments).


title: A word/phrase for an "I-should-have...." kind of feeling?

text: I am trying to find a word for a feeling in a scenario that goes something like this: Suppose I was shopping for a watch at a place. I found the watch in Shop A and bought it at $30. Hours later, I saw a similar watch in Shop B selling at only $10. That is $20 cheaper. I felt like "oh my god, I should have not bought so early!". In the example above, I felt devastated? No, I don't think I feel devastated. It's not that bad. I probably just felt "shucks _only if_ I had....". But what's a proper word/phrase to describe this? Is there a word or a phrase for this ahh-shucks-I-should-have-done-it- differently feeling?


title: Correct preposition to go with "inquiry"?

text: I'm trying to figure out which preposition to use together with "inquiry". For example, take the following sentence: > I have asked Bob, but he doesn't know. Now I'd like to express the same using "inquiry": > A previous inquiry [insert correct preposition here] Bob did not yield any > new insights. What is the correct choice? If the object was an institution I'd probably use "at", but that doesn't sound right for a person.


title: Use "scope" to refer to a book's sections

text: I would like to know whether it is correct or not to use the word "scope" to refer to a book's section, subsection or paragraph. For instance               We will address these matters in the next scope.


title: "Has given a martyr to Christ"

text: The following was taken from a book. > ...and it may be that on the list of martyrs will yet shine the name of some > faithful little reader of this story of St. Dorothea, on whose feast-day > priests will offer up the Holy Sacrifice in blood red vestments, thanking > God that America, and the United States, **has given a martyr to Christ**. Is this a correct way of saying it? Is there a better way of saying the same thing?


title: humor phrase meaning "I enjoy making my life harder"

text: How can one make some humour by the following Q/A pair, Q: Cosa fai nella vita? ===> what do you do ? A: Me la complico ===> ? (I enjoy making my life harder)


title: An aeroplane, when it leaves the ground, 'takes off'. What does a bird do?

text: My daughter recently had the experience of a large bird hitting her car windscreen, and smashing it, when she was doing about 70mph on a motorway. Fortunately the bird did not come through the screen, and there was no damage to life or limb (other than presumably to the poor bird). As she was near Liverpool her first thought was that it had been a seagull, and later a pigeon. But the person who fitted a new windscreen said he thought it was a pheasant, as they are apparently notorious for this problem. The reason, he explained, is that pheasants have a shallow 'take-off' path. They run along the ground to get airborne. But it made me wonder whether birds 'take-off'. Is there no other way of describing their going from rest into flight? Should it be 'take flight'?


title: What is the word for the person who dislikes "Phony" people?

text: I want to know the word which can describe the personality trait of disliking "Phony" people. Misanthrope is too extreme and generalizes hating human race. P.S: Any word which can suit personality of Holden from "Catcher in the rye" will do.


title: "drop the penny"

text: I was wondering what "drop the penny", "help get the penny to drop", or things similar mean? All I can understand is that it must be a metaphor. For example: > simply trying to repeat things in perhaps a slightly different way may help > get the penny to drop (think about the student coming to office hours who > has read the book but doesn't get it; just going over it again in different > words can help). How to use such an expression in life generally. Can you give other examples?


title: Why the opposite meanings of the word “bollocks”?

text: The phrases _the dog’s bollocks_ , _the bee’s bollocks_ , and _golden bollocks_ are used to mean something or someone excellent, fine, or well thought of. But if one were to say _a load of bollocks_ , or _bullock’s bollocks_ , it would mean something not very good at all. Does anyone know why _bollocks_ has this opposite meaning according to the phrase it is used in?


title: How to describe strength of keeping things simple and beautiful

text: I'm writing performance review of one of my colleagues that includes describing his strengths. For example, one of his strengths is _Communication_. He can quickly resolve conflicts with co-workers, and effectively explain policy changes to vendors. One thing that I'd like to mention is, he has some kind of aesthetic feeling, he enjoys keeping things simple and beautiful, and had designed relatively exquisite and user friendly interface. Which word should I use to describe this strength?


title: Is it correct to say “Let this be a year where . . . .”?

text: Is it correct to say the following: > Let this be a year where there will be joy. Or is there some more natural phasing for that sentiment in English?


title: "Memorial" as a non-sad word?

text: Can one use the word "memorial" (noun or adjective) without the negative/sad connotation of commemoration of the dead?


title: Are these terms considered uncivilized to native English speakers?

text: One of my friends is preparing to go to America for higher studies. So he needs some suggestions regarding _proper language usage_ out there. He needs opinion on usage of slang words. I am posting the question for him. Following are the terms, I assume, are not considered severely impolite or uncivilized to speak to the elders by the junior. They are: > B* _t, A_ *, F* _k, D_ *k, Gay etc etc Being not a native to English speaking country, I came under this impression watching English movies. I have seen they are considered **_slang_** in those countries when the speaker talking to the elder, is smaller in age i.e. until he is not an adult, but it is okay to speak, when the junior person is an adult. Back here in India, they are considered offensive and uncivilized when the speaker is talking to a senior person, regardless of the speakers age! Here they are used only with friends or when a brawl takes place! So how should we use them? Casually if we use them in conversation within a family of a natives friend there, would it considered uncivilized? Or if we speak to a random guy who is aged than us (say >15yrs senior), would he consider it as **offensive**?


title: Anglicize for Japanese

text: English speakers will change pronunciation and spelling of foreign words to make them easier to manage and we call this Anglicization. Japanese do this too, adding extra vowels to foreign words to make them roll off the Japanese tongue more easily. Is there a word for this, like "Japanization"? All I can find is "transliteration into Japanese", but that is awkward and sounds too mechanical.


title: A fraction less than something?

text: I encountered a question which is phrased: > A book store stocks 1/5 of its books as fiction works, and **1/3 less than > the fiction books as self-help books.** What fraction of books are fiction > and self-help books? I have a problem with the highlighted part. The (1/3) just seems to hang there, without explicitly applying to the number of fiction books. The solution manual interprets this as:               number of self-help books = number of fiction - (1/3 x number of fiction)      Is this question phrased correctly?


title: What is the origin of the word "dead-tree"?

text: What is the origin of the word _dead-tree_? I know that it basically refers to the print edition of a book that is also available in electronic format but would like to understand of the etymology the word _dead-tree_. In particular why the combination of the terms _dead_ and _tree_ to refer to books?


title: Use of "many good wishes 'to carry with you'"

text: In "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" there is two times this phrase: "many good wishes to carry with you":   * And the Winkies gave them three cheers and many good wishes to carry with them.   * But he at once unlocked their spectacles, which he put back into the green box, and gave them many good wishes to carry with them. I think is not a so common phrase to listen to. Googling for that it seems to be nowhere out of that book. Are there some regions where is used or other similar expressions? Of course I mean the second part 'to carry with you/him/them'


title: Abstract noun for solecism

text: I am looking for the abstract, non-count form of solecism, if it exists. Just as "brevity" describes the _quality_ of being brief, I am looking for an abstract noun to denote the quality of being incorrect, such as "incorrectness", but geared towards speech. Is solecity/solecisity a word, or is it, itself, a solecism? If none exists, perhaps there is one for malapropism? Thanks


title: Why is it "grandfather", but "great-uncle"?

text: I know that there are six forms of this word, but "great-uncle" is most common ("great-aunt" has a similar graph). Why is this, if "grandfather" and "grandmother" are common? ![](http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/chart?content=great+-+uncle%2Cgreat+uncle%2Cgrand+-+uncle%2Cgranduncle%2Cgreatuncle%2Cgrand+uncle&year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3)


title: What's the meaning of the word "spitters" in The Chemical Worker's Song?

text: Amongst the different versions of this song (Known by various names including "The Chemical Worker's Song", "Process Man" and "The ICI Song") that are floating around, there seem to be two variations of the second verse. > Well I've worked among the **spitters** and I've breathed the oily smoke and > Well I've worked among the **spinners** and I've breathed the oily smoke What could be the meaning of the word spitters? Is it just a mangling of the lyrics, or is it an antiquated term for some kind of occupation or machinery? I doubt it would mean "people who spit". I have a feeling it might have come about from a miss transcription from the recording by Great Big Sea (in which it is _very_ difficult to distinguish between a n and a t sound, they may even be singing "spitters"), and that mistake has then propagated. But I was curious to know if it was a variation that had some other legitimate meaning. The original recording by Ron Angel with the word "spinners"


title: Why "magnetic properties"?

text: Why do we talk about a material or metal having magnetic properties (as opposed to having a magnetic property)?


title: Word order of participial modiﬁers and proper nouns

text: This is a follow-up to this earlier question. I want to say that I met a person and they were drunk at the time. Which should I use:   1. I saw intoxicated John.   2. I saw the intoxicated John.   3. I saw John intoxicated. I know I could say _I saw John, who was intoxicated_ , but I want to say it with one clause. How does it work for present participles?   1. I found sleeping John.   2. I found the sleeping John.   3. I found John sleeping. Any rule of thumb for that?


title: "Easy to explain, here is an example for you:"

text: Here I present you two scenarios of mine: > This can be explained very easily, with this example: > > _example here_ and > This can be explained very easily: > > _example here_ On the first situation, I am telling I am _about to give you an example_ , while on the second situation, I don't. Yet, the two points make it quite clear already. Which situation is more correct? You see, on the first situation, the "with this example" part looks a bit too useless, however, without it, it looks a bit incomplete.


