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68412 | How to frame a question to get answer about the turn that somebody has taken in doing something? | > **Possible Duplicate:** > How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number > (e.g., the third prime)? > How to ask a question to get a cardinal number answer I want to frame a question for which the answer will be : > Obama is the 46th president I am not looking for "who is the 46th president?" I trying to ask a question where I want to quiz the other person on Obama's turn (46) as a president. For instance(incorrectly) > "Howmanyth" president is Obama ? |
73847 | How manyth son to your father? | > **Possible Duplicate:** > How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number > (e.g., the third prime)? > Framing a question to which the answer is an ordinal number I know the title sounds stupid, but this is one question that has left me stumped for quite some time. I hope to get an answer in this forum. If the answer is "I am the fourth son of my father", what should be the question? In general, how do you ask questions with ordinal numbers? |
66659 | How can I ask a question with the answer "I'm eating the fourth apple"? | > **Possible Duplicate:** > How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number > (e.g., the third prime)? > Framing a question to which the answer is an ordinal number > How to ask a question to get a cardinal number answer Assume that there are 5 apples must be eaten by Jack. When you want to know about how many of the apples are eaten, you may ask Jack, 'how many apples have you eaten?'; But how can I ask the question to make Jack answers, 'I'm eating the fourth apple'? |
146118 | Making questions in English | I have follwing questions regarding English What are the interrogative forms of the following statements 1. Twenty third CHOGM was held in Sri lanka.(Interrogator needs to know the number)(Please compare (What was held in Sri Lanka ?)Do we have to use any word like when, how, why,... 2. Sam came 2nd in the race.(Interrogator needs to know the number) Thanks UB |
92443 | What is the question for which the answer is "This is my third coffee today"? | > **Duplicate of:** > How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number > (e.g., the third prime)? > Framing a question to which the answer is an ordinal number > How manyth son to your father? > How will I ask this particular question? > How to ask a question to get an ordinal number answer > How can I ask a question with the answer “I'm eating the fourth apple”? > How do you say this in English? > How to ask “nth time” of something > Interrogative form of a sentence > What will be the question for “he is my second son” > How do you convert the sentence “George Washington was the first > president.” to a question? > How to frame a question to get answer about the turn that somebody has > taken in doing something? > Asking question about position of a person in a list > How do I ask this as a question in English? > A question for this answer I would like to know: How to ask a question such that the expected answer includes the " _n th_ thing"? The only way I could do of to do this is by asking: > How many cups of coffee have you had today? but the answer to that would be, _"3"_ , not _"This is my third..."_ |
194744 | A question to ask about birth rank or serial number | _Are you the third of your parents' children? or the second issue?_ Or, _you are the third guy, eh?_ What is the question for which _"he came third in the race"_ is an answer?. Instead of resorting to such a questioning is there a single word to interrogatively seek information of placement on a time marker line ? All Indian languages have such a word, none in English afaik.. |
186994 | Is there a way to ask the ordinal number value in English without sounding weird? | If the answer expected is _It is an amazing car_ , then the question would be _How is the car?_ If the answer expected is _I got my red car_ then the question would be something like _Which colour car did you get?_ or _Which car did you get?_ BUT if the expected answer is _This is my third car_ / _This is my ninteenth birthday_ , then what would the question be precisely? How would you frame it, if possible? To clarify the importance of the precise question: So far, the only way I know how to elicit the above mentioned answer would be to hint it in the question itself, like _Is this you twentieth birthday?_ , and then they would answer _No, this is my ninteenth birthday._ |
192835 | How do you ask this? | "Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of USA" How do I ask a question that gets me this answer ? I want a direct question - not something like "How many presidents before Lincoln" (I mean, without involving math or logic - just English language)... |
196251 | How else can we say " what number are you in the line " | How els can we say "what number are you in the line " |
158099 | Could you frame a question for this answer? | I have a statement which I want to use as an answer. The statement runs as follows: Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States of America. Here the emphasis lies on the number 44. What would be the question for the above statement? Please help. |
8540 | What is "what are you on about?" on about? | I live in Florida, and somehow picked up this phrase recently. I use it to mean, "About what are you making such a fuss?," either because I can't understand what is the big deal or because I genuinely have little-to-no idea what the person is talking about. Is this correct usage? Is this an English idiom (from England)? For bonus respect, why or from whence the unusual construction? Is it just that a word was dropped between "you" and "on," like "What are you carrying on about?" |
55964 | Term for words such as "un-f**king-believable" or "a-whole-nother" | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What is it called when an interjection is inserted inside another word? Is there a term used to describe words such as _un-fucking-believable_ or _a- whole-nother_? These words have other words inserted inside of the original word, creating a sort of compound word. |
92262 | Sound changes of "wild" and "wilderness" | I'm having a heated a discussion with a friend and we cannot really get on the same level. In the original pronunciation of the word _wild_ , the "i" was the short sound that we have in the word _wilderness_ today. How has the vowel sound in _wild_ changed up to its present pronunciation and why hasn't the "i" in _wilderness_ changed in the same way? |
