This tag is for questions seeking a phrase that fits a meaning. If you're specifically seeking only a single word, see the "single word requests" tag too.
-1
votes
3answers
37 views
What phrase or word can I use to describe a bad mix of action?
This is in a Saudi YouTube series that I'm subtitling; I came across a colloquial word which means literally 'a mixture of melon juice, mango juice and corn', and figuratively expresses a bad course ...
2
votes
3answers
50 views
Wording for threshold description (greater than or equal to)
I have a parameter for a program that is a threshold (T). I need to document it, and what I want its meaning to be is this:
If N >= T then Do Action
I don't want its meaning to be this:
If N > T ...
-2
votes
0answers
61 views
Whose window? - What's the idiom for unpredictable unknown beneficial opportunities that might come up?
I've heard an idiom that contains the word 'window' and I think it is of the form, somebody's window. Pandora's window or something. I don't remember the somebody.
It applies to beneficial unknown ...
1
vote
1answer
54 views
Word for unverified confidence without ambition
I'm looking for a word or phrase to describe the condition of someone who is fairly certain he could do _______ if he were to set his mind to it, but who has absolutely no intention of ever doing so.
...
0
votes
2answers
56 views
Word meaning “to choose or take something as one's own”
I was having a conversation with an agent of an Internet service provider and the reason I called them was because I'm confused about a plan they have that is very similar to the one I currently have ...
-1
votes
1answer
103 views
Why would you want to do that? [closed]
I recently shared with several coworkers that I wanted to go to a particular class. My coworker responded to me with the following question: "Why would you want to do that?" I responded with a ...
2
votes
4answers
498 views
Single word for “inhale using your mouth with force or power”
I want to express the following: "Inhale using your mouth with force or power". It does not sound good to me. Is there any single word or a good phrase to express this?
0
votes
3answers
70 views
Non-financial costs
I am interviewing someone about the newly proposed bike paths in our city.
I want to ask them not only how much the paths will cost financially, but also find out what other costs (such as the ...
-2
votes
2answers
45 views
How would you concisely express 'the range of dates in which something is expected to happen'?
I need a conside expression for "the range of dates in which someone expects something might happen". For instance,
I called John to ask him for a more precise period in which he estimated he ...
1
vote
2answers
85 views
Word for describing the emotion of helping someone
I am looking for a word which describes the emotion that one experiences on helping someone (friend, colleague, family, stranger). This helping out is not in the context of charity, but more of as ...
0
votes
0answers
36 views
Using noun + noun [closed]
Can I use a word-combination - "play overflow". Is it correct? And, if yes, then what does it mean in english?
-1
votes
0answers
34 views
'fleeting glimpse' alternate phrases? [closed]
"Fleeting glimpse" is a brilliant phrase, but like all brilliant phrases, it's become clichéd beyond belief. What are your favourite alternatives?
0
votes
3answers
85 views
The Phrase “dont worry” is rather overused [closed]
Does anyone have any other ways of saying 'don't worry' or 'don't worry about it'?
I feel the phrase is overused and implies that people actually do worry which in a lot of cases they don't.
I want ...
1
vote
2answers
66 views
How to express “some place for children to play in restaurant or other public”?
I found some translations but am not sure if there are better and shorter alternatives:
"children playground" — I am thinking about a small place inside, not a large playground;
"corner for ...
0
votes
4answers
195 views
A word to express “removing some parts of history from history books by authorities”
In some countries some parts of history books of students have been removed by authorities of the time. For example, it has happened for Achaemenid Empire (a part of ancient Iran history) 2 years ago ...
2
votes
3answers
129 views
Is there a word which describes the experience of not being able to comprehend new sensory input?
Is there a word which describes the experience of not being able to comprehend new sensory input?
Specifically, I am trying to find a word which describes my experience whenever I listen to a new ...
-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 ...
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
32 views
A term for non-player targetted information
I'm looking for a term that would describe the information that is not supposed to be known by players, not essential for their gaming experience.
Like a game object (or feature) that isn't actually ...
2
votes
6answers
91 views
What is a term that means “to force into a particular form”?
I'm looking for a term that describes "forcing into a particular form", "forcing into looking like something else", or even "forcefully fitting into a category"
Ex:
"We (word) the ...
1
vote
6answers
211 views
Polite/professional alternative to 'It turns out'
I have been tasked with coming up with a nicer phrase to use than 'It turns out'. It is to be used in situations like the below:
'It turns out' that we cannot...
'It turns out' that we ...
-2
votes
3answers
90 views
Phrase similar to “friend or foe”. I want to the reader to ask themselves the question [closed]
I am looking for a phrase similar to the phrase "friend or foe".
I have come up with "help or hindrance" but I am hoping you might come up with something else.
edit - I am writing an article on ...
2
votes
5answers
121 views
Expression for “resource paralysis” - can't do anything because you have too much?
Is there any word, expression or proverb for the condition or state where you can't do anything because you have too much? I have heard a professor of English refer to this as "resource paralysis" ...
2
votes
1answer
100 views
An event that occurs only once
What do you call an event that occurs only once in its environment?
For instance, birth and death are two events that occur only once in the lifetime of a living thing.
I am looking for a word or ...
-1
votes
1answer
85 views
Can I say 'I feel connected' when I think a movie tells my story?
Recently I saw a movie that tells a story very similar to mine. I wanted to tell my friends about it and said 'I felt connected'. They doubted if that is the right word to use, since the word ...
-2
votes
2answers
68 views
Is there a word for the desire to care for an injured or vulnerable person or animal? [closed]
Specifically, I'm looking for a word or phrase that captures the feeling of wanting someone to need you to care for them, and feeling guilty that the desire implies that you want the other person to ...
2
votes
4answers
138 views
Is there a word for when a problem's understood complexity grows exponentially as you work on it?
