Punctuating "etc." after a series of questions

How should I terminally punctuate _etc._ when it's used at the end of a series of questions? > How's your brother? Did you get the job? Are you feeling better? **Etc.?** Is this right, or do I use a period? > How's your brother? Did you get the job? Are you feeling better? **Etc.**


A single word for a secluded garden surrounded by a wall

Can anybody give me a single word for a secluded garden surrounded by a wall?


A suitable equivalent for the phrase 'give glad tidings'

Can anybody give me any suitable equivalents for the phrase 'Give glad tidings' as in the example ' Give glad tidings to those who strive - they always get the best results.'


A word to describe a day where I learned a lot

I want a word to describe a day where I learned a lot. I can't think of many good choices. I was thinking productive or industrious, but that describes more the act of doing rather than learning.


Can “thanks in advance” be considered rude?

Some argue that because “thanks in advance” is written before any help has been offered, it adds an expectation of help and thus can be considered presumptuous. Is this reasonable? Would it be appropriate to use this phrase in business correspondence? If not, is it possible to demonstrate gratitude without coming across as presumptuous? Thanks in advance.


Which is better grammar: "courteous of" or "courteous to"?

I saw this in a document today, and was wondering about which usage is more appropriate. > Please be courteous of others vs > Please be courteous to others I've seen it both ways. Is one correct, or more appropriate for certain situations?


What does the punctuation "//" mean?

What does the punctuation "//" mean? For example: > I think I owe myself a THWACK. //ashamed > > ... //run > > ... //head down I heard this is related to the comment in the programming language C. But still I don't get the actual meaning and purpose it tries to convey, not to say how to use "//". Is such usage of "//" informal?


How can I call the type of kicks in football (soccer) in one or two words?

Corner kick, free kick, penalty kick — how can I call those kicks? "Deadplay kicks", "fixed kicks"? Is there any special naming for this type of kicks?


Opposite of "to my credit"?

In writing a question for Programmers StackExchange, I wanted to write a sentence similar to "To my credit, I did foo, bar, and baz," except foo bar and baz are bad things so they are actually the opposite of being to my credit. What is a the opposite of the phrase "to my credit"? Possibilities I considered:   * "That said..." - This is what I used, but it required me to rework my sentence somewhat.   * "Not to my credit..." - Awkward.   * "Against my credit..." - Might work, but I've never heard it used before.   * "To my debt..." - Takes the credit/debt metaphor too far.


Is "no other" + comparative grammatically correct?

> There is no other harsher critic than yourself. I'm really stumped on this one. The more I read it the less correct it sounds. I think the word _harsher_ is making the sentence sound fairly off putting. Other variations include: > There is no harsher critic other than yourself. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


"Was" and "were", which is correct in this context? Can a mood be established in a terminating clause?

I'm not sure I understand what establishes a _mood_. Does a sentence have to establish a _mood_ at the begining or can a mood be established in a clause at the end? > And, that's if he could get elected after 35% of Americans turned out in > opposition to both parties and a new popular movement was seeded. Or, > And, that's if he could get elected after 35% of Americans turned out in > opposition to both parties and a new popular movement were seeded. In both of these we're talking about a scenario that doesn't exist. The top one clearly sounds _more_ right to me.


Are restaurants retailers?

Can I represent restaurants by the noun _retailer_? I also want to group the entities _hotels_ , _museums_ , _restaurants/cafes/bars_ and _retailers_. How do we group these cleverly? I am going to refer to them in a title of a paper so it shouldn't be too long. I don't want to write _in hotels, museums, restaurants and retailers_.


What was the original purpose and origin of complimentary closes?

Emails and letters commonly end with a closing phrase such as > Yours faithfully,   >  Jonny McJoe ...but I never understood the reason why such a thing would come up in the first place. Maybe it's because letters were (a long time ago) longer and better written, possibly a glorified form of communication that expressed more than just the message they contained, and closing them in a way that showed good taste, politeness, etc was part of that glorification? In modern usage they sound very weird to me, like > Hello. > > I've sent the PDF with the report, be sure to backup before the maintenance > this time! > > Yours sincerely,   >  Gregor McGreg So, why it was invented, or under what sort of influence it became the norm?


Is there an American term for a group of elitist schools, similar to the abbreviation “Oxbridge”?

I saw the word, ‘Oxbridge’, a portmanteau of Oxford and Cambridge, in a comment to a question asking for a better word for ‘invigilator’: > Whereas the situation is reversed in the UK, and one in a thousand would > recognize _proctor_ \-- although even the one in a thousand would be the one > who went to **Oxbridge** and would give it a different meaning altogether. We have the abbreviation “東大一ツ橋” (Todaihitotsubashi) combining the names of Tokyo University and Hitotsubashi University, both national universities, as a symbolic phrase of elitist schools, though I don’t know why Hitotsubashi University singly skewed to economics was paired to Tokyo University out of 783 universities and colleges (in 2012) in Japan. In the sports area, we have the word “早慶” (Sohkei), an abbreviated combination of Waseda University and Keio University, both private universities excelling in baseball, rugby, soccer and many other sports, as well as in academic achievement. Is there an American counterpart of “Oxbridge”, “Sohkei” and “Todaihitotsubashi,” or does “Yale-Harvard” suffice?


One word for "seemingly small but very important"

I need one word (if there is any) for "seemingly small but very important".


36 thousands or 36 thousand?

I'm almost sure it's 36 thousands, since we're talking about 36 not 1. But I'm in doubt because 36 already indicates that it's more than 1, so maybe, just maybe, it could be 36 thousand?


Use of "that" in enumeration such as "Not only that, but also"

I think that the "that" in the following sentence might have to go. How would you beautify such a sentence? > Not only that the car was damaged, it had no gas either. vs > Not only was the car damaged, it had no gas either.


One word for shelter-giving

Is there a single word in English which can replace _someone/something who gives shelter_ or _shelter-giving_? I am not only interested in a person who gives shelter but something which gives a sense of shelter e.g. _shelter-giving earth._


Difference between 'where should' and 'where do'

What is the difference between "where do I eat?" and "where should I eat?" ?


Clothing Nomenclature between US and UK

Are a waist coat and a dinner jacket the same article of clothing? Are they worn both in the US and UK?


English tools for non-English-speaking people

Could you recommend your reference English tools useful to improve your English every day? I constantly use:   * Wordreference for translations    * Google with double quotes to test if my sentences are kinda correct   * Howjsay for English pronunciation


Noun phrase after "show"

The following sentences all involve the verb "show" followed by a noun phrase. Number 6 sounds a bit weird, and the last one is just wrong — but why is that? >   1. The video shows the differences between them. >   2. The video shows them being different/the same. >   3. The purpose of the video is to show the differences between them. >   4. The purpose of the video is to show them being different/the same. >   5. The video shows the effects of smoking. >   6. The video shows smoking being unhealthy. >   7. The purpose of the video is to show the effects of smoking. >   8. The purpose of the video is to show smoking being unhealthy. > These are "grammatically correct", meaning they meet the expectation (as of now) of how verbs/nouns/etc go together. I'm interested in the reason why the two sound _awkward_. In particular, I want to know what it is that people expect to hear after "show" which distinguishes 6,8 from 2,4, for instance.


Are words "Sophisticated" and "Sophism" logically connected?

I am not a native English speaker. The other day, I've had a conversation with an American, who claims my assumption to be wrong. I still think I am correct, so here it is: According to Wikipedia, the word _sophism_ has the meaning of "a specious argument used for deceiving someone". I read this as "something twisted enough to get the other person to lose your line of argument and just believe you". And we have, from what I believe, a word _sophisticated_ , which has a meaning of "elegant", "complex". I think that they both derive from the same root because they mean the same thing. _Sophism_ is a complex structure of logical conclusions, whereas _sophisticated_ is something so complex, that it is most likely to be a _sophism_ , despite the fact that it has a slightly different meaning in modern English. Is my assumption of these two words having the same roots and meaning practically the same thing correct?


Phrase/word that is a synonym to "Question Everything"

What are some phrase/word synonyms for the phrase **'Question Everything'**. My friend came up with **nullius in verba** , which I really like, and I was wondering what others are out there? Edit (from comments): Perhaps synonym was not a good word-my vocabulary is not the best. I am just looking for phrases that portray a similar idea. The context would be potential tattoo phrases.


How would you describe: Read a book, but not cover-to-cover?

As the title says. I'm looking for a good word or expression for saying something like "I have read only several chapters from random location of the book, but someday I want to read from cover to cover." I was wondering if there's a way to say like "I have ***ed the book, but..." **Addendum:** More specific context is as follows. I'm talking about a textbook that I have used for a class. The class covered only several chapters of the book, so I have read them rather thoroughly, but not much for other chapters that were not covered in the class. So "I haven't read it" is not very accurate.


Starting a sentence with "In which"

I sometimes see sentences that begin with "In which", but I can't seem to understand the meaning, e.g.: > In which James demonstrates the presentation he's been working on. Is this grammatically correct?


Is "grapple hooking" a correct phrase?

I want to say "using a grapple hook" as a verb. In context it would be like "sprinting, jumping, grapple hooking"—but that doesn't sound right. Is it correct? If not, is there a way to say it as a verb?


"nones" used to describe people who are spiritual, but not religious

I work for the Church and I've seen the term "nones" used to describe those who are non-Christian or those who are considered "spiritual, but not religious." I find the term belittling. What's the origin of the term? Is it from "none of the above"? Is there a better term out there?


Looking for a word to describe being shot by a sniper

Is there a verb that characterizes being shot by someone from a hiding place, perhaps at long range, like a sniper?


What's the difference between "distributors" and "resellers"?

I saw this in VMware's annual report: > We sell and market our products largely through a network of channel > partners, which includes **distributors, resellers** , system vendors, and > systems integrators. . . . What’s the difference between _distributors_ and _resellers_?


Origin of "hike" in American football

Both Wikipedia and TheFreeDictionary list the term _hike_ as an alternative term for snapping the football at the beginning of play. Where does it come from?


