title: Names of ancient people and spirits that are used for desribing people's mood and characteristics

text: I saw some words, which are names of ancient people and spirits (such as those exist in Greek and Roman tales). They are used for describing people's mood and characteristics. For example,   * some names of the planets in the solar system are used for describing people's mood, e.g. saturnine is used to describe lacking in cheer.   * _philistine_ is used to described a person who is guided by materialism. I wonder if you can help to list and categorize those words, (and/or the reason of the ward carrying the meaning), so that it is easier to compare and remember them? Thanks!


title: why do we say "too bad"?

text: At first glance you'd think the correct use of the expression "too bad" would be in a conversation like this: > Sure stealing candy would be bad but stealing candy from a baby is just too > bad. But instead we more often use the expression either sarcastically in cases like this: > Yeah, I got it first! Too bad. You lose. or as a synonym for "unfortunate" such as in: > It's too bad that you can't come to the party. But why did we come to use "too bad" in this way that seems to be little related to the literal meaning of the words?


title: Usage of the word "through"

text: what is the meaning of "The malware affects IE9 through IE11(Internet Explorer)"? why can't we use "from IE9 to IE11" instead


title: 'Eventually' — in the past or by some point in the future

text: Consider the following exchange: > Alice: Did Charlotte send you that email?   >  Bob: No, but I'm sure she'll send it eventually. In this case, there's no upper bound on the period of time in which Charlotte can send the email to Bob for his expectation to be met. Suppose I want it to be limited by some point in the past or in the future: > Alice: Did Charlotte send you that email last month?   >  Bob: No, but I'm sure she sent it eventually. Can Bob say that? What about: > Alice: Did Charlotte send you that email last month?   >  Bob: No, but I'm sure she sent it eventually-by-one-week-ago. And what about: > Alice: Did Charlotte send you that email last month?   >  Bob: No, but I'm sure she has sent/did send/will send it eventually-by-one- > month-from-now. How can Bob express his certainty that the email was sent, or will be sent, at some point in time between the day Alice mentioned and the limit time Bob is referring to?


title: What are the abbreviations most commonly used on the Internet?

text: Every so often I see various abbreviations used on forums and blogs and whatnot, such as FYI (For Your Information) and AFAIK (As Far As I Know). What other common abbreviations are there, and what are their meanings?


title: If Atheism is the rejection of all deities equally what is the polar opposite?

text: If an 'atheist' is someone that does not believe in all deities with equal disbelief, what would you call someone that believed in 'all deities' equally?


title: English idiom for the Italian "Buon lavoro"

text: In Italian we can say "Buon lavoro" to someone who is working and it basically means that we wish him/her the best while working (It can be literally translated with "Good work" but it sounds just wrong). It's like when you say "Good morning" to someone and it can be roughly translated with: "Have a good day at work". Note: I'm aware of the fact that in English you can say "Good job" but that's usually said after a job is done. Is there such an idiom in English?


title: Title in a letter to an unknown person

text: Many times when writing a letter asking to a department of my university, I'm hesitating for the appropriate title. Say I want to email "Student Insurance Office" to ask about insurance coverage. Here are some example I can come up with,   1. "To whom it may concern". Not appropriate, because to me it shows the writer's indifference about the person reading it.   2. "Dear Student Insurance Officer/Manager". Can I start with "dear" to an stranger?(I could replace it by "Hello" or "Hi" though) and can I generally call people officer? Usually it means police officer.    3. "Dear Student Insurance Office". It seems that I'm writing a letter to the whole office.    4. "Dear Sir/Madam". But actually I don't know the name of that person. I would know of course if he/she responds my email. Do you guys have any suggestions to the generally acceptable title for an unknown person/department/organization?


title: The usage of "but" in non-shift sentence

text: I have found a sentence: > He returned several times to India briefly, but only returned permanently > early in 1915. I believe this sentence does not contain any shift. We can say that _He returned several times to India briefly, and only returned permanently early in 1915._ I do not which know one is correct and why.


title: Is "teen-ager" correct? Still used? Etymology?

text: I was reading an article in The New York Times published in 1990 and came across the spelling of teenager as 'teen-ager'; is this American spelling? Archaic? > The young man, who often said he only wanted to be treated like an ordinary > teen-ager, had a date for the senior prom, and friends said he was looking > forward to the dance.


title: How popular is the phrase “What’s eating you?” Is it an interjection?

text: I saw an American English teacher introducing the phrase, “What’s eating you? in a TV English conversation class this morning by warning audience not to confuse it with the question asking what food you are eating. As I was unfamiliar with this expression, I consulted with OALD. It registers this as an idiom used to ask what sb is annoyed or worried about. Wikidictionary defines it an _interjection_ meaning “what is annoying you?” However, Googlebooks Ngram Viewer doesn’t register “What’s eating you?” Is “What’s eating you?” a popular phrase both in Britain and United States? Is it an idiom or interjection as defined by Wikidictionary in the same sense of “Oh my God,” “Look out,” and “Watch it”? To me it looks a plain interrogative sentence. What is the origin of “What’s eating you?”


title: Confusion about characters in a dialogue: I can't fathom who spoke what from the punctuation

text: I am reading The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Conner (The Noonday Press). In the second story, there's a conversation going on between Rayber and the barber. The barber starts saying something about politicians at the end of the first page and goes on till the beginning of the first page. Then the quotation marks close, and the next paragraph starts in quotation marks, which is > "You hear that, George?" he shouted to the colored boy wiping the floor > around the basins. Here is a google books link pointing to what I am talking about. Which also seems to be said by the barber. My understanding of English language's punctuation was that when a dialogue between two characters is written, the paragraph is only changed when the turn of the first character finishes, and the turn of the second character begins. In cases where there is paragraphing within the quote of the first character, the double quotes do not close at the end of the first paragraph, but do start at the beginning of the next one, signifying that the text is still in the quotation of the first character. Am I missing something? Can somebody point me to a punctuation guide in this regard?


title: Expression regarding a periodic task

text: So, if I have to do a certain task during a whole week but with a 3-week gap. For instance, in a 3-week period I will have to do that task for 1 week, in a 6-week period for 2 weeks, not in a row, of course, and so on. >   1. One work week for each 3-weeks. >   2. Once in every 3-weeks. >   3. ... > Which is the best way to express this work schedule rotation?


title: Why is the preposition "in" used twice in this sentence: In 1934, in February...?

text: This sentence is in the book pattern complete sentence is: > In 1934, in February, when the dust was still so thick in the Minnesota air > that my parents couldn't always see from the house to the barn, their fifth > child – a fourth daughter – was born. ― _MY MOTHER NEVER WORKED_ , by Bonnie > Smith-Yackel, page 2


title: Does this sentence make sense? Correct use of the word constitute?

text: I was pretty sure this made sense but then I looked up the dictionary meaning of the word `constitute` and I wasn't so sure?               By continuing to use the website and/or the Services you constitute that you agree to      these new terms of use.


title: "Being incognito, I naturally add up"

text: I was interested in the following piece which appeared in an article titled "Let's Be Philosophical" by Russel Baker in The New York Times (January 25, 1987). > It was that incident, in fact, that renewed my determination to get busy > with reading philosophy. It is humiliating to be caught accidentally > confusing Descartes with Hume. > > And accident it was, of course, for I am thoroughly familiar with the > thought of Descartes. It is famously stated in his ''Puto ergo sum,'' a > Latin expression meaning, ''I am putative, therefore I do sums.'' This is > sometimes written, ''Cogito ergo sum,'' meaning, ''Being **incognito** , I > naturally add up.'' > > David Hume, on the other hand, was incapable of thinking such thoughts since > he was never either putative or **incognito** and, being Scottish, detested > the very idea of thinking in Latin. This he considered a disgusting > affectation that the English used to show off Oxford educations. Oxford Dictionary of English defines "incognito" as " _(of a person) having one's true identity concealed_ ". Can someone clarify if the journalist correctly uses the word "incognito", as I'm not sure on this circumstance, even after reading the Latin origin this word ("incognitus", from **in** \- 'not' + **cognitus** (past participle of _cognoscere_ 'know')?


title: Single word for 'to become known or famous'

text: I want to describe an event that through the years has become known or popular, like the celebration of, say, Holloween for instance. We could say that Holloween became popular or (...) a long time ago.


title: What is a single word describing this type of statement?

text: Scenario: A gang from the west of the USA wants to kill gang members from the east of the USA. The gang from the west meet a gang member from the east and ask: 'Where are you from?' The gang member from the east replies: 'From the west.' But he intends to mean 'the western world' so he said something intending a different meaning than that of the meaning in the minds of those he was addressing, thus fooling them, and saving himself. Is there a term for this type of linguistic/semantic strategy? _Note: no offense to people from the USA_


Scenario: 'Are you stressed by his threat?' Answer: 'I'm not that concerned.' What is the grammatical function of 'that' in this sentence?


title: Asking somebody to select between two or more options

text: Assume we want to ask somebody to choose between two options. Each option is a phrase like "stay home" or "come with me". What is the correct form of asking such questions? >   1. Do you want to stay home or come with me? >   2. Do you want to stay home or do you want to come with me? >   3. Do you want to stay home or you want to come with me? > Any better form? What if there are more than two options?


title: What is the phrase ending in "game" that means a fool's errand?

text: I am trying to remember the phrase that describes a particular kind of folly - trying to "beat the house", or willingness to play a rigged game. As I recall it has the form of "a fool's errand" - that is, the game is referred to as belonging to the person who is silly enough to play it. I'd appreciate knowing the origin of the phrase, too.


title: What would be an appropriate opposite of "exceed"?

text: _Exceed_ is commonly used, but when I found myself wanting to use the opposite I couldn't really find a single word that would do it. _fall short of_ and _inadequate_ are a little off.   How about _deceed_?


title: Is there a word similar to vocabulary, but meaning the body of phrases known to a person?

text: I could say I have a wide vocabulary if I know the meaning of many words. What would I say if I know many phrases? Or, if I learn a new phrase, then I have added it to my **___ ___**. I am not looking for words that can be used for groups of things in general (e.g. arsenal).


