An expression for law students using "tuppence"

Has anyone heard of an expression, from the Renaissance or older, containing the word "tuppence" which describes a student of the law or someone without a great deal of experience or training in it?


Art cold? To what extent can pronouns be dropped in English?

Many European languages conjugate their verbs, thus: > I am   >  You are | Thou art   >  She is   >  We are   >  You are   >  They are The form of the verb changes, depending on the person. In some languages (Latin and Polish, to my knowledge), the verb form is completely different for each person, which means that the actual pronoun can be omitted. (I believe it can be reinserted for emphasis.) English can't do that. For regular verbs, only the third person singular has a distinct form. We always use pronouns (except when we don't). However, in _King Lear_ , at one point Lear turns to his Fool and asks him, "Art cold?" This would not be possible in current English, as the pronoun _thou_ has all but vanished. Was it possible in actual speech in Shakespeare's time, or could it exist in the play only as a poetic flourish?


"Reach eye care to rural areas"

I read in a newspaper the following heading for an article: > Reach eye care to rural areas: Governor Is it correct usage of the word _reach_?


Can the subject of a portrait be an animal?

The answers to question "What is the definition of portrait photography?" seem to imply that the subject of a _portrait_ has to be a person or a group of people. This isn't directly expressed in the reference provided in the top answer, although all the examples are of people. Acceptance of groups is explained in the mentioned answer as: > By the very existence of the term "group portrait", clearly such a thing > exists. Googling for "pet portrait" gives plenty of results to conclude, by the same logic, such a thing also exists. Given that other criteria of portraiture is met, can a portrait also portray an animal, or should it not be called a _portrait_?


Is there a single word for "going the extra mile"? If possible carrying the connotation, if not the denotation, of being awed and possibly humbled by the lengths to which someone went.


How to express "consistently beat one's own record" concisely

This is for a write-up in an academic document stating accomplishments. I am looking for a term that is a near-equivalent of _beat one's own record, exceed expectations_ and _set new records_.


What word means being forced to agree or accept?

How to say something like I am forced to agree or accept the situation in one word? I believe there is a precise word to express this.


Is "cook the steak" correct?

I was just asking a question on Cooking Stack Exchange and I have written the following sentence: > how should I cook the steak at home Well, it looks wrong to me, but I couldn't find any alternative word for that. _Grill_ might fit more here but I didn't mean that. What I was getting at is to express to make the steak eatable with pan and oven. So what do you think?


Why did 'y' disappear as an internal vowel in English spelling?

Why did the character 'y' disappear in favor of 'i' in English spelling? I've often noticed this replacement when merchants try to sell or advertise something as archaic or old-timey, writing _wife_ as _wyfe_ , for example, or _time_ , as _tyme_. I think this quote from Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, well illustrates the phenomenon: > I amongst other have indured a parlyament which contenwid by the space of > xvii hole wekes wher we communyd of warre pease Stryffe contencyon debatte > murmure grudge Riches poverte penurye trowth falshode Justyce equyte dicayte > opprescyon Magnanymyte actyvyte foce attempraunce Treason murder Felonye > consyli … [conciliation] and also how a commune welth myght be ediffyed and > a[lso] contenewid within our Realme. Howbeyt in conclusyon we have d[one] as > our predecessors have been wont to doo that ys to say, as well we myght and > lefte wher we begann. Any particular reason?


Adverbial form of "scrutiny"

What is the adverbial form of the word _scrutiny_? I'm looking for the exact synonym of the "with scrutiny" expression. I've tried searching for the form like _scrutinily_ but I've only found something like _scrutinizingly_. Does _scrutinizingly_ have the meaning of "with scrutiny"? The context is that I am trying to describe an act of watching some tv series for my thesis - I had to watch it really carefully in an analytical way and stop the recording every minute or so to write down the sentences I've just heard.


What does "We'll be up to our butts in corpses" mean?

I was reading _The Watchmen_ (a graphic novel) and stumbled across this expression in a conversation between two cops talking about Rorschach. I suppose it means "We'll have to put up a fight", but I am not sure.


What is "For the better or worse"?

What is _for the better or worse_? I remember hearing this a few times before but am not really 100% sure on the exact meaning of it.


Did Shakespeare really invent 1700 words?

I am having a discussion with colleagues about a recent news article relating to new words in the dictionary (cleggmannia? really?) and got onto the subject of evolution of language, and how many words Shakespeare 'invented'. Having never given the statistic a second thought until now, it occurs to me that it is bizarre to imagine someone who, at the time a successful popularist playwright, would just stick words of ambiguous meaning (to his audience at least) into his works. Is it not a more sensible suggestion that he was simply the earliest recorded individual to write these words down, and that they were probably very much in common use at the time?


Pronunciation of "of"

Is "of" always supposed to be pronounced with the v sound (like "ov")? Or does it depend on the region (e.g. US, UK) or maybe on the word that follows the preposition? For example, how would you pronounce the title of this question?


How do you describe this particular way of sitting?

In Japanese, there's this thing called 横座り ( _yokozuwari_ , lit. "side- sitting") that looks like this: ![yokozuwari](http://i.stack.imgur.com/zdjoC.jpg) Basically, you sit on your knees, but then partially swing your legs out to one side. Is there a concise way of describing this in English? A short phrase or a single word; either one would work.


How to describe time "offset"?

My friends and I are in different time zones, so I'm trying to say, > We have a 10 hours time offset Is that right for this situation ? If not, what's the right replacement of `offset` here ?


What is the difference between syntax and semantics?

As a computer scientist and a writing hobbyist, I really ought to know these terms' meanings for memory. Can anyone clarify the difference between `syntax` and `semantics`, and provide some examples? For example, where does punctuation fall? Spelling? What about sentence (or code) structure?


Difference between "explain" and "describe"

What is the difference between "explain" and "describe"? When to use one over the other?


Meaning and etymology of "kemosabe"

I've heard it recently in a movie called " Lone Ranger". Tonto called the lone ranger kemosabe. What does it mean and what is the origin?


Use of "and" and "or" to refer to values for comparison

I've gotten into a disagreement with a colleague. My original sentence was "Determine the maximum value of Boys _and_ Girls." My colleague thought that the sentence should read "Determine the maximum value of Boys _or_ Girls." I can't find any material on this and I gather that it is quite possible that both are correct. My question is related to the use of "and" or "or" in the sentence, which one is correct? An additional posting my me has provided additional details.


What's the opposite of "dogmatic"?

I'm trying to describe an approach that doesn't just blindly follow established opinion, but seeks validation through experimentation. Any ideas?


Orthography of definite-article contractions in the Yorkshire dialect

In the Yorkshire accent the definite article is shortened to just _t_. E.g. 'I went on the bus' becomes something that sounds like 'I went ont bus'. How does one punctuate this? Is it 'I went on t'bus', which seems logical (as the apostrophe indicates missing letters) but does not reproduce the sound that one hears? Or could it be 'I went on't bus'?


Correct translation of 2 sentences

I wanted to help a friend whose TV got broken in the guarantee period. I am not sure whether these are correct. We have a 2 years warranty stated in the law so I wanted to express he must prove it's less than 2 years: > You have to take your receipt with you in order to prove you did not bought > it before more than 2 years (ago?). Should be there something like "earlier" or "not later"? And the second one - what is the english word to "accept" the guarantee complaint? > They should accept/admit your claim.


Is the phrase "combined with" or "coupled with" a nonessential phrase? For example": Her neat work combined with her pleasant nature makes her a pleasure to teach. Should it be "Her neat work [comma] combined with her pleasant nature [comma] makes her a pleasure to teach"?


Punctuating "What are you going to do, sue me?"

For example: > What are you going to do, sue me? Is that correct? Or is there supposed to be a question mark after the first question: > What are you going to do? Sue me? It seems like "Sue me?" is not a complete sentence. Did I have it right the first time? "What are you going to do sue me?" seems too abrupt though; shouldn't it have a comma?


What is the hypernym for "next" and "previous"?

I'm looking for an umbrella term for "next" and "previous" so that I don't have to call my programming methods "NextPrevious". Is there a hypernym for the two?


Singular Verb Following "One of . . ."

> He is one of the men who do the work. Could someone explain why it is "do" and not "does" up there? I'm sure this question has been asked before and I've memorized what to do with such sentences. But still I'm confused as to the reason why "do" is correct. Is the subject up there "men" and not "he"? Why isn't it possible to make "he" the subject?


'Right' is to 'Integrity' as 'Just' is to what?

Or put another way, if integrity means doing the right thing when no one is looking what is doing the just thing when no one is looking? As I understand it being _right_ is a qualitative trait, while being _just_ is a quantitative trait.


Word for "order doesn't matter"

You have some data and some code that operates on it. The _order_ in which you process each data element doesn't matter, and hence the task is parallelizable. The _order of computation on each element doesn't matter_ , or the computation is _**___ __ ___**_ (not parallelizable!)


Once/twice/thrice vs one/two/three times

Is there a difference in nuance when using once, twice or thrice instead of one time, two times or three times, especially when counting occurrences? > It has happened twice before.   >  It has happened two times before. Are they always interchangeable? What about other usages (e.g. when comparing magnitude)? > The blue book is twice as heavy as the red one.   >  The blue book is two times as heavy as the red one.


Punctuation for a non-question question

Some sentences begin with a construction like "May I suggest that...." These are phrased as questions but are really statements. Should such a sentence end with a question mark or a period [full stop] (and what is the rationale)?


What is the correct word for Step siblings?

I'm creating a list of family members:               Biological, Justin, 5/20/1981     Biological, John,   1/20/1987     Adopted,    Jane,   8/12/1989     Step,       Doug,   12/1/1979      When listing out the type of sibling, the word _step_ seems odd. I've always used it as step-brother or step-sister but never on its own. Is there a better choice of word to use?


Replacing "yes" with "absolutely": multiple "w" ' s

Replacing simple, concise words with longer, more obscure ones has long been a hall mark of bureaucratic reports and student papers, but I'm asking here about the particular example of replacing "yes" and less formal variants, with the word "Absolutely". I began noticing this in daughter's informal speech everal years ago, and since then have noticed is in responses of guests when interviewed (mostly on public radio shows) in places where the particular character of "absolutely" is not needed, and "yes" would be (at least in my opinion) a better word choice. My best hunch is that this usage began with some particular character in a serial on television or similar, or in a movie. But I don't do television, or movies, so don't know where the usage began. Any ideas on this: who, why, where, or a more precise "when"?