title: ...Capital letter after period(s)?

text: Excuse my terrible English knowledge, but I have been wondering this for some time already: What is correct for the next phrase?: > And he was there. alone. sad. and crying... or > And he was there. Alone. Sad. And crying... or > And he was there, alone, sad and crying... On the first and second cases, I use periods for separating the state of the subject. For some reason, I like it to give better suspense. Given the way I am using the periods, should I use Capital letters after them, or not? These periods are pretty much like commas... ... But maybe I am terribly wrong and should never use periods for such purpose? Should I always follow the third case? Just using commas?


title: "A lost cause, that is."

text: I tend to finish with a ", that is." in a couple of situations: _I come in and see a heavily damaged machine, and I say_ > A lost cause, that is... And it is not always with the "that is" phrase, it also happens with "I say": _I am discussing with someone, and I say:_ > Your arguments are baseless, I say. Is this kind of "ending" for my phrases correct, or is it some kind of absurd bad habit I developed?


title: What kind of accent is this?

text: What kind of accent is **this**? Is the speaker there speaking American English or Canadian? It is quite obvious it's not British or Australian accent. If it's American, can you, please, say what part of the USA it is?


title: Pluralization: backward and backwards in context

text: Unless I'm using "backward" and "backwards" wrong, I can pluralize it when the subject is not plural and vice versa. For example, correct me if I'm wrong: One movie. > If you watch your favourite movie backwards, what is the plot? More than one movie. > If you watch your favourite movies backward, what are the plots? I've never stopped to think about this before and am looking for some quick enlightenment as to its validity. I've seen this question based on the same words but believe it's a slightly different context.


title: Word or phrase for making something seem better by comparison

text: What is a word or phrase that expresses the idea of purposely making something seem better by comparison? For example, lemon Starburst was created to make the cherry flavor seem that much tastier.


title: How to say "I vaunt a broad knowledge of the subject" without bragging?

text: How can I say > "I **vaunt** a broad knowledge and understanding of the subject" without sounding too arrogant? The verb `to vaunt` implies bragging, in my humble opinion.


title: Is there a word to describe a phrase such as "it is what it is"

text: For example > "it is what it is" This multi-word statement has no real meaning if read literally (or at best a circular meaning), but it does express a meaning that is meta to its lexical meaning (a sense of helplessness and resignment).


title: How are bracket ellipsis [...] used in quotations?

text: I see this type of syntax often, but I do not know how, when or where they should be used. > "It is the case that [...] the inconvenience is altogether imaginary." Is it okay to use if I need to insert a quotation into an essay, but the quote is long and I want to omit the irrelevant parts? Am I allowed to use the syntax multiple times per quotation ?


title: Is lolspeak bad English, or just a different English?

text: Is lolspeak / internet speak (such as "plz send teh codez") bad English, or a different English? I can't really describe what'd be "bad", but a lack of consistency would be an indicator it's bad.


title: "I am going to have a walk"

text: My teacher said "I am going to _have_ a walk" today in class and to me it seems incorrect. Correct variants that I know are:   * Going for a walk   * Going to take a walk   * Going to walk    * ... Is this correct? If so, why?


title: "Hitler will send no warning" vs "Hitler won't send warnings"

text: As in this WWII poster: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/7VcXk.jpg) Are they the same thing, or are there differences in expression？ Why do native speakers choose the first one?


title: What's the meaning of 'sorry lot' in Albert Einstein's quote?

text: I just came across this quote by Albert Einstein when I was leafing through the book 'Super Cooperators: Altruism, Evolution, and Why We Need Each Other To Succeed': > If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, > then we are a sorry lot indeed What does 'sorry lot' mean here? I'm thinking sorry might mean pathetic/sad/loser and lot means group. Am I right?


title: Adjective describing possession by someone else

text: Is there any adjective in English that would describe a quality of belonging or being in the possession of someone else who is not the speaker? In short, what adjective would you substitute for the words in bold below: > What's inside of this bag? > > I don't know. This is **not my** bag. or > What's inside of this bag? > > I don't know. This bag is **not mine**. or > Jack, don't touch that toy car. > > Why? > > Because that toy is **not yours**.


title: What's the term for untapped capacity or inventory that is brought to market by rising prices?

text: I want to answer this question on Homebrew.SE, but I'm at an uncharacteristic loss for words. One example of the concept I'm trying to describe is gold that had heretofore been sitting in people's jewelry boxes or bottom drawers. With skyrocketing prices, more people became more aware that they were sitting on a valuable resource, and thus brought that resource to market. For some reason, my brain is trapped on the metaphor of **dark matter** , which is not apt. What would you call that untapped inventory? "Untapped inventory"?


title: Won't followed by noun

text: I try to understand the song 'Sober' by band Tool. And there are couple of sentence with won't followed by pronoun or noun and without verb. For example:               'Jesus, won't you f*cking whistle nothing       But the past and done.'          'Mother Mary won't you whisper nothing     but the past and done.'      Also, I've seen same sentence in the 'Passeneger' by Deftones:               Chrome buttons, buckles and leather surfaces     These and other lucky witnesses     Now to calm me     **This time won't you please**     Drive faster     Roll the windows down      Maybe in Tool's lyrics it is interrogative with dot instead of question mark, but sentence by Deftones I can't understand at all. How should I interpret this?


title: Word to describe bringing up pets

text: What is the word to describe _bringing up_ your pet?   * _Raise_ sounds odd.   * _Breed_ sounds weird.   * _Rear_ seems to be more for farm animals.


title: What does "I can prove it on an abacus" mean?

text: I've got a feeling it means "I can prove it in a very simple and an ostensive way". Is this so? Update: The context. http://www.laddertheory.com/commoncriticisms.htm Search for "abacus".


title: Adjectives that can used with certain nouns

text: Is there a limitation on the kind of adjectives that can be used with particular nouns? For example, can I use the adjective _lovely_ to describe food in the following sentences? > The food was lovely, was it not? > > The food cannot be lovely, can it?


title: "Recommend you [do something]" or "Recommend you to [do something]"?

text: Will anyone make a clear comparison between "recommend + subject + to infinitive" and "recommend + to + subject + to + infinitive"? As an example:   1. We recommend you to buy a new car.   2. We recommend to you to buy a new car. Are both sentences correct?   Which one am I most likely to hear in a native atmosphere?


title: Hypernym: Word that means 'window' or 'door'

text: There's the Italian word _serramento_ which means "a window or a door", used in this way for example: > Our company produces [ _serramenti_ ] in aluminium. Is there an equivalent word or expression that refers to doors and windows in general in English?


title: "Effect a friend" in advertising?

text: Toyota is running a Super Bowl campaign called: > THE ‘CAMRY EFFECT A FRIEND’ GIVEAWAY Every Camry has a story. Yours could > start on February 5th. I see some Twitter comments mentioning this is grammatically incorrect or obscure. I understand advertising campaigns may juggle the English language to create an effect (no pun) however in and of itself, is "effect a friend" proper usage in any context?


title: Phrase Request: Bank account statement, name for payee/charger

text: I'm trying to think of the appropriate word for someone that charges you or that you pay. If you have a bank statement, what would you name the column that contains the name of people you paid money to or charged you? Does anyone have any idea what that is? * * * An example statement:               Your suggested word | Value     -------------------------------     Dave                | +£10     WalMart             | -£14.99     WalMart             | +£14.99   (an example of a refund)     PC World            | +£99.99


title: What is the exact meaning of "English"? Why this language identified as "English"?

text: It struck me while searching for the meaning of the word _English_ : what could be the meaning of the word "English", and why is this language called "English"?


title: Is there a term for metaphors built upon double entendres?

text: I was thinking deeply about figurative language today, and I read a sentence that _must_ be an example of a specific type of figurative language, but I didn't remember learning about it and couldn't find it on a reference I use. The sentence, from _Street Love_ by Walter Dean Myers, is: > Could it even withstand the _voltage_ of / His mother's _shock_? Myers builds the metaphor of _voltage_ off of one definition of the word _shock_ , while also calling the other to mind, since the mother would be surprised/upset at this event. It seems to me that there ought to be a word for this! Any ideas? I found a similar example, too. It was used as an example of parallelism on the site I was referencing: > She liked sneaking up to Ted and putting the ice cream down his back, > because he was so _cool_ about it. It ins't a metaphor, but it similarly uses both meanings of the word ( _cool_ , in this case). I thought it might be helpful as a clarifying example.


title: 'of yet' and 'as of yet'

text: Can ‘of yet’ be used with the same meaning of ‘as of yet’? For example: > Most importantly, he’s found footprints of dinosaurs that we haven’t found > bones of yet. Does this mean the same thing as the following? > Most importantly, he's found footprints of dinosaurs that we haven't found > bones as of yet?


title: If it's cost-efficient, would it be cost-efficiency?

text: Dictionary.com is showing cost-efficiency, but New York Times shows "cost efficiency." Sentence would be: ... our track record for timeliness and cost-efficiency. I feel like it should have no hyphen. Thoughts? Thank you.


title: Is the term "ice cream" considered one word or two?

