would this be considered a 'methodology' or a 'method'?

Say I developed something called "Methodology for Establishing Remaining Life of Components". Basically, at work, we have components (or equipment). I wanted to develop a way to identify how much longer the components / equipment can last before they ware out and cannot be used. It takes into account "the degree of damage currently in the component, the rate of future damage accumulation based on realistic operating scenarios, and the degree of damage required to cause failure." Taking these three into account, the remaining life of a component can be assessed. This is what I call "Methodology for Establishing Remaining Life of Components". My question is, would this be considered a 'methodology for establishing remaining life of components' or just a 'method for establishing remaining life of components'? Or do you need more information to figure out if it is a method or methodology? I cannot provide all the information for business purposes, but if additional information is required to figure out if it is a method or methodology, I will provide it.


Is "put in place" a correct English expression?

I'm French and work with a German colleague. I often hear the expression "put in place" which to me corresponds to the French expression "mettre en place". This expression means more or less "set up things to get something to work". For example: > I put in place all the shelves so you can store your books. Is this grammatical and idiomatic?


Is there a name for this type of insult: "I am friends with many manly men. And Gary."?

Is there a term or word appropriate to describe the trick of using a general term and then explicitly adding a specific term to strongly imply that the specific is not part of the general? The trick I see never uses a negation or a word like "except." It simply "adds" something at the end as a slight or insult to the thing being added: > My classes are filled with really smart people. And John. > > Before you are the best and most clever and most attractive and Susan.


Is there a specific word in English for the owner of a pond/pool?

In china, there are many pools/ponds for finishing, I am wondering is there any specific word for the owner of a pond/pool?


Is it ok to use “within” with “upon”?

For example, is this sentence correct? > The requested goods must be delivered within 5 business days upon receipt of > a request (or simply upon request).


Does "break your head" really mean literally breaking one's head?

I was reading _Tom Brown's School Days_ , and I came across the part where they were describing a sport called backswording, in which the competitors will have their left hand tied to their leg/back, and they will be armed with a stick with their right arm. The aim of the game, is to break the head of your opponent, who is also tied up and armed in like manner. I am not sure how much damage is being done, when someone "breaks" his opponent's head. Does he really crack his skull and break his head? or does he just "break" the skin of his head? In both cases, blood must flow, that I know, and the loser of the game is when any amount of blood, no matter how little, flows down his forehead, or anywhere above his eyebrows, and is seen. So, going back to my question, what exactly does "break one's head" mean?


Is there a word for "wild animals that aren't afraid of people"?

I'm looking for a word or phrase to describe wild animals that are not afraid of people. I don't believe that _tame_ fits, as it seems to be the opposite of _wild_. _Domesticated_ doesn't fit either. For a more specific example of the case in question: > The groundhogs and squirrels on campus are crazy! Sometimes they even let > people pet them. These animals would be called what?


"so death swings open on its hinge"

There is a passage in the poem "Over" by Carol Ann Duffy that I don't understand well. > It is a key, unlocking all the dark,   >  so death swings open on its hinge What is the meaning of the second line?


"Time's up" or "time up" for games

I have seen games using both forms _time's up_ and _time up_ to say that the time is up. Which is correct?


Word order in salutations

Can we use a reverse order in salutations? For example, > Tom, hello/hi instead of > Hello/hi, Tom


"Blue colour" or "Colour blue"

Recently I started learning english on busuu.com. In on of the elementary exercices "Colours", that I performed, the following phrase was stated as the correct answer: "I like the colour blue" while my answer "I like the blue colour" was treated as incorrect. I would appreciate an explanation about a difference that might exist beetween these two phrases. Thanks.


"Because you have more money than sense"

I saw an advertising poster on a Samsung shop that was saying "iPhone 5, because you have more money than sense". But I don't get it, is that even a correct sentence?


Conjunction when one element contains another

I write a paper that defines a certain algorithm on geometric shapes. I have a sentence similar to the following: > If the input to the algorithm is connected, convex or rectangular, then its > output will also be connected, convex or rectangular, respectively. What I mean is that:   * If the input is a connected shape, then the output will be a connected shape.   * If the input is a convex shape, then the output will be a convex shape.   * If the input is a rectangular shape, then the output will be a rectangular shape. Note that all rectangular shapes are also convex, and all convex shapes are also connected, so the elements in the conjunction contain one another. Therefore, the word "or" seems strange in this context. Can you suggest a better way to express this meaning?


What is the difference between "so to do" and "to do so"

I believe that both are correct. I.e. > I have got the Christmas Eve off this year but my partner has failed so to > do. is equivalent to > I have got the Christmas Eve off this year but my partner has failed to do > so. However, are they equivalent?


Is "they sold the stocks out from under me" a common idiom?

> They sold the stocks out from under me. Is this "sold the stocks out from under me" common? It seems to mean they defrauded me.


What is the meaning of "as much as anything"?

**This book is mine as much as anything!** What does this mean? Does this mean, "This is REALLY MINE!!" I would want native speakers' opinion.


Word for ground-level hotel?

When my family went to Maui, we rented a room at a local ___ _. I have no idea what to call it. It was like a hotel room, but it wasn't in a hotel building, it was only one story.


"A feeling of content" or "A feeling of contentment"?

I'm a native English user. I am used to using "content" as a noun, adjective and verb but when I use it as a noun, I usually use content rather than contentment. I checked the dictionaries and both are correct. But which is more common and what's the difference if both are correct? Any nuance difference? I rarely use "contentment" as I feel the word sounds a bit cheesy and I don't use a "bigger" sounding word when a simpler word is available. I used "content" as a noun in that form (and not as contents in a box) and somebody corrected me saying it's "contentment". I'm very sure I have seen "content" used in that form in many newspapers and books over my 33 years. Who's right?


Is it widely accepted to use ‘gridiron’ as a verb and gerund?

Time magazine (September 30) carries the article titled “Christie to Watch Football” followed by the lead copy: “Garden Stater in no rush to decide, will mull _while gridironing_ this weekend. AP finally weighs in: Christie "reconsidering" his decision not to run. ” From the headline, it is easily to understood that ‘gridironing’ refers to watching football game. But as I checked both of Cambridge Dictionary and Merriam-Webster Dictionary and others on line, there was no mention of ‘gridiron’ as a verb. Merriam Webster defines ‘gridiron’ as the noun meaning;   1. a gated iron utensil for broiling flesh and fish over coals.   2. An openwork frame on which vessels are placed for examination, cleaning, and repairs.   3. A football field. Cambridge Dictionary defines it simply; noun. a field painted with lines for American football. I know people use nouns as verbs very often today. Even we Japanese say ‘I baseballed yesterday.’ ‘Let’s movie today,’ ‘I forgot to breakfast this morning,' by omitting do, take, play to shorten the sentence. But is it right to use ‘gridiron’ in the verb or gerund form which no dictionary (as far as I checked) provides as used in the Time article? Can we substitute most nouns (not saying every noun) for verb / gerund, like 'I'm philosophying today,''The doctor coughed while surgerying.'?


Can "what kind" be plural?

Is it correct to say, "What kind of patents are being issued in these sophisticated times?" It seems like it should be _What kind of patents is being issued..._ , but that sounds wrong. _What kind of patent is being issued..._ is correct and sounds right, but loses a little bit of the original meaning. Is there something magic about _what kind_ that allows it to be plural, or do people just misuse it a lot?


Meaning of Lyrics in "Diamonds on the Inside"

In Ben Harper's song, "Diamonds on the Inside", there is a verse that goes > She made herself a bed of nails,   >  And shes plannin' on puttin' it to use. I don't quite understand its meaning, especially in relation to the stanza/verse that precedes it: > When you have everything,   >  You have everything to lose. I understand that there is an idiom/expression, be a bed of nails, that describes a situation that is difficult or unpleasant. There is also another idiom/expression, make your own bed, that describes causing one's own misery. Even Alice Cooper has written a song about a Bed of Nails, although this appears to be used in a slightly different context. Could anybody please clarify the meaning of _bed of nails_ in the above context, and why someone would _plan on putting it to use_?


Plural of composite noun?

I'm trying to say that each message can take some time to arrive (a delay), and that each such delay can have any value. So, which one of the following is the most appropriate? > There is no bound on message delay. or > There is no bound on message delays. or > There is no bound on messages delays. Also, there is a number of processes, running at different speeds, and the speed difference is unbound. So a similar question would be what's the best combination of words for the following sentence? > There is no bound on relative process/processes speed/speeds?


How common is the word "nostalgia"?

I have spent most of my life not knowing the meaning of the word _nostalgia_. I have looked it up. But as I was talking to someone about the experiences he had, he used the word as if it were a common everyday word. Would someone please tell me how you use the word _nostalgia_ , and try to be detailed about the situation in which it is used?


What does the idiom "heel to head" mean?

In Robert Charles Wilson's novel "Vortex" he writes:               In the morning I toured him through Vox Core, heel to head.      I know the saying "head over heels", but this one is new to me. What does it mean? (Disclaimer: non-native speaker here)


"Succeed in" or "succeed at"

Are "He succeeded _in_ business" and "He succeeded _at_ business" both idiomatic? What is a good resource for learning idiomatic verb-preposition pairs?


We can predict everything, except the future

The quotation in the title seems to appear everywhere on the Internet, but it is never attributed to anyone. Is there somebody who knows its origin?


difference between act and deed

I've been searching the internet, but have not quite found a satisfactory explanation between an act and a deed. Both seem to have kind of a meaning of something done, though through my google and etymology searching the only apparent difference i can find is that "act" slightly hints at something more in the process of being done. (although not necessarily) Surely there should be more of a difference between the two words. If they mean the same thing surely there would be no need anymore for two words and i also know act and deed can not always be interchanged in sentences, but what is the difference exactly then? I'm left utterly confused, hope someone can help me and explain the difference...


What does "prevently" mean in this paragraph?