title: Where "summat" came from

text: In Scottish English, I know that the word _summat_ is used in place of standard _something_. But what's the etymology of this pronoun? It seems unlikely to me that _summat_ could be merely a variant pronunciation of _something_. It also seems likely that the _sum-_ part is from _some_ , as with _something_ , though I haven't a clue what the rest of it could be.


title: Is there a word for refusing to call things by their name out of fear?

text: Some examples:   * "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" or "You-Know-Who" for Voldemort of Harry Potter fame   * Him in the Powerpuff Girls   * Any of the various monikers for Yahweh   * possibly "She Who Must Be Obeyed" for Hilda Rumpole


What is the literary term used to describe long vowel sounds? For example in Ted Hughes's "Your Paris" in his Birthday Letters anthology "Eerie Familiar Feeling", what term would be used to describe this literary long vowel sound technique?


title: this is the first year + clause

text: In a sentence such as > This is the first year I’ve lived in a house with a yard. Is it all right to have a clause other than present perfect? That is, can you say, for instance, sentences like the following: > This is the first year I'm living in a house with a yard > > That was the first year I lived in a house with a yard.


title: "knowledge on" or "knowledge of"? Which one is correct?

text: I want to mention on my CV that I also know a little bit about Java and C#. What is a better way to mention that? I think one of the following may be correct: > 1) Also have some knowledge on Java and C#. > > 2) Also have some knowledge of Java and C#. Which one is correct? How can I mention it on my CV?


title: What does "noon hour" mean?

text: I came across the following sentence in a book. I wonder how should I interpret "noon hour": > "And how shall you rise beyond your days and nights unless you break the > chains which you at the dawn of your understanding have fastened around your > noon hour?" (The first part of the sentence is closely related to the sentence before.) Those who are interested can see the whole text at 'On Freedom'.


title: Replacement for "God forbid"

text: I wanted to use the phrase "God forbid" the other day, but really wanted to avoid the religious connotations that may come along with it. I was stumped while thinking of a replacement or variation. I like the way the phrase "flows" or "feels" when interjected like this: > You could do X if, God forbid, Y doesn't happen. I know "heaven forbid" is common, but that's the type of thing I'm trying to avoid. Are there any similar phrases that could be used in such a way, or even a good replacement word for "God/heaven" which would work here and still sound natural?


title: “I have made an X to make an X”

text: I have found in a novel the sentence “I have made a call: to make a call.” The context is: the female main character is on the run and distressed, and to try and fix her problems she calls a former fiancé, in a hope to manipulate him. Is “I have made an X[:] to make an X” a standard phrase? Is it a hidden quotation? Or could it be a play on the different meanings of “call” (phone call, call for help etc.)?


title: what phrase to use to convey the idea of "my first attempt"

text: I had tried photography as serious hobby for the first time and I have made an album. I want to expresses the idea to the world that this is my first attempt. Few things come to my mind like "my first try at photography" or "my first hand at photography". I do not know if these statements are correct, so can someone suggest something or at-least verify these.


title: What is the meaning of the sentence (about mathematics and philosophy)?

text: I have a question. I translate a text from English to Russian. And I can not understand the meaning of the sentence. It's very difficult for me. Could you explain its meaning for me using simpler words? My sentence: > "A chief point of interest that has emerged from modern attempts to > characterize philosophy is the importance of distinguishing dialectical or > analytical inquiries about meaning from empirical inquiries about facts"


title: Why do people say "you could have done"?

text: An email from my American colleague says: > If there is a transaction _you could have saved_ data. I don't quite understand his specific tone by the "could have saved". Why not just say "you can save data"?


title: Today Was vs Today Is

text: If someone asks, "What day is it today?" and it is 10 pm, is it correct to respond with > "Today **was** Tuesday." since the day is over and it's night? Is that response incorrect? Should the correct response be > "Today **is** Tuesday."?


title: What is the etymology of "blackguard"? Does this British-sounding word have subtleties in its use?

text: The following is from _My Fair Lady_ , where Eliza Doolittle's father, a man of working-class origins, is about to make his appearance. Prof. Higgins and Col. Pickering, our primary interlocutors in this dialogue, sense that Alfred Doolittle is after money for their use of Eliza to settle their little sociolinguistic experiment. > HIGGINS [ _promptly_ ] Send the blackguard up.   >  MRS. PEARCE. Oh, very well, sir. [She goes out].   >  PICKERING. He may not be a blackguard, Higgins.   >  HIGGINS. Nonsense. Of course he's a blackguard.   >  PICKERING. Whether he is or not, I'm afraid we shall have some trouble with > him. What is the etymology of this word? Wikitionary, usually extremely handy, informs me that it comes from "black + guard", which is just too thin gruel for my taste. I mean, duh! The question is why are those terms combined to apply to "scoundrels" and "unprincipled persons", as Wikitionary defines it. Can some make the history more detailed for me? Also, would one find this word current in British English, and does it always have a "chummy" or "lighthearted" quality as used in the quotation above?


title: What is the word for "understandable by specific group"?

text: Please suggest the word which means "understandable by specific group". I just forgot that.


title: Using the correct tense in writing

text: Should I use past tense to describe something of a permanent nature/situation? > "The Taipei 101 stands at ... (height) is the most famous financial centre > in Taiwan and it has 101 floor of storeys". Since I'm writing an essay entitled "My holiday", should I write "The Taipei 101 **_stood_** at... **was** the most famous financial centre in Taiwan and it **_had_** 101 floor of storeys?" > "The card access system is a fully automated system that **_links_** with... > and then the data captured **_is_**..." As I'm writing my CV, I just wonder I should use past tense to describe the system/program that I had designed, but in fact they are still existing and running at present though I had left the previous company. Would it be more consistent with the text of other tasked performed if I write > "The card access system **_was_** a fully automated system that **_linked_** > with... and then the data captured **_was_** ..." so that my whole text would be in past tense?


title: What does this intricate sentence mean?

text: What does this bold part mean? It doesn't make any sense. What did he want to say here? http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/08/syrian-electronic-army- hackers-new-york-times-tactics.html Regardless, it’s clear that the individuals who make up the S.E.A. are not simply technically savvy in a rote way. They are fully native products and producers of Internet culture. They use English, both on social media and in their phishing attacks, in the manner of young people who’ve spent their entire lives online; they deploy well-known memes when they hijack accounts; they crack jokes about Justin Bieber; and, of course, they relentlessly broadcast all of their doings on social media. (Their current Twitter account, @Official_SEA16, is, as the number implies, their sixteenth consecutive account, as previous ones were suspended. A Twitter spokesperson explained in an e-mail that the account remains active because “Our Trust and Safety team takes action only after someone reports a violation of our Rules and the report is investigated.”) **Most profoundly, the S.E.A.’s campaign reflects the vigilantism of young aggressors steeped in the Web: it’s conducted not simply on widely viewed media sites or on social media itself but for them;** the SEA knows how to capture a precise kind of attention from a particular kind of audience. This is in part, one suspects, because they are that kind of audience, one who lives on Facebook and Twitter. That’s what ultimately makes this group so remarkable: it has shifted the battleground from a single place to an infinite number of them, because it’s battling for attention, not power—even if it can be hard to tell the difference.


title: Does "to err on the side of ... " indicate wrongdoing?

text: Does the phrase "to err on the side of ...," specifically "err on the side of caution," indicate that it is wrong to be "on the side of," the object? "Err" makes me think of "error," and is such the word in question in the phrase. Additionally, is this phrase considered an idiom?


title: What would you call the object of an activity one does for fun?

text: For instance, the object related to cooking is a "dish", when playing it is "sport" or "game", when singing it's a "song". Which single term would describe the object for the general act of doing something for leisure? The closest I've got to is a "fun thing". So that I could say "I did a fun thing last weekend" as opposed to "I did work last weekend". Would anyone like to volunteer a neologism if a term does not exist? Something catchy, please.


title: What is the difference in usages between "send" and "dispatch"?

text: I found that both words have similar meaning as in when they are verbs, they can mean similar action. But I'm confused with their usages when this similar usage takes place, which is "sending". May I ask what is the difference in usages between "send" and "dispatch"?


I'm an American who lives in Germany and hear many kinds of English spoken by many nationalities. Just as "one can either write `organization` or `organisation` but the main point is to be consistent" I have also generally applied this rule to my speech. Especially when I was teaching English I would make it a point to not say phrases such as: > Spot on! even though I thought it was cool. And instead of saying: > Shall we go? I would say: > Do you want to go? I can imagine if you are teaching English or if you are representing a company from London or New York or Sydney you have a certain obligation to speak as if you come from that place. **In what contexts is it important to maintain your accent or dialect?**


title: Can "recall" be used in an imperative sense?

text: Can " **recall** " be used in an imperative sense, interchangeably with " **remember** ", such as in " **Recall** that..." as if I was saying " **Remember** that..." i.e. "John, recall I told you to go shopping"


title: Is the line blurring between "accent" and "dialect"?

text: The definition that I have had in my head for most of my life is: > **dialect** : _a variation of the original language (usually regional), > sometimes even using different vocabulary and grammar_ > > **accent** : _a discernible influence of another language (usually because > the speaker is not talking in his native tongue)_ Yet, I keep hearing about Southern, Scottish or New York accents...shouldn't these be more accurately called "dialects"? I could see that the answer might not be as clear cut in the US as in the UK because there are probably far more "native" American speakers whose ancestors' native language was not English... _Disclaimer: I'm German myself and I'm more or less assuming that "accent" and "dialect" directly correspond to their German "lookalikes": "Akzent" and "Dialekt". Maybe the semantics of those two words are simply different in English? If so, feel free to close this question._


title: How to use the words ending with "-ly"?

text: First question: in the grammar world, where do the _-ly_ ended words belong?   Second question: how to use them correctly? Rarely (oops!), if ever, I get myself using -ly ended words in my writing. I'm not a native speaker and I'm always at loss when choosing between a -ly ended and a non -ly ended word to use in my writing.