text: My question is a little broader than the title and applies to a term which is described by more than one "word". Is the term (in this case "ice cream") one word, or two? Based on my research, the three dictionaries that I consulted, Merriam-Webster (MW), MacMillian (MM), and the Oxford Dictionary (OX) all seem to provide some leeway in expressing exactly what a word is and if it **must be** delimited by spaces and/or punctuation. See definitions below: > MW(b)(2): "any segment of written or printed discourse **ordinarily** > appearing between spaces or between a space and a punctuation mark" > > OX 1a: "single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing, used with > others (or sometimes alone) to form a sentence and **typically** shown with > a space on either side when written or printed" > > MM 1: "[countable] a single **unit** of written or spoken language" MW and OX use words like _typically_ and _ordinarily_ indicating that there is the possibility for multi-word words, but don't exactly provide sample sentences with any. Even MM doesn't quite spell out what comprises a single unit. However, I would argue that "ice cream" independently, that is, taken as two separate words, is two units of language, rather than one. Even in looking up compound word examples, these are delimited by a space on either side, that is, condensed into one clear-cut word by means of placement (such as backstab) or they use a hyphen (such as white-collar). With this predicament in mind and as a yes or no question (providing justification), is "ice cream" as is, no hyphen and not stuck together as "icecream" or "ice-cream", one word, or two?


title: Word for false, self-perpetuating "cure"?

text: There are situations where a short-term remedy actually perpetuates the underlying long term problem. For example, drinking more coffee is a kind of false cure for a caffeine withdrawal headache. Similarly, scratching at a rash can make it feel better in the moment, but often perpetuates the rash. Is there an adjective or phrase for these activities that seem good, but are actually deceptive and counterproductive? (E.g. "Scratching an inflamed rash is an [something] activity.")


title: Amber or yellow lights

text: What is the difference in usage between amber and yellow, when it is the color of traffic lights or some derived meaning? Is this purely a difference between British English and American English, or does the context matter? For example, on each side of the Pond, if you're driving, is it an amber light or a yellow light that announces an imminent red light? When indicating a status between red (no go) and green (ok), is the status amber or yellow? * * * **EDIT:** I already know that the UK has amber lights and the US have yellow light, this is not what I am asking here. What I am asking is whether there is more to it than a simple US/UK distinction. How unusual would it be to use the wrong word? Is the usage for traffic lights the same as for derived meanings such as traffic light rating system? What prompted this question was finding that the Wikipedia article on the rating system uses amber — I don't know if this reflects US usage as well, or if this is merely due to the article having been written by a BrE speaker, or if the RAG rating is a purely British notion and AmE speakers would not think to use a red/yellow/green rating system.


title: Borrowed idea synonym

text: I am preparing a presentation to pitch for an 'idea' that I think should be implemented in my team. The problem is that it is not something new and it is not my brainchild. Several implementations of the same 'idea' in one form or the other have been carried out elsewhere. I need help in pitching it. What do I call it in my presentation in text and/or orally. PS: The idea is about building a software tool.


title: Since when is capital of a country used to denote government actions?

text: Nowadays, we commonly use capitals (I refer to the cities) to denote a action taken by a government. e.g. > "New Delhi decided to pass the food bill." Here New Delhi refers to the Indian Government. So since when has this trend started? Are there any historical examples in literature?


title: "Simplicity" vs. "minimalism"

text: If I would like to say that I like to play around with simple, not overly- complex, sometimes even bare things, should I say I like to play around with _simplicity_ or with _minimalism_? Background: This is to be used as introductory wording to my website, whose design goal is to be as simple as possible while conveying all the information that a personal website should convey.


title: What is the meaning of the phrase "moving the needle"?

text: Here is the context: > The network has geographically distributed upload endpoints, featuring end- > to-end encryption as well as patent-pending routing and optimization > technology, letting Box process uploads at a speed up to 10 times faster > than currently possible. > > "From an end user perspective, this is **moving the needle** ," said Jeff > Queisser, vice president of technical operations at Box.


title: "Vacation days" or "days off"

text: What is the right expression: _vacation days_ or _days off_?


title: "through any vehicles" is this an idiom?

text: In a letter I came across a sentence > Despite of feeling bad for losing one of the best students so far yet for > any further specific info/ query you are welcome to get in touch with me > through any vehicles during business hours. Is "through any vehicles" an idiom? I googled `"through any vehicles" idiom` without any success.


title: Difference between "social" and "societal"

text: What's the difference between _social_ and _societal_? Are they perfectly synonymous? If not, what is the difference in nuance? The relevant definition of social reads: > _relating to society or its organization_ The only definition of societal is: > _relating to society or social relations_ NGrams suggests that the word had its origins in the early 20th century and gained in popularity after the 1950s. Why did the use of _societal_ crop up? Was it perhaps it is the more obvious and natural adjective of _society_? If it is used to disambiguate or distance away from certain connotations of _social_ , what are they? According to COCA, _societal_ , while largely used in academia, also sees significant use in magazines and newspapers. It also convincingly outscores _social_ when collocated with terms such as _shift_ and _estrangement_. On the other hand, the use of _societal worker_ , _societal service_ , _societal justice_ etc., do not register on COCA's scales.


title: Is there a colloquial phrase to describe a sports heckler?

text: What might you call someone who verbally harasses a player from the stands? > Hey Lincecum. I've seen better curves on a square! Who is that guy?


title: Meanwhile as a preposition

text: I'm currently taking an English course that involves picking out adverbs, nouns, prepositions, and pronouns. Myself and my tutor are at a disagreement on if the use of meanwhile in this situation is a preposition. Any input would be greatly appreciated. "These obedient servants prepare meals at the appropriate times, groom them and clean the sanitary facilities. Meanwhile, the servants who pay the taxes and buy the groceries wonder sometimes who is really in charge."


title: What does it mean by "3 Month Paternity Relief Contract"?

text: I'm reading a job description where it mentions "3 Month Paternity Relief Contract". That doesn't make sense to me. Does it mean employee can leave 3 months for paternity leave?


title: Correct place to use the word "Fathomed"

text: I have used "Fathomed" in the following sentence > "Fathomed the issue. And solved the issue" to mean > "I understood the problem and I solved it" Is this the right way to use _fathomed_?


title: How about 'play cute' or 'play adorable'?

text: I wonder if 'play cute' or 'play adorable' is frequently used to stand for 'act cute/adorable' in spoken language. It seems easier to google out 'act cute/adorable' instead of 'play cute/adorable'.


title: "Opposite of (someone/something)" for "across from/opposite" in nonstandard colloquial prose

text: Consider the following quotes (emphasis mine). > For a split second, I meet eyes with an older man standing in a still gaze > just **opposite of** me amidst the sudden chaos. source > Taking a seat on a stool just **opposite of** me, he gives me a huge smile. > source > Guards stood at my door and one sat just **opposite of** me, his eyes never > leaving my face. source (see page 39) > I was surprised when I caught sight of Alex, who was waiting just **opposite > of** the bathrooms. source > They were standing just **opposite of** the road and looked hungry, so we > picked some of the grass that was just out of their reach and feed them. > source > There were two groups of people standing just **opposite of** each other. > source These quotes are all using **opposite of** to mean "across from" or "opposite". Are these uses acceptable in formal English writing? Or do they imply a less formal register, i.e. are these meant to merely be reproductions of casual speech? Please also consider this NGram: source


title: How to pronounce "Holly"

text: I've heard 2 ways to say it. The first one is "Holy", another one is [ˋhɑli], which is right?


title: How can I determine the proper stressing of words?

text: I am working on a sonnet. This pretty much mandates the use of iambic pentameter and therefore requires that I have a good grip on emphasis. However, I'm not exactly sure how to properly research words for emphasis. I was attempting to comprehend Merriam-Webster's Pronunciation Guide, but that just further confused me. Merriam-Webster has a system for indicating the stressing of syllables; almost every page has a set of symbols delimited by backslashes, describing the word's emphasis. I was wondering if anyone experienced in the emphasis and or word pronunciation could help me understand this notation with an example or two.


title: Is there a word that means "removing noise from communication"?

text: I'm trying to find a way to describe improving the Signal to Noise ratio of a communication/message succinctly. Using the entire phrase over and over gets clunky. Phrases that are close, but don't have as much of a technical connotation as I would like:   1. "Tuning" as in tuning a radio   2. "Demunge," but it implies the message is scrambled, and I think it's programmer jargon anyway


title: What is meant by "He Seconds Me"?

text: I asked my friend to refer me to one of his friends. He replied "I referred you. He Seconds Me". Can someone tell me what is the meaning of "He Seconds Me" here?


title: "I need him to get washed" — what is wrong?

text: I said that sentence, implying that a small boy from the next door is kinda stinky. But now I do not know if it is correct to say that. > I need him to get washed. Google 0 hits.


title: Usage of the word "curious" in the meaning of peculiar: always correct or only as 'artistic' form?

text: To me the word "curious" would be something you can be i.e. > I am curious what tomorrow will bring I recently read a text of a student I was supervising which used it as follows > A curious phenomenon is ... With which he meant to say that the phenomenon was peculiar, odd or strange. The only other case I have ever seen this is in the movie title: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", but that might be 'artistic freedom' (since Curious Case has the nice C.. C..). My question is: is the usage of the word "curious" in the meaning of peculiar correct?


