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Innocence always calls mutely for protection when we would be so much wiser to guard ourselves against it: innocence is like a dumb leper who has lost his bell, wandering the world, meaning no harm. —Graham Greene, The Quiet American Does the part 'when we would be so much wiser to guard ourselves against it' mean that... | The sentence can be broken down into three parts. The first part: Innocence always calls mutely for protection[...] This refers to the implicit call for protection that innocent things convey. They don't explicitly ask us for protection; we just intuitively strive to protect innocent things. This is why Greene refers t... | Meaning of a quote from "The Quiet American" | english |
I ran into this: "And you, Madame Lucrezia, flower of the Borgias, if a poet painted you as the catholic Messalina, a skeptical Gregorovious turned up and almost completely absolved you of that quality; so that, if you have not become exactly a lily, at least you have emerged from the mire." I would like to know if the... | The metaphors are straightforward, I think. A lily is a symbol of purity, in its whiteness and "cleanness." A virgin is a lily; a slut is coated in mire. (Mire, as in the couplet "muck and mire," is a wet admixture of clay and dirt, which if stepped into will be difficult to emerge from. If you're wearing galoshes, whe... | metaphor of "lily" and the meaning of "emerging from the mire" | english |
Feminism is generally seen as a good thing. It means something or other about achieving equality of the sexes; of treating people of different sexes the same or as well as each other. Racism is generally seen as a bad thing. It means something or other about not achieving equality between people of different races; of ... | Oxford defines the suffix -ism as denoting an action or its result: baptism exorcism denoting a state or quality: barbarism denoting a system, principle, or ideological movement: Anglicanism feminism hedonism denoting a basis for prejudice or discrimination: racism denoting a peculiarity in language: colloquialism Cana... | Why is "feminism" good but "racism" and other "-isms" bad? | english |
I ran into this in a novel: This expedition began this morning almost an hour later than I had planned, despite my having completed my packing, and loaded the Ford with all necessary items well before eight o’clock. I suppose "despite my having completed my packing" equals "although I had completed my packing". I would... | You've encoutnered a perfectly ordinary sentence, that uses a verb (to have) as a gerund. A gerund, of course is a verb form that acts as a noun, and thus it is used as an object in a sentence. The possessive personal noun is used to specify who's action it is we're talking about. Compare: despite having done everythin... | Meaning of "my having completed my packing" | english |
I am looking for a single word (noun) describing a person or a legal party that has an obligation to do something. A nicer way of saying "obligated party". A made up example: The court obliged Jim to pay 1000$ of satisfaction. Jim is obliged. In this context Jim is a ... ? | This is a somewhat technical/legal term, but obligor is the word. noun Law a person who owes or undertakes an obligation to another by contract or other legal procedure. | Single word describing a person who has an obligation | english |
A quick Google search shows that the phrase seems to be in relatively common usage, but for some reason I find the construct very awkward. I would say "fall asleep" the first time, and then "fall back to sleep" if awakened. Saying "fall back asleep" sounds wrong to me in a similar way to "(I tripped but am) back runnin... | I can't see any reason to dispute the grammaticality of fall back asleep , but two things that did (mildly) surprise me when I looked into usage patterns were:- It's almost as common as fall back to sleep (which version sounds far more natural to me). Both usages were relatively uncommon until just a few decades ago. (... | Is there something incorrect about the phrase "fall back asleep"? | english |
This is interesting - if I write " should've " (for " should have "), my spell checker underlines the word. Same happens if I do " could've " (for " could have "). I use these forms but I'm starting to question if there even is such form and if I'm using English correctly? I also noticed that " I've " (for " I have ") ... | There is nothing wrong with those contractions at all. Your spell-checker, like most, is brain-dead. | Are "should've", "could've", etc. valid short forms of "should have", "could have"? | english |
When helping an Italian speaker with her written homework, a cover letter, I told her to change the expression nowadays to that of today . Her original sentence was the following: I would be delighted to work for your company, as it is one of the most important software companies nowadays. She asked why it was better t... | I think you were on the right track when you mentioned it might be a question of register: to me, nowadays is old-fashioned in a sort of folksy way, rather than a "we're not that exact anymore" archaic way that would actually make a word more formal. But that's just my gut feeling, no support whatsoever. nowadays  ... | Is "nowadays" the same as "today"? | english |
According to the OED, the word English Nimrod is derived from the Hebrew, where in Genesis 10:8–9 he is described as ‘a mighty one in the earth’ and ‘a mighty hunter before the Lord’. It is apparently still a popular name in Israel. This would match the OED’s definitions: A tyrannical ruler; a tyrant. Obs . A great hun... | OED online has a wider second definition than that given in the question: 2. A great or skilful hunter (freq. ironic ); any person who likes to hunt. Also fig . This "frequently ironic" may be the transitional clue between the great hunter of old and the stupid or contemptible person of today, first quoted by the OED i... | Come on, don’t be such a nimrod! | english |
Pentagrams can have virtually any orientation but the two most common are "point up": And "point down": Is there a more appropriate term used to distinguish between these two variants? | Point up = Pentagram Point Down = Inverted Pentagram | Are there specific terms for "point up" and "point down" pentagram? | english |
There are three similar phrases which I would like to know the differences between: go to school happily go happily to school happily go to school I have long been confused by the placement of adverbs. From my personal view, there are definitely tiny differences, but I'm not sure what exactly they are. Please explain i... | These three phrases all mean the same thing: though the connotation might be slightly different. Let me expand them into sentences: Happily he went to school. This prioritizes happily 's attachment to he ; as he goes to school he is happy. This may or may not be due to his going to school. He happily went to school. He... | What are the differences between "go to school happily", "go happily to school" and "happily go to school"? | english |
I'm a game programmer and currently working on a generic system that works for most type of games. I have a generic piece of code, that I use on anything that could increase/decrease called <code> EffectCauser </code> - It has a bunch of parameters for it to work: The target component (health, mana, speed, stamina, etc... | A few ideas: IVariable (don't think it will suit your needs here due to "variable" ambiguity), IAdjustable, IModifiable, IMutable. | What's the word in English for something that increases/decreases? | english |
