Hidden meaning in "Got milk?"

I often see question "Got milk?" in ads related to milk and milk products. Does it have any hidden (maybe "Urban Dictionary" kind of?) meaning, any humorous/playful allusions in popular culture, movies, etc.?


A word for old-fashioned, dirty bar/place (spit-and-sawdust)

Is there a (common) single word for an old-fashioned, non-modern, simple, dirty, untidy bar/place ? A noun would be preferable. * * * **Details:** There is an informal British term: > **spit-and-sawdust** Used to describe an old-fashioned or simple pub or bar, > of a type whose floor was originally covered with sawdust. First of all:   * Is this word only used as an adjective? Can it be used as a noun?   * Is it a common word? Can it be used for places other than pubs/bars? Secondly:   * Is there any AmE equivalent of this word? or a common word both in BrE and AmE?   * Can we say that "shabby" is an equivalent?


Latin for "to Hide Complexity" as Related to "to Abstract"

In computer science and programming we talk a lot about "abstraction" by which we mean to create ever "higher" level code to that accomplishes increasingly complex task with less programmer decision making. See Opposite of verb “abstract” and noun “abstraction” for some context. However, abstract means, "to drag away, detach, pull away, divert" which is not what programmers do when we create abstractions in software. For example, back-in-the-day, text was represented by sequences of of byte codes e.g.               078, 111, 119, 032, 105, 115, 032, 116, 104, 101, 032, 116, 105, 109, 101      ... which we "abstracted" to arrays of characters:               [N,o,w, ,i,s, ,t,h,e, ,t,i,m,e]      ... which we "abstracted" to become a string:               "Now is the time"      ... which in modern languages is actually a class or similar structure:               "Now is the time".methodThatManipulatesString      At each stage of "abstraction" the minutia of working with textual information didn't disappear, we didn't remove it, and we really didn't (arguably) turn the textual information into some higher platonic form. All we did was hide all the grubby details and then bolt on yet more functionality with it's own grubby details hidden away. If you dig down into any language or platform, the details are all still there. It is somewhat analogous to a mechanical watch. The watchmakers can tell the time by looking at the gears and springs of a watch but for the rest of us, they hid the watches complexity behind the hands and face of the clock. So, I'm looking for a term, preferably latin, conveys this idea. Programmers already use "encapsulation" but that just means, "to put in." I want a term meaning "to hide, but not remove complexity" preferably something linguistically and conceptually related to "abstraction" itself. I think it's important in training to make sure new programmers don't think that abstracted code contain less complexity under the hood than the non- abstracted code despite it's more simple superficial appearance.


Is "pronunciate" a word?

Is "pronunciate" a word? At first it doesn't seem to be, but why not? "Pronunciation" and "pronunciative" seem to be words, so it would seem natural that "pronunciate" would be. After Googling, I found the following here: > "Pronunciate" is a word that isn't listed in most dictionaries; > Dictionary.com does mention it, but it noted that "pronunciate" is used > rarely. If you use it, most people will think that you meant to use > "pronounce" but screwed up. Our tip is that you use "pronounce" instead of > "pronunciate," unless you want to look like a person who uses > "irregardless." "Pronunciate" can also be found on dictionary.com: > Definition: to declare or pronounce Furthermore, I have heard the use of this word fairly often in speech. I have always assumed it was a word. Despite all of this evidence, "pronunciate" seems to have very little usage (see dictionary.com link), and is not listed in most major dictionaries, including the Merriam-Webster dictionary. I have tried typing "pronunciate" on computers, and all spellcheck programs I have tried has flagged it as a typo. Is "pronunciate" a word? Is it ok to use it in a sentence? This will probably come down to whether common usage has created this word. In you answer, please back yourself up with applicable evidence/proof. Thanks!


Another way to say 'also'

I use the word 'also' a lot when writing paragraphs. When I find myself using 'also' twice in the same paragraph, it feels a bit awkward. Is there another word or phrase I should be using?


Numeric abbreviations in business quotes

When writing a quote for an order for products, would you write 25K or 25M to refer to 25,000 parts or pounds or units?


What's the difference between micro-particle and micron-particle?

A simple Google search gave me:               Micro-particle 564,000     Micron-particle 309,000      Are they interchangeable or is there a difference between the two? Here is an example: > Air filters remove dust, pollen and other micro(micron) particles from the > air.


Any idiomatic expression in American English for eating too much?

Is there any idiomatic expression in American English for eating too much? I would especially want to have an expression that could be applied in a situation when the action of excessive eating is taking place at the moment of speaking. For example, if the idiomatic expression is, say, "to expand one's belly" then it could be used this way in the following situation: > Having spent the whole morning looking for Jack, Peter finally gave up and > decided to have a cup of coffee at the "Swagger's". As soon as he entered > it, he saw Jack sitting inside at one table and consuming probably the third > portion of his favorite smoked chicken. "Here you are/he is!" cried Jack > with anger. "I've been running everywhere trying to find you/him, but you > are/he is sitting here and **expanding your/his belly**! Very nice!"


What can be "in" a mountain?

I come from a language that heavily uses _in_ as a preposition, so I often overuse it in English. I am trying to differentiate between things that can be _in_ a mountain vs. things that can only be _on_ a mountain. Also, is there a difference between _in_ and _inside_ , because every time I make a mistake like that, people correct me and explain that what I've said basically means _inside_ the mountain. So, for example, can I say that a peak is _in_ a mountain rather than _on_ a mountain? And generally, can something be _in_ a mountain without being _inside_ it?


Proper technical terms and sentence structure regarding web apps

Could you help me with a particular sentence in English? I am not a native speaker. I am writing about my company from our official twitter account where mistakes are not forgiven. I want to say that we are moving from one software release model to another and I need it to be short (below 100 chars). Currently I have a sentence like this: > We have set aside the cloud-based version of XXX and will simply offer a > standalone app. What do you think? _XXX_ is the name of our product. I googled some parts and different variations of the sentence and there were very few results which lead me to think that there is something wrong. The specific parts I have trouble with – "standalone app" and "cloud-based version". Is it considered slang? What about "self-hosted web app"? Sometimes I over-think stuff like this and can't decide what's right or wrong.


Is there a word or phrase to describe the aging of graphics technology?

So I'm thinking of something along the lines of the idea of the "uncanny valley" in which technology reaches a point where it's very human/life-like but still "off" somehow, causing a revulsion or dislike of the object because of some sort of cognitive dissonance. I think the word or idea I'm thinking of is in a similar vein, but I have yet to hear a word or phrase to summarize it and I'm wondering if such a word even exists (if not, maybe we should invent it!). When I played Atari 2600 games as a kid, it took a bit of imagination to see a little pixel square as, alternatively, a knight in shining armor, or a lightcycle speeding around the game grid. Later games were more explicit in their details. I remember my first adrenaline-fueled, sweaty-palmed playthrough of Doom and how wowed I was by the graphics. The first time I played The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind I sat by the edge of a lake by the starting town and just watched the rain falling on the water, amazed by the view. I tried replaying Morrowind (Xbox version) again just for nostalgia's sake and found myself getting woozy when going up the stairs of a tower. The graphics just haven't aged well. But how can that be? In just a few years, my mind has become so accustomed to modern graphics that some older games are hard to even make out. What was once so realistic is now a muddled mess that gives me motion sickness! I'd love to learn more about this phenomenon, but I don't even know how to reference it without a long diatribe like the one preceding. Is there some turn of phrase that is used to describe this? I'd like to find if there's any research in this area but don't even know where to start in looking it up.


"Flushed out" or "Fleshed out"

I think this is a mispronunciation, but I'm not sure... Is "To thoroughly vet something" to "flush it out" or "flesh it out"? "flush" makes intuitive sense, but I've heard "fleshed out" plenty of times too.


What is the meaning of 'busts up a chiffarobe'?

According to this wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chifforobe,                   "Chiffarobe" appears frequently in Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird.[7]      For instance, Tom Robinson "busts up a chiffarobe" for Mayella Ewell      What is the the meaning of this phrase?


A statement of request in that implies an obvious answer is expected

Is there a name for a statement someone makes, in which they issue a command for feedback, or request information, but the answer they want is totally obvious? For example, your friend shows you pictures of his backyard pool, drinks, and girls who hang out with him, and says "so let me know if you're coming over this weekend". It's similar to a rhetorical question, where the asker knows the answer and is essentially asking himself. What would this case be called?


Grammar and sentence structure check

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What possessive forms are used for mutual 1st person ownership?   >  My wife and I's seafood collaboration dinner   >  Possessive for a third person and a first person > My and my husband Jack Millan’s parents are distant relatives and knew each > other. You get the gist of what I am trying to say. Is it correct?


Writing about contributions

If we were asked to write about the _contributions a person made to the study of computer science_ for example, is that different from if we were asked to write about the _contributions a person made to computer science_?


Use of medical words

When charting on a patient, and a choice is _high cholesterol_ , should both be capitalized?


A good example wanted of noun-adjective ambiguity

A well-known feature of the English language is that you can use nouns as adjectives: football player, relativity theory, car tyre, army chaplain, house keys, etc. etc. However, some nouns already have adjectival meanings, and if one isn't careful this can lead to unintended ambiguity. I'm looking for the best example of this phenomenon that I can get my hands on. To give you an idea of the kind of thing I mean, the best example I've thought of so far is, "I spoke to the fair organizer", which one would be well-advised to rewrite as, "I spoke to the organizer of the fair." John Baez came up with "Latin lover", which I like. But can anyone do better? Edit: I've decided that perhaps I can sharpen this question up after all. Every example I have come across so far is slightly unsatisfactory for one reason or another. What I'd ideally like is an example that people could imagine accidentally writing and wishing they hadn't. So here are some reasons that certain examples fall short of that ideal. "Light switch" isn't a good example because the intended meaning is so obvious that the unintended meaning (switch that isn't heavy) doesn't register. "Fair organizer" is OK but slightly forced and therefore not something I'd genuinely imagine writing. "Latin lovers" is nice but a bit jokey. Is there an example that doesn't have any of these defects (which are admittedly not too serious in all cases but I want to be fussy)? That is, is there some really rather boring sentence that sounds natural and that has one of these unwitting noun/adjective ambiguities? (NB I'm not looking for just any old ambiguity. The ambiguity should be between the noun as turned into an adjective and a different adjectival meaning of that noun.)


