Tagged Questions
3
votes
2answers
76 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
1answer
73 views
What does “Take the disguise” mean?
I was reading this particular sentence:
She took the disguise of an old woman and came to Eleusis, where she was welcomed by the family of King Celeus.
Disguise means costume. So, does it mean ...
-2
votes
1answer
84 views
“Perhaps” versus “probably” [closed]
Can I say
Perhaps the most natural option is to...
instead of
The most natural option is probably to...
Do these two sentences have the same meaning? Generally speaking, should I prefer ...
2
votes
1answer
71 views
“Still” and “Yet” as Conjunctions
I know there are already many posts on still and yet, but I really find it difficult to use them as conjunction as in following sentences:
It's a small car, yet/still it's surprisingly ...
0
votes
1answer
74 views
What does “pacing is spot on” mean? [closed]
What is the exact meaning of pacing is spot on, especially in the context of film and cinema?
Example:
For Argo, pacing is spot on.
-2
votes
1answer
126 views
Meaning and usage of “Make me”
Sometimes the literal translations of "slang" sentences just don't make sense, so after reading a "Make me" answer (which I consider slang, due to its informal use, if I'm not wrong) to a request I ...
-1
votes
1answer
86 views
An approach to do something vs. an approach to doing something
What is the preferred way to express something like this:
An approach to design a software system
(here design is a verb)
or
An approach to design of a software system
(here design is a ...
1
vote
4answers
118 views
What's the meaning of “I put the chic in freak”?
I am a non-native speaker of English (Polish) and I teach English as a Foreign Language in Poland. A few months ago I came across this phrase / sentence printed on the student's notebook and got ...
0
votes
2answers
75 views
Pre-clause, Post-clause
I have two possible sentences of the some situation and I am confused:
Realizing he did not belong there, he left the meeting early.
He left the meeting early, realizing he did not belong ...
-1
votes
2answers
81 views
Defective Passage [closed]
Could this small passage be defective in some way:
book
KENT SAW Helen at each evening meal, but otherwise only the spotless kitchen remained as a clue that another person shared the house.
...
-1
votes
1answer
57 views
Possessive Ambiguity: sharing a house [closed]
Could this:
Jason shared Michael's house.
be an acceptable shortened version of this:
Jason shared Michael's house with Michael.
?
-1
votes
3answers
329 views
My Thoughts Exactly [closed]
Let's say someone said something I agree with. To express approval, dictionaries say this is standard English:
My sentiments exactly.
Could I use the following as well?
My feelings ...
0
votes
1answer
60 views
Urge Her Against Him [closed]
For this:
google book
"With one hand on the small of her back, and another just a bit lower, he urged her against him again. The woman was melting his resolve and calling into question his ...
4
votes
1answer
75 views
Fall Hard For Something
I am trying to find the right definition of "hard" in this piece of writing:
newspaper
Looking for a tranquil hideaway after years as a paparazzi magnet, Mr. Frazier bought the single-level ...
-4
votes
1answer
72 views
“Pending Review” Usage [closed]
Some definition of "pending" in a dictionary reads:
while waiting for (something)
So, for a generic sentence "X pending Y", "X" must be either an activity or a state. So this sentence is ...
1
vote
4answers
150 views
“Hold Out Promise” vs “Make a Promise”
Is "hold out a promise" the same meaning as "make a promise"? Or did I misunderstand them? I found definitions for "make a promise", but couldn't find definitions for "hold out a promise".
0
votes
3answers
340 views
Does “turning down the air conditioning” make it warmer or colder?
As the title says, I've heard two possible meanings for "turning down" the air conditioning: It could mean "set the target temperature lower" (i.e. colder) or "make it work less" (i.e. warmer).
...
0
votes
3answers
97 views
a hard close look [closed]
Are "close" and "hard" the same below?
He took a close look at the cat.
He took a hard look at the cat.
Or are they subtly different? For this particular usage, web dictionaries appear ...
0
votes
0answers
82 views
Loose And Tight [closed]
In one dictionary, the definition (5) for the adjective "loose" reads:
5 : not stiff or tense : flexible or relaxed
▪ He walked with a loose stride. ▪ loose muscles ▪ I never relaxed that day; ...
0
votes
2answers
192 views
To Be Used Of/For
Does "to be used OF" mean "to be used FOR":
wikipedia
The English term "empiric" derives from the Greek word ἐμπειρία, which is cognate with and translates to the Latin experientia, from which ...
1
vote
3answers
146 views
Descent, Ancestry, Lineage
Please help me with the words 'descent', 'ancestry', and 'lineage'. Dictionaries show that they are loosely the same:
1a. He has German descent.
1b. He is of German descent.
2a. He has ...
-1
votes
2answers
44 views
Post Question To
If Craig wrote a question on an online forum and the question was intended for Larry:
Craig posted a question to Larry.
Should the part "to Larry" modify "a question", or "posted"? In ...
-1
votes
1answer
57 views
0
votes
2answers
91 views
Assemble, Convene A Conference
Is the verb 'assemble' sloppily used as 'convene' here:
link 1
"Mr. Husseini was speaking at a hastily assembled news conference in the mainly Palestinian Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East ...
0
votes
1answer
58 views
On His Post, At His Post
I have this:
link
On 21-22 April 1914, while leading three picket launches admist heavy enemy fire, McCloy was wounded but remained on his post, enabling cruisers to save American lives. For ...
