title: Meaning of "cry creek" and "cock of the game"

text: I'm reading an excerpt from John Lyly (1554–1606), and there are some phrases that I can't find anything about on the net or elsewhere. Here is the context: > Though Cutio be as hot as a toast, yet Euphues is as cold as a clock; though > he be a **cock of the game** , yet Euphues is content to be craven and **cry > creek**. Does anybody know what the highlighted phrases mean?


title: What does "get some life" mean?

text: I made a comment and received the following reply: > Ha ha! Go get some life you stupid. I know that this is some kind of insult. But what does "get some life" exactly mean?


title: Is there a rule in preposition-using?

text: Like the title, I randomly checked my son's textbook one day and found out some interesting things, like: "I'm on a bus," "I'm in a car," "I'm on a scooter," "I'm on a skateboard," "I'm on a bike," etc. My son asked why is it "IN a car" only? I thought about it and just can't come up with any idea. Maybe it's more comfortable for the seats in a car? Like you'd sink into it? Could that be the reason? Anyway, just want to know: is there any rule when it comes to preposition- using? Or is all we can do is to recite them all not knowing why? :)


title: "Properties" versus "settings"

text: When speaking about e.g. computer "objects" (files, documents or other things manipulable through a graphical user interface) what would you say is the difference between the object's **properties** and its **settings** \- if the properties (as well as the settings) can be edited/changed? **EDIT:** I should clarify that I refer to the presentation in a user interface (from a user perspective) - not in relation to programmers/programming languages.


title: Are 'accuracy' and 'precision' interchangeable nouns?

text: The dictionary for **accuracy** says: >   1. The quality or state of being correct or precise. >   2. The ability to perform a task with precision. > And for **precision** : >   1. The quality, condition, or fact of being exact and accurate. >   2. Marked by or adapted for accuracy and exactness > Are these nouns interchangeable? If not, how to decide whether to use one or another?


title: Meaning of "crawling up the walls"

text: What's the meaning of _crawling up the walls_? > I work at home and I could easily stay here for a month or two... I rarely > get to stay in for so long cause I always have stuff to do in the weekends, > bills to pay or stuff with the wife but I love staying at home. > > F*** that, I couldn't do a week without getting out. 3-4 days and I'm > **crawling up the walls**.


Is this worded correctly if it was spoken in an interview? > I am like a clean slate. I do not have any preconceived notions about how > the company runs


title: Does the word "system" have any special meaning in literature?

text: I'm writing an English rendition of a Farsi passage. There's a word I'm hunting for which means **methods of literary styles of writing**. I came across with the word " **system** " in a "Farsi to English Dictionary", which in my opinion fits the passage. I checked some dictionaries for special meanings of system in literature and found nothing. Is the word used in literature with an especial meaning? Are there any other meaning used in literature?


title: "Affordable price" vs. "affordable prices"

text: Is it _affordable price_ or _affordable prices_?


title: What do you call doing something just to do it?

text: In competition to give away grants, we're asking for a response to a particular question because we always have, but not because we will actually use it to determine the outcome of the competition. I'm trying to explain why we shouldn't do that and I'm looking for the word to describe it. What would be the word to finish this sentence... "IF we continue to use the [name of evaluation tool], we could leave the [rating factor] in, but it would be… perfunctory? Superfluous? I think we could get across the value of the [policy] without making it a factor in the competition."


title: Which verb form for helper in question?

text: I encountered the question, "Which trait does a savings account and a checking account have in common?" I suggested that it should read, "Which trait do a savings account and checking account have in common?" For which I was rebuffed. Shouldn't the helping verb _do_ agree with the compound subject, the two accounts?


title: Has "utilise" lost its meaning in America?

text: My understanding is that "utilise" means to use an object for a task for which it was not intended. However, in American English, it seems that "utilize" is synonymous with "use", and it seems that "utilize" is used to make a sentence sound more complex or formal. Is this the accepted usage now? Is the benefit people find in making a sentence sound more complex overtaking the benefit of being able to express the different meanings?


title: Plural of "Runner-Up"

text: Why is it "runners-up", as opposed to the naïve "runner-ups"? Is there a rule to remember for these situations?


title: Express an ability not to do something

text: How would I express my ability not to do something? "I cannot dig" means that I definitely cannot dig. But how do I express my ability not to dig? The first thing that comes to my mind is "I am able not to dig", but I was wondering if there was a better way to express that. In essence I want to say something like "I can (not dig)"; parentheses are just for clarification. **UPDATE** Ok, so in order to clear things up, I tried to think of a better example. Lets imagine that I am walking in the park and see some big guy bullying a nerd. In this case I would like to say "I am able not to interfere, but I will!" (or in our case what I would like to say is "I can (not interfere), but I will!"). And someone working in the circus might want to say "I can (not fall) while walking on a narrow plank". And the main question is - is it possible to express those examples using "can"?


title: What word means a rare but destructive natural event?

text: Is there a word that describes a natural phenomenon which rarely occurs, yet when it does so, it causes widespread destruction?


title: How do I perform presidential proper noun declension?

text: I'm unfamiliar with how one approaches the declension of proper nouns, especially as it pertains to presidents, e.g., Jeffersonian. I suspect it's kind of a black art. I need to do this with Coolidge and have no idea where to start. What would be an acceptable form? Coolidgean?


title: What is a word for a taking a non-romantic relationship to the "next level"?

text: I was thinking one day, and was trying to describe some of the latest events in my life. To my dismay, I could not think of any word to describe becoming better friends with someone (in a platonic way, not a romantic one). Is there such a word?


title: What is the word for a certain melodramatic pose?

text: * not akimbo   * not arabesque   * ? I think it's related more towards an ingenue in distress; stage and silent movie era stuff – part of the language of that era. Today it might be used to imply sappy self-conscious melodrama – as kitsch. THIS! ---> http://tinyurl.com/mfbh2nq I believe there is a specific 'technical' word for that pose. Edit: 1.) Note: - not “tableau” specifically, although the pose could be held in tableau . 2.) This is the actual link - http://content.lib.washington.edu/cgi- bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/social&CISOPTR=2247&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=800&DMHEIGHT=1004.1841004184&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=&REC=10&DMTHUMB=0&DMROTATE=0


title: What's wrong with this sentence?

text: I've noticed a few times recently that _a generic, but well known text editor_ seems to be flagging up stuff that I'm sure is correct. For example, in the below sentence, _the generic, but well known text editor_ thinks I should be using _its_ instead of _it's_. ![Bad Grammar Checking](http://i.stack.imgur.com/DAJKp.png) When I click on the `Grammar...` option, or go to the `Explain...` option within the spell-checker, _the generic, but well known editor_ takes me to a page that just lists a few "Commonly Confused Words". I am confused! I think the sentence: > "I think it's rubbish, too." ... is a perfectly valid sentence that could also be written: > "I think it is rubbish, too." Am I wrong, or is _the generic, but well known editor_ wrong?


title: What is a word called that has more than one syllable?

text: You can say e.g.: > The word "on" is a monosyllable. but it seems that the word " **multisyllable** " has been outdated since 1913. **What is the correct term for a word that has two or more syllables, e.g.** > "The word "beautiful" is a _________.


title: Nomenclature or alternatives

text: Suppose I invent a phrase to describe a particular thing, such as _"the three- particle paradigm"_ , which is a new paradigm that I have developed to think about a certain field within particle physics. I'm looking for alternatives to the words **phrase** or **term** to describe _"the three-particle paradigm"_. Is it correct to refer to this one phrase as a **nomenclature**? Or is nomenclature more for a collection of words encompassing a bigger body of knowledge? If nomenclature is invalid, please provide alternatives. The reason I'm looking for a word like this is that I want to explain why I chose these words, such as: > Allow me to explain the nomenclature "the three-particle paradigm": First, > there are three particles. Second, ... Using **phrase** doesn't sound too good to me.


I meet this sentence in the first page of one book: > To Keith - always part of what I do.   >  S.B. What's the meaning of "always part of what I do"?


title: What does “on day 50” mean?

text: In this sentence: > “Since the aggregates sank so rapidly and the water column was more or less > ‘empty’ on day 50, they must have settled out,” Smetacek argues. “Layers of > fluff have been reported from various regions, including the Southern > Ocean.” What does “on day 50” mean in that sentence? Does it mean “in 50 days”?


title: Is there a difference between "to go forth" and "to go further"?

text: Last week I studied with some friends at college and after a short break, I decided to proceed with the exercises. I said "Well, let's go further." and one guy (native american) said "Okay then. Let's go forth." I did not really think about it then, but yesterday this question spontaneously arose. Is there a difference, maybe just a subtle one?


title: Where does "spinning in his grave" come from?

text: To quote Demitri Martin ( _taken fromthis session at around 0:57_): > When there's someone who's dead and then someone does something that that > person would not have liked, they say that that person is spinning in their > grave. But I don't understand why they say that; why is spinning the way > that a corpse shows disapproval? [...] If we showed disapproval like that > when we were alive, that would make more sense. Where did this expression _spinning in his grave_ come from? Did it originate in English, or did it come in from another language or culture?


title: "release a burden"?

text: I was wondering if it is correct to say "I finally release a burden?" Or should I say "I finally get released from a burden, as like "release somebody from something"? What are some other usual ways to express the same meaning?


title: Use of colon before reasons

text: If we say something has advantages over something else, should we write ":" before the reasons or not? For example, > A has advantages over B: The value of A is more than B and… or > A has advantages over B. The value of A is more than B and…


title: Is "any" correctly applied in the example?

text: I suppose in this sentence "any" means "all" and/or "every" reference occured in DEF_2 and DEF_3. > One shall remove **any** reference to those items in DEF_2 and DEF_3. Is this correct?


title: Word for the sound made while vomiting

text: Which word can I use to describe the sound somebody makes while vomiting? Is _burp_ the right word for it?


title: "Guild" versus "association"

text: Is there any difference? Why would you say _authors guild_ and not _authors association_?


title: Is a lengthy combination of words with hyphens like “the worst not-technically-in-a-recession year in American history” a new fashion of writing?