Using “you got it” in the sense of “you are welcome”

Normally I would assume the meaning of _you got it_ were something like: > You do understand it right.   >  You’ve achieved your goal. Or even > I’ll do it for you very shortly. But from time to time I hear it used as a replacement for _you are welcome_ , especially in bars, restaurants, or cafés. Is this just a more polite way of saying the same thing, or is it more related to informal speech?


"Smart casual" vs. "casual chic"

As far as apparel code goes, is "casual chic" just about the same as "smart casual", or is there a nuance I am missing?


Specific use of "where"

Do these two sentences convey the same meaning? >   1. What is more I detailed the difficulty that arises in such an > **investigation where it is** one person's word against another. > >   2. What is more I detailed the difficulty that arises in such an > **investigation, certain aspects of which are a case of** one person's word > against another. > > Sentence 1 is in a document and I'm trying to work out how ambiguous it is and whether it has the same meaning as 2.


Can I leave out the word "of" in a situation like "all of his works"?

Sorry if this has been asked before, but it's kind of hard to search for the word "of". Is it grammatically correct to say "I'm not familiar with all his works.", or is it necessary to say "I'm not familiar with all **of** his works."


What's the difference between Author or Writer?

What's the difference, if any, between the noun **author** and **writer**


What’s going on with “drink > drench”? Is it like “passage > passenger”?

**Edit** : I am looking for a particular linguistic term for this process (which here uses terminal palatalization to indicate such) of turning passive verbs like _drink_ into active verbs like _drench_. I know one such term exists, because I have seen John Lawler use it, but I cannot now find his posts where he did so. The OED does not mention this general phenomenon in the related etymologies. For all I know, it may be older than OE, perhaps even going back all the way to PIE. * * * English has a bunch of verb-pairs where the first one ends in a stop and the second in a palatal, usually with vowel-modification, like these:   * cling, clench   * drink, drench   * hang, hinge   * meng, minge (now dialectal)   * stink, stench   * tint, tinge   * wring, wrench What is going on there? It seems like some hidden regularity of some sort. What does it mean? For words that seem to be missing one of the pair, did those once exist? I’m thinking of words like _quench_ : what happened to * _quing_? Does this have anything to do with these pairs:   * message, messenger   * passage, passenger   * porridge, porringer   * pottage, pottinger   * wharfage, wharfinger Or is that something different and unrelated?


Differences between down south, east and west coast slang

I'm a Dutch student, and I'm researching American slang. I'd like to find out the differences between the down south, east and west coast slang. Could you give me some specific differences?


Why is "delight" spelt and pronounced the way it is?

This as everything probably has something to do with the GVS, but how?


Is it OK to use the phrase to stay for a week?

Is it possible to say: " I stayed there a week" or must one use the preposition for: "I stayed there for a week"?


This Company is the Driving Force of / Behind our success

Which will be the correct form? Driving force behind our company OR Driving force of our company Thanks.


Can “come out” and “come down” be used in expression related to cheques?

Can I use them in expressions like these: >   * The bill came out to five dollars. > >   * How much did the bill come down to? > > I checked on the web, but did not find many matching results


Is “go on +verb root” grammatically right?

I came across the line, " _he went on explain_ (a metaphor) in the clip," at the end of the following sentence of the article, "How to insult your political opponents" appearing in New Yorker magazine (May 3). > "Crucify is kind of like how the Romans used to conquer villages in the > Mediterranean- they'd go into a little Turkish town somewhere and they'd > find the first five guys they saw and they'd crucify them," the official, Al > Armendariz, said in a speech he gave in 2010. "Then that little town was > really easy to manage for the next few years." This was a metaphor for the deterrent effect the E.P.A. was going for, " _he went on explain_ in the clip." I was in understanding that "go on" is followed by "to + infinitive" or gerund. Can "go on" take a verb root as its objective or complement? Is it right to say "he went on speak a gossip," "she went on play piano," "I went on write a letter"?   Conversely, are "he went on speaking/playing/writing," or "he went on to speak/to play/to write" wrong?


Is "all total" grammatically correct?

>   * We have three apples all total. >   * All total, we have 75 bananas. >   * How many cucumbers do we have all total? > I have heard many sentences like this. I always wonder, is this grammatically correct?


"Board" and "go/be aboard/on board" in AE

In AE, is it acceptable to say **board/go aboard** (and hence be aboard/on board) for such miscellaneous and various _vehicular (or mobile) devices_ as an elevator, a bus, a truck, a van, a people carrier, a car (auto), a carnival ride, a ski gondola, a toboggan, a sled, a sledge, a canoe, a tractor, an excavator, a baby carriage, a cradle, a crib, a coffin, and a time machine (the type of those featured in the movies _The Time Machine_ (1960), and _Time After Time_ (1979))? As far as your variety of English is concerned, is such usage acceptable? e.g. _Two of them **boarded the sedan**._ http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro- manila/03/09/13/robbers-kill-french-tourist-precinct-chief-axed _Atkins said she **boarded the elevator**..."_ http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?id=9327879


'I got a dream' vs. 'I dreamt'

I need to know whether one could say he "got a dream of" something instead of saying that he "dreamt of" something. Would the former usage be grammatically correct?


How do you punctuate the following

How would you punctuate this phrase? > me personally or my friend Would you put commas around _personally_?


"Absent additional configuration"

I have come across the below sentence but it doesn't quite sound right. > Absent additional configuration, permits will be distributed at a fixed > rate. Is the first part of the sentence correct? If not, then what is a good way of phrasing it?


Classic contemporary design and contemporary classic design

I am trying to translate a word in another language that roughly translates to either one of the phrases above. Basically the term is supposed to describe a design that is timeless and a classic. I am not sure why the word modern/contemporary was included (could be a mistake), but I would like to know if either translation would make any sense in English. It seems to be an oxymoron, but maybe someone can suggest a possible meaning for either phrase.


What happened to the possessive form, its'?

When I was young, the possessive form of the word, it, required an apostrophe preceded by an S. An example our teacher used, which I've always remembered, was: "It's my work but I am its' property, rather than the reverse, by virtue of how essential the work has become." Over several years, however, I've seen the trailing apostrophe almost totally removed from usage. When and why did that rule change?


Caveats of punctuation of nested quotes

I've found "How to punctuate a quote within a quote?" where the correct punctuation for the given example of nested quotes was: > “He leaned close to me, and said in a gravely and drunken voice, ‘It’s not > easy.’” This shows the obvious point of not doubling the full stop, and having it contracted to the end of the sentence inside the quote. The question has been closed despite dealing with a matter not answered in any linked to questions (they were either about punctuation within normal quotes or about double quoting but not about both at the same time) - though I understand it might be thought to be obvious if the intuitive combination is the correct one. Unfortunately in my case I really suspect "intuitive" is incorrect. _"It’s not easy"_ is a sentence and so, a full stop comes at its end naturally. Now, is the same rule true if we use quotation marks for other purposes? Is the below correct? > “Why should I ever hear about this... ‘agency?’” ‘agency’ is quoted for being an euphemism here. Normally the quote mark belongs to the outer question. Is pulling it inside `‘’` correct or should it go between `’` and `”`? Next, comes a matter of how to contract multiple conflicting ending punctuation marks. The below example is most likely incorrect, but how would one properly punctuate: > He screwed his eyebrows, and asked, "Are you sure you heard 'Stop!'?". If the various quote levels contain sentences that require different punctuation at respective ends, how does one reconcile them?


Why do we say 'soup up'?

The phrase 'soup up' is slang that basically means 'to increase the power of' something. Why do we use 'soup' here? It seems similar to the phrases 'beef up' and 'pep up', which literally come from the foods beef and pepper, so is it as simple as the fact that it's a variation on those phrases that uses 'soup' as the food? But why soup? Is soup considered particularly 'hearty'?


Does ‘sugarplum’ have the meaning of ‘honey’ or ‘sweetie’?

There is the following advice for ‘defusing an argument with one word’ in a website: > In an argument in which the fight systems are fully armed you need to > provide an abrupt interruption. Have a look at the effect one word can make > and choose your own: > > “God dammit why do you do that?” > > " **Sugar plum** why do you do that?" > > That single phrase, spoken softly can completely change the flow of energy > in the conversation. It lets someone know the attack is over, communication > can continue. Some will of course continue to go off the rails, so you'll > need to use some judgment. > > http://www.learnmyself.com/LT-45/defuse-an-argument-with-one-word I’ve seen ‘sugarplum,’ the word representing for a candy being used in this way for the first time. Both OED and Wikipedia define ‘sugarplum’ only as ‘a small round sweet of flavored boiled sugar,’ or ‘a piece of dragée candy that is made of dried fruits and shaped in a small round or oval shape. No other meaning. Does ‘sugarplum’ have an extended meaning like ‘honey’ or ‘sweetie' as an addressing word?


Be "running late" and "run my appointment"

Consider this comment: > My doctor is awesome. He was running late with a previous patient so he sent > a new doctor to run my follow up appointment. Does "running late" here means he is going to be late, or he is going to take more time than usual? What does it precisely mean? Also, what does _running_ an appointment mean when he said they sent a new doctor to run his follow up appointment? Does it mean _to deal with_?


Is there a plural form of teeth?

Is teeth's a word? Would you say my teeth's enamel is coming off, or my tooth enamel is coming off?


Is there an appropriate word that I can use here like "eponymous"?

My sentence goes something like this: > The Johnson-Andersson-Paulsen theorem was first described in an 1865 paper > by Johnson, Andersson and Paulsen. It is clear by context that this particular theorem was indeed discovered by Johnson, Andersson and Paulsen, so I would like to avoid repeating their names while still clarifying who first described the theorem. Is it correct in this context to say "the Johnson-Andersson-Paulsen theorem was first described by its eponymous authors", or is there a better way to say what I mean?


