What's the difference between "general" and "generic"?

What is the difference between them? Do they have different meanings? When should I use "general" or "generic"?


How to refer to the part of the desk where one usually puts the speakers?

Here's a picture of one: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/eNH7d.jpg) Is there a simple but clear way of referring to it?


"I got it covered" vs "I've got it covered"

Which of the two sentences is correct and why: > I got it covered. or > I've got it covered. Edit: I am referring to usage that implies that you have something under control: > Sally: Did you gather everything we need to go on vacation?   >  Moe: I('ve) got it covered.


What is the term for when one letter is lowercased when a name is in all caps?

Oftentimes when my last name is used in all caps on official documents, one of the letters is lowercased to denote that the following letter is capitalized. For example: DeVos = DeVOS What is the term for this? I've reviewed other questions regarding camel case and Pascal case, but I haven't been able to find an answer. Thank you very much for your help.


What is a good word to mean the inverse of debounce

The word debounce can be used in a metaphorical sense to take a series of signals, take action on the first one and then ignore any subsequent ones within a certain period of time. What I'm looking for is something of the inverse of that. A word that would describe the situation where you take in a series of signals, but only act on the last one when no more signals come in within a certain period of time. 'Throttle' seems like a possibility... but it also seems not quite right. Any suggestion?


Usage of "no more" in a sentence

I would need help with the following sentence: > It may be no more difficult to claim in words a feeling not felt than one > that is. The “no more” is related to the whole sentence or just to the “feeling not felt”? My understanding (it is incorrect I guess, so I would a little help here):   In other words: _Maybe it is not more difficult to claim in words a feeling we do not feel than one we feel._ I would need to understand the sentence as a whole. Also probably I do not translate correctly _may_ – can it be “does not have to be” in this context?


"Visuals" are to "to show" as "sounds" are to what verb?

When taking about visuals, we can use the verb _show_ as follows: >   * I want to **show** you something. >   * Can you **show** me? > What would be the corresponding verb to use when talking about sounds? >   * I want to [verb] you something. >   * Can you [verb] me? >


How to use "to + V-ing"?

I saw some scenarios that used the structure "to + V-ing", such as the following:   * _Looking forward to hearing_.   * _Disposed to using_ few words.   * I would like to _apply_ what I learned in school _to helping_ make more money.   * This is the closest we _have come to winning_ the league. When can I use this structure? I'm confused about that.


Should I use the phrase: "to + verb-ing" or just "to + verb"?

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  How to use to + V-ing I don't know what is correct in the two sentences below: >   * I work everyday to learning new technologies. >   * I work everyday to learn new technologies. > If you can tell me what is correct, please explain to me why.


A question about “to becoming”

Would this sentence be correct? > Being scared is the first step to becoming free. The more I look at it, the less clear it becomes.


What is the correct name for posts made on twitter?

Well, I honestly tried to search for this but I drowned in twit* and tweet* results. Should I write:   * "my tweet" or "my twit"?    * "I am tweetting" or "I am twitting" ("to twit" vs. "to tweet")?  Referring to messages on twitter.com, what are the differences in their usage and meaning?


"haven't" as negation of possession

I was taking a quiz in which there was a series of question about access to common objects (TV, computer, washing machine, etc.) and the two answers were "have" and "haven't". Is the usage of the latter correct? It felt really unusual and I would use "don't have" instead.


Is there a term for loanwords that are borrowed back into their original language?

Is there a word for double loanwords? The only example I can think of right now isn't in English, but it should clarify what I mean. _Küçük_ , meaning small/young, the original Turkish word, was borrowed into Farsi and pronounced _kuchak_ (also meaning small/young). Turkish re-borrowed _kuckak_ as _köçek_ , which was used not to mean the same thing as _küçük_ , but rather to refer to young male dancers in the Ottoman court. Does this borrowing process have a name? Do twice-loaned words have their own category?


How come "John is friends with Jane"?

The usage in the question title seems common enough to me, though it may be more common in Britain. But I can't exactly see what "part of speech" the word _friends_ is here, and I can't come up with any related forms. You'd never hear, for example, _John is enemies with Jack_. What is going on?


What phonetic notation is Google dictionary using?

I think Google dictionary is not using IPA. But I don't know what phonetic notation it is using. For example, the "y" in prefix "hypo" is pronounced differently with following phonetic notation in Google: > hy·poc·ri·sy, noun /hiˈpäkrisē/ > > hy·po·ten·sion, noun /ˌhīpəˈtenSHən/ I don't know how to understand it either. I know about IPA, so it will also be helpful if there is some online material for interpretation of the phonetic notation in terms of IPA.


Etymology of phrase "Let's Go <favorite sports team>!"

Here in Pittsburgh, we have lots of "Let's go Steelers!" (and some diehards who also say "Let's go Bucs!", but they're dying out). What does that phrase even imply? I assume it's similar to "Go Steelers", which I'm also not sure of the implications. "Go Steelers... to victory!" is a very strange way to phrase the sentence. Does anyone know where this phrase comes from?


How paragraph numbers are read

I'd be glad if someone could tell me how numbers like "2.3.4.5.6" are read (pronounced)? "Two dot three dot four..." or "two three four" or maybe "two point three point four"?


What kind of noun is 'splurge'?

I was reading a grammar book the other day, it was mentioned to omit articles "before names of substances and abstract nouns (i.e uncountable nouns)." The nouns _splurge_ and _howler_ are abstract nouns I believe. However in the following sentences we have to use articles before the above mentioned nouns in order to convey the actual meaning. > Spending 1.5 Lakhs on a computer is _a splurge_. > > How did he fail to score from that position? That was _a howler_! Are the given nouns abstract nouns in the first place? If yes then what is the rule for using articles before them ?


"Founded on [date]" vs. "Founded in [date]"

I want to put a variation of the following just above a company description, but I'm wondering which preposition I should use: > Business Founded On December 2011   >  Business Founded In December 2011


Meaning and origin of "eat your heart out"

I never understood what this phrase meant or where it came from. I've heard it used in the movie Grease: > Danny: You're looking good, Riz.   >  Rizzo: Eat your heart out.   >  Danny: But sloppy seconds ain't my style. And other such times when used with a celebrity: > "Marilyn Monroe, eat your heart out!"


Is there a word like applicality?

I have seen the word _applicality_ being used at some places but couldn’t find its meaning when I looked it up on the internet. Example usage: > But because law doesn’t exist doesn’t mean it can’t be argued in court of > the _applicality_ of new technology and intent of previous laws.¹ Is there really a word like that? If yes, in what context do we use it and how is it different from the work _applicability_?


Usage of "how come" while speaking

I had always heard people saying like (never seen written anywhere but just heard it): > How come you come to office on Sunday?   >  How come is this possible? It doesn't seem right to me when people say this but is this valid in English or valid just for speaking? Can anybody shed some light on this?


What is the correct usage for I'm a girl in my early twenties?

Which is grammatically correct? > I am a girl in **my** early twenties. or > I am a girl in **her** early twenties.


Similar numbers

Say, I have two numbers which are **almost** equal: > A = 1.000000000000000000000001   >  and   >  B = 1.000000000000000000000002 What is the right way to say that they are " **almost the same** "?   * A is **almost** B   * A is **almost the same as** B   * A is **similar to** B   * A is **like** B   * A is **alike** B   * A and B **are alike**   * A is **close to** B   * **?**


What would be a colloquial word for using public transport for free?

My English roommate and I were just having a conversation about what colloquial word(verb) you would use if you used public transport for free. In German we have the term "schwarzfahren." The translations the dictionaries were giving for that German verb did not really convince my English roommate (such as to fare-dodge). Does anybody know of an appropriate term?


will be repaired in x weeks' time: how precise/vague is it?

(I have completely rewritten the question in an attempt to make it clearer) In a certain British English exam, you are given a statement, and must then go through three sentences and choose the one that gives accurate information, according to the original statement. The original statement is as follows: > 1) "This road will be closed for repairs from May 1 for 2 weeks." The sentence that follows is not the correct answer, however I have difficulty explaining exactly why this is not correct: > 2) "This road will be repaired in two weeks' time beginning on May 1." What I would like to know is if sentence 2 means the same as: a) they will start repairing the road in two weeks, beginning on May 1 b) they will have finished repairing the road in two weeks, having begun on May 1 c) both a) and b) are possible P.S.: If this question is still considered unfit for EL&U, please leave me a comment so I can learn how to further improve this and other questions.


What is the nuance of ‘Slipping’ when you say ‘I started slipping my classes short writing assignments?’

I found an op-ed article titled ‘Teaching to the Text’ in today’s New York Times (www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/opinion/20selsberg.) interesting as a non- native English learner. However, I stumbled on a phrase, ‘slip someone an assignment’ as used in the following sentence, as the word, ‘slip’ appears to be used to me in very different way from I usually use - such as ‘slide a short distance accidentally’ or ‘go / put quickly’ as defined by COD. Can somebody explain me what nuance does the word ‘slip’ have in this particular sentence? Is ‘slip’ used in this way very often? ‘I don’t expect all my graduates to go on to Twitter-based careers, but learning how to write concisely, to express one key detail succinctly and eloquently, is an incredibly useful skill, and more in tune with most students’ daily chatter, as well as the world’s conversation.’ So a few years ago, I started _slipping_ my classes short writing assignments alongside the required papers. Once, I asked them, “Come up with two lines of copy to sell something you’re wearing now on eBay.'


Use of word 'significant' in non-technical sections of a paper

As the resident data analyst, I write the _Quantitative Analysis_ sections for policy papers at my work. In doing so I use the word _significant_ if and only if I am discussing statistical significance. As pointed out in the answer to Connotation of significant or considerable, the term can be used in nontechnical writing without implying statistical significance. In sections of these larger reports other than _Quantitative Analysis_ , the word significant is often used as meaningful, notable, of note etc. My question is whether or not significant might be used in its lay meaning if I make a point of always using the term "statistically significant" when referring to mathematical significance? (My thought here being that would be similar to using the term "liquid nitrogen" to refer to nitrogen in its liquid state, thereby implying that the word "nitrogen" alone refers to nitrogen in its more common elemental form.)


