Time and tide wait for no man

In the old proverb: > Time and tide wait for no man. Our first record of the proverb is from St Marher in 1225: > And te tide and te time þat tu iboren were, schal beon iblescet. When it was already considered ancient. **EDIT** : As near as I can make out, the Middle English proverb quoted above means: > “And the tide and the time that you were born shall be blessed.” Thanks to this answer for pointing out the correct translation, and also for pointing out that this is just the oldest _tide and time_ reference, not an actual translation of the whole proverb. Even though that does not have the “wait for no man” aspect to it, nonetheless the modern proverb is always traced back to the St Marher quote in any source I consulted. But what is the difference between _tide_ and _time_? To me, _time_ and _tide_ seem to mean the same thing: see _yule-tide_ and _Christmas-tide_. ( **EDIT** : Then again, “good tidings” and “good times” now mean different things.) But why are they repeated in the proverb then if they are not different? What aspect or nuance does one of _time_ and _tide_ possess that the other does not? Or was this somehow done for poetic effect? * * * ## Edit Apparently, Barrie’s idea of this originally being a rhetorical duplication of the same thing that counts as the same thing has some currency. It turns out that there are plenty of mentions of the proverb with singular concordance, as in:   * Time and tide **waits** for no man. That shows that the speaker thinks of them as one lexical unit, as in:   * Our new President and CEO **is** John Smith.   * Peanut butter and jelly **makes** the tastiest snackwich.   * Early to bed and early to rise, / **makes** a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. However, in modern times, there are more instances of the proverb with plural concordance than with singular, which I hypothesize has helped the reanalysis of the two words meaning essentially one and the same thing into two words meaning separate things.


What’s the subject?

What’s the subject for the verb _suppose_? > Now, yer mum an’ dad were as good a witch an’ wizard as I ever knew. Head > boy an’ girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst’ry is why You-Know- > Who never tried to get ‘em on his side before. . . probably knew they were > too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin’ ter do with the Dark Side.


"Tipster" in real estate terms

I'm trying to figure out what somebody is called who gives you (or someone else) a tip on real estate brokerage. I've Googled (and Bing'ed ;)) along and found translations like "whistleblower" or "tipster"... Where I think "whistleblower" is mainly used in negative terms (someone who reports abuses and such) and "tipster" is mainly used in the sports-section. So, how would I call somebody like this in real estate terms? Edit as per the request in the comment: It's seen from the agency perspective, saying "John Doe has given us the hint that Jane Doe would buy this real estate". Then John Doe is the [ _*_ ] of this agency, so they could sell their real estate to Jane.


Is this ellipsis or can 'guilty' be used as a noun?

Can _guilty_ be used as a noun? For example, as in the title of Chase's novel: _The guilty are afraid_. Is it that _people_ or _folks_ is understood after guilty and in effect an ellipsis? I do not find _guilty_ marked as a noun in Webster or Wikitionary.


Is this type of distinction proper?

For easier handling of the examples, let's define two persons - Mike and Janet. Compare the following statements: > Janet says: "Mike, don't bet on my thinking everything will be OK. You'll > have to reassure others too." Would this mean it's Janet who is doing the thinking? versus > Janet says: "Mike, don't bet on me thinking everything will be OK. You'll > have to hire other people too." Would this mean it's Mike who is doing the thinking? Is this difference strictly grammatically correct or is there a better way to distinguish between those two situations?


"Going to go" vs "going to"?

My significant other tells me that I'm not "going to go" to the shops, I'm "going to" the shops, and beats me mercilessly when I say that. Is this not correct? I might not be going to the shops until later, is my point!


Understanding customary  usage(s?) of “FYI”

Can anyone demonstrate the various usages of _FYI_ , meaning the _“for your information”_ thing? It would be great to see it in different kinds of sentences!


What is the opposite of "steep"?

In rock-climbing, we describe an incline as "steep" (which is anything from 90 degrees to overhanging) but we don't have a good word to mean "not steep". At least I've never heard anyone use one; instead people use convoluted phrases like "not too steep". I looked at the “opposite for 'steep learning curve'” post, but none of those suggestions really seems to fit here. **Edit:** I asked a rock-climbing English major and she said that "low-angle" and "slabby" were most often used for cliffs in the 50-90 degree range.


Different size or different sizes?

Which one is better: `two pipes of different radii` or `two pipes of different radius`? In Futurama, `let me show you some of the different lengths of wire I use` is a plural argument, but is it only because it's more than two?


Use of "relax" as noun

I looked up _relax_ in various English dictionaries and it is always listed as a verb only, the noun being _relaxation_. However in my mother tongue (Italian) _relax_ is normally used as a noun. Is this just one more case of misusing a foreign term or are there situations where it is possible to use _relax_ as a noun in English too?


What is the verb form of "LLC"?

I want to say something similar to this: > Founded in April of 2005, and incorporated in 2006, Example Company is now > the leading news site. But my company is not incorporated, we are an LLC. How can I say something with the similar feel as the above statement?


Difference between 'infectious' and 'contagious'

On Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary we read: > Infectious: an infectious disease can be passed easily from one person to > another, especially through the air they breathe. > > Contagious: if a person is contagious, they have a disease that can be > spread to other people by touch. But, cholera and typhoid (for example) are usually spread through the environment. I am not sure what is the word to use on such cases. Could we say _contagious_ in cholera disease?


Can "eventually" be used for the German "eventuell"?

I have a German friend who keeps saying things like, "would you eventually like to do X" and "X is eventually not a big problem." I eventually (hehe) started correcting her, saying we don't use the word "eventually" in this way, but there is something nagging in my mind that there is maybe a similar word in English that we do use. In the sense above, "eventuell" means "perhaps", "possible", "possibly". Is there word with similar etymology to "eventually" that is used in this way, or can "eventually" actually be used to refer to possibility, rather than chronology?


Can I use two prepositions in this example, or is one better?

I want to say "the reality of and outlook on crime in Europe" without using two prepositions. Can I say "the reality and outlook on crime in Europe?"   Can you lead me to a grammatical reference for this issue so I can read further?


Where to use these words exactly: "simple," "simplicity"

I just want to know how to use these words and in which context: _simple_ and _simplicity_.


What does "high-capacity magazine clip" mean?

Washington Post (January 19 issue) carried an article reporting the latest results of Washington Post / ABC News poll, in which I came across the phrase _high-capacity magazine clips_. My understanding of _magazine clip_ was just a piece of article or its excerpt cut out from a magazine, like a tearsheet. What does _high-capacity magazine clip_ actually mean? > Poll shows high marks for Obama on Tucson, low regard for political > dialogue. Like similar violent events in the past, the Arizona shootings did > not generate greater support for tougher gun-control measures in general. > But a majority — 57 percent — said they support a nationwide ban on high- > capacity magazine clips such as the one the shooter in Tucson used.


Is the following usage of "matter-of-factly" correct?

Most of the usage of "matter-of-factly" that I've seen is to describe a manner of speaking - "He said, matter of factly,...", etc. A friend brought up the following usage, which seems wrong, but I can't pinpoint exactly what is wrong. "Matter of factly, I don't know. I know from my dad's experience." What's the view on this? Couple of points:   * The adjective form "As a matter of fact, I don't know. ..." seems correct.   * Similar usage of literally works: "I literally don't know." or "Literally, I don't know"


"it would take me 1–2 seconds"

or "it would took me 1–2 seconds"?


He or him in this sentence?

Just read this line on the Guardian: > He dismantles his bedroom and helps tidy the house, daubing white paint over > the pencil marks on the doorframe which have measured the **growth of he and > his sister** from infancy until now. Can't figure out how **he** is correct here. Shouldn't it be **him**?


Another way to say "is not best addressed"

I need to write a text for programmers around the central idea that "performance is not best addressed at the code level". This is a somewhat polemic issue, and I'd like to make my point as clearly and authoritatively as possible. I dislike the phrasing above because I feel there must be a more direct and natural way to say it, perhaps without the explicit negation "not best addressed". Is there a better way of saying it? Thanks,


When should I use "corpuses" over "corpora"?

I've come into a situation where I need to use the plural form of _corpus_ , but I'm a bit confused about which plural form to use. Merriam-Webster says the only plural form is _corpora_ , for all senses of the word. However, Random House/Dictionary.com says it's _corpora_ for every sense except the linguistic sense: > _Linguistics_ . a body of utterances, as words or sentences, assumed to be > representative of and used for lexical, grammatical, or other linguistic > analysis. In this sense, it's _corpuses_. In my specific situation, I have a collection of data—to be processed—about a class of objects that can be swapped out at will (thus the reference to more than one corpus). To me, this satisfies the first sense of the word ("a large or complete collection of writings")—where the plural is _corpora_ —as well as the linguistic sense of the word—where the plural is _corpuses_. So what's the significant difference between these two senses of the word? When is _corpora_ correct, and when is _corpuses_ correct?


Formal alternative to 'Hopefully'

Does there exist a one word alternative to 'Hopefully' in the sense of 'I am hopeful that' or 'I hope that' which can be used in a formal document? I believe 'hopefully' is rather informal or common in spoken usage rather than written text, although some source like merriam-webster tend to disagree.


Is it true that the 100 most common English words are all Germanic in origin?

There is an oft-quoted statement that the 100 most common (frequently used) words in the English language are _entirely_ Germanic/Anglo-Saxon in origin. (Also sometimes said is that ~80% of the _1000_ most common are Germanic in origin.) While this did not surprise me so much, I did recently stumble across this Wikipedia page, which lists the supposed 100 most common words, with an attributed source. A quick glance suggested (to my surprise) several words of non-Germanic (specifically, Latin) origin:   * use   * person   * just   * because (the `cause` part) There may be others I've missed too? Indeed, perhaps due to the entry of Latin words into the Germanic languages in the proto-Germanic period (and the fact they are both ultimately Indo-European languages) some of the etymologies may be uncertain. Do correct me if that's not the case, as I am no historical linguist. Clearly, depending on the statistical sample used to compile the list, results can vary. However, is there any accepted/standard list of the 100 most common English words? And moreover, is it a myth that they're _all_ Germanic in origin (as I now doubt)?


Is "banned from the airways" an eggcorn or malapropism?