How do you pronounce “lithe”?

The word _lithe_ seems to be pronounced just like the adjective _live_ (as in _alive_ ), as far as I can tell from listening to this sound sample. Had I not heard it, I would have expected it to be pronounced like _light_. Am I hearing it correctly, and could you shed any information on this “special” pronunciation?


Why is "great" pronounced as "grate", but spelled with "ea"?

_Great_ is one of the few common English words in which "ea" is pronounced /eɪ/ ( _ay_ ). Why is this pronunciation associated with this spelling? As an aside, I remember from researching for my answer to a previous question that a Middle English spelling of _great_ was _grete_. Was it ever pronounced that way?


Is it correct to use "either" and "too" interchangeably?

The other day, I heard someone say: > I want it either. It comes strange to me. I'm usually used to hear/say: > I want it too. Is it grammatically correct to use either of them?


"They had already decided what to do" vs. "they had decided what to do already"

>   1. I was surprised that they had **already** decided what to do. >   2. I was surprised that they had decided what to do **already**. > Which sentence is correct?


Name of Shift-Key Concept

**What is the name of the concept or type of key used in shifting characters on a mobile device?** Many common virtual keyboards used in cellphones and advanced mobile devices use a certain paradigm for dealing with shifted characters:   1. Hitting shift once results in it being depressed for one character - i.e. until the next regular keypress   2. Hitting shift a second time locks the shift key indefinitely through multiple keypresses, as with Caps Lock.   3. Hitting shift a third time undoes the lock from the second press. What is it called when the shift key is used this way? Is it called both "Shift" and "Caps Lock" at the same time? It has some similarities to the StickyKeys system used by Windows - is it called a "sticky" system of some sort? Is it a "Shift Lock" or a "Sticky Lock?"


Slightly chance of something

On multiple occasions I heard the phrase _slightly chance of something_ (e.g. rain). This sounds wrong as _slightly_ is an adverb. Googling returns only few instances. Is it acceptable to use this in speech, is it slang, or just mistake that some people make?


What does it mean "I'm old. I've seen a lot of bubbles burst. :)"?

I met a women who was in Silicon Valley asked, > "You must have seen the bubble burst then?" She replied back saying, > "I'm old. I've seen a lot of bubbles burst. :)" What does it mean? Is that a wordplay?


conceived of as vs. conceived as

When I want to write that some _something_ has been "taken to mean" or "understood" or "interpreted as" _XYZ_ , I sometimes use the phrase "to conceive of _something_ as _XYZ_ , where _XYZ_ usually is a longer and detailed explanation. So, I often end up having a sentence like this: > _Something_ has been conceived of as _XYZ_. My supervisor, when reading my drafts, always marks this as wrong and wants me to get rid of "of", so that the sentence would read: > _Something_ has been conceived as _XYZ_. While trusting my supervisor with his native speaker intuition and his really good knowledge of grammar et al., I still feel that the sentence requires the "of". It sounds terrible to me. Anybody in for a verdict on this?


"Patients' Lifts" and "Consultants' Payments" - are these correct?

I saw some sign boards in a hospital which had the following description:   1. Patients' Lifts    2. Consultants' Payments As far as I know, the above signs should read **Patient's Lifts** or **Patient Lifts** and the same rule applies to the #2 sign. Please correct me if I am wrong and I welcome your valuable ideas.


"Teaching fish to swim"

Imagine one has to give a presentation to explain something to an audience which already knows very much about that topic. Is that correct to say in such a situation that one is _teaching fish to swim_? Can I share the idiom with the audience? E.g., "I'm afraid I'm _teaching fish how to swim_ , but.." And, are there any other expressions like this?


Correct Usage of Names

if the name has a junior e.g. Jose A. Ruiz, Jr. which comes first when the surname is asked first? Which is correct Ruiz, Jose Jr. A. or Ruiz, Jr. Jose A.?


Is there a special word for amounts between 11 and 20?

Translation is often tricky. I'm stuck with the Polish word _kilkanaście_ , which literally means _few-teen_. It is used to describe an amount more than ten, but less than 20 (or including 20, it's hard to say, the next "about-the- amount" word means _twelve-and-a-few_. Is there an English word describing that amount, or similar amount? The reason for the existence of such a word, I think, is the fact that when counting on hands, it describes the amount which I can't handle using my hands alone.


Phrase for overusing just-learned skills?

Is there a saying or word for indicating the overuse of something you just newly learned? Say you were happy with a hammer and a nail and then somebody taught you the virtues of a screw and screwdriver. From then on, every problem incorrectly looks like it can be solved only with the screwdriver.


What is "won't" a contraction of?

"Don't", "wouldn't", "couldn't" and "isn't" are all contractions of "do not", "would not", "could not" and "is not"... So what's "won't" a contraction of? It appears to be "will not", but if so, why isn't it " **willn't** "? (And if there's no good reason, has it _ever_ been "willn't" at any point in history?)


Why is "will not" contracted as "won't"?

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What is "won't" a contraction of? The Why is "cannot" spelled as one word? post brought back another oddity I noticed when learning English. The contraction _won't_ seems to break a common pattern in similar contractions:   * _cannot_ => _can't_   * _do not_ => _don't_   * _should not_ => _shouldn't_   * _would not_ => _wouldn't_ In these examples, the _o_ sound in _not_ is dropped and the letter _o_ ( _no_ in the case of _cannot_ ) is replaced with an apostrophe. However, _will not_ => _won't_ drops _ill_ from _will_ and replaces it with the _o_ from _not_. This contraction is probably derived from shifts in speech rather than writing. How did the contraction _won't_ emerge?


Meaning and usage of “be of”

As I'm preparing my GMAT test, I see the "be of" structure very frequently. for example > By 1940, the pilot Jacqueline Cochran held seventeen official national and > international speed records, earned at a time when aviation was still so new > that many of the planes she flew **were of** dangerously experimental > design. This really bothers me as it contradicts the conclusion from the post Meaning and usage of "be of", because in GMAT writings the "be of" looks very flexible. I find it's very difficult to understand sometime, but I know these are really fine and efficient writings. I guess my question was, in this case, can you get rid of the " **of** " and what the usage of it here? If I take off the "of" here, does it modify the meaning of this sentence? > By 1940, the pilot Jacqueline Cochran held seventeen official national and > international speed records, earned at a time when aviation was still so new > that many of the planes she flew **were** dangerously experimental design.


Is "I am still taking fun of it" correct usage?

Is > I am still taking fun of it correct usage? I want to mean that it is still funny to me.


Is there any relation between "genius" and "ingenious"?

They seems to mean the same thing, yet when spoken they sound like the negative of each other.   What's the secret behind those two words?


Proper punctuation for joining pro-sentence with independent clause

I recently said the following in chat: > Do you mean 90 cents, or 9 cents?   >  90 cents.   >  Okay, you left out the zero so I wasn't sure. Afterwards it occurred to me I could have replaced the comma with a semi- colon. This led to a discussion with @ArdaXi over what the correct punctuation mark to use in this situation is: a comma, semi-colon, or period. The uncertainty arises from the fact that _okay_ is a pro-sentence. What is the proper punctuation to use when joining a pro-sentence with an independent clause?


Are there words that refer to the different duration of months?

I had a hard time formulating the question, but I wonder if a month with 31 days has a specific name, Likewise months with 30, 29 and 28 days.


"pop bottles all night" - slang or valid term?

I know the meaning of "pop bottles all night" - drink all night long. My question is - is this valid term, or slang invented by the person who wrote the song?


How to describe something that is very likely happening immediately?

How should I describe something that will very likely happen right away? For example, would it be it correct to say, "It is about to rain"?


What's the origin of the idiom "get bent out of shape"?

What is the origin of the idiom _get bent out of shape_? This is the definition of the idiom from Wiktionary: > (idiomatic) To take offense; to become angry, agitated or upset. _They > stopped inviting him to the gatherings, and he really got bent out of shape > about it._


Use of the definite article before a person's name or pronoun

Hey native English speakers, My question is regarding the use of the definite article before a person's name, as in > Realtime with the Bill Maher on HBO (youtu.be/I9HCbOmwndA?t=8m40s) or in the Metallica song "The Unforgiven II": > If you can understand the me > > Then, I can understand the you I suppose these must be grammatical. If so, what are they supposed to mean? If not, why are native speakers making such sentences (especially Metallica; I mean that song is going to become history, right?)?


What is the etymology and meaning of "fill your boots"?

I have a colleague of whom this is a favorite phrase, used in the sense of "knock yourself out", "go for it", "have at it", "go to town", "help yourself". ("You want to add that feature to the software? Go ahead - fill your boots!") So far, the best origin story I've heard is that of "when plundering, using every available container - i.e., even your boots". It feels as though there may be more to it than this, but I've not discovered it yet. What say?


Why is "sorry" used for both apology and sympathy?

Why is the word "sorry" used for this dual purpose? It seems to me they really have nothing to do with each other at all. Is it purely coincidence, like the dual meaning of "bore"? I find this unlikely. Is this present in (and derivative from) other languages as well? To clarify, why is sorry used for these very different sentences? > I'm sorry that I stole your bike.   >  I'm sorry to hear that your bike got stolen.


How can I use "a" with "or"

I want to use _a_ with _or_. Which of these two sentences is the correct one? >   * Do you want a full time or half time? >   * Do you want a full time or a half time? >


Offensiveness of "black" in reference to race or skin colour

Is _black_ offensive when used to refer to race or skin colour? If so, should we then not use _white_ as well?


Placing "first" in a sentence; would it change the meaning?

How does the meaning of the following two sentences differ? >   1. I first wanted to tell you about it. >   2. I wanted to tell you about it first. >


Origin of alternate meanings

How do some words get alternate meanings that have nothing to do with their original definition? For example, the word _cool_ means both _moderately cold_ and _permitting such a sensation_. How are these alternate definitions coined?


What date range is being referred to when someone says {date} is in the first week of {month}?