Are all English surnames-made-first-names masculine?

This may not be an English language question, but I've always wondered. In Sweden, it is very unusual to have surnames that can also be used straight up as first names. In fact, I can think of no such examples. But in English speaking countries, it seems to be rather common. List of examples: > Barry Lyndon – Lyndon Johnson   >  Dylan Thomas – Thomas   >  John Adams – Adam   >  Thomas Jefferson – Jefferson Davis   >  William Henry Harrison – Harrison Ford   >  John Tyler – Tyler   >  Chester A Arthur – Arthur   > (Yes, I used a list of US presidents as reference). With the exception of James Madison, whose surname is sometimes used as a female name, I cannot think of many other such surnames which are used as female first names. Is this the case? Is the tradition to use only male names as surnames, or reuse surnames as male first names? Of course, nowadays, people improvise a lot more, but speaking from a historical perspective. As a side note, in Sweden we used to have the -- rather curious -- tradition of giving surnames to children based entirely on the father's first name. E.g.: > Johan Davidsson's son was named Nils Johansson   >  Nils Johansson's son was named Bertil Nilsson   >  Bertil Nilsson's son was named Karl Bertilsson   > (Yes, two 's', as in "Johan's son") Something that surely makes genealogical research difficult. These surnames are used today as well. Either way, it seems to loosely be based on the same principle of using male names as surnames.


Word(s) to describe a set of things, which can't be empty

I'm a programmer, and in my case students need to pick from a set of exams. They get to choose which ones but they must select at least 2 and at most 3. I've been trying to find a way to refer to such exams. I've thought of:   * Elective Exams   * Opt-in Exams Given English is not my mother tongue, I was wondering if there is a better way to name these type of exams. PS: The title of the post is a bit strange, I just couldn't explain this in another way.


Articles in a list

> I saw a bear, a lion and a donkey. Is the usage of the article _a_ necessary before each word in a list like this? > Biggs set out Monday morning for one of his usual hiking and gold-panning > trips near Whiskey Flats when he came across a mother bear, yearling, and > cub sitting on a stream bank. Why is there no article before _cub_?


Is there an idiom or euphemism for when someone has an average/small penis but knows how to use it?

Really, what the question title states. In my language there's a more "flowery" phrase to say "size doesn't matter". It would roughly translate to "even a small clown can work in the big top" – I'm looking for something that tries to maintain the wit of the "small"/"big" antithesis.


Meaning of "nulled" in reference to software

I've seen so many links which have this title: > ioncube php encoder **nulled** What does it mean?


Reporting an event right after it takes place

When reporting an action that's just taken place, would it be okay to use simple present and present perfect? > She wishes to buy some clothes, so I've placed an order for her. I feel like I should talk like the above sentence, but would it be more grammatically correct to say "She wished to buy some clothes, so I've placed an order for her"? But I want to convey that she **just** wished to buy some clothes and that I placed the order soon after. **Edit** : Okay, how about this? Let's say that I'm writing an email to the merchant AS I'm placing the order because he/she is one of those merchants who only take email orders. Then will my above example make sense?


What term sums up the following situation?

What term sums up the situation in which a person does not feel (s)he has to weigh into (or put much effort) into an argument because the implications will not affect them? Thus, person X debates for the motion that group A are a worse bunch of people than group B. However, person X knows that the reality is that group A will be economically and strategically less better off than group B for a long time to come regardless of any debate. Therefore, in a formal debate, person X is not as motivated to persuade the debaters against the motion of the merits of his arguments because he knows that it will not affect reality.


What is the difference between "although that is" and "although it is"?

Currently I'm writing a thesis. I came over the although sentence several times. After reading through time after time my head started to hurt :P I tried to google it but didn't find any help. So the sentence goes like this: > Although that/it is true, it is not insensible since one rule alone cannot > classify the entire data. What comes before Although is a sentence trying to explain the bad results from a program shown in a table. What is the difference? Is it possible to use both? If so, why? Also the part with "it is not insensible since" sounds fishy to me. Is this one correct?


Is there a word for the uncanny ability to find one's way home when extremely drunk?

A small dispute broke out in the office today about this. Does anyone have any ideas?


What's the rule for punctuating quoted words or phrases?

Please bear with me as I am not an English expert, only an aspiring amateur! I'm mostly aware of the rules regarding punctuation and quotes. Something like the following sentence makes sense to me: > She was so rude that I felt compelled to say, "I hope you act that way > toward everyone." However, where I get confused is when quotation marks are used simply to emphasize a single word or phrase: > Nobody really knew what he meant by "feature". (I'm not really sure what to call this use of quotation marks. Is this still a quotation?) Should punctuation go inside the quotation marks? I should clarify that I am interested in the common or accepted American usage.


Meaning and usage of the swear word pronounced /ˈkʰʌnt/?

I’ve been hearing the word _cunt_ used several times now. What kind of situations do you usually use this word, and what sort of person does this swear word usually describe?


Provenance of 'deprecated' (in the programming sense)

What are some early uses of "deprecation" in computer science? When did the word enter common usage in the field of programming? Are there any particularly well-known examples of early deprecations (perhaps in Unix or Linux?)


Origin of "continental breakfast"

What is the origin of the term _continental breakfast_? Was it originally from British English and meant to describe a sub-par breakfast eaten by mainland Europeans?


How frequent is the use of 'Appropriation' in American English compared with British English?

How frequently is the word 'Appropriation' used in American English? In what contexts might young people commonly hear it?


Instructing someone to ask him/herself. Which is the correct use of punctuation?

Which is the correct form? > Ask yourself, is this really what you want? or > Ask yourself, "Is this really what you want?" or > Ask yourself. Is this really what you want? (Sorry for the title. I can't phrase the question properly. I don't know the areas in grammar associated with my question. If someone can give me a better title I'm more than willing to change it.)


Is ‘Political gold’ a cliché or just a compound noun?

I found the word, ‘ _political gold’_ in the following sentence of the article of Boston News (August 13) titled “Romney sees gain in ‘Corporations are people’ remark.” > “Romney's response that "corporations are people" to a liberal heckler > during an exchange over fiscal policy at the Iowa State Fair immediately lit > up the argument The Democratic National Committee jumped on the comment and > saw its own _political gold_ in trying to score points against a leading > contender for the GOP nomination.” As I was unfamiliar with the word, ‘Political gold,’ I checked Google and found a couple of examples of the word in use, e.g.   * Kathy Hochul found political gold in Paul Ryan plan. – Buffalo News May 25, 2011   * Belgian stalemate spun into political gold. - Financial Times – April 25, 2011  From the word “Romney sees gain in ‘Corporations are people’ " remark, I can easily guess ‘political gold’ means political gain, advantage or opportunity. However I wonder whether political gold is a intertwined cliché (or idiom) or just a compound word of ‘political and gold’ that allows application to any other compounds like ‘business gold,’ ‘scientific gold,’ ‘cultural gold,’ or ‘technology gold.’


What is more common "table booking" or "table reservation"?

What is more common and natural, "table booking" or "table reservation"? Is there a big difference between these two?


Do people with a lisp write in the same way they pronounce?

Just curious to know whether people having a lisp (speech defect) write in the same way as they pronounce the word. For example they pronounce **_s_** as /θ/ and **_z_** as /θ/. So, do they write 's' as 'th' like with the word _thick_ written as _sick_? Another example as Spanish is spoken with a lisp, like _pez_ is pronounced /peθ/. Is writing the same? I hope this question doesn't hurt any emotions, but I'm doing a research, so need an answer for it.


How to Reply That PASSPORT NUMBER is not in my remembrance at the moment

If somebody called me over phone and asked to give your Passport number / Pan card / Roll number something. If it is not in my remembrance , how can I apologies in best way for this ? NOTE -Please do not answer the straight forward English Sentences . i want to know best options to communicate my inability to provide something which is not in my remembrance. Thanks in advance.


How to pronounce the letter 'i'

Every time I read a new and unknown word containing the letter 'i' I wonder how I should pronounce it. What's very frustrating for me is that, when I look up the words, I find out that my gut feeling was wrong for most of them. A Google search only gave a few links talking about the pronunciation of this letter, but most times they are at a very low level. From what I found and read, finally I daresay that:   1. i is pronounce as /aɪ/ when i + consonant + e as in: _time, site, fire, to entire, ..._   2. i is pronounce as /aɪ/ when i is followed by gh as in: _sigh, sight, thigh, ..._   3. i is pronounce as /aɪ/ when i is preceded by a as in: _aisle, ..._   4. i is pronounce as /aɪ/ when i is written as y: _to try, to fly, to cry, ..._   5. else i is pronounce as /ɪ/: _to hit, ship, sick_ But there are many exceptions, too many in my opinion:   1. to give, to notice, clandestine (/ɪ/ instead of /aɪ/)   2. to fail, to contain (/eɪ/ instead of /aɪ/)   3. gravity, paucity, hierarchy (/i/ instead of /aɪ/)   4. pie, title, vital, giant, modifier (/aɪ/ instead of /ɪ/) The following words are very interesting, because the pronunciation is swapped to what I expected:   * indecisive   * library My vocabulary is very rudimentary, but yet I know a lot of exceptions. So, I know that it is hard to make pronunciation rules for English words. But how can I improve my gut feeling in pronouncing new words correctly?


When did we stop speaking Old English?

There is Old English, and there is the English we speak now. When did exactly did the British (or Americans) change from speaking Old English to speaking the current form of English?


What does "never a break" mean?

I was watching the movie "As good as it gets" and came across the phrase "never a break" in reference to a car. What does it mean? Also, what does the movie title itself mean? edit: replaced brake with break.


Is " .. the war on drugs has not, and cannot, be won." correctly punctuated?

The quote in the title of this post is an extract from the official report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy, authored among others by Kofi Annan. To me the comma is clearly misplaced. But is the following any better? > The war on drugs has not, and cannot be, won. Or, to avoid incorrect ellipsis, must it be: > The war on drugs has not been, and cannot be, won.