text: I found a hyphenated word , “ _not-technically–in-a-recession_ ” in the sentence of September 28 New York Times’ article titled “Why Obama Is Winning,” written by co-ed columnist, Ross Douthat. It reads: > “Today, just as he predicted, the unemployment rate is 8.1 percent. The > year’s second-quarter growth rate was just downgraded to an anemic 1.3 > percent, real household income dipped in the month leading up to the two > political conventions, and the American Enterprise Institute’s James > Pethokoukis suggests that 2012 might turn out to be the worst _not- > technically-in-a-recession_ year in modern American history”. I was interested in the format, “not-technically-in-X” deliberately combining six words into one word with hyphens. Why doesn’t the writer simply say “2012 might turn out to be the worst year, (though) not technically recession, in modern American history” without linking words with repetitive hyphens. Is it a fashon, or is it a normal way to say or write “not-technically-in- an-X.”? Do you normally write “The report is arranged with _not-technically–in- statistic-accuracy_? Does a doctor inform his patient that their cancer may turn out critical _not- technically-in-clinical-database_? P.S. I witnessed ubiquity (or abuse) of hyphen-linked-phrasing in the following sentence of Time magazine’s (Oct. 22) article – “The Third Debate: Obama Wins on Style and Substance” written by Joe Klein. > “This may seem petty, but it is part of the _other-than-reality-based_ world > of RushFoxland — like the alleged Apology Tour that wasn’t. That world, so > far as foreign policy is concerned, came crashing down tonight.”


title: use hyphen in this sentence four times

text: Does this sentence seem correct grammatically? > I made a strong relationship with a four-years-older-than-me guy.


title: What's a good word that means extraordinariness or exceptional-ness?

text: I have a sentence that currently reads "All they want is to be extraordinary." There's nothing wrong with that. I can certainly live with it. But what I want is a sentence in the form "All they want is 'extraordinariness.'" Is there a good word for that in English? My vocabulary doesn't usually fail me so spectacularly. In case it helps anyone, I'm writing an essay about the inevitable choice between dual mediocrities which characterises the identity of East German youth in _Sonnenallee_. ....I'm also writing it in German. So if anyone happens to know a word in German that doesn't necessarily have a good English translation, I'd be happy to learn of it (preferably in a comment.) :)


title: Going to the seaside and going to the sea

text: The British say "go to the seaside" (meaning I'm going to spend some time at the beach, swim, sunbathe etc.) It's like "going to the mountains" or "going to the lake." However, I once heard an Aussie saying: "I'm going to the sea" not the "seaside" meaning the same. My question: Are both possible and common? How about Americans? As far as I know Americans don't "go to the seaside" because they do not live in a small seaside country. So an American would say "go/take on vacation at the beach" or just "I'm going to Hawaii" "I'm going to the lake and so on. Am I right? Or maybe "going to the sea/seaside" is a phrase used by Americans as well? I remember I read a Canadian text once that used this phrase. Please leave your comments.


title: 'though however' used together

text: I have come across a video in which the speaker says something like _What the Commons is, though however, is ..._ Why use 'though however' together? Is the sentence with double ' _is_ correct? You can hear the whole utterance here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8101854.stm


title: what does "provide for" mean?

text: > Interviews that asked past behavior questions demonstrated superior validity > for predicting performance because they **provide for** an assessment of > motivation to apply knowledge/skills more effectively than situational > questions. In above sentence, what does "provide for" mean? I'm confused with the extra(?) "for".


title: word/phrase for initial set of data or givens

text: I'm searching for a neutral phrase that conveys the concept of the initial condition/situation/position/set of givens or factors impacting an outcome. For example, the idea of a 'headstart' conveys an advantageous initial position toward pursuing a goal. I am searching for something similar without the connotation of an advantage - but simply indicating the 'start' position, and a certain 'opening' configuration of facts.


title: Meaning of Lady Macbeth's reply

text: In the play _Macbeth_ , Macbeth was king, and he was asking Lady Macbeth a question: > Macbeth: What is the night?   >  Lady Macbeth: At odds with the morning, which is which. In Lady Macbeth's reply, I couldn't quite understand what "which is which" meant. What does it actually mean?


title: "Sit in a chair" vs. "sit on a chair"

text: What is the correct usage? I know you sit 'on' a sofa/couch. What about chair?


title: Meaning of "ask of"

text: What is the meaning of the phrase _ask of_ in the following sentence? > Trust and security are important for any application; before we move on to > the meat of accessing data, let’s make sure the browser itself is capable of > doing everything you’re **asking of** it. It is extracted from a technical book.


title: How to say something sponsors another

text: If book A is sponsored by entity B, how can I say: > . . . in the upcoming B **'s** sponsored book A . . . or > . . . in the upcoming B sponsored book A . . .


title: Out at the house (Hemingway's To have and Not Have)

text: This is from Hemingway's To Have and Not Have. It's not clear to me where they were having lunch. Out at the house Marie and the girls were having lunch. "Hello Daddy," said the oldest girl. "Here's Daddy." ... (conversation omitted) when the girls were out of the room he said to Marie, "Cut it up, will you?" This looks strange to me. At the first sentence, they were all having lunch "out at the house." And after conversation "the girls were out of the room." I wonder where Marie and her girls were having lunch first. May at terrace? Or the yard?


title: Using "run" as a noun

text: How do you say the verb _run_ in a sentence as a noun?


title: How do we refer to body odour delicately?

text: Perhaps one of the most difficult things I ever had to do as a manager of staff was to talk to someone about their 'body odour'. Can anyone think of a term to use and appropriate language in which the subject might be introduced in a private conversation?


title: "I would have a car, which would ALLOW me to take myself from point A to point B faster"

text: Is there such a sentence with "s" ("which `allows` me to ....")? I'm talking about myself, it means I'm talking in first person (singular)


title: Origin of "fat lot of good"

text: **Fat lot of good** is a phrase that I grew up with and continue to use occasionally as in the following: > He is working hard to fix the problem, but a **fat lot of good** it will do > him without the proper tools. Which means that despite his best efforts, he is not likely to fix the problem until he starts using the proper tools. I've only heard the phrase used with a sarcastic tone as if the phrase is supposed to mean that it will do a lot of good. (Similar in tone to when someone says _I could care less_ when they really mean _I could **not** care less._) What is the origin of _fat lot of good_ and was it ever in common usage with a positive meaning?


title: How do you tell when you're reading a poor translation?

text: John Ciardi, in his foreword to his translation of Dante's _Divine Comedy_ , observes that any translation is, at best, a failure. He means it is impossible to convey the depth and levels of meaning of the original into another language. That point conceded, however, translations must be made and used. If there were texts in Finnish one needed to understand by next week, it is absurd to suppose that one should (or could) acquire mastery of that language in the time allotted. The fact is, there is important information in many languages that one may wish to know, and it is further absurd to suppose one can acquire anything like a thorough understanding of all those languages. In many cases, a bad translation is obvious. In the English version of a flyer promoting a Japanese amusement-park ride, for example, park-goers were promised that they would be "brandished and inverted." In such cases the bad translation announces itself in strident tones, and one doesn't have to be John Ciardi to realize that a re-translation of the translation will be required in order to piece together the actual meaning. But what about translations that do not set off grammatical or usage alarms, yet may still be poor renderings of the meaning of the original? Are there other, perhaps subtler clues you would look for that would make you question whether the translator has done the job well or poorly?


title: What is the origin of Americana?

text: I have checked on the NOAD, but I didn't find the origin of _Americana_ ; it's reported that it means _things associated with the culture and history of America, especially the United States_ , but not the origin of the word. I have a hypothesis, but it doesn't explain why _Americana_ is a plural noun. Does anybody know the origin of the word?


title: Are there clear differences in formality of words between British-English and American-English

text: I wonder if there are any clear distinctions regarding using formal words in British-English and in American-English. Do American and English people use different words when for instance asking a question or handling a formal situation?


title: "I think ..." or "In my opinion..." or "From my point of view..."

text: If I want to express my opinion about something, what's the most correct form? What are the differences? What is more formal and what more colloquial? For example, in Italian, nobody says _In my opinion..._ , but _My opinion is..._


title: What is the correct spelling of "dependent"? Which preposition should follow it?

text: **Dependant** or **dependent** really confuses me when to use, especially with the combination **of** , **on** , **from** or **to**.   * Mike was dependant to/from/on his mother.   * The states are dependent to/from/on the federal government. When to use what term with what?


title: Are freshwater fish considered seafood?

text: Can freshwater fish, crayfish, etc. still be referred to as seafood or is there a special term?


title: Is there a word for describing a person who experiences schadenfreude?

text: One word to denote a person who derives pleasure from another's misfortune?


title: Saying about many related events in the future

text: My question relates to these questions :   * Conditionals in the future   * Future tense in conditional clauses   * “If I go..” vs. “If I will go..” referring to the future   * About two mutually related, future actions What is the common way in English (and American English) to say about many related events that can happen due to some condition: > I suppose if this gadget [will be] packed in cardboard box there [will be] > less chances that the package [will be] stopped at customs for any > additional inspection of its contents. or even: > I suppose if this gadget [will be] packed in cardboard box there [will be] > less chances that the package [will be] stopped at customs for any > additional inspection so there [will be] no delay in delivery. Note: I used "[will be]" to depict that action will occur in a future - I understand that it is incorrect.


title: How to use "if you will" in third person

text: How would one say "if you will" in third person POV? I'm constantly finding myself wanting to type this phrase in papers but I usually refrain from it since "you" is second person and my teachers are exceptionally strict when it comes to POV in research papers. Normally, I just replace "you" with "one" but that doesn't sound very... smooth, if you will.


title: ‘It’ – ambiguous antecedent?

text: Take the following sentence: > And even if the program inputted one token and then invoked newLine(), > wouldn't it input a blank? I've been told that this sentence has a clear pronoun reference. Why? Couldn't _it_ refer to either _program_ or _token_?


title: Is it grammatically correct to say "X person turned to Y person"?