3841 | Which day does "next Tuesday" refer to? | At what point does _next Tuesday_ mean > the next Tuesday that will come to pass and no longer > the Tuesday _after_ the Tuesday that will come to pass? And, when does the meaning switch back? |
100666 | What does 'next Monday' mean? | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Which day does “next Tuesday” refer to? > Meaning of “last/this/next Monday” > Scenario: You get a phone call on Wednesday, saying "you have to report to X > next Monday". When do you report? The upcoming Monday or the Monday after that? Other questions on here have no solid answer. |
36419 | "Next Friday" vs. "This Friday" | > **Duplicate:What day is next Tuesday?** I have always considered _next Friday_ to be _not this coming Friday, but the one after_. _This Friday_ is the Friday at the end of _this_ week. I have a Canadian friend, however, who enforces the more literal meaning of _next Friday_ — _the Friday that comes next_. Is there a _correct_ meaning for _next Friday_ , or does this entirely depend on cultural differences? |
87506 | "This summer" versus "last summer" | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Which day does “next Tuesday” refer to? This is October. We went to the hill station this year's (2012) summer. Now, how do I say this to others. I have been saying _this summer we went to the hill station_. Is _last summer we went to the hill station_ means the same thing? EDIT: I got this from the answers: `In essence you are saying: last summer is referred to summer of last year and this summer refers to summer of this year.`. |
57228 | Meaning of "last/this/next Monday" | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Which day does "next Tuesday" refer to? Suppose today is Tuesday. What do _last Monday_ , _this Monday_ and _next Monday_ mean? |
29104 | This weekend vs Next weekend | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What day is next Tuesday? Imagine that it's Monday, the 1st. The weekend would be the 7th & 8th. How do you refer properly to the coming weekend, "This weekend" or "Next weekend"? I believe that using "next weekend" would refer to the 14th & 15th and "this weekend" would refer to this week's end. Technically the coming weekend (7th & 8th) would be the next weekend on the calendar. So which is correct? I'm hoping for a definitive answer with backing since this is an argument over opinion. |
40869 | How did "next day" come to mean "day of next week"? | This question touched on the confusion of the common usage of "next Tuesday" to really mean "Tuesday of next week", as opposed to the "soonest upcoming Tuesday". When one considers the actual definition of _next_ , this phrasing is simply wrong. I'm rather baffled how this phrasing came about. To make things stranger, this is the only instance in which _next_ is used with this definition. How did _next_ come to mean the _Tuesday of next week_ when used in sentences such as " _What are we doing next Tuesday?_ " |
10431 | Is "this Monday" or "next Monday" the correct way to refer to the very next Monday in the future? | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What day is next Tuesday? When I refer to the very next Monday that will occur in the future, I say "next Monday". Some colleagues refer to it as "this Monday", with "next Monday" meaning the second Monday which will occur in the future (I would refer to that as "Monday week", "this Monday" to me would mean the most recent Monday in the past). Are these both acceptable usages, or is one more correct than the other? |
55913 | Meaning of "next weekend" | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Which day does "next Tuesday" refer to? I got a fortune cookie with the message _you will have lots of fun next weekend_ on a Wednesday. Which weekend does this refer to? Is it the one in three days or the one after that? |
177463 | what is correct for next monday - this monday coming or referring to monday week? | what is correct for next monday - this monday coming or referring to monday week? Then we have the problem saying monday after next......obviously referring to monday week |
177469 | Should I use "this" or "next" in a question about time? | My son asked me this question: Today is June 12. Tom will play a video game on **_** Sunday (which is June 15). And the choice is either "this" or "next." So which one should it be? |
41531 | Difference between "Coming weekend" and "This weekend"? | > **Possible Duplicate:** > "Next Friday" vs. "This Friday" Consider the following statements: > I'll meet you coming wednesday > I'll meet you next wednesday > I'll meet you this wednesday All the pages I've seen till now, like this one use _next_ and _this_ , but I don't see anywhere what the _coming_ means. As I know it, _coming wednesday_ means the current week's wednesday and _next wednesday_ is for the next week's wednesday. |
85047 | Are 'next Friday' and 'this Friday' the same? | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Which day does "next Tuesday" refer to? To me, they both mean the same thing, the upcoming Friday, but I know people who say that 'next Friday' is the one after this Friday. Is there any canonical view or common usage that can help clarify? |
46939 | Why do people say "next Tuesday" for the Tuesday falling in the same week? | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Which day does "next Tuesday" refer to? > How did "next day" come to mean "day of next week"? My employer told me on Monday that something was due "next Tuesday" so I assumed he was talking about the Tuesday next week. However, it turns out he was talking about today. In American English, does everyone refer to "next (weekday)" as the (weekday) that is closest to the present day? Usually, I am accustomed to calling the closest (weekday) as "this (weekday)" and when someone says "next (weekday)" I presume it falls in the next week or the week after. |
119049 | What are some alternative words for "people"? | In the context of "people who learn a foreign language". For example: Most of the time, people learn a foreign language for professional reasons. Which words can replace the word "people" here? |
92268 | Words for order / purchase order / reference number for importing goods | A common situation in the business setting of an importer would be that their in-country customer would place an order, for which they have a "purchase order number" and this order would have a reference/order number at the importer's end. The importer would then place an order with the overseas supplier, for let's assume he uses the same reference/order number and the overseas supplier would have their own order number. From an importer's perspective, is there an accepted way to distinguish these three (or possibly four) reference numbers by calling them specific words? |