When the reader sees the words "foreshadow" or "omen" does it usually mean good things or bad?

I'd like to use a word like "foreshadow", or a word similar to it, as long as the reader will understand what is to come is going to be _good_. Is the a subjective interpretation of "foreshadow" or "omen" a good thing or a bad thing? What alternative would mean something positive?


Pronunciation of "status", "bomb", "database" and "Wednesday"

How are the following words pronounced? I always get confused on pronunciation. I put the pronunciation I think is correct next to the words: Status - (Stat-us with Stat rhyming with mat)   Bomb - Is the "B" at the end silent or pronounced?   Database - Is it Dat-a-base or Day-ta-base   Wednesday - Is it Wens-day or Wed-ness-day?


When to omit "that" and "who"

I have some doubts about the usages of _that_ and _who_. Sometimes I read sentences such as >   * You are someone I love. >   * You are someone who I love. >   * People were asked to describe the qualities they look for in a friend. >   * People were asked to describe the qualities that they look for in a > friend. > Why are _who_ or _that_ omitted in some of these sentences but not in others?


Origin of "one man's trash is another man's treasure"

This might be tough considering the gesture is iterated so many ways, but it's worth a shot. What is the origin of the expression _one man's trash is another man's treasure_?


What does “Stumble into the buzzsaw” mean? Is it a popular idiom?

I came across the expression “stumble into the buzzsaw” in the article titled “House Republican open to gun restriction” appearing in Time magazine January 11 issue. The article begins with the following sentence: > “Why haven’t Republicans developed a Pavlovian reflex to stop touching > “legitimate rape,” the most electrified phrase in politics? Georgia > Representative Phil Gingrey is the latest to **_stumble into the Todd Akin > buzzsaw**.”_ I checked Readers English Japanese Dictionary at hand. There’s no idiom “stumble into the buzz saw,” but for “monkey with a buzzsaw.” However, I was able to find another example of the usages of this phrase on Google search; > The majority of the eighteen pieces in Borjesson's book are about hard- > working > - Between them, the authors of the incendiary new book Into the > Buzzsaw, out this month from Prometheus, have won nearly ... to the ideals > of their profession, who **_stumble into the buzzsaw_** and have their > careers and reputations eviscerated. - flatrock.org.nz/. Putting the above two quotes together, it seems to me “stumble into the buzzsaw” means to get involved into a grave disaster just like stamping a land mine carelessly. What is the exact meaning of ' _stumble into the buzzsaw_ '? Is it a popuar idiom or a set of phrase?


"My goodness!" Mine? Goodness?

Why do we say _my goodness_? It doesn't sound appropriate for the contexts in which it is used. Both the _my_ and the _goodness_ don’t seem to bear on a surprising or startling situation. When was it started, and why?


Do you capitalize the names of holidays?

I always thought the names of holidays were proper names, and should thus be capitalized "Christmas", "Thanksgiving", etc. However, I recently made a typo when talking about Christmas (Christmsa), and my spelling checker corrected it to be lower case "christmas". It knew what word I wanted, but made it lower case, where it would usually recognize incorrect capitalization. So I wondered: Is my spelling checker wrong? Or is capitalization of holiday names not a requirement? And either way, any insight on why the spelling checker would be this way?


What is the grammatical function of 'since' in this sentence?

What is the grammatical function of 'since' in the following sentence? > Four years had passed since his father died.


First name Constantin or Constantine?

Which is correct: "Constantin" or "Constantine"? I also encountered in texts "Konstantin" and "Kostantine". Or else is another spelling preferred?


Proper pronunciation of Neanderthal

Why is _Neanderthal_ pronounced with a /t/ sound instead of a /th/ sound?


Why does the word "emcee" exist?

So I encountered the word "emcee" in written form for the first time this week and was surprised to find that it was not simply written "M.C." (short for Master of Ceremonies). Why does the "emcee" form exist?


Proper header of a column of items

I have some items which are either mandatory or not mandatory for a recipe. I am listing them in a table. I have a column which will say either an item is required or not. What could be the proper word for the header of such a column?


"We'll do it in a..."

Today in my mathematics class my lecturer used a phrase I am very familiar with, and I suspect many others may be familiar with too. However, when thinking about how one would write a particular word in this phrase I became perplexed, and am wondering if anyone else knows how to write it. The phrase is: "We'll do the final few steps in a one-ner." The final word is written as it is pronounced. Are others familiar with this word, and does anyone know how it would be written? I doubt it's in the dictionary (I've checked under multiple potential spellings), but it seems to be a common word (I am Scottish, so perhaps this is a regional question).


Three part or Three-part

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Is there a grammar rule behind the hyphen in the phrase 'one-act play'? Okay, so it might sound like a primitive question. However, I can find out a reasoning or maybe which form is correct. The sentence is > This is a three parts series. I'm not sure if I should add the delimiter or not; and maybe there is a possession "'s", and I'm not quite sure of that. So any help with explanation would be great!


"Economic" vs. "Economical"

What is the difference between "economic" and "economical"?


What is the origin of British/Irish cinema names?

British and Irish cinema names from a certain period seem to come from a pool that includes The Odeon, The Curzon, The Savoy, The Adelphi (maybe you can think of more). Where did these names come from? Are they prevalent in any other English speaking countries?


What's meaning of "make (sth) of yourself"?

Could someone please explain the sentence for me? And any citation of such usage? > You’ve heard about what you make of yourself when you assume things. This is from the book _Hacking for Dummies, 4th edition_ . ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/hGSve.jpg)


Confirmation that someone is listening to another person's speech

When someone is telling you a very long and detailed story he usually wants to hear some "confirmations" (or response) that you are listening to his story. In Russian we often use something like "tak" (which has a meaning of "ok" and "well, proceed further"), "a-ha" or "uh-huh". What word serves the same purpose in English and American English?


What’s a funny word for someone who is frequently breaking things?

What do you call a person who is not very careful by nature, one who is constantly breaking things, missing appointments, stumbling into walls, and things like that? Hopefully not too harsh a name, as if we find it funny.


In which context is "lignicolous" used?

Is _lignicolous_ a word used in a specific context, or is it common to say "that is a lignicolous bug"?


Difference between verb+preposition and phrasal verbs

I am reading a book on grammar. Now I can't understand the difference between the `verb+preposition` and `phrasal verbs`. For example > He never thinks about(or of) other people. and > put on your coat Why this book call `think about` a `verb+preposition` and `put on` a `phrasal verb`. What's the difference between them? Here are another examples about this subject ### _verb+preposition_   * ask (somebody) for   A man stopped me and asked me for money.   * belong to ...   Does this book belong to you?   * talk to somebody about something   Did you talk to Paul about the problem? ### _phrasal verbs_   * Turn over   Turn over and look at the next page   * turn on   It was dark, so I turned on the light.   * bring back   You can take my umbrella but please bring it back. I don't know the difference clearly.


What part of speech is "that" in each of the following sentences that mean the same?

> It was all planned well before today that I can be sure about. Here I believe that _that_ is subordinating conjunction. > It was all planned well before today; I can be sure about that. Here I believe that _that_ is pronoun, hence the need for the semicolon to separate the two coordinating clauses. And are they both right? Please correct me if I am wrong.


Is there a noun that doesn't have a plural in any of its forms?

While attempting to answer this question @ProgramFox has been trying to come up with an example of a noun with no plural. The best I've come up with is _egotism_ and _Judaism_. (*Flux*may be a viable contender as there is a related question asking about its plural!) Some of the contenders I've already shot down are _air_ , _water_ , and _money_. (Airs, waters, and monies are all legitimate plurals.) My question is, a) Do my two examples have actual plurals? b) Are there any other non-ism nouns that don't have a plural?


Difference between "already know" and "have already known"

I've been thinking that the phrase " **already know** " is different from the phrase " **have already known** ".   * **Already know** : I know something clearly at this point of saying (present)   * **Have already known** : I've known something so far. (present perfect) I may be confused in the explanation. I don't know when we can use each of these phrases properly. Thanks and best regards,


Difference between "collaborative environment" and "collaboration environment"

I've seen these phrases in some technical articles. Is there any difference between these phrases?


Are "rode" and "rowed" pronounced the same?

Is there an English accent which would distinguish these two sentences? >   * He _rode_ from the bridge to the pier. >   * He _rowed_ from the bridge to the pier. >


Have a nice day versus have a great day

I would like to hear an American perspective on this: is have a nice day and have a great day interchangeable? Does it depend on a speaker, and so on?


Where did the names of English letters come from, and why are they all monosyllabic (except for "w")?

I don't know too many languages, but the ones I know have more elaborate names for their letters than the monosyllabicity of names for English letters. (E.g. - I'll pick on Greek here - _ay_ instead of _alpha_ , _bee_ for _beta_ , etc.) How did these short names evolve, and when? Further, why do nine of the letter-names (B, C, D, E, G, P, T, V, Z) end with "ee" (as in "bee"), while six others (F, L, M, N, S, X) begin with "eh" (as in "ef")? And why do (H, K, Q, R, W, sometimes Z) have less orthodox names? (Is "ar" for "R" a corruption of "ehr", perhaps?) "J" needs to be different, so as not to be confused with "G". The remaining ones (vowels, incidentally: A, I, O, U, Y) I understand as not possible to fit into any regular pattern. Maybe the answer is simply that letter-names, like the language, are not logically created; rather evolved erratically. But I want to make sure. Does anyone have any answers?


Pronunciation of the English alphabet

Why are there inconsistencies in the pronunciation of the consonants of the alphabet? For example: 'b' is pronounced like 'bee' but 'm' is pronounced as 'em' rather than 'me'. The pronunciation of 'h' matches nothing and 'j' and 'k' are orphaned twins. In Turkish (the only other language I have any knowledge of), the consonants are consistently sounded as if they have an 'e' appended.