title: What is the meaning of the phrase "a man of the world"?

text: The name of one of the **Ernest Hemingway** 's short stories is **"A man of the world"**. It seems to me that I understand the meaning of this phrase out from the context of the short story. But all the same it seems a little vague to me due to the fact that this seems to be an idiom with its own specific meaning. All the meanings of this idiom which I managed to google don't seem to fit in full for the name of the short story. Could you help me to grasp the meaning of the idiom in this short story? **Edited (added):** "A Man of the World" Summary (from http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-ernest- hemingway/chapanal059.html ) > Blindy is a blind man that wanders among the local bars playing slot > machines. He smells very bad and has a difficult time finding someone to > give him a ride between bars. His favorite bar is the Pilot, where he gets > along well with the bartender. The bartender explains how Blindy became > blind. During a fight, his eyes were gouged out and then bitten off by his > opponent, Willis Sawyer. Blindy, who refuses to be called by his previous > nickname, Blacky, is content with his life and pities Willis Sawyer.....


title: How should a (North American) Native English Speaker prounounce the word 'Afrikaans'?

text: I've always had trouble with the word 'Afrikaans'. I could say it the way South Africans say it, but then I'm not sure if I'd just be saying the word with a South African accent. After all, I don't pronounce 'Spanish' as 'ESS- PAN-YOLLL'. So how do people pronounce it?


title: Reasons for using the same word for people and language of a country?

text: Ever since my first days of learning English I have been puzzled by this simple phenomenon: Why the word "English" can both mean the English language, and the English people? Is there any historical reason for this? By "historical", I mean, is the usage already like this a long time ago? I am asking this because "people" and "language" are two related but very different concepts. Why use the same word for two different things? (Well, of course a single word can have two or more completely different and unrelated meanings, but that's not what I am asking here.) I am a Chinese. In Chinese the words for people of a country and the language of that country are different. For example, for English people, we would just say "English people", and for the language, we would say "English language". I don't know what is the case in other languages.


title: Is “Go against type” a stand-alone popular idiom?

text: Today’s New York Times carries an article with the headline, “James Gorman of Morgan Stanley, **Going Against Type** ,” followed by the lead copy: > Forgoing Wall Street flash, Morgan Stanley’s chief executive is finding > safer ways for the firm to make money. I first guessed “Go against type” as “go against typical pattern or traditional way of thinking, which usually means ‘aggressive, abrasive and revolutionary,” but the succeeding copy goes against my preconception: “In the process, James Gorman and Morgan Stanley are becoming the face of what may be Wall Street’s future: highly profitable, to be sure, but with fewer of the grand ambitions or larger-than-life personalities that have always characterized the place. “I’m pretty invisible, and that’s just fine,” he acknowledged." It seems “go against type” implies James Gorman is taking a steadier and life- sized approach of management as against aggressive and speculative business approaches of Morgan Stanley in the past. However, I don’t find the phrase, “Go against type” neither in CED or OED, though I find “Go against sb./ sth (flow, the grain)” in CED. Is “Go against type” a stand-alone idiom, or just one of variations of “Go against sth,”? Can “go against type” be often used in such a way of simply meaning “different from the old way,” as used in the above article, without projecting any revolutionary, ambitious, and abrasive tones and a sort of bulldozing approach that come first from the word, “go against X”?


title: Is "we all pull on one single string" an idiom or is it just wrong?

text: > We all pull on one single string. Is this correct English? When I look up the intended meaning of this phrase, I get the following results from several online dictionaries:   * > to pull together >   * > to act in concern > > But there is no dictionary that says, "to pull on one (single) string". Hence my question: Is it an idiom or is it wrong? Addition: This phrase is definately meant to be an idiom. There are no physical strings to be pulled. It means to say that everyone holds together to face a common dread, to make a difference and to fight for a better world. Thats the context.


title: Does one say "to ring stupid" or what are appropriate alternatives?

text: If you want to express that something is true even if it is actually dumb, in German we can say something along > So blöd es auch klingt, aber es ist wahr. Literally it's _As stupid it also rings, but it is true._ I guess that _to ring stupid_ isn't a proper term in English, especially not as shown in the literally translation, but I'm looking for a term that is quite similar to the German one. The phrase _So blöd es auch klingt_ is used when you tell:   * really strange and unbelievable happenings,   * unusual feelings, occasions, etc. in which you e.g. do or want have the opposite of what is considered as being normal, or   * actions that are self-evident and actually not need to be said Consider the following examples in which I replaced the German saying by _I know it sounds weird_ (which actually is in German _Ich weiß, dass es sich ungewöhnlich anhört_ ), although it sounds indeed weird in the last sentence. > I know it sounds weird but I've really seen a ghost that night. > > I know it sounds weird but I'm scared of being happy. > > I know it sounds weird but you should always warm-up before sports. I am looking for one ore more phrases having the same connotation[*] and using a sentence structure that is as close as possible to the German one. * * * [*]Regarding connotations: Although in all three sentences the connotations are a bit differently from each others, I guess that the appropriate connotations are obviously. If I'm wrong please comment and I will add an explanation what is denoted by the phrasing.


title: An idiom meaning "sticking fingers in your ears does not change the fact"

text: I am looking for an idiom which means sticking fingers in your ears does not change the fact; the fact remains so, even if you don't listen to the one who is mentioning it.


title: Is "but" really a conjunction here?

text: _But_ can be used to introduce an exclamation of surprise. Here's an example from Game of Thrones (not verbatim) > But you're a pretty girl! The sentence was supposed to mean roughly > My god/Wow, you're a pretty.... The Oxford Dictionary does mention this _but_ but they call it a conjunction. And that I find weird.   * What is this _but_ conjoining?   * Isn't it a modal particle rather than a conjunction?


title: Would be vs. would have been

text: Which of the following examples is grammatically correct? >   1. There was someone at the door. It WOULD BE the milkman. > >   2. There was someone at the door. It WOULD HAVE BEEN the milkman. > > If both are possible, do they mean the same thing? Thank you very much for your kind help. Paolo


title: What word contains the most unique letters?

text: I'm assuming there isn't a word that contains every letter in the alphabet, so which word contains the most? Examples: antidisestablishmentarianism - 12 `[antidseblhmr]`   psychotherapy - 12 `[psychotherap]`   handcraftsmanship - 13 `[handcrftsmhip]`


title: What does "trollpoking" mean?

text: The edit summary here says: > cleaned up a bit, removed the trollpoking. I'm certain removing _trollpoking_ is referring to the removal of: > This answer is going to be deleted as off-topic, isn't it? ^_^ and I know what troll(ing) is. But what does _trollpoking_ mean?


title: Wrong usage of “myself ”, or just putting emphasis on “me”?

text: I was writing the following sentence, and I realized it somehow sounds odd: > I am constantly trying to remind myself to think carefully before speaking, > but those moments I forget to do so end up hurting others and **myself**. Does it sound somewhat awkward, and if so, how would I have to change it? > I am constantly trying to remind myself to think carefully before speaking. > However, there are few moments where I forget to do so, and end up hurting > others and myself. Could above be an alternative? but is there a way to write it in one sentence, putting emphasis on _me_ , and still not making it sound odd?


title: two times or twice

text: 1. In the 1980’s the rate of increase of the minority population of the United States was nearly **twice as fast as it was in** the 1970’s.   2. In the 1980’s the rate of increase of the minority population of the United States was nearly **twice what it was in** the 1970’s.   3. In the 1980’s the rate of increase of the minority population of the United States was nearly **two times faster than that of** the 1970’s.   4. In the 1980’s the rate of increase of the minority population of the United States was nearly **two times greater than** the 1970’s. Can anyone explain correct grammatical sentence between these ?


title: Opposite of "summary"

text: What is the opposite of _summary_ as in a _Summary Report_ or _A Summary_? Common suggestions are _Exposition_ but that doesn't seem right at all, and other suggestions I find in a search are just antonyms of _short_ like _long_ and _lengthy_. _Summary_ stands on its own as a noun, but none of the others do except _Exposition_ which seems very different in meaning. In my specific case I have two reports; one is titled _End of Month Summary Report_ and one is _End of Month Report - Long Version_ which is painfully awkward. I'd like to keep the titles short and _End of Month Summary_ sounds perfect. I need a concise, understandable phrase for the latter.


title: Proper use of "vernacular"

text: Is this proper use of the word _vernacular_? > Wow! _Curmudgeons_ is a cool word! I'm going to add it to my **vernacular**.


title: What's the difference in saying "the average family" vs. "the family average"?

text: Consider these two sentences: > A Scranton family has an average of 2.1 children.   >  The average Scranton family has 2.1 children. I've seen both used. The first one seems reasonable, but the second one seems wrong because you're applying average to _family_ , not to numbers. To me, saying "the Jones are an average family" seems legitimate, but if the Jones have 2.1 children, they're anything but average. Is the second sentence grammatically correct? Is it understood to mean the same as the first sentence? Inspired by the question, Meaning of the expression "2.1 kids".


title: Yet another question about the pronunciation of the letter i

text: First, let's not talk about the long i (as in the name of the letter) or the short i (as in 'incorrect') pronunciations. This question is about the third and usually not talked about pronunciation - the ee sound (as in "pronunciation"). I have looked at many web sites about the letter i and none talk about the ee sound of the letter i. Why? Would you call it the 'soft' letter i? As in the long A, short A and soft A? Do we also have long I, short I and soft I? If one is teaching letter pronunciation to a non-english speaker all 3 sounds of the letter I have to be included. I don't see how it can be lumped into the letter e or letter y conversation. After all, it's an "i", not an "e" or "y". thanks for any insight you can provide. Chip


title: Is this usage of "reign" correct?

text: Lately I've noticed increasing usage of the phrase "free reign". Is this a legitimate usage of the word "reign", or is this a corruption of the phrase "free rein"? I've been dismissing usages of "free reign" as grammatical errors, but I'm beginning to see this phrase used even in print, so I'm questioning my initial dismissal of this phrase.


title: Sentence analysis (copula)

text: I am quite confused with this. Sentence is: His dog is his best friend. I would say that this is copula sentence, without object, and that HIS DOG is a subject. My friend is trying to persuade me that it is quite different i.e. his dog=object, his best friend=subject. Pls help&thank you


title: "Cheap mother" idiom

text: In this passage: > Got a feature request? Found a bug? Think our mother is cheap? We'd love to > hear from you! (source) What do they mean by "Think our mother is cheap?" there?


title: The vocative case and comma splices

text: I've been trying to find an answer to this question for some time, and have finally decided to... well, buck up some courage and ask. In sentences like these two > "Hello, Mary, how are you?"   >  "Don't touch that, John, it'll explode!" is the comma after the name (Mary, John) a comma splice or not? I can understand that for instances like the following > "I can't believe, Howard, that you've put the duck in there." the name is technically parenthetical, but it feels to me like the first two are clearly not. In the first two cases, I'd be much happier if the latter was replaced by a period or had a suitable conjunction added in. It feels to me, here, like the vocative is being used to justify attaching two independent clauses together in a similar manner to a comma splice, and is thus an error. Any thoughts/information on this? I'll appreciate any answers anyone could give me on this, even if they are just 'Duh, that's obvious'. It's been bugging me for a while.


