title: Cheesy convestibles

text: Having been schooled in all things British largely by the Pythons, I've been using this word in my speech for years (it comes from the Cheese Shop sketch), but had never actually written it till today. When I did, I found to my surprise that it doesn't appear to be an actual English word! So... am I just mis-typing it so badly (having mis-heard what Cleese is saying) that no spell- checker or Google is able to recognize what I'm trying to say, or did JC & Co. conjure this up entirely out of nothing? And if so, how long does it take (it's been >30 years!) for a word that so many people know the meaning of to officially enter the lexicon?


title: What does “keeping someone in shoe leather” means?

text: In the following sentence: > Unless your work is pro-bono, you should make sure that your customers keep > you in shoe leather. What does "keeping someone in shoe leather" means?


title: see with clear eye or see clearly

text: 1. I can see it clearly.   2. I can see it with clear eyes. I know that first point is correct. But I would like to know if the second one is correct or not. And also would like to know which one is better.


title: What is the grammatical term for the following idiom?

text: When there is a group or list of specific items, its components are curiously pluralized when reciting them in one sentence. For instance,when a person discusses the qualities of blue-chip stocks, he might say, "I'm talking about your IBMs, your Procter and Gambles, your General Electrics." In referring to Hall of Fame baseball players, one might say, "Just compare your Ruths, your Gehrigs, your Cobbs, your Killebrews, to today's players." Why is the "intrusive _s_ ", or inappropriate plural form, so often heard and seen? After all, we are only talking about _one_ IBM company, _one_ Babe Ruth ....


title: Omitting the definite article before "problem is"

text: I've noticed that the definite article is often omitted preceding the word "problem" in newspapers and magazines. Not in speech, but just in print. Here's an example: > Many politicians feel that taxes must be increased. Problem is, no one is > willing to go on the record and say it. (Instead of beginning the sentence with "the problem", "the" is simply omitted.) What is the grammatical term for this recent trend? Has anyone else taken note of this phenomenon?


title: Words order in a question

text: Which is better (and why)? > Which feature should I attach this task to? or > To which feature should I attach this task?


title: How would you describe this hair?

text: Alright, so this is a pretty pervasive style in modern CGI characters now: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/bYMEu.png) Colloquially I'd refer to it as "anime hair but real" but anyone who isn't familiar with anime won't even know what that means (plus it's still animated) and I'd like a definition that can stand on its own. What sort of adjectives could I use to describe it? Spiky implies something more punk; it's kinda feathery but calling that would confuse it with the feathered hair fad of the 70s; it's too neat to be shaggy, and as for beyond that, I'll shamelessly admit I'm not proficient with hair. Is there an actual name for this style?


title: "allow me a day's absence" sounds wrong to me. How do I phrase it better?

text: How do I phrase this line better - "<..Blah Blah.. Explaining what my problems are..>. It'll be really helpful if you can allow me a day's absence. Would this be possible?"


title: Word for discrimination based on (partly) consisting of mechanical parts

text: There are a lot of words for various types of discrimination. What is the word for discrimination based on (partly) consisting of mechanical parts? EDIT: Comments ask for clarification so: I mean people who co-consist of a pacemaker or mechanical eye or limb, or creatures that mostly consist of mechanical parts.


title: What to call a collection of planets?

text: I'm developing a small space game where players can colonise and own multiple planets.   How would I refer to something that represents a group/collection of planets?


title: Is this grammatical: "increasing pace at which"

text: Is this grammatical: > An understanding is seen as vital due to the increasing pace at which the > world's markets are integrating.


title: Plural possessive of category?

text: Example Sentence: The children of the category. What does category become in this format: The `categor(ies|ies'|y's)` children?


title: Are Americans familiar with the term "mobile" when referring to a "cellphone"?

text: In the UK we call them "mobile phones", in the US "cellphones". However, would an American be _familiar_ with the term "mobile" when referring to something pertaining to cellphones or would it sound completely alien to them? For example, a British person would intrinsically know that an iPhone app named "Mobile x" would be a phone-version of x, but would an American find the same logical conclusion?


title: Relaxed Pronunciation

text: As a court reporter & supervisor for 34 years our rule of thumb in the transcription of evidence, many people relax their pronunciation whilst on the stand, such as "gotta, kinda" but we've always transcribed the proper spelling i.e. "kind of, got to" etc. Recently there's been a change to the court system and whoever the "powers that be" are now mandating that we have to transcribe exactly how people pronounce their words. So as the training supervisor of transcript training, I am trying to find a list which gives me spellings of relaxed pronunciation. Do you know where I could find one? I've Googled, but I'm only finding some words, but not many examples, i.e. "something", but sounds like they're saying "sum'em". I need this for my next training class next week to hand out to the court reporters.


title: Is dropping the verb "was" an option?

text: Given the following examples: >   * Yesterday you mentioned thinking it _was_ a good idea to go sailing. >   * Last week you thought it _was_ appropriate to dress like a pirate. > Can **was** be inferred and therefore omitted for the sake being succinct without loss of meaning? >   * Yesterday you mentioned thinking it a good idea to go sailing. >   * Last week you thought it appropriate to dress like a pirate. > If someone can provide the grammatical terms related to my question it would be greatly appreciated as I was uncertain of what search phrases would apply.


title: What word or phrase means 'that which provides a sense of meaning to one's life'?

text: As in, "driving is my passion and my _x_ ". I've been doing my head in looking for some sort of term which denotes such a thing, and I'm also concerned using the term "passion" might render the term I'm looking for a bit redundant (although it's clearly not defined as such, one's passion generally provides a sense of meaning or purpose, no?).


title: In the context of food, is the phrase "portion size" tautological?

text: When talking about food, to me, the word "portion" refers to the size of a serving, so to say "We should be eating smaller portion sizes" is redundant. It should be, "We should be eating smaller portions." Although, I suppose you could say something like, "My portion has has more onion." In this case, you clearly don't mean "The size of my serve has more onion," and the word 'portion' is referring to your serve in general, rather than just the size of it. That said, the phrase "portion size" still doesn't seem right to me. Is this tautology, or something a bit more subtle?


title: How to ask if a person has done/had breakfast?

text: Is it "Did you do breakfast?" or "Did you have/had breakfast?"


title: Which preposition follows the word "sequence" said of the relation between things?

text: Can one speak of the sequence (order) _between_ two things, or should it be the sequence _of_ A and B?


title: Is there a way to express "knowing just enough to be dangerous" succintly?

text: Every sector has them: the employee who has had very little formal training about a certain program, device or concept, but has done research into it himself and figured out just enough to have a negative impact on the normal operations. I'm talking about something like a manager who knows just enough about Outlook to make a software extension to regularly delete some unneeded contacts, but not enough to realize that this extension will remove those contacts from the contact managing server as well. Or a soccer mom who knows that they can refill their oil under the hood, but can't tell their oil tank from their wiper fluid canister. I'm looking for a way to express this in as little words as possible, preferably a single word, but 2 or 3 words will also be fine. I'm specifically looking for an adjective, something you can say about a person like "He's X" or "That X man".


title: Is it "described in" or "described on"?

text: This one is probably fairly obvious for native speakers, but I'm always confused. I am writing an article and I want to say that such and such methodology is **described in/on** a table, a figure or a scheme.


title: "Callback", "call-back", or "call back"

text: This was briefly touched on here: "What/When is the best time to call back?" but only in comments for an answer rather than the question itself. Should I use _callback_ , _call-back_ , or _call back_ for > Request a **call-back** ? Is there a standard to use?


title: Zero conditional form

text: Chatting with a colleague we came a cross a dilemma (as we are not English native), which of the following sentences are wrong? Why?   1. If I knew everything, I'd be a genius.   2. If I know everything, I'd be a genius.   3. if I know everything, I'm a genius. The 2nd should be wrong, as with the present I should use either the future or the present, in fact the 3rd seems to me correct, in fact the rule is: > The Zero Conditional is used for actions that are always true when the > conditions are satisfied. So to form this particular condition I use this form:               If + Present Simple, + Present Simple      Am I wrong?


title: "Viewer discretion is advised"

text: > This program contains material that may be disturbing to some viewers. > Viewer discretion is advised. Is that 100% correct English? This is the text shown before some TV programs. When I first saw it I thought it was weird (if you translate it to my language it sounds fake and very weird, plus it makes no sense). > Viewer discretion is advised. makes no sense to me. Should I not talk about it with my friends, because it might be offensive to them? Should I first ask them if they are ok with ... the topic on the program? It sounds like USA's political correctness pushed to the limit. P.S. There is nothing bad about program I'm watching, but some people might find some images disgusting. In plus, it showed only the beginning, so if I start to watch a few seconds after that I might be disturbed.


title: "Really six people present": origin of phrase commonly attributed to William James

text: The following is popular on lists of "quotable quotes": > Whenever two people meet, there are really six people present. There is each > man as he sees himself, each man as the other person sees him, and each man > as he really is. The Google Books drilldown gives its earliest record in Cohen & Cohen (1971) _The Penguin dictionary of modern quotations_. Do we have a proper source for this, or is it spurious?


title: Connotation of "maze" and "get maze"?

text: Is it correct to say "get maze"? If so, what's the meaning? Also, does "maze" have a bad connotation?


title: What does "dead as a door nail" mean?

text: What does _dead as a door nail_ mean?   Is it used in set phrases, or is it normally used in any context?


title: Is it ever appropriate to mix up "I" and "one" in the same sentence?

