title: Etymology of "shagged [out]" (BrE exhausted, knackered)

text: I was intrigued by this comment to an earlier ELU post... > [ **shagged out** ] Meaning 'very tired', presumably originating from having > lots of sex but used generally to mean tired for whatever reason ...which led me to this dictionary.com entry... > **shagged** [shagd] adjective Informal   >  weary; exhausted (usually followed by out)   >  _They were completely shagged out from the long trip._   >  Origin: 1930–35; origin uncertain OED tells me the coarse BrE slang verb _to shag_ is also "origin uncertain" (perhaps relating to a rare/obsolete verb sense _shag=toss about_ ). Does anyone know anything more about this? Was that ELU commenter on the right track? * * * EDIT: Just to clarify. Effectively, I'm asking two questions: > 1: Are _shagged=tired_ and _shag=fuck_ cognate? (do they have a common > origin?)   >  2: If so, does that mean the commenter was right (i.e. - _shagged=tired_ > originally implied _post-coital_ )?


> 'Happy Christmas to all, all be epicures too.' Can anyone explain what, if any, precisely means, or adds, 'all be epicures too' after 'Happy Christmas to all'? Is it idiomatic English?


title: order of magnitude of words describing the size of a group

text: Are there any definitive, or even generally accepted guides which indicate the order of magnitude of:               pack     party     throng     rabble     horde     drove     swarm     plague      There is some agreement that "couple" is 2, and a "few" is usually 3-5, with these words I'm seeking a rough indication rather than an exact number range (though that would be good too!) ## update * * * Lets say:               4 < x < 8     2 < y < 20      And their values are randomized and sampled (a large number) of times so that we get an average and a standard deviation for x and y. Which is greater, x or y? Of course, there are circumstances when x > y and conversely when y > x. But, if you were told you had to fight your way through a number of zombies (and you didn't enjoy it and thus want to fight as few as possible), and you could choose to deal with x or y of them, x is probably going to be "less". Similarly, these words are "subjective". But despite their subjectiveness, there is a consensus on approximately how large they are. Can throng mean a trillion? Probably not it is usually used to describe a smaller number. Can throng mean zero? or one? No, it usually means a larger number. Well well. looks like despite the subjectiveness, there is an approximate region in which throng exists. We aren't going to get an exact, perfectly defined answer here. We may only get:               pack, party  ≈ 30 ± 25     rabble, throng ≈ 100 ± 60     horde, drove ≈ 10,000 ± 9,000     swarm, plague ≈ a million or more      Notice that the symbol used is the wiggly equals sign, which means approximately equals (although that might be subjective, its used with numbers so its in context). This hasn't defined a full order, it grouped them to give partial ordering. These numbers are just as an example. I am expecting someone to reason that e.g. horde and throng should be switched, or that drove is more like somewhere between 200 and 2000 etc. Even if you are very knowledgeable with english you may not be able to answer, I'm hoping that in the next year or two, someone will emerge who will cite numerous classical texts (for example) and explain that these words originate from there and are approximate equivalents to military groupings, e.g. roman soldiers who saw a legion's worth of barbarians would refer to it as (e.g.) a horde, as although it was the size of a legion it lacked the rank and discipline. Thus, please refrain from angrily stomping on this question as you do not have an answer, someone will. THIS question will become the approximate reference for poetic writers to approximate which word is most suitable to describe the scale of what they are writing of. There is no exact answer, but that does not mean that we have to surrender with: "oh well if we can't get an exact answer better just put its subjective". It is subjective, of course. George Boole said "All models are wrong, but some models are useful". This is merely a guide, a rough model. Please, think of the writers trying to decide whether to describe 10,000 orcs as a horde or a rabble; do it for them, if not for me.


title: What is the correct grammar to use for this common style of speaking?

text: Oftentimes when people want to emphasize something, an idea is repeated three times, but without closing it as a full sentence. I am not sure how to write this in a formal essay. Here is my example: > The effect is that radioisotopes are often thought of as something to be > frightened of, something with ominous powers, something that is an unseen > ninja equipped with a poison beam gun. You see the effect I am trying to make with the repetition of the word "something"; is there any proper grammar for this instance?


title: Skimming stones vs skipping stones?

text: I heard someone talked about "skimming stones" but read in a book about "stone skipping". Is one from the US and the other from the UK ? Is there **any difference** or do they have the **exact same meaning** ?


title: Capitalization of artistic trends

text: Do I need to capitalize "modernism" or "modernist"?


title: The usage of "the" with "least"

text: The main issue here is how to sort out the usage of "the" with "least". Sometimes it's clear but there are cases when I am not sure whether to use the article "the" or not. ### _Least_ with verb >   * The man who actually won the car is the one who **wanted it least**. [No > “the”.] >   * The President seemed to be the one who **knew least** about the crisis. > [No “the”.] > (The sample sentences are from a dictionary.) But: >   * I **earn the least** out of all of us. [Again from a dictionary.] >   * Which subject do you **like the least?** [Found randomly on the > Internet.] > I have come to a vague idea which can explain it to some extent. For example: I earn the least out of all of us. = I earn the least (amount of money) out of all of us. So, when “the” is used it adds an idea of substantivisation i.e. “the least” is a noun. However, it seems like there are cases when my explanation doesn’t work. E.g., "Which subject do you like the least?" I don’t see how it can be interpreted as a noun. I think it should be "Which subject do you like least?" ### _Least_ with participle >   * I'm not **the least surprised** that she's leaving. [Taken from a > dictionary.] >   * The reply will discuss the one you are **least interested** in. [Found > randomly on the Internet.] > I think it should be: "The reply will discuss the one you are the least interested in." _I am not sure if my ideas are correct_ , I am just making them known to you so that you can understand the way I think in respect to the issue and shed some light on the issue.


What is the term for an image created out of words? E.g. a picture of a tree created out of the word 'tree' for the branches and leaves etc. It's usually created out of the name of the subject which it depicts. Children do this 'word image' exercise a lot at school.


title: Can “another” be used with plural nouns provided periods or measurements don’t count?

text: _Merriam-Webster_ says about _another_ the following: > _being one more_ in addition to one or more of the same kind   >  —http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/another However, I come across such sentences as: “I am giving another three books away”, “give me another 2 flowers”. I think it’s fine to say “give me another twenty minutes” as it is a period of time, but I wonder about “another two books/flowers”. Is it grammatically correct? Another thing which seems to be suspicious is that I can’t find such examples in dictionaries.


title: Questions in indirect speech and verb tense change

text: Today I had another English lesson and all students were instructed by teacher to ask each other few predefined questions and then to report them. I got the following questions:   1. "What kind of computers do you have?", which I reported as "He asked me what kind of computers I have."    2. "What music do you like?", which I reported as "She asked me what music I like." My logic is that in these cases the situation hasn't changed in the five minutes since the question was asked (I still liked the same music and my computers still weren't stolen) and it is OK to use the present tense here. But my teacher corrected me and insisted that I should always use past tense without any exceptions. What am I missing here? ### Update I've checked 'English Grammar in Use' by Cambridge University. Quoting Unit 48, "Reported speech 2": > It is not always necessary to change the verb in reported speech. If you > report something and the situation hasn't changed, you do not need to change > the verb to the past: > > direct: Paul said, 'My new job is very interesting.' > > reported: Paul said that his new job is very interesting. > > (The situation hasn't changed. His job is still interesting.) > > You can also change the verb to the past. Another example from the same book, "Additional Exercises, Reported Speech", 25.5: > What's your job? > > How much do you earn? Valid answers are: > He wanted to know what my job was and asked me how much I earned. > > He wanted to know what my job is and asked me how much I earn. The last example looks very similar to my own.


title: "You and your" vs. "Your and your"

text: Which is correct, and why? > identifying **you and your** competitors’ relative market performance or > identifying **your and your** competitors’ relative market performance Each entity is in possession of “relative market performance”, so I think grammar dictates both be _your_ , but it sounds godawful.


title: "Al" as a reduction of “Alexander”

text: Can I use _Al_ as a reduction of the name _Alexander_? Is this reduction clear to native English speakers?


title: Why isn't the tonic syllable in "varies" not the same as in "variety"?

text: I've always pronounced "varies" as /veəˈrɪz/ but recently heard someone say /ˈveərɪz/ in a video. I'm brazilian, so that causes me some confusion as I'm not used to speaking English on a daily basis. What is it that makes "variety" have its tonic syllable placed differently?


title: Does emphasis ever change the fundamental pronunciation of a word?

text: A friend of mine has a theory that changing the emphasis from one syllable of a word to another never really affects the "core" pronunciation. So for instance, consider the word _umbrella_. The emphasis usually falls on the second syllable: um · BREL · la. But if you decided to emphasize the first syllable instead: UM · brel · la, that doesn't really change what those syllables sound like; it just gives greater force to one of them. The first syllable is still a short-U sound in either case; it doesn't suddenly become a long-U sound because of an emphasis change. Is my friend's theory correct? Or are there any counterexamples to this, where changing the emphasis actually does alter the fundamental sound of a syllable? (e.g. a legitimate emphasis change -- not a mispronunciation -- that changes a long-A sound to a short-A sound, for instance)


What's the difference between 'just' and 'fair'? OED gives slightly different definitions, but they are not distinct enough as to be clear (to me). Is the difference simply idiomatic, or is there a semantic difference that I am not aware of?


title: Infinitive of 'shall', 'should'?

text: What's the infinitive of the verb when I say "I should go," or "I shall go"? Is it a verb actually, now that I think about it? If not, what is it?


title: Up to versus one's responsibility

text: Can "up to" be used to convey the idea of one's responsibility like in the quoted sentence below: > It is up to the system to set all the needed variables. Is this usage natural or is there any other way to transmit the same idea? Is “The system is responsible for setting the necessary variables” (as suggested in a comment) better?


title: What is the etymology of 'pimp' in English?

text: What is the original meaning of pimp in English, as shown in the image below? ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/NItfa.jpg)


title: Use of the apostrophe in a genitive

text: is the use of the apostrophe in the following sentence correct: ... The data users' wish to visualize comes in many formats, all of which cannot obviously be directly supported. ... I am convinced it is a genitive and requires the apostrophe. Some of my colleagues don't agree... Thanks in advance.


title: Italicizing foreign language words in an English Essay

text: I am writing an essay about German history, and I'm unsure whether German words should be italicized or not. The essay is in English, but I use words like Reichstag (German Parliament Building), Führer (Hitler's title, means "leader"), and Reich (kingdom). I'm seeing conflicting sources online that say:   * italicize first use of the word   * italicize every time   * don't italicize   * italicize if they would be unknown by the reader Basically, should I italicize German words, proper nouns, or names (and to what extent)?


title: What's the word to describe work that is a waste of effort?

text: I am looking for a word to describe projects, work that is insignificant? I can't remember that. It has to be just a word that describes "work that is a waste of effort".


title: Improvement on James while John had had

text: You guys may be familiar with the sentence > James while John had had had had had had had had had had had the better > effect on the teacher. I was just thinking about this, and wondered, couldn't it be improved upon by adding one more had? Something like: > James just as John had had had had had had had had had had had had a very > good effect on the teacher. Punctuated: > James, just as John had had "had had", had had "had had"; "had had" had had > a very good effect on the teacher. Or paraphrased: > James, just as John had used the past participle, had also used the past > participle; The past participle had had a very good effect on the teacher. I've been really interested in this lately and have been trying to see if I could add an extra had, and I think I succeeded. Thoughts?


