title: word order in superlatives: "She booked the earliest flight to London she could." or "She booked the earliest flight she could to London."?

text: What is the correct (Ooops, I'm afraid it's me again! rule-o-cratic French speaker), preferred, then, word order in a superlative? "She booked the earliest flight she could back to London." or "She booked the earliest flight back to London she could." Or neither, the sentence sounding awkward anyway… How would you put it then?


title: Is this a simple present tense ? If yes then please explain

text: Statement is as follows: > Obama makes a surprise visit to Afghanistan. As per the definition of simple present tense, this statement does not fall into any of the following categories:   1. For repeated or regular actions in the present time period.   2. For facts.   3. For habits.   4. For things that are always / generally true. This statement is one of the headlines in the _New York Times_.


title: What are the functions of each part of the principal parts?

text: I'm having trouble understanding each participle. I also can't find an explanation that I understand. I would like to know from you the function of each part of the principal parts:   1. Present   2. Present participle   3. Past   4. Past participle PS My native language is Dutch.


title: “Comment on something” or “comment something”?

text: Do I say “comment on something” or simply “comment something”? For example:   * Brian ? _commented on_ this video.   * Brian ? _commented_ this video


title: Other expressions for "technology evolution"

text: In the last few decades technology has changed many of our daily habits. Making phone calls, keeping social contacts, booking a hotel or a flight, reading digital maps, online newspapers, books and dictionaries, just to name a few things that not so many years ago required more time and often the help of other professional figures. Bad or good this trend, often called technology evolution, is probably going to accelerate in the foreseeable future. What other expressions can you suggest to describe this unavoidable trend.


title: Is the word “borderline lunacy” a ‘stand-alone’ phrase or just an accidental combination of ‘borderline’ and ‘lunacy’?

text: I saw the word _borderline lunacy_ in the scathing comment of a Republican strategist on Mitt Romney’s statement en route to London, Israel and Poland in _Washington Post_ ’s (7/31) article titled “Does Mitt Romney’s bad tip matter.” > “I find this entire trip _borderline lunacy_ ,” said one senior Republican > strategist. “Why on earth is he seeking to improve his foreign policy cred > when there will not be a single vote cast on that subject?” I assume _borderline lunacy_ simply means “crazy” or “almost insane,” and I was able to find many examples of usage of this word in Google, e.g.: > I understand that many may interpret this as _borderline lunacy_ to suggest > the fall of such an important and successful tech company. — > _connectedmonster.com_ > > Nicolas Cage is on manic form as a degenerate New Orleans cop whose back > injury leads him into a spiral of drug dependency and _borderline lunacy_. — > _skymovies.sky.com_ However, this word is not registered in any of Oxford, Cambridge and Merriam- Webster Dictionary, nor is there entry in Ngram. Is the term _borderline lunacy_ a psychiatrist’s terminology? Or is it acknowledged as a popular “stand-alone” phrase, or just an accidental combination of _borderline_ and _lunacy_ , like a “borderline dirty joke”? I’m tempted to use this word to some of right-wing Japanese politicians once.


title: Why We Need To Know About Hyperboles

text: So I realize that hyperboles exist, but in school we're taught about them as if they are truly important to what we are going to be doing in life. I realize their usefulness, but why do we need to learn about them? There are plenty of people in this world using them without realizing it. Is there a reasoning behind us needing to know about hyperboles?


title: Usage of "in here" vs. just "here"

text: Recently I was watching the _Jeeves and Wooster_ series, when one little but strange thing in a dialogue caught my attention: > Wooster: Just one thing. Where do I sleep?   >  Jeeves: **In here, sir.** Why does he use the preposition _in_ here? I must confess I haven't heard that before. Is this a mistake or grammatical? It's very unlikely that such a person as Stephen Fry or his character Jeeves would break the rules of English.


title: Is hypochondria always about oneself?

text: I read the definition of _hypochondria_ , but it does not say: is it correct to use this word, for instance, about parents who worry too much about their kid(s) being sick?


title: Name of each item when comparing two things

text: I am thinking specifically of comparing two files using `diff` in linux or git (for those of you familiar with it), but this relates, I think, to any comparison. I have two files. `File 1` and `File 2`. `File 1` is the older, original file - the one that is the base of comparison. `File 2` is the 'draft' file - the one that will be compared against `File 1` to assert differences, in this case additions or reductions in lines of text. I want to compare them - how can I refer to each file? My ideas: **File 1** : comparer, original, base, original, current, active   **File 2** : comparee, draft, new Is there an agreed upon naming convention for this scenario?


title: How “Devil may care” is different from “After me the deluge”?

text: I came across the phrase, “ _Devil may care_ ” in the following sentence of Maureen Dowd’s column titled “The Son Also Sets” in September 22 New York Times. “In 2000, when he (Stuart Stevens, Mitt Romney’s campaign strategist) worked for W., as New Hampshire Republicans headed to the polls on Primary Day to deliver a near-fatal 19-point drubbing of his candidate, Stevens headed out from his hotel carrying skis. Asked by a reporter about his insouciance, he replied that there was nothing he could do at that point. But his “ _devil-may-care routine_ ,” as The New Republic calls it, may be wearing thin. This isn’t merely a plotline for some future script.” The idiom “devil-may-care” routine instantly reminded me of the cliché, “after me the deluge,” but I’m unable to fathom the difference of nuance between “devil may care” and “after me the deluge.” I think both idioms concern the absence of the sense of responsibility. Are they close or very different in terms of the magnitude of irresponsibility, level of nonchalance and the nuance of destructiveness? Can I use ‘devil-may-care” and “after-me-the-deluge” interchangeably to describe somebody's irresponsible attitudes /deeds, or not?


title: On His Post, At His Post

text: I have this: > link   >  On 21-22 April 1914, while leading three picket launches admist heavy enemy > fire, McCloy was wounded but remained **_on his post_** , enabling cruisers > to save American lives. For his gallant heroism, he was awarded his second > Medal of Honor. > > For heroism in leading 3 picket launches along Vera Cruz sea front, drawing > Mexican fire and enabling cruisers to save our men on shore, 22 April 1914. > Though wounded he gallantly remained **_at his post_**. Is one of " **at** his post" or " **on** his post" wrong? Or are they both the same?


title: "Not... neither... nor..." word order

text: George Galloway is an outspoken MP with excellent rhetorical skills. I will take a part of his speech to convey the idea of my question. Video > Iraq is neither strong, independent nor even a single country any more. Would it be correct to rephrase the sentence above using this order "not/neither/nor" as follows: > Iraq is not strong neither independent nor even a single country any more. And so on, can I form sentences similar to it, for example: > I am not mean neither greedy nor arrogant. Would that be grammatically correct?


title: Ruining something for someone else (spoils of war?)

text: Lately I've been thinking of a saying that describes the following: > _Ruining something for someone else, for the sole purpose of it not being > useful any more to the other party, even though you do not need it yourself > in any way._ I thought that "spoils of war" / "warspoils" was a saying / "proverb" that was used for the above description, but apparently it's not really what I thought it was. So my question is twofold:   1. What exactly does "spoils of war" mean?    2. Is there a certain saying/proverb that "matches" my description?


title: what does the expression "my five cents" mean?

text: I saw this in an informal email but I don't understand it. Can you help me with the meaning and the context in which it is used (if used at all or if it simply a mistake from the sender) Thank you!


title: Recur vs. Reoccur

text: Is there any difference between the verbs reoccur and recur? Several sources suggest that they are synonymous, but some fine-tuners suggest that there is a nuanced difference, such as Grammarist, which explains > Something that recurs happens repeatedly, perhaps at regular intervals. > Something that reoccurs happens again, but not necessarily repeatedly or at > regular intervals. Does this rule exist, based on usage? * * * Also, according to this distinction, is the first recurrence of something strictly a reoccurence and not a recurrence? That seems a little incredible.


title: Is “Was” needed in the sentence “The woman, who was had married John Lennon has been blamed for pulling the group apart.”

text: I found the following paragraph in the article with the caption, "That Settles It: Yoko Ono Did Not Break Up Beatles” in Entertainment section of October 30 Time magazine: > The Japanese artist and musician, who _was had married_ John Lennon shortly > before the Beatles disbanded, has long been blamed for pulling the group > apart. But, according to a preview of the Frost interview that appeared in > The Guardian, McCartney dispels that notion. “[Ono] certainly didn’t break > the group up, the group was breaking up,” he is quoted as saying. I felt somewhat harsh on my ear with the expression- _“was had”_ in the line “The Japanese artist and musician, who _was had_ married John Lennon shortly before the Beatles disbanded, has long been blamed for pulling the group apart.” Are both “was / had" necessary before 'married' in this sentence? Why is it? Can’t we say simply “The Japanese artist and musician, who had married John Lennon shortly before the Beatles disbanded,”


title: "sample" vs "specimen" in a scientific document on condensed matter physics

text: I am searching for an appropriate headline in scientific document. The chapter is named "Investigated Specimen" at the moment. In the chapter I describe crystals that I have investigated. I feel that "Investigated Specimen" is not clear or appropriately descriptive. Would "Samples Used in the Experiments" be a common title or is there perhaps a better variant that is used in scientific papers?


title: Help in demystifying the meaning of 2 sentences from an academic journal article!

