Expressions are words or phrases used to convey an idea, or else a particular term used conventionally to express something.
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3answers
30 views
An expression for very tightly secured/mounted/fastened
I am trying to find a way describe a product feature, this would be that once the product is mounted, it cannot be easily un-mounted by shock, movement.
The expression in German Hält Bombenfest which ...
16
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4answers
21k views
Which is correct: coming down the “pike” or “pipe”?
Is the expression "coming down the pike" or "coming down the pipe"? I've always used pike, but I've heard a few people use pipe recently. I can see how both could make sense, but which is correct?
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0answers
29 views
What are the short answers in sad situations? [closed]
I'm not a native English speaker, but I have many English friends. So in conversations I always short of quick but formal answers or exclamations in a sad situation. Like;
Yesterday a strong tornado ...
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2answers
35 views
Suit Yourself origins?
The young daughter of a friend of mine said, "I think 'suit yourself' comes from a lazy tailor," which cracked us up. It also got me wondering.
I did the obligatory google search and came up with ...
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8answers
405 views
English term for pre-thinker?
I was searching for an English translation for the German Vordenker. Basically a person, often a scientist, who began or further significantly developed a new concept or theory by contributing ...
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2answers
59 views
Usage of “I'm sorry” and “thank you very much” outside of obvious settings
Why do people say "I'm sorry" at the beginning of a sentence? For example: "I'm sorry, but I don't care for her one bit." On the same note, I would like to understand the meaning of "thank you very ...
6
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1answer
91 views
Expressions in Tim Minchin's “Angry (Feet)”
I'm having a little trouble with matching some of the lyrics of Tim Minchin's "Angry (Feet)" to the reactions to them of the audience. This makes me suspect I'm missing some of the semantic layers. ...
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4answers
156 views
What is the clearest way to describe two “kitty-corner” buildings?
How can I explain the relationship of building A to building B where building A is, e.g., on the NW corner of an intersection, and building B is on the SE corner?
Which of the following (if any) is ...
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0answers
17 views
is there another way of saying: “shaky structures”? [duplicate]
What expression would an English teacher use to say that the handling of the language is a bit uncertain not with used with precision? In Swedish you can say (translated literally): your ...
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0answers
30 views
what sounds idiomatic [closed]
A Swedish teacher could write on an essay in Swedish (translated: Some of your structures, (the way you use the language) are"uncertain") meaning that it's a bit awkardly phrased and not very ...
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2answers
11k views
rule of thumb for 'however' in the middle of the sentence?
What is the rule of thumb for using 'however' in the middle of the sentence? For example:
Some people disagree with this theory, however, as it's never been proven right.
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3answers
3k views
Meaning of “quick reply”
"Quick reply": does it mean responding in a timely manner or something like 'your answer was super fast you could've put more thought into it'?
Because if you say "thanks for the quick reply" I think ...
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3answers
12k views
What is the origin of the phrase “Top of the morning to you”?
Each morning, a colleague of mine greets me with the phrase:
Top of the morning to you!
I've tried to figure out what the meaning of this really is and how to properly respond, however there ...
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0answers
50 views
Difference between “ask” and “enquire” [closed]
Should I use ask or enquire, in the following sentence?
The young man enquired the direction to the hospital.
Is the following sentence better?
The young man asked the way to the hospital.
...
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1answer
46 views
Which is correct? “not to” or “to not” [duplicate]
I was writing a blog post just now and I couldn't help but hesitate at the following snippet: "...causing this to not work as expected"
And I couldn't decide if that's correct or if I should use ...
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1answer
1k views
What is the difference between an expression and a phrase?
I'm trying to decide what tags I should be using and realized I did not know the difference between these terms.
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1answer
58 views
Meaning of 'Edwardian geek' [closed]
I just read that a physicist Paul Dirac was called 'the Edwardian geek' by his biographer [See the quote below from Wiki]. What does this phrase mean (Who was that particular Edward)?
An anecdote ...
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1answer
27k views
Difference between “How are you?” and “How are you doing?”
I've heard a lot of times already, that there is a major difference between saying
"How are you?"
and
"How are you doing?"
Is that true? I've heard one was like an extension of "Hello" ...
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2answers
75 views
Difference between “technically possible” and “physically possible”?
Do you think these expressions can be used interchangeably? I find little or no differene between the two meanings. Does this question need more context?
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1answer
292 views
“expecting a baby”
Can I say "we are expecting a baby" when my wife is pregnant or does that sound funny to native English speakers, saying it as a man? (In German, the phrase has become somewhat common, but it stills ...
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4answers
3k views
What is the etymology of “bugger-lugs”?
I have recently heard the phrase bugger-lugs used to refer to a person present, as in "How much do I owe you, bugger-lugs?". I have also heard it used to refer to a moderately mischievous child ("what ...
2
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3answers
186 views
How to express reduction from 10 or 100 billion to 1 billion
What word or phrase would correctly describe the reduction of 10 billion to 1 billion, and from 100 billion to 1 billion?
I need to have it sound scientific: Reduce an amount from 1010 to 109, and ...
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3answers
100 views
What is the top of a pearl pendant called?
For example the top of the pendant in the link below:
top of a pearl pendant
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2answers
1k views
origin of the expression “never argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel”
What is the origin of the expression "you argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel"? I heard it on the news and I would like to know who coined the expression.
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0answers
28 views
How to express this idea on formal occasions [closed]
everyone.
I was making an application for iPad.
It's a music game that you can record and play your tracks by touch the virtual piano keyboard on screen.But in the manage view,i want to remind the ...
