title: Does "supposedly" have a negative connotation?

text: Put another way, would using "supposedly" in the following sentence upset a neutral tone? > A variant of qi gong is external qi gong, wherein a qi gong master > _supposedly_ directs the flow of qi through other people's bodies through > his or her own energies. In the example above, I am not sure if the word is necessary. This example is a part of a larger description of indigenous alternative medical practices. I would think that people reading this description would understand that the things stated are not intended to be read as fact.


title: Attribute of multiple entities

text: Which is the correct form of an attribute related to multiple entities? For example, which is the correct form of _position_? > The position of the circle and of the square is wrong. > > The positions of the circle and of the square are wrong. I could interpret it in the following ways:   * each shape has only one position, so use the singular   * each shape has only one position, but since we have multiple shapes use the plural   * multiple shapes of a collective entity (circle + square), use the plural **edit** : assuming the shapes don't share the same position.


title: Proper usage of the word "trouble"

text: Consider the following usage of the word _trouble_ : >   1. I have trouble. > >   2. I have a trouble. > >   3. I have troubles. > >   4. I have the trouble. > >   5. I have the troubles. > > Which is grammatical? And what is the preferred usage?


title: How to suggest contrary solution politely?

text: Theoretical case: client suggests some non-optimal solution. How to offer another, better solution politely with indirect question? Is it ok to say "Don't you think doing it this way would be more efficient?" or using "Don't you think" implies that client might be incompetent in a way that he might have forgotten to consider the solution I offer? P.S. I forgot to add - it's a written dialog, via Skype or email.


title: A word for advantages gained by sabotaging competitors

text: Is there a word to describe the competitive advantage gained from sabotaging a competitor, or more generally the advantage gained from dishonesty? **An example** : Your office receives pamphlets advertising an office cleaning service. Your current office cleaning service steals and hides that pamphlet before an employee at the office can see it. What words can one use to concisely describe the advantage that your current cleaning service has gained?


title: What's a more powerful phrase with the same basic meaning as "no adjustment"?

text: What is a powerful phrase to describe the failure of a person or organization to react to a large change in the environment? Three examples:   * Mapquest continued to use static pages even after the bandwidth and browsers were available to allow interactive mapping. This failure allowed Google maps to overtake Mapquest.   * Mr. Incredible continued performing hero-work in secret even when the world demanded that he stop, almost resulting in Buddy/Syndrome killing Mr. Incredible.   * The Human Genome Project failed to adopt the shotgun sequencing approach immediately when it was demonstrated to be superior. Instead, Celera genomics, a much smaller and less well-funded effort used shotgun sequencing and produced the first human genome. "No adjustment" is has the right basic meaning, but doesn't fully capture the severity of these examples.


title: A word for intentionally losing a bet?

text: Is there a word, or phrase, to express when someone makes a bet with the intent to lose? I’m looking for one of two things (or both). Either a verb to express the action of making such a bet, or a word that is defined by this specific type of bet. An example would be in Seinfeld: Elaine makes a bet with a guy, and if the guy “loses” he must buy her dinner (with the assumption being he made a bet knowing he would lose). I realize this is basically just a swindle, but I’m hoping there is something more specific.


title: What does Homer mean when he says, "her words had wings"?

text: In both _The Iliad_ and _The Odyssey_ , Homer uses the phrase "words had wings" all over the place. Here's one quote of many: > Then the shadow of the swift-footed son of Aeacus knew who I was, and with a > cry of grief, he spoke to me — **his words had wings** : "Resourceful > Odysseus, Laertes' son and Zeus' child, what a bold man you are!" (Emphasis mine.) I assume this is a Greek idiom, but I don't really get it. What does this phrase mean, and how did it come to mean that?


title: Common phrase for "intermediate goal"

text: What is the most common phrase with the meaning of _intermediate/interim goal/target/result_? For example,   * setting up interim goal in a project/agenda   * calculating a intermediate result in a bigger mathematical task Linguee shows more possible contexts I'm looking for, the german common words are _Zwischenziel_ (-target) and _Zwischenergebnis_ (-result)


title: Is there a version of brunch for a meal between dinner and lunch?

text: Brunch has become quite a common word in the English language. Is there a similar word for a meal in place of dinner and lunch? (A phrase will also do).


title: the difference in meaning between present simple passive and present perfect passive

text: Michael Swan in his "Practical English Usage" says that present passive forms can have similar meanings to present perfect passives. > The vegetables _are_ all _cut up_ \- what shall I do? = The vegetables _have > been_ cut up   >  I got caught in the rain and my suit' _s ruined_. = ... _has been ruined_   >  I think your ankle _is broken_. = ... _has been broken_   >  My suitcase _is packed_. = ... _has been packed_. He states that it happens due to that fact that some verbs refer to _actions that produce a finished result_ (to cut, to build, to pack, to close), while others do not (to push, to live, to speak, to hit, to carry). He goes on: the past participles of finished-result verbs, and some of their passive tenses, can have two meanings. They can _refer to the action_ , or they can _describe the result_ (rather like adjectives). > The theatre was closed by the police on the orders of the mayor. (refers to > the _action of closing_ ).   >  When I got there I found that the theatre was closed. (refers to the state > of being shut - the result of the action). I'm not sure I get the difference between the two groups of words mentioned above. Could anyone, please, go into more detail and explain it to me? I need more examples _to feel_ what it really means.


title: Having had someone DO or Having had someone TO DO?

text: I have read an older thread, presenting the following sentences: > Having advised many of your colleagues (yet **having had no one stand up** > for me when the shit hit the fan)... and > Having advised many of your colleagues (yet having **had no one to support** > me when I faced adversity)... I do not get that - why there is TO missing in the first sentence? I know there is 'have sb do'something, is this the case? But how is that different from the other one then? I assume the sentence mean "yet I had nobody who stood up for me" - which would iMHO require 'to'?


title: How to qualify a critic's comments which lead to improvements?

text: I would like to include a sentence in a response to a critical reader thanking him for his "fertile" comments, in the sense that they lead to improvements of the text he read. "Fertile" in a figurative sense would seem to me appropriate, however the dictionary entries for this word don't include a figurative meaning going that far (an investigation may be fertile, but not something that a comment or an idea it seems — and a google search seems to agree with that). What word would you use? 'Fruitful' does not sound appropriate either, because it is not the comment that actually "bears the fruit", but only the work initiated by these comments. I would like to avoid less focused qualificatives as 'intersting comments'.


title: To B or not 2 B

text: I am far from being a doctrinaire stickler opposing all neologisms; Twitter alerts one to the merit of abbreviations like "2" for "too", "4" for "for" etc. But many new usages fail to gain my assent. One of these is the abbreviation "to" for "too", as in: " _It is **to** bad she couldn't get to the party_". Can anyone trace the history of this usage? I have only noticed it quite recently. Is it a passing fad?


title: Can 'degenerate' be used with no derogatory meaning?

text: Degenerate is used to indicate a change of state ( physical or mental) which has generally worsened from its previous one. Could this term be used just to indicate a change that does not necessarily imply a negative change from the preceding one. _A degenerate tradition or custom_ are an instance of deterioration of tradition or custom or can they just be a change from a previous state?


title: the meaning of this 'knew'

text: > “Who was Miss Jennie?” > > “She was an angel straight out of Heaven,” breathed the man, fervently; “but > the old master and missus **knew** her as their oldest daughter. She was > twenty when she married and went away from here long years ago. Her babies > all died, I heard, except the last one; and that must be the one what’s > a-comin’.” It’s from the novel _Pollyanna_ by Eleanor Porter. The above ‘knew’ means the parents regarded the oldest daughter as a memory, not treadting her their real daughter because of the fact the daughter married to a poor minister? It seems a bit odd expression to use ‘knew’ in the context as above guess of mine, if I am correct. Is this a common English expression or an inventive meaning by Ms Porter?


title: what's the meaning when "be" is followed by an infinitive

text: * _"If two Weeping Angels_ **_were to look_** _at each other at the same time, they would be trapped in stone form until an outside force moves them apart."_ My questions are about the phrase _"were to look"_ :   1. What's the meaning?   2. What's the differences between it and just one word "look"   3. In which section of my grammar book I can find this kind of usage?


title: Antonym for "deficient"

text: What is an appropriate antonym for _deficient_? > The dissertation is deficient of sources. It should be a bit more decorated than the phrasing _The dissertation contains enough sources_.


title: Is it derogatory or offensive to call a detective a dick?

text: The word _dick_ is generally considered offensive and is marked so in dictionaries. But there is also a meaning of _detective_ that it carries. I usually find no derog indication for this meaning. Is it offensive to call a detective friend of mine a _dick_? **EDIT** (thanks to Kristina): I want to know if the usage of this word to refer to detectives is offensive in practice, though the dictionaries may opine otherwise. The question is general and not about how I could call my friend :)


title: Turning 'free of charge' into a noun phrase

text: I am helping a PhD student who makes constant reference to an Internet application he is studying by using a string of noun phrases, specifically > ...its ease of use, general applicability and _free of charge_ By _free of charge_ he obviously means it costs the user nothing, but it doesn't fit with the sentence grammar. My question is how do you turn _free of charge_ , which is adjectival, into a noun phrase? The _freedom of charge_ is just wrong, and though _free accessability_ works it also has another distracting meaning. Turning _free_ into a gerund doesn't help in this case either. In previous cases I've suggested to him a restucturing of the sentence grammar, but I'd be interested to hear some better suggestions.


title: Should a chapter title be punctuated with quotes in text?

text: If one is typing the name of the chapter inside a story, do they put quotes around it? If not, how is one indicated?