5
votes
4answers
123 views
What is 'draw on'
This question was asked earlier (not by me), but closed and deleted by a mod. But I thought it was interesting, because I didn't know the answer. So I'm reposting it....
The verb phrasal 'draw on' ...
1
vote
3answers
265 views
“You got it” vs. “I got it”
When I watch TV drams or movies, I sometimes come across the expressions “I got it” and “You got it” meaning “I will do as you ask”. I am wondering if there is any semantic or pragmatic differences ...
1
vote
3answers
199 views
Does “intellectual gymnastics” always have a negative connotation?
As far as I know, “intellectual gymnastics” is used in a negative sense. For example, the discipline of philosophy can be belittled as “intellectual gymnastics”.
However, a university in Japan seems ...
4
votes
1answer
296 views
Does “awe” have a colloquial meaning (similar to “awesome”)?
The meaning of awe is given in dictionaries as "an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime" (this definition is from ...
3
votes
2answers
162 views
Is “default” used for “a value used when nothing has been explicitly set” outside of IT world?
In a discussion at another question, rajah9 mentioned that default is used to mean to fail to repay a loan, but that in the computer world we now use it to mean a value used when no value has been ...
0
votes
1answer
250 views
Explaining the comparative form of “numb” [closed]
The most common definition I have of numb is:
"Deprived of the power of sensation."
"Deprived of feeling or responsiveness."
These definitions show up in nearly the same form in multiple ...
2
votes
1answer
807 views
What is a relish tray versus a veggie tray?
I have heard both of the terms "relish tray" and "veggie tray" used somewhat interchangeably. It seems as though there is some overlap between the two based on some simple Google Images searches ...
5
votes
4answers
125 views
Must you be successful to be labeled an “assassin”?
Query triggered by this Globe and Mail article:
Headline: Malala Yousafzai assassin held, freed in 2009 by Pakistan military
First Sentence: The would-be assassin who shot a Pakistani girl in the ...
1
vote
2answers
176 views
How to use the expression “you love it” [closed]
This question builds off of another question (Meaning of fck you) but my question pertains to the expression "you love it". Here are three examples of its usage.
1] From Youth in Revolt (Youth in ...
3
votes
3answers
463 views
Meaning of “Conceptual point of view”
Now and then, I listen the below quoted expression:
From the conceptual point of view ...
However I still can't get its meaning, I think it is somehow related to the way to think about a ...
0
votes
1answer
67 views
Can't understand the meaning of 'blamed exertion' in this sentence [closed]
Doctors blamed exertion and said there was nothing to worry about.
I knew exertion means attempts or try.
But here what does that mean by 'blamed exertion'?
5
votes
1answer
273 views
What does “state” in “State University” refer to? [closed]
There are many universities and colleges in the United States with names such as "... State University".
The word state has many distinct meanings, but pertinent to this question are:
government, ...
1
vote
1answer
124 views
Why is the “round figure” of a person associated with being “comforting”? [closed]
Example:
Miss Beam was all that I had expected middle-aged, authoritative, kindly, and understanding. Her hair was beginning to turn grey, and her round figure was likely to be comforting for a ...
-1
votes
2answers
193 views
Meaning of “I am not for you to look into all issues” [closed]
A question asked by a team member to a party outside team.. In response to that....
Manager: (Addressing me) This is the area where we need to be self sufficient. Please think about this, how to ...
1
vote
2answers
604 views
Meaning of “long gone” [closed]
*The first artifacts were just wooden poles which have long gone, but these were raised by men in times so ancient*
I can't understand what "long gone" means here.
6
votes
3answers
270 views
“A new pair of ” or “A pair of new”
a new pair of shoes / pants / scissors
a pair of new shoes / pants / scissors
I can’t find which one of those two it should be, and I’ve seen some debate about it.
“A new pair of shoes”: Could it ...
-1
votes
2answers
277 views
Complaint of vs Complaint for [closed]
Another one of vs for question, here for would be the right choice, because its use denotes the function of purpose as I think it's the case here, right ?
When customers complaint of an error ...
4
votes
2answers
192 views
Has reported(Present perfect) vs Has(Present) reported(noun)
In the sentence below I want to use the word reported as a noun, but it looks like I'm using the present perfect - has reported.
How can one be clear when constructions like this arise ?
That both ...
3
votes
2answers
54 views
How to document a change to an earlier proposal
I wrote an e-mail proposal to send to a client but after asking a co-worker's opinion I decided to reformulate it.
Now I have to describe what has been done but I'm not sure if the expression below ...
2
votes
7answers
230 views
Meaning and usage of “be of”
As I'm preparing my GMAT test, I see the "be of" structure very frequently.
for example
By 1940, the pilot Jacqueline Cochran held seventeen official national and international speed records, ...
2
votes
1answer
6k views
“features and characteristics”
In English, the phrase "features and characteristics" is often used.
However, I, as a non-native English speaker, can't understand the difference between them.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary ...
2
votes
1answer
462 views
Correct usage of “so would” and “a priori”
Is this phrase syntactically correct?
Because X may take different forms, a priori so would Y.
I am especially asking about the usage of "so would", but also about the place of "a priori".
...
0
votes
2answers
299 views
What does “higgledy-piggledy” mean? [closed]
What does "higgledy-piggledy" mean? Does higgledy and piggledy means anything separately? How to use these two words?