text: Here are some examples: > Erica turned to him > > Erica turned towards him > > Erica turned to face him > > Erica turned to look at him I'm not sure if the first one is grammatically incorrect and/or ambiguous?


title: “Nota Bene” in technical writing

text: I am currently writing my thesis for a MSc in computer science. In some places I came up with short but crucial explanations or remarks that I wanted to show in a stand-out display to emphasize their importance. So I show a little grey text box, with a title. As for now I chose **Nota Bene** as the title — see an example here: > **Nota Bene:** If the dashed lines in the interface-graph (cf. Figure 7.2, > on the right) are not explicitly included, a VPN network will essentially be > represented by several disconnected graphs. Now I am wondering if _nota bene_ is something that I can use in this context. I know that is has the right _meaning_ but I am unsure about the _style_. Does this feel pompous to you? Or old-fashioned?


title: Verb for "to make optional"

text: Is there a verb for "to make optional"? I've searched questoins on this site, thesaurus.com, and looked in my paper thesaurus and dictionary, but don't see anything. Context for how I plan to use the word is in changelist. The changelist identifies items that were "added", "removed", "updated" and "made optional." I'm looking for a single word to replace "made optional." Thanks in advance!


title: Do animals "live, reside or inhabit" in a place?

text: I am working on a standardized test, where one of the questions asks whether a certain type of animals live/reside/inhabit in Alaska. To me they all sound okay. But the answer key marks "live" as the correct answer. Any idea?


title: Kipling's "If" explanation

text: I don't understand what Kipling means by "Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”". Could you please explain it to me?


title: "Semitic" and "anti-Semitic"

text: Why does _Semitic_ refer to several groups of people, including Babylonians, Assyrians, Arabs and Jews, whereas _anti-Semitic_ only refers to Jews?


title: Term for assistant of assistant manager

text: Do you call an assistant of an assistant manager _vice-assistant manager_ , _deputy assistant manager_ , _assistant-assistant manager_ or something else?


title: "If I knew you're coming I wouldn't have come"

text: Is the statement > If I knew you're coming I wouldn't have come correct? Should we use > If I had known you're coming, I wouldn't have come instead? Please consider American-British differences.


title: Use of the word 'mete' without using the word 'out'

text: NOAD defines _mete_ as: > dispense or allot justice, a punishment, or harsh treatment When talking about this sense of the word, we normally hear the verb _mete_ used in verbal phrase _mete out_. However, I don't think we'd usually say, “ _dispense **out** justice_”, or “ _allot **out** a harsh treatment_”. This got me wondering about the omission of the word _out_ , and simply using _mete_ instead, as in: > _The stern judge would often mete the harshest punishments_. In my research, I found that such usage is not without precedent, but it seems to be rare. I found:   * When looking up the word _mete_ in Macmillan, the site automatically directs the user to the phrasal verb _mete out_ , in both their American and British editions.   * When looking up the word in Collins, the definition is preceded by: "usually foll by _out_ ".    * When looking up the phrase `"will mete a"` in Google books, only 5 results are returned, and two of those are using the word _mete_ in a different sense. Changing the search phrase to `"will mete out a"` returns more than four pages of hits. A similar disparity is found between `"would mete the"` and `"would mete out the"`.   * The example sentences at Reference.com all use the phrase _mete out_ , such as: > _It would be far better to conduct investigations and mete out punishments > at the national level_. Still, I managed to find this in one of the book searches, from a 2008 romance novel: > _A king might lead this action, but a queen would mete the punishment if it > failed._ My conclusion is that one _can_ omit the word _out_ , but it seems to be rather rare. **My question is:** How awkward does it sound when the word _out_ is omitted? Would a writer be advised to err on the side of convention, and leave it in? Or is it purely a matter of preference? Even the ( _gasp!_ ) prospect of ending a sentence with a preposition didn't deter this biographer from using the phrase _mete out_ : > _...it was obvious to the father that the son would pay a price as part of > the punishment that the king would mete out_. (James Srodes) As a footnote, I'm only asking about the word _mete_ used in the context of administering some kind of punishment. Other definitions of the word (e.g., to _measure_ ) are excluded from this question.


title: Council, man, woman, or member?

text: If a board is called a "Council," and those on it are now called "Council Members" rather than "Councilmen" and "Councilwomen" for the purpose of gender neutrality, please explain if there is a difference between the title of the position and the title by which they are addressed in conversation at meetings. Would it be appropriate to refer to them as Councillors? Are attorneys sometimes called Counsellors? Does this seem confusing if both are interacting at the same meeting? Your thoughts are much appreciated. Thank you.


title: "Only humming a little, the quiet sound in the head"

text: I found a poem named Any Morning, I'm not sure if "the quiet sound" in the second line is represented to what somebody in humming or something related to trouble? > Just lying on the couch and being happy.   >  Only humming a little, the quiet sound in the head.   >  Trouble is busy elsewhere at the moment, it has   >  so much to do in the world.


title: Is there a word which describes being unable to see the stars because of the brightness of the moon?

text: I'm looking for something like "eclipsed" or "occulted", but caused by the brightness of the light rather than by anything solid being in the way.


title: The Royal Order of Adverbs

text: I know that the pattern _manner-place-time_ shouldn't be taken too seriously if one wants to speak natural English. In real life, people rarely use a string of adverbs. Speakers will easily break the pattern for emphatic or stylistic reasons (usually placing the adverb at the beginning of the sentence). Other factors such as length and specificity will also override the arrangement. But I'm constructing illustrative sentences that highlight (and stick to) the Royal Order of Adverbs. What all the online sources are doing is mixing adverbs and prepositional phrases, but I can't have the concept of prepositional phrases in my examples just yet. This means I should include only one-word or two-word adverbs (without prepositions). So, I have these:   * He sat quietly upstairs all day.   * She waited impatiently outside this morning.   * They gather noisily downtown every Saturday night. Are the sentences above still correct, as in natural-sounding? Somehow they started sounding a bit off to me. I guess I just need to test them with a second pair of ears.


What is the origin of "journal" to mean a mechanical shaft? A more common modern use is in "journal bearing" which refers to the sliding surface between a rotating shaft and a hole it passes through and supports it relative to some other component.


title: What is a person who works on applying makeup called?

text: I've read 'Makeup technician' in some places, but I am looking for a single word. 'Aesthetician' and 'Cosmetologist' refer to persons who apply general aesthetic treatments, but I haven't found any words which refer specifically and exclusively to applying makeup.


title: What is the plural of "Freight"?

text: What is the plural of _freight_? _Freights_ just doesn't sound right to me. Perhaps, _freight_ is already the plural. If that is the case, what is its singular? **Edit** After doing some research, most online dictionaries have _freights_ as part of their listing for _freight_ , but none seem to have an example, leading me to the conclusion that _freights_ is not a word that is in common use. The definition provided by Brian Hooper seemed to be the most reasonable and clear reason why it is only _freight_


title: What is the difference between "daemon" and "demon" in a religious context?

text: Is there a difference between _demon_ and _daemon_ in a religious context?


Are the words "backdrop" and "background" interchangeable?


title: Is there an idiom to describe someone who is really skinny and whose clothes don't look good on them?

text: Is there an idiom to describe someone who is really skinny whose clothes don't look good on them at all? This should not refer to the person but instead to how the clothes look on the person. In my native language, we say: > Those clothes are crying on your body. Or > It seems like you wore your father's clothes in this picture.


title: Earliness: the quality of being early

text: Which words help convey the concept of _being early_? _Prompt_ is not exactly what I want, as it means "on time" in the context I am considering. If spring (the season) was a spirit and arrived two weeks early this year, and was content in doing so, how could I describe the idea that spring doesn't mind its ___ __ness (quality of being early)?


title: Origin and meaning of "damn straight"

text: The phrase "damn straight" is now used as a way to emphatically agree with a statement, but where does it come from, and what did it mean originally?


title: Is 'peaceful demonstration' an oxymoron?

text: Oh, we know the standards: Jumbo Shrimp, Real Phony,Living Dead..... is _peaceful demonstration_ in the list: reasons why/not are, of course unexpectedly anticipated.


title: Do "owed" and "due" mean the opposite?

text: I wonder if "owed" and "due" mean the opposite in the following quote from Wikipedia? > In banking and accountancy, the outstanding balance is the amount of money > **owed** , (or **due** ), that remains in a deposit account (or a loan > account) at a given date, after all past remittances, payments and > withdrawal have been accounted for. It can be positive (then, in the balance > sheet of a firm, it is an asset) or negative (a liability). I think owed and due both mean someone owes someone else another something. But in the quote, it looks like owed means someone else owes someone something, and due means someone owes someone else something. I am confused. Thanks!


title: What word should I use to express the feeling of stepping on a banana's peel or walking on an oily floor?

text: I am curious about the word I should use to express my feeling when I step on a banana's peel, touch on an oily surface, or walk on an oily floor. My feeling is smooth and moving fast. I don't know what word should I use to express this feeling.