What's the meaning of "five past dreams" in the following lyrics: > **It's five past dreams** , I should be home asleep,   >  But I just want to keep this moment alive, it's just you and I,   >  ...   >  ...   >  **It's five past dreams** , the world is waking up, just like I should   >  Have done a long time ago, maybe I'm slow, I just didn't know,   >  That the saviour of my heart is right here


title: Is “repetitive pattern” a pleonasm that I should avoid?

text: The context: a warning to a user of a website that tells the user that patterns in an image should be avoided. One of the key characteristics of a pattern is that it _is_ repetitive. There is no such thing as a “non-repetitive pattern”. This makes it a pleonasm. Am I right about this? At the same time, I feel “repetitive pattern” sends a clearer message to the user than just “pattern”, _because_ it is a pleonasm. I was taught that I should avoid pleonasms. Is this a justified case to use a pleonasm?


title: Are all officially recognized Scrabble words English?

text: Looking at the official complete two-letter Scrabble word list, I cannot help but wonder whether they are even based on real English words. Are they? Note: I realize the answer to this question may start going into more of a Boardgames realm, so feel free to restrict your answer to a rigidly EL&U answer. I only need to know if the words are English, or if they are based on English. I am not asking here _how_ they were chosen.


title: How does one address a blended family in which the members have different surnames?

text: I am confused about how to address a family in which all the members have kept their original surname. What is the proper way to address such a family in a note to a family which consists of a single mother, her parents and children with 3 different surnames? For example, can one say, "Dear Smith family," even though that surname is not shared by the entire family? Are hyphenated names related to this or is that only the last name of children born to parents who both keep their surname? If blended families do use hyphenated names such as Smith-Martin, is it possible for a family when the collective members have more than 2 surnames, to use more hyphens (e.g., the Smith-Martin-Jones family)? I found this, which gives several options for writing an address from a blended family, but my question is about the interior of a card, not the mailing address, and the family is unknown to me except the names of the children.


title: "Skyscrapers are of various shapes" vs. "skyscrapers are various shapes"

text: >   * Skyscrapers are of various shapes. >   * Skyscrapers are various shapes. > Why do we use _of_ in the sentence above? Is there any difference in meaning between the two sentences?


title: Past continuous vs Past Perfect continuous

text: **When I was taking a Biology class in 2005, we were assigned to do an animal experiment.** So what is wrong with that sentence? I am using a free grammar checker website and it says the tense is wrong.


title: Question about tenses used in Seinfeld show: "what you were doing tomorrow night"

text: In the sentences > _"Did she even ask you what you **were** doing tomorrow night? If you > **were** busy?"_ occurring at about 0:42 - 0:43 in this clip, why was past tense used in "What you **were** doing tomorrow night", when he was speaking about the future?


title: Does the properness of 'Street' (in the name of a street) survive when discussing two particular streets together?

text: So do Smith St and Wesson St meet:   * "at the corner of Smith & Wesson Streets"; or   * "at the corner of Smith & Wesson streets"?


title: Is this proper use

text: I was watching the movie Man of Steel and in it is this passage: _"There's only one way this ends Cal; either you die, or I do."_ Now this sounds wrong to me. There's _two_ outcomes. _"There's only on way this ends Cal; one of us dies."_ This I've heard before and as the beginning of the sentence suggest, only has _one_ outcome. My question is, is it still proper to say the original passage?


title: Is "right hand of" means right hand of anybody else?

text: Idiom meaning of **"right hand of"** Example. Right hand of GOD.


title: "I had finished the work on friday" / "I have finished the work"

text: Every morning, I have to speak in English. Suppose that today is Monday. Do these two sentences convey the same meaning? > On Friday, I had finished the work. "Had" is used here because it is past perfect. > I have finished the work. I.e. the work has been finished without mentioning any timeline.


title: What is the name for a question which is answered implicitly by any given response?

text: e.g. Are you awake? (to somebody who appears to be asleep, but for which any given reply will confirm wakefulness)


title: Different between 'effect' and 'impact'

text: Someone asks me this question: 'How much work is it to fix issue? then I'm trying to determine potential **impact**.' My answer is that 'very little work should to be done to fix this issue. And there is no extra **effect** on the whole system.' Am I right to use the word 'effect' here or should I use other words to express myself more precisely?


title: Which is correct: "first ever loss" or "first loss ever"

text: Consider the following two phrases >   1. Microsoft reports first quarterly loss _ever_ >   2. Microsoft reports first _ever_ quarterly loss > Which of the them is correct?


title: A close synonym thesaurus

text: I'm looking for a thesaurus (for a programming project) that only offers close synonyms. For instance, I'm not really interested in: Phone (verb) -> Give a Jingle But I am interested in: Phone (verb) -> Call Any suggestions? Preferably I'd like something in an easily readable electronic form.


title: The use of "hey" in North America

text: Having had my formative years in New Zealand, I was born in South Africa. I vaguely recall when I was VERY young having someone tell me when I said "hey" that "hay is what horses eat". I got that then it was more when people would yell "hey" across a room to attract attention, and that was considered a bit rude for that purpose. However in my adult years in NZ and the UK, a casual nod and a "hey", or "hey, what's up?" was a perfectly acceptable greeting. Having recently moved to Canada, I greeted someone casually with that yesterday to be told again "that's what horses eat". I felt a bit rebuffed, but decided to ignore it until I could research it - ie, ask on here!. Is this just a North American thing? Or just possibly this individual's view? Same age and gender as me.


title: how to use "especially"? can we use "especially" after the special object we want to mention about?

text: Can we use _especially_ after the special object we want to mention? In the following, does _especially_ apply just to Australia? > First, the reading proves the significance of a mandatory voting system by > giving us some cases from several countries such as Greece, Luxembourg, > Thailand and Australia, especially.


title: 'to'-infinitive without the verb

text: I seem to recall reading somewhere that using a _to_ -infinitive with the actual verb omitted (because it's clear from context) -- as in > He asked me to go, but I don't want to. (1) -- is fine in American but not in British English. Brits, or so the story went, append _do_ : > He asked me to go, but I don't want to do. (2) I know that the above is true about American English, my native dialect: we can use (1). My question concerns British English. Googling finds that the above (that (1) is wrong in British English) is not correct in such generality. For example, `"can't be arsed to if"` has fifteen- odd results, while `"can't be arsed to do if"` has but one, and it's not in the form of (2). So... Did I imagine the rule I stated above? Or is it restricted to particular sentences (or verbs or something)? Or is it correct as stated but outdated? Or what?


title: What is the "superlative" way of expressing "thank you"

text: On rare occasions, you are in a situation where a simple _Thank You_ seems like you're undermining the other person's help. You know, instances where you are too grateful to express your feelings of gratitude. When this happens face to face (or even over the phone) your body language/voice carry that feeling and the other person understands the full gravity of your expression. However, many a time, all you have is online/email interface for expression. And words are all you can use. So my question(s) is(are):   1. Is there a _superlative_ form of _Thank You_ which one can make use of in such cases?   2. Will you advice using the same during face-to-face(or voice)?   3. Which is the highest degree of gratitude you have seen/expressed?   4. Is there any chance that the other person might think you are exaggerating? (If you are wondering about the last question : see my comment (3rd one) below this SO answer. Its not that there are no good books/authoritative articles/sources on theory of Object Oriented Programming. I have read few, if not many, of them. And I _do_ feel strongly about the answer the user has given. But at the same time, I don't want to _overdo_ it)


title: Is "school" a collective noun?

text: > **Identify the collective noun in the sentence:** _"Students have to take > their entire school books home on the last day of school."_ I couldn't find any credible sources stating that "school" is a collective noun or otherwise (although The Free Dictionary seems to say so). So, in the given sentence, is "school" a collective noun? If not, what is? **EDIT:** The sentence is from my grammar book, and not something I invented. Bad book I guess.


title: What's the meaning of “Take me for my ride”?

text: > "It's all right with me," she announced, "so long as Goodbody's is hanging > the rap on me -- somebody I can sue for a million when it flops. I've got > nothing to say. **Take me for my ride**." It's a part of Dashiell Hammett's novel _The Assistant Murderer_. For the above case, the ride means to be in the car of police (to be arrested)? I'm not a native speaker of English, so this easy word is pretty difficult for me to translate. Please give me advice!


title: "cannot" vs. "must not"

text: It's pretty common, especially in video games' mission objectives, to state: > A person X must not die. Would this be rapidly different if constructed like this? > A person X cannot die.


title: Is it appropriate to add a postscript to an email?

text: Wikipedia says: > A postscript may be a sentence, a paragraph, or occasionally many paragraphs > added to, often hastily and incidentally, after the signature of a letter or > (sometimes) the main body of an essay or book. When all letters were handwritten, and adding a new thought to the letter would have likely involved rewriting the entire letter, a postscript had obvious practicality. Now, however, one can just as easily add the thought to the main text.


title: "Are" vs. "is" for proper nouns which sound plural (such as band names)

text: I was trying to explain to a friend that someone is no longer available on Spotify earlier today so I said the sentence: > The Avalanches are no longer available on Spotify. Immediately after saying that I realized it might be incorrect (English isn't my first language so this is a common occurrence) because if you take the name of the band out of the equation the sentence becomes of the form: > [Band name] are no longer available on Spotify. which shouldn't be using are but instead be using is. I asked around and some people responded saying it should always be _is_ which confused me even further. Is there any rule for referring to a proper noun as a plural or not in the case where the entity _sounds_ plural?


title: Correctness of omitting a definite article or a preposition

text: I am writing an essay about my university experiences and a suggested correction from an English Ph.D. sounds wrong to me. The suggestion is > In our meeting to discuss ~~the~~ spring semester of my junior year, my > adviser set forth a challenge. She made a similar correction later, > One graduate course had been sufficient to consume my time ~~in the~~ fall > semester. As a native English speaker, both of these corrections sound like grammatical errors to me, but I do not have the linguistic knowledge to articulate exactly what, if anything, makes them incorrect. (I spend much more time on math.se than english.se!) Are her suggestions correct?


title: phrases: "marry a guy and he'll provide"

text: Trying to find a similar phrase to this Chinese phrase:               嫁汉嫁汉，穿衣吃饭      which basically means if a woman marries a guy, then the guy will provide food and clothing. I can't think of anything off the top of my head, something like               marry a guy and he'll provide     marry for provision      are there any set phrases/idioms in English?


title: "that of which you" vs "that which you"

text: What is the differentiator between these two phrases?


title: Does one stand by or at the bar?

text: When you are in the pub, ordering a drink from a bartender, which of the following is the correct way to say it? >   1. When both of you're stand by the bar ordering a drink, and a bartender > asks to pay now or open a tab. >   2. When both of you're stand at the bar ordering a drink, and a bartender > asks to pay now or open a tab. >


title: What is the most eloquent way to transition into pointing out a major flaw in someone's thinking?