Indirect Speech question? She said, "Let's have a beer today."

What about this answer? She suggested to have/had a beer that day. I'm confused between have and had. Please explain?


correct these sentences

Please correct these sentences. 1).i do not know where was he at that time. 2)he is good in Urdu. 3)the peoples of pakistan are very nice 4) he agrees of me 5)the young man is addicted to smoke 6) i will give the paper of english


Duane "Dog" Chapman, what is the word for the part in quotes between forename and surname?

Apologies if this has been asked before, I found it quite difficult to phrase what I meant! As the question title states: Duane **"Dog"** Chapman. What is the correct word to describe the part that is intentionally in quotes? e.g:   * Jimmy "The Greek" Smith.   * Anthony "The Executioner" Thomas.


"Bridge the problems" - is it correct?

Is it correct to say bridge the problems? Is it a commonly used expression? I'd like to use it to express that the person I'm talking with should solve the problems.


punctuation in american and british english

I would like to know whether the different pattern of the punctuation in direct speech is really used. I still have not found the usage of the first one in any particular text. ‘All right’, he said (British English) ‘All right,’ he said (American English)


Difference between 'oxymoron', 'paradox', 'contradiction' and 'misnomer'

What is the difference between the words _oxymoron, paradox, contradiction_ and _misnomer_? For example, > _Benevolent dictator_ is an oxymoron. If I replace _oxymoron_ with _misnomer, paradox_ , or _contradiction_ , how will the meaning change?   1. **Paradox** A seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which, when investigated, may prove to be well-founded or true. > The uncertainty principle leads to all sorts of paradoxes, like particles > being in two places at once.   >  Oxford Dictionaries   2. **Misnomer** A wrong or inaccurate name or designation. > ‘King crab’ is a misnomer -— these creatures are not crustaceans at all.   >  Oxford Dictionaries A wrong or inaccurate use of a name or term. > To call this ‘neighbourhood policing’ would be a misnomer.   3. **Oxymoron** A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. > Faith unfaithful kept him falsely true.   >  Oxford Dictionaries   4. **Contradiction** Combination of statements, ideas, or features which are opposed to one another. > _The proposed new system suffers from a set of internal contradictions_. A situation in which inconsistent elements are present. > _The paradox of using force to overcome force is a real contradiction_. The statement of a position opposite to one already made. > _The second sentence appears to be in flat contradiction to the first._   >  Oxford Dictionaries All of them seem the same to me.


Is saying "shit happens" ok?

Three questions:   1. Is it appropriate to say "shit happens"? I mean isn't it obscene?   2. When is it appropriate to say "shit happens" and when not? Is it always obscene or it can be used in some situations?   3. What can we use instead of "shit happens"? What are the similar phrases?


Where in the world are cabinets called cupboards?

I understand the difference between the two words and it was answered here. However I have spent part of my life redoing houses and I have only heard of kitchen cabinets. In fact if I order "cabinets" the stores and manufacturers refer to the as kitchen cabinets. I do remember my grandparents using the term cupboards when younger but never hear it anymore in the US. Is the term cupboard outdated? I would like to know if it has any usage? [Question stems from me traveling in Europe the past few weeks. All non-native English speakers were taught cupboards.] Just to give the most uncupboard type example. Something like the picture below was called a cupboard in three different countries over the past week. Trying to be really specific here. I am wondering if this is an actual term used, or if it is a term from books that were outdated used to teach English. ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/UnH4i.jpg) To add some of my background I went to the three biggest home improvement store sites (in US) for some insight.   * Lowes (Kitchen Cabinets)   * Home depot (Cabinets)   * Menard's (Kitchen Cabinets)


Verb for "to share an environment"

I was just wondering if there is a verb for "to share an environment", the word needs to depict how a non-indigenous organism can share an environment with an indigenous organism in harmony. Regards, Techhead55


What does this line mean?

> What is its significance for the enrichment of your knowledge and skills in > your chosen course? English isn't my native, so, correct me if I am wrong.   I can't really understand what this mean, yes the _importance of skills in my course_ , but I can't get a straight to the point about what the question is asking.   Is it maybe because its not properly arranged?   Or can someone translate this to me in a simpler manner so I can create an answer subjectively.


"Position" vs "location"

I am working on a software project where I have a location in 3d-space ("it can be found at the mathematical point X/Y/Z") as well as an orientation in space ("it is tilted 30° around the X axis"). Some objects have a location, but no orientation (like a unidirectional light source), others have an orientation, but no location (like sunrays), and the majority of objects have both (a table, a ship, a bird, etc.). I managed to call the first group `Locatable` and the second group `Rotatable`, but I'm having trouble coming up with a concise name for the last group. Currently I'm using `Positionable`, which could be mistaken for the first group, and was wondering if anyone had a better idea.


What is the history of "nil" in British football /soccer?

In British football if neither team scores a goal, the score is said to be: _nil-nil_ or _nil-nil draw_. Curiously, the winning team's results are always spoken first. So if Arsenal are playing home the score will be written as: `Arsenal 0 Manchester Utd 1` but when spoken: _"Manchester Utd 1, Arsenal nil"_ or _"Arsenal lost 1 nil"_. I know that _nil_ is derived from Latin _nihil_ , which means _nulla_ , _niente_ in Italian, and _nothing_ in English but why wasn't the Old English _nowiht_ ( _nought_ ) preferred? Could it be that the game was first introduced into Britain by the Romans, and the Latin term _nihil_ , stuck? There is a short reference in Wikipedia which claims: > Certainly the Romans played ball games, in particular Harpastum. There is > also one reference to ball games being played in southern Britain prior to > the Norman Conquest. There are sources that claim the forefather of modern football is _Calcio fiorentino_ 1 played in 15th century Florence, which suggests that the sport had continued to be played in Italy long after the fall of the Roman empire. To further back up my hypothesis, English football is not alone in using the term _nil_. Although the Italians say _zero_ and the Spanish, _cero_ ; the French and Dutch say _nul_ ; the Greeks, _nil_ ; the Russians, ноль ( _nol_ ); the Swedes, _noll_ ; the Norwegians and Germans, _null_ , and the Hungarians _nulla_.   * Am I therefore correct in thinking the Latin derived term _nil_ is used in British football because of the Roman conquests? If not, what is the history of _nil_ , a word I barely, if ever, hear outside the realm of football?


"Between" Two Locations

I am typing up formal invitations, and I want to say that transportation will be provided from Point A to Point B (but also from Point B back to Point A). In order to clear up the to-from/from-to confusion, I tried to use 'between' as follows: > Transportation will be provided between Point A and Point B. Is it grammatically correct to use between in this manner? Transportation is really **FROM** Point A **TO** Point B -- although the car may travel _between_ the two locations (i.e. not at either end point but in the middle), the transportation itself is to/from specific locations. Another option is to say > Transportation will be provided _to and from_ Point A **and** Point B. I am trying to find the most appropriate choice of preposition to accurately convey the meaning, and I was unsuccessful in determining this after searching myself.


Word meaning "the act of intending to do nothing"

As I am a person who frequently intends to do nothing (or at any rate as little as possible), I wondered if there was a word meaning "the act of intending to do nothing". I had the impression that floccinaucinihilipilification meant this, but sadly it turns out not to be so.


Meaning of the phrase "take a pass on yelling uncle"

I have heard that phrase recently on this YouTube video "Why We Row (Inspirational)" and I can assume what it means, but I just don't understand it on the context of the speech. > ... don't be suprised if someone decides to flip the script and take a pass > on yelling uncle, and then suddenly as the old saying goes, we got ourselves > a game.


'advance study' or 'advance studies'. Which one is suitable in this context of usage?

In this context of usage which one is suitable? > sentence: "make the transition into advance studies/study a smooth one"


What's the difference between "requester" and "requestor"?

Both are in dictionaries. I've heard people insist "requester" is correct for a person who requests something, and that "requestor" is wrong there, leaving me to wonder how it is used. _Requestor_ happens to be marked as an error in my browser's spellchecker. COCA for requester/requestor indicates that _requester_ is used for people and _requestor_ is used in technical senses like a part of a program. A google ngram for requester/requestor shows that _requester_ is also a bit more common. Some online discussions suggest _requestor_ may have a meaning in law or be more common there, but I can't find that. What's the difference in usage? Should _requester_ be used for people, or is it more nuanced than that? Note: These related questions discuss "creator" and "updater" and discuss -er and -or endings overall.


Alternative for "seats" in expressions such as "40% of the total seats are reserved for students of backward cast"

All of the leading educational institutes have 60% of their seats reserved for students of backward castes. It is a fairly common expression and a sad fact in India. What would be an alternative to the word "seat" in this sentence? Even though it is very popular here, I am sure it has been used incorrectly because I did not find any meaning for the word "seat" which could be used over here.


Nothing lasts forever, [so | nor] do we?

Like the title may already suggest, I am wondering if "so" or "nor" would be right in place for refering that something is (not) like stated in the main sentence. What do you think?


What does "bowed them inside" means?

I've encountered phrase like _"he bowed them inside"_ several times in different stories. What does it actually mean? Does it mean, that he very politely accompanied them inside or does that literally mean, that he walked inside with them bowing to them every now and again?


How to express in plain English for instance that "the first N slots are filled, with N between 0 and the number of slots"

I'll use an abstract example: Imagine 10 slots that can each either be filled or empty. I want to communicate the information that the configuration of filled/empty slots is such that the first N slots are filled, with N between 0 and 10, e.g. slots 1, 2 are filled, the rest are empty, or slots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are filled, the rest are empty, etc. How can I say this succinctly in plain English? Here are some attempts:   * The first few slots are filled (bad: they're not necessarily few)   * The first N slots are filled, with N between 0 and the number of slots (too algebraic)   * The slots are filled from the beginning and on (the best I've come up with, but it alludes to the process of filling the slots, which I don't want to need to do)


"Umbrella" as a verb?