title: Why is the beginning of a quote in old text sometimes denoted by a capital letter but no quotation marks?

text: In the following text of Pamela by Samuel Richardson, _well_ is capitalised — possibly to denote speech, where inverted commas have been neglected. As GEdgar points out, this is not an isolated case. I wonder why only, but there may be no explanation: > He took my hand, in a kind of good-humoured mockery, and said, Well urged, > my pretty preacher! When my Lincolnshire chaplain dies, I'll put thee on a > gown and cassock, and thou'lt make a good figure in his place.—I wish, said > I, a little vexed at his jeer. Well, well, Pamela, said he, no more of this > unfashionable jargon.


title: Where does the phrase "on the lam" come from?

text: According to the Online Etymological Dictionary, **lam** means:   > "flight," as in on the lam, 1897, from a U.S. slang verb meaning "to run > off" (1886), of uncertain origin, perhaps somehow from the first element of > _lambaste_ , which was used in British student slang for "beat" since 1590s.   > Does anyone know of any other explanations?


title: Usage of "than"

text: > Buying on margin means borrowing money from a broker to buy more securities > **than** can be purchased with one's own money alone.   1. I was wondering if _than_ in the above example is a conjunction or preposition?   2. Is there some word left out in the part after _than_? If yes, is the complete sentence  > Buying on margin means borrowing money from a broker to buy more securities > than **what** can be purchased with one's own money alone. **Added:** "can be purchased", the part after "than", is not a complete sentence because of lacking the subject, compared to a more usual example "He is taller than I am".   3. Can somebody explain a little more about the usage of _than_ in examples like this? I would like to understand how the sentence is grammatically correct.


title: What do we mean by "the decision was finely balanced"?

text: To me it can mean either that the decision could have gone one way or the other or that it was very carefully considered "weighing up" all possibilities and outcomes.


title: What is the meaning of the word "inriation"?

text: I looked up the definition of the word elation in Webster's Revised Unabridged 1913 dictionary and found the following definition (Page: 476): > Elation > > E*la"tion (?), n. [L. elatio. See Elate.] A lifting up by success; > exaltation; inriation with pride of prosperity. Felt the elation of > triumph." Sir W. Scott." I had never seen the word inriation before and my subsequent attempts to find a definition failed. It is not listed as a word in the 1913 dictionary, or any others that I've found. Is there an example of this word in English literature? Is it made-up, a misspelling? I can infer the definition from context, but is there any dictionary where inriation is defined?


title: Word/Phrase for the 'news is always wrong'

text: Not entirely sure this is the best placeto ask, but I'm looking for a word or phrase that I possibly heard a long time ago. It encapsulates one or two ideas: The first (and possibly more important) idea is that the more you know about a subject or event, the more you see that news reporting on the subject or event is incorrect. The second is that because of this, news reporting about something you don't know about should be treated with suspicion. I thought there was a 'blah blah effect' or 'blah blah principle' describing this, but I've come up empty handed in my searches. * * * Edit: Maybe I'll clarify slightly. For example, if you know a lot about cars, it will likely seem that many news articles about cars contain incorrect details and factual errors. But at the same time, if you don't know much about computers, news articles will seem to make sense to you. But given your experience with the news about something you know a lot about (cars), you should be distrustful of the news about computers. Maybe it was only in my head that there was a term for this. If not, I call dibs! As a side note, if this is not the proper place to ask this, where else could I ask?


title: This year has been being great?

text: Is it correct to say _this year has been being great_? I have never heard anyone saying **been being**. Though such expression does sound a bit awkward to my foreign ears, I think it stands correct. If I say _I have **been trying** to speak to her_, it means at an unspecified point in the past I started trying to speak to a certain lady and I haven't succeeded so far - but am still trying to speak to her and it's likely I'll continue trying to speak to her until I either reach out to her or simply give up on trying. Getting back to my first sentence, the year begun to be great at a certain point in the past, it's still great and is likely to continue to be great in the future. So the combination _been being_ makes sense as it is analogous to the _been trying to speak to her_ case - but I must say it sounds odd (to me). What are your thoughts?


title: Meaning of "cavorting with various women"

text: I've heard of the expression _cavorting with various women_. Apparently, Google says the original expression is _cavorting with the enemy_ , but I take that the definition is slightly different then. What is the meaning of this expression?


title: Meaning of "whiffling and waffling"

text: I heard the expression > **whiffling and waffling** all over the place but can't find a definition for it. Maybe it's a misspelling. What does it mean?


title: dividend/divisor vs. numerator/denominator

text: From Wikipedia: > In the expression a ÷ b = c, a is called the dividend or numerator, b the > divisor or denominator and the result c is called the quotient. What's most common (in the context of programming)?   1. dividend/divisor   2. numerator/denominator


title: Capitalization of words derived from proper nouns

text: Should words derived from proper nouns be capitalized or not? e.g. "Romanize/romanize", "Boolean/boolean" (I have seen both forms in the corpora and dictionaries). Personally I think the derived words are not proper (they refer to a concept rather than a person) and should not be capitalized.


title: The antonym of word Schadenfreude is Fribbly - the Joy In other's Joy - when did this new meaning of the word start?

text: For many years the word Fribbly has been used, in various communities as the antonym of Schadenfreude. rather than Harm-Joy or "pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others". Fribbly is Joy-Joy or the "pleasure derived from the pleasure of others" however when I look in websters the definition is "to trifle or fool away" does anyone know where this new usage started and when? It is in common currency in a wide variety of diverse sexual communities. It's often used in the polyamrous communities to describe the pleasure or frisson one feels when ones partner is enjoying themselves with another partner. But it equally has been used to describe the frisson - the Joy one feels when someone else is feeling Joy/pleasure This is a common human experience, something that anyone who isn't a psychopath feels, are there other words that I have missed that also describe the same feeling


title: Difference between "ditch", "trench" and "gutter"

text: I have been trying to understand the difference between the three, is this a usage difference between American English and British English? What is the difference?


title: "The way [the] control of the behemoth would be shared"

text: > Sechin strictly follows Putin's instructions but also appears to influence > the president. Industry sources say that in 2005 Sechin blocked plans that > Putin had blessed for Rosneft to merge with Gazprom (GAZP.ME) because he did > not like the way **control** of the behemoth would be shared. Source. Why do you think the author didn't use a definite article with _control_?


title: What does "Cost" mean in this context

text: I'm reading a book about `Distributed Systems (Computer Engineering)`. I faced with following context : > Full transparency will **_cost performance_** , exposing distribution of the > system What does "Cost" mean?


title: Opposite of Nightmare?

text: First off the word **dream** in most contexts _does_ have positive connotations. When talking about dreams that people experience during sleep though the meaning becomes fairly neutral, at least as far as I'm aware. The word **nightmare** means bad dream, of course. **What, though, is the word for a good dream?**


title: "becomes who I am" or "become who I am"?

text: I've been experiencing this for a long time now. In _Microsoft Word 2007_ , whenever I type the sentence, > "Thank you for helping me **become** who I am now," it always tells me that my use of "become" in the sentence makes it grammatically incorrect and that I should use "becomes". So which is it really? Become or becomes? (You can try it on your MS Word, see if it gives you the same result)


title: "Used to" or "used for"?

text: To me, "used to" and "used for" are incompatible, as shown in the examples below. However, I am unable to substantiate this. MS Word doesn't "see" the differences, so I turned to "Essential grammar in use" (Murphy) and "The Chicago manual of style", but still come up with nothing. And the Internet has proven totally unreliable. Please follow my reasoning: Used ”to” or ”for”? **Google search:**               "button is used for": 2,250,000 hits     "button is used to" : 3,260,000 hits      Sentences below checked in **MS Word English US** : (My interpretation in parentheses)               The button is used to open the dialog.      (Wrong)     The hammer is used to break the glass.      (Wrong)     John is used to read data.                  (Wrong)          The button is used for opening the dialog.  (Correct) (= a tool for opening)     The hammer is used for breaking the glass.  (Correct) (= a tool for breaking)     John is used for reading data.              (Wrong)          The button is used to opening the dialog.   (Wrong)     The hammer is used to breaking the glass.   (Wrong)     John is used to reading data.               (Correct) (= in the habit of reading)      Grammar check results: No corrections whatsoever – Grammar check simply doesn’t react to the above sentences, not even those that are _obviously_ wrong. In lieu of further guidance, I will have to rely on my own interpretation, as stated above. Correct or wrong?


title: What's the opposite/inverse of "rate"?

text: Might be better for a math or datacomm exchange, but I'll try here first: Given that "rate" means the number of times that an event occurs in a unit of time, what is the opposite/inverse of that term? Ie, what is a term for the time between events? "Latency" comes to mind but is not quite right since it generally refers to the time between cause and effect, not between essentially identical events.


title: "With regard to" vs. "with regards to" vs. "in regards to"

text: I found the following usage notes in the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary (emphasis mine): > The phrases _as regards, in regard to_ , and _with regard to_ are standard > and occur in all varieties of spoken and written English, esp. in business > writing: _As regards your letter of January 19…_ However, these phrases are > sometimes regarded as unwieldy substitutes for _about_ or _concerning_ , > which may be easily substituted if desired. The phrases in regards to and > **with regards to** are widely rejected as errors. But I just saw this phrase used in some books or read. Like below. > With regard to your general development background, the two assumptions in > this book are that you have some familiarity with Web development, and you > have an understanding of .NET programming. Is it really an error?