I'm reading "The Portrait of a Lady" by Henry James, and I found the following two sentences. > "I suppose that after a girl has refused an English lord she may do > anything," her aunt rejoined. "After that one needn't stand on trifles." What does "one needn't stand on trifles" mean?


Can 'floccinaucinihilipilification' be considered a real word?

Can 'floccinaucinihilipilification' still be considered a real word? The only context that I have ever seen it used is as an example of one of the longest words in the English language. Also how would you use it in a sentence? Do we have to use literally in a context where estimating somethings value is being done, or can it be used more metaphorically where it is argued that something is meaningless (ie has no useful value (like arguing a word is useless)).


Meaning of "magazine" from 1845

My wife and I were reading _Institutes of the Christian Religion_ by John Calvin, translated into English in 1845 by Henry Beveridge, and we came across this phrase in the first book, chapter 5, section 4: > "a magazine stored with treasures of inestimable value" Obviously, the context implies that a magazine is some kind of container, or perhaps a location, in which things are stored. Our questions are: What kinds of things were normally stored in a magazine? Who would have owned one? Was it a small container or a large warehouse? We tried to find some information online, but we couldn't. Anybody have any ideas?


Was I correct to use the word "establish" in my tweet? Should I have included adverbial "as"?

English is not my native language, but I'm a willing pupil and in most cases I'm pretty confident in my knowledge, but sometimes I hesitate to use particular words. I wrote this tweet recently: > I amused. Person who cannot cope with "Cannot modify header information" > error should not establish himself a web-developer. I'm not sure if I made the sentence clear. Shouldn't I have used "establish **as** web-developer," or should I have not used the word "establish"?


No-nonsense grammar exercise book

I have want to improve my writing. Mastering grammar and spelling are building blocks of writing. Therefore I concentrate on grammar first. The books I use are: \- Oxford A-Z of Grammar and Punctuation \- Oxford Essential Writer's Reference \- My Grammar and I These books are very useful, but I am missing exercises. The grammar exercise books I found on Amazon the are of a lower level, and they seem not to have a solid structure like my books. Instead they are are littered with colours and pictures. Can anyone recommend no-nonsense exercise books or websites that match with the books I use?


idioms that mean being good at something

I am looking for a few idioms that mean either being good at something or simply being generally good. "Ace" is the word I have in mind, unfortunately not an idiom.


Is checklist or tick box (or something else) more common in British English?

When referring to a list of items that you check off as you complete, would the British say, "checklist," "tick box," or something else?


Difference between "Call to action" and "Call for action"

Not being a native English speaker, I feel that there is some difference in meaning between > Call to action and > Call for action However my research was unfruitful. Is there a difference between these two expressions?


"Popular with" vs "Popular among"

> Prof. Sat is not popular with/among his students. Which usage is correct here and why?


"Expect of" vs. "expect from"

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Expected of, or expected from someone Which of these two sentences is grammatically correct? Are both? What's the difference here? >   * What sort of work would be expected of me? >   * What sort of work would be expected from me? >


Superlative version or synonym of "Versatile"

I'm looking for comparative/superlative versions of **versatile** \- synonyms which should mean "more versatile" and "extremely versatile" Here's the background: Over on meta.so, I've proposed a new 3-tiered badge for users who have high rep across multiple SE sites. At bronze I'd call it `Versatile`. Can't think of titles for Silver and Gold. I only have "Multifaceted" and "All-rounder" right now. Any other suggestions?


how to pronounce 'Uriel'?

I have a student whose name is 'Uriel' and I'm just wondering how I should pronounce it!


"Missing in" versus "missing from"?

Sometimes "missing from" feels appropriate - e.g. "...was missing from the answer key." Sometimes "missing in" feels appropriate - e.g. "...was missing in the answer key." A search for guidance didn't yield much. How to decide when to use "from" and when to use "in" in this context? If the answer is that it depends, please provide examples to clarify on what the (more) appropriate choice depends.


The recognition of the word "Enough"

I came across a sentence and had bugged me ever since. I cannot identify whether the word "Enough" is an adjective, a pronoun, a determiner or an adverb although I highly suspect that is an **adjective** since it comes after a **linking verb** and describes the noun; so here it is: > Even the small amount she had taken was **enough** to warm her throat as it > slid down.


Looking for a noun meaning something you are given to work with

As part of a task in a psychological experiment I have a "transformation table" that contains two rows of letters:               A    B    C    D    ...     Z    R    K    Q    ...      The participants are given a selection of letters (e.g. "B") and must transform them with the help of this table (e.g. "B" into "R"). To explain this procedure there is an example that gives a sample letter and a sample transformation, e.g.:               ...    result     B      R      The text above the two letters should explain that the "B" is the letter that is given to the participants as "source material" or "input", and that the "R" is the result after the transformation. **What is the noun that describes the stimulus given in an experiment?** The verb used in this situation is "given", but there appears to be no noun with the corresponding meaning, since the noun "given" means something quite different, namely "a basic condition or assumption" (Merriam-Webster). And it is not a "prompt", because a prompt is not material to be processed. * * * The original German word I am translating this from is "Vorgabe". In this context it means "something that is given".


Antonym of "to telescope"

The verb "to telescope" conveys in a picturesque way the meaning that an elongated object slides into itself, so that it becomes smaller. I'm looking for an equally attractive verb to convey the opposite meaning, i.e., that an elongated object extends.


What single word describes the ability to think analytically?

I am trying to complete the following sentence: > This job requires both creativity and **X** Where **X** is a single word describing the ability to think analytically. What would the best word be?


Also I would like to say that during last 4 or 5 years something has become my main goal (at work). I do not know how which preposition is the correct one, whether to use "the" with "last years" and if "get" can be used for the change or something else describing slow change. > During (in) last (the) 4-5 years, it got (became? grown?) my main goal.


An analogy to describe an individual who merges traits he finds from others in order to develop his own identity?

I am writing a research paper in which my thesis concerns how a character matures through his merging of characteristic traits in his relationships with other characters. How can I introduce this topic with an analogy "attention- getter" that demonstrates this idea of merging things together to form something new? In another words, I'm looking for an analogy that compares how an individual who combines attributes that he acquires from his relationships can actually create a new, and better, identity for himself.


Alternative for "not popular"

On a similar website to Ebay we have "popular items" (items that have many views) and "not popular" for items that don't have many views yet. Can you provide some alternative for "not popular" or for both?


"time and time over" meaning

What does "time and time over" mean ? I encountered this verse in a Philip Larkin poem. > they come, they wake us time and time over.


putting moon glow on something

what does "putting moon glow on something" mean? I mean in this sentence I want to know what it means? "I know I'm putting all this fucking moon glow on it now,like it was special and all." I read it in a play.


Alternate ways to say someone is grumpy

My manager is a pretty moody woman. Whenever she feels annoyed or doesn't like what you are doing, she would show her displeasure on her face right away. By reading her face, you would know immediately if she is happy or if you should stay away. If she "wears" a grumpy face, you better learn to behave. In Chinese, if someone has a grumpy look, we say he/she is showing the colour or his/her face. Is there something in English that has the same meaning?


Perfect of modal "to have to" in infinitive-clause

Take the following sentence: > I claim to have had to have done something. As I understand it, it means that I was obliged at some point to have done/finished something at that time.   * Is that sentence grammatically correct?   * Is my interpretation correct?


Where do I make the pause in this sentence

I am a Catholic monk, in our breviaries, in the English edition, we have a response for the night prayer which goes: "Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit." How do I use this? Is it   1. Into your hands, / Lord, I commend my spirit. Or,   2. Into your hands, Lord, / I commend my spirit. You may find this question stupid, but, I am not a native speaker of English. Any help will be highly appreciated.


The use of commas

My friend wrote me an email with the sentence > Would the coming Tuesday at 12:15 be okay for you? I immediately thought there should be a comma, somewhere in the sentence. Well he doesn't agree with me and we have been trying to figure out who is correct. Am I correct and if so why and what comma rule does this fall under?


What's difference between "I was convinced she didn't know" and "I was sure she didn't know"?

In which situation would the first be more appropriate, and in which situation would the second be more appropriate? Which grammatical property distinguishes their meanings?


Is using a colon before a table of values correct?

Is it correct to use a colon before a table? For example: > The required configuration is provided in the table below:


Etymology of "blackguard rating" in the context of the British Army during the Crimean War

From Wikipedia: > I never had such a **blackguard rating** in all my life – I who have had > more than any woman – than from this Barry sitting on his horse, while I was > crossing the Hospital Square with only my cap on in the sun. He kept me > standing in the midst of quite a crowd of soldiers, Commissariat, servants, > camp followers, etc., etc., every one of whom behaved like a gentleman > during the scolding I received while he behaved like a brute.... After he > was dead, I was told that (he) was a woman.... I should say that (she) was > the most hardened creature I ever met." – Florence Nightingale in reference to “James Barry,” an army surgeon from the Victorian era who turned out to be a woman in disguise. Now what would a “blackguard rating” be? in the context of that time and place? What a peculiar and interesting phrase!


For ever and forever

What is the difference between the meaning and usage of _for ever_ and _forever_ in British English? From what I could gather from my online research, > _forever_ means : > >   1. (also for ever) for all future time; for always >   2. continually > and > _for ever_ \- Oxford has only Eng-Ger, Eng-It and Eng-Sp entries for > it(apart from being redirected to forever's definition), Collins says it is > an adverb meaning _forever_.


Why are semicolons so difficult?

I've had a look around for an answer to this question and just have not been able to find anything. Am I using a semicolon correctly in the following passage? > However, negative results for the three hypotheses would improve the > probability of the aventador theory; Specifically, the quadruple exhaust > pipes on the LP-700 may generate fluorescent flames. Or should it be: > However, negative results for the three hypotheses would improve the > probability of the aventador theory. Specifically, the quadruple exhaust > pipes on the LP-700 may generate fluorescent flames.


