title: What does ‘Knicks have to go through another week of “jelling on the fly”’ mean?

text: I came across the phrase ‘jelling on the fly’ in today’s New York Times’ article titled, ‘The Knicks are racing to blend talent into a team.’ As I don’t understand the meaning of ‘jell on the fly,’ I checked several online dictionaries and found only one definition for ‘on the fly’ at whatis.techtarget.com that reads: > In relation to computer technology, "on the fly" describes activities that > develop or occur dynamically rather than as the result of something that is > statically predefined. I don’t think this definition applies to my case. Can somebody teach me the exact meaning of going through ‘jelling on the fly’? The original text containing the phrase reads: > Despite an abundance of talent, the reconfigured Knicks will have to get > through another week of jelling on the fly, especially on defense. But > D’Antoni had already offered a reality check: He said he did not expect the > Knicks to be cohesive until the N.B.A. playoffs begin next month. “It just > takes a while,” he said.


title: Sentence to Indicate Change (That is not a cliché)

text: I have a sentence that I need to replace; one that is somewhat cliché. What would be a good sentence (Or perhaps a phrase) that could indicate change in a somewhat stale/monotonous environment? Sentence: > Like a breath of fresh air.


title: "Book time off for some days"

text: I want to book some past days as time off via a time tracking system, and there is a reply message: > Cannot book time off **for** past days. (Meaning that I should have booked time off before leaving, not after leaving.) I wonder whether _for_ is used correctly here. I just see "book something for someone", "book something on some day", and have never seen "book something for some day" before.


title: Is it OK to add a question mark to show inflection?

text: When asking a question you generally have to raise your voice at the end of the sentence, is it okay to stuff a question mark in order to show inflection? A couple examples:   * 'That really happened?'   * 'I'm going to miss it again?'   * 'You did that?'   * etc...


title: "You went there?" in English

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Is it OK to add a question mark to show inflection? Can we say in a conversation "You went there", and by stressing the statement, mean "Did you go?" I know one normally asks, "Did you go?". But is the above form also a possibility?


title: Is there an English term for "L'esprit de l'escalier"?

text: _L'esprit de l'escalier_ or _l'esprit d'escalier_ (literally, _staircase wit_ ) is a French term that describes the predicament of thinking of the perfect comeback too late. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as follows: > Definition: > > A witty remark thought of too late, on the way home; the clever comment you > wish you had delivered > > Example: > > "When he bragged about sleeping like a baby, I should have added the bit > about waking up crying every two hours, but that's just esprit de > l'escalier. At the time I just nodded and said nothing." Is there an English term for that?


title: Is "solutioning" a correct word in a technical context?

text: I'm a translator from English into Italian language. While translating a British patent I found the following sentence: > The large heat treatment window seen in the ThermoCalc simulation also > suggests that it [the alloy in question] will respond with full solutioning > without incipient melting for the solutioning and HIP procedures associated > with most base alloys when it is used as filler alloy for welding. What do you think about "solutioning" as used here?


What is a gender-neutral alternative to the expression "man-days"? I thought of "work-days" but am wondering if there might be another term. The use would be, for instance, "This project requires staffing of 1000 man-days over a six- month period."


title: Is there a particular rule for conjugating verbs in cases of semi-ambiguous subject?

text: "A school of fish swims away" vs "A school of fish swim away." Enough said. What's the rule under such circumstances?


title: Pronunciation of council/counsellor

text: I have heard sometimes the [æ] vowel in either _concil_ [kaʊnsl/kounsəl] or _counsellor_ [kaʊnsələ(r)/kouns(ə)lər], as in this British pronunciation of _counsellor_. It sounds rather like _cat_ [kæt] than _cow_ [kau], but I'm not sure if it's really [æ]+[u]. Am I hearing wrong?


title: Are there any dictionaries that meet the criteria below?

text: Suppose I wanted to write a computer program that replaces a word with its definition. Some dictionaries, such as the Google dictionary, would not work for this task; for example, if one tries to define the word "this" on Google, it says: > used to identify a specific person or thing close at hand or being indicated > or experienced. If I wanted to modify the phrase: > I love this weather! ...by changing the word _this_ to its definition, I would get the inappropriate sentence: > I love used to identify a specific person or thing close at hand or being > indicated or experienced weather! Of course, thesauruses are out there; but I am specifically interested in something that gives a full definition for a word--not just a single synonym. So is there a more literal-minded dictionary out there--i.e., one where the definition could literally just be swapped in for the word? If not, and a thesaurus is my best bet, why not? An example of the kind of definition I _do_ like is: > **die** , (as in singular of dice) _noun_ : a small cube with each side > having a different number of spots on it, ranging from one to six, thrown > and used in gambling and other games involving chance. > > "I rolled the dice." -> "I rolled the small cube[s] with each side having a > different number of spots ranging from one to six, thrown and used in > gambling and other games involving chance." Thanks!


title: Can I use a plural last name as my company name?

text: So let’s assume my last name is Norton and I’m starting a publishing company. I want it to be “Nortons, Limited”. It is quite common to use plurals in company names — for example, _Waterstones, Halfords_. However, I did a bit of research and didn’t find any media or publishing company that uses a plural last name. Instead, it’s usually something like “Norton Media”, but I don't like that. Any help? Or should I stick with the “Nortons”?


title: Word for "willing to try new and unfamiliar things"

text: Example: > A: Hey, do you like to do bungee jumping? > > B: Um, OK. Haven't done it before, but let's try it. I'm not looking for adventurous or something similar. That word should also fit in less action-packed activities: > A: I've a new board game. Do you like to play? > > B: I don't know this game and, actually, I don't like these varieties of > games but I will do. Maybe it is funny. First I thought about _open-minded_ but I think this means more _willing to listen to people, think about their ideas, arguments, ... and accept them (not necessarily agree)_. What word describes a person who is willing to try activities he don't know or hasn't experienced before?


title: Who/What decides if a word is "proper" English?

text: I was taught since kindergarten that "ain't" isn't a proper English word. I was wondering, who determines which words are acceptable and which words are not? Do words ever go from "improper" to acceptable? What are some examples and what caused the change?


title: What did the English call alcohol before they had the word alcohol?

text: Presumably the English knew that there existed a compound common to fermented or distilled liquids that caused intoxication, but before they had the word alcohol, what did they call this chemical compound?


title: Meaning of "Schemas are changed infrequently, if at all"

text: As the question title implies, the following is a simple sentence written in plain English. >   * Schemas are changed infrequently, **if at all**. > Where _schema_ is a special term used in Database Management System - DBMS implying _the overall logical structure of a database_ or simply say _the overall design of a database_. A _database_ can be thought of as a collection of well-structured, well-organized and **interrelated** tables that may contain a huge collection of **related** information in the form of rows (or records - an older term) and columns (or fields - an older term) in each of the tables. The terms _row_ , _column_ and _table_ in DBMS are especially designated by the terms _entity_ , _attribute_ and _entity class_ or _entity set_ respectively. An _entity class_ in DBMS is also called _a relation_ in **very special** contexts (for example, normalization). The terms _record_ and _field_ were especially used before the advent of DBMSs. * * * The meaning of the main clause is obvious but I really don't get the meaning of the subordinate clause or if-clause. It appears that something is deliberately disguised in the _if-clause_ for some specific reasons. What does **_if at all_** mean in this sentence?


title: What is the difference in meaning and usage between "gather" and "collect"?

text: I was wondering what the actual difference between these two expressions is, since I recently read about "collecting mushrooms" but also about "gathering berries". Is there even any?


title: What is the ranking of these synonms in terms of a sense of importance?

text: As far as I can tell "imperative", "critical" and "utmost importance" are synonyms. Are any stronger than the others in terms of conveying a greater sense of urgency or importance? I fond the following definitions: imperative: of vital importance; crucial.   critical: having the potential to become disastrous; at a point of crisis. utmost: most extreme; greatest (all of these definitions were found from typing into Google.com "define:" followed by the word, I don't know how to link to them)


title: How to paraphrase “I feel cheated!”

text: What is another way to phrase the following: > I feel cheated!


title: Is "thankyou" acceptable as a single word?

text: I was doing a small piece of language translation in Google Translate, and it detected the use of "thankyou" in the text and asked "do you mean - thank you". Is the single word version - thankyou - an aberration?


title: Should I use 'cards' or 'a card'?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  "Are there any <plural noun>" vs. "is there any <singular noun>" My question is on whether you should use _nice cards_ or _a nice card_. All these sentences are written on the assumption that he sends one card to each of his friends at each event. (It is quite normal, isn’t it?) They say it should be _cards_ , with [1] and [2].   1. He always sends me nice cards.   2. He always sends me nice cards at Christmas.   3. He always sends each of his friends a nice card/ nice cards.   4. He always sends each of his friends a nice card at Christmas. Do the last two sentences still have to use _cards_?


title: How did "sinister", the Latin word for "left-handed", get its current meaning?

text: _Sinister_ is the Latin word for _left-handed_. What evolution of meaning turned _left-handed_ into _evil_ and _threatening_?


title: What does "The painfully obvious with Olive Penderghast...the fake school slut" mean?

text: Is there anyone can tell me in _Easy A_ why Brandon says Olive should teach a course of this name? I don't get the idea of the title. > Brandon: Are you saying that I should act straight so people will like me? > > Brandon: That's groundbreaking. You should teach a course at The Learning > Annex. It could be called " **The Painfully Obvious with Olive > Penderghast...the Fake School Slut.** " > > Olive: I was just suggesting that maybe these kids we call peers are onto > something. You know, like Marianne Bryant. Maybe that whole stuck-up, Jesus- > freak thing is an act. You know? It's nice of you if you can explain the whole situation of the dialogue. I hope someone who has watched this movie answer it.


title: Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

text: As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: > This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and **unperformant** code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? ## EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices.


title: What is a "Gutenberg mind"?