It’s not easy how I have to read clauses starting with how . I’m going to start this question with a case from Longman –– “ He was impressed at how well she could read! (A)”. Though Longman says how is used to emphasizing with adjective or adverb, Random House says how intensifies not only adjective or adverb but also ... | "How" describes the way in which something is carried out. To say "How well" is to state the condition of wellness of the action. So, if someone did something very well, then that is showing the condition of the wellness of the action. How Well can not be used in place of every how, only some. TL;DR: Q1: No, you cannot... | Are these how's meaning 'how well'? | english |
As the title says. It surprised me when I found this online dictionary entry at the time I tried to express "easy to forget things" and "forgetive" appeared in my mind. What is the history or background of this word? Also, what adjective means "easy to forget things" in English? | forge + tive probably from forge + -tive (as in inventive) First Known Use: 1597 Forge: form or create with concerted effort. The politician's recent actions are an effort to forge a relationship with undecided voters. Easily forgotten: forgettable easily forgotten, esp. through being uninteresting or mediocre. It was ... | Why does "forgetive" mean "creative", not "easy to forget things"? | english |
Does frictional means "that which is produced by friction"? Or is there a better word that means "that which generates friction"? | abrasive something wearing down or rubbing away by means of friction abrade /əˈbreɪd/ verb [with object] scrape or wear away by friction or erosion late 17th century: from Latin abradere , from ab- 'away, from' + radere 'to scrape' | Looking for the inverse of "frictional" | english |
A few nouns can be transformed into an adjective meaning "made of that noun (also: being like that noun)" by adding -en. golden, wooden, oaken, stonen Are those remnants of an old noun inflection of the Genitive case? If so are there other remnants of that? Would it be possible to interpret "the maiden gown" as such a ... | In most cases, they are not. English has at least a half-dozen completely different -en suffixes. The one you are thinking of is the one that the OED says is added to noun-stems to form adjs. with sense ‘pertaining to, of the nature of’. In Teut. the adjs. so formed chiefly indicate the material of which a thing is com... | wooden, golden, oaken - Genitive? | english |
I'm not a native English speaker. I was reading some article and it said: "interesting, if flawed, concept". What does "if flawed" mean in this sentence? Does it mean the concept is interesting and flawed (wrong?)? I can't quite understand. | It is the seventh sense of if as given in Oxford's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: if 7: used before an adjective to introduce a contrast He's a good driver, if a little over-confident. We'll only do it once— if at all. The author could have written of an interesting and flawed concept or a concept both interesting and ... | What does "if flawed" mean in "interesting, if flawed, concept"? | english |
I'm wondering about contradictions in zero-conditional explanation in different sources. Some of them state that only Present simple + present simple is correct. Some of them state that present and past simple are correct till both sides have the same tense. And some of them state that all simple tenses (present + past... | There were originally only three conditionals in the classification. There are a bunch of valid conditional statements not covered by these, so a number of people added a "zero conditional". Unfortunately, it seems they didn't agree on the definition of "zero conditional" before they added it to the list, so there is n... | Tenses in zero conditional | english |
Is there a word for someone who is incapable of getting their point across clearly or understanding other people. I can only think of longer phrases. e.g. Don't worry about Geoff's manner. He's not a people-person . But I'm sure there's a more succinct term. | Does 'inarticulate' work in your context? | What is a term for someone who is bad at communicating with other people? | english |
Here in Missouri, most people born here pronounce the state as /mi.'zuɹ. ə / (instead of /miz.'uɹ. i / or something like it). This is a lot more noticeable in the south/central, rural parts of the state. Is this pronunciation used much outside of Missouri? I'm particularly curious about the South, like Arkansas. Much o... | From Wikipedia : The state is named for the Missouri River, which was named after the indigenous Missouri Indians, a Siouan-language tribe. They were called the ouemessourita (wimihsoorita), meaning "those who have dugout canoes", by the Miami-Illinois language speakers. As the Illini were the first natives encountered... | Is Missouri called /mi.'zuɹ.ə/ outside of Missouri? | english |
Imagine a scenario where Jim provides a piece of information to Sue. Jim believes this information to be true and correct, but is later proven to be mistaken. Some might say that Jim lied to Sue. I believe this to be the wrong word, because the misinformation was unintentional. Is there a better word for this type of u... | You're right to avoid "unintentional lie", because it's an oxymoron. lie n. 1. A false statement deliberately presented as being true; a falsehood. 2. Something meant to deceive or give a wrong impression. As you can see, without the intent to deceive, it can't be called a "lie". "Falsehood" technically sounds like it ... | Unintentional Lies and Misinformation | english |
The word "lightweight" simply means, "relatively light in weight." If I want to compare two lightweight objects, can I say: Is A lighterweight than B? Dictionaries don't seem to accept this as a word but would a native speaker be confused or annoyed by it? If so, which alternative would be most appropriate: Is A lighte... | No you can not. I'm not sure why, but that just sounds weird and abrasive to me. Acceptable alternatives would include: Is A lighter than B? Is A more lightweight than B? Which is in the lighter weight class, A or B? | Can I use "lighterweight"? | english |
If an engagement is with an object, is a disengagement also with the object, or is it from an object? | One disengages from someone or something. disengage : to separate from someone or something; withdraw One doesn't separate with , one separates from . However, since the word has "from" in it's definition, sometimes the from is understood, and need not be stated. The two dancers moved together in a series of quick move... | Prepositions for use with engagement | english |
The term wanker is derived from the verb wank in the sense of to masturbate. However, neither the OED nor Etymonline can trace it further back than that: both claim it is of “obscure origin”, which just means they don’t know. As with <a href="stackexchange-url my question on snogging , this term seems to have come into... | I would say it has onomatopeic roots. Firstly, this isn't the only word for masturbation to have echoic roots: fap is echoic of the noise of masturbation. Looking at the entry in the OED, some of the uses spell the word whank , and in fact one example mentions that it might be echoic: 1951 E. Partridge Dict. Slang (ed.... | Where does the word “wankers” come from? | english |
Both the OED and Etymonline offer no clue as to origin of the slang term quim , meaning <a href="stackexchange-url minge . The OED’s earliest citations are from the 18 th , which isn’t quite as old as Adam, but has certainly been around for a long time. Here are two of its later citations: 1966 P. Willmott Adolescent B... | My understanding is that the word quim shares roots with words such as cwm (Welsh for 'valley'), queen , cow , and even cunt . The most detailed online exploration of the etymology of these words used to be a page by a guy called Matthew Hunt called Towards an Etymology of Cunt , which appears to have been superseded b... | Where did the word “quim” come from? | english |