text: In my last question on English L & U SE, I was strongly tempted to write the following: > Every so often I've thought I've chanced across most of them [literary > Biblical phrases], but as one keeps reading, one keeps finding more. but wrote instead: > Every so often I've thought I've chanced across most of them , but as I keep > reading, I keep finding more. My thinking, in preferring the former over the latter, was that while both sentences relate that the first observation is personal, that is, that it was _I_ who thought he'd come across most of these phrases, the latter sentence better emphasized that the second observation is universal; that is, _anyone_ who reads a fair bit will continually discover these phrases in their reading. Unfortunately, being on a site with an exacting user base caused my inner matronly grammarian to kick in and I changed the sentence, based on some concern I was inappropriately mixing the grammatical persons. As well, I vaguely remember a not insignificant minority of questions on the SAT II Writing as being a stickler for this sort of thing when I took it some years ago. On the other hand, I'm not sure if this isn't perhaps another one of those 6th-grade kludges teachers tell you because either a) the rule is too complicated or b) it's not actually a rule at all, but a myth. Anyway, sorry for the long-winded background -- can anyone help me and give me a general usage rule, as well as information on how strictly it is adhered to in literary and professional writing?


title: Was the “Ye Olde Shoppe” ever used or is it just an ancient-looking construct of modern times?

text: Surely, if I were the owner of a shop selling archery goods and wanted to portray my shop as some kind of old-fashioned, high-quality traditional outlet, I might be tempted to call it “Ye Olde Archery Shoppe”. This is a deliberate use of archaic spellings (and the “ye” pronoun) for branding purposes. My question is about the plausibility of this expression as an actual Old English sentence. Beyond the use of archaic spelling of each word, is there any point in time were this kind of shop name would have been plausibly used?


title: Is single-word "inbetween" becoming more acceptable? How far can it go?

text: I get the distinct feeling that _"inbetween"_ occurs increasingly often as a single word, but I'm not at all clear on why it's used more in some contexts than others. What I can is see that in Google Books, _"are inbetween"_ occurs far less often than _"are in between"_ , whereas _"the inbetween"_ occurs more often than _"the in between"_. What's going on?


title: Why is "math" always pluralized in British English and singular in American English?

text: In the U.S. I would study math. In Britain, I would study maths. What gives?


title: When should I use "guarantee" over "guaranty" and vice versa?

text: When would I use guarantee instead of guaranty? The dictionary definitions seem pretty much the same. Excepting maybe the noun form of the word. I have a real world example. A website I'm working on has a 30 day money back guarantee(y?). If you don't like your purchase, within the first 30 days, you can get your money back. Is that a guarantee or a guaranty? If I was going to make a little advertising picture for it, would I say "30 day money back guaranty" or "30 day money back guarantee"? I am leaning towards guarantee.


title: When are the phrases "in motion" and "in movement" used?

text: When are the phrases _in motion_ and _in movement_ used? _In motion_ is the most popular form based on a Google search, but _in movement_ still has 3 080 000 results.


title: Word for "a piece of a whole"

text: What is a word that means "parts of a whole" and implies it can be combined with others of the same word to build something greater? For example "blocks", "bricks", and "pieces" are examples I thought of. They are decent because they are abstract or general enough to refer to many different things that may be "pieces of a whole". I am looking for other words that are also general, and clearly communicate that they are an object alone, but can be assembled into something greater.


title: Word, phrase, or idiom for minor, annoying, but ignored breakage

text: My purpose, if it matters, is to help in creating a "short title" as a metaphor for a policy proposal at work. For reasons of cost or convenience, some people ignore small parts that are broken. For example, if a knob breaks on the heating controls of a car, many people may tend to "live with" the problem rather than fix it if the control is either unimportant or can still be accessed in some other way (perhaps with pliers). Or, perhaps a switch plate on a light switch is cracked or broken, but people using that light switch do not see the necessity in replacing the switch plate. I can give more examples if needed, and I have a "draft" name for the proposal in case there is no word, phrase, or idiom to describe this phenomenon: _Note: Spoiler hidden below to avoidanchoring. You may wish to try answering the question first._ > "No broken knobs" policy I have tried Google to no avail, using various combinations of the above spoiler words, along with:   * word for something that is broken in a minor way that will be ignored   * phrase for minor breakage and a number of other queries that I have now forgotten. Are there any particular words, phrases, or idioms that describe this phenomenon?


title: "Commutivity" or "commutativity"

text: I see _commutivity_ used in contexts where the meaning appears to be the same as _commutativity_. Here are an example from physics and another example. Is _commutivity_ incorrect? Does it differ from _commutativity_?


title: What does "loose change" mean and what is its origin?

text: What does _loose change_ mean?   What is the origin of the phrase?


title: Why has the word "thrice" fallen out of common usage?

text: I'm an American living in America, but my workplace has a lot of immigrants from India here. They all use "thrice" very commonly, which is wonderful to my ears! Thrice is such a delightful word. Today one of them said something happened "twice or thrice", and it got me thinking that that usage would never happen as a speaker of American English. We would say "two or three times" or, perhaps, "twice... maybe three times.". Why did usage of "thrice" fall off, and how long has it been since it was commonly used? (I do apologize, I'm not a frequent user of the English stack exchange, so I'm not sure what tags to use. I would appreciate any edits to add proper tags).


title: What's the meaning of the speaker's remark?

text: > P1: Winter coat crew, whatchu wearin? Need a new winter coat. my trusty > navy-issue peacoat is old as hell. > > P2: I'm just having seconds when the mashed potaters get passed around. I > think that should do it. What is the responder saying? What's the meaning of his remark?


title: A noun meaning 'not allowed'

text: I'm trying to find a word meaning "you can't do that" or "you're not allowed". I thought of _impossibility_ but I do not want it in the sense of being impossible, but in the sense of not being allowed to. Context: > The Sneak Out automatically provides you with a guilty conscience and the > _impossibility_ of telling people who you saw.


title: Meaning of "issue" in "my trusty navy-issue peacoat"

text: > My trusty navy-issue peacoat is old as hell What does _issue_ mean here?


title: What's the phrase to imply random jobs?

text: What's a phrase that can convey the idea of "a variety of different jobs with no central theme"? "Various odds and ends" was the one that occurred to me, but it didn't feel exactly right and thefreedictionary also says it's used for material things, not jobs. Is there a phrase that conveys this idea better? Edit: Thanks for the comments, I mean `jobs` in the sense of employment, working at various companies or in several unconnected projects, etc.


title: Is there a word for a change so small that it doesn’t seem to be a change at all?

text: Today, I was reading an article on pharmaceutical companies making minute changes to a drug in order to extend the patent. In one instance, the company profiled did not actually change the content of the drug, just the outward appearance. This got me thinking, is there a word in the English language that means “to change without changing” or “a change so small that it’s not a change at all”? I thought about the word _superficial_ , but that doesn’t seem to fit.


title: What is the vocative expression we can use to attract the attention of someone whose name or surname we don't know?

text: I was reading one of my old English Language books when I came across this: > "Madame, Señora, Signora, etc, are foreign vocative expressions and they > have no equivalent, in either British or American English, for everyday use, > among equals. Madam is a vocative expression used only by people in a > position of permanent or temporary service; e.g. servants, waiters, > waitresses, hairdressers, shop-keepers and assistants, clerks, etc. Outside > such service no vocative expression exists; that is to say, if one does not > know the surname of a person, in front of which one can put the Mrs. or > Miss, etc, there is absolutely nothing one can use. You may ask: "But what > happens if a lady drops something in the street and I pick it up and want to > attract her attention? How can I call her?" The answer is that you cannot > call her - unless you know her name. If you want to give her whatever she > has dropped, you must overtake her and hand it to her without any vocative > expression at all. In England, the same thing applies to the use of Sir; it > is used only as an expression of service or respect (e.g. subordinates to > superiors, school-children to their masters, young people to very much older > people); i.e. among equals, there is no word to use. In America, however, > men - but not women - do often use Sir among equals. This textbook was printed in 1961. ("British and American English" by John Millington Ward, pg 51-52, Longmans, Green and Co Ltd, 1961.) My question is: dumb as it may seem, was this what people did at that time ? (Overtake someone who dropped something without calling him) Is it still what people are expected to do in America and England in 2014 ?


title: Word or phrase for remoteness, great distance from human habitat

text: I am looking for a word or phrase denoting remoteness and great distance from human habitat, for the purpose of naming a cabin in the wilderness. I have already thought of "far cry" and "back of beyond". It would be good if the word or phrase was associated with a quotation or title from a book or proverb, but mostly it needs to resonate with the idea of a place "far from the madding crowd".


title: Why does this sentence involving "especial" read so badly?

text: I have read about the difference between "special" and "especial" and from what I understand they are basically the same. However I've come across a sentence which, in my opinion, would sound much better with "special". Is the following sentence correct and if yes why does it sound so poor? > No especial skill is required to use the tool


title: "Thank God" vs "Thanks God"

text: Which is more appropriate/correct? > Thank God for His grace and mercy on […].   >  Thanks God for His grace and mercy on […]. The person is expressing his/her thankfulness to God. _Thank God_ seems better, but it sounds a bit like _lucky_. I could rephrase it as "Thanks be to God for […]." which is the intended meaning. I am just looking for the correct short way to say that.


title: What do you call someone who always puts blame on others?

text: No matter what had really happened, this person will always blame and find an appearing logical/thought out way/strategy to it that, fundamentally, it's the other person who was the cause for all the trouble AND everything else that came from this trouble as well and from the next and so on. No (slang) words like "jerk", "*sshole" etc. please.


title: "Where he is" vs "Where is he"

text: What is the difference between the following. > "You know where he is" and > "You know where is he"


title: What does "on a hiding to nothing" mean?

text: I watched a movie with English actors just the other day and came across this phrase in the dialogue. What does it mean, and who would typically use it? **EDIT** : Sorry, I'm terrible about these ghost edits, but in what sense is the _hide_ in _hiding_ contributing the meaning of the idiom?


title: "Don't let's fight"

text: I was watching a movie the other day and one character said to another, "Don't let's fight" instead of "Let's not fight." Is this proper usage, and if so, what is the grammatical rule that applies here?


title: Will some parents be offended when being asked, "Is it male or female?"

text: If I ask the parent about a baby's gender, will it be impolite or not appropriate to say, "Is it male or female?" Is there any subtle difference, in terms of politeness, among   1. "Is it a boy or girl?"   2. "Is it he or she?"   3. "is it male or female?"


