Is it correct to ask "Where are we holding in regards to that" when asking about the status of an application or the like

I was asking a banking rep about a recently submitted application for financing - Where are we holding? Is that grammatically correct? For example - I would ask the question - At what stage is the processing holding at? To shorten that I would say to the rep. Hello. This is **__ . Yes I am calling about my application - Where are we holding? or if I called as the rep. to see where the costumer is holding in the process - Hi __** This is **__ from __** I'm calling about your application. So, Where are we holding?


Can we say “naively honestly”?

Is this expression acceptable? > I told her the whole story **naively honestly**. Thank you.


Has the term ‘weapons of mass distraction’ gotten currency as a metonym for web sites and lowbrow mass media contents?

I found the term ‘weapons of mass distraction’ in the article titled “Social Networking in the 1600s” in the Sunday Review section of June 22 New York Times, which begins with; > “Social networks stand accused of being enemies of productivity. According > to one popular infographic circulating online, the use of Facebook, Twitter > and other such sites at work costs the American economy $650 billion each > year. Our attention spans are atrophying, our test scores declining, all > because of these “ **weapons of mass distraction.”** Though ‘weapons of mass distraction’ appears in quote in the above statement, this is obviously a play of word with ‘weapons of mass destruction.’ As I thought ‘weapons of mass distraction’ a smart and punchy word I’d like to use, I consulted both Cambridge and Oxford English dictionaries. They carry ‘weapons of mass destruction,’ but not ‘weapons of mass distraction.’ Whilst Google Ngram shows that ‘weapons of mass distraction’ emerged around 1970 and its usage has been shooting up since 1997, but its currency is still at 0.00000015% level. Does the term ‘weapons of mass distraction’ pass as an established set of word to be easily understood among English speaking community without adding “quote, unquote” in conversation when we are referring to mass-media, social networking media and entertainment contents on mobile phones?


Is there a better way of wording this?

Apologies if this question is off-topic. I've checked the FAQs for topics that are acceptable and 'word choice and usage' appears in the list. I'm working on a website redesign and would like to display a section for each of our branches. When the branches are open, a simple note displays saying "We are open" followed by "Call us on ...". I have also added a note when the branches are closed; "We are currently closed". ![Screenshot of website design](http://i.stack.imgur.com/I8ZYP.png) A few people on my team believe that this could be misinterpreted to mean that the branch is closed permanently. Although I don't agree, I do agree that there is likely a better phrase available. I wondered if anyone had any thoughts on this. Is this one of those occasions when we over think things? Would you take "We are currently closed" to mean that the branch has closed down?


Are there any words that are spelled the same but have separate etymologies?

There are many words that are spelled the same but have different meanings due to development of polysemy over time from an original etymology. Are there any word pairs in English that have the same spelling but have separate origins?


what word means "to show off my clothes"

I'm looking for a word that means "to show off clothes", something like "parade". > Working from home gives me the ability to show off my fancy pyjamas


Is there a catch-all term for the sector of “non-business” employers: NGOs, non profits, professional societies, government, etc.?

_Note: I asked the same question in the Workplace forum but it was closed and I was asked to re-ask here._ I am looking for a concise and professional-sounding expression to use in my resumes and bios to explain that my career history covered "non-business" employment as well, in addition to businesses. This is to emphasize my diverse experience, but without going into too many details (as my ultimate focus will be business-related). When I say "non-business" I mean: NGOs, NPOs, government, professional societies, institutions. I already discarded "non-profit" as that hints at "volunteering" — which is not the only thing I did. I have done a lot of contract work with local government branches and authority as well as professional societies. "Public sector" would exclude private not-for-profits. Do you have any suggestions?


"There was Minta, wreathed, tinted, garish on the stairs..."

This is part of a sentence in Woolf's _To the lighthouse_. Minta is in a different state of mind from her husband, she's back at 3am after a party while he went to bed early and sternly: > There was Minta, wreathed, tinted, garish on the stairs about three o'clock > in the morning. Paul came out in his pyjamas carrying a poker in case of > burglars. Minta was eating a sandwich, standing half-way up by a window, in > the cadaverous early morning light, and the carpet had a hole in it. Obviously, the first two adjectives are used in a figurative sense which is not recorded in the dictionaries I could check—and I suspect this sense is very special to Woolf. As a non-native speaker, I'd like to have your "feeling" about them: is "wreathed" used as a way of being in high-spirits or could it rather refer to some physical appearance (clothes or motion?), could "tinted" allude to some tipsiness (although this is probably French only, some may "tint" water with some wine, hence my supposition) or again to spirits...?


Searching for a rare word for "something taken as truth due to having been repeated so much"

I'm searching for a certain single, rare, literary word meaning "something taken as truth due to having been repeated so much". This "something" could be either true or false. It is not necessarily pernicious or benign. An example of such a "something" (at the risk of getting political) is that Osama Bin Laden was killed in May 2011. Does anyone know the word I'm searching for? P.S.: "Factoid" is ticked — however, there may exist an even better fit.


How can I describe lips which are wearing lipstick?

How can I briefly communicate that a character's lips have lipstick on them? I can't say something like "lipstick covered lips", because using "lips" twice sounds awkward. I considered "gloss covered lips", but lip gloss and lipstick aren't quite the same thing, and in my opinion have different connotations (lipstick I think of as slightly "classier" than lip gloss). Painted? I thought maybe just "red", or "ruby red", but that might be unclear (and not as emotionally neutral as just "had lipstick on them"). This is for prose fiction. Sorry if this question is too broad, I don't use this SE often. Feel free to close if so.


What is the Metric version of "Empirical"?

Most of the Anglosphere uses the metric system, but I cannot find the term for an "empirical" metric. Does such a word exist, if not, why has "empirical" continued to be used by countries that have supplanted the imperial system with the metric system.


What is the difference between the word around and round

When I am writing I come across these two words a lot and I was wondering what is different about them and how they would be used in different contexts


What do you call a country where the legal system is observed? I came up with a "nomocratic country", but that seems to be used extremely rarely. There is a Wikipedia page talking about the Rule of Law, but I cannot come up with a way how to twist it into an adjective (or adjective phrase, if there is such a thing) to describe a country. # The context I found a sentence somewhere which reads " _Since Czech republic is a modern legal country based on a democratical regime, there are fundamental human rights being guaranteed._ " and I am trying to figure out how to rewrite it. I got stuck with the " _legal country_ ". It is obviously wrong, but I cannot figure out what's better to say.


"What am I" vs. "who am I"

Yesterday I was going through my son's books and at one place it was written > I have a long neck, I have spots on my body — what am I? I thought it should have been > I have a long neck, I have spots on my body — **who** am I? Can somebody please clarify which one is correct?


If I quote only the middle part of a sentence, do I use ellipses?

For example, if Peter is my source, should I say: > Peter mentioned his '... unquenchable thirst, a fatigued body...' as being > part of the reason for his actions. Or would I have to leave out the ellipses?


What is the measurement for oxygen?

I'm writing a motivational piece of text and I'd like to write the following: > The human body will work until the last **___ ____** of oxygen is depleted. I'm not sure what would be the proper measure for oxygen. I don't want _drop of oxygen_ , because I'm using that later for _drop of blood_.


Origin of "they don't know they're born"?

Practising today for my forthcoming role as radgie gadgie, I was having a little rant about modern youth: "they don't know they're born!" This seems to me rather a strange phrase to describe someone who is, or appears to be, more fortunate than others feel is just or seemly; after all, everyone realises they were born at some point (one hopes). So does anyone know how this phrase came about? Searching the internets provides lots of examples of usage, but no hint of the origin, of this phrase.


What would you call a collection of experiences?

Imagine you had a box that held individual experiences.   * These experiences do not necessarily have to be your own.   * Others can put their own experiences in the box.   * The experiences are all related by physical location.   * You can only view the experiences when you are physically near the box.   * The experiences are viewed as list from newest to oldest   * The experiences are stored as images or videos I've thought about TimeLine but it's been beaten to death. Maybe LifeCycle? Something catchy and not cliche. EDIT: Image a collection of 10sec videos or images that can only be taken at a specific location. You can only view those images/videos when you are at that specific location.


"so" or "therefore"

I usually double check my English using Google Translate. I paste my phrase in English (translated by myself) and I see how it translates it back to Italian. If the meaning is the one I had in mind then I'm quite sure I translated Italian to English correctly (almost, at least). But I'm quite surprised today because I wrote this sentence in Google Translate > I'll be on vacation from August, 1st to August, 25th **so** the support will > be discontinued for a while and it translated to Italian in a way that the meaning is this: > As the support will be discontinued for a while, I'll be on vacation from > etc... I changed the English sentence to: > I'll be on vacation from August, 1st to August, 25th **therefore** the > support will be discontinued for a while and I got the correct meaning, which is that I can't ensure the availability of support because I'll be on vacation. Is Google Translate right? I always use _so_ and never use _therefore_ so I'm worried I said a lot of nonsense all these years!


clause elements: Matrix clause

The sentence > Although they looked totally inconspicuous at first glance, we knew they are > unique and special. is given. Now, what I though is that "Although they looked totally inconspicuous at first glance," is a subordinate clause and the rest is the main clause. Then I realized that with in the main clause a that is omitted, so that it could read "we knew that they are unique and special." Does this make we knew a matrix clause? Then the two predicator would make sense to me.


What's the meaning of "dry" in this context?

Consider this comment: > Quality of service at restaurants is dropping, and I don't think it's the > servers' fault, I think it's the fault of management for cutting back on > staff. > > Several times now out with friends after work my **beer's gone dry** , and > rather than cutting the server's tip, I go to the manager afterwards and > pressure to get compensation for the terrible service. Since they can't give > away alcohol, they give gift cards good for food only; fair enough. What does it mean when the poster describes his beer has gone _dry_?


Word meaning the act of the state taking away one's right to live

I remember once coming upon an essay/article which, among other things, mentioned a (not uncommon) word whose technical definition was the state's act of officially removing a guilty person's right to life, prior to execution. The first word that now comes to mind is condemn, but none of the definitions seems to fit what I remember. The word was not at all obscure. Is there another word more suitable? Or does one of _condemn_ 's meanings include this concept?