Should a comma be used before 'then' when it's the last word in a sentence? _•Bob said, "If she goes, I'm not going, then."_ The example below appears to be incorrect. _•Bob said, "If she goes, I'm not going then."_


title: Other ways of saying "letting me know" or "telling me about"

text: I want to say “my advisor has been very helpful, from helping me decide which classes to take to letting me know/telling me about the resources available to me”. I think saying “letting me know” or “telling me about” is too clunky. Are there any other ways of saying this?


title: "Upright he held it, lords, that held it last", meaning?

text: In Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus when asked to become emperor Titus refuses answering that the _sceptre to control the world_ (i.e., power) "upright he held it, lords, that held it last". What is the meaning of this last sentence?


title: What does "down with homework" mean?

text: I was watching The Simpson series. In season 7, episode 12, Bart exposes a t-shirt on which the phrase "DOWN WITH HOMEWORK" is written. Then the entire students in the classroom start a riot all of a sudden. ![The "down with homework" phrase on Bart's t-shirt](http://i.stack.imgur.com/yyUt3.jpg) What does this phrase mean? Why does it start a school riot?


title: Is there any archaic word for "finally"?

text: So I was wondering whether there is any archaic word that means "finally" or "at last"?


title: The phrase "never even" in spoken English - Bookish ? Old-fashioned ? Sophisticated?

text: "She never even said good-bye !" instead of "She didn't even say good-bye !" in informal conversation. Would someone using it sound bookish ? Old-fashioned ? Sophisticated ?


title: Any rule  for pronouncing “e”?

text: I hear three different sounds for the letter _e_ in _precious_ , _bean_ , and _Peru_. Is there a rule that covers the different pronunciations that a written letter _e_ can represent in speech?


title: How to describe students who don't study hard

text: I want to describe a situation here: > The students who study hard usually get better grade, but in contrast the > students who didn't study hard usually get poor grade. However, I don't want to use "the students who didn't study hard" to depict the other students.(Because lots of vocabularies repeat again.) Any alternatives?


title: Is there a verb for identifying a married woman who is known by her maiden name?

text: Whenever the maiden name is different from married name for women, is there a verb for identifying a married woman who is known by her maiden name?


title: Why “Would you mind if I asked you something?” is correct?

text: Instead of "Would you mind if I ask you something?" Why past tense, I don't get it?


title: Meaning of "Early days I know but may help."

text: I am reading an email from my client about the changes that he wants me to make. In the end, there is a sentence: > Early days I know but may help. Can someone explain the meaning of this sentence? "Early days I know" means he already knew it earlier? "But may help"?


title: Is this 'off' also an adverb?

text: In this example sentence: > He needs more time **off** duty for relaxation and rest. the Longman dictionary says that _off_ in the given example is an adverb. If the sentence was: > "He needs more time off," I would understand that _off_ is an adverb. But in this case, _off_ is followed by a noun, _duty_. Is this _off_ also an adverb? From Longman: > **off**   >  5 not at work, school etc because you are ill or on holiday: _He needs more > time off duty for relaxation and rest_.


title: "Wonder if won't"

text: > I wonder if Diaz won't be scared of the KO power The quote is about Diaz fight with Daily. Daily has a big KO power, so the person is not sure if Diaz won't be scared of it and choose not to fight standing. "If" and "won't" look weird to me when they are so close together. Is that correct?


title: Usage of the word "vi"

text: In the game League of Legends, the character Vi is known for her violent, aggressive, fight-loving nature, and isn't shy about expressing it. When asked what her name is short for, she has a different response each time, with each relating to this nature. > "Vi? Stands for Violence!!"   >  "Vi? Stands for Vice!"   >  "Vi? Heh... stands for Vicious!" Beyond being a humorous joke, is the fact that these words have a similar theme more than a coincidence? Is _vi_ a root word or prefix that has some meaning which causes this relation? Are there other words that begin with _vi-_ that also fit this theme?


title: Term for easing up sails in a heavy storm

text: What is the correct verb (or phrase) to describe the action of reducing a boat's sail power in a heavy storm? So far, I've only come up with **reefing the sails** , but that refers to the furling of the sails around their respective beams. This is a rather slow process; I'm looking for something that refers to a quick, decisive action taken in an emergency -- for example, when the wind shifts suddenly or the boat threatens to capsize from too much force exerted on the sails. Personally, I would call it _easing up_ or _letting up_ the sails, but that's only a landlubber's guess.


title: Megalomania vs narcissism?

text: They look very similar. It's hard for me to discern the difference. Is there any difference between the two?


title: Is there a name for misusing a word (e.g., saying "Provincially, yes")?

text: I read a mail in which someone replied to the question "Will he be attending the party?" by saying "Provincially, yes". _Provincial_ means "of or concerning the regions outside the capital city of a country, especially when regarded as unsophisticated or narrow-minded", but neither the natural nor the pejorative meaning seems to fit here. What was meant? And is there a name for abusing the language in this way?


title: Etymology of 'ripped' as in 'ripped abs'

text: ODO provides the following definition for the word ripped: > 3\. _informal_ having well-defined or well-developed muscles; muscular:   >  _through his slightly-too-tight shirt you could see **he was ripped_**   >  _they’re going to the gym daily to get buff pecs, **ripped abs** , and > tight buns_ How did this sense of the word come about?


title: What are these types of sentences called, and am I missing any?

text: All the "pluperfect" and "preterit" (sp?) stuff makes my head swim. I have tried to make a list of all the different basic sentence types using a common theme. Could somebody identify the term for each one, and also inform me if I'm missing anything? I eat tacos I will eat a taco I would eat a taco I am eating a taco I had eaten a taco I have eaten a taco I would have eaten a taco I will have eaten a taco I ate a taco Me eat taco! <= cave-man speech


title: Starting a Question with "Why Not . . ." Inappropriate?

text: Microsoft Word has underlined a question I typed starting with "why not." Something along the lines of: > Why not walk to the hall every morning before the sun has risen and while > the streets are empty? According to Word, this is a non-standard question. Is it correct in a semi-formal article that's intended for the Internet audience? I thought it was standard enough.


title: Which department work is being carried out for

text: I am a non-English-speaking software developer who faces difficulties with the English language. I built a form for users submitting work for my department. The users should write down their name and the department the work will be done for. This field is labeled 'Department'. The problem is that they are putting my department as they think that is the department that will carry out the work. How should it be labeled correctly? 'Your department' seems incorrect, 'benefitting department' does not sound correct but it would be the closest to what I have in my mother tongue.


title: Usage: dismiss someone's concerns

text: I have a question about the phrase **_"dismiss someone's concern"_** Suppose the following is a paragraph that is from a recommendation letter: > I was worried about her performance due to the demanding nature of the > curriculum and the fact summer session has a faster pace than regular > semesters. But Michelle **_dismissed my concern_** by proving to be a person > who is able to successfully develop plans and implement them. Is "dismissed my concern" correct use in this context? I think dismiss is a negative word. I am looking for a better phrase to express the meaning Thanks


title: "Clustering in trades" or "Clustering of trades"?

text: Should I say "I examine the impact of clustering **of** trades by traders...." or "I examine the impact of clustering **in** trades by traders..." Some people are telling me **of** but **in** sounds better to me.


title: How to describe the rhetorical technique of dismissing the question?

text: I seek an elegant term for argument or technique of rhetoric that takes the form of **dismising the question, instead of responding to the argument**. I first assumed that this would be a fallacy of logic; I have looked at various articles, including Wikipedia's list of fallacies, and on several prior E.SE questions, but I'm not finding something that seems to capture this; I don't (yet) think I'm being too picky. :) I don't think it's exactly any of these somewhat related topics:   * avoiding the question, or shifting issues, or red herring;   * posing different questions, such as Straw-man, or its opposite;   * not quite _ad hominem_, because the question, not the poser thereof, is being attacked/dismissed. The two parts, in sum:   * Is there an elegant name for the act of dismissing a question as a rhetorical technique?   * (in terms of its usage) Should that argument be considered logical fallacy?


title: What do the question marks in this quote mean (or are they typos)?

text: I read the following in an article entitled "Duke resets after the 'annihilation'" By Laura Keeley of the Raleigh News and Observer, dated Friday, January 25, 2013. I've not seen question marks used this way before. I added a screenshot just in case the text gets changed. > “He’s like, ‘you guys don’t deserve to have your stuff here,’?” Williams > said of Krzyzewski. “?’You guys have to play more cohesively like a team.’?” ![Screenshot of text](http://i.stack.imgur.com/6vvfX.png)


title: Usage of the word Found

text: Can anyone please explain me the difference in usage of the word 'found' and phrase 'found out'?