text: There is phrase that I really liked and was quite articulate, but I can't think of it. This is in response to a debate when analyzing one's position or paradigm. Other ways:   * crucial fallacy   * serious mistake   * flagrant error   * pivotal blunder   * grave misunderstanding   * critical misconception


title: Difference between 'crow's feet' and 'worry lines'

text: I came across the phrases 'crow's feet' and 'worry lines' several times. Please enlighten me about the origin of these two phrases and the difference between them.


title: BrEng: "pull your finger out", "cock up" and "stuff it" What do they mean?

text: In the British sitcom, The Thin Blue Line, Detective Grim makes three intelligently crafted sentences, which are given below. What do they mean? > It's my arse on the line, so you better pull your finger out > > It's my arse on the line, and I don't want a cock up > > It's my arse on the line, and if you stuff it, I will be red in the face


title: "In toto" versus "in total"

text: Are the phrases "in total" and "in toto" interchangeable, or is "in total" a corruption of "in toto"?


title: Difference between "had [verb] not to" and "hadn't [verb] to"

text: When we talk about things that we intended to do, but didn't or will not do in the future, we can use past perfect. I did a question in a reference book: >   1. I hadn't intended to become a doctor, I always wanted to become a > teacher. >   2. I had intended not to become a doctor, I always wanted to become a > teacher. > (1) is correct but it doesn't state whether (2) is correct, too. So I want to ask if there is any difference between these two sentences. And what will happen if I change the verb to _decide_?


title: What is a non-secular and possibly offensive version of "for heaven's sake"?

text: In Is there a secular, non vulgar alternative to "for heaven's sake"? Terdon asks for something that is polite, secular, and non-offensive. I am asking for what is a non-secular phrase that you can think of that also has known use. For instance my aunt says, "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!!" Any religion goes as long as the phrase is discernible in English. You can mix in offensive words but really looking for the religious aspect. Bonus if the phrase could be used at work. To clarify vulgarity is OK but the religious aspect is key. (For the "closers" - this question would be the OPPOSITE of Terdon's)


title: Should I use "narrations" or "narratives"?

text: At work I keep seeing the term _narrations_ as opposed to _narratives_ and I'm trying to understand if this is common across the English speaking world or if this is just a term in the US.


title: Is "pal" too informal when the other person is much older than me?

text: I have an online friend (here on StackExchange) and I happen to know that he is significantly "more experienced", he's a professor while I'm a student, and his contribution here is larger than mine. Still, we surely consider each other friends, we treat each other equally, make jokes on each other etc. Is it ok to call such a person "pal" in the chat, like: > Thanks a lot, pal! Or is this word too impolite in this case? And would there be a good substitute for this situation?


title: Should I use the subjunctive mood in these sentence?

text: Last night, I was asked by a non-native speaker if this sentence is correct:   " _Would you mind if I sent you messages while you were away?_ " I replied "no". This is what I would say:   " _Do you mind if I send you messages while you are away?_ " She got discouraged and told me that she was practicing making sentences in the past subjunctive mood. To which I said (1) there are much more fundamental points of grammar you need to study, (2) I'll try to get to the bottom of this "past subjunctive" issue. As of now, this is how I would put the sentence in the **normal** subjunctive:   " _Would you mind if I were to send you messages while you are away?_ " But, I am not sure about this **normal** subjunctive. And, I've never even heard of **past** subjunctive. Are all of these sentences correct:   (1) _Would you mind if I sent you messages while you were away?_   (2) _Do you mind if I send you messages while you are away?_   (3) _Would you mind if I were to send you messages while you are away?_


title: Etymology of "duck"

text: Etymonline and wiktionary don't seem to agree on that one. Many European languages have cognates ( _Ente, anatra, eend_ ), but _duck_ seems isolated. Where does English take _duck_ from? **Edit**   As Henry has pointed out, the etymologies of etymonline and wiktionary are actually consistent. See comments.


title: “Next to” is to horizontal as what is to vertical?

text: The thing I like about _next to_ is that it does not specify whether it is to the left or to the right. However, for the vertical _next to_ , it appears one needs to specify whether it is “above” or “below”. I find quite interesting why this would be the case (cf. various other vertical versus horizontal biases: reading direction, attentional acuity, etc), but I also find it quite annoying. I would like to find a word that is the equivalent of _next to_ but which applies to the vertical case. That is, it indicates that a position is **either** above **or** below, without specifying which of those two applies. Sample Sentences, assuming the preposition is _abaqine_ : > "The sparrow abaqine that falcon is casting a shadow on that sand dune." > > "Look at those macaques, they're all climbing abaqine one another." > > "In my fridge all the good food is abaqine each other, so I can't get it > without toppling it all over."


title: Who coined the term "Holocaust" to refer to the Nazi "final solution" for the Jewish people?

text: Before World War II the word "holocaust" referred most often to a huge inferno. Who first used the term to describe the Nazi murder of 6 million Jews? When and where?


title: Referring to people from different parts of United Kingdom

text: I see four people in front of me. One is from Wales, one is from Scotland, one is from England and one is from Northern Ireland. I can say about each one "He is Scottish/Welsh/English". But, how do I say it about all of them? As far as I heard, Great Britain is the island, so I cannot say "They are British" because that would exclude the man from Northern Ireland. "They are United Kingdomers"... I doubt that it is correct. So, is there a word that could be used in such phrase and mean "They are from United Kingdom"? Additional question: is there a word that refers to someone from Northern Ireland? Northern Irish?


title: word for burrowing, but by a plant rather than an animal

text: I would like to describe how deeply a tree's roots go underground. Burrowing is a term used for animals. Is it appropriate to use it in describing the extent to which a certain tree can dig its roots into the ground? What would be the correct term?


title: Word for ability to understand, analyse and judge things

text: Is there one specific word in English to describe one's ability to understand, analyse and judge things? I'm trying to find an equivalence for 悟性 in English. Thanks.


title: Is "the way" synonym of "how"?

text: In constructions like the following ones, could _the way_ be replaced with _how_? Is there any difference between them? > I like the way she eats peaches. The way he looked at her... Can anybody provide examples of any phrase where replacing _the way_ with _how_ (or vice versa) changes the meaning of the sentence? To me, _the way_ sounds better, but when I use soulless Google to translate it to my native language, it tells me there is no difference.


title: "Let's play with each other" vs. "Let's play together"

text: Do > Let's play with each other and > Let's play together mean the same thing? Do they have different connotations? What's the difference?


title: Usage of "must have" in past tenses

text: So, I've checked Is "must" ever grammatical as a past tense verb? and Past tense of "must" when meaning logical probability and I'm also almost confident that I cannot say "must had to." How can I say that? For example, in these situations (I'm copying the examples from the wordreference forums, where they are still not answered): > But translating a story, which is already in the past tense, I came across > the following problem: What if a text is already in the past, and you > basically have to go one tense further back grammatically to express a > surmise/conjecture about events even further back in the past than the past > of the story. In other words, is there a past perfect form of "must have"? > > Here's the context to make it more clear: > >> […] He was walking down the street, mulling things in his head. Maria? Was it really possible that they would meet again here, in London? **It must had been** 10 years since they had last talked to each other […] The trouble I'm having is that this doesn't sound quite right to me, but neither does it sound good (to me) if I substitute "must have" for "must had." In the context, it doesn't seem "past-tensey" enough, if you catch my drift. So, would the above sentence be grammatical or not? A similar example is the following one: > […] The truth was, Frank was not that much taller than Maria; she must > somehow had made herself appear shorter […] Should it be "must somehow have made herself appear shorter"? Again, would that be "past-tensey" enough?


title: Why does ‘you’re on’ mean ‘I agree’?

text: One dictionary says ‘you’re on’ is used tell someone that you accept a bet or an invitation to compete against them. Then why does it use ‘you’ instead of ‘I’? What’s the ‘on’? In terms of the meaning, ‘I’m on’ is more understandable and easier to memorize, at least for me. Just for your information, I found the phrase in the following scene. > ”Yeah,” said Harry. “Yeah … we’ve helped each other out, haven’t we? We both > got here. Let’s just take it together.” > > For a moment, Cedric looked as though he couldn’t believe his ears; then his > face split in a grin. > > **”You’re on,”** he said. “Come here.” ( _Harry Potter 4_ [US Version]: > p.634) [Bold font is mine] **N.B.:** Harry and Cedric are competing for the cup a few feet away from them, but they are friends now because they were helping each other during the tournament. I have two questions on this phrase. **1\. Why does the phrase use ‘you’, not ‘I’?** **2\. What’s the meaning of ‘on’?**


title: What's the difference betwen perhaps and maybe?

text: I would like to know how to use them are theres alike? or just two differents words that can be used in the same way?


title: Use of "massively" in this specific sentence

text: Instead of using _massively_ in the following sentence, what else can I use? > I am **massively** running out of time now! I have tried "terribly", "horribly", "incredibly", "unbelievably", and "almost". The first words seem strange to me because this is the first time I have heard of them. The two later are fine since I heard native people use them before. But still, I would like to know your opinions over how they are correctly used both in writing and speaking cases.


title: Difference between ɒ and ɔ: in terms of sound?

text: Are they same, like, allophones? To me, they sound like same?


title: Term for people who cause accidents just to look like a hero

text: What's the term for people who cause accidents so that they can step in, save the day and look like a hero?


title: Vernacular vs Lingua Franca

text: I'm curious about the concept of vernacular vs lingua franca. Historically there is a negative connotation to the word 'vernacular,' where it was used to refer to an inferior language (of the slaves) and hence subservient to a higher, more common language. Whether this connotation remains today, I don't know. But could you illustrate with examples from other countries? Can German, which is the mother tongue in Germany, be a vernacular in other nations? And for a tongue to be a lingua franca, must it necessarily be an outside language that's gained currency? Lots of points, but I'd appreciate any inputs/debate on this.


title: "Elaborate" as a transitive verb?

text: It is common to speak of "elaborating on (or upon) a topic." However, I have been told that this is appropriate only when some explanation has already been given; if no information is yet known, then the proper usage would be "elaborating the topic." Is it true or false? For example, if the president issued a statement, and I wanted to explain why he did so, I might say, "I would like to elaborate the motive behind the president's statement." It wouldn't be correct to say "elaborate _on_ the motive," since nothing is yet known about the motive.


title: Why are "batsmen" becoming "batters"?

text: Flapping my ears near other people's conversations, as I am wont to do, I have noticed that the people we used to call _batsmen_ have (it would seem) turned into _batters_. Does anyone know why this should be?


title: Which is the correct construct?

text: Which one of the following is correct/better? As usual, I am more interested in **the really good construct** than just a comparison.   1. The power of a programming language lies in abilities of the programmer using it **in** how effectively he is able to break down the program and glue the solutions together.   2. The power of a programming language lies in abilities of the programmer using it, how effectively he is able to break down the program and glue the solutions together.