What is the meaning of the word "this," all by itself?

I suppose this one might qualify as an internet meme, but I'm not sure. I recently have begun seeing people use the word "this" as a single word sentence, such as in response to someone else's post. It seems like it might be a way of expressing agreement, but I am struck by how awkward it seems to me. Unfortunately it's hard to search for anything about it, since it is such a common word. What exactly does it mean, and where does it come from?


Is there a noun that describes members of the genus Allium?

I have a mild allergy to Onions, Garlic, Shallots, etc. - all members of the genus _Allium_. Is there a noun I can use to readily describe all these? Eg: "I have a(n) **_** allergy." Been thinking about it for a while, and it seems kind of tricky. I can't say "I have an Allium allergy" because that implies Allium is an entity, a thing to be allergic to. Onions don't contain Allium any more than John contains Smiths. Based on a related question, I could say "I have an allergy to Alliaceous plants", but that seems like a bit of a mouthful. I'd love to find something a little more elegant/fluid if possible!


Why does the following phrase sound old fashioned?

"We went swimming later in the afternoon, Jack and I." I am trying to describe what is happening here by breaking the sentence down into it's basic components, but I am having difficulty doing this. The "jack and I" part is the Noun Phrase. right? Is there a certain language formality to placing this at the end of the sentence behind the comma? Am I crazy in thinking that the above format sounds more formal than: Jack and I went swimming later in the afternoon. I'm adding some more information that has come up through the conversation below: I pulled the line from a Young Adult book written in 1942. I'm studying the text and trying to identify elements that make it 'feel old.' One of these elements is a general presentation of phrases in a more formal way (as compared to other modern YA publications.)


Construction 'How many X'

How do you use the construction "how many X" correctly? For example, are these right? > How many political parties in Ukraine? > > How many deputies in Ukraine? > > How many condoms in your pocket? > > How many months of the year? > > How many holidays in a year?


Alternative to "minuend" and "subtrahend"

In math, I just learned that when performing subtraction, the terms for each number are as follows: > minuend − subtrahend = difference I have never heard of minuend and subtrahend before, and I'm fairly certain the majority of people I encounter have never heard these terms before either. Is there a better alternative to these two words? Context: I'm writing some software that subtracts a set of items from another set of items, such as in this math.SE question. I need to name these two sets of items so they are easy to understand for an average user, or a future developer working on the same software. Edit: For those who want to see code, I'm writing a PowerShell cmdlet that would be used like so:               Get-Difference -Minuend "a.csv" -Subtrahend "b.csv"      and in the code I may write something like:               var minuendData = readFile(minuendFilePath)      Currently I have the following comment at the top of my code:               // If you don't know what a minuend or a subtrahend is, then shame on you!     // http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/minuend     // http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/subtrahend      I could just use something like "A" or "B" but that is not as descriptive as I'd like it to be.


'too dangerous to let live' or 'too dangerous to be let live'?

I was writing something down that came to me in a passing while I was watching TV, and I found myself discombobulated with the way one should phrase the notion of letting someone do something in the manner illustrated by the example in the question I posed. I know of a book with the title 'too dangerous to let live', but the sentence I was writing down feel so much intuitive with the second form, that is, having 'be' before the phrase 'let + verb'. The sentence is, 'Besmirching what I thought to be too pure to be let exist, deflowering what I reckoned to be too beautiful to be let waste'. Is this sentence grammatically right? Or is this one a better alternative? 'Besmirching what I thought to be too pure to be let to exist, deflowering what I reckoned to be too beautiful to be let to waste'. The problem here is, I was reminded by that book I mentioned with the title 'Too Dangerous To Let Live' which would then suggest that my sentence is better if phrased this way, 'Besmirching what I thought to be too pure to let exist, deflowering what I reckoned to be too beautiful to let waste' I also have thought of another alternative which further baffles me, 'Besmirching what I thought to be too pure to be let existed, deflowering what I reckoned to be too beautiful to be let wasted' So do you have any ideas or insights on which one should be correct? Any answer is very much appreciated!


What does "But Half Fancy?" mean?

I'm having trouble understanding this paragraph, mostly the part in **bold**. Is it regular grammar? This is a piece from Moby Dick: > If I had been downright honest with myself, **I would have seen very plainly > in my heart that I did but half fancy being committed this way to so long a > voyage** , without once laying my eyes on the man who was to be the absolute > dictator of it, so soon as the ship sailed out upon the open sea."


Meaning of the word "nonlesson"

I came across the word "nonlesson" used in a research paper which talks about lessons learned from some incidents. I searched on Google but I wasn't able to find a meaning or usage of this word. I'd like to know if such a word exists, and if it does, also its meaning with a short usage hint. Please help.


Use of comma after "and" in "obsolete and, frankly pathetic"

Is the comma after the word _and_ in this sentence correct? > Social networks made having friends obsolete and, frankly pathetic.


What is the origin of "earthling"?

* What is the origin of the word _earthling_?   * Are there other words with a similar meaning ( _marsling_ , _venusling_ )?


Word describing "Nothing Changed"

We have a medical application that a doctor would uses to track a current ailment and its healing progress. For example, when a patient visits a doctor about swelling in their ankle, the doctor would use one of our drawing tools to draw "swelling" on an image (on a tablet device) of a patient's ankle indicating there is swelling in the ankle. When the patient comes back the following week or month, the doctor can mark up the drawing with other tools, such as "healed" or "inflamed", depending upon the type of ailment it is. One of the tools we are developing is a generic "nothing changed" tool. For reporting purposes, the doctor needs to use this tool to click on the ailment to confirm that the ailment is still there and that nothing has changed. I don't know what to call this tool. At present, it's called the "Nothing Changed" tool, but that's just not a great sounding tool. What word in this context could be used to describe "nothing changed"?


Why is a gerund used after the verb "confess to"

A simple form of the verb is often used after _to_ , but sometimes the simple form is replaced by a gerund. For example: > He _confessed to_ **having** a secret admiration for his opponent.   >  Edwards _confessed to_ **being** a spy for the KGB. What is the reason? Could you tell me more examples like _confess to_?


What does "before" mean here?

> Kim frequently exhibited her vast knowledge of baseball before complete > strangers. _Before_ is usually used to depict a time line, so this use is confusing for me.


Does the word 'confrère' in English also apply to women sharing the same profession?

The word confrère(s) in French is used to refer to males sharing the same profession; the word for females is consoeur(s). How about English? Is this term used for both genders?


Dishes 3 part job or not?

Is doing the dishes a 3 part job?, if I only dryed the dishes and put away can I say I did the dishes when I didn't wash


index, an index or the index?

Context: Imagine a sequence of indices greater than 1. The sequence must follow these rules: 1.) Index 2 cannot be surrounded by two indices 3. ... (I know this may be written in much more simple way, but the structure should remain the same.) The question: in the beginning of the first rule, should there be any article before the word "Index" (like: The index 2... / An index 2...) or is it also correct without any article? Is "Index 2" in this context definite or not? (there may be more indices 2 in the sequence and the rule should apply to all of them)


Are contractions worth all the trouble?

One of the most difficult things even for native speakers of English to learn is the correct use of contractions. To this day when I type `it` and want to follow it with `s` I have to spend a fraction of a second reading the sentence out loud to see if `it is` will fit. Then there's the question of where the apostrophe belongs. Why isn't it `is'nt`?1 What makes all this worse is that the first time you use `its` instead of `it's` people start sending you links explaining how to write properly. I can think of two reasons to still use contractions:   1. It's slightly faster to write. (But only if you don't have to think about proper usage.)   2. We use contractions in verbal communication and contractions reflect the sound of our speech.  I know the usual advice is to avoid them in formal writing, but I'm wondering if it mightn't be better to avoid them altogether. Maybe it's an advanced technique like writing in dialect. Wh'tcha yall rec'n? * * * **Footnote:** 1\. Stop! Please don't tell me!


Comma placement in "I, too"

Which of the following is correct? > I, too, have seen that movie. or: > I too, have seen that movie. The former seems correct to me from examining the inflection with which I would say it, but it looks a little awkward.


Would it help my English skills to copy Oxford Dictionary by hand?

Question inspired by Malcolm X who allegedly copied every single word from a dictionary by hand and greatly improved his language skills. Is there any merit in doing it, or is it just a romanticized anecdote?


Etymology of the word "broker"

I’ve had this personal hypothesis in the back of my mind for many years now about the etymology of the word “broker”. I have gathered a few pieces of the puzzle (many of them in French and a few of them in English) but I have no firm evidence to back it. Now that I've come across EL&U, with its high concentration of English Language enthusiasts of all horizons, I’d like to request some assistance, especially regarding the English side of the story. Many English etymological dictionaries qualify the origin of “broker” as uncertain, and others are just content with mentioning immediate ancestors of the modern word. But there is possibly a more captivating story to this particular word. In my opinion broker comes from brooch/broach. Here is why.   * In French the word for “broche” covers 2 English words: “brooch” (the jewel) and “broach” (roasting spit). In a larger sense, a “broche” is any spiky tool used for piercing.   * One of these broaches, shaped like a “T”, with a drill-bit like end, was used during wine auctions to pierce sample barrels so that potential buyers could taste the wine and make their best buying offer according to the quality of the beverage.   * Incidentally the French term for the pitcher that would be placed below the subsequently inserted tap is “broc” (nb, origin :uncertain in the wiktionary entry).   * Also well documented is the fact that the person in charge of piercing the hole is the “brocheur” (or “broceur”). My conjecture is that this man was also in charge of the auction, hence the “broker”. He would serve as a “broker” between the seller and the buyers. Although it seems logical, I've found this explanation nowhere. **So my questions are:**   1. Could you please provide some English words, idioms, citations or reference that could possibly back this conjecture?    2. Or do we have an altogether completely different etymology, I might have missed ? That's the main question. However I have also a couple of secondary requests, that could actually help reaching a conclusion.   1. I’ve also tried to find some genre paintings (in the taste of Netherlands Golden Age genre paintings) but with no success so far.   2. Also of interest would be to know whether there were English wine brokers (medieval England had a lot of vineyards) or whether the “broker” meaning was imported from the French “brocheur”, in which case one would have to admit that this meaning was lost, since French eventually borrowed the English word.