title: strong will or strong wills?

text: Idiomatically we do say "a strong will". But can we say "strong wills"? The context is _The optimism and (the) strong will(s) of the handicapped children touched me deeply._ Also, do I need a "the" before "strong will(s)" in this sentence? Thanks.


title: Pre-clause, Post-clause

text: I have two possible sentences of the some situation and I am confused:   * Realizing he did not belong there, he left the meeting early.    * He left the meeting early, realizing he did not belong there. Does the second sentence lack the causation feel that the first sentence shows? The first sentence seems to say that he left early **BECAUSE** he figured out he didn't belong. The second sentence seems to say that he left early **WHILE** knowing that he didn't belong. For another situation:   * Shooting people on sight, he barged into the house.   * He barged into the house, shooting people on sight. For this pair, the first sentence means that **_BECAUSE_** he had just shot people on sight, he then barged into the house. The second sentences means that he barged into the house **_WHILE_** shooting people on sight.


title: What does the phrase "today's dollars" mean?

text: I do not completely understand the meaning of the phrase "today's dollars" in this sentence from a document on health care expenses: > "... they will need almost $400,000 in today's dollars by the time they > reach retirement age." I suppose it is somehow related to price level growth and inflation, right? Could you give a more detailed explanation?


title: "no longer...when..."--ambiguity?

text: I was reading this sentence and thought it ambiguous: _The trees must have grown since he died because they were **no longer young when** I first saw them._ This could mean: 1) The trees were already old when I first saw them. 2) The trees were not as young as when I first saw them. Option 1 seems to be obviously grammatically correct one. The reason I thought option 2 might be correct is because of the logical coherence between the two causes connected by "because"--the trees have grown because they were young last time but they are not young at the moment, hence the grown. This might seem a rather minute question, but I would really appreciate your clarification. Thanks!


title: How Would You Describe Someone With No Limbs?

text: Certain characters in certain media have no limbs. That is to say, they have a head, a body, hands and feet, but lack the parts attaching those various bits of their body. A good visual example would be the video game character Rayman. "Disembodied" and "Limbless" are both good words for such a character, but the former is a bit too extreme, and the latter might be mistaken as a lack of arm AND hand, or a lack of leg AND foot. Is there a word to describe this kind of character and their relation to their body/body parts?


Do you capitalize an alias that is in quotes? for example, what would be the correct way to capitalize the following statement: Mary became known as "the girl with the wooden shoe".


title: Karma, Kudos, ...?

text: I'm looking for a word that I can use to describe the following: > A point system where I give points to my kids to incentivise them to do some > tasks they don't really want to do. I don't want to simply call them 'points' or 'credits'. I'm currently between karma or kudos. Is one more appropriate than the other? Are there other words that would work better?


title: Which is correct: 'pass-through' or 'passthrough' or 'pass through'?

text: Which is correct: _pass-through_ or _passthrough_ or _pass through_? I googled to find the correct wording, but found the 3 and not sure at all what is the correct one and/or there is a some domain specific rules. I want to describe a process in which an information goes from input to output without any change.


title: father-in-law = step-father?

text: I've been reading _Middlemarch_ , and came across a usage of _father-in-law_ which, from context, must mean _step-father_. Later in the same novel, the phrase _father-in-law_ was used as we would use it today. So at the time, it must have had both meanings. When did _step-father_ replace one meaning of _father-in-law_?


title: "concern" instead of "business"; "operate" instead of "run"; "one" in front of a person?

text: I find the word "concern" attractive, because it is not as often seen as other words. Is it always safe to use it instead of "firm" or "business" -- even if the business is a small startup? For example, is the following correct? **DanSoft is a small one-man concern in Chicago. It is operated by one Daniel X., a long-time software enthusiast.** For similar reasons, I'm also attracted to the word "operate", and putting "one" in front of the name. What do you think? Are these three words "concern", "operate", and "one" appropriate here? Would native English speakers find them inappropriate? Maybe a little archaic? Too formal? Or just fine?


title: "What questions [is/are] your data team hoping to answer?"

text: Over at stats.stackexchange we are having a minor kerfuffle over whether a title is using incorrect grammar. It has been edited and re-edited several times. It would be great to get some arbitration and a clear explanation. The original title was "What questions is your data team hoping to answer?" which was edited to "What questions are your data team hoping to answer?", then edited back. See the question here.


title: Proper use of the phrase "of all time"

text: I have a client who insists on using the following sentence in his web site: > Lance Armstrong is the most successful American bike racer of all times. I think that "of all times" should be "of all time". Which is correct?


title: Why isn't "muscle" pronounced "muskle"?

text: It comes from the Latin _musculus_ (meaning _mouse_ ) and Latin has only hard c's. The "c" has somehow become soft or silent during evolution. Why did this happen? Also, if _muscle_ is pronounced _mussle_ , why isn't _muscular_ pronounced _mussular_?


title: May be not and may not be

text: I want to say something that means "maybe it is not correct", but by using "may". Should I say A. "it may be not correct", or B. "it may not be correct"? If one of these is equivalent to "maybe it is not correct", what is the meaning of the other one?


title: Semantic difference between "engine" and "motor"

text: Is there a semantic difference between _engine_ and _motor_? In some cases, would the use of one or the other word be technically incorrect?


title: Is it possible to 'give prosperity'?

text: Here's the sentence: > Who knows how the prosperity you give becomes the prosperity you get Is it possible to 'give prosperity'?


title: Word for a sound of insult-with-a-smile

text: What is that sound called, when one produces a short demeaning (almost as if looking down upon the other person) sound, which might be followed by a very cunning smile. Example: A: The US is pressurizing Iran on genuine grounds. It has no horses of its own in that race. B: _That Sound_ , Are you really that dumb?


title: What's another way to say "Keep it on the horizon"?

text: What can be another way to say keep it before you or keep it on your horizon?


title: "Humility" vs. "humiliation"

text: What is the difference, if any, between _humility_ and _humiliation_? My friend's dad said _humility_ is good, _humiliation_ is bad, and the first link on Google says "leaders often confuse the two," but doesn't really define the two. I figured they both were the same (I must be a bad leader) because they both look similar. So,   1. Can I get a clarification on the difference between the two?   2. Is it bad to assume that employers during the interview process can tell the difference between the two? My thought is yes, it is bad to assume that because everyone knows what humiliation is (bad), but not humility; so they will automatically think you're talking about something negative.   3. How would you use _humility_ in a sentence?


title: prepare food or prepare dishes in AE

text: Question for American English - is it more usual to use "prepare food" or to use "prepare meals" or "prepare dishes" The whole sentence is: We prepare delicious dishes (food, meals) with special care and love.


title: Using "apologize" without "for"

text: Is it grammatically correct to use "apologize" as a verb without the preposition "for"? > apologize: to make a formal defense in speech or writing. "I apologize the event." Wouldn't this mean that I'm defending the event? "I apologize for the event." Wouldn't this mean that I'm defending the event on it's behalf?


title: Is saying "I'll do it to you" offensive?

text: My friend asked me for a tool to do something and I wanted to ask him if he wants me to do it for him but I mistakenly said "I'll do it to you". Is that offensive?


title: Open the rivers of Heaven?

text: I've heard someone saying "Their task in worship is to open the rivers of Heaven", and I understand that it means something like "Their task is to make worship extremely beautiful", but is there a close synonymical expression or something for "opening the rivers of Heaven"?


title: What is the difference between "left/right side" and "left/right-hand side"?

text: This question arose in the context of referring to locations in a figure, e.g.: > A dot is added to the left(-hand) side of the diagram. What is the difference in meaning (if there is one)? What is the difference in style? What does sound more elegant?


title: Get everybody "rustled" in the place

text: This is a comment that came out of a discussion on McDonalds: > I remember working at McHell for over 2 years. 25 cars in the Drive-Thru was > nothing. The worst part was a semi-full lobby/Drive-Thru and then a buss > pulls in. That shit would get everybody rustled in the place... Shit being > thrown everywhere, people yelling. Good times. What does _rustle_ mean when he says the buss would get everybody rustled in the place? I couldn't find a definition in the dictionaries that's appropriate to the context. And I'm assuming he made a typo and meant bus instead of buss?


title: A word that means that when two elements are mixed they become stronger

text: I need it to use it in a speech as a metaphor for synergy or the ability to actually be stronger when using the capabilities of both sides.


title: Is "seminal" safe to use in a formal text?

text: I am writing an academic text, and I want to describe an important book as "seminal", since it has made a profound impact on the field. However, the first entry on the dictionary.com page is "pertaining to, containing, or consisting of semen". Entry number 4, "highly original and influencing the development of future events" is the meaning I want to convey. Should I be worried about people confusing the two?


title: Differences between "A beautiful photo of an X" and "A photo of a beautiful X"

text: Which phrasing should I use, and when? > The article includes a beautiful photo of a waterfall or > The article includes a photo of a beautiful waterfall Both wordings get hits in google ngrams, and on an ordinary google search. My initial thoughts were "A photo can't be intrinsically beautiful, can it?", and therefore "A beautiful photo" doesn't make sense. However, I suspect that using "Beautiful photo" means that the entire scene is beautiful, whereas "Beautiful waterfall" could mean that the waterfall is beautiful, whereas the rest of the photo might be ugly. What differences are there in the two phrasings?


title: What are the correct ways to express parenthetical comments?

text: I've seen parenthetical comments that are inserted mid-sentence (like this) and I've also seen parenthetical comments that are inserted after the terminal punctuation symbol of a sentence. (Like this.) Are both valid uses, and are there any more ways to use them?


title: Emphasising sentences

text: It's pretty clear that using `do/did` we can emphasise a verb. Such as               I do recommend reading that book.      or               I did enjoy the movie.      But the question is, how to emphasise sentences like               I am keen to work with you.


title: Meaning of the phrase "In the wash"

text: One of our senior technical architects uses this phrase: > it will _come out in the wash_ We generally take that to mean "let's do the detailed/mundane stuff later — and concentrate on the key stuff now". Is this right? What's the actual meaning and correct usage of this phrase?


