title: What is meant by "the fifth estate"?

text: I've found several definitions that seem to be incompatible From http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fifth+estate > A class or group in society other than the nobility, the clergy, the middle > class, and the press. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Estate > The Fifth Estate is most strongly associated with bloggers, journalists, and > media outlets > that operate outside of the mainstream media http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/10/16/what-is-the-fifth-estate > “Fifth Estate” explains our collective ability to share information, to > create > communities, and to organize social movements through online > networks Does it refer anyone whose job it is to use the internet to spread news?


title: Is this the right use of "ensure"?

text: This sentence in some of my company's copy has been bothering me for a while: "The new iDirect X3 modem comes with a one year warranty — which [company] will double to two years — insuring your peace of mind." This question sort of supports it, as does this. But this one from Quick and Dirty Tips, which I used to trust a lot when I used to write on a regular basis, almost seems like it's suggesting assure. I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be 'insure' because it's the peace of mind we're ensuring. So... Insure, assure, or ensure? My gut tells me ensure, but...


title: Word for research method

text: I'm doing research for my school and I have to describe the research method that I used. I have had a conversation with a person in the company where I did my internship. But I can't name the research method _interviewing_ because it is not an interview. It's a conversation where the company explained the subject of the internship and answered some questions I had. If I name it an _interview_ , my school will request me to have more interviews, because one interview is not a reason to do something. Does anyone have an idea how to name this kind of research?


title: Past plans for the future

text: I am struggling to decide the correct tense / verb usage where one wishes to express some past plan for the then future:   1. > We agreed that, when _xyz_ **happens** , we would do _abc_.   2. > We agreed that, when _xyz_ **happened** , we would do _abc_.   3. Something else? According to Future in the Past, the second form is correct because one must use Simple Past with clauses that begin with time expressions (such as "when"). This assessment is somewhat supported by this answer, which suggests that the past tense must be used since _xyz_ has already occurred and is now in the past. However, to my mind, the second form doesn't quite convey the same contingency that _abc_ would not be done until _xyz_ happened; whereas the use of the present tense in the first form better conveys that contingency. Are grammatical constructs of this sort known by some formal name? What do authorities on English (especially British English) have to say on the matter (citations would be most welcome)?


title: "There were all kinds" vs "there were of all kinds"

text: What's is more grammatically correct? > Once in the terminal, I started towards the nearest exit, glancing at the > other tourists. **There were of all kinds:** groups, husband and wife, and > people being waited with a sign. Or > Once in the terminal, I started towards the nearest exit, glancing at the > other tourists. **There were all kinds:** groups, husband and wife, and > people being waited with a sign.


title: Punctuation when using a list of adjective pairs set apart by "yet"

text: I'm proofreading something, and came across this sentence: > We believe the strength of our design is in our ability to be dynamic yet > focused, clean yet inviting and organized yet exploratory. It kind of feels like it needs some more punctuation to be more readable, but the only idea I had was to add semi-colons, which made it feel kind of choppy: > We believe the strength of our design is in our ability to be dynamic, yet > focused; clean, yet inviting; and organized, yet exploratory. Thoughts?


title: Parse tree of "several more successful books"

text: Let us consider the following sentence: > After that first attempt, she wrote several more successful books. Does this mean she wrote several additional books that were also successful? Or that she wrote several books that were more successful than the first?


title: "Reveal" vs. "revelation" as nouns

text: I just posed this question on sci-fi.stackexchange and had my wording corrected from _reveal_ to _revelation_. > I realise that to have said that too early in the film would have ruined the > big **reveal**. Is there some in-universe reason for Palpatine to refer to > Luke's father as Anakin? Some kind of psychological game that Palpatine is > playing with Vader, perhaps? I thought _reveal_ was the correct word but I wanted to check the difference with experts.


title: "Ongoing" or "on-going"

text: As per the title, is the proper usage "ongoing" or "on-going" when writing something such as _ongoing research projects_?


title: "Suggestion" vs. "proposal"

text: I am currently writing my thesis concerned with the analysis and design of data visualizations. For certain use cases my thesis suggests certain visual interpretations (to which I generally refer as _visualizations_ , this being the term used in the academic field). One of my chapters eventually introduces these proposed visualizations, and I am wondering about the chapter's title: >   * _Visualization Proposals_ >   * _Visualization Suggestions_ > Both come to mind, and I am unsure as to the exact difference in the meaning (or how they _feel_ ). Could someone elaborate on the difference of the two words in the above context? Many thanks in advance.


title: Is "optimization to" correct phrasing?

text: I have this sentence in my bachelor's thesis: > _After a paragraph describing an accommodation subprocess (set of > activities)..._ > > **Basically, there are two potential optimizations to this subprocess.** > > _...then a paragraph describing two possible optimizations._ Is it correct to use _optimization to_ in this context? I didn't find any similar expression on the web.


title: Why one place on stack exchange is called "area51"?

text: Why this place on stack exchange is called "area51"? Is it a special idiom in English for some places where things are being developed? Does 51 have some special meaning besides being just a number?


title: “that which" and "did myself the honor" - June 22nd 1798 Letter by John Marshall

text: > Dear Sir (Source) > > Your letter to Genl Dumas was deliverd by me to his lady from whom in > consequence of it I receivd during my stay in Paris the most polite & > flattering attentions. She deliverd me the inclosd answer which was written > in Copenhagen & forwarded to her. Having heard that Mrs Marshall is in > Winchester I shall immediately set out for that place.   >  Permit me Sir to acknowledge the receipt of your very polite & obliging > letter in answer to **that which** I **did myself the honor** to address to > you from the Hague. `1.` Would someone please expound the differences between "that which" and "which"? Why not "...polite & obliging letter in answer to which I did myself the honor ..." ? `2.` Is the expression "to do the honour to someone" or "to do someone the honour" or both? Why not the other? `3.` http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/do+honor+to says > I. to show respect to. II. to be a credit to. Would someone please explain how "to do honour to" engenders these meanings? Is "do" a synonym of "bestow/convey/impart" here? `4.` How would John Marshall be doing himself the honour to address a letter to George Washington from the Hague?


title: Difference between "intern" and "trainee"

text: I am filling out a form in order to get a J-1 visa to the US. One question is to say if I'll be an intern or a trainee (among others). Yes, I could ask the guys that made the form, but my question is more about the general meaning of the two words. In my case, I am going to work in a company to do my Master's thesis. I would say I'm an intern, but I'm not sure :)


title: Nuances between "extenuate" and "palliate"?

text: I'm looking for a word which defines the act of "making an offence look less severe". However, this can be done rightfully (because an offence might in reality be excusable because of unfavorable circumstances) or unrightfully (because there are no excuses for the offence, but the offender is trying to get away with it anyway, so this word is most likely pejorative). Are there different words to describe each situation above, that I could use in everyday language, without sounding too formal? What about 'extenuate' and 'palliate'? What other words are there, that have more exact definitions like these two?


title: Can you have a singular "dreg"?

text: Is it linguistically incorrect to singularise the word "dregs", as in the following example: > He finished off every last dreg of his coffee. If so, are there any other English words which can only exist in plural form?


title: "Haven't you?" or "don't you?"

text: What is the right question tag (in British English) when we use the verb **have**? I have interviewed a few native speakers and none of them could explain why sometimes they prefer "haven't/hasn't" and why other times they prefer "don't/doesn't". Here are 4 different groups of sentences. Which ones are correct and which ones aren't and why? **Group 1**   1. I've got a good voice, haven't I?   2. You've got a dog, haven't you?   3. She's got a new boyfriend, hasn't she?   4. We've got very good friends, haven't we?   5. They've got our address, haven't they? **Group 2**   1. I have a good voice, don't I?   2. You have a dog, don't you?   3. She has a new boyfriend, doesn't she?   4. We have very good friends, don't we?   5. They have our address, don't they? **Group 3**   1. I've got a good voice, don't I?   2. You've got a dog, don't you?   3. She's got a new boyfriend, doesn't she?   4. We've got very good friends, don't we?   5. They've got our address, don't they? **Group 4**   1. I have a good voice, haven't I?   2. You have a dog, haven't you?   3. She has a new boyfriend, hasn't she?   4. We have very good friends, haven't we?   5. They have our address, haven't they?


title: distinct variations on get/locate/find/obtain to make clear whether the target exists

text: I'm looking for two different single words (although if there are two or three word phrases that are clearer, I'd prefer them) to make the following distinction for get/locate/find/obtain:   * get X if it can be found   * get X no matter what (if it can't be found, then make or create it) Any suggestions?


title: Can I say "What you are saying is ‘pants on fire,’" when I don’t trust what my elderly friend says?

text: There was the following sentence in the article titled, “Romney says inaccurate attack ad is fair” on IowaPolitics.com (November 23), which was studded with several expressions I’ve not gotten used to: " _What's sauce for the goose, is now sauce for the gander_ ," Romney said. "(Obama) spoke about the economy being a huge burden for John McCain. This ad points out that, it's now your turn ... _This economy is going to be your albatross_." > The ad was rated “ _pants on fire”_ by Politifact, a Pulitzer-Prize winning > project of St. Petersburg Times that checks the truthfulness of political > statements. This rating indicates that Obama’s words were distorted.” I can roughly guess what the phrase, “What’s sauce for the goose, is now sauce for the gander. This economy is going to be your albatross," mean. We have a similar (I think) Japanese saying: When you curse someone, you dig two holes to bury at the same time, one for him and one for yourself. However, I’m puzzled about the use of "pants on fire" to serious issue like political and authoritatative research subjects, because my understanding of "pants on fire" is the phrase from children’s game or taunting – “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” Can I say "What you are saying is pants on fire" when I don’t trust what my elderly friend says?


title: Why is "proceed" spelt "-ceed" and not "-cede" like "precede"?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Origins of the “‑cede/‑seed/‑ceed” suffix The pronunciation of _proceed_ is exactly like that of _precede_ with the only difference being the _o_ instead of the _e_. What rules of the English language dictate that it be spelt with the ending _-ceed_ instead of _-cede_?


title: What are the grammatical phrases in this sentence?