119043 | "the XXX something" vs "the something XXX" | I'm curious about the correct way of using _the XXX something XXX_ construction. I used to have _the 80 port_ , _the 'English Language & Usage' forum_ in my writing. But at the same time I see that many people use a different word order: _the port 80_ , _the book 'How to write correctly'_. Is there any significant difference between these two approaches or I'm too geeky? * * * **Update:** Sorry for confusing — I'll try to elaborate this a little. So, let's say that we have a class of items: book, port, thread, person, etc. And we have a name of the class item: 80 (port), "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (book), BODY (html tag), etc. So I usually use it as "the [item] [class]", for example: * the 80 port * the "Harry Potter" book * the BODY tag But I frequently see that people use another order of words (the [class] [item]) like: * the port 80 * the character "a" * the book "Les Miserables" So which is better and why? Or there is no difference? |
151385 | Negative versions of extreme adjectives | If something positive is "too much", it becomes negative. For example, too much _security_ could be perceived as being _trapped_. Is there a term for this relation? In other words, if a word with a similar meaning is called a _synonym_ , and a word with the opposite meaning is called an _antonym_ , then a word with a negative extreme relation is called a ___? Is there any kind of thesaurus to look these up? |
50418 | How do you say "come a long way" in one word? | I'm writing a technical paper and need to say something along these lines: > The technology in this area has come a long way in the past twenty years... But I think "come a long way" doesn't seem as descriptive, and was hoping there is a better word for it. |
50412 | What is the proper convention for writing onomatopoeia? | Say I'm attempting to write a sound, as in 'poof', 'thud', or 'clank'. What's the correct convention to write something like this? Is there one, or is it a grey area as long as it's clear to the reader? |
145431 | This requires a comma, correct? | > He jumped down, creating a cloud of dust. I think it's just because the sentence is so short that it looks odd with a comma, but grammatically speaking, that comma is necessary, right? |
66509 | "Innocuous enough"? | Is the phrase "innocuous enough" valid? Or is the word innocuous a 'binary' word, in the sense that something is either innocuous, or is somewhat harmful/offensive? Example usage: > Should we display a prompt before the user deletes an entry? Perhaps the > deletion is innocuous enough that a prompt is not necessary. |
189105 | Word that refers to the "quantity/amount" of floor? | For example you would say: > Miles and miles of road > > Tons and tons of food How about when referring to the floor inside a house (given that the house is relatively big)? Example: > [...] and [...] of plywood floor (Maybe _squares_?) |
63552 | What does this sentence mean:"If you fail to dot an “I” or cross a “T,” you could be..."? | > **Possible Duplicate:** > "there are still a few administrative i's to dot and t's to cross" From here there is a sentence: > If you fail to dot an “I” or cross a “T,” you could be banging your head > against the wall for hours. What does the author mean by `dot an "I" or cross a "T"`? Thanks. |
189100 | Customer Technical Support or Technical Customer Support? | I am part of a customer support team. When answering a new email request from a customer I start my reply with an introduction: > Hi, _John Doe_ here from the **[What-goes-here?]** team at _Such-and-Such- > copmany-name_ , ... My question is what would be correct (instead of the 'What-goes-here?' above) > Customer Technical Support or > Technical Customer Support Can't seem to make up my mind, what works better / sounds correct. **Update** : The reason I am in this dilemma is because I want to distinguish the type of 'Technical Support'. We support only paying customers, there is also Professional Services (payed by the hour doing customization and large deployment), and Sales level support which isn't provided by the field sales teams. There are also sales/lead support which answer trial software users. I would like the name to distinguish this. |
23121 | What's the name of the section of a book authors use to describe technicalities? | I can't remember what this word is, but the usage is such that in this section authors will explain what font they used, what software they used and other technical things. Any ideas? |
55620 | Best meaning for "edit link" | "Edit link" has two possible meanings: > 1. A link to edit (page) > > 2. To edit the link > > How can I know which one is correct? This is part of a translation project and I can't find context of the expression. |
55625 | Question about waffle terminology | What are the little wells (dimples?) called that occur in a waffle. These correspond to the raised areas inside of a waffle iron. |
55624 | Phrase choice - phrase to describe exodus of meaningful celebrities from Australia | Most meaningful socialites seem to leave Australia, leaving us with celebrity cooks and celebrity hairdressers. (eg Elle McPherson and Savage Garden going to London etc). What's the phrase to describe the exodus of meaningful celebrities from Australia? Is this "post-colonial parochialism"? "First-world elitism?" Or is it just "Global Capitalism"? |
52811 | The Jackass Syndrome | Some years ago, I watched an episode of the show Just Shoot Me! where one of characters used the phrase "The Jackass Syndrome" to describe the situation were two people who are quite similar in some ways can really hate each other (it was followed by a short scene in which, after two people met for the first time, each of them walked away muttering "jackass" in reference to the other person). Over the years I have noticed that sometimes people that are indeed similar in some aspects (that they may not be aware of) can not get along with one another. Is there another word for this situation? |
149928 | How do you describe somebody who was judged and found wanting? | "The King judged the man, and the man was found wanting". Is it correct to say that "the man failed the judgement", or is there a more appropriate phrasing than "pass/fail" when discussing the result of a judgement? |
111548 | Is "I need to deposit my checks" correct? | I haves a few checks and I want put them into my bank account. 1. What's the approriate and natural sentence to describe my intention at a counter? 2. Is "I need to deposit my checks" correct? 3. What is "chashing a check"? |
