Tagged Questions
0
votes
0answers
23 views
Word for person slow to share info [duplicate]
A word for a person unwilling to share information to the group, that the group wants or needs, in order to feel important
0
votes
5answers
228 views
Idiom/saying/word request for “inappropriately complex analogy”
I'm looking for an adjective, saying or idiom for an analogy which makes the things even harder to grasp, that was supposed to make things easier to understand.
Examples:
A guy makes an analogy to ...
3
votes
1answer
190 views
Opposite of “straight talk”
What is the opposite for the straight talk idiom? How do I best call the activity when someone makes a very long preamble before he says what he wants?
-2
votes
2answers
102 views
“Bring the house down” [closed]
What is a group or person called who "brings the house down" or "can bring the house down"?
9
votes
10answers
258 views
Word or expression for comments that are technically correct but unhelpful
I think all programmers among us will be familiar with this scenario. You spend several days writing some code and submit it to be tested by someone else. The points that they return, though valid, ...
1
vote
5answers
130 views
An alternative for “revisionism”
I believe that revisionism is in itself essentially a historical exercise. I'm looking for something that can succinctly describe the following scenarios where the "revisionism" is more immediate and ...
-2
votes
2answers
1k views
How to say “I'm calling to touch base” without using the idiom? [closed]
Is there a common phrase or a word to convey the same meaning?
7
votes
13answers
2k views
Idiom, word, or expression meaning an easy-to-do task
I am looking for a term, expression, word, or idiom to describe a task as an easy one to do or to go through.
What I’d normally say is:
Actually it’s not difficult, it’s as easy as drinking a ...
3
votes
1answer
130 views
Is there a single word that defines time is on your part/side/favor?
These past few days I have had this kind of "luck": every time I'm not ready for something, it has ended up being cancelled. For instance, a surprise quiz came up for which I was not at all prepared, ...
4
votes
3answers
467 views
Idiomatic saying for “just over” and “just under”
Is there an idiomatic saying to say that a distance is about x kilometer, including the connotation of "a little bit more than" or "a little bit less than" as "just over" and "just under" respectively ...
4
votes
5answers
787 views
How to describe gesture to shut up?
I want to use a word/phrase/idiom etc. to describe someone action by which they try to stop another person talk or sharing their plans.
I want specifically to use it in following situation:
...
2
votes
3answers
557 views
Word for thing with positive and negative consequences
What word can I use for a thing with positive and negative consequences? For example, taking a cab rather than driving has its advantages and disadvantages.
0
votes
2answers
93 views
Is there a fallacy which describes incorrectly correlating the consequences of a decision to the quality of the decision?
EG say a sports team makes a terrible trade and loses their best player. Player then gets injured on new team. That injury doesn't make the decision to trade a good one...
I feel like there is a ...
0
votes
4answers
366 views
“A […] of riches” — what word is missing?
There is a phrase that goes "a X of riches" which suggests that one had so much to choose from, lots of good choices. What is the missing word?
0
votes
7answers
772 views
Idiomatic expression for a difficult choice
This has cropped up several times in the past couple of months, and I've been struggling to find a fitting word to describe this phenomenon. I'll describe it:
You have two choices(no, it's not ...
1
vote
1answer
525 views
Is there a word/phrase/idiom for temporarily satisfying strong feeling of hunger?
Imagine a situation where you've been invited to dinner at a friend's place. You're extremely hungry but you learn that the dinner won't be ready for another half an hour. So you decide to eat an ...
64
votes
18answers
4k views
How to say that food is hot (temperature) without the listener thinking that I mean “spicy”?
There is an excellent discussion of spicy vs. hot here: Difference between "spicy" and "hot"
However, having read the previous question, I did not see any answer that tells how to ...
2
votes
4answers
303 views
Word for person always after what he does not have and not cherishing what he has [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Term for “constantly unsatisfied soul”
Is there a word for a person who is always after what he does not have and does not cherish what he has? If not, any ...
3
votes
1answer
253 views
Request for an idiom (if any) or an expression that describes the following phenomenon
I've been doing some data mining experiments, and something really weird happened one hour ago in the experiment result, and just now something similarly weird happened again.
I'm trying to think of ...