Conversely, what about: {date} is in the last week of {month}? Is the first week of April the first week that is entirely in April or is it the first week that contains the first of April? Of course this all changes when considering whether the start of the week is Sunday or Monday. There may not even be an "answer". In that case I'm interested in the most common usage. Edit: This SO post and this mailing list are what have caused me to call the meaning into question in the first place.


Single word to differentiate animal that likes everyone vs. "one-person dog"

What is the English word that means "likes everyone" (as opposed to being attached to one person)?


salutation for formal letters

> I was taught in school that Sir is the appropriate addressing for a formal > letter to say a head of institution or principal. Dear sir shows familiarity > which is not preferred. Does this hold today?


"I left smoking", "I quit smoking", "I gave up smoking", "I stopped smoking" are these same?

For various such sentences in many cases I get confused, it seems different for different cases. I want to know if someone left doing something for permanantly then what should be used? Also give some examples for different cases. Suppose... "I left my bag" means "I forgot my bag". but If I want to say the same for permanentaly "I left bringing my bag". Where should we use "stop" and "quit" then?


Bike Race question - Loser gets to be the girl

I don't remember which movie it was in, but there were two men (filled with testosterone), and they had this bet that the loser would be the girl. It was never specified what ''gets to be the girl'' means. Is there a fixed meaning to it in English?


Can there be a better word for commonplace observations?

On Facebook, one will find numerous pages like "I hate it when people leave my room and leave the door open" or "When a teacher points at me I look back only to find that it is ME". Can there be a good word to reflect this broad category. I was thinking of Daily happenings, Common observations but I can't find a pleasant to sound word or phrase to represent them.


A better way to say "enrolled in a program" to signify the difficulty of attaining admission in the face of stiff competition?

I'm trying to write a personal statement in which I've to account for my past educational experiences. One of my courses is from a prestigious institute in my country, where its difficult to attain admission for that particular program. How do I say so, without mentioning that in explicitly (As space is a requirement, and also I don't want to look too smug - after all, the institutes I'm applying to are leaders in their fields, and might view it as arrogant of me) ? If I say "enrolled in the program", it may mean I simply paid the tuition fees, which is incorrect (all the students receive full scholarship by default if they pass the multiple rounds of exams, making it a much difficult feat to secure entry)....


How to pronounce abbreviations by prefix part?

For example, how to pronounce the following:               dir (directory), deer or /də:/?     char (character), /kær/ or /tʃa:r/?     def (define), deff or diff?     mic (microphone), mik or mike?     var (variable), vaar or /vɛə/ or /və/?     bin (binary), binn or bine?     lic (license), lick, like, liss, lice?     dat (data), datt or date?     loc (location), lokk or /lək/?      etc. and the general form?


What is the origin of "hissy fit"?

I can't seem to find any definite earliest example of this expression, or a reason why "hissy" was chosen to describe a tantrum. Does anyone hiss when they are angry? When and why was the phrase coined?


"Compared with" vs "Compared to"—which is used when?

Is only one of them correct? Are they used in different situations? Or are they interchangeable?


"His hopes had not materialized"/"have not materialized"/"have not been materialized"

Which one is preferable in following sentence? >   * His hopes of getting through the I.A.S. **had not materialized** till > today's date. >   * His hopes of getting through the I.A.S. **have not materialized** till > today's date. >   * His hopes of getting through the I.A.S. **have not been materialized** > till today's date. >


How is 'get' being used in these sentences?

What grammar structure is this?   1. Bob got/had me drunk.   2. She's got me spending.   3. Get moving!   4. Get going!   5. That music gets/has me dancing!   6. He had/got me stumped.   7. She had/got me stoned. Is it possible to say: _She has/had me spending?_


Is 'low speed' finally proving its merit?

Technically, you should expect the term _low speed_ , not _slow speed_ (which is obviously illogical). However, it seems the two phrases co-existed as long as one can look back: with _low speed_ fighting a desperate battle to prove its merit. It is only recently that English users seem to have seriously recognized the difference as this nGram shows. ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/Edrxt.png) How did this obvious error survive and even now continue to assert itself? Or is it that from the language point of view, there is an argument that both the phrases are correct, grammatically, especially, semantically? * * * [Edit-1] Some backgrounder on _slow_ and _speed_   **slow** /slō/   Adjective: Moving or operating, or designed to do so, only at a low speed.   Adverb: At a slow pace; slowly.   Verb: Reduce one's speed or the speed of a vehicle or process. If **slow** = **low speed**   then **slow speed** = ?


Is there a collective term for charges & fees?

Say I have documentation of a particular account with both amounts credited & amounts charged(fees). What would be an appropriately descriptive term for the collection of credits & charges(fees) _(We can assume for this example that fee & charge are equivalent.)_ _update: I am currently using adjustments, but I feel that it implies a mistake in calculation of the balance of the particular account_


What particular word is used for this doll?

A doll is created which looks like a human and is kept near or among crops in the farm to keep animals like deer away. I don't know what it is called in English. ![scarecrows](http://i.stack.imgur.com/xusqY.jpg)


What does the phrase "badly lit" mean?

What is the meaning of the phrase "badly lit" in the following scene from the TV series Columbo (emphasis mine): > [ _Set in a court of law. Prosecution is attempting to prove their client > was injured falling down some stairs because they did not have adequate > lighting._ ] > > _Prosecution Lawyer_ : The plaintiff alleges the stairs were **_badly > lit_**. > > _Defence Lawyer_ : Although the plaintiff may well have been! > > (Laughter all around) It seems from the context that the phrase is being used to mean "drunk". If so, is this a common use. I've certainly never heard it before.


Is there a word for a shared idiolect

Is there a word for a shared idiolect or a dialect understood by only two people?


Scheduled Immediately?

> **scheduled** (adjective) :: included in or arranged / planned according to > a _schedule_. > **schedule** ::   >  1\. a plan of procedure, usually written, for a proposed objective, > especially with reference to the sequence of and time allotted for each item > or operation necessary to its completion: The schedule allows three weeks > for this stage.   >  2\. a series of things to be done or of events to occur at or during a > particular time or period.   >  3\. a timetable.   >  4\. a written or printed statement of details Given these definitions, is it really grammatically correct to **schedule** something to be done immediately / ASAP, and/or in the course of a impromptu spoken conversation? Or refer to Job/Item X as a **scheduled** job/item, when it's really just Alice telling Bob 'Do X now'. Or at best 'Do X as soon as you're free' (with the understanding that Bob is going to / needs to be free in a few minutes, half an hour at best) This is pretty common corporate use, in my experience, and now I'm wondering if this makes sense outside of corporate speak, or just an example of corporate euphemisms/doublespeak? (Edited: because as Colin Fine pointed out, the usage is certainly grammatical; and grammar is not what really what I'm questioning)


What is the easiest language to learn for someone whose first language is English?

My first language is Spanish which makes quite easy to learn languages such us Portuguese or Italian. French is a bit more difficult but not as difficult as English. I have always wondered which languages would be easy to learn for some whose first language is English. Is it German, or Swedish, or Danish maybe? I heard the Gaelics (Scottish, Welsh and Irish are very different) am I right? I have this chart here that says that frisian is the closest to English. What do you think?


Make like a banana

In my area, it's not unusual to hear expressions like > I'm going to make like a banana and split.   >  ...make like a tree and leave.   >  ...make like a baby and head out.   >  ...make like a prom dress and take off. When they are self-referential, they are humorous partings between friends. When directed at others, they are insulting. Are these just simple humorous similes, or is there something more complex going on? Are these only used for parting phrases, or are they constructed for other situations as well? Do these represent some common type of humor?


Does "gay" necessarily mean male homosexual?

I was under the impression that _gay_ always refers to a male homosexual, though sometimes I see this term used to describe female homosexuals (i.e. lesbians) as well. Is it correct usage? Does it depend on a dialect of English (American, Australian, etc.)?


What is the meaning of "If the way Thou choosest, Lead to pain and loss"?

What is the meaning of "If the way Thou **choosest** , Lead to pain and loss"? How would you put it in modern English? It is a verse from Margaret E. Barber's song "The Path I Travel." The whole context is: > If the path I travel Lead me to the Cross,   >  If the way Thou choosest, Lead to pain and loss,   >  Let the compensation Daily, hourly, be   >  Shadowless communion, Blessed Lord with Thee.


Is “Joe’s and my bicycles” correct?

Is this phrasing correct and acceptable? > Here are Joe’s and my bicycles I am describing two bicycles, one owned by Joe and one owned by myself.


What's the meaning of the phrase "take a stand on"?

> The object model and relational model are different schemas and as such > compromises have to happen. NHibernate makes a very good job in hiding those > compromises in most cases, but when it comes to inverse management you the > developer need to **take a stand on** what compromise is the right one for > your solution. Now you know your options, choose wisely.


Take -ing as adverb

I am a fan of Devil May Cry. In Devil May Cry 4, the highest rank for fighting is called _smokin' sick style_. Here, it seems that _smokin'_ is used as an adverb. I guess it is derived from the usage of the _f_ word. Is it acceptable to take an _-ing_ word as an adverb, which is commonly used as an adjective? Are there any other examples? ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/VfBzr.jpg)


"Luck", "coincidence", "chance" — most appropriate in this situation?

> I found my present flat completely by **__**. > >   1. luck >   2. coincidence >   3. chance > What will be the most appropriate word in this sentence?


What does “Empty dress” exactly mean?

Washington Post (May 22) reported the victory of the 35-year-old Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky Democratic primary to position her as the challenger to 72-year-old Senate’s GOP leader, Mitch McConnell in November election. It says; > Alison Lundergan Grimes says it everywhere she goes. She said it at dozens > of stops in Kentucky over the past week. She said it at her victory speech > here Tuesday night after securing the Democratic nomination for Senate. And > she plans to say it again all the way to November. She’s not an “ **empty > dress**.” > > “ **I am not an empty dress** , I am not a rubber stamp, and I am not a > cheerleader,” she said in a speech Tuesday night after she and McConnell > each easily defeated primary opponents and officially began what is shaping > up to be one of the year’s most heated political battles. > http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-ky-mcconnell-challenger-grimes- > embraces-political-upside-of-her- > gender/2014/05/21/86c2535c-e0c3-11e3-8dcc-d6b7fede081a_story.html?wpisrc=nl_mwk None of OED, CED, Merriam-Webster carries “empty dress.” Google Ngram shows existence of the word since mid 19 century, but at a very low incidence ratio (0.0000002% in 2008) Urban dictionary defines it as “Usually used in regards a woman. After you get past all the glamour and glitz, there is nothing worth staying for.” Does it mean ‘outdated and unattractive woman without substance’? What is an alternative short word to “empty dress” used in the context of Alison Grimes’ victory speech? What is the men’s version of “empty dress”?


