This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.
-1
votes
0answers
29 views
Does the word “umpty” have two different meanings?
I happened to learn the word “umpty” in association with “umpteen” appearing in the following sentence in the article titled “Obama’s Gitmo Problem” in May 24 New York Times:
Late Wednesday ...
1
vote
1answer
69 views
Usage of “would” instead of “used to” [closed]
I sometimes lurk on "AskReddit" and when people are telling stories, they often read like this:
"After I would cook dinner for us, we would sit at the large dining room table and he would make a ...
0
votes
2answers
30 views
How do you say the coming week in the weekend?
Now it is on Saturday(25 May 2013), how do you say the coming week(the week from 27th-)?
Next week or is it already this week? Is there any other ways to say the coming week?
-1
votes
0answers
25 views
A's and B's or A and B's [duplicate]
I wanted to express something that both A and B have.
For example, to compare two operating systems, I wrote:
Apple's and Google's mobile operating systems ...
But my colleague said, to make it ...
-1
votes
4answers
106 views
What does “20 weeks pregnant” mean?
First, let us agree that a woman is either pregnant or she is not I suppose a third state of uncertainty is possible, but that is more of a mental as opposed to a physical state.
Is the phrasing "20 ...
2
votes
1answer
32 views
In real estate, what is a split plan? [closed]
I'm looking through house listings and keep coming across "split plan." This is not a synonym of "split level," because the houses are pretty flat. What is a "split plan" house?
2
votes
0answers
53 views
when to use Huge and Big
What is the difference between both : Huge and Big
take an example,
he made a huge difference to the team.
it can also be like,
he made a big difference to the team.
Does the meaning for both the ...
1
vote
2answers
44 views
Is it correct to use the term paranoia when expressing overrated reaction due to fear of something?
I was discussing with someone who had this strong conviction that AI is a ridicule all through and neglected all of its uses. At a stage, the argument got heated, and I said:
I think you are ...
2
votes
1answer
52 views
What does a “visiting writer” mean?
From wiki page about Michael Crichton":
In 1988, Crichton was a visiting writer at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology
What does exactly the term visiting writer mean?
Does it mean he ...
3
votes
1answer
134 views
“I have done every bad thing in the good book” - what does it actually mean?
This question might be very specific to a situation in "Revolution" but I cannot understand this sentence.
From my understanding, he was saying that he has done everything that the book (he ...
2
votes
5answers
68 views
What's the meaning of “I casually drink alcohol” and “I socially drink alcohol” [closed]
If I said,
I casually drink alcohol
or
I socially drink alcohol
What would you think about how often I drink?
0
votes
0answers
10 views
Translation for “calificador” (from Spanish to English) [migrated]
In Spanish, calificador means someone (or something) that examines some score or performance and gives you a grade, like a teacher gives you an A, B, C, etc. or in a contest a judge gives you a 10, 9, ...
0
votes
1answer
50 views
The words India and England sound the same but why are the starting letters different? [closed]
For example why can't we use Endia or Ingland. Any specific reason?
3
votes
2answers
77 views
Does “Paraphernalia” have a negative connotation?
By definition, the word paraphernalia does not portray either negative or positive emotions. Does it, in everyday usage?
In my particular case, I am making a website about programming. I have a ...
2
votes
2answers
50 views
What are the differences between “amalgam” and “hodgepodge”/“hedgepodge”?
What are the differences between amalgam and hodgepodge/hedgepodge? I see people using them in their sentences, which seems to mean mixture of many things. Are they subtly different?
3
votes
2answers
73 views
usage of “Made for”
eg. I would've made for a bad lawyer.
conveying the meaning that if I had been a lawyed, I would have been a bad one.
is it correct usage?
0
votes
2answers
59 views
“Concision” vs. “conciseness”
Is there any difference in the meaning between concision and conciseness? Is one preferred over the other?
My friend claims that concision is more correct.
0
votes
1answer
41 views
Which of these is longest? Eternal - Ever - Forever - Infinite -?
I'm guessing they all pretty much mean the same thing, but is there a word for the longest amount of time?
4
votes
2answers
55 views
The proper usage of “putative”?
I'm trying to write the sentence,
Lower-grade soldiers made up two-thirds of the putative high quality army.
My original sentence was:
Lower-grade soldiers made up two-thirds of what was ...
2
votes
1answer
46 views
Is 'quantitate' a synonym for 'quantify' or just a misnomer?
I have always used quantify, but have been encountering quantitate more and more in scientific literature. Is quantitate a "valid" verb and a synonym for quantify? Otherwise is there a subtle ...
1
vote
1answer
58 views
Correct pronunciation of the word “Mature”?
I need to know the correct pronunciation of the word "mature". Is it məˈtʃʊr, məˈtjʊə(r) or məˈtʊr? And which one is mostly used, across the globe.
0
votes
0answers
47 views
Connotation of the word “sprezzatura ”
According to Wikipedia, sprezzatura means
a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it.
...
1
vote
2answers
38 views
What is the meaning of “down-level”
What does the word down-level mean?
I read an article here and it says:
But the versions for some browsers (like IE 10) aren't within those
ranges any more. Therefore, ASP.NET sees them as ...
2
votes
0answers
62 views
For ever and forever [closed]
What is the difference between the meaning and usage of for ever and forever in British English? From what I could gather from my online research,
forever means :
(also for ever) for all ...
-4
votes
2answers
170 views
“A plough makes a furrow in the ground” [closed]
Engaged in a conversation/discussion about spiritual life, a master said:
A plough makes a furrow in the ground.
My original question: What is its implicit meaning exactly? That master, a native ...