text: I came across this phrase in yet another novel-is-dead kind of article, where the author refers to literary critics as the "possessors of Gutenberg minds". I was wondering if anyone else has heard this phrase, and what it may mean? The author references Marshall McLuhan as its source, so it seems to come from that man's philosophy, which deals with the effects of mass media and communications in the 50's and 60's.


title: Comma in a series of words?

text: I am confused if I should use a comma in the following series? Note that there is no "and" in the series, and all the three adjectives, i.e., powerful, high- throughput and low-complexity are modifying the word "decoder". This requires a powerful high-throughput low-complexity soft-output decoder for LDPC codes. or This requires a powerful, high-throughput, low-complexity, soft-output decoder for LDPC codes.


title: Is this an objective complement or adjective phrase?

text: In ‘catch me off guard’, is the ‘off guard’ an objective complement or adjective phrase that modifies ‘me’? > My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off guard and force some magic > out of me -- he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly > drowned -- but nothing happened until I was eight.


title: What does “Sleep through the Second Coming” mean?

text: There is the following statement in Jeffery Archer’s fiction “Kane & Abel,” in which William Kane, one of the two heroes looks at his wife sleeping soundly on bed unaware of his big problem: > He put the phone down and looked across at the sleeping Kate, blissfully > unaware of his latest problem, how he wished he could manage that. A curtain > only had to flutter in the breeze and he would wake up. She would probably > **sleep through the Second Coming.** He scribbled a few lines of explanation > and put the note on her bed side table, then he dressed, packed, and set off > for New York. OALED defines ‘the Second Coming’ as a day in the future when Christians believe Jesus Christ will come back to earth. Wikipedia says > “The Second Coming” is a poem composed by Irish poet William Butler Yeats in > 1919 ... The poem uses Christian imagery regarding the Apocalypse and second > coming as allegory to describe the atmosphere in post-war Europe. Near the beginning of the second stanza of “The Second Coming” we find: > Surely some revelation is at hand;   >  Surely the Second Coming is at hand.   >  The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out   >  When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi   >  Troubles my sight: ... However, I’m not able to relate the above definitions of ‘the Second Coming’ to merely sleeping as used in the above lines of Archer’s. Does “Sleep through the Second Coming” simply mean to sleep soundly, or have specific meaning? Why has it to be ‘the Second Coming’?


title: Proper punctuation of "three to five page essay"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  How to write dashes in “a 2-4-room-apartment”? Which is the best way to write the quotation in the Question Title using numbers?   1. 3–5-page essay   2. 3 to 5-page essay   3. 3–5 page essay   4. 3 to 5 page essay   5. Other Are any of the above absolutely wrong?


title: Difference between "deny doing something" and "deny having done something"

text: What is the difference between "deny doing something" and "deny having done something"? The context is as follows: > While being questioned on the court, the man denied [taking/having taken] > the old lady's necklace. Which one is correct, or are both? Is there a difference in meaning?


title: Etymology of "settee"?

text: I was reading Cochrane's _Memoirs of a Fighting Captain_ when I came across this:- > However, at 3.00pm, as a large settee was running into the mole of Ciotat, > we discharged two shots at her, which went over and fell into the town. I was momentarily disconcerted by the notion of _a seat, for two or more people, with a back and usually with arms_ sailing around the Mediterranean, pursued by Cochrane's frigate, but I persisted and turned up _a vessel with a very long, sharp prow, carrying two or three masts with lateen sails_ , which makes rather more sense. This leads me to wonder why a _settee_ (the vessel) is so-called. Its name can't surely be connected with the item of furniture, can it?


title: When saying "nominations are in", what does "in" mean?

text: What does _in_ mean in the following sentence? > MTV Europe Music Awards nominations are in and Lady Gaga leads It feels like "announced", but does it refer to "in the news" or something? Where does it come from?


title: A word meaning collaborate

text: Looking for a short(ish) word approximating "collaborate." The word might also be a clever metaphor or symbol for the idea of collaborating / working as one.


title: Chambers of Commerce?

text: When referring to more than one chamber of commerce, would it be correct to say chambers of commerce?


title: differences between different noun forms of same adjective

text: What is exactly the difference between nouning an adjective different ways? Some only have one form, but others have both. Examples:   * hilarious: **hilarity** vs. **hilariousness**   * virtuous: **virtuosity** vs. **virtuousness**   * clandestine: **clandestinity** vs. **clandestineness** As an aside, what causes some to only have one form, like cheap --> **cheapness** , and what causes others to have two? And some have none, it seems. For example, accomplished --> * **accomplishedness**.


title: "archival" versus "archivable"/"archiveable"

text: What is the difference between archival and archivable? Archival appears to be an acceptable word among official sources, whereas archivable/archiveable does not appear to be a valid entry. Is the correct form of the word describing something's ability to be archived archival or archivable? Are the two redundant, or are the official online lexicon sources just not up to date or comprehensive enough?


title: "Can never" vs. "never"

text: Is there any difference between the meaning of "can never" and "never " in the following sentences: > 1) They can never have. And > 2)They never have.


title: "Was talking" vs. "Has been talking"

text: An online instructor was asked by a student at the end of their conversation: Which of the following is correct and why?   1. It was nice talking to you.   2. It has been nice talking to you. Is _talking_ a gerund here?


title: Words describing extent/ degree of 'jeopardy?'

text: I am writing a letter to describe the future of a country is in serious jeopardy, in the sense that all cultures, economies, rules of games and so on will be lost in a second. Which adjectives I can use with _jeopardy_? Are there any other words describing the extent/ degree of **jeopardy**?


title: What is an adjective to describe something that caused a problem?

text: I have an error message that describes the cause for a problem/crash in my application. What is an adjective I can use to refer to that error message? I would like to say something like this: > This is the [adjective] error: To mean this: > This is the error that caused the crash: Is there a good adjective that clearly indicates that the noun it is describing to is the cause of the problem the speaker/writer is referring to?


title: Adjectives used with intransitive verbs in lieu of adverbs

text: I certainly wouldn't argue that "I feel good" should be replaced with "I feel well," but I have forgotten what we used to call the adjective in this type of construction. Adjective predicate? Adjective nominative? Phrasal adjective?


title: Do I need to use "to" in sentences such as these?

text: > What I want is (to) go to the cinema. > > What you should do is (to) shut up and dance. I know that "to" is frequently omitted in such cases, but if you were to write a formal paper, would you include it or not? Thank you!


title: A word or expression that defines a senior guy trying to look younger

text: I am looking for a word or expression to define those mature guys, often over 60, who usually wear fashion items ( shoes, shirts, jackets), dye their hair, and do their best to keep fit. The overall result is sort of younger look which often clashes with the real age of this persons. I am not looking for a derogatory term but possibly a politically correct one.


title: Are there English equivalents to Japanese word, ‘有名税－Tax on the famous’?

text: When you are famous, you are always the target of gossip, curiosity, and ridicule. We call that “yu-umei-zei - 有名税” in Japanese, for which the literal translation is “tax (imposed) on being famous.” It sounds somewhat akin to the Japanese proverb, “the nail that pops up is always hammered down.” I posted a question about an English equivalent long before, but they are quite different in meaning. The former means acceptance of cost / disadvantages of being famous, the latter means an admonition not to be too conspicuous among peers. It’s also different from “noblesse oblige.” When a politician, famous actress, singer, football player, or whoever famous makes a gaffe which would be taken for granted if it was done by an average citizen, it is picked up in TVs and newspapers hyperbolically, and people make a fuss by attributing it to “yu-umei-zei - tax on the famous.” Are there English equivalents in a short word to “yu-umei-zei” which comes up as only three characters in Japanese?


title: What is the correct pronunciation of the word "solder"?

text: I have been listening to a podcast where the host pronounces the word _solder_ as "sodder" or "sod-der", even "saw-der". Same thing happened when the lecturer of one of my EE classes pronounced the word _solder_. As for me I pronounce the word _solder_ as "sole-der" with a distinct L and a longish O.


title: Difference between "garbage" and "trash"?

text: What's the difference between _garbage_ and _trash_? Is the difference significant?


title: Is there a word for numbers between 10 and 99?

text: I'd like to find such a word instead of saying "greater than 10 but less than 100".


title: Is saying "someone who is in trouble and who can’t be talked out of it" a quite natural expression?

text: I found the expression in a story about a 24-year-old pilot who landed his plane on a beach and who "'could not be talked out of it' when he was in trouble." It was in today’s _New York Times_ , in an article titled, “A Beach Landing? Well, He’d Seen It on TV.” To me "could not be talked out of it" sounds unfamiliar, though it may be quite natural to native speakers. Does this mean he simply did not respond to the air traffic controller out of the plane because of panic? Why is _talk_ used in passive form? Can I replace “can’t be talked out of it” with “can’t be contacted with“ or “can't be called up”? The sentence including this phrase goes as follows: > A 24-year-old pilot with an airsick passenger who landed his single-engine > Piper Warrior on Rockaway Beach in Queens on Monday night could not be > talked out of it, no matter how hard an air-traffic controller tried, > according to a recording. The pilot, Jason Maloney of Cornwall, N.Y., later > told the police that he had gotten the idea from a television program called > “Flying Wild Alaska” that depicted rough landings.


title: 'Irrealistic' or 'unrealistic'?

text: I basically learnt that words that start with a 'm' or 'p' get 'im' as a negative prefix, whilst words starting with 'r' get 'ir' in such a case (irreverent, irrelevant). However, I stumbled upon 'realistic'. I'm almost sure it is 'unrealistic'. A quick search on Google revealed 13 million hits for 'unrealistic'; 'irrealistic' on the contrary only results in 14.000 hits. Therefore, is 'unrealistic' an exception to this rule?


title: "Left the starting gate"

text: > "The problem, of course, is that no one can agree on how to measure quality. > This might be an intriguing question to untangle, if it weren’t for the fact > that the quality measurement field has long since **left the starting > gate**. Despite a lack of agreement on how best to measure quality, metrics > are being applied broadly, with concrete consequences for doctors, nurses, > hospitals and patients." Could someone explain to me what the author means when he says, "left the starting gate"?


title: How can I ask about a confirmation?