title: "-ing" verb + gerund

text: I am aware that some verbs require the use of a gerund in certain constructions like _"to avoid doing something"_. However, does this rule extend to the case that _avoid_ is also used in an -ing form? For example: _"By avoiding doing something, ..."_ or do I have to write _"By avoiding to do something, ..."_ to obtain a correct English sentence?


title: Is it correct: "We don’t have to go there if we don’t want to"?

text: Which sentences are correct? > We don’t have to go there if we don’t want to. or > We haven’t to go there if we don’t want to.


title: Which is right: "drop-down" or "drop down"?

text: What is the proper way to write this term when writing product documentation? Hyphenated or not? > drop down list or > drop-down list?


title: Alternative phrase to use in place of "to support our claim ..."

text: I am writing a paper where I face the following situation. 1) I have made a claim (something holds true when something else holds true) 2) To make my claim more concrete I follow the claim with experimental analysis. I want to say something like "To make the claim concrete", we show the experimental results ... I thought of using "to support our claim, ...", but that seems too mild. I want something more imposing. Is there a way to say this more elegantly?


title: What is the noun for "feeling of being victimized"?

text: What is the word for "feeling of being victimized"?


title: What is the verb to take out compromises?

text: I want to describe the action of a person who is fed up with the many compromises he has made and now would like to "remove" these compromises he hates - what is a verb that means "remove compromises"? _Abolish_?


title: Word Choice: What do you call a set of elements not including their ends?

text: I have a set of objects, an example would be this set of letters.               {A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I}      I need to call each part (or group of parts) with short single words. Letter "A" is the Head; "I" is the Tail; Both Head and Tail are called Ends. each element is called a Segment. So my question is, what do we call the middle segments B through H, in a short single word?   * It can't be 'Middle/Center' because it could only refer to E.   * It can't be 'Segment' because it includes the Head and Tail.   * Basically the word needs to mean (w/o ambiguity) the segments not including the Head & Tail.   * Doesn't need to be formal, like what I did w/ Head/Tail, which could've been just Start/End or First/Last. Ironically, it's my homework on programming and naming function/methods, but this is more on language so I decided to post it here. Thank you in advance. P.S.: For admins, "set-theory" might be a good new tag?


title: "Cash on me" vs. "cash with me"

text: I know you would normally say, "I don't have any cash on me". But would it be grammatically correct to say, "I don't have any cash with me"?


title: Why not "skydove"?

text: In having a conversation with some friends, I noted that I decided at one point to forgo an option that I had at hand. Since I was speaking in the past, I had to put it in the correct tense. I knew the word "forgo", and had heard about "forgone" conclusions, but had never seen "forgo" in the past tense. Being a native English speaker, I paused for a split second to take a stab at the best option which seemed to fit, and therefore explained that I had "...forwent" the option. A quick check in the dictionary later showed that my instincts were correct. (Little happy dance here). That would have been the end of it, except that sometime later I was watching a report on skydiving, mentioning that some of the participants "skydived" a few times in the past. _Now_ I was confused. Skydived? Why not "skydove"? Makes perfect sense. I know that "dived" is a valid past tense alternate, but "dove" is certainly the more preferred usage as a simple past. It seems to me that here we do not use the formula of [for] + [go, p.t.] = [forwent]. It is being conjugated not as [sky] + [dive, p.t.] = skydove, but instead that [skydive] has become inseparable and should therefore be conjugated as "skydived." The first part of my question is: what determines the rules as to whether one should be conjugating the compound as a single word (most likely with +ed), or if the verb part should be separated and conjugated by itself? The second part is to ask if people can come up with additional examples of other such compound words, some where the verb is conjugated separately and others where the compound has made its way into the language as an inseparable case? Much obliged, Questor


title: What does "ambush Prince Charming's wife" mean?

text: In the 2014 film “The Other Woman”, there is an exchange between several characters > **King Kate** : So what do I do now? So I'm, now I'm Barb Melman? Barb > Melman got divorced and now she has cheek implants and lives in a condo in > Norwalk and has to go on dates. I am not equipped to go on dates. The last > time I was single, I was 24 and the dating pool was everyone. And now it's > like a shallow puddle of age-appropriate men who are old and gross and I > don't want to do that. > > **Cameron Diaz** : I know that you think that it's that bad, but honestly, > it's a lot worse. You know why? Because even if you meet a nice guy... and > when I mean "nice", I mean that he's, like, not an obvious sociopath... you > can't even actually get excited about it. > > You know why? Because it's just a matter of time before someone gets bored > and unhappy and is saying that it's over, and that's a happy ending. A > shitty ending is that there's lying and cheating and you ambush Prince > Charming's wife. * * * What does Cameron Diaz mean by " _... and you ambush Prince Charming's wife._ "?


title: What's the word for being passed through a line of armed men to be beaten?

text: As in the movie _Hunger_ : http://youtu.be/tprMKFaTRPk (first 30 seconds). Does the punishment that comprises being passed through a line of armed men to be beaten, have a name?


title: A word for "waiting for a reply"

text: I have a system which has the following structure: Inbound > Open > Pending > Awaiting reply > Ready > Closed I'd like to use single-words, so the one that sticks out like a sore thumb is "Awaiting reply". I obviously can't use "Pending" because that's already in use. And "Awaiting" is too similar to "Pending". Is there a word for "waiting for a reply"?


title: What is the word for the emotion I feel when I see someone being humiliated?

text: When I see someone else being embarrassed / humiliated, for example a singer forgetting their words in a concert, I would say something like "I feel embarrassed for them". But is there a better word to describe this feeling? I would say it's a mix of:   * Empathetic discomfort for someone else's humiliation   * Tension; hope that spectators will be forgiving   * Frustration that I cannot help them Other scenarios I would feel the same emotion:   * Seeing someone make a presentation, the slides are all out of order, and their face gets red with embarrassment while there's a tense silence in the room.   * Seeing someone make an embarrassing social blunder in front of unforgiving people.   * Seeing a speaker who keeps making a distracting and annoying gesture, and they don't realize that the whole audience is annoyed.   * Seeing someone be taken advantage of, like seeing someone naively and happily accept a terrible offer on a car.   * Seeing a person of strong image (for example the CEO of your company) do something like accidentally leave their webcam on after a conference call, and employees see him/her let out a big burp and pick their nose or something. In these cases it's important that the audience is not forgiving, even if they don't confront the person about it. The person may or may not know they are being humiliated. "Pity" as proposed in an answer seems very close, but I think it lacks a few components. I think "pity" has a chronic connotation - that you are referring to the general state of things rather than a specific event. I think "pity" also depends on the subject suffering, but in my example they are often oblivious. It could very well be that there is no word for this at all. NOTE: Some people do not feel the same way I do in this scenario, so you may not think this question makes any sense.


title: Meaning of the word 'rap'

text: > CIA takes _rap_ for embassy attack.


title: Is "public listed" an adjective?

text: The series in the sentence below and its positioning sound awkward. Micro, small and large are all adjectives, but public listed? Has the rule on parallelism been violated? And should anything be hyphenated? I'd like to know what's the best option for cleaning up this sentence: > Data were gathered from all micro, small, large and public listed housing > developers in XXX. My attempts: > Data were gathered from all housing developers, micro, small, large and > public listed, in XXX.


title: Meaning of "best among the worst"

text: What does _best among the worst_ mean? For example, if a person is best among the worst does it mean that he is the worst of all or that he is a good person in a group of bad persons?


title: Looking for a Synonym for Turntable

text: Is there a more generic word, perhaps a term from math or engineering, that describes a disc that rotates about its centre, like a turntable?


title: Term for spelling out letters with your body

text: Is there a term for people spelling out a name or some other word with their bodies (e.g. YMCA), usually for the purposes of a fun photo? This is similar to sign language but uses the whole body with arms and legs.


title: Do Americans use the world 'turtle' as a generic word to mean 'tortoise'?

text: Obviously there are two different animals — a tortoise and a turtle. But I have been told by a colleague that in the US the word _turtle_ is used to describe both. I find this odd as for example the Galapagos tortoise was fairly well known (old & big) and it would surely be a mistake to refer to it as a turtle.


title: In mathematics, when referring to pure numbers is largest or biggest correct?

text: When referring to a list of number is largest or biggest correct? For example, I want to find the **biggest** number in an array. Or should it be the **largest** number. Finally, would either biggest or largest be correct in this context? [EDIT] In this instance I am looking for a synonym for maximum in the context of an array.


title: Why is the plural of “deer” the same as the singular?

text: Why is the plural version of _deer_ identical to the singular version? If _mouse_ became _mice_ , then why did the singular _deer_ not change to something else in the plural?


title: Your signature vs your mark

text: Is there a difference between your 'signature' and your 'mark'? One of the comments on this post on Bruce Schneier's blog claims there is: > This might be out of date in these days of 100% literacy (yes, that is > sarcasm) but it's not actually your "signature", it's your "mark". This is > why serious contracts require witnesses. If there is a difference, then what exactly is it?