It should be "banned from the airwaves", meaning "not allowed to be played on radio". I noticed this mistake in a British newspaper story. > The former star's music has largely been _banned from the airways_ since his > fall from grace. Is this an eggcorn?


Word/expression for how adults address children

Prompted by this question, what's a good word/expression for an adult adopting childlike speech/mannerisms when dealing with an infant? I mean where the adult speaks in an exaggeratedly "sing-song" voice, uses childish words like _bow-wow_ for _dog_ , _choo-choo_ for _train_ , etc. A style which would be called condescending if used with another adult.


"To buy a bed with" vs "to play a ball with"

I got into a discussion with a friend and we're trying to figure out why we omit _with_ when we say > I have no money to buy a bed [with] when, grammatically, it's the same as > I have no ball to play soccer with. In this case, having _with_ is correct, while in the case of the first sentence, it feels weird to have _with_ at the end of the sentence. Also, > I have no time to study. > > I have no one to study with. Again, how would I explain why we omitted _with_ in the first sentence? I understand why we need it in the second one though.


Are these genuine apologies?

I often hear people (especially policitians) giving an "apology" that is phrased so that the speaker does not seem to be accepting blame. e.g. Instead of > "I am sorry I let you down" they say: > "I am sorry if you feel I let you down." or > I'm sorry if I let you down. Can these be considered apologies? In the first, the speaker almost sounds to me as though he is feeling sorry for you for (mistakenly) feeling that he let you down. In the second, the speaker doesn't seem to be acknowledging he let you down at all.


What is the correct usage for 'nominate'?

Can one say "have you nominated" or would you require an object, "have you nominated yourself"? Context is that of an election, for example.


Hypernym for "company", "band" and "organization"

I'm making a website and I'd need a hypernym to refer to company/band(/artist)/organization, so I wouldn't have to use all the words every time. What would be a common one?


What does the word term mean when used in the following sentence?

So I have a boss from Ireland that works out of the UK. He tells me that he is on leave for a half term? What is he talking about?


Confused by “you came in here knowing what you had to do”

![I see. You came in here knowing what you had to do,](http://i.stack.imgur.com/iDHzW.jpg) This is a caption taken from an episode from a tv series. To set the scene, a lady comes into Frank's place seeking his help in making a decision. After conversing with her, Frank realizes she might already have decided how to make the decision. I am confused by the word _had_. The quotation is,   * "You came in here knowing what you _had_ to do," but I think it should be, >   * "You came in here knowing what you _are going_ to do," > or >   * "You came in here knowing what you _have_ to do," > or >   * "You came in here knowing what you _would_ do." >


What are reasons to omit quotation marks in dialogue?

While writing a short memoir for a college course, I wrote the dialogue without quotation marks, the biggest reason being that I do not like how clunky it looks in Times New Roman. I do not mind it with other fonts, but when I look at it in Times New Roman, it just feels like it is affecting the mood of the piece. Instead, I am separating dialogue into their own line as the speaker switches. I did not worry until another student in the peer review wrote quotation marks around all of my dialogue. This assignment is the closest to creative writing that I will have in this class, so if I do decide not to use quotation marks, I want to be able to defend that choice to my professor. So what are reasons that writers will omit quotation marks from dialogue?


Placement of full stops and inverted commas (not a duplicate, per se)

Do you agree with my rationale below? This is with regard to British punctuation. The specificity of this particular question has not previously been posted. 'I need to visit the mall', said Aunt Emma, 'to pick up some party supplies.' (The comma goes outside the introductory quote {'I need to visit the mall',} because it is not part of the original sentence. The original sentence isn't 'I need to visit the mall, to pick up some party supplies.' Logically, a comma would not follow the word 'mall' in that sentence; hence the comma goes outside the quote mark in the introductory quote. Make sense?) But if the sentence were 'I need to visit the mall,' said Emma, 'but I need to stop by the bank first', the comma would go inside the quote mark (in the introductory quote). This is because the comma is an inherent part of the original sentence ('I need to visit the mall, but I need to stop by the bank first.'). The comma separates two independent clauses connected by the coordinating conjunction 'but'. By the same respect, 'Well,' said I, 'I'm sorry, but I can't do anything there' is correctly punctuated with the comma inside the quote mark in the introductory quote. The reason is that a comma naturally follows an introductory expression like 'well'. And, finally, the comma would go outside the ending quote mark in the following example: 'Good-day, sir', said I. The reason is that the comma is not part of the initial quote. Based on this infrastructure, I'd also propose that the following are punctuated correctly per British criteria: •When Mike said 'Be careful what you wish for', Janet listened. (Not sure whether a comma follows 'said' here.) •I won't accept your proposal', Dave said. (The comma goes outside the ending quote mark here because it technically is not part of the original sentence. The original sentence would require the full stop (i.e. 'I won't accept your proposal.'). Is my explanation valid, and are all my examples punctuated correctly?


Difference between "yup" and "yes"

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  "Yes", "Yeah", "Yep" What is the difference between _yup_ and _yes_? Most of the time I use _yup_ instead of _yes_.


Question about proper use of "pedantic"

Would the following sentences be correct? > You were more concerned with being pedantic. > > I felt you were being pedantic. > > You wanted to have a pedantic conversation.


Is there a hidden meaning of "swinging the club"?

Does "swinging the club" have another meaning outside the world of golf ?


Forming occupational nouns: Why do you say "butcher" and not "butchian" or "butchor"?

**Question:** Occupational nouns (butcher, sailor, musician, etc.) have various suffixes in English (er, or, ee, ant, etc.). Is there a set of rules to form occupational nouns from the verbs or their object (butchering, sailing, etc.)? **Explanation:** For example, what are the rules to go from this to this: Leadership / Leading ----> Leader ...And not 'Leadian' In the same way, when we 'invent' occupational nouns, how do we know that some are more correct than others? For instance, how do we know that 'low-self- esteemer' sounds more correct than 'low-self-esteemian'? I have considered finding a regular expression part of speech tagger to give me a list of noun constructions. However, these do not have a separate category for 'occupation nouns'. More importantly still, they would not explain the rules for forming occupational nouns from verbs/objects, but only for identifying them. So where are the rules for forming occupational nouns from verbs or objects?


"A begs B" or "A begs for B" when we mean that A asks for B

Here's the actual sentence > "A subjective question begs a subjective answer..." Something inside my head says it should have been > "A subjective question begs for a subjective answer..." Which one is correct in that context?


Word for "the question this one was closed as a dupe of"

Is there a simple term for _the question this one was closed as a dupe of_ other than "the question this one was closed as a dupe of", because "the question this one was closed as a dupe of" is pretty long and unwieldy and much in need of a simpler term than "the question this one was closed as a dupe of".


Two kinds of "borrow"

In Hebrew there is a difference, although often overlooked in spoken Hebrew, between the word "to borrow" for something that is intended to be returned "as is" such as a tool or a vehicle, and the word "to borrow" for something that will not be returned, but an equivalent replacement such as money (the money returned will probably not be the very same coins or bills but different ones carrying the same value). To my understanding, "borrow" and "lend" don't have that difference in meaning. Is there any English equivalent?


Is “I’m Mike” scam a popular metonym of grandparent scam?

This question is related to my previous question asking for English equivalent to Japanese “It’s me” scam. The Asahi, a leading Japanese daily newspaper reported that the Consumer Agency is dispatching their staff to U.S.FTC for studying the latest trends of, and countermeasures to consumer-related crimes such as grandparent scam, on its May 9 issue under the headline, “The origin of grandparent scams – “I’m Mike” in U.S.” It says, > “The fraudulent crimes to swindle a large amount of money from the elderly > by disguising as their son are prevailing as well in U.S., where the > technique is called “ **I’m Mike** (scam). According to the Consumer Agency, > Japanese swindler groups have imitated (or imported) the “I’m Mike” > technique in U.S. I’m curious to know if “I’m Mike” is popular word as a metonym of grandparent scam in U.S. as the Asahi wrote. Have you ever heard of? If not, I'm going to write to the Asahi.


Is this sentence correct?

I am creating an app for Android in my locale language (French) and in English. It will display when the next buses or trams will be coming in real time. I would like to know if this sentence is correct : "There are currently no arrival for the Baggersee (it's a stop name) stop starting at 3:00 AM." I want to say that there is no bus starting at the time asked by the user. I hope you can help me. Thanks


Onomatopoeia for stomach growling?

I've been thinking. How do I put the sound of growling stomach into words? I'm also curious about the Onomatopoeia for chewing food and swallowing water.


How to express the trend in this graph using the appropriate phrases?

I have this graph and I want to describe the difference in the take off trajectory of two patterns in the figure below. The first pattern is seen in the first two parameters over the years from the left. The second pattern is seen in the next 4 parameters. I wanted to describe the beginning part of these two patterns. How to describe this using appropriate phrases? My trial: > The first two parameters (a and b) _took off faster_ than the next 4 > parameters (c, d, e and f). > > The 4 parameters (c, d, e and f) showed _a modest take off_ compared with > the first two (a and b). **Update:** > While A and B showed _a sharp incremental trajectory_ , the initial slope > was rather _shallow_ for C, D , E and F. ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/8AUxD.png)


Where does the phrase "It's a good job that ..." come from?

In a recent link the phrase " _It's a good job that..."_ is used. I take it to mean the same as _It's a good thing that ..._ but I've never in my almost 50 years of English heard _job_ used like that before. Word-wise it makes no sense to me that it even came into being. In what part of the world is that expression used, and how did it get started?


In British English, do you favorite or favourite a post?

When using "favorite" in a computer technology sense (for example, bookmarking a question on Stack Overflow), do British English speakers still use "favourite" (the traditional spelling in British English), or "favorite" (the spelling they'd probably see on their computer)?


Are there different tones in which to say "How are you?" that reflect different situations?

I was wondering how many ways/tones to speak "How are you?" Which tone/way to use in different situations:   * when seeing somebody you don't expect to have a conversation after?   * when seeing your supervisor/boss?   * when seeing your friends?   * ... For example, in this movie beauty-and-the-briefcase, at 30:15, Lane says "How are you?" to Seth and then Seth relies with a different way of "How are you?" Is Lane putting stress on "are"? In what kinds of situation will one stress "are", what kinds of situation will one stress "How", and what kinds for speaking like Seth?


