title: What is the radical difference between ‘this’ and ‘a’ when telling a story?

text: The following quotation is a line from Ron to Harry after the first stage of the Triwizard Tournament. (p359, Harry Potter 4, US edition) > “You were the best, you know, no competition. Cedric did **this** weird > thing where he Transfigured a rock on the ground … turned it into a dog … he > was trying to make the dragon go for the dog instead of him. Well, it was a > pretty cool bit of Transfiguration, and it sort of worked, because he did > get the egg, but he got burned as well – the dragon changed its mind halfway > through and decided it would rather have him than the Labrador; he only just > got away. And that Fleur girl tried **this** sort of charm, I think she was > trying to put it into a trance – well, that kind of worked too, it went all > sleepy, but then it snored, and **this** great jet of flame shot out, and > her skirt caught fire – she put it out with a bit of water out of her wand. > (The rest is omitted.) I consulted dictionaries. > ・(informal) used when you are telling a story or telling somebody about > something. > > eg) There was this strange man sitting next to me on the plane. > > eg) I’ve been getting these pains in my chest. It seems to me that I can use ‘this’ for a change whenever I’m bored with ‘a’. > ・(Informal) an emphatic form of a or the: used esp on relating a story > > eg) I saw this big brown bear I can’t understand what it emphasizes. What does ‘an emphatic form of a’ mean? I’ve seen this type of ‘this’ in some stories, but they are used only once in opening scenes, if I’m not mistaken. I tried to swallow ‘this’ by thinking it is needed for an opening scene which is very important in the story. But I can’t delude myself any more when seeing three ‘this’ in the above quotation. What kind of effect repeating ‘this’ have? Let me get it straight. I’d like to know   1. What makes you choose ‘this’ over ‘a’?   2. What kind of effect does repeating ‘this’ have as in the above citation?


title: "In recent years" vs "in the recent years"

text: Do we write _in the recent years_ or _in recent years_? For example, > **In the recent years** , the influence of blablabla on blablabla has grown > rapidly. > > **In recent years** , the influence of blablabla on blablabla has grown > rapidly. As far as I know, both are correct. But which one sounds more natural (more correct from a native speaker's point of view) or does it not matter?


title: Word cluster for jobs where people perform the functions of

text: What are the words for jobs where people perform the following functions : Classifying things, cataloguing things, annotating things, organizing things. I thought of things like : natural historian, taxonomist, but I am sure there are a whole lot more. To be more specific, the context is there is a galactic warehouse full of books and documents and journal articles, and other media resources, and these are going to be searched and annotated, so that the annotated parts can be used in reports. It's not really analysis, and it's not "research" since it has no specific topic in mind -- it's more cataloguing what the parts of interest are of these documents, (where "interest" is defined by what the document is in itself), putting them into categories, and recording a reference to these annotations in a big card system. The entries in that card system can then be used say in making other resources in future. With proper attribution back to the source. Kind of like a massive citation project -- so the people who go through and make all these citations / annotations, what would they be called? A cluster of terms is more useful than one because I am not just seeking "an answer" I am trying to think more deeply about what that role is exactly.


title: Volitional sentence vs. imperative sentence

text: What's the difference? Is a volitional sentence simply a weaker form of an imperative sentence?


title: "Thousands of thousands" vs. "Thousands upon thousands"

text: Is "thousands of thousands" grammatically correct? Why does it seem that "thousands upon thousands" sounds better, even though the former is closer to the logical truth? Is there any difference at all?


title: Is "Both I and you fight for ourselves" correct?

text: Suppose two persons from different countries are talking with each other. How can I combine the following two sentences > "I fight for myself. You fight for yourself." ... and make a single sentence without changing the meaning?   * (?) Both I and you fight for ourselves.   * (?) Both I and you fight for themselves.   * (?) Both I and you fight for oneself. Logically the first sentence seems to work, but on second thought I feel it looks like "you" are betraying his/her country and fighting for "my" country... Is this the case? Modifying a little bit using "each", "respectively" or something like that will help? If I give up using this structure, what is the best way to simply describe this idea?


title: Contemplate vs consider

text: After reading an article recently, I wondered when one should use _contemplate_ over _consider_. I searched for the issue on Google and found that: > In that context, they're essentially the same. > > Contemplating is more reflective, thinking about problems that aren't > solved, puzzling >over mysteries. > > Considering is more like analyzing known choices. > > You'd contemplate the mysteries of the universe, you'd consider what kind of > car to buy. (wordreference.com) Yet, the article I mentioned above, contains the following sentence: > As Iraq erupts in civil war and America again contemplates intervention, > that unfinished business should give new urgency to the question of how the > United States military controlled the media coverage of its long involvement > there and in Afghanistan. I would say that the possible intervention that is contemplated here **is** a known choice more than a mystery. **When should I use contemplate over consider?**


title: Expression for 'One who cares about one's social rank'

text: What is a word or expression for someone who cares about what social rank they're in. Someone who wants to have money, something similar to _ambitious_? _Vain_ is not the word I'm looking for.


title: Difference between "when" and "if" in a sentence

text: I was doing a grammar activity and filling in sentences when I came across the instruction: "fill in when or if.". I was wondering, since these two can be used in a lot of same sentences, what is the difference between sentences like this? > Chris might call while I'm out this evening. [If/When] he does, can you take > a message?


title: What does ‘Lower oneself for farewell swim’ mean? Is this a sport related jargon?

text: I saw the phrase “(Donnie) Welsh refrained from lowering himself for a farewell swim,” in New York Time’s sport article (June 3rd) titled “Ungainly Knicks Lose a Man of Elegance.” The article starts with the following line: > After avoiding the muddy pool of his boss, James L. Dolan, for the duration > of his time as the Knicks’ president, Walsh refrained from lowering himself > for a farewell swim. He took the same high road out of Madison Square Garden > that he rode in on. Though I guess the phrase “lower oneself for farewell swim” contrasts to the subsequent phrase, “take the high road,” I’m not sure of the exact meaning of this phrase. Does this (lowering himself for a farewell swim) mean putting oneself for humiliating position? Is this a popular idiom?


title: Is 'there' an adverb or a preposition? (Or something else entirely!?)

text: Most dictionaries seem to describe 'there' as an adverb. Oxford online dictionary definition Is this true? "Last year we went to Paris. We stayed there for three nights." In sentences like this 'there' is taking the place of a preposition and a noun - in this case 'in Paris'. So why is it referred to as an adverb? Is there a case for describing it as a preposition? It is a substitute for a prepositional phrase ('on the table'. 'in the room', 'to Paris', 'in Paris' etc), and like a preposition, and unlike an adverb, it may be modified by 'right' or 'straight'. "We flew straight there." "The book is right there - in front of you." Prepositional phrases So, is 'there' (and I suppose we could extend this to its interrogative: 'where') an adverb, a preposition or some other category of word?


title: How do you denote date and time in written English?

text: I always wonder how to denote date and time when I have to make an appointment. To make sure that I don't make typos, I always mention the weekday. What is the correct way to do so? ## Appointment at 2014-05-28, 14:00   1. Could we meet on Wednesday, the 28th of May at 2 o'clock p.m.?   2. Could we meet on 28th of May at 9 o'clock (it's a Wednesday)?   3. Could we meet at 2 o'clock p.m. on Wednesday the 28th of May?     * As far as I know it is very unusual to write 14:00. I think it's only used in military in English speaking countries. Is that correct?     * What is the best way to make an appointment? Are the four variants I've suggested correct?     * Do you write "a.m." or "a. m." (with a space)? According to wikipedia: > Some stylebooks suggest the use of a space between the number and the a.m. > or p.m. abbreviation.[citation needed] But the wikipedia article does not use spaces... I've looked it up in the "Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English". It's not written with spaces there. According to this dictionary you can also write `am` (without dots) in British English. ## Appointment on 2014-05-28, 09:45 I don't know how to write this without the `hh:mm a.m. / p.m.` or `h:mm a.m. / p.m.` style. Do you really write "quater before 10"? ## See also   * 12-hour clock


title: How did the word "copacetic" come into use?

text: I once heard the late John Ciardi (NPR's "A Word in Your Ear") try to explain that the 1920s idiom, "copacetic" (meaning completely satisfactory), entered into the African-American vocabulary in Harlem from the days when Jews and African Americans lived there together. He argued that _copacetic_ has the same meaning as the Israeli idiom "kol b'seder" which literally means "all is in order." The problem with that, said my Harlem-raised father-in-law, is that the Jews in Harlem spoke Yiddish and _kol b'seder_ was not used in Yiddish. The dictionary I've got is not helpful. Can someone come up with a better explanation?


title: "Slit one's wrists" vs. "cut one's wrists"

text: Which one is used more often? You can cut your leg, hand etc. but do you _slit_ or _cut_ your wrists? Is the correct word related to the method of action that causes wrists to bleed?


title: Is it better to say someone lived "at" or "on" a particular street?

text: When I was a lowly copyboy for a newspaper in the 1970s, I wrote obituaries. My desk editor came to me with a criticism. I had written that the deceased lived "on Nevada Blvd." She threw my copy down and stood on it. "This is 'on'," she said. Standing to the side of the paper she said, "this is 'at'." OK, I can take a hint, from then on I said people lived "at" a certain address. But is that really the rule, or was that just my editor's pet peeve?


title: Is introvert a derogatory term, or just neutral?

text: Is _introvert_ a derogatory term? Does it have the potential to offend someone, or is it okay to call someone who enjoys solitude an introvert?


title: infinitive/comma/sentence fragment question

text: > Cabs can drive people anywhere, but cannot be hailed at, or below Jon Street > and Frank Street. My question is should there be a comma after _anywhere_? Is _but_ a conjunction in this case? I am not sure, because "[cabs] cannot be hailed at, or below Jon Street and Frank Street," is giving me trouble. Is _be hailed_ a infinitive in which case the phrase two lines up is not a sentence because there is no verb?


title: How to express 'unneed' of something?

