Tagged Questions

-3
votes
3answers
109 views

What does “with all the discrimination of a shotgun” mean? [closed]

"If you scatter commas into a sentence with all the discrimination of a shotgun, you might make it to the foyer before we politely escort you from the building." Source: http://goo.gl/ZH6lO Doesn't a ...
1
vote
1answer
171 views

What is the connection between motherhood and apple pie?

I know the idiom motherhood and apple pie is used to denote some principles with which few disagree. But what is the connection between motherhood and apple pie? I am not very familiar with American ...
2
votes
1answer
85 views

“On Tap” in the Sense of “Coming Up”

Starting with the Fifth Edition (1936), seven generations of the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary have included (under the entry for tap) three definitions of "on tap," currently worded as ...
10
votes
1answer
340 views

What is the source of “Long time no see,” and when did it enter U.S. English?

A question from almost two years ago asked "In which countries is that “long time no see” greeting common?" The question drew a number of answers that were squarely on point, but also a couple that ...
2
votes
2answers
124 views

When did the term 'get lost' first come to use?

Have tacked this term to be an American idiom. Does anyone know when it came to popular use or was first used there?
1
vote
2answers
247 views

Using “you got it” in the sense of “you are welcome”

Normally I would assume the meaning of you got it were something like: You do understand it right. You’ve achieved your goal. Or even I’ll do it for you very shortly. But from time ...
1
vote
1answer
81 views

Is the phrase “by way of notice” an acceptable use of the idiom/expression “by way of”? [closed]

Oftentimes when I write emails to notifying co-workers of any planned absences I will say something along the lines of: By way of advanced notice, I will be out of the office on Tuesday, April ...
1
vote
2answers
246 views

Could the idiom 'belt and suspenders' be used to refer to a woman?

For example referring to an extremely cautious woman as a belt-and-suspenders kind of woman. Is it correct English (Am. English)?
2
votes
3answers
465 views

What does the idiom “to sound a little off” mean?

What does the idiom "to sound a little off" mean in American English?
13
votes
3answers
8k views

What does the sentence “Butter my butt, call me a biscuit” mean?

What does this sentence mean? How do I use it? Butter my butt, call me a biscuit.
2
votes
1answer
247 views

Where did the idiom “scot-free” come from? [closed]

As in, that criminal got off scot-free despite a mountain of evidence that would seem to indicate his guilt.
4
votes
6answers
314 views

What is the origin of the -ass speech?

I am spending one month in the US and it seems that everything is "big ass", "lame ass", and "crazy ass". What is the purpose of modifying every adjective with "ass"? Is this an Americanism or some ...
1
vote
2answers
130 views

“Summoning something into life” vs. “summoning something to life”

What is the difference between the following? Summoning ... into life Summoning ... to life If it helps, I want to use the word idea in the place of dots so it's like: Summoning ...
-4
votes
2answers
174 views

Does using an adverb three times almost always imply the opposite?

Dana is very, very, very nice. A real housewife of Beverly Hills It seems that almost exclusively, the reiteration of a such a clarifier - very in this case - ends up actually meaning the ...
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 ...
63
votes
28answers
5k views

Is there an American English equivalent of the British idiom “carrying coals to Newcastle”?

I'm an American living in the Netherlands who is learning Dutch. There's an idiom in Dutch that describes performing a needless/futile activity, "water naar de zee dragen," which literally translates ...
9
votes
7answers
982 views

Are there idioms specific to one English dialect?

Let's get into a little conversation about the differences between American English, British English and regional dialects. Some words are specific to certain dialects (lass is Scottish, the lads is ...
1
vote
4answers
752 views

Is the phrase “move over” an official English idiom? And if so, is it only in American English?

Is the phrase "move over" an official English idiom known worldwide? I would like to know: Is it an official English idiom (not slang or colloquial)? Is it known outside of the US (e.g. in the UK, ...
3
votes
2answers
560 views

“Hot Diggity …”

Ok, perhaps the last one was too easy :) Here's one that a friend of mine uses, and I'd love to know if it's something he coined, or is it a more common expression than I think: Hot ...
1
vote
1answer
323 views

On being golden

Saying that [someone] is golden means that person is in a desirable situation that will likely lead to some sort of success. I am trying to find out the origin of this phrase. So far, I have found ...
9
votes
1answer
702 views

What is the meaning of 'That about covers it'?

I am reading a book titled Struts 2 in action, and there is this sentence: That about covers it for aspects of OGNL that are commonly used in Struts 2. What I am confused by it is the structure ...