This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.
0
votes
1answer
69 views
What does ‘a man with 20/20 vision' mean other than ‘a man with a normal sight?
In the latest Time magazine’s “2013 Time 100” presenting the annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, former governor of Alaska, Salah Palin endorsed Senator Rand Paul for Kentucky ...
2
votes
2answers
361 views
“10 Commonly Misunderstood Words In English”
We have all probably misunderstood words and then used them in the wrong context from time to time, so a little update might come in handy. This infographic from Grammar called
10 Commonly ...
5
votes
1answer
140 views
Is the phrase, “a bloody altercation” an accurate way to describe the Officer’s killing at the MIT campus?
I was caught up with the word, “the bloody altercation” in the following statement of New York Times (April 25) article titled “Officer’s killing spurred pursuit in Boston attack.”
...
0
votes
1answer
64 views
An expectedly inclement weather? [closed]
I have a question about this phrase:
"Due to expectedly inclement weather conditions..."
Does it sound okay? I am especially interested in the use of "expectedly."
0
votes
1answer
65 views
A bit niche - noun? adjective?
I came across this sentence while I was reading an article and it got me very confused as to the definition of the word "niche"
The bitter, terrible reality of the media world was clear to me even ...
0
votes
1answer
51 views
Is “ill at ease” perfectly interchangeable with “uncomfortable”?
There was the following sentence in a series about the art and craft of writing in New York Times (April 29) written by Tim Kreider under the title, “The Power of ‘I Don’t Know’”:
I’m always ill ...
-2
votes
1answer
70 views
What does the word “Hakim” sound and feel like? [closed]
I really enjoy the connotations of words, particularly now because I'm looking for a name for something. I'd like to know what this word (hakim) sounds like to native English speakers.
Obs: If ...
1
vote
2answers
317 views
What does “E!” mean in the phrases, a show “makes the debut Sunday E! sets in motion,” and “premiers on E! April 21”? [closed]
I came across a new interjection (seemingly) “E!” in the following sentence of the Washington Post (April 18) article titled, “Ryan Lochte, Ke$ha and the rules for celebrity reality shows”.
Ryan ...
2
votes
4answers
179 views
Why CIA’s operation directed to suspicious people associated with terrorist group is called “Signature strike”?
There was the following article in the Time magazine’ (February 11) titled “Drone home,”
“According to reports in the New York Times and elsewhere, the Obama
administration conducts so-called ...
7
votes
3answers
662 views
Does ‘Yo’ in ‘yo mama joke’ actually refer to “Your” mother? Why couldn't it simply be (stupid / fat / ugly) “mama joke”?
I find “Top 10 Yo Mama So Fat Stupid Joke List” including ‘Yo mama so stupid that she got hit by a parked car’, “Top 10 Yo Mama So Fat List” including ‘Yo mama so fat she put on her lipstick with a ...
0
votes
3answers
83 views
What is more common “table booking” or “table reservation”?
What is more common and natural, "table booking" or "table reservation"?
Is there a big difference between these two?
9
votes
6answers
30k views
Where did “I'm Jonesing” get its meaning from?
I'm Jonesing for a little Ganja, mon... I'm jonesing for a little soul food, brother... Where did "I'm jonesing" come from?
4
votes
2answers
164 views
How much mmmm should be in hmmmmmmm
This is my first question here.
I am not a fluent English speaker. I just know the basics.
My question is how many m's should be there in "hmm" as when I try typing it anywhere, it suggests "hmmm," ...
8
votes
2answers
180 views
Drink 7 to 10 days after opening?
Is this label telling the consumer that it is best to consume the drink 7 to 10 days after opening it?
I know what they are getting at, but I feel like it should say "Best if consumed within 7 to ...
4
votes
4answers
3k views
Meaning of “no man is an island, entire by itself”
From an excerpt by Francis Bacon (1561-1626), and does it count as a proverb?
0
votes
1answer
49 views
Does the verb “warn” sound very strong?
Is warn a synonym of "let someone know"?
