A colloquialism is a word or phrase used in everyday conversation, but generally avoided in formal speech and writing.
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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 ...
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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 ...
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12answers
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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 ...
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5answers
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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 ...
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4answers
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“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..."?
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Derogatory term for electronic device
In German, the term "Kiste", literally meaning "box", is often used as a colloquial derogatory term for electronic and mechanical devices.
It is comparable to "jalopy", which, however, seems to be ...
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Burn up or burn down?
What's the difference between "burn up" and "burn down"? Or is there a difference at all?
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He's good people. Just him. The one guy
I think this is a Midwestern thing, but where does the phrase "good people" come from? I'm referring specifically to the usage: "I like Bob. He's good people."
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Why do we say “to boot”?
Here's an example of the phrase "to boot":
My wife made a disgusting looking dinner, and it tasted awful to boot!
The implication of the "to boot" is that the fact that the dinner tasted awful ...
14
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4answers
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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 ...
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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?
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3answers
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Which is the correct idiom: “First thing's first” or “First things first”?
I've gotten into a debate over which usage of an apostrophe in the phrase "first thing(')s first" is correct.
My thinking is that one would take the first thing and give it priority, hence the first ...
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Why is “guinea pig” used as the colloquial term for test subjects?
Why do we refer to people as guinea pigs when discussing the subjects of an informal experiment? Surely mice, rabbits and rats are much more common experimental subjects. Indeed, it's rare that you'll ...
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2answers
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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 ...
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4answers
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6answers
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What does “Sunshine,” when it’s placed at the end of sentence mean?
I came across a peculiar (to me) usage of the word, “sunshine” that was placed at the end of sentence in the short story, “High Heels,” written by Jeffrey Archer.
“Sunshine” appears in the following ...
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4answers
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“Calling dibs” - what does it imply?
The term "to have dibs on something" or "to call dibs on something" plays a recurring role in American film and television (e.g. How I Met Your Mother), so it gets exported a lot.
Wikipedia describes ...
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4answers
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“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, ...
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6answers
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“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% ...
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3answers
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Is using “all” instead of “all used up” a regional thing?
My inlaws from Central Pennsylvania will say, "The milk is all" instead of "The milk is all gone". Another very common example, "Can you bring me some cookies?" "Sorry, the cookies are all". Anyone ...
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5answers
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Etymology of “to be like” meaning “to say”
It seems that "to be like" is an informal phrase for "to say". E.g.
She was so angry, she was like "I'm breaking up with you", and I was like "I'm sorry", and she was like "Go away".
Is this a ...
9
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7answers
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Colloquial definition of “douchebag”
Obviously "douchebag" has a literal meaning - however if we see someone wearing sunglasses indoors, we would call them a douchebag. I'm trying to explain this to a friend. How do you verbalize this ...
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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)
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4answers
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What does the word “rich” mean in the reactionary sarcastic phrase “That's rich!”?
What does the word "rich" mean in the reactionary sarcastic phrase "That's rich!" (Google shows 67M hits).
I take it to mean "rich" as in "rich in irony". What it is the source of the phrase and how ...
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6answers
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What does “Eleventy-seven” mean?
I came across the following phrase in a story (set in Australia):
So the fact that I'm forty-five and you're eleventy-seven means nothing to me. If other people have a problem with that, then it's ...
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8answers
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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 ...
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1answer
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What is the etymology of “todger”?
What is the etymology of "todger"? My Concise OED is rather vague:
ORIGIN 1950s: of unknown origin (also tadger)
"Tadger" is just listed as a "Variant spelling of TODGER"
Other references ...
8
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1answer
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Where did this usage of “something” originate: “I need a nap something terrible”?
I need a nap something awful!
I know what this means, but I could never understand it: it's not easier to say, it's not more efficient, and it doesn't make sense! When was it started (and why)?
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13answers
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What do you call a USB flash disk?
I assume usually you don’t say USB flash disk, right?
By the way, in Chinese we call it something more like U Disk.
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3answers
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What is the meaning of “to look like a square”?
I read this at oatmeal:
Hey, he is clapping along to the music! How
quaint! I should too. I would not want
to look like a square!
Another one:
You Won't Look Like a Square With
...
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3answers
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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?
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“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.
...
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5answers
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Grammatical explanation of “what the blank”
In emphatic questions, it's common to see or hear an interjection such as the heck — or something more vulgar — between the interrogative and the verb.
What was that?
becomes
What the heck ...
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“Going to go” vs “going to”?
My significant other tells me that I'm not "going to go" to the shops, I'm "going to" the shops, and beats me mercilessly when I say that.
Is this not correct? I might not be going to the shops until ...
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3answers
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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 ...
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2answers
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“I don't think so” vs. “I think not”
I've recently been told that "I don't think so" is, in the U.S.A., a southernism, whereas "I think not" is considered more acceptable everywhere else. Is this true?
Example:
Q: Is your wrist ...
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4answers
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Less colloquial version of “(X), never mind (Y)”?
From Chapter 7, it was found that PV installers do not interact frequently with geographic data within their assessment, never mind 3D geographic data.
"Never mind" seems like a bit of a ...
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2answers
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Question regarding the usage of “Bang”
Can anyone shed some light on the origin of the use of the word "Bang" to imply a positive adjective?
For example, here are three colloquial phrases which use the word bang to lend strength to the ...
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1answer
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Origin and meaning of “strealish”/“streelish”
I've heard the word strealish (or streelish) used to describe someone with a lost or wan look or someone unkempt or untidy.
I know it's an Irishism, but what is the origin of the word and what did it ...
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12answers
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Is there an idiom for people who boast too much?
I am looking for idioms or informal/slang/colloquial expression for some people that make you think that they are able of building a skyscraper, constructing a spaceship, playing the piano better than ...
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6answers
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How to say “I must nothing” on a t-shirt
My son has a t-shirt that says, in Polish, "Nic nie muszę". It translates literally as "Nothing (I do) not must", meaning something like I do not have to do anything.
How would you express this in ...
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5answers
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Alternative colloquialism for “Best of both worlds”?
I'm looking for a phrase that means the same thing as "best of both worlds", except isn't so overused.
I'm looking for the semantics to remain intact; for example, "Awesome!!" would not be an ...
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5answers
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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 ...
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2answers
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How do you write the short form of “you all”?
The short form is pronounced as "yoll", but what is the actual spelling? Is it "y'all"? Any official mention of the spelling?
Example useage: "Where are you-all going".
Pronounced as "Where are yoll ...
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4answers
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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 ...
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3answers
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How to use “It ain't over till the fat lady sings”?
I know the meaning of this phrase: One should not assume the outcome of some activity (e.g. a sports game) until it has actually finished.
I'm curious as to whether it would more likely be used when
...
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3answers
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Is this usage of “all” considered archaic?
I was writing, and this happened:
It was a beautiful afternoon in mid-autumn, all chill air and dazzling sunlight.
Is X, all Y considered archaic? I use this construction occasionally, but it ...
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3answers
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What does “flustrated” mean, and is it a word?
What does the flustrated mean? Is it even a word? I am using Lingea Lexicon and it doesn’t know this word, but the Internet is full of it.
I find myself hating people for using it both in English ...
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2answers
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Is the term “city boy” a commonly used appellation for London bankers? Does it only apply to them, or is it colloquial for other London denizens?
I was watching the British series Sherlock Holmes and I noticed a couple of times they referred to bankers Sherlock was investigating or talking to as city boys. How common is this usage? Would the ...