text: For example, method 1 of doing something (say A) requires something else (say B). And I invented method 2 to do A but without the prerequisite of B. I can say: > The disadvantage of method 1 is its requirement/need of B. Now I want to introduce my method by saying > the advantage of my method 2 is its (the phrase). What should I put in there to represent the meaning of "no requirement/need of B"? I don't choose to say "the advantage of my method 2 is that it doesn't require B" because I want to also introduce other advantages, like "the advantage of my method 2 is its speed, efficiency, and … ". What should I put here?


title: Is there a countable form for "literature"?

text: _Literature_ is an uncountable noun, so we can't say _one literature_ or _two literatures_. But is there a countable form, as there is for _information_? _One piece of information_ , for instance.


title: Meaning of "That's gonna leave one helluva scar"

text: What does > That's gonna leave one **helluva** scar mean? Does _helluva_ stand for _a hell off a_?


title: Is the usage of “night and day” as “completely different” very common?

text: There was the following line in December 2nd AP News, > “Chief White House trouble shooter for healthcare gov.web site says the web > site is **night and day** from where it was October 1st. Jeff Zients say > they carried out hundreds of software and hardware fixes. I first took “night and day” for “continually,” but later realized it meant the status of web site is compretely different (mproved) from October 1st stage after searching for the definition of “night and day” other than “all the time,” and found it in Online slang dictionary and urbandictionary: While all major dictionaries only provide ‘all the time” implication, both Slang Dictionary and Urbandictionary provide “completely different” implication as shown below: **Cambridge Dictionaries Online:** night and day (also day and night) all the time: [ex.] They've worked night and day to publicize their campaign. **Oxford Dictionary** : all the time; constantly: [ex.]She studied night and day **Merriam-Webster Dictionary** all the time: continually **Dictionary com.:** unceasingly; continually: [ex.] She worked night and day until the job was done. **The Online Slang Dictionary** : completely different. * ** _www._ *urbandictionary** A phrase used to describe a stark difference between two things. Similar to day and night, except it implies an improvement of the situation rather than a deterioration. So my question: Is the usage of ‘night and day” in the meaning of “completely different” popular, or still on the sideline? Because I don’t find it in any of Cambridge / Oxford / Merriam –Webster English Dictinoary.


title: "Lose not an hour" origin

text: The earliest use of the phrase I can find is Horatio Nelson, urging his commander, Sir Hyde Parker, to attack the combined fleets of Russia, Sweden, and Denmark, moored off Zealand. When Parker dithered over the two choices of approach, Nelson burst out "Let it be by the Sound, by the Belt, or any other way, but lose not an hour." His exclamation is famous, in its way, but was it original? The strange phrasing (even for 1800) suggest it was not.


title: Is "to collaborating" correct?

text: I am interested in this sentence: "I am used to collaborating with other people". I am not sure if this form is correct, maybe "I am used to collaborate with other people" is more correct?


title: How to understand this sentence

text: I found this sentence in a reading material from a GRE (Graduate Record Examination) test. And I found it incredibly difficult for my to understand. > A desire to throw over reality a light that never was might give way > abruptly to the desire on the part of what we might consider a novelist- > scientist to record exactly and concretely the structure and texture of a > flower. Any help is appreciated. It would be better if you could disassemble the sentence into parts. (e.g. main structure: A desire ... to the desire) Edit: It is from the paragraph below: (Don't blame me. It is one paragraph as it is.) > In Hardy‘s novels, various impulses were sacrificed to each other inevitably > and often. Inevitably, because Hardy did not care in the way that novelists > such as Line Flaubert or James cared, and therefore took paths of least > resistance. Thus, one impulse often surrendered to a fresher one and, > unfortunately, instead of exacting a compromise, simply disappeared. A > desire to throw over reality a light that never was might give way abruptly > to the desire on the part of what we might consider a novelist-scientist to > record exactly and concretely the structure and texture of a flower. In this > instance, the new impulse was at least an energetic one, and thus its > indulgence did not result in a relaxed style. But on other occasions Hardy > abandoned a perilous, risky, and highly energizing impulse in favor of what > was for him the fatally relaxing impulse to classify and schematize > abstractly. When a relaxing impulse was indulged, the style—that sure index > of an author‘s literary worth—was certain to become verbose.


title: "Relevant to" vs. "relevant for"

text: Is there a rule to decide which is better: _relevant to_ or _relevant for_? One is accusative and one dative but that doesn't really help me.


title: Real quick question

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Can “real” be used as an adverb to describe an adjective? Let me just ask you something real quick. Is my previous sentence wrong? Must the real part be "really"? Some context: I am asking, because "real quick" sounds cool as hell and I see more and more people using it.


title: Can "real" be used as an adverb to describe an adjective?

text: Is this correct? > That is a real cool answer. I learned that that was incorrect, since "real" is an **adjective which can describe a noun** , e.g. "real answer" but it is not an adverb which can describe an adjective, "real cool". Instead you would have to say: > That is a really cool answer. Since "really" is an adverb.


title: How to word two items together compared to a separate item?

text: Consider the following example: "there is a relationship between cats and dogs and bears". How can this be punctuated/worded so that it is clear that the comparison is between [cats and dogs] and [bears]?


title: Can two adjectives ending in -al be in a row?

text: I feel like : Technological Educational Institute is wrong, and that it should be Technological Education Institute. Please explain if I'm right/wrong, and why?


title: What is the difference between Coaching and Mentoring?

text: I know coaching is all about the client potential and not being directive or giving solutions, but how does it different than mentoring?


title: The meaning of "What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her"

text: Title - Feel It Artist - The Tamperer ft. Maya > You got it on the side   >  A little one night thing   >  I thought it over and this time I will forgive you   >  Well I'm not letting go   >  But don't forget I know   >  You made your bed and she was in it, no no no > > What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her?   >  What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her?   >  What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her?   >  What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her? > > Well I'm not blaming you   >  But she's still hanging around   >  And she's so crazy, tell ya now I just don't trust her   >  She thinks she's right on time   >  But I think she crossed the line   >  And I'm ready for the ride, I'm ready, yep, just biding time > > What she's gonna look like with a chimney on her?   >  What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her?   >  What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her?   > What is the meaning of _What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her_?


Which form of a verb should I normally use after "what you have done is"? Should it be present participle (option A), past participle (option B) or a base form (option C) : A. I wanted you to clean the whole bathroom, but what you have done is simply **washing** the sink. B. I wanted you to clean the whole bathroom, but what you have done is simply **washed** the sink. C. I wanted you to clean the whole bathroom, but what you have done is simply **wash** the sink.


title: "Does it make sense?" or "Do you understand me?"?

text: Suppose I tell something to my companion and I want to make sure he understands me. I thought I may simply ask "Do you understand me?". But recently I heard that in such cases I should ask "Does it make sense?" instead. Is this true? Which option is appropriate to use in business communication?


title: Word for people easily influenced by propaganda

text: What is the word that describes people who are easily influenced by propaganda or always do what all other people are seen to be doing without much thinking?


title: Name for title used before a name for phonetic or rhythmic reasons

text: Often, when people are announced or mentioned in the news, their name is prefixed by a title that gives rhythm and balance to the sound of their name. For example, we sometimes hear "Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi". I'm pretty sure his title is not "strongman", but this prefix gives rhythm and balance to his name. I have a vague recollection long ago of knowing the origin of this practice (Chaucer, I think) and a name for it. I've tried every way of searching for it, but I can't find it. Am I remembering wrong, or is there a word or phrase for this?


title: How should I pronounce 't' followed by 'the'?

text: This combination is really hard to me. This is an example: > Knowing what to check is **just the** start to process. Can anyone help?


title: What would be a word for describing a tendency to take the literal meaning of words above the accepted meaning?

text: For example someone accused of homophobia would answer that isn't correct as he is not afraid of homosexuals. The accepted meaning of homophobia is, of course, a much wider range of negative attitudes, least of them being actual fear. What would be the term for such a person?


title: A phrase for ignoring the disparity at a low level, while seeking commonality at a high level

text: I'm having a hard time describing the phrase I'm looking for, so I think the best way to ask the question is to simply present the problem. At work I've been tasked with merging the guidelines (the topic is technical, so for the sake of this question let's assume the topic is on "HR ethics") used by three major branches of an organization into a single guideline. Sounds like a great idea, right? The problem is that each office (one branch has several offices) has their own set of rules pertaining to HR ethics. So I'm now trying to make a "master" guideline in a system where everyone has their own rules anyway. Is there a phrase that would summarize this paradox? I think the phrase I'm thinking of would be (I think) the opposite of the one discussed here: Phrase for focusing on unimportant details


title: Aeroplane and airplane

text: How has it come to be that we British have the pleasure of saying aeroplane, whereas the US Americans (and possibly others) are only left with airplane?


title: "buy... clever" & "buy... miserable"

text: You can’t buy your kids clever. What’s more, if they’re merely above average, by sending them to some hideous Holland Park hothouse, you’re probably buying them miserable. As far as I know, _clever_ and _miserable_ are both adjectives, not nouns. So why were they used with _to buy_? Is this an idiomatic way of saying _You can't buy your kids intelligence_ and _you're probably buying them (moral) misery_? If so, what is the idiom used here? I'm not familiar with it.


title: Past Perfect Continuous/Past Perfect or?

text: Which tense should I use in the following example? Is it OK to use the Past Perfect Continuous if I want to explain to someone that _I had been working in some company for 10 years_ , without mentioning - _before I finally quit_ , or maybe I should use the Past Perfect - _I had worked in that company for 10 years_ … but also without mentioning - _before I moved to_ … ??? Thanks!


title: "Groom" in Marriage?

text: Groom for me as I know it means a man who tends to the horses, or and in the verb form, it is to take care of one's appearance. Then, why is it used to refer to the man of the marriage? Is there any etymological reasons?


title: What's the usual meaning of "monkey business"?