"I had been typing" vs "I was typing" vs "I typed"

I read this on a another forum but couldn't figure out the logic behind the answers. > He had been typing for three hours before he realised that he **had** typed > the wrong documents. > > He had been typing for three hours before he realised that he typed the > wrong documents. > > He was typing for three hours before he realized that he typed the wrong > documents. Could anyone explain what the difference between these three statements are?


What is a term for a system with rules without any exceptions?

What is the term for an organization or social/political system rigidly governed by rules without any exceptions?


"Have been through" or "have gone through"?

I don't know whether _been_ or _gone_ would be better in this sentence: > I have some long-lasting memories in my mind, such as memorable overseas > trips that I have **been** through. > > I have some long-lasting memories in my mind, such as memorable overseas > trips that I have **gone** through.


"Cancellation", "Canceled", "Canceling" — US usage

I'm trying to figure out if there is a specific rule behind the word "cancel" that would cause "cancellation" to have two L's, but "canceled" and "canceling" to have only one (in the US). I understand the rules are very loose when it comes to double L's in English, and I have read several posts on here talking about "canceled" and "canceling" (vs "cancelled" and "cancelling"), but my specific question is more about the spelling of "cancellation".   * US English Oxford Dictionary \- they do NOT mention cancelation with one "L"   * Meriam Webster \- they do seem to have cancelation listed with one "L"   * Microsoft Word marks "cancelation" as an invalid word   * Same with the spell checker in Firefox So my question is: is there a reason or rule why in US English, "cancellation" seems to have two L's (to most dictionaries), while "canceled" and "canceling" does not?


Is "can exceed up to X" some form of colloquialism?

I ran into a sign that said "Fines can exceed up to $500". I have no idea what this means. Is the fine capped at $500? or can it exceed $500? In an attempt to understand what is going on I ran a Google search for "can exceed up to" and found many other examples of it; even a _Neurosurgery_ site contains it in their paperwork: > DUE TO THE COMPLEX NATURE OF MANY OF OUR PATIENT’S MEDICAL PROBLEMS WAIT > TIMES CAN EXCEED UP TO 1 HOUR OR MORE OF YOUR SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT. WE > APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING IN THIS MATTER. This one feels even more odd since you can't exceed an unbounded amount (1 or more) nor does "up to" make sense since there is no upward bound.


One word that can be used to represent Weak student?

Is there a word/term in English that describes a student that has bad grades, weak performance... I am writing a PhD thesis so I need a word that can be understood by native and non-native English speakers. Example: > The heuristic model gives to better students an opportunity to find possible > solutions, whereas **weaker students** are encouraged to locate at least > one, from many, to the problem.


"I could not" vs "I would not be able to"

Does `I could not do X` have the same meaning as `I would not be able to do X`? It seems to me that the first can mean the second, but it mainly means: `I tried and I was not able to do X`. Is that so?


Singular pronoun with plural reference in brackets

Which one is correct? This: > Everyone chose XYZ because it (and the ones from last year) **is** the most > reliable. or: > Everyone chose XYZ because it (and the ones from last year) **are** the most > reliable.


Word/phrase similar to bluster

I am looking for a phrase similar to bluster. Something like “he saw her _????_ fade away”. I'm looking for a phrase that describes fake arrogance or sizing somone up and trying to show them that they don't meet your standards. I am male, but I believe the situation is similar irrespective of your gender preferences. I want to describe a situation where I approach a girl and ask her to accompany me on a date. She looks at me like I'm a talking turd. She may like me, but she puts on a facade showing that she has better things to do, than listen to me. In hip hop slang, she may be said to be "fronting". Whats the proper English phrase or word to describe "fronting"?


Why does the phrase "to take the rag off" mean to excel in the classroom?

A Collection of College Words and Customs (1851) by Benjamin Homer Hall defines to take the rag off as "to excel; to compose much better than one's classmates." I understand the phrase is quite old; however, I'm curious to see if anyone is able to explain why "to take the rag off" would have meant to excel and to compose much better than one's classmates.


Is there a difference between "of" and "to" in these cases?

**Example:** is there a difference - even a subtle one - between:   * the hinges of a door   * the hinges to a door I suspect there is a slight difference, yet I cannot quite pin down what that difference is. Also, how far does this near-interchangeability extend? For instance, would it make sense to speak of "the crux _to_ a mathematical proof" rather than the "the crux _of_ a mathematical proof"?


comfiture and discomfiture - etymology

> **discomfiture** > > _anxious embarrassment_ > > **comfiture** > > _a candy containing a nut or piece of fruit._ Are these two "false friends", words seeming to be related but of completely different origin, or do they share a common etymology? If so, when did they diverge in meaning - what was the original word that diverged in one direction to sweet foodstuffs, and in other to negative feelings?


Why doesn't English have a separate word for "head hair"? (head hair vs. body hair)

The answer can be "Because it doesn't!" or "It wasn't needed!" in short but there might be a historical or linguistic explanation behind this. (Of course, every language might be lacking a word that another language has and you can give the meaning in a context.) This question came up mainly because there are several languages which has separate words for head hair and body hair. For example, head hair is **_capelli_** in Italian, **_saç_** in Turkish, **_cheveu_** in French and **_kopfhaar_** in German. But in English, hair is like a hypernym for head hair and body hair. When we check the etymology of hair, the origin is related to the German word _haar_. And interestingly, German language came up with _kopfhaar_ which literally means headhair. > Old English **hær** "hair, a hair," from Proto-Germanic *khæran (cognates: > Old Saxon, Old Norse, Old High German **har** , Old Frisian her, Dutch and > German **haar** "hair"), perhaps from PIE ***ghers-** "to stand out, to > bristle, rise to a point" (cognates: Lithuanian serys "bristle;" see > horror). When we dive into biology, we can see that there are structural differences between body hair and head hair but they are composed of the same substance, keratin. Though, there is a distinction in terminology: > **Androgenic hair** , colloquially **body hair** , is the terminal hair that > develops on the human body during and after puberty. It is differentiated > from the **head hair** and less visible vellus hair, which are much finer > and lighter in color. And a twist ending: Wiktionary has a definition (and even an etymology) for "headhair": > From Middle English *heed-heer, from Old English hēafodhǣr (“hair of the > head, headhair”), equivalent to head + hair. Cognate with Dutch hoofdhaar > (“headhair”), German Haupthaar (“headhair”), Danish hovedhår (“headhair”), > Swedish huvudhår (“headhair”). I can see that "headhair" is used in a few sources but it is not common. Personally I haven't encountered this word before I did this research.   * How come both "hair" and "headhair" emerged (for the same meaning)?   * Why didn't "headhair" gain a common usage? What happened in the history?   * Does "headhair" have a current usage? (only in technical sources?) * * * **Note:** Just to emphasize, the question is not only about finding words, its about the history and origin of the words as well. Also, the question can be: "Why doesn't English have a **_common_** separate word for “head hair”? (head hair vs. body hair)"


"I have a question for you" Vs "I have a question to you"

What is the proper way of starting an email: Hi X, > I have a question for you. Or > I have a question to you. Google fings 122M of the first version and 45M of the second one.Is the second one always incorrect?


I read an article about collocation which includes an example: We can say _highly sophisticated_ , and we can say _extremely happy_. _highly happy_ and _extremely sophisticated_ would be wrong.   * How can I learn to get collocations right?   * Are there any rules or has this to be learned word by word?


"To see life as fun and take it if we can"

In the Cranberries song "Ode To MY Family" there's a line that I've always found curious. It reads "'Cause we were raised to see life as fun and take it if we can". I'm not a native English speaker, but I don't think I've ever heard "to take life" in the meaning that seems to be intended here. On top of that, I know "taking a life" to be a common expression meaning to kill someone. So my question is: does this line ring as morbid to a native English speaker as it does to me?


Using 'stuck' as a verb

> The visual studio kept stucking under RDP yesterday Should 'stuck' become a present tense verb? It seems like "getting stuck" is too long for the modern world where it happens much more frequently to things than it used to (See, for example, Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, "Share and enjoy").


"Clicking the button saves... " vs. "clicking the button will save..."

I wish to describe just what gets saved when the user clicks the 'Save' button on a web page. Should I write "Clicking the Save button _saves_ all changes" or "Clicking the the Save button _will save_ all changes." I don't want to use "Click the save button to save all changes", as I prefer my hints to have a less active form. The user knows they must click the Save button, but it is not obvious whether all changes are saved or only currently visible changes?


What is the first recorded appearance of the mistranslation "Red Square"?

Does anybody know when the mistranslation "Red Square" made its first recorded appearance? Have there been any noteworthy attempts at establishing the correct translation "Beautiful Square" at some point in history? Obviously, it's too late to change the name now, but I am interested in learning how fast its use gained momentum in English-speaking countries and when the point of no return was reached.


"Playing upstairs" vs. "Playing home"

As you know "upstairs" and "home" are both **adverb of place**. So while it would be correct to say: > The kids are playing upstairs. ( _Here the adverb upstairs provides > information about the place of the activity_ ) Is the following sentence correct too? > The kids are playing home. I expect the second example to mean that children are playing at home; unless " **home** " is a different kind of **adverb of place**.


Dollar Value of a Trade (finance)

When you trade stocks on the market, what best describes the product of shares × price? My candidates are _Capital, Amount, Value,_ ...?


Check out of, check into - meaning

> When you are editing a stored program, **check it out of** the source > control system and load the checked-out copy into the MySQL Query Browser or > other tool. > > When you are satisfied with your changes, save the stored program code to a > disk file and **check it into** the version control system. How do you understand these two phrases?


Difference between 'hallucination' and 'illusion'

The following quote is found on The Basics of Philosophy page: > Representationalists argue their case from the "epistemological fact" that > it is impossible to have experience beyond the sensory surface, from the > fact that dreams, **hallucinations** and visual **illusions** clearly > indicate that the world of experience is not the same thing as the world > itself, What is the difference between the terms "hallucination" and "visual illusion", as used in the quote?


'Ambiguous Nuts' or 'To Shell or not to Shell'

How does one remove the ambiguity of shelled peanuts? Must one just not use the adjective 'shelled' in relation to peanuts, or other nuts, or shellfish?


