Why are numbers sometimes spelled out and then numerals specified as well?

I'm referring to the peculiar habit I sometimes see in formal documents, where a number is given numerically after it's spelled out. It seems quite redundant: > I need five (5) kumquats, stat! (Though it isn't always in a legal context, might it be related to this answer on this question?)


What is the superlative of "fun"?

I've seen _funniest_ a few times in that context, but isn't that a derivation of _funny_? Is there a superlative of _fun_ or do we really use _funniest_ for the lack of one?


What does "the Catskills have hardly sunk to them" mean?

What does Henry David Thoreau mean here when he says, "the Catskills and Highlands have hardly sunk to them": > We get a dim notion of the flight of birds, especially of such as fly high > in the air, by having ascended a mountain. We can now see what landmarks > mountains are to their migrations; how the Catskills and Highlands have > hardly sunk to them, when Wachusett and Monadnock open a passage to the > northeast; how they are guided, too, in their course by the rivers and > valleys; and who knows but by the stars, as well as the mountain ranges, and > not by the petty landmarks which we use. The bird whose eye takes in the > Green Mountains on the one side, and the ocean on the other, need not be at > a loss to find its way. > > http://www.thoreau-online.org/a-walk-to-wachusett-page8.html


"Arrive at" or "arrive in"?

While reading a short story by Washington Irving called _The Adventure of the German Student_ , I came across this line: > Wolfgang arrived at Paris at the breaking out of the revolution. Why has the author used _arrived at_ while in modern usage _in_ is used after _arrive_ for big places?


What is the "pie" in "Cutie Pie"?

_Cutie_ is a slang term used to refer to someone who is cute. Where did the word, _pie_ , in the expression "Cutie Pie" come from? And what is the history behind this expression? I can't seem to find any references to it.


'Although' paired with 'yet' in a sentence?

It is common to see 'although' used in the beginning of the sentence, but is it paired with any other word like 'yet'? We were discussing error correction in class today; my professor explained that while it is alright to use just although, there is nothing wrong with although and yet. > 'Although he was bad with calligraphy, yet he tried his best to write a > letter to her on her birthday.' Is this sentence correct?


The use of comma in written English

As a French native speaker who has to write a professional report in English, a question regarding the use of the comma crossed my mind. Here is an example of the type of sentence that might trouble me : > The nature of the traffic demands, which are represented by a finite number > of stations on the Earth's surface, is the source of two determining > properties Indeed, in French we use a lot of them and I was wondering whether for an English speaker the above commas feel unnecessary or not.


"(both)/(either) only available to men (and)/(or) women under pension age"

Let us suppose we are writing a legal document in which it must be stated that benefit are available to: (1)  men under pension age; (2)  women under pension age. Which of the following best describes that statement? > (1.a)  There are three types of bereavement benefit that are available only > to men and women under pension age. > > (1.b)  There are three types of bereavement benefit that are available only > to men or women under pension age. > > (2.a)  There are three types of bereavement benefit that are available only > both to men and women under pension age. > > (2.b)  There are three types of bereavement benefit that are available only > either to men or women under pension age.


A song "by" a singer or "from" a singer or "of" a singer

For example, I want to recommend a song of Adele to my friend. Should I say: The Someone Like You by Adele is fantastic. or The Someone Like You from Adele is fantastic. or The Someone Like You of Adele is fantastic. or something else.


Can a group of books be one of the best-selling books in the nation?

Is this sentence grammatically correct? > Dystopian books are **one of** the best-selling books in the nation.


Shall I Questions

>   1. Shall I find out for you? >   2. Shall I open the door for you? >   3. Shall I pull these curtains back now? > Please, I want to choose one of the following for each question.   * a) Do you want that I    * b) Shall I    * c) Will I    * d) Would you like that I


Is “She-economy” getting currency?

I happened to find the word, “Sheconomy” in the Time magazine’s (November 22, 2010) article titled “Woman power: The rise of the sheconomy.” The author, Belinda Luscombe writes; > “What these two (marketing research director of Midas International and > senior VP at Best Buy) and many other businesses discovered is **the > Sheconomy**. Everyone knows, or has long suspected, that the purse strings > are held by women. > > It’s oft repeated that they make 85% of the buying decisions, or are the > chief purchasing officers of their households. The difference today – one > that has enormous consequences across global economics – is that women are > also the earners.” > http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2030913,00.html Obviously “she-eonomy” is the economy in the world where women have a greater control of incomes and spending of both households and society. Although Google Ngram doesn’t show any incidence of “sheconomy / she-conomy,” Google search provides several instances of “Sheconomy” e.g;   1. It's a **She-conomy**. An excerpt from the Intuit 2020 Report. Over the next decade, women around the world will enter the workforce at an unprecedented rate. Close to 1 billion women, many of whom have either never worked or worked at a ... - www.sheconomy2020.com/   2. Both Time magazine and Minnesota Public Radio have taken an interest in " **the Sheconomy** " and consulted Marti Barletta's expertise. -www.trendsight.com/...Sheconomy.../Itemid,203/   3. Sheconomy, Vestavia Hills, Alabama. 469 likes • 3 talking about this. **Sheconomy** is a blog developed for male marketers to better understand not only the importance of advertising to women but how to connect effectively as well. - https://www.facebook.com/Sheconomy Is “Sheconomy” a just one-off ephemeral lingo invented by Time magazine and et al, or the neology getting currency?


What is a female or gender neutral form of gentleman that relays the same tone of respect?

At my office when referring to customers or external vendors I often use the word _gentleman_. I do this in effort to show that I’m speaking respectfully about them so the content and tone of my statement is less likely to be mistaken. For example, “I spoke with the gentleman about the issue he was having and it turned out he forgot to turn his computer on.” However, when the subject is a female the use of the word _lady_ doesn’t seem to project the same level of intended respect. Is there an **alternative** female or gender neutral word that I could use in these cases?


How would the use of the past perfect in the 'by the time' clause be understood?

Until recently, I was sure that when past simple and past perfect simple were used in a sentence joined by _by the time_ , past simple would always come in the time clause.I encountered the following sentence: _By the time they had finished their homework, it was time for bed_.This use is new to me as I know that _by the time_ means that when _a_ happens _b_ happens. I appreciate your help.


When does an acronym lose its capitalization, e.g. RaDAR 'radar'?

The reason that I ask is because this is happening to LiDAR, and I am inclined to use lidar because it is easier to read.


How did “defect” and “defect” come to have different pronunciations?

There are many interesting events in the history of the English language. Which one of them gave us “defect” (noun, `/diːˈfɛkt/`, imperfection) and “defect” (verb, `/dɪˈfɛkt/` , change allegiances)?


How to say "mix of two language" in a bad meaning

I think there is a invective for "mix of two language". But the word slipped my mind. Can you tell me how to say it? I'm not intend to use it, I only want to remember the word.


Why does the word "never" not contain an apostrophe?

If _never_ is a contraction of 'not ever' why does it not have an apostrophe, i.e. why is it not written _n'ever_ rather than _never_? I can understand that the apostrophe has simply fallen out of use, but then why not the same loss of the apostrophe in other negative contractions, e.g. _can't_ rather than _cant_ or _don't_ rather than _dont_ etc. Curious.


Is that a correct usage of present perfect?

What do you think about this sentence? > Do you have bought the lesson book? Is that a correct usage of "Do you have bought"? Or should I say "Did you buy"?


Is it "non linearized" or "nonlinearized"?

As the title says. I am wondering what is grammatically correct . "non linearized" vs "nonlinearized" (or maybe "non-linearized") Same for "non linear" vs "nonlinear" (or maybe "non-linear")


Why can’t one be “trepid”?

Why can someone be _intrepid_ but not **_trepid_** ? The Free Dictionary and Merriam-Webster both consider _trepid_ to be a real word, but my computer’s little spell-checker program does not recognize it as such. Why can’t someone be _trepid_ , despite the fact that one can feel _trepidation_?


"The distance is great" vs. "high" vs. "large"

I don't want to change the structure of the sentence. So please tell me which adjective works better in this sentence — _great, high_ or _large_. > Due to the resolution of cameras, vehicles are not visible in regions where > the vehicles' distance to camera is **great**.


Single word for "always new requirements"

Is there any word to express "always new needs emerge"? Can _renewable_ be sufficient for this? The context is something like "cannot satisfy the endless renewable needs", in an academic article.


Similar contrast

I'm writing an essay on metaphors. I have the following section: > A final **connection** between Atticus Finch and a suit of armour is their > ability to carry others’ skins. A suit of armour holds people inside it; in > **contrast** , Atticus walks inside others’ skins, which is a metaphor for > being empathic. Atticus and armour are both similar and dissimilar at certain degrees (regarding the "ability to carry skins"). How can I express the slight difference subtly, while emphasizing they are also similar?


Is there a technical term for the degeneration or evolution of words?

Based on this question, I was curious if there is an actual term that describes how words' meanings change or become deprecated over time.


Why is "primer" pronounced with a short "i" sound?

This word—used to mean an elementary textbook, not a painting material—annoys me to no end. Does anyone know why, exactly, "primer" is pronounced with a short "i" sound? I don't know why, call it intuition, but I can't see why this word isn't spelled "primmer." Are there any particular etymological reasons for this spelling/pronunciation combination? EDIT: Apparently this situation is only recognizable to American English speakers. I've only ever heard it pronounced with a short "i," but this seems to be completely unheard of to British English speakers.


Would you say "quote/end quote"?

> A girl said, quote, I want a lollipop, end quote, as she walked past the > candy store. Would you say it like that out loud?


Simple yet interesting English game for class?

I'll be hosting an English activity this week. Could you share some interesting English games which impressed you the most?


"Archivable" or "archiveable"

I have an entity and I would like to describe it as being able to be archived. Is it _archivable_ , _archiveable_ (which seem OK for me but no wiktionary.org results) or something else?


Are the commas right?

The man, who is standing there, is her ex-husband. Are these commas needed? Or is it: The man who is standing there is her ex-husband.


Which one is correct? "Look here" or "Look at here"?

Between the following two phrases:   * "Look here"    * "Look at here" which one is correct? Is it advisable to use "at" in this case?