text: "Monkey business" seems to be a widely used idiom. I looked it up on Wiktionary and I found two main possible meanings, one stressing the silliness of an activity: > (US, slang) Wasting time, or effort, on some foolish project. / An activity > that is considered silly, or stupid, or time-wasting. the other one questioning its morality: > (idiomatic) An activity that may be considered illegal, questionable, or a > vice, but not felonious. The Free Dictionary seems to favor the latter meaning. Without any context that could help clarify the exact meaning, which of the two characterizations is usually understood?


title: What is the origin of "bite me"?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Meaning and usage of "bite me" Here’s the dilemma: What body part does the oft-used expression, “Bite me!” refer to? All the males (man on the street) I’ve surveyed, say the bum, the tushie, indeed, the derriere. Most women don't know and profess to never use this expression. I've had a few varied answers, but I’d say 85% so far agree that’s it’s the human posterior. Is there any relation or association with the Bard’s “I bite my thumb at you, Sir”?


title: Origin of "sleep like a baby"

text: I believe that many, or in fact, most of you have heard the phrase "sleep like a baby". But actually, where does the phrase originate from? Personally, I don't think using baby is a good reference as babies usually wake up crying at night or wake up and scream every 3 hours asking for milk. I would like to ask why is the reference for babies used instead of other, possibly better references like 'sleep like a patriarch', for instance?


title: American English without an accent

text: I have heard that in the Midwest region of the United States (Nebraska, etc.), people do not have an accent when speaking compared to people from the south or either coast. Is this true? Why? Please add sources to back up what you say.


title: Is the use of the dative of possession (from Latin) in English phrases proper?

text: I am an avid Latin III student studying in high school, and I often think about the effect that Latin has had on English, not just through etymology and morphology, but in semantics and pragmatics. In church today, I noticed again that the pastor says "The Word Of the Lord" and that the congregation replies "Thanks be to God" to this. "Thanks be to God" at first sounds very awkward until I actually thought about what the phrase might be trying to convey. I began to think about the Dative of Possession in Latin where "Nomen mihi est..." literally means "The name to/for me is..." and is used to show possession of the subject of the sentence by the dative. The way the phrase in question sounds is similar (with the dative and the copula); if it is styled so, it is "The Thanks is to/for God".   1. Is this what the phrase is trying to get across to the congregation, or is it some remnant from an older, more complicated English?    2. If so, is it really proper to use the Latin Dative of Possession like that?


title: Why do they say "love fifteen," in tennis?

text: Why do they say " **love** fifteen," in tennis?


title: Monosyllabic and polysyllabic

text: what exactly would monosyllabic words and polysyllabic words be? Google definition isn't helping to understand...


title: "I am going to have to", "I have to", and "I will have to"

text: What is the difference between these two:   * I am going to have to see you sometime.   * I have to see you sometime. When would you use the first one? On that note, how is . . .   * I will have to see you sometime. . . . any different from the two sentences previously mentioned?


title: What's the proper past tense of "to freeze": "freezed" or "frozen?

text: Which form should be used for the past tense "freezed" or "frozen" or are both acceptable?


title: Is the use of semicolon applicable anywhere in this sentence?

text: Here's the sentence - > On further statistical analysis, these benefits were found to be both short > term (0-30 days) and long term (31-360 days) and in both STEMI and UA/NSTEMI > patients, irrespective of whether PCI was done or not. I was tempted to write this sentence in the following way: > On further statistical analysis, these benefits were found to be both short > term (0-30 days) and long term (31-360 days), and in both STEMI and > UA/NSTEMI patients; irrespective of whether PCI was done or not. Any thoughts on what the right way is?


title: How to indicate that a word / acronym X will refer to Y in academic writing

text: How would I indicate, for example, that I am going to use "toms" to mean "tomatoes". Something like: > Tomatoes (toms) are red. This is false as some toms are green. I like toms.


title: What's the difference between "any way" and "any which way"?

text: Why should I use "any which way" (like in "any which way you can") instead of simply "any way"? I've been studying English as a foreign language for some time, and never came across this particular construct before.


title: Plural followed by singular - "have" or "has"?

text: I'm wondering which of the following is correct: > Guns are an invention that **have** had an enormous impact on African > history. or > Guns are an invention that **has** had an enormous impact on African > history. These sentences aren't actually being used in my report, but I decided to create them to save you from the grammatical horror of my actual run-on sentences. Anyway, I know "have" is used for plural subjects and "has" is used for singular subjects (wrong term, I'm sure), but I'm unsure as to whether the subject is the plural "guns" or the singular "invention." Microsoft Word is suggesting the latter sentence. Is that correct?


title: Ands and Commas

text: I'm trying to construct a relative clause that's deliberately crammed with a lot of info. This is to illustrate to someone the flexibility of relative clauses (versus adjectives). Here's my independent clause: _I met a girl..._ Now, I need to make a relative clause that starts with "who" and contains every one of the following details:   1. beautiful    2. smart    3. tall   4. has big, brown eyes    5. has long, black hair  Now my question is: how many _ands_ do I use? Also, at which points do I place the commas? This is what I came up with on my own: > I met a girl who is beautiful, smart and tall, and has big, brown eyes and > long, black hair. Should there be an " _and_ " before " _has_ "? In fact, are all my " _ands_ " and commas placed correctly? I would like to avoid making two separate sentences. * * * P.S. I hope this particular example doesn't sound sexist to anybody.


title: Can "alas" be used all by itself?

text: Often, you see something like > Alas, I couldn't afford it. But isn't it possible to use it all by itself? > I couldn't afford it. Alas! What about in combination with "however", as in > However, alas, I couldn't afford it. If these last two situations don't work, are there any alternatives to "alas" that would work instead?


title: What do you call a quote collector?

text: EDIT: As Chris Taylor made note of, there are multiple types of quotes. I mean quotes as in phrases written/spoken by someone (not insurance quotes, etc.). Is there a single word that describes someone who collects quotes? I've seen both _quotologist_ and _quotographer_ used, but I'm not sure if either of those is "acceptable" in any serious circle. Thoughts?


title: Origin of "how we/I roll"?

text: The phrase "that's how we roll" (along with variants) seems to have become increasingly popular in recent years. It appears to draw attention to one's behavior or policies, asserting -- sometimes ironically -- the correctness or importance of them, as in "that's how we do things around here." How old is this usage and where does it come from?


title: What is the equivalent word for "screening" when referring to recorded sound only?

text: In other words:                  theater : performance ::             film : screening ::       audio tape : ??      It doesn't happen very often, but in exceptional circumstances there exist audio recordings that are rare and important enough to present on their own. Is "presentation" the most appropriate word to use in this case, or is there one more specific to audio tape?


title: StackExchange's tag "synonyms" aren't. What should they be called?

text: StackExchange sites use tags to help users sort, search, group and filter the large volume of questions and answers. Sometimes there are cases where a tag has a common misspelling, or a meaning similar to another more common tag, or describes a (non-useful) subset of the things described by another tag. Because SE wants tags to be as useful as possible, and used as uniformly as possible, it provides a mechanism to automatically turn the less useful of a pair of tags into the more useful of that pair. StackExchange calls these tag pairs _tag synonyms_ and provides a user interface where high-rep users can propose new synonyms for a tag. Here's an example of the current user interface (from the Computer Science StackExchange). > ![StackExchange synonym suggestion UI](http://i.stack.imgur.com/HEqqF.png) Personally, I can't tell whether it has been proposed that _notation_ be used instead of _terminology_ or that _terminology_ be used instead of _notation_. And apparently no-one else can figure it out either, because this user interface is used wrong-way-around about as often as it is used as intended. Part of the problem is with the use of the term _synonym_. A _synonym_ is > a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or > phrase in the same language [Google]. That is, synonymity is an equivalence relation. In particular synonymity is symmetric. Given a pair of tags a and b, "a is a synonym for b" implies "b is a synonym for a." But that's not how StackExchange tag "synonyms" work. The system is supposed to either automatically convert b into a (always) or automatically convert b into a (always). That is, it's a hierarchy. What term(s) should StackExchange be using here? (Just for the record there is apparently another place, in the StackExchange moderator tools, where they use non-symmetric terminology, but it is still not clear which way the replacement is intended. See http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/142891/fixing-the-sucktastic-merge-ui- for-tags.)


title: Is this sentence flawed?

text: I keep trying to make this sentence sound better but I can't figure it out. It's part of an essay I wrote. "We are threatening ourselves by destroying the plants and animals that we have only recently become cognizant of and the great potential that they may hold in curing the illnesses that have threatened us for centuries."


title: "Has" or "Have" after "Who" in a sentence?

text: I'm confused about using "has" or "have" after "who". For example:   1. I am a doctor who **have** confusion in using has or Have.   2. I am a engineer who **has** 4 year experience, degree in engineering and is available. Will it vary depending on I or Who?


title: Should there be a comma after "if X"?

text: Consider the sentences: >   1. If you agree with that, could you suggest us some references? > >   2. If you agree with that could you suggest us some references? > > Which one is written correctly? Notice the use of "," in (1).


title: Am I using 'thus' correctly in this paragraph?

text: I'd like to confirm if the use of 'thus' is correct in the following passage. If it's not, please explain why, and what an alternative would be. > I believe the most important mission of a healthcare provider is to deliver > the most effective and safe medical services to patients. **Thus** it would > be the basic principle that all the strategies and activities of a > healthcare provider should be patient centered.


title: What is the etymology of "business end"?

text: What is the origin of the phrase "business end"?


title: A short noun equivalent to "non-applicability"

text: I'm looking for a shorter version of the noun "non-applicability" to complete the following triplet. **Truth** is to true as **Falsity** is to false as **X** is to na. What should **X** be? Non-applicability has the correct meaning, but I want to find a shorter but equivalent word. For background, I'm writing a programming library and I have subprograms with names corresponding to the names of the above triplet. However, programmers hate long names so I need to find a shorter version of the last subprogram name. Any suggestions would be appreciated.


title: What does "USA intellectualism: a mile wide, an inch deep" mean?

text: I read "USA intellectualism: a mile wide, an inch deep", what's the meaning?


