Generate the answer for a given question. The question requires common knowledge of English. Make sure that the answer is in detail, long, consistent with the context, and requires general knowledge of English. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question. Give a proper explanation to answer, and if necessary, provide the definition of various terms. And conclude your answer if it's long. If you have used other resources (e.g., Merriam Webster's.) to answer the question, include citations in your answer. You don't need to paraphrase the context of your resources, but make sure that your answer is consistent and complete.

Input: Consider Input: There is the verb quicken to make something quick or faster, but Merriam-Webster doesn't list slowen. What is the verb to make something slow (as in 'reduce in speed', not 'something that is slow')?.

Output: The word slow itself can be used as a verb. It is an antonym for quicken Slow, from M-W verb to make (something, such as a car) move at a lower speed; to begin to move at a lower speed; to become slower 'the car slowed to a halt'


Input: Consider Input: Possible Duplicate: Do you use 'a' or 'an' before acronyms? I got the following sentence from the book I'm reading: You can take a database-first approach by first creating a SQL Server database schema. From what I learned, I think it should be 'an SQL Server database schema', not 'a SQL Server database schema'. So which one is correct?.

Output: This depends, I would think, on your pronunciation of SQL. It can be pronounced as 'sequel', or spelled out as 'S-Q-L'. That perhaps doesn't help in written English. A thoroughly scientific survey of Google throws up many more hits for 'an SQL' than 'a SQL'. This is also the form used on that Wikipedia article and elsewhere, such as this Microsoft SQL Server documentation entitled 'Executing an SQL Query'.


Input: Consider Input: Could you tell me some suitable idioms to express this situation: A guy told you a joke, but it's not funny at all. In Japanese, we say 'He slipped' or 'His joke was so cold that the air got frozen,' for that situation. Are there any similar phrases in English?.


Output: The phrase lame joke is broadly used to describe (idiomatic) An attempt at humor which is perceived to have been used previously to the point of being cliche, or was never funny to begin with. You could use 'His joke was lame', 'His joke was not even funny' or 'His joke was corny.' [Wiktionary, Merriam-Webster Learner's Dicitionary]