Past perfect tense in this example

For the following example: > I had seen many beautiful shops in UK, when I was walking down the street > years ago. I'm not sure if the phrase "years ago" at the end of this sentence is correct. Should I put it before the start of the sentence?


What is the difference between experiment and experimentation?

If I am correct, both _experiment_ and _experimentation_ exist in English. Which one should I use? Can I say the following two sentences?   * This week, I am conducting new experiments at the laboratory   * This week, I am conducting new experimentations at the laboratory If the answer is yes, is there any difference between them?


Which was the first dictionary and how was it decided which words went into it?

I've heard the riddle: "If Websters' was the first dictionary where did he get all the words from?" It has quite since intrigued me, honestly. Which was the first English language dictionary and how was it decided what should go in it? How did 'they' know what words existed in the language in the first place? What if there was a word "bloombasticoozled" in some other continent, but when the people in that continent got hold of the dictionary they didn't find that word and decided to drop usage (or the word never made it to the English lexicon). Seems to lead to the chicken and egg problem... I'm really not trying to crack a joke here or be cynical, but am genuinely curious on how the first dictionary came into being and how did they choose the words :)


Is there a non-derogatory synonym for “propaganda”?

Is there a non-derogatory synonym for _propaganda_? Specifically, I’m talking about a word to describe the sum of all messages a particular political member has broadcast (through various media), but one without the negative connotation of “brainwashing” that _propaganda_ can carry.


What's the reason, words like "Thou" and "Thee" are no longer used in English language

When going through old English literature, especially stories and poems, we can see they have been full of words like "thou" and "thee" etc. Some of my English teachers told me that they were used to stress the respect of the person being identified. What was the reason for their disappearance in modern English?


What's the word for when two people like each other but each doesn't know whether the other likes back?

Each person is in like or love but neither has expressed it so each person wonders about the other and the frustrations might begin to build... what's that called? **EDIT: March 3rd, 2012, 4:47p:** The word I'm looking for describes love in such a fashion where two people love each other, but frustrations build because neither has acknowledged loving the other.


"Should" versus "would"

The NOAD reports the following notes about _should_ and _would_ : > The traditional rule is that _should_ is used with first person pronouns ( > _I_ and _we_ ), as in _I said I should be late_ , and _would_ is used with > second and third persons ( _you_ , _he_ , _she_ , _it_ , _they_ ), as in > _you didn't say you would be late_. In practice, however, _would_ is > normally used instead of _should_ in reported speech and conditional > clauses: _I said I would be late_ ; _if we had known, we would have invited > her_. I thought that _should_ and _would_ really had a slightly different meaning. Am I wrong?


Word for when something you are searching for is right next to you

I suddenly remember that I have to call someone with my mobile phone, but then I think "where is it?" right before I notice that the phone is sitting next to my hand. I feel "wow, lucky"... Is there an English word for a situation where the thing I am searching for is just next to my hand?


Word that describes someone that causes his own misfortune

Is there a single word to qualify/describe someone that causes his own misfortune, or even a single noun that refers to such a person?


Is there a term for an uplayable Solitaire hand?

Occasionally I deal myself a hand in solitaire - Klondike - that is unplayable. It's so infrequent that I feel as if I've dealt myself a winning hand - in Bizzaro world possibly. I was thinking there's some poetical quality to this hand I'm unable to use. Is there a term for that I might use? Are there any playing card scholars out there?


Format of this sentence

> (Thank you) (for something) (John) Or > (Thank you) (John) (for something) I've been seeing a lot of people speaking the latter and it's annoying me so I'm wondering which is wrong and right, or if both are right.


Is "I turned on and off the computer" grammatically correct?

Sounds wrong to me, and I would say, "I turned the computer off, and then on again", but I was wondering if both forms are acceptable.


Difference between Functional and Functioning

What shall I use in this sentence? functional or functioning? " The train that goes from my house to the university is **___ ___**, so I won't have any difficulty in going to the university today". And please explain the reason for your answer.


A construction using *so*

How would you rewrite the following sentence more properly? > The sea is blue and the sky also. I know that there is a specific construction using _so_ , but in fact I never used it...


Prepositions: "upon" vs. "after"

Despite having heard enough times already that _upon_ is an archaic version of the _on_ preposition, I'm still struggling to thoroughly understand its meaning and usage. In the quoted sentence, wouldn't it make more sense to use _after_? > Consider the possibility of activating accounts automatically upon a new > dataset creation. Is this just another way of expressing the thought, a more formal one?


What is the antonym of "result" or "consequence"?

A "result" or "consequence" is the what happens as a result of the concept of the word. For example: War -- death, suffering, winner, looser, etc. Is there a word that can describe the opposite meaning of the result of a concept? Perhaps an antonym for "result" or "consequence"?


"to" vs. "until"

If I wanted to say that something lasts all night and ends in the morning, I could use, "until morning." But what about "to morning?" Would that also be correct? I'm not sure because "to" here is referring to a time and not a place.


Semantic shift in "around"

I'm interested in the use of "around" as a synomym for "about, concerning, related to", which doesn't seem to be recorded in current dictionaries. I'd call it an academic/pseudo-academic usage and tho' I dislike it, I find it interesting and wonder when it first appeared and whether it's increasing in academia and in media like _The Guardian_. Some examples: > Many of the procedural issues **around** policy implementation were being > addressed. [...] Whilst there are perfectly understandable reasons for this, > due to the late entry of women into the academy, and particularly into the > kinds of discipline represented at this university, it was felt important to > 'problematize' gender in the management context, both in terms of issues > **around** 'representation' and in terms of the practices of the incumbents: > the growing literature on male managers suggests that they may experience > constraints in their own work which may be related to particular > constructions of masculinity, and Heads of Department were therefore seen as > key informants in this sense (see Kerfoot and Knights 1993). [...] Parker > and Jarry's (1995) Foucauldian analysis sees the new academic subjectivity > as inexorably complicit in the production and reproduction of a Fordist mass > higher education. At the same time, they contribute to a debate which is > still going on, **around** the idea of 'active citizenship' in higher > education. ("Gendering the Management of Power in Higher Education", Jackie > Goode and Barbara Bagilhole, in _Gender, Work and Organization_ , Vol. 5, > Num. 3, July 1998.) > > Feminist critiques of menopause have been beneficial in opening up important > public health debates **around** menopause. [...] Extending earlier feminist > critiques **around** menopause and HRT, this paper discusses a critical > feminist engagement **around** issues of women's perceived non-compliance > with HRT. ("Managing menopause: a critical feminist engagement", in _Scand J > Public Health_ , Dec. 27, 1999)


What is the difference between "can't" and "mustn't" in the expressing of prohibition?

> You **[verb]** use your mobile phone while you're driving. It's against the > law. What verb should be used?   * don't have to   * needn't   * mustn't   * can't Is _can't_ correct, or only _mustn't_ is correct?   What is the difference?


Is it natural to say "3 oranges and 4 apples are the same weight"?

When two groups of items have different masses, we can easily say   "3 oranges are lighter than 4 apples."   "3 oranges are heavier than 4 apples."   How about when they have the same mass? Can we say   "3 oranges and 4 apples are the same weight."


Is there any scenario, situation, or way to make "doing something selfishly" have a positive connotation?

The thing is, I am confused whether the word _selfish_ itself can be used without expressing a negative connotation. I am a bit biased about it since I believe that by using this word it automatically implies that a third party will be affected by the action. The thesaurus provides _self-interested_ , _self-seeking_ , _egoistic_ ; _illiberal_ , _parsimonious_ , and _stingy_ as its synonyms; and I am aware that some can be used in a positive manner. For example self-seeking doesn't necessarily mean I am affecting someone else. In other words, will everyone who hears _selfish_ automatically perceive a negative meaning for the preceding action? Could there be a better word that could express a similar meaning without being negative?


What is the difference in meaning here?

The less diligent can't work at this company. Does this mean "less diligent people?" Americans and the British...the British are the less funny. The British are the less funny of the two? The same construction was "he is the taller of the two?"


Pork and waste?

Is _pork and waste_ an expression or an idiom? From the context where I picked it up, it seems to indicate that if something is "built with pork and waste" it means that some aspects of that built thing are badly and too expensively built. Is that correct?


"It took me all of ten minutes to find out" - what does "all of" mean?

The sentence: "It took me all of ten minutes to find out" What does "all of" mean here exactly? Is it mainly used in a sarcastic context?


Is it correct to call an Apple Mac computer a PC (Personal Computer)

From the original meaning of the initialism, PC (Personal Computer), it would make perfect sense to call a Mac a PC, as it is just that, a personal computer. However, the vast majority of people distinguish a PC from a Mac - due to clever marketing. This distinction is so embedded in people now, that both PC users, and Mac users do not consider a Mac to be a PC. So would I be right to start referring to Macs under the blanket term "PC", or would the fact that most people no longer consider the term to refer to Macs make me wrong?


Which is correct, "Indicates" or "Indicates that"?

Which one sounds better? > "it indicates that the lane is closed" or > > "it indicates the lane is closed" Personally I would go with the first one without thinking, but I am reading a document, where the latter one is used consistently, therefore I started to doubt myself. which side do you pick on this one?


Is "mind's ear" a valid phrase?

I was wondering if we could use _mind's ear_ just way _mind's eye_ is used. Is it ok to use it as a valid phrase?


What's the difference between "hence" and "thus"?

Can anyone explain the difference between _hence_ and _thus_ and when should we use one and not the other?


Name for a type of game to help children get to know each other?

I'm looking for the name for the whole type/genre of games whose purpose is primarily to help children get to know each other.   It's close in meaning to "party games" but their main goal is to socialise the group.


Why is a dead man like a plumber's candle?

Here I read the following about a man who had just died: > He was the ghastly pale of a plumber’s candle. What exactly is meant? As far as I can google, a plumber's candle is just a shorter and thicker one, perhaps containing more stearic acid (source). What has all that to do with colour?


Why are women called chicks?

Why are women called chicks? Is there a negative connotation, I do assume there are sexist undertones there. Any idea about the etymology or origin of the term? Is it derived, in anyway, from 'chic' meaning elegantly and stylishly fashionable?