The slang term minge in the sense of <a href="stackexchange-url quim dates from the beginning of the 20 th century. However, neither the OED nor Etymonline has any idea where it came from. Here are two of the OED’s citations: 1936 J. Curtis Gilt Kid viii. 80 — I’m going to give you a kick in the minge if you don’t shut... | Your question was actually the subject of a paper: Minge --- A Loanword Study by James Clackson. Clackson asserts that minge is, like pal , nark , and lollipop , a loanword from Romani Gypsy. While the OED dates the first use of minge in text as 1903, it had been used since the 19th century in (very) informal conversat... | Where does the word “minge” come from? | english |
Is there any significant difference between <code> Correspond to </code> and <code> Correspond with </code> ? I only mean in the sense of "matching", here, rather than "communication". I've looked at a few sources, but I can't seem to find a good explanation that makes it clear in which context each form would be used.... | Your question sent me on a pleasant search. A bit more here . Correspond to is used when two things are analogous or similar ...all of which correspond to real numbers... or agree in amount, position, etc. figures and letters on the left in the list below correspond to similar figures and letters in the statement of di... | Correspond to vs. Correspond with | english |
Another word of mysterious origins of jism , in the sense of spunk. The OED mentions it is sometimes spelled jizz , and may even be the precursor word to jazz . But neither the OED nor Etymonline gives any etymology for this word. The oldest citation is from 1847, and there are many citations from the 20 th century. So... | (Not within earshot of OED: If the truth were known about the origin of the word 'Jazz' it would never be mentioned in polite society. ["Étude," Sept. 1924] ) Entirely possible that it is drawn from the Hindi जिस्म ( jism ): देह। बदन। शरीर। 2. २. स्त्री या पुरुष का गुप्त अंग। भग या लिंग Body. 2. Female or male genitals... | Where does the word “jism” come from? | english |
At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called Quidditch Through the Ages. –– Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone As far as I understand from CGEL (p.251, 262~3), it seems like stupid is a predicative adjunct whose predicand is them all ; while in Kim see... | As Em1 notes in the comments: She is the subject and is necessary. bore is the verb and part of the predicate and is necessary. It's transitive and requires an direct object: them all . So, all you need is: "She bored them all". Stupid is part of the predicate "to bore (so) stupid" but doesn't add any value. Using the ... | Is this a predicative adjunct? | english |
Can the term "oxymoronic state" be paraphrased somehow like "a state of paradoxes?" I know that "paradox" and "oxymoron" are completely different, and I need to translate an article for my thesis, so I need to be really sure that I understand correctly. The context is this: The new Czechoslovakia was one of a number of... | Yes, you can render oxymoronic state as a state of paradoxes , or, if you like, a state of contradictions . The unified country of Czechoslovakia embodied contradictions or opposites within itself, much as an oxymoron does. This article summarizes the differences between the Czechs and the Slovaks, and gives you an ide... | The meaning of "oxymoronic state" | english |
"grand-" means "big". "grandiose" and "grandeur" have different meanings. So I would like to know what their suffixes "-iose" and "-eur" mean respectively? | -eur is not really an English suffix; I believe it occurs only in loanwords from French. French has two suffixes -eur ; the relevant one forms feminine nouns meaning "the property of being ___" from adjectives meaning "___", such as grandeur ("the property of being grand , big") and froideur ("the property of being fro... | Suffixes in "grandiose" and "grandeur" | english |
I must admit that I am confused with these two words. For so long a time, I have been using them interchangeably. I have consulted the dictionary (of course) but I can't seem to pinpoint the glaring difference between the two (if there is any). This may be similar to this stackexchange-url ("question"). | In many ways they are the same thing, but the "angle" is slightly different. Responsibilities are more intrinsic, as opposed to obligations. The latter, I think, is more something you have towards your environment, society,... surrondings basically. Allow me to explain why I see it like this: If you have children, you ... | What is the difference between "responsibility" and "obligation"? | english |
I was wondering why we say "something is missing" instead of "something is missed"? If missed is an adjective then why we use it that way? E.g.: "The sword is missing". | Imagine you have a collection of objects including a sword, one day you can't see the sword and you don't know where it's gone, then you can say " The sword is missing ", meaning it's absent. Now imagine you had a sword and you gave it to someone, or you got rid of it, the point being you know where it's gone and you d... | "Is missing" vs. "is missed" | english |
Is one of the following constructions incorrect? If not, do they differ semantically in any way, even if only mildly so? Sometimes, I bring my lunch to work with me. Sometimes, I bring my lunch with me to work Usually, I prefer fewer words between 'to' and its complement. However, I don't actually know whether, or how,... | In the example you give, both phrases to work and with me are adverbial phrases modifying the verb bring . In this example, changing the word order does not create ambiguity, because neither phrase is likely to be misconstrued to refer to some other part of the sentence. | What goes first: Sometimes, I bring X (1)'with me' (2)'to Y'? | english |
Can I use something like " I write of love, I write of hate. I write of destiny and fate. " instead of " I write about love, I write about hate. I write about destiny and fate. "? Do they mean the same? PS: It's not "off", it's "of". The context is: I write of love, I write of hate. I write of destiny and fate. I write... | of preposition 7 indicating the relationship between a verb and an indirect object [ODO] Of can mean about if you write of something, or talk of it: “The time has come,” the Walrus said, “To talk of many things: Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax— Of cabbages—and kings— And why the sea is boiling hot— And whether pigs ... | Can "I write of love" be used as a substitute for "I write about love"? | english |
Programming languages like sEnglish , Inform7 , WolframAlpha , and even AppleScript purport to use the "natural language programming" (NLP) paradigm. Even SQL is a kind of NLP, if you think about it. Since I've only ever seen these in English, I wonder if the grammar and syntax of English make it a great candidate for ... | <statement type="highly opinionated"> I don't think any human language is well-suited to "natural language programming". I don't think there is any such thing in real life. Computer people are always saying, "Wouldn't it be great if instead of having to learn all these complex commands, you could just tell the compu... | Is English particularly well suited for so-called "natural language programming"? | english |
I want the words to describe that gesture in which the forearm is usually held upright, and the hand is allowed to drop-limply(if that clears things up)-at the wrist. The verbal phrase 'wave an airy hand' from somewhere in Harry Potter came to me, but I'm not sure that's an exact fit, and besides, I'd feel horrible abo... | Based on OP's additional comment for context, I'm picturing this: "A dismissive wave of her hand said it all...it was no big deal, she'd been there, done that!" | That 'limp wristed hand thing': how do you write it? | english |
