A colloquialism is a word or phrase used in everyday conversation, but generally avoided in formal speech and writing.
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5answers
2k views
Is Valley Girl speak “like”, entering the language?
So like, I had this teacher? And he's like, "You're late?" And I'm like,
"There's like other people late too?"
I've always cringed at the word "like" strewn about in a spoken sentence. Well now ...
10
votes
6answers
688 views
“Literally” and “Decimate” misuse
Recently I've heard American TV commentators say "[a person] was literally decimated" and "[a Senator] was literally thrown under the bus". In the first case I think the person was not actually 10% ...
42
votes
11answers
3k views
Idiom: People caring about minor stuff while something terrible is happening
Imagine a situation in which the whole place is on fire, a bomb is about to explode, everyone is running for their lives and someone is checking his looks on the mirror... pretty inappropriate for the ...
3
votes
5answers
1k views
Is it acceptable to begin a declarative sentence with “Am”?
I want to know firstly if it's grammatically correct to start a declarative sentence with "Am". For example:
Am excited about the game today.
Secondly, if it is grammatically incorrect, then I ...
19
votes
4answers
1k views
“A whole nother” way of looking at things
People say this so much (instead of "another whole" way, etc.) that I wonder how it got started. How did "another whole..." get changed to "a whole nother..."?
23
votes
5answers
848 views
Origins: “try and” over “try to” — how did we get there from here?
In written and standard semi-formal (and above) spoken English, one would use "try to":
Try to be a better person.
Try to get the fishhook out of my thumb, please.
Try to find a pharmacy ...
28
votes
12answers
4k views
Is there a difference between “cheers” and “thanks” in colloquial British English?
In colloquial British English today you hear "Cheers" (to mean "thank you") more often than "Thanks."
Is the choice of one or the other determined by regional, class, or education differences, or is ...
14
votes
4answers
7k views
What's the difference between “informal”, “colloquial”, “slang”, and “vulgar”?
It seems many people get confused about the differences (and similarities) between "colloquial" and "slang", so what exactly does each term apply to?
But to be even more thorough it seems to me we ...
9
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5answers
1k views
What is the commonly accepted pronunciation of FAQ?
I hear FAQ(s) pronounced like a word in "FACK(s)", while I go letter by letter. In usage, what is more common?
(Similar to SQL vs Sequel)
8
votes
8answers
7k views
What does “I know, right?” mean?
Not only is my seventh grader using this phrase, but her teachers are as well.
I suppose it means I totally agree with you and you totally agree with me but it sounds like there is a subtle Is that ...
5
votes
3answers
839 views
Is the phrase “all to c**k” considered profane?
I occasionally use the colloquialism "all to cock" to mean "disastrously wrong". I've always thought it a benign phrase, but recently I've wondered whether the use of the word "cock" in this situation ...
3
votes
1answer
358 views
I need <something> yesterday?
Is it correct to say:
I need those reports, and I need them
yesterday.
Shouldn't it be:
I needed those reports yesterday.
Or is this aberrant usage style simply a colloquialism?
0
votes
2answers
700 views
What does it mean when someone calls himself “non sequitur”?
Coming from my answer to question Is there a better noun form of “unreasonable” than “unreasonableness?”
What does it mean when someone calls himself "non sequitur"?
Examples:
"I AM NON ...
13
votes
6answers
5k views
Is “my bad” a correct English phrase?
I have seen many people use the phrase "my bad" in Internet forums. What does it exactly imply and is it a proper English phrase?
11
votes
4answers
2k views
“high rate of speed” or “high speed” to mean going fast
Why do reporters (and sometimes police officers) say that somebody was going at a high rate of speed when they actually mean high speed?
In physics, speed is already the rate of distance over time, ...
4
votes
5answers
3k views
What is the origin of the phrase “to go apeshit”?
What is the origin of the phrase "to go apeshit"?
An example usage would be:
And then he went apeshit over the prize he just won.
Obviously there is a strong visual associated with an angry ...
4
votes
3answers
6k views
Usage of 'much more'
Is saying much more grammatically correct?
For instance, some purists argue that this is wrong:
I'm much more comfortable with A than B
and that it should be:
I'm more comfortable with A ...
2
votes
4answers
679 views
Is “blah blah blah” the most common spelling?
What is the most common or correct spelling of "blah blah blah"?
blah blah blah
blah blah
bla bla bla
bla bla
My question stems from when I first wrote it as "bla bla bla" in an English text, ...
12
votes
2answers
2k views
When is it OK to use OK?
I often use "OK" in business and personal emails and phone conversations. But I often feel uncertain if it is appropriate to use it in every type of context.
Please tell how universally I can use ...
7
votes
3answers
3k views
What is the origin of the phrase “stand on your head and spit wooden nickels?”
Where does this phrase come from? Was there a time in which it was in popular use? Is it an American English phrase?
6
votes
3answers
492 views
“Fixing to…” at the beginning of a sentence
Use of "Fixing to ..." at the beginning of a sentence is prevalent in southern USA. Is this the right usage? And is this only a southern US thing?
Examples:
Fixing to call her.
Fixing dinner.
...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
Where did the phrase “shut up” as an expression of disbelief or amazement originate?
I recently heard shut up used according to this definition in Urban dictionary.
shut·up (shuht-up)
--interjection
1. An expression of disbelief.
2. Amazement; astonishment.
I've only ...
3
votes
1answer
390 views
Is “and then some” an offensive expression?
I started an internal email discussion with the title "Editorial: link issues, some spelling issues and then some".
However, upon rereading my own mail, it occurred to me that this might express ...
2
votes
2answers
151 views
What does “him as writ plays” (etc.) mean in old newspaper clipping?
Quotation from A history of the cries of London ancient (p23).
... famous theatre afterwards to be so widely known. The sunshiny time of our literature and life, making a red-letter period in ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
Proper use of the phrase “of all time”
I have a client who insists on using the following sentence in his web site:
Lance Armstrong is the most successful American bike racer of all times.
I think that "of all times" should be "of ...
1
vote
1answer
215 views
“so long as” vs. “as long as”
I just googled the difference between as long as and so long as. The difference has alredy been discussed here. There are, it seems, two contexts for these expressions:
lengths and physical ...
1
vote
8answers
2k views
Could you name some numbers that have a special meaning in English, like 666? [closed]
The question "What does the term “86'd” relate to?" made me wonder what similar cases we have in English. I'd like to know some other numbers that have a commonly understood meaning beyond their use ...