text: I'm analyzing this sentence and scanning it for prepositional, appositive and verbal phrases. In the sentence so far as I can tell there is only one prepositional and no appositive and no verbals (infinitive, gerund, participial). However, a few things do confuse me. # **“He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance.”** From what I can tell, the 'among creatures' is a prepositional phrase with 'among' being the preposition. No appositives, but I feel like a sentence like this with such an interesting structure should have more than just a single prepositional phrase. Am I missing something here? What other phrases exist here?


title: Where did the word "proc" originate?

text: The word "proc" is used to describe an event that occurs at various intervals and seems to be a term unique to programming and gaming: > When does that event proc? > > If that trigger procs it will cause [...] > > This card has an ability that procs when you play [...] > > When the card proc'ed/procced, it killed off all opposing creatures and won > me the game. The word does not appear in the dictionaries I checked. "Proc" is listed as an abbreviation for words like "proceeding": > proc -- > >   1. procedure >   2. proceedings >   3. process >   4. proclamation >   5. proctor > But these seem completely unrelated to the usage I've noted above. So where did this term originate?


title: Can degrees be "established"?

text: I wanted to convey that a university degree is true and valid, but I am not sure if the word "established" can be used for the degree itself.   1. Any suggestions on which words I can use to convey that same meaning for a "degree"?   2. Can I check if it is the word "established" can be used for an educational program?


title: Pronouncing the "N" as separate syllable at the end of words like "known" and "pattern"

text: Over time, I have heard people pronounce the "n" on words like "known" (NO-en) and "pattern" (PAT-r-en), as though it were a separate syllable. The instances of my hearing such have been rare ones, but I can't help but think this is a remnant of some regional dialect, or perhaps due to European roots. Where did this pronunciation originate?


title: Better word for blackmail or extortion

text: A while ago I used the word _blackmail_ in a situation, just to learn that the word didn't fit. I am left wondering whether there is a better choice. I probably have to explain the situation (I'll try to keep it short). I was playing a board game online. At some point it was sure that I had won the game (and by that I don't mean that I had an edge but that I literally had won). Unfortunately this doesn't mean that the game ends immediately, but it goes on until some criterion is met which ends the game. Under normal circumstances this happens rather quickly but my opponent found a way to artificially prolong the game leaving me with two options: a) I could accept a draw, even though I already had won. b) I could continue playing, probably for hours, doing the same repetitive moves over and over just to collect the win eventually. Normally the game is quite casual and doesn't take longer than 15 minutes. I said that he was "blackmailing" me. However he insisted that I was using the word wrongly, since it is biased to situations where monetary benefit is involved. As you can imagine there was a lot of tension already and the end of the story is not important, but I was left with the question whether there is a better word for this situation. I discussed this question with some friends (including American, British and Australian native speakers) and all agreed that the word isn't really right, but that there is probably no better one. _Extortion_ was another candidate but this word seems to be too harsh. Any ideas?


title: 'pick' as an alternative for 'pick up' (transport)

text: A lady (of West Indian ancestry) said at a Church meeting this weekend: "He picked me at the station." Obviously, she meant what I would mean by saying: "He picked me up at the station," which would not be the smutty interpretation. I think I have heard this expression used similarly once before. On the 'Wordwizard' website, we have only come up with a few opinions as to whether the shortened form is (a) now generally acceptable, (b) dialect or slang, or (c) erroneous grammar. Certainly, the examples we've been able to find on Google are accompanied almost invariably by obviously wrong grammar or excesses of sentence fragments. Has anyone any experience of (or sound statistics on!) the shortened usage, please?


title: A word meaning the opposite action of recruiting

text: If I was starting a club for cool kids only, I would **recruit** all the cool kids by, for example, actively seeking them out and convincing them to join the club. To keep the uncool kids out of my club, I dissuade them from wanting to be in my club by telling them that it's a dumb club and only losers join. Is there a word that describes what I'm doing to the uncool kids?


title: word for racial polarization (similar to "partisanship")

text: There is a lot of sensitivity regarding race in the United States. In my view, the topology of this sociological landscape is characterized by one factor-- but I can't think of the word for it. There is a certain "sensitivity" to race that some have that others don't, especially in politics and sociological issues. The best way to describe it is mental "polarization". Some people are oblivious to race, yet others use race as their default reference frame when considering social issues. The word that I'm looking for is similar to "partisanship". This is exactly the word I'm looking for with "race" being replaced with "political party". Partisanship is also not binary: some are more partisan than others, based on the extent to which political party factors into their decisions and their analysis of political issues. I'm looking for the same thing, but instead I'm looking for a non-binary term that describes how much race factors into their analysis of social issues. **Please do not** answer with any of the following or any of its derivatives:   racism   xenophobia   prejudice   bigotry   stereotype   I am looking for a word that describes the polarization based on race, not a word describing people's feelings about it. Stratification is not what I'm looking for either, as that describes an associative polarization which works from the psychology of one's own personal identity. The word I'm looking for does not pertain to social polarization, but mental polarization when considering social issues. It also does not pertain to personal identity.


title: Word or phrase for clumsy, inaccurate expression

text: I'm seeking a word or phrase useful for referring to a bad sentence which clumsily, inaccurately and ambiguously attempts to express an idea or concept. Bad-sentence example: "We do a multiplication of 60 of the 10^10 terms to get us to 10^600 and then a multiplication of 10^3 terms to reach 10^603." Phrases incorporating 'mangled', 'tortured ', 'muddled' and 'still-born' may resemble what I want, but seem overly judgmental. **Update** _(Response to questions about example; with 'infelicity' and 'solecism' adopted from an answer)_ _Inaccurate --_ The sentence (from a sci.math newsgroup posting by "AP") is inaccurate or misleading in first using the "multiplication of ..." infelicity one way for the (10^10)^60 calculation, and then a different way for the (10^600)*(10^3) calculation. That is, if the first case means (10^10)^60, the second might be thought to mean either (10^10)^(10^3) or (10^600)^(10^3). _Clumsy --_ The solecisms "a multiplication of 60 of the 10^10 terms to get us to 10^600" and "a multiplication of 10^3 terms to reach 10^603" are longwinded and ambiguous ways to say "compute 10^600 as the 60th power of 10^10" and "compute 10^603 as (10^600)*(10^3)".


title: heavy or strong taste in doing things

text: Is there a phrase or word to express "have a heavy/strong taste in doing things or about sex" can I use "hardcore" ijn this situation?


title: Concatenate vs. Catenate

text: What is the difference between **_concatenate_** and **_catenate_**? Are the words interchangeable? > _concatenate_ : 1. To connect or link in a series or chain. 2. _Computer > Science_ To arrange (strings of characters) into a chained list.   >  _catenate_ : To connect in a series of ties or links; form into a chain. Background: Which is more natural in the case of a C function like `strcat(dest, src)`:               char* ConcatenateString(char* dest, char* src);        or               char* CatenateString(char* dest, char* src);


title: How can I describe someone who changes clothes frequently?

text: Suppose one of your friends puts on different clothes every day. Is there any word or phrase to describe someone like that? I think _luxury_ is not very close to that meaning.


title: How do I submit a villanelle in MLA style?

text: I understand how to submit essays in MLA styles, but how do I submit a villanelle?


title: Rules for hyphens in words and phrases

text: What are general rules for when hyphens are used in words such as "bad-ass" or "well-deserved". Could someone explain what kinds of words/phrases those are?


title: Explain "Conditional Sentences"

text: I need help with the the conditional sentences, please explain there structures with the examples in simple English


title: Is British English Outdated in Technical Writing?

text: I learnt English as my second language right from my school level and for the British colonial history of my country, my education was mostly in British English. In fact, during my school years, American spellings were somewhat frowned upon. However, recently I am writing a few academic papers for IEEE and some of my colleagues and reviewers seem to be very much against British expressions. Words like Colour (as compared to Color), Maximise (as compared to Maximize) etc. are being pointed out as inappropriate in an academic paper. Are all these just biased opinions or general trends in the publishing community?


title: Usage of "certain" in these newspaper articles

text: Is the usage of "certain" in these newspaper articles correct? Excerpt from Mutual funds for P1,000 a month (Inquirer.net) (emphasis mine): > "Because remember, you're acquiring shares. So it's good for the investor > ... You can never get the timing right when you invest, but if you're doing > it on a monthly basis, you're indifferent to how the market moves, because > your objective is really to reach a _certain_ amount in terms of investment > over a _certain_ period of time," she says. > > Cognizant of the market's demand for better yield, Pami allows switching > from one fund to another. > > "What we're really pushing for is diversification, maybe have a _certain_ > bucket in fixed income, a _certain_ basket in equity-based funds and then a > _certain_ portion in the peso and dollar funds," Morales says. The closest definition of _"certain"_ in this context on Oxford Advanced Learner's dictionary seems to be: " _used to mention a particular thing, person or group without giving any more details about it or them_ ". I would like to ask if this definition applies to the usage of _"certain"_ in this context. Or is there another correct definition that applies? * * * Another example — excerpt from Hazing eyed in death of graduating UP student (Inquirer.net) (emphasis mine): > The village chairman of Talisay, Tiaong, Quezon, Pedro Panopio, who was > designated by the family to speak on their behalf showed the Inquirer a > statement written by the duty guard of the Veteran’s Memorial Hospital > identified as a _certain_ Jonathan Garduce. > > He noted in his handwritten statement that Chris was brought to the medical > facility at around 1:08 a.m. Monday by a _certain_ “Dr. Francisco Cruz” > aboard a white Toyota Innova with license plates ZXB-393, followed by two > other vehicles: a Nissan Trooper (WGL-515) and an Isuzu van (XAS-548). The closest definition of _"certain"_ in this context on Oxford Advanced Learner's dictionary seems to be: " _used with a person's name to show that the speaker does not know the person_ ". I understand _"know"_ in that definition to be the fourth definition of _"know"_ in Dictionary.com: " _be acquainted with (a thing, place, person, etc.), as by sight, experience, or report: to know the mayor_ ". Does it apply to this or to another correct definition? It seems that in this context, though, it is used to state that the names are unconfirmed (not from an official source) or just to emphasize the names. The writer of the news article is not expected to know (be acquainted with) the persons mentioned in the article personally, after all.