title: "Definitely" vs. "absolutely"

text: What's the difference between _absolutely_ and _definitely_? Actually which of the following sentences is correct? > You are **definitely** right. > > You are **absolutely** right.


title: "Whom" or "who" and replies to such questions

text: Which is the most natural way to ask the question below? Are the replies correct? (Words in parentheses show that they are optional.) > Whose are these notebooks? - (Of) our students./These notebooks are of our > students./These notebooks belong to our students./These are the notebooks of > our students. > > Whom do these notebooks belong to? - (To) our students. > > To whom do these notebooks belong? - (To) our students. > > Who do the notebooks belong to? - (To) our students. As far as I know, _to whom_ is a very formal expression. What about the rest? What about the following question? Is _to_ optional in the three replies? > To whom are you talking? - (To) our students. > > Whom are you talking to? - (To) our students. > > Who are you talking to? - (To) our students.


title: transitive vs intransitive verb

text: I'm not expert in English grammar, but I need to understand the difference between a transitive verb and an intransitive verb. Can someone explain this to me?


title: Meaning of "lay down"

text: What does _lay down_ mean? > One of my closest friends is 24 and clears $100k welding stainless. No > degree, loves his job, but he worked his balls off to get there. > > Hardly unskilled labor. He chills in a warehouse all day listening to music > and **laying down** sick welds.


title: Why does "groove" mean "take pleasure in"?

text: The original meaning of "groove" is something like a cave, or as a verb, make a groove. Why can "groove" mean "take pleasure in" as a verb?


title: What is the right verb for "measurement"?

text: I have to describe the act of measuring, with _measurement_ used as noun. Which verb(s) fit best? > **taking** a measurement > > **making** a measurement > > **doing** a measurement > > **carrying out** a measurement (suggested by Google translate) > > **performing** a measurement Does it work the same for the passive form ( _the measurement has been taken_ )? The context: > It provides a [...] set of probing points with which it's possible to easily > take measurements; these have been carried out using a DC power analyzer ... The action appears twice, hence the need for synonyms. **Funny fact** : the difference between "taking" and "making" is also debated in photography (also a form of measuring?), with the difference being in the importance of the operator (I take it if it's already there, I make it if it's in my mind, somehow).


title: 'Work hard at it' or 'work hard for it'. Which is grammatically correct?

text: "Some people dream of success, while others wake up & work hard at it." Me and my friend got into a little argument over which is correct. He says 'work hard at it' is correct. I disagreed and said it should be 'work hard for it'. I'd be grateful if anyone could shed some light on this. Thank you,


title: One word for "Wild Wild West" - not the movie!

text: I'd like to capture the spirit of the phrase "the Wild Wild West" in one word, if possible. For instance _"As I stepped back outside, I was shocked to see everything change to --a scene much like the Wild Wild West---"_. I would like to capture the feeling of chaos or frenzy, violence or danger, and lawlessness. What would you suggest?


title: Reading of the article “an” preceding quotations

text: Speakers often add “quote” or “quote, unquote” before quotations. But when a quotation is preceded by the article “an”, how should that article be pronounced? As I understand, the choice between “a” and “an” is determined by what phonetically follows the article. When “quote” or “quote, unquote” is inserted between “an” and the quotation, the extra “-n” becomes unnecessary. So should I really pronounce “a” instead?


title: Origin of "In which ..."

text: A large number of humorous titles seem to be of the form "in which ...". For example, a quick Google search turns up: In which I form the suspicion that I am not Nature’s intended audience. What's the origin of this form?


title: Is "life is hard without jam" in use?

text: I am looking for a translation of the French "la vie est dure sans confiture". Babel Fish gives me "life is hard without jam". But I am not sure whether this phrase is really in use. Are there equivalent English phrases for this French proverb?


title: Why use the word "copy" in "do you copy that"?

text: I notice "do you copy that?" is used in movies to ask for confirmation in telephone/interphone conversation. I only know _copy_ means make things duplicated, so why use it in "do you copy that"? Is there a history about it?


title: Apostrophe after a surname

text: There is a lot of statistical criteria/tests (statistics) named after a statistician/mathematician/biologist/economist, etc. But for instance, this and this examples have different spelling...   _Do I have to write an apostrophe after a surname in such a situation or not?_


title: Should it be "100% donations policy" or "100% donation policy"?

text: Some charities have a "100% donations policy" or "100% donation policy" - e.g. "We abide by a 100% donations policy" - by which they mean that 100% of each donation donated to the charity will go to the charitable cause(s) (and not a penny will be deducted for administration purposes). The question is: should it be **donations** (as a plural) or **donation** (in the singular) in the above _policy_? Or are the two interchangeable? I'm guessing what they're really saying is **We abide by a "100% of your donation _s_ " policy**, in which case both (plural and singular forms) would make sense? Or is the _policy_ just worded badly? Or am I just reading too much into this?


title: Meaning of suffix '-sex' in 'Sussex, Middlesex'

text: I know that Sussex and Middlesex are in England. It looks to me as if there is a pattern in names. What does the suffix -sex mean? Where does it come from?


title: Using "concrete" as synonym to "real"

text: Can I use the word _concrete_ as a synonym to _real_ in a phrase like this? > Russian beer is a **concrete** shit. Maybe this phrase sounds like drivel for a native speaker?


title: "Waiting on" and "waiting for"

text: While purchasing in Walmart, after sliding my card the card machine was saying "Waiting on cashier". What does "waiting on" mean in this case and how it differs from "waiting for"? Would that be wrong to say "waiting for cashier" ?


title: "Grudge" vs. "begrudge"

text: In Faulkner's _The sound and the fury_ two sentences arrive close to one another which have made me wonder about the usage of grudge and begrudge. > I know you grudge what I give him. And shortly thereafter, > I know you begrudge him. Now I wonder if the subtle difference of a person or action implies the need for different words. In essence, I am wondering about the correct usage of these two words in comparison with one another.


title: Where can I find a list of English paronyms?

text: Can anyone point me to a (more or less) complete list of English paronyms (affect/effect, farther/further, alternately/alternatively, interested/interesting, corrupted/corrupt, adopt/adapt, continuous/contiguous...)? Wikipedia has a list for everything, but not for paronyms. Google is not exceptionally helpful, either. After trying out half a dozen different search strings, I have learned quite a lot about French, German, and even Russian paronyms, but close to nothing about English ones. Any pointers?


title: Implied Prepositions

text: I am working on documentation for some work stuff. A reviewer has told me to change this: > Decisions made by the CAB apply to all members of ETG and non-ETG employees > that participate in ETG processes. to this: > Decisions made by the CAB apply to all members of ETG and **to** non-ETG > employees that participate in ETG processes. Now, in my mind both are correct. "To" can be implied. Am I correct? What do style guides such as APA and MLA say about this?


title: The pronunciation of buoy

text: How did the word _buoy_ come to be pronounced "BOO-ee" in most of the US? The British pronunciation "BOY" as in the word _buoyancy_ or _buoyant_ (which both countries pronounce the same) seems to be pretty straight-forward, so where did the US version come from?


title: How to use 'as well as' and 'even'?

text: When I was doing my English homework, I came across this question: > In his research paper Dr Brown suggests that snacking, if done properly, > makes people healthier and **___ _** helps control weight.   >  A. as well as B. namely C. even D. yet I chose A, but my tutor said the correct answer should be C. But she did not give me a satisfactory explaination. Could you kindly tell me why I can't use _as well as_ in this sentence?


title: one 'serving' of sugar - a person serving sugar?

text: Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_packet > A sugar packet is a delivery method for **one** 'serving' of sugar. Does **one** there mean a person?


title: Is "How are you?", when used as a greeting, an idiom? Is there a better word for it?

text: When passing someone in the hall, you might say "How are you?" as a greeting, but not meaning it literally, as you don't really require an answer. Is "How are you?" (or "How's it going?", etc.) an idiom when used this way? "Idiom" doesn't seem appropriate because that combination of words generally has the literal meaning. Is there another word for this? Sorry if I am not making this clear. If I can clarify in some way, please ask. Edit: Could someone explain why this question might have been voted down? Not complaining, just trying to learn.


title: Calling Method or Called Method?

text: I was reading something on MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) and I saw this and made me confused: > Although variables passed as an out arguments need not be initialized prior > to being passed, the **calling method** is required to assign a value before > the method returns. What I would like to learn whether "calling method" means the method which calls another method or the method which is being called by main method? If you'd love to see more about the context, you are very welcome to visit this page: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/t3c3bfhx(v=vs.80).aspx It is important since it changes the meaning a lot. And also for more information to me, I would love to learn what it is called in grammar? Gerunds maybe?