Name for a small, central unit of human memory

I am having trouble coming up with the word to describe a small memory which stands out amongst others. I thought of the word 'aphorism', describing a small and concise phrase, but I'm searching for a word more directly related to memory and in any concise, strong way - like an object, picture, or sound that can trigger or best capture the memory of a whole day or event. Thank you for any input on this! Edit: A phrase is fine, but a single word is ideal.


What is the name for the the habit of reciting song titles or clichés when anyone says the first few words?

I like literary and cultural references, but I can enjoy them without proving that I get the reference by reciting the entire title or quote. I know that explicitly sharing social experience is the modern poosking, but I find it gauche. I'm not elitist; I'm just introverted. So, is there a name for the compulsion to announce and explain references, subtle or otherwise?


Precedence of "and" and "or"

Do _and_ and _or_ have any particular precedence as they do in programming languages? What does the following sentence mean? > Will it be cold and rain or snow today? >   * Will it (be cold and rain) or snow today? >   * Will it (be cold) and (rain or snow) today? > Is the sentence completely ambiguous?


Why is "sergeant" pronounced "sargent"?

I remember when I first came across this word, I thought it was pronounced /'sɜr-dʒint/ (SER-jeent). Now I am curious as to why the first syllable is pronounced /sar/ rather than /sɜr/. I looked at the etymology, and found that the word has always had either _sir_ or _ser_ at the beginning, never _sar_. To top that off, _sergeant_ comes from the Old French _sergent_ , from Latin _servientem_ meaning _serving_ , the same root word that we get the word _servant_ from. To my knowledge, _servant_ has never been pronounced /'sar- vənt/. Why and since when has _sergeant_ been pronounced _sargent_?


Isn't Twitter's error message incorrect?

One of Twitter's error messages reads: > Something is technically wrong. Of course I understand what they mean, but am I wrong to interpret this as "strictly speaking, there is something wrong" instead of the intended "there is a technical issue"? What would be the ideal, succinct way to phrase this, maintaining simplicity and clarity?


Is there a word for two persons dodging each other on the street?

While walking on a path, sometimes two person try to dodge each other. Like one guy steps left, and at the same time, other guy steps left and then switches direction and so does the other guy. Is there a word to describe this?


Grammaticalization of third person singular -s

Is there any evidence that the third person singular -s can be traced back to a lexical item before it became an inflection ? I am trying to see if the theory of grammaticalization applies to its diachronic process. Any information would be most helpful. Thanks so much.


Is there a prefix that indicates that an event recurs four times a year?

"Semi-annually" describes an event that recurs every 6 months. Is there a similar term for an event that recurs every 3 months? (I'm guessing that "semi-semi-annually" isn't the correct answer.) More importantly, is there a resource or table somewhere that I can use in the future to construct prefixes for other intervals shorter than a year?


is letter “y” derived from “ij”?

It is my intuition, that the origin of the letter _y_ comes from _ij_ based on the usage in Dutch where it very closely resembles _ij_ in both sound and shape. I would go so far as to say it looks like a contraction. I am particularly interested in this right now, as a company has translated a foreign name into English, and included _iy_ in the name – which strikes me as unusual. If I were transliterating their name, _Bafiya_ seems wrong – and I feel it is better as _Bafya_ or _Bafia_. It is hard to justify my opinion, so I was curious about the usage of _iy_. I can not think of any words that contain _iy_ in them. Are there any?


Is it common to say "something was coming from front?"

I usually say it when I am supposed to describe something coming from front on roads. But somehow it does not feel natural even though it syntactically it is correct. so what is the natural expression for this?


Can “supposed to” be used to mean “considered to”?

I have a question regarding expressions like these:   * The new Al Pacino movie is supposed to be a good movie.   * Asians are not supposed to be good ball players.   * Whale is supposed to be the smartest animal on Earth. Are _supposed to_ and _considered to_ identical in meaning, or do they have different meanings altogether?


Is it appropriate to omit "will not be"?

Often, someone will say: > I'm not living in a senior's home! When the intended meaning is: > I will not be living in a senior's home! Is this acceptable?


Which preposition should be used after the verb “request”?

Which is correct?   1. _I would like to request you to refrain from shouting._   2. _I would like to request of you to refrain from shouting._   3. _I would like to request from you to refrain from shouting._   4. Something else?


What can be a different word for the use of 'obviously' when trying to make a clear statement?

Just trying to find another word or term for when making a clear statement without sounding to arrogant. For example, 'Obviously you shouldn't put your hand in a toaster because that's stupid' (Not a practical example of what I'm working on, but shows my point'


Mass nouns and counts nouns. Does getting it wrong ever matter?

Less/fewer, too much/too many, amount/number... When people get these things wrong, it bugs me. But I cannot think of a situation where mistaking a mass noun for a count noun (or vice versa) would ever introduce any kind of ambiguity. Is there such a case?


"Up to" vs "up to it"

What does the phrase _up to_ mean in the following? > That sketchy character is _up to_ something. > > That sneak is _up to_ no good. How does that differ from _up to it_ in the following? > I'm sick, but if I'm _up to it_ I may do the dishes. Or this: > I feel like I'm _up to_ my ears, trying to learn all these English idioms. Are there other uses of this phrase?


What does "cross" mean in the phrase "cross and crabby"?

What does _cross_ mean in the phrase "cross and crabby"? _Crabby_ means bad-tempered and unpleasant (Oxford Learner's Dictionary).


Is "guy" gender-neutral?

The plural "guys" definitely is, at least here in San Francisco — I'm often hearing all-girl companies here being greeted with 'Hi guys, how are you doing?'. How about the singular guy? Is it universally assumed that 'the guy who will be doing this' can be either guy or gal?


What is a feminine version of 'guys'?

I commonly use the word 'guys' to refer to a group of males colloquially. It's colloquial but not rude, off putting, condescending, patronizing (though I wouldn't use it with a group of men at a board meeting (hypothetically of course), unless I knew them). So, some that I would not consider as replacements would be   * buddies: too old-fashioned   * dudes: too informal   * boys: too patronizing   * men, gentlemen: too formal or false respect I realized that I had also been using it for any group of people, males and females, even just females. It worked for me and I didn't think of the gender implications, that women might not care for it. No one ever complained, directly or indirectly (rule of life: sometimes people don't complain about things they should). But it occurred to me (maybe by reading something that sparked realization) that the intended hearers might not all care for it. What might be a female gendered or non-gendered version of 'guys'? Some that I've considered don't feel right about (though these may be reasonable answers) are:   * dolls: too old-fashioned   * babes: too informal    * ladies: too formal or I've heard from women, too creepy   * women: too factual   * girls: too patronizing (as much as 'boys')   * everyone, you all: too bland   * y'all: perfectly non-sexist but too regional (might work, but not everywhere) Hopefully I haven't eliminated all the possibilities any suggestions?


Is it polite to say 'thank you guys' if both genders were involved?

Related: Is "guy" gender-neutral? Discussion about more formal version: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1620575 **Thank you** (thank you guys)


Can I use "you guys" when it includes gals? [Northeast USA]

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Is "guy" gender-neutral? I'm in the Northeast USA. I'm about to email 3 people, 2 are women It is ok to say "I thought you guys would find this interesting" ? Does the sexual orientation (straight vs gay) make any difference ? (to be clear, I'm **not** suggesting it does, I am just adding that (true) factor in in case it affects any answer).


Proper Greeting for a Group of People

When informally addressing a group of people, is it OK to say, "Hi Guys" if one or more of them are female?


What is the exact synonym for the word "buddy" in female sex

two male people used the word buddy, how a boy call a girl with the same meaning as buddy


Term for the use of "you" to refer to "the hypothetical person in question"

My wife was discussing pudding consistency this morning and used a sentence along the lines of, "I only like the pudding you make". I blinked and asked if she really liked the pudding I make and she replied, "No, I mean the pudding you make, you know, like if I were to make some pudding". She was using the "you" in a sense of a hypothetical person, I guess, like saying, "That's what you do in a crisis" when commenting on a riot scene in the news. You're not using "you" to refer to the person you're speaking to, but rather a form of general humanity. Anyhow, is there a term for such a usage such that you might be able to answer, "Oh, sorry, I was using 'you' in the [term] context, not referring to you specifically"?


Single-word synonym for "immensely valuable"?

I am looking for some (may be rarely know to nonnative English speakers) synonyms for "immensely valuable" or "extremely valuable".


“ē” and “iː”: I want a tutorial

My English textbook use “iː”, and I find some online dictionaries use “ē”. Where can I find information about this phonics system?


Conjunctions and modal verbs

What is the correct version? > They have contacted me and discussed or > They have contacted me and have discussed


Changing Noun to Adjective using "of"

Is it possible to change Nouns to Adjective by adding " **of** " before the noun? Like: > of **help** = _helpful_ => not of any help = not helpful   >  of **interest** = _interesting_ => of a lot of interest = very interesting   >  of **problem** = _problematic_ => of a lot of problem = very problematic   >  of no **use** = not _useful_ => it's of no use = it's not useful   >  of no **importance** = not _important_ => It's of no importance to me = > it's not important to me I am wondering if there is any case where this method doesn't work. _**Update_** : Let me rephrase my question this way: Can this rule be applied to those nouns that already have a meaningful adjective? I mean, the noun `book` does not have any adjective, so I don't expect `of book` to be a meaningful adjective! My question targets only those nouns that have a known adjective. * * * _**Update 2_** : Some Ngram diagrams:      **"not important to"** vs **"of no importance to"**   **"not useful to"** vs **"of no use to"**   **"not helpful to"** vs **"of no help to"**   **"not valuable to"** vs **"of no value to"**   **"not interesting to"** vs **"of no interest to"**   * * * _**Update 3_** : I just came across the following sentence in wikibooks: > _**Of special mention** are the shift operators_ I think " **of special mention** " here means " _specially mentionable_ ". Doesn't it? * * * _**Update 4_** : Yet another example I found in here: > Please post any question that you feel is **of worth** and the reason why. I think " **of worth** " here means "worthwhile" or "worthy". * * * _**Update 5_** : A comment posted here: > Then two-step is **not of any use** to you. Two-step is for personal > computers and apps that only you would use. * * * _**Update 6_** : Another example from here: > Assuming all the devices in your signal path are **of** more or less > comparable **quality** * * * _**Update 7_** : Another example from a book I recently read: > **Of** what **use** is talking about interests, options, and standards if > the other side has a stronger bargaining position?