title: When to use "the" before food names

text: I am new to the English language and I am going to English classes. In the middle of my book, we have a lesson about foods. In this lesson, food names are explained but I do not understand something. We say and write _the sandwich_ or _the hamburger_. However, when we say and write _pizza_ , _coffee_ , _chocolate_ or _noodles_ , we do not use _the_. What is there such a difference?


title: Tennis jargon: why are some matches "not before" a given time instead of just "after" that time?

text: I've recently started to follow Tennis matches and championships more closely. Now I often hear schedules mention that a match will occurr _not before_ a given time of day. That sounds odd to me. Below is an example: > Novak Djokovich vs. Roger Federer - 6PM > > Rafael Nadal vs. Gustavo Kuirten - **not before** 8PM I understand that by _not before 8pm_ , the organizers mean that the match will start at 8PM sharp, or after that, if the previous match taking place on the same court takes longer than expected. In this context, **would it be semantically equivalent to use the expression "after" instead of "not before"?** In that case we would have: > Novak Djokovich vs. Roger Federer - 6PM > > Rafael Nadal vs. Gustavo Kuirten - **after** 8PM **Wouldn't it be more direct and preferrable to just use the word _after_?** The only difference I see between the expressions is that the word _after_ excludes 8PM sharp, but to me that wouldn't be enough a difference to warrant the use of a more complex expression just for Tennis matches. Finally, a question that may not be for this community, but rather for the Tennis enthusiasts: **why don't they just simplify things and say "after 8PM"?**


title: What is the person called whom you give a recommendation?

text: If person A gives person B a recommendation, can you call A `recommender` and B `recommendee` or are these words made up? I've seen both forms used in everyday language (e.g. magazines), but never in a dictionary or grammar book, or in literature. Also, what is the process of creating `recommendee` or `recommender` out of `recommendation` called?


title: Hypernym of academia, researchers and topic enthusiasts

text: Could _academics_ or _acads_ be used to describe the university faculty as well as researchers? What is a better hypernym of academia, researchers and topic enthusiasts?


title: Word for “all the groups an item belongs to”?

text: To expand on the title slightly: all of the groups to which an item belongs _directly or indirectly_? That seems to make "parent groups," my first choice, ill-fitting. The key concept here is membership, but that term generally refers to the items in the group, not the groups themselves. ### A bit more explanation: An item's relationship to a group may be direct or indirect because groups are hierarchical. The term would describe all of the relevant groups in the hierarchy. ### An example: Fuji is an apple. Apples are fruit. Fuji belongs to apples and fruit. The phrase I need to construct is along the lines of: _Fuji and "the groups to which it belongs."_ ### Edit As Barrie pointed out, my example involves categorical relationship, but that won't necessarily be the type of membership I'm referring to. The membership is arbitrary and changeable. ### Edit 2 My example caused more confusion than good. The best metaphor for what I'd like to express is: a child has _parents_ and _grandparents_ , who are collectively his **ancestors**. I want to say: a user has _groups_ and _(super?) groups_ , which are collectively ___ **?** _.


title: Difference between "on the command line" and "at the command line"

text: What is the difference between _on the command line_ and _at the command line_?


title: Definition and Etymology of "Diplasiology"

text: Reading Benjamin Jowett's translation of the _Phaedrus_ of Plato, I have come across the word **diplasiology** : > And there is also Polus, who has schools of diplasiology, and gnomology, and > eikonology, and who teaches in them the words of which Licymnius made him a > present; they were to give a polish. What does this word mean? What are its constituent Greek roots?   1. Am I correct in assuming that di- is the common binary prefix (from δίς)?   2. _Plasi-_ is the stem I am completely ignorant of.   3. I know of course that -logy is from λόγος.


title: Is there any full form for NEWS?

text: Many people tell me that the full form of NEWS is North,East,West and South. For quite a long it looked convincing to me as the full form seemed to cover all the direction giving an impression that any thing happened in any direction in reported by the News. After a little pondering however I found that the base of the word may be just "new". It simply means what is new. Later on may be convey specifically about new information it might have got changed to news. Is it correct or I am missing some thing over here?


title: What does "cramp one's style" mean?

text: > Dude -- you're cramping my style! What does it mean?


title: Can the word "footing" be used in regards to an inanimate object?

text: For example > The toolbox fell over because it didn't have a solid footing on the bench. Merriam-Webster has the definitions >   1. a stable position or placing of the feet >   2. a surface or its condition with respect to one walking or running on it > But neither really clarifies whether it can only be applied to living things. Is there more leeway for objects that have feet _of sorts_ , like a chair, or can I claim poetic license in stretching the definition?


title: Can 'nothing' ever be preceded by a plural verb?

text: I've had it drilled into my head that _nothing_ is always singular, since it's essentially another way to say 'no thing'. However, in the following sentence, I'm having trouble ascertaining whether the preceding verb should be singular or plural: > There are nothing but liars in here. Is this sentence acceptable? I'm inclined to believe that _nothing_ is being used as an adverb rather than a pronoun, so it is correct to use 'are' rather than 'is'. Here's another example sentence: > They are nothing but petty thieves. In this case, since the subject is simpler, it becomes more clear that the plural should be acceptable. Am I understanding this correctly?


title: Multiple strands of hair

text: Is there a word that connotes _multiple strands of hair_?


title: Use quotation marks or italics for written quotes?

text: In narrative writing, should I use quotation marks or italics when I quote something someone _wrote_? I would go with italics to differentiate written from spoken quotes: > “I know who the killer is,” she said and hung up the phone. > > _I know who the killer is_ , she wrote, but she never managed to send her > message.


title: Can we say "probable" where we have to say "possible"?

text: Can we say _probable_ where we have to say _possible_? What is the exact meaning of that? I have searched this, but I didn't get the perfect example of that.


title: How do you express a natural habit of a species?

text: I am curious to know about the plural/singular form of addressing a species. For example, which expression is correct or more appropriate: > Lion does not eat wolf > > Lions do not eat wolves Or do you use _never_ for expressing such negative attitude of habit as > Lions never eat wolves


title: Singular form for “headphones”?

text: Can you wear _headphones_ (plural) in only one ear? Or would I have to use a singular form? > She wore headphones in one ear and listened to him with the other. **EDIT:** I want to show that even though she has a _set of headphones_ , she's only wearing a singular piece of it in one ear.


title: (The/-) measles virus

text: I have some doubts when it comes to describing viruses causing infectious diseases. I have consulted a couple of very well-written medical reference books, where the authors consistently drop the definite article in the names of viruses, so that the text reads: "The virus is most widespread in Europe. Measles virus is transmitted by..." What are the reasons for omitting the article in this case? The way I understand it, we should talk about “the measles virus”, as we are distinguishing it from other types of viruses. I’ll be most grateful for every hint.


title: Synonyms for "previous"?

text: I looked up the synonym for _previous_ up in the dictionary, and found > preceding, former, earlier, etc. Are there other synonyms for this word which can be used in writing a scientific paper? For example: In the _previous_ studies...


title: Is 'that is' optional?

text: When I write something like this: > I am a man that is doing these things. Is it correct to shorten it like this? > I am a man doing these things. And does it require commas?


title: Phrasal verbs: single entity?

text: I am teaching English to my cousin, but I am not sure how to explain phrasal verbs correctly. For example "take off". I explain it as two words but a single entity. When I ask her to name a verb in the sentence _The plane is taking off_ , I expect to hear "to take off", not "to take". Do I understand this concept correctly? **Update:** In the sentence "She put her hands around her hear and squeaked." Is "put around" a phrasal verb or there are separate verb and preposition?


title: Etymology of 'slap-up'

text: Apparently this is a peculiarly British term, but we'll sometimes use the phrase 'slap-up' to mean 'excellent', as in: > That's a slap-up meal! or > They held a slap-up do. What's the origin of the term slap-up? Nothing obvious comes to mind.


title: When should I capitalise the first inital after a colon?

text: I've read a few question and answers on this topic but, to make assurance doubly sure (as it were), here goes. Is the capitalisation correct in the following two instances? >   1. Chapter 7 examines the impact of intra-household inequalities in access > to food and addresses questions such as: How do poor agricultural families > cope with food insecurity during seasonal troughs in the agricultural > production cycle? How do they cope with calamities such as drought and > famine? Does the burden of coping fall equally on all family members? > >   2. This is justified on the grounds that: ‘In the African way, we speak to > the man who is the head of the house and assume he will pass on the > information to other members’; and again, ‘Being men, it is of course easier > for us to persuade men’ (Staudt 1975–76: 91). > > In instance (1), had there been only one question, should I have lowercased the initial h? Chapter 7 examines the impact of intra-household inequalities in access to food and addresses questions such as: how do poor agricultural families cope with food insecurity during seasonal troughs in the agricultural production cycle?


title: judging the intended meaning of the two sentences below

text: * james is max's supposedly Irish ancestor.   * james is max's supposed Irish ancestor. what can we interpret from these? which is the correct one? I understand that "supposedly" modifies the adjective "Irish" and "supposed" modifies "ancestor". But it doesn't help me reach a conclusion about the uncertainty factor of the sentence. Is there uncertainty about james being Irish or max's ancestor? no context, just the two independent sentences.


title: what is the meaning of "the family dynamic" and "Textbook Case"?

text: I encountered the terms “the family dynamic” and “Textbook Case” in the play _The Pain and the Itch_ by Bruce Norris. I want to know what they mean. At page 58: > Clay: Kelly was abused.   >  Carol: Oh, Kelly! Ohhhhh.   >  Kelly: True.   >  Carol: I didn't know that! Oh, how awful.   >  Kelly: The family dynamic. Yeah. Textbook case.   >  Carol: Ohh, how horrible. I hope that's not true!   >  Clay: It is true. It absolutely is.   >  Carol: Ohh, ..."