Are there any differences between "oval" and "ellipse"?


title: What are the differences between 'incident', 'issue' and 'affair'?

text: What are the difference between _incident, issue,_ and _affair_? How should one use them?


title: Data pronunciation: "dayta" or "dahta"?

text: I hear "dayta" more often, but what's the correct pronunciation?


title: Use of "whatever" vs "whatsoever"

text: The city posts signs near my house that read: > Dump no waste whatever The meaning is clear in context: don't dump any waste here. But the sign sounds incorrect. To me, it seems "whatever" should be "whatsoever." Is the sign correct? Is it using an archaic form of "whatever"?


title: What does "If she smokes, she pokes" exactly mean?

text: What does part > she pokes of phrase > If she smokes, she pokes exactly mean?


title: What is a heterosexual term for “cruising”?

text: _Cruising_ , the act of going out and about looking for a sexual partner, is generally only used in a gay context in the US. What is a term with the same basic meaning but without the homosexual connotation? **UPDATE:** To whet your appetites, I’ve also thought about _tryst_ or _rendezvous_ , but they seem lacking.


title: How do I style book titles in a block of italicized text?

text: Book titles, among others, are commonly written in italics. > She had read this quote in _Pride and Prejudice_. But what should I do if a title appears in a block of text that is already italicized, such as a character's thoughts? Do I reverse the italics? > _I've read this quote in_ Pride and Prejudice, she thought. Do I use quotation marks, instead? > _I've read this quote in "Pride and Prejudice,"_ she thought. Or do I use another approach altogether?


title: Use quotation marks for internal monologue?

text: In a similar vein to my previous question on styling written quotes, should I use quotation marks for interior monologue in narrative writing? It is common to use italics to denote thoughts: > _This won't be easy_ , she thought. But I would use quotation marks in this scenario: > "This won't be easy," she said to herself.


This is the whole sentence from which the phrase comes: > One way of making sure the pedestrians are safe is to increase signage of > the intersections. A keep clear sign will be erected at the junction of > Evelyn Street and Hill Street, **to enable traffic to exit at all times**. What does the phrase "enable traffic to exit" mean in the context?


title: "As many books as suits your schedule" vs. "as many books as suit your schedule"

text: > Read as many books as suit(s) your schedule. Singular or plural agreement?


title: How did nominal come to mean "within acceptable tolerances"?

text: The word "nominal" has a number of definitions. For example, the Free Dictionary gives seven: > nom·i·nal (nm-nl) adj. > >   1. a. Of, resembling, relating to, or consisting of a name or names. b. > Assigned to or bearing a person's name: nominal shares. >   2. Existing in name only. >   3. _Philosophy_ Of or relating to nominalism. >   4. Insignificantly small; trifling: a nominal sum. >   5. _Business_ a. Of, relating to, or being the amount or face value of a > sum of money or a stock certificate, for example, and not the purchasing > power or market value. b. Of, relating to, or being the rate of interest or > return without adjustment for compounding or inflation. >   6. _Grammar_ Of or relating to a noun or word group that functions as a > noun. >   7. _Aerospace & Engineering_ According to plan or design: a nominal flight > check. [...] > > > [Middle English nominalle, of nouns, from Latin nōminālis, of names, from > nōmen, nōmin-, name; see nō̆men- in Indo-European roots.] This consistent with the definitions in OED3 and other sources. Most of the definitions are clearly from the sense of "names" and "nouns" - and from that idea of something being only in name, but not in reality. However, the aerospace sense seems quite different. During a recent rocket launch, the announcer repeated phrases like "Height is nominal. Power is nominal." to mean these values were within the acceptable and expected ranges. The OED references these sources [Hat tip @tchrist]: > 6 _._ (See quot. 1970.) > >   * 1966 _Aviation Week & Space Technology_ 5 Dec. 30/1   >  The mission is to launch the 800-lb. Prime vehicle to effect a nominal re- > entry at 400,000 ft. following injection at 26,000 fps. > >   * 1970 N. Armstrong et al. _First on Moon_ vi. 124   >  An example of misuse is our use of the word ‘nominal’, which most of the > English-speaking world interprets as meaning small, minimal-and we usually > use it in the sense of being average or normal. > >   * 1970 R. Turnill _Lang. Space_ 94   >  _Nominal_ , a favourite word, meaning within prescribed limits; anything > from ‘perfect’ to acceptable. > >   * 1972 _Daily Colonist_ (Victoria, B.C.) 26 July 3/1   >  As one engineer said, ‘She is phenomenally nominal’ — nominal being space > jargon for operating-as-planned. > > I wonder if anyone can explain that derivation. Is it derived from the other senses of nominal? Is it influenced by the word "normal"?


title: "Verity" vs. "veracity"

text: _Verity_ and _veracity_ have similar spellings and meanings. Why? What exactly is the difference between them that warrants the need for these two separate words?


title: What's the more appropriate word for busy-ness?

text: I am looking for a word that captures the severity or extent to which someone is busy. This is the word to be used for showing a measure for the extent to which a person or team is occupied with stuff to do.


title: I recommend your reading this question

text: I remember that we have learnt a structure, what has always been really strange to me. We can say that "I recommend to do something" However in the _strange structure_ we can say something like(I am not sure): "I suggest you(/your) not being here". So it is built up:               [object] [verb] [indirect object] [gerund]      I am not sure that it was exactly like this, but I am eager to find out how it is called, when to use it and if I can use with all kinds of verbs. I hope your figuring this out.


title: A word for "false self confidence"

text: Suppose a motorbike driver jumped above 2 cars in a show, and a crowd of girls gave him an applause. He then tried jumping over 100 cars, and lost his life halfway by falling into the row of cars. What do you say to this state of feeling, this false self confidence that he wasn't aware of its falsehood?


title: Looking for possible words to describe certain meanings

text: In order to come up with a good company name in the field of Information Technology, I'm working on compiling two groups of words. **First:** Words that have similar meaning to: improvement, doing things right, success, building well, etc... Something like "Bettering" but bettering itself does not sound good to me. Examples:   * Improvement   * Bettering   * Boosting **Second:** Words that mean: a place where working, thinking, tinkering takes place   * Workshop   * Workroom   * Labs English is not my first language so I was hoping you could help me. Could you help me with suggestions? I'd really appreciate it.


title: How to explain the name of the author of a work which is a base for a performance

text: Could you please help me with the following: The context is a printed information about a play. For example:                             name of the play: .........                   playwright: ...............                   director: .................                   cast: .....................                   etc.      And now I want to say that the performance or play is based on, uses motives from the famous work of an author. For example based on Chekhov's work, or Dario Fo or another. And how do I say that correctly? after Dario Fo?   by Dario Fo?   based on Dario Fo?   with motive from Dario Fo?


title: Perfect tenses in conditionals

text: Why does one sometimes use the perfect tense in conditions of the first type? Say, > I will do something if you **have done** something. > > I did something when he **had done** something. instead of, > I will do something if you **do** something. > > I did something when he **did** something. For a better example, here is a quote from _The Valley of Fear_ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: > She was preparing to go to bed when the loud ringing of the bell **had > attracted** her attention. Why didn't the author write the following: > She was preparing to go to bed when the loud ringing of the bell > **attracted** her attention. One more example: > Ring for our boots and tell them to order a cab. I'll be back in a moment > when I **have changed** my dressing-gown and filled my cigar-case.


title: Why do we say "talk about the telephone" but "talk about televison"?

text: Teachers and native speakers :)   I was doing exercises about passive, came across these two sentences:   "When was **_the_** telephone invented?"   and   "When was television invented?" (without " _the_ ")   And we say "the history of television" not "the history of the television"   We use "the" when we talk about instruments, telephone but not television.   Why is that?


title: Which article do I use if I'm pointing out an object that both I and the listener know

text: For example: Upon seeing a cup on my colleague's desk, I say, "you have a very big cup." But the cup is already known to him (it's his and there is only one cup on his desk). Regardless, the above sentence sounds more correct than "you have the very big cup." Which is correct?


title: What does “Watch the plain clothes” account for in terms of “Cheap liquor nationalism”?

text: International Herald Tribune (September 30) introduced a commentary of Japanese novelist, Haruki Murakami who is regarded as a favorite for this year’s Nobel Prize in literature on Japan’s dispute with China over the territorial issues of the Senkaku Islands, which appeared in the Asahi Newspaper on September 28. Murakami wrote: > After your drunken rampage you are left with nothing but an awful headache > the next morning. We must be careful about politicians and polemicists who > lavish us with this cheap liquor and fan this kind of rampage. After the analogy of ‘Cheap liquor’ of nationalism, the writer, Marc McDonald adds: > Put another way, by the possible Nobel laureate Mr. Bob Dylan: “Keep a clean > nose / **Watch the plain clothes** / You don’t need a weatherman / To know > which way the wind blows. I can understand 'just literally' the implication of “Keep a clean nose. You don’t need a weatherman. To know which way the wind blows.” But I don’t understand what “ _Watch the plain clothes_ ” implies? To me, the line, “Keep a clean nose and so on” doesn’t relate to cheap liquor nationalism at all, thanks to the lack of my imagination. I think this is a lyric of Bob Dylan’s popular song, but I’m curious to know how it comes that “Cheap liquor of nationalism” could be paraphrased or accounted for by “Keep a clean nose / Watch the plain clothes / You don’t need a weatherman / To know which way the wind blows.”?


title: Is "let know him" grammatical?

text: We usually say: > Let _me_ know. > > I will let _him_ know. Could the following be considered grammatical? > I will _let know_ him. > > _Let know_ the guy.


title: "Spit and baling wire"

text: I just heard the phrase: "spit and baling wire". I cannot find it anywhere—can you help give me a reference, the origin...and the meaning?


title: Foreign name usage in conversation

text: I’m English and confused. Is jalapeno spoken with the sound ‘jal’ or ‘hal’? ‘Hal’ is how Spanish people pronounce it, but I’m English. If the answer’s ‘hal’, do I say I’m going to ‘Paree’ instead of Paris? Do we pronounce differently based on a Person’s name, Country/City or food?