52815 | A better way to say 'every arrow in his quiver' | Is there a better way to say 'every arrow in his quiver'? |
52814 | Is it "convince someone to" or "convince someone of"? | I've always thought that the use of the preposition 'to' with the verb 'convince' is correct. But I recently learned from a reliable source that 'to' shouldn't be used with 'convince' but rather with 'persuade'. So instead of saying for instance 'I should try to convince him to work harder', I'd rather say 'I should try to convince him of his ability to work harder' or 'I should try to convince him that he can work harder' or 'I should persuade him to work harder.' Honestly, I'm still perplexed. Could anyone shed some light? |
52817 | Collective noun for "facts" | I'm looking to refer to a group of facts and I'm not sure what the best term to use for them would be. From what I can tell there isn't any sort of standard collective noun for facts, so it's going to be a more a question of what the better way of stating it would be. To illustrate, a collection of pages may make up a book, so a book of pages makes sense. But what makes sense for a **collection of facts**? Edit 1: to clarify here, I am looking to have the blank filled in: a ___ of facts. Edit 2: The context is that there are a large amount of small facts. Things like "The battle of Hastings was fought in 1066". I need to refer to various set collections of these facts when speaking to people, and so need a collective term for them. If each fact were a card, I would call a set collection of them a deck. So the use would be in a sentence like this: When I was learning history I found John's very useful. |
149921 | Is there a single term for the sports "surfing", "skateboarding", and "snowboarding"? | The three sports "surfing", "skateboarding", and "snowboarding" share a lot of similarities, historical roots, and sometimes appear together in topical magazines. Is there a single term to call these three sports? |
6993 | When are "because", "since","for" and "as" interchangeable? | I am not a native speaker. On a previous question of mine, I thanked for an answer by saying: > So the phrase is not an idiom, **since** it is applied in its literal sense. I consciously chose _since_ over _because_ , because — well, I like that usage of _since_ , even though I know that some (native speakers) don't like it. Nonetheless, that choice got me thinking for a while, and it occurred to me that I even could have used more alternatives, namely _as_ or _for_ , without changing the meaning. So, on a general note, here are the alternatives: > 1. Statement A (is true), **because** statement B (is true). > 2. Statement A (is true), **since** statement B (is true). > 3. Statement A (is true), **as** statement B (is true). > 4. Statement A (is true), **for** statement B (is true). > Are these completely interchangeable? Or interchangeable in certain situations? Or can you point out any (not-so-)subtle differences between any of them? Are there even more synonyms? |
11433 | Is "since" a synonym of "because"? | > **Possible Duplicate:** > When are "because", "since","for" and "as" interchangeable? A few years ago, I was told that "since" should only be used to designate a time period. For example: > Since 2 o'clock, I've been waiting for you. However, since creeps into the place of "because" quite often. > Since I don't have the time, I won't be joining you. This second example sounds slightly slangy to me now that I've been avoiding using "since" in this way for the past few years, but is "since" really a synonym of "because"? |
133324 | Is the "for + proposition" form still used nowadays? | I am currently studying English and as such enjoy reading English books from time to time; for instance I have recently been reading the fifth book of _A Song of Ice and Fire_ since the French version was not to be released anytime soon. As I read it I often came across a grammatical form I had never encountered previously, this form being the usage of "for" to introduce propositions as per this example: _"We must learn english, for it is one of the most widely-spoken language."_ My question if the following: is this form correct (I do think it is), and if it is then is it still used today? I really like this usage of the "for" preposition but still, I'd like to be sure it can be used before actually using it (in class or elsewhere). Thanks! * * * **EDIT:** Upon further searches, now knowing that "for" is in that case a conjunction, I found out that this form is perfectly correct - though it is more of a literary form. |
111540 | What is “long” doing in “all (time-period) long”? | What part of speech is **_long_** playing the part of in the bold parts of the quotations below? * For one thing, it shows at a glance how much money is on hand for any particular purpose **all month long**. * The fishermen stayed in their nets **the whole night long**. * Some people prefer to live in places that have the same weather or climate **all year long**. * He had told them to sit on the edge of the sandbox **all recess long** and not move a finger. * Wild animals, driven by hunger, came **all winter long** to live close to the feeding station. * Other friends worked hard **all semester long** and didn't feel any pressure at all as the final exam approached. * One half of the labor actually expended in the cultivation of these grapes would have kept them in tip-top order **the whole season long** if they had been planted in four rows as already suggested rather than in twenty short ones. * It suddenly came to him that he would never, **his whole life long** , see Gramps again. * He did such good work, and so much, that nobody would question him. Plus he could go **all shift long** , and most of them couldn't. * She realized suddenly how old and hurt he was, an elder with gray hair and loose skin, and yet he had been working with his paddle **nearly the whole day long**. * **All year long** , **all decade long** , **all century long** , the sun just keeps on shining. To me it looks like it’s acting as some sort of “adverbial _post_ position of time”, just as **_during_** is an adverbial _pre_ position of time in phrases like _during the night_. The problem is that **_long_** follows its NP complement, just as **_ago_** does in _three years ago_ , making it more of a postposition like _ago_ than a preposition like _during_. I think. How should this sort of construction best be classified? The OED calls **_long_** an adverb here. * * * # Edit My confusion may be that I’m unclear about the transition from something being a modifier that takes a complement and it becoming an actual