text: 1.) This is basically an english translation of a section of a Hittite Law code: "If someone wounds a man and makes him ill, he shall nurse him. **_He shall give a man in his place who will work in his house until he is well_**. When he is well, he shall give him six shekels of silver and he shall pay the doctor's fee" The bold-italic part is that which I'm having trouble understanding; what does it mean exactly? That the perpetrator should supply some kind of servant/worker for the victim's family until the victim is well? Apologies if it's a daft question, it's just a case of too many "him" and "he"s! * * *   * CE, CH and Exodus are ancient legal codes 2.) "The responsibility of the owner of an ox that has caused a person's death by goring is discussed [...] CE and CH set fixed ransoms at the very low rate usually associated with vicarious revenge (CH 251: '..if it gores the son of a man and causes his death, he shall pay half a mina of silver'), whereas Exodus insists that the culprit be killed, or 'if ransom be imposed upon him he shall pay all that is imposed upon him to redeem his life' **_i.e. ransom is limited only by the plaintiff's discretion_** , as in aggravated homicide. **_Furthermore, vicarious revenge is excluded even when the victim is a subordinate member of the family: 'if it gores a son or a daughter, the same rule shall be applied to him.' "_** Sorry, English is neither my first nor second language; could anyone possibly break down the meaning of the bold-italic part? Thanks in advance


title: Synonyms for "content" in publishing

text: A document in a hypertext system (commonly "a web page") consists of navigation elements, advertising elements, and what a lot of authors call "content". The "content" carries the information for which the user is viewing the document in the first place. This term is medium-agnostic; it can refer to text, images, video, 3D models, or anything else that an author can include in a document. For example, the questions and answers on Stack Overflow or EL&U are "content". Likewise, in video games, "content" refers collectively to all components other than the program itself, such as the meshes, textures, maps, and audio. For example, Id Software has long had a policy of making the program of its five-year-old video games free software, but not the rest. These games are sometimes called "free software with proprietary content". However, one style guide published by a prominent organization in the free software community discourages use of the word "content", claiming it "disparages the works" by regarding them "as a commodity whose purpose is to fill a box and make money." The phrase "cultural works" has arisen as a general term for works of authorship other than computer programs, but it doesn't quite carry the meaning of "parts of a work other than infrastructure". What better word than "content" exists to describe these concepts? I'm looking for something that will fit into the sentence "Interstitial video advertisements are acceptable in pages with video content and nowhere else."


title: One type of good - singular or plural

text: I've read conflicting advice on the use of the word "goods" in an economic context (e.g. "goods for sale"). One piece of advice is that it is a plural noun that should never be used singular (e.g. "one type of good for sale). However, I've also seen prominent usages of the singular form: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_(economics) I'm making a computer program with some logic revolving around economic goods. Lets say I classify various Merchants by the types of goods they sell, and obviously a merchant may sell multiple types of goods. So I may ask a user of my program "What types of goods does this merchant sell?" and present them with a list of goods, from which they can select one or more.   * Clothing   * Food   * Vehicles   * etc... It makes sense to me that I might label the list "Goods Sold" because odds are a merchant sells multiple types, and even if they don't (say they only sell clothing), are likely to carry many styles and varieties within that type, therefore "goods." Let's say I want to give my user a screen where they can pick from the list of possible goods, and see all the merchants which sell that good. I would ask them "Which good type would you like summarized" or "Pick good type". In this instance, I'm restricting them to choosing only one item in the list above. To me, "Pick a goods type" or "Which goods type would you like to see summarized" sound wrong but I really can't place why. So the question really boils down to this: in the list above, is clothing a "Good Type" or a "Goods Type" (or perhaps "Type of Good" vs "Type of Goods")?


title: Why “fly” in “the Flying Dutchman”?

text: The question is how to justify the use of _fly_ in “the Flying Dutchman”. It confused me for a long time. The right word could be wander, sail, roam, drift, but why _fly_? I looked it up the dictionary, and didn't find any meaning of _fly_ that qualifies here, and I have never seen the word _fly_ used like that anywhere else. Can I say: > The Hukou policy in China made me homeless in my home country. For the years > I just fly. It feels so weird. “I just roam” or “I just drift” sounds better. The only case I can find of using _fly_ to mean roaming is in the movie _Up In The Air_ , where roaming literally means flying.


title: What does "left for dead" mean?

text: I'm not a native speaker. Also, I play video games. :P When the video game _Left 4 Dead_ came out I thought the phrase was just a cool but largely meaningless title that hinted at the game being about zombies. I, since then, found out it was a real phrase, but I'm still unsure as to what it really means. For example, the phrase "They were left for dead", does it mean something like this...   * "They were left to die [because there was no hope for them]", or maybe...   * "It was assumed they were dead by then." (ie. highly unlikely that they were still alive), or...   * "They were left there on purpose so they would die." Also, another form of the phrase is "let die", which I first heard in Green Day's song "21 Guns": > _When it's time to live and let die,_   >  _And you can't get another try,_   >  _Something inside this heart has died,_   >  _You're in ruins._ Here it sounds more like it has a similar meaning to "give up [on life?]". Could someone explain this phrase and its various forms to me?


title: Is there a verb for online-ness and offline-ness?

text: If I refer to the status of something as enabled and disabled, the verb is to enable and to disable. Are there comparable single words for the status of something being online and offline? So far I've got "put online" and "take offline".


title: How to pronounce @somebody for Twitter?

text: @ is usually pronounced as "at", but it seems @ is a verb when it means Twitter somebody, like: > @Tom for more information.   >  Tweet Tom for more information.   >  Contact Tom for more information. But not: > At Tom for more information. Right?


title: Relationship between "ductile" and "malleable"

text: What is the relationship between the words _ductile_ and _malleable_? They are definitely not antonyms, but can we call them synonyms?


title: "A is the property of a system that regulates" or "A is the property of system by which it regulates"

text: Let a system S has a property A. I want to say something like this,   * A is the property of a system that regulates the concentration of Sodium ions. Or,   * A is the property of system which regulates the concentration of Sodium ions. I think it says that A is found in a systems which regulates the concentration of Sodium ion. I am OK with it, but not happy. I thought following would better for it emphasizes A.   * A is the property of a system by which it regulates the concentration of Sodium ions. One of my friend (not a native speaker) thinks that both sentences are equivalent and the former has the advantage of using less word to convey the same. I think that second one has different meaning.


title: Using "mentioned above" when speaking

text: Is it valid to say "mentioned above" when one reference to something one have previously said? Context example (transcript from The Law of One): > **Questioner** : George Van Tassel built a machine in our western desert > called an “Integratron.” Will this machine work for that purpose, of > increasing the life span? > > **Ra** : I am Ra. The machine is incomplete and will not function for the > _above-mentioned_ purpose.


title: Difference between "so", "very", "extremely" and "really"

text: What is the difference between _so_ , _very_ , _extremely_ and _really_? For example, > We're **so/very/extremely/really** glad you could come!


title: What's a good word for 'A short review'?

text: This would be a topic in a progress report that would outline what the project is about without going into details. I'm looking for something that means like 'Refresher' but sounds more professional.


title: "courgettes" vs. "zucchini" under a historical perspective

text: In this TimLymington's answer it is said: > Interestingly, there is another vegetable with the same identity problem; > what the British call _courgettes_ and the Americans _zucchini_. What is the historical reason why there is this transatlantic difference?


title: Word implying this object is required by another

text: I'm looking for a word that has the opposite implication to "depends on" or "has this prerequisite". Something which describes the relationship of B to A if A is a prerequisite of B. Something that could mean "dependor" or "requirer", for example?


title: Is it "falsy" or "falsey"?

text: I have seen both versions of the word, _falsy_ and _falsey_. It can mean "something that is equivalent to false" in computer science, such as "The only two falsy values in the Ruby Language are false and nil". What is the correct usage of this word?


title: Is this sentence "Two workers are facing the axe" well rephrased?

text: Original: > Two workers are facing the axe. Rephrasing: > Two workers are facing a possible dismissal.


title: "Seeing the rain come on, we took shelter" — complex or simple sentence?

text: > Seeing the rain come on, we took shelter. This sentence looks like a complex sentence with a main and an independent clause. But the book says it is a simple sentence. Which is correct?


title: Etymology of "scramble" (in the context of military jets)

text: > Japan Scrambles Jets in Island Dispute with Russia (headline) _Scramble_ here has the meaning of "rapidly take an aircraft to flight", carrying the tone of preparing for combat. Etymonline says that it was first recorded in 1940 with the RAF during WWII, but no actual origin is offered. Does anyone know the etymology of this usage?


title: If a client is someone we sell to, what do we call those we buy from?

text: We say _client list_ or _customers_ for people we offer our goods or services, but what word should I use for the company I buy the goods from? Is that also a client?


title: Synonym for "to calm"?

text: There is a verb that sounds like kwel/quel that means "to calm". My best attempts to get a butchered spelling close enough that a digital dictionary can tell me the proper spelling are failures; and none of my thesauri have the word of which I'm thinking. Can anybody help out a frustrated and spelling-challenged English speaker?


title: Is a canal a type of river?

text: A Chinese friend of mine says that in Chinese there are no different words for canal and river, and that they are the treated as the same noun. A canal would be a man-made river if you had to distinguish. In English I think they are distinct terms and that they are both types of waterway, if I wanted a generic term. So am I right in thinking that a canal is not a type of river?


title: What's the negative way of saying "I can only finish a small part of the jobs."

text: What's the negative way of saying > "I can only finish a small portion of the jobs." Is it > "I cannot finish most of the jobs?" And I appreciate it if more "native" expressions are provided. Edit: The reason I asked this is I don't know how to effectively express 1) I can do some jobs 2) But only a small portion in a single sentence. Jim commented > "I can't get it all done." But how much? Most of them, half, or little? This doesn't give the subtle feeling of "I can do but only a little". Edit: I thought this is quite common. The scenario is being asked > "Can you do these?" while the requester asked me to mark all papers.


title: Is there any hidden meaning in “haircuts” in the analogy of Presidential election as “usual vague contest between competing slogans and haircuts”?

text: _Time_ magazine introduced Paul Ryan as a very likely presidential runner up in the article titled “Paul Ryan: The Prophet” as early as in its December 14, 2011 issue, and I was interested in the following line of the article: > If 2012 turns out to be a clear choice between very different answers to a > genuinely important question – instead of the usual vague _contest between > competing slogans and haircuts_ — give the credit to Ryan. Does _haircuts_ simply mean “looks” or “character” (e.g. masculineness symbolized by GI cut) of the candidates in the above sentence, or it has meanings more than that? If _haircuts_ simply means “looks” or “character”, can I use _haircut_ and _hairstyle_ as an alternative to one’s appearance and character, for example, “He/she has a good (bad) haircut/hair dressing”, for an attractive (unattractive) person?