Why do we say "Hurricane prepares to hit east coast?" People prepare for a hurricane, but the hurricane isn't doing anything but moving. When else do we say that an inanimate object prepares to do something?


title: Recognizing right relative pronouns for clauses

text: I have read some grammar points about adjective clauses, but I still have problems recognizing the right choice in questions requiring them. > A Jekyll and Hyde is a person who has two personalities, one of ---- is bad > and the other good. (I guess it should be _whom_ but the answer is _which_.) And I wonder if using relative pronouns in this paragraph is correct: > He invents a drug _that (which?)_ can separate them. When he takes the drug, > he becomes an evil version of himself, _whom (that?)_ he calls Mr.Hyde. Can someone please provide information, or resources to get better answers?


title: What does "reputation-bibbing" mean?

text: I read this sentence: "In all his writing (and, apparently, conversation) [Roy] Jenkins loved reputation-bibbing, loved all kinds of ranking, especially of politicians." What does "reputation-bibbing" mean?


title: Is using a plural word after a word describing something that is plural correct

text: 'Different work based on their functions’ should the word 'functions' in this sentence be function because the word 'Different' describes here that the word 'function' is plural.


title: How much can we trust text-to-speech pronunciation of names?

text: Text-to-speech software are applications which try to generate a sound based on a textual input by following linguistic rules of a language (mainly phonetics and phonology). They make a sound for anything you enter, whether it's valid or not. Because pronunciation of the names of people are really hard to be found over the Internet, I thought suddenly to use these software as a close hit. But I'm not sure if I can trust them or not. Do pronunciations of names follow linguistic rules by a good and acceptable percentage? Could this approach be useful?


title: Word for "requires a crew"

text: Is there a single word to describe an entity (for example a boat, ship or power station) that requires some crew, staff or manning in order to function? This is subtly different from using the words _manned_ or _crewed_ to describe an entity that is currently staffed, since this does not mean that it must be staffed to operate.


title: What does "zingo" mean?

text: I'm doing some maintenance work on some software - whose original developers are unknown. There is a report called the "All Zingo Report", which basically dumps all the data for the primary "entity" in the database (the primary entity represents a person that has been referred to a government-associated medical program). Why would the word "zingo" be used to describe such a report?


title: Is it correct to say "Getting out of schedule" or "Going out of schedule"

text: Let me put some context: We have a day of tech sessions, so what I'm trying to say to a partner is that he better prepare well his time (about 60 minutes per session) so he won't run out of time because we don't want the sessions to overlap. So, instead of saying > We don't want the sessions to overlap is it correct to say > We don't want to get/go out of the schedule Many thanks.


title: Is this correct usage of the word "spoil"?

text: Is the following statement appropriate? > A concerned expression starts to slowly spoil his looks. I am trying to say that a person's expression saddens within a minute or two while pondering over something, but not instantly as would be the case when caused by shock


title: What's an accurate easy-to-understand way of referring to the brown outer part of a fried egg?

text: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/eL5bX.jpg) The outer brown part. What's a good/easy-to-understand to refer to it?


title: Expression "I can / can't tell the things"

text: I'm French and have sometimes/often difficulty understanding certain expressions. Presently, I'm not sure of the sense of the following phrase: > I can tell the things that lies in this sentence : > I am learning Python and so far I can tell the things below about `__new__` > and `__init__` I wonder if the phrase in it is correct or if it shouldn't be : > I can't tell the things I would understand the second one as meaning "I'm completely confused about `__new__` and `__init__`" , but like it presently is, I'm not sure how I must interpret the phrase hence the sentence. Also, is the word **below** part of the phrase? or not, as I did in the above line with **can't**? In fact, I also wonder if the phrase is an idiom or not.


title: Inhabitants of Vatican City would be referred to as ____

text: Keep that blank clean. No religious flaming. What I mean is this: inhabitants of America are _Americans_ , inhabitants of Ohio are _Ohioans_ , and inhabitants of Cincinnati are _Cincinnatians_. But what demonym would you use or have you seen used to refer to a resident of Vatican City? This site doesn't have one in its list, and the example for Sioux City, Iowa, found on this Wikipedia page would seem to suggest that maybe it's _Vatican Citian_ , which just sounds awful. Maybe it's one of those places that has never had a demonym. After all, "demon" does appear in the word…


title: "while I am dancing" vs "while I dance"

text: Which are more frequently used? > 1A - I will be discussing the details while you are researching the data. > > 1B - I will be discussing the details while you research the data. and > 2A - I was cleaning the garage while you were preparing a snack. > > 2B - I was cleaning the garage while you prepared a snack. Is there any wrong?


title: Are there any cases where the Scottish English "outwith" has unique meaning?

text: It seems that the Scottish English word _outwith_ can be replaced in (almost?) all contexts by one of the following:   * outside   * outside of However, to ears familiar with the word, the meaning of _outwith_ is nuanced and perhaps more elegant than _outside_. Are there any use cases where _outwith_ conveys a specific or distinct meaning, not adequately expressed by a simple substitution as above?


title: Variations on “a [technical term] is said to be [adjective]” suited to scientific publications

text: (I'll use “spooky-graphoid” as a randomly made-up technical term and “saturated” as a random adjective from the scientific vernacular.) First, when it comes to the definition of a “saturated spooky-graphoid”, which of the following phrasings are grammatically acceptable?   * A spooky-graphoid is said _saturated_ when/if…   * A spooky-graphoid is said a _saturated_ spooky-graphoid when/if…   * A spooky-graphoid is said to be _saturated_ when/if…   * A spooky-graphoid is said to be a _saturated_ spooky-graphoid when/if…   * (something I didn't think of, or something that involves a rephrasing. E.g.: A _saturated_ spooky-graphoid is a spooky-graphoid such that [rephrased part].) Then, which is the most advisable, considering criteria such as grammaticality, reading ease, and space occupation (which, for scientific publications, possibly _does_ matter)?


title: Exact word when we throw a rope in english

text: What's the exact word for throwing a fish hook or a rope whose one end we are holding. Any help is appreciated.


title: Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns

text: What is correct: "too much people" or "too many people"?


title: Is it appropriate to use "so much so" at the beginning of a sentence?

text: She is terrified of flying…so much so that often she has to fight an inner turmoil even to step on the plane. So much so that Lenin commissioned a leading party organizer and Georgian, Josef Stalin, to write a counter-attack (Both are from BNC). I favored "so much so" in the first sentence more than that in the second. I think it is not good to start a sentence with "so much so".


title: Referring to my husband as my son's dad?

text: I received an invitation for a session at my son's (John) school. The teacher had asked us to confirm our attendance for the event. I wrote the following > John's Dad and I will be attending the session. (And signed my name below the note). Is this usage correct? Does it in any way imply that we are not living together?


title: What is the "so" in "I love you so"?

text: > I love you so. What does this _so_ mean here?


title: Is it appropriate to omit some part of a sentence in scholarly writing like this?

text: > It is tempting to suppose that the traditional mountaineer had a civilizing > sense of proportion that is lost on his modern counterparts. Tempting, but > perilous, I think. **Less perilous,I hope, to suggest that a sense of > proportion is characteristic of the best mountaineer of every epoch.** (Is > mountaineering a sport? in Philosophy and Sport, ed. by Anthony O'Hear) The last sentence in this paragraph, obviously, is not a complete sentence, is it appropriate to omit some part of s sentence in scholarly writing like this?


title: Is there a saying like 'those who find faults with other people tend to be blind to their own faults'?

text: Is there a saying that could be explained as 'those who find faults with other people tend to be blind to their own faults?' As with people who are picky; their criticism of others often applies to themselves.


title: Problem in adjective clauses’ grammar

text: I have read some grammar points about adjective clauses, but I still have problems recognizing the right choice in questions requiring them. For example:   * _All the students ____ do well in writing._   Correct answer: _Dr. Freeman teaches_   Why isn’t _" **that** Dr. Freeman teaches **them** "_ correct? And this one seems similar too:   * _The problem ____ never occurred._   Correct answer: _I had expected_   Why isn’t _" **which** I had expected **it** "_ correct? Can someone please provide information or resources to get better answers?


title: Is it correct to say "We will be arriving into <station>"?

text: Often, when getting the train to work in the morning, shortly before arriving at our terminus the conductor will announce "Good morning ladies and gentlemen, we will shortly be arriving into London Euston". This sounds **_so_** wrong to me, but so many of the different conductors say it that I'm now starting to doubt myself. Is what they're saying correct? As far as I'm concerned they should say "We will shortly be arriving **_at_** London Victoria". I know that similar questions have been asked (e.g. When do we use "arrive at" versus "arrive in"?), but they don't deal with this specific usage of arriving at a train station.


title: Is there an adjective form of Jubilee?