Use "Hi gents" in an e-mail?

I would appreciate if someone could tell me if it would be appropriate English to write "Hi gents" in an e-mail to fellow directors? It's in a very informal context.


Why do we use the definite article in the expression "quite the [noun]"?

Like: " _quite the singer_ ", " _quite the writer_ ", etc. while he/she is just a singer/writer and is not the only singer/writer, etc in that context.


What does the word “trip” exactly mean in English?

My question is whether “trip” means experiences on the way to one’s destination or experiences after arriving at the destination? Or can it mean both?


"What I have, I give [it to] others"

Can I say "What I have, I give others", or do I have to say "What I have, I give it to others"? In the latter case, the object is repeated: 'it' and 'what I have'.


How to punctuate lists that are nested to three levels?

A basic list is punctuated like this: > The park has some bears, deers, and other animals. > > (bears) (deers) (other animals) When commas appear inside the items of a list, or when lists appear inside other lists, I often see semi-colons used, e.g.: > The park has: some bears; many deers, which are quite friendly, like to eat > camp food, and watch visitors; and other animals, most of which live in the > trees. > > (bears) (deers (friendly) (like to eat) (watch visitors)) (other animals > (live in trees)) When semi-colons appear inside the items of a list, or when lists appear inside lists of other lists, what punctuation can be used? > (bears) (deers (friendly) (like to eat (popcorn) (marshmallows) (chips)) > (watch visitors)) (other animals (live in (tall trees) (short trees)) Update: To clarify, I am not looking for a way to reword the sentences. I am looking for a way to punctuate the lists in these situations.


Meaning of "you just divided by zero"

This question comes out of curiosity. I have seen some people mention _you just divided by zero_. For example,   * http://thxforthe.info/2007/12/02/you-son-of-a-bitch-you-just-divided-by-zero-didnt-you/ The title says "YOU SON OF A BITCH – **You just divided by zero** , didn’t you?"    * A comment posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL0QGn4lx_Y : K4Kendetta says -"Donno what it is about this song, but it gets to me. As jjared said, I feel happy and sad at the same time...somehow. Loquat.... **I believe you just divided by zero..."** These two cases may or may not be in different contexts, but is there any meaning to the expression? I guess it means _you did a difficult task_. Is that true?


What does "standard that X builds to" mean?

> 'There is a standard that university builds to.' Does it mean that there is a document where rules how to build an university are written?


Word for number or word that reads the same when inverted or mirrored

The number I am thinking of is 80808. This is a palindrome. However, it is more than a palindrome, because it can be flipped or mirrored and will still read the same way. Is there a word for this?


Is "having a bowl" an idiom?

I'm translating an article about a Student Union that was remodeled and expanded. A section is titled "Having a 'Bowl'". This part tells about the expansion- two extra bowling lines for Game Center and a relocated wall. Is the word 'bowl' related to the bowling lines, or is it an idiom?


Why is a "splash screen" so called?

Wikipedia describes a "splash screen" as such... > "A splash screen is an image that appears while a game or program is > loading." and its purpose... > [Splash screens] are typically used by particularly large applications to > notify the user that the program is in the process of loading. But why is it called a "splash" screen? Why not "loading screen"? Where did this phrase come from, and how long has it been about?


Meaning of "stop for something"

> Q. Did the customers **stop for** narrow selection of food? > > A. The customers **stopped for wider selection of food**. Does it mean the customers just ignored or didn't shop for food?


How old is the expression "as if"?

It's a pretty simple question, but just to clarify, I am talking about the expression used by itself, not just in a sentence. So _not_ : > — Have you seen Ted?   >  — Yes! He flew through here as if his pants were on fire! But rather: > — Why are you denying it? You clearly like her...   >  — Me, like _her_? As if.


Which is the correct phonetic transcription of the word play, [ple] or [plei]?

In some books, the long "a" found in words like say, play, etc. are transcribed as /sei/, /plei/ respectively but in some others the same words are transcribed /se/ and /ple/. Which one is correct? Can we consider both? What is the standard IPA transcription of the long "a"?


Applicable to [object] for [purpose]

My question is about the word _applicable_. Is the following construction correct? > This method is applicable to [object] for [purpose]. For example: > Our method may be applicable to medium-sized lake for evaluating mid-layer > processes. If this is incorrect, is there a way to express the "for [purpose]" part of this sentence without changing the sentence dramatically?


"Added support for" or "added support of"?

If I add a new feature (called "feature X") to existing software, what do I say about the action? > I added support for feature X or > I added support of feature X ? Or something different?


Term or phrase representing all objects inside of a parent object

I am programming an iOS App and I have an alert popup that asks a user to confirm the deletion of a directory. I want to show the following message:               "DIR is not empty!      Deleting this folder will permanently remove all       [SUB-ITEMS/SUBDIRECTORIES/COMPRISING ITEMS/?????]!"      but I cannot think of the proper term for items (files/folders/etc) inside a directory. I would greatly appreciate any help finding the correct term or phrase for this message. PostScript: Are " _subdirectories_ " and " _subfiles_ " proper english words?


Something causes a lot of initiatives

I’m translating a movie about basic income, from French to English. In this movie, someone says that basic income would make people do a lot of new things, that it would create a lot of initiatives. If anyone knows French, the exact words are "Il y aurait une floraison d’initiatives." (There would be a "flowering" of initiatives. I don’t think I can use "flowering" this way, in English, but I think you can see what is meant. It’s like, an explosion of initiatives, you see.) So, I’m trying to put a word, or words, there, rather than "flowering". How would you say that?


Is it wrong to pronounce "pizza" as "peedtza"?

I was extremely mocked by colleagues (good humor) when I said the word " **pizza** " in the middle of the conversation. Given my accent, the way I pronounced it was closer to " **peedtza** ", with a slight hint of that " **d** " that I never noticed myself until they brought it up. They were saying it should be pronounced " **peetsa** " with no " **d** " or " **z** " in there. Is my pronunciation absolutely wrong? Or could it be pronounced like that as well?   I don't know if that matters, but we are in America, so a comparison between British and American English is welcome. I can take criticism, so be as blunt as you want!


Is it right to call a job which has begun to bore you a "plain" job?

What is the best english adjective to identify a job in which you always do the same things over and over and so eventually get bored from it? I read somewhere the sentence "I have a plain job", "I am doing a plain work"...do these sentences mean what I am searching for? Or is there another better adjective? I don't like "boring" because it already identifies your final state, after you have experience in the job. Maybe at the start you found it amazing because it is something new...so I think "boring" is not the best word. edit: maybe "static" would do?


Term for someone who acquires an image

What is the best word to describe someone (a person) who acquires a digital image with any instrument (which could be a digital camera, microscope, telescope or any other instrument that will produce an image)? I was thinking of the terms "imager", but a simple Google search gives me the definition "software or equipment that makes images". "Photographer" is, I consider, too narrow. If such a term does not exist what is the smallest way to describe this concept? "image creator"?


"Less" vs. "Fewer" when referring to a percentage of a countable quantity

Judging by the consensus over at this question, one should use "fewer" over "less" for countable quantities. What about in this situation? > [Less or Fewer] than 10.7% of the people were happy. Here, a percentage is not countable (because it is a real number of arbitrary precision), whereas the noun "people" is countable. My instinct tells me that "fewer" would be preferred, because the percentage must always correspond to a rational number (which is countable)—unless of course fractions of people can be happy!


Word for beginning a statement with a disclaimer / caveat / hedge when you are worried you might say something incorrect

For some reason I am convinced that such a word exists, that I've heard it used in classroom settings, and that I'll recognize it when I see it. But I have no idea what it is. I tried googling this elusive word and failed miserably; I asked a few friends, but they couldn't think of it either. Help! Suppose someone says: "Well, I don't know much about this topic, and I could be wrong, but XYZ." I feel there's a word to describe the opening that leads into XYZ. It's a sort of hedging: you aren't fully committing yourself; you're worried about being wrong. I can almost hear a high-school teacher saying "Don't start an answer with a ___." Any ideas?


What does "wherein" mean exactly?

I have encountered _wherein_ several times in many texts, and the general meaning of the texts was quite evident given the context. However, I do not know the exact meaning of _wherein_ ; a dictionary search returns "How, or in what way; Where, or in which location; During which" (Wiktionary). But what are the contexts it can be used in, and is there any weird way it is being used sometimes? (I realised by now that English can be tricky.) Also, are there any differences concerning this word between American and British English (my preferred)?


"Friday afternoon" vehicle

New-car buyers often fear that they're getting a "Friday afternoon" vehicle! What does a "Friday afternoon" vehicle mean?


How can I describe preparing before travel?

If I am preparing before my travel and I pack my things, how can I better describe this process in conversational speech, "packing up one's things" or "I pack up one's things"?


make vs incur in this sentence

> Like humans beings We incur into mistakes. > > Like humans beings We make mistakes. What's the correct sentence in British English?


basketball expression 'from downtown'

In NBA basketball, TV commentators use the expression "shoot from downtown" when a player shoots beyond the 3-point line. What is the origin of this expression?


Meaning of the phrase "I could tell"

Context: * * * I was so happy I felt tears starting in my eyes, and then she up and hugged me. I think she could tell.


"In a while" vs. "for a while"

I recently got a message that says > Haven't heard anything from you in a while. I always thought that the right way to say this would be to use _for_ insdead of _in_. Are both versions correct? Would there be a difference in meaning?


What does "is there any book around ..." mean?

> Is there any book around which I can read? What does the above sentence mean?   1. "Is there any book **available in the market** which I can read?"   2. "Is there any book in **this room/or nearby** which I can read?" How do I distinguish between these two meanings of _around_?