title: Is 'have having had' correct English?

text: > How does one deal with have having had a messy relationship breakup? or > How does one deal with have having had a near-death experience? This intuitively seems be correct English, but it's also quite odd. Also, I can't see that it means anything different to 'having had...'. Is it correct English, and why?


title: Why do we fluoridate but chlorinate water?

text: When we add fluoride ions to water, to make it good for teeth, it's called fluori **d** ation. When we add chloride ions to water, to kill microorganisms, it's called chlori **n** ation. In the latter case, the generally used name for the process doesn't match with the technical/jargon description. Why is this? Is it that chlorination is an older invention, so the lay word for it reflects an older technical jargon? Or is there some subtlety about the processes themselves?


title: Alan Turing’s "innings" meaning

text: In his 1948 essay _Intelligent Machinery_ , Alan Turing defines a Logical Computing Machine as having: > ...an infinite memory capacity obtained in the form of an infinite tape > marked out into squares on each of which a symbol could be printed. At any > moment there is one symbol in the machine; it is called the scanned symbol. > The machine can alter the scanned symbol and its behavior is in part > determined by that symbol, but the symbols on the tape elsewhere do not > affect the behavior of the machine. However, the tape can be moved back and > forth through the machine, this being one of the elementary operations of > the machine. Any symbol on the tape may therefore eventually have an > _innings_. The meaning of the word _innings_ , the very last word in this passage, is not clear to me. Can someone help me nail it down? Is it simply that any symbol may be the “scanned symbol” at some point?


title: Is "leisurely" still acceptable as an adverb?

text: I am used to seeing "leisurely" as an adjective exclusively, as in "walking at a leisurely pace." But today I read it used as an adverb in a New York Times review of "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Killer." It seems archaic to me to use it so (emphasis added): > [The director's] first American studio effort, “Wanted” (2008), is a > modestly diverting if finally tedious exercise in which the stylized > violence almost upstages its star, Angelina Jolie. “Wanted” is the kind of > contemporary studio fun that shows a bullet exiting a human head in slow > motion, giving you time to marvel at how the skin around the wound stretches > as the projectile **leisurely** rips through the skull.


title: Does 'throttle up' mean accelerate?

text: Can one say 'throttle up'? The OED only lists 'throttle down': > (throttle back or down) reduce the power of an engine or vehicle by use of > the throttle.


title: Are the names of these metrics proper nouns?

text: In my thesis I am writing about a number of different metrics. Not metrics in the mathematical sense, but metrics which are measures, functions. A function which takes an input and returns a symolic value. There are different metrics, most of them are taken from other papers, some are my own invention. They are based on adjectives:   * completeness   * weighted completeness   * richness of information   * accessibility   * accuracy   * ... Obviously, these words are nouns, but are these proper nouns, too? My guess is yes, because they are very specific and they are not general known in a lot of areas, but a comparable small research field. Examples of their usage can be found in this PhD thesis. There it was used in both ways: capitalized and lowercase. Apparently, in composition with _metric_ lowercase and without capitalized. > “While straightforward, the simple **completeness metric** does not reﬂect > how humans measure the completeness of a instance.” > > _— p.112 [87]_ > > “For the **Weighted Completeness** , also a table containing the pre- > calculated alpha values should be available” > > _— p.113 [88]_ What is correct?


title: Question about "put not your"

text: An exercise asked me to rearrange the sentence "Put your money not in trust" such that there is no ambiguity to its meaning. At first glance I thought that "Put not your trust in money" sounded right, but thinking it over I realized that "not" is a squinting modifier here. > (Put not) your trust in money -- Don't put your trust in money.   >  or   >  Put (not your trust) in money -- Put someone else's trust in money.    I looked up "Put not your" and found that it is used by Oliver Wendell Holmes in > _Put not your_ trust in money, but put your money in trust. and in Psalms 146. > _Put not your_ trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no > help.    These quotes make me feel unsure of my reasoning, so I'm not sure what the correct answer ought to be.


title: "We had entered" vs "we entered"

text: I am not sure whether we can use two different instances of _had_ in the following sentence: > When we had entered the ground, the circus had already begun. According to my understanding, it should be: > When we entered the ground, the circus had already begun. So kindly clear up my doubt.


title: What is another name for Dick?

text: Coming from "Changes in English names of people" telling: > Richard → Dick Can I substitute Dick by Richard?   I need it to know because my Emails with the use of name Dick are being returned by Email filtering as obscene Or what is substitute for name Dick? I already asked it before but my question was deleted Update:   Why is Dick Cheney, former Vice President of the USA, is always written/addresses everywhere in a tone of familiarity?   How can I call/address him without a tone of familiarity by a synonymous name? So, I should address Dick Cheney as Richard Cheney instead?   Have I understood correctly the answers?


title: Where did "I tend to agree." as a standalone statement originate?

text: And what does it mean? When I first started hearing someone using it a few years ago, I figured it was a personal spin on "agree sometimes", but apparently, he's not the only one who uses this phrase. Edit: Clarified to indicate that "I tend to agree that/with..." makes complete sense. It's when people say, "I tend to agree.", period. That's what strikes me as strange to say.


title: Origin of phrase "open-and-shut" as in "it's not an open-and-shut case"

text: I used the phrase "open-and-shut" today, as in, "It's not an open-and-shut case", meaning that the item under discussion has not been decided and the outcome is not obvious. I don't think I've ever heard the positive, only the negative. "It's not an open-and-shut case" seems to be the idiomatic way to use the phrase. I'm curious:   1. What's the origin of "open-and-shut"?   2. What's the origin of the idiomatic usage, "not an open-and-shut case"?


title: difference between judicial situation and legal situation

text: Is there a difference between "judicial" situation and "legal" situation, or is it the same? Thanks!


title: “I am X” vs. “X is me”

text: Is there a difference in grammaticality, meaning, or usage between the following two ways of phrasing the same statement? > I am sure that I am the appropriate candidate for this position. – versus > I am sure that the appropriate candidate for this position is me.


title: Two Opposite Meanings of 'Cleave'?

text: I'm interested in how and why the verb **cleave** has two totally opposite definitions: > Definition I. Split or sever (something) > > Definiiton II. Adhere strongly to The referenced website shows the same etymology for both definitions? Moreover, how can one manage or differentiate these two definitions, to obviate confusion?


title: Difference between "notable" and "noteworthy"

text: Which would be more appropriate in this case? > I currently do not have any affiliation that would be **notable** in the > context of this election > > I currently do not have any affiliation that would be **noteworthy** in the > context of this election Or maybe something else altogether?


title: What is an expression, phrase, or word that describes service being fast?

text: Basically, I want to say this: > I went to that place for brunch with my girlfriend last weekend, the service > was **pretty fast** , and the food was good too. I want to say that the service was good in that it was pretty fast, without a delay, etc.


title: "Shore of another world" vs "shores of another world."

text: > The lights of Tokyo were visible on the other side of the river. For an > instant, I felt as if the city was an unreachable land; a place that existed > on the **shore(s)** of another world. Should I say shore or shores in the passage above?


title: Word which describes the feeling of an event or concept?

text: I’m looking for the word that can fill this blank: > I went on this trip, not knowing that she was coming, and when I found out > that she was, the __ **__** of the trip changed for me. It should be the word which describes the set of feelings or overall perception of this trip. It’s like the set of characteristics that define the event or situation. I’ve already disposed of words like _spirit_ , _feeling_ , _outlook_ , _atmosphere_ / _aura_ , and _notion_. Something is nagging me that the word might be a plural … which word is this, exactly?


title: "Ineffectual" vs "ineffective"

text: > Skeptics argue that these kinds of initiatives are doomed to remain > perennially peripheral and ineffectual. Intuitively, changing _ineffectual_ to _ineffective_ in the sentence above seems to leave the meaning unchanged. Is there any difference between the two options? Here is the original source of the sentence.


title: "Reschedule to" or "reschedule for"?

text: > Would you like me to re-schedule **to** today instead?   >  Would you like me to re-schedule **for** today instead?


title: What is the meaning and etymology of 'scut' from 'scut work'?

text: What is the origin of _scut_ in _scut work_? According to Merriam-Webster,   **_scut work_** : _routine and often menial labor_ Probably from medical argot, _scut_ meaning 'junior intern'   First known use: circa 1962 Usage example: > ... women who generally feel that they are second-class citizens in the > medical profession -- unappreciated and directed by (mostly male) doctors to > perform largely **scut work**. This ngram shows that _scut work_ was not used before 1960 when it took hold as medical jargon. It supports the idea that the term was not already in general use and subsequently popularized in hospitals, rather that it originated there. ![Scut work](http://i.stack.imgur.com/5tCYk.png) This returns us to the medical coinage. Could it be related to meaning (2) in the OED? _**scut_**   1\. the short tail of a hare, rabbit, or deer.   2\. ( _inf. chiefly Irish_ ) a person perceived as foolish, contemptible, or objectionable. There is another theory that it is derived from Oxford University servants called _scouts_ , but I consider this unlikely given the US origin of _scut work_.


title: What is the common and/or member pronunciation of 'Marylebone' in 'Marylebone Cricket Club'?

text: There are lots of Internet discussions on how to pronounce 'Marylebone'. But _given_ the context of 'Marylebone Cricket Club' (MCC), what is the most common pronunciation among UK people and/or MCC members?


title: One word for an unforeseen bad dream

text: Consider the passage: > The IT industry has come a long way from the time it started. In not even a > hundred years, we have seen dreams — like robots — come true. But we have > also seen the [unforeseen bad dream?] — viruses. I want a good word to place in the brackets — like a word which means an "unforeseen bad dream" — or some other word which better fits the context.


title: What is the origin of the idiom 'all the rage'?