One of the meanings of umbrella is a term for other things. So, is it possible (yet) to use _umbrella_ as a verb? To umbrella something? Perhaps an umbrella'd issue? I saw someone used "umbrellered" and aside from disagreeing with the spelling, I was curious about the acceptance of a verb form.


Entertainment-related compounds

Ok I just want to ask and confirm a few compounds. 1) **games shop** or **game shop** \- a place where you can buy video games 2) **amusement arcade** or **arcade** \- a place where people went to play arcade machines in the 80s and 90s. Are they called **arcade machines**? 3) Is there a singular word to call all things in a casino? I mean slot machines, wheels of fortune and so on. **Machines** maybe?


What is the word for a person who does different jobs?

I'm asking about someone who's employed by a company and does different jobs (both a qualified and unqualified person). Who knows; maybe in English those two are two different words? What are they called in English? All I know is **a navvy** but that usually means physical work. Let me just try a few things here. These are just wild guesses, nothing more.   * odd job man/worker    * shiftman    * (unskilled) labourer


What's the difference between "Image / Photo / Picture"?

I can't find any difference between Image, Photo and Picture, I don't know what is the right one to write!


Should the definite article 'the' be used or ignored?

The Ganga is the holy river of the Hindus. Why can't we simply say, Ganga is the holy river of Hindus. why should we use the definite article 3 times?


What is the proper comma placement around an Author's Name?

> **The Gregg Reference Manual** , by William Sabin, was a bestseller. Are the commas correct in this sentence? > She loved the Gregg Reference Manual, by William Sabin. Is the comma correct after the word "Manual"?


Is this sentence badly structured

People usually shrug at the notion of an interviewer influencing and guiding the interviewee towards the answer they want. Is there a better way to write this sentence. And is there a better word to use other than shrug. I tried 'do not tolerate' but that sounds harsh.


What are the connotations of "the father of the house"?

What is the meaning but more importantly the connotations for the expression "the father of the house"? Not only in the literal sense, that is, but more for someone with authority, even if there is no house or no actual father involved.


Is "everyone" singular or plural?

Which is correct? > Everyone were convinced that he would go to the game.   >  Everyone was convinced that he would go to the game. I think it's "was", because "everyone" is singular, but I just wanted to check.


Should enclosing commas be treated as parentheses?

I just read the following in Dan Ariely's book _Predictably Irrational_ , > [...] Zoe, and the other kids to whom I offered the same deal, was > completely blinded by [...] _p. 57_ To me it would have seemed more natural to have written _' **were** completely blinded'_. On the other hand, commas are often used in place of parentheses, in which case the following would, presumably, be incorrect, > Zoe (and the other kids to whom I offered the same deal) were completely > blinded by [...] Should _'was'_ or _'were'_ be used in the sentence separated with commas?


Everyone singular or plural in "except" questions

1)Everyone, _except_ Jess and Susie, **was** present at the company meeting yesterday. 2)Everyone, _except_ Jess and Susie, **were** present at the company meeting yesterday. Which is correct?


Origin of “lacksadaisical” (misspelled and mispronounced for “lackadaisical”)

I was astonished to learn that the word _lacksadaisical_ or _laxadaisical_ is both misspelled and mispronounced. It is still commonly used in Southern Africa (with the same meaning), whereas it is rare to hear the correct _lackadaisical_ in mainstream use. Does anyone have insight into the origin of _lacksadaisical_?


How do I express the possession of multiple objects by one proper noun and one pronoun?

As far as I can tell, my question is not a duplicate of either of these two similar questions. It is very close (maybe a duplicate, but I don't quite think so) of this question. I want to construct a sentence, where there are two things each possessed by one of two people, one of whom is myself. The best I have come up with is something like: > Fred's and my houses are both green. Two houses, two people (Fred and myself). I'm not sure how to phrase it at all! I suppose I could go with a longer form like: > Fred's house is green and my house is also green. But it would be nice if there was a shorter form.


What is the name of something that contains a balance?

Is there a noun that generically describes something that contains a balance that is not the word "account"? Such things can be checking accounts, credit cards, outstanding fines, or basically anything that keeps track of a sum of money. The word account is a bit broader than I need because it implies that a person is a member or a part of an organization or business where they are associated with some "account number". **EDIT:** An "account" is a business object that actually encapsulates one or more savings, checking accounts, credit cards, loans, customers, cards, or any other service that is offered. Here, the word account is already being used as a programming term, but still looking for a word that covers the overlap things with balances, an abstraction as you will.


Expression for parents who are "silly" happy?

I was wondering if there is an expression to describe parents (usually newly- made) that are extremely happy with having children, with this happiness manifesting as "childish" behavior on their part when interacting with their offspring. As an example consider someone with a 6-month-old baby that talks to the baby in a silly voice, makes cartoon faces and sounds, moves the baby around while simulating a train or aeroplane (with sound effects) and so on; at the same time _this person does not hesitate to do these things in front of others_ \-- possibly even complete strangers. In Greek we call this person χαζομπαμπάς (father)/χαζομαμά (mother), a term that literally translates to "silly dad/mom" but does not carry negative connotations. At the very worst someone might call you that to imply that the parent is incapable of denying the child any request, but usually it simply means "this person is so happy that they don't pay any attention to appearances". Is there something similar in English? I have already looked at this question, but it's not exactly what I 'm looking for because I read it as having to do with feelings, while I am specifically interested in how those feelings manifest as behavior.


Where does the period go when using parentheses?

Where should the period go when using parentheses? For example: > In sentence one, I use this example (which has a parenthesis at the end.) Should the period be inside, or outside of the parentheses? What about if the entire sentence is a parenthetical (as below)? > (Where does the terminal punctuation go here?) Is there a hard and fast rule?


Dot and parenthesis at the end of line/sentence, how to deal?

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Where does the period go when using parentheses? If I had a parenthesis at the end of the sentence, do I put the dot before or after it? For example, do I write: > I have an example sentence (which ends with parenthesis). or > I have an example sentence (which ends with parenthesis.)


Case of the first letter after parentheses

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Where does the period go when using parentheses? Consider the following example: > It is obvious that f(x) < x (Assuming x > 0). Should I capitalize the first letter of "Assuming"?


Where do I place the closing character when I end a sentence with parenthesis?

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Where does the period go when using parentheses? Which of the following should I use? Are there any exceptions to the rule? >   1. I enjoy breakfast (sometimes). >   2. I enjoy breakfast (sometimes.) >


Do any UK place names have non-ASCII characters?

Are there any place names in the UK that have non-ASCII characters? I’m looking for any cities, towns, villages, etc. in the UK that use characters that aren’t in the basic ASCII range (code points 0—127). This is for setting up test data for address character conversions on a website. This question is specific to UK addresses, as the international address tests have already been written. As a bonus question, could anyone come up with any of the following with non- ASCII characters:   * House name (should be easy as house names often seem to be in a foreign language)?   * Street name?


he pregnate my daughter and he pregnated my daughter

i have being trying endlessly to think up something positive about this expression which of these is correct? He pregnate my daughter He pregnated my daughter


"thank you for the kind words"

I have seen and/or heard the sentence "thank you for the kind words" more than once. The context is usually that the speaker is responding to an appreciative comment in a discussion whose overall purpose is different. For instance, I once received this response at a doctor's appointment after an appreciative comment of mine. This sentence tends to sound a little bit trite to my ears--perhaps even dismissive. But judging by the occasions of use, I think it is used when the speaker is grateful for meaningful encouragement. Do others have the same negative reaction I do, or is this an accepted convention that I am misinterpreting due to lack of familiarity? In the former case, what are better ways of expressing the sentiment?


What is the origin of the phrase “liner notes”?

_Liner notes_ is a phrase describing a written description on the cover of an LP record. What is the origin of this phrase?


the same A as Verb + Subject

While reading a book, I found: > Objective-C supports the same conventions as does C. I've thought "... as C does" is correct. For example, > As time goes by, we come to forget almost everything. Why were subject and verb replaced in the first sentence?


'Trying to help someone, but the other party doesn't appreciate it'

What is a word that best describes trying to help someone, but the other party doesn't appreciate it? I'm looking for a word.


Where does "noogie" come from?

The OED says **_noogie_** means a "hard poke or grind with the knuckles, esp. on a person's head" with a first quotation from 1968. They say it was popularised by _Saturday Night Live_ in the late 1970s but is of "Origin unknown". There's nothing on Etymonline. So where does the word _noogie_ come from? What's the etymology? Can you find anything earlier?


Difference between female and male usage

What explains the difference of a de facto larger frequency of vowels of one writer compared to another? In the statistics data I examined, a vowel had higher probability in the text from the female Swedish authoer compared to a Russian male author. The statistics I cite compared the male and female use of consonants and vowels indicated that the probability of next sound being a vowel was much higher for the Swedish female author compared to a Russian male author. The probability of next sound being a vowel and the probability of next sound being a consonant could be explained to vary by style, by book, by author, by language and/or by gender (male/female) Making statistics on material either women or men wrote, I hypothesize that there are more vowels when the writer is a female and more consonants when the writer is male. Are there any evidence for or against my notion? Did anybody make a study like that? Does it have any purpose besides being a "fact"? A purpose I can think is revealing forgery when a man for instance in a text pretends to be a woman or vice versa, a woman writing to you pretending to be a man then according to patterns you could get an indication. Edit: I changed it to a real hypothesis about how sounds change since we may wish to compare phoneticallly if doing a real study that could indicate for instance whether the next message is from a man or a woman. Edit: The statistics say there is a statistical difference between 2 books specified as the markov matrix for if the next sound is a vowel or a consonant given that the current value is a vowel or a consonant.


"Once..." in the past tense

> I was standing on the spot where the murderer had been, thinking, "Did he > hesitate? _Once the trigger was pulled for the first time, there would've > been no turning back."_ Can the following sentences replace the original one?   1. Once the trigger **had been** pulled for the first time, there would've been no turning back.   2. Once the trigger was pulled for the first time, there **would be** no turning back. Which one would be more natural? Could you tell me the differences among them?