What countries is "early mark" used in? It means being let out of something, typically school, early. onelook.com only reports it being mentioned in Urban Dictionary, and it doesn't have information on what varieties of English use it. Google ngram isn't very useful - too many uses of early mark without it having the meaning above. Oz Words is even claiming that it's only used in some parts of Australia, while Superlinguo says its reach extends as far as New Zealdand. Is "early mark" only used in Australia and New Zealand?


title: what do you call a person who wants others to be the way they think?

text: What do you call that person who wants others to behave like them?


title: Is it okay to use "has been" here?

text: My Dad (diabetic) and I went to a doctor for a checkup. The doctor advised my dad to increase his insulin because his sugar was high in those days. Furthermore doctor told my dad to call him after a week to let him know about his sugar. It's day 3, but my dad's sugar has been low so far. Would the following sentence be fine for telling the doctor about his blood sugar? > Its _has been_ 3 days since you told me to increase his insulin but his > sugar _has been_ low, now what to do? The main thing I want to know is the use of _has been_.


title: How do I refer to two things together that have different adjectives?

text: I want to express these two facts: there is a front view; and there is a side view. Which of the following are valid ways of referring to the two views together? >   1. a front and side view; >   2. a front and side views; >   3. a front and a side view; >   4. a front and a side views; >   5. front and side views; > For the valid ones, which of "there is" and "there are" would I use with it?


title: What does this strange complicated sentence mean?

text: **Blue rolled the sky...** What does this sentence mean?


title: How to deal with irregular plural(s)?

text: What happens if you have a written phrase like > We were looking at the same poster(s). but with a noun that has an irregular plural? E.g. with baby/babies, would this be the correct form? > We were looking at the same baby(ies). Or, as a more exotic case: > We were looking at the same matrix(???). (plural is matrices) Is there a rule or guideline for this?


title: What is the difference between "bracelet" and "strap" when talking about watches?

text: I talked to my friend about his watch. I used the word "strap" to refer to his watch's strap while he used the word "bracelet." Is there any difference between these words? Can I use them interchangeably?


title: Military personnel normally put their badges on their shoulders - what is that area called?

text: I want a word that can sum up one's experiences in a battlefield but I am unable to find the proper terminology for this purpose. Military badges are normally placed on the left shoulder as well as the upper left chest of military personnels. What is the proper name for these areas which badges would be placed on?


title: Help me understand the meaning of a phrase I use regularly- "just ducky"

text: When people ask me; "how are you"? I love to answer with "just ducky" (sp?) and it usually gets a disarming smile and sets a light-hearted tone for conversation to follow. I adopted it as part of my personal argot when I was a kid watching the classic 70's sitcom _Night_ _Court_. (Moose always used to say it). I believe it's a British phrase but unfortunately, if the person happens to ask me what it means, I can only admit That I don't know. I'm pretty sure it is a sarcastic way of saying "fine" (e.g.; F.I.N.E.)but really wish I knew for sure and how the phrase came into the fringe if the English language. Does anyone have a definitive answer? I'd be happy as a pig in a poke if you do.


title: "the left arm and the right arm" vs "the left and right arms" vs "the left and the right arms"

text: I did a lot of research over the internet to try to figure out the correct way. But I still don't have a definitely answer. I wonder which of the following are correct? a. The left arm and the right arm are equally important b. The left and right arms are equally important. c. The left and the right arms are equally important. d. The lengths of the left arm and the right arm are similar. e. The lengths of the left and right arms are similar. f. The lengths of the left and the right arms are similar. g. The length of the left arm and that of the right arm are 20 inches and 20.5 inches, respectively. h. The lengths of the left and right arms are 20 inches and 20.5 inches, respectively. i. The lengths of the left and the right arms are 20 inches and 20.5 inches, respectively.


title: Correct usage of "will be" vs. "will"

text: Consider these two sentences: >   * It will be storming all day tomorrow, we need to go shopping tonight. >   * It will storm all day tomorrow, we need to go shopping tonight. > The difference being "will be storming" and "will storm". What exactly is the difference between these two sentences? Could they possibly mean something different (even if slightly)? If they are different, when to use each one?


title: What term means "covering a wall entirely"?

text: The term "relief mural" describes a mural which uses a relief-technique. I need a term, preferably one used in fine arts, which places emphasis on the fact that the piece is a relief, but with the scale and properties of a mural, e.g. "(term) relief". Here is a sample sentence: > The sculptor made the (term) relief. I could not find any adjective form of "mural" and "wall-covering relief" sounds too unprofessional. Is there an adjective or similar term used in fine arts which describes the property of covering a wall?


title: Specific usage of the word 'but'

text: The Aesop's Fables translated by George Fyler Townsend book has a line which reads as follows: > ... If you had but touched me, my friend, you ... I've seen the word 'but' used this way a couple of times, but I'm not sure I understand the meaning of this phrase correctly. What is the general rule for using 'but' this way?


title: Problem with the usage of "but"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Specific usage of the word 'but'   >  Interpreting the meaning of 'but' as an implication for exclusion/inclusion   >  “nothing but” vs. “anything but” vs. “everything but” What does this sentence mean: > For girls who love everything under the sun, but cricket. I'm a bit confused with the "but" usage here.


title: Where did the phrase "don't spend it all in one store" originate?

text: I've heard the phrase "don't spend it [money] all in one store" a number of times, virtually always in a joking manner. Where did it originate from and has it always been said as a joke?


title: "Return" and "come back" as intransitive verbs

text: Does "return" imply a longer absence than "be back" -- in analogy with "Batman returns (after a ten-year absence) -- in such a way that it would sound sort of awkward or weird to say of someone that he or she has just returned from a quick break to the bathroom? In the same logic, would it sound pretty much the same sense-wise if Schwarzenegger as the Terminator uttered "I'll return" instead of his iconic line "I'll be back"? Also, can intransitive "return" be used for things in the same manner as "be back" or "come back", in such a way that it's acceptable to say that an item has returned, or will or might return in stock, for sale, or into fashion -- or even to say that it has simply returned, period (without any specification as to the source or destination)?


title: "Through" vs. "by" in this sentence

text: While solving a question, I came in to a situation where I was left wondering between two of the choices. The sentence was: > Acquisition of certain specific skills can be facilitated **by/through** > general awareness, education to novel situations. According to my understanding _through_ sounds more apt. But I am not sure. Could anyone explain the correct usage. In which condition one is preferable over the other?


title: Too many commas in Harry Potter

text: The Harry Potter and Philosopher's Stone starts with the line - " _Mr and Mrs Dursely, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much._ " Hasn't J.k. Rowling used **too many commas**? Instead, had she written _"Mr and Mrs Dursely of number four Privet Drive were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much._ " Wouldn't it be better? Also, what does she try to indicate by writing 'thank you very much' ?


title: Derivation of the phrase "what the dickens"?

text: What is the derivation of "what the dickens"? It features in the Merry Wives of Windsor "I cannot tell what the dickens his name is." So the meaning doesn't seem to have changed ie synonymous with "what on earth".


title: A word that has changed its meaning from late eighteenth century

text: I was first used in late eighteenth century.My meaning has changed from an odd man to mocking someone to the modern day meaning.I am often classified as a mind sport which like all other sports determines a winner.Who am I?


title: Order of words in sentence

text: I am asked the following the question: > **Question: Why are your results important?** > > **Answer:** > >   1. For segmenting and classifying a stream of documents dynamically > without a fixed training dataset > >   2. For segmenting and dynamically classifying document streams without a > fixed training dataset > > Which answer is correct to you? Grammatically, the word _dynamically_ is intended to be related to _classifying_ not _segmenting._


title: Word/phrase for something that succeeds in first attempt

text: You are a creator. You are fearless. Though you lack expertise at the moment, your work has the ability to be decent most of the time. You tinker, you fail. You keep failing and start seeing the light. There are moments, though sometimes short lived, where you create a masterpiece and it becomes an instant hit. A wild hit, where your inner self knows it has a hit in the pocket. This can be a photograph, a dish or an ingenious solution to a difficult problem. How would you define such moments? Is there a phrase or a word to describe this situation?


title: Can “beefcake” serve as a verb to mean showing off big muscles?

text: I was confused by the ending line of the following sentence from the article titled, “The last, disposable action hero” in the February 28th edition of Time magazine: > “American movie market now makes up less than a third of global box-office > receipts, studios tend to favor projects featuring explosions, car chases > and doomsday scenarios — a universal language of violence that translates > easily in China, India, Brazil and Europe. Almost without exception, **the > movies stars some beefcake with pecs** that make Ben-Hur’s seem puny.” Oxford Advanced Learners’ English Dictionary defines beefcake as: > Noun: (slang) men with big muscles, especially those that appear in sex show > and magazines. But the text drops a "be" verb between 'the movie stars" and "beafcake." It doesn't appear to me somehow flow smooth. Is “beefcake” being used here as a verb to mean _showing off their big muscles_? Why is the word “some” necessary, after emphasizing “Almost without exception,”? What meaning does the word, “some” add to here? **P.S.** As hindsight, I came to realize that “the movies” is the subject, “stars” is the verb, and “(some) beefcake” is the object. In my above question, I took “the movies stars” a subject as I thought it should be “star,” not “stars,” if the ‘star” is a verb, because the subject (the movie) is in the plural form. Is “The movies star* _s_ * some beefcake with pecs” grammatically right expression?


title: Using longest word in context

text: I came across with the following word > **antidisestablishmentarianism** How do you pronounce this word, meaning and how can i use this word in a context? Thanks


title: "It would the best thing I have ever seen" vs "...I had ever seen"

text: Just heard a song "Majestic" and as I am continuously trying to improve my English, I noticed something a bit unclear to me. > A sight for sore eyes   >  To the blind would be awful majestic   >  It would be the most beautiful thing   >  That they ever had seen Why is there the past perfect tense? Would it work with the present perfect ("have seen"—because they still might see it in the future)?


title: "Creation team" or "creative team"

text: In a text about videogames I was requested to form a term from the verb _create_ in this context. > Time is running out on the production of this videogame. The game's > **creation/creative team** must be feeling the pressure. I've been discussing the two expressions with my family and we haven't reached an agreement. I would choose _creative_ but I'm not sure.


title: Word for "background works"

text: What is a word to describe complicated _background works_ , _internal works_ or _behind-the-scenes works_? These works are complicated and often people wouldn't want to know about it. An example is the complicated internal processes of a machine. All the phrases mentioned sound awkward and long.


title: Sleeping aside me

text: My friend used this sentence: > I wouldn’t be able to sleep at nights if she is sleeping _aside_ me. Is the usage of the word _aside_ correct here? I always thought “sleeping _besides_ me” is the right way. Please help me understand.


title: Question about sentence structure and semicolons

text: Suppose the following sentence:   * When the sun comes in the morning; the sky is blue. Are "When the sun comes in the morning" and "the sky is blue" two clauses of the sentence? So, is it correct to use a semicolon?