text: There are various expressions in English and other languages that use _all_ , for example _all right_ , or _all dressed up and ready to go_ , however _all the_ is not that common. The use of _rage_ is even stranger, which of its many meanings is used here? > Noun: > >   1.   > a. Violent, explosive anger. See Synonyms at anger.   > b. A fit of anger. >   2. Furious intensity, as of a storm or disease. >   3. A burning desire; a passion. >   4. A current, eagerly adopted fashion; a fad or craze: when torn jeans > were all the rage. > > > Verb: > >   1. To speak or act in violent anger: raged at the mindless bureaucracy.   > >   2. To move with great violence or intensity: A storm raged through the > mountains.   > >   3. To spread or prevail forcefully: The plague raged for months.   > > Perhaps that of _burning desire_ or _furious intensity_? The word's origin is from the Latin _rabies_ which means madness. Is that the meaning it had when the idiom entered the language? So, my questions are:   * When did the idiom come into English?   * Which meaning of the word _rage_ is used here?   * Why _all **the** rage_?


title: There is/are + articles

text: Could I use "the" after "there is/are"? E.g.: There is the book on the table. There are the books on the table. Or it must be: There is a book on the table. There are books on the table.


title: "visceral" vs "emotional"

text: What's is the difference in nuance between visceral (relating to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect) and emotional? How do we decide when to use one over the other?


title: In spite of several reminders, he **DID** not so far send any reply to my letters

text: > In spite of several reminders, he **did** not so far send any reply to my > letters. The above sentence is incorrect whereas the correct version is: > In spite of several reminders, he **has** not so far send any reply to my > letters." Why do we use _has_ but not _did_ in this sentence?


title: Is there an etymological link between the words "asymptote" and "asymptomatic"?

text: The words   * "asymptote" (used in mathematics), and   * "asymptomatic" (used in medicine), have a large number of letters in common. So: > **Question** : Is there an etymological link between the words "asymptote" > and "asymptomatic"? And, of course, if so, what is it?


title: Present-Perfect: "hadn't heard" vs. "haven't heard"

text: Let's say I have just listened to a beautiful song wanted to immediately tell my friend about it. Which sentence should I use? > A. I _haven't heard_ a song this good for a while. > > B. I _hadn't heard_ a song this good for a while. Should I say A because I am currently still excited about the song? Or should I say B because the act of listening to the song started and ended in the past?


title: All existing plans or all of existing plans?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Is “of ” necessary in “all of ”? Which one of the following is correct (or preferred if both are grammatical)? >   * All existing plans. >   * All of existing plans. >


title: The noun that describes the object that is targeting

text: I'm looking for a word that I can't seem to find, and I'm struggling with how to find it. I'll use a blank in the place of the word and compare it other grammar to demonstrate what I actually mean: Take predators and prey for instance:               The predator preys on the target;     The prey is predated by the predator.      Comparing this to the word I'm looking for:               The [blank] targets the target;     The target is targeted by the [blank]      I'm looking for a general word for something that does the targeting. Maybe I'm searching for a word that doesn't exist for a reason? # EDIT In response to suggestions of 'targeted': it's for a paper, so I wouldn't use a word that isn't in the dictionary. The exact context that I'm trying to use this word in is (in response to 'aimer'): "There was a strong correlation between the length of the gene and the number of miRNAs that targeted it." "There was a strong correlation between the length of the gene and the number of targeters it has". This works, but as it doesn't technically exist, and also sounds horrible, it won't suffice.


title: Unorthodox article placement

text: In my English class yesterday we looked at the following example: > Monica is such a beautiful woman. We learned that the above sentence could also be written as: > Monica is so beautiful **a** woman I am wondering what the rule for this, to me unorthodox, placement of the article before "woman" is.


title: What preposition is used with "sit" and "computer"?

text: I personally would say _"to sit **at** the computer"_, but a friend of mine said he heard _"to sit **on** the computer"_ from a native speaker. That does not sound right to me at all, and I trust my guts, but still, Google results for _"sit on the computer"_ are quite numerous (even more numerous than _"sit at the computer"_ ), and I wonder if **on** sounds right to native speakers out there. Thanks for your input!


title: "Adult and children stories" or "Adults and children stories"?

text: How do you say it correctly?   * Adult and children stories   * Adults and children stories   * Adults' and children's stories   * other?


title: "State" vs "country" as "nation"

text: I came across an article talking about the difference between _state_ and _country_ , when they mean _nation_ , like United States of America, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The article says that the USA and the UK can be referred to as _country_ while North Korea can _only_ be referred to as _state_. The rationale behind that is > _country_ means people with citizen rights + elected government + land while > _state_ means _only_ government. Because in my native language, there is no difference between _state_ and _country_ when they are translated as _nation_ , I am curious to know whether the point the article tries to make is true or not, or to what extent it is true. * * * **Edit:** The people in Libya are now fighting for their rights. When they say _we love Libya_ , they certainly do not refer to Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. How to distinguish _that_ Libya from the GSPLAJ? According to the article, the former may be called _country_ while the latter may be called _state_.


title: Does milk toast, milk-toast, or milktoast mean the same as milquetoast?

text: So of late I've been hearing a lot of people call other people (or their actions) **milk toast**. I thought it was weird because those two words should conjure up breakfast food and not "spineless". So I used my Google-Fu to determine what exactly it was. Turns out **milk toast** , which is what my ears were hearing, is actually **Milquetoast** , a character from a comic strip in the 1930's. The name of the character was so popular, it was made into a word and used in the English language. Definition: > Milquetoast (source) > > milque·toast [milk-tohst] > > noun ( sometimes initial capital letter ) > > a very timid, unassertive, spineless person, especially one who is easily > dominated or intimidated: a milquetoast who's afraid to ask for a raise. > > Origin: 1935–40, Americanism; after Caspar Milquetoast, a character in The > Timid Soul, comic strip by H. T. Webster (1885–1952), American cartoonist The character, Caspar Milquetoast, was apparently named after milk toast because it was bland and unassuming. People tend to say or write this term as milktoast or milk toast. Buuuuuuuut the only one that has the definition similar to milquetoast is milktoast, as seen here: > Milktoast (source) > > milk-toast [milk-tohst] > > adjective > > 1.easily dominated; extremely mild; ineffectual; namby-pamby; wishy-washy. > > noun 2\. milquetoast. > > Origin: 1815–25 But I'm having difficulty with the origin of the word. Milquetoast made the usage popularized and basically created the term... but somehow milktoast came earlier than milquetoast? Both of these definitions came from dictionary.com, so I thought it was just a mistake. But I can't find any other good references to milktoast's origin outside of urban dictionary, which isn't helping me with this current problem. So I'm not sure if this really is a mistake or if milktoast is just... not a word. In looking up milktoast, I found milk-toast. Since it's hyphenated, I thought it must be a compound but... I can't find a single other use of milk-toast outside of dictionary.com. I don't even know it it's a word. And again, I can't find anything that tells me about it's origin. So what I want to know is...   1. Are milktoast/milk-toast actually words? Are they just improper spellings of milquetoast? Also, if they are words, do they predate milquetoast? Do they mean the same thing as milquetoast?   1. Is writing the term as milk toast wrong?  I almost always see milquetoast written not in the French form "milquetoast" but the English form "milk toast". Technically, writing "milk toast" in place of "milquetoast" is wrong because they don't mean the same thing, but people seem to do that because they hear it as "milk toast". And the word milquetoast is technically derived from milk toast. So I don't know if the use of milk toast in place of milquetoast is wrong.


title: Which one is correct (This or That)

text: `That feel when you feel something and are unable to find words to explain it.` vs `That feel when you feel something and is unable to find words to explain it.` PS: My next Facebook status :P


title: What is an overall term for a service that publishes digital publications?

text: I'm looking at what I am calling Digital Edition Solution Providers (ways of taking a PDF of a magazine and turning it into a website, and content for sale on Apple Newsstand, Android, KindleFire etc.), and trying to compare them. But the term "Digital Edition Solution Provider" is one I came up with on my own because I didn't know what these things were called in general. Any idea what these are called generally?


title: Use of otherwise to indicate contrast

text: I am writing an essay about sports and their benefits. I wrote this sentence but I am not sure how correct it is ? > Many games and pastimes have helped people to engaged in physical activities > otherwise they would have not. If it is correct how do I add more to the 'activities' part ? > Many games and pastimes have helped people to engaged in physical activities > which demand more energy and workout many bodyparts otherwise they would > have not. I am pretty sure the second sentence I wrote is incorrect.


title: Why do we say a "hotel room" and not a "hotel's room"?

text: I would like to know what the rule is to explain why we do not use the genitive construction _hotel's room_. Instead, we say "a hotel room". Other examples:   * a hospital bed    * a bike stand Would it suffice to ask "What kind of..."?


title: Translation of German "Bolzplatz" – what's the name for an outdoor area whose purpose is to provide room for soccer/football?

text: I am particularly looking for a good translation for the German word "Bolzplatz". This is an outdoor area where people can play soccer/football (you know, this is the most favorite sports in Germany). Dictionaries provided me _play area_ , _football area_ , _football ground_ ; none of which really carries the connotation of the German word.   Speaking of connotation, the German word _bolzen_ means something like _to kick something aimlessly, unsystematically around_. Translation for _bolzen_ could be _to kick around/about_ or perhaps _to slam_. When playing on a "Bolzplatz", people do not have tactics or strategies. They just kick the ball and try to shoot a goal (oh, yet an aim), but there's no clear pattern how to achieve this. I've read on Wikipedia that _playgrounds_ may contain an area where people can play such sports, but when I think of the term _playground_ , I rather think of an area for little children with swings, jungle gyms and so on. While searching the Internet, I've also looked up _streetball_ (although I'm pretty sure that terms related to streetball do not carry the meaning of the German word; when saying "Bolzplatz" I'm definitely not thinking of a basketball court) and came across the term _outdoor court_. This, however, sounds like a well-kept outdoor area which could even be used for professional sports, but a "Bolzplatz" usually is in a very bad shape, like missing turf or torn goal nets. Hopefully, I could clarify what the German word "Bolzplatz" means. Is there an English word that reflects the same idea or, at least, similarly as given above? Here's a picture from the German Wikipedia page on "Bolzplatz". ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/0kayt.jpg)


title: What's the correct verb to say that someone oversees a graduation ceremony?