How can a wasteland be "washed in somewhat queasy-ugly bleached orange"?

I was very confused when I came across a sentence in “The body politic” in New York Times (June 28) > Set in Tampa (but also shot in California), a palm-lined wasteland that Mr. > Soderbergh has washed in somewhat queasy-ugly bleached orange, the movie > opens at the club with the owner-M.C., Dallas (a spectacular, amusingly > sleazed-out Matthew McConaughey), running down the rules for the female > clientele. I think "bleached orange" is some kind of color. Wash a wasteland in a color, in a movie, what does that mean? I'm totally confused. I also failed to find "sleazed-out" in dictionaries. I know _sleaze_ means tastelessness by virtue of being cheap and vulgar. but what does "sleazed-out" mean?


Is it correct to say “He got a fatal injury in the accident” when there is a possibility that the person’s life will be saved?

I would like to know whether “fatal injury” means (1) an injury which causes a death, (2) an injury which almost causes a death but not necessarily does, or (3) both (1) and (2) depending on the context. I am confused because several Japanese-English dictionaries give “fatal injury” as a translation of both _chimeishō_ (致命傷) and _hinshi no jūshō_ (瀕死の重傷), while _chimeishō_ means (1) and _hinshi no jūshō_ means (2). I am aware of another question about the word “fatal”, but it does not answer my question. _Edit: I changed the title of the question because the former title resulted in an ambiguity which I did not intend._


'flip bits not burgers' meaning

In Google Summer of Code, they use the phrase 'flip bits, not burgers': > provide students in Computer Science and related fields the opportunity to > do work related to their academic pursuits during the summer (think 'flip > bits, not burgers') Doing a Google Search only turns up results which talk about this and not meaning of the term. I think its used in computer science too... What does it mean?


Ne'er cast a clout till May be out. Meaning?

Today across southern England, it was one of those glorious May mornings of which the poets wrote. The darling buds in bloom, the scent of the blossom hanging like nectar in the air, and the sun up in a clear sky, temperature in the mid-twenties. Yet I took a pullover with me when I went out. Why? Because I have never forgotten the old English proverb taught to me by my grandmother 'ne'er cast a clout, till May be out'. The earliest written version is that of Dr Thomas Fuller in 1732. But the argument has never been settled. Does it refer to the month of May? Should we not leave off an item of clothing until June arrives, or does it refer to the 'may flower' on the hawthorn which blooms along the 200,000 miles of English hedgerow from late April?


Whereupon or thereupon?

Marion arrives at the Bates Motel, whereupon Norman comes out to greet Marion. Marion arrives at the Bates Motel, thereupon Norman comes out to greet Marion. Are both words interchangeable in this case?


Meaning of "Toffy Circles"

I'm reading _"The Demolished Man"_ by Alfred Bester, and came across a sentence I could not understand (in bold): > "No you don't, Mr. Powell." Mary burst into laughter. "So that's it. You > want me for a chaperone. Victorian word, isn't? So are you, Linc. Positively > atavistic."   >   >  "I brand that as a lie. **In toffy circles I'm known as the most > progressive** \---"   >   >  "And what's that image? Oh. Knights of the Round Table. Sir Galahad Powell. > And there's something underneath that. I---" Suddenly she stopped laughing > and turned pale. What is the meaning of that sentence? Best I could find, **toffy** is another spelling for **toffee** , but then what are toffy circles?


What does ‘Gut the Roster’ mean?

I find the phrase ‘gut the (one’s) roster’ very often in the sport section of news papers as used in the following examples. What does it mean? Is it used only in sport related context? 1.He ‘gutted the roster’ of almost all of the players that were in the majors before he arrived, .... 2.The New York Knicks ‘gutted their roster’ on Monday evening to acquire Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets. ..... 3.When Phoenix ‘gutted its roster’ this offseason, I honestly don't think many Suns fans expected their team to be at .... 4.The trade that finally united the Knicks and Carmelo Anthony resulted in ‘a gutted roster’ and a fractured front office, but those details were deemed secondary to winning a championship.


How correct is the Southern colloquialism "y'all" in correct English grammar?

Have I capitalized and punctuated correctly above? (Note the space between last letter and question mark in title? (We'll, it was there!))


Verb of probability

I need to express my idea that I need to generate probabilistic data from raw data. Is there a verb that can express this meaning ? For example, computing probabilities for sensor data => "probabilize" sensor data. Edit: Peter Shor is correct. What I mean is "To cause to be probable or to seem probable." Edit2: Since there are some misunderstandings, I think I should provide more context. I have collected raw data from various sensors. However, my application requires probabilistic data. Therefore, I need a way to "probabilize" the raw data i.e., generate probabilistic data from the raw data.


Non-aerodynamic meanings of 'vane'

I tried to look for other meanings of 'vane' not related to aerodynamics (weather vane, vane of a feather, etc), and I wasn't really successful. Oxforddictionaries.com gives an example of adjective as 'three-vaned windmill'. But dictionary.com drops some examples which definitely stray from the definition, which doesn't touch them: > So it's vane to talk about blood since it's wrong to judge national > background on this single factor. > > He's a bombast anyway, a vane orator, the way so many pol's are. These definitely don't relate to the given meanings which literally or figuratively refer to something affected by the wind. What does it mean in the examples above? What other meanings does (or did in the past, archaic/obsolete are okay) this word take that are not direct derivatives of the primary _a blade, plate, sail, etc., in the wheel of a windmill, to be moved by the air._ ?


Does "someone appeared to help me" have two meanings?

> Someone appeared to help me. If I get it right, this sentence can either mean:   1. "It seems like someone was helping me." ( _seems like_ = _appear to_ )   2. "Someone showed up to help me." ( _show up_ = _appear_ ) Am I right?


'Tonight' and 'this evening'

If I ask > Are you available tonight for a drink? does _tonight_ refer to _this evening_ and/or _this night_? If not, what would be considered the beginning of the night and the end of the evening? Do they overlap?


What does "get wound" mean?

In the sixth panel of this web comic the character says, "Get wound, Sturmvoraus*! I do not need your help." So, what does "get wound" mean in this context? I googled it, but only got "getting wound up", which means "getting excited" or "getting worked up" to me, which doesn't seem to make a lot of sense here. How would you interpret it? * "Sturmvoraus" is the name of the red-haired character. He is in a sort of personal rivalry/power struggle with the brown-haired character, but they are currently forced allies with common goals and trust each other to a degree because of that.


{wend, went, went} changed into {go, went, gone}

I have heard that the verb _go_ used to be _wend_ in olden days. I am curious if there is any historical or other explanation why the past form of _wend_ , i.e. _went_ , is still in use while the simple present and past participle forms are gone. Any idea or link to some resources which deal with this fact?


Variation(?) on Antanaclasis

US President Obama in his recent annual State of the Union address to the Congress: > In the year since I asked this Congress to raise the minimum wage, five > states have passed laws to raise theirs. Many businesses have done it on > their own. Nick Chute is here tonight with his boss, John Soranno. John’s an > owner of Punch Pizza in Minneapolis, and **Nick helps make the dough. Only > now he makes more of it** : John just gave his employees a raise, to ten > bucks an hour – a decision that eased their financial stress and boosted > their morale. The use of _dough_ was straight-forward and in its most common meaning. However, the speaker uses its **pronoun** in a pun in the next sentence - that Nick now makes more money, not prepares more of the wetted flour. If this is Antanaclasis1 or another literary device, can a pronoun thus serve as well as the word itself? * * * > 1\. Antanaclasis. From Greek ̩ ̩ἀντανάκλασις, a figure of speech involving a > pun, consisting of the repeated use of the same word, each time with > different meanings.


Is "Four times more" grammatically correct? And, if so, what precisely does it mean?

> I have 10 beans. Jim has _four times more_. Is this a valid sentence? And, if so, does it mean Jim has 40 or 50 beans?


"Three quarters" vs. "three fourths"

To express a fraction of 3 out of 4, how and when would you use _three quarters_ , and when would you use _three fourths_? To me, _three quarters_ is what I would have used all the time — but I'm not a native English speaker, so I'm not sure. I did come across _three fourths_ , but wasn't sure if that's something used in certain geographies and/or fields of expertise, or whether that's just a slightly too literal translation of another non-native speaker. Are there certain walks of life, certain fields of expertise that would use _three fourths_ instead? Or is this a question of geography (e.g. used in New Zealand, but not elsewhere)?


Proper usage of 'if so' in a sentence

I have used a sentence today like below but not sure I used _if so_ correctly here; > Additionally, we could make your booking via e-mail if you prefer to proceed > that way. Please let us know if so.


'Cumbersome' and 'Trivial'

I'm often confusing the meaning of **Cumbersome** and **Trivial**. I always visit on 'StackOverFlow', and watch these questions or answers, such as, > This is cumbersome problem. > > Those things are quite trivial. My question is   1. Do 'Cumbersome' and 'Trivial' have similar meanings, in general speaking?   2. Are they polite words?   3. If they have same meanings, which word is more useful? Sorry about my bad english..


What is a word to describe a person who wears several masks?

What word best describes a person who is deceitful and very complicated to understand? As they say, he wears several masks.


Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

By definition an idiom is an expression or phrase that cannot be understood by the sum of its parts. There are, of course, many idioms that we can understand by virtue of their transparency like "shed light on" or "in a nut shell". But there are a number of categories that are really rather cryptic. **Question:** Can we define phrasal verbs as idioms, or should we keep them separate in their own linguistic and lexical species?


Electronic or electronics for the adjective

Is it correct to say "electronics products" or "electronic products"?


Word for "on this side of the ocean"

I'm looking for a word akin to 'cismontane' that refers to oceans or seas. Does this exist?


What is the plain alternative to “fossilized language”?