What does "Chinese theater" mean?

In a 1904 review of a piece by Maurice Ravel, one critic used the phrase Chinese theater > Two years later, a critic in the New York Tribune wrote, "In his String > Quartet M. Ravel is content with one theme which has the emotional potency > of one of those tunes which the curious may hear in a **Chinese theater** , > shrieked out by an ear-splitting clarinet. This theme serves him for four > movements during which there is about as much emotional nuance as warms a > problem in algebra. It is a drastic dose of wormwood and assafoetida." > (Wormwood is a very bitter tasting herb used in making absinthe; > assafoetida, a foul smelling and tasting gum resin used as an antispasmodic, > as well as a repellent against dogs, cats and rabbits). Does "Chinese theater" just mean Chinese theater or Chinese opera being operated in the United States even back then, or did "Chinese theater" have a non-literal and possibly euphemistic meaning?


Is it "close the door" or "shut the door"?

I am confused about which one to use. Do the phrases have the same meanings or different meanings? >   1. **Close** the door. > >   2. **Shut** the door. > >


Usage of "Prohibited" vs "Prevented" in a given sentence

Is the following usage of "prohibit" correct? > The disk crash prohibited me from saving the file. I have an opinion, but want to hear what others think before I share it.


What is the term for a situation where you need to do first in order to do second, but to do first you need to do second?

Practical example: > In order to get a job you need experience. To have experience you need to > get a job. What is the right term to call this?


“The rural women” or “the women of a rural village/area”?

Which one is more appropriate? > Among the rural women of a village in X district   >  Among the women of a rural village in X district   >  Among the women of a rural area in X district


lists set off by parentheses

Do parenthetical lists need "e.g." preceding the list, such as: "I am building a model of the house with key attributes (height, style, color) considered for comparison with other development areas."


Do we need another 'as' before safely in "... as quickly and safely as possible"?

Is it correct to say: > It is our mission to help you achieve your goals as quickly and safely as > possible. Or do we need to put another _as_ before safely?


"upon" a future fact

Is this a correct usage of **upon** ? > Please update this document upon deprecation of the current policy.


What does "might" exactly mean in the following excerpt?

This is a excerpt from Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, and I want to know the exact meaning of _might_ regarding the context. Some say by _might_ we mean: > being allowed to and some say it means: > being able to Of course we are all aware of the first meaning but relating to the later one, I couldn't find anything related. Here is the excerpt: > And thereupon Isoud fell down in a swoon, and so lay a great while And when > she _might_ speak she said: My lord Sir Tristram, blessed be God ye have > your life, and now I am sure ye shall be discovered by this little brachet, > for she will never leave you.


How to use “to offer” with two objects?

I am new in this web site! I would like to know if the following sentence is correct : > Operating systems **offer** _processes_ running in user mode _a set of > interfaces_ that can be used to make requests for privileged operations. When _offer_ has two objects (here _process_ and _set of interface_ ), should one of the objects be preceded by the **to** preposition?


Is radish countable or uncountable?

Are vegetables like cabbage, lettuce, radish countable or not when we talk about food? Which is correct? "We have some cabbage in the kitchen." Or "We have a cabbage." "I added some radishes to the salad." Or "I added some radish." "I don't eat much radish." Or "I don't eat many radishes."


"Virulent bacteria"

I read > Health officials were worried enough about an unusually **virulent** > outbreak of food-borne illness from the E. coli **bacteria** , This seems so wrong.   1. Is there a name for it? (mixed metaphors, for example)   2. Is it recommended?


Usage of "implication"?

Does the following sentence make sense? > What are the implications if we do not take a proactive approach to web > security? It sounds right to me but when I looked it up in the dictionary I wasn't sure that it was right...


Using a comma before "but"

I was once told by an English professor that a comma should never be used before _but_ in a sentence. For years, I have followed her advice but sometimes I just feel like it just _needs_ to be there. On the other hand, my brain also tells me that the word _but_ is, in a sense, performing the same function as a comma in the sentence. Does anyone know if there is a rule for this?


What do all capital letters typically refer to in writing?

In many error messages and conversations, I come across words in all capital letters, as demonstrated in the examples below. > ERROR: Please type your e-mail address. or > ME: I can't make it   >  SHE: I HATE you.   >  ME: I'm soo sorry. What is the typical meaning of or reason for these words written in all capital letters?


What is the difference between "abduct" and "kidnap"?

What is the difference between _abduct_ and _kidnap_?


Omitting "and" in a sentence

> He called her, emailed her, texted her, tweeted her—all to no use. Strictly speaking, I would need to write _texted her **and** tweeted her_, but I'm omitting _and_ to convey a rhythm and sense of urgency. What do you call this kind of construction, and is it accepted grammar (at least for creative writing, if not in an academic context)?


One word for limited or piecemeal benefit

I'm writing a paper on data strategy for large corporates. In this paper I define 4 levels of maturity on the path to a Google-like nirvana state where corporate, client, user, and other data is managed strategically to deliver true business benefit. My four levels are:   * Data Debt Despondency (or Doldrums)   * MIS Mediocrity   * BI **limited benefit**   * Data Exemplar/Luminary/Doyen (not sure about this name yet.) For completeness, MIS = _Management Information Services_ and BI = _Business Intelligence_ \- both jargon for types of software solution designed to extract business benefit from data. I like the alliterative nature of the first two names, and so I'd like to follow that example for the 3rd and 4th levels too, if I can. My question is, can someone suggest 1 word that means "limited benefit"? Bonus points if it starts with a B and double bonus points if you can also suggest a nice alliterative name for the 4th, nirvana level.


What is a single word which means "To flow or cause to spread every part of the body"?


Can one meet criteria, or satisfy requirements?

I usually see 'satisfy the criteria' and 'meet the requirements', but is it acceptable to use 'meet the criteria', or 'satisfy the requirements'?


Using "any" with positive sentence

> Everyone can do it.   >  Nobody can do it. The both sentences are very clear. I understand what they mean. > Anyone can do it But I feel a little confused about this sentence. What does it mean?   Is it similar to _Everybody can do it?_ or does it mean _Nobody can do it?_


List semi-colons?

> Eleanor Roosevelt played an active political role. She wrote newspaper > columns, made speeches and radio broadcasts, traveled widely, and listened > to the concerns of women, minorities, and ordinary Americans. Would it need to be rewritten with ; because it is a list within a list? I just recently learned this concept, and I am still kinda confused on it. She wrote newspaper > She wrote newspaper columns, made speeches and radio broadcasts, traveled > widely, and listened to the concerns of women; minorities; and ordinary > Americans.


It the phrase "They identify themselves as Pacifist, but the EU as an arrogant power" grammatical?

Is this phrase grammatical? > They identify themselves as Pacifist, but the EU as an arrogant power. Is a verb necessary in the second part of the sentence?


Boxer-turned-politician Vitaly Klitschko pulled out of the race for Ukrainian

The sentence underlines that Vitaly Klitschko is a former boxer who has now given to politics. Is "boxer-turned-politician" a common construction to refer to people who change activities, or is it more the writer's wording ability?


AmEng equivalent of "Shy kids get no sweets"?

In the North-East of England we have the saying: > Shy bairns get nowt With a less-slang equivalent of: > Shy children get no sweets. It's kind of like "Nothing ventured, nothing gained". Is there an equivalent saying in American English?


What is the act of self-referencing?

Ok, so something can be _self-referencing_. "This sentence contains thirty-eight letters." or "This is not a pipe." ![The Treachery Of Images \(1928-29\) by René Magritte depicts a pipe along with text stating "This is not a pipe."](http://i.stack.imgur.com/fpv6N.jpg) But what is "doing that" called? Along the lines of how _self-deprecating_ is _self-deprecation_. Thought maybe… _self-referenciation_ , but that doesn't seem to exist. How ironic.


Alternative to "We'll just have to agree to disagree"

Is there a polite alternative to "We'll just have to agree to disagree" that can be used as an exit strategy from a relatively friendly debate when a person feels they've said all they have to say and no longer wishes to press the point, but doesn't wish to "walk out of the room and slam the door" or imply "having the last word"? My issue with the phrase is that it seems very cliché / overused, to the point of almost having a negative connotation (to me, it has a subtle ring of "superiority" that I can't quite put my finger on -- it almost has a "weasel word" quality to it due to its overuse).


Single word to describe positive, matured, or loving attitude towards life

I am planning to create a new Twitter or Facebook account and my own website, which will be used to share happiness, awareness, positivity, motivation, related images/quotes to the people who follow/subscribe it. I want to decide a good name for the website domain or you can say Facebook page/Twitter account username. I need some suggestions to show following qualities:   * I love to face challenges, I never give up   * I love life **a lot**   * I love family,social friends and **strangers** too   * I believe in constantly progressing in life, I never regret In short, **I don't have any single complaint to life; it is very beautiful and amazing, I love to live _each second_ of the day**.


How do you properly punctuate a list of expresssions?

If I'm listing expressions in a sentence, do I put the proper punctuation for the sentence _as well as_ a comma after the expression? For example: **Objectives** To learn to use the expressions "Would you like to run?", "Yes, I would.", and "No, I wouldn't." OR **Objectives** To learn to use the expressions "Would you like to run," "Yes, I would," and "No, I wouldn't." * * * Additionally, should there be any punctuation after the word "expressions"?


Citing a book where no formatting of text is possible

In forums such as this, where it's not possible to format the title of a question, is there an appropriate way to refer to a title of a book? For example, in this question I enclose the title of a textbook in quotes. Is that okay?


What is the most popular buzz word spoken in this year in U.S., U.K and other English speaking countries?