Snowy areas commonly see snow collect between a car body and tire. There is some strange satisfaction in kicking that snow off of the car and I've been in many conversations about miscellaneous details of this particular type of snow collection. Photographic example: But is there a word I can use to refer to this clump... | According to a stackexchange-url ("renowned authority"), in the Northeastern part of the United States accumulations as shown are called snow goblins . stackexchange-url ("Other authorities") call them snow cuds or snow boogers . | What do you call snow that has collected between a car body and the tire? | english |
I was amused with the line, “ Stand-alone 'sorry' may have dressed like a gentleman , but his heart was made of India rubber ” in the article titled “A poor apology for a word” in December 13 New York Times. It says “the average British person says 'sorry' eight times a day — or “204,536 times in three score years and ... | This is complicated. I will describe American English: Situations where "excuse me" is better than "sorry": you are walking through a crowd and need to move. "Sorry" implies that you don't have a right to walk through the crowd and that you are "guilty" of something. "Excuse me" is better. You might say "sorry," if, fo... | Is there a significant difference between “sorry,” “pardon” and “excuse me”? Are they interchangeable? | english |
I often find myself in this situation. I try to describe my time with something, but it doesn't come out sounding right to me. Specifically, in this instance I'm trying to describe my time with someone. We had beers, we had multiple conversations over a few nights. This is what I came up with. We had great conversation... | There are no significant grammatical mistakes in your sentence. Maybe your sentence feels like a list to you? If you rearrange the parts, and try different arrangements of parts, maybe try some different verbs or nouns, you will be happy with is what fits your style. You might say it like this: We spent a few evenings ... | Doubt about plurals in a sentence | english |
Is it incorrect to begin a sentence with an emotion? For example: "Afraid and alone, he no longer wished to continue on." I'm translating some work from a foreign language into English, but I would like to keep the original sentence structure if possible. Starting the sentence with "being" or "as he was", just doesn't ... | Sentences don't begin with emotions, they begin with words, in this, the adjectives afraid and alone modifying he . They are perfectly acceptable as written, and that they reflect emotions is completely irrelevant to their grammaticality. Furious and humiliated, he no longer wished to continue on. Footsore and soaked, ... | Can you begin a sentence with an emotion? | english |
This seems to be a common phenomenon — lots of people report being unable to avert their eyes from a wound or dead body or even the mess after they blow their nose! But is there a single word forit? I found some related words like "rubbernecking" but not quite with the sense that I was looking for. | One might exhibit morbidity , or possess a morbid curiosity , morbid fixation , or morbid fascination with such things: morbid, adj. : 1. having or expressing a strong interest in sad or unpleasant things, especially disease or death Note that morbidity means something quite different in medical jargon. | Word for being disgusted by but unable to stop looking at something | english |
Get to first base Step up to the plate In the right ballpark etc Why are so many expressions in common use today based on this one specific American sport? Many of them seem to be used often in corporate environments too -- why is this? | Baseball was once concerned the Great American Pastime and was a cornerstone of American culture. From Wikipedia : Writing in 1919, philosopher Morris Raphael Cohen described baseball as America's national religion. In the words of sports columnist Jayson Stark, baseball has long been "a unique paragon of American cult... | Why are so many English expressions derived from baseball terminology? | english |
I'm writing my Master thesis in English and now I do not know about the headings. Do I have to write heading in upper or only lower case printing? For example: Processing and Distribution Server Indoor Navigation and Positioning App or Processing and distribution server Indoor navigation and positioning app Which versi... | This is a matter of style. Read: these conventions can vary within fields and even subfields. So you are best advised to consult your peers, faculty members, or just your supervisor. Failing that, look at other papers in your particular field before deciding anything definitively. And if there is no clear pattern to ma... | Which words to capitalize in Master thesis headings? | english |
I am currently developing a webpage for the local underwater basket-weaving club, and they have a yearly course called "Learn to Weave". Encountering this phrase in multiple pages and e-mails, I am unsure if it should be capitalized, or how. Which one of the following would be the most correct phrase, and why? Learn to... | Where the phrase is denoting the proper name of the course, it should be capitalized as the course name is. Where it literally means "learn to weave", then it should be capitalized according to whatever normal rules you'd use. The course itself would typically be capitalized using title-case rules , i.e. "Learn to Weav... | Correct capitalization for domain specific phrase? | english |
In the lyrics for the song "What does the fox say" the following sentence appears. "What the fox say"[sic] It uses the word "say" and not "says", and there is no "does". Does the sentence make sense and is there any meaning to it? | The song uses this phrasing for the purposes of rhythm and meter. Dropping articles before words is commonplace in lyrics, poems and other creative writing. So, to strictly answer you question: Yes it has meaning. It means the same thing as, "What does the fox say?" But no, it isn't grammatically correct in the sense t... | Does the sentence "What the fox say?" mean anything? | english |
The title may not be entirely correct.. Is there a word or phrase that describes a mother/father who is overly anxious about their baby's health? Not a word to describe both parents together, a word to describe one parent. Also, a word that could be used in describing the parent to others as well as directly to them. S... | A worrywart \ˈwər-ē-ˌwȯrt\ is a term which may describe a parent who worries excessively about their child's health, a person who tends to worry habitually and often needlessly . Nervous Nelly , is perhaps the most light-hearted expression I am aware of, which describes a very fearful or nervous person . You could cal... | Is there a light-hearted word or phrase for a hypochondriac parent? | english |
A murdering thief or a thieving murderer. I have looked up all possible literary devices, and can't seem to find one... | It is an example of chiasmus , which is Repetition of ideas in inverted order Repetition of grammatical structures in inverted order (not to be mistaken with antimetabole, in which identical words are repeated and inverted). See here or any other reputable source. (One of my favorites, from which the above is drawn, is... | What type of a literary device is this? | english |
Why are women called chicks? Is there a negative connotation, I do assume there are sexist undertones there. Any idea about the etymology or origin of the term? Is it derived, in anyway, from 'chic' meaning elegantly and stylishly fashionable? | The etymology and origin of the term has been answered by Hugo so I will limit myself to answering the first two questions. Why are women called chicks? Is there a negative connotation... Chick is considered by many women a derogatory term. Why is that? Probably because its primary meaning is that of young bird especia... | Why are women called chicks? | english |