title: Word for someone who thought of an idea

text: I was looking/wanting a word to describe a person who thought and kindled an original idea and was the first to do it. Say you come up with an idea for a device or an idea for software or something what would you call the person who though of it? I thought author but an author is someone who wrote a book not thought of an idea. Anyone able to provide me with a word? Thanks.


title: Phrases with as many different letters as possible

text: I remember there was a term for such sentences. Does anyone know what they are called?


title: "Rich in" vs. "Rich with"

text: _The free dictionary_ provides two definitions for "rich with" and "rich in".   * _rich with_ : having a lot of something; abundant in something   * _rich in_ : having valuable resources, characteristics, traditions, or history It seems like the differences between the two definitions is rather subtle. My understanding is the following. The former case means that an _object_ contains a lot of _something_ (and we don't know anything about the quality of this _something_ ). The latter means that the _object_ contains _something_ which is valuable (and we don't know how many instances of this _something_ our _object_ contains). Is this observation correct? Can someone clarify the difference and provide some further references? The context of this questions is that I want to write something like "The literature is rich in/with examples".


title: "Dictionary" and "vocabulary" — when to use either?

text: What's the difference between the two? Is _dictionary_ mostly applied to written or printed forms and _vocabulary_ to others (like "someone's active vocabulary")?


title: Word for referring to incomprehensible sounds produced by stuttering/stammering?

text: At first I just decide to use **stutter** as a noun: > David pulled himself away slowly, his face as pale as a ghost's. Some words > came out of his mouth. At first, they were just incomprehensible > **stutters** , but then they gradually began to take shape. > "Y-you're...you're not Sophia." But then for some reason, it started sounding a little strange to me. Is there any other word to use in cases like this?


title: What does the word "pass" really mean in this context?

text: Philanderer is someone who makes love insincerely, someone who engages in passing love affairs. NB I looked it up in dictionaries but there was no thing such as "pass love affair" in non of them. Does it mean ongoing ? or de facto?


title: What does "the grit of something" mean?

text: I read this sentence: > those problem are the creative grit of a theory What does "the creative grit" mean?


title: Why is the used here?

text: > But when **the** several nations of Europe had acquired distinct though rude > written languages of their own, sufficient for the purposes of their rising > literatures, then first **1** learning revived, and scholars were enabled to > discern from that remoteness **2** the treasures of antiquity.   >  Walden Chapter 3 Reading Why is _the_ used here? The following "the" is "all the heroic books written in Greece." or "all the major heroic works of Greece." But the first one looks unnecessary, so why did he do it? > The student may read Homer or Æschylus in the Greek without danger of > dissipation or luxuriousness, for it implies that he in some measure emulate > their heroes, and consecrate morning hours to their pages. **The** heroic > books, even if printed in the character of our mother tongue, will always be > in a language dead to degenerate times; and we must laboriously seek the > meaning of each word and line, conjecturing a larger sense than common use > permits out of what wisdom and valor and generosity we have. **1** Is the "first" an adjective here explaining "learning?" or just a way to say things in order, like first, second, third...? **2** "From the remoteness" - what does it mean? Does this mean from the vantage point of the present?


title: Looking for a 2 syllable word for the scenario described

text: I am looking for a 1 (or) 2 syllable word for my website. I need something thats really cool, but is easily understood by everyone. This is the concept - "People meeting up in predetermined (or) well-defined location in order to buy or sell products or exchange items" I want a 1 (or) 2 syllable word that highlights these two key points :   1. People meeting up in a safe location   2. Sell products The words that I came up with are - "safemeet" , "meetsale", "safelist", "safedepot" ... Can anyone think of something awesome, may be something thats easily understood, or something that dates back to medieval century "trading" and anything like that ?


title: the USA vs the US

text: I am writing an essay where I need to make a reference to the United States of America. Often I hear this shortened to `the US`, but sometimes people also say `the USA`. Are there any difference between the use of the two? Is one more formal or correct than the other? As a random example of what I want to write is `Is the US the most beautiful country in the world?`


title: "miss you" vs "missing you" in the present

text: Both the simple and the continuous are out there, but if you had to pick one: > I miss you. > > I am missing you. ... > She misses her family. > > She is missing her family. I want to say that the *stative form of this verb in the simple tense is INHERENTLY CONTINUOUS and that the continuous tense can be done without. (Should be done without for a cleaner language usage?) Edit #2 (I meant to say stative every time I wrote *intransitive) and I found this: > http://is.muni.cz/th/178421/ff_m_b1/Stative_verbs_with_the_progressive.txt > > http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/support-files/stative-verbs-list.pdf I thank you for the debate.


title: What does "boogeyman for everybody" mean?

text: I was watching a TV show about an air crash where an air traffic controller was partly responsible for the crash. In an interview an official says: > "You don't deserve to be a **boogeyman for everybody.** " I did a google search to see what that usage means, but I did not find any useful results. What is the meaning of "boogeyman for everybody" in this context. Can you please provide some examples?


title: Where did the idiom "scot-free" come from?

text: As in, that criminal got off scot-free despite a mountain of evidence that would seem to indicate his guilt.


title: Thanks be to you, John

text: Is "Thanks, John." a short form for "Thanks be to you, John."? Is "Thanks, John." a sentence?


title: Is “Tear a piece out of somebody” a popular idiom to mean snatch an advantage from somebody?

text: I came across the phrase ‘ _tear a piece out of_ ' Obama in the debate’ in the following statement in the article titled “Obama Math: Obama Math: 8.1 + 13,300 + 50 = 270” in New Yorker magazine (September 10): “Of course, something could still happen to change the polling dynamics. Romney could _tear a piece out of Obama_ in the debates; the tsunami of negative ads the Republicans are about to unleash could conceivably turn around some Obama-leaning states; there could be an “October surprise.” As of now, though, there is no sign of Romney getting the surge he needs.” I guess ‘tear a piece out of” means to snatch an advantage out of, or take the lead to somebody (If my interpretation is wrong, please correct me), but I can’t find this phrase as an idiom in any of dictionaries at hand. What does 'a piece' represent for? I mean 'a piece of' what? Is “tear a piece out of”somebody / something a popular idiom, or just a set of words?


title: What adjective describes incorrect assumptions?

text: I wanted to apologise for making incorrect assumptions in some correspondence and wrote "I apologise for my presumptive wording". Then I looked up "presumptive" and see it means: > Providing a reasonable basis for belief or acceptance Not at all what I was trying to say. What adjective should I have used?


title: How to say the opposite of 'lose one's grip' for a newcomer?

text: If someone has not been doing a specific action for a while, you can say he "lost his grip" (got out of practice). But what about the other direction, when you want to say that a person is new and must start practicing in order to get a handle on the work, I am quite sure I have heard something similar, most likely with the word "grip". I was thinking about "get grip on" but not sure if this can be used.


title: What makes you think I would just run away?

text: In Lost Dasmond talks to his future father in law and tells him the following: > What makes you think that I would run away. I was wondering what tense it was and why 'would' not 'will'?


title: What does "living the first line of my obituary" mean here?

text: I came across a new phrase while reading an appeal letter from Wikipedia programmer here. Excerpt: > I feel like I’m living the _first line of my obituary_. > > .......... What does "living the first line of my obituary" mean in this context?


title: Phrases that would be similar to "Tip of the Iceberg" but with a positive connotation

text: I am looking for phrases that would be similar in meaning to 'tip of the iceberg,' but has a positive connotation. My understanding is that 'tip of the iceberg' has a negative "hidden" connotation. The phrase I am looking for is going to be used in the paragraph below: * * * > Over the last few decades, robotics research has made considerable   >  strides towards solving hard robotics problems such as navigating   >  unknown environments, recognizing and manipulating objects, and using   >  natural language to interact. These advances have resulted in some   >  interesting robotic applications, ranging from autonomous vacuum   >  cleaners and self-parking cars to personal software assistants. Yet, I   >  believe these applications are just the tip of the iceberg in a whole   >  new wave of personal robotics applications to hit the marketplace. * * *


title: Pronunciation of "-thwaite"

text: Planning a trip to Huddersfield the other day, I happened across the nearby villages of _Linthwaite_ (pronounced _lin-fit_) and Slaithwaite (pronounced _slow-it, or slaw-it_ depending who you ask). Thinking this strange I looked into the matter and turned up _Seathwaite_ (pronounced _sea-wait_), and also _Bassenthwaite_ and _Hawthornthwaite_, pronounced as you would expect. I have been unable to turn up any guide as to how _Haverthwaite_ , _Hampsthwaite_ or _Thornthwaite_ are pronounced. I realise that the pronunication of place names surpasseth all understanding, but my question is, are the three odd pronounciations the remains of an older form? If so, how came their names to be spelt that way? And if not, is there any reason those particular names are corrupted and not others? I suspect it isn't just a matter of local accent as _Seathwaite_ is quite a way from _Slaithwaite_ and _Linthwaite_ (which are quite close together). Is there perhaps an isogloss for this?


title: A word that refers to a previously mentioned action

text: I am trying to refer back to the action "act swiftly" mentioned previously, but I am not sure if I am in the right direction. I thought of a few possible solutions as follows. An entire rephrasing of the sentence is welcome. Any guidance is appreciated. 1. > What we have learnt from past outbreaks is that one of the crucial factors > in controlling the spread of the outbreak is to act swiftly, and it is with > **this swiftness that guides our efforts** in combating the latest outbreak. 2. > What we have learnt from past outbreaks is that one of the crucial factors > in controlling the spread of the outbreak is to act swiftly, and it is with > this **mantra that we adhere to** to combat the latest outbreak. 3. > What we have learnt from past outbreaks is that one of the crucial factors > in controlling the spread of the outbreak is to act swiftly, and it is with > this **regard that we are adhering to** to combat latest outbreak.


title: "Inside" or "inside of"

text: I've been reading this text: > When you define a type, you can define static data fields within it. The > bytes that back these static data fields are allocated within the type > objects themselves. **Finally, inside each type object is a method table > with one entry per method defined within the type.** This is the method > table that was discussed in Chapter 1. > > Richter, Jeffrey (2010-02-05). CLR via C# (Kindle Locations 3546-3548). > OReilly Media - A. Kindle Edition. However, the bolded text made me confused. Should it be _inside of_ instead of _inside_?