text: With the Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years on the throne approaching, I'm seeing the word Jubilee more frequently than normal. Is there a word to describe the people celebrating with the same root as the word Jubilee. > Everybody involved in the celebrations was (jubilee adjective). On a similar note, what other words might fit there? What describes the feeling of general well-being, neighbourly feeling one might also experience at New Year's celebrations?


title: Who's "Her' in Joseph Addison's Cato's Soliloquy?

text: This is a Soliloquy from Joseph Addison's Cato, also known as Edgar Allan Poe’s Cryptographic Challenge, the whole play could be found here. > The soul, secured in her existence, smiles at the drawn dagger, and defies > its point. The stars shall fade away, the sun himself grow dim with age, and > nature sink in years; But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, unhurt amid > the war of elements, The wreck of matter, and the crash of worlds! My question is very simple ,who is **Her**? What's her name, and what's her story?


title: Can "On a second look ..." be used in a sentence?

text: Is "On a second look, I thought / I felt" a correct usage? The complete sentence will be like this: "On a second look, I thought that the IP address you provided belongs to another network range which is already allocated".


title: The usage of "think" followed by an object and an objective complement

text: If you can say "I think him a great man.", can you also say "I think him great."?


title: Capitalising the second word in a compound role-title

text: When a title, made of two hyphenated words, is followed by a proper noun, is the word after the hyphen capitalised? Eg. I understand that the following statement is correct: > He killed King Ravan. But, which of these is correct? > He killed Demon-king Ravan. > > He killed Demon-King Ravan. British English rules are what I, as an Indian, would prefer. Thank you. :)


title: "as well" instead of "and"

text: In my university publications, I notice that many enumerations use "as well" [1] instead of "and" [2]. Is this just to make the text look more sophisticated or is there a real semantic difference? When should I use one or the other? [1] "The algorithm can process text as well as binary files." [2] "The algorithm can process text and binary files."


title: 'Upgradation' not universally accepted?

text: While copy-editing an article for a journal, I came across the word 'upgradation' underlined red by MS Word (It's underlined red even as I type it in Chrome). The publishers of the journal recommend following the Oxford dictionary. Now, strangely one of Oxford's sites returns 'No results found for “upgradation”' on searching, while another defines it as 'the fact of upgrading something'. The Cambridge dictionary site also has an entry for the word. Both, Oxford Learner's Dictionaries site and the Cambridge Dictionary site are complete with US as well as British pronunciations. As far as I know the word is very much in use at least in Indian English. I am unable to make sense out of these findings. Please share if you have any idea as to why there is such predicament over 'Upgradation'.


title: I can speak a little bit of German

text: I was asked to introduce myself and what languages I spoke. So I mentioned all the languages I know and in the end, I added " ** _... and I can speak a little bit of German_** " After I said that, I was wondering if I used the correct expression. Should it have been:   1. I can speak some German   2. I can speak a little German   3. I can speak a little bit German   4. I can speak a little bit of German   5. All 1-4   6. None of 1-4 Please provide your comments.


title: Etymology of certain words ending in "-en"

text: Tchrist's comment here on my answer to an etymology question brought the following to mind: _Ox_ (from Old English _oxa_ ) maintains the same vowel in the plural _oxen_ that it has in the singular. But _child_ has a different vowel (an English short vowel) in the plural. _Brethren_ , an archaic or specialized form of the plural of _brother_ , is a similar case; it changes its vowel in the plural as well, through _i_ -mutation. (Yet _brothers_ does not.) I've looked at http://etymonline.com to find these two words, as well as looking briefly in an introduction to Old English published by the Medieval Institute at Western Michigan University, and discovered that _child_ has an older plural, which might be _childer_ in Modern English. But I'm still not entirely clear on its history; and I'm confused about what the text says about _brother_. Why do these two words with (standard, archaic, or alternative) plurals ending in _-en_ have vowel changes in the plural, when _ox_ does not?


title: Why are the same words translated differently into English depending on their meaning?

text: I've seen it several times before, but only have one example at hand right now. This Forbes article mentions _Russia_ as country's name, but _Rossiya_ as the bank's name, despite that these words are exactly the same in Russian, where they are translated from. Is there some kind of rule for this?


title: "Initialising" is to "initialisation" as "enabling" is to what?

text: Is there a valid word for the act of enabling? I want to say "enablement". It is listed in the dictionary, but is it in common use? I've never heard it before. Is there a more apt word?


title: "Hopefully you’d make some time for me."

text: It's a never ending barrage of doubts about a difference in meaning using auxiliary verbs **would** as opposed **will**. I've just written this sentence, and once gain was unsure whether I should have used would as opposed to will. (BTW,is this sentence correct: " _I've just written this sentence, and once gain was unsure whether I should have used_ " ?)


title: What rules of English allow the first t in “patient” to make an sh sound?

text: What rules of the English language allow the first _t_ in _patient_ to make an _sh_ sound? Why is it `/ˈpeɪʃənt/` and not `/ˈpeɪtənt/`? Are there any other words where t behaves in this way?


title: What do you call a novel that is mostly made up of non-fictional stories?

text: Say you have an author who has a lot of random personal stories from their life, all interesting, but don't stand on their own to be an interesting, single story. The author decides, "why not combine them all into _one_ story?" Well, that _sort of_ becomes an autobiography, I guess, if you actually tell the story in a more chronological way that follows the timeline of their life. What if the author decides _not_ to do everything chronologically? Basically, taking these non-fictional stories, reordering them a little, and placing them all into a _fictional_ character's life, somewhat shortening the timespan in the process? Basically, the story itself and the character would be fictional, but each separate story within the fictional story is non-fictional. Does the fictional part of the story trump the non-fictional parts of the story and just classify the entire thing as fiction, or a novel? Or is there any special word or perhaps genre that would be used to better identify something like this? Ultimately, is there a word to identify a **fictional story made up of non-fictional stories**? I've seen this similar question, but it talks about historical settings in a novel, mainly the non-fictional location a book is set in. I can't imagine that's really the same thing, as the situation I'm outlining is kind of the opposite. The stories themselves are non-fictional, but the setting, location, characters, etc are all fictional.


title: Is "dissatisfactorily" the correct adverb for not satisfying?

text: I want to express something like this: > She had asked him why he had done it, but he had replied dissatisfactorily; > he said that he didn't know. I also thought, maybe "dissatisfyingly?" I'd like to keep the stem "satisfy" to express this.


title: What does "double down" mean in this particular context?

text: Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, said this in an interview: > We're going to double-down on secrecy on products. I know this phrase is from Blackjack and it means to take more risk and expect higher return. But it doesn't sound like what it means by Tim. Could somebody please give me a hint? (There is a similar question about "double down", but I don't think its explanation applies here either.)


title: The meaning of the sentence about relative clause and the word usage

text: A manuscript that lay unnoticed by scientists for decades has revealed that Albert Einstein once dabbled with an alternative to the Big Bang theory, proposing instead that the Universe expanded steadily and eternally.   1. What is the subject for "proposing"? Is that "A manuscript" or "the Big Bang theory"? Is there a rule to distinguish?   2. What does the word "instead" in this sentence mean? If I omit it, will I change the main idea of the sentence?  Thanks!


title: Should 'First Lady' be capped in all references?

text: Should _First Lady_ be capped in all references? •I spoke with the _First Lady_ , Michelle Obama. •Do you want to speak with the _First Lady_? •Former _First Lady_ Barbara Bush attended the ceremony. And what about _the First Couple_ and _the First Kids_? •The _First Couple_ [Barack and Michelle] arrived in Washington. •The _First Kids_ [Barack and Michelle's kids] arrived with their parents.


title: "Pain in the neck" and similar expressions

text: Are there any other expressions equivalent in meaning to "pain in the neck" that mention another part of the body (e.g, "pain in the ass")? How would you rate each of those expressions (including the ones just mentioned) in a scale of being offensive or vulgar? In other words, which ones would you use in an informal context, but without going too far? _(this question is probably mistagged)_


title: Which is more correct: "burgled" or "burglarized"?

text: Which is more correct: > We were _burgled_ yesterday. or > We were _burglarized_ yesterday. I'm from the U.K. and never use _burglarized_ but my friend from the U.S.A. seems to think it's OK.


title: Shouldn’t "Heaven" and "Hell" be capitalized, as they are the names of places?

text: Shouldn’t _Heaven_ and _Hell_ be capitalized, as they are the names of places?


Does "lesser" as in "lesser man" refer only to moral strength and goodness or can it encompass physical and mental stamina?


title: Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, Chap. 2: what does "shy of being confidential on a short notice" mean?

text: > In those days, travellers were very shy of being confidential on a short > notice, for anybody on the road might be a robber or in league with robbers. I understand the meaning in general which describes the fact that people didn't trust each other, and were confidential about their privacy. But Dickens uses "shy of being confidential" that seems contradicted to me, because people wanted to be confidential, then why does he use "shy of being confidential"? Also, does "on a short notice" mean people greeting each other at the first time they meet?


title: What is a "one-note joke"?

text: What is the definition of a "one-note joke"?


title: Are sentences that have multiple "WH Question" words considered grammatical?

text: Are sentences that have multiple "WH Question" words considered grammatical ? For example, is the following sentence grammatical: > Tomorrow, where are we meeting at what time to do what ?


title: "Don't put your life on hold for anybody vs. nobody"

text: I am wondering, which form is correct in this phrase? Don't put your life on hold for _anybody_. OR - Don't put your life on hold for _nobody_. The meaning I want to get is that - "You" should live your life and just don't "care" about anyone else/ You shouldn't wait for nobody (same problem - nobody/anybody?) Please, help me..


title: Stone in the middle?

text: When I read a Children's Illustrated Dictionary, I found an example sentence as this, **Apricot** An apricot is a soft round fruit. It has a big `stone` in the middle. How to replace the `stone` with another better word in the example? _core_?


title: Does “to flatline” only means “to die”, or can it refer to an actual flat graph?