3
votes
3answers
446 views
Term for pleasure or joy obtained on top of others' misery or unhappiness [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
An idiom for deriving pleasure from another's suffering
We often experience the following:
We feel happy when our fellow classmates get a bad grade and not
...
1
vote
3answers
482 views
“Pot calling the kettle black” … but what if the kettle isn't black (figuratively speaking)?
The pot calling the kettle black is a well accepted idiom in English, and has many equivalents in other languages.
But there are some occasions when this phrase is not quite appropriate. When one ...
10
votes
7answers
438 views
The solution to the problem is more complicated than the problem
I thought there was a word for this. Where you take a basic problem that exists and the best solution already exists and any effort we put into solving the problem would actually cause more work for ...
0
votes
2answers
504 views
words/phrases/idioms meaning either mundane/repetitive tasks, or inefficient methods? [closed]
What are some words, phrases, or idioms meaning either mundane or repetitive tasks, or inefficient methods?
For example adding up numbers from 1 to 1000, the repetitive way would be adding them 1 by ...
6
votes
8answers
2k views
What phrase is less idiomatic than “softball question”?
In the US, a "softball question" is asked because it would be intentionally easy to answer. It's not an intellectual judgement, just a question formulated to be intentionally easy for that particular ...
10
votes
3answers
526 views
What's a good opposite of “keep track”? [closed]
How can I say the opposite of "keep track"? I was trying to keep track of something but something happened and I lost the track.
I'd like to say "lose track". Is it possible to say it this way or is ...
6
votes
5answers
265 views
Word or phrase for hogging the left lane
Frequently on two-lane freeways, at least in the US, people drive in the left lane at exactly the same speed next to a car in the right lane, thus blocking the road.
Cars tend to back up behind these ...
2
votes
8answers
658 views
What is the opposite of “green”? [closed]
What best completes this sentence?
Joe, in opposition to environment-friendly sentiments, has decided to go ____.
2
votes
3answers
123 views
Multiple stone throws
"A stone's throw" is often used to describe a short distance. Is there a widely recognized English word or expression that similarly describes an intermediate distance, but which does not actually ...
9
votes
11answers
1k views
Words to describe a semi-literate person
I once had a manager whose level of literacy was lacking to the extent that he would nearly always return my technical reports with sections rewritten such that they became either ungrammatical, or ...
3
votes
5answers
182 views
A term for a “clean” win
I'm looking for a sports-related term in English, that means that one side had won without the other side having scored a single point, e.g. 1:0 or 5:0.
Is it "a clean win", or does a clean win mean ...
37
votes
7answers
2k views
English counterpart to Japanese signal word, “Dokkoisho”
What is an English counterpart to the Japanese signal word, “Dokkoisho” uttered unconsciously in such case as sitting down on the bench?
When you get old, it becomes tough to move your body. We ...
44
votes
8answers
1k views
Is there an English phrase for an inability to actually *leave* already?
There is a Hungarian expression, küszöbgörcs, which literally means "threshold-cramp", and is used to describe that long conversation you have in the entryway, with all the guests awkwardly holding ...
2
votes
5answers
164 views
Is it correct to say 'struck an example'?
When teaching people, is it correct to say:
'The author struck an example.' ?
Can anybody give me another word used to mean 'give an example' when using examples or parables to teach people.
5
votes
10answers
7k views
What words can I use to indicate how hungry I am?
Besides "I'm hungry" and "I'm starving", where starving is more than hungry, are there other phrases to indicate how hungry you are (including slangs, if any)?
24
votes
4answers
2k views
Is there a name for this type of insult: “I am friends with many manly men. And Gary.”?
Is there a term or word appropriate to describe the trick of using a general term and then explicitly adding a specific term to strongly imply that the specific is not part of the general? The trick I ...
10
votes
7answers
2k views
What is the pejorative for people who only practice their faith while at the place of worship?
What is the phrase or word for person that are very faithful in their place of worship (the pejorative usually applies to persons who are showy to the point of hypocrisy), but that are anything but ...
3
votes
6answers
2k views
“To kill a fly with a…”?
I seem to recall that there is an expression for when you are throwing something too big at a particular challenge: "To kill a fly with a..."? Or am I way off here?
Edit: maybe it's not a fly after ...