Correct pronunciation of "TT"?

A single _t_ between vowels sounds like a _d_ to me (or like an _r_ in my language, Brazilian Portuguese). May I say the _tt_ spelling the same way, or does that only work for a single _t_?


Good and bad - suppletive adjectives

In English, there are three suppletive adjectives: _good_ , _bad_ and _far_. Their comparative and superlative forms derive from different stems, i.e., we have _best_ instead of * _goodest_ , _worse_ instead of * _badder_ and so on. Do linguists have an explanation for why suppletion occurred only for these three adjectives? And, more specifically, why _good_ and _bad_? It seems that there is something special about _good_ and _bad_ , because in other European languages, the corresponding adjectives are also suppletive. But, since the comparative and superlative forms are not cognate across the subfamilies, the process must have occurred independently in each one.


How commonly does "done" replace "did"?

How common is it for native English speakers to actively replace the past tense 'did' with the past participle 'done'? I used to think it was only really done in rather vulgar dialects, but I have increasingly heard this usage now by people who speak otherwise normal Received Pronunciation, or Standard American English: > I done the report. You done it yesterday. He done it already. I can't help but interpret this replacement of 'did' as sounding somehow uneducated, but is it becoming a standard in some dialects? Is the word 'did' dying out? And do these speakers use the 'done' replacement when switching the word order around in a question; for example, would they say: > Done you do it today? ... or even: > Done you it today? ... instead of: > Did you do it today?


illiterate use of pronoun

I heard a movie character say, "I smell ME a rat." I know that the use of "me" is not standard English. What is the grammatical explanation for the insertion of "me" in that kind of sentence?


"I will make me a ..." or "I will make myself a ..."

Is the first form valid as well, or only the second? E.g. "I will make me a sandwich"


Verb agreement with some subjects

Are the following sentences correct? > It's high time the government took steps to eradicate terrorism. > > It's high time to take steps to eradicate terrorism. I am asking this question because I have learned that the verb should be in the past form if we use "high time". Thanks


The article of X in "a change of X"

Why can we say "a change of address", "a change of plan", etc. without any articles in front of "address" and "plan"? Aren't they countable nouns? Is it some kind of idiom for "a change of X" or a special usage of grammar?


Looking for a position "with a stable company" or "in a stable company"?

I would like to know which of the following is correct: >   * I am looking for a position of Senior Developer **with a stable > company**. >   * I am looking for a position of Senior Developer **in a stable company**. > For instance, in the article "Job Interview Question: Why Are You Leaving Your Job?", the author — who is, as far as I understand, a native English speaker —, gives the following example: > I am seeking a position **with a stable company** with room for growth and > opportunity for advancement. Here is another example at the website of the company Pacific Drilling (quote): > How do I apply for a position **with** Pacific Drilling? I just want to make sure, is the use of "with a company" the correct form for my example sentence? Or maybe such usage is common in the US? Would be highly interested to hear the opinion of native English speakers. * * * **Edit:** I emphasize, what is the correct/common form with respect to my _particular_ sentence: "with" or "in"? Of course, I know there are cases when you can use one or another.


Is it correct to say "source to" instead of "source of"?

Is it correct use _to_ as preposition in the following sentence? > Books are the best source **to** knowledge. I have mostly seen _of_ as being used with _source_ , for example "source of knowledge". But I was wondering if I could use "source to" without it being a mistake.


A phrase for 'a free, informal space for learning'

What could be a short phrase for 'a free and informal space for learning?'


What is a "blue card" in this context?

I'm reading Salinger's "Ocean Full Of Bowling Balls" and came across the "blue card". I wonder what that means in that context. I found that "blue card" is currently used for immigrant agricultural workers, but couldn't be sure that they are related. It sounds more like it's related to sports somehow (baseball?) but I want to be sure. Any ideas? > "Hey Red, where’dja get that red hair?" > > Kenneth turned around to look at the man, and said: > > "A guy gave it to me on the road." > > That nearly killed the guy. He was bald as a pear. "A guy gave it to you on > the road, eh?" he said. "Think he could fix me up?" > > "Sure," Kenneth said. "You gotta give him a blue card, though. Last year’s. > He won’t take this year’s." > > That really killed the guy. "Gotta give him a blue card, eh?" he asked, > shaking. > > "Yeah. Last year’s." Kenneth told him. > > The fat man shook on as he turned back to his newspaper; and after that he > looked over at our table frequently, as though he had pulled up a chair. Full context can be found here.


What term describes something which is ubiquitous and consequently poor in quality, but occasionally exceptional and noteworthy?

That is, something which is especially remarkable in one isolated instance because it rises above being quintessentially mediocre, as is the case in every other example. Consider the chocolate chip cookie. Everyone bakes chocolate chip cookies. They are so commonplace that there are rarely, if ever, any actually delicious chocolate chip cookies. However, in the face of bland ubiquity, some people occasionally -do- bake a truly and breathtakingly excellent chocolate chip cookie. Because it rises above what is otherwise widespread and bromidic, this one excellent chocolate chip cookie outshines the grandest and most ornate desserts specifically designed to be outstanding. This concept can be applied in many places, and we often take it for granted without being able to reduce and articulate it with a formal term. What word am I looking for?


use of => symbol

For years I have used '=>' as a sign meaning 'should be changed to' and I have long since forgotten whether this is a personal idiosyncrasy or an actual existing usage. _e.g._ "in the sentence above word 'jive' => 'jibe.'" Is this familiar usage to anyone? Anyone else besides me, I mean.


"Gain/acquire/gather/get experience"

According to my Longman dictionary, _gain experience_ and _get experience_ seem to mean the same: > **gain/get** experience: The programme enables pupils to gain some > experience of the world of work. But I have also found _gather experience_ and _acquire experience_ (source): >   * We now have to **gather** experience. > >   * These projects will set their imagination in motion, and will help them > **acquire** useful experience. > > How do these versions with _gain_ , _get_ , _acquire_ and _gather_ differ? I am also interested if they mean the same but sound slightly different to native speakers.


What is a word that means "created out of nothing"

I am writing an article and I am having trouble finding a word for "to create out of nothing." The following are slightly different forms to show you the general 'feel' of the word that I am looking for. "to obtain without [any] effort" "to create without any input" "producing something effortlessly or from nothing" A Latin word for this that I was thinking of is Ex Nihilo but I was hoping for more ideas.


Why is 'sheep' the same when talking about one or more than one?

I am trying to find out why _sheep_ has the plural _sheep_. I have found different explanations, such as, "it is because they were seen as uncountable, as in 'a herd of sheep'", "because it comes from German, which does not have the plural 's'" and that it is because it is a neutral Old English noun which does not change in the plural. Does anyone have the right explanation?


What does "stand to attention for somebody" mean?

I encountered this phrase in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esben_and_the_witch > His brothers did not stand to attention for Sir Red...


What's the meaning of 'squared away' here?

> We had a death in the family this weekend, so I haven't had the time to > spend on this... We've the funeral next weekend, so hopefully we can get > **squared away** before Friday... Looking it up at tfd.com, I am confused about the meaning. Two meanings seem to match:   * To bring (oneself) into a better position or relation ( _He tried to square himself with his parents._ )   * To put away or in order But since the person has directly written 'squared away', so I think the second one matches better.


"what's in store" vs. "what's in stall"

I think this is probably just one of those phrases people get wrong, such as "for all extensive purposes" - but I just found this on a cafe web page: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/9DiZs.png) This question asks the meaning of "in store" but I don't see any reference to stall. Is this a reasonable alternate usage or just another "foul swoop"/"baited breath" situation? (and by the way is there a word dedicated to describing that kind of mistake...)


Describing a group of people who lie down in a public place to send a political message

I was walking through the square, and I came upon a group of people all lying on the ground. Each had a printout on their chest with a political message, and nobody was moving. ![Photo of many people lying on their backs on a flat concrete expanse](http://i.stack.imgur.com/aYo99.jpg) What word or phrase could best be used to describe a group of people who lie down in a public place in order to send a political message?


"Human touch" or "humane touch"

We were to give a tagline for a charitable society for underprivileged children. Someone suggested _the human touch_ and within seconds someone modified it to _the humane touch_. What is the difference between _human_ and _humane_ or between _human touch_ and _humane touch_?


Is the phrase "Please be informed that" grammatically correct?

I have seen this phrase in many articles. It sounds a little bit odd to me. Also, what could be an alternative to this? Can I use "please be aware" or "For your information" instead of this phrase?


Adjective describing someone who is in constant communication with someone else?

I'm searching for a good synonym for _communicative_ , but with an emphasis on being in constant communication over time, not merely the "amount" of communication (so _talkative_ and such don't work). A short phrase will work as well. Example context: > Unlike our inferior competitors, we are great because we are > **communicative** (e.g. _we constantly stay in touch with you_ ).


What is a "snow window"?

Friends of mine were travelling in the UK by bus once, when suddenly the bus stopped and all passengers had to get out. The driver told them that there were "snow windows" and so they couldn't proceed to Glasgow. When they said "but there's no SNOW" - all they got back was "but there are snow windows". However, no one could translate or paraphrase to them what "snow windows" are. Back home they tried to look it up in several different dictionaries, but no success. I wasn't able to find anything about it using Google either. So what kind of weather condition are "snow windows"?


Date format in UK vs US

Why is the most common date format in the US like `mm/dd/yyyy`, whereas in Europe (including the UK) it's more common to have `dd/mm/yyyy`? Looking around, I found that the US form is actually the more traditional Anglo-Saxon way, but the British adapted to using the European form in the early 20th Century. But I couldn't find a definitive discussion of the history of the different formats. Is it just conventional, or is there an official 'British date standard' (like with metric and imperial, for example).


Isn't who/whose only used for people?