In Japan, people are keen about what word is chosen as the Grand Prix winning word of the Most Popular Buzz Word of the Year -MPBW. The contest was initiated in 1884 by a publisher, Jiyukokumin-sha, well-known for its long life best seller, “The Basic Knowledge of Contemporary Words - BKCW” that is updated every year. The candidate words are selected by panelist members from thousands of new words registered in BKCW and put to public vote. The result is announced on December 1st every year, and reported and televised by major newspapers, magazines and TVs. Many people join the vote for MPBW, and what word is selected as the Grand Prix word of MPBWY is a sort of national interest nowaday. This years’ Grand Prix word voted as the most popular buzz word was "Nadesiko (fringed pinc flower, an alias of beautiful but courageous Japanese women) Japan", All Japan team of professional female soccer that won 2011 Women’s World Soccer Cup. 2nd Kizuna – Human bond: possibly evoked with Great Earthquake association. 3rd Kodama de shoka? – Is it an echo?: the phrase of famous female poet used in a public organization's TV commercial to support and cheer up victims of Eastern Japan Earthquake. 4th 3.11: the day Eastern Japan M9 earthquake took place. 5th Sumapho: smart phone. Reflecting the tide of time, this year's top-ranking MPBW words are mostly and specifically associated with Eastern Japan earthquake. Do you have the same event as MPBWY? If you have, what is the most popular buzz word that prevailed in this year. If you don’t have, what do you think is the most popular buzz word that came up to people's mouth in this year, in your country?


Why does the verb 'have' require 'do' or 'got' and cannot be used alone?

When I began to study English, about 50 years ago, I was taught to ask, for instance, 'Have you a car?' and, if the answer was negative, to answer 'I have not a car.' However, when I came back to study English, I learnt that now I should ask ' **Do** you have a car?' or 'Have you **got** a car?' and reply 'I **do** not have a car,' or 'I have not **got** a car.' When _did_ this change take place and why?


Is "Cost savings" a singular term or plural terms?

Can I use _Cost savings_ in the following sentence as a singular term? > Cost savings is often seen with these program.


Do you use "pick nits"?

Recently I have been watching **What's my car worth?** One person said several times, "I like to pick nits.", as in being a nitpicker. Do you use or have ever heard "pick nits"? It is used?


What's the difference between a half-truth and a half-falsehood?

According to Merriam-Webster, a half-truth is ' _a statement that mingles truth and falsehood with deliberate intent to deceive_ ', yes, but a bit of searching shows that on-line dictionaries don't have an entry for _half- falsehood_ , and so, in the lack of this definition, the first thing to come to my mind is that one could define it the same way a half-truth is defined ' _a statement that mingles truth and falsehood with deliberate intent to deceive_ '. Maybe it is so, however a doubt arose as to whether in a half-falsehood there is a ' _deliberate_ ' intent to deceive. I don't know why, but I'm under the impression that one utters a half- falsehood in order to save themselves rather then to deceive other persons, let alone to _deliberately_ deceive them. Therefore, what's the difference between a half-truth and a half-falsehood?


Can the verb 'be' be modified?

Comments on this question, now closed, considered whether the verb _be_ could be modified by an adverb. This seems a question worth pursuing in its own right, so may I ask what _completely_ modifies in the following sentence, if it doesn't modify _be_? > Whatever you choose to be, be completely. **Edit:** And how about these? > He is almost a doctor. > > Finally he is a doctor.


Usage of 'if' and 'if not' to mean 'and perhaps even/also'

Consider the sentence: > While this assumption, on its own, is relatively innocuous, if implausible, > in practice, it is supplemented by assumptions... The 'if' here really means something more like 'but perhaps also'. Another sentence: > He appeared very happy, if not exuberant, at her arrival. 'if not' here means something like 'and perhaps even', as if the latter statement should be a more extreme version of the former. But it also feels like an exclusive disjunction. That is, it is one or maybe the other, but not both. On the other hand, 'if' by itself feels like both statements could be true. I can conjure up many examples where both 'if' and 'if not' violate my above descriptions and many more which just seem malformed and awkward but fit them, e.g., ' _He seems happy, if not a little confused'_. or _'The proof appeared correct, if sloppily constructed,'.._. Adding further confusion, if I make a small change to the previous example: _'The proof appeared correct, if a little sloppy, .._ , it feels correctly formed although the semantics or grammar have not changed substantially (although I could be wrong as I am thoroughly confused now). **So my questions are: are there any concise descriptions of how to use 'if' and 'if not'? Does this grammar usage have a name? When are they interchangeable and when not?** Thanks


Expression for "intend to help but instead making things worse"

I want to say "someone (or something) intends to help, but instead it makes things worse". Is there any succinct expression or phrase for this? Thanks.


What is the word for moving your lips without making a sound?

Is there an English word to describe the act of moving one's lips as though speaking but without making a sound? One would do this with the expectation that the person he is attempting to communicate with will read his lips. As an example, if I walk into my boss's office while he is on the phone and he tells me to "wait a sec..." while wrapping up his phone conversation but without the person on the other end of the phone hearing. Is there a single word for that?


Is there a proper way to quote something someone said in a press release without using the form: said Nate?

For example: > "The English StackExchange site will pwn the crap out of all the other > English language resource sites on the interwebs," said Jeff Atwood, CTO of > Stack Overflow. Though I can't find a reference at the moment, I feel I have also seen this form before: > "The English StackExchange site will pwn the crap out of all the other > English language resource sites on the interwebs."   >  -- Jeff Atwood, CTO of Stack Overflow Is the second form acceptable? Is it proper? Furthermore, is the person's title in the second form proper? Or should it be: > -- Jeff Atwood, CTO, Stack Overflow _PS. No, it's not a real quote._


Picked, perked or pricked up?

I hear and read these three words used in the same context in English, but is one of them more correct than the others? "The witch's cat picked up his ears" "Last year, when Mahmout heard that EGA would pay for several thousand mules for Greece, he perked up his ears." "As they were speaking, a dog that had been lying asleep raised his head and pricked up his ears."


What do you call it when people mix truth and lies?

A common tactic in the deliberate spread of misinformation such as is common in chain emails, is to state something true and easily proven in order to gain the reader's trust, then follow it with a lie that the trusting reader will not bother to verify. An example is the Obamacare/dhimmitude email, which correctly defines the term "dhimmitude" as a Muslim tax on non-muslims, and encourages the reader to "Google it." Then the email claims that the word appears in the Obamacare law, which it doesn't. But the email gets passed around anyway, because people never bother to check. So my question is, is there a name for this tactic?


Fodder - idiomatic meaning

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/little-sign-progress-obama-putin-speak-231431925 --politics.html > While U.S. officials denied those accusations, confirmation of Brennan's > visit could provide **fodder** for Russian officials to create a pretext for > further incursions into eastern Ukraine. What are the authors trying to suggest and what does in this context the word **fodder** mean?


how to conjugate verb in dependent clause inside subjunctive mood

In the sentence > I pretended that I understood, lest he think I am stupid or deaf. the "he think" part is definitely present subjunctive, but I'm not sure how the "I am" part should be conjugated. I'm thinking it might also be present subjunctive: > I pretended that I understood, lest he think I **be** stupid or deaf. or past subjunctive: > I pretended that I understood, lest he think I **were** stupid or deaf. All three sound all right to me. Is there one correct conjugation to use in this case?


Part of speech: "early"

What part of speech is _early_ in "I had my lunch early"? Is it an adjective or an adverb?


Surely *some* wordsmiths must love America[ns]?

People who like/admire English or French (the languages and/or the people and their culture) are easily identified as _Anglophiles_ or _Francophiles._ I'm not sure there are so many _Germanophiles,_ but that might be because they're diluted by the presence of _Teutophiles_. My problem is on the (not ridiculously rare) occasions when I want to express positive feeling towards _American_ people (or their linguistic peculiarities), I don't have a similar word. Am I missing something obvious? Or is there a little-known term?


How do you call someone whom you ship your product to?

This person receives your product but they MAY or MAY NOT be your customer (maybe someone who can deliver it to your customer like their relative or friends BUT NOT some delivery company). Also, their details are added to under 'Shipping Details' by the customer maybe because your customer doesn't have a permanent address yet. How do you call this person? Some names I could think of are 'receiver' or 'referee' or 'trustee' but I don't think they're accurate enough in business terms.


On being golden

Saying that _[someone] is golden_ means that person is in a desirable situation that will likely lead to some sort of success. I am trying to find out the origin of this phrase. So far, I have found sites that suggest that:   * It is used mainly in spoken informal American English   * It may have originated in the military Does anyone have a more definitive and reputable explanation for the origin of this expression?


"Hurry, give me anything that will hold water!" What verb tense is this?

In the following sentence, "Hurry, give me anything that will hold water!" What verb tense is "will hold" ? Not future simple, I presume.


What is the meaning of the phrase "picking up friction"?

Earlier today, I used the phrase "picking up friction" thinking it was a common saying. Later intrigued by the possible history of the phrase, a Google search turned up pretty much no results for the phrase as I used it. I consulted a friend who also believed the phrase sounded familiar, and agreed that the meaning went something like "to rise in popularity". > Ever since people realized how cute squirrels were, the squirrel market has > been picking up friction. Is there a reason as to why it feels completely natural for me to say it, and why other people may possibly understand it?


How should I pluralize MSDS?

Should _MSDS_ be pluralized with an _s_? My initial reaction is to say No, because MSDS indicates it could be plural or singular — it stands for “Material Safety Data Sheets”.


What do you call a person who is constantly busy yet always willing to go the extra mile?

What do you call a person who is constantly busy with his or her workload but is willing to go the extra mile to do more than what is needed? Is hardworking good enough or is there some other better words that could be used to describe this person?


How to understand the word cascade in CSS?

Why it is called cascade, instead of `inheritable`, or `derivable`, or `chained`, or something else? Maybe I have misunderstood the word? And, when should I use the word cascade in my own software architectures?


Why is there a slash within "n/a"

_not available_ is not _not/available_ , and _not applicable_ is not _not/applicable_. Why is it _n/a_?


Two terms showing perceptible difference in comparison owing to triangle in the sentence

Do the following two sentences have the same or different meaning? >   * I love you more than Tom. > >   * I love you more than Tom loves you. (Or, I love you more than Tom does > you.) > > My concern is that both the sentences seem to differ considerably in their meaning, particularly when three people are mentioned in the sentences. I feel unable, however, to help advanced learners of English to understand why the two sentences seem to have different meanings. Thanks in advance.


How are multiple, alternative direct objects governed by multiple, alternative verbs?