title: Term for converting to black&white

text: Is there a single word to denote reducing the color palette of an image to two colors: black and white? For instance, navy becomes black and beige turns into white. I know there is _desaturate_ , but it's too broad, can mean even a slight reduction in color.


title: Meaning of "Skull" as Insult

text: I am reading _The Last of the Mohicans_. A group gets lost on their way to Fort Edward. Then they meet Hawkeye the scout, who accuses their guide of misleading them. Hawkeye believes the guide's heritage confirms this when he says: > "A Huron!" repeated the sturdy scout, once more shaking his head in open > distrust; "they are a thievish race, nor do I care by whom they are adopted; > you can never make anything of them but **skulks** and vagabonds. Since you > trusted yourself to the care of one of that nation, I only wonder that you > have not fallen in with more." I cannot find a definition of _skull_ to match this usage. A definition I've found in dictionaries that is closer to Hawkeye's intent than the common meaning of "bone of the head" is this one from MacMillan Dictionary: > INFORMAL a person's head, or their mind Especially if used in this derogatory sense cited from CED: > _derogatory often_ the head regarded as the mind or intelligence: _to have a > dense skull_ Hawkeye is not shy with his criticisms of this tribe. In the above passage alone he accuses them of thievery, aimlessness, and treachery. It is possible that by using _skulls_ he is insulting their intelligence too. But this argument seems weak to me, because the traps and ambushes Hawkeye fears the guide leading the group into require some sophistication to execute. A supposition I think has more merit is that this _skull_ is related to _skulduggery_ , which MW defines as > underhanded or unscrupulous behavior; _also_ : a devious device or trick The _skul_ in _skulduggery_ ("apparently an alteration of Scottish _sculdudrie_ 'adultery' (1713), _sculduddery_ 'bawdry, obscenity' (1821), a euphemism of uncertain origin") appears to have a different etymology than the bone-related _skull_ ("probably from Old Norse _skalli_ 'a bald head, skull,'..."). But I cannot find any sources to confirm the connection of Hawkeye's use of _skulls_ to this _skul_. What does Hawkeye mean by calling the tribe "skulls"? **Edit** : As Leon Conrad points out below, I misquoted the Google book I cited. The correct word is _skulks_. (I have changed it above.) I have e-mailed the source I read from about the typo.


title: Are "commentable" and "categorizable" proper?

text: Can I say "commentable and categorizable"? If not, what are some one word alternatives to use, to say that something can be commented on or categorized? I would like to use the words for database column names, so there is no actual context. But if you want I could use this sentence: > The content is commentable and categorizable. I just wanted to know if these words are acceptable terms or if I misunderstood something.


title: Using 'the' in front of proper nouns?

text: This may be an incredibly stupid question but I'm having a bit of trouble with it. If I want to write: > I transferred flights at the airport. Then I know I need to use 'at the' as 'airport' is a noun. but what if I want to specify the airport to be Sydney Domestic Airport? I'm of (the perhaps wrong?) belief that 'Sydney Domestic Airport' is a proper noun and so you shouldn't need the preceding 'the'? But reading it out loud either way seems correct. So what fundamental rule am I obviously forgetting from primary school? Go easy on me!


title: What is the closest idiomatic antonym to ‘foul the nest’?

text: There was the following sentence in Washington Post’s (January 5) article titled “Rick Perry is no George W. Bush” with a subhead line, ‘Perry’s dubious award.’ > Perry, who looks likely to fail at his presidential campaign, has also > _fouled the nest back home_. The January issue of Texas Monthly magazine > hands him the annual “Bum Steer’’ award — a major poke in the eye for the > state’s top officeholder. The magazine’s “dishonor’’ has been given to a > sitting governor only once before, in 1976. I’m curious to know the exact idiomatic antonym(s) to “foul the nest back home.”


title: Use of "it" and "them"

text: Can the pronoun _it_ refer to plural as in the following sentence? > Secrets of Wealth and Provision and how to increase it. Or should it be: > Secrets of Wealth and Provision and how to increase them. I would myself use _them_ rather than _it_ , but I just want to make sure if _it_ could sometimes refer to the plural.


title: "Your" vs. "you're": Why the confusion?

text: I have seen many comments on different blogs and forums where English native speakers spelled _you're_ as _your_. I'm not a native speaker, but I know and understand the difference between the two. Why is there a confusion? My initial guess is that _your_ and _you're_ have similar pronunciation and because I carry some accent from my native language (Romanian) I can identify the difference better. _Edit_ (thanks Chris): The same can be asked for other homophones: _there/their/they're_ , _its/it's_.


title: Some other or another

text: I wonder if "some other" means exactly the same as "another" in the following sentences. Is there any difference between them? >   1.     * There must be _another_ explanation. >     * There must be _some other_ explanation. >   2.     * In this case we will go to _some other_ city. >     * In this case we will go to _another_ city. >   3.     * After that they saw _some other_ house. >     * After that they saw _another_ house. >


title: What is the word for multiple letters that behave like a single sound?

text: I'm trying to find a list of something like this:               ck     ph     kn     ch     sk      etc. Basically, they would be pronounceable and are often used to make up words. I think there is a term for this. Like 'ph' can be made in to 'phone'. 'Ch' can be made in to 'Check'.


title: Meaning of "as" in following sentence

text: I am not sure of the meaning of this sentence: > The significance of culture and identity in development has to do not so > much with the cultural factor in the process of development **as** with > abandoning Eurocentric development thinking. I'm not sure what the use of _as_ is supposed to convey. Does it mean "development has to do not so much ... as with abandoning", i.e. not as much as abandoning? Does the abandoning have more to do with it? And the second question: Why does it use "has to do not so much". Why not "has not so much to do"? Is "have to" a verb?


title: A phrase to show that something is deeply personal

text: The context here is that I'm translating from Spanish a phrase which has a wonderful suggestion of deep intimacy. I want to keep the translation as literal as possible but also to maintain the emotion of the phrase. The Spanish phrase is "siempre seguirá perteneciendo a tu intimidad", which roughly translates as "it will always remain personal to you". However, to my ear, that translation loses all the sensuousness of the original phrase, but I'm struggling to find alternatives (other than adding for example "deeply personal"). Any suggestions? Do we even have a word in English with the same connotations as "intimidad" in this sense of emotional, personal profundity?


title: Usage of "to canter through a topic"

text: What are the types of uses of the expression "to canter through a topic or issue"? I heard it in this context: > I don't have much time to go through this section now, so I'll canter > through the next few pages and concentrate on explaining the subsequent > section. Does this use of the expression have an implication of "not being bothered" to explain something in more detail, and so, with the possibility of having a negative connotation to it?


title: "Will be gone" vs "Will have gone"

text: 1) "By the time you arrive, I'll already be gone " 2 ) "By the time you arrive, I'll already have gone " I think both are grammatically correct but Are there any differences in meaning? And which one sounds better(more natural)?


title: "Any vs. "any other" and "every" vs. "every other"

text: Can you please clarify what difference in meanings exists between the sentences in the following two pairs: >   1.     * Tom is taller than any boy present in the class. >     * Tom is taller than any other boy present in the class. >   2.     * Tom is taller than every boy present in the class. >     * Tom is taller than every other boy present in the class. >


title: Is there a word that conveys 'keeping someone wondering purposely'?

text: **Scenario:** Someone publicly says, " _We have made a decision_ " in reference to an important choice, but no matter how many people ask what the decision was, the person does not say. Later, when asked about why they refused to disclose what their decision was they reply with " _Because I don't want everyone to know_." **Question:** Is there a word that conveys 'keeping someone wondering purposely' or describes a type of person who does? **Note:** I am aware that _a**hole_ fits nicely as an answer, but I'm looking for something a tad classier.


title: "woman" or "women" as a stand-in for the adjective "female"?

text: As in, > Emily Dickinson was a great **woman** poet or > Emily Dickinson was a great **women** poet in order to mean > Emily Dickinson was a great female poet Think I may have seen this adjectival usage of "women/woman" in a feminist art criticism paper, wondering if there's an accepted spelling...


title: Is the sentence “It provides people an easy way to communicate.” grammatically correct?

text: My inclination is to say that the sentence needs to be “It provides people **with** an easy way to communicate.”, but I'm struggling to explain _why_. Certainly _provide_ can be used transitively (“I provide food.”) or intransitively (“The government provides.”)—is it a question of valency?


Is it okay to use Present Perfect Tense right after "to see how"? For example, > It is both sad and funny to see how these guys have never really got to the > core of the matter.


title: "What exactly" vs. "Exactly what"

text: What are the differences between these two phrases? For example, how would you qualify the difference between these two sentences: "What exactly is that book about?" and "Exactly what is that book about?".


title: What does David Cameron’s “You did Britain a service, and kicked that useless voting system off,” mean?

text: British Prime Minister David Cameron delivered a speech to the annual Conservative Party Conference held on October 5th in Manchester. The New Yorker magazine (October 5) introduced some of clips from his speech with sarcastic notes in the article titled, “David Cameron: An Annotated Guide.” Because it was a simple collection of fragmentary quotations, it was hard to guess any gist of his speech from this article. Among them, there was a clip followed by the following annotation: > “You did Britain a service and kicked that useless voting system off the > political agenda for decades to come.” > > Points for style: American politicians should adopt “useless,” more often > heard here in reference to philandering husbands and remote controls, as a > term of public contempt. I don’t understand what “You did Britain a service” in Cameron’s line means. What is “a service” in this context? I mean what service did “You” - Conservative Party or the nation offer Britain? And what is a connection of “philandering husband” and “remote controls” in the annotation? Can somebody decipher for me?


title: Which is correct: "while away" or "wile away"?

text: Instinctively I wrote "wile away the hours", but on reflection that didn't seem right, given what "wile" is usually taken to mean. Then again, "while away" doesn't seem to make much sense either. Which usage is correct, and why?


title: Derogative vs Offensive

text: Is a derogative comment an offensive comment? To what extent are these two words synonyms?


title: Meaning of "boroughs of New York City"

text: What does borough mean?   Does the word have a different meaning when used in _the five boroughs of New York City_?


title: Origin of the name Manhattan

text: What is the origin of the name Manhattan?


title: Opposite of verb "abstract" and noun "abstraction"

text: The opposite of _abstract_ (adj) is _concrete_ , but what are the opposites of other forms of the word _abstract_ , such as:   * _abstract_ (v) - E.g.: We can abstract away the implementation details.   * _abstraction_ (n) - E.g.: I will provide an abstraction to simplify this. I'm interested in this from a computer science perspective. Abstraction is an important concept and I often find myself needing the opposite when explaining/modeling something. I'm currently using _implement_ and _implementation_ , but I feel this isn't quite correct.


