This tag should be used for questions asking about nuances of meaning and definitions of words. If you are asking about the meaning of a word in a given context, please use the more specific meaning-in-context instead. For questions relating to the origin of a word, its evolution over time, or ...
0
votes
2answers
41 views
Sentence using “hamartia”
Can any one tell me how to use the word hamartia in everyday writing? I have searched a lot but failed to find any sentence using this word. Any help would be appreciated.
0
votes
2answers
47 views
What does “potted” mean in “Potted Potter”?
There is a play called Potted Potter which is a parody about all seven Harry Potter books.
What is the meaning of potted in this context?
2
votes
4answers
96 views
What is the origin of the noun “satellite town”?
A satellite town is a town that is located in the outskirts of a major city. What is the origin of this name, satellite town? What does "satellite" exactly mean here?
0
votes
1answer
55 views
Should I add a “the” before “headmaster” here?
Dr. Peter Spence, __ headmaster of the school, told us, “a fifth of pupils here go on to study at Oxford and Cambridge.”
Does it matter whether I add a "the" before "headmaster" here?
1
vote
2answers
40 views
Disdainful pity…?
My question stems from a conversation on sympathy and pity.
My girlfriend and I agreed that sympathy is feeling for someone, but without taking action or desiring to take action. Pity, then, overlaps ...
3
votes
1answer
66 views
“Learn to code” vs. “Learn coding”
Is there a semantic difference between learn to code and learn coding? Can both forms be used interchangeably?
1
vote
1answer
88 views
What is a sleeve?
p1 "I have a load of quarters but my bank doesn't have a coin machine and I don't feel like giving Coinstar a cut of my monies."
p2 "Put em in the sleeves yourself."
1
vote
0answers
53 views
“Please finish this by May 15” — can I still do it today? [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
Does “notified by [date]” include the end date?
Today is May 15. I have an email in my inbox that says
Please respond by May 15.
My question is: what ...
3
votes
3answers
82 views
What word or phrase expresses shortly detaining a suspect on the street and then letting him/her go?
Today, a Dutch paper published a little research triggered by a politician outing the English phrase (abbreviated) "65 percent of them have been detained by the police at least once."
I think, and ...
1
vote
2answers
64 views
Meaning of “Crown” in court
This is a sentence in an article about law and courts:
the culprit argue the Crown couldn't prove that...
What is the meaning of Crown in this sentence? I guess it's the chief of court, but I'm ...
0
votes
0answers
36 views
Is a match for any Englishman in Polynesia, let alone foreigners"--with a sour glance at the German [closed]
I am reading this story here :-
http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/22488/
Not getting the meaning of the following sentence, if anyone could please help.
"Ay," said Robertson, the trading ...
11
votes
3answers
625 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
2answers
43 views
How should I understand “all the more reason to”? [closed]
The following sentence is from a commencement speech.
All the more reason to be grateful, this and every day, that we live
in America, where the talents God gave us may be used in freedom.
I ...
0
votes
1answer
22 views
meaning and correct use of “Beholden”? [closed]
What is the meaning of the word beholden,and where can I use it?
0
votes
3answers
58 views
meaning of the word “Reel”? [closed]
I searched the meaning of reel in a couple of dictionaries and
got the meaning as
to walk, moving from side to side, looking like one is going to fall.
but still I am not able to understand ...
4
votes
2answers
229 views
The meaning of: “Why don't you just beat it?”
I would like to know what does this phrase means:
"Why don't you just beat it?"
My dictionary says only that:
beat it: get lost
Can you beat it? : Do you get it?
0
votes
4answers
98 views
What does “flooded” mean when referring to people?
I know the meaning of “flooded” as in “covered with water”, but what is the meaning here?
Over 200 students from all over the state flooded the helpline calls on the first day of its launch.
...
-1
votes
1answer
71 views
What does Yolo mean/stand for? [closed]
I keep seeing the word 'Yolo' around and I feel a bit silly for not knowing what it means. Can anyone tell me what it means and how it came about?
2
votes
1answer
49 views
What is the meaning of “one of those shilling in the slot affairs”?
In A TASTE OF HONEY by Shelagh Delaney I found sentence:
(She wanders around the room searching for fire.) "Where!" she says. She can never see anything till she falls over it. Now where's it got ...
0
votes
1answer
77 views
What does the term “relational value” mean?
I couldn't find a definition of this on any reliable resource nor in the dictionary. I think we all might know what 'relational' and 'value' mean but I'm looking for a definition of the term ...
0
votes
0answers
33 views
Meaning of a sentence “with Invariance to Pose and Lighting” [closed]
Actually I don't know where I can ask such question but seems like anybody who knows English can explain me the meaning of sentence: "Learning Methods for Generic Object Recognition
with Invariance to ...
3
votes
1answer
75 views
“Deuce and a half” for body weight
This expression is from the movie There's Something About Mary:
She put a lot of weight, about a deuce and a half.
Is this used to refer to overweight people? The only reference I could find is ...
8
votes
4answers
164 views
“Duplicate data” or “duplicated data”?
I'm making a presentation and I need to know if I should use "duplicated data" or "duplicate data". Is there any difference? I'm talking about removing observations of a database that are duplicates.
3
votes
3answers
195 views
What is the difference between “curd” and “yogurt”?
Most people use the words curd and yogurt interchangeably.
Both are made by fermenting milk.
Is there a difference between the two, or are they the same?
2
votes
1answer
58 views
Does “prosody” include facial-expressions and gestures?