Is 'pin-up' considered to refer specifically to glamorous/sexy images?

Some magazines often offer, as their center page, a pin-up poster. _Playboy_ 's centerfolds are an obvious example, but plenty of other magazines do the same, from celebrity magazines to children's periodicals. I'd always thought these were called 'pin-ups', but the Wikipedia article seems to consider the phrase primarily referring to "photographs of celebrities who were considered sex symbols," and the general sense that I get is of a very sexual connotation to the phrase. If this is the common understanding of the phrase, I'm concerned that using it in other contexts may be inappropriate or offensive. Is this the case? If so, what phrase could I use instead? It's important for me to convey the type of cheap, simple poster I'm talking about, so simply switching to "poster" wouldn't be enough.


The meaning of "the" in a standalone "the greater"

Often I read that "X's quality Y was _the greater_ by virtue of Z", which makes perfect sense as a result of me being used to this form of expression, but not when I am now trying to understand what is that "the" referring to. If we drop the "the", what precisely happens to the meaning? Which is the _the_ 's noun? In particular, I can't figure out which one to use:               "Because A is much greater than B, C is also greater."      or               "Because A is much greater than B, C is also the greater."      * * * **Update** It seemed quite clear to me at the time of writing, but now that I re-read the question and the answers, I can see that this is quite confusing, actually. Because I didn't provide examples. Example: from here (emphasis mine :) > The excitement was _the greater_ because constitutional, or quasi- > constitutional, issues were intertwined to an almost Tudor degree with the > personal and dynastic; indeed the wider significance is the more pressing > because of the passions with which recent events have been fuelled. This has the form:               A was the greater because B, C, D, E, blah blah      Pretty awful piece of pretentious writing if you ask me, but it does use language correctly. Example: from Mrs Daffodil Digresses (emphasis mine) > [...] husband [...] refused to revisit the scene [...] and remained > inexorable, when Alphonse F., entering while the discourse continued, > volunteered to spare his friend’s feelings by visiting the chateau and > obtaining the required papers. > > The marquis thanked him cordially, adding, that the relief was _the greater_ > , inasmuch as he would have been compelled to enter their favourite sitting- > room, in which their last, as well as so many happier, hours were passed. Example: from The British Magazine (emphasis mine) > [...] they broke open the doors, and were confounded at finding the > habitations abandoned. Their astonishment was _the greater_ , as they could > not comprehend in what manner the French escaped; and when they did, they > could not make use of their canoes pursue the fugitives, because the were > still encumbered with ice, which prevented that kind of navigation. So, this usage is usually to be found in literary works of archaic variety. I'm leaning to treat it as one of those language patterns that doesn't have an analytic explanation, and is to be learnt and used as a unit, by feel. I suppose that it can be interchanged with "greater still" in all of those examples, and feels about right. So my rule for its appropriateness would be: it's appropriate to use iff substitution with "greater still" preserves the meaning.


What is a question with multiple answers called?

A multiple choice question is the one with several choices of which only one choice is correct. What type of question is the following? It has multiple answers. > Which of the following are planets?   >  1) Jupiter   >  2) Moon   >  3) Mars   >  4) Earth   >  5) Sun   >


Meaning of "go speeding past"

> Sometimes days **go speeding past** I know every words of this phase, just don't know the meaning of this combination.


"Runtime", "run time", and "run-time"

The CLR under .NET is referred to as the "Common Language Runtime." It seems that the convention is "runtime" for a noun and "run-time" for the adjective. Is this correct or should it be "runtime" also? I'm inclined to think it should be like the following: >   1. The variable is typed at _runtime_. >   2. The _runtime_ variable is null. >


What tense is "would" in, "This attack would require the user to comply"?

The phrase: "This attack would require the user to comply" What tense is would require? Several thoughts were that it is somehow a present unreal conditional, but is it present?


Pencil you in on/for Sunday evening?

When planning an appointment for a specific day (and time), for example, should **on** or **for** preposition be used? See the context below, though, I am guessing, the rule should be universal: > Sure, I will tentatively pencil you in **for** Sunday evening. Is there change in meaning if I use **on** above? I picked **for** simply because it sounds better -- and more intuitive.


what´s the difference between I don´t mind and I don´t care

I am looking for the difference meaning between 'I don´t care' and 'I don´t mind' Thank you


Does this device to restrict access to roads have a generic name?

I'm sure we've all seen these devices which can "lock" and "unlock" vehicle entry and exit to an alley / road /etc. They consist of one or several hefty steel or concrete "pillars" less than a metre high which can be lowered into the road surface. ![Device to restrict access to a road.](http://i.stack.imgur.com/ZqZqF.jpg) They are strong enough that most vehicles couldn't just drive through them, at least not without substantial damage. But they let pedestrians and cyclists, perhaps even motorcycles, pass through easily. Some like the one pictured have a place where somebody in a vehicle can use a keycard or such to gain access. Others I assume can only be opened by some remote access technology or perhaps by mechanical means. In any case I don't know how to read up on them because all my attempts at Googling their characteristics to find a name have failed so far.


Can we use 'at' and 'by' together?

Is this sentence correct? "The demand of rent Rs.15000/- is arrived at by BSNL based on the prevailing rents in the area."


What “a man who is happy to lie in the gutter, and watch while other climb mountain” is like?

In Jeffery Archer’s fiction, “The Fourth Estate,” there is a scene Keith Townsend, one of two heroes featured as the owner of the largest communication empire in Australia responds the questions fired by a young female journalist (Kate Tulloh) about his sacking Sir Somerset, ex-chairman of Sydney-based newspaper company he aquired in the interview: > “Didn’t Sir Somerset suffer roughly the same fate when you took over the > Chronicle? -- > > He once described you,” said Kate, “as ‘ **a man who is happy to lie in the > gutter and watch while others climb mountains**.” > > “I think you’ll find that Sir Somerset, like Shakespeare, is often > misquoted.” > > “It would be hard to prove either way,” said Kate, “as he’s also dead.” – > P339 Though it must be a metaphoric expression, what does “a man who is happy to lie in the gutter and watch while others climb mountains” mean in a couple of words? What character is it like? Why in heaven’s name would an aggressive, ambitious young media mogul be happy to lie in the gutter and watch while others climb mountains? It should be the other way round. I have no idea.


looking for a word or expressing to express matching, symmetric

Background: > A packet has a source IP and a destination IP.   >  I set the source IP as `10.0.0.3`.   >  The destination IP can be set as `10.0.0.1`, `127.0.0.1` or `138.9.32.4`.   >  These 3 IPs belong to the same computer. My sentence is > The destination IP can be set as `10.0.0.1`, `127.0.0.1` or `138.9.32.4`,   >  but here we choose 10.0.0.1 for **formality**. My aim is to describe the reason why we choose `10.0.0.1` as the destination.   I just want to express that the reason is `10.0.0.1` looks symmetric, matching, comfortable or whatever when it is matched with the source IP `10.0.0.3`. I think **_formality_** is not suitable here. How to modify the sentence to express the reason? it is really abstract


Why does the pronunciation of "U" vary in English?

The letter `U` is pronounced differently in different words such as _Umbrella_ and _Utensils_ , as well as when it is Used inside of words such as _stUdent_ and _stUdy_. Can I please have a grammatical explanation?


Is the usage of parentheses correct?

> Growth solves (nearly) all problems. The above sentence can be taken to mean "Growth solves nearly all problems" or "Growth solves all problems". But, is the usage of parentheses correct? If yes, why?


"She has put on some weight." vs "She put on some weight."

Say, you ask the father... > A: How is Mary?   >  B: She is fine, but she put on some weight. Say, you ask someone who just saw Mary after a long time... > C: How is Mary?   >  D: She is fine, but she has put on some weight. In the given context, would it be correct to say that the Present Perfect tense in the second example implies that we haven't actually witnessed her gaining weight week by week? Similarly, > E: How is Mary?   >  A: Apparently, she has put on some weight. Even though the "apparently" makes it somewhat clear, does the use of Present Perfect imply that we haven't seen but heard from someone? If I'm correct in my assumptions, what is the name of this type of use of Perfect tense in grammar? [EDIT] Thank you all for sparing your time. From the answers I have a nagging feeling that my question might have been slightly misunderstood. My intention was not whether Present Perfect Tense has such and such connotations, but whether such uses may have above mentioned implications. (The answer seems "no".) Still, how about these examples: F: What happened to him? G: He had an accident. H: What happened here? I: There has been an acident. Comparing these two examples, is it not the case that "I" implies that he has not witnessed the accident happening? (This does not mean that the first example implies that G has actually witnessed the accident.) Isn't it similar to TV news: "According unverified sources there has been a nuclear leakage in Saturn..."?


Apply to a university to study/for studying..?

I'm writing my CV and do not know how to correctly say that: * > After I graduated from X (//X is a high school), I applied to a university > to study chemistry and also computer systems. * I'm not sure about the prepositions and also this should be clear that I studied 2 courses (also got 2 degrees). Thank you


One word to denote "A noun that conveys wrong meaning" or misleads

Suppose I'm building a website and I want to have a page to help the user know about the website: the apt title would be **Help** , but I've named it **About**. (Normally **About** pages tell us about the author / company /reason for the existence of that website, but I've used the term **Contact** here.) What is the term for this? (I once came across the word, googled, and found the meaning. But I have now forgotten the word.)


What goes first: Sometimes, I bring X (1)'with me' (2)'to Y'?

1. Is one of the following constructions incorrect?   2. If not, do they differ semantically in any way, even if only mildly so?     * _Sometimes, I bring my lunch to work with me._     * _Sometimes, I bring my lunch with me to work_ Usually, I prefer fewer words between 'to' and its complement. However, I don't actually know whether, or how, the arrangement of the words affects the meaning of the sentence or whether some people regard some common arrangements as incorrect. Edit: Although, thinking about it now, 'I bring' entails 'with me'; perhaps I should just write _Sometimes, I bring my lunch to work._ Thank you.