Medicine vs. Medication

I'm wrote some documentation in which I needed to refer to the list of drugs that a person was taking at a given time. This list might also include a dosage as well (e.g. ' _Aspirin 300mg daily_ '). I used the term ' _medication(s)_ ', but someone else suggested ' _medicine(s)_ ' as an alternative. Personally, I think it sounds worse and may be less clear, as ' _medicine_ ' can also refer to the general practice of medicine. But maybe that's just me. Is there any reason why I should prefer one over the other? Note: this is for labeling GUI elements and in related documentation.


"Key thob" and "key fob"

I've been receiving emails at work inquiring about registering our key fobs. This is slightly disturbing to me as I've always called it a _key thob_. An internet search for _thob_ tells me I really mean _fob_ , but if I force it to search for _thob_ instead, it finds plenty of results (1.1 million for _thob_ compared to 7.7 for _fob_ ). Is _thob_ considered incorrect? Is it recognized? Is it obsolete? Or are some people just making up words by calling it a _thob_?


What's the meaning of 'a court of'?

> A formal written or spoken statement, esp. one given in **a court of** law


Term meaning careful and thorough, almost excessively so

I'm trying to think of a term which means that one expends extra effort or materials in making sure that something is done properly, to an _almost_ excessive or extravagant extent. One good is example is 'belt and braces'. I'd like to think of equivalents which, similarly, don't have a negative connotation - equivalents which imply thoroughness. 'Overzealous', for example, has a similar meaning but implies negative excess. It could be a word or phrase. * * * I'd like to use the word or phrase to describe an approach, i.e. 'I did it X way because it was sure to cover everything, a [word or phrase goes here] approach.' * * * So far, many of the suggestions have been negative in connotation: Over-designing Pedantic Nitpicky These are all undesirable traits and therefore not what I was looking for. Meticulous is more what I was looking for, but is less suitable when talking about one specific act. The context is something like: 'It was likely that the necessary part lay between 5-10, but we took all of 1-20 in order to make certain that we got it.' That is a belt-and-braces approach.


Why are there a lot of different types of the same verb?

Sometimes, I come across with strange 'ordinary' verbs which has two forms and they are not phrasal verbs: > You have to **bandage** that cut. You have to **bandage up** that cut. > > **Chop** the onions roughly. **Chop up** the onions roughly. > > I was very **stressed** before the exam. I was very **stressed out** before > the exam. Why there are so many forms?! **Which one should I use and when should I use particular form?** Is there because of AmE and BrE or other things?


"Appear" and "seem"

Which of these verbs should I use to better support my opinion about a status of someone when I am convinced about what I am saying? > The president of Czech Republic seems/appears arrogant to me.


What does an en_GB speaker need to know to write en_AU?

I'm a native speaker of British English, and I often write documentation and copy for an international audience. I understand the differences between British and American English enough to "translate" a document for consumption by Americans. There's no slang or local cultural references, so it's just a question of removing the u's and changing the odd word (boot to trunk, and so on). How can I do the same for Australian readers? Should I start from the British or American version of the source? Are there even more word replacements for me to consider? (Don't try to list them here; I just want to know the scale of the problem.) I've seen that there is a similar question for Canadian English.


What does "pave the path for" mean?

what does pave the idiom "pave the path for sth/sb" actually means? and if possible, please provide some alternatives with the same meaning as well.


Common terminology for "blessing" and "curse"?

I'm doing a certain something that requires identifying a property of some certain (fictional) thing as either "Blessed", "Cursed", or "Neither". What's the common term for "Blessing" or "Cursed", if any? In a thesaurus, the only common link I found between the two was that "Blessing" can mean "Benediction", and "Curse" can mean "Malediction", so " ___ _-diction" might be the common etymological denominator... but I'm still clueless as to where to go from there. Any ideas?


Is it normal to use “absent” as a preposition instead of ‘without,’ or ‘in the absence’?

In the following sentence of today’s Time magazine’s article titled, ‘Obama's Afghanistan problem: Neither Karzai nor the Taliban like the 'Reconciliation' Script,’ the word, absent is apparently used as a preposition in the sense of ‘without.’ “Karzai's independent power base is minimal, as is his ability to influence the outcome of his country's civil war _absent_ direct U.S. involvement. And that gives neither Karzai nor the Taliban much incentive to cut a deal with the other” As I don’t think I’ve seen the case ‘absent’ is used in this way, I consulted OALD at hand. It defines ‘absent’ only as a noun and verb. Cambridge online dictionary also defines it as an adjective meaning ‘not in the place where you are expected to be, especially at school or work.’ Is it natural to use ‘absent’ as a preposition as used above? For example, do you casually say ‘It won’t go well _absent_ your help’ in your daily conversation? Is it the same with the usage pattern of ‘short of’?


The difference between 'protect from' and 'protect against'

The Longman dictionary suggests two options regarding the word 'protect': _protect somebody/something from something_ and _protect somebody/something against something_ / Examples: _The cover protects the machine from dust. Physical exercise can protect you against heart disease._ According to the examples, I believe that the verb 'protect' takes against' when you are talking about something which is not tangible, whereas the preposition 'from' is used with words that can be seen or touch. Am I correct? If not, how to know which preposition is necessary?


What's the meaning of "visiting fellowship"?

What is the meaning of "visiting fellowship"? For example: > He also held visiting fellowships at Goldsmiths College in London


what's the meaning of "it is not the case that"

what's the meaning of: "it is not the case that" However, it is not the case that there has been substantial, or even adequate, theoretical conversation and debate about these terms and their usage


Word for a person who loses or has lost faith?

Does a word exist for a person who has lost faith? I am looking for a single word that represents a person who lost faith, e.g. in religion, humanity, himself. The more general, the better.


When did a mother giving birth become the deliverer instead of the deliveree?

_Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary_ , Eleventh Edition (2003), gives meaning 3 of _deliver_ as follows: > **3 a** (1) **:** to assist in giving birth (2) **:** to aid in the birth of > **b :** to give birth to **c :** to cause (oneself) to produce as if by > giving birth Definition 3b appears to be by far the most common birth-related meaning today, to judge from a Google Books search of publications from the year 2000 using the phrase "delivered a healthy." In 28 of the first 30 matches involving babies, the mother is named as the deliverer. (In the other two, credit goes, respectively, to "Jim and Bob" and to "the Lord"; in two additional instances, a company delivered "a healthy profit" or "a healthy 6.8% return.") But in Samuel Johnson's _Dictionary of the English Language_ (1756), the only birth-related definition of _deliver_ is this one: > 6 To disburden a woman of a child. And a book by Jacques Guillemeau, translated in 1635 bears the evocative title _Child-birth, or, The Happy Delivery of Women_. The implication here seems to be that the delivery is of women from the burden and suffering of childbirth. My question is: When did the notion that a mother delivers her child, as opposed to being delivered of her child, arise? I had expected the _Oxford English Dictionary_ to provide a fairly precise answer. But its handling of the relevant definition of _deliver_ is surprisingly limited: > **3** To disburden (a woman) _of_ the fœtus, to bring to childbirth ; in > _passive_ , to give birth to a child or offspring. Rarely said of beasts. > (The active is late and and chiefly in obstetrical use.) > > _c_ **1325** _Metr. Hom._ 63 For than com tim Mari mild Suld be deliuerd of > hir child. ... **1480** CAXTON _Chron Eng._ lxxi. 53 Tyme come that she > should be delyuered and bere a child. **1484** — _Fables of Æsop_ 1\. ix, *A > bytche which wolde lyttre and be delyured of her lytyl dogges. **1568** > TILNEY _Disc. Mariage_ C viii, To have thy wyfe with childe safely > delyvered. **1611** SHAKS. _Wint. T._ II. ii. 25 She is, something before > her time, deliuer'd. **1685** COOKE _Marrow of Chirurg._ III. I. i. (ed. 4) > 168 The third time they sent and begged I would deliver her. **1754–64** > SMELLIE _Midwif_. I. Introd. 70 A better method of delivering in laborious > and preternatural cases. **1805** _Med. Jrnl._ XIV. 521 By making an > incision in the urethra..the patient might be delivered. _c_ **1850** _Arab. > Nts._ (Rtldg.) 448 The queen..was in due time safely delivered of a prince. From the OED's treatment of _deliver_ definition 3, it appears that the notion of the mother as deliverer came surprisingly late in history. Does anyone know how late?


Antonym for “necessary”?

A thesaurus may suggest ‘optional’ as an antonym for ‘necessary’ but this isn't the word I'm looking for. I need a word which means ‘cannot be included’ as in the phrase, “The country code is necessary when dialing from outside Colombia, but _cannot be included_ when dialing from within Colombia.” In this sense, the country code is certainly not _optional_ —if it _is_ included the call won't go through. (This is actually true for mobile phone numbers in Colombia. It makes specifying phone numbers on calling cards or web contact pages a bitch.)


Concessive "as much as" and "much as". Which came first?

Related: "Much though" vs "much as", Use of 'Much as' [closed], Using “as much as” at start of sentence Consider the following two variations: > As much as I hate to admit it, I cannot swim. > > Much as I hate to admit it, I cannot swim. Both seem to be standard, as they both enjoy wide use, but based on the answers to the linked questions above, one gets the impression that the latter derives from the former (and that the former is preferred). I find this suspect for a couple of reasons. First, I have a much easier time parsing the bare "much as" variation because one of the definitions of "as" is precisely a conjunction meaning "though" (#9). Hence, these should be equivalent: > Much as I hate to admit it, I cannot swim. > > Much though I hate to admit it, I cannot swim. > > Though I much hate to admit it, I cannot swim. Whereas "as much as" I interpret as idiomatic. Secondly, the bare "much as" seems to be closely related to other concessive expressions that strictly preclude any initial "as": > But, fool as he is, I won't have him drowned. > > Try as we may, none of us can be free of conflict and woe. > > Very much as I hate to admit it, I cannot swim. The last one I made up, but I can't see why it wouldn't be possible, though admittedly I haven't been able to find it in the wild. So, all that said, I'm led to believe that "much as" is the original expression, but am not sure how to verify it apart from asking you all.