title: Changing verb tense in a quote after ellipsis

text: I am using a block quote in my manuscript. The sentence starts off something like this: > Our approach provides a general procedure to deal with this problem by > using... The block quote is a bit long and I'd rather cut it down to: > Our approach [...] uses... but now I've changed the tense of _using_ to _uses_. Is this appropriate? Do I need to make this clear, as in _us[es]_? That looks really bad. What is the preferred way to deal with a change in verb tense created by the use of ellipsis?


title: Feminine version of "gentleman and a scholar"

text: Although I've often heard use of the phrase: > You are a gentleman and a scholar I have never heard a version appropriate for the fairer sex. I guess you could say a lady and a scholar?


title: "Have" vs. "Is" + Verb

text: The phrases _have expired_ and _is expired_ are in practice more or less identical. Formally, of course, they are different in that the former uses _expired_ as a verb with _have_ as its auxiliary, whereas the latter uses _expired_ as an adjective. Can anyone think of why one might be preferable to another in a written context such as an announcement that _The offer has/is expired_? Ngrams for _is expired,has expired_ seems to indicate "is expired" is more archaic, but is there another reason other than trendiness to prefer one to the other?


title: What is "petrololine"?

text: I received an email today, which seems to well and truly have done the rounds. It begins with the following: " _I don't know what you guys are paying for Petrololine_ ", and goes on to mention both Petrol and Petroline (both in title case), in a seemingly interchangeable manner. I have never heard of the word _petrololine_ , and cannot, for the life of me, find anything remotely close to a definition for it online. For the most part, Google just returns links to sites all over the place, in which the monologue (for want of a better word,) has been duplicated. In the course of my browsing, I have seen sites in which _petrololine_ and _petrol_ are listed in the same sentence, in such a way as to indicate that they are entirely separate substances. On the other hand, some sites seem to use _petrololine_ directly in place of _petrol_ , (such as in describing _petrololine_ engines as opposed to diesel ones). Does anyone know what petrololine is, if it bears any difference from run-of- the-mill petrol, and whether or not the word is in fact a trademarked term that _should_ be capitalised in writing?


title: "Can't" vs. "won't be able to"

text: Which of the following is grammatically correct? > Even if **___ __ ___** , I probably won't be able to **___ __ ___**. Could it be rephrased this way and still remain grammatically correct? > Even if **___ __ ___** , I probably can't **___ ____**. Is there a difference? How about this? > Even if I find the keys, I probably can't start the car.


title: Is there a single word which means "a person, and all of his ancestors", or "a person, and all of his descendants"?

text: There are a lot of words describing ancestral relationships between people, such as:               parent     grandparent     great-grandparent     any of the above can be described as an "ancestor".          child     grandchild     great-grandchild     any of the above can be described as a "descendant".      I am wondering if there are single words (nouns) which describe any of the following concepts:               A person and all of his/her ancestors     A person or any of his/her ancestors     A person and all of his/her descendants     A person or any of his/her descendants      Any ideas?


title: What is the origin of the expression "close, but no cigar"?

text: It's a bizarre expression that I've always taken to describe a situation in which one has very nearly achieved their objective. Where do the roots of this expression lie?


title: How to use "distinguish" in this sentence

text: I wrote a sentence as follows: > Being able to do X distinguishes me between a programmer who works with code > and a system engineer who is capable of designing a revolutionary system > like Google and Facebook. What I meant by the above sentence is "X makes a system engineer who is better than a programmer who does coding for a living". Does my sentence convey the intended meaning? Is this a correct use of the word "distinguish"? Feel free to suggest any other alternatives.


title: What is a polite way to decline an invitation to hang out with someone?

text: If someone asks me to do something with them and I don't want to do that activity, how can I tell them "I don't want to hang out with you tonight" and not hurt their feelings? Normally I say something like, "Not really". I once had a friend say "We are not interested" when we asked them to go to a baseball game. To me that seemed really abrupt and somewhat rude. What is the best way to say "I don't want to go"?


title: General noun for lingual/verbal/written representation of data?

text: I'm a software developer and I try to take naming variables, functions, classes etc. rather seriously. I'm looking for a single-word noun that describes the verbal display or representation of data. It will ultimately be written as a TimeSpanTo[Blank]Converter For example, if I input "23" and output "twenty-three", I've converted from an integer to a(n) _[Blank]_ More specifically I'll be using this with time data, so a times stamp of "02:30:00" would display as _"2 and a half hours"_ If what I'm looking for doesn't exist, would lexicon or literal be appropriate? Any other suggestions?


title: How do I pluralise a word that has a masculine and feminine singlar forms, for a mixed group?

text: This may be an ill-defined question since it arose from trying to pluralise a word that has come from French, I wanted to pluralise a pair flaneurs of different genders. Flaneur comes from the French `flâneur`, which has the French feminine form `flâneuse` and plural `flâneuses`. When pluralising in English, should I ignore gender, use one over the other or use the french pluralisation? Is there an English rule for mixed gender noun pluralisations?


title: Can I say it this way " People are benefited by social networking "

text: Is it correct to say > People are benefited by Social Networking when what I really want to say is that > People benefit from Social Networking


title: Do you feel that should is the past of shall?

text: This is a very deep question and I ask you to ponder at it for a while. We know from the grammar that some modal verbs are the past form of another:               PRESENT            PAST          will               would          shall              should      Question: If you had _never been taught_ this table, and someone asked you now about their relation to each other, would you feel that **should** is the past of **shall** and **would** is the past of **will**?


title: Is "predicable" a noun or an adjective?

text: Is it "the policy is a predicable" or "the policy is predicable"?


title: Is it correct to join two complete sentences with a comma without coordinating conjunction?

text: 1) If, for whatever reason, you don’t think the quoted price is legitimate, please kindly inform us of your target price. Our sales teams would be glad to work around your budget.   2) If, for whatever reason, you don’t think the quoted price is legitimate, please kindly inform us of your target price, our sales teams would be glad to work around your budget. Please kindly advise on the use of comma in the above two sentences. Any help appreciated.


title: What is the meaning of this complicated sentence?

text: So, the sentence is:               We are an exercise in cognitive dissonance.      The context is that of someone who holds two or more contradictory beliefs at the same time. My question is what does it mean to be "an exercise" in this sentence?


title: Does the phase "what's an honest man to do?" have a specific literary origin, or is it simply a common-usage rhetorical question?

text: I have seen the phrase used in this form or as a template for other rhetorical questions - e.g., "what's an honest economist to do?"; "what's an honest business owner to do?";"what's an honest Nigerian to do?" I cannot find any reference to its original use in literature, but was asked recently "who said that?" - and didn't have an answer.


title: Meaning of sentence with "vercingetorism"

text: This remark was made on an online forum. Preliminary online search was of not much help. > _(D)id you intend to deal with all this **vercingetorism**?_ This is certainly not a word from one of those obscure domains like psychology, medicine, etc., I hope. What does the above expression mean?


title: Opposite of Ground Up

text: Is there any opposite of "Ground up" phrase? Something like "Top-down : Bottom-up"


title: Usage of a comma before "and" in a fairly complex sentence

text: How would I punctuate the following sentence: > Furious, John strove to catch Jim by the shirt so that he might throw him > against the wall, but once more, Jim was too quick. Where I'm getting stuck is on whether or not I need a comma before the "but once more" part of the sentence. I have a similar issue on another sentence that is fairly complex: > When they broke apart, the old warrior bled from many wounds, and for the > first time in decades, there was something close to worry in his eyes. Here, my issue is whether I need a comma before "and for the first time in decades" or if I should leave it out.


title: Term shorter than "microblog" as generic equivalent of "tweet"

text: I _search_ rather than _Google_ and _vacuum_ rather than _Hoover_. Technically I _microblog_ rather than _tweet_ , but it just doesn't sound as snappy. Is there a short (single syllable?), established, generic term I can use in case I switch to identi.ca?


title: Yourself vs Yourselves

text: Which of the following is correct-   * Keep those smiles to yourself or   * Keep those smiles to yourselves When referring to more than one person


title: How does one use the Latin word "cum" in a sentence?

text: I'm talking about the Latin _cum_ , which I've seen used conjunctively, as in _A-cum-B_. What does it mean, and how do you use it?


title: What does "precipitate" mean?

text: In the poem “Sheltered Garden”, what does _precipitate_ mean on the last line of this stanza? > Every way ends, every road,   >  every foot-path leads at last   >  to the hill-crest --   >  then you retrace your steps,   >  or find the same slope on the other side,   >  precipitate. The annotations linked above suggests it refers to _precipitation_ , implying to go down the other slope. That sort of makes sense, but it isn't a meaning of _precipitate_ that I've heard before. Is there a better meaning behind the use of that word at the end of this stanza?


title: Is the phrase "man is mortal" grammatically correct?

text: Or, must it be "Every man is mortal"? How about "Tree is mortal"? In another sense, "A detailed description of a man", "A detailed description of man" or "A detailed description of Man"?


title: "Canary in coal mine" in a word

text: Is there a single word to describe the canary in the phrase "Canary in a coalmine"? The best I can come up with is sentinel, but I'm nearly positive there's a more precise option. **Edit:** To clarify I'm not looking for words that describe the canary but rather for a word the encapsulates the entire phrase. That is, I don't want to finish the phrase "the canary is a ...". I do want to finish the phrase "$PERSON was a ..." where the blank implies as many of the attributes of the proverbial canary as possible (e.g. going down the dangerous road first, warning those that follow, connotations of captivity, &c). I'm reluctant to use the phrase, or "canary" as it strikes me too colloquial/lighthearted for the work at hand. @senex suggestion of _bellwether_ and @bib suggestion of _tocsin_ are closest to what I'm looking for thusfar.


title: Why is a lieutenant general higher than a major general?

text: **Since in the military ranks, lieutenant is lower than a major. Why is it that in the rankings of generals......major general is lower than a lieutenant general?**


Is it Unions' Assassins' Guild or Union's Assassins' Guild? If my English serves me, I think both are right but have slightly different meanings. Can someone shed some light?