Check the grammar for "returned back"

Is there an error in this sentence? > When Darun heard the news that his father had been hospitalised he cancelled > his trip and returned back to his village. I think the error is 'back' but I need your confirmation.


What do you call the act of taking science and making it available to the broader public?

In French we have a word, _vulgarisation_ , which is the act of synthesizing complex knowledge into a form that a broad audience can understand. I know that the final product is called _popular science_ in English, but I'm not sure how you call the process of taking "hard science" and making it popular science, and it seems that _vulgarization_ isn't often used in a positive light.


Why are bankers called "the Platform"?

I work in a bank and I have always wondered why our relationship managers, i.e. sales representatives, are commonly referred to as "the platforms," or "the platform officers."


If and would construction

> If I do all this, I would have such a story to tell. Is this sentence wrong? I've searched it up and it's wrong according to grammar guides -- but I've seen it so often. The _would_ is supposed to show how the event is:   1. Possible   2. Ambitious but somewhat probably and not unlikely


difference between progress ON and progress OF

I'm still confused even after studying the prepositions on and of. Can you please help me and explain to me the difference of the ff: >   1. progress ON your project > >   2. progress OF your project > > When should I use on? of?


"Hurried times" grammar/usage

While I know that most songs don't necessarily follow proper grammar or usage, or even need to make any sense I couldn't help but be troubled by a line in a song I heard.               "These are hurried times"       It felt as though I had heard this phrase somewhere before, and after some quick searches I saw a handful of news articles that use the same phrasing in the title, but quite possibly as tribute to a favorite song of the author. My interpretation of the quote (which may be completely wrong) is that within the present era, things are done in a rush. However, when I try to read this as is, that the times are hurried, that the times themselves are being rushed through. Is it correct to use the word `hurried` or any word pertaining to rate of execution to describe time/eras? To help explain this a bit better, would `"These are slowed times"` also be correct in this sense, to describe that an era actions are performed at a leisurely pace?


Can "I write of love" be used as a substitute for "I write about love"?

Can I use something like " _I write of love, I write of hate. I write of destiny and fate._ " instead of " _I write about love, I write about hate. I write about destiny and fate._ "? Do they mean the same? PS: It's not "off", it's "of". The context is: > I write of love, I write of hate.   >  I write of destiny and fate.   >  I write of happiness, I write of pain.   >  I write all this in disdain..


What is the meaning of some phrases used by Dickens?

I cannot interpret the following sentence from Dickens' _The Haunted House_, particularly the bold parts. Can someone help, please? > If this should **meet the eye of** the gentleman who favoured me with these > disclosures, **I trust he will excuse my confessing** that the sight of the > rising sun, and the contemplation of the magnificent Order of the vast > universe, made me impatient of them.


Words for building fire's intensity

What is the action ot slowly blowing air on the ignited fire to build heat and intensity called? Intensifying the flame. Making a dying flame alive.


Why are academic articles/journals/papers so hard to understand?

I am a university student studying hospitalities and business English,I have to read a lot of published paper and cite them into my paper, but I find it really hard to understand the articles. I am not an English native speaker, but I can speak fluent English and understand most English newspaper. However, when it comes to academic articles, I have no means to deal with.The sentence structure is always so long and complicated that I keep losing my mind when reading them. Though I still can get the rough meanings and the main ideas, I can never fully understand a single academic paper! I always see words I don't understand, and even I look up from the dictionary, I still got confused by the long and complex sentence structure at the time! I have to read it over and over again. I want to know if the same problems happen to native speakers too or just me being stupid! :( here is one example "encoding and decoding" by Stuart Hall, please take a look for the first two paragraphs and tell me how you think about it. Thanks! http://visualstudies.buffalo.edu/coursenotes/art250/250A/_assets/_readings/encoding_decoding_hall.pdf


two nouns together

In every case where we find the word _anointing_ (KJV) in the Old Testament it is from a Hebrew word that is a noun. Most of the time it is coupled with the word oil as in _anointing oil._ If I was reading this without knowing that the word anointing is a noun I would think it is an adjective. Is the word anointing a gerund? Is _anointing oil_ a compound noun?


Can one massacre lives?

"Most were convinced that those responsible were of their own, silently waiting for another chance to massacre innocent lives." Would you say that the above example is acceptable or unacceptable with regard to the verb "massacre" in conjunction with the noun "lives"?


Objectivity vs. Objectivism vs. Objectiveness

What are some clear-cut distinctions between objectivity, objectivism, and objectiveness?


Why are "look" and "school" pronounced differently?

I can't figure out a rule that says whether 'oo' makes one sound or the other. Same number of syllables: one closed, but the sound is different.


"I was fresh out of pies to throw at you"

The sentence was in Lost (TV Series). I got the overall meaning of the sentence. But what does it exactly mean? > [SAWYER pointing a gun at JACK] > > **JACK** : Trying to be funny? > > **SAWYER** : Yeah, I was fresh out of pies to throw at you. Here you go, > sheriff. [SAWYER gives the gun to JACK]


What is a synonym for “superstition” but without the negative connotation?

In my native language (Latvian) there is a word that denotes a superstition, but in a more positive way, somehow. It’s hard to explain, so let me give some examples: > If you swing on the swings a lot during Easter, you won’t get bitten by > mosquitoes later in the summer. > > If you eat eggs without salt on Easter, you will be a liar; > > On Christmas eve you have to run around the house three times, barefooted. > Then your teeth won’t hurt. And so on and so forth. You can’t really call them superstitions because nobody believes in them anyway. It’s more like fun sayings. Although swings are really popular on Easter here — mostly because people simply like swings. In this case the above quote can be semi-humorously used to justify swinging. :) The majority of such superstitions have to do with celebrations, but there are quite a few that apply to generic situations, too, like “Broken dishes bring luck”. The point is that when one starts believing in it and religiously practicing it, it turns into a superstition. But when it’s just a fun quote for the appropriate situation, what is it called then? Is there a word or phrase like that in English, too?


Is "'em" short for 'him', 'them' or both?

I know that the apostrophe can be used to denote the omission of letters in a word, so I'm wondering then if _'em_ can be used to denote the colloquial shorthand for _him_ , or if it would be more proper to use _'im_ (and that _'em_ is really just shorthand for _them_ ).


Punctuation for the phrase "including but not limited to"

This is my first question on this stack exchange. I'm hoping this kind of question is welcome here, and excuse my ignorance, but my confusion evident below is exactly why I am a Software Engineer rather than a writer. Run-on sentences haunt my dreams. When using the phrase `"including but not limited to"` how should it be punctuated? When used in the following (no punctuation):               There are many activities including but not limited to running jumping and swimming      My first try:               There are many activities including, but not limited to, running, jumping, and swimming.      Then I thought... maybe I need another one? Is this, or perhaps the previous version correct?               There are many activities, including, but not limited to, running, jumping, and swimming.      Eh, maybe that's too many.   Does this justify a colon?   Is it gramatically correct?   With or without the first comma in parens?               There are many activities(,) including, but not limited to: running, jumping, and swimming.      No? Then what about this?               There are many activities, including - but not limited to - running, jumping, and swimming.


Wish + will have +negative

It seems agreed (for example in this question) that _wish_ is usually** counterfactual; that is you wish that something actually the case were not. _I quit my job last month: I wish I hadn't_. _I have to go to work tomorrow: I wish I didn't_ (because the emphatic form is _I do have to_ ). But _The office just called: I will have to go in tomorrow after all. I wish I..._? Not _didn't_ , because that means something else. Not _won't_ ; _wish_ never takes _will_ because in the case of a simple future you can just act differently, rather than wishing. _Hadn't_ seems as if short for _I wish I hadn't had to_ ; again , different meaning. It looks simple, but I am at a loss: can anyone give a reasoned answer? Edit: StoneyB has pointed out that _will have to_ here may be equivalent to _have to_. I am not sure about that, but in any event there are other cases where the difference is clear. _If Joe keeps coming in late, I shall have to fire him_ is obviously not _I have to_. If you then say _I wish I..._ , then what next? In other words, how do you say in normal speech _I wish that it were not the case that I may/shall have to fire him in the future_? ** There are edge cases/other uses (according to taste), like _I wish it would rain, I wish you'd keep quiet_ , and _We wish you a Merry Christmas_ ; subject to correction, I don't think any of them are relevant. And, if you have Aladdin's lamp, you can _wish I had a million pounds_ and have it appear: whether that's counterfactual is rather too metaphysical for this site.


'Him or herself' v. 'himself or herself'?

I was reading this article on the New York Times. This sentence caused me some confusion: > But what I’m teaching are topics such as 5th-century Indian theories of > logical inference, or the concept of qualitative atomism in classical > Buddhism: material that is sufficiently obscure that no student, of any > background, should be expected at the outset to recognize him or herself in > it. Shouldn't the last part of this sentence be '…himself or herself in it'?


Do you "prevent somebody doing something", or "prevent somebody [from] doing something?

It seems to me that the "from" is unnecessary and perhaps redundant.


Why does "one half" have no hyphen, but "two-thirds" does?

I often see the fraction 2/3 written with a hyphen, but I never see 1/2 written with one. Is it correct to have the hyphen in "two-thirds", and if so why don't we write "one-half"?


"Do" replacing "Please"

I see people putting these in emails, are they correct? My gut feeling says that _please_ would have sounded a lot better. > Do let us know your thoughts.   >  Do let me know.   >  Do consider the proposal.


Origin of phrase "sow wild oats"

What is the meaning of the phrase "sow wild oats"? Where did it come from?


"Became" vs "become"

I'm not sure about the verb tense I should use here: > Run this definition so that the previous changes **become/became** visible. I think the correct one is Present Simple but it sounds better with Past Simple.


gerunds: difference between "on doing", "by doing", and "in doing"?