"huge volume of data" or "huge volumes of data" Should I use a singular form or a plural form? Search in Google results in 178,000 hits vs 256,000 hits.


title: Can ‘a short of something” be used as “without something”? Do we need “a” before “short”?

text: I came across the following sentence in the book, “Korean’s Place in the Sun” written by Bruce Comings, Professor in History at the University of Chicago: > Events elsewhere after the Cold War have encouraged most Koreans to think > that reunion might be around the corner: so what can be said about critical > issue to Korea’s destiny as a nation? It seemed to me that for all these > reasons, and a short of a catastrophic war, no reunified Korea will emerge > before a prolonged regional sovereignty, perhaps under one national name and > one flag, perhaps for years to come. Not only what are reasons for “for all reasons” is not explained, but I have difficulty in understanding the subsequent lines:   1. Can “a short of (a catastrophic war)” be used to mean “without, or except”? Do we need “a” before “short of"? Don’t we need any preposition rather than “a”?   2. What does “ _before_ ” of “reunified Korea will emerge _before_ a prolonged regional sovereignty” mean? Does it refer to “time” (previous to) or “place” (in front of)?   3. What does “no reunified Korea will emerge before a prolonged regional sovereignty” mean? If it is a sovereign state, it is a matter of course that the state has, or should have one name and one flag. Isn’t the statement followed by “perhaps under one national name ...” superfluous? Though I trust the accomplished scholar’s writing is infallible, is the quoted statement crystal clear to all native English speakers at a glance?


title: What's the difference between cunning, crafty and wily?

text: The definitions are quite similar, but what are the differences in meaning between them, exactly? > cunning: having or showing skill in achieving one’s ends by deceit or > evasion > > crafty: clever at achieving one’s aims by indirect or deceitful methods > > wily: skilled at gaining an advantage, especially deceitfully


title: Usage of noxious, nocuous and their opposites

text: I came across the word _nocuous_. It seems that this word is rarely used (and even the spell-checking of my browser does mark it as a mistake). _Noxious_ , in comparison, is used way more often. Interestingly, the opposite statement can be applied to their antonyms _innocuous_ and _innoxious_. Now the comparison between both shows a clear tendency to the use of _innocuous_ (and my browser's spell-checking marks the latter). The question is, in which contexts should I have a preference to _nocuous/innocuous_ and when should I go with _noxious/innoxious_? Or are possibly only _innocuous_ and _noxious_ in practical use, while the others are rather formal? Perhaps, _innocuous_ is the well-established opposite to _noxious_ in colloquial?


title: "So also in matters psychological" Is that English at all?

text: I'm reading a book, Gestalt Therapy Integrated, and I stumble on this sentence: > So also in matters psychological. I'm thinking that one line is missing, but I'd like to make sure of that. The paragraph starts in this way: > Were an individual subjected to great heat, he would soon lose contact by > fainting and he might eventually die if his limits for assimilating heat > were seriously trespassed. So also in matters psychological.


title: What do you call the empty/arid zones on both sides of a highway?

text: I'm referring to something like the brown areas in this picture: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/R7XOt.jpg)


title: Verb meaning "selling charitably"

text: What term can you use to describe the act of "selling something charitably"? "Donated" is close, but it is referring to giving something away. "Graciously sold" is too wordy. I'm thinking of using the word in this sentence, for example: > Although it was the stall owner's very last orange, and he loved oranges > very much, he __ it to the young orphan for only 20 cents.


title: Where does the intrusive R come from in “warsh”?

text: My grandmother, who grew up in western Pennsylvania, pronounced _wash_ and _Washington_ with an intrusive R: “warsh” and “Warshington.” Where does the intrusive R come from in that dialect? It doesn’t seem to be produced by the same mechanism that changes _law and order_ to “lawr and order” in non-rhotic dialects (plus, my grandmother’s dialect was rhotic, if I recall correctly).


title: the similar meaning of impress and strike...as

text: I learnt a phrase said 'strike sb. as sth.' it means to seem to have a particular quality or feature. I think it is similar to 'impress sb. with sty' Maybe it is most common to you native speakers to use either of them, but as the second language learners, we must say 'impress' at once, but rarely use 'strike', it seems a little authentic and can't remember. And how do you choose words and phrases in the written English?


title: meaning of an expression in a sentence

text: what is the meaning of _so patent a manner_ in the following sentence Seeing him like this, dressed just for her **in so patent a manner** , she could not hold back the fiery blush that rose to her face.


title: Have somebody get (verb)

text: I have asked a question that turned out to be more complicated than I thought. It consists of the meanings of GET and HAVE somebody DO something constructions. What I understood, > I will have him get killed would not be used in regular speech. But I have read e.g.: > Have him get addicted to drugs! Why not to say just "Have him addict to drugs" as I would expect with "have somebody do something" construction? I was told that there is a construct "have [something happen]" yet I do not fully understand the difference between this and "have somebody do something". Isn't there also difference between the usage of GET KILLED and GET ADDICTED? I mean - He got killed means simply "He was killed" while "He got addicted" implies a change of a state. My point is whether it is verb-dependent?


title: Is the definition of browser generally poor?

text: In regards to this question on meta Stackoverflow I had a look at what definitions one find for _"browser"_. My definition of _to browse_ is in short looking for information or things of interest. In this question I concentrate on computer based browsers. One can for example have:   * web-browser   * file-browser   * code-browser   * image-browser   * meta-browser   * (browser-service)   * ... But, if one look at various definitions for _"browser"_ one find:   * Merriam Webster: _a computer program used for accessing sites or information on a network (as the World Wide Web)_   * Oxford: _A program with a graphical user interface for displaying HTML files, used to navigate the World Wide Web: 'a web browser'_   * Collins: _a software package that enables a user to find and read hypertext files, esp on the Internet_   * Cambridge: _a computer program that makes it possible for you to read information on the internet_   * Google: _a program with a graphical user interface for displaying HTML files, used to navigate the World Wide Web._ From these examples I'd say Oxford and Google is furthest off, esp. as it does not require a graphical user interface, nor is it limited to _display HTML files_. Why is this? Why does seemingly all dictionaries limit _"browser"_ to some software for sifting through The World Wide Web when it comes to _computing_?


title: Word/phrase that means "the sound that is produced when objects are being moved by a stream"

text: Is there a word/phrase for that? Example: > I closed my eyes, and listened to the [...] stones.


title: Is there a specific name for a portmanteau of two alternative spellings?

text: This question came about in a discussion between myself and another user of the Gaming.SE chat after I linked in this chiptune track called   An Eskimeau Experience * * * Here is the gist of the discussion: > It's either Eskimo or Esquimaux. Not a portmanteau of both. > > **"Eskimeau"** is a portmanteau of two of the different spellings. It's half > English, half French. That's like calling something a biscookie. > > So it's wrong, and I want to know the name of the 'mistake' (or stylistic > device, if you prefer) > > I thought there was a specific name for a portmanteau of two alternative > spellings... This probably isn't very clear, so I suggest you check out the link below, which will take you to the transcript of the original discussion. * * * Original chat transcript


title: "Important for someone to do" vs. "important that someone does"

text: As I know, there is no difference in meaning between the following two sentences. >   1. It is not important for you to eat good food. >   2. It is not important that you eat good food. > But I believe that there is a little difference between the two sentences at least because the letters in them are different. Does anybody know the difference?


title: "Whose difficulty is in-between"

text: > This doctoral thesis is very technical and therefore hard to read. On the > other hand, this book on the subject is a bit too naive. Our goal is to give > a text whose difficulty is in-between. I think that the last sentence above is incorrect. How could one phrase that the text is more precise and detailed than the book, but still less detailed than the thesis?


title: Is "was always with you" or "had always been with you" grammatically correct?

text: >   1. In those days wherever you went I **had always been** with you like a > shadow. >   2. In those days wherever you went I **was always** with you like a > shadow. > Which one is grammatically correct?


title: Use of comma separating two adjectives

text: If I had the phrase > two blond haired, blue eyed people   1. would the comma be out of place?    2. should I hyphenate "blond haired" and "blue eyed"?


title: Is there a word to represent the feeling on never being somewhere before?

text: When I go to a new place there is a feeling of seeing everything for the first time, and the newness of it, but even just the second time I know where things are (vaguely) and its not much of a surprise. Is there a word for the feeling of newness and exploring of going somewhere new? I want to use this word to say things like "right now im experiencing a strong feeling of [insert word here]" like a contrapositive for wanderlust.


title: If America has a woman President, will her husband be known as 'The First Gentleman'?

text: If, for example, Hilary Clinton becomes President, will Bill re-enter the White House as 'the First Gentleman of America'?


title: How to say one has been accepted directly at a competitive examination?

text: In France, access to some educational institutions is allowed only after a competitive examination. However, for special achievements, some students may be offered a seat directly, bypassing the examination altogether. The French idiom is to have been selected “sur dossier” (“on file”). That is, your (implicitly: school) file was convincing enough to exempt you from the examination. Is there any way to express this in English? If there are disparities between English-speaking countries, please specify them  :)


title: Usage of two hads in a sentence, not continuously

text: Is the second sentence correct? > Are we going ahead with this now? Earlier, you had told me that they had > quoted a huge fee the last time we asked. Or should it rather just be "You told me that they had quoted a huge fee..."?


title: Can I say this? "To spank my shoulder when needed"

text: Can I say this: "To spank my shoulder when needed" or "to spank on my shoulder when I'm down in life"? Is there a way instead not using spank? Is there any other way to express the same feeling?


title: What does "going blue" mean?