Title 18 USC Sec. 1519 begins: Whoever knowingly alters, destroys, mutilates, conceals, covers up, falsifies, or makes a false entry in any record, document, or tangible object . . . Question: Syntactically, must ALL the verbs be capable of applying to ALL the direct objects? (Or may the reader "mix & match"?) Note the disjunctive OR used to relate both the verbs and the objects.


What does "It must be the pizza" mean ?

Is there an idiom such as "it must be the pizza" ? If so, does that mean something other than what it is ? very much Appreciated, : )


"As on 16 May" vs. "as of 16 May" — which is correct?

I updated a cost sheet and I want to specify that it's a newly updated cost sheet. For this situation, which one is correct? > cost sheet as **on/of** 16 May Before specifying a date, which will come first, _on_ or _of_?


What does the word "Fresh" mean in everyday conversation in America / UK / Australia? I am confused?

I am from Asia & English is not my first language. When I was watching some TV ads in Australia, I often heard that "buy fresh meat in our supermarket" or "try our fresh apples" or "we cook fresh chicken". Then I feel confused. In my country, the word "Fresh" means "have just harvested" (for vegetables or fruit) & means "have just slaughtered" (for meat). Ex: In my country, if you say "I eat a fresh apple" means that u eat an apple that have just taken from the tree 5 mins ago". if you say "I cook fresh chicken" means that u slaughtered an alive chicken & then immediately (maybe after 1 or 2 hours) u cooked it then it is said that "you are cooking fresh chicken". That makes sense cos in my developing country, refrigerator is very limited, not many people have equipment to store meat, so they have to cook meat immediately & thus they define "Fresh" ="have just harvested or have just slaughtered". However, i asked some English people in Australia & in America, they means "Fresh" differently. For them, "Fresh" means "have not spoiled". Ex, the supermarket killed a chicken & then they put it into the fridge for 2-3 days, they then take the chicken out & sell it to you. Then the supermarket is saying that "I am selling a fresh chicken to you". It means "I am selling not- spoiled chicken to you though the chicken was dead for long period of time, it just has not spoiled cos the supermarket stored it in the fridge. Likewise, the supermarket can use some preservatives to store apple for many months & now they are selling not-spoiled apples to you, then they can say "I am selling fresh apples to customers". But How English people define "Fresh" in old time when fridge has not invented yet? Do they mean "Fresh"="have just harvested or slaughtered"?


Is "goodnight" the right wish to say in the evening, say 5 pm?

In the evening, when we part after the day's work, my colleagues wish me "goodnight" and I don't feel it right. What is the right thing to say in the evening (5 pm) when we part with our colleagues?


where should we use has/have been and had been?

Where should we use **"has/have been" and "had been"**? What is the difference between them?


Shut your mouth

I’m confused regarding these expressions: > Shut up > > Shut your mouth > > Shut your mouth up > > Shut up your mouth After some research, I’ve come to believe they are all correct except “Shut up your mouth”. Am I right? Even if not correct, is “Shut up your mouth” still commonly used? Are all four expressions common to some extent? I know they are all rude, but are they equally rude or they could be ranked by level of rudeness?


Why is it “earn a livelihood at one’s own calling”, not “with/by” one’s own calling?

Both the usage of prepositions and articles are always the biggest headache for non-native English language learners—I think you’ll perhaps experience the same bewilderment when you first face complexity of the usage of prepositions called ‘te-ni-o-ha’ in Japanese language. I was caught up with an primitive question, why it should be “earn a livelihood **at** one’s calling,” not “with/by one’s calling,” in the following sentence of the New Yorker’s (May 3rd) article titled “In Prague,” describing the hardship the thinking segment experienced under the Soviet- backed totalitarian Czech regime during 1970s. > Once they had been thrown out of the Writers’ Union, they were forbidden to > publish or to teach or to travel or to drive a car or to earn a proper > livelihood each **at** his or her own calling. For good measure, their > children, the children of the thinking segment of the population, were > forbidden to attend academic high schools. As the text is from Philip Roth who received the Literary Service Award at the PEN Gala recently, it should be infallible. But I as an English language novice tend to associate the preposition “at” with a speciffic working place rather than generic profession and job. Do we have to say “I earn my livelihood at my calling (writer’s/sales/guardsman’s job),” and no choice of other prepositions?


About verbs and their objects

Some verbs take their object directly, some don't. For example: > you **bounce** into a programmer's cubicle with a huge grin on your face the word "bounce" here cannot have its object, so we have to use "into" to help it with its object. Is there a formal name for this grammar phenomenon, then I can search Wikipedia for it to learn more about it.


What preposition does "rate ... criteria" take?

I'm writing up specs for a website with learning materials for our alpha testers to comment on. Among others, I'm describing the rating system: the materials can be rated (...) several criteria (such as usefulness, quality), e.g. by giving 3 stars for usefulness and 5 for quality. Is "according to" the only proper way to link "rate" and "criteria" in this case? Can we _rate **by** quality_? _rate **on** quality_? _'rate **in** quality'_? I would usually just say _'rate **the** quality'_, without a preposition or anything, but I can't really use that in a passive sentence about the materials, and I know that even if I change this specific sentence into an active one, I'll need the passive at some point as well... (please note that I mean the act of rating (ie. giving stars or votes or whatever), not the act of sorting things by their ratings - which is I suspect why the **_'by'_** and **_'according to'_** options don't sound right to me)


What are the uses of Iambs, Trochees, Spondees, Dactyls, and Anapests (in poetry? are they forms of different units in poetry?)? I'm looking for clear definitions and some relevant examples that do not blur their differences. Only examples were available and they didn't make sense so any definitions (if they were available at all) would probably be confusing if not misleading.


is "purile" a word?

I can't find it on any dictionary. It could be spelt wrong but google doesn't correct it. it could be obsolete but any such (outdated) record doesn't seem to be in existence. the word could either be extinct or unreal. but I could have sworn I've read it somewhere


"In its entirety" vs "in entirety"

Where should "in its entirety" be used in place of "in entirety"? Consider the following paragraphs. Which usage is correct, and is the alternative incorrect / less correct, or simply not as common? "We received a lot of information. Therefore, we elected to relay it in entirety." "We received a lot of information. Therefore, we elected to relay it in its entirety."


Which one is correct: "communications device" or "communication device"?

Is there any difference between "wireless communications device" and "wireless communication device"? Which one would be more appropriate in the following title: > Motion programming of spatial manipulator using wireless communication(s) > device


What’s the correct usage of “modulo”?

How would we rephrase the following sentence to be grammatical? : > 10 **modulo** 3 equals 1. By "grammatical", I probably mean something along the lines of _standard American English_. Initially, I'd thought that its grammatical, but dictionary.com claims that _modulo_ is an adverb and not a verb, so it seems that the above usage is wrong. What’s the standard and accepted usage of the word _modulo_?


What's another word for "perfect analogy" / "non-analogy"?

Is there a word to mean an analogy so _perfect_ that it is no longer considered an analogy? For example, what may be a suitable word in the sentence below? : > ...The analogy eventually breaks down, as all analogies must. If it didn't > it wouldn't be called an analogy, it would be called a **___ __ ___ ___** .


What is the difference between ‘silviculture’ and ‘forestry’?

What is the difference in usage? What associations does the former word trigger that the latter does not (and vice versa)?


Equivalent for "at the heart of our society"

I want to say "XXX is at the heart of our society," but I feel it's such a cliche! Any suggestions for a somewhat equivalent sentence?


Irony - Alanis Morisette Song

This is old news ...but I am having trouble understanding why some of Alanis Morisette's examples from her song 'Ironic' are not ironic. For example: "An old man turned ninety-eight. He won the lottery and died the next day." In this case, isn't there an incongruity between what he expected and what happened? He was hoping to win the lottery his whole life...but when he finally did, he ended up dying. Isn't there an outcome in this case that was opposite to what was expected? Another example: "It's meeting the man of my dreams and then meeting his beautiful wife." Isn't this ironic because she tries hard to find the right guy but then finds him and that he is married. Isn't his married status opposite to what was expected? Thank you for answering these questions.


Co owns with me in official letter to Home Office

I have couple of sentences as, > I confirm that my brother, Name, DOB 01/01/0001, Nationality Indian co owns > property 00 Same Road, Manchester, UK with me and I have no obligations for > his wife to live at property with him. > > I also confirm he has an exclusive bedroom for himself. Now I am concerned about words as if they fits in the sentence or grammatically correct "co owns" and "property with me" ? I am also concerned authenticity of the sentences as they sound to be wrong grammatically or because of words usage.


What do Americans call a 'double-barrelled surname'?

I refer to someone whose family name is, for example Fortescue-Smith; or Birchall Hughes. Sometimes they are hyphenated, sometimes not. But they are known in Britain as 'double-barrelled'. One senses that they must be growing in incidence, as increasing numbers of mothers who are not married to the father of their children, as well as married women, decide to include their own family name as part of their children's names. Is the attitude of society to such names changing in any way?


In soccer, is there "a goal" or "goals" at each end of the pitch?

Being a non-native speaker, I don't quite have a good feel for this. Is it usually referred to in singular or plural? For example, is it "We painted the goal white" or "We painted the goals white", when referring to just one side of the pitch? P.S. I think I know why I was unsure: Russian for "goal" behaves the same as "scissors" does in English, i.e. it has no singular.


Difference between "presently" and "shortly"

What is the difference between _presently_ and _shortly_? They seem to have rather similar meanings.


"At the least" to start a sentence seems right but

The sentence I am trying to construct will be read with the assumption that finding that a bug exists in unfortunate. This is what I want to say, paraphrased: > We found a bug in the code. **At the least** , it causes this negative > effect, but it might cause others. My question is on the use of "at the least." The reason I am questioning this is because I have not heard this phrase very much. The two other similar phrases I have heard do not seem to convey the idea in the same way. > We found a bug in the code. **At least** , it causes this negative effect, > but it might cause others. When the reader gets past "at least," he or she will be in the mindset that a negative thing has happened (the bug was found), but there is a bright side. Generally, after a negative statement, "at least" is used to "look on the bright side" and mention a positive aspect of the situation. However, this is not what I am doing, so the sentence will read weirdly. > We found a bug in the code. **At the very least** , it causes this negative > effect, but it might cause others. Reflecting on the way that I am familiar with this phrase, I feel that, when the reader gets past "at the very least," he or she will think that I am about to suggest the least that we should do to fix the problem, but that is not what I am doing, so the sentence will read weirdly. Also, personally, I think this phrase is over-used and is a bit sensationalist with the "very" in there. For those reasons, I feel "at the least" is the best option. However, I am still stuck on the fact that it is an uncommon phrase. This makes me hesitant to use it and makes me wonder whether it (or even "at the very least") is grammatically correct. Is this grammatically correct? If so, does it read so strangely that it rivals the magnitude to which the others read strangely? _I would appreciate most an answer concerning the phrase "at the least," but alternative ways to phrase the sentence would be helpful as well. Also, this is my first post, so any suggestions on my posting behavior/style would be helpful._


What would be your reply if someone asks you, "How do you do?"