In the following sentence, "Science has made navigation to all parts of our planet possible," what are the capitalization rules for the words our planet? our Planet Our Planet | You do not capitalize random words in the middle of a sentence. That includes our and planet . The sentence is fine as stated. The sentence would not be fine otherwise. | Capitalization: "Our Planet" | english |
In the end of the first chapter of Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice , Mrs. Bennet is described as a "woman of mean understanding". On the Web, I found two meanings: of little knowledge bad temper Can someone clarify the meaning of "mean understanding" in my context? | It means of “of common understanding”: she didn’t understand much. The OED gives: II Inferior in rank or quality. 2a. Of persons, their rank or station: Undistinguished in position; of low degree; often opposed to noble or gentle. (Cf. common adj. 12 ).) Obs . But the citations date up through the 19 th century, so it ... | What does "a woman of mean understanding" mean? | english |
The stackexchange-url ("Stack Exchange Winter Bash 2013") has me thinking about hats, as my collection is growing. I know that the terms for people who collect specific things are generally obscure, but they do exist. Perhaps the most common of those types of words is "philatelist"— a person who collects stamps. Is the... | There isn't really a specific word for someone who likes/collects hats (i.e. - you won't find one in a dictionary). But people who are interested in hats may well know that... A hat maker is called a milliner. ...in which case they would doubtless understand this coinage that I found in Google Books... Sadly, living in... | A name for hat collectors? | english |
I was asked by a French colleague, and had no clear answer, whether it's more correct to say "One thousand five hundred" or "fifteen hundred" when speaking the number 1500. Putting aside how we say dates, which have their own formula. After some thought, my best answer was I tended to say "fifteen hundred" when dealing... | One thousand five hundred is more formal than fifteen hundred . Both will be understood by the listener and are correct English, but one thousand five hundred would be more appropriate on a legal document such as a contract. Also, in an informal setting, such as when talking about sports statistics, people may look at ... | Is there a standard for speaking "1500" as "one thousand five hundred" versus "fifteen hundred"? | english |
A carpenter does carpentry. A scientist does science. An engineer does engineering. A blacksmith does blacksmithing. (The grammar of these sentences may be poor; the point is to get the idea across.) So then: What does an electrician do? What does a (car) mechanic do? Or are there perhaps really no such words? | You may consider that an electrician wires wire : verb to provide (a building, room, etc.) with wires for a particular service or for electricity and that a mechanic repairs repair verb 1a : to restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken : fix b : to restore to a sound or healthy state : rene... | What do electricians and mechanics "do"? | english |
I am not a native speaker (my mother tongue is German). In the context of a technical paper (computer science), is there a difference between Further, ... and Furthermore, ... at beginning of a sentence. It is use in the context of continuing a sentence. I wasn't sure, so I ask an american english native speaker. He sa... | Furthermore is used to introduce a new argument. Further states that something goes beyond what was already said. These two are clearly related, but not the same, and not interchangeable. Generally if you used further at the start of a statement where you should have used furthermore the reader will be left wondering "... | "Further, ..." versus "Furthermore, ..." at the beginning of a sentence (meaning the same thing)? | english |
I'm trying to describe a desirable behaviour in user-interfaces (computer interfaces and machine interfaces) such that if you do the action and its opposite action once or more than once (assuming you don't reach an edge/limit) you should end up in the same state. For example: Pressing right moves the cursor right one ... | Right and left are inverses or complements (in the limited sense that they are "either of two parts or things needed to complete the whole; counterpart."). They are also counterparts . But this is a little different from what you're asking for in the title. Associative is a property when it doesn't matter what order yo... | What's the word for the reversability of equal and opposite actions? | english |
Is "mandatoriness" a commonly used word? I am intending to use it in a technical paper. | No, it is not. Mandatory is common. Mandatory requirements, information, format etc., yes. Mandatoriness , no. A search of COPA, academic, turned up no results. | Is "mandatoriness" a commonly used word? | english |
When is it required to use 's in phrases like below (examples taken from Wikipedia)? James Bond theme 007 theme Boba Fett motif Droids motif Yoda's theme ... Are there any rules for eliding Saxon genitive? How does the situation change if we have something instead of somebody ? | I wouldn't think of it as "eliding" anything: there are two different constructions: possessive + noun modifying-noun + noun The first is mostly limited to animate possessors, and denotes something belonging to or specifically associated with the possessor, whereas the second is not so limited, and denotes a less speci... | "[somebody]'s theme" vs "[somebody] theme" — Saxon genitive dillema | english |
Is there a word that covers Games, TV, Movies and Music? Entertainment seems to be fitting but it's a bit too long for my needs and I'm looking for alternatives. I searched and found 'Media' and 'Fiction' but I'm unsure if these two terms covers it too. | Nevertheless, entertainment seems to be your word. There are amusements, diversions, relaxation, escape, etc. , but entertainment seems tailor made to your specifications. Perhaps you are looking for something less formal as a question ( What do you do to relax ?) Then you must tell us why entertainment does not fill y... | Word that covers Games, TV, Movies and Music | english |
I'm correcting something which my friend wrote. He wrote about incidents that had occurred while working in a mine, and stated that although the cause of each incident may have been different, they had in common a single reason: the workers did not follow the rules. Here is the sentence: Although, the causes of each in... | Definitely not ok. In an essay commas ought to be avoided in general [Edit: This is a ridiculous statement. I only meant they are often overused]. Furthermore, "Although," with that comma implies that he's contradicting something he just said. It sounds like he's reinforcing his thesis, so he definitely doesn't want to... | "Although, the causes of..." or "Although the causes"? | english |
"kekeke" is somewhat of an alternative to "hehehe" or "huehuehue". From Urban Dictionary: This is an onomatopoeia for laughter. Its origin is the Korean onomatopoeia ㅋㅋㅋ, in which ㅋ stands for the "k" sound, like in raspy, stifled laughter. This obviously means it isn't English in origin but the question I have is whet... | I don't have comparable information for the Oxford English Dictionary—but historically, Merriam-Webster has not been terribly welcoming to giggles, gurgles, grunts, and other onomatopoeic ejaculations. The tendency goes back to Noah Webster himself, who included entries for "ha" and "hey" in his Compendious Dictionary ... | Is "kekeke" considered an English word? | english |