text: I was looking at this ngram which features a flat line meaning absolutely no usage of the word I was looking for. I thought about describing it in these terms: > The Google ngram clearly flatlines But then, I checked the _New Oxford American Dictionary_ , which says: > **flatline** (verb intrans., informal)   >  [of a person] die. So, can _flatline_ be used to denote an actual flat line on a graph, or is it only used figuratively?


title: Resident advisor: an advisor who resides or someone who advises residents?

text: Google assures me that there's a position at various postsecondary institutions called "resident assistant", "resident advisor", or "resident adviser". This is a student who lives in a dormitory and assists/advises its other residents. When this phrase (whichever saw earliest use) was starting to be used, was it intended as   * residentadjective advisor (i.e. a local advisor, an advisor who resides in the dorm) or as   * residentnoun advisor (i.e. someone who advises residents, à la "stamp collector")? Any evidence would be most welcome.


title: How can I describe see-through clothing vision?

text: When asked about my superpower I wish I had, I answer, with a little perversion, the power to see through clothes. Now, I'm looking for a word that describes "see-through clothes" in one word, coupled with vision. X-Ray vision isn't exactly the same thing; to me it implies seeing through to the bone (hence X-Ray). Is there a word that can aptly describe this superpower? I looked for word synonyms of see-through, like transparent, or crystalline, but "transparent vision" or "crystalline vision" doesn't really sound close to what I'm trying to say.


title: What does "to have a little form" mean?

text: In the article, "Not nein...but TEN reasons why we should love Germany", the following phrase is being used: > LET’S face it, Britain and Germany **have a little form** over the past > century. Obviously being some kind of typical British humour (I suppose), what does "to have a little form" mean exactly, where does it come from and is it also used in the US?


What's the difference between a tune and a melody?


title: Why did this Brit say "took a punt"?

text: Recently listening to a podcast, I heard someone (of unknown British origin) use 'take a punt' in the sense of 'take a chance.' Perhaps this is due to punting in American English referring to American Football, I am at a loss as to why punting would be risky.   * Is this phrase common in the UK?   * How did this phrase come about and is it related to a sport? (I assume it's not American Football, as punting is the 'safe' play for fourth down, as opposed to "going for it.")


title: why is there a difference in the usage of "neither...nor" in similar sentences?

text: look at these two sentences: neither the coach nor the players are going to the beach. neither the players nor the coach is going to the beach. why does one sentence use "are" while the other has "is"? does it have something to do with the arrangement of subjects or is there any other reason?


title: What does "In any sort of time" mean here?

text: I saw this sentence in the _New Yorker_ story "Paranoia" by Shirley Jackson: > Much as Mr Beresford disliked the subway, he might still have to take the > subway to get home in any sort of time. What does it mean?


title: A phrase to describe a "collection of false exaggerations"

text: I am looking for a phrase to describe a "collection of false exaggerations", something that can fit well in the following line: > I am really shocked to see this, it seems that everything you told me before > was just a collection of false exaggerations. I don't think "collection of false exaggerations" is a real phrase. "Bag of lies" is a similar phrase but not with the same meaning. I am looking for a phrase that can directly replace mine in the above sentence or otherwise any other way to say the above sentence while keeping the feelings same. The feelings here being that my expectations were set too high due to a lot of exaggerated information fed to me.


title: Better way to say "cover our a***s"

text: I'm looking for a couple of good coined phrases that I can use in front of business people, apologies if the one I had in mind offends anyone. I'd use "can sleep at night" but I want the phrase to imply legal liability if we don't do something.


title: Is prefixing "old" before the word "adage" correct or not?

text: Is it correct to say "old adage" or simply the word "adage" itself is enough because most of the adages are old


title: Meaning of "hazzas"

text: In a steam engine museum I came across the word "hazzas" and, although I can guess its meaning from the context, I could not find a definition for it. A description portrayed a train whose first arrival would be greeted by "loud **_hazzas_** of the multitude only overpowered by the louder blowing of the locomotive steam whistles."


title: "At" vs. "in" followed by a city name

text: Is it correct to use "at" followed by a place name (city, town, village, etc.)? I've been seeing phrases like "a hotel at Las Vegas" or "she was living at London" quite a lot recently. Is this a difference between British and US English, perhaps?


title: What does "plenary intervention" mean?

text: What does "plenary intervention" mean, for example in the following sentence? The country chose to provide a record of its plenary intervention on the agenda item for the informational annex to the report.


title: Commas and Partial Quotations

text: What are the rules for comma placement when it comes to partial quotes? My intuition is that a comma should be placed outside of the quotations marks if the comma is related to the overall structure of the sentence. However, the various sources I have looked to (APA, MLA, and others) have stressed that commas (and periods) should always be placed within quotation marks. For purposes of illustration, would the second comma go within or outside of the quotation marks below? > As Andrew argues, peanut prices “can be ridiculously overpriced", leaving > many Americans to resort to jelly sandwiches. or > As Andrew argues, peanut prices “can be ridiculously overpriced," leaving > many Americans to resort to jelly sandwiches. An explanation of the general rule would be lovely as well.


title: What is a term for someone who prohibits the importation of foreign words into their language?

text: I was thinking about how when the Italian Fascists were in power they often turned loanwords into Italian words. They wanted to conserve the Italian nature of the language: > Under Fascism an Italian _chauffeur_ became an _autista_ ; soccer turned > into _calcio_ ; a bar was rechristened _qui si beve_ (here one drinks). > Shakespeare’s name, like other foreign appellations, had to be pronounced as > if it were Italian: Shah-kay-spay-ah-ray. I understand too that there is a similar movement in France to guard against the encroaching force of loanwords. What is a term for this?


title: "Hypothesis" and "theory"

text: My basic knowledge of these two words is that they both mean the same thing. So why are they used differently, and what is their difference in meaning?


title: What kind of rhetoric is "The computer runs as fast as a rocket."?

text: At first sight I would say it is a metaphor, but after some thought I'm not sure anymore. The parallel is not so exact between the two objects, since the speed of a computer usually refers to the response speed(or more technically, measured in terms of frequency), while the speed of a rocket usually refers to the traveling speed. A more conventional metaphor is like "The boy runs as fast as a rocket.", so what is "The computer runs as fast as a rocket."?


title: Is there a more general word for velocitized?

text: Velocitized, meaning being accustomed to high driving speeds and feeling like normal speeds are slower than they actually are afterwards, seems like such a useful word to apply in different situations. > I went mountain biking and going to work the next day was **_____**. I've used _culture shock_ to describe this in the past, but that's obviously not always an appropriate connotation. Is there a more general word for this?


title: What's an expression that means bringing something to where it can be seen or used?

text: I'm specifically thinking of in a public service context. Say there is a resource that exists but no one knows about it or makes use of it, so instead of waiting for the people to come to the resource, we bring the resource to where the people already are. Is there an expression for that? This doesn't really capture the meaning, but I'm thinking it would be phrased sort of like the opposite of "leading a horse to water" but instead, we are "bringing water to a horse."


title: What does "nothing could be further from correct" mean?

text: What does _nothing could be further from correct_ mean? For example, > It is not OK to stop paying rents. This approach seems to be popular with > tenants, and **nothing could be further from correct**. You have the choices > of waiting for him to repair the leaking roof, or of moving out when your > tenancy agreement expires.


title: A younger generation of men follow or follows?

text: Could you explain to me which is correct?   1. A younger generation of **men follow** . . .   2. A **younger generation** of men **follows** . . . Could you also explain why? I was thinking that the _bit_ that cannot be removed should be the one that determines whether the verb is singular or plural. The sentence would lose its sense without _younger generation_ so does that mean that that is the _bit_ to which _follows_ must correspond?


title: Reword "increasingly too late"

text: How should I fix a sentence which says "As X disappears, it is increasingly too late to do Y with X"? The sentence seems awkward to me, but "too late" is an adjective, so is the sentence grammatically correct?


title: What is the difference between “Strike the match” and “Strike a match”?

text: In reference to my question about the meaning of “It’s one thing to dance like Fred Astaire, but Ginger did it backwards in high heels,” on the Time magazine’s article (June 29) of John Roberts’ ruling on Healthcare, I found the phrase, “ _strike the match_ ” in the following sentence in the same article, “Roberts rules.” > “When Roberts took his seat at the center of the bench on June 28, the final > day of the court term, and began reading aloud his opinion, he sounded at > first as if he were _striking the match_. The conservative critique of the > so-called individual mandate was correct, he intoned: Congress lacks the > power to require citizens to buy insurance they don’t want.” To me whose mother language totally lacks the concept of article – a/an, the, non-article - in its language system, interpretation and distinction of definite / infinitive/ non-article is always a serious headache. Although I see “strike a match” and “strike the match,” both of which are in constant currency since around 1980 in Google Ngram, I can’t find either of them as an idiom in Cambridge, Oxford and Merriam-Webster. Only McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs defines “strike a match” as to light a match by rubbing it on a rough surface, with an example, Mary _struck a match and lit a candle_. What does “John Roberts was striking the match” mean? Was he lighting a match to fuel the serious dispute, or bringing the dispute to the end? What is the difference of “strike _the_ match” from “strike _a_ match”? Are they exactly same or totally irrelevant idioms or expressions?


title: Can one say 'hi' to a person older than oneself?

text: Would it be appropriate to say 'Hi', for example, to a person at the ticket window who is seemingly much older than yourself? Would it be a different case, say in Australia, where people usually refer to each other just by given names?


title: what does "I will step into the ring for you" mean?

text: The sentence comes from a song. Leonard Cohen I am your man .... If you want a boxer I will step into the ring for you ...... What does "step into the ring for you"? Someone can explain it for me. Thanks


title: What is a single word for "wandering around a mall or a market"?

text: You know, young girls often do this. They're wandering around a mall or a supermarket, seeing cute stuff, asking about the prices of things, doing chit-chat with friends, having lunch together with girl friends too, **but end up buying literally nothing**. Is there a single English word that means this kind of activity? I can only think of: _hang out_. Or can _shopping_ also mean "buying nothing"?


title: What's the word for a specific kind of inhalation after crying?

text: Sometimes people who are just coming off of bout of crying take what could be described as a stuttering inhalation. It's more easily observed with little kids than adults. Is there a better word for that?


title: Indefinite article with substances

text: Which one of the following is correct? If both - what is the difference?   * In _an_ optically thin gas ...   * In optically thin gas ... For example:   1. We consider radiative equilibrium in ( _an_ ) optically thin gas.   2. In ( _an_ ) optically thin gas the condition of radiative equilibrium reads...


title: Equivalent of homonym for terms and phrases

text: A _homonym_ is a word with two distinct meanings, for instance: > chase (from dict.org) > >   1. To pursue for the purpose of killing or taking, as an enemy, or game; > to hunt. [1913 Webster] > >   2. To cut, so as to make a screw thread. [1913 Webster] > > Does _homonym_ apply to terms (esp. colloquial) or phrases as well? For instance, _wife beater_ refers to either a type of shirt or a person who physically abuses their wife. Is there a word or term that describes this type of word or phrase?


title: Why "motherboard" is used to refer to main board of computer

text: Why is _motherboard_ used to refer to the main board of a computer? What is the relationship with the word _mother_ here?