text: Two heroes are available. > Hero #1: Please, send me an URL to that site.   >  Here #2: Go to www.bla.bla. Is it true that you look for? Is the phrase "Is it true that you look for" correct? How can I say this differently?


title: Understanding independent clauses

text: My understanding is that semicolons are used to separate independent clauses of a sentence, and also to delimit a list wherein one or more members contain a comma. Regarding the first usage, my understanding is that an independent clause can stand on its own as a complete sentence. Something like "It's getting late; we should head home." I'm having a bit of trouble squaring that with this sentence from page 1 of `Eats, Shoots & Leaves` > By all means congratulate yourself that you are not a pedant or even a > stickler; that you are happily equipped to live in a world of plummeting > punctuation standards; but just don't bother to go any further. Being a mere computer nerd visiting here from Stackoverflow, I was hoping some of you English gurus could help me understand how "that you are happily equipped..." and "but just don't bother to go any further" can qualify as complete sentences. Both, and particularly the latter seem like fragments.


title: What would Prof. William Strunk Jr. say about writing saute vs. sauté today?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Diacriticals and non-English letters in anglicized loan words: keep 'em, > dump 'em, italicize the words, or what? I have no idea what I’m doing. Catch as catch can. “Saute” seems correct to me, but I was _clobbered_ by someone who insisted I was “just ignorant”. (I won’t argue that.) I assume purists will insist the accent pretty much always be used for foreign loan words. But... I’m writing in _English_. It just seems like it should be okay to incorporate “saute”, and the other words, as native English words pretty much as soon as you start using them and people know what you’re talking about. This seems to me less of an offense than, say, willfully “misspelling” tire vs. tyre. I prefer Strunk’s application of the serial comma for logical reasons, yet this goes against common accepted practice. So I don’t see all such things as black and white. I’m just curious if a case can be made for saute? [And I can stuff this thread up my friend’s rather beautiful upturned snoot!] Sure, at first glance it’s just “ignorant” (we are so petrified of _that_ ), but on the far side is it not better to accept simplicity if still clearly understood? I guess I will qualify this as an American usage question – specifically about the word saute. (I’d like to thank and excuse all jurors originating from the British Isles and France.) What does the Chicago Manual of Style say? What do _you_ say?


What is the relationship name of my wife's brother to me?


title: "Satire" versus "sarcasm"

text: I looked up the two words on wikitionary & got this: satire: > A literary technique of writing or art which principally ridicules its > subject often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. Humour > is often used to aid this. sarcasm: > A form of humor that is marked by bitter mockery, often using irony, and > sometimes conveyed in speech with vocal over-emphasis. With irony, it is > insincerely saying something positive which is obviously the opposite of > one's intended, cruel meaning. On the other hand it may be a direct taunt > where the jibe means exactly what it says. At first glance, they seem equivalent to me. Is there a clear distinction about when to use one & when to use the other?


title: Are you exercising tonight or Do you have an exercise?

text: I have a US Army friend and he had a military exercise a few months ago. I texted him > Are you exercising tonight? during exercise period. I learnt that present continuous can be used for future tense. for example > We are having a party at my house on Halloween This is why I used present continuous in the sentence. However, I read a grammar book again and it said I should use present tense when plans are fixed like a timetable. I guess a military exercise is a fixed plan. Should I have texted him > Do you have an exercise tonight? using present tense instead of present continuous? > Are you having an exercise tonight? also wrong in that situation?


title: "Nowadays" vs "today"

text: I'm taking an English academic writing course. My teacher recommended using _today_ as it is more accepted compared to _nowadays_. I asked her if this is accepted in American English (she's from US) or in general. She said _in general_. Then I asked her why it was recommended. Her reasoning was: > When you publish an article your audience will be the whole world and not > everyone in this world is a native English speaker, so it is recommended to > use _simple English_. Is replacing _nowadays_ by _today_ really recommended? I'm looking for a source that can prove or disprove the above statement. I am a non-native English speaker myself, trying to learn English from different sources.


title: Name for type of adjective such as "porcine"

text: Is there a specific name for adjectives such as **porcine** that are special forms of words meaning "relating to" some other thing? They are often:   * based on classical words and end in 'al' and 'ine'   * can exist separately and mean differently than tyical English endings used to create adjectives (such as 'y' or 'ly', or 'ish')    * more literal and restrictive than English endings when both exist For example:   * **floral** means "relating to flowers", even though **flowery** is a valid and more English word. But floral means more strictly and literally "relating to flowers" while flowery is often used in a figurative sense, such as "flowery language".   * **porcine** means literally "relating to pigs", while **piggish** and **porky** are more English words but almost never meant literally.    * **piscine** means literally "relating to fish", while **fishy** is the obvious English word that has both literal ("salmon is less fishy than cod") and figurative ("a fishy situation") meanings. Their origin in English probably comes from scientific use, where literal and specific meanings are important, and classical sources are almost always used to create new terms. Still, is there a name for this? For bonus points, are there any examples that are not clasically derived words?


title: Is there a season's greeting for Halloween?

text: There is "Season's greetings" or "Merry Christmas" for Christmas. But is there something for Halloween? "Happy Halloween" just does not sound right to me because of the contrast between "happy" and the "pseudo-horrifying" nature of Halloween. And neither does wishing a "horrifying Halloween" seem appropriate. (I'm neither a native speaker nor located in a country with English as common speech.)


title: "ng" in "wrong of me" pronounced [ŋɡ]

text: "ng" is pronounced normally [ŋ], but for some people it becomes [ng] when followed by a vowel. What's the phonological rule about this? Is it a common feature of all dialects of English?


title: Is there a word that encompasses the concepts of cursor, caret, and selection?

text: In the context of computer software -- you can have a "cursor" for a position between two characters of text, or a "selection" for a region of text. Is there a word that means "cursor or selection"? Sort of like a "brother or sister" is a "sibling."


title: "I give it to him who came first" vs. "to he who came first"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Which is grammatically correct: "Let he who…" or "Let him who…" Should the pronoun be "him" because it's the object ( _gave it to him_ ), or should it be "he" because it is subject of the subordinate clause "he who came closest." Also, what is "who came first" described as, grammatically? I should know, but I don't, and it bugs me.


title: How to describe the smell of fish

text: Some fish such as blue fish have a kind of strong smell. What words (noun, adjective, etc) can describe specifically this kind of fish smell? _Stench_ seems to mean any smell that is unpleasant.


title: Is 'rest' singular or plural?

text: When 'rest' means what is left after everything or everyone has gone, been used, dealt with, or mentioned, is it singular or plural? My guess is, this depends. When 'rest' refers to countable things and the number is more than one, it is plural; otherwise it is singular. For example, suppose there are five boxes. You carry two; then there are three left. We can say 'the rest ARE three.' suppose there is one bottle of salt. You sprinkle some; then there is less salt. We can say 'the rest IS less than one bottle.' Is my description correct?


title: Is a question beginning with "How to" grammatically correct?

text: > How to fix my computer? > > How to save money? Are these grammatically correct questions?


title: does 'A' in 'Easy A' (movie) mean "ei"?

text: English is not my first language. I have just watched the movie _Easy A_. I understood its content a little bit but I don't understand what the title means. I often hear many Native English speakers put the sound " _ei_ " after an adjective when they express the degree of an attribute of a certain thing, something like,   * ' _it's easy ei_ ',    * ' _hard ei_ ',    * ' _cool ei_ ',    * ' _she's good ei_ ',    * ' _he's bad ei_ ' …,   especially in Australia. Does 'A' in _Easy A_ mean " _ei_ "?


title: What is a wallop of money?

text: What does _wallop of money_ mean in the following: > That is one hell of a wallop of money It is from a BBC film about Warren Buffet.


title: Plural nouns in nominal compounds

text: I wonder whether there are rules or guidelines regarding plural nouns in nominal compounds. For example a compound _university students list_. If there are many lists and many universities is it grammatically correct to say _universities students lists_? Must all elements be in the plural form or can some be left in singular, even though the meaning is plural? I've seen an expression _universities student lists_ ; is it correct?


title: Why are not all grains called “grains”?

text: In most languages, the word used for a single caryopsis seed is a good equivalent of _grain_ — it is not only the translation for this kind of seeds, but also the translation for other meanings of the word, such as _a grain of sand_. In English, this is used for _grain of rice_ and other cereals, and even for botanical non-grains like amaranth. But then suddenly, other similar seeds are called by other words whose primary meaning is much less suited than that of _grain_. The examples I have in my head are _kernel of maize_ and _wheat berry_. Why this strange mixing of words? A grain is well aligned with maize and wheat not only in its meaning as a caryopsis seed, but also the other meanings like _grain of salt_ exhibit some similarity, as this is a single very small discrete dry piece of something encountered as a large mass, which has fluid- like dynamics as a whole (you can pour salt, and you can even have phase separation with two different sizes of grains). Many other languages follow this logic. A _kernel_ as I understand it is something which is at the middle of a thing, somehow giving it definition. If you want a look at it, you have to extract it from its outer layers. Also, there is definitely only one of it, just like a human has many bones, but only one skeleton. This is true to some extent for both “normal” plant kernels (like peach kernels) and the new meaning of an OS kernel. I think that the mathematical meanings of kernel follow this metaphor, like the kernel of a matrix. But maize — which should logically have grains — has kernels, which are unlike all the other objects I have heard being called kernels. A _berry_ is a word I like, too. While I am aware that botanically, the fruits we call berries belong to different categories of fruit, they have very similar culinary properties. They are always juicy, taste best when raw, combine a sweet and a sour taste, are small, not starchy at all, and make good jams. The color is also mostly somewhere between red and blue. But they don't have a shape in common — compare the classically heart-shaped strawberry, the round blueberry, and the agglomeration called a raspberry. And then we have wheat, which differs from true berries in all points I listed — and somebody calls its grains _wheat berries_. **Edit** : I was probably too mired in descriptions to state the question clearly. While there probably isn’t an all-encompassing reason for all existing cases (but if there is one, I’ll be glad to hear it), I’d like to hear the reasons for the two specific cases I listed, as in kernel of maize and wheat berry. Why was an exception made for exactly these two, and why was the specific word chosen for them?