title: What qualifies as a "boat" or an "automobile"?

text: Are all crafts that travel on water considered "boats," even barges, yachts, canoes, rafts, etc? Are all motor vehicles considered "automobiles," even trucks, semis, and motorcycles?


title: "action is told rather than given" - what does it mean?

text: Reading this amazon.co.uk book review... > The writing style itself isn't bad but overall, the story is flat and the > action is often told rather than given. "...told rather than given" - I suppose this is a criticism of the writer's descriptive style, but I can't quite imagine an example. My question is two; what does this phrase mean, and what might be an example of "told" action?


title: What's the difference between "informal", "colloquial", "slang", and "vulgar"?

text: It seems many people get confused about the differences (and similarities) between "colloquial" and "slang", so what exactly does each term apply to? But to be even more thorough it seems to me we can also include a couple more terms which are often applied to language and arrange them into a scale from most acceptable to least acceptable: "informal" > "colloquial" > "slang" > "vulgar" Are any two synonyms? Do they all overlap semantically or only with their closest neighbours? Or should some of them be seen as independently variable aspects of a word or utterance? Finally, could each term apply equally as well to a word, a phrase, and a grammatical or syntactical usage? **EDIT** Perhaps I should've also included "nonstandard" - not sure whether it belongs to the left or the right of "slang" though.


title: What is the correct way to pluralize improper fractions?

text: Say, for example, I'd like to express that I have four complete six-slice pizzas and one with five out of six slices. Would I say "I have 29/6 pizzas"? "4 and 5/6 of a pizza" for mixed fractions?


title: Travel service given to guest by hotel called?

text: Is there any specific term for the travel service provided by hotels when they pick up their guests from the airport say - and when they drop off the guests again when they check out? Thanks in advance.


title: Is there a rule concerning nouns with foreign articles?

text: I'd like to know if there is a rule concerning the usage of "the" preceding nouns already including a foreign article. For instance, should a restaurant called "La trattoria" be referred to simply as "la trattoria" or as "the la trattoria"? A recent visit to LA made me realise the common usage is somewhat silly, a museum guide kept talking about "the la brea tar pits", where "the" means the same as "la", and "brea" means the same as "tar". Should this kind of redundancy be avoided?


title: What does “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear” as a metaphor of “the distance between the preacher and the President”?

text: There was the following statement in the article written by Michel Norris in Time magazine (August 26 issue) under the title “One Dream.” > “Trayvon Martin case, Obama said, “I think it’s important to recognize that > the African-American community is looking at this issue through a set of > experiences and history that doesn’t go away.” With that statement, the > distance between the preacher and the President was much like an image in an > automobile’s side view mirror: Objects in mirror are closer than they > appear.” I don’t get a clear idea of the latter half of the above statement. I know objects in the side mirror are closer than they appear from my driving experience. But what does the analogy of an image in the mirror with “the distance” between Dr. King and President Obama account for? Is there **the distance** (of equality claim / stance) between Dr. King and President Obama? If there is, what is the distance between them in short? Does it mean the racial segregation issue was much immediate and pressing for Dr. King that time than to President Obama today, i.e., President Obama can look segregation issues more 'objectively' than Dr. King did in the time stage of 1963? Could you parse the meaning of the last line following “With that statement ...”?


title: To have all one's marbles, usage and origin

text: I have seen this idiom used within a negative context such as: _Don't think he still has all is marbles_ , but could it be used correctly within a positive context? Plus, where does this saying come from?


title: How far back in time does "recent past" mean in the following sentence when applying for law enforcement?

text: How far back in time does "recent past" mean in the following sentence when applied to law enforcement? > Have you used Marijuana or any illicit narcotics within the recent past?


title: Reveling in the past

text: Can the phrase "reveling in the past" also mean "to live in the past"? Also, is it spelled "reveling" or "revelling" as the online Merriam-Webster dictionary shows it both ways?


title: A word for "able to cause empathy or sympathy"? Sympathizable?

text: I feel like there's a word that's buried in my head that's refusing to answer my calls, that means to "elicit empathy". Any help would be appreciated. It might be a word that doesn't have the word "able" in it. Something like "poor", but without the connotation of being depraved. The best I can come up with is "relatable".


title: Are absolute phrases adverbials?

text: Can we say all absolute phrases function as "adverbials" modifying the subject+verb of the sentence that they are attached to? For example: > _Her determination stronger than ever_ , Nexisa resolved not to give up > until she had achieved her dreams. Does the absolute phrase in italic describe the subject as performing the action?


title: When to use "rather than" versus "instead of"?

text: I never really gave a deep thought at this but recently a teacher of talked about language and there was an implicit question in it. something like there is a difference between "rather than" and "instead of" in usage. do you know it?? please help and explain with a few examples.


title: The adventures of Tom Sawyer sentence meaning

text: What does this phrase from The adventures of Tom Sawyer sentence mean: "True, the knife would not cut anything, but it was a "sure-enough" Barlow, and there was inconceivable grandeur in that -- though where the Western boys ever got the idea that such a weapon could possibly **be counterfeited to its injury** is an imposing mystery and will always remain so, perhaps." Thank you!


title: Is “cheese-stick operation, manufacturing, building current word?

text: I was drawn to the word, “cheese-stick” appearing in the article titled, “The book that didn’t exist” in the Opinion Pages of New York Times (April 14), which deals with the art and craft of writing. It reads: > “We had collaborated on a project that began a decade earlier. Ruth, a > children’s book editor at Random House, was a regular reader of my stories > and perhaps the only reader of a manuscript I wrote in my Alphabet City > apartment, among my first in New York. It was a sixth-floor walk-up with a > **cheese-stick operation** on the ground floor. A byproduct of **cheese- > stick manufacturing** is a vomit-like smell. > http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/14/the-book-that-didnt- > exist/?hp&rref=opinion None of CED, OED and Merriam-Webster carries “cheese-stick” although they carry “cheesecake” and “cheese steak.” I can’t find the word on Google Ngram too. From the context, I surmise “cheese-stick” means “makeshift, sloppy or fragile” operations and construction, but I’m not sure. What does it mean? Is it the word that goes current?


title: History of using capital letters for names

text: Though the answer might not be, my question is simple: When and how did the custom of capitalizing names begin? (I'm not entirely sure whether to ask this question here or in History.SE since it doesn't strictly concern itself with English _specifically_ , but since it is true for English as well as for other languages, I felt it was better to ask here.)


title: When did presidents start using their middle initial (e.g. JFK)? Was that common of the general population?

text: For example John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson (and hence JFK, FDR, LBJ). How did this styling originate? It seems to have ended with Nixon. I don't when it started, but there were a few in the 19th century as well. Was it just presidents, or politicians, or the general population? * * * Further thoughts ... There was an uninterrupted stretch, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson. It does not seem to apply to the general populace. Think of writers, film stars, jazz musicians, scientists. It was very rare. The few other American politicians I can think of from this era (Adlai Stevenson, Joe McCarthy) - I don’t know their middle initials. Did these presidents adopt the middle inital only when they achieved office? Is it a style they adpoted themselves, or was it established by the press?


title: Where did the word 'Greece' come from?

text: The Greeks I've met say something that to my ears sounds like _'Elatha'_.


title: Meaning of "Smiles Slip"

text: I don't quite understand something: > source   >  Brazil will, in one form or another, be ready for the World Cup. But when > it comes to hosting the tournament, those famous Brazilian **_smiles_** may > already be **_slipping_**. What does " ** _slip_** " mean in this context? I cannot find a good definition in dictionaries.


title: Business rules application to design encompasses... - help me make sense of that phrase

text: > This chapter is the final of four chapters covering the case study design of > the relational database model for the online auction house company. > **Business rules application to design encompasses** stored procedures, as > well as specialized and very detailed field formatting and restrictions. I can't make sense of the part that's in bold.


title: Is there a term for the stereotypical Japanese ghost girl with a white dress and long black hair that mostly covers her face?

text: There were a slew of Hollywood remakes of Japanese horror films that featured a similar ghost archetype. The most notable examples are (warning, links are images of examples) The Ring and The Grudge. The common traits are:   * White dress   * Long black hair that mostly covers her face   * A small girl   * Stilted movements   * Usually has really dirty clothes, hair and skin   * Usually out for revenge of some kind Is there a term for this type of character that is more specific than "ghost"? When I think of "ghosts" in American culture I don't think of these girls.


title: ".txt file" or "txt file" or "*.txt file"?

text: What is the correct form to address all files having the same extension? For example, files _a.txt_ & _b.txt_. I found these forms used: >   1. .txt files > >   2. txt files > >   3. *.txt files > > Context: I am writing a user manual for software. There is a lot about file structures, so I need a brief form of "all files with the extension txt" in expressions like: > Copy all *.txt files from folder A to folder B > > Each object is stored in 5 different *.txt files


title: How to enumerate activities I did

text: I'm writing a CV and in one section I'd like to enumerate the activities I did. Should I write   * I proved ...   * I participated ...   * I mentored ... ... or   * Proved ...   * Participated ...   * Mentored ... ... or   * Prove ...   * Participate ...   * Mentor ... ... or any other better form for the verbs?


title: Are the speakers in this video speaking standard American English?

text: I want to improve my American English accent, and I found Learn Real English, which is quite interesting to me. Anyway, I don't know much about standard American accent, so I want to know if those teachers (links below) speak standard American or not. Video 1   Video 2


title: "Maybe" versus "perhaps"

text: Was there ever a real distinction between the two? I always have the urge to use _maybe_ for discussing state and _perhaps_ for actions. I know this is only because _perhaps_ ( _by hap_ ) and _happen_ ( _befall by hap_ ) share a root, but at least it's logical. Am I totally misguided here?


title: What is a good substitute that is less localized than "secular"?