title: pronunciation of foreign cities

text: When I mentioned to friends I had recently been to Benalmadena in Spain, I was corrected on its pronunciation. I had chosen to pronounce it in an English way rather than in a Spanish pronunciation. After all, I wouldn't say Paris how a Frenchman would say it. If I use the native pronunciation of a foreign city I might look pretentious. If on the other hand I use the English pronunciation, I might then get corrected with the alternative. Which is the correct convention please? Many thanks.


title: What does "Combat bundled in cliché" mean?

text: There was the following sentence in Time magazine’s (November 18) article titled, “Chris Christie Was Born to Run”: > Behind closed doors at a Westin hotel in Boston, where the governor laid out > his not so veiled pitch for the party's 2016 nomination. "I'm in this > business to win," he told the crowd of Republican leaders. > > It was pure Christie, **combat bundled in cliché.** Ever since he ousted > Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine in 2009, he has run the Garden State with > combustible passion, blunt talk and the kind of bipartisan dealmaking that > no one seems to do anymore. http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2156871,00.html#ixzz2k2blMOs4 I don’t get the idea of the word, “combat bundled in cliché.” What does it mean? Does it mean Chris Christie was born to combat? Is “combat bundled” a cliché?


title: How do you say 'cooked pig small intestine filled with pig blood' in English?

text: In our culture, we usually serve cooked pig small intestine filled with pig blood in times of feast. Is there a single English word for this? In our language, it's _Sa-thithun_.


title: "first applied to" - June 12th 1799 Letter by John Marshall

text: > I do not immediately recollect any others among the old officers whom I coud > name for so high an office as the command of a regiment. I am aware that > those I have mentiond cannot, shoud you on further enquiry approve of them, > be all appointed, but I have namd them because it is possible that **those > first applied to** may be disinclind to enter into the army. (Source) I'd surmise that **those** refers to the old officers named by Marshall. However, could someone please expound on and unravel **first applied to**? Marshall didn't name any of these aforementioned old officers first? Or is Marshall referring to those officers who made their applications first?


title: What do I do with a narrowboat?

text: We were discussing the prospect of messing about on the canals yesterday, and I happened to mention that I had spent quite a bit of time, er, doing what exactly with the narrowboat? I wasn't really _driving_ it > To guide, control, or direct (a vehicle). but to say I was _sailing_ it > To navigate or manage (a vessel). when the watercourse is narrower than the narrowboat is long seems to be stretching it a bit. Were the boat in a tunnel I might be _legging_ it > (v. tr.) Obsolete to propel (a canal boat) through a tunnel by lying on > one's back and walking one's feet along the tunnel roof but fortunately narrowboats nowadays are usually equipped with an engine. So, does anyone know what I am doing while in command of a narrowboat?


title: What does "to give up someone " mean?

text: Does it mean that you no longer want someone, or that you have to leave someone, like it or not?


title: Is the second part of dialogue capitalized or not?

text: i.e. "It is important," his mother replied, "(a/A)nd we will all have a great time."


title: "Happen to know" vs. "came to know" vs. "got to know" vs. "came across"

text: Can anyone give use cases and examples for   * _Happen to know_   * _Came to know_   * _Got to know_   * _Came across_ I always gets confused in their uses.


title: The etymology of the phrase "it's raining cats and dogs"

text: I was wondering about the phrase _it's raining cats and dogs_ ; I've heard two versions of the meaning of the phrase and I was wondering which one was correct or wrong altogether. The first: with 16th century European peasant homes frequently being thatched, animals seeking shelter from the elements would fall out during heavy rains. The second: that drainage in 17th century Europe was typically poor so they would, during heavy rains, disgorge any of the animal corpses that had accumulated in them.


title: Difference between "sorcerer" and "wizard"

text: What is the difference between _sorcerer_ and _wizard_? I know that the nomenclature is unclear. However, the common usage seems to indicate:   1. a wizard is born an ordinary mortal, learns magic and spells from books;   2. a sorcerer is born a sorcerer, but needs to learn spells (possibly of a certain type) from a master. Is this correct, or is there more to it?


title: What is the meaning of "testotum"?

text: In the novel _A Day Among The Liars_ by Edward Page Mitchell, there is this sentence: > "My rod creaked and bent double," a stout, red-faced gentleman was saying, > "and the birch spun like a testotum." Please can anyone explain the meaning of "birch spun like a testotum"?


title: About pronouncing the 's' in plural nouns

text: A general rule of English pronunciation states that the 's' in plural nouns is to be pronounced as /z/ if it is preceded by a 'voiced consonant' such as /n/ or /g/, and as /s/ if it is preceded by a 'voiceless consonant' such as /t/ or /p/. Therefore, "pens" is pronounced as /penz/ and "cats" is pronounced as /cats/. Now my question is, do native speakers of English always follow this rule? Secondly, and this is what I really need to understand, does this rule apply also to the 's' in the verbs of 'third person singular subjects'?


title: Article usage in compound predicate nouns

text: When using a compound predicate noun where both parts would normally be preceded by an article, is it correct to leave one article off? Is it correct to use both? Is it a matter of preference? If so, is one way generally preferred over the other? For instance: > This book is a help and blessing. or: > This book is a help and a blessing.


title: Can "broken" mean never working to begin with?

text: Technically speaking can _broken_ be correctly applied to a thing that is not and never was functional? I think there is a connotation that a thing once was functional, but is that required for proper usage? American Heritage Dictionary has simply:   * Not functioning; out of order But dictionary.cambridge.org has:   * damaged, no longer able to work


title: Politically correct way to refer to a French individual

text: What is currently accepted as the proper title for a person from France? Is it still the gender-specific Frenchman/Frenchwoman, or is Frenchperson the new term?   (I use French as just an example, obviously. Same question for English folks)


title: Can I use the word "softworks"?

text: I see Bethesda Softworks, a well-known video game publisher, uses the word as a part of its name, and I'm pretty sure it's made up, but I like it. I would like to use it in the same sense as they do, to describe what my studio focuses on, software. Am I "allowed" gramatically to use the word as a reference to software work? Is it frowned upon?


In film reviews/essays about a book or film, does the title of the movie/book always have to be highlighted/put in italics? I know that at the start you have to put the title in italics, e.g.: > Director Tim Burton brings us _Edward Scissorhands_ , which is about... But do I need to put the title in italics in subsequent paragraphs too? E.g.: > The film techniques used in _Edward Scissorhands_ are....


title: is there another way of saying: "shaky structures"?

text: What expression would an English teacher use to say that the handling of the language is a bit uncertain not with used with precision? In Swedish you can say (translated literally): your wording/structures - are phrased in an uncertain way. Would a native speker use any of theses expressions: *shaky, cumbersome,ungainly, akward ....... or.....


title: Is it "extreme" or "large" diversity for endophytic microorganism subject?

text: Do I need to substitute the word _extreme_ to _large_ in this text? > Endophytic fungi are molds that are found in the healthy plant tissues. > Endophytic fungi is mold that exists in the plant tissue systems, such as > leaves, fruits, twigs, or root of plants (Clay, 1988). Endophytic > microorganisms have **extreme diversity** , because they can inhabit the > healthy plant tissue of all plant taxa in the mainland, especially in > tropical timber plants (Arnold & Herre, 2003). **Note: It is a microbiology/mycology field, that's why I posted on the biology site. It is not about a terminology, it is a condition related to endophytic microorganism and its diversity. Pity that they migrated it here.


title: If a room cannot be escaped, it is inescapable. What if a room cannot be entered?

text: Suppose there is an automatic door to a room. That door may:   1. simply let people walk in and out as they choose.   2. let people walk in, but not walk out (deathtrap!)   3. let people walk out, but not back in (vacant!)   4. never let anyone walk in or out - the door is always closed. Now in cases 1 & 3 only, the room is _escapable_. And in cases 2 & 4 only, the room is _inescapable_. And in cases 1 & 2 only, the room is 'enterable'. And in cases 3 & 4 only, the room is 'unenterable'. But these aren't real words - what real words can go in their stead? Furthermore, what word covers case 4 only? It should mean 'neither enterable nor escapable.'


title: Is it okay to omit the space after a comma in square bracket references, e.g. "[45,46,47,64]" in a research paper

text: Should you still apply the rule that there is a space after the comma, or is it an accepted practice to omit the space in this case?


title: "Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't"

text: Okay, so recently I ended up saying this: > Well, that is unfortunate... sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. Okay. You know, just saying "Sometimes it happens" already tells you that something happens sometimes and other times it doesn't. But, sometimes, I need to make **very** clear that this "something" doesn't happen always. That's why I say > sometimes it happens, **sometimes it doesn't** But is there a way to shorten this phrase? To make it simpler, but still making **very clear** the fact that this "something" may not happen? Repeating "sometimes" is not very much of my liking...


title: Gill or Branchia

text: I am writing a dialog and I need to mention Gills (or Branchias), the respiratory organ of animals like fish. I was wondering which one would be more common or casual in English speech (say, in the US), and if it's a commonly known word. Thank you!


title: Can I say "something in discussion" to refer to the thing being discussed?

text: > The paragraph **under consideration** has nothing to do with his moral > integrity. The context is about how to understand a specific paragraph in an article about a rich man.   Can I use “the paragraph **in** discussion" or " **under** discussion” to replace “under consideration”? Can I say "something **in** discussion" to refer to the thing being discussed?


title: The best book/books for self-education

text: My level is intermediate or upper-intermediate. I have speaking practice several times per week with native speaker(she is not teacher). I write short essays and my friends help me to check it. I read news/blogs in English almost freely and listen podcasts everyday. And of course I learn words, collocations and idioms. My aim is to find work in an international company(software development). Maybe it sounds strange, but I dislike that it's unsystematic education. Amazon gives tons of various books and it's hard to choose something. Does anybody knows some good book or course of books? Thanks.