Why are there different ways of indicating gender for animals? For instance, by inflexion we get: **lion (male) & lioness (female)** where the female is distinguished from the male. Here the male is also known by the general ( _have I used this correctly_?) term for this type of animal, i.e. lion. But, in another instance, we have: **duck (female) & drake (male)** where the male is distinguished from the female by a distinct or different word and also from the general term for this type of fowl, i.e. duck. Then, for kangaroos and rabbits, we have: **buck (male) & doe (female)** where neither are known by the general term, nor is there any inflexion; instead, distinct names are used. Why do these different ways for indicating gender exist? Why is it that in some cases the male is differentiated from the female and vice-versa. And why in some cases are both female and male known by words so different from the general term used to describe them?


title: When President Obama makes a speech by using teleprompter, is he stuck to the script?

text: I saw a phrase, _stuck to the script_ in the following sentence in New York Times (Jan. 27) article reporting this year’s Academy Award nomination, > The Academy Award nominations, announced this morning in Los Angeles, mostly > stuck to the script that Oscar-season observers expected. My interpretation of _stuck to the script_ here is a figurative expression of _as anticipated, therefore, no surprise_. Is it right? By the way, this might sound a naive question, when someone like President, or Prime minister is delivering a speech, say the State of Union or opening address relying on a pre-prepared script on teleprompter, is he stuck to the script?


title: Meaning of terms of shoe laces

text: What does "lace-up", "open-throat or wide-set" and "closed-throat or close- set" mean in How to Select Shoes to Wear With a Man's Suit: > Wear lace-up shoes for your most formal occasions. Open-throat or wide-set > laces are less dressy than shoes with closed-throat or close-set laces. In my guess:   * "lace-up" is some style of shoes but I am not sure what it is like and what other styles it is opposed to.   * "open-throat or wide-set" and "closed-throat or close-set" are used to specify other aspects of laces. I am also not sure what they mean. It will be nice if there are links to details and pictures.


title: to be above board

text: I have made 2-year apprenticeship as a multilingual correspondent. One expression that I came across but is still unclear to me is: "to be above board" or "He is above board" I have looked it up on several different platforms and haven't been able to figure out what it means. Could someone please explain to me what it means? Thank you!


title: Difference in usage between "beware of" and "mind"

text: I am trying to understand the difference between _beware of_ and _mind_ when they have the meaning of _to be on one's guard_. Are they always interchangeable ? I'll try to explain what bothers me, but these are only examples and I would welcome any other examples to explain the difference between the two. If someone said to me without further context: " _mind the dog_ " I would understand this person is going away and wants me to look after her or his dog. But could we say indifferently :   * Beware of the dog, he bites.   * Mind the dog, he bites. In this other instance:   * Beware of falling rocks.   * Mind the falling rocks. I have no hesitation (perhaps because falling rocks do not need to be looked after?) I had always seen : _mind the step_ , and _mind the gap_ but I have just googled _beware of the step_ and _beware of the gap_ and had lots of hits for both. And I am even more puzzled because google even returned some hits with _beware of your head_ which sounds really strange to me. Does it sound strange to English native speakers too?


title: Meaning of "data pooling"

text: What does "data pooling" actually mean? > The program Distance enables pooling of data across sites and derivation of > density estimates at those sites (strata) where there are too few records to > fit separate detection function.


title: Advice on good list of American idioms

text: I want to master American idioms and would like to use a complete list as a reference. Would you please suggest one?


title: Can word-hyphenation ever be semantically significant?

text: I was prompted by this question (difference between _ecosystem_ and _eco- system_ ) to wonder whether word-hyphenation can ever be semantically significant. My gut instinct is to say that since hyphenation is normally an intermediate step before a compound form becomes a single word, the answer should be "No". But if my experience here at ELU has taught me anything, it's that opinions often differ in matters of language usage. I hate to ask something that looks like a request for a "list". A single undisputed example would do. Does the presence/absence of a hyphen ever change a compound word's meaning? EDIT: I was specifically thinking of cases where a single "compound word" either does or doesn't have a hyphen, _not_ where two component words may or may not be separated by a space. I understand _whiteboard_ has a specific meaning distinct from _white board_ \- but if _white-board_ exists at all, I at least can't distinguish that from _whiteboard_. Cases such as _rusty-nail cutter_ vs _rusty nail-cutter_ also turn on which pair of the three words are "compounded", rather than whether the hyphen is present in the compound form. More tellingly, I now see (hear?!) that, for example, _re-creation_ and _pro- verb_ are distinct from their unhyphenated equivalents. In the absence of contradictory examples, I'm starting to think any difference in meaning can only exist if it's accompanied by a difference in pronunciation.


title: "Ecosystem" or "eco-system" to describe something non-biological?

text: If "ecosystem" (no hyphen) is defined as "a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms within their environment," should "eco-system" (hyphenated) be used to describe a system formed by the interaction of a community of _non-biological_ (say, electronic) elements within their environment? or does it matter?


title: would like + infinitive (negative form)

text: Please tell me if this sentence is correct or incorrect. If incorrect, please say why. I wouldn't like to not have children. Thank you.


title: Is it true that the English have many words for hill?

text: I've heard it said that Eskimos have many words for snow and that the English have many words for hill. If so what are they?


title: What's the word when you're describing how someone is, how their day was, etc.

text: EG, "I didn't even bother with the **___**." I can't seem to find the word for it! (I think it ends in 'ties' like 'profanities' lol


title: Word meaning academic or rational, when describing the style of an argument

text: Here's the context: > Dude's an awful troll. If he wants to express his views, he should present > them in a more [adjective] manner. What we're getting at here is that the guy sounds obnoxious, but the controversial opinion he holds could still be expressed in civil discourse if presented properly. What word works best for that?


title: How and when to use "wont"

text: I stumbled upon this word lately, as in > he was _wont_ to come early I'm wondering what feeling it has for native speakers. For example, can I use in a meeting, or in a written report?


title: What is meant by "steep learning curve"?

text: What should I understand from "steep learning curve"? When a computer program (for example a translation program) has a steep learning curve, does it mean that it is not good at learning or it's hard for it to learn?


title: What's the difference between "life conditions" and "living conditions"?

text: What's the difference between _life conditions_ and _living conditions_? I often use the former. "The life conditions of the Victorian workers", for example.


title: Any single word synonym for "fawn over"?

text: I have been looking for single word that can be used in place of "fawn over"


title: Difference between "mastery", "proficiency" and "familiarity"

text: What is the difference between _mastery_ , _proficiency_ and _familiarity_? I know they all refer to the level of understanding or skill in something. I've seen the words in these contexts: > mastery: in WOW, a mage has arcane mastery, fire mastery or frost mastery > > proficiency: the proficiency of English / Spanish / French > > familiarity: have a basic familiarity of the newest computer techniques


title: Difference between "persistence" and "perseverance"

text: _Persistence_ and _perseverance_ seem to have very similar definitions. Googling shows > persistence: Firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of > difficulty or opposition. > > perseverance: Steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay > in achieving success. What is the difference between them?


title: "Background of" or "background for"

text: I'm writing a paper about the interpretation of a treaty and I want to include a chapter on the historical background to explain why a certain article must be interpreted a certain way. In this context should I say _the historical background **for** Treaty X_, _the historical background **of** Treaty X_ or use a different preposition entirely? I checked both phrases on google and each had several million hits. _Background of_ had more, but if the sense changes somewhat with the choice of preposition then that doesn't necessarily mean anything.


title: Do readers think of the word "ejaculate" beyond its common sexual meaning?

text: I am an editor, and a poet whom I work with has included the expression "I ejaculated little prayers" in one of his stanzas, which we all know has the dictionary meaning of "intensely calling out." Since the spiritual act of praying is completely at odds with the sexual act, I know the poet would be absolutely horrified should the reading public immediately think only or primarily of ejaculate's sexual meaning. My question is will people in general only think of the sexual connotation? Thank you!


title: Which sentence is correct/ more appropriate from the two?

text: Which of the two usages is correct? Do both of them imply the same meaning? 1."Greed, for lack of a better word, is good." 2."Greed is, for lack of a better word, good." I perceive a subtle difference between the meanings they imply, but I would like to be sure.


title: What website will give me the frequency of a word in the English language?

text: Is there a website that will give me a frequency of a word in the English language? I am looking for some thing like this: I would type in the word, and it would give me a frequency rating. I have seen one before that had something like 80,000 words, but I just can't seem to find it anymore. Update: I think the problem with these frequency lists is that they are not accurate enough, because some words are also used as Proper Nouns, and that skews the numbers. For example, the word "bracken" is rarely used in its original meaning "fern", but it is frequently used as a last name. If you take that into consideration, then you can see a more accurate number.


title: Meaning of  "envy of his brethren"

text: I have googled for the definition of the expression _envy of his brethren_ , but didn't get more than references to the Bible. What does this expression mean?