text: What's the correct verb used by universities to say that someone oversees a graduation ceremony? For example: An important person comes to the ceremony and gives a speech and presents the awards - someone like a prince or president. Do we say: The Prince will oversee the graduation ceremony.? Oversee gives too much of an impression of organizing it - which is not the meaning I'm looking for.


title: Future simple passive and phrases like "you do know that, don't you?"

text: I've just written a question and only after I'd done that did I think about if it's even correct: > I hope all the scheduled payments will be sent this night, won't be they? What confuses me is that all examples or real life usage were always "active", and this is passive one so _won't be they_ part looks odd to me. So, am I correct? PS: bonus question: is there a generic name for the phrases like "you do know that, don't you?"?


title: What is the name of a particular poetic foot, unstressed, stressed, stressed?

text: There are six well-known feet in English poetry--dactyl, spondee, anapest, iamb, trochee, and pyrrhic. However, is there also a name for the foot with unstressed, stressed, stressed, and/or is it usable? Also, why is it that other combinations of stressed/unstressed syllables are uncommon? Is there a particular metrical reason why such other forms are not considered often? This form of meter is used in the Persian epic shahnameh and elsewhere in the Middle East. An example, whether it has a name or not, of its usage in English poetry (assuming there is a usage) would be appreciated as well.


title: How to properly write multiple abbreviations

text: I have been taught that if you want to use an acronym or abbreviation you should write it in full the first time like this: > World Health Organisation (WHO) But what happens if there are two or more different abbreviations which you are going to use in your text. My programming brain wants me to write the following but I am pretty sure it isn't proper English! > World Health Organisation (WHO | WHOrg) I know my particular example is nonsense, it was just for illustrative purposes. The actual reason I need to have multiple abbreviations is for defining mathematical symbols as well as acronyms. So an example would be: > Collision cross section (CCS, Ω)


title: "human brain capacity" or "human brain's capacity"

text: What is the correct version please? >   1. The human brain capacity to do something. >   2. The human brain's capacity to do something. >


title: Admits the following description

text: I have a question about the sentence "The evolution of a process admits the following description". I checked then the phrase "admits the following description" in Ngram Viewer and found no occurrence. Neither did I found for "allows the following description". Is there something wrong with them? In case it is, what are appropriate substitutions?


title: A specific type of painting style, named after a Frenchman

text: What is the term called, named after a Frenchman, that refers to profile paintings of human faces that are usually black and white and only show contours?


title: "supervisor" vs. "mentor"

text: In master's theses it is common to state two people who oversaw or should have overseen the project. It is common that only one of these engaged himself with the student's work. At my university these two are the same who decide the final grade of the work. If only one of them was regularly supporting you in your work and the other just participates in the grade-finding, does this this justify the use of the word "mentor" and if so, could both be stated "mentors" on paper ? Or let's put it easier. Would you call these two within your thesis at the site they are just listed "mentors" or "supervisors" ? thanks a lot.


title: Is it acceptable to use "Much Appreciated" as the closing for a letter or email?

text: When I send an email requesting assistance from someone, I am tempted to close the email with the phrase “Much Appreciated”. Is it acceptable to use that phrase outside of a sentence?


title: What is the proper use of “The” in front of certain nouns?

text: I was reading a novel (The Stranger) that included the usage, “...speaking **the** French.”; another (Radio Free Albemuth) included, “We were listening to an LP of **the** Jefferson Airplane at that moment.” I would have omitted “the” in both cases, or extended them to their full expression: “the French _tongue/language_ ”, “the _rock band_ Jefferson Airplane”. I can’t see their decisions as purposefully colloquial, or as an intended stylistic tool. I suspect something larger is afoot - some dastardly rule. (I’m also reminded of The Hague, which may or may not be related.) Clearly I'm missing something. What?


title: Why use "is" in this sentence "Here is your umbrella and your coat“

text: The sentence > Here is your umbrella and your coat. is from New Concept English. So I presume it is grammatically correct. I also saw sentences like > There is an apple and two oranges. So why is _is_ used instead of _are_?


title: Etymology of "midsummer" — why is the first day of summer called "middle of summer"?

text: I always found it strange that the day which marks the beginning of the season of summer is called " _mid_ -summer", which I understand would mean "middle of summer". While midsummer is on the summer solstice (June 20–21), the actual middle of summer would be about August 6, no? So why is the first day of summer called _midsummer_?


title: Is answering a question with "Why, " rude?

text: In a book I've read some characters are answering questions with "Why, ", e.g. > _Why not come to me?_ you ask, and I must answer, _Why, because I did not > trust you, my lord._ and they never mean it seriously, always with some insolence. However, the amount of insolence and how rude it really sounds I cannot grasp. Can I use such a construction in an informal speech without any offence meant? In a not-so-formal letter to a boss, for example?


title: How did "Jew" become pejorative?

text: For some reason, the word _Jew_ often carries a pejorative or offensive connotation, which the related adjective _Jewish_ does not carry. This is most obvious when either word is used as an attributive:   * The story was all over the Jewish media. [Not offensive; a factual statement about a story that was reported in Jewish-oriented media sources.]   * The story was all over the Jew media. [Very offensive; "Jew media" is likely interpreted as a reference to the mainstream media, with the implication that they're controlled nefariously by the Jews.] When used in a predicate, the same thing applies, though the differentiation is less sharp:   * Joel Spolsky is Jewish. [Not offensive]   * Joel Spolsky is a Jew. [Potentially offensive] Note that any of the above _could_ be offensive or derogatory in the right context, but the versions using "Jew" are much more likely to be interpreted that way. The distinction seems to go away when we use either word for the subject of the sentence.   * Six Jewish children are in my classroom. [Not offensive]   * Six Jews are in my classroom. [Not offensive] **How did we get into this weird situation?** Why is the word _Jew_ much more likely to be taken as a pejorative than the word _Jewish_?


title: What other alliterative phrases have become inseparable?

text: Just asking out of idle curiousity. There are some words that just always seem to be found together, such as > strong, silent type > > cool, calm and collected > > cheap and cheerful Can you think of others? Does their alliterativeness doom them to the status of cliché? _Unrelated: How is it possible that 'cliché' and 'alliteration' do not yet exist as tags on the site? (As a new user I can't create tags.)_


title: Are "misty-eyed" and "misty" interchangeable?

text: Today, I came across a pair of sentences using these terms: > And while people may get **misty-eyed** about the "open web", or the > "neutral net", this kind of utopianism was always naive in the extreme. [source] > “It’s like losing your virginity. You’re a little **misty** for awhile, but > then you realize, Wow, there’s a whole new world out there!” [source] Are these terms interchangeable?


title: Which is correct: "If it were I" or "If it were me"?

text: I'm fairly sure it's the former, but it sounds even more stilted than the usual cases in which "I" is less common, but more correct.


title: "the" before plural generic noun

text: I have found the following sentence in "The Catcher in the Rye". > If there's one thing I hate, it's the movies. As far as I know one should use zero article before plural generics. Why does the hero use "the" before "movies"? Is this just a mistake? Are there cases when one can use "the" before a plural generic?


title: "a change in ..." vs "a change to ...", any difference?

text: Is there any difference between "a change in something" and "a change to something"? Is that like the former one is a more objective description while the latter one emphasizes the result of a certain action by someone?


title: Is it correct to say "consecutively in time"?

text: I'm writing a technical report and I want to emphasize that each sample that I have stored in a buffer has been collected before the following one. Can I say, > The samples from the buffer are known to have been captured consecutively in > time?


title: Name for phrase of words in increasing significance

text: I'm looking at the phrase "THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY". The thing I'm trying to think of is the joke format where you list a bunch of things and then change the last word for humorous effect. I believe that this phrase fits the same format, as "ugly" can be replaced with something absurd. The reason I need the name for this is so I can articulate the significance of the phrase in an infographic.


title: A word that combines shock, hurt and indignation

text: Is there a single word that combines, shock, indignation and hurt one feels at the sheer callousness of someone's conduct or apathy towards something/someone? I was **hurt,shocked and appalled** by his callous conduct. A single word to replace the above feelings. An idiomatic phrase also works, and if there is conclusively no word that encompasses the entire plethora of emotions,it is acceptable.As is a word which is archaic and no longer in use. If I were to pick any 2 out of the 3 emotions expressed here, I would pick a combination of hurt and appalled.


title: Which of these two sentences seems more acceptable?

text: >   1. This worker, to do all of his tasks, is fully able. >   2. This worker is, to do all of his tasks, fully able. >


title: As "postscript" is one word, why do some abbreviate it as "p.s."?

text: 'Postscript' is a single word in modern English, and Dictionary.com states that it's even based on a _single_ Latin word, _postscrīptum_. So, why do some abbreviate it to _p.s._ (or _P.S._ ), as on this Wikipedia page? Is it OK to abbreviate it as _ps._? Update: It seems Dictionary.com may have been wrong with its etymological explanation of the modern English word. Nevertheless, given that the modern English 'postscript' _is_ one single word, shouldn't the abbreviation be able to be updated?


title: What do you call someone who is always asking for favours?

text: What can I call someone (a friend) who is always asking for favours such as:   * if you are going downtown, can you buy this for me please or,   * can you lend me your car for an hour or,   * if you have some spare time,   * can you post this letter for me please because I am so busy today He doesn't seem to realise or, pretends not to, that there is a limit to asking for help or favours from other people.


title: Answering your own question

text: I have been wondering if this particular speaking device had a specific name. My wife uses a speaking technique where, instead of just making a statement, she presents it in the form of a question, and then immediately answers her own question. For example, instead of saying > I think you are wrong. she would say, > Do I think you are wrong? Yes. Or, similarly, instead of > I hate when he does that. she would say > Do I hate when he does that? Yes. Does this particular technique have a name? I have been trying to Google this, but have been stumped as to exactly what to search for.


