Tagged Questions
5
votes
4answers
205 views
Is the phrase “I just sucked it out of my thumb” used in American English?
I was born and raised in South Africa. We frequently used the term "to suck out of one's thumb", implying that an answer was just a wild guess or the notion had no evidence but was rather just ...
0
votes
0answers
74 views
What does 'What kind of mischief are you up to?' mean?
One of my US users asked the following questions when she got information about my resignation from my manager.
What is this rumor I hear? What kind of mischief are you up to?
I am not sure ...
1
vote
4answers
119 views
What's the meaning of “I put the chic in freak”?
I am a non-native speaker of English (Polish) and I teach English as a Foreign Language in Poland. A few months ago I came across this phrase / sentence printed on the student's notebook and got ...
1
vote
3answers
645 views
What is the meaning of “six ways from Sunday”? [closed]
This is a line from the book Test Driven Development by Kent Beck:
Fortunately, we are well rested and relaxed and unlikely to make
mistakes, which is why we will go in teeny-tiny steps, ...
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 ...
1
vote
2answers
104 views
Meaning and usage of “stuck in the craw” [closed]
Can you please explain the meaning and give some usage examples for "stuck in the craw" expression?
Just come across this expression in following sentence (a bit lengthy):
But what stuck in the ...
-3
votes
1answer
134 views
“Well known to” vs. “ Well known by” [closed]
When do you use well known to vs. well known by?
He was well known to his people.
This was a fact well known by him.
0
votes
1answer
60 views
Urge Her Against Him [closed]
For this:
google book
"With one hand on the small of her back, and another just a bit lower, he urged her against him again. The woman was melting his resolve and calling into question his ...
1
vote
1answer
179 views
What is the connection between motherhood and apple pie?
I know the idiom motherhood and apple pie is used to denote some principles with which few disagree. But what is the connection between motherhood and apple pie? I am not very familiar with American ...
2
votes
2answers
130 views
Is “stepmother treatment” Indian English?
When I googled stepmother treatment, I found that it was mainly used in India to refer to neglect, disregard or inattention. Most of the other non-Indian links talked about the literal treatment by ...
2
votes
1answer
132 views
Origin of “no such thing” idiomatic phrase
The risk of asking this question could be like asking the question
What is the origin of the phrase "I love you", or "I need a shower", etc
which grew out of spontaneous language use.
Anyway, I ...
1
vote
1answer
179 views
Expression “I can / can't tell the things”
I'm French and have sometimes/often difficulty understanding certain expressions.
Presently, I'm not sure of the sense of the following phrase:
I can tell the things
that lies in this sentence ...
11
votes
3answers
418 views
What does “Beyoncé was outed for lip-synching” mean?
I’m interested in the usage of “out” as a verb in the phrase “She was outed for lip-synching” in the following paragraph of Time Magazine’s (February 5) article titled, “A lesson in crisis ...
4
votes
3answers
136 views
“Loosen up”, “tighten up”
"To loosen up" means "to become not nervous". Could the phrase "to tighten up" be a good opposite and mean "to become nervous"?
0
votes
3answers
88 views
“in a word” vs “in a sentence”
In a word, you are wrong!
In a sentence, you are wrong!
Which is more natural?
I feel "in a word" is more common than "in a sentence", but "you are wrong!" consists of three words rather ...
4
votes
3answers
627 views
What is the origin of idiom “Keep your hair on”?
I had a conversation with a coworker and he told me to keep my hair on. My first understanding of the idiom was that he will do something so fast that, if I was wearing a wig or something it will fly ...
8
votes
10answers
598 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 ...
2
votes
4answers
253 views
What is a more politically correct way to call something a “Red-Headed Step-Child”?
I can't use the phrase "second-class citizen" either.
This is for a professional blog post, so I'd rather stay away from "red-headed step-child". I can't use "second-class citizen" because I'm ...
11
votes
1answer
205 views
Meaning of “match Greek with Greek”
From Christmas Storms and Sunshine by Elizabeth Gaskell (4th paragraph):
Jenkins had his wife too. Wives were wanting to finish the
completeness of the quarrel, which existed one memorable ...
10
votes
7answers
701 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 ...
3
votes
2answers
175 views
What is the origin or earliest known use of the phrase “everything but the kitchen sink”?
What is the origin or earliest known use of the idiomatic phrase "everything but the kitchen sink"?
I have searched the internet, but I cannot find an origin or etymology.
The earliest known use I ...
5
votes
4answers
422 views
“The point is moot”
I was recently called out for using the phrase "the point is moot" incorrectly. My intent was to indicate that I felt that the point wasn't really worth debating or discussing. I was then shown that ...
2
votes
3answers
381 views
What does “made it up on the spot” mean? [closed]
What does the phrase "made it up on the spot" mean?
1
vote
1answer
276 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.
2
votes
1answer
190 views
Push somebody over the edge
From TheFreeDictionary, pushing somebody over the edge is defined as:
If an unpleasant event pushes someone over the edge, it makes them start to behave in a crazy way.
Can crazy here be to ...
5
votes
5answers
153 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?
0
votes
5answers
648 views
term for people who lack empathy, bikeshed, are overly idealistic, impractical
This might be a long shot, but here goes.