How do you use "timbre of the times" and what does it mean? I read: **Given the timbre of the times, I wouldn't have done it.** Thanks.


title: Chicks - Girls, Cats - Boys?

text: The 1950's song Fever (covered, among others, by Elvis Presley) contains the following lines: > Now you've listened to my story   >  Here's the point that I have made   >  **Cats were born to give chicks fever**   >  Be it Fahrenheit or Centigrade   >  They give you fever when you kiss them   >  Fever if you live and learn   >  Fever till you sizzle   >  What a lovely way to burn How normal is it nowadays to refer to guys as _cats_ , and where does it come from?


title: Origin and meaning of "along the lines of"

text: Where does the phrase _along the lines of_ come from, and what are you really saying? For instance, if you were commissioning a sculpture you might sit down with the artist and a pen and paper and say > I want something along the lines of this and then draw a sketch. Or if you were describing a book you wanted you might say > The plot was something along the lines of a murder and a police man.


Is there a word that means "a way of thought"? For example, whether someone is interested or not, it is simply how he thinks. Whether someone is confident or not, it is simply how he thinks. So "interest" and "confidence" are simply "ways of thinking". I was thinking of the word "mental", however "mental" means "relating to the mind" which is too broad. For example, "tiredness" would be "relating to the mind", but it isn't a "way of thought". What's another word to mean "a way of thought"?


1. Is it right to ask "how are you all doing?"?   2. Should I reply to a "How do you do?" with an "Am good" or should I say "How do you do" myself in return?


title: Unusual meaning of "head over heels"

text: I was reading Florence Lamborn's translation, from Swedish, of Astrid Lindgren's _Pippi Longstocking_ (the translation appears to date from 1950). I read the following sentence: > ... Just at that moment the gate of one of the cottages nearby opened and a > boy came rushing out. He looked scared, and that was no wonder, because > **head over heels** after him came five other boys. ... (emphasis mine) I had never seen the phrase "head over heels" to mean, as it seems to from this context, "immediately after." I looked it up and found, in my Shorter Oxford, and on dictionary.com, only the meanings I already knew (topsy-turvy and intensely infatuated). On Wiktionary I did find this second definition, which does seem to fit the sentence: > At top speed; frantically This question and this question both discuss "head over heels" but not with this meaning. Is it commonly recognized, today? And is it more British English? (I do not know, but assume that the translator of this edition was British, based on other expressions in the book).


title: How can I politely tell a customer that we only provide e-mail support?

text: I'm running an online e-commerce site but use only e-mails for customer service to cut the expense. When a customer asks me by e-mail if he/she can call me for some questions, how can I politely tell her/him to use only e-mail for enquiries? Is it O.K. to say " _Sorry we accept only e-mail support and don't have phone number_ " or something?


title: What exactly is meant by "This is not to say it's not a bad system"?

text: Someone on a forum wrote > This is not to say it's not a bad system. With some context, > This is not a component system. This is not to say it's not a bad system, > but in this case you should be able to cast the pointer to any of the > interfaces (or just cast it to a Gun object and it should contain the > interfaces) and then use it as appropriate. If the statement is read literally, the two _not_ s negate each other forming > This is to say it's a bad system. What I'm wondering however is: did this person actually mean > This is not to say that it's a bad system or does it look like it should be interpreted literally?


title: Can "Sure thing" mean "You're welcome"?

text: I'm looking for different ways to say "you're welcome." Is "sure thing" one of those ways? If it is, then how? I looked up its meaning and it doesn't seem to make sense as a replacement for "you're welcome."


title: Face up or head up?

text: My 7 years old daughter is doing her English homework. She wrote the following sentence: "My parents are face up looking at the cool sky" I reckon it does not sound right. I would have said "My parents are turning their heads up and looking at the cool sky" But not being a native English speaker myself, I am not confident of my suggestion. Is there any better alternative?


title: What is the meaning of “If you can't sleep, don't count sheep. Talk to the shepherd.”?

text: http://hubpages.com/hub/How-many-Days-can-a-Man-stand-without-Sleep: > “If you can't sleep, don't count sheep. Talk to the shepherd.”


title: a person with a fossilized mind

text: How to describe a person who have a fossilized mind? whatever he hears he will not (get it into one's head)


title: How much mmmm should be in hmmmmmmm

text: This is my first question here. I am not a fluent English speaker. I just know the basics. My question is how many _m_ 's should be there in "hmm" as when I try typing it anywhere, it suggests "hmmm," even on SO sites, including this one. Is there is any reason for this ?


title: What does "OP" stand for?

text: I see the abbreviation everywhere at stackoverflow.com to represent the user who asked the question. I'd like to know the complete form of `OP`.


title: The ( changed ) meaning or classification of words in programming

text: I am facing a bit of a dilemma / problem. I am an amateur programmer ( profile ) , and in programming languages some terms are accepted, known to everyone and frequently used everywhere. My confusion is that when I am passing my code in a spell checker, some terms are marked as wrong and / or need corrections. Some examples: `accepted term` = the suggested / correct (alternative)   * `plugin` = plug-in ( plug in )    * `uploader` = up-loader ( up loader )    * `textarea` = text-area ( text area )    * `checkbox` = check-box ( check box )    * `submenu` = sub-menu ( sub menu )    * `metatag` = meta-tag ( meta tag )    * `screenshot` = screen-shot ( screen shot ) Now for those of you that have ever experienced basic programming, those terms would be very familiar, but how should I treat those terms when releasing my software ? (Even while writing here, My firefox browser marks all those terms as spell errors. Better yet, the name "`firefox`" itself is marked as an error :-) ) I must stress that I am not a native speaker and English is not my mother tongue (it is a mere 1 out of 8), But I would still like to know what is the correct way to handle those situations. I do suspect that some of these terms (like `checkbox` or `plugin`) have become an adjective by themselves and are no longer exclusively used as a noun or as descriptive term for an action.


title: Should words be capitalized because they're loanwords?

text: In the English language Wikipedia article on noh theatre, "Noh" is frequently capitalized even when it's in the middle of a sentence. The only reason I could see someone doing that deliberately is because it's a loanword from Japanese. (The other possibility is that some of the authors are writing in English as a second language, but I doubt that's the explanation) Assuming that italics are available, should words be capitalized because they're loanwords?


title: Is there any other word meaning "prick" with initial onsets "pr-" except prick?

text: This is my edited question: I look up in the etymological dictionay about **prick** , and find that prick is not a word derived from **Proto-indo-european etymon**. Meanwhile, I find a lot of words meaning " **prick, stick, pierce, spear, rod, etc.** ", words starting with " ** _br-_** " > such as **_brad, bristle, brittle_** words starting with " ** _st-_** " > such as **_stick, stake, stipe_** and find **_pierce_** , which contains p and r, but etymologically it is composed with *** _per1_** "forward, through" + *** _(s)teu-1_** "To push, stick, knock, beat". So, I start to wonder whether there is or no words derived from PIE, which starts with "pr-" and has the similar meaning to prick, such as " **prick, stick, pierce, spear, rod,etc.** ".


title: What does the word "Hakim" sound and feel like?

text: I really enjoy the connotations of words, particularly now because I'm looking for a name for something. I'd like to know what this word ( **hakim** ) sounds like to native English speakers. **Obs:** If there's a foreigner and in your country this word is used and makes sense in a different context or it's pejorative, please let me know the points below.   * Is it good?    * Is it an easy to recognize word?   * Is it commonly used?   * In which context is this word used?   * What do you first remember when see **_hakim_** in a text, phrase, etc?


title: Why is he saying ”This is us” when it means “This is ours”?

text: I found two examples of this kind in _Harry Potter_ so far and in both cases, the speaker is Mr. Weasley and the listener is Harry. Does it add some nuance? Is it his habit of saying?   1. (In a lift of the Ministry of Magic building. They reach their story.) > ” **This is us** , Harry,” said Mr. Weasley, and they followed the witch out > of the lift into a corridor lined with doors. “My office is on the other > side of the floor.” ( _Harry Potter 5_ [US Version]: p.130-131) [Bold font > is mine]   2. (They are looking for the camp site they booked in advance.) > ”Always the same,” said Mr. Weasley, smiling. “We can’t resist showing off > when we get together. Ah, here we are, look, **this is us.** ” They had > reached the very edge of the wood at the top of the field, ( _Harry Potter > 4_ [US Version]: p.79) [Bold font is mine]


title: Proper use of the word "lousy"?

text: Is the sentence below correct? > The place is lousy with hippies I looked it up on merriam-webster.com but they said that lousy was: > infested with lice Close, but not quite there...


title: Meaning of Goethe quote

text: While watching the latest episode of 'Poirot' series, I came across this Goethe quote in the beginning of the episode. > Beginnings are always delightful; the threshold is the place to pause. What is its meaning?


title: Why are animal names used as vulgar slang for body parts?

text: Asking this question in strict propriety out of genuine curiosity, why is that in (American) English animal-related names are used for vulgar names for the private body parts? In fact, all of the examples I can think of, at least one vulgar term for each body seems to come from an animal. I am sure there are exceptions but even then, why are they so common? What is this fascination with having animal names as "dirty" words, i.e.   1. Cock - A rooster   2. Pussy - A cat   3. Tits - A small bird   4. Ass - A donkey - okay I see this so this can be taken out. Is this only in America or does it happen in other parts of the English- speaking world as well?


title: Verb for 'retrieval of wealth'

text: I remember finding this word in P. Spufford's _Power and Profit_ , and now can't read it without once again fruitlessly checking reverse dictionaries. It was used to describe a mass revival of investment after a downturn, and was either in the context of, or specifically referred to, removal of money stored in chests. I doubt it was divest or another common word; it could well have been a compound of re-, dis- or de-.