title: What's the difference between perimeter and circumference?

text: What's the difference between perimeter and circumference when they mean the total length of the boundary of a two-dimensional geometric shape?


title: "Much of it is" or "Much of it are"?

text: I'm writing an college-entrance essay and for me it's imperative that I understand and implement the correct one of these two expressions: > "Much of it is" or "Much of it are" If you need context: > I'm having trouble with my writing. The reason I'm having trouble is that > much of it **is** about.... Should there be an "is" or an "are"?


title: Is "five-yearly" an acceptable usage of an adverb of manner in British English?

text: Today's BBC News web page has this headline: > New era of **five-yearly** doctor checks starts There's a word that means "five-yearly": _quinquennial_. It's probably too long for headline writers and too difficult for most readers, so I understand why it wasn't used, but shouldn't it have been _five-year_ instead? > New era of **five-year** doctor checks starts


title: Is "is been" a valid construction?

text: I have found sentences in some contexts which surprisingly use "is" and "been" together:   * He is been watching too much television lately.   * She is been feeling a little depressed.   * The compiler is been failed to compile the code. Why are these not:   * He has been watching too much television lately.   * She has been feeling a little depressed.   * The compiler has failed to compile the code. A similar use is found in the first sentence of this answer on StackOverflow. That was my question about Java Server Pages (JSP). Do the first group of sentences add some extra meaning, or they are just used in a fashionable manner, or something else involved? Finally, I once saw this:   * The work is been being done by someone else. I was taken aback by this sentence. I found it totally dramatic--it appears to be in the "present perfect continuous tense", which shouldn't have passive construction according to any grammar rules I know. When are such constructions used? I'm a resident of India and don't really understand them.


title: Is "conversate" a word?

text: Conversate: To converse, to participate in a conversation. > My parents _conversate_ with me over dinner every night. Is this a word? Spell check says no, but I have heard it used.


title: Odd, but unoffensive slang or idioms

text: I'm putting a character in a book who is replacing all typical swear words, exclamations, or name calling with old fashioned or little known words. For instance, exclaiming "Snails" instead of Damn or "Confound it!" instead of something else. What are some other words that I can use? Any time period is fine.


title: The usage of "the same...as..."

text: Which one of the following two sentences is more correct?   1. We use the same space as _is specified_ in Chapter 1.   2. We use the same space as _specified_ in Chapter 1.


title: Get a life | You have no life

text: I saw this as a mild insult on the Internet, one person tells another: "get a life" or "you have no life". What does it mean literally and what is its meaning as an insult?


title: What does "meanest flower might blow" mean

text: > A beautiful woman risking everything for a mad passion. A few wild weeks of > happiness cut short by a hideous, treacherous crime. Months of voiceless > agony, and then a child born in pain. The mother snatched away by death, the > boy left to solitude and the tyranny of an old and loveless man. Yes; it was > an interesting background. It posed the lad, made him more perfect, as it > were. Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic. > Worlds had to be in travail, **_that the meanest flower might blow_**.... Above is an excerpt from The Picture of Dorian Gray. I am not understanding the meaning of the phrase the meanest flower might blow


title: What do you call someone who makes decisions?

text: I am looking for a word that means someone makes choices. The choice doesn't have to be good or bad just that they are decisive. I am looking for the word to be in the form of a noun. As an example - "That woman makes many decisions; she is a **(insert here)** ". The only thing I can think of is chooser or decider but I'm not even sure those are words. Thanks for any help in advance.


title: Change a classification

text: I heard that sugar is not a spice. I decided this was nonsense and so investigated. A Google search brings this up: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090321182214AAoIEzK (which also links to Wiki) abut the quote is "Sugar does not add flavor it is strictly for sweetening" To note, the question suggests that spice can only refers to food. I disagree - you can put mint, vanilla, cinnamon into tea (just to name a few). Give me tea with white sugar or dark sugar (of equal quantities), I can taste a difference. However, further research then suggested this may not be the case: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/spice?s=t There is no mention of food or drink! As this is so ambiguous I decided to look else where. Now, I find the Cambridge dictionary: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/spice_1?q=spice . It states "a substance made from a plant, which is used to give a special flavour to food" It says food! I say this is wrong. Anything which affects flavour is a spice - although the a debate can rise about mud - I would assume that mud affects flavour but is possibly not described as a spice! Any way, if possible, we'll stay clear of this type of thinking :) So, further looking into this results in another site http://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/cooking-questions/dark-or-light-brown- sugar-00420000013175/ which states (and I quote) "light brown sugar, which has a less pronounced molasses flavor". Ah, flavor - not just sweetness although molasses is sweet. So, IMO a spice (which is not going to make 'one' ill) is anything which affects the taste/flavour of food or drink, not just food. How would I go about changing this definition or arguing it?


title: English for “À l’abordage!”?

text: Basically, pirates would use the term _À l’abordage!_ as a battle cry when boarding enemy ships like described in the phrase’s Wiktionary entry. Is there a English translation for this, or is it an expression that has no direct English equivalent and should be used in its French form?


title: Why is a black eye called a "shiner"?

text: I saw a photograph of Chris Robshaw, the Harlequins captain, in the paper yesterday sporting a magnificent _shiner_ , and naturally started to wonder where the term originated. Consulting Etymonline revealed a date (1904) but no explanation. I also turned up a question on Answerbag stating that it is derived from the derogatory word _shiner_ meaning a black person. The dates given in Etymonline make this quite plausible, but Green's _Dictionary of Slang_ dates the first usage of _shiner_ for _black eye_ at 1797, which would tend to militate against this etymology. The comments also suggest the name derives from the shiny skin of a black eye; I have some personal experience of these things and I can't say I've ever noticed. Urban Dictionary has a different explanation:- > Term is of Irish origin where it was a punishment for not keeping machinery > shiney delivered from the boot of a British officer. I can't say I'm convinced by this. So, does anyone know why a black eye is called a _shiner_?


title: “Stock pole” vs. “pole stock”

text: I found this sentence, and it confused me: > Loads may be transferred in one operation from **stock pole** , production > point or delivery vehicle practically to their destination on the building. I looked it up through Google, where what I found most is _pole stock_. I know _pole stock_ means lumber used in making poles for vehicles and agricultural implements. But what does _stock pole_ mean?


title: Correct headline in scientific pro/contra table

text: Which words are appropriate for the headline in a table with pros and cons in a scientific paper (physics)?                     PROS        CONS     ice   cheap       cold     fish  expensive   warm


title: "Broad surface" or "large surface"

text: When comparing the total surface area of (geometrical) bodies, can I describe it as "large surface" (or "largest") or, as an editor suggested, do I have to use "broad surface"? **Edit:** Example sentence from the article: "Porous, spongy grains provide a large surface for chemical reactions but might hinder the release of the newly formed species into the gas phase." Another example: "Additionally, the significantly larger dust surface in the XX and YY model lead to ..." here XX and YY denote dust models with differen dust size distributions and accordingly with different total surface area of the grains. The editor suggested to replace large by broad.


title: Is 'somelike' a word?

text: Never mind the laconic title. It's incontrovertibly a word. What I'd like to know is whether the little bugger has ever been recorded by lexicographers. I've ruffled a dozen dictionaries to no avail, and in COCA there is only one entry \- and it's a scanning error._. I am not interested in the flippant usages of this ilk:   * "something like": _dude thats a glitch or somelike a bug. I already pulled the eye out of the tentacle and know it turn into a water snake or somelike that so please help me_   * "someone like that": _It reminds me of that other little 7-year old or somelike who was all pumped up and freaky.._ (forum post) However, the following usage (as a pronoun and an adjective) is perhaps more interesting. It might even be dialectal.   * "something like that" or perhpaps "somesuch": _Given how big CA is, we may need to split things up into southern/northern or somelike._ (Chris Allen from California, in a Church Music Association of America forum post)   * "somesuch": _always have an axe or a broom or somelike item on the counter_ (Texas Cotton Farmers on the Southern Prairies, Google Books) Ultimately, this source, written in the academic/scientific register, is what led me to further investigation: _Laycock then lauched into fwther speculation based on his ideas related to diathesis and considered the exudates and degenerations in the lung were similar to those of rheumatic origin in which lactic acid played a part, but the lactic acid was further metabolised into carbon dioxide and water. Let us suppose, said Laycock, there was an excess of lactic acid or **somelike** acid and the ordinary decomposition or metabolism interrupted then an irritant is brought into contact with the bronchial mucosa, would be like inhaling chlorine._ (The Life and Work of Thomas Laycook 1812-1876) Yet even I myself have hazarded on a chance occasion the use of _somelike_. I like this un-word. I like it more than _somesuch_ (except when written, as is commonly done, as a phrase, _some such_ ), and think that they are more than slightly nuanced. So, given that the word is clearly used, has it ever been recorded by lexicographers? Can anyone point me to a dictionary that includes it?


title: What is a word for when you condense a topic into a work that is all that's needed to understand it?

text: Like when CGP Grey makes a video about the European Union, that video explains everything with details yet clearly and concisely. I thought **_redux_** would have been a great word, but it only means "revived"


Is it correct to say that "John is responsible for Mary"?   If not, what should we say? What I want to denote is a mix of all these senses:   1. Supporting someone, because of sympathy, and also morally   2. Taking care of that person   3. Helping that person   4. Being kind to that person   5. ... And I have no emphasis on legality.


title: Do I need to add "to" in every clause in a this sentence?

text: > Working in the field helps us to learn how to apply theories to solve real- > world problems, to apply […], and to […]. Are the "to" after each comma necessary?


title: News article: "Man sentenced for murdering his 10th wife". What does this mean?

text: Today I saw this headline for a news article online: > Man sentenced for murdering his 10th wife I can't tell if a sentence of this nature means that the man has murdered 10 people (all of which were his previous wives) or if it means that the man has murdered one person (this person being his 10th wife). In summary, does this sentence imply that the man has murdered 10 people or 1 person?


title: Would you mind passing by for lunch tomorrow around 12:00 at my place

text: Is this question grammatically correct?