title: "So many weapons and armor!" What is wrong with this sentence? And how would one fix it?

text: The sentence rings false in my head. Clearly this is because "weapons" is a countable noun, and "armor" is an uncountable noun. So one could fix this sentence by breaking it up into two clauses (e.g. "So many weapons, and so much armor!"), or by replacing a countable noun with an uncountable one (e.g. "So much armor and weaponry!"). But barring those two types of drastic changes, can anything be done to fix this sentence? Is there any way to properly modify a sentence with an uncountable noun and a countable noun appended together?


title: Pronunciation of "esplanade" and "promenade"

text: Checking _Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary_ shows that the British and American pronunciations for each of _esplanade_ and _promenade_ differ. Also the way the ending is pronounced for each dialect is different in the two words. Are there any explanations for this phenomenon?


title: If walking across the street unlawfully is jaywalking, is it safe to say biking across the street is jaybiking?

text: Can the prefix "jay-" be used with any verb form so long as it represents crossing a street illegally? For example, I went to NYC the past week for vacation, and noticed so many people, and bikers, especially bikers, crossing the street whenever they felt like it, red light or not, crosswalk or not. Is it then okay to say they were "jaybiking"? Or is jaywalking just a loose term for any act of crossing the street unlawfully?


title: What is the proper adjective for the UK?

text: I've heard _Ukonian_ used, and I must say I rather like it, but I don't think it's a fully accepted word yet. _British_ leaves out Northern Ireland.


title: "Rotate about" vs. "rotate around"

text: Is there a difference in meaning between > This operation rotates the object about the axis defined by ... and > This operation rotates the object around the axis defined by ... (e.g. in the context of a graphical user interface)?


title: Difference between "fallback" and "fall back"?

text: I am struggling to understand when to use fallback and when fall back (with a space).   * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallback   * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_back_and_forward Basically I have to say > This application implements a fallback [without space?] scheme: the > application will fall back [with space?] to the next option if the first > wasn't sufficient.


title: Can't get right meaning of the sentence

text: I have an exercise as follows. I must .......... .   1. my car have repaired   2. my car be repaired   3. have my car repaired   4. repaired Can't get correct meaning of the sentence. Can somebody help me?


title: What are the origins of "take you up on it"

text: A common English idiom "take you up on it" is apparently used to indicate a general willingness or predisposition to accept something that is offered or granted. For example, > If you make an offer to help a stranger in need, don't be surprised if they > take you up on it! Does anyone know the origins of this common English idiom?


title: When to capitalize the name of a season

text: Which sentence uses the correct capitalization for the name of the season? > I will travel in the summer of 2013. or > I will travel in the Summer of 2013.


title: Is 'their way' having the function of adverbial phrase?

text: > It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all > Harry’s pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten). In this sentence, what's the meaning of 'their way'? Is it having the function of adverbial phrase?


title: Technical terminology for a non-technical audience

text: In documentation for a non-technical audience, I was asked about usage around the term "regular expression." My colleague was asking if one of "RegEx", "Regex" or "regex" would be preferable, I responded with "regular expression" on first usage, then "expression" or "pattern" on subsequent usages. Has anyone else had to tackle this question? I fear my AP style guide is silent on this topic.


title: LEDs and the correct pronunciation

text: The LED is quickly becoming a standard light source alternative to incandescent lights, when speaking to others, I have always pronounced any reference to LED as the acronym "L E D", but increasingly I have heard others refer to LED as "lead". Staff at large box stores often use the "lead" reference, and several of my family have also used the word "lead" in reference to LED. What I find interesting is that LED's have been around since the 1960's and were always referred to as an acronym. Anyone who studied electrical engineering in school would not use "lead" in a sentence. Still times have changed and "lead" is increasingly being used. Is it correct to use the word "lead" to refer to LED?


title: Does the term 'silly season' still exist?

text: It used to be the case that the summer period, from roughly early July to early September, in Britain was known as the 'silly season' to newspaper people. It was a time when newspapers were short of news copy, parliament and the law courts being in recesss, football was in close season etc. It was a time when 'silly' news stories appeared on the front pages. In 1966, when the World Cup was stolen and a little dog found it in a hedgerow it typified the type of story the press craved during the summer months to fill their pages. Things like the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, and the death of Diana in 1997, both in the middle of the silly season, came as a godsend to news proprietors. Nowadays one hears less of the silly season which may be a reflection of a global news industry, and 24 hour reporting. This year, with the events in Ukraine, Gaza, and now Iraq, newspapers certainly have no shortage of copy. But what I would like to know is how the term 'silly season' translates in other parts of the Anglosphere. Is there typically a silly season, and how is it described?


title: What does “It’s the loyalty (or the economy), stupid,” mean?

text: In the New York Time’s (August 12) article titled, “ **It’s the loyalty, stupid** ,” Maureen Dowds comments on Hillary Clinton’s calling President Obama a wimp just as he was preparing to order airstrikes against ISIS. She wrote: > “She said that Obama’s “failure” in Syria led to the rise of ISIS and sniped > about Obama’s slogan: “Great nations need organizing principles, and ‘Don’t > do stupid stuff’ is not an organizing principle.” > > Saying you can’t live by slogans is rich, coming from someone whose > husband’s presidency was built on “ **It’s the economy, stupid**.” > > oehttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/13/opinion/maureen-dowd-its-the-loyalty- > stupid.html?hp&action=click&pgtype What does "stupid" of “It’s the X (loyalty, economy, whatever), stupid.” specifically mean? Does it mean "obvious / without question"? Can I replace ‘stupid’ with ‘period’? What are spelt out forms of these lines?


title: What is is called when you count the letters in an acronym, name or word with an ordinal multiplier?

text: In English, we frequently look at an acronym and name multiple repeated letters using an ordinal multiplier. For example: > Automobile Association of America - **AAA** is read as **_Triple-A_**.   >  Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm - **AAA** is read as **_Triple-A_**   >  National Association for the Advancement of Colored People - **NAACP** is > read as N **_Double-A_** CP   >  **Aamco** Transmission Repair - Read in their ad copy **_Double-A MCO_**   >  **AAA** or **AA** Battery - **_Triple-A_** or **_Double-A_** Battery > respectively Is there a phrase or word for this phenomenon?


title: Living out of one another's pockets

text: > Neither Anastasia Alexandrovna nor he felt that they could live another > minute out of one another's pockets. What does this mean? Does it mean they can't live without one another (because they are in love)?


title: Is the "will let you know afternoon" correct?

text: Which of the following are correct?   1. Will let you know in the afternoon.   2. Will let you know afternoon.   3. Will let you know after noon.


title: Meaning of "by some margin"

text: Could you please explain the meaning of this? I have it in a sentence - The speaker was, by some margin, the youngest person in the room. I am a translator from English to Czech and I can´t find it anywhere. Thanks.


title: "You need to be here"

text: I am non-native English speaker. Friend of mine said me "You need to be here". Does it mean _he wanted me to be there_ or he was trying to say that _I need to be there_?


title: Commonly understood term or phrase to distinguish an entire hierarchy of employees in an organisation from the direct team

text: I have a system where manager can toggle between viewing their direct reports and all the employees who ultimately report to them. High level HR users have a third option of being able to view everyone regardless of reporting lines. I want the labels on these options to be both succinct but also readily understood, and so far have options like:   * "Everyone", "My Team" and "My Hierarchy"   * "All", "All Reports" and "Direct Reports"   * "Subordinates", "Immediate Subordinates" and "Everyone" All of these terms seem a little confusing to me. "Reports" seems likely to be confused with our reporting functionality. "Subordinates" seems clearer, but also vaguely pejorative these days. The first option is my favourite, but while words like "hierarchy" seem obvious to me I think they may be too obscure for most. Is there a nice commonly understood word or term that I could use here? I'm not looking for a single word that's synonymous with team or hierarchy, I'm looking for the words or phrase that most clearly makes the distinction between the immediate team and the hierarchy. For instance, I want a director to be able to tell at a glance whether they're looking at their middle managers or their entire division. I want those middle managers to see whether they're looking at their line managers or their department, and so on.


title: "Even were he not to..."

text: I am currently reading "Do androids dream of electric sheep?" by P.K. Dick and I have come across a grammatical structure I don't quite understand. The excerpt is the following (no spoilers, don't worry): > "Ever thought of selling your horse?" Rick asked. He wished to god he had a > horse, in fact any animal. Owning and maintaining a fraud had a way of > gradually demoralizing one. And yet from a social standpoint it had to be > done, given the absence of the real article. He had therefore no choice > except to continue. **Even were he not to care himself** , there remained > his wife, and Iran did care. Very much. Although I think I can grasp the meaning (similar to "although he didn't care") I would really appreciate some information concerning the use and meaning of the sentence, as well as some pronunciation advice: should 'were' be stressed? I would also find another example very useful.


title: Are there any rules/patterns for selecting "ish" vs "like" as a suffix?

text: This question arose on a comment thread over on ELL. Are there any rules or patterns for when we should/do select "ish" as a suffix, rather than "like"? Some examples discussed were that _birdlike_ comes naturally and is easily understood to mean _like or in a manner such as that of a bird_ , but no native speaker would come up with _birdish_. As for the opposite, there are words such as _cliquish_ , which _clique-like_ would never be substituted for. Another interesting point that FumbleFingers raised in that discussion is that we have some words which take the suffix _ish_ but clearly and recognizably do not mean "x-like", such as "sheepish". (Perhaps the _origin_ of sheepish is something along the lines of that sheep (the animal) act sheepish, but when you say "He looked away sheepishly" you don't mean "he looked away in a manner similar to that of a sheep.")


title: what the logical/physical pair means?

text: In English, we often use logical/physical pair to describe something, like in powerdesigner, there are two type of data models: > logical data model and physical data model what's this words means?


title: Is it "stern talking too", or "stern talking to"?