title: What is the difference between 'sometime' and 'sometimes'?

text: I wrote an erroneous sentence recently. My teacher corrected it. Here is the sentence. Thus, the driver experiences a poor vision while driving, or sometime a faulty vision due to reflection of water droplets.


title: What is a "commodity" when referred to as an adjective to describe a particular object?

text: When people describe any object (such as a career, or for instance, a computer cluster, etc) and they describe it as "commodity", what is it supposed to mean? According to Wikipedia, a commodity is basically something that fills in a need or a want, but if that's true, then isn't _everything_ a commodity? Basically, what kind of connotation does the word have in everyday usage?


title: Is British English considered a foreign language to American English?

text: Is British English considered a foreign language for someone whose native language is American English? I need to know this for technical purposes.


title: What adjective would best describe adjectives that are related to feelings?

text: Joyful, happy, angry, hilarious, lovable, annoying, poignant, melancholic, depressing, cheerful, hateful, etc. All these ones are adjectives. Some of them can be applied to those objects who experience those feelings that these adjectives imply. Some of them can be applied to those objects that only cause those feelings in others. However, they are all related to feelings whether those are physical feelings (those that one's body can feel, like pain) or "soulish" feelings (those that are felt in one's soul, like liking or sympathy). So, the question is how to name all these adjectives? Is there any term for such ones? (A term consisting of only one adjective is preferable).


title: Is "princessship" a word? any other words where same letter comes 3 times consecutively?

text: One of my friends argues that _princessship_ is the only word which has 3 identical letter together ("s") ,but I think there is no word such as _princessship_. Can anyone tell me whether this is a real word, and if there are any English words which have 3 letters that are the same consecutively?


title: Is there an English idiom equivalent to "coup de main"

text: I am looking for a translation of the French **military** term _coup de main_. (Not the common French civilian usage which translates as _helping hand_.) The term occurs frequently in the correspondence between Napoleon and his subordinate commanders, as something one should always look out for both on offense and defense. (See **Saski** : _Campagne de 1809 en Allemagne et en Autriche_ , for examples.) In context it refers to a quick victory or acquisition, inevitably by surprise, often bloodless or nearly so, and commonly _on the run_ (meaning by simply not stopping or holding when expected to do so). It seems to capture imagery from all of the English terms, but I am looking for a better single English term that comes closer than any of these:   * _Flick of the wrist_ (emphasising the quickness and adroitness);   * _Stealing a march_ (emphasizing the unexpectedness and surprise); and   * _snatch and run_ or _grab and run_ (misses on the _and run_ part). Any thoughts?


title: Euphemisms or synonyms for plagiarism

text: Any funny euphemisms or synonyms for plagiarism?


title: Meaning of "Butter is Gold in the Morning, Silver at Noon, and Lead at Night."

text: In his book _A Complete Collection of Scottish Proverbs: Explain'd and Made Intelligible to the English_ (1721), James Kelly offers this interesting saying (page 74, #138): "Butter is Gold in the Morning, Silver at Noon, and Lead at Night." Kelly then comments: "A common Saying, of whose Truth or Reason I know nothing." What is the literal sense of this adage? Does it refer to color changes in different light, to phase changes at different temperatures, to effects on the body at different stages of digestion, to monetary value at different times, or to something else? And what is its most likely figurative meaning? Thanks!


title: Origin of the word Waddy and how it came to mean "unappealing, unattractive."

text: From the first decade of the 20th century and up till the 1940s, the word _waddy_ was a popular word meaning unappealing and unattractive. Can anyone help me better understand this word and it's origin? The only reference I could find for _waddy_ on the internet I've copied below: http://hubpages.com/hub/College-Slang-From-the-1900s-That-Still-Sounds-Fresh


title: Is this sentence correct both grammatically and meaningwise? - "He has started feeling the heat of the chill"

text: > He has started feeling the heat of the chill. Is the above sentence correct grammatically and does it make some sense? We know that the word "heat" can be used in the following ways - "..... in the heat of the moment" or "... feeling the heat". So is such a sentence, trying to emphasize the cold weather, correct?


title: Names for different age group

text: What are the age group names for each increment of a decade,starting from 0 and up? i.e. Octogenarian or teenager ?? Thanks


title: 'Marked by' vs 'having' in dictionary definitions

text: I've read definitions that differ from each other only by the words _marked by_ and _having_. E.g. 'Marked by a calm demeanor' and 'having a calm demeanor'. I see this often enough that I suspect lexicographers distinguish between the two phrases. For dictionary definitions, how do the denotations of _marked by_ and _having_ differ from each other?


title: Is "kip" Chinese in origin?

text: While looking up the history of kip for a previous question of mine, I realized that the information about its origins is rather scant. The noun and verb _to kip_ in BrEng is often said when a person wishes to take a _short sleep_ or a **_quick nap_** , it's a colloquial expression and sounds very post-war Britain to my ears. Surprisingly, Etymonline completely ignores the word, listing only _kipper_. Wiktionary on the other hand comes to the rescue: > **1760–70** , probably related to Danish _kippe_ (“dive, hovel, cheap inn”) > and Middle Low German _kiffe_ (“hovel”). From the same distant Germanic root > as _cove_. > > Noun **kip** (plural kips)   >  (informal, chiefly UK) _A place to sleep; a rooming house; a bed_.   >  (informal, chiefly UK) _Sleep, snooze, nap, forty winks, doze_. "I’m just > going for my afternoon kip." (informal, chiefly UK) _A very untidy house or > room_. (informal, chiefly UK, dated) _A brothel_. But thanks to a comment made by a respected user it seems the connection between _kippe_ and _kip_ is quite strained. (If he gives me his permission, I will link and post his pertinent observation.) EDIT Janus Bahs Jacquet has! > ... but kippe (as a noun) is beyond vanishingly rare in Danish. It’s a > marginally common verb, meaning ‘tilt’ or ‘lop’ (or ‘dip’ as in ‘dipping the > flag’), but according to the dictionary, the noun and the verb are > unrelated. The noun is allegedly the same as kipe ‘basket for carrying > grain’. Supposedly, the shift from ‘basket’ to ‘hovel’ was helped along by > Middle Low German kiffe ‘hut’, whence it was used in compounds to refer > specifically to a real dive or a brothel, which is when English presumably > borrowed (?) it. Quite a shaky etymology overall, I’d say So on my trek to find the truth, I came across the _Chinese-English Dictionary of the vernacular or spoken language of Amoy_ by Carstairs Douglas, printed in 1873, London. The language Amoy or otherwise known as Xiamenese, Xiamen or Hokkien dialect, I believe gives some insight as to how _kip_ was loaned to the British English language to mean a short sleep or nap. It says > **Kip** [R. hasty; urgent; in extremity].   >  **tioh-kip** , in very great haste; not willing to wait a moment, as in > some very urgent matter.   >  **kip-kip** , very swift, like the demon of thunder [...] said also > figuratively of anything to be done in great haste.   >  **kip-sio** , a small thin flat-bottomed earthen kettle for warming things > quickly. Could it be that Dutch sailors adopted this expression? I am blissfully unaware of Danish maritime history but I seem to remember reading somewhere that the Dutch traded with the Chinese, was it the 13th century or later? This in turn reminds me of the Italian explorer Marco Polo and his tales in China in _The Travels of Marco Polo_ or, in Italian _Il Milione_ ("The Million"). But in Italian the letter _K_ is a foreign letter and I can think of no Italian words beginning with ch = /k/ which are remotely related to the meaning of haste, urgency or velocity. Could **_kip_** therefore be a _Chinese_ loanword in the Danish or English language?


title: As well as + verb-ing

text: I am a bit unsure about putting a verb in the "ing" form when it follows "as well as". Can somebody please explain which one (A or B) is grammatically correct and which one sounds more natural? > A. He documented a number of processes and workflows as well as **liaising** > between the development team and its internal clients. > > B. He documented a number of processes and workflows as well as **liaised** > between the development team and its internal clients.


title: Difference between "field of inquiry" and "field of endeavor"

text: These two kinds of phrase frequently pop out in the topics of GRE analytical writing. Is there any substantial difference in meaning? EDIT: I know the difference between the word "endeavor" and "inquiry", but can the "field of endeavor" and "field of inquiry" be used interchangably to some extent? For example, can the former include scientific research?


title: Which of the following works best on a business card?

text: I am Minh Tran Nhat Nguyen. I later picked "Michael" as my English name when I first came to the U.S. Not everyone knows my English name (especially Americans) so I'm thinking about putting one of the following on my business card:   1. Minh Tran Nhat "Michael" Nguyen ->it seems like the standard form, as used on Wikipedia, but this looks too long.   2. Minh T. "Michael" Nguyen -> is this acceptable?   3. Minh T. Nguyen (Michael) -> how about this? Normally, people put nicknames in quotation marks (like "Mike", "Andy", "Dragon Slayer" etc.), so in my case, is Michael (a full name) in quotation marks acceptable?


title: Is "he plays the piano" stative or dynamic?

text: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stative_verbs: > The same verb may act as stative or dynamic. An English phrase like "he > plays the piano" may be either stative or dynamic, according to context. Could someone elaborate, exactly according to what context can "he plays the piano" be stative, and according to what context can "he plays the piano" be dynamic ?


title: What would you call a person who farts a lot?

text: I came across one word that is "gas-bag." Are there any other specific (not slang) words?


title: What does "Essential Travels" mean?

text: I live in Israel, and at the 12th of August I need to travel to some place in Russia. My travel goes through Turkey, as the place I am traveling to costs more and takes longer if I travel through Moscow. Now Israel is at war, and Turkey goes against Israel and the news says: > Please avoid non-essential traveling to Turkey What does that mean? Real message translation: > Warning: Avoid non-essential travel to Turkey > > The face of violent protests in Turkey against Israeli Foreign Ministry > called avoid unnecessary visits and take precautions. Diplomats were > evacuated close


title: Meaning of "poured it on and poured it out"

text: In this part of the song "2 Out Of 3 Ain't Bad " by Jim Steinman, I cannot understand the phrase "poured it on and poured it out": > ...   >  And maybe you can cry all night   >  But that'll never change the way that I feel   >  The snow is really piling up outside   >  I wish you wouldn't make me leave here > > _**I poured it on and I poured it out_**   >  I tried to show you just how much I care   >  I'm tired of words and I'm too hoarse to shout   >  But you've been cold to me so long   >  I'm crying icicles instead of tears   >  And all I can do is keep on telling you   >  ...