What does _prevently_ mean in this paragraph? The original article can be found here: > [...] Only the activity of insects and frogs that danced around the lilly > pads disturbed the water. Hardly a minute had passed when a movement caught > the corner of my left eye. Imagination told me that a grandaddy beaver was > tromping in clear range of my Winchester Super-X CXP3 power-point game load. > Reality told me something else. What I had supposed was a large beaver > turned out to be the head of a much larger animal. **It was the presence of > this laviathon that had prevently me from seeing any beavers upon arrival.** > In a flash, the five-foot reptilian sprang from the brush and exploded into > the water with great speed and noise.[...]


What is the difference between "Hept-" and "Sept-" prefixes?

As I understand it, both the prefixes "Hept-" and "Sept-" are used to indicate _seven_ of something. We have examples of English words that use both: e.g. > Heptathalon, Heptagon, Heptane vs > Septuagenarian, September I don't believe this is the case for other numbers- "Quad" is four, "Pent" is five, "Hex" is six, etc... I believe "Sept" comes from the word "septem", which is Latin for "seven". So where has "Hept" come from? And why do no other numbers have an equivalent?


Is there a proper way to refer to the "source" and "destination" of a phrase used in communication?

The terms _topic_ or _subject_ can be used to describe what a sentence refers to. What are the proper terms for the "source" (the person who is speaking or writing) and "destination" (the person who is listening or reading) when referring to a particular phrase used in communication? For example, if Ann were to tell Bob: "The sky is blue" What general term would I use to describe Ann or Bob in relation to that sentence? If they were speaking out loud, I might call Ann _the speaker_ , and Bob _the listener_. If Ann had written to Bob, I might call Ann _the writer_ and Bob _the reader_. In both cases, I might also call Bob _the audience_. Ann could be described as _using_ the sentence to communicate with Bob. The trouble with all of these options is their actual use: "The source of the sentence" - implies text, not a person   "The sentence speaker" - excludes writing, sounds wrong   "The sentence writer" - excludes speaking   "The person who used the sentence" - too verbose "The sentence destination" - a tagline for your local jail?   "The sentence listener" - an upcoming Hollywood movie?   "The sentence reader" - excludes listening   "The audience of the sentence" - could imply more than one person, too verbose


'Whack someone" vs " Whop someone" vs "Wallop someone"

I noticed that, in the dictionary, the words Whack, Whop and Wallop can have a meaning resembling _hit some one hard_. ODO says: > **Whack (Verb)** = strike forcefully with a sharp blow.   >  **Whop (Verb)** = hit hard.   >  **Wallop (verb)** = strike or hit (someone or something) very hard. and I'm writing about a boxer or karate fighter who hit his opponent hard in a match. I'm considering saying that the fighter _whacked or whopped or walloped_ his opponent. I would like to know: (1) Is there a difference between those three? Would you imagine that whacked an opponent is a slightly different meaning than whopped or walloped an opponent? (I typed all these three words into a Google image search, and I got similar images for whopped and walloped. I got different images for whacked. However I cannot grasp a clear difference). (2) All of those three words have other meanings in dictionary. For example, whop has other meanings like _the regular pulsing sound of a helicopter rotor_ If all these three words are essentially the same meaning, is there any reason I should avoid using one word or the other?


Usage of 'only' with a verb

_They only stamp academic documents_ versus _they stamp academic document only_ : which one is correct and what are the implications of the non-correct form? (Context: university office that does other businesses but also stamps academic documents.)


What is etymology of the term "right up the Wazoo"?

I'm sure everyone here has heard the expression "right up the Wazoo", meaning "in large or excessive quantities, to disgusting excess". I was wondering if anyone knew exactly where "the Wazoo" actually is?


What is the origin and scope of usage of the phrase "So long...." used to bid goodbye?

We often colloquially use the phrase **_so long_** to say goodbye. For eg. _So long, we'll see you next week_ **or** _He said so long and left_. What is the **origin** of this phase? Rather, how did it come into being? I would also like to know the circumstances under which its usage would be deemed appropriate. **EDIT:** Is this phrase some sort of corruption of any phrase in some other language( _looking at the answers_ ) or it has some meaning to it in English Language as well?


What is the average number of meanings for a word in English?

Many words have multiple meanings. Sometimes they are related (like "theory" as opposed to "practice", versus "theory" as in "scientific theory"), but sometimes they’re completely different (like "dye" as in "colourize" versus "die" as in "stop living", or even the singular of "dice"). Dictionaries usually list several meanings for each lemma. I’m wondering if anybody knows what the average is for an English word? (For that matter, is it known for other languages?)


Is “Something in the sand” a popular English phrase?

I’m interested in the line, “Raising tax rates on the wealthy is Obama’s line in the sand” in the following lead-copy of Washington Post’s (December 4) article titled “President Obama’s tough time taking a hard line on the fiscal cliff.” > “The president has done something that could make negotiations far more > difficult. He has made it clear that raising tax rates on the wealthy is > **_his line in the sand_**.” I see the idiom, “Bury your head in the sand” in Cambridge online dictionary, and “Head in the sand” in Merriam-Webster online dictionary, but I cannot find “in the sand” as an idiom in both dictionaries. Oxford online dictionary registers only “the sands (of time) are running out” as a sand-related phrase. On the other hand, Google Ngram shows consistent incidences of “in the sand” since cir 1840. I guess “his line in the sand” means “his statement (promise) unachievable like “a castle in the air.” Is “something (letter, record, plan, promise, structure) in the sand” a popular expression? If so, why isn’t it registered in major dictionaries as a simile of fragility, ephemerality, or easy-erasable like the title of Japanese popular song, "A love-letter writen on the sand"?


Phrase "I am off to ..."

"I am off to Prague". What does it mean? Could you paraphrase it?


Can something "hold a property"

In academic writing, it is common to refer to or prove properties about the main object of an article. If I prove a property for (some object), I know I can use the phrase: > Property X **holds** for the object Y. But, can an object hold a property? > Furthermore, object Y **holds** some additional properties. It always sounded "natural" to me (I'm not a native speaker), but now that I'm trying to verify my sentence construction using Google, I just can't seem to find anything useful.


Origin of street names ending in "-hurst"

There is a large number of streets in the UK whose names end in _-hurst_ , for example _Ravenhurst, Gathurst, Oakhurst, Amhurst, Bonehurst, Eaglehurst_ , etc. Is there a common meaning for this _-hurst_ ending? How old are these names?


Confused as to whether I should use commas or not

I am getting some gifts engraved for my wedding party and I can't decide whether to use commas or not. Should it be: > Thank you Neil   >  for being our Usher or: > Thank you, Neil,   >  for being our Usher I think the second option is correct but doesn't look quite right, probably due to being separated over two lines. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as once the engraving is done that's it.


"bound" or "bonded"

If I use a computer command like:               bind keystroke macro      I refer to that keystroke as being bound to that macro. Is it also correct to say that they are bonded? If I bind a bunch of twigs together, they are bound, but I don't think they are bonded. Can "bound" and "bonded" be used interchangeably? Under what circumstances?


meaning of a word in a particular context

what does _resolve_ mean in the following sentence? In spite of her **resolve** , her lips responded to his silent quest.


What does "he is sorted" mean?

In her book _Wedding Night_ , Sophie Kinsella writes: > He's got a cushy number. Nice salary, cottage on the estate... **he's > sorted**. I looked up the meaning of "sort" in [insert dictionary here] and didn't find anything that looked relevant. The closest I found was the idiomatic usage "sorted out", but there's no "out" in this quote. What does "he's sorted" mean?


Term for the category which contains Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, etc?

Is there a specific word or term for the group of mythical holiday characters such as Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, Cupid, etc?


Is it wrong to start sentences with "in which case"?

I read a few things someone wrote and for the first time I saw a sentence starting with "in which case". This person does that very frequently, and it seemed really wrong to me. Some time after that I saw another person doing the same (you can see it here, page 9, 5th paragraph). As this person is a very well-known and respected economist, who is also known for his good writing skills, I started to think that maybe it "sounded" weird just because I hadn't seen it before. In my view "in which case" should be preceded by a comma, but I might be mistaken. My question is then: is it really wrong to start sentences with "in which case" or am I completely off? **EDIT** : Here is the paragraph which contains the referred message: > Evil is a strong word. You may find the moral category too severe for > something as mild as breaking a promise. **In which case** , you may want to > change the title to "Distrust is the Root of all Money". But that wouldn’t > have quite the same ring.


What's the difference between 'shatter' and 'splinter'?

What's the difference between _shatter_ and _splinter_? Are they interchangeable? Their definitions from Cambridge dictionary are as follows: **Shatter(V):** > to (cause something to) break suddenly into very small pieces. **Splinter(V):** > to break into small, sharp pieces. Can I say "The car window was shattered (or splintered) last night."?


Is "hayway" an English word?

I thought I had heard and seen this word being used. For example, > If you do this, things will go hayway. Meaning that things will go out of order in a mess/berserk, something like that. Now I cannot find any such word in existence.


I was able to re-introduce the process that had not been done anymore. Past perfect?

I am not sure whether or not there should be past simple or past perfect: > I was able to re-introduce the procedure that had not been being followed > anymore. > > I was able to re-introduce the procedure that was not being followed > anymore. I think that because the process has not been followed (and was not before the re-introduction), this should be implied by the past perfect.


Are all the following expressions correct? What are the differences?   * I will arrange for the manuscript to be sent on to you.   * I will arrange that the manuscript will be send to you in time.   * I will make sure of the manuscript to be sent to you in time


Can a man made object be named arbitrarily without reason

I had a debate with a friend on how things made artificially are named. My friend proposed that all man made things are named with a reason/proper meaning. I disagreed saying not all things made by man need to have a name which can have a history or meaning to it. I gave an example of the word "quark" as a proof. Are there words for man made things which one can prove has no reason to it and was "made-up" arbitrarily.


What does “mensa” mean?

From Eric Temple Bell’s _Men of Mathematics_ : > All this [definition of “function” and substituting numbers for variables] > is familiar to anyone whose grammar-school education ended not more than > thirty or forty years ago, but some may have forgotten what they did in > arithmetic as children, just as others could not decline the Latin > **_mensa_** to save their souls. **_Mensa_** from Wikipedia: > Mensa, meaning table, can refer to the following: > >   * Mensa International is an organization for persons with high IQs. >   * Mensa is a southern constellation. >   * Mensa is a term used by geologists to refer to an extraterrestrial mesa. >   * Mensa (restaurant) is a type of restaurant that specialises in cheap > food for students. > I’m not sure whether any of these four meanings can fit the context. Maybe _mensa_ was some kind of restaurant or school textbook? I think the third meaning below may make sense:   1. A table.   2. A table of food; meal, course, feast.   3. A sacrificial table, altar.   4. vocative singular of mēnsa


As Well As - Tense Change?