title: Antonym for “prestigious”

text: I am looking for a way to describe a business that has sacrificed traditional prestige for effectivity. I understand the most direct antonym is _unprestigious_, but I'm not sure this word conveys what I'm trying to express. I have considered the words “humble” and “modest” too, though in a business sense these words have different connotations attached to them, _e.g._ , small-scale, unassuming, unambitious, etc.


title: What is the difference between "Distribution Worker" and "Distributing Worker"?

text: I cannot differentiate when I should use a noun like "distribution" as an adjective to another noun, or when should I use an "-ing" participle as an adjective. Could you please clarify the differences in the meaning?


title: 'r' sound before 'th' sound

text: I'm learning British English. The _r_ is usually dropped, so I never noticed a little thing, most of the time when I use an _r_ before the _th_ sound, my tongue does a kind of a tap or something between _r_ and _th_. When I say _brother_ or _brethren,_ for example (just with voiced examples, but the unvoiced do the same.) I really don't know what it is called or if it is normal. My tongue does a tap down on my mouth. I really am worried about this, because when I use American accent, it will be almost impossible. Saying 'More than four thieves' will be like a great challenge. I'm sure I'm doing the _r_ and _th_ pretty well, because on _th_ I spent five months practicing and the _r_ exists on my dialect: southern region of Brazil.


title: Why isn't "innard" a word?

text: _Innards_ is defined as "the internal organs of an animal". Then shouldn't "innard" denote a single internal organ? Or is this a case where a singular noun looks like a plural?


title: Can "R&D" be used as a verb?

text: Is "We do R&D" or "We do hardware R&D", where "R&D" is used as a noun, more correct than "We R&D hardware", where "R&D" is used as a verb?


title: Does "he's" mean both "he is" and "he has"?

text: It is alright to use the same contraction, 'He's', to mean both 'He is' and 'He has'? Example, " He's angry.", "He's been angry.", He's a beautiful house."


title: A more effective way to say, "Sorry, I was wrong"

text: I need an expression for the following context: I had been insisting on an issue, (believing in good faith that I was right) but later realized I was just totally wrong. What is the most effective way to say that I was " _wrong_ " without using this word? I am not looking for what can be the best attitude but for the best way to excuse myself without admitting I was wrong and without putting the blame on someone else.


title: Is the term "breadwinner" still widely accepted?

text: In my country, the term **breadwinner** is widely used. However, several years ago, if I remember it correctly, some TV personality said that the term **breadwinner** is not anymore the usual term to call a person who primarily earns for the family. If this word is not widely accepted nowadays, what word would be rather used?


title: "I dig my auntie" — what does this mean

text: My baby has a t-shirt with "I dig my auntie" on it. What does this mean?


title: "along with the rest of us" at the end of a sentence

text: Considering this sentence: _They will have to adapt to it along with the rest of us._ ... I feel like I want to insert a comma before "along" for emphasis. However, I think it's formally incorrect, but would be fine informally. My reasoning is that _along with the rest of us_ is a dependent clause at the end of the sentence, and that doesn't require a comma. Am I correct, or have I twisted myself in knots over it all?


title: How to ask for a name of some thing?

text: My question was titled: > What is this function called? Originally (my) title was: > How is this function called? I still think that my version was correct; I always state such questions this way. Which one is really correct?


title: Opened vs open?

text: Is there are rule when to use _opened_ vs _open_? I always get confused even though I've been speaking English as the dominant language for more than half my life. E.g. >   * Is the door open(ed)? >   * Which file do you have open(ed) in your editor? >


title: Why is shippable spelled with 2 p's

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What is the correct spelling: wrapable, or wrappable? My mother "corrected" me and said "shouldn't shippable be spelled as shipable"? My gut feeling said two p's, but I couldn't think of a reason why. So I googled it and it is spelled with two p's, but I still don't know why. As far as I am concerned it could just as well be spelled with one 'p'.


title: It's not proper.. no such thing as "unseeming(ing)ly"?

text: I'll keep it simple, as I've learned - the hard way - that _schtick_ does NOT go over well, around here. So.... `unseemly |ˌənˈsēmlē| adj.` > (of behavior or actions) not proper or appropriate: an unseemly squabble. Yes, logically, I already know the answer to the following question... but _what good is this site?_ if one cannot use it to utter such a type of silly pondrance? (Uh oh, _"pondrance"_ isn't a real word, either… Maybe today is not my day to be asking English questions, lol… ) > **Is there not such a word as`"unseeming(ling|ing|in?)ly"` ?** ``   >  _Or something,_ of that sort? As with most of my "pondrances", lol… I'm sure this question will fan the fires of rage within most of you - and prove further what an obtuse and wholly-ruined boy I am… but I'm like that. Yes, you can't have me!


title: Are all fees becoming "nominal"?

text: I have noticed a trend that where in the past one would simply use the word "fee", now the phrase "nominal fee" is always used. As far as I understand, the word "nominal" literally means "in name only". So a "nominal fee" would be a fee so low that it is not really a fee at all, but is a fee "in name only". For example a swimming beach in my area has a website where they say "the beach is open to the public for a nominal fee of $8". In my estimation, $8 is not in any way low... if anything it is average and is probably more on the high side for swimming. It would have to be on the order of $1 or $2 to be considered "nominal" in my estimation. Is this a case of misuse of a term, where people think the word "nominal" always goes before the word "fee" and don't understand its meaning?


title: "Down the shore" versus "at the beach"

text: What is the difference between _down the shore_ and _at the beach_? Does the latter imply you are physically on the beach?


title: Will be going to get engaged

text: Is it okay to say: > He will be going to get engaged to his ex-girl friend. Is there a better of saying this?


title: “There is a window in the wall.”vs.“There is a window on the wall.”?

text: My question is which preposition should be use here. Besides, can I say “the wall with a window in it”? Or do you think “the wall with a window” is good enough?


title: Where should I put “this afternoon” here in this sentence?

text: Sentence1: If, this afternoon, it is as sunny as it is now, we will go out. Sentence2: If it is as sunny this afternoon as it is now, we will go out. My question is which sentence is better. Where will you place “this afternoon” here if you write the sentence?


title: Is it appropriate to use “would” here?

text: Suppose that my boss had a talk with me yesterday morning. He told me “You will have a meeting next week.” After a while, I called my wife and told her what the boss said. At the time, can I say to my wife that my boss told me I would have a meeting next week? I was wondering if the “would” can be used here. Do you think there are any other tenses to express the same meaning. For example, I told my wife I have a meeting next week, or I told my wife I will have a meeting next week. As for the three sentences above, which one is correct and which ones are incorrect? Please explain the reasons. Thank you very much.


title: Language Gibberish

text: Sometimes, in humor (or an attempt thereof), people will make up gibberish in a certain language in an attempt to poke fun at a language or its speakers. Made-up French, German, Italian, Chinese, most of us have heard this. My first question is, does anybody have any examples of non-English speakers making up "English" gibberish? English is my native language. I am very curious about the perception of how English sounds by non-English speakers. _Edit: I previously stated that I believed it was difficult for a speaker to create gibberish in their own language (or at least, I've never heard it). The link posted by Josh Jolly below proved that incorrect. So, more accurately, it seems there is a significant difference between mimicking a language one is fluent in vs. a language one does not know at all. The former has a bias towards constructs known to have significance (e.g. common word roots), while the latter has a bias towards perceived common sounds independent of their context._ I find this whole concept of gibberish incredibly fascinating. One has to perceive a language that they do not understand, make judgments (often grossly inaccurate) about its defining sounds and tone, then construct sounds that mimic that, but all this is done by a mind that is trained to perceive and construct sounds in their native language. A French speaker may fail to notice subtle sounds and inflections that are meaningful and significant to, say, a German speaker, and therefore a native French speaker and German speaker may end up producing completely different results when making up "Italian" sounding words. So, my second question is, is there anybody here who is fluent in other languages besides English that has any interesting anecdotes about the differences in gibberish among speakers of different languages? Does made up "French" sound significantly different in, say, Japanese than it does in English? A non-French-speaking Japanese speaker and English speaker may perceive and process French and produce "French" gibberish in entirely different ways. Examples, especially in comedy, would be appreciated. **Update:** As an example of this, consider the French gibberish spoken by British comedian Kenneth Williams (via Leon Conrad's answer below) vs. American comedian Louis C.K. (or American comedian Reggie Watts, a master of gibberish, at 0:40 in this video). As I mentioned in a comment below, while I have no concrete evidence, it seems to me that when imitating French, Americans tend to include more fricatives (particularly v, z, ʒ) while Britons tend to focus more on nasal vowels (the video examples support this). I wonder if this is somehow related to exposure to different intensities of sounds like 'r' (a difference that commonly comes up when British and Australian English speakers mock American or Canadian English)? I of course acknowledge that "humor" is subjective, and it is indeed true that prejudice and racial humor is a common source of this type of gibberish. That aside, I do find the process fascinating.