I want to say "te mando este mensaje para avisarte de que". Can I say "I'm writing you this email to warn you about"?
-1
votes
1answer
344 views
Is 'metacogniscent' a word?
I was watching this video and around the 1:05 minute mark the girl said 'metacogniscent', but I'm wondering whether or not that actually is a word, and if so; did she use it correctly (from what I've ...
-4
votes
1answer
71 views
What's a jagger in the song Moves Like Jagger? [closed]
What's jagger/a jagger in the title of the song Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5?
I've looked up the word on Urbandictionary and there are all sorts of different definitions on it. I've also found out ...
9
votes
3answers
3k views
What is difference among “a tad,” “a bit,” “a little?” Why do you use “a tad?”
I came across the word “a tad” which is unfamiliar to me in today’s New York Times’ article, titled “Yankees Bracing for Cold in Opener and in April.”
The article starts with the following line:
...
7
votes
2answers
127 views
difference between “this very” and “this particular”
It grew to my attention lately that I've read multiple authors using the expression "this very" like:
I will be writing on this very blog
I recommend going to this very restaurant
What's the value ...
0
votes
0answers
47 views
What's the difference between “review” and “overview”? [closed]
What's the difference between "review" and "overview"?
I've been thinking about these two words as synonyms. But recently I came across an article where author said he was going to make a review and ...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
Can an object be assigned to multiple *categories*?
I am thinking about the very generic word category and was wondering:
Does the definition of the word category relate more to kind of a box (an item may only be in one and only one box at a time) or ...
0
votes
2answers
90 views
Is it wrong to use “The Albatross is now on the sky”?
Is it wrong to use "The Albatross is now on the sky"?
Is it like we should always say "The Albatross is now in the sky"?
I would like to get an explanation for this. Thanks.
0
votes
2answers
123 views
What does “Lose the whiny entitled air” mean after the sentence “Say, ‘could you warm the soup up,’ Not, ‘How dare you serve me cold soup!’”?
There was the following sentence in New York Times’ (May 3rd) article titled, “Complaining is hard to avoid, but try to do it with a purpose,” ...
1
vote
2answers
140 views
What does the expression “pissing on ice” mean?
In the film "Chinatown" Jake Gittes uses the expression "We'll be pissing on ice". What does it mean?
0
votes
1answer
63 views
“As good a car as it gets” — correct?
I need to understand if I could say "As good a [noun] as it gets". Would it mean "the best [noun]"? E.g.
You can buy as good a car as it gets in that store.
4
votes
3answers
317 views
Is “you’re the door on the right.” grammatically correct?
The you is Harry Potter. I’m really curious about the grammatical construction and the reason why JKR chose it.
”Mrs. Weasley, why – ?”
”Ron and Hermione will explain everything, dear, I’ve ...
6
votes
2answers
325 views
What does “pike hoses” mean?
I'm reading James Joyce's Ulysses, and while there are enough things I don't understand in it I keep crossing the phrase "pike hoses," or "met him pike hoses." Can anyone enlighten me as to the ...
12
votes
4answers
3k views
“pseudo-”, “quasi-” “semi-” and
I was wondering about the meaning of "pseudo-", "quasi-" "semi-" and possibly other related prefixes, in general cases.
Particularly, in engineering and science, there are quite a few terms named ...
5
votes
4answers
3k views
Difference between “to fear” and “to be afraid of”
I fear/am afraid I changed my gender.
The very thing I fear/am afraid of is the thing that I can't realize that I actually changed not the thing that I consciously know that I changed. That ...
1
vote
6answers
926 views
What does “don't shoot yourself in the foot” mean? [closed]
What does "Don’t shoot yourself in the foot" mean?
Unfortunately, most salary decisions are based on perceived performance, not on actual performance. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot.
0
votes
3answers
60 views
What is the difference between “close” and “close together”?
Examples:
His eyes were small and close (together).
The two buildings are close (together).
I can’t really understand the difference. Perhaps the second version is more emphatic.