Why is the usage of "whose" correct in this sentence: In the foothills of that large mountain range are the sources of a river whose course was not fully mapped until this century. I was under the impression that you have to use "which" or "that" when referring to things. When is it okay to use who/whose to modify things? I thought the sentence would have to be something like "...are the sources of a river, the course of which was not fully mapped..."


What words typically collocate with "quite"?

The word _quite_ is often confusing to non-native speakers. Can you give me a list of words that typically collocate with _quite_ when the meaning is 'extreme'?


Is there a hypernym for "order confirmation", "quotation" and "invoice"?

Is there an abstraction for the following three words?   * Order confirmation   * Quotation   * Invoice I want to create a base class for the above but I can't find a word that describes all three.


"Due to" at the beginning of a sentence

I tried to say this: > Due to it will have less features than the actual standard system, the > performance will be better. Basically, I used a sentence after _due to_ , and one of my English friends said it does not make sense and is not grammatically correct. What is wrong with using _due to_ at the beginning of a sentence?


Usage of reflexive pronouns

I have read answers to questions like When is it correct to use "yourself" and "myself" (versus "you" and "me")? but I couldn't find a general rule for using "you" or "yourself", "him" or "himself" that could explain things I see in some examples. For example, I think that one normally say (according to examples I see in LDOCE dictionary):   * You bring something with you.   * You have something in you.   * You have something on you.   * You pressed her to you. But on the other hand one would say:   * You draw attention to yourself.   * He killed himself.   * You can try it out for yourself. As a general rule, it seems that the reflexive pronoun is used when the object is the same as the subject of the verb. But for prepositional phrases, it seems more complicated. Do some prepositions (like "with", "in", "on") always come with the accusative form of the pronoun, and some other (like "for") don't? What about "to", that seems to be followed by both in different circumstances?


"excursion over city" vs "excursion around city"

Is there any difference in phrases usage? Which one is better for title of a story? The story is about tourists.


Is there such a thing as "Injective Relief" (as a legal term)?

I was recently given a nondisclosure agreement to sign. On the form it stated that the company may seek "injective relief" as needed in order to enforce the agreement. Now, I'm quite familiar with the concept of "injunctive relief." Googling around I did find quite a few places where "injective relief" is used, but I couldn't find anything that looked like a proper legal definition for it. (Also it's waaaaay less common than "injunctive relief".) So I ask those who may have better google-fu or more in-depth legalese knowledge, is this just a misspelling on the company's part, or can they shoot me up with truth serum if the need arises?


Who first used the word 'linkrot'?

Who is the original coiner of the word 'linkrot'? Does anyone know?


Can I separate the parts of a sentence so far away?

> According to Professor Kong, Bo Xilai’s (the governor of Chongqing, whose > wife are convicted of killing the British businessman H. Wood) “Chongqing > model”, which was known for its tough measures dealing with “underground > mafia” on the political front, “singing red (Communist) songs” on the > cultural front, and the promotion of “common prosperity” on the economic > front, paved the way for China’s future development. (self-made) All the three merits of the Chongqing model are to be the stones to pave the way. I do not want to put which clause behind “pave the way..”., because I have to emphasize the which part of the sentence, making the readers pay much attention to the reason of Professor Kong for thinking that way. But I doubt that my sentence will be separated too far away. Is there some better way to reorganize the paragraph?


"big cheers" and "a big cheer"

Can I say "Please give your children big cheers at the playing field? Or should I say "Please give your children a big cheer?" Do these mean different things?


How do you pronounce "Lowe" in "Lowe's"

How do you pronounce "Lowe" in "Lowe's", the home improvement store in U.S.? How is it pronounced when it is in a person's name? Is it pronounced in the same way?


What's the raised part of an arch called?

What's that embossed or raised part of an arc or arch called? I am looking for the upper part of the shape, which is kind of raised and forms a mini circle. ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/Yzhho.jpg)


What is the proper use of the semicolon in nested clauses?

I do a lot of technical writing where I feel that it is appropriate to clarify some technicality. I often produce nested clauses and sub-clauses but I am unsure about the proper use of the semicolon. I have been told that its proper use is to separate clauses and sub-clauses; for example, a sentence and a list of a, b, and c. To give an example, what is correct use of the following: > "CORFILE contains the product of the analysis, run using the entire event > set, run 161457." or > "CORFILE contains the product of the analysis; run using the entire event > set, run 161457."? To strip away the jargon: > The sentence starts with a clause, followed by a sub-clause, clarification > for the sub-clause. I know I can circumvent the issue by just splitting the sentence. However, for this case, and many others, the extra grammatical logistics needed to do so distracts from the information I am trying to convey. Are there any general rules for such uses of the semicolon that would make it clear which is correct? Are there any relevant rules in regards to colon and semicolon?


Significance of the word 'a' in Neil Armstrong's speech

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” I read on the news today the world heard Neil Armstrong said "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.". But later, Neil Armstrong insisted that he actually said 'a man' but that the 'a' was not heard because of static. So this begs the question "What is the difference between the 2 versions?" Is the version that Neil Armstrong wanted the world to hear a grammatically correct one and the other one is not?


Pronoun "it" for baby?

Does anyone know why the word "baby" is referred to by the pronoun "it" rather than a human pronoun. Is there an historical/etymological reason?


'Calm, cool and collective' vs 'calm, cool and collected'

What is the difference between _calm, cool and collective_ and _calm, cool and collected_? What is the meaning of _collective_ or _collected_ when used in this way? I checked the dictionary but still do not get it. > collective [kəˈlɛktɪv]   >  adj   >  1\. formed or assembled by collection   >  2\. forming a whole or aggregate   >  3\. of, done by, or characteristic of individuals acting in cooperation   >  n   >  1\. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy)   >  a. a cooperative enterprise or unit, such as a collective farm   >  b. the members of such a cooperative   >  2\. (Linguistics / Grammar) short for collective noun


Placing a comma after a conditional statement

I've always had difficulties in figuring out where commas should be placed. For example, in a phrase containing a conditional statement, how should I write...   * If they don't arrive by noon, she'll be worried.    * If they don't arrive by noon she'll be worried.


Is "What a big like deserves this picture" correct?

While I was doing some facebook things, I shared a picture and this sentence came to my mind. I was wondering if it is correct to use this sentence when you want to share your feelings about something (in this case that picture): > What a big like deserves this picture, doesn't it? What I meant to say was: > I think this picture deserves a big like, don't you? If it's correct, could you please tell me about the detailed structure of the sentence? I just made it up and my mind naturally says it should be correct.


Is there a specific term for when you combine two unrelated terms in a headline in order to grab attention? For example: > Bolivian Kick Boxer Meets US Marine Or: > Kickboxer Meets a Marine (1) The high level concept here is pretty simple: two people fight; see who wins. My question is about when you dig a little deeper. It's pretty obvious that two unrelated terms are being compared in this headline. Kickboxing is a form of martial arts (hybrid of several actually), whereas the Marines is a branch of the United States Armed Forces. **Is there a term for this tactic?** * * * _More explanation follows._ Some fans of martial arts love to debate which form would win in a real fight, say Wing Chun versus Jiu-Jitsu for example. However, the aforementioned headline is _not_ :   1. pitting one form of fighting against another (2)   2. pitting a member of one branch of the U.S. military against a member of a different branch of the U.S. military   3. pitting a member of the U.S. military against a member of the military in a different nation In other words, **it's an apples to oranges comparison.** One person in the fight is a practitioner in a certain form of martial arts, the other person is a soldier in the U.S. Marines (which means that person very tough, but for other reasons). The goal of any headline author is to grab attention. _I believe that the author of this particular headline intended to **gain extra attention points** by stirring emotion in some readers, particularly readers in the U.S. that would feel a sense of patriotism._ Now it's not just about cheering for your favorite martial art form, instead it's about cheering for your country. **I'm trying to figure out what this headline writing tactic is called.** I hope this question wasn't too long winded. There's many other examples of this tactic, but I think this one conveys my point well. Perhaps this is more of a marketing or psychological question, so feel free to let me know if I should ask on another site. _(1) There happens to be a viral video going around with this headline today_ _(2) I do realize that the "Marine Corps Martial Arts Program" is a form of fighting also, but I'm pretty sure that's not what the author of the headline meant._


One word for someone who eats hurriedly

What do we call someone who hurriedly pounds on food and eats like as though never seen before. I would like to know an alternate word for that person, either an adjective or noun.


Origin of "More X than you can shake a stick at"

What is the origin of the phrase "more X than you can shake a stick at"? Every website I've seen on this basically says the same thing (e.g., http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-sha2.htm):   * Recorded history since 1818 - _Lancaster Journal_ of Pennsylvania dated 5 August 1818: “We have in Lancaster as many Taverns as you can **shake a stick at** ”.    * Other early examples:      * Davy Crockett’s _Tour to the North and Down East_ of 1835: “This was a temperance house, and there was nothing to treat a friend that was worth **shaking a stick at** ”.      * _A Book of Vagaries_ by James K Paulding of 1868: “The roistering barbecue fellow swore he was equal to any man you could **shake a stick at** ”.   * Only guesses as to the etymology for the phrase:      * Maybe it's Native American?     * Maybe it's military?     * Maybe it's from a form of a boys' game "playing" military?     * Maybe it's from counting herd animals? Does this community have any ideas (and support for those ideas)? Also, is this solely American? Solely North American?


What does "pink primates" mean?

What does this sentence mean? > What was over there?   >  Freaky pink primates! Why 'pink' ? What is the exact meaning? It was in Over the Hedge.


Morphological process for derivation of the word "ish" from suffix "-ish"?

"Ish" is a recently derived word (free root) conveying a sense of "so-so" or approximation. It is most commonly used as an adjective but occasionally as an adverb. I would not be at all surprised to see it appear in standard dictionaries within the next decade. Is there a term for the morphological process that derived the term "ish" from the derivational suffix "-ish"? Or is this an example of slang/colloquial usage?


Why is there a "one" before "hundred", "thousand", etc. but not "ten"?