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3answers
174 views
A more succinct expression for “The day before yesterday” [closed]
Is there a more succinct expression for "the day before yesterday"?
In German for example, gestern = 'yesterday.' The prefix vor roughly means before, so logically, vorgestern means 'the day before ...
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1answer
99 views
Why would you want to do that? [closed]
I recently shared with several coworkers that I wanted to go to a particular class. My coworker responded to me with the following question: "Why would you want to do that?" I responded with a ...
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2answers
147 views
Word or phrase for mere coincidence that brings happiness
I wish to state that my exposure to a certain area was a mere coincidence, and I am happy about the area. Moreover, I want to convey the idea that the incident was like a fairytale, something no one ...
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2answers
459 views
Origin of “smooth operator”
I'm interested in the origin of the term smooth operator. Does anyone know where it came from? What kind of operation?
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0answers
64 views
Does “up to 10Kg” include 10Kg? [duplicate]
While researching shipping charges, I see a lot of companies are quoting e.g. £5 for up to 10Kg. Some then go on to quote a further price band for 10Kg-XKg and others 10.1Kg-XKg.
Which one is correct?
...
2
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1answer
80 views
What does it mean to “offer a plea for a caution”? [closed]
This is a sentence in a letter to request waiving a fine. The sentence is:
I offer the following plea for a caution in this instance.
Also, it seems to me that caution is more correct than a ...
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2answers
128 views
Meaning of 'I don't swing at soft balls'
In an episode of Cougar Town, I noticed one of the characters told her friend 'I don't swing at soft balls'. First I thought it was an idiom, but I couldn't find it anywhere when I started looking it ...
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9answers
5k views
what on earth does “cheap at half the price” mean?
I hear this all the time, "cheap at half the price", to indicate that something is cheap (mostly in an ironic sense, but often used literally), but it makes no sense to me.
Of course, if something ...
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0answers
65 views
What's the meaning of the phrase “knock the handle”? [closed]
Don't really know if it's a phrase, just read it somewhere.
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1answer
150 views
What does “Nine Below Zero” mean?
There is a Blues Standard "Nine Below Zero" and I wonder what the phrase means. The chorus is
Nine Below Zero, she put me down for another
And it would also be super interesting where this ...
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6answers
14k views
Origin and meaning of “You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar”
I'm having trouble understanding the rationale behind the meaning of an American English phrase of which I just became aware. That phrase is:
You catch more flies with honey than you do with ...
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1answer
101 views
“Would have” and “would have no”
Could you describe about "would have ~ed & would have not ~ed".
I know "would" has the several meanings. But when I was talking with one of my friend who is a native speaker and in this following ...
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1answer
48 views
The correct word for adoption of a law by the National Assembly?
Since I am not a native English speaker I am not sure what word should I use for adoption of a law. The closest to my language is "adoption", but "promulgate", "enact" or some other word may be more ...
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1answer
61 views
How to Reply That PASSPORT NUMBER is not in my remembrance at the moment [closed]
If somebody called me over phone and asked to give your Passport number / Pan card / Roll number something. If it is not in my remembrance , how can I apologies in best way for this ?
NOTE -Please do ...
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3answers
82 views
“It's me” Phrase [closed]
I have heard people saying It's me. "It" is generally used for other than humans. So, is there any specific reason to use this phrase?
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4answers
9k views
One for the money, two for the show
What does the expression
[x] for the money
mean?
I remember hearing the topic title in a rap song (can’t remember which, might be Eminem), and there seem to be movies named after this pattern: ...
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0answers
77 views
How to express concisely the circular concept of a beginning and future simultaneously? [migrated]
There are many movies/books which have an ending that is the foundation for the beginning of the story, an example is Terry Pratchett's book Pyramids. In a way these stories become trapped in a ...
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0answers
36 views
Social events with Dress code [closed]
Can you please give me the meaning of "white tie"? It is a classification for the required clothing at special events. I can't remember, what exactly is behind "white tie" and what are the other ...
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1answer
69 views
Meaning of “leave on a full basis”
When I was reading News of Real Madrid - Di Maria set to be released, I saw following sentence:
Real Madrid management seem to have decided to let Di Maria leave on a full basis.
What does this ...
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5answers
4k views
Is the expression “may or may not” semantically void?
I personally have a hard time accepting the use of "may or may not." To me, it seems as if "may" and "may not" effectively cancel each other out, so the semantics of the sentence in which it appears ...
4
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2answers
59 views
How different is “he is a voice of reason awakening the public” from “he has a voice of reason awakening the public”?
In association with the question on Sarah Palin’s endorsement of Senator Rand Paul in the Time Magazine article “2013 Time 100” that I posted earlier today, I have an additional question about the ...
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2answers
122 views
A better, more academic way of saying 'whether or not'
This is my sentence, and I was hoping to make it sound more academic:
The aim is to ascertain whether or not the actors from the two films analysed can be considered to be heroes
Is there a ...
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2answers
87 views
Lack of it / Lack thereof
I am aware of the usage of "lack thereof", but I was wondering whether it is valid to use "lack of it".
During a conversation with someone I used "lack of it" in a sentence, and she claimed that it is ...
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1answer
68 views
How would you say 'go round the houses' in a formal way?
I am writing a memo (quite formal) and I need to mention that the attitudes in the previous meeting were really offtopic, the team didn't focus on the important matters.
Were it informal writing I ...
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1answer
154 views
Is “duck and dive” only a British idiom?
I was interested in the phrase “duck and dive,” which is put in parentheses, in the following comment of a video ran by the Guardian with a caption, “Senator Marco Rubio's in-speech water break” - ...