What would be your reply, if someone asks you   * How do you do?


Provoke in a good way

What is the word for provoking some one in a good way to do something good? My research shows provoke is means to induce anger in a person to do something. I have found "inspired" but it doesnt give the same provocative :) effect. Cheers


What is the correct usage of 'formerly' as time adverb?

_PLEASE NOTE: JDK6 [is|was] formerly known as Project Mustang_ In the previous sentence what is correct ' _is_ ' or ' _was_ '? and why? While reading a bug report I found this sentence with 'is' and now I'm wondering what is correct. BUG 6399361


Another phrase for "dealing with people you wouldn't normally want to deal with but you do"

Has anyone got a nice phrase for "dealing with people you wouldn't normally want to deal with but you do because they perform a function that you would not want to do or are not able to do"? I have in mind the situation in the _Merchant in Venice_ where the Venetians tolerate the Jews, even though they dislike them, because they need them as moneylenders, since Christians were officially not allowed by the Church to collect interest (this despite the fact that countless Christian countries, including Venice, had commercial banks with networks operating all over Europe by the early Renaissance).


Word for special/fancy/unusual/awesome recipes

Hey i am searching for a word, which fits the meaning i want to spread. It is about recipes that are unusual and fancy.. So they are more sophisticated and more awesome than other recipes. I am from germany and not sure which word fits the best.. Something like Fancy Recipes, does that work or is it uncommon? thanks a lot


Ironic question "Do you now?"

From time to time I encounter the sentence "Oh, do you now?" which I suppose expresses some kind of irony. Is the question grammatically correct? * * * The question was asked also here: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=796384


What're websites I can search/request native speaker to speak some word?

I want to know good website that I can search or request native speaker to speak some word. I usually use Merriam-Webster but it has only once sound.


Synonym for 'description'

Preferably a short one. 'Description' fits my purpose very well, but is longer than I'd like ( **3 - 5 letters are ideal** ). It's going to be used as a heading, umbrella-term, button or similar for image-metadata of some of the ones in Dublin Core; subject ("husband and children") and description ("family in front of waterfall"). And also tags ('Ben', 'Jeremy', 'Sarah', 'waterfall', 'holiday', 'Iceland') Recognisable acronyms and abbreviations would also work, but usability goes first, so if nothing better is found, 'description' it is. Edit: Clarification: 'Description' (as it is called for now) is the name of only one category in a **software program for image-metadata**. Other categories are 'Cam' (camera; shutterspeed, ISO, aperture etc.), 'GPS'/'Geo' (longitude, latitude) etc.


What is the meaning, and origin, of the phrase "breaking windows with guineas"?

Regarding the phrase: > Breaking windows with guineas What is its meaning, and origin? The 'guineas' part of it might mean more to the British audience on this site than the others.


Could you elaborate how to use the pattern adjective + to infinitive?

I am still confused in using the pattern `adjective + to infinitive`. The 2 sentences below are given for examples.   * I am lazy to study.   * It is lazy for me to study. Could you elaborate how to use the pattern ?


What does "pike hoses" mean?

I'm reading James Joyce's _Ulysses_ , and while there are enough things I don't understand in it I keep crossing the phrase "pike hoses," or "met him pike hoses." Can anyone enlighten me as to the meaning? For example: > Mr Bloom moved forward, raising his troubled eyes. Think no more about that. > After one. Timeball on the ballastoffice is down. Dunsink time. Fascinating > little book that is of sir Robert Ball's. Parallax. I never exactly > understood. There's a priest. Could ask him. Par it's Greek: parallel, > parallax. **Met him pike hoses** she called it till I told her about the > transmigration. O rocks! And: > Poor fellow! Quite a boy. Terrible. Really terrible. What dreams would he > have, not seeing? Life a dream for him. Where is the justice being born that > way? All those women and children excursion beanfeast burned and drowned in > New York. Holocaust. Karma they call that transmigration for sins you did in > a past life the reincarnation **met him pike hoses**. Dear, dear, dear. > Pity, of course: but somehow you can't cotton on to them someway.


"Experienced in" or "experienced of"

What is the correct use of experienced, with _in_ or _of_? For example, > I have experienced **in** system development. > > I have experienced **of** system development.


Is "laid down" a proper term?

Which sentence is correct? Why?   1. He was laid up with fever yesterday.   2. He was laid down with fever yesterday.   3. He was laid down by the malaria parasite last month.


Find or invent a term for "Completely intersecting minus one"

I'm writing a paper that frequently references regions on a string, and these regions often intersect. I need to succinctly describe regions that almost completely intersect. For example, given the string ACGT, suppose I have two regions described by [start,end] coordinates as follows: R1=[0,2]="ACG" R2=[1,3]="CGT" Such that if these regions were laid side-by-side, we'd see that they intersect over the characters "CG":               ACG-     -CGT      This particular situation arises a lot. I get two regions of equal length that intersect completely minus one. That is, I get two regions of length _n_ that intersect by _n-1_ characters. It would make my paper immensely clearer if I had a succinct way of stating this relationship. For a while I simply shoved "mis-" and "overlapped" together and said "mislapped". Thus instead of saying, "R1 and R2 intersect completely minus one," it would say "R1 and R2 are mislapped," or "R1 mislaps R2". But "mislap" is clearly awful. Would the brilliant minds of English.StackExchange help me find or invent a better term?


What is the role and historical context for "come" in "Kingdom come"? I've heard this said before but it seems to stick out grammatically. Is it correct?


Why do they call the counterpart “that woman” to press corps after parting from a female?

Further to my question I posted yesterday on the significance of the term “woman driver” used by Rush Limbaugh, I have another question: Limbaugh’s use of ‘woman driver’ in a derogatory context reminds me of when President Bill Clinton referred to Monica Lewinsky as “ _that woman_ ,” not Ms Lewinsky, that lady, or even “she or her” when he admitted to having an affair with her before the press corps. When male celebrities are involved with an “improper relationship,” and have to acknowledge the affair in front of the press corps, they often (almost always to me) call the other side “ _that woman_.” Isn’t this insulting to not only the counterpart woman, but women in general? Why do they use “that woman” to the lady they were once intimate with?


What is the correct way to pronounce 'router'?

Merriam-Webster lists both _ˈrüt_ and _ˈrau̇t_ as possible pronunciations for _route_ but only _ˈrau̇-tər_ for _router_. Is it really wrong to pronounce _router_ as _'rüter_ ?


"We're not" vs. "we aren't"

I'm just curious if there are any "official" rules (or opinions either way) about what form to use when three words can be contracted on either side.


Can more options use "is"

So I've been learning German on Duolingo (great app by the way if you want to learn a language). **I know you guys don't want translations here, but this is more about the English.** Of course, not all translations can be word for word. The German sentence was > Mehr Optionen sind immer besser. I put this and got it wrong > More options is always better. Now, "sind" means "are" in German, but that's beside the point. Some things just work differently in different languages. I can understand "are always better" being right. But I think that **the concept of having more options** is always better. And I also think that you can shorten **the concept of having more options** to **more options**. To me, "more options" is a state that you are in in which you have better leverage and control. Am I right? Does "More options" here take a singular verb?


What does "circumstantial consequence" mean?

How can of the phrase "circumstantial consequence" be explained? I vaguely understand the probable meaning, but it doesn't quite come into focus. Is it something like (unintended) side effect?


He is also..., writes... - sentence structure, grammar

> Ed is also Technology Editor for Certification Magazine, **writes** for > numerous TechTarget Web sites, and writes a twice-monthly newsletter, “Must > Know News,” for CramSession.com. In his spare time, Ed likes to shoot pool, > cook, and spend time with his wife Dina and his son Gregory. He also likes > to explore the world away from the keyboard with his trusty Labrador > retriever, Blackie. To me it feels like there needs to be the preposition **and** placed before **writes** for grammatical consistency. What do you think?


The difference between "parts of speech", "word classes", "word categories"?

As a foreign language speaker, I find it hard to distinguish these terms. I've searched on the net; on wikipedia, on grammar.about.com, and some other pages, yet still having difficulties. One just lists   * Noun   * Adjective   * Verb   * ... Other lists   * Content words      * Noun     * Verb     * ...   * Functions words      * Articles     * Pronouns     * ... Also what is the term or topic header for these "subject, object, predicator, adverbial"? * * * _PS: I'd appreciate if you could recommend a good English linguistics book. Something that offers just want I need to know, not redundant information._


How to conjugate the verb in a sentence that starts with "I wish..."

I generally find it hard to construct some sentences that start with "I wish, ..." Example: (Background:) Due to an incomplete technical documentation, we chose the wrong path, and ran into an unforeseen limitation. What's the correct way to state my frustration?   * I wish, the documentation _would warn_ about that limitation.   * I wish, the documentation _had warned_ about that limitation.   * I wish, the documentation _would have warned_ about that limitation.   * I wish, the documentation _warned_ about that limitation.   * I _would wish_ , that the documentation _warns_ about that limitation.   * ...


Are the verbs that are conjugated to end in "-n" in the past related?