Is this Quote grammatically correct?Own Lines

I posted a Quote on a social networking website : > It's GOOD to post famous and touching Quotes on FACEBOOK. > > But "UNDERSTANDING" it and then clicking ' LIKE ' ; is even GREAT. One of my friend pointed out: it's not grammatically correct. May I know what is wrong with it?If something?


"Washroom", "restroom", "bathroom", "lavatory", "toilet" or "toilet room"

I've always been confused by the terms _washroom_ , _restroom_ , _bathroom_ , _lavatory_ , _toilet_ and _toilet room_. My impression is that Canadians would rather say _washroom_ while Americans would probably say _bathroom_ or _Saint John's_ in the same situation. I guess the difference here is not only in different kinds of English, but also in whether one is referring to a room in their house or in some public place. Which do you usually use? Please specify the difference if you use more than two from those six with different meanings, and also where you are from (i.e. what type of English you speak).


"Majority" is to "plurality" as "minority" is to what?

This analogy may not be quite accurate but I think I can get my point across with it. I was reviewing some obesity statistics:   * Obese: 35.9%   * Overweight but not obese: 33.3%   * Neither overweight nor obese: 30.8% There is no majority. "Obesity" is the plurality. Is there a specific term for "neither overweight nor obese" as the smallest minority?


Rail vs railway

What's the difference between _rail_ and _railway_? Hold your horses - I know I can consult a dictionary on this one, and I have, but it's still not clear to me which of the two I should use in combinations. That is, if taken alone, _rail_ is a means of transport, and _railway_ \- the tracks plus the infrastructure. More or less. However, I get confused when it comes to combinations like _rail infrastructure_ OR _railway infrastructure_? _Rail transport_ OR _railway transport_? I'm looking for a simple rule of thumb here, because so far I have relied on Google hits.


Is "you've coming from" a colloquialism?

In the Take That song, Never Forget, the lyrics run "Never forget where you've coming from". Was that a mistake, or is it a colloquialism (or something else) to say "you've" instead of "you're" in this context?


Singular vs Plural number 21, 101 & etc

When talking about number 21, 31, 101, 1231 & etc ( ends with "one" ), should we use singular or plural word for units. E.g. should I say "21 apple" or "21 apples"? Or, "101 apple" vs "101 apples". I believe the singular form should be used as we say "twenty one apple", or "a hundred and one apple". Also, what about time? Hours, minutes, seconds? Is it correct to say "21 minute ago"? Thank you!


Plural/singular with certain numbers

There's one aspect which is confusing me, especially because of how it's done in my native language which is ukrainian.   So question is how singular and plural forms are used with numbers ending with 1.   \- 1 view. No questions asked.   \- 11, 211 views. No questions asked either.   \- 0, 2, 5, 13, etc views. No questions here either.   \- 21, 101, 91 **view** or **views**?   In ukrainian, it will be 21 view, 101 view and 91 view. What is right in english?


Do we say and write 21 / 31 / 41 item or itemS?

I've been wondering, since these example numbers end with 1, isn't it natural to use the following noun in its singular form? From what I've been seeing around on the web this does not seem to be the case. All numbers except for 1 are followed by plural nouns. In some languages you do need to use the singular form with the numbers ending with 1. How is it supposed to be in English?


Adverb placement: "There is still" vs. "there still is"

I believe the following sentences are grammatically correct and that perhaps the latter has an emphasizing effect on _still_ in certain contexts.   * There **is still** some time left.   * There **still is** some time left. I thought the adverb placement rule that adverbs must come after the _be_ -verb (source) is not absolute but rather like a guideline. My friend claims that in spoken English, the second example is fine, but in written English, it is technically ungrammatical. My questions are:   1. Are both sentences _grammatically_ correct?   2. Am I right to think that there are many cases of adverb usage that do not follow the typical adverb placement rules such as the one mentioned above?  Thank you for your input.


What does the word "shipping" mean?

What does word "shipping" mean? I've seen this word in many Internet shops.


Why is the "ph" pronounced like a "v" in "Stephen"? Is this the only word like that?

While I know how _my_ name is pronounced, I've run into many non-native english speakers who have stumbled over this unique exception to English. Even in the female name, "Stephanie", the _ph_ is pronounced as _f_. What is the etymology of "Stephen" and is there any other instance of _ph_ being pronounced as _v_ in either American or British English?


Is there a word for "a point in time"?

I'm looking for a simple word for a point in time for the name of a database column. The column is for "datetime" objects and it feels wrong to call the column "date", since that implies that the column only contains dates, and similarly it feels wrong to call the column "time". General programming principles dictate that it's also a bad idea to name a column simply by the value type it contains, so I don't want to name it "datetime". Is there an English word for a "point in time", independent of whether we're talking about time of day, date of year or millennia? I want the word (X) to fit into the column name "creation_X". If you have another idea of a good naming choice I'd love to hear that too. * * * Edit: The table column in question should specify when the data was recorded. Think of it as a data point for Google Analytics. A row contains, for instance, site visits for 12:00 to 13:00 on 2013-01-01, so the field "time_span" is set to "hour", and the field for column X should be set to "2013-01-01 12:00:00". I can't figure out what to call the column though.


Would the "Cavendish drawl" be considered a dialect?

I was reading the biography _Georgiana_ , by Amanda Foreman, and came across a description of what she calls the _Cavendish drawl_ , an accent of sorts that was spoken by the Cavendish family. One blog refers to it as a _patois_ and wrote that: > the Foreman biography quotes various examples of the phenomenon called > variously ‘Cavendish drawl’ and ‘Devonshire drawl’ both of which terms, even > taking into account her mention of “bal- _cony_ , con- _tem_ -plate” and “ > _cow_ -cumber”, are no doubt less appropriate than the third one ‘Cavendish > patois’. He goes on, > In the OED Murray remarked in 1885 “Till c1825 the pronunc. was regularly > bælˈkəʊnɪ; but ˈbælkənɪ..., ‘which,’ said Samuel Rogers, ‘makes me sick,’ is > now established.” ... OED dodgily gives the con`template stressing in second > place (as an allegedly current usage) even tho retaining Murray’s century- > plus-old comment that it “begins to have a flavour of age”. > > On cowcumber it gives his 1893 remark that such a pronunciation was “still > that recognized by Walker; but Smart 1836 says ‘no well-taught person, > except of the old school, now says cow-cumber ... although any other > pronunciation ... would have been pedantic some thirty years ago”. **Other > items of the patois Foreman quotes are yellow, gold and spoil presumably > pronounced as /jӕlə, guːld/ and /spaɪl/ and a “baby-talk” style you > pronounced with its yod dropped.**... Except for this last item, these were > all probably merely old-fashioned. For example Wyld's _History of Modern > Colloquial English_ (1920/36 p. 239) sed of goold that “It was a very usual > though by no means the only pronunciation in the seventeenth and eighteenth > centuries among good speakers.” Whether or not this way of speaking was old-fashioned, it was (according to Foreman) used in the Cavendish household, and was at least partially adopted by people of that social circle. Wikipedia says that a dialect is: > a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of > the language's speakers.[1] The term is applied most often to regional > speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors, such as > social class. A patois, again per Wikipedia, is: > any language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not > formally defined in linguistics. It can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects, > and other forms of native or local speech So how would the "Cavendish drawl" be linguistically categorized? Is it a dialect? A cant? Something else?


Plural noun to refer to a list of types for it?

If I have a noun with a list of different types it can be, should this noun be plural? For example, a "stage" can be a "planning stage" or a "play stage." Which of the following is correct? > Planning and play stage > > Planning and play stages To clarify, these are two separate stages. Plan then play.


How to use "until now/so far" in the past tenses?

I know that "until now" indicates that something changed. > No messages have come until now. _Now the first message arrived._ But what about using it in the past, for example in reported speech or just meaning in the past? > It was not clear to me until now. _The whole sentence is meant to refer to > past, e.g. describing what happened during my studies._ > I did not know much about trigonometry. So far, I was only using algebra. > _When I was young._


Should I use "arrived" or "reached"

Sometimes when I come back from my brother's house he asks me to let him know when I am at home. Now, in that situation which one of the following is correct :               I've reached home now.      OR               I've arrived home now.


Is there a plural for logic?

If I had to phrase "Load logic", where "loading" has to happen for multiple instances of "logic", how would I do it? For context, I am a programmer, and writing a method called "loadLogic". That method loads multiple units of logical statements and takes an action on them.


Regarding the tense of that clause after "make sure"

As for the tense of that clause after "make sure", what is the difference between present tense or future tense. Thank you so much!


Pre-design, design and post-design

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  If ‘pre’ is previous, ‘post’ is after, what is current? Pre-design, **design** and post-design. What is the right word that describes _during_ the **design** (design that is already done) as above in bold.


Word usage in a statement

I am trying to determine if the word _predicated_ is the correct word for the following statement. > A senior management leader in a Fortune 500 organization whose successful > career was predicated on interpersonal skills and collaboration. I would like to advise the reader that without _interpersonal skills and collaboration_ , I would not have experienced the successful career that I did. Any thoughts or alternatives?


Usage of "I am afraid"

What kind of sentence should follow the phrase "I am afraid", assertive or interogative? For example, is the following sentence grammatical? > I am afraid is it appropriate ask me a copy of it.


Whats the meaning of the phrase "Whats not to like"?

Can you please explain some of the usages as well?


Use of "memory"

Does the sentence > His **memory** is lost have these two meanings?   1. It could mean that our memory of him is lost.   2. It could mean that he has lost his memory.


Why is "look" transitive in "look you in the eye"?

Why is _look_ used as a transitive verb in the phrase _look you in the eye_? I checked _look_ in Cambridge Dictionaries and found only an intransitive _look_ , not a transitive one.


Is it considered good style to use “relatedly” to start a sentence?

I sometimes like to start sentences with “Relatedly,”, as you might start them with “besides”, “however”, “furthermore,” and so on. (“Like” in that I find the word practical and concise. It could be replaced by something like “In a related question,”.) However, it sounds a little strange to my own ears (I am not a native speaker of English). Is this usage considered standard / good style?