title: Past participle of "spit"

text: Which is the past participle of _spit_ : _spat_ or _spit_? And how many examples can we come up with where a verb is changed in the simple past but unchanged(spelt like in the present) in the past participle?


title: Qualification title for French "diplôme d'ingénieur"

text: My Google-fu has maybe failed me, but I couldn't find an authoritative source about the correct English qualification title for a French _diplôme d'ingénieur_. Some sources say the title is M.Sc., others MEng., so I'm not sure which one suits it best.


title: Co-Founder, Co-founder, or cofounder?

text: I've seen all three used and there doesn't seem to be a definitive one that I can find. I'm hedging towards Co-Founder as it's a title, but any clarity would be appreciated. **Edit** If it makes it any clearer, the intended use would be for business cards; so something like: > Name Surname   >  Co-Founder Some Company


title: Concentrated into, or condensed into?

text: > This is a book concentrated into one chapter. It is very dense. I heard it from a Cambridge professor. He was praising a chapter well written about an ancient philosopher by a famous scholar, which was collected in a book editted by himself. But I think a book which is concentrated into one chapter is still a complete book. It is simply written in an extremely dense style. Maybe the professor shoulds say "a book condensed into one chapter". Because a book which has been condensed into one chapter is just a book which originally had more than one chapter and has been reduced to its essentials and stuffed into one chapter.


title: "Medium" specifically applied to width, corresponding with narrow or wide

text: Is there a word that means "medium", specifically applying to the width of something? I'm looking something that corresponds with "narrow" or "wide", but not communicating either of those extremes. For example, you could say in a sentence: "This bridge is narrow" "This bridge is [what?]" "This bridge is wide"


title: The sound made when eating

text: I have a few people around me that are really loud eaters. I'm not telling them to be quiet while eating, of course - these aren't my children, but I digress. What the the word for the sounds made when eating?


title: "Rotate image" vs. "spin image"

text: I need to title an application button that moves an image 90 degrees clockwise/anticlockwise. Which of the following fits better? >   * Spin image >   * Rotate image >


title: Why is quicksand named so if you get sucked in so slowly?

text: Why is quicksand called "quick" if it sucks in so slowly?


title: What data or which data?

text: I want to ask, what/which data different model combinations are using, so do I have to say:               Which data is used by the model combinations?      or:               What data is used by the model combinations?


title: Short sentence with adjective and adverb

text: I think that this is a problem of the usage of adjectives and adverbs (that's why I chose this title): I have a sentence in my presentation, which clarifies that a procedure uses only observations which are known, so I write: > Uses only known observations. or do I have to write: > Only known observations are used. or is the long version necessary: > Uses only observations(,) which are known. (I'm not sure about the comma)


title: When referring to computer coding, would the correct verb spelling (in British English) be "to program" or "to programme"?

text: I already know that there are different spellings in British and US English for "programme". Usually, I refer to a computer program with the US spelling as all programming is done in US English, so it only seems appropriate. But what about the verb? Do you program something or do you programme something in British English? Thanks, Jordan


title: Use of 'ing' after to

text: "With our commitment to working towards finding alternatives for reducing environmental footprints....." or should it be ".... to work towards..." Got confused. Please guide me which one of these two would be the correct formation.


title: In my example, can I use As.... to introduce a sentence?

text: > As proposed by the Amethyst Initiative, to lower the current MLDA is a > difficult topic to discuss. context: the Amethyst Initiative proposed to lower the current minimum legal drinking age (age-21) accompanied with educating young adults to drink responsibly. Should I maybe revise the sentence like... Lowering the current MLDA, as proposed by the Amethyst Initiative, is a difficult topic to discuss.


title: In "proof of concept" is the concept proved or proofed?

text: That is, after a successful proof of concept would you say "the concept was proved" or "the concept was successfully proofed". I'm thinking the latter based on the definition of _to proof_ as "to test; examine for flaws, errors, etc." and because _proved_ implies a higher standard (truth); however, _proved_ (or _proven_ ) sounds better and _to prove_ has a similarly applicable alternate definition: "to give demonstration of by action."


title: What is the plural of interrogative words (what, who, where, when, how, why, etc.)

text: If interrogative words are used as nouns, how are they pluralized? **Example:** This will answer your _hows_ and _whys_. What is the correct form?   * whys (the same as most English words?)   * why's (following the rationale of pluralized acronyms?)   * why (they cannot be pluralized?)


title: Verbs that describe craftsmanship activities?

text: I'm looking for words like to polish, to shape, to mould, to forge, to chisel etc that could also be used in the context of pedagogy. Thanks.


title: What's the difference between "ghastly" and "hideous"?

text: How would a native English speaker use _ghastly_ and _hideous_? Is there any difference in context?


title: Is "in in vitro" acceptable?

text: Is it ok to use an "in" before " _in vitro_ ", or other Latin-derived phrases that start with "in"? For example, could you say "there's been a lot of advances in _in vitro_ fertilization lately"?


title: "Since", "until", "from", "to" on invoices or date ranges of a form

text: Which is the correct form on an invoice, or a general date range in a form, and why?               Monkey dolls                        12 GBP     From 2012-01-03 to 2013-01-02          Monkey dolls                        12 GBP     Since 2012-01-03 until 2013-01-02      Form format (dates can be modified with a datepicker):               Since: 2012-01-03     until: 2013-01-02      `Since`+`until` makes sense and sounds ok to me, yet I know I can be very wrong, at least when it comes to the common usage in the UK and/or US, since English is not my first language. I am interested in both British and American English. Until now I've been using `since`+`until`, yet some articles explicitly say they may not ever be used together, while some people and some other articles get deep into grammar rules which I can't really apply on the context of invoices and forms. Here's a recent article saying `since` and `until` can never be used together (last paragraph): http://englishmatsuri.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/for-since- until-from-and-to/ Edit: _The date range can start in the past or in the future, and can end in the past or in the future. However, at the time of issuing an invoice or rendering a form, you cannot know when the document will be read or how the form will be filled._


title: What's a good name for different salary types?

text: In the model I'm creating, we've got four different kinds of salary. I'd like a confirmation on the correct taxonomy of these.   1. The normal amount one gets every month. Should it be called _fix salary_ or _base salary_?   2. The variable amount that depends on how much work one has billed to the customers. Should it be called _prestation salary_ or _provision salary_?   3. The freebies as phone, car, representation etc. Should it be called _benefit salary_ or _extra salary_?   4. The additional amount one gets when working nights, weekends etc. Should it be called _supplement salary_ or _extra salary_? Please, feel free to suggest other terms.


title: Is "what's left to do is..." grammatically correct? What is a right way to say it?

text: I'd like to say that I still have some things left to be done. The first thing that comes to mind (probably due to my native tongue, Hebrew): > What is left to do, is to clean up the mess. But it sounds bad, and I'm sure it's incorrect. The following sounds a bit better to me (although I feel it's probably wrong): >   * What's left, is to clean up the mess. >   * What remains to be done, is to clean up the mess. > Are any of the above correct? Is there a better way to say it?


title: "In undertaking a review" vs. "by undertaking a review"

text: >   * **In** undertaking a literature review, it became clear that not always > is there coherence between the principles... >   * **By** undertaking a literature review, it became clear that not always > is there coherence between the principles... > Is there any difference between using _by_ and _in_ here? The literature review has already been carried out, if that matters.


title: How is she to describe how she likes him, when he doesn't know?

text: There's a friend of mine—let's call her **Lily** —and a guy— **David**. Lily told me that she feels very happy each time she meets, talks, plays games, dines (and so on) with David. I guess she's falling in love. But she is very perplexed these days, because she likes him, but can't be sure — wants to but is afraid to make sure — whether David likes her or not. So she has decided to write something about that emotion, rather than telling David directly (thus prompting him to say "yes, I like you too"). Here is my question — for what perplexes her has also perplexed me: **In what Literary and Artistic way can she describe that emotion?**


title: Category term for "polite", and "offensive"

text: I'm trying to complete the following sentence: > It's not specifically polite, but it's not offensive either; it's **__** > agnostic. Is there a common category term for _polite_ , _offensive_ , _rude_ , or _respectful_? I've tried to love _politeness_ , or _courtesy_ , but those don't seem to fit, to me. I agree with many of the comments that _agnostic_ is either a poor word choice, or at least overly restrictive.


title: Is "bulwarker" an acceptable word?

text: I'm well aware that _bulwark_ refers to something used as a fortification or a defense. However, I was wondering if the word _bulwarker_ is an acceptable word to use in English. I know it's possible to be a bulwark ("He built a bulwark upon the hill."), and I know you can bulwark something from something else ("I will do whatever I can to bulwark the attack."). However, I'm unsure if it is possible to be a _bulwarker_.


title: Faulty parallelism?

text: _It was more an inventive construction than based on serious historical research._ Is it an example of faulty parallelism "construction/based", or is it acceptable if spoken with emphasis on "inventive"?


title: Is there a 35th edition of "On Writing Well"?

text: My English teacher recommended Zinsser's "On Writing Well" as a supplement to my reading of E.B. White's "The Elements of Style". While I know that Zinsser's 30th edition exists, I have come across an online apparition of the 35th edition: http://books.google.com/books/about/On_Writing_Well_35th_Anniversary_Edition.html?id=rIG5SgAACAAJ. Does a 35th edition of the book actually exist, or have I met a myth since I cannot find it?


title: What should I use instead of "prefixed with"?

text: When I want to report that a function name needs to start with a prefix, I write _the function name must be prefixed with_ ; when I do so, the spelling and grammar checker suggests me to rewrite the phrase using _prefixed to_ , or _prefaced with_.   How should I write the sentence?


title: What is the origin of the colloquial term "bum" meaning a homeless person?

text: Just out of curiosity, I was wondering about the history of the term "bum" meaning a homeless person, not the UK version referring to someone's posterior. Bonus: If you know the background on "Hobo" that would be interesting too, and does it have any relation to the town Hoboken, New Jersey?