text: In the following sentence: > I'll have to give myself a stern talking to. is it "stern talking to", or "stern talking too"?


title: What’s the etymology of “April”?

text: What is the meaning of the name _April_? Any ideas? I have a friend who wants to know the meaning of her name.


title: Why is 1 hand-written without a serif and 7 without a dash?

text: I've noticed that people coming from a English-speaking countries tend to write "1" without the upstroke and "7" without a dash: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/KQqs8.jpg) which differs from the way the numbers are usually written in continental Europe1: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/hKred.jpg) Is there any particular (historical?) reason for this? * * * 1 According to Wikipedia, " _most people in Continental Europe, Latin America, and New England write 7 with a line in the middle ("7"), sometimes with the top line crooked._ "


title: One meaning of "of course"

text: Reading that classic of children's literature, _Tiptoes the Mischievous Kitten_ (a Ladybird book from 1949), I started wondering about the phrase "of course." Here's an example of what I think of as the typical use of "of course": after getting covered in starch, Tiptoes runs out into the sun where "of course her fur dried in little stiff points... ." If you get mixed up in starch, then it's gonna dry your fur in stiff points -- here, _of course_ "acknowledges the validity of the associated phrase." But here's another example of "of course" that I think of as less typical and this is the one I'm asking about. Tiptoes's owner carefully closes a door, but, the latch being loose, it swings open again. At this point in the narrative, my two young children know that the very worst thing that could happen is that the mischievous kitten comes along, but "Just then, _of course_ , Tiptoes came silently up the stairs" (and then all hell breaks loose). This use of "of course" does not _acknowledge the validity of the associated phrase_ : it does not follow from the door swinging open that Tiptoes should happen up the stairs. She could just as well be sleeping in the rocking chair or hunting mice. It seems instead to mean "as luck would have it," or acts perhaps an idiomatic affirmation of Murphy's law. I can remember my English grandmother using the phrase "of course" in a similar way, usually in humorous or ironic stories. She'd use an "of course" to introduce that the worst/silliest/funniest possible turn of events was about to happen. Is this usage mainly mid-20th-century English? Is it any accident that an English book of 1949 reminds me of something my English grandmother (born in 1916) might have said? I don't think I've heard it used amongst my Canadian contemporaries. Do we still hear it today, or has it been replaced by other idioms or even tones of voice? Do we hear it in North America, in Australia, NZ, South Africa, India? Is its use limited to the British Isles, or even to certain regions of the UK?


title: How to use a the possessive "s" after a dot?

text: How can I use an apostrophe to show possession after a dot? Example: Martin Luther King **Jr.'s** world-view. Is this correct?


title: right (opposite of left) connected to right (legal term)?

text: Does anyone know of a connection, or some sort of established historical/etymological explanation why in a few languages, "the opposite of left" and "truthful claim to" are the same or seemingly related words? Do they all have a common root? Did they develop independently? Examples:   * English: right - right   * French: droit - droit   * German: rechts - Recht   * Polish: prawo - prawo   * Russian: право - право Maybe some people can enhance this list by adding more examples? My question also on linguistics.stackexchange.


title: What is the lexical equivalent of "syntax"?

text: I'm trying to find a word that means "lexical rules" (or perhaps not rules, but "tokens" I guess?); kind of like how _syntax_ means "syntactic rules", but I'm unable to find one. In other words: _syntactic_ is to _syntax_ as _lexical_ is to what?


title: What is a West Coast (U.S.) accent?

text: I've seen references to the American Midwest as being the home of the least accented form of American English. I always think of the Northern Midwest as having an accent that I associate with Canadians and that the West Coast (California, Oregon, Washington) is the closest to "Standard American English." What are the features of the "West Coast" accent (if any)?


title: What is the longest English word that starts and ends with the same letter?

text: I've found "enterprise", which is 10 letters long. Does anyone know of any longer words that start and end with the same letter? That letter doesn't have to be 'e', by the way. It just means that the first and last letter of the word have to be identical.


title: What is the opposite of the Devil's Advocate?

text: If I am arguing against a proposal that I may actually agree with, then I am playing Devil's Advocate. However, what if I do not necessarily agree with the proposal but am arguing for it, with the same goal of making sure it is fully vetted. What am I then?


title: Usage of 'halcyon' to describe something other than a period of time

text: Can I use the term **halcyon** to mean _calm_ or _tranquil_ when describing something other than a period of time, especially a place or setting? For example, does the following sentence seems unnatural or contrived? > He walked through the _halcyon_ temple, admiring the aging frescoes. All dictionaries cite phrases like, " _the halcyon days of summer_ " or " _the halcyon years_ ", but a few other sources which use it in other ways—often as proper names or when describing a tree kingfisher, genus _Halcyon_ , but occasionally as a general purpose adjective. Still, I'm not sure how 'proper' this use is or if it has some kind of subtle connotation I'm not aware of.


title: One word for accepting the punishment or consequence for one's wrong doing

text: The title is the question and the word starts with a "C". It exactly follows the given definition. I just can't remember the word. Any help is deeply appreciated.


title: Where does "to keep fingers crossed" come from?

text: When someone says they keep their fingers crossed, it means they wish or hope for a good outcome for someone or something. Where does this idiom originate from? Why do people fold their one finger on another to hope for the best?


title: Is "Well-spokenness" a phrase in current use ?

text: I had never heard or read this before, but a job ad required "well- spokenness". The American Heritage Dictionary never even mentions "spokenness". Nor does the OED online. Although I think I understand what it means, does it exist ? If it does, what is considered well-spokenness in the US and in England ?


title: Why doesn't "wish" have the letter "n" in it?

text: The English word "wish" is akin to the German word "wünschen", the reconstructed Proto-Germanic word being "wunskijanan" (according to Wiktionary). What happened to the letter n in the middle of the word? I see that the Old Norse word also didn't have it: "œskja", but for some reason the Faroese, Swedish and Danish ones do. Isn't Faroese a direct descendant of Old Norse? Have there been analogous en losses in English? Does the process have a name? Or was it a random event?


title: Is "fireworks" singular or plural?

text: As I understand, when referring to a single concept, one would use "ham and cheese is", but "fruit and nuts are". Now, can one have a single firework, or is/are _fireworks_ simultaneously singular and plural?


title: "Complimentary" vs "complementary"

text: I got a bit mixed up just now over the difference between "complimentary" and "complementary". My colleagues were arguing over the correct spelling of "complimentary drink" at a nightclub event, and I proposed that it be with an "e". But apparently a free promotional gift is, in fact, spelled with an "i"... Egg on my face! My question though is if it's always as simple as this. Obviously a glass of wine can _also_ be complementary, if it's specially chosen to go with a meal. (I wonder if any restaurant has ever offered a "complimentary complementary glass of wine", or would that be too silly?) And it still feels to me as if as "complementary breakfast" could quite logically be one that is included in the bill, "making up the complement" of the price charged. Am I just crazy? Has it always been unequivocally "complimentary" when a service is provided free of charge as a sweetener to a deal? I kind of prefer "complimentary" to relate specifically to compliments. A restaurant owner is not _really_ paying you a compliment by not charging you extra for breakfast, he's just doing business...


title: Is there a technical term to describe why we feel the need to put emoticons and smileys in our writing?

text: One often wants to convey a kind of mood when writing a comment to another person, especially if what we're saying is ambiguous or can be taken offensively. So, one adds a smiley or an emoticon. Is there a technical term for what they add or impart to the English language?


title: Should north, south, east and west be capitalised?

text: Should cardinal points be capitalised? Please give a reason why they should or should not.


title: Difference between "Do it yourself" and "Do it by yourself"

text: What is the difference between "Do it yourself" and "Do it by yourself"? and how and when can I use each one of them?


title: Is there a term for an anniversary that falls on the same day of the week as its original date?

text: An anniversary refers to the yearly recurrence of a date of an event. However, being an incredibly sentimental person who also takes notice of all sorts of minor details, I find myself placing significance in anniversaries that happen on the same day of the week. For example, if an event occurred on **Tuesday, June 10, 2008** , today will be the sixth anniversary of said event. However, today also happens to be the first anniversary that falls on the same day of the week, i.e., **Tuesday, June 10, 2014**. Is there a term that I can use for this, similar to the word "anniversary", or will I have to describe its significance?1 * * * 1 I'll probably have to _either way_ , if the term turns out to be a really obscure one.


title: Term for law workarounds

text: Let's imagine there is some law (for example, gambling prohibition law) and malefactors try to find some workarounds to continue their business (for example, pretend like this is not gambling but lottery). What are these law workarounds called in general?


title: Meaning of "since changed"

text: > The MVC in Backbone originally stood for Models, Views and Collections, > since there were no controllers in the framework. This has **since > changed**. Does it mean it has changed from that moment or it has changed from that time to the present?


title: The pronunciation of 'interest', which is right?

text: I don't know which is right? interest ['intrist, 'intər-] which is right?


title: Is it common to describe one’s life stage in English, like “Stage III Hemingways”?

text: I found the word, “men who looked like _stage three Hemingways_ ” in the following sentence of Maureen Dowd’s article, titled “Farewell to Macho,” in the New York Times (October 15): “Diliberto recalled that when her Hadley bio was first published in 1992, she was surprised to find her book readings filled with men “ _who looked like stage-three Hemingways_ ” with white beards and safari jackets straining over their bellies. They all wanted to be Hemingway, to live his outdoorsy, action- packed life.” When I hear the word, “ _Stage three_ ” in Japanese, I instantly associate it with the significantly progressed or serious stage of cancer at the “Stage III,” where surgical operation might no longer be so helpful, but “Stage three” in the above quote seems to simply imply a life stage passing the prime of age. Is it a common wording, “stage I, II, III, and IV of a person”, like “Stage three Hemingways”? Is President Obama now on his “ _Stage II_ ”?


title: What is the story behind "Get off my lawn"?