Consider a sentence such as the following: > The new software was designed to increase programmer productivity as well as > reducing the company's total invested cost. Note the two separate tenses: **to increase** and **reducing**. Is this a correct form? Is this more correct? > The new software was designed to increase programmer productivity as well as > to reduce the company's total invested cost Neither sounds optimal to me.


How to call these types of fragments?

I have three types of sentence fragments: > Type A: "a sphere with a stem"   >  Type B: "has a worm"   >  Type C: "that is red" How can I call these fragment types to distinguish them? * * * Context: I want to generate messages from description fragments. For instance, if I got "`the apple`", the messages would be > 1a: "the apple _is_ a sphere with a stem"   >  1b: "the apple has a worm"   >  1c: "the apple that is red", or, for "`here is`", I would want to write > 2a: "here is a sphere with a stem"   >  2b: "here is _something that_ has a worm"   >  2c: "here is _something_ that is red" As you can see, depending on the type of the fragment, I may have to insert some "glue" words.


What is the meaning of 'the food chain'?

The OED confirms my long-held suspicion that the original use of the term 'food chain' is becoming supplanted by an altogether different meaning. The term 'food chain' was used extensively in the 1950s when scientists first became aware of the dangers associated with the pesticide DDT. The poison built up in the food chain until it reached humans at the top. **The OED says** : **under Ia**. _A series of organisms, each of which is dependent on the next for food, esp. by direct consumption or predation. 1920 Sci. Monthly Oct. 295 Each such fish has its ‘food-chain’..leading back from the food of man to invertebrates upon which it preys and then to the food of these. 1980 R. Mabey Common Ground i. 32 The accumulation in the birds of toxic agricultural pesticides, passed down the food chain from dressed grain to seed-eater to bird-of-prey. 2005 New Scientist 12 Nov. 44/1 Food chains here [sc. at deep ocean vents] are based not on photosynthesis, but on a process called chemosynthesis._ Nowadays the term 'food chain' seems most frequently to be used to describe the various events necessary to bring food to the table, from agriculture, to distribution, to packaging, to preparation and sale. **OED 2.** _The system or sequence of events by which food comes to be consumed by human beings. 1951 Ecology 32 351 The base of the human food chain is the production of plant organic matter. 1993 Independent 23 Oct. (Weekend section) 35/1 An elongated food chain involving numerous intermediate links—processors, packers, hauliers. 2003 Observer 5 Jan. i. 8/1 Defences against a bioterrorist attack involving animal diseases such as foot and mouth are to be stepped up to prevent rogue groups targeting Britain's food chain._ We have thus arrived at a confusing situation. How, in the view of subscribers to this site, should 'food chain' be used. If both are to continue how do we make it clear to readers and listeners which one we are talking about?


President Obama is called Sleeping Barry. Who in the world is this "Sleeping Barry"?

Today’s (September 10) New York Times carries Maureen Dawd’s article titled ‘Sleeping Barry Awakes.’ The headline is followed with the following beginning lines: > WOW, what a relief. > > The president was strong and House Republicans were conciliatory. There was > only one teensy-weensy problem: The president is weak and House Republicans > are obstructionist. > > Congressional Republicans, heeding polls indicating that their all-out > assault on President Obama was risky, finally tempered their public comments > after the jobs speech on Thursday and stopped acting like big jerks. I understand Maureen likens President to “Sleeping Barry.” But who is “Sleeping Barry” to begin with? From where it came from? I know all and sundry know “Sleeping Barry” in English-speaking countries. But I couldn’t find the definition on Google Search, though it was flooded with the clips headed by “Sleeping Barry Awakes.”


How to say "I must nothing" on a t-shirt

My son has a t-shirt that says, in Polish, "Nic nie muszę". It translates literally as "Nothing (I do) not must", meaning something like _I do not have to do anything_. How would you express this in English (for a t-shirt, not as an official prime minister's statement)? If British and American English differ here, please state.


“..which did what lay in it…” Ref: (“A tale of two cities” by Charles Dickens)

Ref: (“A tale of two cities” by Charles Dickens). What does “..which did what lay in it…” mean in the following sentence? > “As the bank passenger – with an arm drawn through the leathern strap, which > did what lay in it to keep him from pounding against the next passenger….”


"I don't think you X" versus "I think you don't X"

Consider the following two sentences: > **I don't think you** love your father. > > **I think you don't** love your father. Is the second sentence correct? I was taught it is wrong.


Is there a single word to describe a combination of a projected video and a live stage performance?

We're developing an entertainment module for a conclave. The format agreed upon is this: an audiovisual is projected on the screen, but is punctuated by live performances on the stage. For example, a sequence of a guy driving to work in rush hour is punctuated by a dimming of lights and while the AV fades out, real actors are seen driving on stage, seated in cutouts of cars, while the music changes tempo. The lights dim again and we see footage of the guy entering his office lobby- a 'tableau' of sorts, for want of a better/appropriate word. My question is, is there a word that describes this type of live-and-screened piece? I googled, and found the Japanese word _Rensageki_ and _New School Cinema._ I don't know about the Japanese word, but _New School Cinema_ is far too generic/bland for me. Is there a single word to describe this better than "Tableau", which is what I've temporarily titled the script? Ideally, I'm looking for a single word. If none exists, a short and descriptive phrase, or a combo word like 'docudrama' will also do - as long as it is succinct/definitive.


Which is higher — "hyper-", "ultra-" or "super-"?

According to OED,   * _hyper-_: > over, beyond, over much, above measure   * _ultra-_: > beyond   * _super-_: > over, above, higher than They all have the meaning "higher than", but what is the order of them? That is, which one is the highest? Which one is modest higher? And which one is middle higher? **Update:** Thank you all. I have searched by myself and spotted that, according to Taxonomy, _hyperfamily_ is larger than _superfamily_. Moreover, as Kris, Mitch and Robusto pointed out, _hyper_ is higher than _super_ in many other usage such as hypersonic/supersonic and hypermarket/supermarket. In addition _super_ is higher than _ultra_ in Audiology. So it seems > _ultra_ < _super_ < _hyper_ in common usage. On the other hand, in taxonomic ranks of biological classification, the rank _hypoorder_ is larger than _suborder_ , which is larger than _infraorder_. So a conclusion seems can be made as _infra_ < _sub_ < _hypo_. Overall, does it seem the order is > _infra_ < _sub_ < _hypo_ < _ultra_ < _super_ < _hyper_ in most usages?


Is it appropriate to say " I used to be more frightened of spiders that he is now"

I'm not sure, because it doesn't sound and feel right.


Should I use "did" or "does" when asking a question about the meaning of what someone said?

Here are two example questions:   1. What did he mean by that?   2. What does he mean by that? Question 1 seems correct to me because it uses the past tense word 'did,' but the word could also signify that his meaning has changed; which it hasn't. This is why I also think that question 2 could be correct. Would I use Question 2 if the statement the person is referring to was just asked, and use question 1 when the statement was said a while ago? Can someone please clear my confusion? Thanks!


Word for "measure that leads to negative consequences"

looking for a word that communicates following a measure will lead to many negative consequences UPDATE: I would like to use the word as I write about proposed policy changes; namely, a bill in the senate proposes to establish the minimum down payment of a mortgage to 5%. A person giving testimony against this measure, argued that mandating down payment levels can have many negative consequences.


Apples are "in the tree" or "on the tree"?


What is English equivalent to this Russian saying?

Background:   Russians use this saying to describe extreme heat conditions in "Banya" when it is becoming almost unbearable. Russian `Мои уши в трубочку сворачиваются?` English literal translation `My ears are curling into tubes` Question:   What is English idiom that could be used in sauna or steam room to describe that it has gotten so hot, that it feels like your ears are curling into a tube?


Waiteen for waiting

While it's reasonably common for people to drop the _g_ in words such as waiting, hating, and dating, I seem to be stumbling upon a number of Americans additionally drawing out the final syllable of these words. Id est, they pronounce _waiting_ (`/weɪtɪŋ/`) as _waiteen_ (`/weɪtiːn/`). I find it oddly pleasant and easy on the ear. While I initially suspected this form to be particular to teenagers, I've since also encountered adults employing it. Is this affectation particular to a region or class of society in the US?


Is "such as occurred in" in a parenthetical sentence correct?

In the following sentence, is the _such as occurred in Katrina_ part grammatically correct? > Eyewall replacement cycles, **such as occurred in Katrina** as it approached > the Gulf Coast of the United States, can greatly increase the size of > tropical cyclones. Context * * * An alternative, > Eyewall replacement cycles, such as **those that** occurred in Katrina as it > approached the Gulf Coast of the United States, can greatly increase the > size of tropical cyclones. seems to be clumsy.


When do we consider English speakers' familiarity as a proof?

English, like many other languages, has its own _usage of words_ and _convention_ that can only be captured by practicing and speaking with natives. For instance, if non-English speaker come up with a grammatically correct sentence that doesn't always mean it is correct by convention. So, in which cases do we accept answers that indicate _familiarity_ or _unfamiliarity_ of certain word usage from English speakers as a **supporting argument** or a **proof**?


Isn’t “Eye-glazing” a popular word? Why isn’t it included in major English dictionaries?