What is a single word for “already made path”? For example "to walk in a person's [already made path]"


title: Is the word "wotcher" British slang? What does it mean?

text: I was reading a Harry Potter book the other day and one of the characters greets Harry by saying "Wotcher, Harry". What is "Wotcher"?


title: Appropriate punctuation for removing letters in offensive words

text: Letters in offensive words are often removed to make words less offensive, like f----ed, or n-gger. (Though this isn't just for offensive words—see G-d). What is the best typographic punctuation for the dash? A standard -, or an en- dash (–), or an em-dash (or dashes) for multiple dashes (e.g. f——d)?


title: Is ‘on (in) a tear’ a popular idiom?

text: I was drawn to the phrase, ‘on a tear’ that I heard in audio in this week’s Barron’s magazine (June 6) reporting the good sales and profit performance of U.S. sneaker chain, Foot Locker: It says: > Foot Locker is proving that expansion isn’t everything. The sneaker chain’s > sales per square foot have been **on a tear** even as the company’s store > count shrinks. That‘s done wonders for Foot Locker’s profit margins and > stock price. As I’m unfamiliar with the idiom, ‘on a tear,’ I consulted English dictionaries in both print and online. None of Cambridge, Oxford, Merriam-Webster English dictionaries and Oxford American Dictionary carries ‘on a tear’ as an idiom. I suspected it could be “in a tier,” but it doesn’t add up in the context. However, I found ‘on a tear’ in Collins English Dictionary and urban dictionary. Collins defines ‘on a tear’ as; (slang) showing a sudden burst of energy. ex. Final domestic demand, then, was _in a tear_ now plug in foreign trade, an important matter for Canada. urban dictionary defines it as; on a streak or series, usually a winning streak. Will sometimes be used semi- sarcastically to define a losing streak. ex. The market went up 14% in the least four weeks. The market is _on a tear_! – And, Google Ngram shows that the usages of both ‘on a tear’ and ‘in a tear’ have been observed since early before 1840. The incidences of ‘on a tear’ is on rise from 0.000001 in 1970 to 0.0000025 after 2000 and onward, but incidences of 'in a tear' have been flattened out at the low level of 0.0000012 - 0.0000016 throughout the tracked period. Now here are my questions:   1. What is the plain and exact meaning of ‘on (in) a tear’ in the context of the above quote?   2. Is ‘on (in) a tear’ a popular idiom?   3. Why none of major English dictionaries such as CED, OED, OALED, MWED accommodates this phrase as an idiom in spite of a long presence of the phrase as shown in Google NGram? **Addendum:** The Barrons’ magazine seems to be fond of using "on a tear." It repeated this phrase again in its June 19 news-report (through AFN radio broadcast) reporting a marked improvement of U.S.'s largest closeout chain, Big Lots’ sales performance. It says; > (the chain’s) Sales growth in Canada is **on a tear**. Any signs of the > progress will likely allure investors back to Big Lots.


title: Meaning of "get your head out of your ass"

text: What's the meaning of _to get your head out of your ass_? > P1: Scientists turn blood cells into stem cells v. never gon die yall. > > P2: F-k population control. > > P1: Science can save us if we ever get our heads out of our asses.


title: Is Invasion of the Body Snatchers a misnomer?

text: In the phrase "invasion of Vietnam", Vietnam is being invaded. It seems whenever I see "invasion of (SOME COUNTRY NAME)" in any English text, the country in question is being invaded and is not the invader. That is why I am confused by the movie title. Is that a misnomer or is it that "invasion of X" can have two meanings?


title: Vowel is to diphthong as consonant is to?

text: While reading about diphthongs in a different question today, I noticed that while the word "diphthong" doesn't seem to contain any actual diphthongs, it does contain 3 sets of consonant groupings. When I was younger, I used to think consonant groupings actually were called diphthongs. I know now that I was mistaken, but I do wonder - **is there a single word that describes consonant groupings?** After doing some searching on Google, Wikipedia and this site, I'm unable to find a definitive answer besides "consonant cluster" or "consecutive consonant". Those terms may be the only accurate ones available, but I would be mildly disappointed.


title: Is the word "yearling" appropriate for a recurring event?

text: The Stack Overflow / Stack Exchange sites have all a "yearling" badge. > Active member for a year, earning at least 200 reputation.   >  This badge can be awarded multiple times. So each year, if the reputation has progressed at least from 200 points, you get a "yearling" badge. Yet Merriam-Webster defines yearling as **one that is a year old**.   Which makes sense on your first year participating to one of those sites. But does _yearling_ still apply for your second, third or more years of participation to come?   If not, what would be a better term for that kind of achievement?


title: Inconsecutive or nonconsecutive or ...?

text: I want to say that the data is not like 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159 but can be 154, 156, 157, 159. How do I negate the word "consecutive"? I was not able to find it in the dictionary. I have found both variants but the resource is not very reliable.


title: What does "sales play" mean?

text: I've seen the phrase "sales play" on IBM site (see link). What does it mean?


title: "They know not of what they speak."

text: Is this phrase wrong? Shouldn't it be, > they know _naught_ of what they speak?


title: What is the appropriate word for "following trail" or similar in English?

text: In this scenario, suppose someone gives me a _down vote_ , for whatever reason. After that someone else comes and sees the down vote and thinks _this should be down voted_. Another _down vote_. Another person comes and does the same. What do you call this phenomenon in English? I want to use it in an article. If it has an ironic tone, all the better. I want to use the word as in the following sentences.   * My question again got _word_ -ed (past participle).   * Everyone in this site loves _word_ -ing   * Oh, another _word_! **N.B.** : Please don't hesitate to up-vote or down-vote this question or even flag or close-vote it. This question has nothing to do about the question's status itself. I am just looking for a word. When I get it I'll accept the answer and up-vote it.


title: Australian regional shibboleths

text: I have been living in Australia for 7 years now, and still haven't been able to pin down the local regional accents. I can tell a "Town" from a "Country" accent, but I can't reliably tell which state a speaker comes from. The only shibboleth I am aware of is "The Melbourne Noy" which is how some but not all Melburnians pronounce the word "No". Also, think of Kath from "Kath and Kim" saying "Look at moi, look at moi!" Unfortunately, this pattern isn't restricted to Melbourne or even Victoria. So does anyone have any other tips for recognizing Australia's regional accents?


title: What section heading for a CV, regrouping things you do for the community?

text: In a university researcher's curriculum vitæ, it is typical to split items between categories such as _Education_ , _Research activity_ , _Publications_ , _Teaching_ , etc. I want to include as a separate categories the things that you do for the community, in my own group and at large (i.e., people from my research domain). This includes things like peer review of publications and funding proposals, organizing seminars and workshops, etc. _( **Edit** : it is part of my job, not volunteer work outside of the scope of my job.)_ The term I came up with for the name of that category was “Collective responsibilities”, but I am not satisfied at all with that. What name would you suggest in this context?


title: Meaning of seeming contradiction

text: This is a paragraph from Kent Beck's book on Test Driven Development: > Clean code that works – now. This is the seeming contradiction that lies > behind much of the pain of programming. Test-driven development replies to > this contradiction with a paradox – test the program before you write it. What is the _seeming contradiction_ in the first line of the above paragraph? If I take the meaning of _seeming_ as _apparent_ , I don't see the connection between _seeming_ and contradiction in the above paragraph. What is it that is apparently contradictory in that line?


title: Is "doesn't count for squat" an impolite phrase?

text: I recently used the phrase "doesn't count for squat" (meaning worthless) in a StackExchange comment, and then wondered if I was being impolite. I considered if "squat" was just a euphemism for "shit", then I probably should find another expression for polite company. (I wouldn't say to someone "it isn't worth jack" in polite company, for the same reason.) Related: Where did the phrase "diddly-squat" come from?


title: better and best as forms of adjective and adverb

text: Why do both 'good' and 'well' have the same suppletive comparative and superlative forms in English? What were the steps in that historic process? Were these two words borrowed with these forms or is it something that occurred in OE? Unfortunately I can't find a clear answer to this question. It is not clear either when exactly 'good' began to be used as an adverb and 'well' as an adjective.


title: What do we call one step in a resolution?

text: Lets say, I have taken a resolution. And there are 5 steps in the process of accomplishing the resolution. Is there a word for each of those steps? A word other than "baby-step", "target", "milestone"?   * Milestone sounds bigger than resolution itself.   * Baby-step doesn't have the same seriousness as resolution.   * Target sounds more like and end-point. But, we are looking at something that's somwhere in the path to the target.


title: Can we use a bare infinitive after the copula freely?

text: > But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked > door of his cupboard) was **jump** behind the big trash cans outside the > kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid- > jump. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) > > A great thing to do is **dance** the night away. (English Syntax and > Argumentation, Bas Aarts) As long as there is a to-infinitive in the subject just like the two examples, can we use a bare infinitive after the copular? (I want to know if there are some regulations in using bare infinitives: for example, the subject has to have ‘all, what, anything, etc’)


title: "I am going to attend" vs "I am attending"

text: Which of these two statements seems to be more appropriate? >   1. I am attending a meeting tomorrow. >   2. I am going to attend a meeting tomorrow. > I am quite not sure which one to use.


title: Is there a term for a word coined to fit the rhyme/rhythm in a poem?

text: As in "Hickory **Dickory** Dock; the Mouse ran up the Clock..." (Perhaps there is a separate term for a real word used nonsensically ( **Hickory** and **Dock** ). Is there a word for this sort of usage?)


title: What would the job title be for someone who organizes parties?

text: I'm currently searching for the right term for someone who   * Organizes or   * Promotes Parties, "Clubbings", Events or similar. I understand that there's a difference between someone who _promotes_ a party and someone who makes the organization, but maybe there's some common word as the vast majority of those people are one person companies.


title: Using the contraction of "are"

text: Are there limited number of words we can append a `'re` to? Are the following words correct:   * where're   * here're


title: Pronunciation of "twenty" in US English

text: I often hear how people from the United States pronounce "twenty" as "twonny" in movies, etc. Why? Is this an alternative pronunciation?


title: What do you call those areas in airports where people usually stand to see planes take off?

text: I'm referring to this: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/WqTKJ.jpg) ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/XyspJ.jpg) (I thought of pre-boarding platform or waiting area though I'm not very sure if I'm correct).


title: "help someone convince" vs "help someone to be convinced"?

text: * * * His study of revolutionary writings and the injustices he saw **helped him convince that** Mexico should be free from colonial rule. * * * Do you think that sentence is correct? If not, what do you think should be corrected?