What is the etymology of the expression "so far, so good"?   Why is the meaning of "so far" in that phrase different from the meaning it has in "it's so far"?


title: What is a "feal"?

text: I have been reading Scott's _Waverley, or 'tis Sixty Years Since_ , and in that book, a lawyer is describing an estate surrounding a manor house. That estate is said to include... > the fortalice and manor-place thereof ..., tofts, crofts, mosses, > muirs—outfield, infield—buildings—orchards—dovecots—with the right of net > and coble in the water and loch of Veolan—teinds, parsonage and > vicarage—annexis, connexis—rights of pasturage—fuel, feal, and divot—parts, > pendicles, and pertinents whatsoever I have run down the meaning of most of this, but I am stumped by _feal_. The Online Dictionary defines _feal_ here to be an archaic word for "faithful", but that doesn't seem to me to be terribly relevant. Does anyone know what _feal_ is in this context?


title: What do you call the directions orthogonal to uptown/downtown in Manhattan?

text: While in many places, the notions of "uptown" and "downtown" can be somewhat fuzzy and vague, in Manhattan, these two words have clear definitions - if you are standing on _n_ th Street, then uptown is in the direction of _n+1_ th Street, while downtown is in the direction of _n-1_ th Street. What do you call the directions _orthogonal_ to that? That is, if you are standing on 8th Avenue, what do you call the direction you travel to get to 7th Avenue or 9th Avenue? (In particular, what do people who actually live in New York call these directions? It's not difficult to come up with reasonably clear ways of expressing these directions [see below], but I want to know what natives call it.) * * * Possible options (but I have no idea which of these, if any, are actually used by New York natives):   * Just **east** / **west** (since Manhattan is sort-of-but-not-really oriented to the compass directions)   * **towards the Hudson River** / **towards the East River** (but does anybody actually say this? Seems unlikely.)   * something based on roads that run along the Manhattan coast, like **towards the FDR** / **towards Henry Hudson Parkway** (but again, does anybody say this? Doubt it.)


title: What is the difference between weight and heft?

text: There’s a dictionary saying _heft_ means _weight_ , but what does _heft_ mean in the phrase of “weight and heft”? Is it "weight and weight"? I think there might be some difference between weight and heft, but I don’t know for sure. I’d be happy if you could help me.


title: What is the meaning of "A.C. or D.C.?"

text: In Heinlein's _A stranger in a strange land_ , there is a moment when nurse Jill kisses Martian man named Mike and another man, Jubal, puts a comment on it. It comes as follows: > “Son,” he said, “you amaze me. I would have expected you to curl up in one > of your faints.” > > “I so did,” Mike answered seriously, without letting go, “on first kissing > time.” > > “Well! Congratulations, Jill. A.C., or D.C.?” > > “Jubal, you’re a tease but I love you anyhow and refuse to let you get my > goat. Mike got a little upset once—but no longer, as you can see.” The only meaning of AC and DC I found was alternating current and direct current, but it is about electric power distribution and is definitely not my case. I have no idea about meaning and genesis of Jubal's mockery. Can anyone, please, explain it to me? Don't pay attention to Mike's strange language - he is the Man from Mars and has a different native language and way of thinking.


title: What is the difference between "being in" and "being down"

text: I've come across both sentences and was wondering if there is any difference in their meaning. Here are the sentences where I met them: To be down: > Give me a call if you're down To be in: > Who's in for the show tonight? Can one switch them without any impact as in `if you're in` and `who's down for` ? Edit: a new challenger joins the list, `to be up to`: > Tell me what you're up to Also, I would point out that I've read/heard that in America and English is my second language. Now the main question becomes: **Can we interchangeably use " _to be in for_ ", " _to be down with_ " and " _to be up to_ "** ? Can we also switch the extra words such as "to be in with", "to be down to", "to be up for" ? If you have any concrete example where one or another could be more appropriate/meaningful, please let us know!


title: When did 'venereal disease' become STI?

text: Why is it that the term _venereal disease_ has been dropped in favour of _sexually transmitted infection_ , or 'STI' for short? The change seemed to date from the advent of AIDS. Was it that the word 'venereal' was associated uniquely with heterosexual relationships?


title: Is there a simpler, more poetic term for "the detritus of animal life"?

text: Forensic scientists collect DNA from cast-off bits of people such as skin cells, blood, and hair. In many magical traditions, such as Voudoun, bits of a person can be used to direct a spell - blood, nail clippings, saliva, etc. Is there a term that covers "all the bits and pieces that make up a person or animal"? The context is mythology, so an obsolete or archaic word would fit in just fine. _Detritus_ is the closest I've come up with, but I'm not quite happy with it. I don't necessarily mean "bits which have been cast off," but really all the elements of an animal. A word or phrase which means "fur, skin, feathers, and/or bone" would be about right. "Organic matter" has the right technical meaning, but it's, well, too technical. Clarification: I don't actually need a single word, a short phrase would be fine. There doesn't seem to be a tag for "word-requests" alone.


title: What do you call a blanket used for moving?

text: When renting a moving van you can also rent or buy blankets to wrap around your furniture to protect them while moving. They are typically not too pretty, most often gray, made from cotton fibers from recycled fabrics. What are such blankets called? ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/HmXFl.png)


title: Equivalents for "She's got a lovely singing voice"

text: > _She's got a lovely singing voice._ I'm sure they're a lot of other ways to say someone's singing voice is good. How do you restate the above sentence? I'm looking for any equivalent sentences (Formal/Informal/Slang).


title: What's the difference between "obscene" and "scatological"?

text: This question was inspired by the Malvolio's answer to this question.   1. What is the actual difference? In English-Russian dictionary there's almost no difference if speaking about tricky phrases. And according to Malvolio's answer there's a big difference in meanings of these two words.    2. How to chose when to use "obscene" and when to use "scatological"?


title: Uses of “to scathe”

text: Would “We took down the foreyard and commenced to scathe it” make sense to a sailor?


title: "Do you want to live forever?"

text: There's a famous story about a Marine sergeant at the Battle of Belleau Wood shouting "Come on, you apes. Do you want to live forever?" It's been attributed to several people; a character in _Starship Troopers_ says it; but what does it _mean_?   1. "You are acting as if you wish never to die; in fact, you should desire to fight and to die fighting."   2. "If you fight, your life may be shortened but you will achieve metaphorical immortality -- 'live forever' -- through your valor."   3. A deliberate ambiguity between (1) and (2). **EDIT:** I didn't make something clear. I am not taking a _poll_ here. A sound argument for one alternative or another would be good; a cite would be better; but an opinion is famously like that body part that everyone has but no one else wishes to see or hear about.


title: "Finally, there is/are the mechanics of the essay."

text: * _"Finally, there_ **_is/are_** _the mechanics of the essay."_ Should I use the verb **_are_** or **_is_**?


title: Difference between elucidate and explicate

text: I read the definitions of these two terms rendered by various dictionaries and concluded that   * _elucidate_ denotes 'to make perspicuous or intelligible (especially by explanation)'; whereas,   * _explicate_ denotes 'to elaborate on a theory in a manner that makes it more perspicuous or intelligible'.  I can't discern a distinction other than the possibility that explicate is the more appropriate word when the object is a theory (e.g. one might explicate a theory but elucidate a process). Is that the distinction between these two words? If not, then what distinguishes these two words from each other?


title: Phrase help for do's and don'ts

text: While I am writing some health tips, I used a phrase do's and don'ts, in describing my activities. I wonder, if there is any equivalent word to do's and don'ts. I believe this phrase is archaic. Are there any phrases that can be used in place of them. **Update:** Here's the context where I am using Do's   * Sleep early and wake up early Don'ts   * Keep away from brewed beverages


title: one word for shocking and clever?

text: I am looking for one word which means both shocking and clever. Example sentence: Shocking and clever revenge story.


title: What does 'McKinley Moment ' mean?

text: I saw the following sentences in today's Washington Post and another article found in a web site. What does 'McKinley moment' mean? I don't find this word in any of English Japanese dictionaries at hand. What's the origin of this word? Is this a word often used? -If any good can come of the horror in Tucson, it will be that this becomes a McKinley moment for Sarah Palin and her chief spokesman, Glenn Beck.  -And that was before the McKinley moment. While Republican congressional leaders joined President Obama in Monday morning's moment of silence, Beck mocked it as an Obama photo-op. His show was on commercial break during ...


title: Is the use of ellipses... rude?

text: Coming from the UK and in my experience in writing to people on-line, it seems that some cultures that use the English language do not understand that ellipses in communication can come across as sarcastic or gloomy, or a variety of other feelings that usually feel negative to the reader. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say this but I usually find _dependent on content but most of the time coming across as negative_ that the use of ellipses in instant messaging is rude. What is the bottom line? I hope there is an answer to this...


title: Is there a difference between the phrases "I am fine with it" and "it is fine with me"?

text: In my experience there has been a diachronic split between these phrases: > It is fine with me. > > I am fine with it. The latter has overtaken the former in usage although they continue to compete for the exact same meaning (which is discussed here). Is there a meaningful difference between the two phrases? Is the first one indeed on its way out?


title: Why was it necessary to divide alphabets into vowels and consonants?

text: This may be an extremely simple question. I know pretty much what do we do when we see any vowel but I am curious why were these two classes created in the first place. I beg pardon for another question : Why were only these letters chosen as vowels : **a , e , i , o , u** ?


title: Origin of the phrase "for the win"?

text: Just curious as to where "for the win" (commonly abbreviated FTW) originated?


