This tag is for questions about the meaning of a longer passage of English.
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1answer
117 views
What is the meaning of “twists and turns” in this sentence? [closed]
The car followed the twists and turns of the mountain road.
1
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2answers
89 views
Putting the sentence in the simpler form
Can somebody help me to understand what this sentence is trying to reveal?
"So these photos are far more than proxies for a single moment, or even a specific trip. They're also ways for us to ...
1
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3answers
101 views
How do I say “send a code to every friend”
I have 10 promotional codes that I want users to send to their friends, but I want the users to understand that I need them to send one code to every friend.... I mean this:
I have 10 codes, suppose ...
4
votes
1answer
125 views
Why are 'preterite presents' called so?
While reading about 'defective verbs' on Wikipedia, I came across this term – preterite present verbs.
The most commonly recognized defective verbs in English are auxiliary verbs — the class of ...
2
votes
4answers
119 views
help interpreting this line [closed]
I am translating a TED video and I came across this line. Would somebody help me putting this line in simpler expanded form?
"You know, it's remarkable how universal the gesture is of handing your ...
2
votes
1answer
62 views
What does “top half” mean in “There are only two seeded players left in the top half of the draw”?
There are only two seeded players left in the top half of the draw.
I only know 1st, 2nd, etc. half, when we are talking about matches. I believe that "draw" here means a set of matches. What ...
0
votes
0answers
91 views
Whats difference between “insert” and “paste”? [closed]
What's the difference between those two?
Could you give an example where you should use one and cannot use the other, and explain why?
These two words are used in computer programs, but the ...
2
votes
2answers
206 views
What's the difference between “sea port” and “maritime port”?
Road transport is not the only sector concerned. LNG is also used in
maritime and inland waterway transport. The Commission therefore
proposes the installation of fuel stations in leading ...
2
votes
1answer
92 views
To “lay lodged” — what does it mean?
I've googled and looked it up in every dictionary I know, and I can find "lay" and I can find "lodge", but I can't seem to work out the meaning of the two words together.
The context is this poem by ...
4
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2answers
104 views
Is it a standard usage of ‘blue’ to be used as a verb to mean ‘being deflated / become pessimistic’?
I was interested in the usage of ‘blue’ as a verb in the headline of New Yorker’s article, “Bibi Netanyahu’s election blues,” followed by the following lead copy:
“The center-left, which had ...
1
vote
3answers
61 views
“Removals Service” or “Removal Service”?
Take for example the tag line: "reliable removals service".
Is this correct grammar/usage? Or should it be just "removal", singular?
To me, "removals" seems more correct because it is describing ...
0
votes
3answers
187 views
What does “long enough to” mean?
"Around 10pm, I finally stopped drinking long enough to remember I had a car in a garage somewhere."
I can't understand the above sentence clearly, especially the meaning of long enough to in ...
11
votes
3answers
5k views
Is it “peek”, “peak” or “pique”?
I have always thought the phrase was "pique my interest" as in: "Her mysterious background piqued my interest".
However, of late, on blogs and social networks, I have seen people using "peek my ...
0
votes
2answers
60 views
Does “unfold with something” mean “unfold like something”?
Here's a sentence I don't completely understand.
The story leaps back and forth in time with crisp juxtaposing of scenes set in disparate places. The production nevertheless unfolds with the ...
0
votes
1answer
219 views
Meaning of “as close as you can get with safe sex”
What does "as close as you can get with safe sex" mean? I read this sentence in "Hannibal" from Thomas Harris, the original is
Our informant's close to the family situation, like, he's very ...
1
vote
3answers
85 views
What's the meaning of “straight” here?
Thats some straight blockbuster movie sh-t. They deserve it if they pulled it off.
What's the meaning of straight here? The comment was made in response to a news article on a bank robbery in ...
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votes
2answers
185 views
What does this quote mean to you? [closed]
I'm assigned to read the book called Life at the Bottom by Theodore Dalrymple, and I'm reading a quote in the book, but I don't really understand it.