What is the difference between "on doing", "by doing", and "in doing"? A difficult point to French learners of English as in all three cases, you would say "en faisant". Example sentences, taken from the _Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English_ : _What was your reaction on seeing him?_ _Howard had put his own life in danger in trying to protect the Queen._ _She earns her living by selling insurance._


Do I need a comma before "particularly"?

Do I need a comma before "particularly" in the case below? Thank you very much for your help! > Vitamin D has properties against metabolic, neoplastic, and immune disorders > **particularly** breast cancer, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease.


How should I order the two marked phrases in the sentence 'I spoke (on the phone ) [with John]'

Regarding the sentence, > _I spoke (on the phone ) [with John]_ , should the phrase in parenthesis precede the phrase in brackets, or vice versa?   1. Do you know of a principle of construction that pertains to ordering phrases such as the two above? If so, how would you apply it to the sentence in question?    2. Do you notice any connotational difference between the alternatives? If so, why do you suppose changing the phrase order effected that difference?  Thank you.


Alternative to "lossily compressed"

Is there a better way to say "lossily compressed"? The adverb _lossily_ can not be found in Merriam-Webster, but the adjective _lossy_ can. It also feels a bit unnatural.


Is the phrase "I love playing guitar, been doing it since a very young age" grammatically correct?

My quarrel with the phrase in the question title is the use of "been doing it". Is it valid to use it this way (without the word "having" in front of it)? If it's not grammatically correct, is it at least informally acceptable?


Verbal noun of pure copula - logical implications?

In her emendation of her earlier work on antilogism here, Christine Ladd- Franklin wrote > ... That no human beings are immortal and no angels are mortal precludes any > angels being human. [She then presents the syllogism in symbolic form] > The formula says "precludes that any angels (some angels) are human" but > rhetoric has a strong penchant for turning the verb of a subordinate > proposition into a verbal noun. Is her point that the verbal (being) implies more existential import than the pure copula as a verb (is/are), or am I missing something?


What does a door do on its hinge?

In general sense of the language we would say that a door " _opens_ " or " _closes_ ". But I am looking for a one-word answer ( _preferably_ ) that would indicate its motion around the _hinge_. Does it _swivel_ , _swerve_ , _flap_? ( _you get the idea_ ) **NOTE:** I am not talking about spin doors that revolve or sliding doors, just the conventional ones with hinge(s). And, please go through the entire question. This is not a duplicate of _What does the door do?_ or _Is there a word that means both opening and closing a door?_


Early hyphenation library - 80s - 90s

I recall back in the late 1980s and perhaps early 1990s a library that was available in a number of forms that achieved excellent hyphenation in many/most languages. I seem to remember it was called the xxx and yyy hyphenation libraries but sadly my age is getting the better of me and I cannot remember its name. Anyone?


TOP LEVEL VS LEADING

Of the two adjectives, Top-level and leading, which one is stronger? Which journal is more prestigious, a top level one or a leading one?


"Harrass over X" vs. "harrass for X"

>   * She harassed me for days **over** mistake. >   * They would have teased me **for** not being brave. > Both prepositions indicate the reason for harrassment. What is the difference in meaning? Can they be used interchangeably?


Use of "the" in front of an application name

I am currently writing my thesis. It is based upon an application that I developed. My question is that should I use _the_ in front of my application's name in my thesis. In this example suppose my app's name is _mSecure_ : > Applying the concepts of HCI in the development of _mSecure_. OR > Applying the concepts of HCI in the development of the _mSecure_. (This > sounds weird to me) Also, later on if I have a sentence like this: > The user of the _mSecure_ must be healthy. OR > The user of _mSecure_ must be healthy. Can some one please point out which of the above sentences are more appropriate?


Singular or plural form of verb

Which of two following sentences is correct?   1. Depending on whether a birth or a death **occurs** , we have...   2. Depending on whether a birth or a death **occur** , we have... **Update** I changed the title.


After 13 years in the 21st century, what conclusion have we come to regarding the short forms of the names of the years?

Do you remember the _other_ Year 2000 problem, regarding the nicknames of the years? If 1999 was "ninety-nine," then what would we call 2001? At the time, answers such as "one", "oh-one", "two-oh-one" and even "naught-one" were suggested. Now, with well over a decade of experience, what conclusion have we come to, if any?


In real estate, what is a split plan?

I'm looking through house listings and keep coming across "split plan." This is not a synonym of "split level," because the houses are pretty flat. What is a "split plan" house?


Can I use "will" as non-auxiliary verb?

I was in England and I heard that some people use word "will" as non auxiliary verb, in meaning "wish". Have I misheard? If it is true, in which cases can I use "will" as non auxiliary verb?


Where does the term Cracker come from, and how disparaging is it?

My grandmother from Georgia openly refers to herself and other white southerners as "Crackers", and sometimes adds a state as in "Georgia Cracker" or "Florida Cracker". She says it means simple folks who can only afford to eat crackers. I've also heard it refers to a cattle rancher who likes to crack their whip... but of course it invokes the image of a slave-master. How broadly is this potentially pejorative expression used? Does anyone know where it really came form, or how disparaging it is?


Are the different pronunciations of "species" regional differences?

As far as I know, the word "species" can pronounced either as spee-sheez or as spee-seez. I understand that neither of these is incorrect: they're just two different ways to say the same thing. I also know that the second one is pretty much only used in the US. Not being a speaker myself, I'd like to know: is this a regional variation, or is it just something that depends on the speaker?


Is there a substantial difference between what someone would call a "quotation" or "quote" versus a "saying"?

It can't simply be that the word "quote" seems more formal than "saying" can it?


What's the difference between "when" and "while"?

What's the difference between _when_ and _while_? Could anyone advise?


Green's functions or Green functions

In the sciences there exists mathematical functions that are named after the British mathematician George Green. People refer to them in various ways such as: Green's function, Green's functions, Green function, Green functions. To me, _Green's functions_ , suggests that he (Green) tested and investigated each and every one of these functions one way or the other. Doesn't Green functions sound much better? I.e. that these functions are _related_ to work originally done or started by George Green. For example, here is a little part from the wikipedia page about these functions > In mathematics, a Green's function is the... _A Green's function_ sounds so wrong to my ears.   How should it be for singular and plural form?


Alternatives to "High Level" and "Low Level" in computing

In computing, "Low Level" can be understood to refer to a more base level of detail, and "High Level" to a higher level of detail as well as usage of "packages" made out of the "low level" constructs to achieve a higher level of abstraction. I am looking for words alternative to High and Low as they have mentally misleading associations to be used in this context.


What term describes workers that are not "knowledge workers"?

Wikipedia describes a knowledge worker as a worker whose _"main capital is knowledge"_. Examples include engineers, doctors, accountants, software writers etc. Is there an "established term" to refer to non-knowledge workers?


What does “The insolence of wealth will creep out” mean?

Can anyone paraphrase the following statement by Samuel Johnson? > The insolence of wealth will creep out.


Use of "is" vs. "are" when both singular and plural countable nouns follow

This is a question I've been wondering about for some time, and I finally came across an example today that I can quote. Consider this sentence (from): > No longer is the main primary exchanges the only option for executing > orders. At my first reading the "is" seemed to clash with the plural of "exchanges", however it may be read as applying to the singular "option". What is the rule in such a phrase?


Can I use "after" before the afternoon? Is it grammatically right?

Can I use a sentence like "I will it see it after afternoon"? I mean can I use "after" before the afternoon. Is it grammatically right?


Reading dollar amounts after "priced at"

I'd like to know the correct way to read dollar amounts after the expression "priced at." If I want to read the sentence > "This app is priced at $3.99." would it typically be read as > "This app is priced at three dollars and ninety-nine cents?" I really want to use "dollars" and "cents" instead of saying something like "priced at three-ninety-nine."


What does "don't shoot yourself in the foot" mean?

What does "Don’t shoot yourself in the foot" mean? > Unfortunately, most salary decisions are based on perceived performance, not > on actual performance. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot.


What does the phrase "switched on" mean in this context?

Recently a colleague of mine said to me that the "Guys who are switched on really annoy me?". Since I am not a native speaker, I do not know what he meant by "switched on". Can you fine folks shed some light on this? Thanks!


Lover of Fantasy

Is there a single word to describe a person who is a lover of fantasy? Similarly, is there a single word to describe a person who is a lover of sci- fi?


"We do is to complain" or "We complain about it"?

I was just reading a News paper. and found this sentence: > Our impatient host could not understand that our security personnel are > under so mush pressure in such tense red alert situations. They do their > duty and try to protect us so that we can go back home safely to our > families. And all **we do is to complain** and ignore red alerts. I am not getting this one. Why it could not be as **we complain about it and ignore red alerts**. Is there any grammatical mistake while using this: _We complain about it and ignore red alerts._


Meaning of "Country air"

I am going to translate an English song into Italian, and I have a problem about this phrase: > Take in the country air, you'll never win I'm looking for "country air" but I don't find anything about this phrase, not in Italian or English. What could be the correct meaning?


Off-beat in the British Army

While trying to locate the etymology of the _Tamil_ slang, _OB_ , I ran across the following claim: > This entirely Tamilian term, strangely enough, has its origins in the term > "off-beat" used in the British Army to refer to retired officers or > soldiers. I'd like to know if there's any truth to the claim that "off-beat" was a British Army term for retired officers.


What is the meaning of "here" at the end of a sentence and how should it be used?

I have had a few international friends ask about "here" when used at the end of a sentence such as "I could use a little help here!" or "buy me some time here!". I would like to better explain this to them, but my best explanation is that adding "here" gives a feeling of desperation to a sentence. Even if that is a perfect explanation of the meaning (which I doubt), it doesn't provide them with an explanation of when it should or should not be used. Could you please explain "here" in these sentences?


Be proud of vs Take credit for

Does `I'm proud of something` imply `I'm taking credit for something`? I just observed that the former phrase only works with my own accomplishments or with related people, but not with unrelated people, e.g. `I'm proud of Tom's result` works only if I have some kind of relationship with Tom, like I'm his father or teacher or trainer.


How did English get the "What is your name?" construction?