title: What does the phrase "You're out of your element" mean?

text: I heard it in The Big Lebowski movie, when Walter yells at Donny, "shut the fuck up, Donny"; then he exclaims, "You're out of your element!".


title: Is there a word that means English-Language-Centric?

text: There was an argument about how someone spelled "Revolution" and they said "No, I did not write it incorrectly. I used the Spanish version: 'Revuloción' without the accented o to make my life a little easier." The thing that came to mind was wow, how Anglocentric, but then I remembered that it was more about the Culture of England than dealing with the language at large that's also spoken in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, etc. So, is there a word that means English-Language centered/-centric? If there is, I would thank you very much for obliging me. Otherwise, I think I am afraid that I am indeed at a loss for words. I know there is "Anglophone", but it only conveys someone that is an English speaker, not someone that thinks that the entire world should cater to those that speak the English language and speak English around them even if they are in a foreign land [Mind you, this is only a rather extreme example of it, but it does more or less convey the feeling of what I am attempting to have others understand in a written format].


title: Can anyone tell me the tense changes in this sentence

text: I saw this in my school's newspaper--what are the tense changes? "Starting Thursday February 6th, sports fans around the world had been on the edge on the edge of their seats as the Winter Olympics went underway"


title: What's the meaning of "stained with a blue bag" in this text?

text: In a story titled "Prelude" written by "Katherine Mansfield", I came across the following paragraph: > After tea Kezia wandered back to their own house. Slowly she walked up the > back steps, and through the scullery into the kitchen. Nothing was left in > it but a lump of gritty yellow soap in one corner of the kitchen window sill > and a piece of flannel **stained with a blue bag** in another. Please somebody shed some light on the meaning of " **a piece of flannel stained with a blue bag** ".


title: "Times of their choosing" or "times of their choice"

text: Should we use _choosing_ or _choice_ in the sentence below? > You may find that engaging the required range of participants requires > traveling to participants' home or workplace, at times of their > **choosing/choice**.


title: Is "mellifluous" onomatopoeic?

text: > mel·lif·lu·ous /məˈliflo͞oəs/ Adjective: (of a voice or words) Sweet or > musical; pleasant to hear. As in the title: is "mellifluous" onomatopoeic or is the definition of onomatopoeia stricter than that?


title: “Era”, “age”, and “epoch”

text: What are the differences and relations between _era_ , _age_ , and _epoch_? For example, should I say one of these?   * We are now in the digital _era_.   * We are now in the digital _age_.   * We are now in the digital _epoch_.   * We are now in the Internet _era_.   * We are now in the Internet _age_.   * We are now in the Internet _epoch_. Or should I use some other word? I found this comparison, but it is all about geologic history.


title: How do you refer to the act of a delegate resigning?

text: When a president resigns, they might entitle their resignation letter "Resignation from Presidency." A councilor might entitle their letter "Resignation from Council." What would a delegate entitle their resignation letter? Here are some contenders that I encountered on google:   * "Resignation as Delegate"   * "Resignation from Delegacy"   * "Resignation of Delegacy" Is one of these (or a different version) more correct than another? If so, why?


title: Spelling out numbers in written dialogue

text: I cannot locate accurate answers anywhere regarding these. My explanations are below each example. I believe that all examples may be correct but am unsure. I'm just looking for some confirmation. In which, if any, would you change the punctuation? (1) _Mike said, "The team needed ten point five million.”_ [No hyphens because 'ten point five million' isn't modifying anything. Good as is?] (2) _Mike said, "The team needed ten-point-five-million dollars."_ [Hyphenate because 'ten-point-five' is modifying dollars, correct?] (3) _Mike said, "The figures represented a ten-point-five-million-dollar-a- year increase in revenues."_ [Hyphenated because 'ten-point-five-million- dollar-a-year' is modifying 'increase'. Good?] (4) _"Mike said, "The figures represented a ten-point-five-percent increase."_ [Hyphenated because 'ten-point-five-percent' is modifying 'increase', correct?] (5) _Mike said, "The figures represented a ten-point-five-percent-a-year increase."_ [Hyphenated because 'ten-point-five-percent-a-year' is modifying 'increase', yes?] (6) _Joe said, "She displayed one-hundred-and-ten-percent commitment."_ [Hyphenated because 'one-hundred-and-ten-percent' modifies 'commitment'.] (7) _Dave said, "I'll give it one hundred and ten percent."_ [No hyphens because 'one hundred and ten percent' isn't modifying anything.] (8) _Louise said, "The interest rate is at twelve point seven."_ [No hyphens because 'twelve point seven' isn't modifying anything, correct?] (9) _Louise said, "The interest rate is at twelve-point-seven percent._ " [Hyphenated because 'twelve point seven' is modifying 'percent', right?] (10) _Louise said, "I need one-hundred-percent commitment from you."_ [Hyphenated because 'one-hundred-percent' modifies 'commitment', correct?]


title: What is the correct verb that follows "as well as?"

text: Which of the following sentences is correct?   1. He as well as they are in the wrong.   2. He as well as they is in the wrong.


title: Does a truism need to be true to be a truism?

text: I frequently hear people quoting widely-used idioms or proverbs as if they are fact, simply because they are used frequently by many people. For example, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Can these be called a "truism" even if not true or must they be actually true to be called a "truism"? Are there more precise terms for the two meanings, "widely believed ideas, which really aren't true" and "widely believed ideas, which really are true"?


title: Antonym of "confirm" that refers to facts and not opinion

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What is the opposite of the word confirm? In some cases, the antonym of _confirm_ would be _deny_. > I **confirm** that the rumors are true. > > I **deny** that the rumors are true. However, in a scientific sense, that doesn't make sense to me. > By careful observation, I have **confirmed** that the earth orbits the sun. > > By careful observation, I have **denied** that the earth orbits the sun. The use of _deny_ here seems to imply that I'm talking about my opinion on the subject, as opposed to me having established a scientific fact.


title: Looking for a term that is the opposite of "location-based crowdsourcing"

text: When referring to services that provide access to crowdworkers to perform tasks to be done on a computer with an internet connection (e.g., Amazon Mechanical Turk), in contrast with those that allow for tasks to be performed in the physical world (e.g., TaskRabbit), how would you call one vs the other? I'm set on using the term "location-based crowdsourcing" for the type of crowdsourcing that is performed in the physical world. I am trying to use "online crowdsourcing" for the type that is done only online. But part of the problem with that is that, both are facilitated by online technologies. Another option is to call it "virtual crowdsourcing." Any other suggestions?


title: Why do we no longer refer to Muslim and Hindu women as being 'in Purdah'?

text: The term _purdah_ is used metaphorically in Britain for anyone who stays out of sight. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is said to _go into purdah_ (away from the press)before he delivers his annual budget statement. But although there are many Indian, Pakistani, and Arabic women who wear the full _hijab_ , (facial covering), in Britain, I never hear them referred to as _in purdah_. In former times when Britain governed the sub-continent, _purdah_ was an important part of the language, referring to the practice of women over the age of puberty remaining out of sight of men, other than their immediate family.


title: "As big as you please"

text: What is the meaning of this expression in the following contexts? **1.** “I think we have too many clothes on Sammy.” Sam nodded and pushed Dean off of him, shucking his pants as quickly as he could, Dean getting undressed hurriedly right in front of him. Sam watched him hungrily as Dean's body was revealed to him, and Sam reached out and pulled Dean to him, their naked bodies finally pressing against each other, all hot skin and needy hands. Dean grinned **as big as you please** as he touched his forehead to Sam's. “Whatcha gonna do with that mouth of yours Sammy?” **2.** I'll never forget how Petey looked, setting up there on that stool **as big as you please**. She was flirtin' with that guy for all she was worth. She pulled out that ... **3.** “Men,” it said in bold letters **as big as you please**. Damn. She had walked straight into the men's room. How utterly embarrassing. She turned and fled into the ... **4.** From rowdy Creole and Cajun feasts to romantic dinners with sparkling wines, you can go **as big as you please** (but we hope you have your dinner ressies for ... From what I can understand, this makes no sense, at least to me, with a literal meaning. So this might be an idiom. In the forth context it seems that it means "as you please". Although they all seem to have different meanings.


title: How does one parse 'woe betide'?

text: How would one parse the sentence 'Woe betide anyone wearing the wrong colour'! 'Betide' is clearly the main verb, meaning 'happen'; as in 'they waited wondering what might betide'. But clearly 'betide' is not conjugated like other verbs, otherwise it would be 'woe betides'. But in this usage of 'woe betide...' it doesn't even seem to me to be acting like an indicative verb. It is most frequently delivered as an imperative warning, a bit like 'look out!'. Should the full form be 'Woe will betide anyone....'


title: "Off on a tangent" vs. "off tangent."

text: Tonight I heard someone say, "We're going off tangent here." I take this to be a mistaken conflation of "off on a tangent" with "off track." However, is a shift occurring? Is "off tangent" developing some currency? Is it becoming accepted? Or is it still fundamentally incorrect?


title: What's the difference between "awesome thanks" and "thanks very much"?

text: I've found "awesome thanks" in a forum reply. I wonder if there is difference between these two expressions? >   * awesome thanks >   * thanks very much >


title: Is it correct to say "I go here", when referring to attending a school?

text: I've often heard teens and grown ups saying "I go here" when referring to attending a school or an educational institution. For some reason, I want to correct them and have them rephrase it as, "I attend here" or "I come here." Which is the right way of saying it?


title: Can king's court be "stationed" in a city?

text: I want to say that when the Frederick II with his court, was in the city of Pisa, some person got a chance to see him. Can I say "stationed with his court in", like so? > Approximately in 1225 when Frederick II was stationed with his court in > Pisa, Milo was granted an audience. Or does **stationed** only apply to military units?


title: Is past perfect necessary when you are talking in chronological order?

text: I have a question about using past perfect. I know that it's used when you want to refer to an older past event while talking about a more recent past event. But if you begin talking about past events in chronological order, is past perfect really necessary? For example, I want to write the following sentence: > "When I called her last time, she told me that she wan't feeling well due to > a cold. So when I saw her in the hallway this morning, I stopped her to ask > her how she was doling." The thing is, people have told me that I should use past perfect in the above sentence and I just can't seem to understand why. I'm confused as ever!