Conditional sentences in business writing

I found this question strange. > Complete the sentence with a correct word:   >  _When you contracted with us to find the right candidates for that > position, we .... to send you a list of potential candidates for review._   >  Here is the list of words to fill out:   >  _\- will promise   >  \- promise   >  \- have promised   >  \- promised_ All 3 types of conditional statement I've learnt so far, would offer the correct word as **would promise**. But I don't see that option here. Could you explain this question for me?


Why (and since when) is prostitution called “the world's oldest profession”?

According to Wikipedia, the phrase the world's second oldest profession is "spying" and the world's oldest profession is prostitution. I was always raised with the understanding that prostitution was the world's second oldest (first could be trading), until I had a conversation today and went to go look it up. Now I see that I'm probably wrong. I've always used "second oldest" and _never_ gotten a queer look regarding my use of that particular phrase, not even by English professors or literature enthusiasts. Where did that phrase originate and about when? Have we always had it in English? Does it derive from an ancestor language?


Can an image be redacted, or just text?

Looking at the definition for redact, it sounds as if it specifically applies to text. Can it be used with images and diagrams as well?


Punctuation to denote sarcasm

Does such a thing exist? I am aware of the irony mark but it appears the backwards question mark symbol doesn't exist in most modern fonts (U+2E2E). That seems to be a good indication of its popularity or relevance, or lack thereof. I personally use a tilde (~) to denote a sarcastic statement, but I am unsure as to its effectiveness nor can I recall where I learned it.


Pronunciation of "ohloh"

ohloh.net is a famous website for open source projects. How do I pronounce _ohloh_ when I introduce it to others? Googling yields no answers.


What is the opposite of fresh?

In regards to food, fresh is used in a number of different ways. It can mean not stale, as in fresh bread, but it is also used in regards to meat, vegetables, or fruit. People talk about having fresh fish, but how would they say that they have un-fresh fish?


What are the differences among ‘Hurricane,’ ‘Super storm,’ and ‘Typhoon’?

In this morning’s (November 2nd) live-video report of New York Times, the caster asked a guest commentator if the tropical storm Sandy can be classified as a hurricane because there are many others who say it’s not hurricane, but a strong storm. The commentator answered "It’s definitely _Hurricane, not a storm_." Actually the same NY-Times carries an article captioned “Toll rises amid _Storm_ recovery” next to the video report, while showing pictures under the caption, _“Hurricane_ Sandy Aftermath” in other corner, and, its co-ed columnist Paul Krugman wrote “Polls show overwhelming approval for Mr. Obama’s handling of _the storm_ , and a significant rise in his overall favorability ratings,” in his article, “Sandy Versus Katrina” appearing in NY-Times on November 4th. AP News on Nov. 5 says “There are a plenty of demands and some desperation for gasoline in New York and New Jersey and surrounding areas where people try to recover from _the recent storm,_ ” and the same day’s NY-Times also carries the headline, “A scramble to help those displaced by _storm_ cast ballots.” What is the difference between Hurricane and Strong or Super storm, and additionally Typhoon, so that I can explain to my granddaughter _in a single, or few words_ , without going into lengthy meteorologist’s wordings? We have Storm and Typhoon, but not hurricane in our country. Do they differ by strength, affected regions, or other plain criteria? Which was the one that buoyed the votes for re-election of President Obama at the last minutes of the race, “Hurricane” or “Super storm” Sandy?


Etymology of the color name "orange"

Etymonline shows > **orange** > > c.1300, from O.Fr. orenge (12c.), from M.L. pomum de orenge, from It. > arancia, originally narancia (Venetian naranza), alteration of Arabic > naranj, from Pers. narang, from Skt. naranga-s "orange tree," of uncertain > origin. Loss of initial n- probably due to confusion with definite article > (e.g. une narange, una narancia), but perhaps influenced by Fr. or "gold." > ... Not used as the name of a color until **1540s**. I am really interested in more details on _why_ 'orange' (fruit) was chosen to represent the color. Also, if there are sources that systematically deal with names of colors in different languages or changes over time that would be very interesting, too. Colors are an example of a very stable (static) concept with corresponding terms ('main' colors) for which throughout history there had been a need (more or less important) to have words for. Bonus question is — what was _orange_ called before 1540s in English?


How to ask a question to confirm a negative situation?

For example, I want to make sure that Tom was not in Professor X's class. However, I can't ask: > Wasn't Tom in Professor X's class last semester? Because that means I think Tom **WAS** in Professor X's class. Of course I can say: > Tom wasn't in Professor X's class, was he? But I would like to know if there's a more concise way to ask the question.


Does 'fall in with' always have a negative connotation?

Often people say, > he _fell in with_ a bad crowd, meaning that the person happened to form relationships with an undesirable peer group or group of people. Does the term 'fall in with' always have negative connotations? Could you: > _Fall in with_ a group of classicists or knitters?


Word for passing a vehicle going the other way

Is there another word besides "pass" that more accurately specifies the act of two vehicles going past each other in opposite directions, as opposed to overtaking a vehicle going the same direction? I want to be able unambiguously to explain right-of-way to bicyclists who insist I move to the far edge when I'm walking against the traffic.


Etymology of the phrase "Shiver my timbers"

I've been trying to search for the origin and meaning of the phrase "Shiver my timbers", but can't seem to find anything.


Why are Roman numerals still used?

Why are Roman numerals still used today primarily on clocks and film titles?


Can a gunfight happen when only one person has a gun?

Dictionaries (M-W) commonly define a _gunfight_ as an exchange of gunfire. However, the OED defines a gunfight as "a shooting affray". {paywall link} Several stories & film describe or depict a gunfight where only a single combatant possesses / uses a gun, such as in the 'classic' scene from Indiana Jones. Given such stories, is it reasonable to assume that a gunfight can involve 2+ people, where only one (presumably the winner) has a gun? Would this be a _euphemism_ for a certain kind of gunfight?


Do “chorus” and “refrain” have different connotations?

In a musical context, let's say musicians talking about present-day pop music (i.e. there is not a _real_ chorus with 40 people singing), do the words “chorus” and “refrain” carry different meanings? Is one more apt than the other?


Meaning of "we're rather flat" in context

From _Yellow Slugs_ by H.C. Bailey: > He went to the room where Eddie lay. The doctor was there, and turned from > the bedside to confer with him. “Not too bad. We’ve put in a long sleep. > Quite quiet since we waked. Very thirsty. Taken milk with a dash of coffee > nicely. But **we’re rather flat**.” What does the boldened bit, “we’re rather flat”, mean?


When someone is available = When someone is free?

I left a voice mail saying "Can I speak to Cindy when she is available?". Does it sound weird at all? It was to an office.


What's the better way to reply to the email

> Is this the official email to log on to the website.? how should I reply to this what text can I add to YES which would be appropriate Thanks


Is this sentence semantically correct?

> He enjoys skiing, playing the guitar, hiking, and wildlife. Is this semantically correct? If not, is there something wrong with “enjoys … wildlife”?


Order of preposition in US and UK English

In Britain we'd say > He had a black hat on. Speakers of American English are more likely to say* > He had on a black hat. The latter just seems wrong to me. Is my intuition correct or are both equally valid usages? * * * * - according to Google NGram


What is § called and how do I type it?

I copy pasted this symbol from http://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jls/se7/html/jls-15.html#jls-15.8.3 but I want to know what it is called and how to make it.


Following a listing and ellipses ... How should this sentence be punctuated?

I'm trying to puncuate this sentence, and am not sure if I should use ellipses or an em dash, or simply put a period after the fragment and start a new sentence with "No one." **Job loss, major illness, family issues, natural disaster ... no one is immune from difficulties like these.** It's for a brochure for a nonprofit, so I'm straddling the line between advertising speak and journalistic style.


What can I use instead of the word "view"

**Given** an application in which you define departments with resources belonging to those departments. The application has a "resource view and a "department view". In the resource view you can see the content of one resource of the department. In the department view you can see the content of all resources of that department. But now I want to define something else (let's call it a "fooh" for now since I can't find a good word...) per department where you select a few of those resources. Let's say Department A has Resource1, Resource2 and Resource3. I want to define a "fooh" containing Resource1 and Resource2 and also a "fooh" containing Resource2 and Resource3. In the application I can select a department (using a dropdown) and then select a "fooh" to view only the content of some resources. **Question:** What should "fooh" be?? I always talk about a view, but I would be using the word view twice: "department view" and "view" (the fooh) Hopefully this example is clear... thanks


"Fill in" or "enter" the text fields

In the documentation file I am working on right now, I have to inform user about filling some optional and mandatory text fields. Which verb better describes the "putting some text in the field" - "fill in" or "enter"? Here are two examples:   1. In the newly opened Add Currency window (see Picture 4) fill in Name and Short Name fields and put a check mark next to Default currency checkbox (if required).   2. In the newly opened Add Currency window (see Picture 4) enter Name and Short Name fields and put a check mark next to Default currency checkbox (if required). Thanks in advance.


Adjective relating to Great Britain and Ireland

Is there an adjective meaning “from or pertaining to the British Isles” (or if you prefer “from Great Britain, Ireland or surrounding islands”, or “from the Atlantic Archipelago”, or whatever floats your boat)? I'm obviously not looking for _British_ , but for a term that could be acceptable to an Irish person. I'm primarily looking for an adjective applicable to concepts relating to this geographical region, but if there's a demonym, that would be interesting too. In other words, if Webster's is English beer, Tennent's is Scottish beer, both are British beer, and Guinness is Irish beer, what adjective can apply to all three?


the correct usage of "the"

I've spent years in the States and I'm still confused when I should use "the" in sentences. These are the cases that I know that I have to use a definite article. case 1: refer to specific objects. _he was working at the firm where his colleagues were friendly._ case 2: refer to unique objects. _The earth is a planet._ case 3: general statements _The human is a foolish species._ What I'm the most confused about are the situations where "the" makes a difference in meanings. For example, _I went to the college_ means I was physically present at the college, and _I went to college_ means I finished a degree. Using a definite article is very confusing to me. There seem to be many exceptions and special rules, and also idiomatic ways of using and not using a definite article. Could someone kindly clarify the usage of "the" for me?


Does the phrase 'human race' allude to the idea of a relay?

Describing the history of humanity as a 'race' might seem odd to a listener who hadn't heard it before. Is the image behind this phrase alluding to the idea that human beings reproduce and pass on the responsibility for our culture and civilisation to our children, in the same way that a relay runner passes on a baton?