preposition/postposition/adposition. I am not referring to **_long_** used as an adverb in such collocations as “How long have you been here?” or “as long as you like”. Rather, I mean what the OED gives as its sense 6 of **_long_** 1 _adv._ the following: > **6**. Subjoined to expressions designating a period of time, with the > sense: Throughout the length of (the period specified). [Compare German > _sein leben lang_.] It’s been used this way at least since Middle English; the first citation given is for “all year long” from back around 1290 ᴀᴅ in the _South English Legendary_ (a source that provides 2359 quotations): > * _c_ 1290 _S. Eng. Leg._ I. 264/122 > Heore ȝat was swiþe faste i-mad: þoruȝ al þe ȝere longue. > This is not one of the entries that has yet been updated for the _OED3_ , so perhaps the analysis has changed since the _OED2_. However, it is similar to the entry for **_ago_** _adj_. and _adv_, which has indeed been updated for the _OED3_ , and which remains an adverb when used in phrases like “long ago” and “longer ago”, but which it classifies as an adjective when used in the more customary collocation of time, as with this recent citation: > * 2009 S. Craven _Ruthless Awakening_ 32 > We agreed on the guest lists ages ago. > There appears to be some dispute about whether things like **_ago_** constitute actual instances of “postpositions” in English, or whether they are better left in their traditional categories of adjectival or adverbial modifiers that just happen to follow their modificand. I am confortable with saying that nouns like _home_ or _Tuesday_ can be used adverbially, as in “I’m going home” or “I’ll see you Tuesday”, but this doesn’t quite seem like one of those to me. On the other hand, it does remind me of: * I stayed through the whole night. * I stayed the whole night through. If the first is to be called a preposition, but the second is not to be called a postposition, then we have to call _through_ an adjective “modifying” _night_ and the entire thing somehow a noun phrase being used adverbially. That seems to be the very sort of classificational contortion as is being attempted with calling **_long_** an adjective, and I find both to be particularly unsatisfying approaches. * * * # SUMMARY A clearer explanation of what **_long_** is and is not in the type of collocations presented in the initial example list would be much appreciated. It’s ok if multiple models of analysis are presented. * * * PS: I do not have personal access to the recent work by Dennis Kurzon about adpositions in: > _Adpositions: Pragmatic, Semantic and Syntactic Perspectives_ , ed. by > Dennis Kurzon and Silvia Adler. John Benjamins, 2008 |
186678 | Word definition paradox | Just curious but are there any two words (possibly three in a tri- relationship) in the English language that define themselves with the other, therefore being subjected to a definition paradox? (They have to have no other meanings besides the other word.) e.g. (Not really a legit example, but what I am looking for) Compassion: The act of having pity. Pity: The act of having compassion. |
22672 | Monsters! another question about what-was-it-then | Etymonline has the original meaning of monster as c.1300, "malformed animal, creature afflicted with a birth defect" but I am curious to know the term used at that time -- and even earlier -- for (one of) its current meaning(s): "mythological or fantastic creature: dragon, fairy, brownie, griffin, etc.". The same entry suggests _aglæca_ as a possibility. Any further support (or conversely, examples showing this use to be poetic or otherwise unusual) would be most welcome. Also of interest would be terms in other Indo-European languages (esp. Latin, Greek, the Germanic languages, and the Indic languages) before, say, 1000. |
22673 | What's a good comeback to "obviously"? | If someone tries to sound smart in repartee by saying, > Well obviously blah blah blah but what they said is actually wrong, then what's a good comeback to that, or what's a good way to phrase the comeback? |
110497 | Is "Dutch wife" one of those "Dutch words"? | The term "Dutch wife" is listed as having several somewhat related meanings. Wiktionary describes it as meaning 1) a body-length pillow, 2) a wicker or bamboo tube that someone sleeps in (also called a bamboo wife) 3) a prostitute and 4) a sex doll, and Wikipedia also mentions it being 5) a hot water bottle. Meanwhile, this page claims that a Dutch wife is a real wife, merely an unpleasant one. The Wikipedia article on Bamboo wife claims without any citation > The origin of the English term "Dutch wife" is thought to be from the Dutch > colony of Indonesia where Dutch traders would spend long periods away from > their wives. But I'm a bit skeptical. It seems to be more like one of those Dutch words > Since c.1600, Dutch (adj.) has been a "pejorative label pinned by English > speakers on almost anything they regard as inferior, irregular, or contrary > to 'normal' (i.e., their own) practice" [Rawson]. E.g. Dutch treat (1887), > Dutch uncle (1838), etc. -- probably exceeded in such usage only by Indian > and Irish -- reflecting first British commercial and military rivalry and > later heavy German immigration to U.S. When did the term "Dutch wife" originate? Is it likely to have been a "Dutch word" (this isn't a real term, but apparently there's not really a term for putting a nationality in front of a word)? And what was the first meaning of the phrase? |
60900 | Can the term "jack/jerk off" be used for female masturbation? | I apologize for this potentially obscene question. Can the terms _jack off_ or _jerk off_ be used for female masturbation? If not (which is my intuition), what would be the **not** too poetic vulgar slang equivalent? By too poetic I refer to expressions such as _spank the monkey_ , _choke the chicken_ , etc. I checked online dictionaries, and most of them don't expand on the usage, and _some_ of the definitions in the Urban Dictionary _imply_ that _jack off_ primarily refers to male masturbation, but do not provide the female counterpart. |
110492 | How to refer to the "elevated areas" of a mountain? | For example, in the following picture, I see two "elevated areas" (one on the right, and one on the left, at the distance):  The only word that comes to my mind is _hill_. But I'm not quite sure, since those elevations are part of a mountain. How to refer to them? |
170 | Was the usage "Spaghetti were" ever acceptable or common? | In W. Somerset Maugham's _The Moon and Sixpence_ , there is a line about Dirk Stroeve which goes _His spaghetti were …_. Spaghetti is plural in Italian, but is this ever a normal usage in English? Spaghetti seems to be entrenched as an uncountable (mass) noun these days. |