text: I am having trouble using the term "secular" to convey a sense of bringing a religiously neutral ground to government, society, and culture. What term is better than "secular", that is less localized than the US-connotative sense, but conveys the same general meaning to multiple countries? Secularism is often denoted the same, but from country to country it is practiced on a sliding scale in terms of how truly neutral laws are. Some of us on the Atheism.se are trying to broaden the scope of the site and are interested in methods for doing this. The usage of "secular" (that I am looking for) should convey taking secularism and using it as a tool for atheist questions to hone in on issues regarding equal rights, activism, promotion.


title: Odd use of agnostic

text: I have heard and used agnostic to denote "uncaring". I was recently corrected on my usage of the word which got me thinking. What word should I use? Uncaring seems incorrect. Some examples:   * This new applesauce recipe is truly apple agnostic.   Meaning it tastes great with any apple cultivar.   * My new computer backup tool is OS agnostic.   Meaning the tool works on any computer regardless of which operating system is running/installed.   * The study on american morality is God agnostic.   Meaning the study draws its conclusions without making a statement about the existence of God. The meaning seems to be that something continues to function with disregard to a particular attribute or detail.


title: Can someone tell me the origin of the phrase "spitting image"?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Is it correct to say Person A is the “spitting image” or the “splitting > image” of Person B? I understand how to use the phrase but have never heard an explanation of how it came in modern usage. I did perform a quick Google Search before submitting this question and found references to "spit and image". This didn't seem to answer my question as to what they _mean_ when they say it.


title: I am on "annual leave"?

text: This one has been bothering me the past couple of weeks. On many (most!) people's email auto-responders, when they go on holiday, they set it to something along the lines of: > I am currently on annual leave, for emergencies contact xyz. What do they mean by annual leave? My understanding was that "annual leave" would be leave you take _once_ per year, but many of the people that do this have multiple holidays. What is the correct usage of "annual leave", or what should these people be saying instead, if my understanding is correct?


title: Using dashes vs. commas in business communications

text: Having settled into a new job in communications, I am faced with the issue of em dashes. Since I am quite partial to commas but my boss is more partial to em dashes, I can't help but wonder whether her usage isn’t incorrect. I’ve done a bit of research on this, and I have found it’s most commonly used in emphasizing a thought. It can also be used to offset lists or at the end of an independent clause. However, if I receive a sentence like this: > Dean London —a business unit of Centrell— have been supplying permeable > products to Caramba Unit —a supplier of biological products — since 2009. I would say that this usage is incorrect, and I would edit it to use commas because this is additional information that isn’t a separate thought needing emphasizing. Another example: > This initiative —led by Dr. Reiv Nadar and integrated into Dean's research > and design unit— intends to gather post-harvest disease control information. Is the usage of em dashes in this instance correct, or would it be better to use commas? Not sure whether the problem is actually just that I am confused about the correct usage of em dashes, but I figured you guys could help clarify those.


title: "Sport", "sports", and "sporting" as modifiers

text: Is there a difference between a "sports jacket", a "sport jacket", and a "sporting jacket"? Or are these merely dialectal differences? For instance, why do various outerwear and sportswear brands call some pieces "sports" and others "sporting" within a same collection or line? It sounds to me like "sporting" designates only those pieces associated with recreational countryside/outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, and bird watching, and so a "sporting jacket" would be a sort of country-style, multi- pocket, mid-length waxed/waterproof coat with or without a hood. That said, we say "sporting house" and "sporting lady" as euphemisms for "brothel" and "prostitute", and "sporting goods" has a sense of sportswear items at large to it rather than a specific range. Unlike "sporting", I guess "sports" and "sport" might have some relation -- to a lesser or greater degree -- with cars, back in the old days when the activity of driving an automobile would imply a certain attire, composing mostly of a jacket, a cap, and a pair of gloves. From these bygone days might have originated the terms "sports" and "sport" found in "sportswear", "sports/sport car", "sports/sport coat or jacket", etc.


title: unemployment or joblessness - in a formal writing

text: what do you think is better to use in a formal writing (Unemployment or Joblessness) ? I had an exam today, and one of the students kept telling us that the word joblessness was completely wrong, and the correct word was unemployment.


title: Is there a phrase to say that someone's hidden intentions are revealed in his/her talk or movements?

text: Is there an English expression to say _"Le jupon dépasse"_ to express the fact that someone's hidden intentions are revealed in his/her talk or movements?


title: The opposite of paper being a dead-tree

text: In this question, John Y refers to a printed version of a book as " _dead-tree book_ ". I found that amuzing and started to wonder what the opposite of such term would be. Of course, the popular term would be " _electronic book_ ". However, I'd like to retain the style of the original wording.


title: Condensing information which uses the same sentence structure via parentheses

text: Suppose I want to unify the following definitions into one sentence   * An X system is given by its X representation    * A Y system is given by its Y representation    * A Z system is given by its Z representation This can be accomplished in various ways:   1. An X (Y, Z) system is given by its X (resp. Y, Z) representation   2. An X system (Y system, Z system) is given by its X representation (resp. Y representation, Z representation)   3. An X system (Y, Z system) is given by its X representation (resp. Y, Z representation) Which of these, or maybe a different approach, is preferrable in the context of a technical (scinetific) writing? I like the second version because right after the first parentheses it becomes apparent that the sentence is overloaded in the sense that I can read the sentence just skipping the parts in the parentheses. That is, I would read "An X system(Y system, Z system)... [reread] An X system is given by its X representation. [look at contents in parentheses]". However, a downside of this approach is that it is quite lengthy. By the way, did I get the a's and an's right?


title: Pink Floyd's "steel breeze"

text: Keeping in mind how difficult to explain/translate Pink Floyd's lyrics are, I would carefully listen to all insights that native speakers might have as per the meaning of the phrase "steel breeze", used three times throughout "Shine On You Crazy Diamond".


title: Origin of "spill the beans"

text: I believe this phrase means "to betray information". Could someone please explain its origin?


title: Word describing a word used to reference a noun previously mentioned

text: Suppose I was writing this sentence: "John ran, and he shouted very loudly". "He" in that sentence was referring back to John. I am quite sure there is a word describing this referring to a noun previously mentioned. Could someone help me out please?


title: "The existing and proposed manuals" vs. "the existing and the proposed manuals"

text: Which one of the following is correct? >   * A comparison between the existing and proposed manuals is as follows. >   * A comparison between the existing and _the_ proposed manuals is as > follows. > Do I need to use "the" before the second noun?


title: Can "allophone" be used to mean "nonnative"?

text: Do you use _allophone_ in replacement of _nonnative_? And, do you have more expressions meaning _nonnative_?


title: Which is correct: "successor to" or "successor of"?

text: In this context:   >   1. A is the successor _to_ B   > >   2. A is the successor _of_ B > I'm fairly certain that the first one is correct. If so, then how come we say: Mother _of_ God, instead of Mother _to_ God? However, maybe can it vary on specific choices of A and B?


title: Why is window "tinting" not window "toning" or "shading"?

text: In color theory, _tinting_ means to add white while _toning_ adds grey and _shading_ adds black. What is the origin of the use of _tinting_ then in terms of windows? Are they unrelated?


title: How do you pronounce "melee"?

text: I've heard meelee, meyley (maylay), and mehlay. Is there any "correct" way to pronounce it in the U.S.?


title: Is it acceptable to miss out joining words (e.g. who, which)?

text: My kids were singing a song this morning: > "There was a farmer had a dog and Bingo was his name, oh." And it occurred to me the word "who" had been omitted to make it scan. In normal speech, you would more usually say: > "There was a farmer **who** had a dog..." Is it ever acceptable to miss out "joining" words like "who", "which" or "that" in sentences such as these?


title: "Flipping a table over"

text: In Israel, there is an idiom that is literally "flipping a table over" (להפוך שולחן, Lahafokh Shoolkhan) and means an overly assertive, sometimes vulgar act out of desperation that is intended to shock the other party. It is almost always used in the context of complaining about a service that was so bad one has to "flip a table over" to get the level of service they feel is due to them. Is there an idiom in English that is parallel to this?


title: gerund vs possesive vs ... in this sentence?

text: Which one sounds better or is correct? I managed a number of challenging projects, such as / which included (...) designing new electronic devices (...) the design of new electronic devices (...) new electronic devices design


title: Is there a name for the time after dinner?

text: A coworker recently taught me a Spanish word, _sobremesa_ , to describe the time spent at the table after a meal, relaxing with one's companions. Do we have a single word or stock phrase to describe this in English? If not, can we coin a very good one?


title: What is the most appropriate noun for 'a person who is ostracized'?

text: Is there any variation/conjugation of the word 'ostracism' that refers to a person who is ostracized? Similar to 'conviction' and 'a convict'. The word ostracism is used by the author I am citing and I would preferably use his own choice of words, but I'm not sure it will be possible for this construction.


title: What's a "drop-in activity"?

text: What are "drop-in activities"? I often run across this phrase while reading about museums, recreation centers etc.


title: Help sheet for determiners and prepositions

text: I'm trying to produce a simple help sheet for foriegn speakers on English determiners and prepositions. Specifically, a basic description of when to use each type of determiner, and then the list of exceptions etc. Also, for prepositions, perhaps a list of the 10 or 20 most commonly used prepositions, and descriptions of their use, and examples, including descriptions of exceptions etc. Are there any available resources online that would help compile this help sheet? I'm thinking specifically of the exceptions and examples of use, and the reasons behind why certain determiners/prepositions are used in each case.


title: "Exercise" but not "exercize"

text: Many words are spelled with _-ise_ in British English and _-ize_ in American English:   * _realise/realize_   * _sanitise/sanitize_   * _scrutinise/scrutinize_ But _exercise_ can only be spelled with _-ise_ , never with _-ize_. Is there a good reason for this?


title: When to use nah or right in a sentence

text: When I was chatting with my friend, as a part of our conversation I used a phrase. "You have laptop nah." He replied, first try to change your English, it sounds ridiculous, using words nah, right. To give a brief insight of the context, here is the conversation between me (A) and my friend (B). A: Hi, is your headset working, the other day you had a problem. B: I found, that the problem was with my system. I tried with the new headset on the same system and it still had voice issues. A: I think, you have laptop nah. B: First, stop using words like nah, right. That sounds stupid. No offense. I have two questions here:   * Am I wrong in the above conversation?    * When to use nah, right in the sentences?


title: The difference between "shy" and "ashamed"

text: What is the difference between _shy_ and _ashamed_ as in the following example? > He is not shy to tell the truth.   >  He is not ashamed to tell the truth.


title: Are em dashes acceptable in lists?

text: I often see lists written as follows (using em dashes to elaborate a list item):   * Item 1—explanation for item 1   * Item 2—explanation for item 2 Is this generally correct, or are colons preferable?


title: He didn't so much as thank me OR to thank me?

text: I have heard both ways 'He didn't so much as thank me' and 'He didn't so much as to thank me'. Which is correct and is the other wrong or can it be used colloquially? Thank you.