I was drawn to the word, “fossilized language” appearing in the following sentence of the New York Times’ (June 13) article titled, “Southern politicians try to hold back the tides.” > “It’s always taken longer to get to the future in the South, and the > region’s social tardiness has been on display in this season’s political > races. For the moment, at least, harsh and **fossilized language** is still > required of both Republican and Democratic candidates (in Mississippi and in > Kentucky).” http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/southern- > politicians-try-to-hold-back-the-tides/?hp&rref=opinion Fossilized language sounds like to me a stale but die-hard slogan. I can imagine what it implies, but I don’t know an exact word to rephrase it briefly. Google Ngram shows that this word first appeared in early 1900, but the currency is very low (at 0.000000048% level in 2008), after peaking in 1990 (0.000000092). What is a plain alternative to “fossilized language”? Is it primarily used in political context? Is it definitely different from “fossil language” such as, say Sanskrit, Coptic and Aram?


Bullet points where there is an 'or' before the final point.

I would typically write a bullet point list that is all part of one sentence with:   * no capitals   * no punctuation at the end of each point   * a grammatical structure that is consistent   * a full-stop after the terminal point. However, I've come across situations where the list is an 'or' list, instead of an 'and' one. For example, when writing such a list, I would not use:   * capitals   * end-line punctuation [OR]   * incorrect grammatical structure. How and where should I structure it so the 'or' is apparent? The 'and' is usually implied in such a list, but without punctuation at the end of each line, the 'or' can get lost. Thoughts? Thanks!


What does "bar hate" mean?

> The controversial law will also **bar hate** speech and harassment. What does it mean in the above example?


What is the origin of "breaking bad"?

Wiktionary gives the meaning of " _break bad_ " but does not mention about the origin: > **1.** _(colloquial, of an event or of one's fortunes)_ To go wrong; to go > downhill.   > > > * * * > > **2.** _(colloquial, chiefly Southern US and Midwest US, of a person)_ To go > bad; to turn toward immorality or crime. * * * Cassell's Dictionary of Slang (by Jonathon Green) has the below definition that gives a hint about the origin: > **break bad** _v._ **1** [1960s] _(US Black)_ to become angry and aggressive > **2** [1980s] _(US campus)_ to perform well. [BREAK v.2 (3) + SE _bad_ ] > > * * * > > **break** _v._ 2 _(US)_ **3** [1930s] to conduct oneself. It looks like the origin is African American Vernacular English but how did this phrase emerge exactly? And how did it gain a new meaning (with almost opposite connotations) in campus slang?


My joint make cracking sounds while I am turning my arm. When turning my arm during exercise, my joint making crack sounds. Does the sentence above have any grammar mistake?


What does "Apple never falls far from the tree" means

What does this term, Apple never falls far from the tree, means?


Origin and variations of "being handed your hat"

I heard the expression _being handed your hat_ being used to mean that you are invited to leave. What is its origin and what are the possible variations?


On the expression "the poverty and lack of opportunity"

This is a passage from _The Economist_ : > Unlike townships such as Soweto, which were designated areas for blacks to > live in under apartheid, the shantytowns are spontaneous settlements set up > by people fleeing **the poverty and lack of opportunity** in rural South > Africa. This can be read in two ways:   * the poverty _in rural South Africa_ and lack of opportunity _in rural South Africa._   * the poverty _of opportunity_ and lack _of opportunity_ in rural South Africa. Which interpretation is better?


"Go, Yankees!", "Go, Tigers!", etc. — go where?

It's common to hear cheers of the form "“Go X!” where X is the name of a team or individual. I understand that its meaning is, as nohat said in another thread, > “Go ___!” is a common exclamation intended to express approval and > encouragement to a team or an individual. My question is: does this phrase have an etymology? The sense of "go" as used in this template does not seem to be used anywhere else. For instance, we cannot report this exclamation as "he asked his team to go". Does the phrase originate in some archaic sense of _go_ , in some larger phrase (like "Go and win") or is it of unknown origin? **Edit** : If I'm not mistaken, the phrase can be used not only for sports like football that involve physically moving towards a goal, but also sports like baseball and even chess or (competitive) programming, which mostly involve sitting in one location.


Is there an English grammar equivalent of the Italian "complemento"

In Italian, translating from the Italian wikipedia as accurately as I can muster, > a "complemento" is a part of a sentence (one or more words) that specify, > clarify and enrich the meaning thereof. Italian has a loooong, punctilious list of various possible types of "complemento", for example:   * I have plenty _of diamonds_ -- "complemento" of abundance   * I am short _of diamonds_ -- "complemento" of privation   * It's made _of diamonds_ -- "complemento" of matter   * Some _of the diamonds_ are valuable -- "complemento" of partition   * Each _of these diamonds_ is valuable -- "complemento" of specification   * It's worthy _of diamonds_ -- "complemento" of value I can't find anything like this on the English wikipedia - although adjuncts sound suspiciously similar, I'd say none of these are temporal, locative, modicative, causal, instrumental, conditional or concessive - although there certainly are some that are, and not all require prepositions:   * I'm waiting _there_ \- "complemento" of being in place   * I'm going _there_ \- "complemento" of motion to place   * I'm going _to Rome_ \- "complemento" of motion to place also. The next closest thing would be adverbial complements, but most of these aren't required for the sentence to make sense, or tied to the verb.


Possibility of using either verb tense and convey the same meaning

I have two questions: Q1: Which one(s) of the sentences below, can be grammatically correct and why? And if there are more than one correct sentence, does the meaning change when the verb tense is changed or are they synonymous and can be used interchangeably? 1- Yes, I was. I've never known until he had appeared on TV. 2- Yes, I was. I've never known until he appeared on TV. 3- Yes, I was. I've never known until he has appeared on TV. 4- Yes, I was. I've never known until he was appearing on TV. Q2: What if the choices above are answers to this question below, are the answers to Q1 the same to Q2? So in 2003, when you said you didn't know, were you telling the truth at that time?


Romney, "regards to", and disfluency

This is kind of a follow up to "in regard to" or "in regards to". I have always considered that _regards to_ means sending well wishes, while _regard to_ means "concerning". Hence _with regards to_ or _in regards to_ , meaning "concerning", are erroneous and should be _with regard to_ or _in regard to_. Yet just looking at the recent Presidential debates, we have the following quotes from Governor Romney: > And then, of course, _with regards to_ standing for our principles, when -- > when the students took to the streets in Tehran and the people there > protested, the Green Revolution occurred, for the president to be silent I > thought was an enormous mistake. > The — the greatest failure we've had _with regards to_ — to gun violence in > some respects is what — what is known as Fast and Furious. > Number two, _with regards to_ Iraq, you and I agreed, I believe, that there > should have been a status of forces agreement. > And finally, _with regards to_ that tax cut, look, I'm not looking to cut > massive taxes and to reduce the -- the revenues going to the government. > Well, President, you're -- Mr. President, you're absolutely right, which is > that, _with regards to_ 97 percent of the businesses are not -- not taxed at > the 35 percent tax rate, they're taxed at a lower rate. In all these cases, he means _concerning_ and is not sending well wishes. Is this a Romney disfluency? Is this a regional variation? Is my intuition just completely wrong and this is generally accepted as standard?


To what extent is it correct to refer to a credit union as a bank? Is it correct to use the verb "banking" when referring to credit unions, for example "I do my banking at Northern Credit Union"? One last question, when I looked up the definition of banking on Google how come it says it's a noun?


"Coat" vs. "jacket" in AE

In some regions of the U.S., can the term "coat" be used to designate what other native speakers of other U.S. regions -- and from farther out -- would call a jacket? > Please consider this Ngram: source > > And this other one also...source


Phrase for pooling funds with others for a purchase

I got an email today from a parent in my son's K class for a party the kids will be hosting for their teacher. Part of the content was this: > I'm asking for volunteers for the following: > > Cut-up Fruit (various types or multiple people could contribute to a small > tray) > > Cake (again thought few people could contribute to this) In response, I replied > Happy to pool in for cake. I meant that I wanted to pool in with other parents for cake. Did I convey it right? How can I say it in other ways?


What is the meaning, history, and current popularity of "of a Monday" (or Tuesday, or Wednesday, etc.)?

I was watching a 1934 Hollywood film today and one of the American characters used the phrase, _Of a Tuesday_. I don't think I'd ever heard an American use this in real life or in a film before then, even though I watch a lot of 1930s and 1940s Hollywood movies. I have since heard it used occasionally in films from about the 1920s to the 1960s, but I have still never heard it used outside of films. Perhaps this, like the MidAtlantic accent in the first half of the century, was and is something used by actors, and in this case writers, far more commonly than by regular (non-theatrical) Americans. Does phrase _Of a Tuesday_ simply mean the same as _On a Tuesday_? Is it a commonly used phrase? Has the meaning or popularity changed significantly over time? Are there differences in meaning or usage between British and American English? So, what are the meaning(s) and usage(s), history, and current popularity of both in American and British English?


What is going on in this sentence?

I was helping my brother study for the SAT, and we came across this sentence: > While it was different from all the other classes he had taken, Eric was > unhappy with his psychology class. The answer was that there are no errors in that sentence. But my brother thinks that the noun following the comma should be consistent with the "it" in the first clause. I have come across sentences of this form in the works of well-known writers, but I do not know how to explain to him why this is correct.


What's up with the word "egregious"?

According to Google's dictionary (and MacOS/iOS dictionary), egregious has the following definitions: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/K4VPv.png) I've seen words with multiple definitions, but not ones that are exact contradictions. Some references state that "remarkably good" is archaic - is it possible that the meaning of this word has changed over time to be the exact opposite of what it once meant?


How to say: "this number has not been rounded"?

Let's say I count some items and the result is exactly 1000. How do I convey the fact that the actual count was 1000, and that I didn't round the number? It should fit into a sentence like "Overall, we found 1000 items that are related to X."


Interpretation of a quote from "Easy A" (the 2010 film)

In the 2010 film " _Easy A_ ", there is an exchange between several characters: > **_Rhiannon** : George is not a sexy name. George is like what you name your > teddy bear, not the name you wanna scream out during climax._ > > **_Mr. Griffith** : I hope by "climax" you weren't talking about..._ > > **_Olive Penderghast** : The stable and self-perpetuating end-stage in the > evolution of a plant community. Like "by George, that tree has reached the > final stage of ecological succession"._ > > **_Rhiannon** : And it only took 20 seconds._ What does Olive mean here by " _The stable and self-perpetuating end stage in the evolution of a plant community._ "? **_Please note** : English is not my native language, so the simpler and clearer you can make your explanation, the better._


What words should be capitalized in "to whom it may concern"?