I came across the word _eye-glazing_ in the article of today’s Time magazine (Sept 9) titled ‘Slow Down! Why Some Languages Sound So Fast?’, which I'm sure will interest 'language buffs'. It begins with (Sorry for a bit lengthy): > “Here's one of the least-interesting paragraphs you've ever read: > > 'Last night I opened the front door to let the cat out. It was such a > beautiful night that I wandered down to the garden to get a breath of fresh > air. Then I heard a click as the door closed behind me.’ > > OK, it becomes a little less _eye-glazing_ after that, with the speaker > getting arrested while trying to force the door back open. Still, we ain't > talking Noel Coward here.” I checked online dictionaries to find the exact meaning of _eye-glazing_. I was able to find many examples of usages of this word, e.g., >   * But the rest of my audience was growing restive, with here and there an > _eye glazing_ over. —The Burglar on the Prowl >   * I mean, thousands of pages, stuff that's almost _eye glazing_ to read. > —CNN Transcript Dec 4, 2002 >   * The statute has become such an _eye glazing_ mess that it’s easy to > forget that in 1965 it was beautifully designed and absolutely essential. > —The Volokh Conspiracy > From the above examples I guessed the word means ‘making eyes unfocused, blurred’ (Correct me if I'm wrong), but I couldn’t find its definition in any dictionaries including Cambridge, Merriam-Webster Online, nor Urban Dictionary. I wonder why _eye-glazing_ which looks as if very colloquial is not registered in any dictionaries, while they accommodate eye-related compounds such as 'eye opening,' 'eye-catching,' and 'eye popping'. Isn’t _eye-glazing_ a popular word?


What is the origin and meaning of the phrase "all day" when used in a commercial kitchen?

I've heard the phrase "all day" used when commanding a kitchen brigade. It's generally used in a phrase like "I need 3 filets .. all day". What does this expression mean in this context? And what is its origin, if known?


US and UK English: queue or waiting line?

What do you usually say, depending on the context and depending if it's US or UK English? _wait in line_ or _queue_


Why are integrated circuits called "chips"?

Integrated circuits (IC) are called by many _chips_ , and as a particular case, microprocessors are also nicknamed _chips_. The same happens in Hebrew, where ICs are called "shvav" (or "shvavim" in plural), which is the Hebrew word for a chip. What is the source for the nickname?


What is the grammar behind "Thanks be to God"?

What is the grammatical interpretation of the phrase? I don't understand what verb tense or voice is used.


Coining new words from existing ones: Duplicate last letter?

I am trying to invent a word by taking an existing word and turning it into a noun a person can be called who is interacting with an object. The trouble I ran into was the initial word's ending. Since 'message' ends in an 'e', does the new word become messager, messageer, messagor, messageor or something completely different? What would be most consistant with how similar words have originated? I know the word messenger exist, but it does not quite fit what I am looking for. This came up in the context of coining appropriate names for objects invented using a programming language. The new word is supposed to convey that a person can interact with a message (send it, receive one....)


Which is more accurate: "The president signed the bill..." or "The president signed the law..."?

Which is more accurate: "The president signed the **bill**..." or "The president signed the **law**..."? **Update:** This is not a social studies question so I should have clarified what I am looking for. The assumption is that I am referring to a U.S. President signing a bill/law. Using the past tense _signed_ I am implying this happend in the past. Which means the item in question is currently a law, however at the time of signing it was still a bill. This is a question about tenses more than anything else.


Word that describes a collection of goals

I have a list of goals, and I need a word that would best describe it. A person would need to complete work on these goals to achieve their overall goal. E.g., "weight loss" would be a main goal, with "work out", "eating right", etc. being the goals that are part of "weight loss".


Metaword required

I need a new word or, even better, an old word that I don't know. This gets terribly meta (in a Hofstadter sense) and recursive, so I hope that this makes sense. The word I need is one that describes a word that embodies a concept. So, for example, a mouse is a small furry rat, but in a lab somewhere, perhaps someone said something like: "We have invented a pointing device that one holds in the palm of the hand, that is used to move objects around a virtual environment. We need a new [xxx]." Some additional examples "Our product is installed on our user's machine to supply an obvious function, but generates revenue by serving ads. This is an example of [???]," "Something that operates at the scale of between 1 to 100 billionth of a metre would be prefixed with [???]" The above examples (mouse, adware, nano-) are technology-oriented, but I'm not limiting my question to technology. So, for example, the unibrow describes eyebrows that join in the middle. So, what do we call a word that wraps a series of ideas into one succinct word, allowing for efficient communication? What would this process be called? What I'm looking for is to complete the following sentence: "This new development is crying out for a [xxx], to call it" I have come up with the following list, but they really don't quite capture the concept:   * Jargon / colloquialism / idiom - very close and cover some of what I mean. However, jargon has a technical connotation, colloquialism has an informal connotation and idiom has a cultural connotation.   * Name - This might cover a new object, but would feel clumsy for a new process, function or idea.   * Noun - this limits it to a specific grammatical element. What about windsurf (a verb).    * Meme - this felt right, but doesn't quite cover it. So, for example, a mouse isn't a meme.   * Neologism - I really thought this was it, but it only covers the early part of the adoption cycle.   * Signifier, Denotata, sign - these is from linguistics and probably comes closest but I feel that it might have a specific technical usage and I cannot see them becoming common.   * Word - what's wrong with word? I felt that this is too general. I feel that we need another level of abstraction. This really hits at the meta element. What I'm looking for is a word to describe a word that encapsulates an idea. This word would be a specific instance of itself. Staying with a theme, take an example of meta. Before Hofstadter developed the concept of meta, there was no way of describing "an X about X". Now that we have meta, we can say metaconcept (a concept about concepts), metaphilosophy, metadata and metamathematics. What I need is a metaword.


What does ‘cutting with’ mean in ‘someone is right there cutting with the rest of them’?

I read the following lead copy in today's Washington Post article titled "Back home, GOP freshmen find fiscal responsibility can be tricky business." What does "cutting with" mean? I don’t find the meaning of "cut with" other than in the ordinary usage of cut something with a knife, scissors or any other tools in a dictionary at hand, or in Google search. Does it mean _alone, separate_ from the rest? I'm confused with the usage of basic and short words very often that are quite plain to native speakers. > As the government programs fell and the tens of billions in savings piled up > during the budget debate in the House last week, freshman Republican Frank > Guinta was right there cutting with the rest of them.


Phrasal verb/expression for "bring people together somewhere"

Is there a phrasal verb or expression to express the idea of bringing people together somewhere, other than explicitly using "people" in the sentence? I am looking for something that already implies it's people we are talking about: > Let's bring people to the party.   >  Let's "expression ->" party.


"When would be the best time" vs. "what would be the best time"

Is it more appropriate to say > When would be the best time and date for the meeting? or > What would be the best time and date for the meeting? I would assume the former and not the latter, but is it just as acceptable?


What is antonym of "update"?

The antonym of "upgrade" is "downgrade", quite broadly used. What is the antonym of "update"? Update:   Though, I hoped for something like "un-update" because reverting or uninstalling updates are much lengthier.   Update2:   After having further answers about "Restore", et al, I decided to restore the phrase from my original update. > Yes, I can revert updates (uninstall service packs, hotfixes or restore the > operating system to a previous state/image)


Analysing "So amazed he cannot speak"

In the sentence: "So amazed he cannot speak", is "amazed" an adjective?


on particular case of "the" usage

I'm about to submit my thesis, and to do so I have to translate the title of the thesis into English. My main concern is about the use of _the_. My title reads as follows: > On relations between sth1, sth2 and sth3. Is it correct or should it be " _On **the** relations between..._"?


Using "dear", "darling", or "honey"  to address a friend

As far as I know _dear_ , _darling_ , and _honey_ are commonly used between lovers, but I suppose there are more words like that. What else is commonly used? Which of these can be used to address a (close/not close) friend without sounding sarcastic or awkward?


"When the internet first got kicking"?

> When the internet first got _kicking_ , some scholars of democracy and civil > society thought that online discussions could create what they called a > "conversational democracy”: an ongoing town hall without bricks and mortar. How to understand "kicking" in the context above? I learned from OED that > **kicking**   >  adjective   >  (informal) full of life and excitement: The club was really kicking last > night. Does it have the same meaning here?


Which is correct: "What is" or "What are"

How should I phrase "What is the first 5 digits of your home postal code" or "What are the first 5 digits of your home postal code?"


Etymology of "French fries"

In Belgium there are three stories about the etymology of French fries. And I'd like to know once and for all which one is correct. The most popular story is probably the following, because it allows us to tell people French fries are actually not French at all, but Belgian instead: > During WWI the allied soldiers tasted French fries in Wallonia, because the > people there speak French, they thought that they were in France instead, > and thus called them French fries. The second and third story are somewhat related and sound more logical to me. It either refers to: > 1) Frenching, which is a method of cutting foods or > 2) French frying, which is a method of frying foods


What does this construction mean?

With his sense of piercing irony, there went none of the typical friendliness of the Americans.


Is there an original etymology for "Xenomorph" outside of the origin in the movies?

This question on a different SE site asks the question of what the etymology of the word "Xenomorph" is, and the consensus, from the comments at least, is that it has none - that it was purely invented for that movie. My question is, is this true? Did this word purely exist as a creation of the movies, as a portmanteau of two separate words? Or is there an origint that dates back to before the creation of these movies? I realize this is the ELU stack exchange, so I don't expect a detailed explanation of the etymological origins movie-side, I'm simply curious if there is any evidence that this word existed prior to the Alien franchise.


What does "bad-ass wives" exactly mean? Why did "bad-ass" come to mean "tough and aggressive"?

_Time_ magazine carries the list of ‘Top 10 Bad-ass wives’ (in the world, or in history) in its July 21 issue with the lead copy: > When a comedian tried to throw a pie in her husband's face, Wendi Deng, wife > of Rupert Murdoch, leaped into the fray, blasting the man with a fierce > right hand. TIME takes a look at other wives who kick ass. In the “Top 10 bad-ass wives” included are The Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, Queen Isabella of Spain, Eleanor Roosevelt, Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama, and Elin Nordegren who wielded a golf club, chasing her husband, Tiger Woods around their mansion in Florida—"That's pretty bad-ass," according to the writer. Though I interpret “bad-ass” wives as “tough or aggressive,” as Oxford Online Dictionary defines, I'm not sure if the word is used in a positive sense or in a sarcastic tone, because another dictionary, Merriam-Webster, defines “bad- ass” as (1) Ready to cause or get into trouble, followed by (2) of formidable strength or skill. Is the meaning of “bad-ass” in “bad-ass wives” and “That's pretty bad-ass” the same? Also, I wonder how ‘bad-ass’ came to mean ‘tough and aggressive’ or ‘ready to cause trouble,’ whichever. I searched the origin of the word on Google in vain. Can somebody teach me?