“Such flattery is thus the death of ...
1
vote
2answers
190 views
“I love you for who you are” vs. “I love you as you are” vs. “I love you for what you are” [closed]
I love you for who you are.
I came across the line from a BBC Radio’s drama, and wondered what’s the difference from saying “I love you as you are,” or “I love you for what you are.” Would you ...
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votes
2answers
103 views
What does “a new W” mean? [closed]
Here is a line from the sitcom Two Broke Girls:
She's building her dream house between a former death camp and a new W — she's gotta be loaded.
What does "new W" mean in that context?
1
vote
2answers
111 views
Meaning and etymology of “down with”
I've searched a lot and found out that down with as a slang phrase means "being in an agreement with something". On the other hand, I know that it also means "death upon something".
So in a sentence ...
2
votes
1answer
172 views
Is there a name for misusing a word (e.g., saying “Provincially, yes”)? [closed]
I read a mail in which someone replied to the question "Will he be attending the party?" by saying "Provincially, yes".
Provincial means "of or concerning the regions outside the capital city of a ...
1
vote
1answer
139 views
Meaning of “Blunt instrument” [closed]
I am having difficulties trying to understand this sentence:
In some respects, Courses of Action are the more basic of the two. In
and of themselves, however, Courses of Action tend to be rather ...
2
votes
1answer
208 views
What does “principle” mean here?
What's the meaning of principle in this definition of soul from Dictionary.com as in body and soul?
the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity ...
0
votes
1answer
66 views
How should I understand “the idea” in this sentence?
The following is an excerpt from a GRE Verbal exercise:
The hypothesis of an expanding Earth has never attracted notable support, and if it were not for the historical example of continental ...
2
votes
2answers
81 views
Meaning of 'I get wrong'
Professor Lawrence Lessig in his blog writes:
Aaron had literally done nothing in his life “to make money.” He was fortunate Reddit turned out as it did, but from his work building the RSS ...
2
votes
2answers
110 views
Meaning of “hammer a socket on it and pop it off”
In a discussion on a pick-up truck car wheel theft, one person gave an advice to the victim that he "should have bought some locking lugs". This advice was disapproved by someone else in the ...
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votes
5answers
305 views
She was carrying twins and a bulky bag in her hands [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Using verbs with multiple meanings
I am not sure if this is Indian English but the verb carry is often used in India to speak of a pregnant woman and often without an ...
8
votes
3answers
207 views
Use of “already” in context or alternative phrasing
On a blog post I (German native speaker) recently wrote the following sentence:
I forgot to tell my boss that the meeting will start already at 2 tomorrow.
Someone then posted a comment that the ...
4
votes
2answers
75 views
“The Cry of Jousts of King Richard II” — a problem with translation
I'm trying to translate this text to Polish and everything seems pretty clear to me, apart from the usage of the words "within" and "without". I presume it's some kind of technical vocabulary ...
0
votes
3answers
109 views
What's the meaning of “hit” here?
How do you define hit here in this comment, does it mean attack? This comment was made by a poster in response to a discussion on car wheel thefts.
New model Chevy rims are hot as f-k, every ...
1
vote
3answers
186 views
What's the meaning of “hood” here?
What's the meaning of hood in this comment? Is it neighbourhood, or it's a slang for something else?
Cutler Ridge (they renamed it to Cutler Bay now wtf) has been hood for a long time. We used to ...
2
votes
1answer
53 views
What is the “Wire Service Era”?
In a CBS sports article, I read this sentence:
Alabama wrapped up its 10th national championship of the wire service era, winning its third national championship in four years with a 42-14 ...
2
votes
2answers
95 views
Is it normal to use “do” as an intransitive verb for ‘change”?
I was interested in the expression, “Change does slow” in the following sentence of NPR’s article (January 3) titled “You can see it, but you’ll be a different person in 10 years:
“But that ...