title: What is the difference between "Rest of the things" and "Remaining things"?

text: In which context these words find their use? are they synonym to each other?


title: What do you call this type of elevator?

text: See picture -- is there a better term than _glass elevator_? ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/PXx0Q.jpg)


title: Analogy for an absurd way to teach something?

text: I recently found out that someone is being taught the programming language Python to learn math. This seems quite absurd, and I could have sworn I had heard an analogy about something like this, but couldn't quite remember it.


title: One word for an exactly opposite situation

text: Is there a word to describe an exactly opposite situation? In context, if someone describes a situation in which he found himself, and I tell him I found myself in the exactly opposite situation, what word would describe this? Let's assume _irony_ may be involved in some way, but that is not the word I am looking for.


title: "One of the children who was" vs. "one of the children who were"

text: In the construction _"one of the [plural noun] who ..."_ , should the verb agree with _"one"_ or _"[plural noun]"_? For example, which of the two following sentences is grammatically correct? Or are both acceptable? >   1. She was one of the several children who **was** sold at the auction >   2. She was one of the several children who **were** sold at the auction. >


title: Why use"it" here?

text: > He lives in a house with big trees all around it. I know "all around" is a adverb, but what is the point of using the pronoun "it" behind a adverb used as an adverbial?


title: Is there a good word for "unsurpassability"?

text: I hope that this is a good forum to post the query below, and please excuse me if it is not -- this is my first visit. I am looking for a noun that describes a state of not being surpassable or exceedable (similar to how "impossibility" describes the state of not being possible). Is there such a word? "Unsurpassability" seems very awkaward.


title: What does "get in" mean?

text: I am unable to understand what does the following sentence mean: > I will do something when I get in.


title: Looking for a single word for 'almost real in appearance'

text: I am looking for a single word for describing dolls that looks like real human beings.


title: What is the proper pronunciation for Kipling's character-name "Mowgli"?

text: Does the first syllable rhyme with "glow" or with "how"? It is no use appealing to the Hindi for "Little Frog" or anything else, since Kipling confessed to making it up of whole cloth, as I discovered after asking a local Hindi speaker who drew a total blank. The question comes down to what sound Kipling meant to suggest by the spelling "ow," which is hard to figure out, given that homograph pairs like "row" (quarrel vs. line of something) and "bow" (loopy knot or gesture of deference) straddle the difference in question. I know Disney's film made the first syllable rhyme with "glow," but I concede to Disney no authority in the matter whatsoever. I used to have access to an LP phonograph disk of Boris Karloff reading aloud, which would be better as authority, but alas I cannot remember how he pronounced the name.


title: My ear is open Or, My ears are open - Which one?

text: My ear is open to listen you.. Or, My ears are open to listen you.. Which one is right?


title: What do you call a person who always has a pleasant smile on his face?

text: What do you call a person who always has a pleasant smile on his face. Is there anything better than calling him a "Pleasing personality"?


title: Need a word to describe book/academic journal as distinct from technical report

text: I am designing a database and I have an entity called Publication. A Publication can be either a book/academic journal or a technical report. So I need a word for book/academic journal as "Book/Academic Journal" is not a clean entity name and it looks just as bad when mapped as a database table - book_academic_journal. Is there a word that "combines" these two words?


title: How should I understand "I trade A for B"?

text: [ **ADDED** :] Which of the following is the meaning of "I trade A for B"?   1. I give A so that I can get B.   2. I give B so that I can get A. The following is an example from a piece of news on this site: > The change comes as Chretien's Liberal Party is besieged by charges that > **it trades favors for campaign money**. The announcement appeared intended > to shore up his political standing with an increasingly restive electorate > and within his own party to preserve his parliamentary leadership position. I understand that "trade" means exchange and "favor" means "the support or approval of someone", which should refer to "the support of the Chretien's Liberal Party" here. But what does it mean that "it trades favors for campaign money" --- "the party exchange the support for campaign money"? How did they do they?


title: What is a good synonym for "attribute"?

text: I am looking for a good synonym for the word _attribute_ that can be used in these sentences:   * The item's **attributes** are...   * Colour is a type of **attribute**.   * Weight is a type of **attribute**.   * The item's colour **(attribute)** is red.   * What are the items that have that **attribute**? I'd rather not use the word _"property"_ instead and I'd prefer a word shorter than _"characteristic"_.      The audience for the word is software developers, they are used to properties and attributes, however the word _"attribute"_ is reserved and both _"attribute"_ and _"property"_ usually refer to specific things.      _"Feature"_ and _"quality"_ have very different meanings in the software world. Also, most programmers would complain about the length of _"characteristics"_.      _"Trait"_ seems like a good option, however, I'll have to check how many of my co-workers will understand the meaning.


title: What's the difference between the universe and the cosmos?

text: Is there a difference between the universe and the cosmos? I used to think that the cosmos was a sort of container for the universe, one that could contain potentially infinite universes.


title: An e in "absured"?

text: A few paragraphs in to Chapter 3 of "How to win friends and influence people"—a book that I'm embarrassed to admit I've undertaken—I found what just appears to be an odd spelling for "absurd." Unfortunately, its not clear from the context that "absurd" is the intended word: "Why talk about what we want? That is childish. Absured. (...)" If the word "absurd" was intended, it certainly seems out of place. So my question: Is this an obsolete spelling for absured? A typo? Another word entirely? EDIT: Perhaps a homely spelling for rustic effect?


title: "heart advice" - jarring or beautiful?

text: I'm translating a Tibetan text written in verse into English. The style is one of direct advice rather than learned philosophy. My aim is for the translation to have the same down-to-earth quality as the original, and as much as possible to be accessible to anyone with a reasonable grasp of literary English. In some (Tibetan) Buddhist literature in English, "heart advice" (or "heart- advice") has become somewhat common as a term for teachings that focus on the core practises of Buddhism, with little embellishment. My question is whether this expression is jarring or distracting or even seems outright erroneous to a native English speaker who happens not to have been exposed to modern Buddhist literature. (I am not a native speaker myself.) There is a recurring phrase in the text: "...this is my heart advice." To anyone who knows the meaning of "direct, unembellished, rare, crucial teaching", this sounds quite beautiful, but I'm wondering if, for an average reader, "my heart's advice" would actually sound better? The Tibetan word is _snying gtam_ , _snying_ meaning "heart" and _gtam_ meaning "advice, talk, discourse" etc. **Update** More than expressing sincerity of purpose on the part of the one giving the advice, _snying gtam_ expresses the qualites of the advice itself: pithy, essential, unadorned.


title: Third conditional would have and would

text: I read the following on a website and I was wondering if it was okay? Because the books only talk about the standard three forms. What would it mean if we changed the second part of the statement to 'wouldn't have been'? > If we talk about a past action and its result in the present we use if + > past perfect and would not + infinitive: > > If he hadn't done well on the training courses, he wouldn't be a Project > leader now. At the same time what is the different between the following: > If you had gone over that question in your note-book, would you be able to > answer question No. 2? > > If you had gone over that question in your note-book, would you have been > able to answer question No. 2?


title: the pronunciation of 'occult'

text: > From google dictionary: /əˈkəlt/ > > From my textbook: ['ɔkʌlt, ɔ'kʌlt, ə-] The difference of those two is HUGE, Could you give me an explanation ?


title: What does ‘May that not be the takeaway of this speech’ mean in Salah Palin’s mocking Michelle Obama’s recommendation of breastfeeding?

text: There was an article contributed by Jena McGregor titled ‘Palin’s milk joke goes sour' in Feb 18th Washington Post, which dealt with Salah Palin’s speech mocking Michelle Obama’s recommendation of breastfeeding. In the following quote from her speech, I don’t understand what the subject of sentence - ‘may that not be the takeaway of this speech’ is, or what ‘takeaway’ means. Does it mean ‘essence’? Cambridge Dictionary online simply define ‘takeaway’ to be ‘a meal cooked and bought at a shops and restaurants but taken often home to be eaten.’ Can you teach me what it means and what the subject of this line is? > When the conversation turned to the escalating price of gas and groceries, > Palin reportedly said, "It's no wonder Michelle Obama is telling everybody > you better breastfeed your baby--yeah, you better--because the price of milk > is so high right now!" > > It may have just been an attempt to draw a laugh from the crowd over issues > --childhood obesity and the medically proven benefits of breastfeeding--that > are no laughing matter. But even though she followed up by saying "and may > that not be the takeaway, please, of this speech," it has become one of > them.”


title: Meaning of "stays" in this example

text: From http://artofmanliness.com/2011/04/06/how-to-iron-shirt/ > Iron around buttons, never over them. Even if there is fabric laying over > the button, as in the case of a pocket with under-buttons or a dress shirt > with a hidden button down collar. You can create a permanent impression that > will ruin the look of the shirt. Be sure to remove **shirt stays** as well. I can't find a meaning for "stays" from those listed in Google dictionary. I wonder how to interpret it? Thanks!


title: Plural of 'Word of the day'?

text: Each day in the office we choose a 'word of the day'. We have started to keep a list of the words. What should the list be called?   1) Words of the Day -- implies many words but one day   2) Word of the Days   3) Words of the Days


title: Does "over the span of" have to refer to consecutive months?

text: I am writing an academic paper on a study. The study states that their research was conducted in various months throughout the year (Sept, Oct, Jan, Apr, etc.). Can I say the following: > Morse and Neuberg conducted a study involving numerous participants over the > span of four months. Does " _over the span of_ " have to refer to consecutive months? Note: I cannot say _throughout_ because the months are not in a stated time span (i.e. 2012-2013).


title: Is there an ambiguity in "the most purified gold"?

text: Is there an ambiguity in the question: > Which country has the most purified gold?"   1. Which has (the most purified) gold? say 24 carat gold    2. Which country has the largest amount of purified gold in comparison to others?