title: Why is it called "slippery dick"?

text: No, no, it is not what you think! It is a poor fish called **slippery dick** : > The slippery dick, Halichoeres bivittatus, is a species of wrasse native to > shallow, tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean. ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/MKEcp.jpg) So how on the earth this fish is named " **slippery dick** " in English? What is the origin of this name? Note: I'm afraid that the answer would be the obvious metaphoric connection.


title: "two kinds of" or "two kind of"

text: In the sentence: > The two methods require two different kinds of prior information a colleague of mine suggests that it should be "kind of" instead. I was quite certain that the first form was correct, but reading various online sources on singular vs. plural use in relation to "kind of" has got me confused. Still, it seems to me that the examples where it is a bit ambiguous are those where the quantity is implied by how you interpret the sentence. In the current case, I still lean towards "two kinds" because it seems it is explicitly "kind" there are two of. Which one is right? NB: I am not a native English speaker.


title: How was sexual intercourse referred to before 'sex'?

text: It seems that the word "sex" in the context of sexual intercourse is a fairly recent development. How would sexual intercourse have been referred to before the 1920's? Coitus? Is there a more casual word, or was the word 'coitus' casual at the time?


title: What's the meaning of Goofy is a Dawg?

text: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/978/if-pluto-is-a-dog-what-is-goofy Says that goofy is a dawg, not a dog. Well, dictionary says that dawg is black people. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dawg So what's the connection? http://nws.merriam- webster.com/opendictionary/newword_display_alpha.php?letter=Da&last=50 says that dawg also means dog. So what's Cecil meant when he said that Goofy is not a dog but a dawg?


title: Reciprocal of "conformant"

text: Is there a word or short phrase to express the reciprocal of "conformant"? For example, if the production processes at my factory are conformant to ISO 9001 standards, then ISO 9001 standards are _(what)_ in relation to such production processes? I would like to avoid nouns that connote the notion of standards, since whatever you conform to may not be a standard at all. Thank you.


title: What irregular verbs are there in Early Modern English?

text: Can anyone tell me, or direct me to a site where it would have a list of, irregular verbs in Early Modern English? I understand verbs such as "to be" or "to have", but how many more are there, and what are they? I wonder this because I conjugate "can", and I know that it is "thou canst", but for some reason "he/she/it canneth" sounds really odd to me.


title: "Layman" and gender equality

text: Is it correct to write: > He wants to explain _X concept_ to the layman, not before warning _him_ ... Or should I write: > He wants to explain _X concept_ to the layman, not before warning _him_ or > _her_ ...


title: What is the difference between 'make an experiment' and 'do an experiment'?

text: I have come across both _make_ and _do_ with the noun _experiment_.Are there any differences in meaning? Thanks.


title: What is it called when someone uses a particular expression very often?

text: Many people have a habit to use a specific word or phrase frequently in their speech. For example I use the word "Actually" a lot to begin my sentences with. Some people use "For example" a lot. If you record five minutes of their speech and count the number of repetitions of "for example", it can be ten times in just five minutes. In this case I want to say "For example" is ..... of this person. Or "Actually" is my .... . What should I put in the blanks. What is this frequently repeated word called in English?


title: "always be" vs "is/are always"

text: Are the following sentences grammatically correct? I think #2 is correct, but I'm not sure.   1. My room _always be_ clean   2. My room _is always_ clean


title: Enumeration with 'and'

text: Could you tell me which is correct in the following situation: I have one parrot, its feathers are of different colors. Which is the correct way to speak about the parrot: >   1. I have a parrot. It is blue and white and green and yellow. >   2. I have a parrot. It is blue, white, green, and yellow. > Some say that the 1st variant is obsolete, the second is correct. Others tell me the 1st is correct, while the pattern of enumeration in the second option suits the situation when one speaks about several objects, not one. So which one is correct? May be you can suggest a grammar book where this rule is stated?


title: Is "notations" a proper English word?

text: Some of my colleagues use the word "Notations" as the title of a section of a paper which defines their terms. I think the proper word is "Notation". I could not find notation on any list of words with the same plural as singular (but I did find the phrase "marginal notations," which I believe is correct, although not commonplace). Is "notations" an acceptable plural for "notation"? Same question for "informations".


title: Does 'for' here mean despite? and Does 'lightness' here mean light-minded?

text: > She had gathered these things from time to time when she had gone to the > Sunday-school with the children, and had laid them up in her memory more > carefully than she had done with those other words and phrases; and she had > studied them deeply, for her good and ours. One may see by this that she had > a wise and thoughtful head, **for** all there was so much **lightness** and > vanity in it. (Mark Twain, _A Dog's Tale_ ) Does _for_ here mean despite? and Does _lightness_ here mean 'light-minded'?


title: Meaning of "dogmatic" in "there was a dogmatic gathering in the neighborhood"

text: > and whenever she heard a large word she said it over to herself many times, > and so was able to keep it until there was a **dogmatic gathering** in the > neighborhood, then she would get it off, and surprise and **distress** them > all, from pocket-pup to mastiff, which rewarded her for all her trouble. From _A Dog's Tale_ by Mark Twain. Is it safe to assume that _dogmatic_ in this context has nothing to do with _dogma_? Also, does the word _distress_ mean "impress" here?


What's the difference between 'cutlery', 'silverware' and 'crockery'? Are there any differences between them?


title: What is the word that describes ethical smartness?

text: Intelligence can be used as a means to deceive and exploit vulnerable people. I believe, however, that proper thinking should always lead to righteous deeds. What is the word that describes the intellectual ability which produces only virtuous acts?


title: Why is "can I get" replacing "could I have"?

text: I noticed the other day when serving the public that when asking for something, people were saying "Can I get an xyz, please". The previous time I had such a job it was "Could I have an xyz", or "May I have..." if they were being very polite. Does anyone know when this trend started and what caused it?


title: Lately, I keep hearing and seeing "embarrassed of..." used instead of "embarrassed by..."

text: It seems very awkward to me. You never hear "thrilled of you", it's "thrilled by you," so what happened to "embarrassed by you"?


title: Is the second "to" grammatical in "I plan to help build and then to start"?

text: I wrote this sentence: > I plan to help build a strategic vision for Arabic digital content and then > **to** start implementing that vision. I want to produce value-added > information in a specific context bla bla bla. Is the _to_ grammatically correct in that position?


title: What is the difference, if any, between 'porn' and 'porno'?

text: I had never thought of a potential difference between 'porn' and 'porno' until I encountered the following dialogue from Family Guy Season 9 Episode 9(thanks to FumbleFingers for reminding me the correct TV show and episode): > `Priest:` Leave this House of God! > > `Lois Griffin:` But... But I love the Church! It's an important part of my > life! > > `P:` Maybe you should have thought of that before you made a porn! > > `L:` But Father, I didn't mean - wait, did you say 'a porn'? > > `P:` Yes. > > `L:` Oh... Well, that's kind of weird. > > `P`: Why? > > `L`: I mean, you either say "You made porn" or "You made a porno". You don't > say "made a porn". It just... it hits the ear wrong. This implies that, as a noun, porn is uncountable meaning pornography in general, and porno is countable meaning a pornographic movie/tape. Both Merriam-Webster and The Free Dictionary define 'porno' as a perfect synonym for porn. The Urban Dictionary isn't of much help either: the first six definitions are jokes, and the seventh says that it's just another way to pronounce 'porn'. So,   * Is there any difference between 'porn' and 'porno' or not?    * Can both be used both as a noun and an adjective? (if yes, provide examples, please)   * Can either of them be used as a countable noun? (if yes, provide examples, please)   * Are there any differences specific for American, British or any other variety of English?


title: What's the opposite of "oxymoron"?

text: What's the opposite of _oxymoron_? That is, two words put together that seem identical?


title: Is there a thesaurus which indicates the language of origin of each word?

text: I would be interested in using a sort of etymological thesaurus. Imagine a normal thesaurus, but with each word in an entry somehow marked to indicate whether it comes ultimately from Latin, German, Norse, Welsh, Irish, etc. Perhaps this could be done with little icons, or typographical style (Romance words in serif, naturally, Germanic words in sans, Norse in rune-flavoured small caps, Irish in Gaelic script, onomatopoeias and neologisms in Comic Sans). Different but related origins could be conflated or distinguished to some extent (upright serif for Old French, italic serif for Italian and Latin). Does such a thing exist? Mostly, I would find this interesting rather than useful. But occasionally, I feel the urge to use a good solid Anglo-Saxon word for something, rather than something French, and this would be the tool for the job. In particular, since I work as a computer programmer, I often find myself needing to name something (a variable, a class, a computer, whatever), and the ability to pick words of different origins for different kinds of things (perhaps Romance for identity classes, Germanic for value classes) would be, if not exactly useful, exactly the kind of pointlessly arch thing which I delight in inflicting on my colleagues.


title: What is the basic meaning of 'dozy pillock'?

text: A character on "Last Tango in Halifax" often calls people a "dozy pillock" (not sure about the spelling for dozy.) I was trying to find a meaning for dozy and a better one for pillock than just knowing it is derogatory, and that is how I found your wonderful website. I'm American (Albuquerque, New Mexico) and have loved TV shows and movies from Great Britain all my life, though I am often confused by their English and usually try to find an answer to my confusion. Thanks for your help.


title: About the word 'finite'

text: > Everything is transient and finite, existing in the medium of time   >   1. What's the _finite_ thing?   2. Do you agree with it?


title: How to interpret this kind of sentence?

text: I have a question related to an example sentence below. I always have slight doubt in interpreting sentences which have this kind of clauses being connected. Consider this sentence: > The book covers the fundamental building blocks of digital design across > several levels of abstraction, from CMOS gates to hardware design languages. Here, to which part of the first clause in the sentence is the second clause — "from CMOS gates to hardware design languages" — related? I mean whether CMOS gates and hardware design languages are   * fundamental building blocks of digital design, or   * several levels of abstraction.


title: Is there a single word that is the opposite of "want" (i.e. "do not want")?

text: Is there a single verb that means "do not want"? E.g. "I want that object" or "I want to do this" vs. "I _____ _(do not want)_ that object" or "I _____ _(do not want)_ to do this"? Also in the case of casual writing, when you might write "Let's not talk about what you want/don't want, let's take action instead" or "Let's not talk about what you do or do not want, let's take action instead", is there a single-word opposite of "want" that could be dropped in and used in combination with "want" in that type of sentence?