title: Usage of "À la carte" on menus in English

text: On a menu which contains both "family style" dishes and individual items (serves 1 person) would it be correct to name the individual items section "À la carte"?


title: Allusion about love

text: In Persian when somebody doesn't like to be “in a certain place” (have a certain feeling) — like a person who is in love but she didn't have that person — we will say “the air is very heavy for her.” Is there a phrase in English you use like that to describe this situation? What do you call this situation?


title: What is the meaning of the phrase "to this end"?

text: Here is the entire sentence: > **To this end** , we create two properties files with the correct root > bundle name and the correct locale endings, one for English and one for > Spanish. (Emphasis added.)


title: Are there words for people who are attracted to a specific gender?

text: Is there a word for a person (any male or female) who is attracted to a male? Is there a word for a person (any male or female) who is attracted to a female?


title: Using the word "Phalanx" as a title

text: Is there a verb for _phalanx_? I searched online dictionaries, but I didn't find it. Can I use _Phalanx_ as a title of my story? I am just wondering whether I should use a verb, or a noun for titles.


title: It got you paralysed vs It paralysed you

text: I know "get" has a lot of meanings. But what is this one - to cause something to happen? I do not think it is "have sth done" but not sure of course. > It got you paralysed. What is the difference against > It paralysed you.


title: Syntactic function of "what" in specific case

text: See the following sentence: > Be careful what you eat. In this case, "what" is having which syntactic function? I checked the possibilities in the wiktionary: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/what My best guess is that it is a "relative pronoun", but I'm not 100% convinced of that. I feel it could be something other than a pronoun, although I'm not sure how to support that. (second question removed by OP to keep the focus)


title: Is "misconfigured" a word?

text: I use the word "misconfigured" all the time, but MS Word, Chrome, and the two dictionaries I checked don't list it as a word. I'm going to keep using it instead of "configured incorrectly" because I believe it communicates an obvious meaning. However, is it a word that I can use formally? If not, why not?


title: How to quote someone's work

text: I had someone send me a piece recently that include a few quotes from an interview. The structure was (between the lines, items in parenthesis my addition): * * * Here are a few quotes that support my position from person x: "quote 1 from a person" (partial sentence) "quote 2 list here" (partial sentence, separate from quote 1) This means to me that .... * * * My question is that in the proper way to show this. Are the two quotes fine to be shown like this, or would you separate them with an ellipsis with one set of quotation marks? If they are part of the same or different paragraph, does it matter? Can they be inline in the paragraph Or is this just a stylistic decision for the author/editor?


title: Using i.e. in parentheses

text: When a writer uses parentheses to define a phrase or clarify a word in a sentence, is it appropriate also to use i.e. in the parentheses? That use seems redundant to me.


title: Etymological reference to the "Five woman in London" mentioned in The Picture of Dorian Gray

text: > My dear Dorian, it is quite true. I am analysing women at present, so I > ought to know. The subject is not so abstruse as I thought it was. I find > that, ultimately, there are only two kinds of women, the plain and the > coloured. The plain women are very useful. If you want to gain a reputation > for respectability, you have merely to take them down to supper. The other > women are very charming. They commit one mistake, however. They paint in > order to try and look young. Our grandmothers painted in order to try and > talk brilliantly. Rouge and esprit used to go together. That is all over > now. As long as a woman can look ten years younger than her own daughter, > she is perfectly satisfied. As for conversation, ** _there are only five > women in London worth talking to, and two of these can't be admitted into > decent society._** However, tell me about your genius. How long have you > known her? Can anybody shed some light as to which five women are being referred to here in this excerpt from _The Picture of Dorian Gray_?


title: Inversion of Spiritual Successor

text: If B is a _spiritual successor_ to A, then what would one call A in relation to B? The obvious answer would be **spiritual predecessor** , but that seems inaccurate, since spirit seems to refer to **intent** \- B was intended as a successor, but A is not now intended as a predecessor in retrospect. Are there any alternatives?


title: Antedecent of "which" in "A man coming out of the backdoor of his house which is facing east"

text: In a recent quiz there was a question: > A man coming out of the backdoor of his house which is facing east... Now in this scenario whether **Should I consider 'the house is facing east,' or 'the backdoor is facing east'??** **Edit:** As suggested by most people its a ambiguous question, so I am posting complete question if it helps.. _A man coming out of the backdoor of his house which is facing east, walked for one kilometer, turned to his right and walked for another kilometer. Then he turned to his right and walked a kilometer again. Where was he from his house at the end._ a) 1 km away to the north b) 1 km away to the south c) 1 km away to the east d) 1 km away to the west If we assume the house is facing east, the answer will be 'a', and if we assume the backdoor facing east, it'll be 'b'. My second question what would be the interpretation if it had a comma like this: > A man coming out of the backdoor of his house, which is facing east...


title: Antedecent of "naked" in "I would like to paint a picture of you naked"

text: > You’re such a pretty person, I would like to paint a picture of you naked. Does this mean "you’ll undress while I get my brushes", or does it mean "strike a pose while I take my clothes off"?


title: Why don't you say "good work" in English?

text: I am an Italian student and I am writing a thesis comparing our two languages. I am aware of the fact that you don't say "good job" or "good work", in order to wish someone the best in his/her job. I'd like to know if there is any sociological or sociolinighist explication for that. In addition, are there any references to find out more? Thank you all!


title: Is it right to say "before since"?

text: I wonder if "before since" is right in my sentence. If not, could you please help me improve it? > This company provides products since 2010. Consequently, there is no record > of this product before since.


title: Is there a word or a special phrase in English to describe the curvy upper lip that some people like Rio Ferdinand have?

text: I don't think many have people have that kind of upper lip (probably 10% of the population). To me personally, that kind of upper lip definitely makes a person more attractive regardless of gender. For example, Angelina Jolie's upper lip is also a little curvy although I believe people recognise the thickness of her lips more. My point is that having a curvy upper lip is a outstanding facial feature and so people must have given it some name. What is it? **Intended usage:**   I want to give compliment to person: "It's wonderful that you have the ... lip" I remember watching Peter Pan on Vietnamese television when I was a kid and Wendy Darling's curvy upper lip were described with a very beautiful (and rare) phrase (in Vietnamese). Unfortunately, searching along that line didn't get me anywhere. Below is Rio Ferdinand's super curvy lip (I count 5 curves there) vs. a Cupid's bow lip which has 3 curves (most people including myself would have this, as I have observed): ![5-curve-lip vs cupid's bow lip](http://i.imgur.com/Eypgwyc.jpg) And this is Rio's original lip without any of my drawing:   ![Rio's super curvy upper lip](http://i.imgur.com/cFAVzE4.jpg)


title: In past tense use break or broke

text: I think I should use broke because it is in past tense. Am I correct? If incorrect, can you explain to me briefly which case is correct?   1. I was thinking about punching him and breaking his teeth.   2. I was thinking about punching him and broke his teeth.


title: "Her water broke" or "Her waters broke"

text: Which is more correct: "Her water broke." or "Her waters broke." I've been searching online and I've found uses of both "water" and "waters" in various places, but none of them very authoritative. I was hoping someone might be able to shed some light on whether one version is more correct than the other, why, and if it truly doesn't matter. Thanks! David


title: When do we add the suffix -tter to a word?

text: Normally we use this suffix for different words Twitter Flutter Emitter Chatter Fitter Is there anything that this suffix "-tter" is used to refer?


title: Which tense do I use for an on-going event that has a connection to the past

text: For example, please consider the following sentence: "The site was disapproved for not having enough unique content. The site has mostly links and banner ads that would negatively impact the user experience." The second sentence seems awkward to me and I am not sure if it should be the way it is written or follow the tense in the first sentence. Kevin


title: Term for a one-time, short-lived, pre-meditated plan of action

text: It's something that you come up with in advance, a plan of sorts, in preparation of an opportunity arising, such that you may capitalize on it. "Plan" is too long, however; it's not so much a plan as a simple "we quickly do X". And emphasis on quick; this is a rapid, pre-meditated move - it was come up with quickly, triggered quickly, and executed quickly. The situation arose, the action done, and then it passed. It can have had lasting consequence, or done nothing at all. It may be proactive or reactive. Maybe you don't even know why or when you'd do it, but you've prepared for it nevertheless. The effect is simple and singular, not a complex series of events. Just one thing like "everybody wearing a hat run into the basement" - potentially independent of the context that prompts the execution. It may also have a modifying context, like "if it's raining, paint one car blue" - to carry out this while it isn't raining, obviously has no effect. So it's like an instruction of sorts, waiting to be given. What word, preferably on the short side, would describe such a thing? 'Trick' is the best I've come up with, but it has connotations of deception. Need something more straightforward.


title: Is the use of the quotation marks necessary with expressions like "self-proclaimed", "self-styled", "so-called" and "would be"?

text: I have noticed in many writings people's use of quotation marks whenever they use the above-mentioned expressions for example: the self-styled "artists" or the so-called "poets". Isn't the use of the quotation marks redundant since the meaning of such expressions is the same expressed by the quotation marks. If so, why do many writers tend to use them anyway?


title: What's the word for "running with your arms outstretched as though flying"?

text: I caught this on an 'odd words' sort of program on public radio, but didn't hear the full word pronounced, just that it started with an 'f'. I studied the unabridged OED for a bit, but couldn't find it. Can anybody help me? To be clear, this was a single word. ![Player running](http://i.stack.imgur.com/0xrEf.jpg)


title: Is “Mind-meld” analogous to “Brainwashing”?

