title: Dropping L in compound adjectives. Is it "skillful" or "skilful"?

text: We have been taught at school that when a word ending in "LL" helps form a compound word, "LL" becomes "L" (e.g. skill -> skilful). I have also come across the usage of this adjective as _skillful_ (with double L's). I checked the NGram to see how the usage has changed over time, and it got me more confused: ![Ngram of skillfull vs skilful](http://i.stack.imgur.com/silE7.jpg) What is the correct form of _skilful_ and similar words? Is there a definite rule or are both usages acceptable?


title: Usage of “I will be. . . if it were”

text: I found a statement in one of my old write-up and I can't not be sure if this is wrong. I am not a native English speaker.   * I will be surprised if it were to be discovered that consciousness is absent in some primitive life form at any stage of evolution. On re-reading, I feel confused about the co-existence of _will_ and _were_ in two clauses. Is it acceptable in this statement? What is the grammar rule which one can use as a rule of thumb to construct such sentences?


title: Difference between to live on and to live by

text: My vocabulary trainer stands "to live on" and my vocabulary trainer says that it means that somebody does something to make one's living (by doing something). > Example: I live on selling cars. But I have also learned that "to live by" means exactly the same (and I have often heard sentences like "I'm living by selling cars"). Well, my question is: When should I use "to live by" and when "to live on"? Or is one of these prepositions wrong?


title: a word for questioning the validity

text: suppose that someone at top echelon of an institution delivers a statement. I doubt whether the statement is a fact or not. Do I say "I question it" or anything else? what is the short laconic phrase or word for it? if I say "I question it", the speaker might think I am doubting his authority rather than the statement he made. what is a better way of doing it? I don't want to use the word question to avoid ambiguity. also, I am questioning his statement in an affirmative tone, assuming that he is wrong or might be wrong.


title: Rhetorical Sentence Pattern

text: What is the rhetorical sentence pattern of the sentence, "Facts are to the scientist what words are for the poet."? I really think it's **periodic** , but if it's not, can I please have an explanation as to why? Why I think it's **periodic** : My understanding is that the noun, **"what words are for the poet"** is how facts occur **to the scientist**. To explain further, given my view of the semantics of the sentence, a rephrased sentence would be: To the scientist, facts are **what words are for the poet**. The definition of a periodic sentence is that the main point is at the end. My argument is that it is not a balance sentence.


title: What are the capitalization rules regarding historical periods of time?

text: Why are phrases like "the High Middle Ages" capitalized while e. g. "the sixth century" is not? Is there a general rule?


What is the meaning of "nutrient bang for your calorie buck"?


title: What does one call terms like "astroturfing"?

text: Astroturfing is a word used to describe a fake or counterfeit grassroots campaign. The clever term is derived from the notion that one kind of fake grass is astroturf. Another more niche example is from mathematics. We call the "germ" of a function the part at the bottom of a stalk in some sheaf. We call this a germ because it is like the germ for the stalk of a plant. In both of these examples, one makes an analogy to create a term, and then related terms, carry on this analogy to build terms related to the first. Is there a specific name for this sort of term?


title: What is the meaning of 'mental yoga ' in this sentence?

text: What does _mental yoga_ mean in the following sentence? > The isNaN() function requires some `mental yoga` at times because it > attempts to prove a negative—that the value in a variable is not a number.


title: Absorb the excess length?

text: I have a difficult time finding the right word for the following situation: On the drawing, there are some dimensions instructed, and extra length is set for one range for workability. That extra length is “absorbed” (trimmed?) to meet the instruction. “Absorb” is the direct translation from my language, but does it make a sense? Is there any right word for it?


title: Is there a term for a married couple who have the same christian and surname?

text: My wife and I share the abbreviated form of our name - Alex derived from Alexandra and Alexander respectively. As we are married, we have the same christian and surname when used in the short form. I was wondering if anyone is aware of a term for this? I would assume one exists because I know of several examples i.e. Sam(antha) and Sam(uel) Clark the chefs who are known as Sam and Sam Clark. Many thanks for any assistance.


title: explanation of kindle in expression: "the risk of extinguishing the fire... by using too much kindle"

text: Can I get an explanation of the word _kindle_ in this expression: > the risk of extinguishing the fire... by using too much kindle


title: What is the origin of the phrase "hate your guts"?

text: Where does the phrase "hate your guts" (for example "I hate your guts") come from? I've heard the phrase used as a way to convey extreme and deep dislike of another individual. However, it seems strange to have just been born arbitrarily and I suspect there is a source.


title: Difference between vex and annoy

text: I learnt a new verb today, namely, _vex_. I read a lot of example sentences with it, and looked up the definitions. It seems that _vex_ is very similar to _annoy_.   * Are there any contexts where one is applicable while the other is not?  If not,   * Are there any contexts where one is more preferable than the other?


title: Usage of 'Dear All'

text: Is it correct to use "Dear All" at the beginning of the e-mail, when you are writing to more than one person? It seems so informal to me. Is there any better way?


title: What does ‘Jam down one’s throat” mean?

text: I came across the phrase “I’ll jam down their throats” in the following sentence of the Reuters’ article (June 30 issue) dealing with the Davis Cup, titled “Pat Rafter Wary of 'Awkward Chinese.'” > Our biggest problem is if we are complacent and we take them easy," he said. > "That will be the one thing that I will jam down their throats—they will be > very tough. In search for the meaning of the phrase, I found a similar phrase, “jam one’s belief down someone’s throat” in the following example. . > I mean, vegetarians and vegans don't try to moralize or jam their beliefs > down everyone else’s' throats, > right?—www.foodaq.com/html/General/44813.html. What does “jam down something one’s throat” mean? Does it mean to force someone to swallow (accept) something or surrender to someone? Is this a popular phrase?


title: It's raining today or it's rainy today?

text: When you're writing a diary, you might start with "It's sunny today" or "It's cloudy today." When it comes to rain, which should it be? > It's rainy today.   >  It's raining today. It may be raining at the very moment when you wrote down the words "It's raining today," but not necessarily the whole day. So which one is more proper in this case?


title: How would you translate "le guance magre, scavate nel volto" in English?

text: I am having troubles translating this expression into English. I know the expression "hollow cheeks" exists, but I can't find a way to translate "scavate nel volto" using the same structure (e.g., _carved into the face_ ; which appears to be wrong, unfortunately).


title: word for bringing a number to its absolute value

text: In mathematics, the absolute value of a number _n_ is either _− n_ if _n_ is negative or _n_ itself if otherwise. Is there a single word or shorter description for the replacement of _n_ with its absolute value?


title: "Ideas on" vs. "ideas for"

text: I'd like to know when to use "ideas on" and "ideas for". I think these are correct: >   * I'd like some ideas on how to improve my team. >   * I'd like some ideas for improving my team. >   * I have some ideas on that subject. > This feels less correct to me: > I'd like some ideas for how to improve my team. This feels plain wrong: > I have some ideas for that subject. However, I don't know why. Which phrase should I use, and when? Edit: I'm specifically interested in the grammar breakdown — is that last one wrong because it's a noun? What about "how" — how does this change it? What are the rules?


title: What does the suffix “-saurus” mean?

text: Is it the same meaning in _tyrannosaurus_ as in _thesaurus_? I really can’t imagine what those two words could possibly have in common!


title: Is “your time is done” often used?

text: I found the phrase "your time is done" in the following sentence of New York Times (May 12) article titled "When a batting order becomes a reflection of disorder." > After all the hits and heroics, all the good deeds and game-winning hits and > homers, all the championships won — after all of that, forces far greater > than you decide that _your time is done._ For the athlete, the force is > nature, and the manager and general manager wind up confirming what nature > has wrought. Though I understand that "one's time is done" means "one's time is finished," I don’t think I’ve heard this phrase many time. Is it used equally with, I mean as often as "your time is over" or "You run out of time"? At the same time, there were the following lines in the same article: > Posada recoiled when someone asked point blank if he was he [sic] > considering retirement now. He repeated his refrain that his back was tight > and that he needed time to clear his head. Isn’t the repetition of _he_ in the first line a typo?


title: What is the origin of being "in the pudding club"?

text: Being "in the pudding club" seems to mean "being pregnant" in British English. What is the origin/etymology of this phrase? Where is it used nowadays?


title: An idiom for a stupid action which is beneficial in the end, or for the person who performed said action

text: My friend works for an investment firm, and his colleague mistakenly double- submitted a long bid for stock on a very risky day. The entire firm was on edge the whole day, watching the stock price. In the end, the price went sky- high and the firm made a lot of money, so the friend was praised. However, he could easily have been in big trouble with the boss if the price had dropped. What is a term for this? Also, is there a term for the person who made the mistake?


title: Use of "if" and "can"?

text: Is this a correct sentence? And if not, why? > We cannot expect reasonable results if the condition is not satisfied.


title: Can someone help me diagram this sentence?

text: I'm trying to do a sentence/phrase analysis of the following sentence. I just can't figure out, what would “No matter the season” be (Adv. of ...) in terms of sentence elements. And the next question is about the PostM of the NP of the DO. “Found nowhere else in Britain” is PostM, realised by restrictive relative cl (with zero marker: _challenge [that is] found_ ...) or not?                       ?                 S/NP                   P/VP       IO/PP           DO/NP      No matter the season,/ these combined features /present /to the climber /a uniquely varied and demanding challenge found nowhere else in Britain.


title: Is there a difference between "keep on doing" and "go on doing"?

text: Keep on: "to continue doing something, or to do something many times." Go on: "a) to continue doing something or being in a situation. b) to continue without stopping". From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English


title: "Her" in a sentence

text: I have a question about the use of "her" in English. Here is a conversation: > Q. Any luck finishing your part? A. Working on her right now. Here, does _her_ refer to _part_ A of the question? Is it like conversational language? Can _her_ refer to anything else?


title: Does "cost-benefit ratio" use a hyphen or an en-dash?

text: Should I write "cost-benefit" (hyphen) or "cost-benefit" (en dash), and why?


title: When citing a paper and describing its purpose, is it correct to use a comma to describe the contents?