title: Difference between "advantages of a car lease" and "car lease advantages"

text: It is hard for foreigners to understand the meaning of different English sentence constructions. Do the phrases below mean the same? > advantages of a car lease > > car lease advantages When do we use one or the other?


title: Is “treat somebody pretty ugly” a common and colloquial English phrase?

text: There was the following line in a New York Times article (September 17), titled “Rick Perry, Uber Texan”: > “Then he was off to talk some more about economic growth in Texas. And > lambastes the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, by saying that > _he would be treated “pretty ugly” in Texas_. Some aides seemed surprised to > find this was not regarded as presidential language, since Perry says that > kind of thing in Texas all the time.” I don’t know the idiom, “treat somebody ugly.” Although I guess it means something like beat up (in Texas), or socking a person (Ben Bernanke) on the jaw, what is it in plain English? Is “ _Treat somebody ugly_ ” a common and colloquial English phrase that I can use in day-to-day conversation? I’m asking this because the author (Gail Collins) brackets the word “pretty ugly,” in her article, and Perry’s aides were surprised to find the phrase wasn’t regarded as presidential language outside Texas, which suggests the phrase isn't a national currency.


title: Is "fasciae" related to "fascism"?

text: Somebody used _fasciae_ in a game I was playing (it was the bundle of sticks or twigs carried by Roman consuls as symbols of their authority). Can anyone tell me if it is related to _fascism_ as a word?


title: One who acts in an unusual way, as if they have a mental illness?

text: What is a term to describe someone who acts abnormally, as if afflicted by mental illness? For example, they talk much too loudly, have conversations with themselves, and exhibit blatantly abnormal behaviors and emotions that appear nonsensical.


title: Why is "back-" used in "back-order"?

text: I understand the meaning of the term "back-order": The item is not available, and will be ordered when it becomes available again. But I can't quite figure out why the prefix "back-" is used, when in other words it means either literally "behind", "reverse", or the anatomical "back". When I break it into its components, "back-order" should mean "to cancel an order", and the original term would make more sense as "pre-order" or "ready- order". Is there a reason "back-" made sense in the 1800s, or am I missing a reason that it makes sense even today?


title: What's the opposite of "extending the deadline"?

text: Extending or pushing a deadline means giving more time to work on a project. But what if you want to say you are changing it so that the task is due earlier? What are the words or expressions I could use?


title: What is a good word for a tutor-student?

text: After asking this question on MathEducators.SE, I was struck by the absolute awkwardness of not having a word to refer to the student of a tutor. As you will notice, the question contains in its title the awkward phrase "tutor- student;" I would like to find a suitable replacement for that word in my day- to-day use [as I am a tutor!]. Question in short: **What is the single-word equivalent for "tutor-student"?**


title: Is there an English word that means literally 'of the same material'?

text: and also has homo- or con- in it? It also needs to be a general word that can be used in, for example, a fiction literary story that has nothing to do with science: an imaginary thing, a word somehow like _homogeneous_ or _homologous_. I need to say that something is “of the same material” as something else. If I had the word and could fill in the blank, my sentence should be: > X is **___ __ ___ _** to Y meaning X is made of the exact same material as Y.


title: Argentine or Argentinian?

text: I was taught in my school days that _Argentine_ was the correct adjective for something relating to the country Argentina. However, these days, even in common speech (but moreover in formal English on new channels even), the form _Argentinian_ used. My question is, is _Argentine_ in fact the correct form and _Argentinian_ a misconstruction of the adjective done out of ignorance, is conversely the latter correct, or are both correct in fact? In the final case, I would be curious which came first and was traditionally more common in usage in the English language.


title: Any other way of saying "blah blah blah"

text: You might say "blah blah blah" when you're not interested in what'd be said. I sometimes say "whatever" to convey the same idea, which does not share the nice rhythm effect of "blah blah blah". As a non-native speaker of English, I often pronounce "blah blah blah" in a very awkward way when speaking out very quick. Any alternatives for "blah blah blah"?


title: In a theatrical reenactment of a real event, how can the 4th wall be broken?

text: When a theatre performance is the re-enactment of an event that has happened in real life, can I say that the fourth wall is being broken by the realness of the experience rather than by the actors or any other tool the director chooses to include? I am going to watch a play which is based on real life events, and I am exploring the play's relation to the fourth wall.


title: Difference between "personal goals" and "Long/short-term objectives"

text: I've been asked by my employer to complete a "performance review". Within the context of my role at the company, it asks me for my > "Long and Short Term Objectives" and my > "Personal Goals". However, it seems to me that there is no difference between these two things. Can anyone explain what the difference might be.


title: To 'know' a person — online versus in person

text: I searched and couldn't find anything — though that surprises me. It feels like there are hard to express differences between knowing a person in real life - people I work with, people I went to school with, that sort of thing - and knowing a person online, such as people you play online games with or people you interact with via forums and posts. I still feel like I know these online-people, or at least, some slice of a persona that they present to me — but the word 'know' doesn't quite feel right, as it at least feels like it should be more different than the word I use to describe knowing someone in real life. However, _guy-I-know-online_ or _lady-I-know-from-forum-postings_ is really awkward and doesn't feel right either. Is there any word that has any kind of common use that attempts to address this difference?


title: Can I place a sentence between em-dashes? Do I put a period?

text: Can I place a sentence between em-dashes? If I can, should I put a period, or not?


title: What do you call the publisher's logo on the title page and spine of a book?

text: There is a word for the publisher's logo at the bottom of the title page and on the spine of a book, but I can't recall it.


title: Why do we say 'commentator' instead of 'commenter'?

text: Another thread addresses the Englishness of the words. My question is different and a lot more convoluted: I hope I can make it plain and simple. **I.** There are straightforward nouns of action and agency with roots in English verbs: procrastinator, loafer, snoozer. And other nouns that arise from _augmented_ (let's say) forms of the verb. 'Commentator' is one such word: there's no verb 'commentate.' 1 'Orientation' meaning 'guidance' or 'adjustment' ("student-orientation week") is another, though hugely more vexed because there _actually is_ a verb 'orientate' meaning to face eastward (both transitively and intrans). But I convolute. **II.** Not long ago, we had a thread about meter and foot in prose: iambic, trochaic, and who knows what else that I've forgotten since college. Arguably, as speakers and writers, we seem unconsciously to choose the iambic (say) over boring spondaic. As listeners, we perhaps naturally find the iambic most pleasant and (umm...) euphonious. **III.** Finally, the question. Let's suppose that we do in truth prefer rhythm that we can grab, that we can lean on and stand on. Do we then invent and manufacture _made-up verbs_ just so as to give us corresponding _made-up nouns_ that feel better to speak and write? That sound better to our ears? 'Commentator' sounds a lot better than 'commenter'. 'Orientator' is somehow easier to say than 'orienter'. Not to go all Chomskian on y'all, but is there an impulsive, inborn, irresistible _way to speak?_ A natural _way of locution?_ 2 * * * 1 Not by our lights, anyway. Right? _Right?_   2 Or am I merely dredging up fragments of Aristotle from dim recall?


title: Does the casual use of "a la ___" in English preserve the French meaning?

text: In English, we use _a la carte_ and _a la mode_ , but it is also common for people to add their own word to the basic construction. For example, one might comment on someone's dancing: > He showed us some moves a la 1987. One might comment on a public address: > She addressed the assembled parents a la Evita Perón. This seems to mean "in the style of" or "reminiscent of." Does anyone know if this is consistent with the meaning in French?


I saw this message on an advert: > Get a high speed connection without roaming charges instantly. I am pretty sure that a better way to say it is: > Instantly get a high speed connection without roaming charges. If I am right about the first construction being wrong/poor, is there a name for the _abusage_? I run across such constructions fairly regularly.


title: idiom request for "classic is good"

text: I am looking for an idiom for telling "Classic is good.". The term "Classic is good" by itself tells what I want actually, but I want a more intense saying instead.


title: Rationale behind 'wardrobe' malfunction

text: I happen to read a lot about 'wardrobe' malfunction and showing some fault in the dress they wear. Why is it called a 'wardrobe' malfunction, as though it happens only due to some messing up in the wardrobe? There must be a history behind this phrasing.


title: people that will laugh at anything

text: Is there a word or phrase for either the people who will laugh at anything or something that describes this and can be extended to be used with people?


title: Is "optical illusion" a tautology?

text: An illusion is a "visual deception", so is there any type other than "optical"?


title: Word like "serendipity" but with less emphasis on fortune or development of events

text: Let's say that the previous week I bumped into a lot of people I knew as a child. Each event was random, occurred independently of the other and all were unconnected except that each of the people involved knew each other at around the same time that I knew them. _Serendipity_ seems a bit too strong a word for this because I gained no fortune and there was no chain of dependence in the events. _Coincidence_ doesn't really fit, either. There must be a word for this - or a way to explain it concisely. What is it?


title: Word like "decadence" for declining skill

text: I'm trying to fill in the gap in a sentence like this: > John's true skills were stagnating, even regressing, and in his ___, he > increasingly indulged in fanciful daydreams where he would save the day, > instead of facing his difficulties head-on. I'm thinking of the word "decadence", but I feel like there's a word I'm not remembering that's a better fit.