title: "By" vs "Per". Which one should I use on expressions like "P&L/Geography" or "VaR/Asset"?

text: In the finance field, it is quite common to express some measures in relation to some grouping criteria. Some groupings can be temporal (year, month, etc.) and others like greography, asset class (e.g. a financial product), strategy (used in trading), and others. Which one is the most appropriate preposition to apply in this kind of expression ?   * "VaR per asset" or "VaR by asset"   * "P&L per strategy" or "P&L by strategy". Is there any well defined rule behind the most appropriate use ?


title: Saying that refers to not going overboard in solving a problem when a simple solution exists

text: So I know I've heard this saying in American English before but I just can't quite find the original. I have come up with several made up variations like:   * I don't send the Navy (or whole army, or a battalion) when all you need is a diplomat.   * Don't buy the whole cow when all you need is milk. What's the more commonly heard saying/phrase for this of expression?


title: Is the usage of this semicolon correct? Should I replace it with a colon or dash?

text: I am getting ready to have my first tattoo and, as a fairly strict grammarian, I want to make sure that I get it right. I plan for the tattoo to look like the following, but I'm not totally sure about the semicolon (perhaps it should be a colon, dash, or something else instead?). ![Is the semicolon in this used correctly, or should it be replaced by a colon/dash/other?](http://i.stack.imgur.com/HUtHZ.png) The words are taken from a song (Wake by The Antlers) and just adjusted slightly. Originally, it was "When your helicopter came and tried to lift me out, I put its rope around my neck. And after that you wouldn't bother with the airlift or the rescue- you knew just what to expect." Basically, I am trying to communicate a cause/effect relationship (in that "they" will not bother with an airlift etc BECAUSE they know just what to expect) which is kind of throwing me off. Any thoughts?


title: Pronunciation of "cache"

text: I have been pronouncing the word "cache" as "kaysh". I know a few people who pronounce it more like "cash" or even "cashay" or "catch". After consulting a few dictionaries, it turns out that the correct pronunciation of the word "cache" is "cash". My question is, are the other pronunciations of "cache" (kaysh, cashay, catch) not totally acceptable? Which one do IT people prefer?


title: Capitalisation of geographical entities in lists

text: I cannot seem to find an agreement on the proper capitalisation of geographical entities that use common nouns as part of their full name. Specifically my example is: > ...was found in the Pacific, Southern, and Indian Oceans. since both **Pacific Ocean** and **Indian Ocean** etc. are the correct terms. or should it be: > ...was found in the Pacific, Southern, and Indian oceans. As, strictly speaking, **Oceans** (plural) is not part of either name?


title: Should the names of different sorting algorithms be "<qualifier> sort" or "<qualifier>sort"?

text: Should the names of different sorting algorithms be `<qualifier> sort` or `<qualifier>sort`? The titles of Wikipedia articles of these sorting algorithms are not consistent with respect to this. See the listing. From English grammar (correction: orthography) point of view, which is better?


title: Is it acceptable to use "them" with two objects?

text: Is this allowable? It is fairly clear what is meant, and yet one cannot know for sure which object is being referred to each time "them" is used. e.g. > Sweets are bad for your teeth. If you eat **them** , it could damage > **them**. or even the other way around.... > Sweets are bad for your teeth. You could damage **them** if you eat > **them**.


title: Is it correct to say 'struck an example'?

text: When teaching people, is it correct to say: 'The author **_struck_** an example.' ? Can anybody give me another word used to mean 'give an example' when using examples or parables to teach people.


title: What does "therf werre eyght bokes" mean?

text: I've been told that the following phrase is valid English, although Google Translate marks each of the words as wrong. > Therf werre eyght bokes. What does this phrase mean in common English?


title: Asking questions, Past vs Present

text: What is the difference between the following: > What is applied mathematics? If you were to summarize it in a few words? > > What is applied mathematics? If you are to summarize it in a few words? > > What is applied mathematics? If you summarize it in a few words? > > What is applied mathematics? [Like] If you were to summarize it in a few > words?


title: What does "values that visitors seek the park mean" in this sentence mean?

text: This is from Garett Hardin's essay on the Tragedy Of Commons. The National Parks present another instance of the working out of the tragedy of the commons. At present, they are open to all, without limit. The parks themselves are limited in extent--there is only one Yosemite Valley--whereas population seems to grow without limit. **The values that visitors seek the parks are steadily eroded.** Plainly, we must soon cease to treat the parks as commons or they will be of no value anyone


title: What's the difference between "rent" and "hire" in British and American English?

text: The tip I used to teach was the verb, _hire_ , should be used for things which are transportable hence, you hire a car, sports equipment, a boat, a bike etc. _Rent_ , on the other hand, is primarily used for property, e.g.; _to rent a holiday residence_ ; _"office space for rent"_ ; and _"We're living in rented accommodation"._ But I realize that tip doesn't cover everything and here's why. * * * In the UK, when I was a child and before credit cards became the norm; families who couldn't afford to pay the full price of household furniture, electrical appliances; including colour TVs, and even alarm clock radios were "bought" on **HP** (hire and purchase) – once popularly called the "never- never". Recently, I discovered that in the US a similar system for purchasing goods exists but is known as **Rent-to-Own**. link The same discrepancy lies with **_car rentals_** in the US and **_car hire_** in the UK but in neither case do you end up purchasing the vehicle. We **hire personal trainers** (I suppose they are transportable and for a limited period) but we also **rent designer dresses** and **rent movies** or **videos** (BrEng).   * So when do I use _hire_ and _rent_ in the UK and the US?   * Are there any other differences I should be aware of?   * Are they interchangeable?


title: Use of "to be having"

text: I am confused with the usage of "to be having". He is assumed to be having the diamonds. or He is assumed to have the diamonds. Which one is correct?


title: How or When is the Lozenge symbol used?

text: I could find articles in Wikipedia that explain what each typographical symbol means and how it is used in print (e.g. pilcrow, section, dagger) but I couldn't find any information about the Lozenge mark/sign/symbol/character (◊ or Unicode U+25CA). I know it's being used in modal logic and math, but is it (or has it ever been) used in **English** text?


title: "Lambast" or "lambaste"

text: I looked up both _lambast_ and _lambaste_ in several dictionaries, but came up with no conclusions about which one is AE and which BE (if this distinction can ever be made). Moreover, the different spelling entails different pronunciations: _lambast_ [læmˈbæst] vs _lambaste_ [læmˈbeɪst]. The Macmillan Dictionary s.v. states that this verb is mainly used in journalism, so I suppose that it's a relatively recently-formed word. Are there any diatopic variations between the two forms? That is, is one mainly British and the other mainly American? If there are no such variations, which one is more correct or widespread in terms of pronunciation and spelling?


title: How to translate: university application sentences

text: I would need to know whether the following is correct: > I applied for study of mathematics and physics. or do I need to say it like that: > I applied for admission to university to study mathematics and physics. Is the first enough to express the meaning of the other sentence? Thanks


title: Actual meaning of "abstract"

text: I see people often use _abstract_ as a synonym of _strange_ , but what does it actually mean? I've looked up a definition: > thought of apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual > instances: an abstract idea. But it makes no sense to me and seems a bit vague. For example, what does it mean when people say that games are just sets of abstract rules?


title: When should the word "English" be capitalized?

text: I am often confused how the word "English" should be written in phrases such as "English language", because I have seen both variants: capitalized and starting with lowercase letter. What is the most accepted usage: "English language" or "english language"? And what about other possible usage of the adjective "english"?


title: Breaking last word in the lines

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What are the rules for splitting words at the end of a line? In printed texts, especially those with narrow columns, it's necessary from time to time to divide the last word in the line, and put some of it on the line below. The computer's automatic word-breaking system can execute this, but sometimes the output is 'wrong': _tran + scend or trans + cend, des + pite or de + spite, the + rapist or ther + apist_ and go on and on. Yet dictionaries are far from unanimous about word-breaking. That being said, I wonder if there are any 'rules' or guidelines that can be helpful in word-breaking actions.


title: "Please" and comma

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  In what cases should I use a comma after "please"? Do I have to use comma after "please" in the beginning of the sentence? E.g. "Please, specify the reason." or "Please specify the reason."


title: What is the correct term for a story that sits alongside another one in time and place?

text: What is the correct term for a book that sits alongside another book in time and universe, sharing some characters and events? Not after (a sequel) or before (a prequel), but parallel. Example: I've just read "Ender's Shadow". It's a [something] of "Ender's Game".


title: Is "who did what" grammatically correct?

text: Sometimes I wish to know what each person in a group of people did, or where each person went, or which book goes where. Is it correct to say, >   * Who went where? >   * Who did what? >   * Who told whom? >   * Which book goes where? > If not, what is the grammatical way of framing such questions?


title: Correlation vs Causation

text: Elsewhere on Stack Exchange I came across the following comment. > The sorting is based on values, not family. If you value knowledge, you will > be set to Ravenclaw, for example. Needless to say, if your parents value the > acquisition of knowledge most and foremost, their children are likely to > share those values, but it is not a guarantee. Correlation, not causation. I stated that this was causation rather then correlation because the commenter is arguing for a cause-and-effect relationship. The fact the cause-and-effect isn't guaranteed doesn't change that. Other comments have not agreed with me, and I thought rather than an off-topic discussion there, I'd ask over here to see if my understanding of causation vs correlation was correct.


title: "New lease of life" vs "new lease on life"

text: I have encountered both forms of the idiom _new lease of life_ and _new lease on life_. Is there an interesting story behind the difference?


title: It will be done at that point in the future vs It will have been done at that point

text: I am struggling with understanding the difference here:               It will be done at that point in the future.     It will have been done at point in the future.      I know in theory what future perfect tense means but here I cannot see the difference.


title: "Neither can live while the other survives"-- does it make logical sense?

text: At the end of the fifth book of Harry Potter, "The Order of Phoenix", there is a prophecy concerning Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort: > The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord ( Lord Voldemort) > approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him ( that's Harry > Potter), born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him > as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either > must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other > survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born > as the seventh month dies ... I am confused over the phrase > neither can live while the other survives What does it mean? Does it mean anything? On the surface it seems it does. But upon further thinking this phrase is self-contradictory. If neither Potter nor Voldemort lives, then by logical deduction, the second phrase "while the other survives" is certainly false. Similarly, if either Harry Potter or Lord Voldemort survives, than it follows that the first phrase "neither can live" is logically false. Juxtaposing two contradictory statements together in a single phrase makes the phrase completely meaningless. It's like saying "I am A, but I am not A"-- is this phrase true or false, or neither true nor false? Similarly, "neither can live while the other survives" can this phrase be true, or false, or can neither be true nor false? Do I miss anything? Harry Potter's author JK Rowling's English is subtle indeed!