Is it a comma splice if followed by an incomplete sentence staring with an 'ing' word? I don't know exactly how to explain this properly or clearly, so I'll put up a few examples. I have seen it a lot in online writing, but that doesn't make it right. Would the following be considered incorrect: > Jenny replied, forcing her eyes away from his. > > Michael put on his skates, slipping his feet in carefully. > > I held the cone above my mouth, licking up the dripping cream. > > We hurried home, jumping into the car without looking back. Sometimes I don't want to make two sentences or use 'and, so, then, etc'. What should I do in that case?


title: "State of the art"

text: **"State of the art"** Why the word _'art'_ is used while it refers to an advance technology? Does it always mean up to date? Is it really not related to art, in any case? the art of making, for instance.


title: Meaning of "the price we must pay for progress"?

text: In this sentence : > The loss of biodiversity is **the price we must pay for progress** " Or another sentence : > Part of **the price we must pay for progress** is to recognize the degree of > pollution that our progress has brought into our water, food and air. I think the expression " **the price we must pay for progress**." is being used as an idiom, meaning "have to accept". Is that correct?


title: "…that enriches people's everyday life" or "…that enrich people's everyday life"

text: What is correct: "…that **enriches** people's everyday life" or "…that **enrich** people's everyday life"


title: What does "an A/B metaphor" mean?

text: I wonder what "an A/B metaphor" means, for example, in the following quote from Wikipedia about formal language: > "In some applications, especially in logic, the alphabet is also known as > the vocabulary and words are known as formulas or sentences; this breaks > **the letter/word metaphor** and replaces it by **a word/sentence > metaphor**." In the example, what is used as a metaphor of what?


title: How to deal with quoting a grammatical error?

text: What should you do if you’re quoting someone, and that quote has a grammatical error? Say for example that I’m quoting this line from the American Pregnancy Association: > The term used for a pregnancy that ends on **it’s** own, within the first 20 > weeks of gestation. The proper way to write this is without the apostrophe. I know that, and you know that, but the Association’s proofreader apparently missed it. The question is what I should do now: how can I quote this without sounding like I’m the one committing a grammatical error?


title: How should one address a police officer in the US?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What is the correct form of address for a police officer? What is the correct way to address a police officer in the US in a non- emergency situation (such as asking directions)?


title: How are names ending in “-s” perceived?

text: Most English nouns are inflected for grammatical number by adding _-s_ — e.g., _cat_ and _cats_ , where _cats_ is and sounds plural. So, I wonder, since _Lucas_ , _Nicholas_ , and other English names end with _-s_ , do they sound plural, or evoke plurality, to a native listener?


title: What is the English counterpart to 'Binboyusuri' - keep jiggling one’s legs during conversation sitting on the chair?

text: There are persons who keep jiggling their legs sitting on the chair during conversation or being interviewed. This motion is annoying and seen as the indication of the speaker’s tension, weakness to pressure, timidity, and lack of self-confidence. We call it derogatorily ’貧乏ゆすり/ binboyusuri - poor man’s (leg) shake’ in Japanese, and were told not to jiggle legs when sitting on chair before people, even during a meal from the childhood by parents. Kenkyusha’s English Japanese Dictionary translates ‘binboyusuri’ as ‘tap one’s foot nervously.” When you do ‘binboyusuri’ in front of interviewer(s) while job interview in Japan, you are 150 % sure to flunk. Is this _'leg-speciffic_ motion' seen as negatively in western world too? Are there short words to express ‘Binboyusuri’ as a noun or verb, say in two words?


title: Complement of digress?

text: Is there a verb that means "to return from a digression"? The best I can think of is a phrase like "Getting back on topic, . . ."


title: Distinctly vs Distinctively

text: I use the latter most of the time, but I am unsure where the former is more appropriate. What are the different uses of "distinctly" vs "distinctively"?


title: What does Albert Einstein’s epigram, “Many of the things you can count, don't count. ...” mean?

text: This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics were given to American physicists, Dr. Saul Perlmutter and two other American physicists for “the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae." Their work is said to have proved infallibility of the hypothesis of Albert Einstein’s ‘cosmological constant.’ Speaking of Einstein, it reminds me of his well-quoted remark, “ _Many of the things you can count, don't count. Many of the things you can't count really count_.” I know this epigram, but not its exact meaning, because you can count “number (related with physics such as quantum, diameter of cosmos),” as well as you can count (regard) something as important. You can take it either way. I searched for explanation of this epigram on internet. Only Quotationbook.com carries a note – “This quote is about money,” which I can not swallow easily. Can you tell me what Einstein really tried to say, in what context (hopefully, the source) with the words, “ _can count, don’t count, really count_ ,”?


title: What is the structure in "as best you can"?

text: I instinctively translate it "as best _as_ you can", however this makes no sense. What is the real structure behind this phrase? I'll include an Ngram to illustrate the historical presence of this phrase: ![](http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/chart?content=as+best+you+can%2Cas+well+as+you+can&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3) Whatever the structure is, I'm guessing that it has something to do with 19th century grammar.


title: Meaning of "to wrestle places from their surveillance grids"

text: > His concern is tracing the individual and personal history in the seemingly > banal, and wrestling anonymous places from their recording and surveillance > grids. What could "wrestling something from their something" mean? Does it mean that the person is struggling to get the anonymous places out of their surveillance grids? Or does it mean that the person is struggling against the anonymous places in their surveillance grids? Or does it mean something else entirely? I'm reading through an artist's introduction and there are so many expressions I understand only partially. I do get the "nuance" of the expression, but if I were to put it in my own words, I could not. What could that sentence possibly mean?


title: What to call a winged unicorn?

text: I've heard a few ways of describing such a fantastical beast, but I don't know which is correct. ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/D05Jm.gif) They are known as both Alicorns (Ali supposedly from ala (wing) and Corn meaning horn), as well as Pegi(a)corn, a portmanteau of Pegasus and Unicorn (I've seen both an _i_ and an _a_ used). which of these is most 'correct' and did one come first? Furthermore wikipedia says that > ## Alicorn > > The horn itself [of the unicorn] and the substance it was made of was called > alicorn, and it was believed that the horn holds magical and medicinal > properties So that would make my supposed etymology above wrong.


title: Capitalization in "the University has 1000s of students. "

text: > The University of London is huge. The **U** niversity/ **u** niversity has > 1000s of students. Is it correct to leave out the capital _u_ in the second sentence?


title: "Gain in popularity" vs "Gain popularity"?

text: I've got the following sentence: > These issues have allowed for alternatives, such as Spotify and Pandora, to > gain in popularity. A friend expressed concern and believes that it would be more correct to say: > These issues have allowed for alternatives, such as Spotify and Pandora, to > gain popularity. Is there a de-facto correct usage here?


title: What is an antonym of improved/improvement?

text: Consider these sentences:   * "I improved my essay."   * "I made an improvement to my essay."   * "How much did you improve your essay?"   * "What improvements did you make to your essay?" What would I say, if I meant the opposite, like   * "I changed my essay in a negative way."   * "I made a change to my essay that negatively affected it."   * "How much did you change your essay in a negative way?"   * "How many negative changes did you make to your essay?" Ideally, this would be a word or short phrase that would work well in other sentences too. * * * **EDIT** Additional example:   * "Most improvements were due to me, but this one was made by John." I'm looking for a verb and a noun. (They don't have to share the same stem, though that'd be great if they did.)


title: "To call" vs. "to ring"

text: What is the difference between the verbs "call" and "ring" in the meaning of telephoning? For example: >   * I will ring you back shortly. >   * I will call you back shortly. >


title: Where does the phrase "more than a fluke" come from?

text: Can you tell me where "more than a fluke" comes from?


title: Meaning of “shelves” in an accounting ledger

text: I'm a Romanian student trying to translate one of George Orwell's essays, “Books vs Cigarettes”. I came across this:               Bought                               36    9    0     Gifts                                10   10    0     Review copies, complimentary copies  25   11    9     Borrowed and not returned             4   16    9     On loan                               3   10    0     **Shelves**                           2    0    0     Total                                82   17    6      I have problems with understanding what _shelves_ refers to in the given context. While we’re at it, I would also kindly ask for help regarding _review copies, complimentary copies._ I'm having trouble with their exact meaning so I cannot find a proper equivalent in Romanian.


title: Can the word 'loo' mean bathroom (with bath and shower and all)

text: English is not my first language, so I may be completely wrong, but I always thought that 'loo' meant 'toilet', the thing itself as well as the small room with just a toilet and maybe a small sink, and not 'bathroom'. And yet I read stories in which people brush their teeth in the loo. So am I right or do people actually take a bath in the loo?


title: Is "like" used as an adjective by native speakers?

text: Do native speakers use like as an adjective? Is it a preferred usage?


title: Is it appropriate to use "father" in a legal context?

text: In a legal petition, how do you describe, in a formal manner, someone being the father of another person? Is this example acceptable? > John Doe, deceased, **father** of the plaintiff.


title: What's the appropriate word for "ending a streak"?

text: I'm looking for the verb that best fits this situation. > You promise yourself not to eat chocolate for 7 days. However, on the fifth > day, you eat it. You could say you _interrupted_ the streak. Is there a more elegant and appropriate word to replace _interrupted_ in the sentence above?


title: In time or On time?

text: Which is the correct way of saying: > Do (sthg) **_on_** your free time. or > Do (sthg) **_in_** your free time. Both variations are being used a lot.