What's the appropriate way of integrating the expression "full stop" into a written sentence? For example: > The USS Enterprise isn't just a great "Galaxy Class" starship, it's a great > starship - full stop.


title: to pickup or be picked up

text: Is it better to say: > "something is available for pickup in my office" or > "something is available to be picked up in my office"? Also is **pickup** one word or two in the above sentence?


title: What does “Seeing right through them” exactly mean?

text: I was drawn to the phrase, “Seeing right through them“appearing in the New York Times (October 5) article written by Daniel Goleman under the title, “Rich people just care less.” It begins with the following sentence: > “Turning a blind eye. Giving someone the cold shoulder. Looking down on > people. **Seeing right through them**. These metaphors for condescending or > dismissive behavior are more than just descriptive. They suggest -- the > social distance between those with greater power and those with less — a > distance that goes beyond the realm of interpersonal interactions and may > exacerbate the soaring inequality in the United States. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/05/rich-people-just-care-less/?hp When we were listening to teacher’ words in class, or a boss's instructions in office, didn’t we see right through him or her in order to be attentive? Is “to see right through people” perceived as a condescending / dismissive or rude behavior? I happened to find the same “See right through them” phrase in the English version of the teaching of Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), the founder of Aikido – martial art for self defense derived from Jujutsu. He says: > “If your heart is large enough to envelope your adversaries, you can **see > right through them** and avoid their attacks. And once you envelope them, > you will be able to guide them along the path indicated to you by heaven and > earth.” It appears to me Goleman uses “Seeing right through people” in “condescending and dismissive” manner, and Ueshiba uses it in different, rather positive way. What implications does the expression “Seeing right through them” have?


title: speaking about conditional past event using had (verb)... would (verb)

text: > If the author **had spent** any time in China, they **would know** that an > “engineer” in China is NOT the same as an “engineer” in the USA. This is a > mistranslation. An “engineer” in China is equivalent to a “technician” in > the USA. Is this correct, or should _would_ be followed by _have known_? Please explain the rule.


title: What does “There is something more to life than an orange and black color scheme,” mean?

text: I found a phrase “There is something more to life than an orange and black color scheme,” in the following lines of Time magazine’s (April 1) article titled, “My Advice to Princeton Women Grads.” - http://ideas.time.com/2013/04/01/my-advice-to-princeton-women- grads/#ixzz2PGP6KLdF > “Seriously. You have no idea what you have been missing. You know you’ve > been tempted about a million times over the decades. You have long suspected > that **there is something more to life than an orange and black color > scheme**. You know there’s something unhealthy going on when every domestic > dispute over say, that pesky budget, ends with “Rah!Rah! Rah! Rah! Tiger sis > boom bah! And locomotives by the score.” Is “There is something more to life than an orange and black color,” a popular saying or just the Princeton graduate author, Dominique Browning’s trope? Is ‘black and orange’ Princeton’s school color? What does it mean? What does orange and black color signify?


title: Where did the phrase "chock-full" come from?

text: I hear this phase spoken and rarely written, but Merriam-Webster has a definition their website. The origin states "Middle English chokkefull, probably from choken to choke + full." Does anyone have more information on the origin? What is chokkefull?


title: "Whomever runs it's" or "whomever runs its"?

text: I know that "its" is the possessive form of "it", but does this rule apply to the possessive form of phrases ending in "it"? Should I say, "the program runs on whomever runs its computer" or "the program runs on whomever runs it's computer" (also I hope I'm right that that should be "whomever" and not "whoever")?


title: Does the suffix -ion in "invention" mean the same in "station"?

text: Is the suffix _-ion_ in the word _invention_ the same as in the words _direction, nation, fiction, station_?


title: What is the origin of "your mother" as an answer to any question?

text: I'm just curious, as the term "your mom" as an annoying answer/reaction to any question/comment is also used in other languages. So what is its etymology? **UPDATE** I even found a reference on Serverfault. Maybe it wasn't that clear what I meant, so I give two examples taken from the urban dictionary: > Guy 1: I'm going to tie my shoes > > Guy 2: YO MOMA'S GONA TIE HER SHOES!!! and > Girl 1: That Girl is a slut. > > Random Guy 1: YO MOMA'S A SLUT!!! I even remember an Episode from _Miami Vice_ (season 3, maybe episode 22) where Crocked asks for the whereabouts of a suspect and he gets a kind of "Your Mom" as an answer. Here's another reference: ![](http://i.stack.imgur.com/WRSwb.jpg)


title: Singular or plural

text: If there are many service classes, and each service class has many services, is the following sentence correct? > Selecting the locally optimal service from each service class does not > create a globally optimal solution.


title: How can I complete the expression "the first step is..."?

text: I want to build a sentence with the expression "the first step is", and I don't know exactly how to complete it... Which sentence is correct? >   * To eliminate your problems, the first step is change your mind. >   * To eliminate your problems, the first step is **to** change your mind. >


title: “Hold Out Promise” vs “Make a Promise”

text: Is "hold out a promise" the same meaning as "make a promise"? Or did I misunderstand them? I found definitions for "make a promise", but couldn't find definitions for "hold out a promise".


title: a phrase to describe a greedy scoundrel, or to name that behaviour

text: Imagine the following conversation:               B: What's the price?     A: It's fifteen each.     B: Okay, I'll buy it.     A: Too late, now it's twenty each.     B: Why? Because I can afford fifteen?     A: Exactly.      How would you describe A or A's method? A is a scoundrel, his method greedy. Is there a better word for it, or a more precise one? Such a conversation is not new at all. Perhaps some famous writer made use of it in one of his or her novels, and I can take the name of the character who is a seller. I am debating a slightly more complicated bargain strategy than the previous example:               B: What's the price?     A: It's fifteen each.     B: Okay, I'll buy a dozen.     A: You can only buy one at this price, the next will be twenty.     B: Why? Because I can afford fifteen?     A: Exactly.        And I'll keep raising the price to test your bottom line.      As you can imagine, this strategy, or its variants, are employed by some e-commerce websites. It cannot go without a name, but I am not yet in the industry to know its name, and I didn't find it when I googled it. Since I am not specifically addressing e-commerce, I may as well improvise one for the convenience of debate. **Edit** : in the end I used the term "Lowball technique" as suggested by the chosen answer.


title: A word similar to handicap/slack

text: I'll start off with an example for context. Two race car drivers race for the fastest lap time on track X in identical cars. Racer A finishes before Racer B, however it was discovered afterwards that Racer B had a faulty transmission, decreasing his acceleration compared to Racer A. Therefore, it would be reasonable to assume they would have finished at the same time if the transmission from Racer B was functioning properly. In this case, what non-tangible word would you associate with Racer B? Similar to "cutting him slack", or his "transmission handicap". We would give him **___ _**. I was just thinking about this word yesterday, and today it completely slipped my mind. I believe it starts with "com-", but I'm not entirely sure. Help is greatly appreciated! EDIT: Just remembered: compensation


title: What is the behavior where one closes their nose with their lips to elude foul odour called?

text: I have seen this question, and it is not exactly what I'm asking. Sometimes people (most especially in developing countries) raise the tip of their lips to cover their nose when a foul odour is sensed or to jeer a person. In my own language this is called ' _isu imi_ ' (To jam the nose), I'm writing a short story and I'm trying to find the best way to describe the phenomena.


title: "Brunette" vs. "brown" and "blonde" vs. "yellow"

text: Why is that we never use these terms interchangeably? I.e. one wouldn't say "I've painted my walls a deep brunette". Why is it that "brunette" and "blonde" are used exclusively in reference to hair colour yet they just mean "brown" and "yellow"?


title: What expression ironically says that something new is better or improved?

text: In French, we have the Expression _X lave plus blanc_ which translates word for word as _X washes whiter_. It comes from old TV advertisements where it was the typical argument to show that a new laundry detergent was better than others. It's now used in every possible way to ironically convey the idea that X is new so it's better. I don't know an English expression that translates that idea with the same pinch of irony; can someone suggest one?


title: What does it mean to "drink a lot of haterade"?

text: A friend recently posted on their Facebook status that she has "apparently been drinking lots of haterade lately"[sic]. Does this mean other people are annoyed with her or she's annoyed with other people? What does this phrase mean?


title: Different uses of 'kaffir' by white South Africans and Muslims

text: Back in apartheid-era South Africa and, in camera, probably even today, the word 'kaffir' is used in much the same way 'nigger' is used in the western world, ie. as a racist epithet directed at black people. Recently I realised that Muslims use the word to indicate non-muslims or non- believers. Is there any connection between these two usages?


title: What's the history of the pronunciation of Delphi?

text: There appear to be two ways to pronounce the last syllable based on deeply held beliefs and cultural divides and assumptions:   1. **Phi** fi fo fum    2. Fee **phi** fo fum? I've heard that (2) is the American pronunciation (as in the motor parts corp Delphi), although it's not how we pronounce it in my office in America, which is probably largely the result of the Russian programmer who introduced us to Delphi. I'd say, I'd never pronounce the Greek "Phi" as as "fee", but I don't speak Greek and if I did, I would probably pronounce it wrong.