title: "To Cut Stick" Origin

text: I am reading _Uncle Tom's Cabin_. When Eliza realizes she and her son will be split up by a business deal, she runs away with him during the night. In the ensuing commotion the next morning, a boy named Andy says to a man named Sam, > "Why, you don't know, I s'pose, that Lizy's _cut stick_ [emphasis added], > and clared out, with her young un?" In the source above the annotation to this quote cites "to cut stick" as meaning _to make off_ , a term that can mean _to depart in **haste**_. Further, other sources offer the following definition for "to cut stick": > to make off clandestinely or precipitately I have my suspicions of etymology, the most defensible being that "to cut stick" has to do with making some piece of a runaway's paraphernalia, such as a bindle or walking staff. But I have been unable to find any sources to corroborate or contradict this possibility. Do any formal sources shed light on how _to cut stick_ is related to running away secretly and quickly? **Edit** : After some more research, I think I may have come up with a more defensible suggestion. It may be that the idiom is similar to _cut class_, which has no physical imagery (i.e., the students are not literally cutting anything). A direct analogy with _cut class_ seems unlikely, given the definitions I've found of stick, since the use of _stick_ most likely to mean _location_ or _event_ is the pluralized form _sticks_ (definition 14) >   * **sticks** _Informal_ >     1. A remote area; backwoods: moved to the sticks. >     2. A city or town regarded as dull or unsophisticated. > But _stick_ can mean "a threatened penalty" by definition 12. It may be that the phrase _to cut stick_ implies running away from a punishment, hence the haste and secrecy. But this seems like a reach because none of the definitions I found of _to cut stick_ explicitly mention punishment.


title: How should an author cite a page and line number range that spans across multiple pages?

text: Authors are occasionally required to cite to a reference by page and line number. For example, many adjudicatory boards require briefs to cite to references by paragraph number, if possible, and otherwise by page and line number. The citation might read: “(Source at 5, lines 10–14)” However, what should it look like when the cited passage ends on a subsequent page? (Source at 5, line 20 through 6, line 2) ?? (Source at 5f., lines 20–2) ?? (Source at p. 5, l. 20–p. 6, l. 2) ?? These all look awful; there must be a better answer. Does your answer change if the page numbers and line number are similar? Page 20, line 20 through page 22, line 24? If you are able to cite to a style guide, that is preferred. I tend to favor Chicago Manual of Style ("CMoS"), although almost any commonly used style guide should work. I did not find the answer in CMoS.


Let's say I'm asking people about characteristics of their ideal workplace. > "Ideally, how old would the company you work for be?" > > "Ideally, how many people would also work at the company you work for?" Personally, this sounds rather awkward. I'd attribute it to the item in question being "the company you work for" as it ends with "for". Any clean- sounding, easily understandable alternatives here? I was thinking about "How old would your ideal company be?" or "How long would your ideal company have been in business?" but these don't really convey the fact that the person would actually be employed there.


title: "We are confirming your order within 24 hours." vs "We will ~ "

text: * * * Simply select from our online catalog and we are confirming your order within 24 hours. * * * Is this sentence wrong? I would get that as "We are monitoring your orders", but it seems that I can't use "confirm" for that meaning. Am I right?


title: One word/phrase describing hostel and mess management

text: I am currently involved in a project, where the system is required by an educational institute for **managing students' hostel fees, hostel stay and mess charges.** I am looking a _suitable title_ for the project. > I seek a word/phrase that reflects **students' stay in a hostel and its > management**   >  (or)   >  **management and/or disclosure of related information.**


title: Are the phrases "once for all" and "once and for all" equally acceptable?

text: > I don't want to see you again! It's over, once (and) for all. Are both forms acceptable? Is one of them old-fashioned?


title: Word for Hanging Water

text: Is there a word to describe a gathering lump of water hanging on a surface that has not yet produced a droplet? Imagine a small pool of water without the surface upon which it's resting.


title: "Whole day" or "all day"?

text: Which phrase is more correct when I want to tell a client that I'm on Skype 24hrs? > I'm there all day. > > I'm there whole day.


title: Difference between “bunch of” and “group of” with regard to people

text: What are the contexts for using _a bunch_ and _a group_ when describing a handful of people? Please take both spoken and written English into account. For example, when is it more appropriate to use "a bunch of people" vs. "a group of people"? And are "a bunch of people" or "a bunch of friends" appropriate in an essay? Under which circumstances would either be preferred over the other?


title: What is the Proverb or Quotation?

text: Is there a proverb or quote in English that has similarity with this one: > "If the big two ox fight then the rubble gets the brunt." This is a Maldivian idiom that explains how juniors get affected when elders quarrel or perhaps, when two ministers fight public gets the brunt etc.


title: Etymology of the "Chicago Seven" construction

text: There are many examples of a construction of the form "City + Number" used to refer to an incident involving a particular small group of people. It is often used when it is alleged that the people in question are the victims of some sort of injustice. Examples:   * Little Rock Nine: nine schoolchildren whose attempt to enroll in a segregated school in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 required the involvement of Army paratroopers.   * Chicago Seven: seven defendants charged with crimes (later acquitted) for their alleged involvement in the protests surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.   * Birmingham Six: Six men convicted of bombing pubs in Birmingham, England in 1975, whose convictions were later overturned. I am curious about the origins of this usage. What is the first known example? Was there a "prototype" case which later examples were consciously modeled upon?


title: "Prices vary state to state" vs. "prices vary from state to state"

text: >   * Prices vary state to state. >   * Prices vary from state to state. > Is either more appropriate or ungrammatical?


title: Replacing "to" and other prepositions

text: One of the requirements of my English final includes removing all prepositions from a previously written essay. I'm having trouble getting rid of prepositions like "to", "in", "of", and other common preposition that seem like a requirement in writing. Could someone point me in the right direction? Thanks.


title: Please explain "I Am America (And So Can You!)"

text: As a non-native speaker, I found Stephen Colbert’s book title _I Am America (And So Can You!)_ a little hard to dissect. Why so can you? Why isn’t it _So Are You_? What’s the full phrase that _And So Can You_ implies?


title: Plotable versus Plottable

text: On rare occasions, whether it be a Tuesday or not, when I write about plots, as in graphs, I see spell checker complaints where both alternatives are rejected. Is it plotable or plottable?


title: 2 words that describes a keeping an argument on track

text: I have an interest in philosophy, argument, and reason. The problem I'm having is I take on all kinds of opponents and so sometimes when I'm reasoning with people that aren't accustomed to how frustrating and pointless it can be to not have a contextual and topical consensus for the scope of the conversation, I'm forced to make many elaborate diversions from the argument scolding my opponent on the importance of staying on topic - etc. Its soooo frustrating. I'm kind of happy with the phrase "diverging from the topical/contexual scope" to try to bring the argument on track as quick as possible, but I have another even more frustrating issue in need of that perfect word/phrase :). I've been arguing with a psychologist lately and we have some interesting chats on the iPhone. I have trouble keeping her on topic so we can take something to it's logical conclusion, but I can sort of manage that. Its especially frustrating on the iPhone because you can only type so fast and so you must stay on topic and "play by the rules" as they say or its doubly frustrating. Every now and again she will take my frustration on her going off topic constantly as a reflection of "my inner angst and hurt emanating from my childhood". The more my frustration builds at what the hell that had to do with our arguments on the nature of consciousness, the more she pushes the point; "why do you have so much hurt, we need to get to the bottom of this" in a more and more condescending way. She sets up for herself a tautology that creates a false cause for any increasing frustration. If I can get her off my inner hurt, she brings it up again when she disagrees with a conclusion - "you're saying something illogical as a reflection of your inner conflict from your hurt". As you might be able to imagine it's an argument ending thing and I have to just say "look, I've got to go - talk later". I've even tried saying "yeah I'm hurt, but lets just finish this discussion first and talk about that next" simply to try to stop from talking about everything at once. Whats the word for this ploy that is inherently tautological and slightly ad hominem in nature and makes further discussion useless. A blanket statement? Another one I just thought of would be an ignorant person dismissing any argument a woman comes up with that disagrees with his being as a result of her being "on the time of the month". The frustration the woman would feel from being so cruelly disarmed would feed into the accusation nicely (tautological), much like the "your angry cause your hurt" ploy used by my opponent. Is there a tidy phrase or term for these tactics?


title: Does it make sense to say “We came to code”

text: My mother language is German and I am working as IT professional. I am about to write a small manifesto on some professional values for a group of people. Since writing source code is more or less the main activity of a programmer does it make sense to use “We came to code – and to build something valuable” as the title of the manifesto?


title: "Has the say on it"

text: I know the idiom _have the final say_ , but I wonder if we could use the same idiom without the word _final_ in it? For example: > He is the boss, he is the one _who has the say on it._ Could the above sentence pass muster with native speakers? Trawling through some google pages revealed a number of results, where the above expression was used with somewhat the same meaning. > Up to now, the government **has the say** on management issues and the > general lines of the commercial strategy are negotiated in four year > contractual plans. _\--Corporate Reorganisation in the European Transport > and Logistic Sector_


title: Is "heartfelt" reserved for sad moments, or can it be used for happy ones?

text: I'm writing an email about something nice (a newborn child), and was about to use the word "heartfelt". Just then, I noticed I may have heard the word almost exclusively in the context of a sad situation (condolence). Is there a good reason for my hesitation, or is "heartfelt" appropriate in either situation? If not, what's a better choice of a word? How about "heartily"?


title: Should not the tenses in the sentence be the same?

text: > In the third century BC, when Roman ambassadors were negotiating with the > Greek city of Tarentum, an ill-judged laugh put paid to any hope of peace. > Ancient writers disagree about the exact cause of the mirth…(Confronting The > Classics, by Mary Beard) The meaning of the second part of the sentence is unclear to me. The first part uses past progressive tense, whereas the second uses past, should not the tenses be the same?


title: An ambiguous usage: "Apologia for" vs. "apology of"

text: Suppose someone is using the word "apology" in the theological sense, i.e., a "defense". I'm inclined to use the word "apologia" because it immediately distinguishes it from the typical meaning of "apology", but I'm wondering if this is considered correct: "In Dr. Salien's apologia of Quebec French..." or is this better: "In Dr. Salien's apology for Quebec French..." You see the problem - Dr. Salien is _defending_ Quebec French, not saying that he is sorry for it.