Usage of 'never had before'

I am going to present a funny gift to my friend. What is the best sentence which will describe the item? Is the following sentence correct? > Be prepared to get a gift which you never had before.


what is the meaning of " Pressure Containing and Structural Castings"

Does it mean " Pressure Containing castings and Structural Castings" or "Pressure Containing-Structural Castings"?


A word to refer to people who are self-taught and/or start working without even going to university?

These are some of the words I thought of:   * Entrepreneur    * Dropout    * Startup   * Auto-didact Any suggestions?


how can I introduce myself in emails?

My question is, if I'm writing an email to some one for the first time, do I introduce myself with sentance like:'I'm ...'? or like in the phone:'This is...'? Thanks!


What (grammatical) tense to use when doing reference in a paper?

For example, A published a paper with title B in 2000. Then, in my paper: > A says / said that [C works / worked out perfectly]. and > B illustrates / illustrated that [C works / worked out perfectly]. As the content between [] is derived from the original paper, the tense may vary. The pair of the simple present tense (in the source) and the simple past tense (in my current paper) is used as an example.


Should I use present or past tense when referring to a (scientific) paper?

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What (grammatical) tense to use when doing reference in a paper? In the two examples below, which tense is preferred? "Smith (2001) noted that ..." or   "Smith (2001) notes that ..." "The paper established ..." or   "The paper establishes ..." If both forms are equally valid, is it customary to use both forms within a text, or should I stick to one form?


"has been raised" or "was raised" in an academic journal

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Past simple and present perfect The first line in my research is the following: > Since the May 6, 2010 ``Flash Crash’’ event, the following question has been > raised several times: Does High-Frequency Trading increase the likelihood of > long tail and chaotic events in financial markets? Should I say > Since the May 6, 2010 ``Flash Crash’’ event, the following question was > raised several times: Does High-Frequency Trading increase the likelihood of > long tail and chaotic events in financial markets? I have been told that I have to avoid "has been" and even "was" in academic journals. Is there a better way for me to improve my sentence?


Past simple and present perfect

In news reports, we often read or hear events introduced with the present perfect, and then the past simple like this: > The film star Jim Cooper has died of cancer. He was 68 and lived in Texas. What's wrong if we use both first and second sentence in past simple? > The film star Jim Cooper died of cancer. He was 68 and lived in Texas.


When an item belongs to Bob, is it Bob's item or Bobs item

Should I use: That is Bob's phone   He is Bob's student   Bob's car is red or: That is Bobs phone   He is Bobs student   Bob's car is red


The use of “troop” for “trooper” by the media

What led to this new usage? Are there any clues as to its origin (i.e., is there a particular journalist or political figure who introduced it)? Is it on the upswing as I suspect (are there any reputable dictionaries which attest it)? ## Background For most of my life, I understood _troop_ to mean a body of soldiers, as attested by _Etymonline.com_ : > **troop (n.)**   >  1540s, “body of soldiers,” from Middle French _troupe_ , from Old French > _trope_ “band of people, company, troop” (13c.), probably from Frankish * > _throp_ “assembly, gathering of people” (cf. Old English _ðorp_ , Old Norse > _thorp_ “village,” see _thorp_ ). OED derives the French word from Latin > _troppus_ “flock,” which is of unknown origin but may be from the Germanic > source.¹ But in the past twenty or years or so I have noticed _troop_ used, particularly in journalism, to mean an individual (a “trooper”). This usage seems to be on the upswing. Here are two typical examples from last year: > _**CBS News_**   >  Taliban insurgents killed _10 Afghan troops_ in an ambush in western Herat > province, police and government officials said Tuesday, as _one U.S. troop_ > was killed in an attack on the other side of the country.² > > _**The Huffington Post_**   >  Among the combat wounded from all the military services are 1,572 patients > with major limb amputations, including _486 wounded troops_ with multiple > amputations. These numbers do not include those who suffered the loss of > fingers or toes.³ [ _emphasis added_ ] I have not yet seen the true singular form meaning an individual attested by any dictionaries, but it is definitely in use as shown above.


Word or phrase for all changes to an employee’s role/position/level?

What is a suitable word or phrase describing _all_ changes to an employee’s role/position/designation/level in a company? These changes would include promotions/demotions (e.g. “Staff” to “Executive”), re-designations (e.g. “Programmer” to “Network Administrator”), and even transfers (to different departments or branches/stores). I was thinking along the lines of “ **employees' role changes** ”, but believe it to be unsuitable as not all changes will cause the employee’s role to change. For example, one may hold the designation of “Accountant” and belong to “Staff” level. He is then promoted/upgraded to the level of “Senior Staff”, but is still an accountant and his job scope remains the same. Thus, his role is effectively unchanged even though he has been "promoted". Single words or short phrases describing these changes would be appreciated.


Dating the use of an expression

Would the expression " Keep your hair on " have been used in the 15th century


Why does the letter "a" correspond to /ɪ/ in words like "image", "private" and "surface" (American English)?

In American English, in words ending with _-age, -ate_ and _-ace_ , the ‹a› correspond to /ɪ/ (short i). Examples:      _image, village, damage_    _private, senate, separate_    _surface, preface, palace_      (It should be noted that dictionaries do not always agree about the pronunciation, and some use /ə/ instead of /ɪ/ for some of the words).      In all of these words the last syllable is unstressed. In unstressed syllables vowels may be reduced to schwa or to a short vowel of a similar quality, like /i:/ to /ɪ/ and /u:/ to /ʊ/. But at the words above, the underlying vowel in the unstressed syllable is either /eɪ/ or /æ/, so it is unclear to me why the reduction is to /ɪ/.


“What say we [suggestion (verb phrase)]”

I would like to understand the history of the modern expression “what say we” followed immediately by a verb phrase, used to make a suggestion and common in informal speech, as attested at Oxford Dictionaries _What say we **take a break**?_ used in publication Gillette Raises Bar With Five Blade Razor. _What Say We **Make It An Even Dozen**._   ( _Businessweek_ headline) and found in song lyrics _Baby, what say we **stay together**?_ ( _George Strait_ song “What Say”)   _What say we **go and crash your car**?_ ( _Brand New_ song “Failure By Design”) I stopped to notice that this expression is not, strictly speaking, grammatical and seems to be a contraction. I became curious what it might be a contraction _of_. There is the slightly longer “whaddya say we [suggestion (verb phrase)]” which is an informal version of “what do you say we”. This is still not, strictly speaking, grammatical. But it seems akin to “what say you **_to_** [suggestion ( _noun_ phrase)]”, such as the Shakespeare quotation offered in comment by AndrewLeach _What say you **to a Neats foote**?_ which can equally be expressed as _What do (or would) you say **to a Neats foote**?_ But I have no idea if it is reasonable to connect the dots.


removing some repeating phrases within a sentence

i think this sentence doesn't accept by the academic readers as some phrases are repeating so that looking for some modifications. > Alternatively, users can decide _for which application_ this approach is > sufficient and _for which application_ is not sufficient. any suggestion for a case like this... thanks


Meanings of "in the sense that"

What is the meanings of "in the sense that"? Does it mean "that it means"? I tried Oxford, Cambridge and Longman online dictionaries, but there aren't anything. Here are some examples   1. Screwy in the sense that two of college basketball's most historic programs are playing for a national title game and it's blowing people's minds.   2. Is the English Language becoming more generic, in the sense that English is distinguishing less between masculine and feminine?   3. In other words, the information is lost in the sense that it is almost impossible to interpret, but it isn't actually destroyed. Resources: (1) google translator, (2) english.stackexchange.com, (3) newscientist.com.


Looking forward

Recently I've seen a sentence with "looking forward". Could you explain why it contains a progressive aspect. Doesn't this phrase mean a thought process which cannot be seen and thus must be regarded as stative and be used without progressive? Consider a sentence like > I am looking forward to repaying your kindness.


Usage of double dots (..) Is it formal?

I am sure that this wouldn't have much meaning, but still want to get acknowledged whether usage of double dots is formal. I have observed people using double dots in business Emails. Usually while adding additional recipients to the thread. example: `Adding XYZ..` I would like to know the specific meaning of it. In the world of music, placing double dots .. infront of note is a shortcut, it signifies addition of its next level note. EDIT: Does it specify an infinite Pause? Infinite .. I mean by unsure (not never ending). In general case, if I use this .. in my statement what would it mean?


How do I make correct referencing?

I often have problems with article words referencing to its correct referent. In the following statement for example: > The touching scenes in the film leaves the audience a heavy feeling, > encouraging **_them_** to consider charitable acts and the role **_it_** > plays in our society. My intention is to have the word " **them** " linked to the _audience_ , and the word " **it** " linked to the _charitable acts_. I am quite confident that the word " **them** " does link to the _audience_. But I am worry that the word " **it** " may not link to the _charitable acts_. I find that there is possibility the reader may confuse " **it** " referring to the _touching scenes in the film_ instead of the _charitable acts_. Are the article words in the sentence that I have constructed above correctly linked to its referents? In general, is there a rule to watch out when identifying references in long and complex sentences?


Are there any current examples of English "Back-Slang"?

Other languages feature words pronounced as their inverse (such as verlan and fika). What are some examples of this in English? The closest example I can think of it Pig Latin.


"Oyster perpetual"

A famous watch brand has a slogan (I suppose) inscribed on their products: "Oyster Perpetual". What does it mean?


Did I go to the "fair" or the "faire"?

Which one's correct? I've seen both claiming to be correct...


Is "vindicate" a form of "indicate"

The online dictionary has the following to say: > Indicate >> to point out, show... > > Vindicate >> to clear from censure or doubt by means of demonstration... "Showing" is a means of "demonstrating" so is it reasonable to believe that "vindicate" is a form of "indicate?" The word "re-enter" is derived from the preposition "re" and the root word "enter." What preposition (if any) would be represented by the "v" in "vindicate"? If there is none, how would the "v" cause "vindicate" to be a form of "indicate."