Is "prosody" purely aural / auditory or can it also include visual perceptions?
Are facial-expressions (rolling of eyes to indicate sarcasm) considered as contributing to prosody?
What about ...
-1
votes
0answers
32 views
The definition of “Mindcircus”? [closed]
Can you tell me please the definition of "Mindcircus" (title for song of Way Out West)?
Thanks.
0
votes
2answers
67 views
What does “cut the odds” mean?
What does the expression cut the odds in the context of betting mean?
The complete phrase is
While we're not sure what is going on in Greece, it is safer for us to suspend betting rather than ...
0
votes
2answers
70 views
Difference between “place” and “position”
Can these words be used interchangeably when referring to a point in the world?
1
vote
4answers
124 views
“began to ring” or “started ringing”?
What is more correct here?
My telephone suddenly began to ring.
or
My telephone suddenly started ringing.
What's the difference?
3
votes
3answers
65 views
Use of 'enjoy' with respect to a status or position without pleasure?
I've seen a sentence construct in several places where something or someone is said to "enjoy" a status or position, but said status doesn't imply any pleasure or joy.
Due to her visa conditions, ...
3
votes
2answers
43 views
Meaning of “To be next into the breach”
What is the meaning of "to be next into the breach" in the following examples?
There's a blue flame from, I think, an oxygen tank. Carter finds Lisa
on the floor and asks her if her neck is ...
0
votes
3answers
47 views
Want a phrase/word to express the time follow and close now
I want a phrase or word to express the time follow and close now, it would have the meaning that keeps the time continuous. for me, word "later" seems be too generic, "later on" seems to have certain ...
1
vote
4answers
117 views
Can I use “you guys” when it includes gals? [Northeast USA] [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
Is “guy” gender-neutral?
I'm in the Northeast USA.
I'm about to email 3 people, 2 are women
It is ok to say "I thought you guys would find this ...
0
votes
1answer
84 views
How and when should I use “By now”? [closed]
What does "by now" stand for?
Where should I put it within a sentence? starting or finishing?
Is it right if I say "By now, I won't go to Melbourne"?
1
vote
0answers
47 views
How to properly build the “article is <some words> deletable/creatable?” question? [closed]
I have a minimum limit number, 1, a maximum limit number, 10, an "entity", article, and a question whose answer should state (one between true or false) if the number of current articles exceeded the ...
1
vote
1answer
29 views
Meaning of 'swung around' in this context
I was chatting with my client, and he said the following sentence in between:
Oh, also swung around with the CreditCard folks, we'll need to do some validation against their production system at ...
5
votes
2answers
116 views
Wid = Widow or Wid = With
In the 1800s the abbreviation "wid" is used in city directories.
The first speculation is with a female listed first at an address, the term is used to designate a Widow with the male name following.
...
2
votes
3answers
115 views
What does it mean to “start from scratch”?
This question speaks to the "start from the beginning" meaning, but in yesterday's USA Today, there was a headline about Obama and Romney starting from scratch because they were even in a poll. Have ...
11
votes
5answers
331 views
“Eventually” vs. “finally”
What is the difference between finally and eventually?
He eventually escaped and made his way back to England.
He finally escaped and made his way back to England.
1
vote
0answers
57 views
Difference between “a few minutes” and “few minutes” [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
“A few” vs. “few”
What is the difference between "a few minutes" and "few minutes"?
For instance, how do these statements differ?
She has ...
2
votes
1answer
122 views
The word “only” in this sentence makes me feel uncertain
The extension of the principle of the reflex to include behavior involving more and more of the organism was made only in the face of vigorous opposition.
My understanding is this: the ...
-2
votes
0answers
31 views
Where can I learn to write more concisely? [closed]
Where can I learn to write more meaning in to fewer words, and still make what I write clearer?
4
votes
1answer
105 views
When and why do I have to use singular and plural nouns following “No”?
For example:
No student goes to school today.
No students go to school today.
When and why do I have to use singular and plural nouns following "No"?
1
vote
0answers
16 views
What is difference between “Environment does matter” & “Environment matters” [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
Difference between “does have” and “has”
“did shoot” vs “shot”
'Did see' and 'Saw'
“I understand you” vs “I do understand ...
3
votes
3answers
381 views
What does “10-4 ” mean?
I could have asked this question personally to my respected colleague who gave me a valuable answer to the question, “Is the ‘tame the infinite becoming an idiom or a popular phrase,” which I posted ...
0
votes
3answers
50 views
Might “see you shortly” be used to mean in a week's time?
I wonder if it's appropriate to say "see you shortly" when we both know that it's going to happen in a week's time. What I'm trying to say is that I'm looking forward to see the person, but I already ...
3
votes
3answers
153 views
Meaning of 'an old hat'
I found the phrase “old hat” in the following sentence of The New York Times’ article (April 20) titled, “The Tech-Savvy Traveler.”
AT 28 years old, Soraya Darabi is an old hat at staying on the ...
2
votes
2answers
63 views
“Ontology” vs. “ontography”
I have yet to find a good description of the difference between ontology and ontography. Can anyone help clarify?
5
votes
2answers
121 views
What does “animal warmth” mean?
I'm trying to translate a video on TED into my native language (Latvian). At the very start there is an expression I'm unfamiliar with - "animal warmth". I think I kind of understand the idea ...
2
votes
1answer
59 views
“You are used to” vs. “you used to use”
I'm currently reading some boring programming book and have found this phrase:
If you are used to C and printf(), you might think cout looks odd.
If I wrote this phrase (supposing I understand ...