861 | What does Maugham mean by "his spaghetti were"? | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Was the usage "Spaghetti were" ever acceptable or common? _[Following up from, but not a duplicate of,this question by another user, which was unresolved…]_ Somerset Maugham's _The Moon and Sixpence_ contains an unusual (perhaps even unique) usage of English that I'm hoping some native speaker can shed light on. Here is the sentence in bold, with some surrounding sentences for context. Dirk Stroeve has previously been described as "a painter, but a very bad one". The narrator says: > In the evenings I went to see my friends. I looked in often on the Stroeves, > and sometimes shared their modest fare. Dirk Stroeve flattered himself on > his skill in cooking Italian dishes, and **I confess that his _spaghetti_ > were very much better than his pictures.** It was a dinner for a King when > he brought in a huge dish of it, succulent with tomatoes, and we ate it > together with the good household bread and a bottle of red wine. I grew more > intimate with Blanche Stroeve… Since _spaghetti_ is (almost?) always used in English in the singular as an uncountable (mass) noun, this is unusual. What is the right interpretation of this sentence? 1. "His spaghetti" is parallel to "his omelettes". That is, it refers to the many occasions he cooked spaghetti, and means something like "his _spaghetti dishes_ were better than his pictures". (The OED entry for 'spaghetti' has _"1. a. A variety of pasta made in long thin strings. Occas., a dish of spaghetti."_ ) 2. As in the original Italian usage, "spaghetti" in the plural here refers to multiple strands of spaghetti or pieces of spaghetti. 3. Something else. _(I am partial to (1.) myself, but this interpretation was described by another user as "unlikely" and "completely absurd", so I'm trying to know for sure.)_ |
107891 | Origin of using "gets to" | As I was writing an email to someone today, at the end of the message in jest I wrote: > Well, I best **gets to** workin’. After I wrote it I looked at the phrase _I best gets to_. It came to me as if I’d heard it many times before, but I couldn’t place it. Anyone have an idea of the origin of its usage? I’m originally from Pennsylvania, but I’ve lived in North Carolina for seven years now, so I was wondering whether it wasn't Southern or something. |
26565 | Phrase: "This area is being supervised by video". Can "video" really supervise? | In the city of Potsdam I have seen the following label on the main station building: "This area is being supervised by video". The meaning of the phrase is pretty clear, but can "video" be really used as an actor for the action of supervising? |
26562 | Can you actually "stand to the right" on escalator? | In Copenhagen Metro on every escalator you can see 2 labels: * "Stand to the right" * "Walk to the left" I had an impression that prepostion "to" is used when you describe a direction of the moving action. In that sense, how can you stand "to" something? Wouldn't it more correct to say "stand on the right side" and "walk on the left side"? |
8293 | How do you like them apples? | What exactly does this phrase mean and in which situations is it used? |
107894 | Is there a single word for "Use the contribution of" | Is there a single word (or more elegant word) for "Use the contribution of"? Ok, some more context: I'm looking to make a more-dynamic alternative of: > The team will be composed of analysts. Too static, there is no notion of contribution. So I'm trying to use contribution is my sentence. > The team will use the contribution of analysts. I'm not a native speaker, but this sounds bad to my ears. Trying to formulate it as an active sentence: > Analysts will contribute to the team. Which is not good because the original meaning has been lost (I wanted to indicate the composition of the team.) Other attemps I tried that failed: > The team will be powered by analysts. (Not sure this this correct English, or if the meaning is respected) Could a native speaker suggest a correct formulation that contains the two main ideas I want to convey? 1. This team will be composed of analysts (and analysts only) 2. People will not be seating on their chairs, but be contributing to the team success |
127733 | What do you call the excessive use of 'I' in speech or in writing? | As is known, to avoid excessive use of _we_ is not an easy task, especially if we also wish to avoid the passive voice, but some style guidelines says that not only one should avoid excessive use of _we_ , but also the excessive use of _I_. Since I found that wegotism is defined as 'Excessive use of the pronoun _we_ ; - called also weism,' I'm wondering whether there is a word meaning 'excessive use of the pronoun I'. I attempted to find 'iism' without luck. So, my question is, what do you call the 'excessive use of _I_ ' in speech or in writing? |
127734 | Proper tense for reported speech | > Jimmy: Did you read my novel? > > Sara: Not yet. People told me it was romantic. Is it fine to use 'was' here? I suspect 'is' most suitable here, because that book still exists, so use of 'is' is appropriate. Another versions can be: > People told me it is romantic. > > People told me it was romantic. > > People tell me it is romantic. > > People tell me it was romantic. |
65265 | Plural of 'hereafter' | On Wiktionary we read that 'hereafter' has as plural 'hereafters', but OALD says that this plural form doesn't exist. Which is wrong: Wiktionary or OALD? |
8296 | Which goal is whose? | Here is the situation: Kids in a small yard are about to play soccer. There are no goalposts in that yard (or "goals" or whatever you call it, I mean those metal frames on each side of the soccer field that have nets on them. Once the ball is in the net, the score changes). So, one boy picks up some sticks from the ground and tries to mark out the goalposts for each team. While doing that he says: "This will be your team's goal and that will be our team's goal" Is the first goal that he mentioned the one that his team will be defending or trying to get the ball into? |