Difference between "submittal by" and "submitted by"

On a sample plan of study, I see the word submittal by. I don't see this word much, and I don't get much information from the dictionary. What is the difference between _submittal by_ and _submitted by_? **Context** > 2011 Chinese Government Scholarship for International Students > > at University of International Business and Economic > > A PROPOSAL FOR MY PLAN OF STUDY > > Submittal by > > Firstname Lastname


'Left on the gas' meaning

This is an excerpt from this article. > (The annual conference at) Hong Kong will be momentous as much for what is > approved as for what is turned down or left on the gas. Does 'left on the gas' mean something that has been postponed, as I understood from the context? If yes, what is the origin of the phrase? Or does it mean something else altogether?


Is there a feminine equivalent of "emasculate"?

> ## e·mas·cu·late > >   1. Deprive (a man) of his male role or identity > Is there a female equivalent? I came up with _efemulate_ but this sounds strange.


Is double prime (″) the correct symbol to use for specifying inches?

Is the double prime symbol (″) the correct symbol to use when specifying inches? For example: > 3′11″


Use of "the" in Indian English

The word "the" in Indian English seems to have a different function than in American English, and I'd like to understand it better. The first sentence of this article demonstrates what I mean: > Today in this article I would discuss about the Database Mail which is used > to send the Email using SQL Server. In American English, I'd write: > In today's article I will discuss Database Mail, which is used to send email > using SQL Server. Is that considered wrong or overly concise in Indian English? What is the use of the additional "the"s in the original? Is this a typical pidgin construct or specific to Indian English? What rule of American English makes this sound awkward to my ears?


"Sometimes also" or "also sometimes"?

I have a sentence where I think I could use either of these two constructions. They seem very similar in meaning, so I'm not sure which I should prefer. There might be some subtle point of grammar hidden in here, or maybe not, I'm not sure. The two versions are: >   * This is sometimes also used to mean such and such. >   * This is also sometimes used to mean such and such. > A Google search did not find anything that looks useful.


Is "GPS" a molossus?

It seems to me that "GPS", "FBI", "SMS", and other three-syllable initialisms are examples of molossus, or words with three equally stressed syllables. Are they? (I've never been good at scansion).


What does the sentence "The ache of empty arms was an old tale to you" mean?

I was reading a poet Sara Teasdale's poems and quotes and came across this one. I can't figure out what this line really means.


Is there an adjective for "originating and persisting continuously until now"?

I'm looking for a word that would fit the space below: > Even as a(n) [adjective] city-dweller, I recognize the importance of the > haystacks. I have searched to no avail and restructured the sentence in case no such word exists, but I'm still curious and would love to keep it in the structure above.   * "Native" conveys the origination I'm after, but not the continuous perpetuation   * "Perpetual" is too eternal, as is "eternal" (I want to convey "until now")   * "Perennial" doesn't convey origination or, necessarily, continuousness   * "Longtime" has the same problems as "perennial"


Is there a difference between "disc" and "disk" for naming digital storage media?

I thought that a disc was a disc, and it is sometimes spelled _disk_. I now have got an indication that those two are not the same thing. In this answer on Graphic DesignBeta, I wrote _floppy disc_ in the answer. I got a comment from someone that it should be _floppy disk_. He stated that > **Disk** is a magnetic storage media, while **disc** is an optical one. Is this correct?


A good word for a pivotal person

I am writing about a person who may contain the key to turning a way of life, or an ideology, on its head. He may change the way the people who follow the ideology see everything. They don't know yet if this is good or bad, but they know it's big. So he himself is the rift, the pivot, the turning point--is there a word for this? Ex. "It is my conviction that I've encountered a ----- in [philosophy]."


Is oaken really a word?

I read a lot. I occasionally see "oaken" used to describe something made out of oak. It's used more frequently in historical or romantic fiction. Does common usage make it right?


May, might confusion

When should I use each of the following:   * This _may_ help.   * This _might_ help. I always get confused about the use of _may_ and _might_.


The book one receives upon graduation to cherish the times spent at school

The word candidates I can come up with are: scrapbook, album, memento book and memoir. To my understanding,   1. scrapbook is a conglomeration of photos and short texts that aren't necessarily related to one another.   2. album is more about just being a photo book   3. memento book reminds one of their past school life   4. memoir is a rather formal word, and is mainly composed of texts and has a more self-centered and personal perspective than the other options What other word choices do we have? And would a title like "xxx School Class of #### [Scrapbook]" be fine?


What's the word for "tiny pieces of food stuck in between teeth"?

Is there a word that describes the tiny pieces of food that gets stuck in between your teeth after eating, and that you get rid of by brushing?


"the next day" or "next day"

Cambridge Dictionaries Online has provided examples on the word "next". Why is "the" omitted in > "What do you think you'll be doing this time next year?" while next day is preceded by "the" in > "We had a dreadful argument, but he phoned me the next day (= the day after) > to apologize." Do we include "the" before "next"?


Is there a word for something that does NOT belong to someone?

We use _owned_ to denote something that we possess or that belongs to someone. What can we call things that do _not_ belong to someone? [ **Editor's note** : I can't tell whether the asker wants a word for something that a specific person does not own, or a word for something that nobody owns.]


Is ‘celebvocate’ becoming a currency?

I saw the word, “celebvocate” in “Editor’s Pick” section in today’s (July 14) Washington Post which comes under the caption, “When ‘ **celebvocates** ’ come to D.C.” and followed by the lead copy: > “Here are a few of the recent visitors seeking to leverage their fame with > Congress or the president." I also saw quite a lot of “celebvocates” in the clips in Google Search, for an example: > Thursday's **celebvocate** : NFL linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo Occasion: > Announcing his upcoming role as guest editor ... Bob Schieffer on Face the > Nation this morning to talk about Jason Collins' coming out and what it > means for the future of ...” I understand “celebvocate” is simply a compound of ‘Celebrity’ and “advocate.” However, Google Ngram shows no incidence of “celebvocates” on its record, and Spellchecker keeps demanding correction of this word, when I’m making proof- check of this post now. Is “celebvocate” gaining popularity to be perceived as an acceptable word? It seems the word being used predominantly by Washigton Post, which I think is one of influential media in U.S. When did it come into currency?


Anyroad and Anyway

As far as I know, **_anyway_** is a common word used by both American and British English speakers to mean _in any case_ , _nevertheless_ , etc. I never thought much about the word until I noticed that British English speakers sometimes use **_anyroad_** the same way. If I _had_ thought about it, I'd probably have said the _way_ in _anyway_ meant something like _manner,_ or whichever way, or manner, in which the situation is considered. But learning of _anyroad_ as a synonym for _anyway_ , I thought about the fact that _way_ is another word for street or road. Thus, we can also way that _anyway_ means "any (metaphorical) road you want to go down in considering the situation." My initial impression was that _anyroad_ was a word invented as an amusing alternate for _anyway_ , unexpectedly playing on the synonymous relationship between _way_ and _road_ , but perhaps there was no humo(u)r intended. Dictionary.com identifies _anyroad_ as Northern England dialect and British slang, originating 1885 or 1890. What other specifics relate to the origins of _anyroad_?


Guardrail vs Guard rail

I'm at odds with a colleague of mine over the correct spelling of the above title words. My stance is that they could BOTH possibly be correct. My question specifically is.... Could one spelling be the hard fast correct spelling, hence "the rule" and the other simply the "exeption"? Yet, accepted as possibly an alternate? My goal here is to find if one or the other holds an ounce of legitimacy more than the other, even if a tad. Thus, the exception/rule thingee.


"Stop by" vs. "stop at" vs. "stop on" vs. "stop in"

What is the difference between the following? > [ I am on a bus] Could you stop by/at/on/in 23rd and Pine?


How to make schwa sound?

I'm not a native English speaker, and my language doesn't have the SCHWA sound. It would be so helpful if there are any tips to make the sound. Thanks,


Is there a term for how old films appear to wiggle on screen, if only slightly?

I was watching some of Charlie Chaplin's videos and couldn't help wondering what caused them to look as though the cameraman had unsteady hands. But obviously, it's not the cameraman's fault, especially because the film cameras are rarely held in hands, save for a few films like 'Saving Private Ryan'. The film projection effect I am talking about is unmistakable and I would be very surprised if anyone who has seen these videos hasn't noticed it. And If my guess is right, there is a technical term for it.


Meaning of "there is much competition in firms between different managerial logics"

I have some doubts about this sentence: > Naturally there is much competition in firms between different managerial > logics. Usually one dominant logic emerges successful. Does this mean that there is   1. much competition in (inside of) firms with different managerial logics, or   2. much competition between several firms, which have different managerial logics?


phrase replacement

I sometimes use common phrases that I'd rather spruce up with a single word or more direct phrase, or perhaps just by using fresher wording. One phrase I'd like to change is: "was the fact that." My sentence is: "Mentioned in the article was the fact that international waters are so vast it would be impossible to use navies to protect the area [from piracy]."


Meaning of this sentence, just too complicated

> There was a time I caught your hiding inside From something shining through > the blinds


Part of speech and usage of "in person"

Is "in person" an adjective or adverb, describing the person or the action being done? >   * The artist will be in person, painting. >   * The artist will be painting in person. > Which is correct?


Word that means desired attributes

Something like deserdia but google turns up nothing, means list of desired characteristics.


Another term for "Extreme words"?

Words like "totally", "completely", "all", "entirely, "no" etc. These group of words point to the extremes. Do we have a term for these group of words?


the same and same

Which is correct?   1. Sheila and Angie are wearing the same shirt today.    2. Sheila and Angie are wearing the same shirts today.   3. Sheila and Angie are wearing same shirts today.


Single word request for rituals in India

In India, rituals will take place after 16 days of anyone's death. Can anyone please inform a single word for that rituals happening in India?.


Referring to the lightness/darkness of colors

Presently I have 3 different colors. I am referring to them as:   * light (could be sky blue or pink)   * middle (could be blue or red)   * dark (could be navy or crimson) Is there a better way to describe the lightness darkness of the colors? If I had four or five different darknesses that I waned to describe what would be the best way to refer to them? The best I have come up with would be something like:   * very light   * light   * middle   * dark   * very dark


Is there an adjective for having and spitting lots of saliva, especially in a state of wild, raging abandon?