text: I'm familiar with the expression _to feel blue_ , but I recently stumbled upon the expression _to go blue_ on two different websites in one week. > Vork from The Guild goes a bit blue > > _Source_ : > http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2011/03/24/in- > which-i-discuss-the-topic-of-web-series-with-my-head-on-my-desk The second site: > Our panel from ECCC last weekend. It went a bit blue. Thanks Wil Wheaton, > hehe. > > _Source_ : http://felicia.posterous.com/eccc-11-the-guild-panel-part-1 Usually I can track down the meaning of expressions myself, but since Google isn't being very helpful I'm turning to you guys. I'd also like to know if this expression is used widely across the English-speaking world or if its use is limited to certain regions. (Please forgive me if my English isn't flawless... I'm a 19-year-old non- native speaker.)


title: Noun version of 'Compel'?

text: I want to say a word 'compellance' or 'compelation', but I don't know what the correct word is.


title: Does this mean 'he was doomed'?

text: Given the sentence: > Now he'd done it. He hadn't even lasted two weeks. He'd be packing his bags > in ten minutes. What would the Dursleys say when he turned up on the > doorstep? I guess that in this context _he’d done it_ means “he’d been doomed.” Does **_do it_** has a meaning?


title: What does “flooded” mean when referring to people?

text: I know the meaning of “flooded” as in “covered with water”, but what is the meaning here? > Over 200 students from all over the state flooded the helpline calls on the > first day of its launch. How was “flooded” used here?


title: What does "get to" mean?

text: I know there are a lot of meanings to the verb "get", so I am unable to understand which one is used in the following sentence: > They had a baby which was different, so it got to live. I know that "get to" can be:   * allowed to,    * have a chance to, or   * become (eventually) But neither works for me. Maybe the first one would make sense. Or should it be "have got to"? That would make sense, but I thought I had to use it with "have".


title: What dictionary should be used when citing the dictionary in an American PhD-level dissertation?

text: In an Australian PhD dissertation, the Oxford English Dictionary would be the obvious choice when needing to make reference to a dictionary definition. However, I am writing for an audience of (mostly) American computer scientists and would like to follow US conventions. **Which dictionary would be widely regarded as the source of the most authoritative, prestigious and "academic" definitions within the US?** (There is a related question at US Equivalent to the Oxford English Dictionary but the question and answers are based on a reader's point of view, rather than as an authoritative source)


title: Why is "safe haven" used so frequently, by those who should know better?

text: A haven is a place that is safe. So, "safe haven" is redundant. Shockingly, several state legislatures have even passed laws for dropping off babies with no penalty; these laws are usually referred to as "safe haven" laws.


title: What does it mean "a piece of schlock"?

text: What does _a piece of schlock_ mean in the following phrase? > "You aren't in this game to write a piece of schlock."


title: Usage of "As ..." in the beginning of a sentence, Any alternatives?

text: I use the following type of sentences a lot, because I do not know any alternatives: E.g. > **As** my child grows over time, I become older. By which I mean that I my child is growing, and I am getting older, and this is a constant process. What are the alternative ways to express such things? Thanks!


title: Usage of "What does who want?"

text: I have stumbled upon the phrase "What does who want?" which puzzles me. Its unusualness makes me doubt.   * I have been told it is used just as "What does he want?", with [who] replacing [he] when we don't know who we are addressing, but that is unclear to me. Is it the same than "Who wants what"?    * Grammatically, where is the subject and which is the interrogative pronoun? Does it become a double question which we expect two answers? Which answer is expected (what + who)?  Can you enlighten me about the different cases we ought use it? Is it formal written english?


title: "Here is/are" followed by plural

text: >   * Here **is** the documents needed. >   * Here **are** the documents needed. > Which is grammatically correct and why? My guess would be the second one because of the plural form.


title: "Technology" vs. "a technology"

text: > (Company) develops _transactional data technology_ that aggregates > information for payment service providers and merchants. or > (Company) develops **_a** transactional data technology_ that aggregates > information for payment service providers and merchants. Which is correct?


title: "after abusing it for three years" vs "after having abused it for three years"

text: I was writing a blog post about my phone this morning, and this is how I started it: > Last week, after abusing it for over three years, I retired my trusty old > HTC Desire and replaced it with an HTC One. This sentence didn't feel quite right to me, so I changed it to: > Last week, after having abused it for over three years, I retired my trusty > old HTC Desire and replaced it with an HTC One. But this doesn't feel quite right to me, either. What am I doing wrong? Which one of these sentence is correct? Why?


title: What do you call the green slippery thing formed, due to standing in water?

text: I can only think of "algae" or preferably "green algae", these are in the context of science. But is there any other general word in English used for this green slippery thing? In Hindi we say, _Kaayi_ , so what is _Kaayi_ in English?


title: Term for intentionally blanking or blurring parts of images or videos

text: Names or other sensitive information in an official document, or in a previously secret document now made public, are often deleted to protect the privacy of the individuals. It's usually done visibly, with the parts of the text painted over by a thick black line, or by blurring it. I know this practice is called "redacting", even if the word has a different original meaning. I often see "[redacted]" written over a removed part of text. However, what is the term used if parts of images or videos are hidden. For example, a face of a person in an interview is pixelated to keep viewers from recognizing the person. A technical drawing which might end up in a video is pixelated to keep people from stealing it. A license plate of a car is pixelated, or painted black, etc. Is the word [redacted] used in this case? **I'm looking for a single word or a short phrase to _print across_ a part of an image or video which is blanked, blurred, or pixelated intentionally** to keep people from discovering any sensitive information. The point is for viewers to recognize that it's not a mistake, but intentional. "Censored" would be an alternative, but I don't think it fits this situation, as that word is often used for the purpose of hiding details people might find shocking, embarrassing or taboo.


title: "Request of modification" vs "modification request"

text: As the title says, which one is better? The entire phrase should be something like > Any **[request of modification/modification request]** should be sent to the > Manager first Thank you


title: Can we use 'for what' in relative clauses?

text: I feel that the following sentence is not correct: > He wants to paint the walls of his flat, for what he needs the best tools. So 'what' refers to the whole first clause in the sentence. Okay, I could say something like: > He wants to paint the walls of his flat, so he needs the best tools. or I could use _therefore_ , _thus_ , etc. But is there a solution which is somehow nearer to the first sentence in meaning? Can I use a preposition before 'what' in a relative clause, similarly to the case of 'which'?


title: What does " 'Nation " stand for in this context?

text: I was reading the novel _A Tale of Two Cities_ by Charles Dickens. In Chapter 2, there are sentences like: > “I hope there ain’t, but can’t make so ’Nation sure of that,” said the > guard, in gruff soliloquy. “Hallo you!” I don't know what that apostrophe in the word _'Nation_ stands for. I searched for it on the Internet and in dictionaries, but could not discover the answer. Or is this just a printing error? (In China, Google is banned, so the only PDF I can find is the Project Gutenberg edition, which has the same text in this spot.) Can anybody help me with this?


title: Is it common to use “grocery” as a verb?

text: My favorite NY-Times columnist Maureen Dowd who consistently supplies me the material for posting questions in EL&U site begins today’s (December 8) article titled “A Lost Civilization” with the line: > “My college roommates and **I used to grocery shop** and cook together. The > only food we seemed to agree on was corn, so we ate a lot of corn.” All of Cambridge, Oxford, and Merriam-Webster dictionaries register “grocery” as a noun meaning “grocery store (Cambridge),” “grocer’s shop or business (Oxford)” and “(1) grocer’s store, (2) groceries sold by a grocer.” However, none of them lists “grocery” as a verb. I know a noun are often used as verbs like 'bicycle a trip,' 'pen a letter,' and 'market a new product,' but is “grocery” widely used as a verb meaning ‘to visit a grocery store,’ or simply ‘shop around’? Is the use of "X-shop" as a verb 'trendy' and universal? Can I say “I barber shop once a month," "He golf shopped to buy a new club," "She used to barger shops for a lunch," "I sport shopped to buy a new ski wear," "I computer shopped a new i-phone model yesterday," "I book shopped for a Jeffery Archer's paperback yesterday," and "I pawn shopped to loan $300," without being frowned?


title: Subscriber is to subscription as provider is to ...?

text: As the title suggests I am looking for a noun which describes the connection between a person (the provider) and the objects or services he provides. It will be used in the same context as the pair “subscriber”/“subscription”. “Provision” sounds right, yet has a different meaning (the one of reserving).


title: Equivalent word for 'Unfriend' on Social media sites?

text: I understand that 'Unfriend' is not a valid English word. But, is there an equivalent word for the act of 'Unfriending' someone, like on Facebook? _'Not being on talking terms'_ is something a friend suggested. I am looking for one word here. from @Hugo :   _Because social media "friends" are sometimes just acquaintances and not necessarily actual friends (and sometimes not even acquaintances), a good answer will also apply to this weaker relationship._


title: Origin of "egg on my face"

text: Where does the phrase "egg on my face" come from, and what is its meaning?


title: Word for "drawing a decisive conclusion about a phenomenon according to specific personal experience"

text: What is a single word for "drawing a decisive conclusion about a phenomenon according to specific personal experience"? I often encounter people who can follow a pattern like that in an argument: > A: What do you think about the new X cell phone? > > B: My sister bought one, and she could not operate it, so it's not user > friendly. It's not only generalization, but also taking a case that you are familiar with and making conclusions about a certain object according to that case even if the conclusion is not relevant or connected.