Tagged Questions
0
votes
3answers
79 views
Although correct, is “the above” to be avoided?
Although the phrase the above is not exactly incorrect, should it be avoided?
For example, imagine a letter with a heading "Re: Order for 79 purple cardboard slugs". Should a paragraph in the letter ...
4
votes
1answer
111 views
What is a person if they are described as a “wet hen”?
In Terry Pratchett's Discworld books (Witches Abroad in particular), the character Magrat Garlick is often called a "wet hen" by at least one of her witch colleagues.
Web searches only yielded the ...
1
vote
2answers
362 views
Is there a difference between British English phrases and American phrases? [closed]
My goal is to learn British English because I'm going to study there. I've found a good book about English phrases. However, the book is originally from the US.
Is there a difference between ...
1
vote
1answer
242 views
What is the origin of “odds and ends”?
There's already a question (and answer) for "bits and bobs", which I believe is a Britishism, but what is the origin of "odds and ends"? "Odds" I have some reckoning for (as in, "odd items", meaning ...
7
votes
4answers
809 views
What's the equivalent phrase in the UK for “I plead the fifth”?
In the United States, a person under examination on the witness stand may "plead the fifth" to avoid self-incrimination. In other words, a person asserts his or her Fifth Amendment right.
Citizens of ...
5
votes
3answers
195 views
Is the expression “quote you happy” accepted English grammar? What is its history?
I'm editing a document written by someone who grew up in the UK, which contains the phrase "We'll quote you happy". That doesn't parse for me (I grew up in New Zealand), but a quick search about the ...
3
votes
3answers
492 views
Usage of the phrase “Eat your tea”
This is another bit of unusual English (to an American) that I picked up from Terry Pratchett's writings. Characters in the books have told others to "Eat their tea", in the literal sense.
Is this a ...
6
votes
2answers
1k views
Why is it “knife” in the idiom, “Before you can say knife” though there are many shorter words than knife?
I saw the phrase, ‘before you can say Dow-Jones Index’ in the following sentence of JefferyArcher’s novel, “Not a penny more, Not a penny less.”
Scotland Yard’s Fraud Squad Detective Inspector, ...
5
votes
1answer
427 views
What's the difference between “Yours sincerely” and “Sincerely yours”?
I have read online that "Yours sincerely" is British English and "Sincerely yours" is American English.
Is this true?
Or is the difference in formality? I think the first one is more formal and the ...
5
votes
2answers
298 views
What is the meaning, history, and current popularity of “of a Monday” (or Tuesday, or Wednesday, etc.)?
I was watching a 1934 Hollywood film today and one of the characters used the phrase, Of a Tuesday. I know of a Y-day has been a common phrase in British English in relatively recent times and assume ...
4
votes
4answers
7k views
Correct usage of “to coin a phrase”
I've always thought "to coin a phrase" means to invent a phrase or be the first person to use it.
Today I came across this usage by a reporter for the Lancashire Telegraph
The Burnley board are ...
3
votes
5answers
1k views
What is the meaning of the phrase “chance would be a fine thing”?
I've heard this phrase used many times.
e.g.
-Got a completion date back on your new conservatory?
-Ha! Chance'd be a fine thing.
I think I have a general idea of what it must mean from ...
1
vote
3answers
2k views
Is the phrase “getting on” commonly used in British English? What register would its use be in?
I've collected a new phrase from my watching of British television, getting on, as in "How's he getting on?" From various contexts, I think I've gotten the meaning down to "how's he doing?" Anyway, ...
5
votes
1answer
127 views
Meaning behind of “X leads from Y”
I was watching the BBC broadcast of the Monaco Grand Prix over the weekend, and the announcer kept using the phrase "Vettel leads from Alonso". He took this to mean that Vettel was in first and Alonso ...
2
votes
3answers
2k views