Are there any definitive sources for English word forms?

My interest in English grammar began because of learning about the rules of grammar while learning Latin. In inter-language dictionaries, it's common to mention the declension of nouns, conjugation of verbs, etc. In English, however, I'm often hard pressed for a source to turn to when I want to know what the past participle of a verb or the comparative of an adjective is. I frequently turn to the Oxford English Dictionary, and it is occasionally useful (there is a nice note about the comparative and superlative of _little_ ), but it doesn't appear to be at all consistent (there is no mention of the comparative and superlative forms of _stupid_ ). Are there better sources for this information?


Can I say "Do you have a facebook"?

Can I say "Do you have a facebook" to ask if someone has "a Facebook account"? I know it is not grammatically correct. I just wanted to know if people say that or not.


Is there a fully defined way to pluralize/unpluralize words in English?

I'm wondering if there is a way, given an arbitrary word and without knowing the meaning, to switch it from plural to non-plural form and back? I know the common case is the trailing s, such as >   * disks -> disk, >   * car -> cars, >   * field -> fields > but then there are the odd cases like >   * deer -> deer, >   * person -> people, >   * mongoose -> [I don't know], >   * mouse -> mice > So is there a 'universal' (aka an exhaustive list of exceptions to the "s" rule) way to convert from singular to plural and back?


What does "of a kind" mean?

I'm not referring to "one of a kind" or "first of a kind" but " **the two were of a kind** ". This turns out to be remarkably un-Googlable so I am having difficulty providing examples. In context I have always assumed it meant that two things were in a unique category unto themselves.


The proofs of theorems vs the proof of theorems

Suppose that there are three Theorems, say Theorem A, Theorem B and Theorem C. I want to refer all of proofs of Theorem A,B,C at the same time. Which one is correct?   1. From the proofs of Theorem A,B and C, ~~   2. From the proof of Theorem A, B and C, ~


In the song _Great is Thy faithfulness_ there is a line that reads > Join with all nature in manifold witness What does that mean? What is _manifold witness_?


Term for emergent system with its own logical rules/laws?

_Eigenlogik_ in German means that a subsystem has its own set of rules determining its phenomenological behavior. E.g. in sociology, a social group of humans shows a group behavior based on rules/laws of psychology. You can't derive it from the underlying physical laws of atoms and molecules that comprise humans. So an _Eigenlogik_ often occurs in emergent systems. The German _eigen-_ as a prefix in English is quite common. _Eigenvectors, -matrices_. Is there a special analogon or should one use simply _eigenlogic_ , maybe _intrinsic/immanent/inherent logic_?


What is "take note of the fine print"?

A friend of mine bought something on _Groupon_ , and received a mail about how to use the voucher. It says: >   1. Open the pdf file attachment >   2. Print voucher >   3. Take note of the fine print >   4. Redeem your voucher > The 1 and 2 are obvious, and 4 seems obvious as well, but what does the 3 mean?


What does “pregnant pause” mean?

Question is self-explanatory. Just curious and want to expand my knowledge of English.


What is the difference between illegal and unlawful?

I often hear an unlawful act, so what is an illegal act?


Meaning of 'sky high'?

> China is a rich country, yet food prices are **sky high**. The word 'sky' seems an adjective.


"after finishing her trip, latest by March 2015, she will..."

The sentence is > after finishing her trip, latest by March 2015, she will continue to work > for us. What does that mean?   What is March 2015 related to? To the end of her trip or to the end of her work?


Is it true that yeast was once called "Godisgoode"?

In this article discussing beer, it is said that in medieval times yeast (possibly only brewer's yeast) was called _godisgoode_. Is that the case? (Searching on Google sheds very little light on the matter.)


Why is unemployability still unaccepted?

In some countries where there is serious shortage of skilled personnel or employable persons, it is common to describe the situation as a problem of unemployability. However, this word still appears to be unrecognized by most if not all dictionaries. Is there some better word or does it break any rule? Why has it been unaccepted for a long time?


Are "partially" and "partly" identical in meaning and usage?

As title said. Thank you in advance.


Is "must certainly" redundant?

Is "must certainly" redundant or incorrect? Or is it a valid way to stress the certainty of "must"? Examples: > You must be wrong. > > You must _certainly_ be wrong.


What is the difference between translation and transliteration

It's always intrigued me what the difference is between these two terms. I can guess that `translation` is a contextual translation whereby the original foreign text is maintained with any language idiosyncrasies intact, whereas `transliteration` is translating the text _verbatim_ , during which any context may be lost. Any help clearing up this would be appreciated, and an example from another language would be awesome! Thanks is advance.


What does "wrt" mean?

What is the meaning of _wrt_ in the following text? > I think this is an excellent idea, but I'd like to see this explicitly > reframed under the banner of providing Drupal.org data through publicly- > accessible APIs. We started kicking off at least one discussion like that > **wrt** Git over at http://groups.drupal.org/node/126529, which also led > back to "#112805: XML-RPC Interface".


"Ground floor" vs. "first floor"

Is the bottom-most floor (on ground level not the basement) "ground floor" or "first floor" in America?


Inverted adjective in "in matters political"

In _in matters political_ , one can notice the inversion of the standard adjective-noun order. Here's an example in context: > political obligation is only one consideration among many in a determination > in how we ought to act in **matters political** I would have expected "in political matters." When can such construction be used? Is it fit to writing as well as speech, or would you rather say "in political matters" when in colloquial contexts?


"How dare you" vs "How do you dare"

I know that _dare_ is a _semi-modal_ verb. I just don't know when to use it like a modal auxiliary verb and when to use it like a normal verb. Given the following examples: > How dare you ...   >  How do you dare ... Is it only up to the speaker as to which one to use? Or does it depend on the circumstances?


Antecedents of indefinite pronouns

Consider the sentence, "Most of the apples are fresh." Is it incorrect to say that _apples_ is the antecedent of the indefinite pronoun _most_?


numbers used as words

Is there a word or words for a group of numbers that is used with a specific meaning apart from the values of the numbers themselves? Like 911 for emergency, 411 for information, 24/7 for always available, or 10-4, 10-20, and similar radio code designations? I know each of these has specific meanings and associations, but I wonder what term/s can be used to refer to this category of numbers used as language.


What is an inverse phrase for “topping-off”?

I’m looking for a term or phrase that is the inverse equivalent to the action of “topping-off”, like a gas tank, but meaning “to completely empty.” Not a steady state (empty, depleted), but more a phrase implying readiness. Example: If going for a long drive and you want to tell your girls to go to the bathroom first (even if they don’t have to.) Something that means exactly the inverse of “topping-off”.


What is the meaning of 'life'?

Seeing that I have 75 Unicoins, I decided to buy "Guaranteed answer" because it claims _"No more need to wait: We guarantee you an answer on all of your questions."_ I'm very curious to know what answer of the question _"What is the meaning of 'life'?"_ would be.   (PS. I opted for "inspirational" answer.)


Can you shorten this sentence?

Is there a shorter phrase with this meaning: > I invited him to my party verbally when I met him. I thought perhaps the phrase _I invited him personally_ meant this until I saw _personal_ in written invitations, I'm still looking.


Are the allies always good guys?

I spotted that when a war is described in English, the side described as "allies" is nearly always reserved to the side to which the speaker has sympathy. Although technically the word means somebody in alliance, I virtually never seen the word applied to a supposedly bad side even if that side has an alliance of their own. It seems this sometimes can be used to point a "good" side in a conflict when commenting the news (even if no Western power is directly involved). I also noticed that regarding WWII some commenters often say "the Allies and the Soviets" or "the Allies decided to make offensive after that of the Soviets" even though technically the USSR was allied with say Britain and the USA. Instances where the Soviets are grouped into "Allies" are rare especially after the fall of the USSR. Does this usage indicate the commenter's anti- Soviet or anti-Communist inclination? I also once spotted the usage of the word in regards of the Crimean war between Great Britain and the Russian Empire in the 19th century where British allies (i.e. Turks) were called "the allies". Does such usage also indicate that the author is sympathetic to the British and Turkish side? Another explanation may be that the word can be simply used to refer any side that is allied with the country from which the speaker originates (i.e. UK and/or the USA in most cases for an English speaker) and as such the speaker is most likely support that side and expresses sympathy to it.


"tailored towards" or "tailored to"?

Which one would you prefer, in particular in combination with "the needs"? Google finds a lot more for "tailored to" (30 millions) than for "tailored towards" (only 600 thousands).


Is it correct for someone to say that they've "fixed the apparent problems" with something?

Either there were no problems and therefore nothing to fix.   Or there were some problems are therefore something to fix.   But how can apparent problems be fixed?   Unless "apparent" in this context means "obvious"? I'm confused!


Comma usage in a complex series

I have the following caption title: Fig. 5. Measured small-signal gain, input return loss, and output return loss vs. frequency of C-band HPA. This is equivalent to (a), (b), and (c) vs. (d) **Question** Ambiguity lies in the above as to whether (a), (b), and (c) are **all** versus (d) or whether it is simply a list of three things. Pleas help with the correct use of punctuation to illustrate the former case.


What is the word for this effect: things are not normally noticed until those things come in to the news and people fear/are looking for them

For instance. I've never really paid attention to white vans, but when the DC sniper was at large and they stated that he's probably shooting from a white van, white vans seemed to appear out of no where and be around every corner!


How to use "that is"?

My question involves the usage of "that is." I would like to use this construction in such a way that it will provide further qualification to the previous passage or sentence. An example might be something like this: "However, it is far less clear whether the fluent processing of a word will have the opposite effect, that is, will the reaction time to a given stimulus show a decreased latency." What would be correct usage of punctuation, semi-colon, questions marks etc...? Or perhaps does this type of construction not even make much sense?


Which one is correct — "facades weathering all weathers" or "facade weathering all weathers"?