Difference between "my" an "my own"

Is there any difference between saying > Only my condemnation harms me. and > Only my own condemnation harms me. The second sentence feels like is more assertive and enforces the fact that it is my own condemnation that harms me, but is there any other difference in these two ways of expressing the above? I was recently reading the following page on which one can find the following quote > Only my condemnation injures me. Only my own forgiveness sets me free. and was wondering why would the author add my own in the second sentence yet skip it in the first.


What's the best way to say: "Brands who trust our work" or "Brands that trust in our work"?


What does it mean when someone says he is from the "Class of 2001"?

Does it means he graduated or entered the College in 2001?


Is "relatively big compared to" redundant?

If I say something like > He is big compared to the other guy. > > He is relatively big compared to the other guy. is the adverb _relatively_ wrong because of redundancy?


Since he left, nobody cares/has cared?

I would like to say that since one of my colleagues left, nobody cares about our project anymore. Or nobody has cared? EDIT: I want to say that nobody cares now and it started when X left.


What is the expression for coughing at the beginning of an utterance officially called?

I was wondering what is the name for the introductory "coughing" in English, i.e. when somebody clears their throat to start their utterance. For example: > "Ekhm... Welcome! How can I help you?" Is "ekhm" the right way to spell such onomatopoeia? Are there any other ways to spell it?


name references to God

What are the most common expressions used by glergymen to refer to God during a service other than "almighty" for eg? Can anybody help me, please?


Name of the archaic "F" character used for an "S"

Into the 19th century, accepted orthography often used a letter character that resembles an F (but is not in fact identical to an F) when today we would invariably use an S.   * What is this character called?    * What were the orthographic rules of its usage?    * Was it inherited from the German language?


What animal is a “weefil”?

What animal is depicted in this image labelled “weefil”? ![Old woodcut labeled Weeſil](http://i.stack.imgur.com/5Fn5c.png)


Difference between "tournament", "competition" and "match"

I was just reading the article about TopCoder. Before this article I thought a tournament and a competition is the same. What is the difference between _tournament_ , _competition_ and _match_?


What is the term for repeating something in an A, B, A fashion? (e.g. "Just the facts, ma'am, just the facts.")

Is there a term for repeating something in an A, B, A fashion for emphasis or dramatic effect? Examples: > Just the facts, ma'am, just the facts. > > Ain't it the truth, Joe... ain't it the truth. I've looked at epanalepsis, epistrophe, and anaphora, but none of them quite match the above sentence structures.


Rule or white list of words that can be prefixed with "up-" or "down-"

Some words (verbs and nouns) can get _up-_ or _down-_ attached before them to get new meaning. For example,   1. _Grade_ becomes _upgrade_ or _downgrade_.   2. _Vote_ becomes _upvote_ or _downvote_.   3. _Load_ becomes _upload_ or _download_. Is there any rule or white list of words that can be prefixed with _up-_ or _down-_?


"Ate cheeseburger" or "ate a cheeseburger"?

Which of the following is correct? >   * Ate **a** cheese burger last night. >   * Ate cheese burger last night. >


When can one omit "that" from a sentence?

In general, when can I omit _that_ from a sentence? Can I omit _that_ (emphasized) in sentence (2) below? >   1. We say **that** such algorithms handle concept drift and can learn from > time-changing data streams. >   2. When the statistical properties of the target variable change, we say > **that** concept drift has occurred. >   3. She told me **that** some of her classmates failed. > To me, sentences (1) and (3) sound better without _that_. If I omit _that_ from (2), it just doesn't sound right when I read it out loud. (I should point out I'm not a native speaker.) How do **you** decide when to omit it? Is it just a matter of taste? (I know _that_ is sometimes mandatory.) Can you think of sentences that "sound better" with _that_? Can you think of sentences that "sound better" without _that_? Can you think of a few sentences where it is wrong to omit _that_?


proverb means Consider me as you want you will find me as you consider

alot of companies expect effective performance. Nevertheless, it considers its employees as they are beginners (salary, ....). He want to say: > if you consider me as a Junior , you find me a Junior , That it means : > Don't expect from me to perfect tasks of Senior . > > And, if you consider me as an expert , you will find me an expert : Is there a proverb means that ? **UPDATE:** the employer concentrate on experience .Indeed , he thought that "An expert is one who has worked for many years" . However ,It is not always so . you can find someone who has worked for a few years, but he is gifted . It is not an issue of **Salary** , But It is a **psychological issue** that can negatively affect the performance of this gifted worker . **He expects an appreciation befitting his skills**


tailored to someone needs VS tailor-made

I wrote a text about our company's services and added that we also can offer products tailored to the needs of our clients. One of my colleagues insisted that the expression was wrong and I should say that we offered tailor-made products. Is there actually a difference between the two expressions generally or in the context I described?


What does "CP" stand for? (job name)

I saw a person had described his position as "CP at example.com" on Linkedin. Not someone who I know personally, but I had been in contact when he asked me to publish my Android application on this website (a kind of apps market in China). Just curious, what does CP means? I search on Wikipedia and abbreviations website to no avail.


"At any moment" vs. "in any moment"

I am not sure what the differences between these two phrases are. Can you explain when I should use one or the other? English is not my native language so maybe it is a silly question.


Meaning of "Matting" (in art)

Some artist on DeviantArt seriously recommended a Matting calculator which supposedly greatly aids in the process of _matting_. Unfortunately both the artist and the site for the calculator already assume the reader knows what _matting_ is. At first I thought they mean making images look older by removing sheen / adding matt, but apparently this isn't it - it has something to do with borders. I checked three dictionaries (Webster, Free, Dictionary.com) and not a single definition relates to matting in relation to artwork (other than mat making) or any activity that might require a calculator.


explanation for: to "playback" media content

How come in English one talks about being able to "playback" media content, like music or movies, instead of just "play"? Why is -back added to the word? What is the origin of the expression?


Does "approbate one's flaws" make sense?

I'm going for a little stronger word than _accept_ and I like the word _approbate_. > To approbate my flaws. Does it work?


Is “An other-other woman (person / thing)” a popular English phrase?

The following paragraph of Maureen Dowd’s article on former CIA chief, David Petraeus’ scandal titled “Reputation, Reputation, Reputation” appearing in November 13 New York Times seems to require sufficient knowledge about the background of American pop culture and politics. Though it may look a bit lengthy, I’d like to show you “a mind-boggling mélange” of symbolic names and titles for your interest. > “His fall started as Sophocles and turned sophomoric, a mind-boggling > mélange of “From Here to Eternity,” “You’ve Got Mail,” “The Real Housewives > of Centcom,” and “Keeping up with the Kardashians.” It features toned arms, > slinky outfits, a cat fight, titillating e-mails, a military more consumed > with sex than violence, a plot with more inconceivable twists than > “Homeland,” an “embedded” mistress named Broadwell, a biography called “All > In,” **_an other-other woman_** of Middle East ancestry who was a “social > liaison” to the military, a pair of generals helping the socialite’s twin > sister with a custody case, and lawyers and crisis-management experts linked > to Monica Lewinsky, John Edwards and the ABC show “Scandal.”” Now I was interested in the word, “an other-other woman.” I don’t think I’ve ever met this word. I can’t find “other-other” in dictionaries at hand. My PC spell-checker keeps demanding correction of “an other-other” as an error. Google Ngram viewer doesn’t register either “an other-other” or “other-other”. Is “an other-other somebody / something” a popular expression, or Dowd’s custom coinage? Why can’t she say simply “another”? How different is it from “another,” “the other,” “a separate /different person / thing”?


Can adjectives be placed without a noun after them?

Adjectives are placed before nouns. But sometimes I've seen (though I'm not sure if they are correct), things like: > The item placed there I know that it may be a short way of saying "The item which is placed there".   1. Is the past participle "placed" considered as an adjective in that sentence?   2. Can any past participle used in this way by ommiting the relative pronoun+subject of the relative clause?   3. Is there any exception for the rule that adjectives must be placed before noun?


Large company: Made up of organizations or departments?

Say you have a large 20,000+ company with many different sections, or areas. Say for example Apple would have a section for iOS development, one for Mac, one for HR, one for support, etc. What is the better word to call these different sections: organizations or departments? I'm thinking "Organization" should only refer to the topmost level, the entire company.


Could I always use "have" (and never use "have got")?

English is not my native language. I have constantly been trying to add as more words as possible to my active vocabulary. But there are words which I understand but don't try to use myself. One of them is **"have got"** instead of just plain **"have"**. I always use **"have"**. Is it a good way of learning and using English. Or am I missing something?


"Forecasted" or "forecast"

With authors writing in English as a second language increasingly predominating, especially in technical fields, irregular verbs get regularized. As an editor, should I give up the Canute-like** struggle against the oncoming tide of _forecasted_ and the like? ** Yes, I know ... !


Is the word order acceptable here?

I come from a family of completely Italian lineage called the Carusos. Since "the Carusos" is the antecedent of "family" is it that bad to have it come after lineage? Would it be better to say: I come from a family called the Carusos, which is of completely Italian lineage. I just like the first one better, but if it's technically wrong...


What does "leave like" mean?

> The news left me like a fool. What does it mean? Is the grammar ok here? [Originally asked by birdman1234]


How to call the wall behind him?

![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/yEf3g.jpg) It's the wall when the suspect is taken a shot. I don't know how to call it so It's hard for me to find picture about the wall itself.


Should there be a comma after "he added" if I'm not quoting?

At my job we usually write something like this: > Mr. Smith stated the defendant is welcome to stay at his residence and may > receive mail at that address, if necessary. He added he is willing to > provide him with transportation to future court proceedings, if needed. There is only one editor that adds a comma after the word "added" and I believe it is unnecessary.


What does "fortuitous with respect to viruses" mean?

Page 154 of Secrets and Lies has this snippet: > In some ways we've been fortuitous with respect to computer viruses; all the > ones we've seen are targeted against large computers, not peripherals or > embedded systems. What does "we've been fortuitous with respect to computer viruses" mean? Substituting "fortuitous" with it's literal meaning "accidental" does not make much sense; i.e. _We've been accidental with respect to computer viruses._


How to correctly refer to animal parts as food?