Let's say I'm creating a website where I will post trivia of video-games, famous book from the 21st century and popular tv-shows. I need a domain name and I'm wondering if there's an English word I can use to describe my site. If I were to post a bunch of stuff about Pokemon, Twilight, Mass Effect, Breaking Bad, The Wa... | "Pop Culture" definitely describes your type of website. Pop culture is a broad term used to indicate any type of popular movie, game, book, etc. While geeky is more for specific things that are less popular and favored by a smaller stereotypical group, such as trading cards. EDIT: I think fiction could possibly work, ... | Is "Geeky" or "Pop culture" the right word? | english |
ABC presenter's pronunciation for his Prime Minister -> Abbott ; original programme The presenter, as do other Aussies in the programme, pronounces Abbott as /ˈɛb ət/, while dictionary.com has /ˈæb ət/. Is the dictionary wrong? When they in Australia call their Prime Minister /ˈɛb ət/, others do /ˈæb ət/? Or /æ/, dragg... | Pronunciation differs between dialects. Dictionary.com's pronunciation is most likely a General American dialect where "Abbott" would indeed be pronounced as in their example. With regards to names, pronunciation is dictated by parents for given names and culture/tradition for surnames. If Australians typically pronoun... | How to pronounce Abbott? | english |
Suppose I am writing an email to let people know I fixed a bug (and committed the fix). What should I write ? I have fixed the bug and committed the fix or I fixed the bug and committed the fix. P.S. I know the difference between Past Perfect and Simple Past in theory but I am not sure I can use them properly in practi... | I agree with mplungjan. I fixed the bug implies that it was done some time back, and on your own accord, unless you write the sentence as : After I received the complaint, I fixed the problem... It also seems like a general statement you are making, maybe in your daily report. I have fixed the problem, sounds more like... | Fixed vs Have Fixed | english |
They set unbelievably hard tasks to do, to see which one of us got the best deal. - Top Gear (TV show) I don't understand; what is "got" doing in present tense? Or am I misunderstanding the sentence? | Got is past tense and it’s perfectly grammatical. That’s because set is also past tense, although, because it’s the same as the present tense, it doesn’t show as such. Imagine that the verb was instead gave , which is different from the present tense: They gave us unbelievably hard tasks to do to see which one of us _ ... | Using "got" in present tense? | english |
In computer science, is delete considered to be included in edit , or are they two separate things? Example: Editing item details and deleting items. In my case, both can be done by the same user and from the same place. | Deletion certainly alters an item (whether in computer science, or otherwise), and so covers an subset of the set of actions covered by edit , and so could obviously be considered a hyponym of delete . In computer science in particular, permissions may often be stricter on deletion than editing (e.g. anyone who can del... | Is "delete" a hyponym of "edit"? | english |
First of all, I hope I'm on the correct site asking a question, usually I'm around on Stack Overflow itself. So here's the story: I am designing a database table involving trading and I'd like to use the correct words, the table involves at least: A user that wants to trade his item. The item he wants to trade, codenam... | When bartering, one party "offers" to trade. If the other party accepts this "consideration" the trade is "complete". The transaction is described as a "bartered" exchange. Offer n. an expression of readiness to do or give something if desired. Consideration n. a payment or reward. | Correct English words for trade 'source item' and 'destination item' | english |
I read Hemingway's A Moveable Feast before I knew the term describing moveable feast days on the calender. Comparing Hemingway's famous quote about Paris: "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast." wi... | Thank you for this inquiry. It is rich in meaning. Movable feast was historically liturgical, with Easter , as you pointed out, being its most famous example. Hemingway probably appropriated it in his notes for his heady cultural experiences in Paris, but in fact, it was his wife Mary who named the book which was publi... | Is "A Moveable Feast" more than home catering? | english |
Is a sentence like Dynamic method invocation raises question marks over the way existing instances should be handled. correct in a technical paper (computer science)? (I think it is in the Economist data base, so it should be correct.) I guess raises questions over the way is just a lot more common. If it is correct, i... | I agree, "raise questions over" sounds better than "raise question marks over" to my British ears. We can search Google Scholar "to broadly search for scholarly literature" with each phrase. "raises questions over" has about 1,940 results. "raises question marks over" has about 61 results. | Is "raises question marks over" a correct and common phrase? | english |
I am trying to formulate the following sentence: The general framework is composed of two independent and collaborative modules What I mean is that the two modules work independently but their end result is used in common to make a decision. I find that this sentence is really contradicting itself. How can I make it mo... | The general framework is composed of two modules; they are independent, but their results are combined to make a decision. | Independent and Collaborative | english |
I have not been able to find an explanation for this use of an infinitive without to : The first thing I do in the morning is go to the bathroom. The first thing I do in the morning is open my eyes. The first thing I do in the morning is turn off the alarm clock. Infinitives without to are used in the following cases: ... | In this case actually infinitive with and without "to" is possible (and I was surprised that "to" is possible here, as it sounds quite uncommon to me). From bbc.co.uk : There are one or two other structures where to-infinitive and the bare infinitive are both possible. Expressions with do or did , such as what I've don... | Infinitive without to: The first thing I do is open my eyes | english |
For the below sentence, I can identify "This car" as the direct object of the verb "sell". Peter wants to sell this car. However, if the sentence is changed as follows, does the verb "sell" still have direct object? This is the car that Peter wants to sell. | Yes, the verb "sell" in the relative clause does have a direct object. :) Let me work off the previous poster's answer. I'll insert an anaphoric gap into the example to show the two versions that were discussed earlier: 1.) This is the car( i ) [ that( i ) Peter wants to sell _ (i) ]. 2.) This is the car( i ) [ that Pe... | Does "sell" have a direct object in "This is the car that Peter wants to sell"? | english |
There are countless titles of the form "the many faces of ...". A quick Google search finds nearly 500 million hits, starting with "The Many Faces of the Public Domain", "The Many Faces of the Freshman Seminar", "The Many Faces of Go" and "The Many Faces of Influence Infographic". What is the origin of the phrase "the ... | The earliest example I found in Google Books is from 1820, and refers to the faces of a church, in Rome, in the nineteenth century , Volume 2 by Charlotte Anne Waldie Eaton (written in 1817 or 1818): A still more hideous statue of Henry IV. of France, graces one of the many faces of this church, and conveys no favourab... | Where does the phrase "the many faces of ..." originate? | english |