There are many words that in English are conjugated in the past tense to end in "-n": _grow_ goes to _grown_ , _sew_ goes to _sewn_ , _throw_ goes to _thrown_ , etc.. I'm guessing it was probably the regular ending in English in some long past time. But as every growing child knows, the more common form has become conjugating the past tense to end in "-ed": _jog_ goes to _jogged_ , _flog_ goes to _flogged_ , _clog_ goes to _clogged_ , and so on. Even completely foreign words are usually regularized in English to have their past tense end in "-ed"; _abet_ goes to _abetted_ , _blink_ goes to _blinked_. I was wondering two things: Did all the words that are conjugated to end in "-n" in the past tense come from a shared language family, or was it a "regularization" procedure as well back when it was more common? Did something precipitate the change from "-n" to "-ed", like a conquest, or some other notable historical event?


Should a hyphen be used when constructing words using suffixes such as "-ly" and "-wise" when the resulting word isn't in the dictionary?

Should a hyphen be used when constructing words using suffixes such as _-ly_ and _-wise_ when the resulting word isn't in the dictionary? For example: > money-wise   >  moneywise Which one is better?


Interpretation of paragraph in Homer's Iliad Book II [56] translated by Samuel Butler

I'm having some problem understanding the phrase "but do you others go about among the host and prevent their doing so" in the context of the following paragraph: > The dream then vanished and I awoke. Let us now therefore, arm the sons of > the Achaeans. But it will be well that I should first sound them and to this > end I will tell them to fly with their ships; but do you others go about > among the host and prevent their doing so. The phrase "I will tell them to fly with their ships" seems to contradict the phrase "but do you others go about among the host and prevent their doing so".


What does the word "cinemaddict" mean?

Please explain to me (non-native speaker) what the word "cinemaddict" means. What synonyms does it have?


What do we call the "repetition" construct (if it's even proper English)?

I've sometimes seen this construct, used to avoid repetitive handwriting, but I don't even know if it's proper English. If it is, what is the name of this construct? I have no idea what to search for when looking it up... >   * Don't forget to buy eggs. >   * " " " " yogurt. >   * " " " " milk. >


Is the [ʊ] sound pronounced with lip rounding?

This [ʊ] sound is the vowel sound for words like _hook_ , _pull_ , and _good_. When I began to learn English a bit more seriously two decades ago, I used a book that taught me to pronounce it shorter and more relaxed than the long sound of [u], the vowel sound in words like _pool_ , _food_ , and _cool_. It also told me to round my lips too. My pronunciation is fine (I hope, at least people around me seem to understand me perfectly), however I found a strange tendency in recent years, especially from Americans. (I can watch them on TV and video clips.) Many of them seem to not round their lips when pronouncing this [ʊ] sound. The first time I noticed this was the time I heard an ESL teacher pronounced it with the [ɯ] sound (she is not a native English speaker, by the way). There is no [ɯ] sound in English, but there is one in Thai language. The [ɯ] sound, though being a **close-back** vowel, is always unrounded. So it sounds very strange to me at first, since [ʊ] is a **near-back-near-close** vowel, and I thought it is supposed to be **rounded**. Wonder why she pronounced it that way, I started to watch native speakers on TV closely, and found that only some of them pronounce [ʊ] unrounded in normal speech. Most of them seem to round their lips a little (how much the little is little is another matter). But when they exaggerate the word, most of them don't round their lips, e.g., I saw one judge on a vocal-focused reality show exclaimed _Good!_ for maybe three seconds long, and in that entire three seconds _there was no lips rounding at all!_ I consulted Wikipedia, and found that the matter of this rounding is unclear: > "Its vowel roundedness is generally rounded, which means that the lips are > rounded to a greater or lesser degree, but is sometimes rather ambiguous. > Because no language is known to contrast rounding with this place of > articulation, the IPA has not created separate symbols to show this." So which pronunciation is standard for the [ʊ] sound? Rounded or unrounded?


Does "refrain" only mean to choose to do or not do something?

Here is the place I saw this usage: > (Paraphrase) Mr. A's refrain that Law L be invoked against dishonest and > incompetent legislators presents an interesting case. My dictionary tells me > (irrelevant) refrain ~ noun   >  1\. the part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of singers > > refrain ~ verb   >  1\. resist doing something   >  2\. choose not to consume My understanding tells me that Mr. A obviously wants to invoke Law L against these legislators, but the dictionary tells me that he is resisting it (himself?) What am I missing here?


Interpretation of "which must be widely open to tourist visits"

> Particular care should be devoted to preserving and upgrading monuments, > shrines and museums as well as archaeological and historic sites which must > be widely open to tourist visits. Interpretations: 1)The care should be devoted to only those sites that are visited a lot. I mean **the sentence puts an emphasis on preserving the sites that are necessarily exposed to tourists, not all existent sites and monuments and the other mentioned**. Since restrictive clause has been used I jumped to this. 2)The mentioned should be preserved and upgraded and these places must be open to tourists. So **first they should be safeguarded. Then they need to be prepared for visitors and be open to them**. I mean the texts implies an obligation to provide the possibility of being visited. They should not be banned for visitors. A translation of this text into an Asian language conveys this meaning!


"She did not report for work" vs. "she did not report to work"

Which of the two is grammatical or is better in style — "report for work" or "report to work"? I've always used the first, "report for work", following the pattern of "report for duty", which I always hear law-enforcement folks use.


What does it mean when someone says, "I bid you no evil"? Does this mean may good things come your way?


Origin of the term "grounded"

What is the origin of the term "grounded", as in "it keeps me grounded"? Does it simply come from the ground itself, which is to say keeping one's feet on the ground, or does it refer to "ground" in the electrical sense?


"On the third floor stood a salesman with [number] artificial legs"

> On the third floor stood a salesman with _one_ artificial leg. > > On the third floor stood a salesman with _two_ artificial legs. > > On the third floor stood a salesman with _three_ artificial legs. > > On the third floor stood a salesman with _four_ artificial legs. I'm not sure whether the preposition _with_ can be interpreted as 'in possession of' or 'characterized by' and whether the interpretation can be influenced by the number of legs. I did an exhaustive and exhausting search before asking here, but search results suggest that the interpretation depends on what the relation is between the 'salesman' and the 'legs' and I don't understand how this can be helpful on the linguistic plan. Can anybody explain, please?


Apostrophe `s` and adjective

I'm a bit confused if I can use adjective after a noun with apostrophe `s`.               I broke Jim's fragile figure.     I broke fragile figure of Jim.      For example, which of these two sentences is correct?


What word describes people who attack those doing the same thing as them?

Basically, the long description is: A attacks B for being X or acting in X manners. But, while A might not be aware of this, from the outsiders' point of view, A also is X or acts in X manners as well. So, how would you, in a few words, generalize/describe people like 'A'? The first English word that came to my mind was 'hypocrite' but after checking with Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, I'm not so sure if it is the right one for the described situation anymore...


Is there such a term as "dinner box"?

From my understanding, a _lunch box_ is food packed from home to eaten during lunch time either in school or the office. Is there such a term as _dinner box_? If there is no such term, how can I describe food that is packed from home and is to be eaten during dinner time in school or at the office?


Why do we say ‘I have "a" husband (wife)?

Though it may sound a very primitive question to native English speakers, the use of ‘article’ is always the greatest headache to me because we don’t have this part of speech in our language system (I don’t think Chinese language has it either). I’ve vaguely learned the rules of articles in English grammar books, but am not really familiar with it. So when I found the following sentence in the New York Times’ article (December 21), titled, “Looking for a Place to Die,” I was puzzled whether I can say “I have a wife/ She has a husband,” or "I have wife / She has husband." > The patient was a fairly young woman and she’d had cancer for as long as her > youngest child had been alive. She _had_ another child, too, a few years > older, and _a husband_ whose drawn eyes and tense frame bore the strain of > trying to keep it all together. Extended family lived far away and couldn’t > be brought closer. The husband and kids lived more than an hour’s drive from > the hospital. When I come across the phrase “ _She had_ another child and _a husband_ , I felt like she had one of several husbands she had. Theoretically, you can’t have multiple husbands (or wives) at a time. When you simply say “I have (she has) husband,” what article should I use, a, the, or non-article? **Follow-up question:** Which is correct, “I have _a_ husband who keeps saying ‘I love you.’ to me," and “I have _the_ husband who keeps saying ‘I love you.’ to me.”? I’m asking this, because I still remember that I was told at English class of high school more than 60 years ago that the definite article should be used for antecedent (husband in this case) whenever followed by modifier (that) clause.


using past perfect in a 'by the time' clause instead of simple past

How would using past perfect in a 'by the time' clause affect the meaning differently compared with the common formula (past simple in the 'by the time clause' plus past perfect in the main clause).For example, what could the following mean: 1.'By the time he had finished dinner, it was time for bed.'


Alternative to "double entendre"?

Does anyone know another word or way to say _double entendre_ — in the non- bawdy sense of the word — as this phrase was only invented in the latter 1600's and so not around when Shakespeare wrote his plays, specifically as ever, the _Merchant_ … **it is a straight statement... he is a good man... just one that two people take to mean two different ways is there a nice word for that when used purposefully?**


capitals or not for "open source"?

Quite a simple question (I hope). Which is the correct way to write this within a sentence*:   1. Open Source   2. Open-Source   3. Open source   4. Open-source   5. open source   6. open-source   7. some other way? (*By within a sentence, I mean there is at least one word before the usage meaning that no beginning-of-sentence capital is required)


Usage of the word 'coordinate'

Have a look at the context:               Contents        |        |--- 1. Fundamentals        |          |         |          |--- 1. Browsers        |          |         |          |--- 2. Servers        |          |         |          |--- 3. Security        |        |--- 2. Introduction        |          |         |          |--- 1. Lists        |          |         |          |--- 2. Tables        |          |          |        |          |          |--- 1. Rows        |          |          |        |          |          |--- 2. Columns        |          |         |          |--- 3. Forms        |          |         |          |--- 4. Frames        |        |--- 3. Basics        |          |         |          |--- 1. Arrays        |          |         |          |--- 2. Functions      If I want to locate `Rows`, I can always say "Chapter 2: Part 2: Section 1". But,   1. what is a common noun for "Chapter 2: Part 2: Section 1", "Chapter 1: Part 2", etc.   2. if I want to use a small convention here and call (2,2,1) as a coordinate of `Rows` and similarly (2,2) as a coordinate of `Tables`, will the word 'coordinate' be appropriate here? If not what is the better word here?


attributive clauses puzzle me a lot sometimes

Are the following two sentences interchangeable? > "I keep her photo on my desk, which means I do not forget her. versus > "I keep her photo on my desk, meaning I do not forget her. If not, how are they different?