title: Street, road, crescent, lane, drive, way and more

text: The English language is rich in ways to define a motorway, but what about _square_ ; can you help me find other definitions of it, or square-like spaces?


title: Words: paucity vs scarcity vs dearth

text: I see these words use interchangeably in various contexts. Is there a formal difference or preference? Please supply relevant examples.


title: How flexible is "a dozen"?

text: How flexible is the measurement "a dozen"? If there are nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand people at a rally it is acceptable to say one million people attended, but if eleven people are arrested is it acceptable to round up to a dozen?


title: What is the difference between "low-hanging fruit" and "firing fish in a barrel"?

text: Do these two phrases have the same meaning?


title: Why is "birthday" one word as opposed to two? "Wedding day" or "graduation day" are two

text: A birthday is the day of your birth, much like graduation day and wedding day. Why is _birthday_ one word?


title: Phrase which describes falsely improving something

text: Is there an aphorism or proverb in English which describes attempting to improve something fundamentally flawed by dressing it with a lot of ornament?


title: Why do words like "expectorate" sound more posh than words like "spit"?

text: I think English is unique in having a set of "bad words" each which has its "more refined" equivalent, e.g.: > spit -> expectorate > > piss -> urinate > > shit -> defecate > > f*ck -> fornicate/copulate and even: > kiss -> osculate What is the origin and etymology of this?


title: Developing a crush or infatuation

text: For "crush" in meaning: > **2** _informal_ a brief but intense infatuation for someone, especially > someone unattainable   * What word would replace the terribly technical _developing_ a crush?   * Does one only _get infatuated_ or is there a less generic word than _get_ to signify developing infatuation? The particular sentence for which I need this is > "Do you sometimes fall in love with a character from a book?” I'm feeling " _love_ " is too strong here. _Crush_ or _infatuation_ would both be better, but while you _fall in_ love, what do you do with these two?


title: What's the meaning of 'deflating mots' in this sentence?

text: I'm graduating in translation and one of my 2nd semester's works is a movie review about _Philomena_. I am stuck, however, at this part: > (He's an) expert purveyor of deflating mots on any subject, including his > own atheism: “I don’t believe in God and I think He can tell.” I don't understand what " _deflating mots_ " means. What's the meaning of " _mot_ " in that context?


title: 1000 Day "Anniversary"

text: "Anniversary" comes from Latin: "anni" [genitive of _annus_ = year] + "vers(us)" [past participle of _vertere_ = to turn]. I am interested in constructing a similar word which means "reoccurring every 1000 days". "One thousand", in Latin, is _mille_ and the genitive plural of "day" is _dierum_. Hence: mille-dierum-versary. However, this doesn't sound brilliant -- I know very little about Latin, so am not sure how its affixation works -- so does anyone have any better suggestions?


title: I am so confused by, for example, "People love their life or lives."

text: I am always confused by these tricky-in my opinion-ones as below. For example,   1. People love their life or lives.   2. Girls always love their boyfriend or boyfriends.   3. People think of their college or colleges as an enjoyable place or enjoyable places. My point is that every time I come across such things, I am not sure about whether an objective or a complement has to be plural, every time the subject is plural. Actually, in the ex1 sentence, I think both of them are what I have seen before. However, the rest 2 sentences are not so sure if I let them be singular. In the ex2, every girl has one boyfriend-IN MOST CASES. Also, in the ex3, everyone attends one college. In that sense, since the subjects are plural, should the objectives or the compliment be pluralized? Or, is it okay if I leave them single as the ex1 sentence? The problem is, though, if I leave them singular they sound like they have ONE boyfriend to share or they go to the same college. It sounds weird to me. Is it just me or is this incorrect?


title: word meaning anticipatory disappointment

text: We were setting up a long-awaited, much anticipated new stereo the other day. When we initially turned it on, the sound was terrible. I immediately got that sinking feeling and started to think that the stereo might turn out to be a lemon (it wasn't). Afterwards, I was looking for a word to describe that creeping feeling of dread that a much desired thing or event might turn out to be less wonderful than anticipated. The best I could come up with was "anticipatory disappointment" and that's not even a single word. The word I'm looking for describes that combination of fear and hope that might have one both praying and swearing at the time. Any thoughts?


title: Old Greek vs ancient Greek

text: I learned the language of Plato and Sokrates at school - is it 'old Greek' or 'ancient Greek'?


title: A phrase for "to get heavily involved in something"

text: I'm looking for a phrase or an idiom meaning "to get heavily involved in something" or "to become passionate about something" where "something" could be a hobby, lifestyle, a music genre etc. One possibility would be simply "to get into something" but this doesn't seem to convey being passionate about the thing in question. Another one is "to get sucked into something" but a Google search indicates that this tends to mean "to get involved in something against one's will" which is not what I am after.


title: What is the meaning of 'dismiss'?

text: I cannot understand the meaning of 'dismiss' in this sentence. 'Dismiss' doesn't mean 'ignore' or 'fire'? In this context, I guess 'dismiss' would have the positive meaning, but the meaning in dictionary doesn't match with that. "Some [school] districts have found ways to identify, improve, and as necessary, **dismiss** teachers using strategies like peer assistance and evaluation that offer intensive mentoring and review panels. These and other approaches should be the focus of experimentation by states and districts."


title: Usage of "I'm sorry" and "thank you very much" outside of obvious settings

text: Why do people say "I'm sorry" at the beginning of a sentence? For example: "I'm sorry, but I don't care for her one bit." On the same note, I would like to understand the meaning of "thank you very much" at the end of a sentence, thus: "I said I'll take it to go, thank you very much!" Any light shed will be greatly appreciated.


title: Do you use both my home and our home to your friends?

text: > I want to hear about your first week. Send **us** an answer back with Hedwig > [Harry's owl].   >  (A note from Hagrid to Harry, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)   > > > Oxford(British English, informal) **me** : Give us the newspaper, will you?   > Hagrid uses ‘us’ instead of ‘me,’ and the dictionary says it’s not only Hagrid’s expression. Then when you say to your friend that ‘would you like to come my home?’, do you also say ‘would you like to come our home?’? (In Korean, I can say even 'our mother' to my friend, indicating mine. Is it also proper in English?)


title: what is the meaning of the phrase "In the interest of honesty"?

text: Recently I came up on a question: > In the **interest of honesty** , are you minimizing any important details > that your prospects should know? What is the meaning of the phrase in this context ?


title: What is the correct way to write "To all who handles" or "To all whom handles"?

text: What is the correct way to write "To all who handles" or "To all whom handles" or "To all who is handling" ?


title: How is the English Subjunctive Composed?

text: Yesterday, I read about the English subjunctive mood. I tried to, but couldn't, discern a concise conception of it. What do you regard as a useful and concise conception of the subjunctive mood?


title: Any connection between akimbo, askance and atremble?

text: I came across _akimbo_ and _askance_ today and wondered if they were related, with the opening 'a' signifying something. Apparently not:   * Akimbo — to stand "with hands on hips and elbows projecting outwards", from the C15 _in kenebowe_ , "literally: in keen bow, that is, in a sharp curve"   * Askance — to look sideways, obliquely, especially with suspicion or doubt; origin obscure. Other words take an 'a' prefix meaning a negative:   * > a- or an- [Greek a- and an- un-, non-] Negative, not (abiotic, acaulescent, acephalia, aphasia, asexual, atrophy, anorexia). > But 'a' is also used as a prefix in words that are not negative, for example _his knees were all atremble._ What is the meaning of 'a-' here? Could it have connections with _akimbo_ and _askance_?


title: Why use the word "chasm" instead of just "gap" or "hole"

text: With every example sentence I've read so far, I can't see why we can't replace _chasm_ with _gap_. Is there any other meaning of the word?


title: "Certainly" and "Of course": what is the difference?

text: Is there any difference in expressing consent and assurance using adverbs "certainly" or "of course"? What would be more appropriate one in everyday conversation?


title: One word for "stealing something on its way to the recipient"

text: I am looking for a word which means stealing something on its way to the recipient. For example, suppose you sent a gift to your friend. And suppose someone steals it before it reaches your friend. Is there one word (other than simply _stealing_ ) to explain this action?


title: How to say email "mis-sent" in a business manner?

text: If I want to tell my colleague by email that I've sent an email to some business clients unintentionally and would like to notify my colleague, how should I say the action "mis-sent"? I thought about "email sent unintentionally", but I think it involves too much personal feelings. Can I have another word which is more business like (or objective)?


title: Adj + Noun + Verb to be + Same Adj

text: Is this a natural grammar or some kind of joke/internet meme? > Cute girl is cute.   >  Poor child is poor.   >  Troll topic is troll.


title: Issue brought up in the meeting or at the meeting?

text: Which preposition is correct? _In the meeting_ or _at the meeting_ when I am trying to say > Issues brought up in the meeting will be discussed within 5 working days. should I say at the meeting instead?


title: "Assign a variable to a value" or the other way round?

text: I was wondering which of these phrases is/are correct:   * assign a variable to a value   * assign a value to a variable I'd say the second is correct, but I'm not a native speaker. A quick Google search reveals thousands of results such as "assign a variable to the file content", but another search returns a lot of results for the other word order ("assign a value to HTML input field"). Which of these two phrases is correct? Or are both correct?


title: Identifying nouns with "of"?

text: This is a portion of a sentence: > ...rose suddenly and shockingly a dazzling strip of bright blossoms, clumped > together in enormous mounds... Would these be the nouns? > ...rose suddenly and shockingly a dazzling strip of bright **blossoms** , > clumped together in enormous **mounds**... or > ...rose suddenly and shockingly a dazzling **strip** of bright **blossoms** > , clumped together in enormous **mounds**... ...in other words, does "strip" count as a noun in this case? Also, are there any other errors that I have made in identifying the nouns?


title: The verb "to get" + particle ...?

text: In the phrase "to get all crazy" am I correct when I say that the "all crazy" is a particle phrase? Example: > I'm up for tonight's party. I'm going to get **all crazy**.


