This tag is for questions about choosing different or alternative words or phrases.
0
votes
1answer
45 views
“The above technique is a double-edged sword” [duplicate]
In our native language, we say this "The above technique is a double-edged sword".
Is it appropriate to say it in English? If not, what is the nice way to express the same meaning?
1
vote
1answer
55 views
“sophisticated” is not appropriate in a research paper because it is an opinion? [closed]
Someone suggested me do not use "sophisticated" in research papers, as it shows an opinion, which is not objective.
Is that correct? If so, what are good alternatives?
0
votes
1answer
72 views
What's the better wording: “Please assign this to the person responsible for the job”
I'm trying to come up with the better wording for this sentence:
"Please assign this to the person responsible for the job"
I want to say "Please assign this to the appropriate person", but that ...
2
votes
2answers
148 views
What is the meaning of “greasing the pan”?
In a tutorial, the instructor says:
We've greased the pan, now it's time to pour in the batter.
The tutorial is technical (IT), and has nothing to do with cooking, so what is the meaning of the ...
0
votes
4answers
216 views
How to say, “I am busy but I will try to / but I can do that if you wish” in a different way? [closed]
I want to tell someone that I am busy but will try to {help them / take some time off for them / do something that they would like me to do} in a polite manner without using the word "busy".
Also, is ...
2
votes
5answers
145 views
How can you distinguish between different meanings of the verb “to know” in English?
I work in an industrial setting. Today I had a conversation with my coworkers in which we discussed that another group knew that our group has requirements that they were not going to meet based on ...
1
vote
4answers
235 views
'Horeca', is it English? Alternatives?
In Dutch there's a quite commonly used word that denotes the commercial sector around selling food and beverages for immediate (or near-immediate, e.g. take-out meals) consumption: horeca. (This ...
-1
votes
1answer
231 views
Are there any alternative words that can be used to refer to a particular thing?
I usually write new words I learned or found on a website to help me remember them better. For example, I learned the word "holster" and I wrote "A holster is a thing used to cover a gun."
This is ...
2
votes
3answers
174 views
Alternatives to the noun 'dump' (as in “a data dump”)
What are alternatives to the noun 'dump' (as in "a data dump")?
The word dump here refers to the data that gets dumped, in other words, to the mass of what is being dumped. Another not-so-common ...
2
votes
4answers
813 views
Alternative to “as-well-as” for an academic paper
Is there some better alternative to phrase as well as for an academic writing? It sounds to me too informal.
The whole sentence is:
Improvements of both parts are possible as well as joining ...
-2
votes
1answer
117 views
Way of / means of / manner / style [closed]
What are the typical use cases for
Way of (the way of living)
Style (style of clothing)
Mean of (means of transport)
Manner (In which manner do you use this words)
In parens, there are examples ...
1
vote
2answers
162 views
What is a friendly way to say ' Now processing'? [closed]
I'm developing software something like iPhone's 'Siri'. If I call its name, it will answer,
What can I help you with?
If I say "Turn on the TV", it will answer,
Now Processing ...
But, I ...
4
votes
4answers
208 views
Up my street and down the lane [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Do I travel “up” or “down” to London from north of the city?
Except where there is obvious difference in elevation e.g. on a sloping road, how do ...
1
vote
2answers
71 views
Alternative to “accessible”
In the context of a technical manual, engineers use the word "accessible" to indicate that a piece of hardware should have "easy access" for repair, maintenance, and other modifications.
What would ...
0
votes
2answers
834 views
Cleaner alternative for “sucks”. [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Formal alternative for “suck”
Since the word "sucks" does not have an origin that would make it a good word to use in many contexts, I want to know whether ...
-2
votes
1answer
240 views
What is the word for one who refuses to capitulate the status quo? [closed]
What are some alternative words/phrases for one who refuses to capitulate the status quo?
Similarly question for the capitulators of the status quo.
Alternatives I came up with are progrssionalist ...
