This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.
-3
votes
4answers
126 views
What is the difference between “anticipate” and “expect”?
My understanding is the following:
I anticipate everyone will come here by 10.
= "I hope it's gonna happen, but I'm not so sure about the result".
I expect everyone will come here by 10.
= ...
-2
votes
0answers
40 views
What is the slight difference between “assign”, “appoint”, and “dispatch”? [closed]
They seem similar, but how could I tell the difference between them?
-1
votes
1answer
46 views
What does “For the record” mean? [closed]
Can anybody help me with that?
I've had a look at dictionary and yahoo search before but I can't find out
what does exactly "for the record mean"
Foe example:
And for the record he wasn't ...
3
votes
1answer
92 views
“I lost my chems.” What does it mean?
I heard this in this movie:
I lost my chems.
What does it mean?
Tried via Google. But, found nothing about it.
4
votes
2answers
111 views
Does the word, ‘decorator’ have a special meaning other than a person who designs (or paints) the interior and exterior of houses?
I was intrigued to find the former President Nixon’s gaffe, “San Francisco is full of ‘fags’ and ‘decorators’” in an old article of Time (June 9, 2010) titled “A brief history of political profanity.”
...
2
votes
2answers
84 views
Where did the term “at-large” originate from?
I was listening to the radio and something caught my attention. The news jounalist made the comment, "The suspect is still at-large." It got me thinking...
First, I can only assume that the ...
1
vote
2answers
80 views
“cool” used to describe a person
I was reading the about me page on an author of a poker strategy website and on one of the passages he describes himself as a pretty cool guy:
This is the page where you get to read a little more ...
-1
votes
0answers
9 views
What is the difference if we use a comma before the last item in a list? [duplicate]
I am always confused when using a comma in writing.
Is there a difference between the following?
sam, sali and jone
sam, sali, and jone
1
vote
4answers
96 views
Does it matter where you put “only”? [duplicate]
Could you please tell me which one of these sentences is correct, or are they both grammatically correct?
This will only happen if you go with me.
This will happen only if you go with me.
2
votes
2answers
72 views
the difference or not between 'incentive' and 'inducement'
I have a speech in a play that goes:
" . . . I wouldn't leave mine a penny, and I'd tell him so - too much
of an inducement for an overdose!"
My character is speaking about her doctor. I feel ...
2
votes
1answer
91 views
Why ; is called semicolon and what is its history? [closed]
Semi- is a Latin prefix meaning "half" and colon is another punctuation.
Should I therefore say that semicolon is a halved colon?
2
votes
1answer
71 views
“sallow complexion”
In Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, in several places he describes people having a "sallow complexion".
According to Collins dictionary:
Sallow
(esp of human skin) of an unhealthy pale or ...
0
votes
2answers
84 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 ...
-3
votes
1answer
17k views
What does “mother father gentleman” mean? [closed]
How should I interpret the phrase "mother father gentleman" in a recently popularized song entitled gentleman? What is the purpose of describing gentleman with mother and father? Is this just a slang ...
-4
votes
1answer
81 views
What is the meaning of being mean? [closed]
Can anybody help to find out what is the meaning of "being mean"?
I'm sorry for being mean
-1
votes
1answer
72 views
“I may know where it is” vs. “I know where it may be”
I am wondering if the following two sentences have different meanings.
I may know where it is.
I know where it may be.
2
votes
1answer
65 views
What is the meaning of “in that parents’ basement sort of way”?
What is the meaning of parents’ basement?
In that parents’ basement sort of way
He’s kind of cute, in that parents’ basement sort of way
3
votes
2answers
82 views
Is code written by a programmer “handcrafted”?
The immediate definition of "handcrafted" that I found was: "Make skillfully by hand.".
In the same way a woodsman would craft a wooden toy with tools, a programmer using tools such as a computer and ...
-1
votes
1answer
65 views
Is “I need to deposit my checks” correct? [closed]
I haves a few checks and I want put them into my bank account.
What's the approriate and natural sentence to describe my intention at a counter?
Is "I need to deposit my checks" correct?
What is ...
1
vote
2answers
91 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 ...
0
votes
2answers
41 views
What is the meaning of (nutrient bang for your calorie buck)?
What is the meaning of (nutrient bang for your calorie buck) ? I can't get it.
3
votes
1answer
135 views
What is the origin of the phrase “in your backpocket”?
What is the origin of the phrase "in your backpocket"?
As in "What song have you got in your back pocket?" for "what song have you got ready to perform comfortably now, without preparation".
2
votes
2answers
78 views
why “and then some” means considerably more?
I've googled the phrase "and then some" and am told that it means "considerably more".
But just how to comprehend this? The phrase literally means "some more" -- how does it come to mean "much more"?
...
0
votes
1answer
103 views
What is the difference between “toss” and “throw” [closed]
I want to know, what is the diffrence between toss and throw?
For example,
We must toss him out.
We must throw him out.
-1
votes
1answer
123 views
What is the meaning of this cartoon by Dr. Seuss? [closed]
I don't quite understand what the author was trying to say in this picture. Could anyone explain?
http://libraries.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dswenttowar/#ark:bb4813149f
-3
votes
2answers
117 views
What does “unassuming” mean in the phrase “quiet and unassuming”? [closed]
I've often heard of people being referred to as "quiet and unassuming".
Quiet is self-explanatory, but to what does the "unassuming" refer?
