Tagged Questions
-3
votes
2answers
43 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 ...
0
votes
3answers
84 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
6answers
208 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
89 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
4answers
136 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 ...
3
votes
4answers
208 views
Any alternative phrase for “piece of cake” [duplicate]
Are there other phrases to express easiness of the situation like the above mentioned phrase?
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 ...
5
votes
3answers
161 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
130 views
What do you call a statement like “How to perform a change of ownership” [closed]
What do you call a statement similar to the following?
"How to perform a change of ownership"
I wish to request user input by asking a question such as:
"Please enter your title in the ...
2
votes
4answers
175 views
Ruining something for someone else (spoils of war?)
Lately I've been thinking of a saying that describes the following:
Ruining something for someone else, for the sole purpose of it not being useful any more to the other party, even though you do ...
8
votes
10answers
594 views
“You get what you deserve nothing more nothing less”
In this world we reside, what we acquire depends on what we can acquire. In other words, if we have the money to, we can buy a house; if we have the necessary educational qualifications to, we can get ...
1
vote
3answers
1k views
How do you say “hands-on experience” with this technology to an interviewer?
Generally, I would tell an interviewer that I have "hands-on experience" with this technology, by which I mean that my experience in this field is very limited, but quite efficient and knowledgeable.
...
10
votes
7answers
694 views
Is there an idiom that corresponds to the Hungarian expression “fall off the other side of the horse”?
There's a Hungarian phrase that can be literally translated as something like "fall off the other side of the horse". (The literal implication is either that instead of falling off this side of the ...
1
vote
1answer
275 views
Idiom for “The solution for the problem is the cause itself”
Is there an idiom or phrase which means:
The solution for the problem is the cause itself.
I was thinking of
Use the snake to suck out the venom
which, I'm unsure, is a valid phrase.
5
votes
5answers
152 views
Phrase which describes falsely improving something
Is there an aphorism or proverb in English which describes attempting to improve something fundamentally flawed by dressing it with a lot of ornament?
1
vote
4answers
182 views
phrase to mean “giving the exact answer” [closed]
I was having a coversation and part of the conversation, the person asked me which part of the world I was from, and I answered him exactly "the western hemisphere". Then I asked him the same question ...
2
votes
4answers
245 views
Simple word/ slang for “Re-share a content”
I need a simple(commonly used/known) word or short slang(2 words max.) which means to re-share a piece of information with your network of friends.
Something just like "Share" on social networks.
...
27
votes
14answers
2k views
Phrase for observing a rule in a malicious way
I know this phrase, but for some reason it is blocked in my mind. What is the term for observing a rule, but doing so in a way that subverts it? I'm almost certain that malicious is one of the words ...
2
votes
5answers
223 views
Adjective/adverb for “taboo”
I'm looking for a word or phrase that means something along the lines of "the exhilaration of taboo".
Here's the context for what I'm looking for: "It was strange and [blank] to walk around and see ...
5
votes
1answer
349 views
How to say “the project that we are working on” in a short phrase?
I want a short phrase for "the project that we are working on".
Could it be "our working-on project"?
3
votes
2answers
16k views
Can you say “see you then/there” when arranging a meeting?
I am sending an e-mail to a colleague to arrange a meeting. In my e-mail I inform her where and when we can meet, and I would like to end the e-mail by saying something like "See you there" or "See ...
-3
votes
3answers
677 views
Opposite of jack of all trades master of none
As the title says, what is the opposite of "Jack of all trades master of none"?
7
votes
2answers
381 views
What's the converse of “The straw that broke the camels back”?
A friend likes this lady for many of her nice qualities. But one of her small niceness-es made him fall for her completely.
He referred to it as "The straw that broke the camels back" which I believe ...
4
votes
5answers
1k views
Phrase or idiom to mean “one at a time”
When you have too many tasks in your to-do list, you will like to clear them one at a time. Is there another way to say this? Or to say "worrying about the next one only after finishing the current ...
3
votes
2answers
184 views
A phrase to show that something is deeply personal
The context here is that I'm translating from Spanish a phrase which has a wonderful suggestion of deep intimacy. I want to keep the translation as literal as possible but also to maintain the emotion ...
-3
votes
1answer
68 views
can the word fateful be used to increase the severity of a condition [closed]
such as in the quote "the fatal poison of irresponsible power was too much for even the kindest heart to endure without falter."
1
vote
3answers
308 views
Two word phrase to refer to community of people who come together to exchange knowledge [closed]
I need a two word phrase to refer to a community of people (academia + non-academia) who come together to share/exchange their knowledge/ideas openly on topics of their interests/ specializations.
I ...