title: A term for a "clean" win

text: I'm looking for a sports-related term in English, that means that one side had won without the other side having scored a single point, e.g. 1:0 or 5:0. Is it "a clean win", or does a clean win mean anything with a large gap between the winner and the loser?


title: Meaning of "two out of three ain't bad"

text: In this song's lyrics, I cannot understand the phrase "two out of three ain't bad" : > ...   >  I want you, I need you   >  But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you   >  Now don't be sad   >  'Cause **_two out of three ain't bad_**.   >  ...


title: Should a pan of brownies really be called "brownies" if uncut and in one piece?

text: I have never heard anyone call a pan of brownies anything other than a "pan of brownies". Thinking about this, I realized that there is nothing plural about a pan of brownies. Is it just that everyone assumes it will be cut and refers to it as such?


title: Difference between "commit suicide" and "suicide"

text: One of the examples in my English composition book (for learning to write my language's sentences in English) was "Why he committed suicide under such a good circumstance is an unsolved question.", but what I would have written would have been "Why he suicided...". What's the difference between "commit suicide" and "suicide"? (I think I saw 'commit suicide' more than just 'suicide', and the spell checker of Google Chrome says that 'suicided' is not a word, even though I think it isn't wrong.)


title: Rephrasing a sentence

text: I am trying to rephrase a sentence : > I believe that life is like a “signed, blank check” and therefore, the > beneficiary should make the decisions that revolve around his/her self- > satisfaction and happiness otherwise; it would lead to a “bounced check”. What I mean from the above statement is one should work in the area that keeps him happy and satisfied. I am not having a good feeling about the above statement but I kind of like the idea. Do you think it is too vague or am I trying to forcefully put across an idea?


title: When to use override and overwrite

text: My intention is to use on the following sentence: The administrator has the right to **___ ___** the user time slot for the venue A inside the online system. So, which word would be suitable: override or overwrite or are there more suitable words?


title: Why a dash in this example?

text: I am reading an article by Bill Keller ( _The Times_ ). He wrote: > Through the years, The New York Times’s coverage of the Roman Catholic > Church and the Vatican has received sharp criticism from practicing > Catholics — including the past eight years that Bill Keller has been the > paper’s executive editor. Why has he used a hyphen (-)?


What is the verb for removing spaces from a sentence? Is it _de-space_?


title: What is the best word that defines the space shown in this picture?

text: American Heritage Dictionary defines: > plaza: a public square or similar open area in a town or city. > > gallery: a roofed promenade, especially one extending along the wall of a > building and supported by arches or columns on the outer side. Which is the better word defining the space shown in the picture below: "plaza" or "gallery"? Or is there a more appropriate word? ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/w8Zlm.png)


title: Coordinating conjunction and subordinating conjunction

text: The joining-comma rule mentions that two complete clauses may be joined with a comma if the clauses are short or the comma is followed by a coordinating conjunction. So, I suppose that I should write > When I arrived home I fell asleep, for I was exhausted. > > When I arrived home I fell asleep because I was exhausted. However, what puzzles me is that "for" does have a causal (subordinate) role. Here, the logic of the language escapes me. Please, can someone clarify this point?


title: "Irrelevant for" vs. "irrelevant to"

text: Reading some of the comments on StackExhange, I came across > this is irrelevant for this question Shouldn't it be "irrelevant _to_ this question"? Searching on Google I found both are used in various academic texts.


title: Is there a word for people who emit positive vibes and negative vibes?

text: It's happened to me tons of times. See some people on Tv, live in office or anywhere, meet them and without their saying much you feel some positive energy oozing out of them. Although sometimes it is negative too. When it is -ve you don't like seeing them again. I was wondering if there is a word for such people ? Thank you.


title: "Should either be" or "should be either"?

text: Which is more correct: > This rule specifies that an object should **be either** visible or > invisible, but not partially visible. Or > This rule specifies that an object should **either be** visible or > invisible, but not partially visible. Is there any rule for that? Also, should the _be_ be repeated after the or in the second statement?


title: "I would like that he was normal"; is this sentence correct?

text: > I would like that he was normal. This sounds a little awkward but plausible. Is it valid English? How about another example: > I would like that he bathed before going to sleep. It sounds a little better with that additional clause. Both sentences sound normal with _it if_ replacing _that_ : > I would like it if he was normal. > > I would like it if he bathed before going to sleep. Is it just a matter of preference? Are both valid and _it if_ instead _that_ just sounds more natural?


title: Is 'long time no see' grammatically correct?

text: I have researched and found out long time no see is a direct translate from the Chinese phrase, 好久不见. As much as we use it almost everyday in our lives, is it actually grammatically correct? Since it is a direct translate, is it grammatically approved?


title: ostentatious vs pretentious

text: Looking at the definition of these words it appears they are pretty similar: Pretentious: Having or showing the unpleasant quality of people who want to be regarded as more impressive, successful, or important than they really are [Merriam-Webster] Ostentatious: Displaying wealth, knowledge, etc., in a way that is meant to attract attention, admiration, or envy [Merriam-Webster] The way I usually see pretentious being used infers a kind of naivete (an under-educated/lower class person trying to sound intelligent/aristocratic) were as an ostentatious person _is_ upper class, but is flaunting it in an arrogant/gaudy way. Am I way off base here?


title: Appropriate word for very fast

text: Can some one tell me the appropriate word instead of 'very fast' in sentence: > Don't loose hope _very fast_.


title: What does "let it bleed" mean in this context?

text: What does 'let it bleed' mean in the following sentence? > Though the actors give their all, notably Stellan Skarsgård as the brother > of the missing Harriet and Joely Richardson as an estranged relative, the > film hangs back when you want it to come out swinging. **Only Mara lets it > bleed**. Her defensive, bruised-animal performance inexorably draws you in. Is it common enough in daily conversation or English texts? I have seen it before, but it also in a film review (and The Rolling Stones album). Could you give me another example of its use in a sentence? If possible, the origin of the phrase would be nice too.


title: Expression similar to 'freak out'

text: For usage like this: > I _freaked out_ when I saw that file was not there. > > Every time I talk to him, he _freaks me out_ by his strange stories. What similar expressions can I use instead of ' _freak out_ '?


title: "Autumn" vs. "fall" — geographical distribution of usage?

text: I know that generally _autumn_ is the British term and _fall_ is the American one, but what is the geographical distribution of the two terms outside these countries? I'm fairly sure that no British person would use _fall_. Do Americans sometimes use _autumn_?


title: Sound something makes while travelling through a liquid

text: What word best describes the sound made by an object passing through water for a prolonged period of time? "Whoosh" and "Splash" both come to mind, but neither really describes what I'm thinking of of. "Whoosh" sounds too airy and "Splash" connotes a sudden, loud, impact with a liquid as opposed to a gradual passage through it.


title: Why is the word 'bologna' pronounced like 'baloney'?

text: Why is the word 'bologna' (as in a bologna sandwich) pronounced so differently from the way it's spelled? The word 'lasagna' isn't pronounced 'lasagney'... The American sausage is derived from a similar Italian sausage that originated in the city of Bologna, yet the name of the city is pronounced more like the word 'lasagna', which leaves me wondering where the pronunciation came from...


title: Noun phrase converted to verb, is a hyphen needed?

text: When "air kiss" is treated as a verb, as in "they air kissed", should it be hyphenated to "air-kissed"?


title: What is the origin of gully and googly in cricket?

text: The OED supplies no clue to the origin of either gully or googly. It does not in fact mention etymology of the cricket sense of gully, which has led me to infer that it is from the ordinary meaning of gully, i.e. a channel between point and slip. However one responder to an earlier question suggests it is of Indian origin. As regards googly, the OED says 'origin unknown'. It is interesting because of the derived verb 'to google', which nowadays has acquired an entirely different meaning. > a. A ball which breaks from the off, though bowled with apparent leg-break > action. > > 1903 C. B. Fry in P. F. Warner _How We recovered Ashes (1904)_ ii. 29 You > must persuade that Bosanquet of yours to practise..those funny ‘googlies’ of > his.   >  1904 P. F. Warner _How we recovered Ashes_ 106 Bosanquet..can bowl as badly > as anyone in the world, but, when he gets a length, those slow ‘googlies’, > as the Australian papers call them, are apt to paralyse the greatest > players.   >  1909 P. A. Vaile in _Westm. Gaz._ 17 Sept. 14/2 The ‘googly’ is merely the > American service at lawn-tennis introduced into cricket.   >  1920 E. R. Wilson in P. F. Warner _Cricket_ ii. 74 The ‘googly’ or ‘Bosie > ball’ as it was afterwards christened in Australia.   >  1924 N. Cardus _Days in Sun_ 48 Hirst cultivated the swerve and Bosanquet > the ‘googly’. 1930 C. V. Grimmett Getting Wickets i. 22 It was at this time > that I learned to bowl the ‘bosie’ or ‘googly’—an off-break with a leg-break > action.   >  1954 J. H. Fingleton _Ashes crown Year_ 46 Australians call it bosie after > Bosanquet..Englishmen call it the google, or googly.   >  1955 K. R. Miller & R. S. Whitington _Cricket Typhoon_ i. ii. 32 > In..Yorkshire, the ‘Chinaman’ is regarded as the lefthand bowler's off- > break... In Australia..the ‘Chinaman’ is..the left-hander's googly. Can anyone supply any further clue to the origin of either word, please?


title: When a Brit is refering to 'the war' which war does she mean -WWI or WWII?

text: As the title says, when a Brit in modern times writes 'since the war' which war is being refereed to -WWI or WW2?


title: What is the difference between remember and remind

text: Could someone explain the difference between these two words? Here is an example of using each.   * Your hair and eyes **remind** me of your mother.    * I can **remember** people's faces, but not their names.


title: Punctuation issues with relative pronouns

text: Is it allowed to replace the highlighted words in the following sentence with a comma?   1. This is the book **which was** stolen by Taro.   2. This is the book, stolen by Taro.