I'm writing a business recommendation, and since it's a proxy for a proper name, it seems like capitalization might be in order, but it looks odd.


Origin of 'acle' ending in words

What is the origin and meaning of the _acle_ ending in words like _oracle, debacle, tabernacle, miracle, spectacle_. Or are there more than one explanation/meaning here?


'Year' or 'Years'?

In the context of the following sentence: > "This report gives an overview of x, which took place between the second and > final **year** of my degree from xmonth to ymonth." Should I be using the word **year** or **years**? I'm inclined to choose the latter, as I am referring to two years and not one.


What is wrong in saying " I am feeling well right now"...?

The following sentences are frequently heard spoken by people if someone asks them about their well-being (especially when a doctor inquires about a patient's health!) : **I am not feeling well** and **I am feeling well** But yesterday someone prompted me saying that "feel, taste, smell, realise, etc" are verbs of perception and a continuous tense shouldn't be used. Instead it should be: **I feel well.** Is this really so? My question is, will it not give rise to an ambiguity situation if when a person wishes to express his current state of well-being he uses 'I feel well'? Couldn't he be misinterpreted as if he always feels 'well'?


What does ‘ Seven years there and he won’t know himself.’ mean?

The school is the finest school and seven years’ studying there should be great for students, but I can’t read it that way for some reason. > “If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won’t stop him,” growled > Hagrid. “Stop Lily an’ James Potter’s son goin’ ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His > names’s been down ever since he was born. He’s off ter the finest school of > witch craft and wizardry in the world. **Seven years there and he won’t know > himself.** He’ll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an’ he’ll > be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had, Albus Dumbled—“ ( _Harry > Potter 1_ [US Version]: p.58) [Bold font is mine] If seven years there and he still doesn’t understand who he is, the school, I would think, is not so effective. The context is saying, however, the school is very good. Would you guide me to the right meaning?


Meaning of the word "congratufukinlation"

What does congratu-fukin-lations mean?


Do we use the word "disjoint" as a noun?

I've looked up in the dictionary and didn't find a noun form of the word _disjoint_. What is the word if I want to mean the fact that 2 things are disjointed?


What is an alternative (more positive) analogy to "beating a dead horse"?

I'm looking for an analogy for my repeated attempts to revive interest in a project. The phrase _beating a dead horse_ almost fits the bill, but a _dead horse_ refers to a subject that is no longer relevant or useful, and this project is both relevant and useful, it's just considered a low priority. Without giving the subject a negative label, is there an analogy I can use to express my persistence and frustration?


"Compared to" vs "as compared to"

Are both "compared to" and "as compared to" correct?   1. Microsoft has bigger market share **compared to** Apple.   2. This question is more difficult **as compared to** the previous one.


What is the difference between "Drop in" and "pop in"

In British English do "drop in to see someone" and "pop in to see someone" have different meanings?


Metaphorical antonym of "crutch"

Often times something is referred to as being a "crutch" for something, meaning they rely on it. What would be a suitable opposite to this metaphor? EDIT: To rephrase: What's a good metaphor/term for something that "sets you free" or liberates you or helps towards a cause? I hope that makes more sense.


"Where we headed?" or "Where we heading?"; which one is correct?

I had to pick one of my friends for a movie. She didn't know where we would go, so the moment she sat in the car, she asked "So, where we headed?" I told her the multiplex name. But I thought she should have asked, "where we heading (= going)"? Why people say use past tense "headed" when they still need to reach the destination?


Which to use: "altitude" or "elevation" in regards to height above sea level?

I've developed an Android application that is used as a Car Home replacement. One of the pieces of information that I return to the user is what I originally called "altitude": the height above sea level the user is currently at while driving. However, a user sent me an email regarding my use of the word _altitude_ and recommended that I switch it to _elevation_ saying "Altitude is a measurement used to show how far off the ground you are, elevation is used to show how high above sea level you are." I started to believe that what he told me was correct, but after a search I found this interesting comparison of the two. Additionally, Android's API declares this value as "altitude" when returning it from the GPS receiver. Now I'm just confused. Which word should I be using to express this?


Pickup vs. Pick Up vs. Pick-up

Researching another question, Takeout vs Pickup, is there a difference? \- and at first I used "pick-up" - but it appears that pickup would be a better choice. Is this correct, and how do you fit one of the three terms to its usage? ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/Ufo1X.jpg)


How should I start a conditional sentence with "should" instead of "if"?

With this sentence: > If she feels worse during the night, give her these tablets. I am asked to rewrite it beginning the sentence with _should_. It's obviously not simply a question of replacing _if_ with _should,_ because that would be trivial: > *Should she feels worse during the night, give her these tablets. What else is needed, and why?


Are there any specific words for the first events and first things like the first rain, the first fruit of a plant, the first grey hairs, etc.?


What does the “a’ ” in “a’blowing” signify？

Quotation from _A History of the Cries of London: Ancient and Modern_ > Oh, dearly do I love “Old Cries,”   >  Your “Lilies all _a’blowing_!”   >  Your blossoms blue, still wet wih dew,   >  “Sweet Violets all _a’growing_!” ![image](http://i.stack.imgur.com/d9Xrk.png)


Repetition of articles in a sentence

The following sentences use more than one adjective for a single noun. > She has **a** black and white cat. It implies that the person involved here has only one cat which is _black and white coloured_. The following sentence is however different from the preceding one. > She has **a** black and **a** white cat. The indefinite article _a_ has been repeated as many times as there are adjectives for the noun in the sentence changing in meaning of the sentence - the person involved has now two cats - one is a black coloured cat and the other is a white coloured cat. * * * Similarly, the following sentence implies designations. > **The** magistrate and collector **is** present. **One** person owns two different designations which are magistrate and collector. The following sentence however implies two different persons - one is a magistrate and the other is a collector. > **The** magistrate and **the** collector **are** present. * * * What do the following sentences mean? >   * He is **a** better counsellor than **a** scholar. >   * He is **a** better counsellor than scholar. > and >   * He is **a** better poet than **a** novelist. >   * He is **a** better poet than novelist. >


"Try and produce best output" versus "try and produce the best output"

I've heard people say both. Which is the right one?


"If you think it's hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball."

What does the following Jack Lemmon quote mean: > If you think it's hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf > ball. I guess _picking up the wrong golf ball_ must be an idiom but I couldn't find its meaning online. What does it mean? Does it have anything to do with the game itself and the rules for hitting the wrong ball?


"How's things?" or "How are things?"

In a short interview where people were introducing themselves I saw something that grammatically sounds erroneous. Is the use of _How's things_ instead of _How're things_ a kind of expression or a simple mistake? > David: Hi. I’m David. > > Rachel: Hi. I’m Rachel. Pleased to meet you. > > David: Likewise. **How's things?** > > Rachel: Great thanks. And You?


Grammar query - is vs. are

The sentence in concern is : We agreed that Coco and Rocky **are** not the same dog. Shouldn't it be: We agreed that Coco and Rocky **is** not the same dog. ? According to my Word grammar editor, **is** is the correct form of the verb there. It doesn't sound right, though.


Tense choice in "the strategy was exploited so frequently before, that it has long lost its originality"

I am not sure if the Past Simple and Present Perfect tenses in the second part of the sentence are used correctly: > Surely, we can experiment with various styles, combine genres and produce > eclectic output, but let us face the truth: the strategy was exploited so > frequently before, that it has long lost its originality. I often have these doubts when it comes to using PS and PP in one sentence.


Is "all 'day'/'week'/'month' round" proper English?

Searching on the Internet one can find a lot of occurrences of "all year round" and there are plenty of sites which explain what the expression means: _throughout all the seasons of the year_. So, one would expect that "all [x] round", where [x] is _day_ , or _week_ , or even _month_ , would be well established, too; but that is not the case, at least judging from Google results, which show the use of "all _day/week/month_ round" mostly in some illiterate comments. It's easy to deduce the meaning of "all week round" as " _throughout all the days of the week_ ". Can this expression be used like this? If not, why?


Is prefixing "@" to address a person becoming an English standard?

In order to address or reply to a person, is prefixing an "@" symbol in front of their names becoming a standard in English? This is really useful in e-communications wherein a parts of message can be addressed to a particular person out of the bunch without breaking up into sentence fragments.


Grammaticality of "Is it today that..."

I would like to know if it is grammatically correct to ask the question, "Is it today that you are going to town?" My concern is specifically the "Is it" part.


What is a single word for the things that can be heard from a particular place?

A _view_ is the things that can be seen from a particular place. What's the auditory equivalent? Shorter words preferred.


Relative Clause Extraction from Subordinate Clause - Compare and Contrast These Sentences

Please emend the title; I'm tentative whether it summarises this question precisely. >   1. I went into the store, which if I had seen from the road, I should have > known to be a company. > >   2. I went into the store, which, if I had seen it from the road, I should > have known to be a company. > >   3. I went into the store, which if I had seen from the road, I should have > known it to be a company. > >   4. I went into the store, if I had seen which from the road, I should have > known it to be a company. > > 1 seems the most natural to me. Would someone please compare and contrast the other 4? Are they grammatically correct? If so, how are they?


Is there another word for 'sentence finisher' in English?

I am just interested in finding another word for _sentence finisher_ in English, or basically someone who has a habit of cutting off another person's sentence and putting in their own statement.


What does "First Lad” mean?

In New York Times (March 22) article titled, “Palmy days for Jerry,” Maureen Dowd interviews former California governor, Jerry Brown who was once the rival of Bill Clinton, and quotes his latest assessment of his old nemesis: > “In retrospect, after we see all the other presidents that came afterwards, > certainly, Clinton handled his job with a level of skill that hasn’t been > met since.” And could he see his old nemesis Bill, who endorsed Gavin Newsom > for governor instead of Brown in 2009, as **First Lad**? > > “Wherever he is, he will fill up the room, that’s for sure,” he replies. “He > has a lot of political energy.” > > http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/23/opinion/sunday/dowd-palmy-days-for- > jerry.html?hp&rref=opinion I see “first lady” and "first husband," but I can’t’ find the word, “first lad” in any of CED, OED, and Merriam-Webster Dictionary. What does “first lad” mean? Is it the same with the first husband, or does it mean a "top-notch person"? Is this a common word?