![Facades weathering all weathers](http://i.stack.imgur.com/IY7lQ.png) On my website banner, I had a sentence that read "Facade finishes weathering all weathers". Somebody suggested to me to change it to "Facades weathering all weathers", stating that when action ( _finishes_ ) is removed from the sentence, we need to make the _facade_ plural. So which one is correct? >   1. Facades weathering all weathers. >   2. Facade weathering all weathers. >


"by myself" against " by my own"

As a Spanish speaking person, I think I have a very good level of English, but I still get confused with the use of “by myself” versus “by my own”. Can someone please give me some key ideas (and examples) about when to use which, so I can definitely avoid this doubt?


Etymology of "regression"

What is the etymology of "regression" as in finding the coefficients of polynomials?


Are people being literal when they say "I like to think that …"?

Sometimes people start a sentence with _I like to think that_. > I like to think that my business plan will attract investors.   * Are they being literal? In other words, are they stating that they like something so they believe it? If so, do you think these speakers know that they are giving the listener a reason to distrust them?   * Or, are they employing an idiom that means _I believe_.   * Or, (after seeing Nick's answer, I am adding this third possibility) that people are employing an idiom that means _I hope_.


What is the correct abbreviation for the word "numbers"?

What is the correct abbreviation for the words _numbers_ and _number_?   * Nos.   * No.   * Nos   * No Possible example usage:   1. "Number of guests" where the word number is abbreviated   2. "Numbers 10–15 are located in the top shelf."


"Located in" vs "located at"

What's the difference between them? I am interested in a generic definition, but here is the sentence I was writing: > "The file is located at/in the images folder."


Is it correct to use "My minor endeavours"

Would it be correct to use "My minor endeavors" in this sentence: "My minor endeavors through my high school kept up my curiosity in computers". If not please suggest an alternative and it would be great if I could know the reason why it is wrong. P.S.: My reasons for asking are purely interest-based as this does not sound good to my ears.


Is "Starts out/off well" an idiomatic expression?

In the context of a greeting card, would it be idiomatic to say, "Hope [noun] starts out/off well," or is this awkward?


What's the opposite of nominal in the astronaut sense?

If some sub-system is not nominal, what do they say?


One word to describe this situation

If someone holds your jaw aggressively and threatens you, is there a specific word to describe this action or situation?


Why does 'coed' only mean female coeducational students?

As an adjective, the word coed, short for coeducational, indicates an institution that teaches both males and females. However, as a noun, it can only mean "a young **woman** who attends college". Why is this so and how did this come about?


When is "to" a preposition and when the infinitive marker?

>   * I want to see you. >   * I look forward to seeing you. > How can one say "to" in the first sentence is an infinitive marker and in the second sentence a preposition when we are given just the following two sentences and are asked to fill in the blanks? >   * I want to **___ ___**(see/seeing) you. >   * I look forward to **___ _**(see/seeing) you. >


Economic potential of a company

I would like to say, in business terms, `"thanks to the money the company has"`, meaning they can make investments, I thought of: `Thanks to your company's economic potential` ?


Displaying a Quote

What is the proper way to display a quote? Is it different when you provide a written quotation versus something someone said? Some variation examples I see: "The ancestor to every action is a thought." - Ralph Waldo Emerson "The ancestor to every action is a thought." -Ralph Waldo Emerson "The ancestor to every action is a thought." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson "The ancestor to every action is a thought." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson "The ancestor to every action is a thought." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


Word for the superclass of buttons, zippers, and pegs?

I’m looking for a word which describes all of buttons, zippers, and pegs — or any objects used to secure clothing, such as on the face of a t-shirt or jacket. I’ve considered using _seal_ and _connector_ , but they seem out of place in the context of clothing. I’m not looking for a specialized word specifically for these things, but something which they appropriately fall under. (It will be the name of a parameter in the description of an item of clothing in a program which can have one of the values listed above.)


Differences in the Semantics of Three Tri-Part Phrasal Verbs

What are the subtle semantic differences in the following three tri-part phrasal verbs: (1) be up against (2) come up against (3) run up against


Equivalent of the word "quadrant"

What would be the equivalent of the word quadrant when referring to 1/2 and 1/8 of an area? I'm looking for a more specific term than simply a half. To give more detail, I'm looking for a term which can refer to a node of a binary tree data structure. In a quad tree data structure, you can refer to each node as a quadrant. I'm looking for the equivalent reference in a binary tree. It would be incorrect to refer to a node in a quad tree as a quarter or a quarter-plane, likewise for a binary tree it would be incorrect to refer to a node as a half or half-plane.


The origin of the term "Baker's Dozen"?

There's a "hot question" at the moment about the use of the apostrophe in the phrase _Baker's Dozen_ , and it got me to wondering: where did this phrase originate? Did bakers really offer 13 in a _dozen_? Is it a joke about bakers being bad at maths? If bakers did offer 13 in a _dozen_ , then why did they start doing it?


I'm trying to pick up new sentence structures

...and I came across this sentence: " It doesn't matter how good you are at identifying and fixing problems, if your written and spoken communication does not measure up, it will hold you back." It has two independent clauses connected by one dependent clause. I'm trying to put this sentence into a category. Is this a compound sentence? ...a complex sentence? What kind of sentence is this?


Uniformalize vs uniformize

In my standard college dictionary "uniformalize" is listed as _rare_ , while "uniformize" is not listed at all, yet wikipedia is the opposite.


Why is fingernail paint called "nail polish"?

The paint that is commonly used to color the fingernail is called (in the United States) "nail polish", when it is clearly a paint. Obviously it was at one time customary to polish nails instead of paint them, but is there any other reason for using "polish" to describe a substance better described as "paint"?


Adjective to describe very abusive language or nature

I would like to know appropriate adjective(s) to describe a person's abusive language or nature used describe swearing at somebody. **Edit:** I want a more British and formal English. Something that can be used in formal writing like _opprobrious_.


Possessive plural of country?

Is it countries? Country's? I originally thought the latter but this would suggest a singular country?


Is there a word for my relation to ex-wife's child?

If I marry a woman and she has a child, I am a step parent. But what if the sequence is reversed? For example, suppose I am married to a woman, get divorced and she subsequently has a child by someone else. Is there any word in the English language to describe what my relationship (if any) is to this child? This is my situation; I'm close to this child and always at a loss to describe our situation as other than family friend. Can anyone offer another suggestion?


Is "put together" an adjectival phrase?

When someone says "He is smarter than I and she put together," what is the function of the phrase "put together"? Is it considered an adjective?


by the way of our thinking Vs. by the way we think

Is it correct to say > Everything changes by the way of our thinking. or should I say: > Everything changes by the way we think. And how different are they in meaning?


"Super-duper ultra mega"

Can I use the adjectives _super-duper_ , _ultra_ , and _mega_ in one adjective? For example, > A **super-duper ultra mega** huge dome.


Opposite of "bells and whistles"

_Bells and whistles_ refers to _non-essential features, visual or functional, that are an enhancement to the object_. What is the opposite of _bells and whistles_?


Comma in "The key objective is X, with the broader goal of Y"

> The key objective of the declaration is to create guidelines, with the > broader goal of facilitating international mobility of students. Are there any rules that govern the placement or omission of this comma?


"Why the sun shines?"

I've seen questions framed in the following manner many a time: > "Why the sun shines?"   >  "Why hair grows?" While the most correct way to frame these kind of questions is obviously: > "Why does the sun shine?"   >  "Why does hair grow?" I was wondering if the former two sentences are grammatically sound. They are not something I would personally say, and it doesn't _sound_ right to me (I've always thought they're wrong); but _is it_ wrong to frame questions in that manner?


Which is natural, fall into, fit into, belong to a category?

Which is natural, _fall into_ , _fit into_ , _belong to_ a category?   1. Tigers **fall into** the category of "Big Cat".   2. Tigers **fit into** the category of "Big Cat".    3. Tigers **belong to** the category of "Big Cat".  Which one is better?


Usage of contemporary, casual, and elegant when describing an object in one sentence

I came across this sentence and I got a mixed feeling about the usage of the below terms in one sentence describing a characteristic of an object. Here is the full sentence: "To achieve that the language must be contemporary, casual, and elegant this isn’t the case today." What bothered me here was a description of the language. I feel like contemporary and casual do not go well with elegant. Or am I wrong?


How to correctly use the plural form of genus (genera)?

For example: > Cercis, canna and catalpa are all genera of flowers – just doesn't sound right. How should it be used correctly? Thanks.


"What f**k do I give?" as a rhetorical question. a viable construction?

We all know and love the "I don't/couldn't give a f**k/shit/rat's ass" phrase. It helps a lot and relieves much tension. But would the rhetorical question form "What f**k do I give" be technically correct? I came up with this one time relying on my intuition with English. I've googled it and I saw that it indeed sees use, some apparently native speakers do use it in sentences. Example of usage: > Jimmy: Hey, dad! I got an A on my math test.   >  Dad: Ok, Jimmy. But you need to answer to yourself a very important > question.   >  Jimmy: What's that, dad?   >  Dad: What f**k do I give? The game's on and I'm watching. Now get the f**k > outta here before I smack you. Sorry for my morbid sense of humor, I hope it helped to get the point across :D


Origins of "aluminium"

What are the roots of the word _aluminium_? I am interested since English and Americans spell the word differently (with and without the final _i_ respectively). **Edit** : If _aluminum_ was the original word and was later amended to _aluminium_ (as OpaCitiZen states below), why did the change take place? There are other elements which end in _-um_ rather than _-ium_ (e.g. _platinum_ ). Also, why was the change not universal?


What to call a chandelier's crystal drop?

What's the English name for those drop-like crystal prisms used to scatter the light from a chandelier? I was thinking to buy some on the internet when I realized I don't even know what to search for. ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/rEpMh.jpg)


At Night or In the Night?

Why do we refer to morning, afternoon and evening as 'in the morning', 'in the afternoon', 'in the evening' but not 'in the night' instead we say 'at night.'


What is the meaning of "valence" in this sentence?

From a New York times article about a summer program for poor students: > The **valence** among Vinay, Arshdeep and MD, and the 80 or so other mentors > and their mentees forms the backbone of a new summer program called Practice > Makes Perfect. (source: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/mentoring-students- to-prevent-the-summer-slide/?hp&_r=0) According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, the (most relevant) definition of valence is > the degree of attractiveness an individual, activity, or thing possesses as > a behavioral goal I don't see how that fits with how it's used in this sentence. What does valence mean here?


