Tagged Questions
2
votes
2answers
98 views
“Wash hands of” — why not “off” instead of “of”?
The phrase "wash hands of" is supposed to mean giving up or having nothing to do with something.
But why is it "of" and not "off"? Using "off" sounds more like giving it up and distancing oneself ...
4
votes
1answer
114 views
What are the origins of “take you up on it”
A common English idiom "take you up on it" is apparently used to indicate a general willingness or predisposition to accept something that is offered or granted. For example,
If you make an offer ...
3
votes
2answers
5k views
What exactly does “sweep me off my feet” mean? (And why?)
Although the phrase "sweep me off my feet" probably means, "make me fall in love with you in a short time", what does it exactly mean, because "sweeping" can be difficult to be associated with "love". ...
5
votes
3answers
232 views
“Went” vs. “went along”
At work, he made up lies as he went along.
At work, he made up lies as he went.
Is one of the above wrong?
9
votes
3answers
587 views
What's the meaning of 'out' when it comes after a verb ?
What's the difference between a verb like read and read out or shout and shout out and so on? How does "out" change the meaning of verbs?
2
votes
2answers
749 views
Difficult and rare words/expressions that never show up in vocabulary lists
I've come quite far in my studies of the English language; ask me what "eleemosynary," "perspicacious" or "rambunctious" means and I'll give you an instant definition. But I'm still not on a native ...
1
vote
2answers
473 views
What is the phrasal verb or idiom that says about something that came is too late
I can't remember a phrasal verb or an idiom that describes something that came too late, i.e.
i bought this book to solve this mathematical problem, however as it only came a week later it was xxxxxx.
...
3
votes
2answers
190 views
Meaning of “the body soon learns to stand down in the face of fat”
The following is from the transcript of a podcast.
Dieters can choose from an array of snacktackular options in which sugars and fats are replaced by artificial, low-calorie substitutes. That ...
12
votes
6answers
731 views
What is the origin of the phrase “turns out”?
What is the origin of "turns out" as it appears in the phrases below:
It turns out
As it turns out
Let me know how it turns out
What is turning, what is coming out, and from where?
I can't find ...
1
vote
4answers
20k views
What does the phrase “I’m down with” mean?
I was wondering about the meaning of:
I am down with something.
Also, I was wondering whether people say:
I am up with something.
If so, what does it mean?
7
votes
4answers
502 views
How can I learn to get collocations right?
I read an article about collocation which includes an example:
We can say highly sophisticated, and we can say extremely happy.
highly happy and extremely sophisticated would be wrong.
How can I ...
5
votes
3answers
7k views
“Differ to”, “differ with” or “differ from”
In what ways are differ to, differ with and differ from different?
Providing examples would be really appreciated.