title: Acoustic perfume

text: What is the exact meaning of "acoustic perfume" in the sentence: Let's get out of here - this acoustic perfume is too much for my ears.


title: Incorrect? “I only have one distinct memory from the movie, a scene where …”

text: Should I say “I only have one distinct memory from the movie, _that of_ a scene where …”, or would it work without the _that of_? If it wouldn’t work without the _that of_ , what if I replace the comma with a colon? Would it be ok then?


title: What do you call someone who is shy, withdrawn, and fearful of being approached?

text: What do you call someone who is shy, withdrawn, fearful of being approached, and with little interest for or even fear of social events? _Sociopath_ would be too harsh of a term (but close) and _shy_ too mild.


title: How to punctuate "A and B and C" properly if "B and C" form a set

text: Given that "A" is one set and "B" and "C" are another set, how should the following phrase be punctuated correctly? > A and B and C


title: spread of the quotative "be like" outside North America

text: I thought that the quotative "be like" was limited to American English, but was surprised to hear a 60-something New Zealand woman using it repeatedly recently. What is the status in world English? (I am referring to "be like" to introduce a quotation or internal monologue, as is discussed in e.g. this paper: http://www.jstor.org/stable/455910 )


title: Is "plantingly" an adverb?

text: Is _plantingly_ an adverb form of _plant_? Can you give me a example sentence? Edit: This use of _plantingly_ came from the following quote: > Firstly I [would like] to thank you for taking the time from your [busy] > schedule to help we **plantingly challenged**.


title: Is there a word for a plot detail that becomes important retroactively?

text: I know that foreshadowing is when you drop hints about the future, but is there a name for it when a statement which is innocuous at the time suddenly becomes very important in the light of new events?


title: The choice between 'will' and 'would'

text: "I will not accept the truth that I will be jealous if you have a boyfriend unless you accept the truth that you will be jealous if I have a girlfriend," said Phil. Is this sentence correct or should I use 'would' in the places where I have used 'will'? Or should I use 'would' only when there is 'had' in the places of 'have'? _confused_


title: Is it okay to use "Sure thing" as a reply to my boss?

text: I was wondering whether _sure thing_ — when I mean _certainly_ — is too casual in a business environment, or whether it could be used under certain circumstances. (I’m not a native speaker of English.)


title: Comma before "and so"

text: I encountered the following two examples: >   1. Moreover, the proposed scheme is designed in an ID-based setting **and > so** the necessity for certificates and some related problems are > eliminated. > >   2. Our scheme also achieves setup-freeness **and so** a user can enjoy the > fairness provided by the fair exchange scheme without interacting with the > arbitrator for registration. > > Is this type of construction ( _and so_ ) correct? Should there be some commas somewhere? Are they not just two independent clauses joined by _and so_?


title: Etymology of English "Achoo" relative to other sneezing onomatopoeiae

text: So I was recently curious about the sound that people sneeze with in other languages and was surprised to notice the difference between the English onomatopoetic word "Achoo" and that of other languages in the same family. For example: German - _hatschi_ Dutch - _hatsjie_ However some of our sibling languages are closer: Icelandic - _atsjú_ Norwegian - _aatsjoo_ Interestingly, most of the world seems to pronounce their sneeze more like modern Germans than modern Americans (basically all of Eastern Europe, Russia and Asia will end their sneezes with a short i instead of a long o). Does anyone have any ideas why the pronunciation differs between ending in a short i in many closely related languages and a long o in English? Presumably people talked and wrote about sneezing relatively early on before these languages broke up so there should be some sort of proto-english pronounciation that either split during a period when most of these branches hadn't extended far, or English changed its common representation of the sneeze at some point in history. Does anyone know of a time in English's history when our sneezes ended in 'i' or a time in German/Dutch history when the 'oo' was favored? Note that the OED traces the word back to the early 19th century, always spelled ending in the 'oo' sound and not a short 'i': > Forms: α. 18–19 aitchoo, 18– achew, 18– achoo, 18– ahchew, 19 ahschoo, 19 > ahshoo, 19– ahchoo, 19– atchoo, 20– aitshoo. > > β. 19 achoos.


title: Choice of an agent to give an active voice - me or the computer program

text: **Background** I am writing a scientific article that describes a computer program. Although it is common in the field to use a passive voice, it is also acceptable, and my preference, to diversify the text with an active voice. That said, the focus of my paper is a computer program, and I am describing what it does. I am having a difficult time determining when it is appropriate to say that the program does something versus when I (or we) did something. **Example** Call the program 'FOO' (all caps since it is an acronym, though presumably, since I am introducing FOO in this paper, I could change this to only have a capital first letter) > FOO uses addition to determine Y, versus > we use addition to determine Y, or > Y is determined by addition I think that giving agency to Foo makes it easier to write, but then my text becomes 'FOO does this ... FOO does that'; making the name 'FOO', which is really incidental, dominate the page when looked at as a whole. In addition, it can feel awkward to writing about a computer program as a protagonist (however, this is my first attempt to describe such a program). **Question: What is the best way to write about software in an active voice?** In my field, the passive voice is dominant so I am having difficulty finding good examples of the use of an active voice.


title: The meaning of "by so" in the sentence

text: Here is the sentence: > A person who agrees to serve as mediator between two warring factions at the > request of both abandons by so agreeing the right to take sides later. To > take sides at a later point would be to suggest that the earlier presumptive > impartiality was a sham. I don't understand the meaning of "by so" in this sentences. Does the sentence mean "by abandoning agreeing the right to take sides later, a person can become a mediator", or "by serving as mediator, a person must abandon taking sides later"? What does the "so" refer to? And is "by so" a "adverbial modifier" of "abandon agreeing"?


title: Why is the word “so” in the line, “To a ill-informed person I would have so answer yes,” shown in Italic to stress the word?

text: I am interested in the word, “so” in the following sentence in Jeffery Archer’s novel, “The Prodigal Daughter.” Florentina Kane who is the chairman of an international hotel empire she succeeded from her father, and stood as a candidate for the Congresswoman for Illinoi State in late 1960s is asked question by a journalist at the press conference: > “Do you consider it a disadvantage to be a woman when seeking public > office?” > > ( She answered:) > > “Perhaps to a limited or ill-informed person **I would have _so_ answer > yes**, but not with any intelligent voter who puts the issues before > outdated predudices. Which of you if involved in a traffic accident on the > way home today would think twice if the first doctor on the scene turned out > to be a woman?- The Prodigal Daughter(Published by St. Martin's Press) > P.293. _Naturally_ I read the bold line as “I would have **to** answer yes,” as most of you do, but then noticed that it is _clearly and distinctly_ written as “ ** _so_** ” **in italic** to emphasize this specific word. What does “so” mean in the above sentence? How does “ _so_ ” here function grammatically? Logically and empirically, it's hard to believe such a reputed author as Lord Jeffery Archer deiberately put " _so_ " in Italic to _show off_ his error.


I heard a song "As Good As I Once Was" by Toby Keith. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=kp&hl=id&v=ldQrapQ4d0Y&gl=ID There is this part of the lyric that I don't really know the meaning, **"I ain't as good as I once was but I'm as good once as I ever was".** By context of the video and the whole lyric I practically guess "I might not be as good as the younger me most of the time now, but if I could be that good at that time I can also be that good this time". Am I correct? The placement of "once" is kind of confusing me. I get the first "once", but I don't get the function of the second "once". An example of sentence using "once" with similar function would be great.


title: Commision on stock market

text: Is it correct to use word commision as a synonym to order on stock market? In meaning: an instruction from customers to brokers to buy or sell on the exchange. I know that commision is a fee or percentage for broker for services rendered. But I found out that is commision synonym for order, or placing. So is it correct in this meaning? I'm asking about noun commision with one 's'.


title: Which word(s) does "nuclear" modify in "by nuclear action or radiation or radioactive contamination"

text: Is the word _nuclear_ assumed after the "or" in the following sentence? "by nuclear action or radiation or radioactive contamination" In other words, does the _or_ assume that the _nuclear_ applies to _radiation_ and _radioactive contamination_?


title: What's the difference between "on the contrary" and "in contrast"

text: Is there any difference between these two phrases? Is there any context in which we only can use one rather than the other?


title: What's the difference between "sea port" and "maritime port"?

text: > Road transport is not the only sector concerned. LNG is also used in > maritime and inland waterway transport. The Commission therefore proposes > the installation of fuel stations in leading European **sea and maritime > ports (for 2020 and 2025, respectively)**. (source) What's the difference between _sea port_ and _maritime port_?


title: "Charge it by the blink" vs. "charge it in blinks"

text: Which of these sentences is grammatically and semantically more appropriate? >   * Lawyers measure time and charge it by the blink. >   * Lawyers measure time and charge it in blinks. >


title: "Is there any proof" versus "are there any proofs"

text: The stack exchange question "Is there any concrete-solid proofs of this space odyssey?" made me want to edit it to remove the s in proofs (someone with enough flair did), however it made me wonder about the plurality of _any_ and _proofs_. So please enlighten me about which one is correct. > Is there any concrete-solid proof of this space odyssey?   >  Are there any concrete-solid proofs of this space odyssey? If the asker wants to hear about at least one proof, the first one is OK, but what is correct if he wants at least two pieces of evidence?


title: Proper use of "replete"

text: Is _replete_ used appropriately in the following sentence? > His office was like a Hollywood museum, **_replete_** with an autographed > photo of Marilyn Monroe. Or should _replete_ only be used with categorical plurals, such as: > His office was like a Hollywood museum, **_replete_** _with autographed > photos of famous stars_.


title: Pronunciation of the word "wite"

text: I thought the correct prononciation of the word "wite" is exactly same as "white". But Google Translate pronunciates it like "wit". Which is the exact pronunciation of _wite_?


title: Is there a more specific word than "linguistics" for the study of idioms?

text: I've tried my hand at Googling this answer through various terms, and have come up dry. Is there such a specific word for this field? If not, what would could be coined as such?


title: English equivalent of the French custom "l'apéro"

text: In France, when gathered with friends, it is customary to drink beers or other light alcohol around 7pm, and this time is called _apéritif_ (or _apéro_ ). Does this custom have an English (UK and/or US) equivalent? How would you say "on se verra à l'apéro"?