Why is WFM used for "working from home"?

I've seen this used in several places, but WFH seems to make more sense to me. Is there some other significance that I'm missing besides the 'M' coming from the end of 'home'?


How to best correct ambiguity of “in the room next to me”?

A common construction in English is: > There is a person **in the room next to me**. However, this is ambiguous because it’s unclear whether the person is in a separate room that happens to be adjacent to my own, or whether they are in the same room as me (and standing beside me). Given this is grammatically correct, how would I best go about specifying which is the case? For example: > There is a person in the adjacent room to mine. or: > There is another person in the same room as me. Both seem unnecessarily confusing.


multiple adjectives next to each other

> In low volume, a melody sad love song is playing in a mobile phone placed on > the side table. Do you see the three adjectives (melody sad love) together? Is that correct?


Is it customary to call the former President George W. Bush “W.”, and Mrs. Bush “Bar”, in public?

Maureen Dowd deals with the comments of the former first lady, Barbara Bush in NBC’s the Today Show in her article titled ‘Silver Fox’s pink slip’ in New York Times (April 27): > “Asked on the “Today” show whether she thought her son Jeb should run for > president in 2016, as **W.** has urged, the famously candid and caustic > **Silver Fox** offered the most honest assessment of her oldest son’s > legacy. > >> “He’s by far the best qualified man, but no, I really don’t,” she said when asked if her second son should aim to be the third Bush in chief. “I think it’s a great country. There are a lot of great families, and it’s not just four families or whatever. >> >> But **Bar** , who was also giving the back of the hand to the Clintons, spit out the truth. It is wearying that America, a country that broke away from aristocratic England has spawned so many of its own royal political families, dynasties that feel entitled to inhabit the White House, generation after generation, letting their family competitions and tensions shape policy and history to an alarming degree.” I noticed Dowd likes, and used to call the former President by “W.” in many other places (like **W.** ’s presidency will go down in infamy because he ignored Katrina and the Constitution. / **W.** and other Bush officials continue to say they could not possibly have known that Saddam had no W.M.D. / Sadly, no one in **W.** ’s inner circle studied the issue), and the former first lady by Bar. Is it a customary way of Americans to call dignitary’s names by an initial or an abbreviation like “W” and “Bar,” or is it just Ms Dowd’s idiosyncrasy? Does Mr. George W. Bush’s father pass simply by the by-name, H. everywhere as his son does with W.? Are there many Presidents who were called just by an initial besides W. and JFK (Oh, I forgot to add FDR)? I’m asking this because we have no habit of calling, and nobody would dare to call our Prime Minister (ex-Prime Ministers) and dignitaries by an initial, first name, or without titles. By the way, what does ‘Silver Fox’ mean, and why Mrs. Barbara Bush is called so? If I called your mom 'Hey, Silver fox,' instead of Mrs. so-and-so, doesn't it sound rude or offensive to your mom, and you?


How do you describe this trait/behaviour?

I'm trying to describe this personality trait/behaviour that someone demonstrates. Consider this situation; while a group of colleagues hangs out at a bar, someone suddenly suggests a lottery group play where everyone puts in a small amount of money. While everyone willingly participates, one person refused and opted out of the play. What are some ways of describing this particular person's behaviour and/or the personality trait that this person possesses? Obviously he's cheap, but leaving money aside, I'm trying to describe his behaviour/trait with emphasis to the negativity and fact of him not willing to act with the group. Another example maybe, if the group of colleagues suddenly decides to go bowling and the same individual opted out again because he dislikes it greatly. Not all the rest of the people in the group likes bowling but they go anyways. What quality is this individual lacking? And what are some ways of describing this kind of behaviour and personality trait?


Origin of "cracked the shits"

I heard someone use the expression "he cracked the shits" today which is universally recognised (at least in Australia) to mean "lost his temper". It struck me that it is a strange expression and the origin is not obvious. It is often used in a context where a threshold of frustration has been reached and the person "cracks it" or loses control and responds angrily, so this may be part of it. Perhaps "the shits" is just tacked on as an intensifier. I'm pretty sure I've only heard it in the context of Australian English. Is this expression known and used outside Australia, and does anyone have a better explanation of how it might have arisen?


Reported Speech Tense Choice

Which of the followings sentences would be the best choice? > The victim explained how he became addicted five years ago... > >   1. His addiction **_is_** so bad that he **_is_** unable to keep a steady > relationship. >   2. His addiction **_has been_** so bad that he **_has been_** unable to > keep a steady relationship. >   3. His addiction **_has been_** so bad that he **_is_** unable to keep a > steady relationship. >   4. His addiction **_had been_** so bad that he **_was_** unable to keep a > steady relationship. >   5. His addiction **_had been_** so bad that he **_had been_** unable to > keep a steady relationship. > He hasn't treated his addiction yet.


Good term for petit bourgeois / Boeotian / Biedermeier lifestyle

Suppose you want to enjoy a lifestyle "of the medium": You live with your partner in your house, you have got two kids, a dog, a cat, in a suburban area, have a got a middle-class job with good (but not exorbitant) income, you tend your own garden, you vote center, your life is neither stressful or exciting (like yuppies or hippies), nor is it rural and devoid of culture (like hillbillys). Your life is peaceful with small joys. What is a good term for that in English? My inspiration for that question is the German term "Spießer", or the similar idea of "Biedermeier". In German, this concept has connotations both positive (balanced, comfortable, agreeable) and negative (narrow-minded, phony, stuffy), and provokes highly ambiguous feelings. I do not even know whether or where comparable concepts like that exist in the Anglo-sphere. The stereotypical British lifestyle might be closest to it, and for North America, I don't know. **Q:** How can this concept be made intellegible in English, including the highly mixed feelings about it?


Associated Press Style with Monetary Ranges (Your Interpretation)

The AP Stylebook's FAQ accepts "a 30 to 35 percent a year increase" and "a 10-20 percent a year increase in revenues", one with the word "to" in the numerical range, and one with a hyphen. They also permit a hyphen or the word "to" in these: $20,000 to $25,000 and $20,000-$25,000. Based on this information (and without recasting, please), would you consider the following examples to be correct per AP Style, and in general? _•It was a $10 million to $15 million a year industry._ _•The percentages represented a $40,000 to $45,000 a year increase in sales._ Alternatively, based on AP's supported examples, do you think that hyphens can be used, too? _•It was a $10 million-$15 million a year industry._ _•The percentages represented a $40,000-$45,000 a year increase in sales._


Is there a name for configurations such as "I will have had..."?

Consider these two examples,   1. _I will have had eaten by that time._   2. _I will have had been working there for five years._ To me, the first sentence seems to express the proposition that, it is the present ( _t1_ ); I will begin eating in a future moment ( _t2_ ); finish eating by sometime after that ( _t3_ ); and that eating will be relevant to the time referenced in the sentence, "that time" ( _t4_ ). Whereas, to me the second sentence seems to express the proposition that, it is _t1_ ; I will begin working somewhere at _t2_ ; I will continue working there until _t3_ , at which time I will stop working there; and my time working there will be relevant to a later time that the speaker is discussing, _t4_. Are these configurations grammatical? Do they have names?


My English is inefficient. How can I fix this?

Lately I've noticed that my English is inefficient and it makes me sound inarticulate at best. (Uneducated at worst.) Here is an example. Today I told my younger cousin this: > You shouldn't make any commitments if you're not going to see them through > to the end And then I started thinking about it. A much more efficient and nicer sounding sentence would've been: > You shouldn't commit to things you won't see through It's shorter, more articulate and conveys the exact same message. This happens almost everyday. I find myself getting stuck mid-sentence or re-thinking sentences after I've said them. Some background: I was born in a Spanish-speaking country and speak Spanish fluently. However, I came to the US at age 4 and haven't left since. I consider English to be my first language. I grew up in a low-income neighborhood where people mostly spoke Spanish or broken English. My mom doesn't speak English fluently and my dad does but with a strong accent and occasional blips. I don't have a college education. I'm especially looking for something like a book. I haven't been able to find one for "efficient English." If someone could recommend something I'd be very grateful.


Is the following use of "nonetheless" correct?

> I was so down and unmotivated, **nonetheless** , that even thinking about > getting up the chair seemed like a tedious and burdensome task. I'm having my doubts because at first I used _however_ , and know, well, I'm not very sure anymore.


Difference between wing chair and armchair

What's the difference between wing chair and armchair? I searched both with Google images and they looked almost the same -- chairs with sides where we can put our arms on them. Thank you in advance!


The grammar of (noun)-blaming and shaming

Are phrases such as "victim blaming" grammatically correct? It's trendy at the moment to say (noun)-blaming/shaming.


What ten-letter word means "having lots of time"?

I came upon this Yahoo! Answers question, which asks: > What 10 letter word means have lots of time? The "best answer" (five stars!) was _plentiful_ , a nine-letter word that doesn't really have anything to do with time. So now I'm curious... anything?


How should I use "eponym", "eponymous" and "namesake"?

I was in London and visited the Tower Bridge. Afterwards, I went to a pub called The Tower Bridge. Just to be clear, the pub is named after the bridge. Which of the following are correct?   1. The bridge is the **eponym** of the pub.   2. The pub is the **eponym** of the bridge.   3. From the pub, I could see the **eponymous** bridge.   4. After I saw the bridge, I went to the **eponymous** pub.   5. The bridge is the **namesake** of the pub.   6. The pub is the **namesake** of the bridge.


Is this sentence a valid construction?

> I received this in my email. Please be reminded in accordance with the below > email. Is something wrong with this sentence?


What's the difference between the two sentences? >   1. Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of > Philosophy at [Name] University >   2. Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at [Name] University >


What part of speech is "back" in "put the book back on the table"?

> Put the book back on the table. I'm having trouble. I think it is a preposition.