I'm looking for a word that describes this happy fellow: ![this happy fellow](http://i.stack.imgur.com/UQv76.png)   _source_ : imgur.com I don't think _frothing_ is the right word. It isn't froth or foam, but sticky wads of spit.


"Chose" or another word?

I recently learnt the the past form of "choose" is a rarely used word in English. (So is "chosen" used in present perfect.) So instead of saying: > "I finally chose the dress for the party" > > "I didn't choose appetizer from the menu because my wife chose it for me." > > "I haven't chosen the dish yet" > > "You didn't choose the right job for you" > > "I haven't chosen the place for my vacation yet" More natural would be: > "haven't decided on the appetizer" > > "decide where to go on vacation" Or are there some other options? What would be most natural way to say those sentences? Do you use the verb "chose" often?


How to name a date that is half a year after the date of an important or special event?

An anniversary is > a date that is an exact number of years after the date of an important or > special event I'm wondering if there are some words indicating a date that is **half a year, a fortnight or even a month** after the date of an important or special event.


When should I use "born to" vs. "born of"?

I want to shorten the sentence "Memories can only ever be created now." I'm debating between "Memories are born of now" and "Memories of born to now". The former sounds better, but is their a grammatical difference? E.g., one can say "a child is born to two parents" (literal) or "wisdom is born of pain" (figurative).


What does "no break-in required" mean exactly?

A comment to this answer on Firearms SE goes like this: > Police quality handguns usually are sold as "no break in required" by the > manufacturer. I tried to Google the "no break-in required" phrasing and looks like it is used in marketing a lot - anything like "immediate comfort with no break-in required". So looks like it means something like "ready for use right after being taken out of the box" but I'm not sure. What exactly does that mean?


"Has Bluetooth Enabled" or "Is Bluetooth Enabled"

Having a debate at work... Current headline reads "Product-X Has Bluetooth Enabled". Does that make sense? Or should it be "Product X Is Bluetooth Enabled"?


The use of numbers in time periods

Why do we say "10 minutes or less" rather than "10 minutes or fewer?"


Is "Read other than mathematical books" grammatically the same as "Read books other than mathematical books"?

These days I have come across lines similar to "He reads other than mathematical books" or "Please discuss other than political matters", for which I feel the correct forms are "He reads books other than mathematical books" or "Please discuss matters other than political matters" respectively. How far is the first form correct? Is it wrong to use that form?


What does "literary dependence" mean?

I'm reading a book titled "Map Is Not Territory" by J. Z. Smith. And in the book, it says "This suggests, without arguing direct LITERARY DEPENDENCE, a community and continuity of tradition." (p.31). Can you teach me what this "literary dependence" mean?


Enumeration of few objects

If I want to enumerate few indicators that were measured, how can I do that without using a word "indicators"? My friend suggested "Were measured: professional identity, professional motivation, social personality values, leadership potential, etc.", but that doesn't sound right.


"Thank you all" — wrong or right?

On many occasions after we complete a speech, we often consider thanking our audience. In this scenario, I am not sure if "Thank you all" is the right English. Should it be "Thanking you all" instead to make it sound correct?


Plural of "a stone's throw away"?

A stone's throw is described as approximately 20 to 25 feet. Does it make sense to describe double that distance as "two stones throws away" or would I have to use some other unit? See also this question.


What is the exact meaning of the "oh so <adjective>" idiom?

I routinely find this expression in newspaper, magazines, blogs... My guess is that it's used to report a widely shared opinion, but I couldn't find any confirmation of this. Or maybe it's just used to emphasize the adjective? I'm afraid I might be missing a subtelty here. Here are a few examples from the first page of googling "oh so *":   * Paul Ryan's oh-so-clever jab at Jay Cutler   * Chivas USA came oh so close to getting the first goal of the match   * The movie-star-handsome [...] stung with that oh-so-direct comeuppance   * Robert Pattinson Oh So Lonely: 'No One Ever Calls Or Texts Me!'    * An Oh-So-British Affair Projects a Fresh, Antique Charm   * LaPorta made an oh-so-costly error in the game   * Finally, the long, oh so very long flight back to Vancouver


Does "decoration" have to be visual?

When I hear the word "decoration" I assume it must be visual. However various definitions don't really require this to be the case (such as "The process or art of decorating or adorning something"). To put it differently, is Li'l Sis correct or incorrect in her usage of the word in this video?


A common word for person/company/organization?

As we can say _principal_ for user/group/role, is there a common word for person/company/organization?


Legitimacy of the usage of "homeworks"

Teachers and students sometimes refer to _homework assignments_ as "homeworks". Is that an acceptable usage?


Words similar to "undervalue(verb)" or "underestimate"

I'm looking for a word that means something like "to think of as less important" such as in the following sentence: > Theory is more important than practice; of course, this is not to completely > _'word'_ the value of practice. So far I found "belittle", "depreciate" and "discredit", but they don't work in the previous sentence. I'm looking for a word that is not too hard as in "vilify". Something that means "think of as less important" or "think of as insignificant".


What is this idiom: "I'm going to start taking names and..."?

There is some idiom that starts out like, "I'm going to start taking names and..." I can't remember the rest of it. What is it and when is it used?


What is the antonym of 'embedded system?'

My resume needs an expression to describe experience I've had working with computers that are not part of a larger hardware system. I thought of using 'desktops' but this is a very restricted subset of non- embedded systems.


when we should use to "inventory" and "list"

Can any one explain those conditions on which we have to use word ' **list** ' and ' **inventory** '


meaning of "Somehow we feel that carving electoral districts in the form of a salamander is excessive,

i don't understand this phrase :carving electoral districts in the form of a salamander is excessive Somehow we feel that carving electoral districts in the form of a salamander is excessive, while making districts nicely square does not raise anyone’s eyebrows


Preposition with 'line' when quoting from a text (prose or poetry) with numbered lines?

When referring to a line or lines in/from (?) a text with numbered lines, is it   1. "the idea expressed **in line 25** is such and such"; " **in line 25** , the word 'lisp' is a clear indication that…" or   2. "the idea expressed **on line 25** is such and such"; " **on line 25** , the word 'lisp' is a clear indication that…" ?


"at line" vs "in line"

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Which preposition in front of "line" — "on", "in", "at"? Given a numbered list of lines of text (in my case an algorithm), should I use "in line" or "at line" to refer to the content of the line? For example > the code at lines 5-10 loops over the elements of a list or > the operation in line 10 sums two positive integers.


How to tell if anything has some technical problem and therefore not working

How to say that something has some technical problem and is therefore not working "Bus is not working" but that suggests the reason why the bus is not working.


Omitting "by" after "impressed"

Which is correct? > You may be impressed how often the technique is being used in industry. > > You may be impressed **by** how often the technique is being used in > industry. The first one is what I get used to saying in daily life. It may turn out I've been wrong for ages. I immediately noticed there might be something grammatically wrong when I wrote it. I couldn't help but add the preposition _by_ to make the sentence correct. Is it just a matter of style?


Is it usual to use “full-cry” as a stand-alone adjective?

Maureen Dowd’s article titled “Spellbound by Blondes, Hot and Icy” appearing in December 1st NY-Times jumps from Alfred Hitchcock’s favor of blonde actresses to the dispute of Hillary Clinton’s responsibility for ill-handling of Benghazi attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans. > “While Republicans continue their **_full-cry_** pursuit of Susan Rice, the > actual secretary of state has eluded blame, even though Benghazi is her > responsibility. The assault happened on Hillary’s watch, at her consulate, > with her ambassador. Given that we figured out a while ago that the Arab > Spring could be perilous as well as promising, why hadn’t the State > Department developed new norms for security in that part of the world?” As I didn’t know the word, ‘full-cry,’ I consulted Cambridge, Merriam-Webster, and Oxford online dictionary. None of them registers “full-cry,” but for Cambridge Dictionary carrying “in full cry” as an idiom meaning ‘taking continuously about in a noisy or eager way’. Google Ngram shows neither “full cry” nor “full-cry,” while showing incidences of “in full cry” since cir 1840. Its usage continues to decline all the way. Though I surmise “full-cry pursuit” means ferocious and tenacious pursuit from the definition of “in full cry” by Cambridge Dictionary, I wonder if the word “full-cry” is received as a stand-alone adjective as used by Maureen Dowd. Can “full-cry” be used as an adjective or a noun sui generis? If yes, is it always necessary to combine 'full' and 'cry' with a hyphen?


Is the word "epic" being used correctly these days?

You know what I mean. The word "epic" has been overused for quite some time now. I was recently referred to Wiktionary as a trusted source, and I see this example in use: > (colloquial) Extending beyond the usual or ordinary; extraordinary, > momentous, great. > > _The after-prom party was epic._ I can't help but think that this was written by someone who is personally guilty of abusing the word themselves. I see this definition on Dictionary.com: > heroic; majestic; impressively great: _the epic events of the war._ Is it fair to say that the word's meaning is being very much stretched in the first example, and in the way you would commonly hear it lately? ( _That pizza was epic!_ , _I had an epic hangover._ ) I would love to tell people as a matter of **fact** that the word doesn't mean what they think it means due to my personal annoyance with its overuse, but I don't know if I have a leg to stand on. Has this usage always been technically _correct_? How about _appropriate_? If I am mistaken, I will forever hold my peace.


"Which Allow me" or "Which Allows me"?

Context: "My work requires me to be at different areas for different events which allow me to learn ..." Do I use "allows" or "allow"? Can you provide me the rules/situations in choosing which one to use for future reference? Thanks.


Correct version of "Space Bar"

Is it acceptable to spell it "spacebar" or must the word be spelled with a space in it? I'm using it to refer to a keyboard shortcut in my application's documentation. Further, should it be capitalized? And if split into two words, should both be capitalized?


How would you apply the idiom "I'm $verb'ed out" to "eat"?