text: My question is in regards to the following sentence and has two parts: > Bitcoin is a clever solution to the Byzantine Generals Problem[2], which > describes the issue of trusting data transmitted over a network where there > exists the danger of faulty or dishonest broadcasting nodes.   1. Is this comma necessary? It's hard for me to tell whether or not I am using a comma correctly in this sentence. Removing the comma makes it seem like a run-on sentence, but I can't tell for sure.   2. The word "which" seems unprofessional / awkward, is there a better way to reword this entirely without having a comma and without using the word "which"?


title: Is there a difference between "eatable" and "edible"?

text: I thought only _edible_ was correct, even Google suggested _edible_ when I did a search to see which one was more popular on the internet:   * _Edible_ : 17.2 million   * _Eatable_ : 2.2 million The first results are from dictionaries, the meaning being "that can be eaten". What's the difference between them?


title: Does "invidious" come implicit with malice or consideration? Or is it just absent of care?

text: "Invidious" (the often misunderstood) is known to involve harmful or threatening effects — at least insomuch as one party feels "resentful" or similarly about the situation. So there are at least two 'parties' involved:   1. one that performs the action, or represents the situation   2. another that is _"aroused" to_ , or "incurs" the "resentment or anger" So my question is whether Party #1 does their acts, represents the situation **_with malice_**? Meaning: 'by design'. Does "invidiousness" come implicit with _design_ for the results of the actions? Or is this intentionality then another word (e.g. "malice") Alternatively, does 'invidiousness' come minimally with _consideration_? Does Party #1 comprehend the capacity of their action(s) to incite resentfulness in Party #2? My focus has come to the part of the definition that says "likely." An "invidious" action is one that is "likely" to cause resentment, etc. The OED may advance this dimension of the word even further: > Of a charge, complaint, report, etc.: _Tending_ or **fitted to** excite > odium, unpopularity, or ill feeling against some one. (emphasis mine) In either the case of a 'tendency' or a 'fitting' it would seem that the actor (#1) has, minimally, a consideration as to the invidious effect, namely _"odium, unpopularity, or ill feeling against some one."_ The coup de grace question: _must_ invidiousness be absent of Care? Can Party #1 act invidiously and still have compassion for Party #2? * * * At risk of involving too much thought about the metaphysics of intent - many of the comment center around _intent_ and _unintended consequences_ (unto Party #2).


title: Option vs. Optional

text: A laundry detergent brand is currently running an ad campaign with the tagline "Style is an option. Clean is not." Obviously, what they _mean_ is that cleanliness is required while stylishness is not; but the way I interpret the tagline, what they're actually _saying_ is that stylishness is available as a possible choice, but cleanliness is impossible -- it's not on the menu. Before I drive my family nuts[1] by muttering "option _al_ , option _al_ , option _ **al**_ " every time the commercial comes on, can y'all confirm that my distinction between _option_ and _optional_   is grounded in reality? option (n): an available item that can be chosen (or not).   optional (adj): not required; elective. [1] Yeah, yeah, I know, too late... :p


title: Is there a word for a person who is not afraid to point out problems even if that means additional work for them?

text: I am talking about a developer who doesn't turn a blind eye to bugs found by chance, who doesn't treat them as _Somebody Else's Problem_ , but feels responsible for the product as a whole. _Whistle-blower_ comes to mind but I don't know if it is used outside government/administration context. What's the best word to describe this soft skill?


title: Difference between "huge", "enormous" and "gigantic"

text: Among the words _huge_ , _enormous_ and _gigantic_ , does one word refer to something bigger than another does, or do they all refer to the same size?


title: Which is correct: "feedback is welcome" or "feedback is welcomed"?

text: I am used to write _feedback is welcome_. Is that correct, or should I write _feedback is welcomed_? Why?


title: What is the difference between "I forgot" and "I had forgot"?

text: _I forgot_ versus _I had forgot_. What is the difference between the two phrases?


title: Where does "Let's roll!" come from?

text: Where does the idiom "Let's roll!" come from?


title: Is the phrase "refuse the idea" wrong?

text: It doesn't sound right, but I might be mistaken. A quick search shows that people do use it, but they could be wrong as well (I suspect the phrase is ok, and I am wrong).


title: Is it acceptable to use "womyn" or "womin" instead of "women"?

text: I have often seen/heard these two terms in many articles and speeches about Feminism or women's rights issues. I couldn't find them in any online dictionary except for the Oxford Dictionary which describes it as > non-standard spelling of ‘women’ adopted by some feminists in order to avoid > the word ending -men. And Urban Dictionary, which has (second definition): > This is a term used by feminists who feel that having the word "man" in the > word "woman" makes women a subset of men. So, to make themselves a non > subset, they changed the letter 'e' to a 'y'. Is it acceptable to use these alternate spellings in my writings and conversations with natives (educated/uneducated)? Does it sound strange, aggressive, or odd in the modern English language? Is it likely to prejudice the minds of my audience against me? Is it illegal to use it in writings and conversations? Which kinds of danger can threaten me? That is, are these alternate spellings seen as uneducated? Are they used solely by strongly feminist groups who are looked down upon? Or are these spellings seen more positively? Now, what is my motivation? I thought it might prejudice my audiences regardless of their ideas about Feminists, or even an ordinary woman/womyn who likes to avoid sexism at least in her talks and writings. Furthermore, if I wanted to work with a group of people who hate Feminists or these kinds of considerations in language, it would help me to decide about changing my workplace or hiding my ideas!


title: What is the proper spelling of "enqueueing"?

text: Is it "enqueueing" or "enqueuing"? Google has 1M+ hits for the former and around 80k for the latter, but I found no authoritative source.


title: What are the origins of the phrase "operate on register[s]"?

text: I am curious as to whether this phrase gained wide spread usage after the incorporation of registers in computer microprocessors. Simple example: > Morality operates on a number of registers: age, religion, personal > experiences.


title: When do we use "to" as an infinitive marker?

text: In these two sentences: >   1. I look forward to get. >   2. I look forward to getting it. > Why is the first sentence incorrect? When do we use _to_ as an infinitive marker?


title: Why does the "e" in judge vanish in the word "judgment"?

text: The in the word "judgment", the "e" from "judge" is absent. Three questions on this:   1. Why is this?    2. Is there a name for such a contraction?   3. How and why does the "g" still retain its "soft" pronunciation without the "e" following it?


title: What is a succinct positive name for a busybody ( non impacted stakeholder )?

text: I am looking for a word that _does not_ have a negative connotation and is a succinct general term for a: non user, but vocal, stakeholder. **Arbitrary example:** Say a new road was going to be built through an area. What would you call a person who is not directly impacted (lives in a different area) but would make a submission (for / against) its construction? e.g., "It will give the elderly better access to X resource", "It will harm Y bird's migration path."


title: What are the better words to describe difficulty levels?

text: I'm using five words to describe the difficulty levels of some training material: > 'Easy', 'Normal', 'Hard', 'Challenging', 'Level 5' 'Level 5' is the most difficult level. I haven't found a proper word for that. Anyway, I first want to know some better words to name the five levels. The words are not necessarily related to any professional field because it contains training material from different professional fields. If no better words are available, please help me with a word 'Level 5'.


title: He truly is great or he is truly great?

text: Where is the correct place to put the "is"? I speak several languages and get confused when switching from one to the other.


title: My brother's son 4 years older

text: What do I call my brother's son, who is 4 years older than myself? I was on a visit to Canada and immigration officer asked me who am I visiting and I told him my Nephew but he is older than me, the immigration officer told me he is my Uncle. Please help me out.


title: "I've been looking to do [this or that]." Is "looking to do" idiomatic?

text: Pretty much that's the question. I wanna think that I have heard it used many times ("I've been looking to do that for the longest time"), but now I'm not sure. Thanks!


title: Is there a word with the meaning to mix "s" and "th" when pronounced?

text: I remember I have met a word which means people cannot distinguish "th" from "s" when they speak but now I can't recollect it. So I need some help here. Does anyone know that word? P.S. It is a single word~


title: Grapes and vintners

text: Please, can you translate this? > These dregs are distilled until a clear liquid results that retains, > supposedly, the vapors left behind by the grapes gone to the vintner. I suspect that the author made some grammar mistake because this just doesn't make any sense to me. I don't understand the part with the vintner. The vapors are left behind by the grapes... okay fine, but how does vintner contribute to leaving the vapors behind? Is this everyday English, or is it just a simple thing written in an unnecessary complicated way?


title: Which is a better and commonly used word, Bulk or Batch?

text: What is a better word which can be used to refer to a large number of files as in following? > _Batch_ file processing or _Bulk_ file processing Which is commonly used?


title: Word for someone who is healthy

text: I am looking for a word for someone who takes care of their health and physical well-being. For example, a person who has hobbies could be called a hobbyist. A person who learns is a learner... I am looking for something like that. Any ideas? EDIT: Syntactically I am looking for a word which could fit "that person is a/an [insert word here]". EDIT: Contextually this word will be used a bullet heading in a mission statement which outlines a person's roles and responsibilities as such:   * Learner      * Blah blah blah, responsibilities/activities as a learner   * Educator      * Responsibilities as an educator   * Healthy Person (looking for a good word for here, without the use of 'person')      * Exercise, diet, hygiene, etc...


title: Is 'subject' in 'is subject to considerable debate' a verb or a noun?

text: Every once in a while I stumble upon this phrase:               ... is subject to considerable debate      Examples are easily found on the web, for instance:               In the context of suspected cognitive disorders,     the validity of memory complaints is subject to considerable debate      However, this phrase does not seem grammatically correct to me. I could expect it to be:               ... is a subject for considerable debate      in which case 'subject' is a noun, or:               ... is subjected to considerable debate      where 'subject' is a verb in past participle. Still, both alternatives are much less common, judging by the number of occurrences in Google, than the original phrase. So here are the questions:   1. Is this phrase appropriate for formal writing?   2. Is it appropriate for less formal conversation?   3. Finally, is 'subject' in this phrase a noun or verb?      1. Where should I put the stress when I read the phrase aloud?


title: Word choices in Spartacus series

text: _Note of importance before I start: I'm not a native English speaker._ With that out of way, I wonder about word choices in the Spartacus series. I have watched the first series so far and I have gathered about 30 new words I have never heard. I have a habit of writting down every word I don't know yet and finding out its usage in my growing dictionary. I have been learning english for more than a decade, watched over 500 movies in English both with and without English subtitles, read about 20 books and heard more than 100 hours of podcasts, yet I have failed to recognize the following words, to mention but a few examples. > hubris, tarry, hone, forego, impede, vex, ... My question is, are these words somewhat obsolete or deprecated? Or are they just another synonyms, which are used sparsely in both written and spoken English (no matter if American or British or other versions)? I can't imagine why they have been used in this series?


title: "Bear something in mind" or "Bear in mind something"

text: I've been seeing both of these constructions all around, and I'd like to know if there is any rule that controls the usage of this expression. For what I've read, it seems to me that " **Bear something in mind** " is used when that something is short, or a single word, like "Bearing this in mind we have that..." On the other hand, " **Bear in mind something** " seems to be used when that something in longer, or even just longer than a single word, like "Bearing in mind both of those previous things...". Any confirmation on this? What would you use if you are referring to an annotation? (e.g. "Bearing [1] in mind..." or "Bearing in mind theorems [1] and [2]...").


title: Difference between selecting by color and selecting according to color

text: In a paper I read, the authors selected various images _by_ color, and I wondered if what they did wouldn’t be better expressed by _according to_ color. But the longer I thought about it, the less sure I was. Maybe someone here can help my muddled brain.


title: Is the word "representativity" possible?

text: I found natural to use the word "representativity" (with regard to a sample population of a survey), but my dictionary does not agree with me. Is "representativity" a valid construction?


title: "in the most unexpected way" vs "in the most unexpected of ways"

text: For instance, which one I should use in the following sentence? > It wasn't until eight years later that I got to hear about the Johnsons > again, though [...]. Are they the same? If not, how to they differ?


title: Origins of negative prefixes like in-, un-, il-, ir-, dis-, a-

text: I've read here about origins of _in-_ and _un-_ negative prefixes. Are there any known origins of other negative prefixes such as _il-_ , _ir-_ , _dis-_ , _a-_?


title: Origin of "Arachnoleptic fit"

text: In various websites on the Internet, including http://www.joke- archives.com/dictionaries/dictionarywords.html, I've come across the phrase _Arachnoleptic fit_. Apparently all the words in that set (Beelzebug, Bozone, etc.) are all made by either adding, removing, or replacing a letter from an already existing word or phrase. But I can't figure out the original phrase for _Arachnoleptic fit_ which only changes one letter of the word. I've tried Googling, and got lots of pages _mentioning_ the word, but none explaining its origin.


title: Is it "on the browser" or "in the browser"?

text: As a native Spanish speaker, I often get confused by the correct usage of _on_ and _in_. In the following examples, what would be the correct way of referring to the font size for characters used by a web page and why? Use the correct font size **on** the browser. Use the correct font size **in** the browser. Thanks.


title: Antonym for verbal diarrhea

text: The act of speaking excessively or continuously is referred to as verbal diarrhea. How about speaking very little? Is there a word for it?


title: What's the opposite of "concatenate" in programming?

text: To concatenate means _to string together different things._ Concatenating "snow" and "ball" produces "snowball." But what would the opposite action be? What is the name of the action used to derive two words from one? (My dictionaries don't list any antonyms, and Googling revealed _how_ to do the opposite but not what it's called.) _Edit: I had programming parlance in mind, so I've reflected that in the question title._


title: What to do with a list of verbs with different prepositional needs?

text: For example: The community was not supportive of, or happy with the result. The community was not supportive or happy with the result. So when using two sets of verbs and prepositions (listing) in a sentence, do you need to state both prepositions? I think yes. If the preposition is the same, then no. Am I correct?


title: Use of "though" versus "however"

text: Consider the sentence > E-books are on the rise, but they haven't suppressed paper books though. This usage seems to be quite common, but when I learned English I was taught to use "however" where I now read "though".   My questions on this use of "though" are: Is this a new trend?   Is it restricted to American English?   Is "though" considered more colloquial than "however" ? And on a syntactic level:   Do you put a comma before "though"?


title: Is "Have we a menu?" a correct sentence?

text: Is this a correct sentence? > Have we a menu? It sounds a little bit strange to me.


title: Conjunction vs comma for creative writing

text: > Mark is crying, sitting in the middle of the hall.   >  Mark is sitting in the middle of the hall and crying. I know both sentences are grammatically correct. But which is good for creative writing?


title: Is there a slang word for "electronic cigarettes" (e-cigarettes)?

text: > An electronic cigarette (e-cig or e-cigarette), personal vaporizer (PV) or > electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) is a battery-powered vaporizer > which simulates tobacco smoking by producing an aerosol[1] that resembles > smoke. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_cigarette These e-cigarettes have been commercially available in some countries for a couple of years, the UK included. Has any slang word already been coined for them? (e-smoke? e-fag? e-dugans?)


title: Providing transparency on or providing transparency of?

text: I am wondering about the wording of this sentence: _Empowering solid decisions by providing transparency of the system landscape and IT processes._ I'd like to ask if "on" can be used in this context as opposed to "of" and which variant sounds better/is more correct. And what about using "... making transparent the system landscape ..." versus "... providing transparency of/on the system landscape...", which one of these alternatives is better? Or am I completely on the wrong track?


title: I'll get lost tomorrow?

text: Is the following sentence correct? > I'll get lost tomorrow. Mom asked if I have plans of exploring the city alone tomorrow. The city is really new to me and I don't mind if I lost myself somewhere along the way. So is it grammatically correct to just reply to Mom: > Yes, I'll get lost tomorrow, Mom!


title: Punctuation for a list of names in the middle of a sentence

text: > Under the direction of General Manager, Rian Wagner, a motivated project > team, including: Edison Ven, Gary Bon, Justin Bembi, Marco Conch, Leo Bold > and Richard Trolo, led the effort to bring the area up to the Inner Messa > standard. Is the punctuation in this sentence correct? Should there be a comma at the end of the list (after "Rich Triolo")?


title: What is an alternative word to "journey" for a shorter travelling time?

text: I want to ask someone that how was his journey but the drive is too short to be considered as journey. What other word I can use instead of it?


title: Is “ill at ease” perfectly interchangeable with “uncomfortable”?

text: There was the following sentence in a series about the art and craft of writing in _New York Times_ (April 29) written by Tim Kreider under the title, “The Power of ‘I Don’t Know’”: > I’m always _ill at ease_ when I find myself conscripted by the media into > the role of Expert on some subject about which I have rashly written. I felt > like the explanatory caption beneath my name on-screen ought to be: PERSON > IN WORLD. [ _emphasis added_ ] As I checked a dictionary (OALED) at hand, it defines _ill at ease_ as an idiom to mean uncomfortable and embarrassed, and _uncomfortable_ as: > 3\. anxious, embarrassed or afraid and unable to relax   >  4\. unpleasant or difficult to deal with Are they saying the same thing? Does _ill at ease_ sound more familiar and at- home than _uncomfortable_ , or are they perfectly interchangeable?


title: The friend who travels with you

text: I am trying find a phrase or just a word that expresses the friend who travels with you along your trip or journey. > You are my best **___ ___** . How can I call this person?


title: subject and verb in "The average bundle price paid"?

text: I found this sentence really confusing: > The average bundle price paid was a little over $8. So, _the average_ is the subject. _Paid_ is the verb. What about the _bundle price_? Can we use this form instead? > The average _paid bundle price_ was a little over $8.


title: Trouble with translating a sentence

text: I am not a native English speaker, so I am not sure I understand the bolded sentence correctly: > The anti-hero is actually the main character in some contemporary works of > literature. Guy Montag in "Fahrenheit 451," Winston Smith in "1984," who > unwittingly ends up challenging those in power -- that is, **those who abuse > their power to brainwash the populace to believe that the ills of society > have been eliminated.** > > Source: An anti-hero of one's own - Tim Adams TED-ed video Is the infinitive "to believe" related to the populace or to those who abuse the power? I mean, I have two versions in my mind:   * They (who abuse the power) believe that the ills of society have been eliminated by brainwashing the populace.   * The populace believe that the ills of society have been eliminated because authorities have brainwashed them. **Question** : Can you tell me which of the above versions is correct?


title: primary product, secondary product, next?

text: What follows after the words primary and secondary?   What's the English word for it (meaning 3rd basically)?


title: expression "something beyond your kin"

text: I heard the expression "something is beyond your kin", see an example: > Woman, you're playing with forces beyond your kin. I can't find a way to fit any of the entries of the definition of 'kin' in this context. Anyone? EDIT, I actually misunderstood `kin` for `ken`. The kick back from the previous statement shows it: > Sheldon: "Woman, you're playing with forces beyond your ken." Penny: "Yeah, > well your Ken can kiss my Barbie".


title: Why do we "paint the town red"?

text: Why is the phrase "paint the town red" used to mean go on a colossal drinking spree? Does anyone know where it came from? Green's Slang Dictionary tentatively suggests a famous toot by the Marquis of Waterford in 1837 may be the origin, but the earliest citation for the phrase given is 1884.


title: "toward" vs. "towards"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Toward or towards – what would a native speaker use? Consider the following examples: > Fighting towards anti corruption. > > I am going toward north. > > I am going towards north. Which one is grammatical? And what's the difference?


title: Is “cut against sth” an idiom or just ‘cut’ followed by a preposition?

text: There was a phrase, ‘the governor _cuts against his core argument_ ” on the issue of how to handle undocumented immigrants in the following sentence in Time magazine’s (Nov 23) article titled, “Christie’s leadership of GOP governors elevates and tests him.": > “Earlier this month, Christie dodged the question on Sunday shows. The > reporter asked Christie to answer as a yes or no, to eliminate any confusion > on immigration reform. When the reporter pointed out he didn’t answer the > question or state his position on the issue, Christie replied, “Yeah, well, > I don’t have to answer the question the way you want me to.” > > This is quickly becoming a pattern for the Republican governor that **cuts > against his core argument** to voters.” - > http://swampland.time.com/2013/11/23/christies-leadership-of-gop-governors- > elevates-and-tests-him I surmise “cut against” in the above sentence means “contradict,” like it “cuts against the grains,” or go reverse. However neither Cambridge nor Oxford English Dictionary carries “cut against sth” as an idiom, while Google Ngram shows a long-standing usage of “cut against,” which can be dated back to 1840s. Is ‘cut against’ an idiom, cliché, or just an incidental combination of ‘cut’ and preposition? What would it be a single word (verb) to replace it?


title: How to pronounce "users' email"?

text: Minutes ago, I was reading an article "Yahoo, Google and Apple also claim rights to read user emails". As usual I was reading it out loud, and I was stuck at "Following the revelation that Microsoft could, and did, read users' email". How should I pronounce it, should I just read it as if it were "user's email" or should I pronounce it like [juzerziz]?


title: Usage of "and so"

text: Take this as an example: I've a thought that - the life is worthless. Since the life is worthless, We're worthless. How to express this in a simple statement? Is this correct to say? > "Life is worthless and so we" Help me! Thank you!


title: Do you say 'white blackboard'?

text: English is not my first language, so I'm not sure what you commonly call one of these: ![Whiteboard](http://i.stack.imgur.com/br1VC.gif) I'm trying to choose between blackboard, white blackboard, or maybe just 'slate'.


title: Superlative and definite article "the"

text: I have seen similar questions like this here on ELU. However, I am still confused with my particular question. > (a) She gets up latest in her family.   >  (b) She gets up the latest in her family. Can one omit the definite article "the" in the second sentence? There is a similar English Language & Usage question with an answer that says, “An article is only necessary in the superlative (or comparative) if the adjective is attributive (i.e. is in the same phrase as the noun it is describing)” . Is the adjective in my above sentences attributive?


title: "Tug at your heart" or "tug at your heart strings"?

text: Are they the same, meaning _to make people feel emotional_?


title: What do you call a number that is a power of 2?

text: I know there is a term for a **number that is the power of 2** , such as 8, 32, 128, 4096 -- but it slipped my mind.


title: Why do we say “Japan earthquake” and not “Japanese earthquake”?

text: Isn’t earthquake a noun and the preceding word an adjective? Isn’t “Japanese” the adjectival form of “Japan”?


title: If he is still alive today, he…

text: Suppose Jeff was born on 1/1/1982. He went missing a long time ago. At the present time, he could be either dead or alive, but nobody knows for sure: 1 "If Jeff is still alive today, he **is** 30 years old."   2 "If Jeff is still alive today, he **will be** 30 years old."   3 "If Jeff is still alive today, he **_would be_** 30 years old." Which one is standard English?


title: "I'm loving" versus "I love"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  "I'm lovin' it" > I love the car.   >  I'm loving the car. It seems both of them are correct in strictly grammatical way, but the second one sounds a little bit weird. May any of you tell me how to deal with them?


title: What is the term or phrase to describe some process is sequential independent?

text: By "sequential independent", I mean the process remains the same no matter how you change the order of its subroutines. Better to be some term frequently used in math or engineering.


title: Difference between "spirit" and "soul"

text: What is the difference between _spirit_ and _soul_? Is the word _soul_ used for only human beings? For instance, > He [Descartes] thought the brain worked as a center for the **spirits** of > the **soul**.


title: "Had decided to call" vs."had decided that we should call"

text: I have a question regarding using "had decided". I'm not sure if I can use either an infinitive form of a verb or a modal verb: >   * We had decided to call each other when we are in danger. >   * We had decided that we should call each other when we are in danger. > I think I've heard people use both, not sure if I can use past perfect with an infinitive and _would/should/could_.


title: "Help somebody with" vs "Help somebody in"

text: In examples like the following, what is the difference between "with" and "in". Although, this is only one example, it would be interesting if someone can explain it in more detail. > I will help you with cooking. > > I will help you in cooking. I searched it online and Google came up with both forms used in different websites.


title: Tense agreement after "if it means that"

text: I've read that in conditional sentences, tenses don't have to match. Is this true for sentences that contain "if it means"? In the examples below, I'm trying to say something like "I won't write to you if it's going to help me not miss you". >   * I will not write you if it means that I won't miss you. >   * I will not write you if it means that I don't have to miss you. >   * I will not write you if it'll mean that I won't miss you. > Do these basically mean the same thing or is one more right than the other?


title: "Deus Ex Machina" for Misfortune

text: I'm looking for a word or phrase like "deus ex machina," but to describe misfortune rather than resolution. It needs to communicate that the situation "came from out of nowhere," and/or feels "tacked-on" without any prior build- up. Any ideas? Edit: For example: > The ___ in the book really annoyed me. The main character died of an illness > at the end, even though nothing of the sort was hinted at in any previous > plot arcs.


title: Can I say "trees were shaking" because of the wind? Or should it be "moving" or something else?

text: > The strong wind blew and all the trees in our mini park were ... What word should I use here? I mean that situation when the wind is strong enough to cause the trees to make some motions, yet not be uprooted (like in case of hurricane)


title: Isn't the term "foreign national" redundant?

text: Looking at the definition given at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_national (I know, not a great source) I can't see how replacing this with just "foreigner" wouldn't suffice?


title: Compound noun or adjective + noun?

text: _Substitute teacher_ is an adjective and a noun, where substitute is an adjective as defined in the dictionary. However, what about _replacement teacher_? Replacement is defined as a noun in the dictionary. Does that make _replacement teacher_ a compound noun or is _replacement_ in this situation an adjective nevertheless?


title: A word or expression that means somebody's name is not "real"

text: I'm interviewing someone and he doesn't want his real name showing up, so how could I rephrase the following sentence? > We hide his real name under the name Luke.


title: "Drawing room" or "sitting room"?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What’s a reception room / parlor / parlour / drawing room? Please consider the following room: The house is a late Victorian townhouse. The room (A) has a size of about 40 sqm, or 400 sq ft., a nice but not elaborate chimneypiece with sofas in front of it, a plastered ceiling, grand piano, a few mahogany pieces. A door (regular, not double or sliding) leads to the dining room, another to the hall. No television set, which is in another, smaller room (B) upstairs, used for watching television and as a spare guest room. But it's in room (A) that the family sit and read or play board games, in other words, room (A) isn't just for formal entertaining of guests once in a while. For this sort of room, would upper and upper-middle class Brits say "drawing room", "sitting room" or something else? Would it be different if the room were used in the same way, but had a desk and lots of bookshelves along the walls? (I know that there are regional differences and the like, that especially in America, that would be a living room, that many Brits wouldn't fuss and call any lounge a lounge, and that Mrs Bucket would call any sort of "main room" a drawing room, that's why I specifically ask about uppers and upper-middles.)


title: How to identify the words with same pronunciation?

text: How to identify or differentiate the words with same pronunciation. As saying with example,   1. speak with mic.   2. speak with mike. So my question is when you hear these two words, How you can identify that they mean the mic(sound system) or mike(person).


title: Vernacular use of "Are we taking him in?"

text: I had a question asked of me that I completely misunderstood, but I was chastised that I did, in fact, misunderstand it. My wife and I were driving to the store with our 15 month-old son asleep in his car seat. As we approach the store, my wife asks, "Are we taking him in". Now, my initial thought was: Is my wife actually suggesting that we leave our son in the car as we go shopping? I asked her as such, which got an incredulous response from my wife. "Of course not!!" she said...she was simply asking if everybody was going in to the store or if only I was going in. After much arguing, we both agreed that the question could've been asked differently (I don't think it was a smart question to begin with), but she contends that I should've "known her better" to not believe that she suggested to go shopping with our son asleep in the car. She further contends that even if she asked that question to a complete stranger that they would "know" that she wasn't suggesting leaving her son in the car by himself. So knowing the context, is "Are we taking him in" a proper vernacular for "Are you going in by yourself or are we all going in together"?


title: A word meaning 'to throw things out too quickly'

text: _It would be [adjective] to dismiss president's new policy, as purely politic playing, it appears he has genuine intentions to improve the well being of the poor._ What adjective would be correct to mean that things were dismissed too quickly?


title: Correctness of questions without inversion, relying on intonation

text: I hear and read them all the time. I mean stuff like: > You're just going to stay here? Instead of: > Are you just going to stay here? Then I write like this out of habit and get called out on my _grammar issues_ by people who speak English much worse than I do. That's kinda embarrassing. So, could someone please explain to me whether it's correct or not? Are they acceptable at all, and if so, in which situations? > So, what? You're gonna kill me now?


title: Did the word "evolution" exist before Darwinism?

text: I was talking about evolution with my friends and one of them said: > The word "evolution" joined the English vocabulary after Darwin used it. The > word itself is pretty new, therefore. Is that true or did the word have a very long origin before Darwin?


title: When did "Easter egg" begin to mean "hidden feature"?

text: Can anybody trace the origins of 'Easter egg' for this meaning?


title: What patterns will flash in the native-speaker's brain when using English?

text: I think it is a common puzzle for ESL,especially for Chinese,since English is more abstract than Chinese, using which we can feel some specific patterns flashing in our brain. For example, when I see 笑(which means smile), I feel it is smiling to me. What do you feel when you see "smile"?


title: What is a good antonym for 'one track thinking'?

text: the meaning to be conveyed is the quality of > being able to explore a situation with multiple viewpoints instead of just > stuck with one way of exploring the problem What word (or a few words) will convey this idea?


title: "that of", "those of", and accuracy

text: I was writing something in a scientific context and came across this issue. (I have a feeling that I haven't searched the archive far enough and this might be a duplicate.) In a sentence like > Whose cat is more beautiful than the cats of their adjacent neighbours? I would like to use a demonstrative pronoun in place of 'the cats'. Suppose that a neighbour always has a cat.   1. Is 'those' grammatically correct? I'm not sure because 'those' refers to 'cat', which is singular.   2. If 'those' is correct, can 'that' be used as well? I'm not sure because it doesn't convey the plurality of cats in the neighbourhood.   3. If 'that' is not correct, would the use of 'that' in a colloquial context sound strange? (I'm not a native speaker.)


title: Is it acceptable to say something is "apropros" of a person?

text: The sentence I'm crafting is as follows: > That's some sage-like advice apropros of Mister Miyagi Is that proper usage of the word?


title: "Second" et "Deuxième"

text: Hello and happy new year ! Sorry for my english, I'm french and not very fluent in english. I tried to do my best and progress. I'm currently searching the english for "deuxième". In french, they are two words "Second" and "Deuxième". Here is an explication of differences between these two words. _Deuxième_ is used when it exists a third object, and _second_ is used when there is only two objects. Here is an example with tires of moto and car. > Le **second** pneu de ma moto est également crevé > > My _second(?)_ bike tire is now punctured too > Le **deuxième** pneu de ma voiture est également crevé > > My _second(?)_ car tire is now punctured too Could you help me, please ? Thanks a lot,


title: What do we call the brown-colored paper found in old books?

text: I want to know what that brown and slightly roughly-textured paper is called, or whether there even is a word for it.


title: Start a letter/email with a minuscule or a majuscule

text: So in German when you write a letter, you start the body with a minuscule letter because the salutation is seen as an interjection, I presume: > Dear Max, > > We just saw [yada, yada, letter] * * * > Dear Max, we just saw [yada, yada, letter] So, my question is: is it OK to start a letter in English with a lowercase letter, or is that bad style/mechanics/etc? If it's not acceptable, what is the salutation considered as and why do we separate it with a comma if it's not part of the first sentence.


title: "Employment with" vs. "employment at"

text: Which of the following options are correct? >   * [Some context] that is relevant to my employment **with** the company. >   * [Some context] that is relevant to my employment **at** the company. >


title: "my friend" vs "a friend of mine"

text: I always found it weird to hear people say things like "My friend asked me to come" (with no prior mention of said friend), as opposed to "A friend of mine asked me to come". To me it seems as though the former would imply that the speaker has just one friend. I think this usage is well widespread though, but is there any concern about its correctness? I don't see a similar pattern in use for words other than "friend" (perhaps for family members such as "brother" as well?). Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think "You can read about that in my book" would be an unusual thing to say if I'm the author of several books on the same subject matter, unless the particular book I'm referring to is clear in context.


title: "More loudly" vs "louder". Correct usage

text: What is the correct usage of the adjective "loud"?   1. Please sing louder   2. Please sing more loudly I came across this in one of the quizzes at office, and as per them, the correct answer was option 2. I really don't get what's wrong with option 1.


title: Is this sentence right?

text: I poped the movies on the player,then we were crying,laughing and chilling about the movies almost one night.


title: Word Usage for "regret"

text: Can someone please give me one word for **_regretting after saying something_**? For example, suppose I say something to somebody and then I regret saying that and think why did I even open my mouth. So what will be one word for _regret saying that_?


title: "Make money off of" vs. "make money out of"

text: Which one sounds correct? >   1. I am not making any money off of this product. >   2. I am not making any money out of this product. > If you tell me both, then how would you explain "off" here as it doesn't sound right to me since "make off" means: > Run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along


title: Etymology of the phrase "Twenty-three Skidoo" as used in "Hey Arnold!"

text: The phrase “Twenty-Three Skidoo” has a very interesting and mysterious history described very thoroughly by the wikipedia article on the phrase. However, this article seems to indicate it’s usually used as a phrase to mean “Let’s get out of here in a hurry!” The place where I have heard this expression used first, and most firmly in my memory, is from an episode of “Hey Arnold!”, involving the passing of a comet, and the declaration, upon seeing it, of said phrase. This confuses me, and a number of my friends who have seen this show, since it seems to suggest a very positive or excited expression, when the actual expression seems to be one of fear or distress. So where does this more positive use of the phrase come from? And is there a more definite origin of “Twenty-Three Skidoo” that goes unmentioned by the wiki article?


title: Meaning of abbreviated vulgarity

text: _Preface: Despite the fact that this question includes vulgar language, it is not intended to be offensive, unprofessional, or humorous, but rather is a serious question._ In the statement, "F**king A", what does the "A" stand for? Most minds quickly jump to "ass", which is also a swear word and is one of the few common ones that begin with "A", but it does not seem to fit very well grammatically. The statement is generally used as a generalized exclamation, to no one subject in particular, where as "ass" is generally used as a noun to refer to an individual; a person would not generally use this word to describe a broad situation or a general state-of-things. Are there other possibilities for the meaning of this letter? Is there an origin of the statement?


title: Etymology of the phrase "peachy keen"

text: Where does the phrase "peachy keen" come from? From m-w.com, I see that it originated in the 1950, but the phrase doesn't even make sense to me. Why is my peach keen?


title: Is there a word "issual"?

text: I have used and come across the phrase "issual of tickets" but when recently writing something my Word dictionary tells me that "issual" is not an actual word. Is that the case?


title: "would appreciate hearing your thoughts" phrase

text: I would appreaciate hearing your thoughts on this, ...      In what situations is this phrase usually used? Formal, informal ...? In contrast to               I would appreciate hearing your opinion on this ...


title: Is developing an insight for someone the same as accepting them?

text: A definition of insight is: > The capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of a > person or thing. So according to this, if you develop an insight for a person, it means you've developed an understanding of the person. And an understanding of someone can lead to acceptance? For example, would it be correct to say, > After refusing to accept Ben as his son for years, Jack finally developed an > insight for Ben (and accepted him as his son). Edit: Can you develop an insight _for_ someone? After rereading, that part seems a little iffy.


title: In the sentence below, is the apostrophe after the 's' correct?

text: This commitment ensures when there is an opportunity to improve on our members’ quality of life, we have the information needed


title: Does the word "excitation" exist?

text: I've recently listened to an old hit by the Beach Boys and I was surprised by the lyrics where the word "excitation" is so frequently repeated. Does it really exist, perhaps as a regional term? I couldn't find it anywhere in dictionaries, which obviously list "excitement". Please, don't tell me it was coined to rhyme with "good vibrations"...


title: Can I say "I concur with something" instead of "I agree with something"?

text: Hi I'm still learning English and I rather have problems with grammar. So my question is can I use > I concur with this statement instead of > I agree with this statement Is it weird? Does it sound unnatural?


title: "When it comes to" and "with regard to"

text: Are _when it comes to_ and _with regard to_ always interchangeable? Is there any difference at all?


title: Word for going crazy

text: What is a word which describes when a person loses it, when they reach their limit or pass the tipping point? I'm trying to use it to describe a person's transition from sane to insane. For example, > Dick Prosser's **(transition to insanity)** was accompanied by a ...


title: How to express a list within a sentence?

text: I always forget how to express a list within a sentence. Let's say I have the following sentence: > I attached two files, files and database. Can I use a "-" or a ";" instead of the comma? Please advise me.


title: What are sentences like "the longer X, the more Y" called and can they be used in formal written English?

text: What is the type of sentence exemplified below called? Is it appropriate to use it in a scientific paper and formal written English in general? **1.** > The more pronounced the variation, the more the waste. **2.** > The more you give the more you get. **3.** > The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.


title: Using a quote from someone other than the original article author

text: I am writing a synthesis paper and have ran across a couple quotes using in an article that I will be contrasting with another article. In the article written by Esther Shein she includes the quote > "Code has become the 4th literacy. Everyone needs to know how our digital > world works, not just engineers," says Mark Surman, executive director of > the Mozilla Foundation If I wanted to use this in my paper do I write it as is? Or do I still have to cite that I found it in Esther Shein's article. This was a public statement made by Mark Surman so this is where I am conflicted.


title: Name of "a period of time worked offshore" (usually 21 days)

text: I thought of shift but it didn't sound right given it's a longer period of time.


When asking how someone wants their tea, they reply: "lots of milk and sugar". Is that to be interpreted as "Lots of milk and sugar" or "lots of milk and (lots) of sugar" according to the rules of English?


title: Etymology of "oblivion"

text: From etymonline, in "oblivion", "ob-" means "over, and "levis" means "smooth", so how does the word have the meaning of "lacking conscious awareness, not informed about, not aware of something"? Also does "levis" relate to "levi" which means light, and raise, e.g. elevate, levity?


title: How might I name the items of a Likert scale?

text: I'm using a Likert scale that has 5 possible items:   * _++_ for "I strongly agree"   * _+_ for "I agree"   * _+/-_ for "I'm indifferent"   * _-_ for "I disagree"   * _\--_ for "I strongly disagree" Now I think that "I'm indifferent" for the item in the middle isn't really the term that should be used, but I can't think of any better term. Any helps there?


title: Meaning of "missile"

text: What's a missile in this case? > Would you rather a cop grab a quick nap while not on a call if they're > exhausted or drive around a two ton missile with a gun on their hip while > half asleep.


title: The use of "therefor" in my High School Diploma

text: I just received my High School Diploma and want to make sure the following sentence is grammatically correct. The diploma contains the following line: "This certifies that [Name] has satisfactorily completed the requirements prescribed for graduation and is **therefor** awarded this High School Diploma" I've read that "therefor" means "in return for" and "therefore" means "consequently." From those basic definitions, it seems like either word is correct here. But I figure that just can't be right. At first I thought that it must be "therefore," but now I'm thinking that "therefor" (like they used) is probably more appropriate. Which is it?


title: How to identify adjectives

text: I’m revisiting/studying about adjectives in “Adjectives” at _Capital Community College Guide to Grammar and Writing_. First I learn that articles are adjectives, but then there follows a paragraph in which all adjectives in a quote from Thomas Wolfe’s _Look Homeward, Angel_ are highlighted. Interestingly, the first thing I noticed was that the articles were not being highlighted as adjectives. Further reading, the farmer is described as one _who comes weekly with printed butter, eggs, and milk_ but this is also not highlighted as adjective. More importantly I began to contemplate that when more information is provided about any object, it could be regarded as adjective. For instance along the last lines, there is _bakery-oven in the wind_ and I’m thinking _in the wind_ should also be an adjective, but then that may result to concluding that _smell of India_ in _the smell of India tea_ could also be argued to be an adjective, and I’m feeling like I now have a distorted view of what adjectives really are. Could someone help me out? I’m also looking for best possible exhaustive references for learning about adjectives and other parts of speech. Thanks.


title: What does "nukulate" mean?

text: What does _nukulate_ mean in the following sentence from a question on Cooking SE? > **Nukulate** for 3 minutes on high.


title: "In school" vs "at school"

text: I sometimes get confused whether to use _in_ or _at_. For example, > Children were not **at** school yesterday, because yesterday was a holiday. > > Children were not **in** school yesterday, because yesterday was a holiday. Is there a rule of thumb to not confuse _in_ and _at_?


title: Are "in" and "at" the same in some situations?

text: If someone calls me, and I say I can't talk to them at the moment, because I'm at school, is there any difference between the following two sentences? >   * I'm at school. >   * I'm in school. > Do they convey the same meaning or they are different?


title: Is "did you thought" a valid expression?

text: I saw a picture earlier that had a line that said "Did you thought, that was me?" and wondered, "Isn't it supposed to be 'Did you think [...]'?". However, after using Google, I found this phrase being used quite frequently, and it has about 136 million hits on the exact search term of "did you thought". If you replace 'thought' with other verbs in the exact same tense, it also doesn't really make sense. I'm severely confused. My mind tells me this can't be right, yet it seems to be frequently (mis)used? Can anyone clarify on this?


title: Is "tomorrow" as any specific day in the future a proper usage of the word?

text: I find it confusing when _tomorrow_ is used to speak of a day in the future other than the following day. Is it proper to use it in reference to any specific day in the future? I am aware that the dictionary defines tomorrow as a time in near future. To me this refers to an ambiguous time and it is not confusing when used as such. But, is it proper to use it of any specific day in the future other than the day after tomorrow. Ex. "We are going to the park tomorrow." Based on the dictionary definition, a student is using tomorrow to refer to a different day in the coming week. Am I wrong to correct this? Is there a reputable source that confines the near future use of this word to metaphorical ambiguous future.


title: "Regards" vs. "Best regards" vs. "With regards"

text: Which of the three phrases in the concluding phrase is most appropriate when sending a work-related email? Could the three be ranked in terms of their overall level of formality?


title: Which preposition to use with "rename"?

text: Which is the correct preposition to use with _rename_?   1. rename **to**   2. rename **as**   3. rename **by**


title: What is the difference between accrue, accumulate, and collect?

text: These words seem to be used interchangeably, but there seems to be a slight difference between them. 'Collecting' seems to be organized gathering of certain objects or a certain category of objects, e.g. collecting stamps. 'Accumulate' seems to be haphazard or otherwise unorganized gathering of something, such as the activity of accumulating as many points as possible in any given arcade game. I do not know what distinctive traits 'accrue' would have. Can anyone please clarify the distinctions and differences between these three words?


title: Future Perfect in the Past

text: Can I use _should have done_ for the future just like _will have done_? For example: > It should have been finished by next Monday. Which basically means _It should be finished by next Monday_ but with extra emphasis on the completion of the action. Or should I stick to _be finished_ and not get stupid ideas?


title: Origin of "old bag"?

text: What is the origin of the term **_old bag_** as a derogatory term for an older lady? In the UK it is exclusively used to describe females. There appears to be nothing intrinsically feminine about bags. Could it be a corruption of _old hag_?


title: Difference between 'have to' and 'will have to'

text: Is there any difference between these two statements. If yes could you tell me when to use them.   1. I have to do that   2. I will have to do that


title: How can I translate "Jeitinho Brasileiro" into English?

text: _Jeitinho Brasileiro_ can be literally translated to "Brazilian way to do things"! Wikipedia has an article about it. There are various meaning to this expression and one gives the idea of _"Malandragem"_. I want to know an english expression that can pass the same idea of this expression, that is: in an imaginative and dubious way, you circumventing a rule not in fact violating it. This is a _rea_ example of _Jeitinho Brasileiro_. There is a law that _every_ cultural event needs create 50% of discount to students. But businessmen created an imaginative way to solve it. Put the price of ticket in $100 then create a promotion: If you give one kilo of food, you will win 50% of discount. But if you are a student, you pay your 50% of discount in the full price. Everyone has discount, but in fact, no one has it! How can I call what he did? The Brazilian version of Blame it on Lisa from The Simpsons uses this expression, but the original version is: > Bart: Hey, look! There's Copacabana beach! The heart and soul of Rio!   >  Lifeguard: Excuse me, Americans!   >  Homer: How did you know?   >  Lifeguard: There is a dress code on this beach. But we can help you.   >  Bart: I feel so European. When the lifeguard says "But we can help you.", in Portuguese he say "But we have the Jeitinho Brasileiro". This doesn't help to much. So, what expression can I translate it in English with? What expression do you use when someone is being _malandro_ with you?


title: Dramatic hijacking of a sentence

text: A common trope in movies. What's it called? Person A: The President was a brilliant man! A truly one-of-a-kind-- Person B: _killer_ , who used his ruthless abandon to get ahead!


title: Verb to use when your finger are being "pushed" by the current of a stream?

text: What's the adequate verb to use to describe the current of a stream "pushing" your fingers downstream as you immerse them in it? Like for example: > I immersed my fingers in the stream. Its current [...] them vigorously. I also thought of "dragged" but I think that implies they are being washed away?


title: Can 'it' be used plurally?

text: Can 'it' as a pronoun refer to many different imperative verbs? For instance, in the sentence: > Abide by thy customs, thou excellent one: **grind** thy corn, **drink** thy > water, **praise** thy cooking,-- if only **it** make thee glad!


title: Listing of items in order of their effectiveness

text: In a research paper, how do I list things in order of their effectiveness? For example, > The order of antagonistic effect of acetic acid against E. coli O157:H7 was > salt > glycine > glucose > sucrose. Is it okay to use ">" or "<" in a sentence for a research paper? It looks a bit weird to me. Is there a better way or any other way to write this down correctly?


title: What is the logic of having ‘not’ in the usage, “be not above doing something”?

text: I came across the idiomatic usage, ‘not above doing’ in the following sentence of Jeffery Archer’s fiction, “Kane & Abel.” Allan Lloyd, a banker and Chairman of William Kane’s trust tells William’s mother Anne: > “Although he (William Kane, the heir of deceased bank chairman) has no > authority over the trust until he is twenty one, we discovered through > sources of our own that he is **_not above going to_** an independent lawyer > to find out his legal position.” No dictionary at hand shows ‘not above ...ing’ as an idiom. But according to wordreference com., it means (Someone) will do anything and won't be ashamed to do it. So I understood that the speaker meant William went so far as to consult the lawyer to his trustee’s surprise. I’m intrigued to find why it is in negative form. i.e. why ‘not’ is necessary in “be not above doing something,” because the subject here, 16-year old William Kane is doing something more than expected. I hope my point of question is clear to you.


title: What is a nice word to describe someone who is never where they should be?

text: I had a math teacher in grades four through seven who was never in class. What’s a nice word to describe his lack of presence?


title: "When did you born?"

text: > When did you born? Can you please tell me which of the items below is the literal translation of the question?   1. When did you give birth?    2. When were you given birth to? Also, how do we answer to this question? I'm trying to ask my friend his birthdate.


title: Origin of "stop-gap"

text: What is the origin of the expression _stop-gap_? > stop-gap: A temporary way of dealing with a problem or satisfying a need Where and how did this expression originate?


title: What's the meaning of "concave" in this context?

text: What's the meaning of "concaved" in this senctence: > As long as voters’ utility functions are **_concave_** , voters prefer > policies that do not change drastically.


title: When to use “have” vs. ”get”

text: For example - > I got $300   >  I have $300 Which is more correct? Please advice proper use of these terms. Thank you.


title: Is there a word for start and end of a time period?

text: Is there a word used to describe the extremities of an arbitrary time period? The word "weekend" refers to the end of a week, but it's limited to the week and it only describes the end, but not the beginning. I'm looking for a word that means both "weekend" and "the start of the week", but isn't limited to weeks.


title: Non-human specific synonym of demography?

text: I want to use the word demography but that is human specific (demography: the scientific study of human populations, esp with reference to their size, structure, and distribution). Is there an alternative which is not human specific, particularly it's for a biological question about the distribution of trees.


title: What term means "the places in an episode where commercial breaks once were"?

text: When a television episode is played on TV, it often has many commercial breaks. When the same episode is transferred onto other formats, such as VHS, DVD, or streaming video, the commercial breaks are deleted. What remains is a very short period of black. What special term can be used to refer to this place? The term "commercial break" is not so suitable, because my readers will not see any commercials and they might also not recognize that such a place once had a commercial. "Scene change" also does not seem to be a good fit, because many commercial breaks were places in the episodes in places that were not scene changes. Furthermore, scene changes can occur at other times in a film too. Does the television industry have a suitable term?


title: What prefix means "during"?

text: The prefixes "pre-" and "post-" refer to events before and after. For instance, "pre-season" and "post-season" or "pre-study" and "post-study". Is there a prefix fitting this pattern which means "during" that can fit in the form "(prefix)-season" and "(prefix)-study"? "Mid-season" and "mid-study" seems to refer to the middle point, so it does not seem like a good fit.


title: What kind of punctuation should I use to embed a question in another sentence?

text: How should I punctuate this sentence? It seem that I should somehow distinguish the question part of the sentence from the main part of the sentence. > If I didn't know the answer, I would first ask, "Which one of these is more > important?" or > If I didn't know the answer, I would first ask, which one of these is more > important? or > If I didn't know the answer, I would first ask which one of these is more > important?   > Or something else?


title: Using a verb +prep in a sentence with prepositions at the front

text: If you are avoiding ending a sentence with prepositions ("That was a situation, in which it was better to not become entangled."), what happens if you use a verb with a preposition? Suppose I wanted to say "This is something we will not put up with." Should I say "This is something with which we will not put up." since _put_ and _up_ form a phrasal verb, or should I say "This is something up with which we will not put"?


title: Why does "ow" have two different sounds

text: Why is it that the "ow" in now makes the aʊ sound while "ow" in snow makes the oʊ sound? Has this always been, was it spelled differently and then changed, or was it spelled this way but the sound changed?


title: Can "so" and "thus" be used interchangeably?

text: Example: > Although Karla had been in this area many times before, this was the first > time she'd seen this coffee shop. So she decided to give it a try. Can I use **thus** instead of **so** in the example above? Would that change the meaning of the sentence?


title: Another idiom or phrase (in English) that has the same meaning as 'the fruits of our/your labour'?

text: I was wondering if anyone knew any other phrases or idiom's for 'the fruit's of our/your labour'? I wanted to use it in the context, of a graduation speech, on how hard they've worked and how far they've come, that they're now about to receive the degree they've been working so hard for, over the last few years. Thanks.


title: What is the word for grown to the point of rotting?

text: I remember reading "Light in August" in high school and there was a word that meant something like, grown to the point of rotting. Faulkner was talking about the intensity of the foliage and how full it was at the end of summer. Prurient is what keeps coming to mind but that isn't even slightly correct. Fecund but rank? Virile but spoiled? The taste of an avocado a day past it's prime?


title: Should I Use a Comma before the Second “and”

text: > Please enter your email and password, and click on the “Log In” button. Should I use a comma before the second “and”?


title: "Make something out of" or "Make something with"?

text: So there was a fill in quiz I had to do, and there was a question it says: > Bill can make a doghouse ___ paper. That's cool. I filled in 'out of'. > Bill can make a doghouse **out of** paper. And my teacher said "No, it's not quite right, it's supposed to be > Bill can make a doghouse **with** paper. _out of_ and _with_ have slightly different meaning." She provided no further explanation. That made me really confused about it. Help?


title: "Under your sight"

text: I'm thinking about a motto (slogan) for a company which is trying to give its customers a complete view of the market. I'm thinking of this motto: > Everything, Everywhere, **Under your sight** Is it grammatically correct? I mean, can we use _under_ for _sight_?


title: using etc. with a list in the middle of a sentence

text: Is the below syntax correct? > "If the item is unknown, pending, unavailable, etc. please talk to your > administrator."


title: 'pray to someone' vs 'pray someone'

text: What are the similarities and differences? I had always believed in the first, that 'pray' admits only an indirect object. Yet Google Ngram refutes this. For example, does the following admit of 'prayed to me' instead? Why or why not? > During the reign of Alfred the Great (871–900), for example, a man was > accused of stealing a belt, and one of his accusers tried to claim his land. > One writer of the time recorded that the defendant ‘sought me and **prayed > me** to be his intercessor. Then I spoke on his behalf and interceded for > him with King Alfred’. Source: P47, How the Law Works, Gary Slapper


title: A proper closing expression for informal email

text: What is an expression that you can use at the end of an informal email, when you forgot something and want to add it to the email after your signature?


title: Can "Can you, please, help me" be followed by "as to which"?

text: Can "Can you, please help me" be followed by "as to which"? For example, > Thanks for telling me which button on that website I need to click. Well, I > clicked on the needed button, but what I got then was a new page written > fully in Korean. I don't read in Korean. I am sending a screenshot of that > page to you. **_Can you, please, help me as to which button there I should > choose now?_** Thank you.


title: active or passive voice sentence?

text: Statement : Govt asked about safety of northeast community.


title: Correct usage of "infringement of copyright"

text: Does the term _infringement of copyright_ apply in the following situations?   * I am attending a training session conducted by a third-party training company. I want to audio record the sessions. Will this come under infringement of copyright? I would like to raise an another question.   * Say I am attending a meeting in my company. What if I want to record those meetings in my mobile phone for later writing notes? Is this subject to infringement of copyright? I have gone through Wikipedia to find the definition. But these are some situations where I cannot find any real-time references.


title: Meaning: deconstruct (cooking)?

text: In cooking what exactly does it mean to deconstruct something? Haven't seen this covered much in dictionaries, etc. edit: as per @Frank's request this is everywhere in cooking recently: > deconstructed shortcake > > deconstructed tiramisu > > deconstructed sauce


title: Should I use an apostrophe, when the possession appears before the possessive subject?

text: In the following (poorly written?) sentence: > You improve your co-worker's luck and your **business's**. I want to say that the luck of your business will also be improved... **How do I say this? By putting an apostrophe after "business"?** I'm trying not to repeat "luck".


title: Word that means common element

text: What's a word that means "common element"? Cars and Bikes share the common element that they are both wheeled vehicles.


title: What does "pray" mean in phrases like "pray proceed"?

text: Is this an archaic form of "please proceed"? I have never heard in in speech but sometimes it appears in novels. My version of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" is full of it, apparently in place of "please".


title: Is "should" ever used as past tense of "shall"?

text: Looking at the dictionary, I read that _should_ has origin as past tense of _shall_. In the modern English, is _should_ ever used as past tense of _shall_? > ORIGIN Old English _sceolde_ : past of _shall_.


title: How are diminutives formed in recent English words?

text: A large variety of suffixes were used to form diminutives in English. The Wikipedia page on diminutives shows these:               * -k/-ock/-uck: balk, bollock, bullock, buttock, fetlock, folk, hark, hillock, jerk, mark, mattock (OE mattuc), milk, mullock, pillock, smirk, snack, spark, stalk, talk, whelk, work, yolk     * -n/-en/-on (accusative or feminine): burden, chicken, even, heaven (OE heofon), kitten, maiden, morn, oven, steven, vixen, weapon (OE wæpen)     * -le (defrequentative -l): beetle, boodle, chortle, doodle (shares root with dude, P doudo, dolt, dull, dote, dotterel), fizzle, giggle, kibble, little, mickle, noodle, oodle, puddle, riddle, sparkle     * -ish (disparative): boyish, fiftyish, girlish, largish, mannish, noonish, reddish, smallish, tallish, twelveish, womanish     * -s (degenitive): Becks, Betts, Wills     * -sie/-sies/-sy (babytalk assimilative or from patrici- of Patsy): bitsy, footsie (1930), halfsies, onesies, popsy (1860), teensy-weensy, tootsie (1854), twosies, Betsy, Patsy, Robsy     * -o (American devocative, later Commonwealth): bucko, daddio, garbo, kiddo, smoko, wacko, Jacko, Ricko,     * -er/-ers/-ster (agentive, intensive, hýpocoristic, also elided hrotic -a): bonkers (1948), preggers (1940), starkers (1905), Becker[s], Lizzers, Hankster, Patster     * -a (Geordie assimilative -er): Gazza, Macca     * -z (geordie degenitive -s): Bez, Chaz, Gaz      That same page also contains a list of suffixes of diminutive _loanwords_ , such as:               * -ling (Norse defrequentative-patrinominative): darling, duckling, fingerling, gosling, underling      The suffix _-ling_ , for example, was used to form the following words:   * darling = dear + ling   * sterling = star + ling (from the small star stamped on the coin)   * shilling = shield + ling (?) Most of the words shown above are _old_ words that have been used for centuries. Are there any more recent English words (let's say, from the past few decades) that have been formed with diminutive suffixes? If yes, which words and suffixes are those?


title: "used word" or "word used"?

text: > The word used in that context should be gusto.   >  The used word is wrong. Is it correct to place _used_ after _word_? When should I use _word used_ , and when _used word_?


title: English antonyms to rage, anger, annoyance

text: I would like to know if there are antonyms to words `rage`, `anger`, `annoyance`. I care about preserving the intensity of opposing words.


title: Usage of "stood up" to mean "set up"

text: I was reading this question on meta.ELU and was struck by what, to me, was a strange use of the phrasal verb _to stand up_ : > The site for English Language Learners was **stood up** in large part so > that non-native speakers could have a place where their questions, which > would be regarded by some to be "too basic" for ELU, could ask their > questions. The site was **stood up** in January of this year. Now, to me that means that the poor site was left waiting for someone who never showed up. However, the author of the question (J.R., one of our highest rep users) seems to be using it to mean _was set up_. Is this common usage? Is it from a particular dialect? I have never come across it before and cannot find it in the dictionary definitions that I checked.


title: What does “to quorble a stank at” mean?

text: In the foreword to _The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_ by Douglas Adams, the following sentence occurs: > You will find quantum tomfoolery, cosmic belly laughs and more absurd one- > liners than you could **quorble a stank at**. I haven’t the slightest notion of what _quorble_ and _stank at_ mean there. Browsing through dictionaries hasn't helped.


title: Participial clause?

text: On ELL a user has asked how to parse the emphasized _-ing_ form in this sentence from _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ : > Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose, and sent > it **zigzagging** away into the air. I am puzzled how to answer. _Zigzagging_ could be taken as an adjectival participle modifying _it_ ; certainly if you delete _zigzagging_ you're left with _away into the air_ as the ordinary complement demanded by _send_ : you send something **somewhere**. But that isn't how the semantics work for me. _Send_ here seems to me to be a causative and _zigzag_ a non-finite verb, which could be paraphrased with an infinitive: > He sent it zigzagging away into the air = He caused it to zigzag away into > the air.   >  He sent him riding away to London. = He caused him to ride away to London.   >  He sent him packing. = He caused him to pack [ _i.e._ , to hurry away]. Thus _it zigzagging away_ seems to me to be a full clause. But I have not found any formal description of subordinate clauses employing the _-ing_ form where the clause does not act as a nominal, and that is clearly not the case here: ordinary NP complements to _sent_ are Direct Objects and Indirect Objects. So how do Modern Grammars analyze this construction, by what tests do they establish this analysis, and what do they call the construction?


title: Intention of rising pitches

text: I have been wondering about the rising pitch used in almost every sentence, by especially young Americans.   1. What is the purpose/intention of rising pitch except in questions?   2. Is it friendly and polite, or condescending?   3. Is it proper to be used in presentation and teaching and other professional occasions? For example: In this video, starting around 0:40, when Amy Chua introduced herself.


title: How to express the time period between now and a year from now?

text: I want to say: > "your current quota is one xxx per year" But this is not exactly what I want to express since the year I am referring to is not fixed. That is, user will only be given another allotment after one year has elapsed from the time of last usage, instead of at the start of a new year. How to phrase this elegantly?


title: Using the pronoun 'one' twice in a sentence for the same person

text: I often read sentences that use the pronoun 'one' twice to refer to the same hypothetical person, but I've always felt reluctant in using it myself. Here's an example: > One's experiences shape one's expectations. The second _one_ refers to the first, and this meaning is clear from context: Both _one_ refer to the same person. Yet, in this way, the sentence really just says that hypothetical person A's experiences shape person B's expectations (whether or not persons A and B are the same person). Is this kind of construction tolerated or considered bad form?


title: Is there a word that describes both Spring and Fall, but not other seasons?

text: "Wet seasons" or "cool seasons" don't apply everywhere, and "equinoctial seasons" blur into Winter. "Isothermal seasons"?


title: "I said I would/will go" — which one is correct?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Usage of “will” and “would” >   * I said I will go. >   * I said I would go. > Which one is correct?


title: Difference between "publicly" and "publically"

text: I know _publically_ appears as an incorrect spelling in most dictionaries (in fact as I type this up on my Safari browser it keeps trying to correct the spelling to _publicly_ ). However I have seen the word spelled in that manner before in certain places so I did a search on Google and found that there is a definition for the spelling _publically_ at dictionary.com and the free dictionary as well. The English wiktionary site considers it an alternate spelling. Are both spellings valid or are there some subtle differences I am missing? Which version would you accept as correct in a spelling bee?


title: Difference between "random want" and "whim"

text: What is the difference between the words _random want_ and _whim_? The definition of **whim** can be easily found in the dictionary: > a sudden wish to do or have something, especially when it is something > unusual or unnecessary **Random want** is not on the dictionary. It turns out to be just two words combined together. But it seems to me to have nearly the same meaning as _whim_. I came across this word chunk in the phrase made up by a native American: > They thought the problem to be settled was how on earth to get posters to > understand that CONTEXT is not just some **random WANT** on the part of > those who would like to answer, but an ABSOLUTE REQUIREMENT. But later in the discussion the native speaker writes: > random want fits better than whim , which suggest that there is some difference for him between the words _whim_ and _random want_. So, what is the difference?


title: A single word for someone who is quick to hate others

text: What is a single word to describe someone who is quick to hate others? With anger we can say _quick-tempered_ , but what about quick in hating other people/easily hates others. _Hateful_ means full of hate, but doesn't really give the meaning of being quick to hate people.


title: Grammatical error in following sentence

text: I am an IT Professional with over 12 years experience in Website Development, IT Management, IT Support and project management. I have the following strap line on my resume > A dynamic, creatively thinking and result-oriented IT professional with 11+ > years of experience in Web Technologies, IT Administration, IT Support and > Database Administration. In Microsoft Word it always shows a green line (like underline) indicating a grammatical error, as shown below. ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/u6bpQ.png) I am not sure how to rephrase it to make it grammatically correct. Help in this regard is appreciated.


title: Can I use Partty (with double "t") instead of Party?

text: I am looking for a domain name that ends with Party. However, those names I am looking are already taken. So if I use, lets say , www.WePartty.com (with double 't') instead of www.WeParty.com , would it make a big difference in pronunciation and understanding for English speakers. English is not my first language and it seems okay for me and others whose second language is English. I don't want my website users to get confused. I want them to see it as if the second 't' doesn't exist. Thank you.


title: The use of "had to"

text: Does the following phrase mean it must be true? > This fact had to be true. Or it must have been true? I would like a native speaker's opinion on this. I often hear it used in the second interpretation.


title: Do we have to use any article before job title?

text: If I have to introduce myself within the organization where I am working what is the correct sentence: I am Senior IT Engineer Or I am a Senior IT Engineer? Also what is the general rule to introduce your job to someone, do we have to use any article before job title?


title: Gentle scratching

text: My wife uses her nails to “gently scratch” our 3-year-old son’s back for ~15 mins right before falling sleep. He likes it a lot. There’s a word _škrabkať_ in my native language (Slovak), and I was wondering if there is a similar one in English. Do we _scratch_ our children? Doesn’t it sound weird?


title: Painting term for the reflective lighting of a surface?

text: In oil painting especially, I believe there is a technical word for the light that's reflected from one surface onto another (in the scene that's being painted). For example, if there's a reddish-brown rock next to a white wall, the color of the rock is reflected, almost like a glow, off the wall. Likewise, I have some blue boxes under some florescent lights that create a blue glow on the ceiling directly overhead. I'm also interested if there's a corresponding term in physics for this phenomenon.


title: Why "hoist" in "Hoist with one's own petard"?

text: _He was hoist with his own petard_ is one of my father's favorite phrases. As a child I had developed a vague understanding of the idiom in which _petard_ was a kind of flag, which is why it was _hoist_ , and being hoist by your own was an unpleasant fate bringing to mind captains being hung from their own ship's mast. I now understand the meaning and origin of the phrase much better and know that a _petard_ was a kind of early bomb and the idiom refers to being injured or killed by your own bomb. I am wondering about _hoist_ though. The Online Etymology Dictionary explains that in this expression, _hoist_ is a past participle. What confuses me is the usage. We would not use _hoist_ to describe being thrown by a bomb today, it brings to mind a controlled movement and does not carry any connotations of speed or violence, quite the contrary: > hoist   > v. hoist·ed, hoist·ing, hoists v.tr.   >  1\. To raise or haul up with or as if with the help of a mechanical > apparatus. See Synonyms at lift.   >  2\. To raise to one's mouth in order to drink: hoist a few beers. v.intr. > To become raised or lifted.   > My question is whether _hoist_ used to have such a connotation. Since the phrase can be traced to Hamlet, was this poetic license or was the word commonly used to describe such violent movement at the time? Did _to be hoist_ mean to die or be injured?


title: What is correct "Other" or "Miscellaneous"

text: I'm working on a company Index and want to give users the option to add their company to the index which is categorized by products & sevices. I've got a limited number of main categories and each of them has a limited number of subcategories. Each category is suppose to have a subcategory for companies which don't fit to any of the listed subcategories with the name "Other". I'm using the same logic also for the main categories with a main category called "Other" for companies which don't fit in any of the listed main categories. Example: Main Categories: 1. Cars / 2. Bikes / 3. Other **1\. Cars** Subcategories:   1. Cars / Wheels   2. Cars / Seats   3. Cars / Other (!) **2\. Bikes** Subcategories:   1. Bikes / Wheels   2. Bikes / Seats   3. Bikes / Other (!) **3\. Other(!)** Subcategories:   1. Other / Lawyer   2. Other / Security Systems   3. Other / Other (!) My question is about the word "Other" do I use it correct in this context or should I rather replace it/them with "Miscellaneous"?


title: real meaning of " i am sorry i love you "

text: I have seen many cases where people in love mention `I am sorry I love you`. But it might be due to my poor English, I couldn't really understand what they would be referring to. Could you please suggest/tell what could be it?


title: "Either A, or B, or both"

text: I want to say that it's possible that at least one of {A,B} is true, and possibly both of them are true. Is it correct to phrase it as "either A, or B, or both are true".


What's it called when someone is crafty and resourceful and creates a solution to a particular obstacle? I saw it somewhere online and blanked on it when I had a golden opportunity. Anyone got me?


title: Normans vs. Saxons: cow = beef, sheep = mutton, chicken =?

text: The story goes that after the Norman invasion of England, the words in English for prepared foods took on their French equivalents. The Saxon serfs bred the cows, sheep, and swine, which when served on gilded plates to their Norman rulers were referred to as beef, mutton, and pork respectively, a practice that continues to this day. My question is, why was the humble chicken, a word which does not have a French connection, discriminated against? Why don't we refer to cooked chicken as something like _poulet_? (On the other hand, both _cattle_ and _poultry_ stem from French _chatel_ and _pouletrie_ respectively. Also, I'm guessing that technically, _poulet_ would translate to _fowl_. But, it appears to be the word of choice for chicken in France.)


title: to locate information

text: I'm confused by the following sentence: > Will I need to know this particular information again, and if so, will it be > difficult **to locate?** In this sentence, is "to locate" a synonym of "to remember" or "to memorize"?


title: Is it always possible to say ‘he was (time) in doing’ instead of ‘it took him (time) to do’?

text: I’m not so familiar with the expression ‘he was (time) in doing’, but it seems to be used here and there and obviously mean ‘it took him (time) to do. When would you want to use the phrase? Are they exchangeable? Here’re the examples. (from Google search) > He threw a famous feast which he was a year in preparing for and invited all > the warriors of Ulster to it but… ( _Harry Potter 3_ [US Version]: p.327) > They reached Hagrid’s cabin and knocked. He was a minute in answering, and…


title: "Reseller" or "re-seller"?

text: Which spelling is correct — _reseller_ or _re-seller_? I was writing a question on another Stack Exchange site, and I wrote _reseller_ , but the editor underlined that as an incorrect spelling. Microsoft Word accepts it however, but Microsoft Encarta Dictionary has no entry for _reseller_ , _resell_ , or _reselling_.


title: What portions of the vernacular were derived directly from popular media?

text: Once in a great while I stumble across a strange fact about an English phrase or term that originated directly from film or print. For instance,   * "Be afraid. Be very afraid." - Originated from the movie The Fly (1986).1   * The name "Wendy" was a rarely-used name until the _Peter Pan_ character Wendy Darling.2   * William Shakespeare invented a lot of words3a and turned many a phrase3b, including "eyeball," "puking," and "laughing stock." My question is, what are your favorite or most astonishing portions of your vernacular whose origins lie in film, music or print media? Regional or local uses are fine too.


title: "Dieing" vs "dying"

text: Which is the formally correct spelling, _dieing_ or _dying_? Is there any history of the alternative spelling? I type _dieing_ naturally, but my spellchecker marks it wrong. This is largely an etymology question in the development of the spelling of the word _dying_ , since when I think of _dyeing_ I see the word meaning _to stain a cloth with colors_.


title: Some substitution words for "up in the air"?

text: "Up in the air" is not formal in academic writing. Can anyone provide me another word (as clean as possible, don't use another idiom) which has the same meaning?


title: Word with three consecutive L's

text: In a fun discussion, someone used the sentence > That guy is ballless. I can see a slang definition on urbandictionary but this led to a question. Are there words with 3 consecutive l's in them (preferably not scientific words, technical words or abbreviations)?