Show Disrespect/Poor Behavior

The first sentence is good English:   1. "The students **_showed disrespect_** toward the teacher."    2. "The students **_showed poor behavior_** toward the teacher." Is the second sentence also good?


state the reach of something against something as doing something

I encountered this sentence while translating a lawsuit and now I'm quite confused about what it intends to say: Court stated the reach of the per se rule against tie-ins under 1 of the Sherman Act as extending to all defendants with "sufficient economic power with respect to the tying product to appreciably restrain free competition in the market for the tied product . . . ." (Source: https://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/US/433/433.US.36.76-15.html) I know that this is a legal issue, maybe some of you don't understand the sentence totally, so I'm not going to ask about the meaning of the whole sentence, I'm asking about the meaning of this structure: "state the reach of ....against ....as extending to...." . I'm totally not sure what it means (especially, I'm not sure what "as extending ..." means in this context) I need you help badly. And please reword your answer into plain english because I'm neither a native speaker nor living in any english-speaking country. Thank you.


What does “be at it” mean? Is it an idiom?

In the talk show titled “How Dogs Evolved Into 'Our Best Friends'” on NPR’s “Fresh Air” aired on November 8, naturalist Mark Derr offered an intriguing story about how humans and wolves developed a friendly relationship, and wolves evolved into today’s dogs. > [Mark Derr] tells Fresh Air's Dave Davies that he believes humans and wolves > developed a close relationship after recognizing themselves in each other > while hunting on the trail of big game. "[That's when] they started > traveling together, and they've been at it ever since," he says. "The dog is > a creation of wolves and humans — of two equal beings that came together at > a certain point in history and have been together ever since." I thought “ _They’ve been at it_ ever since” means “they stayed in the same situation / status, or maintained the same (close) relationship,” from the context of the narration. As I wasn’t sure whether “be at it” is an idiom or not, I consulted both Cambridge and Merriam-Webster online dictionaries, neither of which registers “be at it,” as an idiom, though Cambridge carries “ _hard at it_ ” as a U.K idiom meaning “putting a lot of effort into what you’re doing." On the other hand, Google Ngram provides a graph of “ _be at it_ ” usage, which can be traced back to circa 1840. The incidence of usage started to decline once around 1940, and picked up again coming into 2000. What does “be at it” mean in the above sentence? Is “be at it” an idiom, or simple combination of words, i.e. “They’ve been at it (the same place, status, position, level, relationship)”? P.S. Wisdom English Japanese Dictionary at hand registers ‘be at it (again)’ as an idiom with definition ‘be involved aggressively in work,. quarrel, wicked deed, and “Yesterday, they were at it again” as an example of usage. However, I don’t think this definition applies to the above context at all.


"hunger resistant"

As the title says, a person who does not get hungry easily, or is better at ignoring the effects of malnourishment is (a) ____ ? Example: a monk who can fast for an extended period of time. Background: I'm trying to make a cooperative tabletop game inspired on D&D, munchkin quest etc. Food is an issue, it can be found as loot and every now and then the characters must eat or die. But they can take a feat that allows them to reduce their max hit points instead of outright dying, and I'm looking for a name for this feat. Ideally, I'm looking for a single word, but anything that is less mechanical than "hunger resistant" is appreciated.


Meaning of "garn" in My Fair Lady

At the beginning of the My Fair Lady movie, there is a monologue of prof. Higgins like this:               Hear a Yorkshireman, or worse     Hear a Cornishman converse     I'd rather hear a choir singing flat      Chickens cackling in a barn      Just like this one      Garn!      My question is: what is the meaning of this "Garn"?


Is the following sentence written in a conditional sentence structure?

is this sentence correct? It starts a small paragraph. My question is, does it violate any English rules? If it does, which ones? If it doesn´t, which rules validate it? It sounds perfectly fine to me, but someone told me it did not follow correct conditional sentence structure. I´m a little confused. The sentence is: > Payments coming from a pension trust account are taxable. Someone told me it would have to be, "Payments that are coming from a pension trust account are taxable." The first sentence seems perfectly fine to me. Just can´t find any English sentence structure rules to validate it. Is it fine to omit the verb to be? If it is, then when is it ok to do so? Any input would help.


Is "peculiar" completely interchangeable with "strange"?

Is _peculiar_ completely interchangeable with _strange_? can both be used in exactly the same contexts?


"Catalogue" versus "catalog"

What is the difference between _catalogue_ and _catalog_? I cannot really decide which one to use for a _product catalogue_ for a shop.


Can an issue be blamed for something?

Can I say: > Many issues can be blamed for this ...


Greeting after Christmas

I needed to write a business e-mail to my US partner just after Christmas day. Are there any established forms of such a greeting? Something like > I hope you had a nice Christmas


Is there a technical term for the two halves of an email address?

Is there a technical name for the two halves of an email address? I mean the parts before and after the @ sign. As a kind of example of what I mean, for UK postcodes, I believe the two halves are called the _inward_ and _outward_ , not by the general population, but by people who work with postcode data.


Verb for 'try to find something you have in common with somebody'

Is there a verb which means 'try to find something in common with someone'? In this context for example:   * Everyone has the urge to commit a murder sometimes, we both do too.   * Don't you try to ... (with me), you criminal! Keep in mind that this probably isn't a perfect example, but I hope you understand what I mean. I thought of 'sympathize' for a while, but it is not quite what I'm looking for..


I work in a team which ____ the 25 company branches

I'm looking for a word to fill in the following blank: > I work in a national management team which ___ _ the 25 company branches in > the country. This management team is the one which every branch reports to. The team decides the overall mission, year plan and such. As for the blank, I'm thinking about the words such as administer, oversee, govern, manage etc. But I'm not quite sure which one (or some other words) would fit in best.


Correct tense to express one's holding a professorship from 2007 to June 2012

When editing for a valedictory occasion, I came across this: "Prof. Li holds the XXX Professorship from 2007 to 2012." It is the tense of "holds" that baffles me. If the sentence was one of the following three, then I would not have been baffled: (1) "Prof. Li is holding the XXX Professorship." (2) ""Prof. Li holds the XXX Professorship." (3) "Prof. Li has been holding the XXX Professorship from 2007." -- this means his is still holding it and the sentence does not tell when this holding of Professorship will end. But the situation is that Prof. Li's XXX Professorship will end with his leaving the university in June -- the duration of his Professorship is(was?) from 2007 to June 2012. So what tense should I use. I am doubtful that "Prof. Li HOLDS the XXX Professorship from 2007 to 2012" is correct.


Is there a word for "rule by criminals"? Not _kleptocracy_ , which is rule by thieves, but more broadly by criminals.


Meaning of "additive form"

I'm writing a inferential visual analysis and I'm not sure if the phrase "Additive form" makes sense. The phrase is meant to represent a persons added form (for example clothing). I'm using it in the sentence "The arrangement of the two delegations, their additive form and environment are a clarion representation of their symbiosis. ". Regards, Techhead55


How to say: "After cartoons are over" or "After she's done watching cartoons" or how?

Imagine this situation: a wife asks her husband to read some stories to their daughter. The husband replies: "She is watching cartoons now. I’ll read stories to her after the cartoons are over" or "I'll read stories to her as soon as she's done watching cartoons" or "I'll read stories to her after cartoons" or how?


Is this sentence grammatically sound?

> None of those fancy words are correct in the context you used them. Should it be > None of those fancy words are correct in the context in which you used them. Or : > None of those fancy words are correct in the context that you used them.


Comma or no comma in reaffirmation of answer? "____ it is" or "____, it is"

Would sentence 3 get a comma or not?   1. Carrie: What time do you want to get lunch?   2. Corin: How about noon?   3. Carrie: Noon, it is! **OR** Noon it is! In case it's not obvious, the intention of sentence 3 is that Carrie is reaffirming Corin's answer, _not_ stating, Yoda-like, that the current time is now noon.


Correct usage it Or that

I am unsure, should I use pronoun it or that at the end of this sentence. The legislature seems to talk at great length about reform but to do almost nothing to achieve **it/that**.


Should I Say 'The' before a Place Name?

While talking about a city or a country, in some cases I have seen the article , but in most other cases, it is absent. For example, I have seen _The NYC_ _The US_ _The UK_ but never _The London_ or _The France_ What's the rule here? From the usage, I guess while talking about a very prominent or famous place (which everyone is aware of), I should use _the_. But is not it too subjective?


Does "shouldn't" always take "should" as a question tag?

Which usage is correct? >   * You shouldn't take sugar, should you? >   * You shouldn't take sugar, will you? >


Is the phrase "PM who have approved" correct?

> PM who have approved Is the phrase correct? I think it should be "PM who has approved" (PM: Project Manager). Am I wrong?


How would a king have phrased "I need to use the bathroom"?

With literary or historical references, what phrase would an English-speaking monarch have used to indicate to either their attendants or to their court that they were in need of using the toilet facilities?


A better way to phrase this?

I had an email forwarded to me and one of the sentences in it sounded kind of wrong...: _"It would be helpful if you can send me the **agenda** as 10am-3pm is quite a **huge block of time** for the students."_ The words that sound wrong to me are in bold. The email sounds formal, but I don't like how this part sounds. Is there a better way to phrase or better words to use in this case?


"Vegetation changes" vs. "changes in vegetation" vs. "vegetative changes" vs...?

When referring to changes in the amount and/or quality of vegetation on the ground, which is more appropriate between "vegetation changes", "changes in vegetation" or "vegetative changes"? Any other option?


Why does "puce" mean two different colors depending on where you live?

I always thought puce was green, then saw on Wikipedia that it is purplish- brown. Further research tells me that it's generally regarded as purplish- brown in the United States, whereas Europeans think of intense shades of green when they hear the word. (The etymology relates to fleas, and the color of their blood-stained droppings.) **So, why do people think of it it so radically differently, and wherever did the concept of green come into the word _puce_?** * * * Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puce On the difference in interpretation:   1. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070119191802AAT8sa1   2. http://peggyoberlininteriors.com/blog/2011/08/20/puce-puse-peuse-peuce-lets-boycott-this-color/


Where did the usage of "Uncle" to refer to unrelated individuals come from?