2
votes
5answers
1k views
Replacement for ‘at the example of ’
I’m currently searching for the title of my research thesis and I can’t find a good phrase.
I did a “Systematic Analysis of fruit growth” in a generic way and additionally applied the analysis to ...
4
votes
3answers
325 views
“Strike gold” but without the implication of searching?
Whenever I hear the phrase I struck gold the fact the person had to have done a certain search is implied to me. Is this correct?
For example, if I say:
Janet loves sex so much! I've struck gold ...
5
votes
8answers
736 views
What would you call a person who is not a student, but takes interest in exploring academic topics?
A person who is not formally enrolled as a student, researcher or faculty in some university or college but who takes interest in exploring academic topics/stuff. For e.g. Such a person could be ...
4
votes
3answers
163 views
Possibilities to combine “drop-dead” with an adjective
What adjectives can you combine with drop-dead to emphasize?
There's drop-dead gorgeous, can you also combine others like "nice" and "simple"?
1
vote
3answers
483 views
“Pot calling the kettle black” … but what if the kettle isn't black (figuratively speaking)?
The pot calling the kettle black is a well accepted idiom in English, and has many equivalents in other languages.
But there are some occasions when this phrase is not quite appropriate. When one ...
1
vote
3answers
568 views
Is describing someone as “higher-educated” awkward?
I’m updating my résumé and would like to convey in a condensed manner the fact that I have a Masters degree in a particular branch of the humanities (politics and society of the Middle East, but ...
1
vote
3answers
218 views
Better way to say “repeat sequentially”
I'm trying to say "it counts the number of times a given value repeats sequentially" in a list, meaning it finds the maximum number of times a value occurs in a row in a list. I know there's a word ...
26
votes
4answers
5k views
Replacement for “God forbid”
I wanted to use the phrase "God forbid" the other day, but really wanted to avoid the religious connotations that may come along with it. I was stumped while thinking of a replacement or variation.
I ...
1
vote
1answer
22k views
Other ways to say “I'm rooting for you?”
What are other ways one can say that have the same meaning as, "I'm rooting for you?"
1
vote
3answers
261 views
Phrases similar to “what would you do?”
I'm looking for common phrases similar to "What would you do?" I'd like any phrase that signifies the call to action to make a difficult hypothetical decision. For example, "Take your pick" is a ...
2
votes
3answers
256 views
To clarify a murky concept without explaining completely
Some concepts are just too difficult to be fully understood. Take for example the multivariate causes of the recent recession: who among us can honestly say that he or she grasps the situation ...
3
votes
3answers
113 views
“The me of the past”
When talking about one's self in the past, is "the me of the past" grammatically correct?
I'm trying to make a sentence like this:
The me of the past who was popular
with girls, I'm jealous of ...
2
votes
2answers
53 views
The phrase “were strong from”
I want to make a sentence like the following:
His arms were strong from lifting
weights.
I'm not sure if it's grammatically correct though. When I googled "were strong from" only 3 pages came ...
2
votes
1answer
235 views
Need alternative to “brave smile”
I need to describe someone giving "a brave smile" (for the benefit of others) but that phrase is such a cliche. Is there an alternative that means the same? S.
3
votes
5answers
532 views
“What were you thinking…”
I want to ask about what emotion motivated someone to do something. Can the phrase "what were you thinking when you..." be used for this? It seems kind of unnatural to ask, "what were you feeling when ...
0
votes
1answer
131 views
“Had changed destiny”
I want to write something that means the same thing as "had changed destiny." I was going to use those words, but something didn't seem right. I googled that phrase, and came up with only one thing. ...
2
votes
2answers
230 views
what's the phrase for “I don't want to be reliant on someone else”
I remember that there is a phrase with the word whims that goes about like this: "I don't want to be reliant on someone else"
Does anyone know what that phrase is?
5
votes
5answers
2k views
Phrase for asking the obvious
In my language when a question is asking something really obvious we are using a phrase that if translated means:
What is making a "meow meow" sound on the roof/rooftop?
Is there an equivalent ...
5
votes
3answers
318 views
Better phrase for “taking care of one's responsbilities”
I am constantly talking to my kids about taking care of their responsibilities. Sometimes, in the heat of an emotional lecturing, I shorten it to "meet your responsibilites," in the sense that one can ...
8
votes
6answers
345 views
Is there an aphorism for doing a self-defeating act?
Is there a witty turn of phrase that indicates one's performing an act that, in its doing, undermines, contravenes, or obviates itself?
This question relates to a similar idea, but I have it in my ...
1
vote
4answers
372 views
Expression for “medium difficult”?
In my game, I have three levels of difficulty, each represented by an icon. Of course, each level is also indicated by a word; the icons are there just to spice things up, and as a visual pun.
Easy ...
