This tag is for questions about choosing different or alternative words or phrases.
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 ...
14
votes
7answers
2k 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"?
13
votes
5answers
2k 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 ...
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 ...
8
votes
3answers
345 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.), ...
7
votes
11answers
322 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. ...
6
votes
7answers
843 views
Said In Context: A more appropriate alternative to [sic]?
For a long time, I understood [sic] to mean said in context, but I was told that that said in context is really a backronym. Fair enough.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sic#Improper_abbreviation
...
6
votes
6answers
331 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.
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 ...
6
votes
6answers
769 views
end-to-end alternatives
I just received an email that included the phrase
soup-to-nuts
meaning "end-to-end." Are there any other alternatives to this? eg cradle-to-grave? I want to include some in the reply email.
5
votes
2answers
398 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 ...
4
votes
6answers
730 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?
4
votes
5answers
450 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 ...
4
votes
4answers
200 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 ...
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 ...
4
votes
3answers
623 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.
...
4
votes
2answers
90 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 ...
3
votes
7answers
763 views
Alternatives to “hypocrite”
I'm trying to accurately describe a person who acts in one way and does another but knowingly and openly accepts that his actions also include him in the same group he criticizes.
This differs from a ...
3
votes
4answers
4k 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 ...
3
votes
3answers
294 views
Which one is the proper alternative ? niche / field / area / domain
I'm developing a software that asks user to specify a niche / field / area / domain of the document he is uploading. It can be business proposal, technical documentation, official stuff, ...
3
votes
3answers
235 views
Is there a specific name for a portmanteau of two alternative spellings?
This question came about in a discussion between myself and another user of the Gaming.SE chat after I linked in this chiptune track called
An Eskimeau Experience
Here is the gist of the discussion:
...
3
votes
1answer
111 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 ...
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 ...
2
votes
2answers
750 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
5answers
688 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 ...
2
votes
2answers
144 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 ...
2
votes
4answers
715 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
4answers
972 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.
2
votes
5answers
132 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 ...
2
votes
3answers
163 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
2answers
169 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 - ...
2
votes
2answers
567 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?
1
vote
3answers
275 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.
1
vote
5answers
332 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?
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 ...
1
vote
4answers
278 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?
1
vote
2answers
224 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 ...
1
vote
2answers
79 views
Alternative word for playgoers' behavior
Is there a word for playgoers' behavior when hissing and booing the villain?
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 ...
1
vote
4answers
190 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
vote
2answers
155 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
252 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 ...
0
votes
2answers
829 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 ...
0
votes
2answers
736 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
52 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
253 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 ...
0
votes
4answers
178 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
301 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"?
-1
votes
1answer
222 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
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 ...