We often use "Uncle" to refer to a paternalistic figure or close family friend who isn't actually related by blood or marriage. For example, I'm a godfather to the young children of a family friend, and I'm usually introduced as "Uncle John" to the kids at birthdays or holiday gatherings. It struck me that this is rather arbitrary.   * Why isn't it, say, "Brother John" or "Grandpa John" or "Cousin John" or any other similar term?   * Does this have any origins in "Uncle Sam", the national personification commonly used in America? That's the only connection I could think of.   * Is this sort of thing common in other languages/cultures, too?


Do we have to mention the things we refer to after the word "one of these" For example.... "I have a lot of cars.One of these is BMW" "I have a lot of cars.One of these cars is BMW" Which one of the previous phrases is grammatically correct?


"If I would go there, I would be in trouble" - correct?

Occasionally I've seen the construct: > If I would [verb], I would [verb]. ... used, to indicate that the second clause is a condition of the first. For example, > If I would go there, I would be in trouble. The way I would usually express this is: > If I [subjunctive-verb], I would [verb]. So for example: > If I went there, I would be in trouble. Is the former correct, or in common usage among native English speakers anywhere?


Meaning of "slice"

What is the meaning of _slices_ here? > Switching barcodes is a pretty common crime and hard to catch if you're > smart about it. Bringing your own barcodes to the store is pretty creative > though. > > Now many barcodes/price tags have the **slices** in them, so they come apart > if a swap is attempted. Especially at places pofolks frequent.


Present perfect versus past perfect

> I have marked those books yesterday.   >  I had marked those books yesterday. Which sentence is correct? I know that:   * The present perfect is used when an action begins in the past and continues into the present, or holds relevance in the present.   * The past perfect is used when an action begins in the past and finishes in the past, to holds relevance only in the past.


Should small numbers with a unit after them be spelt out or written in digits?

I heard it is better to write out numbers less than ten then to represent them using digits. Is this still true if there's a unit of measurement after the number? For example, in a research paper where time was being measured would it be expressed as > five ms instead of > 5ms


Can a prepositional phrase starting with "during" work as an adjectival phrase?

A prepositional phrase comprising a preposition and a noun phrase can generally function either as an adjectival phrase or as an adverbial phrase. > _The book **on the table** is mine._ (The prepositional phrase **_on the > table_** is an adjectival phrase modifying the noun phrase _the book_.) > > _Put the book **on the table**._ (The prepositional phrase **_on the book_** > is an adverbial phrase modifying the verb _put_.) I used to think that this dual property of the prepositional phrase is applicable to all prepositions without exception. But then, here comes this example. > _Do you have any plans **during the vacation**?_ Which sounds awkward at best. I thought about the reason why this sounded awkward. The reason I came up with is that the prepositional phrase **_during the vacation_** cannot modify _any plans_. It can only modify the verb _have_ , thereby rendering the sentence awkward. Can "during" ever lead a prepositional phrase that acts as an adjectival phrase?


"Tote" vs. "carry" in AE

Aside from formality/informality registers, what is to "tote" that is not to "carry" to AE native speakers? Does "tote", unlike "carry", imply a certain way to hold or support something while moving?


Is an all or nothing affair

I've been reading an article and the author uses such a phrase : > If our model binder deserialized JSON into a ComicBook it would not be able > to make that determination because **serialization is an all or nothing > affair**. While everything was good but suddenly I saw this "serialization is an all or nothing affair" and it doesn't make much sense to me. Could you please explain what he might be meaning? Source article in case you want to see more context: http://haacked.com/archive/2011/06/30/whatrsquos-the-difference-between-a- value-provider-and-model-binder.aspx


What is the right preposition after "skeptical"?

Which preposition is suitable to follow _skeptical_?


Is the word language in this context a proper noun?

My phrase is "Spanish language TV spend" with respect to advertising on Spanish language TV ads. In this context, should the l in language be capitalized?


English pronunciation of "charade" as in Pink Floyd song Pigs

I was recently listening to the Pink Floyd song "Pigs (Three different ones)" and a line in the chorus goes, > Ha ha, charade you are! In the context of the song I am nearly sure that the word `charade` is intended to mean something or someone that is a fake. What interests me is the way that the word is pronounced. It is being pronounced `Sha-r-ahhh-d` (Not sure how to convey a long `ah` accent but that is the intent. As an American, I have only ever heard this word pronounced more like `Sha-r-AID`. My question is, is there a single correct pronunciation of the word, or is this simply pronounced differently in England as compared to America (US, Canada)? Or... is this simply just a poetic pronunciation of the word in the song for effect and uniqueness?


Is grammatical number dying out in English?

It seems to me that grammatical number in English is gradually disappearing. Some symptoms:   * no singular 2nd person pronounce, the "you" becomes limited to one person while "yall" develops for multiple persons (both grammatically plural)   * singular "they" etc.   * interchangeable use of singular and plural with "I", "me".   * "four billion" and alike   * "ten foot long" and alike in rising colloquial use   * "thanks" as singular   * indication of number by only apostrophe in some cases with no pronunciation difference   * use of article to indicate number in some cases without morphological change to the words with one of the forms completely becomes unused (two dice - a dice, two billion - a billion etc) All these things would not be possible in a language with strong grammatical number, thus I suppose the number dies out in English. Am I correct?


Meaning of "hail to the king"

I can't translate that sentence, “hail to the king”. I've found something like “greetings to the king” but is this correct?


What is the etymology of "squiffy"?

I am planning on get squiffy this evening, and then I wondered where that word had come from. Oxford Dictionaries has the following: > British informal   >    1slightly drunk:   >       _I feel quite squiffy_ Can anyone shed any light on this word's origin? Online references I've checked have nothing more than possibly mid-19th century.


What does 'fist bump' mean?

I have seen _fist bump_ mentioned in some books, and would like to know what it means.


Is subaccount one word?

I looked at the Cambridge and Oxford dictionaries online and they don't contain this word. But typing it into google takes me to the Merriam Webster definition. So does this just come down to taste? The reason is that my computer programming team needs to establish a standard (in programming you write "subaccount" if it's one word, or "subAccount" if it's two words or hyphenated).


Do the words 'gift' and 'present' have the same meaning?

As the question says, do these two words have the same meaning?


Does "away" serve as an adverb or an adjective in the following sentence?

> The shop is five minutes away. According to the dictionary, _away_ is an adverb. An adverb modifies a verb. In the above example, what word does _away_ modify? Why is _away_ not an adjective? > The shop is five meters tall. _tall_ is an adjective in the second example. It modifies _five meters_ (does it?). So why is _away_ an adverb?


White-orange or orange-white? Which color comes first?

When referring to something, (electrical wires, in my case) and it is half white and half other color, do you put White or the other color first? I want to describe the color of these wires as ONE word/phrase. They are all half white and half other color (orange, green, blue, brown, etc). So would I say "Please grab that white-orange cable" or would I say "grab that orange-white cable"? I would imagine you put whichever color is more first, but the white and orange are equally divided. Not sure if what I'm saying makes sense...


How popular is the word ‘Lede’? Why should it be ‘Political Ledes,’ not ‘Political Catches / Leads ’?

I noticed that there is a column called the day of the week’s ‘Political Ledes’ written by Mark Halperin in Time magazine. Today’s (August 17) ‘Political Ledes’ picks up headlines of New York Times: “Romney Says He Paid at Least 13% in Income Taxes” Washington Post: “Obama Steps Up Portrayal of Romney, Ryan as Out of Touch with Middle America” Wall Street Journal: “Campaigns Seek Positives in Negative Tone,” and three other news sources. As I was unfamiliar with the word, ‘Lede’ I checked Cambridge, Merriam- Webster, and Oxford online dictionary. Only Merriam-Webster registers ‘lede’ with the definition - ‘the introductory section of a news story that is intended to entice the reader to read the full story’. Google Ngram registers both ‘lede’ and ‘ledes.’ The usage of ‘lede’ continues to decline from the peak during 1840 – 1860, while the latter has been also consistently declining after the peak of usage during 1920 -1980. Isn’t ‘lede’ an outdated word, or still is popular? The choice of word of course belongs to the taste and up to the freedom of authors, but I wonder why the Time magazine is using ‘”Political ‘Ledes’” which isn’t registered in neither Cambridge or Oxford English Dictionary instead of simply saying “‘Political ‘Leads, (or Catches)’” which I think is easier to understand and is more current. MicroSoft spell-checker keeps urging me to correct the spelling of ‘lede’ at this very moment I’m typing this question.


Hyphenating/capitalizing values and coordinates

I'm translating some software from German (where there's a correct way for everything) into English (my native language, but also where I do so much more just by feeling) and I'm stumped by things like: > T value   >  X coordinate   >  Y coordinate My sense is that all three should **not** be hyphenated or capitalized (though I'm not sure about at the beginning of a sentence.) I should have made it more clear in writing the original question that I'm talking about capitalizing the words 'value' or 'coordinate.' Some examples (not real, but of the sort I'd have to translate) might be:   * Transform T value   * X value out of range   * Enter Y coordinate Just recently the topic came up with my boss and she asked if that was the rule in English and I truthfully told her I didn't know. Is it the rule? Is there a rule?


Why does a silent "-e" at the end of a word lengthen vowels?

There's a common pattern in English spelling where "short" vowels are pronounced as "long" vowels with the addition of a silent "e" at the end of the word. E.g.   * _bit → bite_   * _mat → mate_   * _pet → pete_ Is there a historical reason for this? Does it relate to The Great Vowel Shift? Reference: Wikipedia — Vowel Length#Traditional Long and Short Vowels in English Orthography


"X has founded his practice after working for very diverse offices such as Y and Z"

Is the following sentence grammatically correct and is there a better way of writing it? > "X has founded his practice after working for very diverse offices such as Y > and Z."


Doubtless or doubtlessly?

To my surprise I found that _doubtless_ is used as an adverb without appending the "-ly". > **Doubtless** , some of you will know more examples. It _feels_ wrong, but then again, I am not a native speaker. Would you use it like that, or would you substitute **doubtlessly** here?


not a moment too soon - is it fast or slow?

Is this _late_ or _early_? It's a bit unclear to me. Because this question body wasn't meeting good quality standards of this site, I had to write this additional sentence.