As the title says, why is there a "one" before "hundred", before "thousand", and so on, but not before "ten"? This seems shared between _some_ languages, including Chinese (10 = 十 = ten, 100 = 一百 = one hundred), but not others, like French (10 = dix = ten, 100 = cent = hundred).


In the language of XXX

I am trying to express a sentence in the language of graph theory. Is that right to say "In the language of graph theory"? I googled and did not find similar sentence. If not, how can I express my meaning?


alternatives words and sentences

I am proofreading a paper written by a collegue, which is full of "The following result was the culmination of a series of papers in the context of XXX", "It is a classical result that XXX", "This is a non-trivial result due to XXX". I think it is too many "results", what is the alternative words or sentences pattern to write them better? Thanks!


When should I use an em-dash, an en-dash, and a hyphen?

I generally know how to use a hyphen, but when should I use an en-dash instead of an em-dash, or when should I use a hyphen instead of an em-dash?


When to use -, – and —?

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When should I use an em-dash, an en-dash, and a hyphen? This is about hyphens (-), en-dashes (–) and em-dashes (—). When to use which one? To be honest, I always use em-dashes unless I join words with a hyphen, but I never use an en-dash.


What is the difference between `-` and `--`

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When should I use an em-dash, an en-dash, and a hyphen? Is there any difference between: `-` and `--` or in some cases, a long dash I have seen these two used lots of places but I really don't know the difference.


What's the difference between - and -- in a phrase?

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When should I use an em-dash, an en-dash, and a hyphen? When do I put a - in a sentence? Is it a more powerful comma? With a bigger pause?


What word means "the thing you added"

What word means "the thing(s) you added to something"? It's something like 'addium' or something Latin-like! But I can't really remember. I remember seeing it used in some context as follows.   1. You write a comment.   2. Then you want to add something to it, you'd write: > Old comment.   >   >  [the word goes here]   >   >  New comment. > And it's not _edit_ or _P.S._


Etymology of "minniebush"?

I was playing a spelling game and got this word. I tried looking it up on etymonline.com but I didn't get any search results? I assume it is from combining two English words, but I was wondering if anyone could produce a more specific answer?


What is the difference in meaning, if any, between these two past perfect simple and continuous sentences?

Past perfect simple and continuous can normally be used interchangeably with verbs like work, wait, sleep, etc., but I think there have to exist some differences in meaning. I would like you please to help me find out the differences the following sentences may arise: > John found it difficult to wake up early this morning because he **had > worked** hard the night before. > > John found it difficult to wake up early this morning because he **had been > working** hard the night before.


"A friend of his" type expression for abstract entities

Like many non-native speakers, formulations like "a friend of his" strike me as counter-intuitive, but I'm trying to adapt. Now I have a strange situation: I want to apply it to abstract entities. The sentence would be: > "What can we do with assignments and hierarchies of theirs?" (I use assignments because I'm trying to avoid repetition. In the real text it's "blabla transmogrifying assignments"). I think this sounds awkward, and I can't recall ever having read anything like that. Is it possible that this type of construction is only valid for people? Or maybe it's a slightly different meaning of "of", and there's no possessive aspect to my usage of "of"? I'm aware of Why do you say "friend of mine" instead of "friend of me" ? and Is "a friend of his" a used phrase? but all the examples had a person as the possessing subject.


Clause following 'as same as'

I'm learning how to use 'as same as'.   1. It's as hot as it was yesterday.   2. It's as hot as yesterday.   3. I go to the same school as you do.   4. I go to the same school as you. I think only 4. is wrong. The clause can be omitted only if it's 'someone/something is' but not 'someone/something does'. Is this correct?


What is the difference in meaning between "photo" , "image" and "picture"?

I checked some other questions, and found that "a photo is an image taken by a camera". But what is an image? What is the difference between _image_ and _picture_?


What is the difference between "image", "picture", "photograph" and "illustration"

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What is the difference between "photo" and "image"?   >  Difference between “picture” and “photo” For my magister dissertation I need to rely on an accurate definition of what an _image_ , a _picture_ , a _photograph_ and an _illustration_ refer to. Therefore, I would like you to help me figure out the differences.


Structuring sentences without using the word "but"

I seem to have a habit of using a lot of sentences that involve the word "but": "I haven't tried it yet, but I think it should work"; "I could easily resort to chicken, but I want to see how far I can get with alligator" etc.. It's probably deeply rooted in my style of thought, but (there I go again) I'm starting to get bored of seeing myself use this structure so often. Is there anything I can do to break free? I know one way is to use "though" or "although", as in "Although I could easily resort to chicken, I want to see...". Anything else I could do to diversify my sentences a little?


How to use "you" word in a way that suggests it's singular/plural form?

In my mother's language there are two words for "you" - for singular form and for plural one. I want to translate a joke which happen to rely on this particular characteristic of my language. What words should I use to say e.g. "How can I serve **you**?" Is "Ye/Thou" still recognizable or is it too archaic? Edit: An example: Let's suppose I am a fan of FC Barcelona, the soccer club. Me and my friends are in England to see the Champions League finals. There is a pub with "Manchester United fans only" sign on it and we hear some loud yells coming from inside. I ask my friends if they are willing to go in with me and they say "Yes, sure, we are just behind you. Go!" So I grab my FC Barcelona scarf, go inside and see many MU fans in the middle of the party. Suddenly place goes silent and all the gazes point at me. That is the point when bartender should say "How can I serve **YOU**?" in a way that makes me realize my friends are not with me. So, what says bartender?


Do "figure out" and "realize" mean the same?

Talking about noticing something, do both mean the same? For example: >   * I just figured out that the ball is blue. >   * I just realized that the ball is blue. >


What is the right description of the word "squeaky" in "squeaky clean"?

Is _squeaky_ in "squeaky clean" an onomatopoeia? Is there a right word to describe this word, other than simply an "adjective"? It's something that uses the description of a sound as an adjective. This word is simply a form of "imagery". However, I'm still not sure how I would go about describing this word. "An adjective eliciting imagery"? Is that actually describing _onomatopaeia_?


What does "stocktaking analysis" means in this sentence?

"Without GEF support, Iran will not be able to execute the priority actions identified in its stocktaking analysis, capacity enhancement and consolidation of institutions will be slow or may not occur" thanks in advance


Is it common to use the word "tiptoeing" even if the person is just standing?

Definition by Google: > **tip·toe** walk quietly and carefully with one's heels raised and one's > weight on the balls of the feet. But can I use it in a situation where the pension isn't walking?: > The girl twisted around and, tiptoeing like a ballerina, kissed the boy.


Is it correct to use the word "devastated" to refer to the pain we feel towards other people?

I think the word _devastated_ is mainly used when something bad happens to oneself (maybe I'm wrong?) Say, can I use it in the following way? > I felt **devastated** after watching the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. If not, what's a better option?


What does 'address an issue' mean?

I always understood 'address an issue' to mean fix or solve an issue. However, a colleague of mine questioned this today and after doing a web search it seems that the more correct or common meaning of this phrase is 'to bring under discussion'. What is the accepted meaning/usage of this phrase?


How can we distinguish between "I would" and "I had" if someone says "I'd"?

How can we unambiguously distinguish between **I would** and **I had** , if the native English speaker used the contraction **I'd**? For instance, **_I'd read the newspaper._** We can mean the above sentence as either   **I had read the newspaper**.   _or_   **I would read the newspaper.** Any help will be appreciated!!!


'how we make a car' or 'how do we make a car'?

I don't know the difference between _how we make a car_ and _how do we make a car_. I searched on the internet; there are examples for both but I do not understand in which cases they would each be used.


What is the opposite of "authentication"?

An authentication is the action word for "to authenticate". "To disauthenticate" and "to unauthenticate" do not seem to exist (I might be wrong). So what is the most appropriate opposite action of an authentication ? **Edit:** As more precision has been requested, I'm more searching a name for the act of reversing/canceling an authentication. Think of it as comparable to the Login/Logout, Sign In/Sign Out, etc. but I want one with "Authenticate / **?** "


Interpreting ambiguous agreement

> We're proud of our tortilla chips and we hope **you'll agree**. It may seem trivial but I've seen similar remarks on other products and it just doesn't feel like a valid sentence because I can't determine what they hope I'll agree with them about. I don't think I'm just missing out on the context as this sentence is preceded by nothing and is only followed by one more: > Remember, your satisfaction is always guaranteed with [our] brand products. Am I supposed to share their pride? Am I supposed to be agreeing that they are proud of their product? If so, is there really a difference between their statement and an example of me saying, "I like pizza and I hope you will agree." Does anyone know if there is any sort of common characterization of this type of flaw?


What do we call people who work out at home?

This question was very interesting: What do we call people who go to the gym? Now I am wondering if there is a word for someone like me who works out _at home_. What I refer to is weight training, work with bars, HIIT (high intensive interval training) and some yoga or stretching exercises.


Nobody must [+ verb]

"Must not" vs. "don't have to" is a famous false friends for many languages. That said, what about a phrase like, say, "nobody must know": Does that mean that a) nobody is allowed to know, or b) that obviously nobody knows, or both? Is that sentence OK, poor style, or to be reworded to make unambiguous? How would I use "must not know", as in "is not allowed to know" together with "nobody"?


Is there a sequence following "ace" (as in "ace pilot")?

If an expert pilot or covert operative or other specialized profession can be referred to as an "ace", is there a word that describes someone who is less experienced or lacks some of the expertise? Is it sequential? What pattern does it follow?


Need help constructing consistent sentences, and naming parts

I'm a software developer and I'm trying to write a consistent "grammar" for an audit log feature. An Audit log is basically a list of actions that happened. As it's a part of the database I need consistent naming for the parts of the sentences. Now I'm not natively english, so I could use some help. Each example sentence below i suffixed a number to some words. Each of these words should be of the same "type" (e.g.: subject, object, ... other).   * Anna[1] created[2] the_comment[4] on the_article[3]    * Mark[1] voted[2] on the video[3]   * Jessy[1] signed_in[2]   * John[1] added[2] Jessy[4] to the list[3]   * Anna[3] was blocked[2] by Dick[1]   * Louis[1] replied[2] to the_conversation[3] with his_message[4] I'm pretty sure 1: is the subject, and 2: is the verb. However I don't know how I should name 3 and 4, and I have a suspicion some sentence constructions should change. Could you help me out?