Why is 'transparent' tactic ‘‘counterproductive and contrary to one’s belief in the First Amendment’?

In New Yorker’s article (August 6) titled, ‘Bezos and the Washington Post: A skeptical view,’ the writer, John Cassidy wraps up his article with the following statement: > Will he (Bezos) be ordering his editors to publish articles defending > Amazon’s business tactics and criticizing those who question them? - - -. > **Such a tactic would be transparent, counterproductive** , **and,** quite > possibly, **contrary to his belief in the First Amendment**. But through the > editorial columns of the Post, -- he will be able to have his voice heard > much more clearly. And that, surely, must be worth something to him. Two > hundred and fifty million dollars, perhaps? > http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2013/08/bezos-and-the- > washington-post-a-skeptical-view.html I stumbled with the line, “Such a tactic would be transparent, counterproductive, and contrary to his belief in the First Amendment.” Why “transparent tactic,” that is thought to be very productive and commendable as against opaque intent, or cover-up attempts and tactics familiar with political, business scandals, can be “counterproductive and contrary to the belief in the First Amendment” as well? I’m afraid I’m reading the sentence in too immature way, and perhaps nitpicking. What does ‘transparent’ here mean? Would you clarify why ‘transparent’ is laid in parallel with ‘counterproductive’ and ‘contrary to the belief in the freedom of speech” as a business tactic, or an executive order?


Is there a difference between "depressive" and "depressing"?

Is news _depressing_ or _depressive_? In what situations would you use these two words? According to dicionary.com: > depressive - tending to depress > > depressing - serving to depress; inducing a state of depression That's why I'm asking. Those 2 explanations are very similar. Perhaps it's the difference is in intention?


> ...the boys were sitting around in the Palace sipping the result of Eddie’s > latest contribution. Gay was there too, the latest member of the group. > Eddie sipped speculatively from his glass and smacked his lips. “ **It’s > funny how you get a run** ,” he said. “Take last night. There was at least > ten guys ordered Manhattans. Sometimes maybe you don’t get two calls for a > Manhattan in a month. It’s the grenadine gives the stuff that taste.” > > John Steinbeck. Cannery Row. What does it mean "It’s funny how you get a run"?   I think I understand all words but do not understand whole sentence.   Is it possible to say the same in other words and more simply?


What's the meaning of "hood" here?

What's the meaning of _hood_ in this comment? Is it _neighbourhood_ , or it's a slang for something else? > Cutler Ridge (they renamed it to Cutler Bay now wtf) has been hood for a > long time. We used to street race out at Black Point when I was a dumb ass > teenager. But Saga Bay and the immediate coast areas were pretty nice back > then. Edit: This poster made his comment in response to the following remark that's made from another poster: > My dad's SUV got jacked when I was living in Saga Bay. Don't live in FL > anymore. Too much f-king crime and grime.


Is there a word or phrase for 'shared accountability that leads to collective inaction'?

When a group as opposed to an individual is responsible for a job or task, and as a result the task does not get performed because everyone assumes that someone else will do it. Is there a word or phrase to describe this?


Word that means "more accepting of other cultures"?

Is there a word that means "more accepting of other cultures" that has a tone appropriate for use as a mild counter to "xenophobic"? Essentially a mild opposite of "xenophobic". Example: "This organization outwardly claims to want to be more _____, but its actions lately have shown an unsettling xenophobic trend."


What does voice in writing mean?

What does it mean when people talk about voice when referring to someone's writing? Is it his/her specific point of view? or Can two people have the same point of view and different writing voices?


What’s the plural of “Valentine’s”

If I want to form the plural of “Valentine’s” as a short form of “Saint Valentine’s Day” – where do I put the apostrophe(s)? Is it possible at all? I believe that _Valentines’_ , although the normal plural form of a genitive ending in “s”, would be wrong here since that would mean “the day of the people who are called Valentine”. So what’s right? _Valentine’s’ ?_ Here’s an example of where I’d use this form: > She had spent so many Valentine’s’ alone that she now loathed the very > mention of this day. – Of course I could simply write it out … but where’s the fun in that?


When is 'over and above' used?

When is the expression 'over and above' used instead of just 'over' or just 'above'?


Why "a" before "elements of a first step"?

I have learned that "the first" is a determiner. So this example arises a question for me. > Elements of a first step Could someone explain it? For context


What is the correct use of commas when using the word "attached"

What is the correct comma use in the following sentence? Per our earlier conversation, attached, please find the document.


‘Terminable’ vs ‘Terminated’ In the Context of Firing Somebody

_Terminable vs Terminated_ Is the sentence below okay with 'terminable'? Being under the influence of alcohol or unprescribed narcotics while working is a _terminable offense._ Are the two sentences below okay with the use of 'terminated'? The supervisor _terminated Joe's employment._ Joe's employment was _terminated by his immediate supervisor._ _Bad wording:_ Joe's supervisor _terminated him_. (This wording appears as if the supervisor killed him.) _Bad wording:_ Joe's supervisor _terminated him_ from employment. (Same as above.)


Which one is right "Comment" or "Comments"

On webpages ( in contact-us forms and comment boxes ) plural and singular for of comment and comment/comments are variably used. 1) Add a comment 2) Submit comment 3) Post comments etc On facebook, it's a button "comment" ( besides like button ) What is right. Plural or singular form ?


Poor but not financially, rich but not through money

I'm thinking of these concepts, because I'm writing an article: Some people are poor financially, but they act like ladies and gentlemen. In other words, they have kind hearts, big spirits, profound knowledge and beliefs, and many other things. Some people are rich financially, and they have a lot of money, but they're far from being humanitarian, they won't help other people, they're not kind to their employees, they don't spend money for their family, etc. etc. What I'm trying to convey is that monetary richness/poorness is something different to non-monetary states. And while they're correlated and effect each other, i.e., rich people are usually more modest, more knowledgeable, etc., but they can occur without the other one being present. But I'm stuck at good terminology that can convey what I have in mind in the best way. I thought of `rich vs. wealthy` to denote that rich is someone who has money, but wealthy is who has lot's of good attributes, one of which might be money. However, I'm not content with them. Can you help me picking out these four terms:   1. Poor financially   2. Poor non-financially   3. Rich financially   4. Rich non-financially


British slang: larl

I've seen this word a couple of times in twitter and I've not gotten a clear definition. A friend of mine wrote a mock British text that went like this "al av ya mum ya larl cunt" so that might give context.


Is there a word for fearing oneself?

My brother exhibits this strange behaviour. He once saw his shadow on the wall and screamed in alarm thinking it was a ghost. Another day, when his collar flaps fluttered in the wind, he became nervous that someone was lurking behind him. Under cases of extreme panic, he develops an abnormal fear of his own making. Is there a name for this? Could we call this autophobia?


Is being "low on the totem pole" good or bad?

The background for this question is that I'm watching the latest episode of NCIS, and in this episode it is mentioned that the term "Low on the totem pole" actually is a good thing, reserved for the most honored carvings. As such, saying that someone is "pretty low on the totem pole" is a compliment, not a way of saying that you're low on rank or importance. However, I haven't been able to find any sources online that says the same, and it seems most usages of the term use it in the meaning I thought it had, ie. low importance, rank, or similar. So what is right? Does the term "low on the totem pole" mean "low importance or rank", or does it mean "high importance or rank"?


Polite/professional alternative to 'It turns out'

I have been tasked with coming up with a nicer phrase to use than 'It turns out'. It is to be used in situations like the below: >   * 'It turns out' that we cannot... >   * 'It turns out' that we don't... > I know the above two examples are followed by negative words, but is there a nicer phrase that can be used? Perhaps even one that may soften the message? **Edit:** It is to be used in a spoken context (customer service). Thanks for the suggestions so far.


Grammatical mistake in sentences

I have no idea what's wrong with those sentence. thanks for helping me. :) 1:Smith et.al(2000) reports that this level of violence is harmful 2:(Patel,cited from Bragg,2003) 3:The failure of cells from removing sugars causes diabetes.


What's the difference between 'fallacy' and 'misnomer'?

In which contexts the usage vary?


What is the correct usage of the word "frontier"?

How to use the word _frontier_ correctly? For example, is this sentence correct: > Imagination enables going beyond the scientific knowledge frontier.


Word for position and orientation

I am looking for a word to describe a location (an x,y coordinate) and an orientation (north, south etc). Is there such a word?


Word for first sale of the day

In the Indian subcontinent, the first sale of the day by a shopkeeper is considered very auspicious. I am sure it would be the same in other countries as well. Is there a single word or phrase for it? The users with Hindi as their native tongue would understand that I am talking about _bohani_.


"Through difficult to defeat"

There is a saying that when translated from my language is _Through difficult to defeat_. Is it correct to say it this way? I know that the correct saying is _To stars through difficulties_. It is very important for me to know as I need to use it for a tattoo.


What does 'Reno-era' policy mean?

I saw the following sentence in today's Washington Post article. What does 'Reno-era' policy mean? It's a new word to me. Can somebody tell? > Reno-era policy kept Jared Loughner off FBI gun list. An old policy memo > from the Clinton administration paved the way for accused Arizona gunman > Jared Loughner to buy his first firearm.


What is the stylistic device used in this poem?

I am not sure if there is a kind of stylistic device in below poem sentence. > The king’s horses are purebloods, his barns cut stone; roans, blacks, > dapples, bays; the granite reds, greys, blues. If I understand correctly, the "normal" sequence should be: > The king’s horses are purebloods, roans, blacks, dapples, bays; his barns > cut stone, the granite reds, greys, blues. Is there a name/term for this in poetry?


I am looking forward to ....? (followed by a Gerund)?

I know, that > I am looking forward to hearing from you. is correct. But I am not sure, if this holds also for other verbs? So is > I am looking forward to taste your cookies. or is > I am looking forward to tasting your cookies. correct?


Is the English-speaking Internet community moving towards Americanized spelling?

