This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.
2
votes
2answers
761 views
Origin of phrase “sow wild oats”
What is the meaning of the phrase "sow wild oats"? Where did it come from?
2
votes
1answer
38 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?
3
votes
2answers
84 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?
9
votes
6answers
14k views
What does “a man among men” mean?
The phrase: "A man among men."
We have been having a debate about whether this means:
unexceptional, common, like all others, ordinary
a superior example of one in a class
We have found examples ...
0
votes
2answers
81 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.
8
votes
3answers
782 views
What is the difference between “onerous” and “arduous”?
Is there any difference in the meaning of these words? Which one of them is used the most in everyday conversation?
In my vocabulary for both words I've found essentially the same meaning: "difficult ...
2
votes
2answers
59 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
3answers
2k views
“That is” vs. “i.e.”
Is there any (even the most subtle) difference between the meaning (or connotation) of that is and i.e.?
I used to be convinced that they were synonyms, until an editor of a scientific journal ...
-4
votes
2answers
202 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 ...
1
vote
2answers
56 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
63 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 ...
4
votes
3answers
4k views
Print vs type. What is the difference exactly?
I am filling out some employment forms and came across the following sentence that I don't fully understand:
Print your full legal name, address, date of birth and social security
number. Please ...
2
votes
5answers
104 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?
3
votes
1answer
182 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 ...
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, ...
3
votes
2answers
86 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
63 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?
6
votes
2answers
191 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 , ...
5
votes
5answers
2k views
What's the word for a specific kind of inhalation after crying?
Sometimes people who are just coming off of bout of crying take what could be described as a stuttering inhalation. It's more easily observed with little kids than adults.
Is there a better word for ...
0
votes
1answer
39 views
“Interaction technologies” vs. “interactive technologies”
What is your feeling about the differences between the two?
-1
votes
4answers
89 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
76 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 ...
4
votes
2answers
62 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
54 views
Which of these is longest? Eternal - Ever - Forever - Infinite -? [closed]
I'm guessing they all pretty much mean the same thing, but is there a word for the longest amount of time?
2
votes
0answers
100 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
128 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 ...
0
votes
0answers
58 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.
...
0
votes
1answer
93 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?
1
vote
2answers
43 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
96 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.
5
votes
3answers
831 views
“Always” vs. “forever”
What is the difference between always and forever? Are they synonyms used in different contexts or can they be used interchangeably?
4
votes
4answers
3k views
“A good memory” vs. “good memories”
If I say, "I don't have a good memory of my childhood", would it imply that I cant recollect it or that I have bad memories (bad stories, unhappy) childhood?
I think that "good memories" implies the ...
0
votes
0answers
43 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 ...
8
votes
1answer
3k views
Differences between “propensity”, “predilection” and “proclivity”
Propensity, predilection and proclivity all have the meaning of tendency, so what's the difference? Are they interchangeable?
5
votes
4answers
448 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?
6
votes
1answer
127 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. ...
3
votes
3answers
86 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?
1
vote
2answers
100 views
Why does “for” sound more appropriate than “during” in “I couldn't do anything for the rest of the day”?
I couldn't do anything for/during the rest of the day.
I know that for sounds correct, perhaps because "the rest of the day" is a finite chunk of time like "one hour" or "one week".
However, I ...
30
votes
15answers
3k views
Words with opposite meanings in different regions
I can't recall it, but there is a word in American English which now means the opposite of itself in British English. What words are there that have opposite (not just different) meanings in different ...
12
votes
4answers
856 views
What does “brought up by hand” mean?
In the book Great Expectations, Pip narrates:
My sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery, was more than twenty years older than I,
and had established a great reputation with herself and the neighbours
...
11
votes
4answers
554 views
What does randomically mean?
I've just read an O’Reilly book and encoutered the word randomically. I highly suspect this is a made up word, but a quick google found it in use here, here, and here. Is this some obscure technical ...
0
votes
1answer
60 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.
2
votes
2answers
110 views
“so death swings open on its hinge” [closed]
Missing dggggg kkdf sjjjg hhg happy trim test gert sre beet
0
votes
2answers
46 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
54 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 ...
8
votes
4answers
6k views
Why do we say “as it were”?
In English we often add "as it were" to indicate that a phrase is not to be taken literally; for example:
He's flown from the nest, as it were.
... would indicate that a boy has left his ...
0
votes
2answers
991 views
Use of the word “referable”
Can the word "referable" be used to denote something that can be referenced and what is the difference between "referable" and "referenceable"?
2
votes
2answers
103 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
51 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
3k views
What does “Knock on wood” mean?
From the dictionary, it looks like it's some kind of ritual one does for luck, but I still cannot figure out when one would really knock on wood.