65261 | Auxiliary movement in AAVE | My question is inspired by the question of why "So do I". Usually I have no problem figuring out what to do for AAVE (African American Vernacular English), but in this case, I am confused, because AAVE allows more than one auxiliary, and has different movement rules. For the case of one auxiliary, * She be working * be he working too? * He be working too? I am not sure if the second or third is preferred. * She be working. * So be he.(?) * So he be. (?) I think "So be he" is correct, not "So he be." How about double auxiliaries? * He done been sleeping * So I done been. * So done I been. * So done been I Which is considered correct? I think it's the third "So done been I", but I am not sure. This pair I am pretty sure about: * He done been working * Done he been working? For others, I have intuition * I'm a-gonna fly it * So am I a-gonna. But this one confuses me: * He stay working * So stay I(?) * So I stay(?) * So do I stay(?) Which is it? The last one is * He done been staying working * So I done been staying. * So done I been staying. * So done been I staying. * So done been staying I. Which one? I think it's the second, maybe the first. Not sure. Any insights? |
88398 | Best choice of word for the opposite of acknowledge | The most common word for the opposite of _acknowledge_ is either _ignore_ or _deny_. Can I use the word _disregard_ as the opposite of _acknowledge_? I have a form that have the following options: * acknowledge * pending * X where X is the word that I am thinking and will be a suitable word as the opposite of _acknowledge_. A friend of mine suggest that I use the word _reject_ as the opposite of _acknowledge_. What is the most suitable word? |
390 | Introductory phrases like "to tell the truth" | What is the difference between the following introductory phrases? > To tell the truth > > Frankly speaking > > To be honest Are any of the phrases more old-fashioned or formal than the others or are they completely interchangeable? |
19927 | Usage of "assume" vs. "presume" | > **Possible Duplicate:** > "Assume", "presume", "suppose" I would like to know the usage of assume versus presume. It seems to me, that both of them tend to depict the same meaning. So where exactly lies the difference in their usage? |
92881 | What are "up" and "down" in "up there" and "down there"? | _"Up there"_ and _"down there"_ are two of the most frequent expressions that I, myself, use often. I really don't know whether they are just expressions used to refer to a place to go _("I went **down** there and picked up the mail")_ or whether they have some significance attached to them. Like recently at the airport, somebody told me _"to go **down** there for the International terminal"_ and I wondered whether they meant "down" literally, or was it just the expression? |
161516 | No coffee, no workee - meaning | > **No coffee, no workee** What does that expression exactly mean? And how do you pronounce it? |
399 | "Also" and "as well" for conversational context | "Also" and "as well" seem to be quite similar in meaning, but I'd like to know shades in its meaning and usage, especially for everyday conversational language. What one will sound more natural and less formal? |
398 | What is the etymology of "replenish"? | Where does the word "replenish" come from, and what does it mean? I know it is used as a form of "refill", but is that how it was originally? |
114442 | Connotation of the word "sprezzatura " | According to Wikipedia, _sprezzatura_ means > a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does > or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it. But has the word taken on a meaning more related to just "indifference" as opposed to the one above? |
114443 | Correct pronunciation of the word "Mature"? | I need to know the correct pronunciation of the word "mature". Is it məˈtʃʊr, məˈtjʊə(r) or məˈtʊr? And which one is mostly used, across the globe. |
114444 | References to words in comma separated clause | Is this sentence grammatically correct? > It seems to me that, since many of the speakers are in high-demand, some of > them may not stay for the entire conference. As I understand it, if we remove the comma delimited clause, the sentence should still read OK. > It seems to me that ... some of them may not stay for the entire conference. It does read OK, but what "them" refers to is no longer specified. Does this matter or do I need to be explicit (and repetitive)? > It seems to me that, since many of the speakers are in high-demand, some of > the speakers may not stay for the entire conference. Or is it better to remove the duplication by forward referencing the speakers: > It seems to me that, since many are in high-demand, some of the speakers may > not stay for the entire conference. |
114448 | Is 'quantitate' a synonym for 'quantify' or just a misnomer? | I have always used _quantify_ , but have been encountering _quantitate_ more and more in scientific literature. Is _quantitate_ a "valid" verb and a synonym for _quantify_? Otherwise is there a subtle difference in the meaning of these two words? I forgot to mention that in some dictionaries both words exist while in others, _quantitate_ is not featured, e.g. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/spellcheck/british/?q=quantitate |
114449 | What is swag? And where does it come from? | I'd just like to know where it comes from. This is a word that I've heard all my life but it has always been a special kind of curtain. I was baffled when kids started calling each other curtains so I googled it and I just found these bullshit answers like secretly we are gay or sex with a ginger, which are obviously not what swag means. What is swag and where does the word come from? |
165619 | "the below-identified person": Term for this style and any style guides regarding | Are there any technical terms to specifically describe the two styles (A and B) below? Also, are there any prescriptive style guides that say which is preferable? My own preference is for style B below because style A seems to be forcing a pseudo-precise legalistic tone, and I aim for the "plain English" style (i.e., avoiding legalese and bureaucratese), but that is merely my individual feeling. A > the above-referenced report > > the above-described substance > > the below-cited data > > the below-identified person B > the report referenced above > > the substance described above > > the data cited below > > the person identified below |
93138 | Is there another way of saying "I lost my train of thought"? | I am an ESL learning and I use the idiom "I lost my train of thought" quite often. Recently, I think that it is sort of redundant to use it several times when I talk to my friends. I am curious that is there any similar idiom or phrase that mean like "I lost my train of thought"? |
104278 | Idiom request: Putting too much effort, but the return is so low that it was not worth the effort | I am looking for an idiom. You put too much effort, but there is so little gain that it would not be worth the effort. **Update** : More specifically, some guy wants to save money and gas, thus he skips toll highway and take the free road. But the free road is longer, or congested that he ends up using more gas. |