4
votes
5answers
471 views
Alternatives to “layman”
Is layman a gender specific term or can it be used like college 'freshman'?
Is it still appropriate to use, or has it been superseded by some other term?
Specific to IT, it seems more appropriate to ...
7
votes
11answers
330 views
Noun (or alternative) of thought-provoking?
I'm planning to start a blog. And before every post, I'm planning to add how thought-provoking I think that post is.
So I was thinking about something that I can call thought-provoking-ness level. ...
3
votes
1answer
122 views
Avoid using 'at' twice while addressing subset programs/centers
I was wondering if there is a better way of saying the following sentence:
I received the ABC scholarship at the PQR center at the University of Education.
I have seen this in many places, but I ...
14
votes
7answers
3k views
Can you also say “Take you care” or “Take you care, too”?
As a greeting in parting you often say "Take care" (at least in the US, I am not so sure about the UK).
Can you also say "Take you care" or answer with "Take you care, too"?
0
votes
2answers
869 views
Formal alternative for “suck” [closed]
What is a more decent/formal alternative for the word suck? I want to use it in the context of being bad at something.
To be precise, I want to translate "To suck less at a job every day" to formal ...
2
votes
2answers
204 views
Are there alternative words for 'subcomponent'? [closed]
I have a situation as follows:
In a score, there are 2 main components - Section A and Section B.
In each components, there are subcomponent. (Example: Section A have 2 subcomponents - ...
-3
votes
1answer
58 views
What are some alternatives to doubtful? [closed]
I need to communicate to a large set of people that if they are unsure/doubtful of what I am saying, they can perform an action. But I need to say it in a way that is not demeaning me or the audience ...
2
votes
4answers
1k views
What is the proper alternative for 'credentialize'?
Usage:
The emergence of a second competitor in the market will help
credentialize the product and the vision.
1
vote
4answers
289 views
Verbs for “and” and “or”?
Are there (better) verbs for "and"ing or "or"ing a bunch of clauses together?
Edit:
Can't believe I didn't think of this earlier... would "conjoin" and "disjoin" work?
0
votes
1answer
309 views
Alternate / Better way to say “I'll do anything or I'll cross all limits to get the work done” [closed]
What is an alternate way to say "I'll do anything" or "I'll cross all limits to get the work done"?
0
votes
1answer
266 views
How official is the word “subpar”? [closed]
How official is the word "subpar"?
Is there a reason not to use it in a document and are there any circumstances under which I should avoid its use? Could the phase "subpar performance" confuse the ...
4
votes
2answers
91 views
What is a good alternative to “the film is set in”?
I'm writing a paper about a movie.
I would like to start like this:
Monsters is a 2010 independent science-fiction film directed by Gareth Edwards and set in the Mexico-U.S. border region. It ...
13
votes
5answers
3k views
What is an alternative to “Bless you” after sneezing? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What are alternative responses for when someone sneezes?
I know the history/reason why people say bless you to you after you sneeze. My question is, is there an ...
17
votes
14answers
5k views
How to say “She/He is my girlfriend/boyfriend” without the possessive “my” [closed]
Is there a way to indicate that somebody is your girlfriend without using the possessive term my? I think saying She/He is my partner/other half is OK for married people, but it doesn't feel right for ...
5
votes
2answers
459 views
Beg to differ - Why is there a need to beg for differ
Wouldn't 'Wish to differ' be better than 'Beg to differ'? A friend of mine asked me why I like to 'beg to differ', instead of 'wish to differ' or 'want to differ'.
Any insight on the history of 'Beg ...
1
vote
3answers
289 views
Is there an alternative expression for 'opening band' or 'opening act'? [closed]
The question says it all.
Together with a colleague we were looking for this. We both had the feeling that there's another way to say it.
-2
votes
2answers
65 views
Is there a better alternative for this question? [closed]
I translated a sentence from my native language Tamil to English using Google Translate and got this:
What qualifications do you have to talk about it?
Is there a better alternative for this ...