text: U.S. media are now abuzz about Presient Obama’s remark, “I should somehow do a Jedi mind-meld with these folks” at the press conference after sequestration meeing with Congressional leaders at the White House held on March 1st. The Atlantic complains that President Obama confused the Jedi of “Star Wars” and the mind-melds of “Star Trek,” and predicted that the President shatters his “nerd credibility.” Reference to Jedi mind-meld came in the following statement: > "Most people agree that I’m being reasonable, that most people agree that > I’m presenting a fair deal. The fact that they don’t take it, means that **I > should somehow do a Jedi mind-meld with these folks** and convince them to > do what’s right. ---The Speaker of the House and the leader of the Senate > and all those folks have responsibilities. What I can do is present the best > possible case for why we need to do the right thing.” As I’m unfamiliar with the plots of both “Star Wars” and “Star Trek,” I’m not sure of what “I should somehow do a Jedi mind-meld with these folks.” means. But I guess it means that most Americans think the President should change the mind of both the Speaker of the House and the Sanate leader and other “ramaining on their ass.” What is the exact translation of “Do a mind-meld with somebody”? Does it mean to brainwash somebody? Is “do a Jedi, or do mind-meld” a stand-alone English expression that most English- speaking people understand and use?


title: what's the structure of a sentence

text: > The issue was, and still is, hotly debated at the grass roots level, with > children coming to our schools speaking more than 200 languages. In the above sentence, I guess the subject is "issue" and the predicate is "was/is". "hotly debated at the grass roots level" is used to embellish "issue". And I'm confused by "with children coming to our schools speaking more than 200 languages". Is the object "with children coming to our schools speaking more than 200 languages"?


title: Is there a word or phrase for language and culture combined?

text: > Mr. Doe is committed to learning and teaching language and culture. Is there a term that embodies both language and culture? I want something concise, as I need to state it multiple times. I considered "linguistics" as a possibility: > Mr. Doe is committed to learning and teaching linguistics. ... but that doesn't really embody the customs and cultural side of the issue. I'm looking for a word that encompasses that aspect, as well as language.


title: "temporal" vs. "temporary"

text: Is there any difference between the two? In a technical document I have used a phrase "this is a temporal solution" and my coworker told that he'd use "temporary" in the context. Is one of the two more correct than the second?


title: Is there any online phrase dictionary available?

text: I use WordWeb which is available online for vocabulary. But, is there any equivalent for getting the meaning and origin of phrases ?


title: Is the plural of the electronic mouse "mouses" or "mice"?

text: Is the plural of that device that you plug into your computer _mouses_ or _mice_? Which of these is correct? > I bought some wireless optical mouses for my colleagues at work. > > I bought some wireless optical mice for my colleagues at work. I prefer the first one though I'm not sure why. The second makes me think there are some weird mutated creatures running around under my desk.


title: When is it acceptable to use Internet abbreviations such as “u” or “r”?

text: In my business communication over Internet text messengers, for example Google Talk or Skype, I see that many people often use shorten words like _u_ instead of _you_ , _r_ instead of _are_ and the like. How appropriate is usage of such words in contemporary communication? Is it used in emails also? Should we avoid it as much as possible?


title: When is it OK to use OK?

text: I often use "OK" in business and personal emails and phone conversations. But I often feel uncertain if it is appropriate to use it in every type of context. Please tell how universally I can use this word (if it can be called "word") without annoying native English speakers?


title: Do British speakers have problems understanding Jamaican speakers?

text: I'm still learning English but I think that, at the moment, my level is becoming acceptable (I can keep a real conversation with a native speaker without problems). The point is that I've been listening to a song by Sean Paul (a Jamaican singer) and I really have problems understanding most of what he says. This is the song, from 1:15 to 1:35. The question, as you may know, is: Do you have any problems understanding what he say?


title: Non-religious mentions of God (or religious concepts) in the American English language

text: Reading about an appeal turned down by the US Supreme Court, I see that the majority opinion on phrases such as _“in God we trust”_ and _“one nation under God”_ is that they are not affirmations of faith, but _“a historic, nonreligious recognition of the faith of the nation's founders in a higher power as the source of all rights”_. As a European, I have a hard time understanding this particular view, though that's very off-topic here. More on topic, this reading fueled my curiosity about the existence of other such expressions in English, be them either about God directly or religions in general. My question is: **are there other typical sentences or mottos which, while having a religious meaning if read literally, but are commonly understood as nonreligious?** Maybe among States’ mottos, or those of army units’. I can't see where to start looking. One thing, though: I'm pretty much aware of the large number of phrases, idioms, or sayings which feature the word God and can be used almost without risk in daily language, such as “for God's sake”, “God bless”, “God forbid”, “God help”, “God willing”, etc. I'm not looking for any such idiom.


title: How to describe narrated action?

text: Let's say we have a poem that has a first-person point of view and then goes like: > I have eaten the cookies Now, when I write about this poem and want to describe the action in the poem, would it be okay to write the following? > The narrator has eaten some cookies If not, what is the proper way to write about the narrated action?


title: Archaic vs Historical in dictionaries

text: At Oxford Dictionaries Online the word alderman is marked as "chiefly historical", whereas ere is marked as "literary or archaic". I've looked around on the ODO site, but I can't find a guide to explain the difference. To me they both mean "old and not really used any more". How does _archaic_ differ from _historical_ in word definitions?


title: "nibble" vs. "nibble on"

text: I've been told by a native speaker that the verb "to nibble" can be used both with and without a preposition. So, is there a difference between > I would definitely like to nibble on one of those sweet, sweet rodents! and > I would definitely like to nibble one of those sweet, sweet rodents! See this question on Travel-SE for some context. Which one (or maybe both) are correct? Is there a difference in meaning?


title: Are there commonly used words to denote different gradations of friendship in English?

text: In English there is only one word for grade of friendship: friends. All of you agree that _friends_ are different: with some of them you just drank beer few times, other you know for many years and you build strong bonds to them. There should be different words for that! In Russian there are three words for different grades of friendship:   1. You met few times.   2. You meet regularly, spend time, but don't have strong bonds.   3. You are important to each other, bonds are strong. (Usually people have 1-10 friends of that sort) So I am interested, are there commonly used words to denote different gradations of friendship in English?


title: Is "nuancedly" an existing word?

text: I was typing the following sentence in Microsoft Word: > This theme is outlined more nuancedly in this novel. but it marked the word "nuancedly" as being non-existent. I did a search on Google and only found ~300 results of this word. On The Free Dictionary, there is no record of the adverb of "nuanced", either. So, is "nuancedly" indeed not an existing word? I do believe one can put "-ly" after any adjective to make an adverb, but this case confuses me a little bit.


title: Is there a more fancy name for a "kitchen hole"?

text: Does English have a specific word for a hole between the kitchen and the living room that is used to get food directly to the dining table? German has the nice _Durchreiche_ , which approximately translates to _hand- through_. I am ideally looking for a nice translation of that word. ![kitchen hole](http://i.stack.imgur.com/pg5Ev.jpg)


title: Stabbing and running, how are they related?

text: When you literally _run through_ some where, e.g. > I have run through the streets of London it is quite clear what is meant. At a slightly more figurative level one might say, > I will run through our procedures with you. This is also clear. One is teaching another something quickly, as if to make their mind run through the information. But if I were a pirate and I found a dead body, I might say > He's been run through with a cutlass! Now, I know that _to run through_ means _to stab all the way through the body_ , but how has _run through_ come to mean that?


title: Is it appropriate to write RIP for expressing grief?

text: I came to this question after I saw a Facebook post about someone who passed away with everyone posting _rip_ as a comment. Wikipedia tells me the following about the abbreviation of RIP: > "Rest in peace" (Latin: Requiescat in pace) is a short epitaph or idiomatic > expression wishing eternal rest and peace to someone who has died. The > expression typically appears on headstones, often abbreviated as "RIP". Possibly it is just me, but is it really appropriate to write RIP to express grief? It seems not decent to use an abbreviation in this case—is there not enough time to write it at least out? Granted, after all the three letters do not root from modern age and internet like LOL, but have a historic background, plus it eases international verbal communication as it is with the word OK.


title: Adjectives for Calmness levels

text: Are there any adjectives that indicates the levels of calmness ? Especially, words that would fit between "calm" and "aggressive". Not synonyms but different levels. For example, it can be done like this:   * calmer    * calm   * aggressive   * very aggressive But can we use different adjectives than using comparatives, adverbs etc. ? Or should we stick to my example? Note: For example, I thought using "even-tempered" after "calm" but they are synonyms. (unless there are nuances of usage)


title: Use of "homeostasis"

text: > I'm going to say what's on my mind and it just might affect your > **homeostasis**. Is _homeostasis_ correctly used?


title: Is there a difference between "quicker" and "more quickly"

text: This is a follow up to this question: What is the difference between "quicker" and "faster"? "Quicker" is an adverb, as are "more" (in this context) and "quickly". So is there a difference besides preference between these?


title: One who breaks in to show the victim's vulnerability

text: This doesn't necessarily have to be a physical break in, it can also apply to one who creates and distributes a virus that doesn't collect any information or corrupt any files, but alerts the user that they have a virus and should be more careful on the internet.


title: "...mustn't have done..": can it mean reproach for a past action or prohibition of a future action?

text: 1. Can " _You mustn't have done that_ " have a similar meaning to " _You shouldn't have done that_ " / " _You were not supposed to do it (but you did)_ "? (not logical probability but obligation)   2. Since we have the imperatives like "Have done with that!", wouldn't it be possible to use **must** to express prohibition of a future action: " _You mustn't have done that (by the time the bus reaches here tomorrow)_ "?


title: What is a polite form of proposing a fee for a service?

text: For example I did agree to provide a service to my client and I'd like to tell them, how much I would charge for my services. I can say: "It'll cost $100". But is it the best way?


title: meaning of "à la Weber"

text: what's the meaning of: à la Weber in this phrase "Democracy has become, à la Weber, synonymous with equal treatment by bureaucracy"


title: Difference between "shake", "tremor", "shiver", "tremble"

text: I put only four words in the title, but I know there are more. Right now I remember _jerking_. I know the difference between _shaking_ and _vibration_. But I don't have any idea about the usage of others. It seems their meaning is almost the same but their usage is different. I heard _tremor_ a few times when someone described a earthquake. So could anyone explain the difference with examples?


title: The meaning of "I can't agree with you enough"

text: I know what is the meaning of "I can't agree with you more", but what about "I can't agree with you enough"? What does it mean? Does it mean that I agree with you, or I don't?