What I mean is, if I said "Write the number _ ", then you would write "5", "27", etc. Whereas if I said instead "Write the number _ ", then you would write "five", "twenty-seven", etc. I'm not just looking for the oft-used expression "write it out"....I'm wondering if there are proper terms for these two options, possi... | You write the number in numerals or in words . Synonyms for the latter include spell out or write out . | Term for writing a number as "five" vs "5"? | english |
The child is only 4 years old, yet it can already talk. The child is only 4 years old, and, despite this, it can already talk. The child is only 4 years old, and, at least partially owing to its young age, doesn't have such great balance. How do I make the last sentence more concise? As a sidenote, is it not correct to... | To be parallel to "The child is only 4 years old, yet it can already talk," I would like to suggest naturally as a hint that at least the consequence is partially owing to the mentioned fact. Thus, for your example, The child is only 4 years old, naturally it doesn't have such great balance. If the consequence is defin... | If "yet" means "and despite that", then what word means "and partially owing to that"? | english |
I am looking for a word which specifies "nearly at the ellipsoid opposite side of the earth", by which I mean, given a beam that is perpendicular to earth surface at a given first location, and the second location that this beam crosses earth on the other end, what is a word that specifies a place that is near the seco... | Antipodes comes to mind Wikipedia - antipodes Two points that are antipodal to each other are connected by a straight line running through the centre of the Earth. ... The antipodes of any place on the Earth is the place that is diametrically opposite it, so a line drawn from the one to the other passes through the cen... | Is there a name for "near the opposite side of the earth"? | english |
Is there a word to describe someone who uses complaints to indirectly brag about themselves? An example would be "I hate going to concerts because people start singing and because I have perfect pitch it irritates me." Perhaps another example might be "I don't like that video game. It's too easy and I get bored." The c... | An applicable neologism is humblebrag , a boast couched in self-deprecation. Henry Alford describes it as the false modesty of a plea intended to be met with both awe and sympathy . Humblebrag is attributed to Harris Wittels, a writer for the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation who Tweets celebrity examples at that handle ... | Is there a word to describe one who brags by complaining? | english |
Is this a correct choice of tense? If yes, what conditions would justify the use of Present Perfect Continuous? It seems much more natural to say I have read your letter. (I have recently finished) or I read your letter with pleasure. (I finished in a string of events not related to now) I wanted to explain to my stude... | "I have been reading your letter with pleasure" meant to me: I read (simple past) your letter and it was so good, so informative, that, although I read (simple past) every single word, I kept it on my desk to re-read (inf.) and savor (inf.). I was so delighted by it that I am sure I shall be reading it again. Hey, I ju... | "I have been reading your letter with pleasure"? | english |
I would like to confirm the use of a dash in this sentence: My name is Mat, I am a Bristol based designer in the UK - I forge digital art, illustrations & websites Is this the proper use of a dash, or do the clauses need to be two different sentences? | Dashes (including 'en' and 'em' forms) are used for the following purposes: To set off parenthetical material that deserves emphasis To set off appositives that contain commas To prepare for a list, a restatement, an amplification, or a dramatic shift in tone or thought Since your second clause meets none of these crit... | Can a dash be used in this instance? | english |
I know pillion is a seat behind the rider of a horse or motorbike etc. I would like to know the word for the person sitting on pillion. | Pillion is the right word for the person too. Source Wikipedia A passenger in this seat is said to "ride pillion" or may themselves be referred to as a "pillion". Or you can say 'pillion rider' as in these news articles https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&authuser=0&q=%22pillion+rider%22 | What do you call the person sitting behind the driver on a bike? | english |
It is currently snowing, but the sun is shining. If it were raining while sunny, I would call that a sun shower. What is the equivalent for snow? | Sun snow shower comes to mind :) Makes sense too | What is it called when it's snowing with the sun out? | english |
I recall hearing usages like Need I say more? Need I remind you that ...? instead of Do I need to say more? Do I need to remind you that ...? Indeed, they sound better, at least to me. I wonder whether there are more usages like this or not. Is this special to the verb need or are there similar usages like these? | The verbs need and dare are sometimes called "semi-modal", in that they sometimes behave like modal verbs (eg can : forming their negative and interrogative without do , and not taking -s in the third person singular). The degree to which they do so varies between speakers, and according to register (degree of formalit... | What are usages similar to "Need I say more?"? | english |
What does this phrase mean? It should be an idiom and I can't find it. | The "papers" in the phrase refers to newspapers: periodicals printed on cheap paper that are, in many ways, out-of-date the minute they come off the presses. By the next day, the only thing a newspaper is good for is to wrap things, line things, or wipe things. Thus, "yesterday's papers" are things that are no longer u... | Meaning of "yesterday's papers" | english |
I've read both forms in newspapers and online news: elder brother and older brother . What's the difference between them? When should I use which? | They are both essentially the same and are for the most part interchangeable and no one would notice or correct you. That said, 'elder' will typically sound a little more formal than 'older' In typical usage, I personally would say "My/his/her/their older brother" when speaking of a specific person's sibling. I would s... | "Elder brother" or "older brother"? | english |
In my country, the term breadwinner is widely used. However, several years ago, if I remember it correctly, some TV personality said that the term breadwinner is not anymore the usual term to call a person who primarily earns for the family. If this word is not widely accepted nowadays, what word would be rather used? | As Michael said, breadwinner is alive and well in British English. In American English, breadwinner (though still right up there) is falling in use (less than half the British use, and falling; if you use the Ngram, extend to 2013). The word is being replaced by "primary wage earner". Quite a hubbub was created here re... | Is the term "breadwinner" still widely accepted? | english |
I am looking for a better word choice for give when we give something to a highly respected person (or an entity, such as an organization, a government, or a country). The basic sense of the word give is usually sufficient to describe the act of giving something to someone. However, in most Asian cultures, we usually u... | The word bestow comes to mind. to convey as a gift —usually used with on or upon The university bestowed on her an honorary degree. Google: Confer or present (an honor, right, or gift). "the office was bestowed on him by the chief of state" synonyms: confer on, grant, accord, afford, endow | Is there a word or phrase for giving something to a highly respected person? | english |