title: More formal word for "mover and shaker"

text: Is there a more formal word or phrase for _mover and shaker?_ Single word is preferred.


title: Appropriate to start business email or letter with just "Dear,"?

text: Is it appropriate to start a business letter or email with just " ** _Dear,_** "?   I specifically refer to the case where there is no noun following " _Dear,_ ", so no " _Dear All,_ ", or " _Dear Mr.,_ ", or " _Dear Colleagues,_ ", ... (which is covered in other english.stackexchange.com questions) Or would " _Dear,_ " only be appropriate between lovers? (I am unsure about this because in Dutch, it is common to start an email or letter with ' _Beste,_ ' or ' _Geachte,_ ', which could be (and is often) very loosely translated to something like 'Dear,')


title: What term captures "three groups"?

text: Is there any one-word term that can capture the meaning of "three groups". > For example, there are three groups of people in the world....


title: 'The' article before the word plural

text: I have seen the statements such as the following one in some literature: > "In the book 'XYZ' the word 'House' is never used in the plural." To me the word 'THE' right before plural seems very wierd. Would it be incorrect to write it like this? > "In the book 'XYZ' the word 'House' is never used in plural." Why would the first one be better or correct?


title: How do I say that something must happen or another thing, not both, in one simple sentence?

text: I'd guess `as opposed to` but I'm not sure. > This property must be set as opposed to X (one or another, not both) How can this can be better?


title: Can "intrude" be used transitively?

text: We can say "invade someone's privacy", but can the verb "intrude" be used in the same way without a preposition? As in, > Don't **intrude** my privacy. Or should it be: > Don't **intrude into** my privacy.


title: One-letter word at the end of line of text

text: In English language, is a **one-letter word** (such as _I_ or _a_ ) allowed to be at the **end of line**? (This question is about a single-letter word within a sentence, placed just before a linebreak.) For example, is this allowed? > It was a sunny day yesterday, so I   >  took a sunbath. In the example, _I_ is at the end of a line of text, just before a linebreak.


title: nominal compound/compound adjective

text: > "The Duchess is a free(-)natured woman." In the above sentence is there a nominal compound? Can we write "a free- natured woman" using a hyphen? Are nominal compound and compound adjectives the same thing, and where is a hyphen appropriate?


title: Other expressions for 'be down on someone'

text: I'm looking for other expressions or saying to describe when someone is ill- disposed towards someone else, but mainly on a prejudice rather than for objective reasons.


title: What is the plural form of "whitespace"?

text: I ask this because Firefox suggested that _whitespaces_ is not a valid word; rather it gave me _whitespace_ or _white spaces_.


title: “Come (straight) to the point” versus “Get (straight) to the point”

text: I was told that these two expressions mean the same thing, but I’m not sure about that. Is my usage correct in both of these examples? Is their meaning roughly equivalent? > I’ll **get** (straight) to the point: you need to chill out first. > > I’ll **come** (straight) to the point: you must not do that.


title: Origin of "Butter wouldn't melt in his/her mouth."

text: This phrase means that someone is being prim and proper with a cool kind of demeanour. But from what event or phenomenon or occurrence was this idiom derived from, and when?


title: Irony, Sarcasm and Cynicism

text: The concepts of Irony, Sarcasm and Cynicism are often mentioned in one breath. I however, have never seen how they're intertwined and what they exactly mean. I must have seen at least a dozen different definitions for each words, often not matching. To a layman like me, this is what these words seem to mean (just from hearing it in everyday usage):   * Irony: Something that you **particularly** don't expect (for any reason) happens.    * Sarcasm:Saying one thing, and actually meaning the opposite, in a mean way.   * Cynicism: Insulting someone in a very painful, rude way. Also, having absolutely no positive feelings towards something (being cynical). However, this is what I am taught now, and it just seems plain wrong:   * Irony: Concealed mockery by saying the opposite of what you mean (Isn't this actually sarcasm? You never hear someone say _I was being ironic!_ , riht?)   * Sarcasm: Stinging mockery. (When is it not stinging? This doesn't seem true to me..)   * Cynicism: Rejecting towards idealism and enthusiasm, sometimes meant to hurt. (This one is by far most confusing to me..) So my questions are:   * Are any of these definitions right?   * If so, has **everyone** been using the words _ironic_ and _sarcastic_ incorrectly?   * What the heck is the difference? They all seem the same, even their definitions..


title: How do you pronounce "fifths"?

text: I find it very difficult to pronounce the words _fifths_ (as in _four fifths_ or _parallel fifths_ ). The consonant cluster [fθs] is very difficult for me to utter. I know that in some cases the pronunciation of the plural is different from that of the singular for the sake of simplification of pronunciation. For example (correct me if I am wrong), the word _clothes_ can be pronounced [kloʊz] instead of [kloʊðz], and _mouths_ can be pronounced [maʊz] instead of [maʊðz]. Is there any possible simplification for the pronunciation of _fifths_ or is pronouncing [fifθs] piece of cake for native speakers?


title: "If" vs "Only if" vs "If and only if"

text: If I said: > Yell only if I fall. Would the person _have_ to yell once I fell? * * * > **Sources of confusion** > > Wikipedia   >  This guy


title: Each vs Every (Best way to make generalizations)

text: Example: There is a specific school. Every student in that school can take an Art class. They have that right, but they may choose not to take. What is the best way to say it by emphasizing that taking an Art class is **something valuable that is normally not offered anywhere else, and every student in this school is equal** ( I know this example is not very good) Which one is the best ?   * Students can take an Art class.   * Each student can take an Art class.    * Every student can take an Art class.


title: Where did the words "Baby Back" come from when referring to ribs?

text: Many restaurants sell _baby back ribs_ , but why are they called _baby back_ , and when was the first use of the term?


title: Difference between legacy and traditional?

text: I saw this usage of the word _legacy_ : > I have an NHibernate implementation working with a legacy database (DB2). Can _legacy_ be replaced with _traditional_? What is the difference?


When are "and" and commas used in a list of adjectives? For example,   1. _Poor little rich girl_ , or   2. _Poor, little and rich girl_ (or _Poor, little, and rich girl_ )?


title: what does "flip the bird" mean?

text: I mean in this sentence "A buzzer sounds sharply in the distance. without looking up, he lifts his middle finger up on one hand and flips 'the bird' , holds it a moment.drops it." I dont know what he is doing.


title: Adjective meaning very slow-moving

text: I usually use "glacial" to denote something as very slow-moving, but this time I am actually talking about a glacier so it can't be "the glacial glacier". These are the synonyms of "glacial" (They all mean cold) These are for "slow-moving", but none seem to actually imply the persistent slow movement of a glacier.


title: What is the translation for French expression "fiche produit"

text: In production sector we talk about "fiche produit" to designate the document defining a product. I would like to know what the English translation for that is.


title: Does the word 'gimmick' have positive or negative meaning?

text: Does the word _gimmick_ have a positive or negative meaning? It is not obvious to me from a wikipedia article. I also would be glad if someone could explain it in two words, not several paragraphs spread across ten articles as in wiki. I understand that there are several meanings, but what do you think about when you first hear it? Where does this word come from?


title: non-literal uses of "chugging away"?

text: What is the most common non-literal use of the expression "chugging away"? I've heard it in the context of:               The machine is switched on and *chugging away*.


title: What does “showed why he is feared on” mean?

text: > Sorena Ali Madadi **showed why he is feared on** the counterattack, breaking > through in the middle and scoring for Princo after 35 minutes to make the > score 4 - 0. What does it mean?


title: Is "this object remains a valid inclusion in a discussion of similar objects" grammatically correct?

text: The wider context within which I am writing this phrase is: "What is certain, however, is that early twentieth-century **piano rolls** , while not themselves audio recordings, **remain a valid inclusion in a discussion of recordings** for their potential to provide insights into ..." Is this grammatically correct? A friend was proofreading my essay and claimed that using the word "inclusion" here was somehow distorting my intended meaning and that "valid element" or "valid aspect" would communicate the point far more clearly. While I'm 100% not against using 'element' or 'aspect' here, I'm also not at all against using the word "inclusion" - it seems to make perfect sense, as I'm discussing the significance of whether or not piano rolls _should be included_ in such an essay. Thanks in advance for any tips!


title: looking for an appropriate idiom

text: I'm looking for an idiom which describes a situation when someone is not able to focus on his work. I want to use in this line: TV, laptop etc came to my life. The consequence was that I could not keep myself engrossed in the book


title: Is it ok to use fraught in a sentence without saying what the thing is fraught with?

text: Ex. is it ok to say such and such is fraught. Full stop? In a case where the context makes it clear what its fraught with?


title: "No match for X" vs "no match against X"

text: Hi all I was wondering if I wanted to say that a tsunami has no chance against a set of defenses, would I say:   1. This tsunami is no match against the defenses.   2. This tsunami is no match for the defenses. Or are both acceptable?


title: Is there a word for "international or domestic travel"?

text: I'm looking for a word that represents "type of travel" where that type is either domestic or international. Does this word exist?


title: What does a phrase "landslide win" mean?

text: There is a sentence: > It now has a small presence in parliament, after a landslide win in by- > elections deemed generally free and fair in April. What does a phrase _landslide win_ mean here? Thank you.


title: "Recently" vs. "lately"

text: 1. > I haven't seen Mr. John **__**. Which is correct, _recently_ or _lately_?   2. > My uncle has been to Germany lately. Why is the correct answer in the second example _lately_ and not _recently_?


title: Source for the Adage: "The first liar is always believed most."

text: In a couple of books and articles I've come across an adage, “the first liar is always believed most”: > Now, I talked to the captain first, but I want you to know that great old > saying, “The first liar gets believed”, does not apply with me. I listen to > everybody the same.   >  —Poyer, David. _The Gulf_ , p. 322.* > > And while I agree the digital age gives you additional options for setting > the record straight or refuting allegations, there’s another old adage I > heard once that seems to be true as well: “the first liar is always believed > most.”   >  —Barrett, John. Comment section, “Is It a Better Time Than Ever to Pick > Fights With the Press?”, _Mr. Media Training Blog_. Where did this originate? * Quotation verified using Amazon’s _search inside this book_ feature, search text [ first liar ].