I've often heard people apply the suffix _-ed_ after a verb to create phrase, _"I'm $verb'ed out."_ They do this to mean that they've already done `$verb`, and don't intend to do it in the immediate future because they've already done too much of it, or just the right amount. So I'm sitting in my hotel room watching the boob tube and I'm wondering how would I apply this context to _"eat"_ such that it doesn't get interpreted as dirty innuendo. It's a preventative measure, I know I'm not good at that. _"I'm eat'ed out"_ just sounds wrong. Above the obvious potential misinterpretation, it just doesn't sound right. I can't put my finger in it, why?


Short exclamation to mean: "This is driving me crazy."

( **Edit** : Any American English (or dialectically non-specific) alternative for "bloody hell!" Or "blimey!"?) I'm looking for a short exclamation that implies that the character has been "driven up the wall." It has to be short (preferably one word) because the protagonist, a chimp, mimics this oft used expression of his keeper; and should be a "word" instead of a "sound" because it is the first human word uttered by the protagonist (the chimp). I don't really have much choice with the phrasing since it's a text I'm translating (from Korean). The writer is going for a rather poignantly funny effect. The word the keeper uses (really short expression in Korean (that means "this drives me nuts") is widely used by people and is not an expletive. The humor lies in that the very first word the chimp happens to speak is this rather pithy but expressive word. The context is as follows: > You might think I am being too sensitive to what is merely a fictional > account. I do not deny it. The chimpanzee Eugene is a being of my dreams > after all. He is my dream in the literal sense of the word. Compared with > his splendid, sublime soul, mine is but insignificant and pathetic. It was > that way right from the first human word I uttered: **“Nuts!”** A word the > keeper in charge of me would spit out at the drop of a hat. The keeper's > eyes popped as he stared at me. Disbelief was clearly written on his face. I > held his stare in silence, with my chin raised and the corners of my lips > curled up in a faint smile. The keeper, who was boring into me with his > eyes, turned ashen; it had sunk in. I had not simply mimicked his voice. > Yes, I fully grasped the significance of the word I had uttered. This took > place five years after I was captured by humans who shot me with a > tranquilizer gun. I can picture that day in my mind’s eye like a dreamscape. > It took only minutes for me to lose consciousness after the dart hit me, but > it felt like a lifetime. Two words I could think of were "Jesus!" and "Nuts!". I have ruled out "Jesus!" because of the religious connotations that I want to avoid. "Nuts!" also could be problematic because of the sexual connotation of the word. Any ideas?


Origin of “quid” in its sense of a sovereign or guinea

What is the etymological origin of _quid_ in its sense of a sovereign or guinea? While preparing the question Origin of “not for quids” phrase I noticed that etymonline's _quid_ entry merely says > "one pound sterling," 1680s, British slang, possibly from quid "that which > is" (c.1600, see quiddity), as used in quid pro quo (q.v.) Of this usage OED1 says, in part, > [Of obscure origin] 1, A sovereign; a guinea. (Pl. usually without _-s_ , as > _two quid, a few quid_ , etc.). 1688 SHADWELL _Sqr. Alsatia_ III. i, Let me > equip thee with a Quid. In previous questions where _quid_ is prominent (1) or peripheral (2, 3) I've seen nothing about the origin of the term. In a comment to my previous question, MετάEd asserts that “Quid" (money) is widely believed to derive from "quid pro quo" anyway.” But what evidence is available about the origin of _quid_ in its sense of a sovereign or guinea?


Referring to the text of a text

Here are a few attributes that a text may have: "name", "length", "quality", etc. What's the name of the text attribute that refers to the text itself? Would that be the text's "content", the text's "body" or something else?


“20th century” vs. “20ᵗʰ century”

When writing _twentieth century_ using an ordinal numeral, should the _th_ part be in superscript?   * 20th century   * 20th century


Which of the following is correct (or better): "Two Players" or "Two Player" as a game menu item?

I have published a simple game for two players, whose menu contains the following:   * Single Player _(human vs. computer)_   * Two Players _(two players playing on the same device)_   * Bluetooth _(two players on two different devices)_ (Without the texts in parentheses.) So, is it correct to say "two players" or "two player" (as in "a two-player game")? If both are correct, which one is better for this purpose?


Incentive Structure Biased

Can nonhuman things have bias? > Politicians are subject to **_an incentive structure biased toward_** the > adoption of projects and programs with highly visible immediate benefits and > well-hidden costs.   >  quote source An incentive structure is non-thinking and non-human. So how can it be biased?


Why didn't someone... or Why someone didn't

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  “Where am I?” vs. “Where I am?” What is the correct form of such a grammar construction? I'd like to ask why someone didn't do something and I don't know which form is correct. Why didn't someone do something? Why someone didn't do something? Naturally, the second form sounds better to me, but maybe it's because of grammar constructions in my native language (PL).


Can I ask a practical question like this "how am I supposed to know something"

Lets say I am working on a project with 2 other people and there is some information that I need to work, so Can I ask like this: > Can you please tell me "How am I supposed to run this script?". instead of > Can you please tell me "How do I run this script?". What I am trying to ask is whether replacing **do** with **supposed to** makes the question rude? Because usually it is used in a expression like this: > How am I supposed to know you don't like something


English equivalent of Catalan expression "fer la senyora" for moving heavy furniture

There is an expression in Catalan: > Fer la senyora Which would be translated as moving it " _like a lady_ " defined as the action of moving a heavy piece of furniture (e.g. a wardrobe) that involves lifting from one side, tilting and turning it forward, then letting the lifted side touch the floor and lift it from the other side, tilt it and turn it again to move to it forward step by step, alternating each side, as if we would be helping the furniture to walk one step at a time. Is there an equivalent to English for that expression?


The Present Perfect vs The Past Tense in English

Would you agree that the present perfect is used more than the past tense by native speakers to emphasize the situation at hand? Some languages, like Arabic and Japanese, use the simple past much more. And the Japanese seldom use their version of the present perfect. So why are English speakers so enchanted with the present perfect?


A person who can read lines of "hand"?

A person who can read lines of "hand" ? Is there a word of such a person. As far as I am concerned there is that I am missing?


Should the term "salutary" be used only in reference to physical health?

I'm considering using the term "salutary" in a technical document I'm writing to refer to something beneficial. Here's the context: > Salutary side effects of our model are to harness idle computational > resources as opposed to provisioning additional fixed infrastructure and to > scale resource supply commensurate with demand. My question is, is this correct usage of the term, or should salutary be reserved for situations that refer to things which are beneficial to a being's physical health only?


Is there any idiomatic expression with the meaning "show all the hidden stuff"?

Which idiomatic phrase can be used to express 'showing all the hidden stuff' (it's supposed that nobody should find that out, some scandal things)?


Should we use past tense in "Lugo admitted he is the father"?

In this sentence, should the _is_ be a _was_? > On April 13, 2009, Lugo admitted he **is** the father of a child conceived > with Viviana Carrillo.


Whatever happened to "what ever" and whenever did it happen?

I am curious to know when _whatever_ , _whenever_ , _wherever_ and _whoever_ first started being used as interrogative words. Merriam-Webster, etymonline and dictionary.com offer no hints. Wikipedia doesn't even mention them as interrogatives, completely ignoring the fact that there are countless books titled _Whatever happened to X?_. TheFreeDictionary.com points out that > [c]ritics have occasionally objected to the one-word form, but many > respected writers have used it and leaves it at that (well, thanks for nothing).


Omission of initial "An-" in nickname

I often see that in nicknames, the initial _An-_ is omitted. > Anthony -> Tony   >  Android -> Droid   >  Andrew -> Drew   >  Annabelle -> Bella   * Is my understanding correct? Are there restrictions on when this applies?   * If so, why is _An-_ omitted? Is it a morpheme meaning something?   * What other regular rules are there in creating English nicknames?


"Enrich" vs. "enriches"

Which is correct? > The profoundness of experiences, such and more, **enriches** / **enrich** me > till date.


Meaning of "Can you remind me if she will be told?"

An English very newbie is here. Can anyone explain what is the meaning of the sentence below?: Can you remind me if she will be told? Appreciated. Thanks...


designtime vs. design time, are both valid?

I have seen people using > Runtime and designtime for a computer program. Is designtime a valid word?


"[Is/are] X and Y the reason[s] you did Z?"

>   1. Is the violence and the abuse the reason you ran away home? >   2. Are the violence and the abuse the reasons you ran away from home? >   3. Is the violence and the abuse the reasons you ran away home? >   4. Are the violence and the abuse the reason you ran away from home? > Just going from the sound of it, I would probably say #1. But from a grammatical point of view I feel compelled to go with 2. Would I be correct?


Use of [sic] when correcting factual errors in reprinted work

I have had to write a review of an interview, as the article's author has not given me permission to fully reprint it (I did ask, they didn't respond). I have instead quoted from the article and written my own related padding around it. However, the original article contains a factual error. The published sentence reads 'This person joined the club in 2000.' when the person who joined tells me that it was 2003, not 2000. As this person is a client, I want to respond to their wishes and publish true information about them. On the other hand, it is bad form to simply retroactively change dates and times when the original has already been published. Would the correct course of action be 'joined in 2000 [sic: the person has stated this is meant to read 2003]', '... 2000 [/Person has now corrected this to read 2003./]' or '... 2000 [sic]' with a footnote that says 'Original article contained incorrect date. Person joined the club in 2003.' Any help is appreciated as I'm not sure what works best. It is magazine copy rather than academic so referencing and formatting aren't paramount but I'd like to follow best practice.


Is "come again" an absolute slang?

I am not a native English speaker and use the expression " _come again_ " in various forms such as " _Come again, please_ " or " _Can you come again?_ ". I consider it to be a general expression which can also be used in formal speak. Is it not the case? In my search for the answer I read through this question that discusses the sexual connotation of the phrase. But I could not definitively figure out _if the expression can be used in a formal sense_. How does it fare compared to using " _Pardon_ " or " _Sorry_ " in the same context?


Does the incorrect pronunciation of a word make it incomprehensible?

Not being an English native speaker, I find there are many words I pronounce differently from how an anglophone would (and differently from the phonetics prescribed in typical dictionaries). However, what confuses me is that my anglophone friends cannot understand me at all, even when there is only a slight change in pronunciation; the only solution has been to spell out the word. Does mispronunciation of a word really make it that unintelligible?


He's good people. Just him. The one guy

I think this is a Midwestern thing, but where does the phrase "good people" come from? I'm referring specifically to the usage: "I like Bob. He's good people."