0
votes
0answers
33 views
Meaning of “at all” in a positive sentence [closed]
I can't find the meaning of "at all" in this sentence:
"It's because of them that I made it back to you at all."
Does it mean "even" or maybe "barely"?
And is it a new usage and only correct because ...
6
votes
1answer
112 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. ...
0
votes
0answers
65 views
What does “though” mean in these sentences?
I knew these are American English sentences, and they are informal. However, I would like to know what exactly it means, or it simply means nothing, and people merely want to add something unnecessary ...
0
votes
1answer
46 views
Meaning of “How'd you know?”: “would”, “did”, or “do”?
Does the question "How'd you know" mean:
How do you know?
How did you know?
How would you?
2
votes
0answers
93 views
What does 'trout-shouldered' mean?
In an episode of the television show Archer one character refers to another as being "trout-shouldered."
“This pathetic, trout-shouldered excuse for a boom operator is Chet Manly."
What might this ...
-1
votes
4answers
76 views
Understanding sentences with double-negation [duplicate]
How should the following sentence be understood?
"There isn't no happiness".
a) meaning: There IS some happiness . (Because the two negations cancel each other out)
b) meaning: There is ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
What's the meaning of “what am I to do” [closed]
Is "what am I to do" be commonly used in daily lives?
Also what do following sentences imply?
What should I do the next?
What am I to do the next?
Please.
0
votes
2answers
40 views
Which one of these words is more suitable for “having” or “accomplishing”?
I want to express the achievement of a goal such as "Buying a car", or "Learning a Skill".
Can I say:
"I obtained a new car."
or
"I obtained piano playing skill."
Is there a word better than ...
3
votes
3answers
76 views
Is a ship's biscuit a biscuit or a cake?
Cakes go hard when they are stale. Biscuits go soft when they are stale.
So, what about a ship's biscuit?
6
votes
2answers
154 views
Chuffed - happy or unhappy?
I was looking into the word chuffed this morning, and came across this:-
chuffed 1 /tʃʌft/
adjective British Informal.
delighted; pleased; satisfied.
Origin: 1855–60; see chuff2 , ...
0
votes
1answer
46 views
What does this sentence mean: “Cologne, with its seven and seventy evil savors, was a posy-bed to it.”?
This is a sentence from a book I'm translating, the one before that is "The first thing I met was a regiment of the vilest odors that ever assaulted the human nose, and took it by storm." So, what is ...
5
votes
4answers
295 views
Expression: Bag of hammers
I know that there's a film with this title, but is it also a common English expression with stable meaning?
1
vote
1answer
115 views
I can't make heads or tails of this paragraph. It's a complex pun. (Warning: mildly “bad language” and urban lingo.)
Here it is:
It's your brother's MR. T PUPPET, which of course is kept in the apartment with a sense of profound humorous irony. But as usual with your BRO's exploits, this is no ordinary irony, or ...
1
vote
1answer
44 views
What does “consign” mean in this example?
I am reading the following definition of commit
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commit
1c. to consign or record for preservation. Example: commit it to memory
Now I am trying to ...
0
votes
1answer
49 views
past tense of contrive [closed]
So I am looking up the meaning of 'contrive' in google using:
define contrive
And it says:
Verb
1. Create or bring about (an object or a situation) by deliberate use of skill and artifice.
2. ...
2
votes
2answers
79 views
frontend, what does frontend mean? [closed]
front means ahead, infront , forward
end means last point, finishing point,
but what does FRONTEND mean?
for example engineering design is clear to me, but "frontend engineering design" what exactly ...
0
votes
0answers
55 views
What does “I” really mean? [closed]
When we refer to a human being by "I"/"you"/"he"/"she"/"Mary", what do we really mean? The more I think about it, the more confused I get. Do we mean living body or emotional/psychological world or ...
5
votes
3answers
112 views
If , as John Lawler says, orthography is not part of language, how can these commas interfere with today's discussion about gun control? [duplicate]
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
I read an interesting article on The New York ...
1
vote
2answers
84 views
What's the meaning of “Gets me every time”?
I've heard people say this several times, in response to a funny video they watched,
Gets me every time.
This time I see this response the person put a laughing emoticon at the end. Does it ...
0
votes
0answers
66 views
What does “not above” mean? [closed]
I want to know what does exactly "not above" mean?
I've searched all website on the net but still nothing
I've seen that in following sentence
You're not above murder
Someone help please
thanks
...
0
votes
0answers
74 views
What does 'What kind of mischief are you up to?' mean?
One of my US users asked the following questions when she got information about my resignation from my manager.
What is this rumor I hear? What kind of mischief are you up to?
I am not sure ...
1
vote
1answer
50 views
“A tool to do” vs. “a tool that does” vs. “a tool for doing”
I'm the curator of the Open Web Platform Daily Digest link. In the "Tools" section of each daily I write entries in this format:
tool_name, tool_description
For example:
hapi, a server framework ...
0
votes
2answers
136 views
Is using “eager beaver” completely benign? [closed]
Person A uses the phrase "eager beaver" to mean an enthusiastic person. Person B chuckles. Basically my question boils down to who the weirdo is, so to speak:
A, because "eager beaver" is outdated ...
18
votes
5answers
596 views
“Infer” vs. “imply” — can “infer” imply “imply”?
Okay that's a crazy title, but bear with me. Got into a good natured discussion with someone on another stack exchange site, and I was "correcting" him on the use of infer vs. imply.
(The ...
24
votes
3answers
1k views
What kind of noun is a picture?
I'm not sure of the right place to ask this, but I got confused trying to understand how the computer will interpret the sentence:
This is my picture.
In actual sense, the real owner of the ...