Some of my spelling checking software failed to recognize the American spelling of the words "organize" and "realize" when a British English dictionary is being used. Curious, I looked up the British form of these words, "organise" and "realise" on oxforddictionaries.com and realize that it actually places heavy emphasis on the American spelling instead of the British one. Upon further investigation, OED actually has this clarification which I quote: > # Why does the OED spell verbs such as organize and recognize in this way? > > The suffix -ize comes ultimately from the Greek verb stem -izein. In both > English and French, many words with this ending have been adopted (usually > via Latin), and many more have been invented by adding the suffix to > existing words. In modern French the verb stem has become -iser, and this > may have encouraged the use of -ise in English, especially in verbs that > have reached English via French. The -ise spelling of verbs is now very > common in British use, and Oxford dictionaries published in the UK generally > show both forms where they are in use, but give -ize first as it reflects > both the origin and the pronunciation more closely, while indicating that > -ise is an allowable variant. Usage varies across the English-speaking > world, so it is important to record both spellings where they exist. There > are a number of verbs with only one accepted spelling – advise and capsize, > for example. This is not just perverse: they have different etymologies. The > important thing is that people should be consistent in the form they use in > a given document. Nevertheless, from the way things are being presented, it does give me the impression that the American spelling is given a higher priority in a dictionary that is prepared by a renowned British university. Are we moving towards Americanized spelling and more importantly, are the people of Britain moving towards Americanized spelling?


He probably has a very high opinion of himself

What is the best way to describe someone who thinks he is very knowledgeable on issues like Arts, History and Literature etc. and behaves like a real scholar, but actually has no adequate studies in his background.


An adjective to describe the benefits associated with saving time

I'm looking for an adjective to replace 'time saving' in the following sentence: "...a range of immediate and tangible **time-saving** and economic benefits" I'm thinking it should be something like 'efficiency' or 'productivity' but they don't quite sound right next to 'benefits' in this context. May just change it to read "...a range of immediate and tangible benefits, saving time and money", but interested to see if anyone can come up with something better :-) Thanks for **your** time!


correct idiom for if you were me

I am looking for an idiom that can be used for this like "if you were me you would have done the same thing " OR something like empathy , think from my sight, is there any idiom for such scenerio? I tried to figure out but couldn't find that I found something like, see through my eyes, but thats not appealing at all. I thought of "be at my place" but I dont think it gives correct meaning


"At the service of" versus "in the service of"

In doing a translation on duolingo, another translator had translated a phrase to say "at the service of X". I edited this to "in the service of X" and left a comment that as a native speaker, hearing "at the service of X" makes me think that one is at X's funeral, whereas "in the service of" seems relatively common. He followed with this link to Reverso, which lists "at the service of" with a meaning along these lines: dictionary.reverso.net, but does not come up with anything for "in the service of". I went to ngram and it appears to support my experience, though of course there is no context. Also, Thesaurus.com lists synonyms for "in the service of" but not "at...". Is "at the service of" perhaps a British-ism?


Word for "temporarily defeated"

I am looking for a word that expresses the meaning of the phrase "temporarily defeated" in a mild manner. This is to be applied on someone whose bid got displaced by a higher bidder in an auction that has not yet ended.               The <temporarily defeated> bidder...


What type of phrase is "done"?

Examples are provided aplenty, from chef Gordon Ramsay: > _Fry. Roast. Drizzle. Done._ > > _Drizzle olive into the sauce circling the fish. Done._ But you also see the term used on buttons in computers and mobile devices - presumably used as a contraction of _I'm done_ or _You're done_ and frequently displayed as an alternative to _Close_. But what kind of phrase or grammatical formation would be correct to refer to this usage of the word 'done' as a standalone word. Is it even 'correct' usage, let alone perhaps not even being 'proper' usage?


What do you call someone who can't keep secrets?

Some one who is not good at keeping secrets. In my native language it is called "chugalkhor" but it's a slang. So I can't translate it. What do you call such a person who can't keep secrets because his instincts don't let him.


What does “Being brought up to speed is as important as being brought up to grade” mean?

There was an interesting (tantalizing to me) commentary written by Adam Gopnik on these fantasy fictions: The Sword of Shannara / The Lord of the Rings / The Simarillion / The Children of Hurin, JRR Tolkien and so-called his follower Christopher Paolini (the Eragon series) in New Yorker (December 5), which was titled “The Dragon’s Egg.” I say tantalizing because I have almost no knowledge of these works apart from “The Lord of the Rings” (that I only know as a movie). I know even less of Ossian (third century Irish bard) and other medieval bards quoted in the article as if they are common knowledge. The commentary ends with the following sentences: > We mostly learn that lore in the form of conventions - how you hold the > knife, where you put it, that John was the witty Beatle, Paul the winning > one. Learning in symbolic form that the past can be mastered is as important > as learning in dramatic form that your choices resonate; _Being brought up > to speed is as important as being brought up to grade_. Fantasy fiction > tells you that history is available, that past counts.” I don’t understand what the phrase “ _being brought up to Speed is as important as being brought up to Grade”_ means. What have “Speed” and “Grade” to do with the benefits of fantasy fictions? Can somebody explain it for me?


Asking someone about the person, which is suitable. Has/is/did he come home?

Asking someone about the person, which is suitable. > Has he come home? > > Is he come home? > > Did he come home?


A blue-nosed automatic?

Take this passage from Agatha Christie's _The Seven Dials Mystery_. > "Do you think you could go out and buy me a pistol, Stevens?" "A pistol, > sir?" True to his training, Stevens betrayed no hint of surprise. "What kind > of a pistol would you be requiring?" "The kind where you put your finger on > the trigger and the thing goes on shooting until you take it off again." "An > automatic, sir." "That's it," said Jimmy. "An automatic. And I should like > it to be a blue-nosed one—if you and the shopman know what that is. In > American stories, the hero always takes his blue-nosed automatic from his > hip pocket." 180 Stevens permitted himself a faint, discreet smile. "Most > American gentlemen that I have known, sir, carry something very different in > their hip pockets," he observed. Jimmy Thesiger laughed. In this passage, what is a "blue-nosed" gun? In addition, in the 1930s, what would a fictional american gentleman be keeping in his hip pocket?


using noun as adjective; does position matter?

I'm doing some programming and I'm analyzing text written in English. I'm identifying parts of speech and I run into cases where I have something like _vacuum cleaner_. I, as a human, know that the word _cleaner_ is dominant in this case and the word _vacuum_ describes the _cleaner_. Both of these words are nouns though (I'm using the Corpus of Contemporary English which tells me the part of speech for 500,000 words). My question is, if you have two nouns in a row like this, is the noun that acts as an adjective always on the left of the "dominant" noun? I can come up w/ cases that act like this, however not the reverse.   * laptop computer   * data collector   * steel screw Any help is appreciated.


Why are the present and the past participles of "submit" spelled with double t?

Why are the present and the past participles of _submit_ spelled with two t's?


What do the President Obama is “smooth without big handles,” and he “got his mojo back”?

There were two “fancy” phrases –“he is _smooth without big handles_ ” and “he is _getting his mojo back”_ in describing recent images of President Obama’s in New York Times’ (April 14) article titled “Come Back, Sarah Palin!” “Saturday Night Live has always struggled with its Obama impersonation because Obama is “ _smooth without big handles_ ,” as the show’s inimitable satirist Jim Downey puts it. Seth Meyers, the clever “S.N.L.” head writer and “Weekend Update” anchor. recalled that, after the Navy Seals raid that killed Osama last year, the show did a sketch with Obama “ _getting his mojo back_.” “It would be really fun to see that Obama again on the show, the confident Obama who comes out on the campaign trail,” he said. “ From the context of the above lines, “get one’s mojo back” sounds like “get back one’s guts or perk up,” but I’m not sure. What do both phrases of “smooth without big handles” and “get one’s mojo back“ which were shown in the quotation marks in the text mean? Are they both well-established phrases or idioms?


What does "morning wet" refer to?

I recently read the story "The Sign of the Four", by Arthur Conan Doyle. In it, one particular phrase stood out: > ...rubbing their sleeves across their beards after their morning wet. I believe it refers to them taking a drink or something. Could it refer to a morning dip perhaps? Also, where does this phrase originate from? When was it first used,etc.


"He was the first person" vs. "he is the first person"

What is the correct tense to be used when talking about firsts? > He was the first person to reach the South Pole. > > He is the first person to reach the South Pole. The first one seems right, but then at present, he remains the first person to reach the South Pole, so isn't the present tense justified?


Did "didactic" go through Latin before arriving in English or did it come directly from Greek?

Did the word _didactic_ go through Latin before arriving in English? How could it not have? Yet Websters says it came to English directly from Greek! I think they are wrong. There is a Latin word, _didacticus_ , which means _didactic_ and was widely used in Latin texts. How can we find out what is _didactic_ 's true etymology?


What does "can be said to do / to be" something mean?

The various modern revolutions in physics, in psychology, in politics, even in literary style, have not escaped his intelligent notice, but they can scarcely be said to have influenced him deeply. (Source) Could you please explain the following? They can scarcely be said to have influenced him deeply. Or, I can not understand such a structure like the following: In contrast, prices set by a central planner are necessarily arbitrary, since there is no standard against which **they can be said to be** correct or incorrect. d'oh!


Does the expression "to go under the knife" carry a negative connotation?

Is there a difference in connotation between these two phrases?   1. I asked my student whether her mother was scheduled to GO UNDER THE KNIFE this morning.   2. I asked my student whether her mother was scheduled to UNDERGO SURGERY this morning. In other words, would it be polite to ask somebody the question "When's she going under the knife?" in the informal register? Or would it sound too brutal or insensitive? (The "knife" part makes me think of a butcher, to be honest.)


What is the origin of the word 'mug up'?

What is the origin of the expression _mug up_? How did it originate? Does it give any meaning to its actual definition?


Mouth as Mountain?

"The "MS. Found in a Bottle," was originally published in 1831, and it was not until many years afterwards that I became acquainted with the maps of Mercator, in which the ocean is represented as rushing, by four **mouths** , into the (northern) Polar Gulf, to be absorbed into the bowels of the earth; the Pole itself being represented by a black rock, towering to a prodigious height." (Source: Ms. Found in a Bottle) In the context of the particular map in question (which might not conform to present-day, common-place usage), does **mouth** mean **mountain** , or **mount**?