6
votes
3answers
338 views
Why does “I am in your debt” mean the opposite of what it suggests?
I don't understand why if someone says:
"I am in your debt"
It seems to mean the opposite of the literal meaning.
For example, the person saying this says that (s)he is in the "debt" of the ...
-5
votes
1answer
122 views
Why is the noun 'sex' uncountable? [closed]
According to the definition of the noun 'sex' in dictionaries, it means 'the PHYSICAL ACTIVITY that two people do together in order to produce babies or for pleasure.' If so, why isn't it countable?
...
10
votes
2answers
143 views
What does “oily-Gammon” mean?
I have hard time understanding the term oily-Gammon in this sentence from How To Debate Politics Like A Gentleman.
Teddy Roosevelt would frequently lose his cool during debates on the Assembly ...
-1
votes
1answer
362 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 ...
20
votes
6answers
2k views
Does “salt mines” have any specific meaning?
In the movie Easy A, the character Todd said "See you at salt mines" to Olive when they met at Melody's party. What does salt mines mean? Does it really mean "a mine for salt"?
11
votes
1answer
347 views
Meaning of “candle” in “I now call to mind that there was a letter in the candle three days ago”
In the book The Trumpet Major, by Thomas Hardy, there is the following paragraph:
That was Budmouth postmaster, and he says there's a letter for me. Ah, I now call to mind that there was a letter ...
1
vote
2answers
183 views
What does “You end up having somebody that’s a problem” mean?
I've read one article about the murder of one guy and stumbled across one sentence, which I can't understand fully.
It's within the Chinese culture. You end up having somebody that’s a problem, ...
2
votes
0answers
122 views
What does the expression 'justified for him his own idea' mean?
I am reading a novel, and I did not understand one of the sentences in it. Following are two lines from the novel. The author is talking about a guy called Paul and her father.
They were once ...
5
votes
1answer
162 views
What does “maze-bright” mean?
From searching online, I haven't found any dictionary entries for this phrase, however it seems it has something to do with Tryon's rat experiment, and it's often used in HR to describe a certain type ...
2
votes
1answer
111 views
Meaning of “deep” in “deep, acute curves suggest confusion”
Deep, acute curves, on the other hand, suggest confusion, turbulence, even frenzy, as in the violence of waves in a storm, the chaos of a tangled thread, or the turmoil of lines suggested by the ...
1
vote
1answer
104 views
Experience ranks in engineering titles [closed]
I've seen terms such as "Associate Engineer", "Assistant Engineer", "Senior Enigneer" but I'm yet to find a ranked list of such terms.
In a word-for-word translation for similar ranks in Brazil, we ...
1
vote
2answers
121 views
“My job is not to worry about those people” — what does “not” refer to?
In the famous leaked video, Mitt Romney says
My job is not to worry about those people
An equivalent sentence probably is
It is not my job to worry about those people
Some media in my home ...
1
vote
1answer
110 views
Can object complements make any difference to sentences?
I'm reading a grammar book, and I have some questions.
A.
We ate the fish raw.
I want Sue drunk.
I prefer the music soft.
I like coffee black.
We drank the beer cold.
This type of ...
-4
votes
1answer
96 views
“Haven't” vs. “hadn't”
Are there any differences in meaning between the two sentences?
We hadn't left the place yet; we will be there in 10 minutes.
We haven't left the place yet; we will be there in 10 minutes.
...
-1
votes
1answer
49 views
“for which” usage
I am writing comments to my algorithm and I used this sentence to describe one variable. But I am not entirely sure if it makes sense and if I used commas right.
id of node, for which, program is ...
3
votes
1answer
59 views
Does a bare plural imply “(nearly) all” as a quantity?
Sometimes you'll see various assertions or claims made which go something like:
Doctors say that eating chocolate is good for you.
Does this imply "all doctors" or "nearly all doctors"? I ...
2
votes
1answer
110 views
Does a truism need to be true to be a truism?
I frequently hear people quoting widely-used idioms or proverbs as if they are fact, simply because they are used frequently by many people. For example, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
Can ...
1
vote
1answer
63 views
What is the difference, if any, between “divine providence” and “Providence” (with a capital p)?
ODO defines providence as:
providence: [mass noun] 1 the protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual
power: they found their trust in divine providence to be a source of
comfort
...
-5
votes
2answers
115 views
Can I use “lardy-dardy” to describe a man's gay lisp and gesture?
Can I use "lardy-dardy" to describe a man's gay lisp and gesture? If this is not OK, I have three more questions.
How else can I ever use lardy-dardy?
Which word should I be using instead?
Is ...
-2
votes
1answer
128 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 ...
0
votes
2answers
112 views
As good as it gets- grammar
I do know what "as good as it gets" means (in my language, we say "it will not get any better").
However, I do not understand the grammar here:
Firstly, does the "get" mean a change of state here?
...
1
vote
2answers
90 views
Why isn’t the definite article used in “The commission commanded that work […] should cease”?
In this sentence:
The commission commanded that work on the building should cease.
Why isn't the used before the word work? It seems that the work is specified by on the building.
Another ...
-1
votes
1answer
43 views
What is the meaning of “post-show party” in this sentence? [closed]
Example:
I did a flip round the post-show party.
PS: "Flip" in this case is a "quick tour" or a "please trip" according to Oxford Dictionaries.
-2
votes
1answer
32 views
Meaning of “lead conversions”
In the context of enterprises developing software what is the meaning of the phrase "lead conversions"?