Is there a meaning for the word "cegon"?

I came across this word, as in Cegonsoft, cegon+software.. what is cegon?


Mixing up "quiet" and "quite": spelling or grammar error?

Look at this sentence: > It wasn't **quiet** what I wanted And this one: > The music was too **quite** for me Obviously _quiet_ and _quite_ are mixed up. Is this considered a spelling mistake? In both cases the words are valid, but used in the wrong place. Is there a special name for these mistakes? Or are they simply grammatical errors?


What is the origin of "dead end" on a road sign?

Unless one has grown up with it, I cannot see that the intent of "dead end" on a road sign is at all obvious. The oft-used alternative "no outlet" at least means what it says. And while a non-native English speaker might have difficulty with "no outlet" I suspect that it could be looked up in an English-to-x dictionary, but "dead end"? I think not. So why did "dead end" come to mean that the end of a road is imminent?


What is the plural of tablix?

Don't know why the word _table_ wasn't good enough for Microsoft, but SQL Server Reporting Services has a control called a _tablix_.... But how would I tell you that I have multiple tablix controls? (I appear not to be the only one with this question) Tablix does not appear in NGrams's English corpus. A quick search on Google reveals no dictionaries that contain the word, but the search _"tablixes" SQL_ returns 4,730 results, and the search _"tablices" SQL_ returns 1,160 results.


Online rhyme dictionary/rhyming resource that lists rhymes by vowel sound (assonance)

Anyone know of an online rhyming dictionary or rhyme resource that lists rhymes by vowel sound (assonance)? RhymeZone.com doesn't have such an option.


Come to (regain consciousness) and pull to (shut)

I don't know if it's part of my regional dialect, but around these parts we use the phrase "pull to" to mean 'close the door all the way.' It wasn't until last week that it struck me as odd. Pull the door to...what? To itself? I didn't find much explanation on _pull to_ as a phrasal verb, but a friend pointed out that it was probably like "come to", which he always figured was reflexive and essentially a shortening of "come to one's senses". So in terms of these two phrasal verbs, _pull to_ and _come to_ , are they reflexive? And if so, why does the object get dropped? Is that a usual occurrence or do these two examples represent some kind of unusual feature of English?


Hypernym for webstore features?

Behold the following list:   * Special Offers   * Free Products   * New Arrivals   * Restocked Items   * Limited Stock These are all... what? _Offers? Categories? Filters? Marketing Ploys?_


What is the antonym of terminal?

This question arises when I try to describe my itinerary to ticket service in the UK. Take for example, I plan to buy a ticket from A to B. B is the terminal. How to say its counter part A? I cannot find a proper term. I have to say "I will depart from A" or "I plan to go to B from A". Or I even use "departure place" to refer to B.


How can I describe the age difference between myself and my sibling?

I'm having trouble trying to find a way to convey that I am x years older or younger than one of my siblings. For example, if I had a sister that's four years older than me, the first thing that comes to mind is: > Among the visiting family members was my four-years-older sister Which just seems incorrect. The only other thing I can think of, however, is: > Among the visiting family members was my sister, older by four years. ... which also sounds strange.


Difference between "mark" and "marker"

In a diagram, I added small visual elements to identify specific objects. Should I call these things _(visual) marks_ or _(visual) markers_? What is the difference? Is there a better term? According to dictionary.com a _mark_ is a _a visible impression or trace on something_ and a _marker_ is _something used as a mark or indication_. However, this does not answer my question because the definition of _marker_ is somehow self-referencing: is something used as a mark a _mark_ or a _marker_?


'World Cup' or 'world cup' in these particular contexts

1. The **Under-19 World Cup** takes place every 4 years.    2. The **2014 FIFA World Cup** takes in Brazil.    3. He is the highest scorer in the **world cup history**.    4. **Cricket world cups** are fun. Lastly, what to do when you refer to it for the **second time** in the same paragraph.   1. The 2015 Cricket World Cup takes place in Oceania. Australia will go into the **world cup** as favourites. Am I right in referring to them this way?


Question tag for a sentence of future tense

For a sentence of future tense, one containing a form of the verb "be", should the question tag include that form of "be"? Example: Which sentence is correct?   1. I would be in the city, wouldn't I be?   2. I would be in the city, wouldn't I?


Mixing present and past tense in a report or public announcement

1) In the subordinate clause of the following sentence, what is the proper verb tense of **to be**? > She made a statement that Michael **is/was** a suspect. _(When, in reality, Michael is not a suspect)_ 2) Will it be the same if the verb in main clause is in negative? > She _never_ made a statement that Michael **is/was** a suspect.


"Get out of your own head"

> _Get out of your own head_ > > _How do I get out of my own head._ Kindly explain this idiom!


When was the term "idiot box" coined?

also .. who coined it ? I am interested as it would probably point to a time when "mindlessness" invaded television. I am not trying to be overtly biased against TV. There are some good shows and channels, but these are very few and most programs/news are just sensationalization or plain non-sense. I found a related link on Yahoo Answers, but this does not answer my question and also does not seem very authoritative


Is it OK to say "an important concern"?

This the last paragraph of a composition: > In sum, protecting the environment should always be **an important concern** > of all the countries. However, when it's possible to minimize the harm to > environment in the exploitation of these valuable natural resources in the > wilds, it is at best unwise and at worst heartless to leave all the > treasures sleeping in the bleak wilderness while billions of people are > suffering from extreme poverty and starving to death. I'm not quite sure about "an important concern". BTW: Do you think there's any other problem in this paragraph?


Do idioms pose an exception to normal definite and indefinite article usage?

I found this phrase in my biology textbook (emphasis added): > ...in relation to Earth's history, 100,000 years or even a million years is > _the_ blink of an eye. The part of the phrase in question is the word "the" in italics. In this context, doesn't it make more sense to use the indefinite article "a" instead of the definite article "the", since there can be more than one "blink of an eye"? Is "a blink of an eye" incorrect in this context? Are idioms like this exceptions to normal definite and indefinite article usage, even though the literal meaning of the idiom makes better sense otherwise?


Is there a word that means "Refinement of knowledge over time"?

I am looking for a simple way to describe the occurrence when someone comes up with an idea based on observations (the world is flat and the middle of the universe), and then refines it over time and ultimately to a more accurate scientific truth (it is round, and part of a bigger universe) My inline example above is just an example... I'm more interested in a word that either describes the process of refining such an idea, or a person who pursues such an endeavor. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Term for person who conducts illegal business

What is the term for a person who conducts illegal business? Surely it is not _illegal businessman_ , but maybe that could work.


Neesh or Nitch?

What is the correct way to pronounce _niche_? I've always said and heard _nitch_ , but now I hear _neesh_ , but it always sounds trendy to me. Thoughts?


"Ethics" versus "morals"

What's the difference between _ethics_ and _morals_? More specifically, what differentiates (if any):   * a moral code vs. a code of ethics   * _ethically_ versus _morally_ (e.g. "Morally, I can't (justify it), but ethically, I can.")


Scientific writing: comma after "where" while explaining variables?

I am writing a scientific report. Lets say there is an equation,               c = a+b          where,     a is variable1     b is variable2      Is it needed to put comma after "where" here? Also at the end of the equation, is a comma required?


appropriate usage of proceeded

_The investigator proceeded at the crime scene?_ Is this correct? Can I use the word _went_ instead?


Can I use the word "canceled" to refer to someone not attending to a gathering?

Example: > She decided to come to the party even though her friends **cancelled**. Or is there a more appropiate word/phrase for this case?


What does "left the rest behind" mean in this sentence?

> Sonneti are now creating for customers who left the rest behind


How to use "yet" to express something hasn't happened until current time

If I want to tell somebody that something hasn't happened yet, I'm not quite sure how to use/put the word "yet" correctly in the sentence. Sentence 1: I'm not sure that we will have a meeting tomorrow yet. Sentence 2: I'm not sure that we would have a meeting tomorrow yet. Sentence 3: I'm not sure that we have a meeting tomorrow. Sentence 4: I haven't finished my work yet. Sentence 5: I haven't finished my work. Do I need to use "yet" in (some of) above sentences? And it will make their meanings be different with the one not added "yet"?


What does "Don't call him late for dinner" mean?

What does the phrase "Don't call him late for dinner" mean? As I am very thin, I believe this is a figure of speech used to sarcastically describe someone of near fragile size. I am not sure. I am willing to hear any and all opinions and even suggestions regarding this phrase.


Is it grammatically correct to use "baby" as a proper noun

A lot of baby books and products use the word _baby_ as you would a proper noun. For example "when lying _baby_ down in the cot" instead of "when lying _your baby_ down in the cot". Another example from a shampoo bottle "proven to help _baby_ sleep better". Books about child raising don't say "when teaching _child_ good manners". Where did this practice arise and is it valid?


Using English naming customs for foreign names

In the English-speaking world, many Russians are known primarily by their first and last name: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy. However, from what I've read, the usual practice in Russian is to include the patronymic when the first name is used: Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, etc. Similar issues occur in languages where the family name is ordinarily written first (e.g. Japanese), or where a person may have multiple family names (e.g. Spanish). Is it stylistically acceptable to use English conventions for foreign names such as these? What do major style guides recommend?


Good words describing an action taken place after another

What are some good words that can be used to describe an action which has taken place after another? Example: We baked the cakes. **_After that_** , we left the house. I'm looking for some alternatives for the `After that` Thanks.


Influence vs. Effect

How are these two nouns different when used in scientific papers? I'm not an English speaker and was having a hard time choosing the proper word.


Add more adjectives to "[noun] is both [adjective] and [adjective]" structure

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Equivalent of "both" when referring three or more items? Consider this statement: > Salads are both tasty and delicious. Is there a natural way to use that construct with more than two adjectives? I can't come up with anything that sounds right to me. Two things that came to my mind were: > Salads are all three tasty, delicious, and healthy.   * This one doesn't sound natural to me. > Salads are each tasty, delicious, healthy, and cheap.   * I'm not sure if this is even valid English. _If someone can come up with a better title for this question, please do (and then remove this comment). Thanks!_


"is thought to have been" verb tense

What tense is the phrase "is thought to have been" in the sentence "Bruce Lee is thought to have been the first actor to do his own stunts"? Also, why is it correct to say "to do his own stunts" instead of "to have done"?