Footage shot in advance

Is there a word meaning "footage shot in advance" in English? I mean, there's a live TV show and before the host starts interviewing his guest, some material from her earlier life and work, or probably some interviews with her family members are shown first. I'm translating some materials into English and the dictionaries I'm using are rather clueless.


How did the phrase "are you nuts" come about?

What is the connection between "nut" and the character? How was the phrase "are you nuts?" used at first?


Prepositions: "in" vs. "on" a tab/widget

In my quest to grasp the dichotomy between "on" and "in" I have found another example that left me in doubt. >   1. Initializes the widgets added on the tabs. >   2. Validates the information on the widgets. > At the first example I think the widget is being added **in** / **into** the tab.   As far as the second example once again I think the information is validated **in** the widget not on the widget because the information is inside the widget. Could you help me here clarifying this ? **Note** : If you are not familiar with the concept of tab and widget you can check it here.


What does the expression "we are looking to you" mean?

What does the expression "we are looking to you" mean in the following sentence? > Now that you have taken the test and have an understanding, **we are looking > to you** to teach this to your subordinates.


Is "has has" form correct?

Example sentence: > Skype _has has_ since confirmed that a solution is in the works. Shouldn't it be: > Skype _has had_ since confirmed that a solution is in the works.


Is cruel standard use as a noun in poetry? Are there terms for non-standard English specifically in regard to use in poetry?

I hope this question isn't off-topic.   I heard a madrigal with the following verse which bothers me somewhat, grammatically. _Cruel, wilt thou persever?   Peace to leave ever?   Peace shalt thou have and gladness,   But when in sadness,   When thou the morn seest ev'n,   To fall from heav'n._ Thomas Morley (1597)   http://www1.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Cruel,_wilt_thou_persever_ _Cruel_ seems to be used as a noun instead of an adjective. Is this non- standard or common use of the time? Even if so, and allowing for poetic license, how is this to be understood: personifying cruelty and addressing it or some other way? Also, but are there separate terms for the following kinds of liberty taken in poetry?   1. terms for using non-standard grammar from an unexpected part of speech (as in _cruel wilt thou persever?_ ) or a double negative, (as in _I can't get no satisfaction_ \- Rolling Stones) in a line in order to get the lines to scan?    2. a term for using a contractions to get the lines to scan, as in _ev'n_ and _heav'n_   3. I was able to find a term for using a word to rhyme that doesn't quite rhyme, as in _come_ , _one_ and _home_ or _ev'n_ and _heav'n_ : ( _assonance_ ), but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.


Future tense in conditional clauses

All the textbooks I have ever come across during the course of my studying English emphasize that future tense should not be used in conditional clauses. For example, > If it rains in the evening, we will not go for a walk. ( ~~if it will rain > in the evening...~~ ) > > We decided to go for a walk if it didn't rain in the evening. ( ~~...if it > wouldn't rain in the evening)~~ However, in the following sentence I'm really inclined to use the future tense. > Don't implement this feature if it will significantly increase the > complexity of the user interface. According to all the rules I know of, the future tense is illegal here. However, my gut feeling tells me that the sentence is correct. If I am wrong, the question ends here. Otherwise please read on. I find the last example different from my first two because:   * In the first examples we must wait and see if the condition is true, and then make a decision accordingly, whereas in the last example, we must actually analyze/predict/forecast the future in order to make the decision in the present.   * (might be irrelevant) In my first language - Armenian - where we have a special mood for conditions, the translation of the third sentence actually uses indicative, whereas the first two use that special mood (the conditional mood, as it were).  Since the second would-be principle is easier for me to experiment with, I noticed that every time a condition uses the indicative mood in my language, I'm inclined to use the future tense in English. As another example: > I will give you the money if it will make you happier. Am I imagining things or are my examples of the future tense in the conditional clause valid? If they are valid, what rule would you suggest to distinguish the cases when it's OK? (I do realize that translating a sentence to another language and analyzing the translation doesn't really count as a rule).


"When I am 18, I will..." or "When I will be 18, I will..."

Should I say: > When **I am** 18, I'll take my driving test or > When **I'll be** 18, I'll take my driving test Which one is the correct sentence?


What is the meaning of "I read a book once"

I saw an image on Missed Connections few days ago, and the image text is: > Friday, January 29, 2010 \- m4w - 23 (L train) > > How did you get those bruises? I wouldn't let anything happen to you. You > were reading some book, and taking notes. I read a book once. And I saw people comment below that the last sentence "I read a book once" is really sad... but I don't quite understand the hidden meaning of that sentence. Thanks for your help.


Words that originate from Icelandic

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  English from Icelandic? Are there any English words that are of a common or semi-common use that originate from Icelandic?


Depression and happiness

* Are "depression" and "happiness" antonyms?   * Are they mutually exclusive?    * Does the absence of one imply the presence of the other? (I am trying to ascertain the semantic validity of using depression-metrics as a gauge of happiness)


confusing trail

Which of the following construction is the proper or more conventional use of the verb form of the word "trail"? Team A trails (following behind - in scores) team B. Team B trailing (keeping behind - in scores) team A.


What is the opposite of gem-like?

Does anyone know what would be an appropriate antonym for _gem-like_? That is, a word for something that is not valuable, not beautiful, brilliant, or clear, and may be soft, where a gem is hard. _Edit:_ We can say _gem-like_ to mean someone with attractive qualities. I was looking for an opposite along that line.


Greeting Question

We're working on a web/mobile application, and in our home screen we greet the user with the message _Hi John, What are you up to today ?_ , we're offering him the option to find deals around him, places, movies and traffic status. I want to randomize the _What are you up today_ question with an additional set, maybe _Looking for a night out?_ , so the services we offer would be relevant as answers, e.g. he can go the movies, or a restaurant, and check the traffic on the way. Any other ideas for more sentences?


Is there a single word that expresses "music end-users / enthusiasts"?

To help a soon-to-be sister site out here, I was thinking English.SE perhaps could lend a helping hand as this is the best place for "word choice and usage". I'm not looking for "naming", but rather want to see what shorter words exist for expressing " _music end-users/enthusiasts_ ", these could be " _journalists, reviewers, music fans and listeners_ ". I've tried, but can't come up with something... ~~Audiophiles~~. From Urban Dictionary I have _selvyn_ which is another word for a Music enthusiast of the Modern age; but yeah, it's UD and I don't think _selvyn_ is really English to begin with... So... do you know of a single word to express " _music end-users/enthusiasts_ "?


Should an apostrophe be used with a z at the end of a word?

I know that if a word ends with an **s** then it should be made plural or possessive by use of an apostrophe with no extra s (e.g. "Thomas Harris' book was a riveting read." as opposed to "Gary Barlow's voice is so distracting.") What about if the word ends with a **z**. For example, would it be **Gomez'** album or **Gomez's** album?


When do we use "arrive at" versus "arrive in"?

When do we use "at" and "in" with "arrive" talking about place, not time?


The use of "except"

Here is a sentence I saw using the word except: > valid claims were granted patent to land free and clear, except for a small > registration fee. What does it mean? How does the word except here related the registration fee to the previous part of the sentence.


Specific word used for the combining of past and current experience

I am looking for the specific word used for the combining of past experience with new. It is one word and I don't think it was Latin based but I just don't remember...


Alternative to "wide-ranging" adjective for "audience"

What is a good adjective that describes an audience as coming from a wide spectrum of different backgrounds?


difference between “increase of ” and “increase by”

Is there any difference between _there was an increase of 2%_ and “there was an increase by 2%”?


Use of "B defers to A" when A takes precedence over B

If A takes precedence over B, is it correct to say _B defers to A_? I searched the web for `precedence antonym` but found nothing useful.


Word for person who is always dizzy or high

What is a single word for a person who is always dizzy or high? I am sure it is not the same as a person who drinks a lot. Here Always means without an end.


What does "Rolling in the deep" mean?

It's the title of the song from Adele. I wonder what "Rolling in the deep" means.


What is the difference between "wealth of knowledge" and "breadth of knowledge"

Can they be used interchangeably? For example: To work in ABC you first must gain wealth/breadth of knowledge about ABC's products


Need a generic term for "model types" and "platforms"

We are a team of 2 developing a web application. It allows scientists to upload files with measurement data. My question is about how we should name one kind of metadata. An uploaded file might be the output of some measurement instrument or some scientific model. Both types are connected to some higher level element:   * _instruments_ are loaded onto _platforms_ which might be ships or airplanes transporting them during the measurement   * _models_ are distinguished by their _model type_ Now we'll have lists and database tables with both of them. The lower level element we call _data source_ because it's just the very entity producing the data. Can you think of any reasonable name for something which might be a _platform_ or a _model type_?


Can I drop 'might' in this sentence without changes in meaning?

I was interested in the following sentence which appeared in an article titled “Rethinking the Afghanistan War’s What-Ifs" by David E. Sanger in The New York Times (July 31, 2010). > The British spent a century arguing over whether a lighter hand or > devastating military _might could have put down_ the American Revolution. I'm already confused about differences between _might_ usage and _could_ usage, but the chaos explodes in my mind when I see they together. According to this Kosmonaut's answer, I should reword "might could have put down" with "might be able to have put down", but I'm not sure on this correction because this fragment does not make sense to my ear. Indeed, I would drop "might" and I would reword the sentence as follow: > The British spent a century arguing over whether a lighter hand or > devastating military _could have put down_ the American Revolution. Can someone clarify if the fragment "might could have put down" could be reworded dropping "might" without changes in meaning? Or, is it right what Kosmonaut said?