I work in internet technology and often encounter (virtually and some times physically) people with the following characteristics. Is there a term or phrase ...
1
vote
2answers
513 views
Is there such a thing as an idiom thesaurus that delivers synonym phrases? [closed]
Is there a resource that anyone knows of that is the equivalent of a number of phrases that mean the same thing? Perhaps called a "phrase thesaurus" or "idiom thesaurus" or "phrase synonyms" for ...
1
vote
6answers
257 views
Is there another way of saying “I lost my train of thought”? [closed]
I am an ESL learning and I use the idiom "I lost my train of thought" quite often. Recently, I think that it is sort of redundant to use it several times when I talk to my friends.
I am curious that ...
1
vote
3answers
414 views
Meaning of “saved my sanity” [closed]
What is the meaning of the phrase saved my sanity?
I attempted another sip and winced. He smiled and poured more water in my drink to dilute it. It ruined the scotch but saved my sanity.
The ...
3
votes
2answers
228 views
Meaning of “Spoil Yourself Silly on a Shoestring”
What does Spoil Yourself Silly on a Shoestring mean? It is the title of a chapter of the book I'm reading.
-2
votes
1answer
94 views
usage of “lead to”
If I want to use lead to, does it always need to use being as shown below.
less number of points lead to missing edges being occurred, are
recognized using proximity analysis.
0
votes
2answers
179 views
I had it coming
When you say "I had it coming", does it always mean "I caused it to happen to me"? Can it also mean in an appropriate context "it just happened to me"?
Also, does it always have to be "coming" and ...
8
votes
2answers
4k views
Origin of “More X than you can shake a stick at”
What is the origin of the phrase "more X than you can shake a stick at"?
Every website I've seen on this basically says the same thing (e.g., http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-sha2.htm):
Recorded ...
0
votes
1answer
139 views
Any English phrase whose words appear nowhere else? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is there a term for words that have a single meaning or are only used in a single context?
I want to find some English phrases whose individual words are seldom used ...
1
vote
4answers
268 views
Does “I am thirsty to die” make sense?
"I am hungry to die" doesn't mean that I am dying because of hunger, rather, "I want to die a lot."
How about "I am thirsty to die?" Does this mean "I am dying because of thirst?"
I want to know ...
9
votes
10answers
262 views
Word or expression for comments that are technically correct but unhelpful
I think all programmers among us will be familiar with this scenario. You spend several days writing some code and submit it to be tested by someone else. The points that they return, though valid, ...
0
votes
2answers
302 views
What does the phrase “taking a bath with the crowd” mean?
I recently heard the phrase "taking a bath with the crowd" and that apparently it's a common idiom in many European languages. I found several results for the phrase on Google, but none that explain ...
4
votes
3answers
752 views
“For <xxx> sake” - which variant is more common?
There are a lot of variations of this phrase, most notably including
"for God's sake"
"for Heaven's sake"
"for Jesus sake"
"for Pete's sake"
Which of those are most commonly used in modern ...
-2
votes
1answer
313 views
What is the meaning of “I don't need no stinking counters”?
The context is this video at timeline 43:26 seconds .
That's too fancy for me. I don't need no stinking counters.
What does this mean? Is it an American or British expression?
7
votes
1answer
160 views
Is the expression “topping it the ______” really used anywhere?
I've often read books where English men made statements about others "topping it the knob" or "topping it the gentleman," which I took to mean over playing a role or attitude.
Is this a legitimately ...
8
votes
2answers
480 views
What does poking with a stick mean?
Please see the context from this blog of Joel Spolsky:
Since you have to poke at Windows Calculator with a stick, it doesn't
have to be as fast as Excel.
What does he mean by poking with a ...
1
vote
3answers
163 views
What does the phrase “Bolting for the Door” mean? [closed]
I was watching this video and at 41:05 secs the professor uses this phrase Bolting for the Door . Does it mean that students will get bored or it will be too difficult for the students such that they ...
4
votes
2answers
432 views
On the brink/verge/edge of
With on the brink/verge/edge of, is there a distinct difference between these, or do they have more or less the same meaning? Which one is the most informal? Is it all about context?
2
votes
1answer
179 views
“Bad blood” usage
I know that the bad blood expression means animosity and dislike. But where does it come from? I can understand why bad, but why blood, and whose blood is implied here?
3
votes
2answers
598 views
Meaning of “herding the cats”
What is the meaning of the phrase herding the cats? I've found one description on Wikipedia but it is not clear enough.
0
votes
2answers
102 views
“through any vehicles” is this an idiom? [closed]
In a letter I came across a sentence
Despite of feeling bad for losing one of the best students so far yet for any further specific info/ query you are welcome to get in touch with me through any ...
4
votes
5answers
794 views
How to describe gesture to shut up?
I want to use a word/phrase/idiom etc. to describe someone action by which they try to stop another person talk or sharing their plans.
I want specifically to use it in following situation:
...
2
votes
3answers
565 views
Word for thing with positive and negative consequences
What word can I use for a thing with positive and negative consequences? For example, taking a cab rather than driving has its advantages and disadvantages.
5
votes
0answers
450 views
Etymology of “to coin a phrase” [closed]
Quite simply — who coined the phrase "to coin a phrase"?
I'm sure it wasn't one person, but it's the origin that is of interest.