text: Often when someone wants to make a point that they are really experienced in the field they say something along the lines of, "I've been in this line of work for as long as your age, get off my lawn you kittens" or they'd name an antique computer's name and say "My first program was on PDP-11, get off my lawn" (When they want to say I'm a very experienced programmer). What is the connection of owning a lawn and being very experienced and where do kittens fit in? What is the history of this phrase?


title: What is the difference between rotate and revolve?

text: What is the difference between _rotation_ and _revolution_? I don't find any difference between the two words from the meanings I read about them. Both words have the same meaning: moving in a circle around an axis. But just because the dictionary definitions are the same doesn't mean they are exact synonyms. Is there a more precise description to show a difference? Or are they really exact synonyms? > **revolve** _verb_   >  [no object] move in a circle on a central axis:   >      _overhead, the fan revolved slowly_ > > **rotate** _verb_   >  **1** move or cause to move in a circle round an axis or centre:   >  [no object]:   >      _the wheel continued to rotate_ > > [Both ODO]


title: Does one remonstrate another or does one remonstrate with another?

text: If I am protesting forcefully the actions of another, let’s call him Joe, would it be better to say: > I remonstrated Joe over his choice of words in that argument. or would I say: > I remonstrated _with_ Joe over his choice of words in that argument. Because he is the target of my remonstration, no? * * * Because close votes are collecting, let me explain why a simple internet search thus far has not led to me to a definitive answer: The link supplied which suggests that _suggests that adding “with” is usual_ was quite quickly found by me, and I didn’t think it necessary to state that I had come across that link, as the whole purpose of me asking would be negated if I had never heard someone say “aren’t you to use _with_ with that verb?” I’m asking because I don’t know what the difference is when the target of the remonstration is present, versus when you’re discussing someone with whom you were remonstrating, for instance, if two editors were remonstrating the closing of a publisher. That would be an obvious use of _with_ to connote multiple involved parties. I don’t say _I beat with you_ , whereas I might say _I debated you_ or you might say _I debated with you_. Is _remonstrated_ used in the same way as _debated_ in this case, where you may choose or not choose to use _with_ or is _with_ required when using _remonstrated_? * * * More specifically, I said it as a direct statement to him “I remonstrated you” (a smaller clause from a larger sentence, with context)


title: Usage of "toilless"

text: While reading a scientific paper I stumbled about their usage of the word "toilless" (they write it like that, even though I get corrected to "toil less" when typing it). As the whole paper is, to say the least, not perfect in language usage I am somewhat hesitant to link it here. I am not perfect myself and don't want to make somebody look like a fool. The way they use it is like "effortless", for example: > One method is relatively toilless, while the other is much more challenging. So, getting curious, I started to search the web, first did not find "toilless" at all, then found something at the Free Online Dictionary. "Free from toil", this description was quite clear to me. But do you really use this word? Do you have any examples of correct usage for me? It sounds rather old-fashioned or maybe specific to some field. (Though not the one the paper was about, which I know rather well.)


title: "Using" versus "with"

text: I find myself using these two constructions: > I am digging a hole using a spade. and > I am digging a hole with a spade. Which one is correct, or can they be used both?


title: What does “comb-over” mean in the line, “Overused / abused words, e.g.’twerking’ and ‘stay classy’ are the aural equivalent of a comb-over”?

text: The New York Times (December 28) article, Words for the Dumpster begins with the following sentence: > With the last tick of 2013, let’s throw out the most annoying, overused and > abused words of the year. A few of these terms, “twerking” or “stay classy,” > die a natural death when someone like John McCain starts using them — the > aural equivalent of **a comb-over**. Others need a push. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “comb-over” as: > an arrangement of hair on a balding man in which hair from the side of the > head is combed over the bald spot. I understand “comb-over” also means to investigate / search for thoroughly. But neither seems to be relevant to the usage of “comb-over” in the above quote. What does the author means by saying “A few of overused and abused words of the year die a natural death when someone like John McCain starts using them — **the aural equivalent of a comb-over**.”?


Time magazine (March 5th) carries the article titled, “Ukraine, not the Ukraine: The significance of three little letters,” in which the following comment of William Taylor, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009 was quoted: > “Ukraine is a country. The Ukraine is the way the Russians referred to that > part of the country during Soviet times … Now that it is a country, a > nation, and a recognized state, it is just Ukraine. And it is incorrect to > refer to **the** Ukraine, even though a lot of people do it.” http://time.com/12597/the-ukraine-or-ukraine/ What is the difference between Ukraine and the Ukraine? Does the Ukraine mean Ukrainians or Ukrainian district (of Russia)? Most of all newspapers call Ukraine Ukraine. Are there _a lot of_ people who call the country “the Ukraine,” Really?


title: Collective name for prefix and suffix of a word

text: Is there a term that can be used to refer to both the prefix and suffix of a word? For example, _unenjoyable_. I'm looking for a collective word that described BOTH _un_ and _able_.


title: Is there an adjective describing what one *is* on one's birthday?

text: There's this simple, efficient adjective in Dutch called `jarig`. It means something along the line of _having your birthday_. It's useful in many different sentences, such as: > I feel so **_jarig_** vandaag. I like this word a lot and it looks as if it's missing in English. Is there any equivalent?


title: what is the meaning of "duly attached" in?

text: What is the meaning of "duly attached" in the sentence from Sherlock Holmes novel "A Study in Scarlet"? > "I was _duly attached_ to the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers as Assistant > Surgeon". Does "duly" mean "properly" or "as expected"? Also does "being attached" mean "designated"?


title: In how many inflectional forms can a verb be written English?

text: I want to know the number of inflectional forms of a verb. I came to know from one of my colleagues that a verb has 13 inflectional forms ('conjugations,' that's what he named it). Is it true?


title: Word for inability to think in certain ways

text: Am looking for a word that loosely means _inability to think in certain ways_. For example, for lyricists (or writers) lyrics come so naturally, but for non- lyricists it's very difficult to think how lyricists write lyrics— it's a mindset or thinking pattern difference. The same can be for screenplay writers or artists. The same can be for lock-pickers and non lock-pickers. It's loosely the ability or inability to think along particular lines. Is there a word that correctly captures what I am trying to say?


title: Can "predeceased" be used before any event?

text: When a person dies, it is common to say the person was predeceased by other people such as his parents, his brother, and others. However, I am wondering if these statements are correct: >   * His brother predeceased his birth. >   * Their child predeceased their marriage. > In these cases, "predeceased" means "died before". But is "predeceased" valid here? Or is it only valid before another death event, as in: >   * His brother predeceased him/his death. > There are various definitions of the meaning of "predeceased". Some refer only to preceding another person's death, but others such as at Dictionary.com (based on the Random House Dictionary) give the definition of "predeceased" as: > "to die before (another person, the occurrence of an event, etc.)" And there is some legal use of "predeceased" with respect to events that are not necessarily a death event, such as this definition of Survive: > "Survive: An individual than has neither predeceased an event, including the > death of another individual, or is deemed to have predeceased an event under > §15-11-104, §15-11-702 and §15-11-712 C.R.S." Searching on Google for "predeceased the event" gives 21,100 results, many of which are from legal documents. So my question is, in proper English, is it proper to use the word "predeceased" when referring to events other than a death, such as a birth or a marriage or any other event, even something like the sinking of the Titanic? In other words, is "predeceased" allowed everywhere you could write "died before"?


title: Can an English sentence have a 'dative subject'?

text: I have been thinking about this for a while. It seems to me that, sometimes, the subject plays a dative role in that it is the recipient of something. Take the following active sentence. > He gave me a gift. If it is made passive, it normally changes as follows. > A gift was given to me (by him). In which case _a gift_ is clearly nominative and _to me_ clearly dative. However, I often see the following passive construction used instead. > I was given a gift (by him). In which case _I_ appears to be a sort of nominative-dative, yet I can't quite explain _a gift_ or what it does in the sentence; it is certainly not accusative. Semantically, I understand the sentence, but I cannot make syntactic sense of it. After a quick search on Google Ngram, it seems that _gift was given me_ is the oldest possible construction, which makes sense, followed by _gift was given to me,_ which also makes sense. The first instance of _I was given a gift_ appears to be in 1920, from which point it has risen steadily. So it seems quite obvious that it is a new usage. Is this a 'correct' usage, so to speak? How did it come about? Most interestingly to me, how is it explained grammatically? Can it be adequately explained with traditional grammatical terms? or does it require an altogether new analysis?


title: How do I quote in a paper a quote that someone else used in a book?

text: I'm writing a paper using Aldous Huxley's The Perennial Philosophy. Huxley doesn't use a single word when he quotes, his book is full of complete quotes that aren't a part of a sentence or a paragraph, and he uses the quotes as supporting evidence to what he has said. For example, take this as a paragraph from the book. End paragraph.                He who suffers for love does not suffer, for all suffering is forgot.                                                               -Eckhart      How do I quote this quote in my paper?


title: What is the difference between "take notes" and "make notes"?

text: Most dictionaries simply say that _to take/make notes_ means _to write notes_. Is there anything more to this simple definition?


title: General term for muggle-type terms?

text: Is there a general term to refer to "a semi-denigrating term used by a minority social group (not necessarily a racial group) to refer to the majority". Examples would be "muggle", "gentile", "textile", "breeder", "straight", "mundane", etc. (I am not referring to outright derogatory terms)


title: The preposition with the word "value"?

text: Which is the correct way of writing?   * He bought 50 shares `with` the nominal value of ... (sum of money)    * He bought 50 shares `of` the nominal value of ...    * He bought 50 shares `for` the nominal value of ...   * He bought 50 shares `having a` nominal value of ...


title: What are some products that are now words?

text: All of the ones I can think of are specific products that have come to represent their kind. This is usually either because it is the first of its kind, as in a Xerox machine (the first office photocopier), or it arises from popularity, as in Sharpie or something like "Google that" (though I'd say that's a bit informal/debatable). Other examples I can think of off the top of my head are:   * Kleenex   * Post-it


title: Why Are Introductory Classes Called "101"?

text: Many freshmen will kick off their college careers with courses like Psychology 101, English 101, or History 101. When and how did introductory classes get this special number?