title: Noun for the desire to sleep?

text: I have had this thought on many sleepless nights: is there a word specifically for the desire to go to sleep? Not in the sense of being sleepy or tired, but actively wanting to become asleep. If a person is in bed desiring and attempting to will themselves to sleep. Does this desire have a name?


title: What's the meaning of "to render/give plausibility to the myth"

text: What's the meaning of: "to render plausibility to the myth" The mere possibility that we can choose and replace our rulers appears sufﬁcient to render plausibility to the myth that we are ruling ourselves


title: local knowledge of the territory

text: In business language, how could you say: `local knowledge of the territory`? As in: The company has a deep knowledge of the territory, i.e., logistics, suppliers, clients and people knowledge, etc.


title: Sink like a stone

text: _**Sinking like a stone_** I have seen this idiom for the first time today. thefreedictionary says it means " _To fail completely_ "; is it common to use it in daily conversation and why in the example below it is written, _"England sink.."_ and not _"England sinks.."_. Can we use both forms in such structure? > I MAY be going against the grain of public opinion, but I sincerely hope > England sink like a stone at the European Championships.


title: Does this say petitioner can make the decision on info discussed previous to this sentence, but after resolution doesn't apply to her decision?

text: After conferring with each other concerning the foregoing matters, if the parties do not reach an agreement upon any such matter, Petitioner shall have the descretion to make the decision and the provision hereinafter set forth concerning resolution of disputes shall not apply to her decision.


title: We can use SHOULD+HAVE+P.P. in two different meanings

text: Am I right? 1.We can use 'should have' to talk about past events that did not happen. I should have let her know what was happening but I forgot. He should have sent everybody a reminder by email. They should have remembered that their guests don't eat pork. 2.We can also use 'should have' to speculate about events that may or may not have happened. She should have got the letter this morning. I expect she'll give us a call about it later. He should have arrived at his office by now. Let's try ringing him. They should have all read that first email by this stage. It's time to send the next one. SO, AS I JUST HAVE SAID THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT MEANINGS ABOUT: HAVE SHOULD P.P.


title: Why "would" instead of "will" in this sentence? Is it a rare use?

text: > The goal for these negotiations is to reach **a mutually-agreed long-term > comprehensive solution that _would_ ensure Iran's nuclear program will be > exclusively peaceful**. What does would imply here? If it implies future, why _will_ has not been used? I have already asked this here and some pals let me know this implies future happening with some uncertainty. I need a link to an authentic reference which describes this usage of would...


title: Meaning of "Spoil Yourself Silly on a Shoestring"

text: What does _Spoil Yourself Silly on a Shoestring_ mean? It is the title of a chapter of the book I'm reading.


title: Making a question with the verb "to go"

text: I remember reading or hearing that English is a very unusual language, almost unique, in using the verb "to go" to create a question. (Are you going to see the play? Are you going to drink that coffee?) Most languages would do something a lot simpler such as changing word order (See you the play? Drink you that coffee?). If you think about it, unless you've grown up with it all your life, it is a strange construction. So my question (out of curiosity) is: Am I correct in what I said above? If so, can someone point me to an article online where I can read some more about it?


title: Using stressed "the" to emphasize outstanding noun

text: I'm not a native English speaker and sometimes I encounter article "the" used in stressed form before some noun or name, mostly in movies, like "That's not the gun, that's THE gun" or "He is THE specialist". Is it correct or common use of this article for emphasizing something outstanding? Is it allowed in written form?


title: Is it ok for me to switch from first person to third person here, or can I do this better in first person?

text: I’m currently trying to update my résumé from my tired old version to something more up to date. I’m currently having a little trouble with wording here: > I’m a self-directed learner who has taught himself (and is still learning) > to work with Linux systems. The switch between first and third person seems natural to me, but I'm told it’s a bit odd. I’m wondering whether it’s correct, and if not, how I’d word it.


title: What does it mean by " I umbrella the rain."

text: I don't understand the sentence above. I know that "umbrella" is noun. But in the sentence above, It is used like "verb." How is it possible?


title: Comparison between two elements

text: When comparing two elements, should we use "more" or "most"? Example: "There are two locations, you can choose the more/the most convenient one."


title: "Most importantly" or "more importantly"?

text: Which of the following two sentences is more correct?   1. "A picture says a thousand words, **more** importantly in a fraction of a second"  OR   1. "A picture says a thousand words, **most** importantly in a fraction of a second" Nothing important, just my own quotes! Do also suggest, if I can put it in a better way to express what I want to.


title: What does "It can't have been her you saw yesterday: she is abroad." become in indirect reported speech?

text: What does the sentence: _It can't have been her you saw yesterday: she is abroad._ become in indirect reported speech? _He told me it…_ _**can't have been (?)_** _**couldn't have been (?)_** _… her I had seen the previous day because she was abroad._


title: Meaning of "They are so used to me"

text: Can you tell me meaning of this: "They are so used to me that they know my schedule." Which means that they know him or something else?


title: What is the best word to describe a person's false pride?

text: I need to build up a sentence saying like this "She has no false pride like other actresses, she replies to every message sent by her fans". I need to emphasize that she has no false pride like other actresses. Much appreciated if someone can build a better sentence than mine. thanks.


title: How to spell out dollars and cents

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  How to say the total amount? Which is the correct way to spell out dollars and cents? > Forty-Two Thousand Dollars and 00/100 ($42,000.00) or > Forty-Two Thousand and 00/100 Dollars ($42,000.00)


title: My manager tells me to use lateral thinking

text: What does this unconventional approach to thinking really means? Is it sort of _reading between the lines_ trying to understand the unsaid part of a question or an issue, or does it imply that you have to tackle an issue in a most unexpected way? What other expressions can be used to convey the same concept?


title: No sex please, we are British!

text: This well-renowned saying was celebrated in the 70's and 80's in London West End. But what is its origin? What roots in popular culture has this phrase?


title: What does it mean to call somebody "mom?"

text: I've heard many people use the word mom both in workplace and on TV. These are a few examples:   1. In Insanity (the home exercise program) the leader of the program calls one of the participants "mom."   2. Another situation is in a workplace where people call their boss mom. I wonder if calling someone "mom" means that the person is better than other people, a way to show their respect, or something else.


title: Word to describe an attribute one would either love or hate

text: > He has an audacity that those who know him either adore or despise. His > audacity is **___ ____** . > > There's only two kinds of people: those who love olives and those who hate > it. Olives have a **___ ____** flavor.


title: Are the adjectives "utopic" and "dystopic" correct English words?

text: My dictionary only mentions the form ending in "ian" for both adjectives (utopian/dystopian) yet I do come across the "ic" ending in some decent writings. Would that be considered incorrect usage?


title: Concentrated meaning

text: What does concentrated antioxidants or concentrated garlic mean? does it mean the same as garlic extract and antioxidants extract?


title: Position of "than"

text: Which of the following sentence structures is correct, or sounds better? >   1. They grow at a faster rate up to three years after treatment **than** > comparable plants. > >   2. They grow at a faster rate **than** comparable plants up to three years > after treatment. > > Thanks.


title: "However" vs. "but"

text: In the question sentence: > He is seventy-five, he still_ ___ (but, however) pays regular visits to his > old mother. Which word can be put in the blank? The answer books says "however" but it sounds quite odd to me. Can _however_ be used in this discourse context, and why?


title: What is the origin/meaning of "get off my cloud" and will it change?

text: What is the etymology of this phrase, and might the meaning change due to cloud storage?


title: What loan-words keep their native pronunciation?

text: Being a non-native English speaker I recently discovered that for some words you don't use English pronunciation. For instance you seem to be omitting the l's when saying _tortilla_. Yet this isn't always the case considering that with a comparable word _karaoke_ you don't use the Japanese pronunciation. Are there more commonly used words that are pronounced in their native tongue that I should be aware of?


title: What's the difference between "e.g." and "ex."?

text: I know they both roughly mean "example", but which one should I use, and when?


title: What's the difference between 'ignorant' and 'silly'?

text: > while an ignorant person will flounder and encounter difficulty


title: The Use of Present Simple

text: I asked this question on a different site but I didn't get an answer. Could you tell me what use of present simple this is? > They come to dinner tonight. Is this a situation that often or regularly happen or is it a part of a scheduled event? I think I could use 'they are coming,' 'they are going to come,' 'they will come' too, but not 'they will be coming' if I am right. Some online test are really confusing.


title: Is "tight and bold" an English idiom?

text: I came across a paragraph in “Good Fit for Today’s Little Screens: Short Stories” in New York Times. > “The generation of writers out of college in the last few years has been > raised to engage with words like no generation before,” he said. “Our > generation was raised on passive media like television and telephones; this > generation has been engaged in writing to each other in text messages on a > 24-hour basis. I think it has made them bolder and tighter.” I don't know what "tighter" means here. Is "bold and tight" an idiom? what does it mean?