8
votes
3answers
350 views
Is 'compatriate' really an English word?
I recently saw the word 'compatriate' used in a newspaper article. Upon looking it up, suspecting a typo (or even an eggcorn: it is easy to see how compatriot would be mixed-up with expatriate etc.), ...
1
vote
1answer
258 views
Two single word (if possible) each to describe two different Leave types [closed]
There are two scenario as follows:
Person who receive "Leave Credit" when attending some events.
Person who "Request Leave" when they want to take time off.
I was thinking of using "Credit" to ...
2
votes
2answers
613 views
Respectful alternative to “Madam”
Madam is the word to call a woman with respect. Of course it has another meaning. Is there another word used to call a woman with respect?
4
votes
4answers
1k views
Use of “when about” as colloquial alternative to “approximately when”
If I wanted to ask someone approximately when they would be doing something, for example arriving, I could use
Approximately when do you think you could do that?
Would the following be a correct ...
1
vote
5answers
335 views
Word for in-house jargon
If a word or phrase is used and has evolved its own meaning peculiar to a specific group, is this described as jargon or is there a closer semantic match?
6
votes
2answers
3k views
“Alternately” or “alternatively”
What is the difference between alternately and alternatively? I've seen both words being used, but which one is grammatically correct?
He could do X. Or alternately, he could do Y.
He could do ...
1
vote
4answers
120 views
Alternatives to “I lived the wrong way”?
If someone has realized that he made a wrong decision in life or has had the wrong beliefs for a long time, he might say I lived the wrong way. What are alternative ways of phrasing this?
It doesn't ...
2
votes
2answers
775 views
Should we avoid using words that have alternate offensive meaning [closed]
There are many English words that could be used to refer to something innocent that also has a common slang meaning, such as pussy, ass, bitch, etc.
For convenience' sake, should we avoid using ...
2
votes
10answers
1k views
What are some old-world alternatives or precursors to 'WTF' (expressions of frustration or surprise)? [closed]
Such as 'what on Earth' or 'what in the world', etc. I'm trying to come up with a list of witty alternatives.
Note: I'm not looking for alternatives to the letters W, T, and F. I'm looking for ...
6
votes
6answers
333 views
Alternative to “lossily compressed”
Is there a better way to say "lossily compressed"?
The adverb lossily can not be found in Merriam-Webster, but the adjective lossy can. It also feels a bit unnatural.
4
votes
3answers
660 views
Is there a short word or slang for “matchmaker”?
I'm trying to find an appropriate name for kind of a dating website. The purpose of the website is to match between people, hence the description - matchmaker. However this word isn't catchy enough.
...
1
vote
2answers
226 views
“Easy-to-make-typos” alternative?
Is there a good, compact word or phrase that would explain one's ability to make typos?
I mean, I'm trying to write something like this:
Now you can use this feature without either non-predictable ...
3
votes
4answers
5k views
Is there a better way to say: “My question is, is…” (e.g. “The question is, is it the right time”)
It feels a little weird for me (or should I say to me?) to say:
So my question is, is having two
'Is' correct?
And also this seems to me incorrect grammatically:
So my question is, is ...
2
votes
5answers
712 views
Alternative to “double entendre”?
Does anyone know another word or way to say double entendre — in the non-bawdy sense of the word — as this phrase was only invented in the latter 1600's and so not around when Shakespeare wrote his ...
4
votes
6answers
767 views
Alternatives to “skating on thin ice”
The idiom skating on thin ice to express that a person is performing an action that has a great risk is commonplace. What are some good alternatives, both common and uncommon or possibly regional?
8
votes
6answers
9k views
What is an alternative for “thank you”?
So...
I am seeking a new job and several recruiters are helping me. Instead of saying 'Thank you', should I say 'I appreciate'? Which one is more polite?
Could someone please tell me how to express ...
1
vote
2answers
79 views
Alternative word for playgoers' behavior
Is there a word for playgoers' behavior when hissing and booing the villain?