I read a grammar book a few years ago and remember coming accross a term for switching the first two letters in a word. I cannot for the life of me remember what the term is. An example would be the name "Leo" being pronounced as "Elo". I cannot remember if it was specifically involving the letter 'l', but I do know th... | The general term is metathesis . I am not aware of a specific term for the first two letters. Other examples include pasketti , <a href="stackexchange-url asteriks , revelant , nucular , but also the venerable thirteen , <a href="stackexchange-url aks , horse , bird . | Phonetic term for switching first two letters in a word | english |
Is “There was not a problem” in common use? Example: I tried to test the device and there was no problem with it. | The weird part of your sentence is that you tried to test the device. I would expect the sentence to finish by noting there was a problem with the testing : I tried to test the device but found a problem that prevented me from completing the testing. The other common difference is that a lot of English speakers say "th... | Is “There was not a problem” ok? | english |
Are the two usages both correct? Personally, I'd prefer take something into account but I have heard some professors and academic textbook authors prefer take into account something. Am I good to use what I prefer or the latter one is more correct ? | "Take X into account" generally works better when X is not a lengthy expression. "Take into account X" generally works better when X is long enough that the reader might have lost the sense of "take" by the time "into account" rolls around. The less experienced the likely reader, the shorter the maximum length of X bef... | "Take something into account" vs "Take into account something" — are both correct? | english |
Is there a difference between the two? I want to write a sentence which says Users Go Mad , and would like to know the correct word to use here. Is this just American/British difference? | Rouge is the French word for red. When someone orders a rouge , they mean red wine which in French translates to le vin rouge . Rogue on the other hand can mean scoundrel or a vagrant | Rouge or Rogue? | english |
What is the difference between 'go up there' and 'go there'? Examples: The boys want to go up there. He didn't want to go there. Are they interchangeable in the above examples? | "Up" should indicate that the place to go is spatially higher than where [the boy] is currently located. Given that, they can be used interchangeably | go there vs go up there | english |
I just read this sentence "when the wind was in the east a smell came across the harbour" from the Ernest Hemingway's novel The Old Man And The Sea : Two questions: What does "in" the wind mean? Does it mean the wind was "from" the east or the wind was "towards" the east? Should there be a comma after the relative clau... | Yes, it means "from the east". Winds are traditionally identified by the direction they come from (presumably since that determines their temperature, humidity, smell, etc.). There's no relative clause here; "when the wind was in the east" is an adverbial clause. Personally I would prefer a comma after it, but it's not... | What does "in the east" mean here? | english |
What are the differences between them? Is there a cultural and/or social interference? Do young people say <code> "Oh my Gosh" </code> more than others? | Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain - hence the Gosh for God. Also it is considered not really swearing when you use Gosh Same idea when using "chips" instead of "shit" - it sounds the same but is less offensive to parents @Matt just reminded me of a word that can be used for this Bowdlerise remove... | Oh my God, Oh my Lord, Oh my Gosh | english |
Is there a word to describe a city (or any entity) that is part of the same country or state, similar to the meaning of compatriot, but as an adjective. "Allied" is close, but it is too distant as it could be an entity of a friendly state, not necessarily part of your own. | What about "fellow"? I think that would work. As in "fellow Americans" or "their fellow cities." | Word for an entity, specifically a city, which is of the same nationality as you? | english |
I am confused if a question which is placed like a taunt can be taken like a question or like a taunt. Examples: Are you saying so because you built it? Is it too much to ask for? These are grammatically correct questions, but do they sound provoking? Are these necessarily questions, not just grammatically but the way ... | Punctuate taunting questions as questions. To do otherwise would be odd and unclear. The rhetorical, taunting meaning comes through loud and clear. | Should a taunt, which is grammatically correct as a question, be treated like a question or a taunt | english |
My question is whether “trip” means experiences on the way to one’s destination or experiences after arriving at the destination? Or can it mean both? | It's "on-the-way experiences". It actually means "journey" or "excursion", but from the two options given, it definitely means "on the way to one's destination". | What does the word “trip” exactly mean in English? | english |
Had they have gone to the same place, they would have talked to one another. Is the sentence above acceptable? If not, then what is a proper way of saying this? | I think what you are trying to say is related to what is known as third conditional , which is used for things that didnt happen in the past. Here are a couple of examples that might be of help: If he hadn't gone to school, he wouldn't have had an accident. This means that he did go to school and that's why he had an a... | "Had they have"? | english |
I’ve noticed economists often use the word, “green field” and “brown field” these days in TV talk shows when arguing the efficiency of governmental or corporate investment. I also saw the comment of representative of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), saying “Our interest is brown field. We don’t invest in green fie... | The term greenfield was originally used for development projects on land that had never been built on. In heavy industry, a greenfield project is a construction project to build a new oil well, refinery, chemical plant, etc. on a piece of land not previously used for that purpose, regardless of whether the land had bee... | When did “green field’ and ‘brown field’ come into use as an economic, or investment term, and who rearranged so? | english |
Is it right to put a comma before the dash that introduces a series? As the mentor of the original five interns, — Meredith, Cristina, Alex, the runaway Izzie, and the now dead George — Dr. Bailey... | Logically, the comma should go after the dashes, since it separates the prepositional phrase from the main part of the sentence, and the names enclosed in dashes are part of the prepositional phrase. However, to many people (myself included), a dash followed by a comma just looks awkward and inelegant, and it might eve... | Comma and dash introducing a list | english |
The preposition “to” is widely used in the phrase “be confined to”. My question is, can I use “in” or “on” in the following sentences? Someone is confined in the case. Someone is confined on the bus. Are the two sentences correct? | The two sentences are correct insofar as they are grammatical and might naturally be used in some situations. However, situations that call for the first of the sentences seem somewhat improbable, so it might or might not actually apply to whatever context you have in mind. That is, “Someone is confined in the case” su... | "Confined in the case", "confined on the bus" | english |
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