65366 | Money vs Monies | How would the meaning in the following phrase change if "monies" is replaced with "money"? > universities would be diverted from basic research by the lure of new > development **monies** from “the marketplace,” |
104272 | "If it was not cold, I would like more" -- conditional | Now I'm having hard time on something. I ate something yesterday and it was cold. Now grammatically, it must be **If it was not cold, I would like it more.** But I feel like it does not sound right, just because of 'like'. Is this correct? |
104273 | "For my hand" vs. "for my part" vs. "for my side" in a cover letter? | Writing a cover letter, which one would you choose when you are offering your services? For example: > For my [...], I offer a strong background in X and experience in Y. |
104271 | Appropriate use of "littlest" | I recently had a debate with a friend about whether "littlest" was a word. I took the stance that it was not. I find now that basically every time I make such a claim these days someone can hold up a phone with some web dictionary "proving me wrong". My question is: When is it appropriate to use this word as opposed to _smallest_ or some similar option? |
75289 | Looking for a word similar to "custom-made", but stronger | I am looking for a word or phrase which can describe the situation in which you order a valuable thing (maybe unique) such as a Ferrari or jet or something else. My friend told me that it should be called a _custom_ car (or jet). I agree about that but I know there is another word which sounds much stronger than _custom_... Does anyone have any ideas? |
3749 | Use "whom" in emails? | Assume for a moment that an author _does_ know how to use _whom_ correctly. In an email (specifically), does using _whom_ correctly make the author sound stuffy and formal, or would you say that in email, using _who_ conversationally — potentially ungrammatically — is okay? For example: > * Hey, thanks, I chatted with the guy whom you said would be calling. > * Hey, thanks, I chatted with the guy who you said would be calling. > |
164595 | Using the word "lagniappe" | Oxford dictionary defines the word lagniappe as something given as a bonus or gratuity. Is it only used when transactions (by transactions I mean a gift given to customer when he shops a lot.) are considered or can I say "you help has been a lagniappe" or "That late-night call proved to be a lagniappe and absolved me of my guilt"? What are other possible implementations? |
75284 | A word that means "there and then" | The word "there" indicates a point in space, and the word "then" indicates a point in time. Is there a word that indicates a point in spacetime, equal in meaning to "there and then"? |
156761 | "alarm", "vanity" - April 3 1812 Letter by James Monroe | > Such a measure, even for a limited and short time, is always liable to > adverse as well as favorable considerations; and its operation at this > moment, will add fuel to party discontent, and interested clamor. But it is > a rational & provident measure, and will be relished by a greater portion, > (Footnote 1) of the Nation, than an omission of it. If it could have been > taken sooner and for a period of 3 or 4 months, it might have **enlisted an > alarm** of the B. Cabinet, for their Peninsular System, on the side of > Concessions to us; and wd have shaken (Footnote 2) their obstinacy, if to be > shaken at all; the successes on that Theatre, being evidently their hold on > the P. Regt and the hold of both on the **vanity** & prejudices of the > nation. Whether if adopted for 60 days, it may beget apprehensions of a > protraction, & thence lead to admissible (Footnote 3) overtures, before the > sword is stained (Footnote 4) with blood, can not be foreknown with > certainty. (Source) I. Does **vanity** mean defnition 1 or 2 at http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/vanity?q=vanity? Would someone please explain how they ascertained the meaning? I'd like to be enlightened about the thought processes. II. I'm tentative about "enlisted an alarm of the B. Cabinet"? The definitions of enlist don't figure? > 1. [mass noun] Excessive pride in or admiration of one’s own appearance or > achievements: > 2. [mass noun] The quality of being worthless or futile > |
3740 | Need a proper English expression to reflect a concept | I am working on translating a software and its documentation to English. This software basically organizes and stores technical documents. A document may consist of a set of various files, stored on a server. Usually, only one user will work on a document, while others could download its files. I would like to have a name for this set of files, relative to the document. I am thinking of _body of the document_ but I am not sure that it sounds OK. |
167612 | Word meaning "unskippable"? | I searched on Thesaurus but found nothing. I want to use it in a sentence like the following: > Tuning his guitar was his [...] nightly ritual. |
167610 | Presence of resources when using "construct" vs "build" | There are similar questions to this but I want to point out the following: When using the word "construct", does it implies that the resources are already available? Because when I use the word "build" I already expect that I am building something therefore I should have resources available. Example: > "Build from scratch." This implies that there are already raw materials to build something from scratch. But if you substitute "build" to "construct" the phrase feels lacking. Another thing to point out is that you can "construct" from nothing. Because in other questions they said that we can use "construct" for abstract representation of making something or making something from non-existing/non- physical entity. |
57665 | Is it right to call it "SEO" and how do you pronounce it? | Two questions: 1. I couldn't find a source to decide whether to assume SEO an acronym or not. How should I pronounce it? 2. SEO stands for "Search Engine Optimization" while it is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines. At first glance and with nothing in mind you would think this word is related to optimizing search engines and not websites! Correct me if I'm wrong. Shouldn't we use something else to refer the optimization of other websites and not the optimization of search engines?! I think this word makes a misunderstanding for those who does know nothing about it! |
57664 | "Material world", "Physical world", "Corporeal world" - what's the difference? | What's the difference or different hues of meaning between these three phrases? |