0
votes
2answers
83 views
Who does “who” apply to in this example?
His governors, some of them incompetent and tactless, quarrelled bitterly with the people, who were constantly demanding greater political control.
In this sentence, who are demanding greater ...
1
vote
2answers
99 views
Antedecent of “its” in “the dog attacked the cat and its friends” [duplicate]
The dog attacked the cat and its friends.
Does the sentence imply that the dog attacked the cat and the cat's friends or that it attacked the cat and the dog's friends?
How would one properly ...
0
votes
1answer
46 views
She was eight years her elder! [closed]
Would you please tell me what the following sentence mean? Who is older than who?
Janet's sister was eight years her elder.
3
votes
3answers
146 views
How offensive is a word f**k in English? [duplicate]
I hear it quite often in movies, radio , books, songs even in some interviews with actors .In my native language is a word like that very strong and awfully offensive but I think it is not that strong ...
9
votes
7answers
3k views
Colloquial definition of “douchebag”
Obviously "douchebag" has a literal meaning - however if we see someone wearing sunglasses indoors, we would call them a douchebag. I'm trying to explain this to a friend. How do you verbalize this ...
0
votes
1answer
61 views
What are metal pans and covers of a staircase?
What are metal pans and its covers of a staircase and what do they look like as mentioned in the following account?
My boss and I were carrying 160lb sliding glass doors up an unfinished staircase ...
-1
votes
1answer
124 views
Correct use of “happen”
A friend of mine told me that the following sentence is incorrect (copied from an exercise)
Do all sentences tell us what the speaker would like to happen?
He claims that it should read:
Do ...
2
votes
3answers
700 views
What does “throw back” mean?
In this sentence:
I've throw back a lot of orange juice.
what does "throw back" mean?
1
vote
2answers
65 views
What does this sentence mean: “Troubles are poor things to hug. They've got too many prickers.” [closed]
This is a sentence from a book for children. I'm trying to translate it into Chinese. Not sure what this means. DO we want to hug troubles or not?
2
votes
2answers
224 views
What does Pope Francis “called out him (Pope Emeritus Benedict) on it” mean?
There was the following sentence in the article titled “Pope Francis tells Pope Benedict to stop rolling his eyes in meetings” in May 2nd New Yorker magazine - ...
6
votes
2answers
141 views
Is “my something of choice” the same as “something of my choice”?
Would like to know if it's wrong to use "my something of choice"? Does the phrase have the same meaning as "something of my choice"?
-5
votes
0answers
65 views
What does “wanna” means? [closed]
I have some problems with the definition "wanna". What does "wanna" means? When I shoul use "wanna" and when I should use "want"
They want to get me?
or
They wanna to get me?
0
votes
0answers
34 views
meaning of a sentence [closed]
I was reading a book in process to translate it but I didn't understand this sentence :
before coining to my office
does he mean before visiting me? what is the meaning of coining here?
-2
votes
0answers
48 views
What does “stésard” mean with regard to hotel room type [closed]
I saw the above room type and have no idea what it means
3
votes
4answers
11k views
What does 'abstract ideas' mean? [closed]
In the sentence for example:
This book would also interest intelligent students with a taste for abstract ideas and theoretical arguments.
What does the phrase "abstract ideas" mean? I looked up ...
0
votes
2answers
83 views
“Sometimes also” or “also sometimes”?
I have a sentence where I think I could use either of these two constructions. They seem very similar in meaning, so I'm not sure which I should prefer. There might be some subtle point of grammar ...
7
votes
2answers
3k views
“Satire” versus “sarcasm”
I looked up the two words on wikitionary & got this:
satire:
A literary technique of writing or art
which principally ridicules its
subject often as an intended means of
provoking or ...
5
votes
7answers
3k views
Is it proper to use the word “bandwidth” as it relates to time allotment?
I'm a web developer and I've often heard other technical and developer types say:
Sorry, I don't have the bandwidth to take on your project at this time.
I started using the term myself and ...