Another word/phrase for "In addition to"

What is an alternative phrase or word for "in addition to"? Here's an example sentence: > In addition to the tasks listed above, we ask that you complete the > following tasks as time permits. Is there a word or phrase that can replace "in addition to" in the above sentence without altering anything else in the sentence?


Can "sufficient" be used in a negative sense?

Can the word "sufficient" be used in a negative sense, i.e. relating to something that has a negative effect when augmented? Example: > These problems influence the results for sufficiently high speeds. Since "sufficient" is a fundamental logical concept (as the logical opposite of "necessary"), I feel it shouldn't be "biased" in this way. On the other hand, maybe in linguistics it is different. The meaning of "sufficient" is equivalent to "as much as needed", so I can imagine that the "positive" nature of the verb "need" influences the meaning here. So, can "sufficient/ly" be used in this way?


is "purposely" an actual word?

I grew up in Malaysia and Singapore, and it's taken me a long time to dissect my vocabulary into "local slang, incomprehensible/incorrect elsewhere" and "proper English". 'Purposely' is one of those words that's just felt wrong to me for a while. It's an adverb of the + 'ly' form, except that "purpose" isn't an adjective. However, I've seen the word used so often on the Internet I can't help but feel that it's not just us South-East Asians doing it. Is "purposely" grammatically correct? If so, in what context? If not, what is an appropriate substitute, and why is it so common?


Word to make a distinction between license as a concept and a license held

What would you call a pilot's license as a concept, and what would you call a license that the pilot is actually holding in his hand? For instance, a pilot may acquire a Private Pilot License (PPL). There is a series of requirements to obtaining this license. I consider this to be the concept of a PPL. When a pilot passes the test, he is issued the actual license, the one he can hold in his hand. While the difference might be negligible, for the purpose of identifying concepts that make up the domain model in a software application, it would be highly preferable to have two separate words describing them. I myself would call the concept a `license`, and the actual license an `issuance`, but since I am not a native speaker of English, I am not sure that this is correct.


"At all" vs "Not at all" in negated sentences

If I say _That makes sense to me._ I would say definitively _at all_. > That makes sense to me at all. But in the negated sentence I'm not sure. I've the feeling, that it is still _at all_. But if I say _not at all_ it still sounds OK to my ears but I would, though, separate it with a comma or even with a full stop. Which one is correct? > That makes no sense to me at all. or > That makes no sense to me, not at all. > > That makes no sense to me, by no means at all.


Time before now vs. time before us

We all know that _before_ normally means "earlier in time", but I've been thinking about the opposite meanings of those expressions:   * The days before now (the past)   * The days before us (the future) I'm aware that some other European languages have similar usages, too, so I would like to understand when and how such contrasting meanings developed in English.


Is it acceptable to use digit and word form of numbers in the same sentence/paragraph?

To illustrate, this reads a bit awkward: > In a country with 75 billion SMBs, at least seven billion of them should > advertise. What's the acceptable practice in such sentences ?


A person looking for a place to stay the night - is it accommodations

Given this fragment: "Can't find accommodation in Mantova, Italy." Assume it is a single person looking for a place to spend the night. Would the correct word be "accommodation" or "accommodations"? While ODO does list _accommodation_ as a mass noun, it also has a count example: > Lodgings, sometimes also including board:   >  _the company offers a number of guest house accommodations in Oberammergau_


Do you use he/she or it to refer to ghost?

If I have a sentence: > There are many stories which have been told about a ghost that haunted this > castle. Strangely, ... (the ghost) has never appeared in front of my face > for 10 years. I notice that when it comes to "spirit, dark force", many people use "it" instead of making it personalized by using "she/he" as the subject pronoun. Should I use the subject pronoun "he/she" or "it" to refer to the ghost?


What does 'let the idea go begging' mean? Does it mean someone hesitates when making a decision?


What does Banglored mean and how it is created? is there any relation between indian banglore city?


When can "as" be used instead of "when"?

I am having problems explaining the use of "as" and "when" to my foreign language pupils... To me, this sentence is wrong "Even as he had the chance to help, he did not." I would say "Even when he had the chance..." However, I do occassionally use as in a temporal sense, e.g. "As I was going to St Ives, I met a man with seven wives.. etc". How can it be explained? When can "as" be used instead of "when" and more importantly, when not? Looking forward to your ideas!!


Quickly responding or Responding quickly?

Here is the sentence in question. I helped customers by quickly responding to their requests. I helped customers by responding quickly to their requests.


'Hope' vs. 'wish' in unlikely situations

Although 'hope' and 'wish' have many different uses, I've seen the basic difference often summarized as: 'wish' is for imaginary, unlikely or impossible things, whereas 'hope' is for more likely or realistic things. For example: > I wish I was a billionaire (unlikely) > > I hope you get well soon (likely) This distinction seems logical, but then I don't understand the following: > I hope you win the lottery tonight (unlikely) > > I hope you rot in hell! (impossible ... I hope!) Both scenarios seem highly unlikely, yet the grammar is acceptable. Is there are a better distinction between 'hope' and 'wish' in this kind situation? Many thanks in advance.


Prosodic stress

What difference do different stress positions make to the meaning of the following sentence: _**What_** would you like? What **_would_** you like? What would **_you_** like? What would you **_like_**?


Alternative to "accessible"

In the context of a technical manual, engineers use the word "accessible" to indicate that a piece of hardware should have "easy access" for repair, maintenance, and other modifications. What would you use instead of "accessible" in such contexts (avoiding the lexeme _access_ )? For example: > The TMGB must be located such that it is _accessible to_ telecommunications > personnel.


Can we use this expression

Is this OK to use the below usage. Looking into the photograph the girl said, "It's me before 5 years."


Polite way to refuse to answer a question

It sometimes happens that I am asked a question which I am uncomfortable answering for a variety of reasons (it invades my privacy, the answer may hurt the person asking, it is painful for me to discuss, it would violate a confidence etc.). I may also not feel comfortable **explaining** why I don't want to answer. I remember a colleague of mine introducing me to the Far Eastern concept of Mu (sometimes translated as "unask the question"), which seems to quite aptly capture what I'm looking for. What is the most polite way of expressing this in English?


"Why didn't (or did not) somebody do something?" or "Why did somebody not do something?"

I was wondering which one is grammatically correct between "Why didn't (or did not) somebody do something?" and "Why did somebody not do something?"


Meaning and usage of "Adjacent to refuse, is refuse"

In a show I have heard the line: "Adjacent to refuse, is refuse". Can anyone explain to me what that means. I found the script and give the context in what is was said. > JERRY: Was it in the trash?   >  GEORGE: Yes.   >  JERRY: Then it was trash.   >  GEORGE: It wasn't down in, it was sort of on top.   >  JERRY: But it was in the cylinder!   >  GEORGE: Above the rim.   >  JERRY: **_Adjacent to refuse, is refuse._** What does it mean, and how can it be used.


Why isn't "ecliptic" a proper noun?

Why isn't _ecliptic_ a proper noun? There is only one, and it has a name. Example (context): > ... the true Sun is not always exactly on the ecliptic for a hypothetical > observer at Earth's center, but may be some arcseconds north or south of it.


"to build meaningful relationships in important areas of my life"

Should I have said "of my life" or "in my life" in this sentence: > to build meaningful relationships in important areas of my life


Yesterday, I watched MasterChef America. There were two teams competing in the challenge of cooking and serving food at a football game. There were 100 voters and the red team won the blue team by 51 to 49. Since the blue team lost in the competition, they had to do the pressure test where they cook against each other and only few of them would stay in the game. Before the pressure started, one of them said "I know we lost only two points but in the competition it doesn't matter how many points we lose. They balcony is really far away." What does "the balcony is really far away" mean?


what does it mean to "betray contempt for" someone?

I came across this phrase in a quotation from Carl Sagan, "they betray contempt for the intelligence of their customers". From the context, it seems to mean "to show contempt", but I couldn't parse why betray and contempt are used together. Edit: How does the meaning work out?


"You being an Asian does not / don't know this"

> It’s a shame that you being an Asian **does not** know this I somehow have the feeling that this doesn't sound right! Particularly the last _does not know this_ part. Should it be > It's a shame that you being an Asian **don't** know this?


lengthy sentences/second subordinate clause

> To further drown him in statistics, amongst all the bowlers who bowled in > more than 5 innings away from home in the last 1 year of ODI cricket, Ashwin > has the second-worst bowling average after Xavier Doherty, **which is really > not a surprise.** Is the usage of _'which is not really not a surprise'_ fine, or is it flawed? It refers to only the main clause 'Ashwin has the second-worst bowling average after Xavier Doherty', which is the surprise part.


When is it appropriate to use "to receive someone"?

In what cases we can use the verb _receive_ to refer to a person and not to an object?


Slightly more complex parallel sentence, and what is this called?

I had an internet argument about grammar (unwise, I know) on a headline that read: > The Food Gap Is Widening - Wealthy people are eating better than ever, while > the poor are eating worse. I argued that the sentence meant: > Wealthy people are eating better than ever, while the poor are eating worse > **[than ever]**. He argued that it wasn't a sentence, and that the headline read: > Wealthy people are eating better than ever, while the poor are eating worse > **[than before now]**. _Edit: to clarify, "than before now" to him meant "in the last 10 years or so", which was the time period covered in the article, as opposed to "than ever before". This was in response to a third party pointing out that the poor [in the US] probably do not eat worse than ever before, as a lot more people used to starve to death than they do now. /Edit_ I still think I am correct, but I had a hard time finding any resources on the topic. It was even hard to find what I was looking for. This is a form of Zeugma? Is there anything I can look up that would be more definitive on the topic?


Is there a term for a euphemistic term being used literally?

Is there a term for using a word that's often a euphemism to mean exactly what the word means? For example, in Terry Pratchett's _Discworld_ , what would the act of using the word "seamstress" to refer to someone who actually mends clothes, rather than someone who is a prostitute?