I have found little consistent in how animal parts used as food are named. How can I correctly refer to the tongue of ducks, the necks of ducks, or the ears of pigs? > Do you like duck's neck? > > Do you like duck necks? > > Do you like ducks' necks? Is there a way which is most "correct" or formal?


How do I hyphenate an open-form compound word with another that should be hyphenated?

I'm confused about how to combine an open-form compound word with a word that would normally be hyphenated. There's excellent guidance for making the open vs. closed vs. hyphenated decision, but I don't see how to apply this when hyphenating the open-form word looks wrong. For example, make a compound word out of North, America, and based. North America is open formed and _something_ -based is hyphenated. Is Coca-Cola a... > **North America-based company** : this seems very wrong as it de-emphasizes > North America as a proper-noun place and makes it sound like the company is > based in the North part of America (which is neither accurate nor the intent > of the phrase). > > **North America based company** : feels jolting to read and omits what seems > like a necessary hyphen before "based" > > **North-America-based company** : looks best(?), but has hyphenated the > open-formed compound "North America", which unlike "well-thought-out plan" > still seems wrong, despite the guidance at the linked answer above regarding > phrasal adjectives*. * the aforelinked answer says every word is hyphenated in phrasal adjectives , but for some open-form words this looks wrong Note: I think my question could be improved with an example that looks even more egregious, but I can't think of one.


“On the lake” vs. “in the lake”

Which of the following sentences makes sense? >   1. We took the new kayak out **on** the lake as it was a nice day. >   2. We took the new kayak out **in** the lake as it was a nice day. >


"The data misses a desired object" vs. "a desired object is being missed in the data"

Do the following two sentences have the same meaning? >   * If the _data misses_ a desired object, then information relevant to that > object do not exist in the database. >   * If a desired object _is being missed in the data_ , then information > relevant to that object do not exist in the database. >


What is the adjective for "sent down" or "descend"?

The only word I found is _descendant_ but this is often used for people, and I want to use the word for objects. Is there an adjective or alternative I can use if I want to say _sent down_ , _brought down_ as an adjective? It seems the word _descended_ does not exist.


Parenthetical statements in direct speech

In some novels, I have often seen parenthetical statements used within direct- speech. e.g. from War and Peace Page 1 > _Non_ , I warn you, if you don't say this means war — if you still defend > all these vile acts, all these atrocities by an Antichrist **(for I really > do believe he is the Antichrist)** , then I no longer know you. While reading such sentences, how should I interpret such parenthetical statements? To be more specific, should I imagine the speaker _actually_ saying that statement, or should I take it as as explanatory note on what the speaker really intends to say? Can the parentheses be replaced by commas? I.e. _"... by an Antichrist, for I really do believe he is the Antichrist, then I no longer..."_? Since English punctuation often governs the tone of the sentence, this would be interesting to know.


"Among themselves" or "among them"?

Which sentence is correct? >   1. ...where successful people are giving lectures and people could > exchange knowledge among themselves. >   2. ...where successful people are giving lectures and people could > exchange knowledge among them. >


Is Eckersley's *Essential English* still in use?

When I taught myself English a long time ago I used (alongside Assimil's _L'anglais sans peine_ and the BBC's _Calling all beginners_ ) a series of four books, _Essential English_ authored by C.E. Eckersley and published by Longmans.   It was an impressively good set of boooks, with plenty of grammatical and cultural explanations, presented in a very British witty and amusing style and accompanied by funny but quite relevant cartoons and schematic drawings. My question is whether English is still taught from these textbooks.   I confess that I was emboldened to ask this question by the mischievous thought that for once you native English speakers would be at a disadvantage to answer it (unless you teach English) as compared to us foreigners ...


Are "Czech Republic" and "Chechnya" cognates?

Let me preface this question by saying that the Czech Republic and Chechnya are two different countries. Are the two countries' names etymologically related, like Austria and Australia are? Wiktionary doesn't have the etymology for Chechnya, nor does the Online Etymology Dictionary.


Is there a rule for which suffix to use when creating adjectives from nouns?

There are many suffixes that are used to create adjectives from nouns ( _-al_ , _-ic_ , _-ive_ , _-y_ ).   Are there any rules used to create adjectives from nouns? In example, why is the adjective _excessive_ , and not ( **?** ) _excessal_ , or ( **?** ) _excessic_?


Provide to somebody to do/doing or Provide for somebody to do/doing?

I'm writing a letter to my teacher to thank her for letting me put on a party, but I'm confused by these: > I would like to thank _somebody_ for your support, guidance and > encouragement, and for the opportunities provided to _me_ to organize this > event. > > I would like to thank _somebody_ for your support, guidance and > encouragement, and for the opportunities provided to _me_ to organizing this > event. > > I would like to thank _somebody_ for your support, guidance and > encouragement, and for the opportunities provided for _me_ to organize this > event. > > I would like to thank _somebody_ for your support, guidance and > encouragement, and for the opportunities provided for _me_ to organizing > this event. Which one should I use?


What's the most accurate term for phrases such as "storm in a teacup" and "making mountains out of molehills"?

Are phrases such as "storm in a teacup" and "making mountains out of molehills" best described by one of these terms:   * anecdote   * proverb   * saying   * expression   * metaphor If not, which term is the right term? If more than one term applies (I know expression and saying are pretty general), which is the narrowest term that covers them?


"Listen to them not"

One of my favorite movies is _Hocus Pocus_ with Bette Midler. One of the lines in the movie is "Listen to them not!" Said by one of the townsfolk in the beginning when they were being hanged. Is this an example of an anastrophe? The terms aren't inverted from "Do not listen to them" in fact, 'do' is omitted completely. Is there another term that would suit what is happening in this sentence? Or similar sentences?


“Nobody likes” or “nobody like”?

What is the right way to say “Nobody like (likes) _doing something_ ”? What word I should use: like or likes?


Word to describe gay people who are in a relationship with each other

Can I use these words? > **A gay couple** (not sure if _couple_ can be used only for married people) > > **A gay lovers** (not sure if I should put _s_ here or if _lovers_ can be > used to describe two people who love each other)


Where does "life of Riley" come from?

I heard the saying, "life of Riley" when someone was talking about my cat, and I wondered what the origin of the expression is. The only thing I can think of is that it comes from the name of someone who was pampered and lazy, a king for example.


What does the phrase "Follow that!" mean?

I've heard that nice phrase and assume it is kind of an idiom. The possible usage I can recall: > Follow that! I just did [insert something here]. Is that true and if so what does it mean?


Is 'major' in a musical context a noun or an adjective?

In the question _What are the notes in the D **major** scale?_, I'm trying to work out what type of word _major_ is. A scale just means a sequence of notes with defined intervals between them, and these intervals are not identifiable until the scale is qualified with a name.. major, blues etc. Is it an adjective because it describes/qualifies what 'kind' of scale, or is it a proper noun because it is an 'instance/subclass' of 'scale'? I'm trying to think of a metaphor.. the common noun 'tree'.. brown is the adjective that describes it, and 'Cedar' is the proper noun, correct? So for my phrase, 'major' seems to do both jobs. I'm confused...


"Be to sleep" - What does that mean?

Normally, I find English people say something like: He is sleeping. He goes to sleep early. But occasionally, I found something like: "I have been to sleep 3 times during the lesson." (Michael Swan and Catherine Walter, The Good Grammar Book). What does "be to sleep" mean in this case?


Why and when did "crack" come to mean "tell"?

_Cracking jokes_ is to me the most familiar contextual usage of this term. Why would anyone say they were _cracking_ jokes, not just _telling_ jokes?


Is the infinitive form of the verb appropriate in this sentence?

I came across the following and would like to find out whether the bolded part is properly formed: > To be honest it sounds like she’s got the perfect relationship, in her eyes, > going right now. So I don’t think you should **be swayed when she desires > keep having it.** Should it be "keep" or "to keep"?


What is a word for annoying behavior which decreases enjoyment for the other players in a game?

I'm looking for a word which describes an annoying behavior that decreases the overall quality of a game or match, specifically in online gaming (Halo, Call of Duty, etc.) The behavior, while not expressly prohibited by the rules and thus not technically cheating, is generally agreed to be undesirable or even _unfair_ by the other players and puts the offending player at a distinct advantage. The following words come to mind, but do not precisely fit: _annoying_ (too broad), _trolling_ (mismatched intent; the player is still trying to win the game, not merely annoy others), _ungentlemanly_ (I'd prefer an genderless term.) I believe _unsportsmanlike_ could be a good fit; I'm looking for either a better fitting word, or a sound justification that one of these words is correct. **edit:** To be clear, I am looking for an adjective to levy at someone as an insult for behaving in this way. Also, the interest of the offending player is to win the game at the expense of others. The example _camping_ in the comments is precisely the kind behavior I'm talking about. I'd like to complete this sentence: > Don't _camp_ ; that's **______**.


In the order of (what most people have recommended)

I asked three people to list the items that they think are most important for something.               PERSON A             PERSON B             PERSON C     Item "aaa111"        Item "bbb222"        Item "bbb222"     Item "bbb222"        Item "eee555"        Item "ccc333"     Item "ccc333"        Item "fff666"        Item "ggg777"     Item "ddd444"      Since some items appear on more than one person's list, those items are obviously the most important ones, so I have compiled this list, which puts the item most frequently named on top, the next-most-frequently named second, and so forth:               Item "bbb222"     Item "ccc333"     Item "aaa111"     Item "ddd444"     Item "eee555"     Item "fff666"     Item "ggg777"      I want to head this list with a caption of the form **Combined list in the order of ___ _**. My question: Is there a single word I can use in that blank to name my ordering principle?


You heard me! (expression)

What's some alternatives of saying "You heard me" while snapping back at someone (in informal and formal situations both) ? Can I say "You heard it"? Also in a formal setting when dealing with jerks how to say it properly so the expression has some meaning and weight.


Being as instead of "beensya"

I often hear people using the term "beensya". I am assuming they mean "being as". How is the term "being as" correctly used in English.