title: What is ‘Academy Award speeches are “metaphysical impossibility" for most of us in plain English?

text: Time magazine (February 21) carries the article dealing with the exclusivity and subtlety of the Academy Award speeches under the title, “Science analyzes the Academy Awards speech.” In it, I’m interested in a unique (or creative) analogy comparing Academy Award speeches to attendance at one’s own funeral: > “Academy Award speeches are the artistic equivalent of attending your own > funeral: an event that’s wholly, utterly, solely about you and one that, for > most of us at least, is a **metaphysical impossibility**.” However, I’m a bit perplexed with the word, “metaphysical impossibility.” Does it mean the chance to make a speech at Oscar for most of us is logically, theoretically, statistically, or practically naught? Why is it specifically “metaphysical”? How can I translate it in plain English words? Will I be ridiculed if I use the word in such a way as “the odds of your finding a job at your age are metaphysical impossibility,” in the conversation with my friends?


title: Does the use of the word 'itself' defy logic?

text: In simple arithmetic the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are all binary. That means you need two numbers, one on each side of the operation, for an expression to be valid. For example in one plus three, the word plus is a binary operation acting on the two numbers one and three. Similarly in four times three, the word times, acting as a proxy for 'multiplied by' is again a binary operation acting on the two numbers four and three. You get the point. So what about one plus one? Can this ever be read as one added to itself? In the expression 1 + 1 it sure looks like there are two numbers. The 1 before the plus sign and the 1 after the plus sign. OK what about 2 x 3? Mathematicians and teachers initially teach this as repeated addition. Some say two times three is two added to itself three times. Yet the word 'itself' is a third person singular reflexive pronoun. Surely you cannot add a number to itself!!! Add one apple to itself. Multiplciation requires a multiplicand (number of obects) and a multiplier (the active factor). So 2 x 2 cannot be two multiplied by itself Multiply two apples by themselves! So my question is does the use of the reflexive pronoun 'itself' in binary arithmetic operations defy logic?


title: Can I say "Very welcome to talk to you"?

text: Scenario: A friend wants to talk with me about something that makes her sad, but she's busy at the moment and wants talk later. I want to express that I'll be pleased to listen to her. Can I say: "Very welcome to talk to you"? I guess it's wrong, but how I can express it correctly? Should I use the word "welcome"?


title: "this represents" vs "this is"

text: I want to explain to one of my students why this usage is so common in scientific or academic reports but not (as far as I can see) elsewhere: > This **represents** the best evidence to date of _[whatever]_. > > This **represents** the highest rainfall ever recorded in the region. In every case I can think of, this could be altered to: > This **is** the best evidence to date of _[whatever]_. > > This **is** the highest rainfall ever recorded in the region. On the other hand, no examples come to mind that are non-academic/non- scientific. > This **is** the best party ever. > > *This **represents** the best party ever. Is there a specific reason for this usage? My mind is skimming around the notion that it is because science is reluctant to make definitive statements, but I can't seem to form the entire thought.


title: Rule about order in modal + adverb + to be

text: I am currently reading a book, where I found the following sentences:               The X can be also applied to Y      Later in the book, I find               The X may alternatively be spread over two Y      My question is relative to the different ordering of modal verb + adverb + infinitive, as in "can be also" _vs._ "may alternatively be", and what is the exact rule.


title: What are some good sites for researching etymology?

text: I'm wondering about the origins of a particular word and, while my first thought was to ask the ELU community, I decided I should do the work myself. Where should I start looking? I'd love to see some suggestions.


title: How to use the phrase “if you will”?

text: Am I using the phrase _if you will_ correctly here? > To be honest, she wasn't much to look at, a plain Jane, **if you will.**


title: What does “you don't need a husband, you need a Greek chorus!” mean?

text: A female friend recently saw a video of pretty old movie, “The Last Station” (directed by Michael Hoffman), which illustrates the struggle of Leo Tolstoy (the Russian author) to balance fame and wealth with his commitment to a life devoid of material things. She said that in the movie, Tolstoy declares “ **You don't need a husband, you need a Greek chorus**!” to his wife, who growls back “I’m gonna be Anna Karenina by being buried under a tramcar. See how the papers will like that!” My friend asked me what “You need a Greek chorus” meant. I haven’t seen that movie, therefore I have no idea regarding the meaning of that line. Does “Greek chorus” have a specific, figurative meaning in this line, or does it simply mean that his wife was more interested in the notion of having a Greek chorus than on having a husband?


title: What are the names for geometric arrangements like 'quincunx'?

text: A **quincunx** is a geometric pattern consisting of five points arranged in a cross: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/nrsZ2.png) This seems like a very specific name derived from the Latin root for five ( _quin_ ). Are there other geometric arrangements with similar related names that were derived the same way, or is _quincunx_ unique?


title: What does "ingenuous" mean?

text: > As well as the standard oratorio repertory, she sang solo recitals, her > dazzling smile and enchantingly ingenuous personality creating an instant > bond with audiences. TELEGRAPH I am a little bit confused about the definition of ingenuous on OALD: > ingenuous: honest, innocent and willing to trust people What I am wondering about is _honest_ in that definition. In my understanding it does not match with _innocent_ and _willing to trust_. Another definition on Oxford Dictionaries is less ambivalent: > ingenuous: (of a person or action) innocent and unsuspecting: But in the context above _honest_ would make sense and, in any case, more than being naive. Moreover my favorite translation service provides some translation in meaning of being frankly so I suppose that _ingenuous_ has two meanings: naivety and frankness. What is the meaning of _ingenuous_ in the given context and what is the precise definition in general?


title: Repeat "on" in a list?

text: Consider the following sentences. My question is: which one is grammatically correct? (If neither is, what is the correct formulation?) >   * [the name of a chapter], in which he summarizes his past and current > research on primordial cosmology, large scale structure formation, evolution > of the star formation rate, cosmological simulations and his work on a > future space mission. >   * [the name of a chapter], in which he summarizes his past and current > research on primordial cosmology, **on** large scale structure formation, > **on the** evolution of the star formation rate, **on** cosmological > simulations and his work on a future space mission. > I am not a native English speaker.


title: Is there a term to describe the written format of a monetary quantity as symbol + numeral + unit?

text: I am trying to describe the desired formatting for numbers in a given document. For rounded monetary quantities over a million this would be dollar sign, arabic numeral, unit (e.g. 3,000,000 dollars would be written as `$3 million`). Is there a term that describes this format?


title: Can I say “on the credit side” in place of “on the positive side” or “on good part”?

text: I saw the phrase, “ _on the debit side_ ” and “ _on good part_ ” as a contrast in the following sentence of New York Time’s (December 17) article titled “Life Goes On, and ON,” that deals with the opportunities and problems of longevity society: > “Is this (extended longevity) a good thing or a bad thing? _On the debit > side_ , _there’s the ... debit_. The old-age safety net is already frayed. > According to some estimates, Social Security benefits will run out by 2037; > Medicare insurance is guaranteed only through 2024. These projected > shortfalls are in part the unintended consequence of the American health > fetish. --- > > So _what’s the good part_? Time spent with an elderly parent can offer an > opportunity for the resolution of “unfinished business,” a chance to indulge > in last-act candor. ... I hear a lot about late-in-life bonding between > parent and child." Obviously “on the debit side” is used in the sense of “on the negative side,” and “good part” for “on the positive side.” Can I use “credit side,” the antonym of “debit side” instead of “on the positive side / on the good part” in the above sentence? I mean, can I rephrase the last line as “So what’s the credit side? Time spent with an elderly parent can offer an opportunity...”? Or is the word, “credit side” only applicable to bookkeeping?


title: What is the meaning of "April smile?"

text: I was reading _Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm_ , and I came across the phrase "April smile." I was unable to find a meaning of this phrase using Google, so I thought I'd ask here. Here is a quote where the phrase is found: > "Give me some more examples of the subjunctive, Rebecca, and that will do > for this afternoon," she said. > > "If I had not loved mackerel I should not have been thirsty;" said Rebecca > with an **April smile** , as she closed her grammar. "If thou hadst loved me > truly thou wouldst not have stood me up in the corner. If Samuel had not > loved wickedness he would not have followed me to the water pail." — _from_ Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm _by Kate Douglas Wiggin, 1903 edition, pages 61-62._ What exactly does the author mean by "April smile" in this context? And how does it differ from a regular smile — eg. _said Rebecca with a smle, as she closed her grammar._ —?


title: "Named" vs "called"

text: Over on Stackoverflow, I keep seeing questions wherein posters say: *I have an item _named_ `SoAndSo` (a table, a file, etc.). Shouldn't it be: *I have an item _called_ `SoAndSo`. Is "named" an acceptable word in this context? Are those words specific to a particular English speakers, e.g. UK vs. USA vs. Australia, etc.?


title: What is a synonym for a casual hiatus?

text: An example for contextual purposes: "Smoking has become part of my routine, a [casual hiatus/break] to my day, if you will, rather than an addiction"


title: Is the use of "who" correct in this sentence?

text: > "The Turk is chess engine **who** can interact with user interfaces which > support Winboard protocol at the moment" I feel that _which_ can be used instead of _who_ but I'm not sure. If that's not correct what should I use instead of _who_?


title: "The applicability of the algorithm to uniform filter bank" or "to the uniform filter bank"?

text: I have this sentence: > We would like to prove the applicability of the algorithm to uniform filter > bank. I am not sure about _the_ before _uniform filter bank_. To give the context for the sentence, I would like to say here that the algorithm is applicable to any uniform filter bank.


title: What is the meaning of "ought not"?

text: Consider this example: > A few strong branches over water reach for what they ought not reach. Which of the meanings comes closest to “ought not” in this sentence?   Is it “doesn't have to”, “should not” or “must not”?