Is it "thousands of postmen and women" or "thousands of postmen and -women"? Is the use of a hyphen correct in the latter case?


title: "...but this assumption, however it is motivated, is only realistic"

text: I don't understand the meaning of the second part of this sentence. It seems paradoxical. > To understand what will happen in such cases, we need to assume that parties > cannot move freely across the policy space _but this assumption, however it > is motivated, is only realistic._ "


title: Why is it “From Dublin to Los Angeles” in the Western world, that has left the church moribund in 20 century culture wars?

text: In connection with my previous question about the meaning of “the Church’s **existential** problem”, there was the following sentence in the same article of _Time Magazine_ (December 11, 2013) — “Pope Francis, The People’s Pope.” > “Through these conscious and skillful evocations of moments in the ministry > of Jesus, as recounted in the Gospels, this new Pope may have found a way > out of the 20th century culture wars, which have left the church moribund in > much of Western Europe and on the defensive **from Dublin to Los Angeles**.” http://poy.time.com/2013/12/11/person-of-the-year-pope-francis-the-peoples- pope/ As I have no knowledge about Christianity, I can’t make out why Dublin and Los Angeles were picked up out of many cities of “Western Europe and on the defensive.” Is there specific reason for naming “Dublin to Los Angeles” here, not other cities, such as “Madrid to New York” being cited instead? Are these somehow metonyms for something else? Do Dublin and Los Angeles have some special connotation as a metaphor for the length and breadth of Christianity to English speakers, like how “from California to the New York Island” describes the span of the United States, how “from Land’s End to John o’ Groats” describes the span of the Isle of Britain, or even how “from Medina to Mecca” has a metaphoric meaning in Islam?


title: "Posting in all its branches" in the nineteenth century: travel, mail, other?

text: "Posting in all its branches" is a phrase I've seen a number of times in 19th century British sources. A google search (regular and books) gives context mostly in reference to traveling or communication, but I can never tell exactly what is involved (it's understood by contemporary readers, of course, so no need to explain!). 'Posting' makes me think it might be mail or a telegram, but it be by coach or train or horse, I don't know what else (why mention _all_ the branches if there are only two? I'm expecting a number of branches, just I don't know what all the possibilities could be). Context:   * From google books \- mostly located in advertisements for lodgings.   * In a biography about Jane Austen: > ...it is only at very large establishments, or those in the most out-of-the- > way districts where trains come not, that "posting in all its branches" > forms part of the land lords boast What I hope to find out is:   * What is being posted? Is it mail things like letters and packages, or is it travel?   * What are the branches? Does it mean train, carriage, horse, foot? Or does it mean local, national, international? Or does it mean letters/small packages or traveling individuals with luggage? or what?   * What would be advertised if the posting were not available in all branches? 'Limited posting' ?   * If it is not so literally meant, what does the phrase mean?   * What is time frame for this phrase being used? (Google ngrams, despite having ostensibly the same data source as books.google.com, gives -0- instances of the phrase, so I can't see a usage timeline).


title: "[Noun] as she is [past participle]"

text: As an example, I recently came across a blog titled "Software As She Is Developed". I know I've seen that construct before — " _noun_ as she is _past participle_ " — in other contexts. It's fairly self-explanatory, but a quirky way of phrasing it. What exactly does it connote, and does it have a specific origin?


title: who is the "goodman of house" in the 17 century of England?

text: I found its description from googling:   * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodman_%28title%29   * http://www.genealogytoday.com/columns/everyday/040607.html But I'm not sure that 'the goodman of the house' is the one who owns the house. Would you someone tell me the difference between 'goodman' and 'master' ?


title: What does "To" mean in a newspaper headline?

text: What does _to_ mean in a newspaper headline, for example: > Airline XY to cut cost of pilots' wages Is it a shorter form of "Is going to" or "Is planning to"?


title: A computer program can become stalled or staled?

text: What's the correct expression: "This software is stal**l**ed!" or "This software is staled!"


title: What is the etymology of the names for the number 0 in English

text: I was always wondering what is the etymology of the different names of number 0 .In sports like tennis, cricket, and football, the number **0** has the very specialized names " **love** ", " **duck** ", and " **nil** ".


title: What does “them” refer to here?

text: Please consider the following sentence. > I summarize these topics in the conclusions, with hopes that others will > research them further. Does “them” refer to the “topics,” or does it refer to the “conclusions”? It is supposed to refer to the former. Am I forced to write it more verbosely, as follows? > I summarize these topics in the conclusions, with hopes that others will > research the topics further.


title: How to punctuate sentences like "I'm just calling a spade, a spade."

text: I was browsing Area 51 and I saw this comment: > I'm just calling a spade, a spade. I'm never quite sure how to punctuate sentences like these where a phrase is repeated back to back, without any other words to separate them. Not putting punctuation feels weird, but so does adding a comma. Neither intuitively read like I would say them in a conversation. With a comma, I would pause before reading the second "a spade"; without punctuation, the inflexion in my voice would be off. So, is "I'm just calling a spade, a spade." properly punctuated?


There is a lot of discussion in luxembourg about 'asylum seekers', notably people saying they should all be banished and people saying what right we have to cast them away. It is getting very heated. Now, someone has posted a picture of Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, with the word 'Asylum Seeker' written under it, which caused a lot of debatte. One point which keeps returning is "she wasn't seeking asylum, she was in exile", the other one being "That's why we have to censor the web" ( _shudder_ ). Before making my own comment, I researched the meaning of both words but came to the conclusion that both can be used for 'political refugees' (Oxford Dictionary). So, my question is: What is the difference between Asylum and Exile? Bonus: In context of 'political refugee'. ### EDIT 1 An example: A dictator/monarch/bloke with his own opinion is hunted and has to flee. He wasn't catched but fleed by his own terms. By my own understanding, he fled and asked asylum in another country. However, if he were indeed catched, he would be sent into exile (since he was explicitly sent somewhere else by the opposing party). If that is true, why is it that the word "asylum" is not used with certain people? In my case, it is Charlotte. She clearly fled from the nazi regime on her own terms (she could have stayed) and yet, Wikipedia states "During the German occupation of Luxembourg in World War II, Charlotte, exiled in London, became an important symbol of national unity.". Also, exile means that someone is not allowed to return. However, someone who lives in asylum cannot return either because he might get killed. I hope this helps illustrating my troubles distinguishing both words.


title: What does "premium" mean in "ten reasons to go premium"?

text: I have a requirement to translate a sentence to Farsi. It's a game that says: > Go premium to receive some more options... I don't know what is the exact meaning of _premium_. Any details about the grammar and meaning would be appreciated.


title: switch genders or gender?

text: Recently I read an article on Wired.com "Apple Hires Hacker Who Helped Save Windows From Security Hell", http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/12/apple-hires-hacker/ Here is a sentence I'm kind of confused: > Back then, Paget was known as Chris. She switched genders last year. Why it is switch "genders" instead of "gender"? Thanks


title: How common is the confusion between "affect" and "effect"?

text: I stumbled onto a US Congress representative’s website with what I think is a blatant and very visible mistake: ![John D. Dingell website](http://i.stack.imgur.com/lMQMr.png) Namely, the sentence in yellow, “ _How does the population change **effect** our district_”. I am surprised to see this error in such a high-profile and (probably) thoroughly checked webpage. So, I wonder: how common is this exact error (effect vs. affect)? Have the usage of the two really started to merge, so that we should consider them as equivalent? PS: yes, I know the dictionary says they have different meaning; I'm asking about usage and the evolution of the language.


title: 'To' vs 'in order to' in negative clauses

text: The answers to this related question suggest that _to_ and _in order to_ are pretty much interchangeable, the former being preferred in informal contexts. My question is about negative clauses. According to the answers to the linked questions, the following two sentences are fine and mean the same thing: > We were speaking loudly to wake up Mr.Smith. > > We were speaking loudly in order to wake up Mr.Smith. Can the same be said about the following sentences? > We were speaking quietly not to wake up Mr. Smith. > > We were speaking quietly in order not to wake up Mr. Smith. I am asking because when I used the first variant a friend of mine corrected me and said that I must use either _in order_ or _so as_ to make the sentence grammatical.


title: Is a scheme always negative in the US?

text: Growing up in both the UK and the US, and being comfortable with both their dialects, I'm sometimes slow to realize that some expression, word, or even pronunciation I use makes no sense to one group or the other. I was watching a British program (programme) that mentioned a neighborhood watch scheme, and I don't believe I've ever heard it used like that in the US. It seems that scheme always has a negative connotation in the US, while it appears more neutral in the UK. Is this assessment correct?


title: Why is it "time we ate" and not "time we eat"?

text: Why do we use the simple past but not the present or future in the following expressions: > Don't you think it's time we went a little further > > Don't you think it's time we ate > > Don't you think it's time we went home


title: Homonyms/homophones and proper nouns

text: I introduced my 6-year-old to the concept of "homonyms" (though I've probably got it conflated with homophones or vice-versa). Since then he's been trying to find homonyms. He asked me just now: "Can names be homonyms? Like 'Cole' and 'coal'?" My hypothesis is that the answer is probably "yes", but can someone answer me definitively: can nouns & same-sounding proper nouns be considered homonyms (as in the above example)?


title: What is the difference between make and do verbs?

text: In my native language, portuguese, "make" and "do" can be translated into one verb "fazer". When I write an English sentence I never know which one to use. So my question is regarding about when to use "make" versus when to use "do". Can someone provide some guidance about which situations it is most appropriate to use each of them? I always get confused about it.


title: What does "I'll go you one better" mean?

text: > _I'll go you one better_ , seem as you were so polite to ask me for > permission. Can someone please explain this to me? I've never heard the "go you one better" part. Does this mean that a person will do something better than asked for?


title: What is the connection between motherhood and apple pie?

text: I know the idiom _motherhood and apple pie_ is used to denote some principles with which few disagree. But what is the connection between _motherhood_ and _apple pie_? I am not very familiar with American culture. I want to understand what makes this phrase to mean what it means.


title: Can I call a recorded audio as "Recording"?

text: The way I see things - 'Recording' is a process, and a 'Record' is a result of the recording. But I heard some people call an audio file that was just recorded 'Recording'.   * Is calling a recorded audio 'Recording' correct?   * Am I correct assuming that it's better to call the recorded file as a 'Record' rather than 'Recording'?


title: People who sell their virginity for money

text: I'm Vietnamese and I'm writing an essay about prostitution. I want to ask the word to express properly the people who sell their virginity for money. In Vietnamese, we use a phrase literally means selling their "golden precious".


title: What is the noun for someone who receives a referral?

text: When a referrer (noun) gives a referral (noun) to another person, what is the term (noun) used for the recipient of the referral? "The referred" may work, but am I missing another term? "Referred" indicates past-tense, but I intend to use the term in future and present tense as well.


title: Is there a word to replace 'Being different from'?

text: I want to say: > Being different from traditional paper-based reading, computer-based > reading, in this case, refers to the act of reading with the aid of computer > system, which may or may not be designed for the special purpose of text > presentation. If the sentence can be improved in any way, please feel free to give me some recommendations.