As a dabbling polyglot, I've found myself learning the basics of several languages over the course of my lifetime. One of the first things that is taught in any language is personal introductions. I was struck recently by the fact that English is the only language I have learned that uses the construction > What is your name? Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Chinese all use some variation of > How are you called? I'm told that Russian has something approximating "What is your name?" but it is sounds archaic to use it. The modern version is closer to "What are you called?" So I'm curious. How did English end up with a phrase that is so different than the rest? N.B. I am not interested in opening a can of worms regarding social conventions. Regardless of how blunt we may consider the use of "What is your name?" in a social context, English speakers would find it exceedingly odd to use "How are you called?" in its place. If it helps, let's forget the introductory aspect, and think of "What is _his_ name?" versus "How is _he_ called?" **UPDATE:** So far it looks like Old and Middle English used a phrase similar to German and Scandinavian countries. Monica Cellio says that Modern Hebrew has this "What is your name" construction as well. Is there any evidence that this new phrasing might have been picked up in Early Modern English, perhaps after the introduction of the King James Version of the Bible?


Can "I wonder" be put at the end of a sentence?

Usually sentences with "I wonder" are of the following form: > I wonder why **___ __ ___ ___**. But what about this? > Why is it that **___ __ ___ __ ___** I wonder. It seems relatively unnatural. Why is that? Is it grammatically correct?


“Experimentally determined” vs. “determined experimentally”

Which of the following sentences is correct? >   1. The numbers are experimentally determined. >   2. The numbers are determined experimentally. > Are both (not) correct and if only one of them is correct, what is the underlying rule?


Is there an alternative word/phrase to "ignorance is bliss?" [edited]

It's a classic phrase, but is there **a word** that encapsulates the sentiment of this idiom? **Edit:** Single word isn't a requirement, I'm just looking for a **concise** and **eloquent** alternative. I don't have a specific sentence in mind; I think it's a beautiful idiom and I'm simply looking for alternatives to it. _In my opinion, context isn't required._ Nonetheless, I've been asked to provide some degree of specificity: the first example that always comes to mind is the scene in _The Matrix_ where Cypher is eating a steak and talking to the agent. Cypher says: > "I know this steak doesn't exist; I know that when I put in my mouth, the > Matrix is telling my brain that it's juicy and delicious. After 9 years, you > know what I realized? Ignorance is bliss."


Is there a difference between "jamb" and "jam"?

Is there a difference between _jamb_ and _jam_? I recently wrote a letter describing someone who had jambed their hand on a stair bannister and the usage was questioned.


Which verb is used for the word "activity" - "do" or "play"?

In an English test I had recently, there was this multiple choice question: > There were lots of different activities for Jay to ... there. > > A - Make B - Do C - Play There was no extra information for the exercise, just the word to complete. I chose _do_ , but it turns out both _do_ and _play_ were accepted. Why is the word "play" accepted to complete this sentence? Are they both correct? Why? If there was a question on the SAT telling me to complete the sentence with the verb that best suits the sentence, which should I choose?


Is "mine's" a valid contraction?

Not _mines_ , but **mine's** (mine is). As in, "You cooked a good turkey, but **mine's** better."


Monetary amounts: 'thousands' prefix has opposite capitalisation to SI

One thing I noticed recently when looking through some reports is that thousands are often abbreviated, in a similar way to scientific measurements are abbreviated. E.g. $1,000,000 becomes $1m and £20,000 becomes £20K I was curious about the capitalisation choices though, and the fact that they appear to be the opposite of what SI would specify for kilo- (k) and mega- (M). Does anyone know where these monetary abbreviations came from and why they're capitalised in this way?


How can I know the exact meaning of “cousin” in a sentence?

How can I know the exact meaning of the word _cousin_ in a sentence? How do English speakers distinguish between different kinds of cousins? (Arabic distinguishes both the sex of the cousin and the side of the family —Cindi/Google)


Why do we call snail mail "snail mail"?

Why do we call snail mail "snail mail"? So by default _mail_ will refer to email?


Are you comfortable with who(m) he is?

>   * Are you comfortable with him? ( _correct_ ) >   * Are you comfortable with whom he is? ( _??_ ) > >   * You're comfortable with whom he is. ( _??_ ) > >   * Are you comfortable with who he is? ( _??_ ) > >   * You're comfortable with whom? ( _correct_ ) > > Why does adding _he is_ change the usage of _who/whom_? I understand that the _is_ is reflective and takes the nominative case, but my brain is not "computing" because I've never seen anything following _with_ ever be nominative...until now. Please enlighten me. PS: There are no tags for 'nominative' or 'dative' or likely any of the other cases.


How would you name this phenomenon? (about presidents' popularity drop)

> Whenever a new president comes, he is always more popular in the beginning > than at the end of his term. No matter how good he is and how successful he > has been, there will always be more negativity and criticism toward him from > the people of his country toward the end of his rule. It is almost a law. I > would call it a law of ... How would you name this "law" here? You can substitute _phenomenon_ for the word _law_ EDIT: I am sorry if I again didn't explain my thought clearly enough. (As I can see from the first two answers here - I really didn't) I want a term that would describe the phenomenon of inevitable drop in popularity toward the end of a politician's term, not a term describing his high popularity in the very beginning of his service.


"Draw a bath" vs "prepare a bath"

Is there any difference in meaning between the expressions _draw a bath_ and _prepare a bath_?


Word for person who always judges their actions positively

What do we call a person who always tries to judge their own actions in a positive way, or convince themselves that what they do is always right?


"England-born" or "English-born"

Which of the two statements is correct? > He was an **English-born** businessman. > > He was an **England-born** businessman. The same confusion arises in _India-born_ and _Indian-born_ as well. Moreover, is a hyphen necessary in these examples?


Is there an English word for "the cover of a group's photo" on which we can usually write names?

At school or at family events, we can sometimes get photos of the group we represent. Such photos are often placed in a paper/card cover on which are lines ready to write the names of the persons that are on the photo. Is there any single term to represent this object?


Using article "the" for an artwork

I want to name an artwork I made but I am not a native English speaker. The title I have selected is _vision_ , meaning having insight. The point is I don't know whether I should name it _The Vision_ or _Vision_.


If only he had cycled

To the question, > How did you get here? the response was, > I bike rode. Why is this incorrect?


What does "Eleventy-seven" mean?

I came across the following phrase in a story (set in Australia): > So the fact that I'm forty-five and you're eleventy-seven means nothing to > me. If other people have a problem with that, then it's their problem, not > ours. The character is obviously talking about age difference, but is "eleventy- seven" translate to an actual number? Or is it an Australian colloquialism for "really old"? I tried to search for the phrase, but all I found were pages about a musical group of the same name :)


Synonyms for 'Registration close date'

I'm managing an online registration to some conferences. The conference coordinator has to add info about that in an online form, when submitting his conference to the registration website. Is there a better way to describe the date the registration closes? I prefer a short straight forward name. PS. Yeah, I know you hate me, for this nerdy question, but in fact I face this question many times in other terms as well.


Other word for discrimination based on demographic categories?

I am looking for a stronger word than "discrimination", which somehow remains ambiguous because of its multiple meanings. I am especially interested in referring to discrimination in the sense of partiality and prejudice towards certain demographic categories. The word "discrimination" could be used in combination with an adjective such as "racial", but again that would be to specific, because it would omit discrimination based on other categories such as religion, gender or culture. What I would require is a word describing the thought process by which one purposely, unfairly and hatefully excludes an entire population from courtesy and tolerance one would apply to oneself.


Who is one God and the one Mediator?

This is a passage from a book of the Bible: > 1 Timothy Chapter 2 > > 1 Exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, > intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; > > 2 for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and > peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. > > 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; > > 4 who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the > truth. > > 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ > Jesus; > > 6 who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. > > 7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in > Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. > > 8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without > wrath and doubting. > > 9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with > shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or > costly array; > > 10 but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Please study verses 5 & 6   1. How many subject(s) is(are) there?   2. Who is (are) the subject(s)?   3. Are there two persons described in the sentence? Please explain to me. Thank you.


Is it considered alliteration if two or more neighboring words start with different allophones of the same phoneme?

Both the words _tea_ and _trip_ start with different allophones of the same phoneme /t/. Would placing these words next to each other in a sentence not be considered alliteration, or is sharing the same phoneme the only criteria for alliteration?


substitute for peripeteia

I was all set to release an album titled Peripeteia. I thought the word aesthetically sounded beautiful and the meaning, reversal of reality, "the moment the hero realizes all he believes is untrue" (in greek tragedy), etc. seemed very fitting to many of the songs and some of my recent personal experiences. Unfortunately, another band released an album titled Peripeteia, how random! Can't believe someone beat me to it. Does anyone know any words that have the same sort of meaning?


Are "traditional comparisons" still in use?

When I was a student - and that was more years ago than I care to count - I learned quite a few idiomatic/traditional comparisons. Howver, I've never heard anyone use them ever since. I suppose they are obsolete in 2014, are they ?   e.g. As strong as a lion, as good as gold, as pretty as a picture, as cunning as a cartload of monkeys, etc.


"IT projects gone awry..." Qualifying a reduced relative clause rule

"IT projects gone awry because they were conceived on too massive a scale, and good money thrown after bad, are financial nuisances far from unique to the Beeb." ['Beeb' = BBC] I've been trying to unpick this sentence and it seems to present some interesting questions regarding reduced relative clauses. I believe that I am right in thinking that it contains two reduced relative clauses, 'gone awry...' and 'thrown after...', which are reductions of 'which have gone awry' and 'which has been thrown after'. Despite a fair amount of research, I haven't been able to find a comprehensive account of the rules governing the use of reduced relative clauses, with many books simply suggesting that one should use the present participle for active clauses, and the past participle for clauses that have a passive meaning. Whilst 'thrown after' follows this rule, I am not sure how to classify 'gone awry'. The past participle is used and yet technically-speaking this is not a passive clause. Indeed, it is not possible to use the verb 'go' in a passive sense because it is intransitive. So my questions are: firstly, can we say that where the verb is intransitive a past participle can substitute for an (active) perfect tense? Secondly, can anyone think of other examples of this? And thirdly, where can I find a comprehensive account of the rules governing relative clause reductions as everything I have seen so far has been massively unsatisfactory? ...And if you are not fed up with my silly questions: is 'financial nuisances far from unique to the Beeb' also a reduced relative clause? Apologies if any of these questions seem naive...