title: Meaning of 'different and again different'

text: > Upon those who step into the same rivers, **different and again different** > waters flow. – Heraclitus


title: Referring to a gerund with a pronoun

text: Is it considered grammatical to refer to a gerund in the subject position with the pronoun "it"?   Example: > **Visiting** a dentist regularly is recommended as **it** can contribute to > overall health.


title: Word for a lighthouse enthusiast

text: I'm fairly certain I've heard/seen a word to describe someone who likes or studies lighthouses, similar to audiophile for someone who likes music. Does anyone know what it is?


title: To gain insight into or on?

text: Should I write: > To gain insight **on** this obstacle, she will begin to analyse . . . or > To gain insight **into** this obstacle, she will begin to analyse . . . Google shows (much) more results for "into" than for "on".


title: Is there a word for some kind of incorrect empathy?

text: Is there a word or phrase that means thinking or claiming you're in the same situation as someone when you're actually not? For example, if two people seem to be suffering in the same way, but then it turns out one of them has a means of getting out of the situation that isn't available to the other and they simply choose not to use it. The person without the option might turn around and say they're not really in the same situation, contrary to the other's belief/claim. The more fortunate person isn't necessarily pretending they understand or trying to trick the less fortunate one, they're just seemingly-ignorant of how they're actually better off. Insensitive, perhaps.


title: Parallelism with "in order to"

text: Which of the following is grammatically correct, or are they both gramatically correct?   * We use this product in order to increase work efficiency and to streamline testing.   * We use this product in order to increase work efficiency and streamline testing. I tried expanding the sentences, but I'm not sure if my expansions are correct either: \- We use this product in order (to increase work efficiency) and (in order to streamline testing). \- We use this product in order to (increase work efficiency) and (streamline testing). Help is greatly appreciated!


title: "Ride a bicycle" or "ride on bicycle"?

text: Which is correct, "ride on a bicycle" or "ride a bicycle"?


title: use of "also" vs. "and also"

text: In the following, which is better to write between two sentences: " _. Also_ " or " _, and also_ " : > _Another drawback in the convenient setting is that operational vector > fields do not have integral curves. **Also** , for kinematic vector fields > integral curves do not need to exist locally, and if they exist they may not > be unique for a given initial value._ Are there any grammatical errors?


title: X "has that" instead of X "can do that"

text: I've been encountering this more often lately. Two examples:   1. After witnessing an impressive athletic display (a spinning reverse dunk), the announcer says "Ohh I didn't know he **had** that."   2. Two radio DJs talking about how they're from the Bronx so they will always love Jennifer Lopez, even though she's sell-out: "Even when she said the N-word in that one song... she **gets** that."  Both struck me as unexpected and delightful. And more interesting than what I would have said ("I didn't know he could do that", and "she's allowed to do that"). My question is, has anyone encountered this before? What is the origin for this kind of construction? Is it standard in any other languages?


title: Word for inexplicable physical discomfort?

text: A while ago I saw a photo of a lotus seed that scarred me for life. Now whenever I see the picture of a lotus seed or something that even has a similar pattern I feel uneasy, shudder and get goose bumps. Sometimes the sound of nails on a chalkboard elicits a similar response. Is there a single word that describes this particular sensation of physical discomfort?


title: Is there a word or phrase for giving something to a highly respected person?

text: I am looking for a better word choice for **give** when we give something to a highly respected person (or an entity, such as an organization, a government, or a country). The basic sense of the word **give** is usually sufficient to describe the act of giving something to someone. However, in most Asian cultures, we usually use different words for giving something to a person with equal or lower social status (in this case _give_ is quite perfect), from giving something to a person who has higher social status, especially when that person is highly respectable in the society. (A venerable person might be an appropriate term here.) This "something" could be abstract, such as _respect_ , _loyalty_ , _an honorable title_ , or concrete, such as _money_ , _a souvenir_ , _a celebration_ , _a tribute_ , and so on. Some words I found in dictionaries are _offer_ , _dedicate_ , and _consecrate_ are close, but not quite. Is there a word, or a short phrase, for this verb in English?


title: Usage of the article 'a' before bait in this particular instance

text: Is it acceptable to use the article 'a' before 'bait' in this sentence? Is there a difference in meaning here when you use 'a' or drop it? "You would not have sent it to me for no reason. It was a bait to lure me in, and I took it in spite of knowing it to be one." -Edit-  To give a little background information for this sentence, the speaker is talking about a short story that was sent to him along with a solicitation for a report on a particular topic. He says that at first he was not sure if he would accede to the request but the short story got his attention. So the short story is the bait here. Would it then be grammatically incorrect to say, "It was a bait"? -Edit-  Am to new to using Google Ngram Viewer as a source of reference, so not sure if I am doing this right. But a search there for "was **a** bait" and "was bait" gives the following results: http://goo.gl/OuuH4


title: Word for seeing both sides of an argument

text: This feeling can often be paralyzing in that you see valid points on either side; makes you not able to choose a side. _Seeing_ can also be _understanding_ , _supporting_ , _taking active part in_. I'm looking for words that don't imply a "Janus"/traitor tone or the ambivalence tone, but the (property of the) process that _precedes_ the paralyzing feeling and whose property is more reminiscent of walking a mile in another man's shoes. Tag says single-word but multi-word adjectives can be okay. I usually shy away from just adding -y to make adjectives. Sorry for the vague wording, I'll happily take suggestions on how to word this better. Thanks! :) Usage: "And above all, I hope ___ _ will become the preferred method to prepare for debate, to: ..." It's a two-sided process of analysis involving attacks and reconciliations of attacks. I was hoping for an established academic term for this, but perhaps none exist. I will embrace an inventive new word for this! This is a paper for peer review, so the meaning should be apparent to academics.


title: Word for 'Bingo' without gambling assocations

text: I'm building a web application for a client, however the gambling associations with the word 'Bingo' are something we would like to avoid. The game functions similar to traditional Bingo, with a grid of options that may or may not happen during the game. Ideally the word would start with a B for alliteration. Any ideas?


title: What is the antonym to ‘minimalist’?

text: There was the following sentence in New York Times (May 26) article titled, “No real hurry to tell the joke -Bob Newhart, Master of the one-sided conversation” > Bob Newhart has always been a gentle minimalist, which may be why he does > not get anywhere near the critical respect of fellow founding fathers of > modern stand-up, like Bill Cosby or Lenny Bruce. > http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/27/arts/television/bob-newhart-master-of-the- > one-sided-conversation.html?src=dayp Is there one word antonym to ‘minimalist’? If not, what is the shortest antonym to ‘minimalist’?


title: Some sentences in the beginning of movie "Forrest Gump"

text: In the beginning of movie "Forrest Gump", Gump said:               1. I wish I had shoes like that.      Why did Gump said "that"? Is it correct? And what about "I wish I had shoes like those?"               2. She said they was my magic shoes.      Why it's "they was" not "they were" nor "it was"? These questions have puzzled me for a couple of years. I had asked some friends who learnt English, but they didn't know either. They said: "Maybe Gump is not smart"


title: Difference between "unto" and "to"

text: What are the differences between "unto" and "to"? It seems that in many contexts where the word "unto" is used, "to" could be substituted and would be perfectly correct. It reminds me of flammable/inflammable, where "flammable" came into use because the "in" in "inflammable" caused people to think that it meant _not_ inflammable. Is this a similar situation?


title: What does "dorsal" mean?

text: I'm having trouble with the adjective "dorsal", as different authorities have seemingly conflicting opinions. Tortora and Derrickson write in _Principles of Anatomy and Physiology_ that the adjective for things pertaining to the upper surface of the foot is _dorsal_. They also claim: > **Posterior (dorsal)** : Nearer to or at the back of the body. [...] The > terms posterior and dorsal mean the same thing in humans Merriam-Webster writes: >   1. relating to or situated near or on the back especially of an animal or > of one of its parts >   2. situated out of or directed away from the axis > Wiktionary writes: >   1. (anatomy) With respect to, or concerning the side in which the backbone > is located, or the analogous side of an invertebrate. >   2. An anatomical term referring to the top surface of either foot and/or > hand. > What does the word mean?


title: Noun order: "He and we..." or "We and he..."? Similarly, "...him and us" or "...us and him"?

text: It's convention and polite to always list yourself last in a list. I say "John and I went to the store" and not "I and John went to the store." So does that mean that I should _always_ list myself last, even in the case when the pronoun that represents me is first person, plural (i.e. "us" or "we")? In my case, I'm writing a recommendation letter about my experience on a team with "John," who is the highlight of the letter. I hit a point where I was about to write something similar to: > John and we got a lot of experience working on the project. or > That project's experience really benefited John and us. Clearly, he is mentally separated from the others of us who were on the team, at least in this context, so I was just wondering if there were some grammatical conventions to govern this situation.


title: "then" vs "and then"

text: I was writing an email in Outlook and its grammar correction suggested I change this: > I need to do something, then I'll call you. to this: > I need to do something, and then I'll call you. Is the "and" needed there to be "correct"?


title: Does "exotic" have racist connotation?

text: Sometimes you hear people use "exotic" to refer to something foreign to them. It can be a place, music, food, clothes, or even a person. Some people argue that the word **exotic** has _racist connotation_ because of its past history so it should not be used in today's conversations. The question is does "exotic" still carry racist connotation or it has already put that behind and evolved into a non-racist word that can be used safely without labelling other people or cultures as inferior, non-native and distant? Also in case "exotic" is racist, what would be a good non-racist synonym?


title: Word for viewing angle

text: What is a word for _viewing angle_? For example, > The color of a birefringent surface varies with **angle you look at it > from**. It would be something like _attitude_ or _aspect_.


title: quoting and punctuating a quote within parentheses

text: How do I make sure to punctuate my quotes within parentheses correctly? For example: > Joe did not demonstrate insight into how he might alter his behavior to > improve his social interactions (e.g., “I don’t know what I did . . . they > just don’t play with me!”). Is the _e.g._ correct? What about the ellipsis? And is having the exclamation inside the quote and inside the parentheses all correct?