Example:
Hey Joe, can you fix simple problem A?
Sure, Sally, no problem! After all it's simple, right?
But A is then found to have dependent sub-problems B and C; B to have dependent ...
8
votes
5answers
248 views
Is there a word/expression that would correspond to something like “self-distance”?
In Swedish there is a term called självdistans, which would be directly translated to "self-distance", which means possessing a certain objectivity towards yourself, to be ego-less or not taking ...
5
votes
3answers
477 views
Is there an English equivalent for the Swedish expression “the droplet that caused the beaker to overflow”?
In Swedish, the expression "det var droppen som fick bägaren att rinna över", directly translated to "the droplet that caused the beaker to overflow", is used to express that enough is enough. Is ...
8
votes
5answers
333 views
What is the English equivalent to the Japanese word 学者バカ, “Scholar’s fool”?
I’m interested in the words “instant omniscience,” which Calvin Trillin, a former editor for Time magazine, used in a New Yorker magazine article (March 20) entitled "Time Edit":
“There were some ...
1
vote
2answers
96 views
What term best describes the “mentality” with which an API is designed?
As someone whose mother tongue is not English, I'm sometimes having a hard time having the correct feeling towards the meaning of some words. This is one of those situations.
I'm looking for a term ...
2
votes
2answers
96 views
Is there a single word or a phrase that can be used to denote either Before or After? [duplicate]
I am looking for a word that does not refer to now, but can refer to either before or after. In case of phrases, the lesser the words, the better is.
It is to name a Java class file whose basic task ...
0
votes
3answers
125 views
Is there a familiar phrase for spending too much time on something?
We all know that "a stitch in time saves nine" and "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure", but sometimes the opposite is true. A stitch before its time is a waste of time and thread. If ...
3
votes
4answers
211 views
Any alternative phrase for “piece of cake” [duplicate]
Are there other phrases to express easiness of the situation like the above mentioned phrase?
2
votes
1answer
78 views
English equivalent for a Portuguese saying on “bad company”
In Brazilian Portuguese, we have:
"The bird who goes around with a bat wakes up hanging upside down"
Original: "Passarinho que anda com morcego amanhece de cabeça pra baixo"
The literal meaning ...
2
votes
4answers
191 views
A phrase that means “to finally select (or decide) something”
I am looking for a phrase or an idiom that means that i have selected the one object from a group or settled on some solution out of many others. Let me provide some examples:
I went to the travel ...
1
vote
5answers
141 views
Is there a non-idiomatic word or phrase meaning the same as “on the fly”
I want to say that someone is quick at thinking on the fly, but need to communicate with non-English speakers. Is there an equivalent non-idiomatic word or phrase?
edit: I want it to imply ...
5
votes
2answers
280 views
“The more chickens in a farm the more crap and the fewer eggs”
Consider:
The more chickens in a farm the more crap and the fewer eggs.
This is a proverb I hear often in Spanish (Cuba). I think it is pretty much self-explained: it is related to productivity ...
1
vote
2answers
157 views
Is there an idiom beginning “when a dog is cornered”?
Is there any saying in a complete sentence including “a dog which is cornered”? I have tried to find a complete one, but there seems to be no one.
Actually, what I want to know is how to explain the ...
0
votes
1answer
96 views
What do you say when you wish someone to do well the next time they run?
A friend of mine was leaving to start running as an exercise and I said "Have a good run!". Then I found out it is an idiom with a different meaning. What is the right thing to say in that case?
2
votes
1answer
308 views
“expecting a baby”
Can I say "we are expecting a baby" when my wife is pregnant or does that sound funny to native English speakers, saying it as a man? (In German, the phrase has become somewhat common, but it stills ...
5
votes
3answers
301 views
Covering cars or vans with advertisement images, what is this called?
I have been working as a graphic designer for a while and we design and print advertisement material and cover cars / vans with it.
What do we call this in English?
I am preparing my CV and I don't ...
1
vote
4answers
91 views
An alternative to “serious business”
I am writing an article about a fancy cocktail bar and I am looking for an alternative to the phrase "drinking here is a serious business". Normally I am pretty good at this but, I just have the same ...
1
vote
4answers
101 views
What is the proper phrase for being in one's official limits, probably when quoting something?
While quoting something, the consideration of the fact that it does not offend the sentiments of a community or culture one belongs to. How do we ask that in one sentence e.g Did I remain in my ...
7
votes
2answers
400 views
People who sell their virginity for money
I'm Vietnamese and I'm writing an essay about prostitution. I want to ask the word to express properly the people who sell their virginity for money. In Vietnamese, we use a phrase literally means ...
5
votes
3answers
162 views
Phrase synonymous to “a general understanding”?
I am writing a goal where I would like to replace the phrase "a general understanding" with something synonymous.
The whole line reads:
Writes clean and concise code that reflects a general ...
3
votes
1answer
150 views
Word/phrase meaning: during debate, telling opposing party to read 1000s of pages
I'm currently engaged in a debate where the opposing party has said:
"I'm right because I've written 1000 blog posts on this issue. Go read
them before replying"
Is there a name for this ...
8
votes
2answers
106 views
Is there a name for uncertain memories?
I only know of confabulation, which is a related but distinct process of bringing together fact with misremembered things.
Is there an accepted name for memories of which, for example, the person ...
2
votes
2answers
161 views
What category name covers things that are designed to stand on the floor?
How to name a category of tall objects that are designed to stand on the floor as opposed to standing on a table? The tabletop objects are shorter than the freestanding objects and I cannot use ...
4
votes
4answers
73 views
Expression choice for the error of being too exact? [closed]
For example, stating a street address with millimetric precision would be too exact and is therefore not applicable and not done. So you can be too exact. Is there an expression for this error or a ...