What do you call someone who lives for himself? If someone lives his life solely to achieve his own life goals and not want to associate his life with others', what would you call him? I know some of you would probably give answers such as A) hedonist, B) narcissist, but I disagree. Because: A) A hedonist is someone who lives in pursuit of pleasure, and hedonism is a doctrine that the pursuit of pleasure is the highest good. This person in question neither lives for pleasure, nor places pleasure as an important factor. B) A narcissist is someone who is vain, or derives erotic gratification from admiration of his or her own physical or mental attributes. The person in question is also not a narcissist because he does not admire himself; he merely lives for his own good, as mentioned in the question. So once again, what do you call someone who devotes his life solely to achieving his own life goals? Please, he is not a hedonist, not a narcissist, and most certainly not selfish. Assume he is not.


title: "The very minute after"

text: In which cases is _very_ used with the same meaning it has in a phrase like "the very minute after"? Is it a set phrase, or are there other similar phrases? > The very minute after I leave, they start taking my books from the shelf, > reading them, and leaving them in the kitchen.


title: Proof of concept or proof-of-concept, noun or adjective

text: From the Oxford English Dictionary at OED: > **proof of concept** n. evidence (usually deriving from an experiment or > pilot project) demonstrating that a design concept, business idea, etc., is > feasible; a piece of such evidence; freq. attrib. > > _1994_ San Antonio Business Jrnl. (Nexis) 19 Aug. a4 "We built this center > as a proof of concept." > > _2001_ Today's Pilot Feb. 51/1 "Although the GA-200 is a totally new > aircraft, some heavily modified Pawnees were used as proof-of-concept > aircraft." So is it both a noun and an adjective? I wrote in a document _"(...) successfully evaluated through a proof of concept prototype."_ and now I'm wondering whether I should change it into _"(...) successfully evaluated through a proof of concept."_. I left the dashes out in both cases.


title: 'logical errors' or 'logistical errors'?

text: I am reading a novel which has lots of those _lol_ , where some of the events do not make sense at all. Should I call them logical errors? or logistical errors?


title: Phrase for the construction "a, b, c, and d"

text: I'm looking for a concise phrase for the sentence construction "a, b, c, and d". That is, a comma-separated list of things, where the last comma is either replaced or accompanied by the word "and".


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

text: > What the extra time and money bought, besides headaches and heartaches for > the project’s sponsors and the thousands of patrons who line up for discount > theater tickets every day, is nothing less than a new way of seeing the > Times Square “bowtie,” that dazzling intersection of Broadway and Seventh > Avenue. That is because the TKTS booth _proper_ is topped by a sweeping > cascade of 27 ruby-red structural glass steps, rising to a height of 16 feet > 1 inch above the 47th Street sidewalk, where hundreds of people (as many as > 1,500 if they squeeze in tight) will be welcome to congregate every day > until 1 a.m.


title: "Doubt" vs. "suspect"

text: I have never used _doubt_ or _suspect_ properly before. Now I understand that they seem to bear quite the opposite meanings in a sentence. For example, > Everybody believes him, but I **suspect** he is lying means > I **doubt** he is telling the truth. Such pairs of words can be really challenging for non-native speakers to distinguish. What's worse, misuses of them could result in communication disasters. Why is this pair of words so confusing? Are there any more example pairs of this nature?


title: Correct usage of commas and semicolons

text: I am writing an essay to attempt help my friends be themselves and stop worrying about what everyone thinks of them. I am trying to make sure I use punctuation correctly. And I was wondering if I'm using semicolons and commas correctly in the following paragraph. If they are used wrong, please highlight them (if possible) and tell me why and how I'm using them wrong. * * * Be whatever you want to be. Whatever you choose to be is beautiful and flawless regardless of anyone else’s opinion. Be proud of whatever you choose to be. No matter what you choose to be, there will be people that try to bring you down and there will be people that try to bring you up. You should always be proud of being you; be proud of what you look like, be proud of how you act, be proud of how you walk, be proud of how you talk, be proud of how you dress, be proud of your sexuality, just be proud of anything you have. These are all beautiful characteristics you have that set yourself different from everyone else. If you have a big nose, rock that big nose, be proud of your big nose, never be ashamed of your big nose; a big nose isn’t ugly, a big nose is a beautiful trait that you have. Never put yourself down because you envy a characteristic that another person possesses. You have characteristics they don’t have and they probably envy you for it as well. People might call your characteristics “ugly”, people might call your lifestyle “wrong”, people might say what you do is “gross” but regardless of what other people think, you and what you do are beautiful because you are you. What society wants doesn’t matter, you be whatever you want to be. Be eccentric, be dull, be exciting, be extraordinary, be yourself, it’s your life, not society’s life. You make the rules of how to live your life, not society. What society thinks doesn’t matter, you’re just being happy being yourself and living life however you want. Your opinion of yourself shouldn’t be hindered by anyone else, your opinion is your opinion, not society’s opinion, not your family’s opinion, and not your friends’ opinion; it is your opinion. * * * I apologize if this website is not meant for checking like this.


title: Figure of Speech vs. Figure of Thought

text: Is there any meaningful difference between a "figure of speech" and a "figure of thought". Searching for a definition of "figure of thought" leads to many esoteric discussions relating to ancient rhetoric and philosophy. How can I tell a figure of speech apart from a figure of thought, and why would it be worth distinguishing between the two?


title: 's' or 'z': 'musealisation' versus 'musealization'

text: As I understand, the term in itself is not consensual, but is there a preferred spelling for musealisation/ musealization, or is it just the 'usual' question of the British/American spelling?


title: Do my prejudices get "fulfilled"?

text: When reality agrees with my prejudices, they get __. What's the right word? For example: "I had long been prejudiced against city-dwellers as wayward and spendthrift; and when I saw the lust and lucre of New Delhi, my prejudices were __."


title: What does "Stable-ish" mean exactly?

text: I have recently heard in a Tv show that some guy said: > He is stable-ish for now! What does this term mean exactly? couldn't find anything, what's the occasion to use? can we use the -ish suffix for any adjective?


title: Why do people so often use "jive" when they actually mean "jibe"?

text: I often hear people use the word "jive" when I'm pretty sure they mean "jibe." It's a subtle sound difference so it's hard to catch. But why do so many people mix these two up?


title: If the prefix anglo- means "of the English", what prefix means "of the Welsh"?

text: The title says it all! Even if Anglo doesn't quite mean "of the English" you get what I mean.


title: Mandatory to NOT something

text: I'm looking for some type of inverse of "mandatory to _not_ ", as in "mandatory to not have any errors in your exam" or "mandatory to not read foreign words in the book." (Those must sound awful to a native speaker, but I hope the meaning is clear enough.) "Forbidden" or "disallowed" are too strong in this sense, but "optional" is also at the wrong end of the spectrum. Is there a better fit, or should I use a longer explanation?


title: Meaning of 'duty' here

text: > His case, though, was rejected by the Court of Appeal, which suggested that > practical and policy reasons militated against allowing him to recover > damages. Lord Justice Stuart-Smith said: > >> In my judgment both as a matter of principle and policy the court should not extend the **duty** to those who are mere bystanders or witnesses of horrific events unless there is a sufficient degree of proximity, which requires both nearness in time and place and a close relationship of love and affection between plaintiff and victim. Would someone please explain how to determine which definition of duty applies here? I can't distinguish. Definition 1 looks correct, if I consider **duty** as 'responsibility of the law'. Yet Definition 3 looks right too, if **duty = payment** (in the form of damages) ? Source: P95, How the Law Works, Gary Slapper


title: What does "self-deliverance" mean?

text: What does _self-deliverance_ mean? What I don't get is, _self-deliverance_ means different depending on a context used.   I mainly hear the word in music but not sure what it means.


Is "that've" a valid contraction for "that have"? For example, the sentence: "I've been working with some substances that've been detrimental to my health." It follows the patterns of other similar contractions (like would've, that'll've, and others), but doesn't seem to be any dictionary I could find.


title: What, in the context of time, is the equivalent of "equidistant"

text: A location, A, is said to be equidistant from two other locations, B and C, if the distance from A to B is the same as the distance from A to C. What is the equivalent word to use in the context of time? That is, suppose that the distance from A to B is different from the distance from A to C, but it takes the same amount of time to get from A to B as it does from A to C.


title: Correcting the usage of singular "they" and "their"

text: _NB This is **not** a question on how to use the said terms. This is **not** a question on what the said term mean. It might just seems like so._ Starting with the following sentences. > It's insulting that OP needs to explain himself for each case. Sometimes he > should but not always. Now, to make it gender neutral, I rephrased to the singular _they_. > It's insulting that OP need to explain themself for each case. Sometimes > they should but not always. The main question is this. What is the name of this rephrasal? I.e. what is the grammatically correct (possible very formal and to most people unfamiliar) term that describes such a transition? My best guess is " _numerus based gender neutralization_ ". Like it? The second question is this. I removed the ending " _s_ " from " _needs_ " in order to follow the plurality of the exchanged words (i.e. I'm intentionally making the mistake to fail to realize that it's a **singular** " _they_ "), although " _OP_ " still is singular. What's that error called grammatically correct? My best guess is " _bogus plurality based numerus incongruence_ ". I don't like it at all... NB My dictionary says that it's called " _numerus_ " but I'm not sure it's the correct term neither. By _numerus_ I refer to the collective set of _singular_ and _plural_.


title: Why does 'tomnoddy' mean 'dunce'?

text: I'm looking for the etymology of the word _tomnoddy_ which, according to Wiktionary, either refers to a _puffin_ or _a fool or dunce_. From Tolkien's _The Hobbit_ , > _Old Tomnoddy, all big body,   >  Old Tomnoddy can't spy me!_


title: What is the emoticon ":hsugh:"?

text: Some forums have this emoticon: _:hsugh:_ that you could choose to post with your messages. The resulting graphic looks like this: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/wsI6x.gif) What's the meaning of this emoticon? What emotion does it convey?


title: Anthropomorphism vs Personification usage

text: There seems to be a large overlap in the definitions of Anthropomorphism and Personification and they are somewhat interchangeable, but in what context is one of these words preferred over another? Anthropomorphism: ascribe human features to something Personification: the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas