title: How could I express the idea that one person is learning the habits of other person?

text: I want to express the idea that one person is becoming like another person. I was thinking to use _color_ , as in "Mr. X is getting colored in Mr. Y." Is this a common usage?


title: Is "penultimate" commonly used?

text: Is _penultimate_ commonly used in English, or are its variations (such as _second to last_ ) more common? I need to use it in conjunction with the expressions _First Payment Date_ and _Last Payment Date_ to name variables while programming. In my mother language (Portuguese) _Penultimate Payment Date_ would be fine, but it feels strange in English. (I know _feels strange_ is not very helpful, but I'd like to know how to convey the meaning in the most natural way.)


title: Are "way better" and "way more" correct?

text: "Way better" and "way more" are popular expressions, but they both seem incorrect to me. "Far better", "far more", "much better", and "much more" all seem correct. Is this true? If so, why?


title: Meaning of 'the embedded nature of law'

text: > It is impossible to speak knowledgeably about **the embedded nature of law** > in society without addressing the central notions of Karl Marx’s political > theory


title: Why is a story not called a “-logue”, though it has a prologue and an epilogue?

text: The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines _-logue_ as: > indicating speech or discourse of a particular kind. I understand that _-logue_ is a combining form noun, but it has always struck me as odd that a narrative does not have a more formal name to match _epilogue_ and _prologue_. Is there a more formal name for a story along the lines of _prologue_?


title: the function of small clause

text: > She went back to her homeland, **her mind free of hate**. (English Syntax > and Argumentation, Bas Aarts) Aarts says the highlighted part is a small clause that has the role of adjunct. By the remarks of Martha Kolln, the clause is the adjunct for the whole sentence. > (The absolute phrase introduces an idea to the sentence as a whole, not to > any one of its parts; Understanding English Grammar, Eighth Edition, Martha > Kolln, p203) If we say the small clause or the absolute phrase modify the predicate - went back to her homeland, is it wrong?


title: Polite Compliments

text: Is a "polite compliment" necessarily a redundant statement when used in a group of people as opposed to a one-to-one situation?


title: "Child"/"kid" implies paternity/maternity relationship?

text: Do the words "child" and "kid" imply a paternity (or maternity) relationship, just like "son" or "daughter"?   * If _true_ , how can I refer to a child without implying paternity? Example: if Anne is a kindergarten teacher and I want to refer to the "children" in her class without implying maternity, would the expression _"Anne's children"_ be ambiguous? What should I use instead?   * If _false_ , how can I refer to someone's son or daugther and imply young age (without using "young son" of course :) ) ? I'd appreciate answers that cover different English uses, both by geographic area and by social/cultural implications.


title: "books" vs. "more books"

text: I have a 2nd-grader and I am trying to help him with his math work but I think I might be making things a lot more complicated than they need to be. The question asks: > Meg needs _ books to have as many as Kate. Now I think instead of _books_ , it should have said _more books_ , being that Kate has more books than Meg. Does the word "more" give this sentence a different meaning or am I over-thinking this question?


title: Preposition usage: on, in, and at

text: Which is correct, "I worked **on** a project" or "I worked **in** a project?"   Should I say "when I was **at** the university I studied math" or "when I was **in** the university I studied math?"


title: Why is there no form of "do" in questions of the type "who knows?"

text: I'm wondering whether expressions like the ones below are correct or not. I've seen them several times but they don't seem to follow the typical grammatical structure. >   * Who comes? (instead of _who do come?_ ) >   * Who knows? >   * What happened? (instead of _what did happen?_ ) > So why are they constructed in this way? Are there many other expressions of this kind?


title: "What keeps him going?" vs. "What does him keep going?"

text: Why is the grammatical structure of "What keeps him going?" right? I got a bit confused over this, when I realized that this structure fundamentally contradicts the basic rule I teach my students: "Questions in the simple present always include _do_ or _does_ (if there's no other auxiliary verb), if they don't start with _who_ ".


title: What is an appropriate word/phrase for the feeling one has when doing something that feels sort of disagreeable, even though it is good

text: All I can come up with is "it felt so wrong, like using a Coca Cola to take a vitamin" Edit: In that example, it's not so much the idea of "cancelling out" the benefit of the vitamin, it's more _doing something that feels sort of yucky even though it is good_. Even if the act of taking the vitamin and drinking the soda is a net benefit, it still makes people feel like they are doing something wrong.


title: Word for change in velocity

text: Is there a good word for change in velocity, but not over time? That is, position is to displacement as velocity is to what?


title: Difference between "original" and "genuine"

text: I often buy something in an online shop. I noticed some descriptions say an item is _original_ or _genuine_. What is the difference? For example, say there's an Apple USB cable, and another, fake Apple USB cable. So should I say the first one is "original Apple cable" or "genuine Apple cable"? Which is better, which is more common?


title: A lot of people seem to be 'working for the man'. Who is this guy?

text: I have heard the expression 'working for the man' a lot. Mostly in podcasts made in the US. What does that mean? Does it express an opinion about the employer? Something along the lines of big, inhuman company?


title: big to small, and small to big approach names

text: In a book, I read: > Engineering is all about breaking down big problems into smaller ones and > putting the solutions for those problems back together. My generalized interpretation of this text is that, sometimes we start from the big end, sometimes from the smaller ends, and then we move towards the other end. Do we have terms to describe these approaches? Like saying "president is a X-ist" to denote that he starts from small problems to get to bigger ones till he solves the biggest problems. I tried to bring forward some examples. But I failed. I hope you have understood.


title: Is "criterions" a valid plural for "criterion"?

text: Is _criterions_ a valid plural for _criterion_? Dictionary.com says it is, but Oxford does not confirm or reject it.


title: Single word for undo / redo capability

text: I'm looking for a single word that describes an application that provides the capability to redo or undo steps. My first thoughts were something like _modifiable software_ , which doesn't really suit my needs, or things like _step-tracking software_. But all these sound a bit wrong or not on-the-spot. Is there something better?


title: How to write "only for female" on jeans tag

text: We want to indicate that jeans are for only female on the tag.   1. Only female   2. Only woman   3. For woman   4. For women   5. For female Which one is viable? Are there any better one?


title: "Analysis" vs. "analyses"

text: The (U.S.) National Institutes of Health website has a webpage that states that it contains > reports, data and analyses of NIH research activities I feel as though this sounds awkward. Would "reports, data and analysis of NIH research activities" be better phrasing, or is the current one technically correct?


title: Meaning behind of "X leads from Y"

text: I was watching the BBC broadcast of the Monaco Grand Prix over the weekend, and the announcer kept using the phrase "Vettel leads from Alonso". He took this to mean that Vettel was in first and Alonso was in second. Normally I'd phrase this as "Vettel leads Alonso". Why would he use the phrasing "leads from"? Note that at no time during the race did Vettel take the lead from Alonso, which is the only reason I can think this phrasing might be used. Also note that this was a BBC broadcast with an English announcer (he's from Norfolk, if that makes any difference).


title: I cannot understand what's being asked here

text: > What are the ways in which the universal, inclusive conception of French > nationalism was tested by a (racially-conceived) particularistic, exclusive > one? I'm at loss, I don't know what's being asked. What does this mean?


title: Most common name for this kind of image

text: What's the most common name for this kind of image? ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/n6QHX.jpg) I want find other images like this, but I don't know how to formulate my request.


title: Is "one of the co-founders" ever correct?

text: Compare to "one of the founders". Does it depend on the specific person you're talking about? Google has 7M+ results for the phrase but I can't search it on NGrams successfully because of the hyphen. (I think.)


title: A word to describe someone or something that is not last?

text: I'm looking for a word that describes the state of not being last. A word that would apply to everything in an ordered list that is not the last thing in that list. From > I wasn't the last person to finish the race. to (the phrasing is off, but it seems to illustrate my point) > I was .. person to finish the race. One word that comes to mind is "intermediate", but I don't think that includes the first item in a list.


title: Which one of these phrases is right?

text: I have difficulties using do, does and did for interrogative phrases. In this phrase, > Does anyone of you speaks fluently English? I want to ask if someone inside a group of people speak fluently English. Or would it be, > Do anyone of you speak English fluently? Which one is better? How do I ask?


title: 'Yet' is to 'already' as what is to 'eventually'? Could 'never' do?

text: I don't know if my title serves well in expressing what I am actually trying to ask, so maybe an example will do better: > I have done it already. <-> I have not done it yet. > > I waited patiently, and he eventually returned. <-> I waited patiently, but > he didn't ??? return. My non-native-English-speaking intuition tells me that the same word _eventually_ wouldn't be appropriate in the negative sentence, the same way as _already_ wouldn't in the first example. Is there any truth in this? Assuming there is, I would normally use _never_ \+ Past Indefinite to express the "opposite"1 of _eventually_ > I waited patiently, and he eventually returned. <-> I waited patiently, but > he never returned. However, I started having doubts whether this usage of _never_ expresses what I used to assume it did, the reason being that I was unable to find this meaning of _never_ in the dictionary (I checked Dictionary.com and Merriam- Webster). According to Dictionary.com: > never can be used instead of not with the simple past tenses of certain > verbs for emphasis ( I never said that; I never realized how clever he was > ), but this usage should be avoided in serious writing So, even if _never_ is the word I am looking for (which according to the definition above it is not), it's said to be informal. I am hoping someone could point to the word I am looking for, if there exists one, and also throw some light on this usage of _never_ (for example, which "certain verbs" is Dictionary.com referring to? Does my example sentence sound natural?) * * * 1 What _is_ 'yet' to 'already', by the way? Is there a special term?


title: "Irregardless" vs. "irrespective"

text: Why is _irrespective_ considered a proper word but _irregardless_ is not?


title: "Before or After" in one word

text: One word to ask whether something happened "before or after" whatever it is we're talking about. "Occurring" comes to mind but then you always say "did it occur before or after"


title: How to better reword this sentence? (SAT Writing question)

text: The security office recommends that, when asked to provide a computer password, **do not choose** any string of letters that can be found in a dictionary.   * a) do not choose _(incorrect, I think this would make the sentence a run-on)_   * b) not to choose _(what I had thought was correct because "The security office recommends not to choose any string of letter that can be found in a dictionary." sounds correct to me)_   * c) not choosing _(incorrect, doesn't "sound" right)_   * d) you not choose _(includes the pronoun "you," so I had automatically ruled this option out)_   * e) your choice should not be _(too wordy)_ But the correct answer had turn out to be option d. Please explain why, in the end, d is the correct answer?


title: Ambiguity of "Dogs must be carried on this escalator"

text: In the words of the old joke, I wanted to go up to the next floor of a department store, and I saw an escalator with a sign saying > Dogs must be carried on this escalator. But I didn't have a dog, so I had to use the stairs. Nobody is in any doubt about what was meant, but would you say the sign was ambiguous or (technically) mistaken? And if the latter, how should it be reworded?


title: What is the term used for saying if something increases/decreases it has no effect on another thing

text: What is the mathematical term used for saying if something increases/decreases it has no effect on another thing? I was thinking along the lines of "X is not linear with Y" however it seems to give the sense that if X increase, Y will increase (though not linearly). This is not the idea I want to convey. I want the reader to know that an increase/decrease in X does not necessarily mean an increase/decrease in Y. Well, if you've read the above paragraph you know what I want, but I need the whole idea of that paragraph packed in a single phrase. (I'd have thought a mathematical term would be useful in this sense (since those words are cool), but that's not compulsory of course). To be sure, I'm not asking for a mathematical term. I'm asking for a catchy term.


title: "Pay rise" vs "pay raise"

text: Which sentence below is correct? > Ben received a pay rise.   >  Ben received a pay raise.


title: "Never saw" versus "didn't ever see"

text: Do these sentences have different meanings? >   *     1. I never saw such a thing. >     2. I didn't ever see such a thing. >   *     1. I never saw him dancing. >     2. I didn't ever see him dancing. > My questions:   * Are both usages correct?   * Is there a difference in meaning?


title: "Renowned for" vs "Renown for"

text: Should it be > Our company is renown for or > Our company is renowned for


title: (plural noun) "are" never "a" good idea.

text: I'd like to know how to explain the grammar in this kind of sentences. It seems to me that the plural noun here works like a collective noun... Or does it purely depend on the context rather than some grammatical rules? Thank you. For example: (A random quote from an online article) "While we can't confirm the footage mix-up, these kinds of accusations **are** never **a** good thing."


title: When to use the words "how" and "that"

text: I wrote this sentence: > Tyray also thought about how he would see Darrell’s dead face. However, I remember my teacher telling us the distinction between _how_ and _that_ , and that _how_ is often used as a conjunction when the correct usage is actually _that_. Unfortunately, I have no idea which word would be grammatically correct in the sentence I wrote.


title: one word for a sentiment close to ignorant or illiterate

text: I want a word to describe people who despite of their education and economic status and apparent sophistication, are lacking of even the most basic level of critical thinking. People who will just readily accept whatever is the norm. EDIT: I am looking for a noun. adjective suggestions are also welcome


title: Improper usage of "subsequently" in the latest Futurama episode?

text: In the latest Futurama episode, called Cold Warriors, the professor says the following: > The common cold died out 500 years ago and subsequently humanity lost all > resistance to its ravages. According to the thread dealing with the difference between _subsequently_ and _consequently_, the line uttered by the professor is ungrammatical, for humanity would lose all the resistance to a virus only if the virus were to die out completely. Therefore, the action follows as a result. Am I right on this one? Being very strict here, can we claim that the Futurama creators made a mistake, or is this an exception to the rule? Could someone clarify/explain?


title: Meaning of "take"

text: Context (New York Times), > Today, sampling the cuisine can be a rarefied and pricey experience; meals > at Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurants like Kikunoi (kikunoi.jp/english) > run upward of $160 a person. But for an unbuttoned — and surprisingly > affordable — **take** on kaiseki, try Giro Giro Hitoshina... At first, I thought _take_ here is used as a noun, which is from its verb sense -- as you know, when _take_ is used as a verb, it can be paired up with certain foods, drinks, etc., for example, _take a drink_ , _take a meal_. But it seems _take_ also has the sense of, see American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, > 7.Slang An attempt or a try: He got the answer on the third take. Do you think that _take_ means _try_ in this context?


title: Meaning of "be brought low"

text: Context (New York Times), > The episode has been a sobering lesson in how even an agency that carries > some 350,000 passengers over 104 miles of track every workday can **be > brought low** by a seemingly ragtag group of activists who identify > themselves by pseudonyms like Lamaline_5mg. In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, I found this entry, > be brought low (old-fashioned) to lose your wealth or your high position in > society But I'm wondering if we can just simply interpret this idiom literally? Please see these two entries in Merriam-Webster, > bring: (4) : to cause to come into a particular state or condition. > > low: 11: unfavorable, disparaging


title: Words using all possible vowels

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Is there a word that contains all the vowels? Is there a word in English that contains the 5 letters that are exclusively vowels (a, e, i, o, u) as well as the 3 letters that can be used as vowels (h, w, y)? I would be happy with a word that used the latter 3 even if in that word they were consonants.


title: Is "facetious" unique?

text: Is "facetious" unique, as the only English word with all vowels appearing once, and in alphabetical order? Or, if you count Y as a vowel (as some do) does the same apply to "facetiously"?


title: Analysis (tree diagram) of "She hugged and kissed her mother"

text: I was wondering how linguists analyze sentences like "She **hugged and kissed** her mother" or "Will you have that **with or without** syrup?" or " **Four and five** are the square roots of **sixteen and twenty-five** , respectively"? My previous understanding was that all sentences can be analyzed as a tree, with each word being part of the "argument" of exactly one other word. So in the sentence "Will you have that with syrup", _will have_ is the verb that the entire sentence hangs from, with _you_ being the subject, _that_ the object, and _with syrup_ a prepositional phrase in which _syrup_ depends on _with_. (Please correct me if my understanding is incorrect.) But how would you ever draw a tree for "with or without syrup"? Specifically, whose child is _syrup_? My first thought was that _with or without_ forms a sort of super-preposition. But then what about "She **rescued and provided shelter for** the cat", in which _the cat_ is simultaneously the object of a verb and a prepositional phrase?


title: It will take a while until/before the change takes an effect

text: Which is correct or sounds better to you? It will take a while until the change takes an effect.   It will take a while before the change takes an effect. Thank you


title: Which one is correct? (Usage of "reach" vs. "arrive")

text: > The boys are about to reach. > > The boys are about to arrive. When should I use _reach_ and when should I use _arrive_?


title: Compound words: what real compound word is composed of most words?

text: I was looking at this question about the word _albeit_ and it got me thinking... what is the most compound, non-hyphenated, real word in English? Strictly speaking, albeit might not be counted as a compound word because all dropped a letter, however there are other example - for instance _nonetheless_. Is three sub-words the limit, or can someone think of a compound word that has more sub-words? (Note, I excluded hyphenated compound words because you can make whole sentences into words if you go that route.)


title: What is the proper grammatical sentence structure for this Subject, Verb, Object?

text: A card game has a card with the following text: > Each other player destroys his or her minion with the least power (owner > chooses in case of ties). **Am I correct in believing that the Subject, Verb, and Object are as follows?**   * The Subject: Each other player   * The Verb: destroys   * The Object: his or her minion This might give the **impression** that the player is destroying the minion, when the rules text is supposed to imply that **the card the rules text is on** is performing the destruction. **What is the proper way to word the sentence, if you want to make it clear that the card with the quoted rules text above is destroying in the card, not any of the players?** (I.e. Would this be better, "Destroy each other player's minion with the least power (owner choses in case of ties)." With no subject, is it clearer that the card is performing the destruction?) Other examples from the game:   * Each other player discards two cards at random.   * Destroy the lowest-power minion on each base with a higher-power minion.   * You may destroy a minion of power 3 or less on this base.


title: What does the phrase "ungodly hour" really mean?

text: When I hear people speak of "this ungodly hour" they are usually complaining about being awake (or especially working) earlier than they are accustomed. But why is this called ungodly? It would seem that the diligence to arise early and begin work would be a mark of godliness. It seems that an "ungodly hour" would be a time, perhaps after midnight, when being awake is often associated with ungodly behavior, such as drunkenness and debauchery. What is the history of this phrase? **Edit:** 'ungodly hour', does carry the connotation of early, not just different than expected. Otherwise, ungodly means immoral. http://www.google.com/search?q=ungodly+definition > un·god·ly > > adjective /ˌənˈgädlē/ ungodlier, comparative; ungodliest, superlative >   >   >     Irreligious or immoral >         - ungodly lives of self-obsession, lust, and pleasure >   >     Unreasonably early or inconvenient >         - I've been troubled by telephone calls at ungodly hours >


title: What does “root against something” mean? Isn’t it an idiom?

text: I found an article titled “The Schadenfreude Sports Fan” in today’s (June 23) New York Times followed by the lead copy: “Figuring out which teams to _root against_ is a nuanced and delicate matter.” Though "root against"seems to mean "smashing down somebody, something," I'm not sure. So I checked on Cambridge, Oxford, and Merriam-Webster online dictionaries. None of them registers “root against” as an idiom, though they register root around (for / through/ out) as the idioms meaning scratch around, or terminating. I also found many instances of using “root against” in sports related articles, e.g.; -Figuring out which teams to _root against_ is a nuanced and delicate matter.–New York Times. -Because you _root against_ the Yankees harder in October than you do the other 11 months.-Sport Illustrated. -Only mean-spirited people _root against_ Tim Tebow: The hate makes little sports sense- Culturemap Houston. Google Ngram also shows the trend of continued increase of usage of the words “root against” since 1880 after bottoming out during ca. 1960 -1900. What does “root against something” mean? Is it _only_ used for sports related context? Isn’t it a "generic" idiom as against "sports speciffic expression"


title: What punctuation is right for the following sentence?

text: What should I put after "let's face it"? > Let’s face it; in one way or another, we work out because we want to improve > and become stronger. How we do this, however, defines the amount of > improvement


title: What is the meaning associated to a baseball and a screw?

text: In some cartoons ( _Tom & Jerry_ and _The Looney Toons_ , if I remember correctly), I've seen the image of what seemed to be a baseball or softball along with a screw in a balloon. If I recall correctly, the balloon appeared near a character who had just been "screwed" by someone else. Even if I can obviously tie the screw to the pun, I wonder how the ball is involved.


title: Word for biased interpretation of the law?

text: When a law is misinterpreted and enforced by a "power class" in a social hierarchy, and the stated justification has no basis even in the laws to which to the justification makes reference, is there a word to describe such abuse of a legal system in this way? This commonly arises when a corrupt ruling elite (such a junta) tries to tip the balance of justice to benefit them and their interests more than other groups without eschewing the appearance of legitimacy afforded by pretending to operate within that society's legal system. While adopting the pretence of consensus sanction for arbitrary actions benefits the junta momentarily, to legitimise things such as curfews and executions, the spurious reference to a part of the law which on clearer inspection has no bearing, or only tenuous bearing, to the case in hand, eventually comes to light and erodes the junta's legitimacy.


title: Is there a word for someone born in the UK?

text: While watching the World Cup game a few minutes ago, I was wondering what if the United Kingdom - and not England - had a National Team, with English, Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Ireland players included. Is there a word we could use to refer to their nationality ? I'm not looking for the word "British". Instead I'm trying to find out whether there is a word derived from "United Kingdom".


title: why do some people call green peppers mangoes?

text: I have heard people from Lima, Ohio refer to green peppers as _mangoes_. How did that come about?


title: “Battled-hardened,” Is this one of New Yorker's renowned idiosyncrasies?

text: There was a really entertaining short story describing customary exchanges of fierce words between a restaurant patron and waitress in New Yorker magazine (June 14.) under the title, “Lunch at Gitlitz’s. However, I was drawn to the word, “battled-hardened nemesis” in the following sentence; > “When we walked into the restaurant, we immediately saw her – my father’s > **battled-hardened nemesis** ; a waitress named Irene. She was standing in > back by the kitchen, a cigarette dangling from her mouth, one hand on her > hip.. She and my father locked eyes like two gunslingers stepping on to a > dusty street. “There she blows” my father muttered. “Try not to excite > yourself,” my mother said.” New Yorker, June 2014 I find “battle-hardened” in dictionaries at hand, but not “battled-hardened,” which sounds somewhat awkward to me. This word (battled-hardened) is repeated in the lead copy of the article in New Yorker Home page. The article is really humorous and entertaining, and wordings of the battle scene are really snappy. But, is “battled-hardened” one of New Yorker's renowned idiosyncrasies, or just a typo?


title: What does it mean to ‘stay true to type in a spat’?

text: I came across the phrase, ‘ _stay true to type in a spat’_ in the following sentence of the Washington Post’s article (July 27) titled, “Tim Pawlenty struggles to step out of Michele Bachmann’s shadow”. > Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann are **staying true to type in a spat** > between their presidential campaigns: He offers a cautious slap over her > lack of executive experience, and she smacks back with dramatic comparisons > between him and President Obama. This is more or less how it has always been > for the two Republican lawmakers from Minnesota, where Bachmann’s passion > and conviction outshone Pawlenty’s more cautious, methodical ways from the > moment she stormed the state legislature nearly a decade ago. I know the meaning of ‘stay true to,’ but I’m at a loss to judge whether ‘ _type_ ’ here is a noun meaning ‘stay true to their own types (or styles)’ or used as a verb as ‘type in.’ Although I’m inclined to interpret ‘stay true to type in a spat ‘means tenaciously adhere to their own styles (in the spat between them), I’m not sure. Is it ‘ _stay true to type_ (in a spat)’ or ‘ _stay true to type in_ (a spat)? In net, What is the exact meaning of the line,“Pawlenty and Bachmann are staying true to type in a spat between their presidential campaigns?


title: Is there a synonym for laziness or procrastination

text: ...that starts with the letter 'w', 'h', or 'e'? I'm in desperate need of such a word to fit the essay I'm writing :D


title: Is "in an utter attempt" correct?

text: I think I have heard, and I think to understand, the phrase "in an utter attempt". I want to say something like "In an utter attempt for brevity, I will summarize each chapter in one sentence". Is this correct to say?


title: "Apache are" or "Apache is"?

text: What is more correct when I'm talking about Apache 2 (HTTP webserver)? > It is Apache or > They are Apache I think it's "Apaches are". What's correct?


title: What do you call "that" or "where"?

text: For words that sit as placeholders for other words (and introduce subordinate clauses), is there a name? For example, > The quick brown fox **that** jumped over the lazy dog. > > The man **who** killed the cyclops. What are these words called? (aside from "pronoun" or "demonstrative pronoun" for the case of terms like **this** and **that** [depending on usage]) They basically function as placeholders for other clauses or nouns.


title: Does "Thanks a Lot" sound too casual for showing gratitude to someone in a higher position

text: I'm thinking probably... because of "a lot"


title: What is the origin of the expression "brassed off"?

text: Brass bands were being discussed today which naturally led to someone claiming to be _brassed off_ about something, meaning disgruntled or annoyed. Does anyone know the origin of this expression? Michael Quinion over at World Wide Words suggests the phrase may have arisen from the Royal Navy's use of cleaning brasswork as a punishment, but that doesn't seem altogether convincing.


title: Sentence in which "its" and "it's" can be interchanged without changing the meaning?

text: A friend posed the following word puzzle to me: > Can you think of a sentence that keeps the same meaning whether you use > "it's" or "its"? He asserted that this puzzle does in fact have a solution. However, it has me completely stumped. I tried to solve an easier problem, to find a sentence which is still grammatical if you change an "its" to "it's", but all I could come up with is examples like "It's light!" (which is, strictly, more of a sentence fragment). What is the solution to the word puzzle? Or, is there some way I can "prove" that the puzzle should have no solution?


title: What Indian words appear in cricket's vocabulary?

text: One of the things I find surprising is that India seems to have had little influence on the vocabulary of cricket. Notwithstanding India being arguably the world's greatest cricketing nation, I can't immediately think of any examples of cricket jargon which come out of India. Can anyone else?


title: What is the status of being dead or alive called?

text: Having a bit of a discussion at work. We have a label that needs to be answered with deceased or alive, however we're not sure what to call the label. Status seems to be a bit too generic. Is there a word to indicate the state of life of a being?


title: Saying for having an argument in public that should be private

text: Isn't their a saying when a couple fights where everyone can hear and they say things like nobody can hear? Something like, "Arguing behind a screen door" or "fighting with the screen door open."


title: Is it correct to say: "A, B, then C" instead of "A, B, and then C"?

text: I sometimes hear people append the last item in an ordered list (especially a step-by-step procedure) with only " _then_ " (without the preceding " _and_ "). For example: > Go to google.com, enter _miserable failure_ , then click **I'm Feeling > Lucky**. I understand the saying, but in written form, it seems incorrect. Is it correct English to omit " _and_ " in this case?


title: Addressing a senior female in formal mail

text: How should I address a female who is senior to me (in both age and rank) in an official letter?


title: Simple meaning of "A mellow edge isn't an oxymoron"

text: I got this as my astrology prediction. > A mellow edge isn't an oxymoron. Buy their drinks. Show them why you're so > famous. What oxymoron means is > A figure in which an epithet of a contrary signification is added to a word; > e. g., cruel kindness; laborious idleness. Still kind of confused regarding this sentence. What does this phrase actually mean in simpler language?


title: What should I say to people when I am passing them by?

text: I am talking about situations when you want to greet someone, without stopping to talk to them. In Russian, people usually say "добрый день" which means "hello." This is a greeting, not a valediction. In English, it seems to be opposite. Can I say "hi," or should I say something like "have a nice day" or "bye" when I am passing them?


title: Equivalent expression to Spanish "cutting by the healthy part"

text: What would be an equivalent expression to the Spanish "cortar por lo sano", probably something like "cutting by the healthy part", to convey the idea that to solve a problem from spreading, like gangrene, sometimes the solution chosen is to cut deep even through the healthy parts of the limb.


title: Are legs a choice?

text: > Legs are a choice in that we could choose not to have them by cutting them > off. Is it correct here to use the word _choice_ meaning "an option"? Is it correct to say that legs are a choice I could use to get to work instead of using the choice of a car?


title: What is the correct casing when there are brackets involved?

text: Just writing my own definition for some words in my spare time. I have come across definitions such as: > fatso > > (Discriminating) Somebody fat I just put an extremely simple definition there. But what I am worrying about is the casing. Which of the following would be correct? > (Discriminating) Somebody fat > > (discriminating) Somebody fat > > (Discriminating) somebody fat > > (discriminating) somebody fat Which one would be correct punctuation usage?


title: Purpose For, Of

text: * 1 He has no intention for marriage.   * 2 He has no intention of marriage. These two sentences are good English and have the same meaning. In this PDF I read: > A review of the grading permit showed that the permit had not been modified > from its original ***purpose** which was **_for_** a minimum use driveway > for a mobile home. Now, since _intention_ means almost the same thing as _purpose_ , could these sentences be okay?   * 3 He has no purpose for marriage.   * 4 He has no purpose of marriage.


title: What to call it or someone who easily laughs about something which isn't funny?

text: This kind of person always or easily laughs, not because something is so funny, but because that person is easily e.g. nervous, agitated, has a short attention span, bit retarded and hasn't really got a sense of humour. I don't mean having the giggles. It might be (maybe not always) this person is generally quite pretentious anyway (in case that would affect the answer), that his laughing is more like putting up a show rather than finding something truly funny.


title: "The whole day", ''All day'' or ''All day long"

text: Are there any differences between these phrases for example in the following sentence:   * a) I did my homework **the whole day**.   * b) I did my homework **all day**.   * c) I did my homework **all day long**. And what is a specific difference between ''all day'' and ''all day long''?


title: A word for a worldly wise person who pretends to be naïve?

text: What is a word for someone who is experienced and wise, but who deliberately acts naïve? I don’t intend it for sarcastic use; I’m trying to describe someone succeeding in making people think that that person truly is naïve. Is there a word for this?


title: Origin of "nose out of joint"

text: I was watching a TED talk on cartoons in The New Yorker, and the presenter used an idiom I've never heard. > But like I said, you cannot satisfy everyone. You couldn't satisfy this guy. > > "Another joke on old white males. Ha ha. The wit. It's nice, I'm sure to be > young and rude, but some day you'll be old, unless you drop dead as I wish." > > The New Yorker is rather a sensitive environment, very easy for people to > get their **nose out of joint**. In this context it is easy to see that means to get someone annoyed or bothered (similar to "knickers in a twist" or "panties in a bunch".) I'm just curious as to where it's come from and when/where the popular use is, as I've never heard it before. I'm 23 and live in PA.


title: "Holy Spirit" or "Holy Ghost"?

text: Until today I believed that both terms are basically the same. But our English teacher told us that the correct term is _Holy Spirit_. Is there any difference between _Holy Spirit_ and _Holy Ghost_? I know a song whom lyrics say: _I've got the Holy Ghost down in my soul_. When should we use _Holy Spirit_ and _Holy Ghost_? BTW, Wikipedia says: > Holy Spirit, **or Holy Ghost** , is a term found in English translations of > the Bible, but understood differently among the Abrahamic religions


title: by the age of vs at the age of

text: "By the age of ten, Thorleif was keeping detailed notebooks, which he maintained for years." Does this sentence mean that Thorleif stopped keeping detailed notebooks when he reached the age of ten or he started keeping them when he reached the age of ten. I'm confused. Thanks,


title: Need a precise expression of a purpose

text: In a piece of writing, I mention two terms, say A and B. Traditionally they are interchangeable although the term A is favored. The novelty of my writing is that they will eventually be distinguished. In particular, the term B will be used in place of the term A and the term A will be used in a different sense than it currently is. But before I reach that point, I intend to keep using the term A as usual, in order to .... The purpose is definitely for contrast, for emphasis. But I just can not express it precisely. Now I want to give a remark on my intention in a footnote to inform the user beforehand. So far I have only come up with something like: > Until ..., these two terms are not distinguished though the term A is used > till then to .... The problem is that I do not know how to describe my purpose very precisely. Could you help me fill in the gap at the end? Thanks.


title: How to indicate the "attn" person in an email

text: I'm using emails in my professional context to contact with my client. (We are external auditors `ABC`). We are given access to a common email account in which we have to use to correspond with the client `XYZ`. Since there are lots of emails sending in and out of the mail box and there is one person of the team who is in charge of handling emails, forwarding the replies to the relevant person of the team gets difficult. (What usually happens is we compose the email from our own work mailbox `me@abc.com` and forward it to the common mailbox `ext_auditor@xyz.com`.) As it is hard for the team member who is handling emails to determine to whom each received email belongs to, we would like to add a `attn` in the email before we send it to the client. How should we indicate this particular information in our email?


title: "But Only" - How to Figure Out the Meaning?

text: I first cite the definitions of "but" as an adverb or preposition:   1. **adverb** : no more than; only.   2. **Preposition:** except; apart from; other than: Could someone please elucidate/explicate **but only** below?   Does it mean "only", "all but", "nothing but", ... ? Also, is the "but" redundant?   Please also illuminate how you sussed/unravelled the meaning. > These, hearing first of the commotions which began about the same time in > the other parts to broil, as in Oxfordshire, Yorkshire, and especially in > Norfolk and Suffolk, began to take therein some courage, hoping that they > should have well fortified the same quarrel. But afterwards, they, > perceiving how the mischievous mutterings and enterprises of their > conspiracy did suddenly fail, either being prevented by time, or repressed > by power; or that their cause, being **but only** about plucking down of > inclosures, and enlarging of commons, was divided from theirs, so that > either they would not or could not join their aid together, then began they > again to quail, and their courage to abate. Notwithstanding, forasmuch as > they had gone so far that they thought there was no shrinking back, they > fell to new devices and inventions, for the best furtherance of their > desperate purposes. I referenced: 1: Rephrasing of "All But" 2: [ All + Noun + But ] vs [ All But as an Idiom 3: Vincent McNabb's Comment: All But = Everything Except. 4: "Anything but" vs "Everything but" vs "Nothing but" 5: Two meanings of "But": Inclusion or Exclusion ? My comment:   I. If there's a whole and a part, then **but** imports inclusion: **but = only**.   II. If there's only a whole (I daresay but a whole), then **but** connotes exclusio = except. 6: All But ≈ Very Nearly 7: Only vs But Only


title: What does "be composed entirely out of A and B" mean?

text: Does it mean being composed of "both A and B" or "neither A nor B" or anything else? Where to affect "out"? My concern is this sentence: > A combinator (or supercombinator) is a function which is composed entirely > out of bound variables and other (super)combinators. A Gentle Introduction > to Parsec ¶ blog.barrucadu (p.s. I would appreciate it if you could correct my poor English)


title: 'Arsonist' is to 'fire' as what is to 'water'?

text: According to Merriam-Webster, an arsonist is a person that engages in "the willful or malicious burning of property (as a building) especially with criminal or fraudulent intent". Flooding can also cause serious damage to buildings or other property. Although it is probably significantly less common, I could imagine that a person might maliciously flood property with criminal or fraudulent intent. For example, if the residents are vacationing away from home, it would be easy enough for a person to cause serious water damage to a house by turning on all water spouts and plugging all drains. This occurs in the movie _Home Alone_ : > **Harry:** [Marv brings a load of stolen goods from the Murphy household to > the van and Harry sees him laughing] What's so funny? What are you laughing > at? You did it again didn't you? You left the water running. What's wrong > with you? Why do you do that? I told you not to do it.   >  **Marv:** Harry, it's our calling card!   >  **Harry:** Calling card.   >  **Marv:** All the great ones leave their mark. We're the wet bandits! Is there a word for such a person? In other words, _arsonist_ is to _fire_ as what is to _water_ / _flood_?


title: Whats the meaning of "Outta" In a song of Metallica called "ain't my bit-ch"

text: ((Dear Native English Speakers Please Help Me.)) Metallica is my favorite band and I love them but I have some serious problems in translating and understanding the meaning of the lyric entitled "Ain't My Bitch"(ain't my problem). The full text of the lyric could be found here. **The Lyric**               1)Outta my way, Outta my day      2)Outta your mind and into mine      3)Into no one, into not one      4)Into your step but outta time      **My Understanding**               1) Get out of my way, get out of my day.     2) You are mad, get out of my mind.     3) I have no idea about the meaning of this line.     4) I have no idea about the meaning of this line      I am wondering what is the best translation of line 2 and 3. Is it correct my interpretation,thank you in advance.


title: Plural vs singular form of verb after set of plural and singular subjects

text: Should I use verb in plural or singular form if the first subject in the row is singular but is followed by set of subjects in plural form: > The story itself, the characters and their tempers make up/makes up a > completely different utterance


title: What does a disciplinary frame mean?

text: When writing an introduction, its important to orient readers in terms of disciplinary frame - what does this mean?


title: "the stir and keep of pride" in G.M.Hopkins' poem

text: From The Habit of Perfection by Gerard Manley Hopkins: > Nostrils, your careless breath that spend > > Upon **the stir and keep of pride** , > > What relish shall the censers send > > Along the sanctuary side! What is _the stir and keep of pride_ here? Stir = commotion? Keep = stronghold (metaphorically, the body)? And what they may mean combined in one sentence? I understood the bit with censers that send fumes along the wall of the refuge, but the first half of the stanza is misty.


title: I promise not to do it, I swear not to do it. Is there a double meaning here?

text: > "I promise [pause] not to do it" seems to me equivalent to > "I promise I won't do it". However, > "I promise not [pause] to do it" seems to me equivalent to > "I do not promise I will do it" (i.e. I cannot guarantee I will do it, maybe > I will do it) Is there a double meaning here? If so, all promises constructed that way ("I promise not to") may be interpreted as deceitful, treacherous, untrustworthy? **EDIT** Just to clarify. The reason I am asking is that I saw a movie where the guy said "I promise not [pause] to kill X" and then he asked someone else to do it for him, thus violating the spirit of his promise (i.e. he wouldn't have X killed), but not the letter because he didn't actually do it himself. My impression, while I was watching the movie, was that the pause was deliberate, the guy was actually trying to hide a lie in his promise. This behaviour is not unheard of: in Ancient Greece oracles would pronounce obscure prophecies such that whatever happened the oracle would have been seen as having guessed. My question is about the grammatical structure of a sentence starting with "I promise not to" and the _possibility_ to use it, consciously, to hide one's intentions.


title: Is "per E-Mail" an English phrase

text: Is it correct to say: > _"I'll send you this file per E-Mail"_? Or > _"Please send me this file per E-Mail"_? I know most people say _"I'll send you this file by E-Mail"_ or _"Please send me this file by E-Mail"_. Is _"per E-Mail"_ also correct?


title: Imperative + which, should

text: I'm about to post an ad for our company survey but I'm not sure which of the following (the position of _should_ ) is correct. > Take the survey on which computer _should_ our company get next. or > Take the survey on which computer our company _should_ get next.


title: grammar: why do we or omit the "do"

text: very often we see the description like this: Many people realize that they didn't do any wrongdoings, so they cannot understand why they have to be punished. or ...., so they cannot understand why do they have to be punished. or we ask "why do you fight?" can we omit the "do", say "why you fight?" Thanks!!


title: Is “honest to gosh” a popular and decent English idiom?

text: I found the phrase “Honest to gosh” in the New York Times (April 5) article titled “Send in the Clowns, and Cheese,” in which the author, Gail Collins blames the squander that the GSA (General Services Administration’s Public Buildings Service) wasted more than $820,000 for holding a 4-day gathering to open lines of communication and improve teamwork by serving $4-apiece shrimp and an “American Artisanal Cheese Display” and employing a professional mind- reader and clown as entertainers at the M Resort Spa Casino in Las Vegas in 2010. The article ends up with the following sentence: > “They should have been able to find a spot, what with being the people whose > job is managing government buildings. _Honest to gosh_ , you’d think they > just wanted to hang out at a resort casino spa.” I understand “ _Honest to gosh_ ” be an equivalent to “honest to God,” and simply means “honestly speaking,” but I don’t find this phrase in most of English dictionaries. Is “ _Honest to gosh_ ” more popular idiom than “honest to God”? Why is there the need to use “gosh” deliberately, instead of “God”?


title: What is the meaning of the phrase "clean up after" and when and how to use it?

text: > The guarantees made by constructors and destructors offer a nice way to let > the compiler _clean up after_ you.


title: "Give up" versus "give in"

text: Do _give up_ and _give in_ imply different meanings?


title: Is the phrase "then too" incorrect?

text: I was told by a school teacher that it was incorrect. I've seen it in articles coming from reputable sources. The general meaning would be similar to the word 'yet', but I can't find any place to confirm whether or not it is correct.


title: Why do we use plural for indefinite objects?

text: Building off another question I answered here, I couldn't justify why exactly we say: ### _I like to ride bicycles._ Instead of: ### _I like to ride a bicycle._ (This could be anything: "climb mountains", "fly helicopters", etc.) Both of these forms should refer to some generic, indeterminate _bicycle_ object. But we can't ride more than one at a time, nor do we mean to say that we like to ride them one after the other, so how does the plural form work here? Even though the second example looks like a valid construction, it just doesn't sound right. I suspect it's because the indefinite article "a" adds something when used in this sense, instead of just meaning to say "a bicycle" in the generic sense, it implies: _I like to ride a (particular kind of bicycle)._ However, _"I like to ride my bicycle"_ works. Is it because _"my"_ makes it less generic, or just because it means "the _one_ that is mine"? So why does the indeterminate "a" not work in the same construction? (The only sense where "a" seems to fit is when using the conditional: _I would like to ride a bicycle_. But again, this has a slightly different meaning than _I would like to ride bicycles_ , in the general sense.) How should I understand what's happening in these constructions?


title: Adjectives as qualifiers

text: The adjective 'well-known' used in the following sentence modifies/qualifies which noun i. e. either the 'Ruskin Bond' or the 'writer' ? > Ruskin Bond is a well-known writer.


title: Region-specific game names

text: I grew up in a small town in Eastern Kentucky, and we played a game called sookie (soak e). This game is very similar to dodge ball except that it is every man for himself. Adults taught us this game and it was what it was called when they were children so the name goes back to at least the early fifties. When I went to college I discovered that no one else called it as such. The name sounds very close to the Russian derogatory word for women (suka). Has any one else played a game like this and was it referred to by the same name? How do regionally created names perpetuate and are they less prevalent today when someone can look up dodge ball on the internet?


title: Etymology of the word "stoolpigeon"

text: "Stoolpigeon" and "stool pigeon" seem to be interchangeable, though the former's definition is usually that of a police informant (synonymous with "stoolie") and the latter a dummy or decoy pigeon. ~~The Online Etymology Dictionary only has the origin of thestool pigeon (bird) one, so~~ I was wondering if anyone could assist in finding the origin or first occurrence for _stoolpigeon_? **Update**   Doug Harper has now updated the Online Etymology Dictionary entry for stool pigeon with a nice and succinct answer as a result of Hugo's answer.


title: antonym of "spoiled"

text: I'm looking for an antonym of the word _spoiled_. The sense of _spoiled_ I have in mind is a positive one: "I've become spoiled by these comfy shoes." I'm looking for a word or short phrase to say: "I've become _antispoiled_ by these horrible shoes and now any other pair would be comfortable." The closest phrase that I'm aware of is _to have one's standards lowered_ , which isn't quite the same thing and certainly isn't very pithy.


title: Is there an appropriate word to refer to "the letter to which this letter is responding"?

text: Given that...   1. If Jeremy is a "parent" to Sarah, then Sarah is a "child" to Jeremy.   2. If archaeopteryx is an "ancestor" to chicken, then chicken is a "descendent" of achaeopteryx. It seems to me that if a letter is written in response to another, then there is a similar two-way relationship between those two letters, but I'm a bit stuck on coming up with a good word to describe that relationship. Perhaps:   1. If B is a "reply" to A, then A is an "antecedent" to B.   2. If B is a "reply" to A, then A is a "precursor" to B. But I'm not particularly fond of either. Is anybody aware of a term that has been used within the context of such communications? Note - I have re-worded the above considerably, as it seems that a number of answerers were under the impression that I was looking for correct phrasing to write in a reply, such as "in response to your letter dated..." Hopefully the re-phrasing of the question might help avoid any more folks putting effort into such answers. My apologies if my intent wasn't clear enough previously.


title: How to pronounce or hyphenate the word 'value'?

text: val-ue or va-lue ? Is the a rule for this kind of thing?


title: How is this read?

text: Do you have any idea how 1910s is read? I know, for example, 1920s is read "nineteen twenties". This is also the case with "the thirties, the forties, the fifties, etc". But is there "the tennies" in English?


title: "In the nick of time" or "in a nick of time?"

text: They both sound right and I've found examples of both.


title: Do all four-letter-words have four letters?

text: Two vulgar words I know have five letters but I've been told they are considered four-letter-words in spite of it. The explanation I got was that in such cases vulgarity matters more than the number of letters. Is that so ?


title: More on 'who should she see': what part of speech is 'should' in this phrase?

text: Prompted by What does 'should' mean in this sentence?, instead of asking what it means, I'm interested in what part of speech it is. The sentence is: > She walked through the forest, and who should she see, but the Big Bad Wolf _Should_ is being used to mean _did_ in this sentence, which is an unusual use for _should_. The general form seems to be: > [Interrogative] should [event] but [...] ( _But_ is replaceable by _except_ , _only_ , etc.) Is this a subjunctive? Is it a vestige from Old English?


title: "Till death do us part"

text: Every time I see this expression, I can't help thinking it's grammatically wrong. Is it grammatically acceptable? Why is it used extensively in this form?


title: Is there a word or concise phrase for this word play?

text: Take this for example: In this video, at 1:04 to 1:10, the person goes on rapping with a rhyming word at the end of each line, but he pauses before the end of the last word and, being humans, we predict the next word (due to the hint from the rhyme) that he is going to say but he avoids it intentionally. Is there a word or phrase for this word play? > ...and the beat still knocks when I sort my socks   >  I'm five foot eleven of sex   >  from the tip of my head to my gorgeous...   >  knees Not the best example I could find but I think it sums up my point quite well.


title: usage of "very much " in reference to place

text: > I am very much in town. Is this expression correct as an answer to the question whether the person is out on leave or in town?


title: What does ‘government shutdown’ mean exactly?

text: Today's _Washington Post_ has the article Congress, Obama Brace for Showdown as Government Shutdown Looms, which contains the following sentence: > The prospect of a government shutdown appeared more possible Saturday after > the House passed a budget measure in the pre-dawn hours that cuts $61 > billion - and was immediately rejected by Senate Democrats and President > Obama. What does _government shutdown_ mean? Unlike stores and factories, or Greece and Iceland, how can the government of America shut down, or get paralyzed with its operation? I know it's a naive question, but I don't understand a government can stop its function in reality.


title: What's the difference between the following sentences?

text: For the following sentences: > I was learning to play the piano for five years.   >  I learned to play the piano for five years. What's the difference in meaning in relation to the verb and the preposition?


title: Touch an extension - meaning

text: > Joe, the senior developer in a team of six, has a problem with his program. > He studies it for hours, with increasing frustration, but cannot figure out > the source of the bug. He wouldn’t think of asking any of his peers to help > because they all have less experience than he does. Finally, though, he is > at wits’ end and gives up. Sighing, he picks up his phone and **touches an > extension** : “Sandra, could you come over here and take a look at my > program? I’ve got a problem I can’t figure out.” Sandra stops by and, with > the quickest glance at Joe’s program, points out what should have been > obvious to him long ago. Hurray! The program is fixed, and Joe expresses > gratitude, but in fact he is secretly embarrassed. What does **touch an extension** mean?


title: What do you call a person who is very fussy about weather?

text: A person who often says - This is too sunny or this is too cold.


title: What is the male counterpart of nubile?

text: Is there an accepted word that means a man (boy) ready for marriage? I only found sites having nubile males or faunlets as near alternatives.


title: I have another questions regarding hyphens

text: The Gregg Reference Manual uses this: mid- to late 60s (with a single space after the hyphen, because "mid" is a prefix that requires a hyphen). My question is, if you have a phrase like "low to mid-50s," do we write it as I have done (i.e., no hyphen after "low," because "low" is not a prefix)? I say: CORRECT: low to mid-50s INCORRECT: low-to-mid 50s The only time we'd use two hyphens in "low-to-mid 50s" is when it's used as a compound modifier, correct? See below. CORRECT: Temperatures are expected in the low-to-mid-50s range. Correct with all examples (and reasoning)? Thank you.


title: Scientific name for rectangular Pupil?

text: Goats have interesting, rectangular Pupils. Is there a single-word scientific name for this? I'm looking for a word much like _Haloquadratum ("salt square")_ , or _ventromedial ("toward the middle of the ventral side")_.


title: is "merablum" or "merablem" a word?

text: is there a word "merablum"? maybe "merablem"? It means scrap or remnant of food left on a plate. I always thought it was a word but I googled it and - nothing. Is Google unaware of it or is it a made up word? Grandpa and Grandma Turner always used it. Grandpa did sometimes use Hindi words, it's true, but this I thought was English. The merablums are the best bits. Like the crunchy bits. Help.


title: Shall I put the adjective behind the noun in this case?

text: "Function" means the performance of something, so it is on a level different from "project".(self-made) Here what I mean is that the two words are on different levels, the first may refer to potential things, the latter refers only to real things. But I do not know exactly how to use "different from" properly. Shall I say directly that "it is on a different level from "project"?


title: What slang words and colloquialisms are likely to embarrass an American in England or an Englishman in the U.S.?

text: An Argentine or Mexican tourist in Madrid, or A Brazilian tourist in Lisbon, will certainly hear phrases he has never heard before and may find some of them offensive. I myself have a list of Portuguese colloquialisms which may embarrass an uninformed Brazilian during his first trip to Lisbon. Likewise, there are slang words and phrases that may embarass or sound offensive to a native speaker of the English language visiting another country, if he has never heard them in such contexts. e.g. >   * A California girl to an English lady: "Oh, shut up!" >   * A Londoner to a young man in Kansas: "Will you have a fag?" > I don't expect swearwords or an exhaustive list, and I don't mean the knowleadgeable and well-informed tourist either. This type of person certainly knows most foreign colloquialisms.


title: 'I have no idea why do I like him so much' or 'I have no idea why I like him so much'

text: As far as my knowledge goes, 'why' in this case functions as a relative pronoun introducing a clause. I am just unsure whether it is grammatically accurate or at least acceptable to phrase the second clause in a question form (with the do verb coming after the relative pronoun). Which one is actually the correct form? And if one of them were incorrect, could anyone explain to me why?


title: Constructions like "A good shot"

text: Is anyone aware of a rule behind which nouns can be combined with a preceding "a good" to become an adjectival phrase. For example "He's a good shot" meaning he has good aim. How many more examples of this construction can EL&U think of?


title: "To bury someone twice"

text: Does anyone know what the expression _to bury someone twice_ means and where it comes from?


title: Is the term "fresh and original" redundant?

text: I see this phrase all over the place. Fresh in this usage appears to be in the usage: > not previously known or used; new or different. And directly lists original as a synonym. And original in the usage: > present or existing from the beginning; first or earliest. or > created directly and personally by a particular artist; not a copy or > imitation. All definitions from the Oxford online dictionary.


title: A word that describes "false sense of knowing"

text: Is there a word that describes someone having a false sense of knowing? In other words, one believes he knows X, but X isn't true. Here is an example sentence: > However, consent forms give people only a false sense of knowing. The sentence means that people are not given full knowledge or information but they think they are. This is close to being _misinformed_ but not quite.


Is there any idiom in English that describes someone's eyes' black pupils? I am especially interested in some positive idiom that would ascribe a characteristic of being deep in thinking, noble, kind, considerate, wise, etc. to such a person.


title: Should I use "multiple" and "at once" in one sentence?

text: I need to describe an app that lets users post to many social services at once. Is it correct to say "update multiple services at once"? I'm open to alternative suggestions.


title: What's the exact meaning of "make to a budget"

text: The sentence is as follows: **_This isn't just an Apple tablet made to a budget_** Am I correct in assuming it means: _This isn't a cheap tablet made within certain budgetary constraints so that you can buy it for exactly ... dollars?_


title: A suggestion for a change by reviewers

text: One of the suggestions that I got in my paper review is just indicated as a mistake in > There is, however, no proven criterion when to stop. What is wrong with the above sentence. Word ordering? Placement of "however"? I'm currently implementing the changes proposed, but I'm not sure about this one.


title: Use "too" instead of "so" and "very"

text: In what situation would you use "too" instead of so or very. Can someone help me? I have a problem with using too in sentence. Please give me an example. Thanks


title: Non-negative opposite of "to prefer"

text: What is the antonym of "to prefer" that does not sound too negative? Merriam- Webster lists several antonyms for "to prefer", but all of them sound a bit too negative to me. In a situation with many choices, I want to convey a preference towards a specific choice without putting the other choice(s) in a bad light. A long- winded way of writing this down is: > I strongly prefer X over Y (but if X is unavailable, then I am perfectly > fine with Y).   >  X is strongly preferred over Y (but if X is unavailable, then Y is also > fine). "disprefer" closely matches what I'm looking for, but it seems not to be a "real" word, so I'm not sure whether "Y is dispreferred over X" can be used in a scientific article.


title: What to call the best student in a class?

text: Is there a word in English to qualify the highest-ranked student in a class in a year? We are talking here about higher education, especially in the context of curricula that keep a given set of students over the course of several years, being ranked at the end of each year, possibly with competitive admission for the following year. The ranking is a weighted average of all marks obtained over the year. I am looking for a single word, or expression, to quickly designate the one student with the highest ranking. If there is no such thing in English, then let's try to get the most concise and idiomatic definition. In all cases, it is _not_ emotionally connoted, i.e. not pejorative nor bragging. _For French speakers: I am looking for the translation of **“major de promotion”**._ * * * **EDIT** : additional, not as much of a pure “word request” question: is this anything you should mention on a curriculum vitæ in the English-speaking world? If so, please mention whether the given word is appropriate for such a use  :)


title: Should Units of Measure be capitalized inside a title?

text: There is a similar question regarding capitalizing units of measure, but mine is **for titles, specifically**. For general applications (ie; _not_ inside titles), the consensus seemed to be **no** for most units (although there were a few special cases mentioned). I am wondering whether this changes for titles. And if so, _how_ it changes. Should you capitalize the first letter? The entire thing? My specific example is for pounds per square inch (psi). "Tire psi Below Minimum" vs. "Tire PSI Below Minimum" vs. "Tire Psi Below Minimum".    Edit: The commentator below raises a good point. But what if it's "Tire Below 72 PSI Requirement"? I don't see a way to get around using a unit there. More info: These titles are used as alert titles to display to a user in an application.


title: Single word for "less available" with a corresponding noun and without a cumbersome prefix

text: I want to find the best word for a term in a paper I am writing. _An example:_ > We see that Xs with higher unavailability generally have more attractive > amenities. Here, I want to replace "unavailability" with a different term. _Some details:_ In my paper, I am talking about a scalar value for each of several Xs. I want to refer to it as making the X "less available" because the higher its value, the less likely it is that the X will be any given person's "choice set" (which, you can probably guess, refers to the set of things they can choose from). I expect to have to use the word, or variations on it, many times in writing and presentation, so I hope to avoid using an awkward negation like "unavailable". It will also be convenient to have a noun form, analogous to "unavailability" but less awkward. * * * _A more down-to-earth example (with bad terms in square brackets):_ > Workers are not free to work at any firm they wish. Some firms are growing, > and therefore have more openings; while others set higher standards for the > quality of potential hires. These two factors cannot be separated in the > data, so I combine them into [an 'unavailability index'] for each firm. From > the perspective of a worker, opportunities to move to firms with a higher > values in this index are [less frequently available]. Sorry if that's too long, or still too abstract. I am strongly leaning towards @WS2's suggestion, which would replace the two sets of brackets with "a measure of scarcity" and "scarcer."


title: A word for "I'm foolishly making random choices"

text: Given a set of possible actions, you randomly pick one with no reason whatsoever, because you're a fool. > I did my exam by **randomly choosing** my answers. A somewhat related word might be _babbling_ , which suggests there is a foolish/nonsensical/dumb element in action. But babbling seems to be too focused on conversations rather than option-picking. The question Single word for random selection doesn't have answers with the "foolish" element.


title: What does "bikeshed alert" mean?

text: To put this into a context, someone was making a comment about some work that I've done, and she started it with "Bikeshed alert, ... (rest of the comment)". What exactly does "bikeshed alert" mean?


title: Apostrophes in cursive script

text: I'm currently composing a letter to a good friend of mine—using actual pen and paper—and I just realised, that I have absolutely no idea how to properly handle apostrophes in cursive script. English, is in fact, a second language to me. My native tongue does not use apostrophes, at least not in a way I'm aware of. So I've never had to learn them properly. There are two ways, as I see it, to handle this:   * 1) To simply write the word as a single word and stick an apostrophe in there, or;    * 2) To break the script and shove the apostrophe between them. To better illustrate my question I've included an example of both options below, using the word " _friend's_ ". (I'd like to apologise beforehand for my terrible handwriting). ![Cursive apostrophe examples](http://i.stack.imgur.com/RN82q.jpg) So, which way is the proper way to render this in English script?


title: What does the joke with the punchline about Chrome and Hollandaise mean, and why is it funny?

text: A joke goes like this: A friend at work had an unusual dental related problem recently. About a month ago he had to have a small steel plate inserted in his mouth. A week later he noticed the plate was starting to rust. The dentist asked him if he had a change in his eating or drinking habits that may have caused the problem. My friend explained that he had tried hollandaise sauce for the first time recently and liked it so much he put it on everything. The dentist advised that the solution was to remove the steel plate and replace it with a chrome plate. When my friend asked why chrome the dentist replied, "There is no plate like chrome for the hollandaise!" What does the punch line mean, and why is it funny?


title: Is "means" plural or singular?

text: Which is correct? >   1. There is no means to listen what he is saying. >   2. There are no means to listen what he is saying. >


title: Should I write "comma/period" or "comma / period"?

text: I usually put a space before, and after _/_ when indicating alternatives, such as in the following sentence. > We review a module / theme per user. Is it correct, or should I re-write the sentence as follows? > We review a module/theme per user.


title: How to say that someone will execute none of two actions

text: What is the correct way to say it: "I will not do it nor do that", "I will do neither it nor do that" or some other way? **Edit:** I think I did not expressed my doubts well. What I am looking for is whether it is possible to use "neither" or "nor" between two subordinate clauses, such as in "I will not buy groceries neither eat at a restaurant".


title: The use of "as"

text: My question: In the following sentence, what part of speech is the word **as**? > He visited the United Nations, or the UN, **as** it is more commonly called. Is it merely a conjunction? If it is not, what part of speech is it?


title: Check in on or checking on?

text: I got this email from a friend, who was concerned about the heat problem (which I complained to her weeks ago) in my apartment. Do I thank her for "checking in on me" or "checking on me"?


title: Difference between "illusion" and "delusion"

text: Can somebody please elaborate on the difference between _illusion_ and _delusion_? Especially in medical terms.


title: Word for suggesting solutions to a problem before the problem is even well-defined or well-understood

text: This remark was said to me awhile ago, perhaps last year, when I was asking for a help on a programming question on Stack Overflow. The jist was: `"you are suggesting a solution to a problem before you even understood what the problem is."` I have noticed that this is a common issue on Stack Overflow, with beginner programmers (like me) trying to suggest a solution to our issue before we even understand the problem we are having, like trying to solve world hunger before we even have the money to do so or the socio-economic knowledge. What is this word/phrase?


title: Looking for word that means "Ignorant of Consequences"

text: Usage: My son was playing with his food. He dropped it on the ground and the dog ate it and he cried. He was ignorant of the consequences of playing with his food.


title: Meaning of "AS FOR" expression

text: What is the meaning of the expression "as for others" in the sentence bellow: > God does not have such a love for them **as for others**


title: The walls stand only forty feet above the wave tops, yet plunge many hundreds to the city behind

text: The phrase refer to the walls of a fantasy city, which are very strong and protect it from enemies and from the sea. I can't say if the phrase means that the walls are hundreds feet deep in the sea, or hundreds feet thick.


title: "collaboration among" or "collaboration between"

text: I have seen "between" vs "among" and am aware of the possible duplicate nature of my question. My point here, however, is specifically to find out what it should be in conjunction with 'collaboration'. As you may see on the last page of the Grammar Girl source in the highest voted answer to that question (http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/between-versus- among?page=2) there are several training sentences. One is: > The conversation [between/among/either] the teachers, the parents, and the > students lasted for two hours.   >  [Answer: _between_ ] If the answer here is between, my hunch is that collaboration should also be 'between' any number of people. My friend, however, vehemently disagrees with me and says "among should be used when there's more than 2". What do you think, and why? My sentence: > The successful collaboration among/between the contractors, the LA municipal > office, and the funding provider resulted in reduced cost and higher > efficiency.


title: "Developed by" vs "Developed at"

text: Normally I see things written this way : > Developed **by** Joe Doe But I have also seen instances where it says: > Developed **by** Company Inc. Now, I know it doesn't make sense to say: > Developed **at** Joe Doe But I have sometimes seen it say: > Developed **at** Company Inc. What's the difference between saying something was _developed **by** a place_ versus saying that something was _developed **at** a place_? Is there even any difference between those? My initial assumption was that maybe someone who isn't part of Company Inc. used their facilities and did their development there, but now I'm not sure.


title: Capitalize fields of study?

text: Do I say "I study computer science," or "I study Computer Science"? Similarly, "I really liked that computer science course," vs. "I really liked that Computer Science course."


title: Can the word "facet" be used in a sentence like this one?

text: >   * Leadership skills are also a valued **facet** in a friend. > Can facet be used in this way?


title: What is the difference between "lean" and "incline"?

text: I know that _lean_ and _incline_ 's meanings are similar, but I cannot understand in which context each is used. > With profits continuing to fall amid rising costs, high interest rates and > growth hitting a lean patch, SVM Inc is conserving its earning by paying > less to shareholders. and > The terrain inclined down. Can anyone explain it?


title: "Learned of" or "Learned about"?

text: When would I use "learned of" versus "learned about" in a sentence? For example: > The principal learned of the planned protest and suspended any students > wearing the armbands. or > The principal learned about the planned protest and suspended any students > wearing the armbands.


title: What is the meaning of "flagging"?

text: I read this sentence in the newspaper. I found a definition of flagging from the dictionary as "weak from exhaustion," but I can not understand how it applies here: > it is investing over $1 billion in the refining and petrochemical industries > and has drawn plans to double natural gas output from its flagging KG-D6 > fields to 60 million cubic meters day on a "sustained" basis. Can any one explain it?


title: Word for a "decorated item"

text: Is there a single word for something that is subject to a decoration? Is it something like "decoree"? EDIT: I want to give an explanation what I need this word for. I am currently developing a software that among other things renders text. Just think of something like LaTeX. Everything that is visible on screen is called a _Box_. These boxes can be "decorated" by adding accents, over- or underlines etc. Now I need variable names for the box that is decorated as well as the "subject" of the decoration. Because I have loads of these boxes, box is too ambiguous. I thought of "decoree" just as we call a program being debugged the _debuggee_. As I am not a native speaker, I was just wondering if there's a word that describes what I mean and doesn't sound weird to a native speaker who later reads my code.


title: Is there a term for words that indicate "direction"?

text: For example, words like "left", "right", "close to", "above", "across from" etc. I've found on a lot of websites they're called "directional words" but I was wondering if there was a more technical term. I'm thinking of it as a subset of prepositions, words that only indicate some kind of relative position. EDIT: I think one possible term is **spatial adposition**.


title: Better word for someone who has grown physically but not mentally

text: I don't mean someone who is totally mentally challenged. I am referring to ones whose mental growth is not proportional to the physical.


title: Just once I'd like a PB & PB

text: Not sure if that has a special meaning but I heard it in a movie: > Just once I’d like a PB & PB. What does it mean? Here is a cartoon: ![](http://d1mpb3f4gq7nrb.cloudfront.net/img/toons/cartoon4505.png)


title: The opposite of a paean

text: I'm wondering what the opposite of a paean might be, or if there's such a word in English. I thought there was, but I can't think of it. The example I'm using is that Ernest Cline's _Ready Player One_. It's a novel about a dystopian future where people spend all their time jacked into a virtual reality called the OASIS, neglecting nature and choosing not to live in the real world. Cline's work is a warning against the direction in which we may be headed. This seems to be, to wit, the opposite of a paean to technology. What would this be called?


title: "I am lucky to find..." vs "I am lucky to have found..."

text: Originally in the monstrous question Compound sentences, the punctuation and mooore, which I am now trying to split up, I wrote the following sentence: > So lucky I am to find this site! And suddenly I got pondering on the correct verb tense to be used. I am embarrassed by the fact that the site is something I have already found, but the sentence contains not a trace of a past tense. Maybe it would be more correct to write "So lucky I am to have found this site"?


title: What's the word — an ironic situation

text: Is there a word or idiom describing a situation where a rebuttal to an argument is evidence to it (especially when it is ironic/meta)? A very simple example: > John: “You can talk!” > > Mary: “No I can't!” John put forth an argument, and Mary rebutted it; in doing so, she inadvertently gave evidence to the contrary.


title: "Gadhafi forces retreat" - how do you understand that?

text: Our local newspaper had the headline today "Gadhafi forces retreat" and I read it with "retreat" as the verb instead of "forces" as the verb. I know it is a poorly written headline, but which way is the more common way to read it? (In other words, is it likely that no-one at the newspaper noticed the ambiguity?)


title: What is the origin of 'be my guest' idiom?

text: I was surprised when I found out the meaning of a dialog like this:               - May I do something?     - Be my guest.      As for me, it looks really weird. Why 'be my guest' has the meaning 'do it, I don't mind'? And one more thing: is it strictly informal, or it can also be used on writing (let's say, in email conversation)?


title: Meaning (not in economics) - 'deflationary'

text: The context doesn't admit of the economics meaning, so what does it mean? > And as far back as the acid critique of the legal profession (“Judge and > Company,” he called it) offered by Jeremy Bentham in the early part of the > nineteenth century, skeptical or **deflationary** accounts of legal > reasoning have existed. Source: P3, Thinking like a Lawyer, Frederick Schauer


title: "For all intents and purposes"

text: The phrase "for all intents and purposes" seems redundant and circular to me, because of the overlap of the meanings of the individual words: **intend** : have in mind as what one wishes to do or achieve. **purpose** : intended result of effort. The thing that one wishes to do or achieve is the intended result of the effort. Thus saying the same thing twice. Is this done for emphasis as in the phrase "last and final call"?


title: His memory is as immortal as his arts have made me. (grammar)

text: > All the world has heard of Cornelius Agrippa. **_His memory is as immortal > as his arts have made me._** All the world has also heard of his scholar, > who, unawares, raised the foul fiend during his master's absence, and was > destroyed by him. From _Mortal Immortal_ by Mary Shelley. Is the highlighted sentence grammatically correct? As far as I can tell, _His memory_ corresponds to _his arts_ , not to _his arts have made me_. I mean, the correspondence has to be 'word to word' or 'phrase to phrase'. Or maybe the sentence needs a relative pronoun or something? In fact, what does this sentence mean exactly?


title: Can I start a sentence with "because", whether I am answering a question, or giving a sample of an idea?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Can a sentence start with "Because" I would like to know if the next sentence is right: " **Because** in this case, both are spelled the same way"


title: “It was great seeing you.” “You too.”  Why not “Me too”?

text: In response to "It was great seeing you," why do people say "you, too" instead of "me, too?"


title: Error in sentence - Incoherent relative clause?

text: > Law may well contain within its arsenal of argument and decisionmaking the > resources it needs to adapt to a changing world, but insofar as that is the > case, it is even less likely that **the image of a totally closed system** > `in which existing rules of law—and maybe even the existing practices of > legal argument` — **will be an accurate picture of what law does and how it > does it**. Isn't a predicate missing? I'm assuming the bolded as the subject and predicate. If so, then what's the predicate for "`in which existing .. of legal argument`"? What might I have misconstrued? By the bye, I read the meta question about use of ``; please allow me to use it here because this website doesn't support colour, yet I want to distinguish with it. Source: P6, Thinking like a Lawyer, Frederick Schauer


title: What did Dickens mean by the phrase, 'In which heathen state of mind...' in The Haunted House?

text: > If this should meet the eye of the gentleman who favoured me with these > disclosures, I trust he will excuse my confessing that the sight of the > rising sun, and the contemplation of the magnificent Order of the vast > Universe, made me impatient of them. In a word, I was so impatient of them, > that I was mightily glad to get out at the next station, and to exchange > these clouds and vapours for the free air of Heaven. > > By that time it was a beautiful morning. As I walked away among such leaves > as had already fallen from the golden, brown, and russet trees; and as I > looked around me on the wonders of Creation, and thought of the steady, > unchanging, and harmonious laws by which they are sustained; the gentleman’s > spiritual intercourse seemed to me as poor a piece of journey-work as ever > this world saw. **In which heathen state of mind, I came within view of the > house** , and stopped to examine it attentively. > > Charles Dickens, _The Haunted House_


title: Noun Meaning "Altruistic Hobbyist"?

text: I just finished reading _K-PAX_ and I'm looking for a noun to describe the main character _prot_ , a compassionate being who helps people work through their issues. Idiomatically I might say _prot leaves things better than he found them_. One word that came to mind is _do-gooder_ , but this unfortunately has an informal, derogatory meaning. A good **opposite** for my word is _trouble-maker_ , someone who intentionally (and possibly habitually) stirs up trouble. So I also looked at _peacemaker_ ; the definitions I found, though, tend to relate this word more to settling interpersonal conflicts than personal, which is prot's specialty. Words like _humanitarian_ , _philanthropist_ , and _altruist_ capture the character's desired end-result well but have a more missional tone than what I'm looking for. Although _prot_ was summoned here to help a specific man in need, his kindnesses to others appear secondary (like a hobby, almost) to his goals of researching Earth or waiting for a viable time to return to his home planet. Is there a better word to describe what I see in _prot_?


title: First name or last name with "Sir"

text: If my teacher's first name is Robert and his last name is Dowry, and I have to send him an email, then which of the following will be correct? >   1. Dear Sir Dowry, >   2. Dear Sir Robert, >   3. Dear Sir Robert Dowry, >


title: Can we say "taking too much car"?

text: Here is such a sentence on a workbook for middle-school students in China: > Because they think taking too much car is bad for the environment. I suspect the use of “taking too much car” here is Chinglish and would not be acceptable to native English speakers. But another Chinese teacher said that the noun _car_ here could be understood as an abstract noun, and therefore could be modified by _too much_. So I wonder what you native speakers think of the sentence. Do English- speaking people speak that way?


title: "Date and venue is" vs. "date and venue are"

text: Which of the following is the correct way? >   * Date and venue **is** the top priority. >   * Date and venue **are** the top priority. >


title: Sentence pattern in interrogative sentence

text: am class 8. My teacher was revising sentence pattern today, I got a thought of asking my friend a question that is: > Frame a sentence with pattern of V + S + V + O He couldn't find an answer and asked to the teacher, the teacher wondered a pattern starting with Verb. Then I said the answer, "Were they playing cricket". The teacher told me that interrogative sentences do not have sentence pattern. Then I thought for a while. Then I realized that the words like what and why cannot come as S, V, O, C or A. But can't a yes or no question have the sentence pattern? Can't a who question have a separate sentence pattern?


title: Is this a comma splice: <Independent clause>, I know

text: Examples: >   * It's cold, I know. > >   * She's awesome, I know. > > Are these comma splices? If not, what is the name of the _I know_ clause? Is there a name for the whole structure?


title: What does "Life gets in the way!" mean?

text: Could you help me understand what "Life gets in the way!" means? Thanks.


title: Old (professional) Adam

text: Again, from Le Carré's _Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy_ : > [George Smiley] had schooled himself to admit that in those last wretched > months of Control's career, when disasters followed one another with heady > speed, he had been guilty of seeing things out of proportion. **And if the > old professional Adam rebelled in him now and then** and said: You know the > place went bad, you know Jim Prideaux was betrayed - and what more eloquent > testimony is there than a bullet, two bullets in the back? - Well, he had > replied, suppose he did? And suppose he was right? 'It is sheer vanity to > believe that one, fat, middle-aged spy is the only person capable of holding > the world together,' he would tell himself. And other times: 'I never heard > of anyone yet who left the Circus without some unfinished business.' What is the author trying to convey here with the expression " _professional Adam_ "? Wiktionary offers the figurative use of _Adam_ to denote _human frailty_ , but that doesn't appear to be a good fit here. ODO provides nothing along those lines.


title: "Can’t help but" vs. "can help but"

text: Is "can’t help but" considered to be a confused mix of the expressions "can but" and "can’t help"? If not, what is the difference between "can help but" and "can’t help but"?


title: Based vs Located

text: Do these two sentences imply different meanings? > Our company is based in Melbourne, Australia. > > Our company is located in Melbourne, Australia.


title: Rephrasing the sentences

text: In how many ways would you rephrase these sentences? > When my cat went missing I was a wreck. > > When my cat went missing I was beside myself with worry. The purpose of each sentence is twofold: to describe the cat owner's feelings, and to make the sentence as emotional as possible.


title: Formal way to wish good morning

text: I am not a native English speaker, the source of my learning is books, websites and of course movies and music. In the movie — if I remember the name correctly — The Last Samurai, I heard that they said "I bid you good morning". Can I use it as a professional way to wish good morning or is it informal? Or did I just hear it wrong?


title: What does “packing heat” mean?

text: I believe it means “to carry a weapon”, but I would also like the phrase origins, if possible. So the full question is: What is the meaning of the phrase “packing heat” and what are its origins?


title: English letter sequence with most pronunciations

text: The letters _-ough-_ can be pronounced a ridiculous number of different ways in English. Here is a possibly incomplete list:   * tough, enough   * cough, trough   * bough, plough   * though, dough   * thought, bought   * through   * thorough, borough   * weirdos like hiccough, hough, lough. Are there any other letter sequences in English near this crazy? How do non- English speakers cope with trying to learn a language as messy as this?


title: Rx for Prescriptions

text: What do the letters "Rx" have to do with medicine prescriptions?


title: Perception of the phrase "kindly let us know..."

text: Recently, I talked to a native speaker about the proper usage of the word “kindly”. I frequently use phrases like “kindly let us know whether you agree with the suggested approach” in business letters to clients. However, my American friend now pointed out to me that he felt “offended” by this sentence since he found it rather patronizing. I was quite baffled – of course, my intentions in using that wording are entirely different, and I always thought I was humbling myself when using this phrase… But he also thought it was quite impertinent to actively demand a reply by using this phrase. I am rather confused now. Is this an assessment shared by other native speakers?


We pronounce 1923 as nineteen twenty-three; but 1900 as nineteen hundred. Why isn't year 2000 pronounced as twenty hundred instead of two thousand? What are the rules for pronunciation of years in English? Does it change according to the first two digits of year? Could you give examples for special cases, if any?


title: Word or a phrase that means your results could be biased toward what you predicted them to be

text: In psychology I recall we used a phrase or a word that meant that because you predicted the outcome of an experiment, then your results could be biased towards your prediction. Either subconsciously or by having your predictions at the forethought of your memory then these predictions would have some sort of influencing factor on the results of the experiment. Is there a word or a phrase to easily express this?


title: Signature enquiries

text: I would like to know when I attach my signature in my email. Which type of regards I should choose? > Best Regards,   >  Drew, Lim Chee Lim > > Best Regards,   >  Drew, Lim C. L. > > Best Regards,   >  Lim C. L Which one is more appropriate?


title: Origin of "twitter"

text: A non-native English speaker said on television that the word _twitter_ originated from an English verb _to twite_ , which means _to twitter_. Is this true? Does the verb _twite_ exist at all?


title: 'Have had,' auxiliary & main verb

text: I am still a little confused as to what tense I am using when I say > She **has had** a lot of bad luck lately Am I using the past simple with the present perfect and _had_ as an auxiliary verb? Could someone give me a link that loosens this point up a little?


title: "The great I" vs "The great me"

text: Are both sentences below grammatically correct? > The great I. > > The great me. What is the grammatical breakdown in each case?


title: Word for someone who prepares reports

text: The situation I am thinking of is where someone within a company runs queries on a database and formats the information (with or without commentary) into a report. Is there a single word that describes such a person? I was originally thinking _reporter_ but that seems too tied to the profession: a reporter is a type of journalist who researches and presents information in certain types of mass media. The word _analyst_ seems to cover the _with commentary_ part, but I would like to see if there is something else.


title: What does ‘Nevada Sen. John Ensign may be toast’ mean?

text: I came across a headline of an article in the Washington Post (Feb. 2nd) reading ‘Why John Ensign may be toast,’ which is followed by the following sentence; > Embattled Nevada Sen. John Ensign continues to move forward with plans to > run for reelection in 2012 despite anemic fundraising and a looming Senate > ethics investigation. > > Between an ethics investigation and poor fundraising, the Republican > senator's reelection campaign might not stand a chance. Ensign is right > about it being ugly, but whether or not it's a battle he can win remains a > matter of considerable debate. From the context of the above copy, my take of ‘Be toast’ is ‘On examination (or under criticism).’ in an analogy with bread being toasted. But dictionaries at hands don’t give anything like that definition. In addition, why ‘Toast’ is used as an adjective, not in past participle form in this phrase? Though the phrase is self-explanatory to native English speakers, but not to a late-started English learner like me. Can somebody explain me about its exact meaning?


title: Verb for "piece together clues"?

text: Is there a verb that more or less means " ** _to piece together clues_** "? I'm looking for something like " _detectivize_ ," which, unfortunately, isn't a word. The closest I came up with is " _investigate_ ," but this is far from my intended meaning.


title: Grammaticality of "I have already asked from him"

text: In response to a question, I have to answer. An example: > A: Hello B, can I go?   >  B: Ask C first.   >  A: I have already asked from C. Is this grammatical?


title: How are relative familial titles used for members who died prior to your birth?

text: This may seem an odd and morbid question, but I am curious about the use of relative familial titles when the family member you are referring to died prior to your birth. For example, say my mother has a brother named Bruce. When I am born he becomes my uncle. While we are both alive I would refer to him as Uncle Bruce. Even when he dies, I would continue to refer to him as Uncle Bruce, as in, "Remember the time we went to the beach with Uncle Bruce?" Moreover, I would argue this title stays even after my death. My children might say, "My dad's uncle was a shoe salesman." But how would I refer to my mother's brother Bruce if he died before I was born? I would think I would refer to him as "my mother's brother." It seems odd to refer to him as my uncle because he was not alive when I was born, therefore he only attained that title posthumously. And would it make any difference as to when my mother's brother died? Say my mother had a brother who died when he was an infant. Would he still be referred to as "my uncle?"


title: "Hence the need to make X" vs. "hence the need for X"

text: Is either of these two sentences correct? If both are correct, is one of them more common than the other? > [ _some arguments..._ ] Hence the need to make an educted guess. > > [ _some arguments..._ ] Hence the need for an educated guess.


title: Right word to describe "people working together"?

text: Please consider the below sentence: > Dean Shrivastava and his **__** of twenty faculty members took care of the > classes. Which word of the below fits best into the above blank? > a. Gang   >  b. Team   >  c. Crew   >  d. Work Party To me, all seem to suit fine. However, I cannot figure out which fits best. Dictionary meanings: > Gang: an organized group of workmen   >  Team: a cooperative unit   >  Crew: an organized group of workmen   >  Work party: an organized group of workmen These definitions I got from http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/.