Using a tilde with currency

I think this is quite a simple question but one I have found no answers for. In regards to a tilde, I believe it can be used as an abbreviation for "about". For example ~5 translates to "about 5" (an approximation)! Assuming this is correct, in regards to using the tilde with a currency, should it come before or after the symbol when the currency symbol comes before the value. For example, should it be ~£5 ~$5 or £~5 $~5 I assume the first approach is better (the second approach seemed unnatural whilst writing it out) but I can't find anything which states this to be so.


What do you call the thing you get at the hospital when you break your leg, etc.?

When you break your leg or any of your appendages you get a binding, you know, the white thing to fix your arm or leg. What is that called? I find the words _gypsum_ , _cast_ and _plastery_ in the dictionary but from searching pictures on Google these don't seem to be the right words. (Also, in what context do you use these?) I want to find a picture on Google where a group of people got these bindings on their legs, arms, necks, etc. What is the right word?


Direct object and indirect object in the sentence "Bill promised Mary to fix her car."

In the following sentence > Bill promised Mary to fix her car. Maybe I can write this sentence like this: > Bill promised Mary **(for Bill) to fix her car**. Bill is the subject of the verb `fix`, and also the verb `promised`. So, `promised` will have two objects: _`Mary`_ and the clause _`(for Bill) to fix her car`_ , one is the direct object and the other is the indirect object. Which is the direct object and Which is the indirect object? Why? (By the way, I don't know if it is right to analyse this sentence in this way.)


Expression to justify choice of user interface

Is it correct to say "for optimal user experience" when referring to how web interface has to be designed? I just need to explain why I chose specific colour scheme.


"Separate procedures for every combination" vs. "a separate procedure for every combination"

Which form of this sentence is correct and why? >   * Therefore, in a real life system with multiple source and output data > formats, **_separate procedures_** would have to be written for every > combination of source data format and output data format, resulting in the > number of such procedures being the product of the number of source and data > formats. >   * Therefore, in a real life system with multiple source and output data > formats, **_a separate procedure_** would have to be written for every > combination of source data format and output data format, resulting in the > number of such procedures being the product of the number of source and data > formats. > I'm leaning towards the latter, but don't have a concrete reason. UPDATE: Thanks for the feedback. Exactly one procedure is required for each combination. So, I guess the latter version is correct. Looking at this sentence more carefully, maybe **_each_** would be more correct than **_every_**.


"How far" vs "How long"

I am not clear how to use "How long" and "How far". Suppose I got in a taxi or cab to my hotel, how should I say to the driver if I want to know the distance to the hotel? Which of the following is correct? > How far is it to the hotel? > > How long is it to the hotel? Then,if I need to know the time it will take to the hotel, may I say: > How long is it to the hotel? Or are there any other more appropriate expressions for the above two scenarios?


Etymology of "on the blink"

I was wondering where the phrase "on the blink" comes from. According to the OED the first recorded usage is from > 1901 ‘H. McHugh’ John Henry 83 A stranglehold line of business that will put > Looey Harrison on the blink. But what is the relationship between the word "blink" and its usage in this phrase?


History of "asylum seeker" versus "refugee"

What is the history of the term "asylum seeker" as a slightly pejorative replacement for the word "refugee"? The first reference to asylum seeker I can find is > 1959 Amer. Polit. Sci. Rev. 53 990 Small and medium-sized countries most > exposed geographically to the influx of asylum-seekers must needs watch out > for the slightest policy reaction of stronger powers.


Elision in the pronunciation of "probably"

A student of mine has pointed out that in casual speech, my tendency is to pronounce the word "probably" as something like _prah-lee_. I am a native speaker of American English without a specific regional dialect, as I moved frequently when young, both within the country and abroad. I'm curious as to how widespread this pronunciation is, or if it's merely an indication that I'm a lazy speaker. Is this a regionalism I've unknowingly picked up? There is a Wiktionary entry for _prolly_ , which indicates that I'm not alone in this pronunciation, but there's no indication of how common it is or where it's most prevalent. **Note** : I'm familiar with the common tendency to skip the _ba_ portion of the word, pronouncing it _prob-lee_ ; I'm specifically curious about the elision of both of the _b_ sounds and the vowel between them. **Edit** : I've been repeating the word over and over to myself since asking this question and realized that in particularly quick speech I seem to elide the L-sound, as well: _prah-ee._


"On the last week" or "In the last week"?

I'm planning a trip. My plane lands on the 29th of August. Should I say: > I'll arrive _on_ the last week of August. or > I'll arrive _in_ the last week of August. Web searches show that both prepositions are used; reading a reference website made me more inclined towards "in", though I am still not sure.


What does "proverbial" mean?

This word _proverbial_ has been bothering me a lot lately. I cannot understand it even after translating it into my native language. I would like to know its meaning as well as its origin.


What does “You can’t lead an organization whose case officers must be impervious to blackmail” mean?

Time magazine (November 9) carries an article dealing with the reason why the CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus had to resign under the caption, “Resignation at the CIA: Why Petraeus had to go.” There is a paragraph: > “In the world of spies, there is a short list of weaknesses you can exploit > in your opponents: People have spent centuries figuring out how to get > people to commit treason. Arguing the other side is better for humanity, > offering to help someone who’s deeply in debt or paying hard cash to the > greedy are classic methods. But few are more effective than blackmail, and > even in the post-Lewinsky era in Washington, infidelity leaves officials > vulnerable. > > You can’t lead an organization _whose case officers_ must be impervious to > blackmail if you’re vulnerable to it yourself.” I cannot understand what the last line, “You can’t lead an organization _‘whose case officers must be impervious._ ’ “means? What does “case officer" mean?


Human body with "skin peeled off" or "without skin"

My art teacher used a word when describing a sculpture of a human without his skin (exposing muscle beneath). What was that word?


What does "Bunk over" mean?

Here ia a quote from The Avengers, 2012 film.   * Stark : The next building is gonna say "Potts" on the tower.   * Pepper : On the lease.   * Stark : Call your mom. Can you bunk over? Q. "The building is gonna say "Potts" on the tower" What does exactly it mean? Maybe it means "The buliding is gonna be hung out a sign written her name, Potts on the tower? Am I right? Q. Pepper said "On the lease". She meant "You should sign on the lease contract"? Q. Lastly, I have no idea what Stark's last line means, specially "bunk over" And why Stark wants Pepper to call her mother suddenly. Do you have any idea on this?


Why is "para" not used consistently?

I've been told that the prefix "para" means "against".   * Parachute (against falling)   * Paramilitary (against military)   * Paraply/umbrella (against raining) But, other words does not make much sense to me:   * Paramedic (against medicine?)   * Paraglider (against gliding?) Pardon my Ausberger, but why isn't "para" used consistently?


Does "in particular" have the meaning of "for example"?

I have seen many textbooks and scientific literatures at least at college level, frequently using "in particular". I was wondering whether it (always) has the meaning of "for example"? If yes, does it have other meaning besides that and what differences do they have?


A word meaning "going south to get north"

I want to describe a situation when to get a south bound route you need to drive north. I'm looking for a noun. A couple possible suggestions I've seen: "It is quite a bit of a diversion" and "It is quite a bit of a detour" One could call it an "indirect route", but I'm looking for a noun, not an adjective.


Are "ectypes" inherently flawed?

While browsing the tvtropes.org entry for Archetypal Characters, this sentence jumped out at me: > A related concept is the 'ectype', a distorted or flawed version of the > archetype. _Ectype_ does not appear in my local dictionary and online searches seem to provide a completely different definition: > ectypal -- Copied, as contrasted with an archetypal original. Has a > specialized sense when used by the philosopher George Berkeley. (wiktionary) This does not seem to be a common word and I get the feeling that it is still jargon from one field or another. The tvtropes article considers an _ectype_ a specifically flawed copy; the dictionary definitions don't mentioned the quality of the copy. I have no idea what Berkeley's philosophies are -- is this something he coined?


Origin & history of name "she oak" or "sheoak" (a Casuarina tree)

In wikipedia's _Casuarinaceae_ article (and somewhat similarly in its _Casuarina_ article), one finds: > The most widely used common name for Casuarinaceae species is sheoak or she- > oak (a comparison of the timber quality with English Oak). Other common > names include ironwood, bull-oak or buloke, and beefwood ... [Cox & Freeland > say] the name 'she-oak' is derived from Native America _sheac_ \- beefwood. Unfortunately etymonline shows nothing on the etymology of _sheac, sheoak, she-oak, ironwood, bull-oak, buloke,_ or _beefwood_. Questions: What are the actual origin and history of the name _she oak_ or _sheoak_? How is "a comparison of the timber quality with English Oak" relevant to the name? Was there actually a "Native American" influence in forming the name of an Australian tree? And for extra points, explain why the Ngarrindjeri have a separate word, _kula_ , for male she oak trees.


What is the difference between complacency and condescension?

Sometimes I get confused between **complacency** and **condescension** , thinking they are the same thing. I am trying to understand the difference. Both seem to be attributes of a person who is more confident than others, or think less of others. It seems to me that acting in a condescending manner and acting complacent are very much alike, although complacency seems to be a little bit more about _carelessness_ than _smugness_. Can someone explain what is the difference between these two? How can I recognize that someone is acting some way or the other?


Can programmers be called code authors?

Can programmers be called code authors or any other term similar in meaning to a book author?


"Good to hear" vs "Glad to hear"

Which one is correct: **Good to hear you enjoyed the radio show.** or: **Glad to hear you enjoyed the radio show.**


is it correct to say "though" in this context

I want to ask my manager something. i tried this > I have some questions, though I do know that I have asked you a lot and I am > so sorry for losing your time. is though correct in this context?


More friendly word for "enterprise"

This is a toughy, but I'm looking for a word that doesn't have the connotations of "enterprise," "corporate" or "national account." Something that will get the idea of multi-unit businesses across in a simple, pleasant way (doesn't necessarily have to be a single word.) Appreciate any input!