Derivations of operation, operable vs. reparation, reparable

After a little thought I decided _irreparable_ derives from _repairable_ , but a few seconds later, decided it stems from _reparation_ , "like _operable_ from _operation_ ". Looking the words up, I found I was wrong about both derivations: _Reparation_ and _reparable_ derive from L. _reparatus_ , pp. of _reparare_ "restore", (ca. 1400 and 1570, resp.) rather than one from the other. For _operable_ and _operation_ the story seems a bit different, with _operable_ deriving in the 1640s from operate + -able and _operation_ (late 1300's) from L. _operationem_ , from pp. stem of _operari_. What are the names of the processes by which these words derived from Latin?


What does "quadrants" mean in an article stating that Obama's birth facts "do not seem to matter in many quadrants of Republican Party"?

I found the word _quadrants_ in the opening of a _New York Times_ Opinion column, titled This Just In… President Obama Is an American Citizen. Its opening paragraph: > President Obama is not a foreigner. He is not secretly a Muslim. Those are > the facts, but they do not seem to matter in many quadrants of the > Republican Party. Oxford Dictionary defines quadrant simply as   1. a quarter of a circle of its circumference   2. an instrument for measuring angles (and that was my understanding)  However, _quadrants_ seems to be used with a different meaning, here. Does it mean _members_ , _supporters_ or _sectors_?


The rise of "all of the"

In the following graph, the long _s_ accounts for the sudden rise in frequency of _most of the_ ; if you search for _moft of the,_ the lines match up nicely. But what would be behind the sudden increase in the string _all of the_ at the beginning of the 20th century? ![Frequency of various determinatives in the pattern "DET of the"](http://i.stack.imgur.com/2XEHs.png) Link here The long _s_ problem is illustrated here:![Google Ngrams for "most of the" and "moft of the"](http://i.stack.imgur.com/j3Ovg.png) Link here


"Bring the house down"

What is a group or person called who "brings the house down" or "can bring the house down"?


Non-pejorative term for 'alcohol aficionado'?

Is there a non-pejorative term analogous to "foodie" but in the context of alcoholic drinks? Everything that comes to mind suggests some form of alcoholism or affinity for binge-drinking. More concretely, I am looking for a term that describes a person that enjoys making or trying new, possibly eclectic drinks, but is not interested in doing so solely for the buzz. "Foodie" almost fits, but it seems too broad.


How to describe "working steadily and slowly is treated as stubborn"

It is not uncommon that those who prefer to work or learn in a solid and therefore usually slow way are being called as stubborn, and those in a fast- pacing but non-solid way as smart. I wonder how you would express such phenomenon? Does English have some words and/or fixed phrases for this purpose? Thanks!


What does "use social media to the chagrin of their administrators" mean?

I learned the sentence in bold from the transcript of a podcast in 60-Second Science: > Eysenbach tracked more than 4200 tweets that cited 286 articles in his own > journal. Three quarters of articles that got tweeted a lot (or, to use the > study’s nomenclature, had a lot of tweetations) turned out to get a lot of > citations. Only 7 percent of poorly tweeted pieces wound up highly cited. As > the article notes: "Social media activity either increases citations or > reflects the underlying qualities of the article that also predict > citations." **But I predict that young researchers _who use social media to > the chagrin of their administrators_ will cite this journal article. Or > tweet about it.** I don't understand what is the meaning of " _use social media to the chagrin of their administrators_ ". Is there a phrase of the pattern "use something to something"?


Is there any difference between "He won't do something" and "He wouldn't do something"?

I have read somewhere that _He won't do something_ means _He refused to do something_ and also _He wouldn't do something_ has the same meaning. Now I'd like to know, what is the difference in usage of these two sentences? * * * I checked the book _Grammar in Use: Intermediate_ again and I found my answer: > You can use **won't** to say that somebody **refuses** to do something: > > _I've tried to give her advice, but she won't listen._ > > _The car won't start. (=the car refuses to start)_ > > Ref: _Grammar in Use: Intermediate_ , 3rd Edition,pp 40-41, Cambridge > University Press, 2009. and: > Somebody **wouldn't do** something = he/she **refused** to do it: > > _I tried to warn him, but he wouldn't listen to me. (= he refused to > listen)_ > > _The car wouldn't start. (= it refused to start)_ > > Ref: _Grammar in Use: Intermediate_ , 3rd Edition,pp 68-69, Cambridge > University Press, 2009.


What is the grammatical function of 'that' in Shelley's poem?

I am trying to determine the grammatical function of _that_ in the line:   * _The hand **that** mock'd them and the heart **that** fed._ from Shelley's _Ozymandius_.   I want to work out if 'that' is being used as a pronoun or an adverb.


Can you be literal about non-literal things?

I know many hackles have been raised over the misuse of the word literal. Let's say there are a couple of mobsters talking about a third guy who has made a minor mistake, and jokingly one says, "I'm going to fit him for some cement shoes." Meaning he's angry, but not homicidal. Perhaps he makes this joke often. He does not intend to kill him. If he actually wanted to kill him he might say, "I'm _literally_ going to fit him for some cement shoes", meaning take my non-literal euphemism for killing literally. Beyond this there is a third level of literality where the very nature of the euphemism is taken into question, not a euphemism for murder, but an actual pair of shoes fashioned from cement. My question is if someone says, "I'm _literally_ going to fit him for some cement shoes", are both interpretations potentially correct? That he's not joking about killing him, and that he's going to make him some heavy footwear?


Can using "drop" alone cause confusion?

Dictionary.com and Oxford Dictionaries Online define _drop_ as: >   1. cause or allow to sink to a lower position >   2. let or make to fall vertically > When I say “I dropped the baton” without further information like “to the floor,” can the listeners interpret it as "the baton went down off my hand"?


Drinks Shirley - Slang for overhead dispenser?

In a TV series, a man from London (living in Canada) asked for the house bar using the word "Drinks Shirley". What does it mean exactly? Is it this kind of dispenser? ![Drinks dispenser](http://i.stack.imgur.com/mToI9.jpg)


What does an odometer measure? Another term for "mileage"

I'm developing a software application in which users must enter odometer values of their cars. I'm looking for the correct term for the variable/database field that stores an odometer reading. Terms I'm not really satisfied with:   * **mileage** : Too imperial, since I'm actually storing kilometers and not miles. And this term is a bit ambiguous because it's also used for fuel efficiency.   * **distance** : Too generic.   * **odometerValue** : Too literal. I'm looking for the metric (or unit independent) equivalent of the term _mileage_ , or is this term also used in metric countries?


What types of sounds do cars make?

What words can be used to describe the sound a driving car makes? I'm specifically looking for words that could apply to a standard 2000 Honda Civic, or comparable vehicle. "Roar" sounds too powerful. "Whir" sounds like a word you'd use to describe an electric fan. It'd also be absolutely amazing if the word could be used in place of "roar" in the phrase "the car roared to life."


ESL question with/by/or something else

> I need to modify a picture **with** pink color. Or > I need to modify a picture **by** pink color. Or > I need to modify a picture **using** pink color. Which one is right?


"Sleep in the nude" or "sleep nude"

Which is correct: _sleep in the nude_ or _sleep nude_? I've seen both phrases being used, and Googling this yields no viable results.


"Sold" equivalent for something free?

Specifically, how could I say 20 tickets have been "sold" when referring to free tickets? I've considered given out or given away, but **neither implies a person asking for a ticket** and being given one.


Suitable abstraction for Email and SMS

I am making a piece of software which has the ability to send out Emails and SMS messages. My boss has asked for both facilities to go under the same heading in a dropdown menu. But I can't think of a suitable work that encapsulates both. Any suggestions?


"Separated" versus "separate"

> Keep both of them separate.   >  Keep both of them separated. Between the above two sentences, which one is correct?


captilization of words with abbreviation

I always used to capitalize first letter of words that have abbreviation. For example, > Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). I do this more often when i mention the abbreviation within the brackets. Is it correct? if so, is it essential to capitalize these abbreviated words?


Other expressions to say "don't get involved with" something or somebody'

I am looking for expressions or idioms to describe a context where you advise someone not to do something (a favor, give help or advice, lend money, etc.) because by doing so he would probably risk getting involved in potential problems that he is not aware of. Sort of _Don't mix with_ that issue, or you may regret it. Idiom - If you play with fire, you'll burn your fingers.


Position of "to" in the sentence

Is there any difference between the below two statements:   1. I have to pay bills   2. I have bills to pay Could you please tell us the difference between the above two statements and when to use them.


Why is there a distinction between "its" and "it's"?

While I know technically the English language has a distinction because when there's a conflict between the possessive form and a contraction, the contraction wins. That is:   * **Its** is the possessive form of it—and this will presumably be followed by some form of noun spec or something.   * **It's** is short for "it is" or "it has" (as in "it's been years since..."). The rule of thumb I use to remember this is that it follows the same pattern as whose and who's, for which the correct use is much more obvious. While technically I see why there's (ha ha) a distinction, I can't think of any case why it really needs to be there, because for every use of either construct, the meaning intended is usually (if not always) obvious from context. Case in point: many questions and answers written on the Stack Exchange network are written incorrectly, yet nobody notices or cares. (Usually in my case, I default to "it's" then realize I screwed up) As a single word, I could see why it'd be ambiguous, but I don't see why in typical prose it would matter. Is there a specific reason for this in earlier dialects of English, or specific cases where choosing the incorrect form leads to lack of understanding of a particular sentence?


Difference between "of" and "for"

Which one is correct?   1. He is accused of killing a person   2. He is accused for killing a person I thought option 2 is correct. But I was told that option 1 is correct. If you know why "of" is used, please share your views.


Is it fine to use has been + past participle of a verb

I know that **has/have been + verb -ing** makes present perfect continuous tense but here I am getting confused. If first question is grammatically correct, which tense is it in? Also, is it in passive form? 1)Has he been discharged from the hospital? Is this question grammatically correct? 2)Is he discharged from the hospital?


Why is "fastly" not a word?

As well as being an adjective, _fast_ is an adverb. We use it all the time as such: > He ran fast. However, though _slow_ is definitely an adjective, it sounds wrong when used as an adverb, because _slowly_ is more common. > He ran slow. We would always say: > He ran slowly. My question is, why isn't _fast_ treated the same way as _slow_ ; why is there no _fastly_ , while there is a _slowly_?