What do you call a computer window when it is not maximized or minimized? I have been using _unmaximized_ , but I feel there is a more precise way.


title: How to phrase “define analyses” using only nouns?

text: English is not my mother tongue, and I am wondering how to best phrase _define analysis_ using two nouns. It could be _define analyses_ , too: it doesn’t matter whether it’s plural or singular. To me, _analyses definition_ sounds odd. However, _analyses specification_ sounds not right. Can anyone come up with a better phrase?


title: Exact adjective of "conundrum"

text: I am about to coin the word 'conundrous' because I needed it (and I think it deserves a place in the dictionary)! I would like comments on what you think about that (in the context of a serious article, or I wouldn't have to ask), but the question is as stated — if you can supply one or more adjectives that are synonymous with such an adjective, that's the answer for me. :) If there are none, I will be happy to accept close synonyms — the Merriam- Webster definition (of the noun) is here: conundrum I'm after the "difficult problem" (but not the "pun") synonymity. It's used to describe a word from an ancient text which is seemingly not in the dictionaries; hard to find information about. There's _enigmatic_ , but it's just a mystery for the moment; it's not something that is by definition mysterious. There's _elusive_ , but I think that carries the connotation of forever escaping one's reach.


title: "In the middle" of a time span – will "middle" work? Better ideas?

text: I am translating a German text into English. It contains a sentence that translates roughly to > In the middle of life, you stand alone. I'm unsure about "middle" here, and can't think of a more fitting substitute. "Life" is related to the time span of a single human life. Therefore, "center" is out of the question of course. Or is it? Would you use "middle" in this sentence? Do you have a better idea?


title: Avoid using 'at' twice while addressing subset programs/centers

text: I was wondering if there is a better way of saying the following sentence: > I received the ABC scholarship **at** the PQR center **at** the University > of Education. I have seen this in many places, but I was hoping to have a better way if possible.


title: Why "ladybird"?

text: In case you don't know, in British English, the little red-with-black-spots insect is not called a "ladybug", as in North America, but a "ladybird". This seems rather a poor act of classification, all things considered. Does anyone know why the ladybird was given such a name? Was it purely whimsical, or is there any reason why this insect should seem more avian than the rest of its kin? On a possibly related note, why was President Johnson's wife called Lady Bird Johnson? I guess Lady Bug Johnson might have been insufficiently dignified for the First Lady of the United States...


title: Requested ship date

text: A company has the words _This order will ship on 9/14/2010 from our Virginia location_ on their website. The user could request a ship date in the future. The internal, recommended replacement is _This order is requested to ship on 9/14/2010 from our Virginia location_ but the readability of the statement is in question. What is the correct way to combine a requested ship date and a location statement in a single sentence?


title: "No" vs. "not" for negation

text: I am not clear about the use of _no_ and _not_ . I have come across two sentences like: >   * All I asked was time, _not_ money. >   * I met this person about a month ago. I remember his name, what he was > wearing and his hair texture, but _no_ face. > In sentence 1 _not_ is used whereas in sentence 2, _no_ is used. Why so? Can anybody explain?


title: Word/slang for "I have just committed the source code, please update your working copy"?

text: I usually send this message over SMS to my coworkers, well, very frequently. I think maybe there is a slang term that I can use so I can type less.


title: An event that occurs only once

text: What do you call an event that occurs only once in its environment? For instance, **birth** and **death** are two events that occur only once in the lifetime of a living thing. I am looking for a word or phrase that would be synonymous to " _non- repeating_ ".


How do you pronounce "would've", "should've" and "could've"?


title: What is the term for this ambiguous sentence?

text: I apologize that I don't know how to search for this question--it may be a duplicate, or maybe I just should have learned it in English class! I'm a teacher, and in another StackExchange, I wrote the following, in regard to a policy that I discuss during the first day of class: > I mention that I won't tolerate [grade-grubbing] on the first day of class. After re-reading it, I realized that I could mean, "I won't tolerate grade- grubbing if it happens on the first day of class." Instead, I meant "On the first day of class, I mention that I won't tolerate grade-grubbing at any time during the course." What is the term (or explanation) for this kind of ambiguity?


title: Use of Past Simple vs Past perfect in sentences with since

text: > Ann admitted that she hadn't seen her parents **since she left** London. Is the above sentence OK or do I have to write > Ann admitted that she hadn't seen her parents **since she _had_ left** > London.


title: Verbed color names and "-en"

text: "whitened", "blackened", and "reddened"; but "yellowed", "grayed", and "blued". Is there some rule or is it just one of those things? "Greened" makes sense; no one is going to say "greenened". "Pinked" or "pinkened"? "Purpled" or "empurpled"? First person to _not_ make an _Arrested Development_ joke gets a +1 from me.


title: Idioms for strongly disagreeing to the point of seeming a lie

text: I was thinking today about the term "hogwash", which I would define as an idiomatic term meaning something along the lines of "I disagree so strongly, I suspect you may be lying". This is also the definition I would give to some uses of the word "bullshit"; and it occurred to me that these are both rather agricultural. Are there any other idiomatic words/phrases which have this same meaning, and if so, do they share the agricultural origins or is that just a coincidence?


title: Where should the apostrophe be placed in "Goats Milk"?

text: Milk from goats is available in supermarkets. On the shelves of our local store in England, I have found cartons boldly labelled all three of   * Goats Milk    * Goat's Milk    * Goats' Milk Most brands use no apostrophe at all, which does not seem right. Brands which use "Goat's" seem to imply that the milk comes from precisely one goat, which seems unlikely. Brands which use "Goats'" may have it right; however, every molecule of milk in the carton did, originally, come from precisely one goat, a molecule of a goat's milk. Is there any hope of finding a "correct" position for the apostrophe in this case? Must we forever live with this example of the greengrocers [sic] apostrophe?


title: "Will discuss the matter" vs. "will discuss on this matter"

text: I received an email with the following sentence: > The meetings will be discussing on this early next week. I have two questions:   * Should we use _will discuss_ rather than _will be discussing_? I don't know the purpose of the future continuous here, or the general purpose of the future continuous tense.   * Should we use _will discuss the matter_ or _will have discussion on this matter_ (I guess that was a mistake to use _will discuss on_ here)?


title: What is a "cracker-barrel sage"?

text: What is a cracker-barrel sage? Context: > The influence of many years spent in America talking to (and often down to) > Americans also gave his performance a kind of Barnum quality: Hitchens the > **cracker-barrel sage** selling snake oil dressed up as urgent verity. Does it originate in the article _The Cracker-Barrel Sage_ by F.P. Wortman or does it pre-date that? And what actually is a cracker barrel, for that matter?


title: What does "shades" mean?

text: Quoted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emoticons, here is an explanation of some emoticons: > 8-) shades I was wondering what does "shades" mean here? Does it mean smile?


title: What's a word for "to eliminate the need for"?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Is there a word that means “make someone (or something) redundant”? I'm looking for a word that I can use in a context where I say something like > If you let me look in your garage it will **eliminate the need for** a > warrant. Even if I have to rearrange the sentence, I wouldn't mind.


title: A positive alternative to "smelling" to describe something with a pleasant odor

text: When one hears that something _smells_ , one would generally assume that it smells bad. Isn't there a word which wouldn't bring to mind the idea of a bad odor? For example, how would you describe _pot-pourri_ (assuming you like the smell of pot-pourri)? If possible, I would like an adjective, or a word that could takes the place of an adjective.


title: manically laconic

text: Given that I know what "manically" and "laconic" are, I don't understand how the description "manically laconic" coincide with the sentence following it. > "Dick came out personally to get us, out of no evident motive but kindness. > (he also talked nonstop the entire way, with a very distinctive speaking > style that can only be described as **manically laconic; the truth is I now > know more about this man than i do about some members of my own family"** (Taken from "Consider The Lobster" by David Foster Wallace")


title: What is the origin of "Pipped at the post"?

text: Why pipped? I guess that the post is to do with horse racing - as in the post was the finish line? I could be totally wrong there.


title: Reported Speech "Will" vs "Would"

text: I recently got confused with the following choices while talking to a friend after class: > I sent her an email that I wouldn't come to the class. > > I sent her an email that I wouldn't be coming to the class. > > I sent her an email that I won't be coming to the class. > > I sent her an email that I won't come to the class. Can we use the third and fourth sentence by any chance or is it completely ungrammatical? Some websites including the NYTimes have instances where both the past and future are mixed in their reports.


title: Punctuating illustrating questions

text: I am writing an academic report and I am trying to figure out how to punctuate the following: > The previous results cannot provide an answer to questions like, _what is > the probability of_ X _given_ Y _and_ Z _?_ , because the precise > correlations between the variables are still unknown. My questions are:   * Should I use italics for the question, wrap it with quotes or not use any indication on it?   * Should I put a question mark at the end of it?   * Do I need commas before and after the question? I have read the answers to this related question: How to puncutuate when using self imposed questions in a declarative sentence. However, I'm not sure this is the same case, as it is not really an internal though but more like an open question to the reader. Reformulations of the sentence are also welcome. PD: I'll kind of abuse the question here, but just checking, that usage of regular font within italicized text to emphasize the hypothetical variable names is ok, right?