History of the phrase "break wind"

The choice of the verb "break" seems a strange choice for the phrase. Does anybody know where this phrase originated?


Placement of variables in a correlation

Lung cancer correlates with smoking. Smoking correlates with lung cancer. Are both correct or does one have to worry about which one is the dependent variable (lung cancer) and which one is the independent variable (smoking)?


What is the antonym of "luck out"?

"Luck out" means succeed by luck. For example, > I lucked out and found the last parking spot in the lot. I wonder what phrase has opposite meaning and still uses "luck" as the verb? "luck in"?


What does "in charge look" in this sentence mean?

A guy sent me this: > I love your in charge look lol guys should bow to you. I really don't get what he means especially that "in charge look " part, as English isn't my native language. Thanks in advance.


"You just can't" vs. "you can't just "

I'm a bit confused about this. Which expression is correct? > You can't just do that. or > You just can't do that. I'm trying to say: > You can't just bash an ideology because of what someone has said/done.


Meaning of "play to" and "f****t"

According to Urban Dictionary the other sense of _faggot_ means "stupid or a loser"--is that correct? And what's the meaning of "playing to the camera"? > P1: guy has the mannerisms of a faggot > > and not the gay kind of faggot > > P2: the way he keeps looking at and playing to the camera > > douche chills The comments are made based on this video.


What adjective describes that something is divided into sectors?

In particular I am looking for the correct terminology in air traffic management. Airspace is usually divided into sectors, i.e., smaller pieces of airspace. What is the corresponding adjective? Is it a _sectored_ airspace or is it a _sectorized_ airspace?


outpointing (to point out an error or errors)

I'm hearing (and seeing in print) the word "outpointing" used a lot lately to mean "pointing out an error." Example: "Thanks for outpointing. The error has been corrected." I thought "outpointing" was strictly used to mean "to score more points than one's opponent." Is it okay to use it to mean "to point out an error", as in "Thanks for outpointing"? Thank you.


Rules governing "quite a [adjective]" word order

As part of an answer on another StackExchange site, I have a sentence reading, in part, "[A religious manual] which has quite a long section on [the subject of the question] says ..." I was looking at this construction and thinking about whether I should say _quite a long section_ or _a quite long section_ --they seem to mean the same thing. Then I began wondering about the construction "quite a[n] [adjective]" in general. It looks as if I can say something is _quite a large X_ or _a quite large X_ ; _quite a long X_ or _a quite long X_ ; but, for example, neither _*quite a purple X_ nor _*a quite purple X_. I'm trying to solidify in my mind:   1. The rules governing when I can say _quite a[n] [adjective] [noun]_ in the first place   2. The rules governing when I can invert this to _a quite [adjective ] [noun]_   3. Whether there are any other adverbs besides _quite_ which can be inverted in this way. Is there a name for this inversion? What sorts of elements does it apply to?


What is the difference between "have had" and "had"?

> I have had letters delivered to me that had abuses.   >  I had letters delivered to me that had abuses.


Is it grammatical to use "same" or "the same" in substitution for an objective pronoun?

I've seen and heard this usage of the pronoun "same" more than once, and it sounded strange to my ears: >   * "Thank you for the book; I will return same shortly." >   * "Wine production has increased, but is there great demand for the same?" > Is it acceptable ? Where?


> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Appropriate dash to use when attributing a quotation What kind of dash character should I use at the end of a famous saying to mark of the author? Should I use "en dash" or the normal and shorter "dash"? Or two "en dashes"? > You are disoriented. Blackness swims toward you like a school of eels who > have just seen something that eels like a lot. - Douglas Adams > > You are disoriented. Blackness swims toward you like a school of eels who > have just seen something that eels like a lot. — Douglas Adams > > You are disoriented. Blackness swims toward you like a school of eels who > have just seen something that eels like a lot. —— Douglas Adams


Etymology of "pfiesteria"?

I was playing this spelling bee game when this word came up and I wanted to know how the word was formed but could not find anything and thought perhaps someone on this site could help me out a bit?


The meaning of "Alexis" in Pope's Second Pastoral

"Alexis" comes from Greek, meaning "to help, defend." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexis_(given_name) Alexander Pope seems to use it in a different sense. His Second Pastoral is entitled _Summer The Second Pastoral or **Alexis_**. These lines are from the same eclogue: > Where stray ye, Muses, in what lawn or grove, > > While your Alexis pines in hopeless love? > > In those fair fields where sacred Isis glides, > > Or else where Cam his winding vales divides? I need to know what "Alexis" means here.


What exactly is "noonday night"?

In answering the question _Is there a term for “midnight” that is like “noon”_ , I came across the phrase _noonday night_ listed as a synonym for _midnight_ in my copy of _Roget's International Thesaurus_ —attributed to Longfellow. I included the reference in my answer, but after reading the passage more carefully, I'm not so sure it is referring to the middle of the night. Searching this phrase turns up many usages by other authors, but I'm unable to determine from them what exactly is being referred to. I'm wondering if it could be a description of an eclipse, or some permutation of the midnight sun phenomenon. Can anyone offer some insight? What did this phrase originally mean and when was it first used?


Is there a word for preparation with a negative connotation?

Is there a word, or tightly constructed phrase, that means _prepared_ or _pre- planned_ , but has a negative connotation? The idea being that in some circumstances, it is better to be in the moment and improvising instead of forcing preconceived ideas. An example use would be something like: > That guy can't let go of the ideas he had when he came in today. He's being > totally `_____`. * * * **Update:** While there have been many close and helpful suggestions, the key element that is still lacking is the concept of pre-existing plans. It's entirely possible for someone to be _close-minded_ or _stubborn_ while improvising new ideas of their own. It may well be that a term like this doesn't exist, but the right term would not only mean resistant to new ideas from others, but necessarily include having pre-existing ideas as the cause.


How do you pronounce "Gross"?

Is it "graws" or "grohs"? I've heard it pronounced both ways. Is it differently pronounced in American and British English? My guess is that it is.


Separating  Quoted Questions into  Separate Sentences

According to this answer about quoting a question in the middle of a sentence, the punctuation in this example sentence is correct: > People are not merely asking, "why should I do this?" they're asking, "why > should anyone do this?" But not only does it _look_ like two separate sentences to me, maybe it should be: > People are not merely asking, "why should I do this?" They're asking, "why > should anyone do this?" If it's made into two sentences, then I'm not sure the second one is complete enough, or supported enough by the context of the first sentence, to stand on it's own. Are they both grammatical? If so, are the two examples equivelent? Do they take on different nuances?


Band Playing without some of its Current Members

I was wondering: is there in English a specific phrase to denote a music band not playing with its whole current group of members?


"Napkin" vs. "tissue"

I have suddenly found out that Chinese people use the word _tissue_ instead of the word _napkin_. Before I checked that word in the dictionary I couldn't understand what they are talking about. Is there any reason to use one word or another in some situation? How are they different?


What's an antonym to "legacy"?

I am struggling to find out what the best and shortest way is to describe the opposite of a legacy system (especially in software architecture, where legacy means the system used previously). I need to use it in software so I can create methods such as: `find_legacy_record` and `find_[opposite of legacy]_record` I tried looking in a thesaurus for synonyms of old, but nothing really fit well with my use. _Legacy_ is a good term in programming, because you're less likely to confuse it to something else ( _old_ can also mean a previous state of the record, not necessarily belonging to an old system).


"Each other" vs. "one another"

When should I use _each other_ and when should I use _one another_?


Each other vs. one another

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When should I use "each other" vs. "one another"? It occurred to me recently that I've been using these phrases interchangeably (basing my decision purely on how formal I want to sound). Are they really interchangeable? What's the appropriate usage in: "Human beings often fail to understand what's most important to [ ___ ]..." Is it "one another", "each other", either, or neither?


I can't make heads or tails of this paragraph. It's a complex pun. (Warning: mildly "bad language" and urban lingo.)

Here it is: > It's your brother's MR. T PUPPET, which of course is kept in the apartment > with a sense of profound humorous irony. But as usual with your BRO's > exploits, this is no ordinary irony, or anything close to a pedestrian TIER > 1 IRONIC GESTURE which is a meager single step removed from sincerity. This > is like ten levels of irony removed from the original joke. It might have > been funny like eight years ago to joke about Mr. T and how he was sort of > lame, but that was the very thing that made him awesome and badass, and that > his awesomeness was also sort of the joke. But in this case, the joke is the > joke, and that degree of irony itself is ALSO the joke, and so on. The first line is easy to understand, after that I can't make heads or tails of it. Source: http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=002348


Is "emptiest" a logically correct term?

There are some adjectives that are logical binaries, e.g. _empty_  — either the noun is empty or it isn't. Can we apply a superlative degree to such adjectives? E.g. > This is the emptiest these roads will ever be / have ever been.


What is this phenomenon called, "I had a dream that I was having a dream"?

I don't know if anyone of you have these kind of dreams before; I'm dreaming then suddenly I dream that I wake up from that dream. Then, sometimes (admittedly rarely, though it's rather fun) it could chain a couple of times, like I dream that I wake up from my dream, then after that I dream that I wake up from that dream in which I am dreaming I wake up from my dream. And the cycle repeats once more. What's this phenomenon called?


Why is it wrong to say this sentence 'I'm afraid I forgot my homework at home

Why is it wrong to say this sentence and what grammar rules are broken


What does "consign" mean in this example?

I am reading the following definition of commit http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commit > 1c. to consign or record for preservation. Example: commit it to memory Now I am trying to understand the word "consign" in the above entry. Here are the choices for "consign": http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consign > 1: to give over to another's care > > 2: to give, transfer, or deliver into the hands or control of another; also > : to commit especially to a final destination or fate (a writer _consigned_ > to oblivion) > > 3: to send or address to an agent to be cared for or sold Why do none of these definitions fit perfectly? In English am I supposed to invent my own figurative meaning to make it fit?