title: Term to represent "prejudice against ugly people" or "favouritism towards beautiful people"?

text: So, I have been noticing (disturbingly of late) that there is a lot of favouritism being shown towards beautiful people in all walks of life. One of the most visible of such fields is all forms of advertising where we rarely see ugly people being hired for promoting a product or a service unless of course, they are the target audience. Is there a term to denote such _prejudice against ugly people_ or _favouritism towards beautiful people_ much like "racism" has come to denote "prejudice directed against someone of a different race"? I have Googled a lot of phrases which can denote such a phenomenon, but haven't been able to find an appropriate term to represent it, much less know if it exists at all.


title: What is the meaning of this sentence?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What is the meaning of the sentence that “ Who do you love to be sick?” It was assumed that When I see that my sister is sick in love , I think it is because my sister fell in love with somebody. And I want to know who the man making my sister sick is. After finding him, I will tell him that "come home see my sister." So I want my sister to become healthy to see him. By this reason, I tell my sister that " Who do you love to be sick?" This is the context including this sentence that " Who do you love to be sick?" What does it mean by "Who do you love to be sick?" in this case? Does it mean "Who make you fall in love and you are sick because you love the person?"? Is there nothing wrong when we translate "to" in the sentence into "and" in meaning? give me the answer.


title: Outmoded word for "next Tuesday"

text: I am writing an email and wanted to refer to this coming Tuesday. The phrase "Tuesday est" popped into my mind (something Miss Marple might have said) but when I googled it I could find no reference. I have a feeling that 'est' isn't correct, but there is a word or I presume an abreviation that sounds like it that means next. Could you please tell me what it is? Aha! I have just had a brain wave, it isn't 'est', it's 'inst'. Is that right? What does it stand for?


Many times on this site have I heard something described as a 'peeve'. My sense is that this is American. Although the verb, usually in the passive - _he was peeved because he had been given the wrong change, and refused to visit the shop again -_ exists in Britain, I have seldom heard it used as a noun. The usual term in Britain I would have said was a 'gripe'. Is a 'peeve' the same thing as a 'gripe'? Nonetheless I think both expressions are over-the-top for the examples which sometimes appear here. I would tend to call most of them 'pet dislikes'. I think 'peeve' or 'gripe' places too strong a negative sense upon them. A normal healthy mind has likes and dislikes. Dislikes do not have to be justified. In most English-speaking lands people are free to state their preferences.


title: What is the meaning of "cooling relations"?

text: Sometimes relations between nations can be considered to be "cooling"? What does this mean? I can't tell if it means:   1. The relationship is getting better because it's "cooling-off" from "hot" threats. or   2. The relationship is getting worse because the nations are becoming cool towards each other, i.e. cool in the sense that they have "cold" hearts.


title: Does *tourist* have a derogatory connotation of *inexperienced* or any other meanings in the clip of Ice Age3?

text: As a major in tourism, I've already acknowledged that tourists' notoriety among the destination dwellers by taking pictures of anything,disregarding the unwritten rules ... Here I will not go on to discuss it. I noticed that the word _tourist_ is loaded with other connotative emotion after I watched _Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs_ , _Rio(2011)_ , and _The Tourist_ starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. Ice Age3 "00:40:12" Also in _Rio_ when Blue just arrived. "00:13:18" Now **just take the one in _Ice Age 3_ for example**, Buck sneers, "Tourists!" after rescuing Manny and Diego in the nick of time when they are trapped in a carnivorous flower with digestive fluids. I think, in this context, it means someone who is inexperienced, cf.a _newbie_ , - a frequently used slang word for someone who is new to a job or task, which is told by my American friend. Does _tourist_ have a derogatory connotation of _inexperienced_ or any other meanings in the clip of Ice Age3?


title: Are these kinds of sentences considered proper English?

text: Often, I come across expressions like 'I can't have no money', 'I don't want no help', 'Do you want them tomatoes', 'Be careful with them toes' when watching cartoons, movies and shows. Does anybody consider these to be proper English?


How to refer to the piece of furniture that bars use to store their drinks? The one that is behind the bartender.


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

text: > MySpace is fraught with users sending friend requests to people they don't > even know.


title: What's the difference between "deserve" and "need"?

text: In the movie _The Dark Knight_ , at the end, there is one memorable line "Not the hero we deserved but the hero we needed". So, what is the difference between "deserved" and "needed"?


title: Should it be "Happy Birthday!" or "Happy birthday!" when used as a two word sentence?

text: I've always simply written it "Happy birthday!" but my wife recently said that "Birthday" should be capitalized as well. What's grammatically correct?


title: Using "that" before a preposition

text: It's correct to say: > Here's a nice recording, which I think you will like listening to.   >  Here's a nice recording that I think you will like listening to. What about these? > Here's a nice recording, to which I think you will like listening.   >  Here's a nice recording to that I think you will like listening. The second sounds wrong. Why is it incorrect? What's the appropriate replacement?


title: What is the meaning of 'That about covers it'?

text: I am reading a book titled _Struts 2 in action_ , and there is this sentence: > That about covers it for aspects of OGNL that are commonly used in Struts 2. What I am confused by it is the structure of the sentence and the means of 'That about covers it'.


title: What is the technical name for quotes?

text: This should be an easy question to answer. In my program, I am building a structure which will hold the symbol which identifies a string literal. I want to give the element a meaningful name that will be clear to those coming after me. My problem is that I can't recall what is the correct technical term for the symbol which denotes a string literal and servers the "quotation" mark function. My mind keeps going to "delimiter", but I don't think that's correct since that specifies a separation in a list of items.


title: Is there a single word that could describe the phrase "makes it look easy"?

text: As an example, consider this sentence: When Roger Federer plays tennis, he just "makes it look so easy". A single word or maybe a smaller phrase that I could replace it with?


title: Why "tickety-boo"?

text: I heard myself saying something was "tickety-boo", meaning good, successful, or satisfactory. Does anyone know where this strange-sounding phrase originated?


title: What does "wicking" mean in "aircraft quality wicking"?

text: I read the following from an aircraft magazine where it describes a product: > XXX Product is Aircraft Quality Wicking!! The product is a polishing product that one can use to polish something smooth and shinny. How does the meaning of _wicking_ fit in this context? Having liquid moving from inside of an aircraft to outside doesn't sound like it.


title: What to call an object that inspires aspirations?

text: Take this building. I find it particularly inspires in me aspirations – aspirations of social prestige and material success. So I am then aspirational. Is there a word that describes the building, with its role of inspiring aspirations in people? "aspirational" almost feels like it fits, but its definition seems to limit it to the beings who aspire: > having or characterized by aspirations to achieve social prestige and > material success Is "aspirational" a valid word to describe that building? If not, what words might be appropriate in conveying "the inspiration of aspiration"?


title: English line breaking rules

text: In Czech typography, some prepositions are not allowed to be at the end of the line, so line break is not allowed between that preposition and the following word. Are there similar rules in English typography? Are there any situations where a line break is not allowed or discouraged? Note: I'm not worried about hyphenation, I expect that my typesetting program (LaTeX) will handle that for me.


title: What are the differences in meaning among 'aid', 'assist', 'help', and 'facilitate'?

text: **Intro** The words _aid_ , _assist_ , _help_ , and _facilitate_ are all closely related. What do you believe the differences among them might be? My best attempt to make the differences explicit follows. **My Attempt**   * _Aid_ , in modern English, is more appropriate for non-human help   * _Assist_ , would be help for something that someone could do themselves but because of the assistance is able to do that thing more efficiently, profitably, effectively, etc.   * _Help_ , is the most generic term and can refer to any sort of support.   * _Facilitate_ , is help that is necessary for a thing to be done or that improves the utility of that thing to such a degree that it would not be worth doing but for the facilitation. In as much as _facilitates_ is a word that refers to help that is necessary for a thing to be done, the word differs from 'enabling' in that the facilitating thing is not the only thing that could facilitate the thing in question. Whereas, the thing in question could not happen without the things that enable it to happen. E.g. _In the 17th century, lumberjacks enabled logging companies to fell trees and convert them to logs, while rivers facilitated the transport of the logs to their buyers._ Without the lumberjacks, the trees could not have been felled, but its conceivable they could have been transported without the river, albeit much less efficiently.  **Question** What do you think are the differences among _aid_ , _assist_ , _help_ , and _facilitate_?


title: What does it mean to "start from scratch"?

text: This question speaks to the "start from the beginning" meaning, but in yesterday's USA Today, there was a headline about Obama and Romney starting from scratch because they were even in a poll. Have you heard it mean to be at a tie?


title: Task, project, assignment, job. Which one is correct in my case?

text: I have a tiny table/bulletin board to display information for all members to remind them of their deadline task. They work for one large project, each is assigned to code for a specific thing. Which correct word should I use as the table's title? Project Deadline / Task Deadline / Assignment Deadline / Job Deadline? I don't know about how your company's team works on a project (member job dispatch). Because in my company it is done so, in case of one member who might keep pace with others or times when he can't code before deadline, it's problematic, right? How to solve this?


title: Is "We wish to confirm that this amount has been processed and enclosed is a cheque totalling $15,000.00" grammatically correct

text: I am creating a document that has the following sentence: > We wish to confirm that this amount has been processed and enclosed **is** a > cheque totalling $15,000.00. From my point of view, using the word _is_ seems grammatically incorrect. I'm thinking it should either be _in_ or _as_ ,but I am not 100% sure. Maybe the problem is that there is some punctuation missing? > We wish to confirm that this amount has been processed; enclosed **is** a > cheque totalling $15,000.00. Perhaps this sentence should be broken into two sentences? >   1. We wish to confirm that this amount has been processed. >   2. We have enclosed a cheque with an amount totalling $15,000.00 > What is the correct way to write this sentence?


title: Word, phrase or idiom for enforced charity?

text: Like when you must pay for a plastic carry bag for your shopping in a superstore but it all goes to charity. Little contrived inconveniences designed to extract money from you. There must be a specific term to capture this phenomenon of soft enforcement?