My wife always gives me a hard time when I say scissors; she insists the only correct way to refer to that cutting device is "pair of scissors". Is "pair of scissors" more correct than "scissors"?


title: "Many people" vs. "much people" — which one should be used?

text: >   * There's so _many_ people in here! >   * There's so _much_ people here! > Which one should be used, and why?


title: Revolutionary is to revolution as reactionary is to _____

text: I'm trying to think of a noun meaning "the process sought to be undertaken by one who is reactionary."


title: Which is correct: "when you have finished" or "when you will finish"?

text: From an English test on Facebook: > When you have finished to move the furniture, let me know. or > When you will finish moving the furniture, let me know. I think the correct one is the former, but (if so) why exactly is the second one wrong?


title: What's the opposite for "steep learning curve"?

text: _[Inspired by theSteep learning curve question]_ Is there a phrase similar to _steep learning curve_ (i.e. _[some-word] learning curve_ ) describing something that is easy to learn?


title: Singular word to mean "both of your hands" or "all of your fingers"

text: I'm looking for a singular word (not plural) that can be used to represent both of a person's hands (or all fingers and/or toes). Does such a word exist?


title: History and usage of "dooryard"

text: I have been interested in the expression "dooryard stop" recently. This is an expression that is used to describe a short visit in someone's dooryard (driveway) that often means not staying long enough to even get out of the car. It is the opposite of what could be called conversational dieseling. I have used it all my life, and only recently learned that it is native to Maine (my home state), and pretty much no one else has ever heard of it. I find this peculiar. My first thought was that _dooryard_ was a hold over from our English roots, but the Free Dictionary indicates that it is "US and Canadian" usage. (I suppose if you overlap the US and Canada, you get Maine.) Indeed, Urban Dictionary describes is usage as limited to Aroostook County, the northernmost part of Maine along the Quebec border. Merriam-Webster puts its first recorded use around 1764 and draws the parallel with barnyard and backyard, and describes it as the yard in front of the door of the house. I believe that nowadays, Mainers would tell you it means the same thing as driveway, which makes sense given that the driveway usually runs beside the kitchen door of the houses here, which would be the entrance for informal guests. Can anyone tell me more about the history of this word, and does anyone know about the actual extent of its usage? I have a hard time believing such a simply formed word is restricted to such a small population.


title: "proficient <in/at/with>" What is the correct usage?

text: Which preposition is correct in the phrase " _proficient in/at/with English_ "?


title: What does the phrase "bounce the moon" mean?

text: What does the phrase "bounce the moon" as found in this song mean?


title: What's a term for a motivational phrase?

text: What is a term for a motivational or inspirational phrase that one repeats to oneself? For example, in the movie Cars, Lightning McQueen psychs himself up by saying to himself: "I am speed...I eat losers for breakfast."


title: You are my dismay

text: _Dismay_ , as a noun, means: > Consternation and distress, typically that caused by something unexpected. Is it correct to say that something _is my dismay_ , (Rather than something _happened in my dismay_ )? For example, would the following be correct: > The mentor abandoned me. He _is my dismay_. (As in, the mentor caused me to be distressed). Would saying that something _is your dismay_ be correct, or how would you go about saying such thing?


title: Usage question: "I hadn't drank any coffee before I lived in Italy."

text: Ok, so as an English teacher, I know that in the present and past perfect tenses, the auxiliary verb have is followed by the past participle form of the verb. Using most verbs, I find that this is true for all sentences I have heard. However, on several instances, I have run into a native speaker using the past form of the verb (drank) where the grammar calls for the past participle (drunk). For example: _"I hadn't drank any coffee before I lived in Italy."_ According to grammar norms, this sentence should be: _"I hadn't drunk any coffee..."_ More and more, I noticed that people tend to use _drank_ instead of _drunk_ after perfect aspect constructions. This construction was used across all communities of practice and wasn't subject to dialect boundaries. According to results from http://www.phras.in, have drank and have drunk are clear, with the standard have drunk being 4x more prevalent than have drank. However, with an instance rate of about 200,000 for the non-standard form, that is nothing to scoff at. However, the opposite was true with the negative form haven't drank vs. haven't drunk with the non-standard being almost twice as prevalent. _**EDIT: As for the dialect variant idea, I have researched into the various dialectal changes involving the past participle. Most constructions involving the variant are indicated to be dialectal or just plain bad grammar. However, when I started hearing it from people from the UK, this is when I started asking questions. Looking into it further, I have found some linguistic research papers involving corpora and frequency analyses of this phenomena and have found that there is definitely a shift among non-standard verbs to use the past instead of the participle for perfect aspect. At least according to the BNC and COCA. This is usually with germanic-root words such as bid/bade/bid, drink/drank/drunk, bit/bit/bitten._** > Research Paper: I haven't drank in weeks > > Another Example So, my question, then, is whether or not there is some sort of construction that is the exception for this particular situation, i.e. some construction where perfect tense does not use past participle after the aux. verb, or if this is simply some crazy, non-standard phenomenon with the verb _drink_ in the perfect tense.


title: Two main clauses one after another or another meaning?

text: I got a letter which says > Your admission is on the basis that you will be classified as a Home (EU) > student for the purpose of University fees and College fees will be paid on > your behalf by the University at the publicly funded undergraduate rate. Does the meaning change if you just split it up into > Your admission is on the basis that you will be classified as a Home (EU) > student for the purpose of University fees. College fees will be paid on > your behalf by the University at the publicly funded undergraduate rate. Or is there another meaning to it that I don't get?


title: Better name for filter condition operators?

text: I’m developing a data filtering system and am a little confused regarding how to name the condition operators for this system. Which of these cases are preferable (or quite applicable) for filter condition operators?   * [Within/Not within a radius of] vs [Is within/Is not within a radius of]   * [Inside/Not inside polygon] vs [Is/Is not inside polygon]   * [In/Not in branch] vs [Is/Is not in branch] Typical filter condition example: > [Geographic Point (Lat/Lng)] [Within a radius of] [1000] [meter(s) from] > [1000 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10028, USA]


title: Are alpha and omega common abbreviations for birth and death?

text: In Italy, perhaps due to our Greek-Roman influence on culture, it is not uncommon to see something like: > alpha January 9, 1913 -- omega April 22, 1994 ...written on tombstones to mean dates of birth and death respectively. While I thought this was pretty much universal and my previous use of this symbolism didn't seem to raise any eyebrows, I was mildly surprised to see it wasn't suggested on a question like this, especially because it seems to fit the description fairly well. Now, instead of adding yet another answer to that question -- 23 are more than enough -- I have to wonder: are alpha and omega commonly understandable symbols for life and death in English culture?


title: Does "one of the only" actually mean anything?

text: I'm a little confused by the phrase "one of the only" - as far as I can tell, it just means the same as "one of the" with the vague implication that the number of things in the set is relatively small. For example, "Neil Armstrong is one of the only men to land on the moon." It sounds like he's one of the _few_ men to do this, just without using the word "few". Because then it's obvious that you're using the vague word "few" and not saying what it means. "He is the only man to do this" - that's clearly saying that only one person has ever done it. "A, B and C are the only people to do this" - again, that's clear, there are only 3. "A is one of only 10 people to do this" - clear. There are 10 in the set, and A is one of them. "He is one of the only people to do this" - doesn't seem to say anything at all. He's not the only one, but there is no clue whether 3 people have done it or 3 million. "He is one of the few people to do this" / "He is one of the people to do this" - not clear, but at least it's clear that it's not clear. If you see what I mean. It's not trying to sound like it's saying something when it's not. Or does "one of the only" actually have some specific meaning?


title: A word or phrasal verb in place of "Compromise"

text: Can we use _get in_ instead of _compromise_ in the sentence below where I try to say "I don't want to argue with my wife and I make sacrifices from myself and endure the problems"? I am just not sure this is explaining exactly what I want to say, though. > I get all problems and conflicts in to avoid arguments with my wife. > > I swallowed all the problems to avoid arguments with my wife. If this is not correct, can somebody tell me which phrasal verb and other word I can use in place of this? I am trying to improve my vocabulary and use other words in public as well.


title: To live in ignorance of just happiness

text: Is it a valid phrase? Please, accept or reject it. Maybe there is other exact expression.


title: What is the origin of "eyewash"?

text: I was passing a sign today that said _Eyewash_ , meaning a place where one could wash an eye that had some foreign matter in it; a common thing in laboratories and factories. But the first impression I gained was of _eyewash_ , meaning something close to _poppycock_ or _codswallop_. This set me to wondering what the origin of this term was; Green's _Dictionary of Slang_ doesn't even include this as a headword. This source here suggests it is the verbal equivalent of a wink; is that so? Does anyone know more about it? **Edit** Sorry if this wasn't immediately apparent but it was the slang term I am most interested in.


title: "buying cookies will deliver on our promise" - can I use subject and verb like this?

text: A bit of context: a couple decided not to spend money on unecessary stuff and they promised that to each other. Later, one of them says: > I dont believe that buying cookies will deliver on our promise. Also that would mean - subject and a verb - "buying cookies will deliver" which I have a problem with as the " **buying itself cannot deliver on a promise** ". I would write it like this: > I dont believe that by/with buying cookies we will deliver on our promise. Would that be the same?


title: Is this comma splice?

text: > Running outdoors burns about five percent more calories than running on a > tread mill, in part because there is greater wind resistance outdoors. Apparently this is correct and there is no comma splice; could someone please explain why? Isn't the part after the comma an independent clause?


title: known as (a, the) - which article to pick?

text: A quote from the Economist: > Part of this naturalistic approach is that the transistors in his systems > often operate in what is known technically as **the** “sub-threshold > domain”. May we use **a** instead of **the** here and if no, why? Google Books comes up with numerous examples of "known technically as a": > The sound of h (aitch) at the beginning of words such as have and house and > in the middle of words such as ahead and behave is known technically as > **a** voiceless glottal fricative. (2008, R. Allen, "Pocket Fowler's Modern English Usage") Are articles in this expression interchangeable? Or do they matter?


title: what is the difference between everywhere and anywhere

text: I checked the difference between _anywhere_ and _everywhere_ in the Longman dictionary. I have understood that when the place is not important we have to use _anywhere_ for example: > You can find a man anywhere but not a businessman everywhere. But I do not know how to use this general rule in all times. For example, what is the appropriate word for the gap: > I lost my glasses. I looked `________`, but I couldn't find them. Is it true that generally the usage of _anywhere_ is in negative and question sentences?


title: What does "pea's knees" mean?

text: What could an expression **pea's knees** mean in the following text? > Can you see how he is loved in this place? Can you hear how these fishy folk > think that he is the pea's knees? > > (David Almond)