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votes
1answer
83 views
The meaning of “crime and grime” [closed]
What does the expression crime and grime mean? It was mentioned from this comment:
My dad's SUV got jacked when I was living in Saga Bay. Don't live in FL anymore. Too much f-king crime and grime. ...
0
votes
1answer
68 views
Meaning of “pitches add up” [closed]
I would like to know the meaning of the phrase "pitch adds up" as it appears in this phrase from an article in Fast Company:
None of [the applications] fit the bill, and the pitches add up ...
0
votes
1answer
65 views
What can “Think flow” mean? [closed]
I'm investigating a Tom'n'Jerry sketch for cartoonists, containing basic graphics and tips how to draw the characters right. Unfortunately I don't have a digital version.
So the problem is with the ...
0
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0answers
15 views
what's the “new normal” meaning in United States politics? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What does “new normal” mean?
I was translating a political article and I came across the following line:
“Johnson's speech was a plea to resist treating the ...
1
vote
3answers
155 views
What does “Alice started to her feet” mean?
In the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, what does “Alice started to her feet” mean?
... But when the rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then ...
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votes
2answers
193 views
“Least expected” or “least unexpected”
When I was talking to my girlfriend, she mentioned an incident where one of her friends surprised her with a gift. She said something like that least unexpected ... after which we got into a debate ...
0
votes
1answer
142 views
Meaning of 'That old rocking chair's going to get me' [closed]
In the Joni Mitchell song Stormy Weather, there's this line:
That old rocking chair's going to get me
What does that mean? I suppose that old rocking chair is a symbol of something, but what? ...
1
vote
1answer
115 views
What does “listing” mean? [closed]
In the following context, what does "listing" mean? I couldn't find its definition online, there were a few suggestions but none of them fit.
There has been considerable external demand to buy ...
1
vote
1answer
66 views
What does the phrase “throw someone back on his wit” mean?
It's from an article at the economist.com, and it's in the 2nd line of the 17th paragraph(the paragraph right above the 3rd image).
Like Holland or Portugal, it was a country whose poverty of ...
3
votes
3answers
200 views
What's meant by wishing for a child “as red as blood, and white as snow”?
An English learner recently posted about the tale The Juniper Tree, collected by the Brothers Grimm (possibly related - who knows?).
She notes that a woman wishes for a child "as red as blood and as ...
2
votes
2answers
84 views
other meaning of “Editorial”?
The following excerpt from 2 States: The Story of My Marriage seems to use the word editorial in a way that doesn't match its definition:
"That's not rasam. Whatever it is, it's definitely not ...
1
vote
0answers
24 views
What does it mean “may you never take a single breath for granted” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Why to use “May” before using “May God bless you”?
I'm amused by the song "I hope you dance" from Lee Ann Womack, but I'm not sure if I understand the meaning of the ...
1
vote
4answers
381 views
“but otherwise” in a sentence
"But otherwise" means"except for what has just been mentioned". In the sentence below, what does it mean?
Galicia, on the Atlantic coast of northern Spain, is the homeland of Generalissimo ...
1
vote
3answers
103 views
“justify” vs. “align” in the context of alignment
A function offers an option. The value of the option decides if elements in a column are aligned right, aligned left or centered. Is it OK to call this option justify or is only align correct?
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votes
1answer
181 views
What is the meaning of “Hip” in the given context?
I have a difficulty to interpret the meaning of "Hip" even after consulting the dictionary.
Let me give the meanings given by online Oxford dictionary:
hip 1 |hip|
noun
1. a projection of the ...
1
vote
1answer
115 views
“Odin’s tears will drown the world of men on the day” — what does this sentence mean? [closed]
Here is the passage:
The skies will burst open and Odin’s tears will drown the world of men on the day when JaVale McGee’s body syncs up naturally with his team on the basketball court.
...
1
vote
1answer
86 views
Meaning of “Apply at 4–6 weekly intervals”
I purchased some fungicide. The instructions on the back of the bottle say "Apply at 4–6 weekly intervals."
Does that mean it should be applied 4–6 times a week? Or every 4–6 weeks?