"Did you check if […]"

Is this a grammatically correct/formal way to ask the question of this type? Here is an example > Hey, did you check if the payment went through? What's the better way to rephrase it?


What could be the correct idiom for expressing that someone is baking up false allegations without evidence?

Are "barking up the wrong bush" or "sailing on the wings of imagination" close?


The origins of "Who da Man"?

This is a hard one to look up. Where (and when!) did the expression "who da man" start? My guess is it started either in written form after the popularization of the internet (because that would jibe with it being intentionally misspelled) or in imitation of some popular icon (who?). Do you have any idea how one would look such a thing up?


Does 'virtual' mean real or fake?

> Our deputy manager is the virtual head of the business. In this sentence the manager is the **real** person who in charge. > There will be a virtual presenter and virtual guests who will help create > the atmosphere of a beauty contest. Here the presenter and guests are all **fake**. This `virtual` really confuses me.


Use of "The better"?

Disclamer: English isn't my first language. I learned during my English courses (a few years ago), that there is, as in French (which is my first language), a comparative and superlative version for each adjective. And for the adjective _good_ it goes like this: > good, better, best The thing is, when I listen to different English people speaking (videos on YouTube, conferences, etc.) I often hear something like > the better solution is... This doesn't translate well in French (actually, if you translate the word as is, it's a _huge_ grammar error) and most of the time I thought it was just the speaker making a mistake (which could be considered as not that important in English). Instead I would expect either >   * the best solution is... [superlative] >   * a better solution is... [comparative] > and not the use of a comparative as a superlative. But recently I've started to listen to a course from Shelly Kagan, a professor of philosophy in Yale University, who seems to use this same construction. Now, I wonder if what I was taught wasn't completely correct and indeed "the better solution is..." is correct, or if professor Kagan, and everybody I heard saying that, is making a mistake (of course this doesn't affect the quality of the content or the skills of the speaker). If it is indeed a mistake, is it considered as an obvious one, or is it not that noticeable?


word describing hand motion while bowing

I probably have seen this happen at various times in movies set in eras where people were very obsequious to royalty. The action I am trying to find the word for is a motion of the hand in a kind of circular motion or spiral (generally towards and away from oneself) while bowing towards someone, often while slowly moving backwards. My first thought was "genuflect" although to me that invokes the image of someone making the sign of the cross (although the dictionary doesn't seem to mention this, or in fact any hand movement - it seems to be closer to bowing then the hand movement) and I am looking for a word without any religious connotations. My second thought was "flourish" as that seems to be technically correct to some degree in the sense of "a bold or extravagant gesture or action, made esp. to attract the attention of others", but this word seems to have too many meanings that might confuse, and I am not sure anybody would recognize what I was talking about unless I put a lot of context into the sentence with it, or maybe even if I did!


"Flowers" card suit?

Is there some time or place where the clubs card suit is called " **flowers** " in English? This is their usual name in such languages as Italian (" _fiori_ "), but has it ever been the case in English? I have found a mention of a " _Jack of Flowers_ ", but I suspect it to be spurious.


Past perfect in the specific sentence

I am not sure about using the past tenses here: > Yesterday I saw my friend who had just finished the university and wanted to > go out. Is that correct? I am not sure about the past perfect but using past simple would (IMO) imply that the actions happened one by one.


Free meaning “free of charge” vs “unoccupied”

I often hear German native speakers (I am one myself) ask those questions, and it seems to me that they are pretty much translated word by word into English.   * Is this chair free?   * There is a free room in the house. What is the proper way of asking, say, whether a chair on a table is taken or not? For me it seems like the second statement means that the room is free, as in one doesn’t have to pay for it (gratis). Or does it also mean that there is one extra room in the house?


What does President Obama’s phrase “We don’t need to spike the football” mean?

President Obama made the following statement regarding his decision not to show dead body of Osama bin Laden to the public: > "I think that Americans and people around the world are glad that he is > gone. But we don’t need to spike the football. And I think that given the > graphic nature of these photos, it would create some national security > risk." By following the definition of the word, “spike the ball” by SportsDefinitions.com – "The quarterback throws the ball straight to the ground instantly after a snap" - I can vaguely guess what the president meant by the line, “We don’t need to spike the football.” But I would like to know exact meaning of this phrase. Can somebody put it in more forthright expression?


Do any print dictionaries admit "everytime" as a word?

I've noticed a tendency for more and more two-word phrases with even slightly idiomatic usage being written more and more as single word compounds. Today when I came across "everytime" written as a compound I looked to see how modern it was on Google Ngram Viewer and was surprised to see it much more common than I expected. The question is do any traditional dictionaries yet grant it word status? Some online dictionaries like Wiktionary do, but it also includes the comparative and superlatives "more everytime" and "most everytime" so can hardly be trusted beyond a certain point. Apart from the main question I was also surprised to see that this form peaked between 1970 and 1990 and is actually in decline again. ![Google Ngram Viwer graph of "everytime"](http://i.stack.imgur.com/izoA5.png)


Intonation and the changing of meaning

Two questions with the same words can have somewhat different meanings. For example, I could ask   1. > Do you want to go to the zoo or the museum?  with my intonation/pitch rising after _zoo_ , or   2. > Do you want to go to the zoo or the museum?  with a higher intonation on _zoo_ going down to a lower pitch by _museum_. So, using only intonation, it seems we can distinguish between "here are two of our options" (1) and "here are our only two options" (2). Is there a name for intonation changing the meaning of a sentence?


Use of "in the sequel"

I have seen the following type of phrase in various academic articles and books. >   * Another important decomposition used in the sequel is the ... >   * In the sequel, we identify the position ... >   * the vector v (introduced in the sequel) must be considered... > At first, this use of "in the sequel" seemed strange, and I chalked it up to non-native English writing. I would say something like "in the following" or "below" in a case like this. However, I've seen it enough that I'm starting to question whether it's acceptable/standard English or not. I can see an argument that by the etymology of the word, it can be used in this fashion. The modern definition of sequel applies to books, films, and events. What's the verdict?


Origin of "So much for that idea"

When a concept is found to be invalid, someone might say "so much for" it, which roughly means "I'm throwing this idea away." Does anyone know where the expression comes from?


Indian English use of “only” for emphasis

In my dialect of English (American West Coast), the word only exclusively means exclusively. I've worked with folks from Southern India for a while (and used to live abroad in Dubai), and it seems to me that that in some Indian English dialects, the word "only" can be used for emphasis - it does not necessarily indicate exclusivity. Here are a couple examples of the usage that I am talking about:   * After the successful completion of the job and incorporation of the job results into 3D workspace, only sitepoints are displayed.      * _Other stuff was actually displayed, but the sitepoints should not have been, thus their presence was unusual._   * ... calculation job failed to run on the following structure only.      * _Other structures may or may not work. This specific structure failed._   * Only the following description is shown:      * _The description does not match the expected description._ This answer on ELU has a number of other examples of this usage. **My concern** I am writing up a document that will primarily be read by my Indian co- workers. Does _only_ also mean exclusively in this version of English? Or would it be wise to be careful about my use of this word? Here's an example of my usage (from a list of guidelines):   * Only use these once a bug has been found.      * I mean that "these" should be used exclusively in a circumstance in which a bug has been found. (note that this is not the same as Indian English use of "only", that person was having almost exactly the opposite issue. Also, I will of course send my document for revision to a supervisor in Bangalore before publishing it.)


Usage of "keenly aware of"

Need help on right usage of "keenly aware of", what are the similar expressions? Can I say: strongly aware of ? thanks


Preventative vs. preventive

In this answer about the non-word _disabilitated_, the word _preventative_ is compared (unfavourably, if my reading of the implication is correct) to _preventive_. However, I have always used _preventative_ , and can only recall hearing it in its longer form. Merriam-Webster online lists _preventative_ (defining it as equal to _preventive_ ) as being first used circa 1666, and lists _preventive_ as first used circa 1639. Is this is a BrEng/AmEng difference? What is the etymology of these words? (There is a question about this on World Wide Words, but more, or more precise, information would be appreciated.)


Is it OK to use "empty-handed" on an animal?

Can I write the following? > One of the seagulls spotted a fish and dove after it, but came up **empty- > handed** If not, what other word I can use to replace **empty-handed**?


Enquire and inquire

In British English I think these two words have different shades of meaning, but I couldn't articulate them. In American English I see inquire used where I would use "enquire". Are there shades of meaning in British English? Do they exist in American English?


Shorthand label

I can't find a definition, synonym or an alternative way, to say _"shorthand label"_ in the following text: > _The Unit describes social exclusion as **a shorthand label** for what can > happen when individuals or areas suffer from a combination of linked > problems._


Is "noncompatible" a legitimate synonym of "incompatible"?

I'm working with someone who uses _noncompatible_ often in correspondence. The confusion may be due to English being a second language for them. I think they should be using _incompatible_ instead. Is that correct? > It is better to not show those user profiles to **noncompatible** > individuals. Does the answer change if we are talking about software? > It is better to not use software that is **noncompatible** with outdated > hardware.


"Survey" vs. "inquiry"

There are already some posts talking about inquiry, enquiry, and survey. However, a real sharp definition and distinction between survey and inquiry words is still missing and I'd like to be sure about their differences and best uses.


Best phrase for teamwork ready, supportive person

Another word- choice dilemma! Which word or phrase is best to be used in a resume describing _ready for team work_ ; I am familiar whit the phrase _teamwork ready_ , but it actually sounds a bit too impersonal to me. Could there be something more appropriate? Along that line, I would want to say that I'm a _supportive_ person in a work environment. But I wonder if it's to intimate to use in a resume? I want to say that I'm ready to help, to assist, to be understanding of others and the possible difficulties they might be having, while working together in a team effort. My question is: does > ''a cooperative worker, a supportive, responsible person'', all together, sound ok, like it could normally be used in a resume?


Do not carried away from hattery meaning

My kid studying in KG has a moral story of fox and crow (which you may already know). Just in case you don't know the story, here it is in short: A crow finds a piece of bread and just before it starts eating it, a fox sees and plans to take it from the crow. Then it says, "oh crow you look beautiful and your voice is so sweet. Can you sing a song for me?" Then that foolish crow opens her mouth to sing and the bread falls out of her mouth, and the fox grabs it. The moral of the story, as written in the book and this is the question **Do not carried away from the hattery** What does hattery mean?


The correct use of the word “vicariously”

Is it correct English when someone says that they _live vicariously through_ something? If I were to say “I _live through_ the TV”, would I not be living _vicariously_? So therefore the word _vicariously_ is redundant and the statement is a tautology?


Replacement for ‘at the example of ’

I’m currently searching for the title of my research thesis and I can’t find a good phrase. I did a “Systematic Analysis of fruit growth” in a generic way and additionally applied the analysis to apples. Regarding the content I thought of the following title:   * “Systematic Analysis of the fruit growth at the example of apples”   * “Systematic Analysis of the fruit growth exemplify by apples” Both sound awkward and might even be not correct (they sound incorrect to me) I came up with the following other possibilities:   * “Systematic Analysis of the fruit growth demonstrated on apples”   * “Systematic Analysis of the fruit growth taking the example of apples”   * “Systematic Analysis of the fruit growth applied on apples”   * “Systematic Analysis of the fruit growth using apples as a case study”   * “Systematic Analysis of the fruit growth demonstrated on apples as a case study” None of these really fits what I wanted to say. I would go for the first one, but I’m not sure whether “demonstrate” might be to informal and one might think of a “demonstration” (show on a stage). Is there another correct phrase for “at the example of ”?


Etymology of "humbug"

We were discussing humbugs in the office the other day (principally arguing over whether the ones with brown stripes were real humbugs), so I looked up the etymology and found plenty of information about the origin of the word _humbug_ to mean deception or dishonesty (see Wikipedia). One might argue that in this context lots of explanations are the same as no explanations, but none of them mention the minty meaning. So I was wondering if anyone knew how a word that used to mean what is reported by the Online Etymology Dictionary also came to mean a black-and-white striped peppermint sweet: > 1751, student slang, "trick, jest, hoax, deception," also as a verb, of > unknown origin. A vogue word of the early 1750s; its origin was a subject of > much whimsical speculation even then.


“Is it any wonder?” reversal

It's my understanding that “Is it any wonder . . . ?” is a rhetorical question used to state the obvious, usually with a degree of sarcasm, equivalent to “It's no wonder that . . .” or “Small wonder that. . . .” For example: > Is it any wonder that Chris is late to the party? means roughly: > Nobody should be surprised that Chris is late to the party. However, the Styx song “Too Much Time on My Hands” reverses the usual sense of the idiom: > Yeah, I'm sittin' on this bar stool talking like a damn fool   >  Got the twelve o'clock news blues   >  And I've given up hope for the afternoon soaps   >  And a bottle of cold brew   >  **Is it any wonder I'm not crazy?**   >  **Is it any wonder I'm sane at all?**   >  . . .   >  **Is it any wonder I'm not a criminal?**   >  **Is it any wonder I'm not in jail?** Here, the answer to the rhetorical question appears to be “ **Yes,** it actually is surprising that I'm not crazy and in jail.” Later in the song, they use the idiom in a more typical fashion, with sarcasm apparent in the singer's tone: > Is it any wonder I'm not the President?   >  Is it any wonder I'm null and void? Is the **reversed** sense of this idiom actually widespread, or is this just artistic license by a songwriter?


Pronunciation: "use" versus "use"

Compare pronunciations:   * "I want to **use** the bathroom" (yoos)   * "I made **use** of the bathroom." (yus) My poor attempt at creating a phonetically descriptive syntax is supposed to convey that, with the verb construction, "use" is pronounced with a long _u_ whose sound continues during the speaking of the _s_. The noun construction is a shorter sound, where the _u_ and the _s_ are distinct. It suddenly strikes me that this is such a slight change as to be barely noticeable if the listener is not already expecting it, or if the listener is not the speaker himself. So now I'm not sure whether I'm the only person doing this, and it's freaking me out a bit because I hate when I find out I've been mispronouncing terms for years; I'm too picky with my language for that. So, is it just me forming a different pronunciation for "use" dependant on the context? Is it perhaps a regional thing? Or is everyone, indeed, doing it?


The right phrase for 'more than more'

I want a phrase to convey when something should be done more than enough to matter. Is it correct to use the phrase 'more than more'? Is it common in English literature?


Obscure/archaic/unusual English word-of-the-day RSS feed?

I seek to embiggen my lexicon. Does anyone know of an obscure/archaic/unusual English word-of-the-day (with authoritative (preferably OED) definition) RSS feed?   * I've found the OED WotD feed, but a fleet survey shows it contains generally everyday language.   * The Phrontistery is interesting, but it appears to be dead, and doesn't feature a feed of words.   * Wordsmith's _A Word A Day_ comes close, with some quite rare words. Anything else like this?


Word for sex discrimination issues with holding work-related duties in saunas

Is there any word (most likely a loanword) to describe sex discrimination issues for holding work-related functions in saunas? > It's a sticky, steamy business. Two or more do it naked in a small, dimly > lit room. Heartbeats quicken, pulses pound, sweat pours. The climax is a > moist, suffusing glow. It has nothing whatever, of course, to do with sex - > but Olli Rehn, the European commissioner in charge of handling the euro zone > debt crisis, has found himself accused of sexism after holding towel-clad > briefings for male journalists in a sauna beneath his office in Brussels. Are there any words or phrases for this concept?


Answer to "enjoy your meal"

When you're having lunch and you see someone he can say "enjoy your meal", "bon appétit" or "enjoy". I can answer him by saying "thank you", for instance. But for example in Spanish we usually say a sentence which means something like "you can join me/us, if you want" (inviting him). Is there any typical sentence in English with a similar meaning?


What is this kind of literature called?

I would like to know what a particular form of publication is called, when a work is a collaborative effort of many writers and possibly more than one editor, published in weekly or monthly parts and intended to be bound into volumes by the subscribers (or perhaps reprinted bound by the publisher at a later date). Does anyone know what this is called? An example would be _The Times History of the War_ (here).


What general rules govern the usage of "by" versus "through"?

What general rules govern the usage of _by_ versus _through_? For example, which is correct in each of these cases: > My house is heated by/through gas.   >  I'll send it to you by/through mail.   >  I'll pay you by/through check.   >  I learned that by/through a lot of practice.   >  Success only happens by/through hard work.   >  The tickets are available by/through the Internet.   >  Through/by including a warning prompt prior to asking a SA related > question, SPAM probes have been thought to isolate workload from the > assessment of SA. I found the majority of these by/through a Google search, but the answer there was equivocal.


Should I use "here" or "there" in the following sentence?

> Sophia was awakened by the rattling sound of the alarm clock. Rubbing her > eyes, she sat up, and after fumbling for a while, she finally managed to > turn the alarm off. She lay on her back again, wondering why David had to > set the alarm on Sunday. But when she looked to **the side** to ask him, she > realized he was no longer **here/there**. Should I use **here** or **there** in the passage above?


Is there a term for referencing the main character in a first-person song?

Is there a specific word for the protagonist when the singer sings from the protagonist's point of view? For example, in the song "Two Is Better Than One" by Boys Like Girls: > I remember what you wore on the first day   >  You came into my life and I thought   >  "Hey, you know, this could be something"


Indian legal documents

I am a resident of India. I have never been able to understand the language used in the legal documents here. Below is an example from an agreement to sell an apartment. > Herein after referred to as "THE FLAT PURCHASER/S" {Which expression shall > unless it be repugnant to the context or meaning thereof shall mean and > include his/her/their heirs, executors, administrators and assigners of the > third part. > > WHEREAS : A) The then Collector of Bombay by the letter dated 19/12/1936 > granted land in reclamation lease to one [Mr.] Bhika Bala Pawar in respect > of the property out of Khajan bearing Survey No. 263 (Pt), corresponding to > CTS No. 6/A/12, admeasuring 10 acres or thereabouts situate, lying and being > at Village Malvani, within the limits of... The sentence goes on and on. I had to stop somewhere. I would like to know if it   1. is the language used everywhere (in English speaking world) in such documents;   2. was the language used in last-century Britain;   3. is just wrong English.


Relating Teacher to an Owl

I don't know if it is about English or what, but I don't understand why some people relates a teacher to an owl, or putting an owl as a simile to a teacher. Is there an origin of this, and is it special in the English language or if I'm wrong about the relationship?


What is a "cike" as in "taking the cike"?

In the novel Dracula I came upon the following sentence: > "But the old Chapel, that _took the cike_ that did. " Presumably that is an equivalent phrase to "took the biscuit". But a google search for "cike" just showed up this unlikely definition.


"In" vs. "after" for future talk

> The class will be over in 10 minutes. > > The class will be over after 10 minutes. I know the first is correct but why?


Holding off on it or Holding it off or Holding off of it?

I would like to say that I'm pausing / postponing work on something. I wasn't sure which of the following is the right way to say it:   1. I'm holding off on it for the time being    2. I'm holding off of it for the time being    3. I'm holding it off for the time being    4. I'm holding off working on it for the time being    5. None of the above, if so what's the "right" way to say it?


Are owe and due are the opposites?

"You are due an apology" If I say that to someone then it means that I owe them an apology and not the other way around. I recently debated this with someone and they could not make sense of it and did not agree with me. If I was owed an apology then I would say "I am due an apology"