A phrase is a group of words that make a unit of syntax with a single grammatical function.
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1answer
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“As a(n) X”, followed by a statement not from the perspective of X
Am I correct that the following is an error, and, if so, of what type? (I'm almost positive I once knew the term to describe this increasingly common construction and that it was considered ...
4
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0answers
528 views
What is the origin of “bite me”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Meaning and usage of “bite me”
Here’s the dilemma: What body part does the oft-used expression, “Bite me!” refer to?
All the males (man on the street) I’ve ...
4
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4answers
1k views
“Sour cream” versus “soured cream”
Does anyone besides my husband insist on adding an -ed to sour cream? Etymonline dates "sour cream" to 1855, but has no mention of "soured", so I don't think this is analogous to "iced tea" or "ice ...
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4answers
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Correct usage of “to coin a phrase”
I've always thought "to coin a phrase" means to invent a phrase or be the first person to use it.
Today I came across this usage by a reporter for the Lancashire Telegraph
The Burnley board are ...
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2answers
16k views
Meaning of “hail to the king”
I can't translate that sentence, “hail to the king”. I've found something like “greetings to the king” but is this correct?
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3answers
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Origin of the phrase “third time's the charm” / “third time lucky”?
What would the origin of the saying "Third time's the charm" ? I've also heard it used as "third time lucky" ....Does anyone know if they are related ?
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5answers
538 views
What is someone who leaks a surprise called?
What is someone whose tendency/act is to leak the surprise called?
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3answers
8k views
Which is correct: “So far as I know” or “As far as I know”?
Which is more appropriate: "So" or "As"?
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3answers
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More idioms like “needle in a haystack” relevant to hidden/hard to find items? [closed]
Are there more idioms, sayings or phrases similar to "needle in a haystack" that are relevant to hidden objects, or difficult to find items?
Also interested in similar nouns relevant to the somewhat ...
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2answers
1k views
What does the phrase “it is up to us to flesh it out” mean?
What does the phrase "it is up to us to flesh it out" mean?
Can you suggest any synonyms?
4
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2answers
424 views
“Really six people present”: origin of phrase commonly attributed to William James [closed]
The following is popular on lists of "quotable quotes":
Whenever two people meet,
there are really six people present. There is each man as he sees himself,
each man as the other person sees ...
4
votes
9answers
636 views
Continuing to do something just because it was done before, without knowing why
How would you describe someone that continues to perform and action solely because they have observed someone else performing that same action, but do not know the reason. Or, they perform an action ...
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6answers
5k views
What is the difference between “Class of 2004” and “Batch of 2004”?
What is the difference between "Class of 2004" and "Batch of 2004"? I have a feeling that one means the students who joined the university in 2004 and the other means those who graduated in 2004. Is ...
4
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1answer
415 views
Meaning of the phrase “In the wash”
One of our senior technical architects uses this phrase:
it will come out in the wash
We generally take that to mean "let's do the detailed/mundane stuff later — and concentrate on the key stuff ...
3
votes
1answer
408 views
Is “and then some” an offensive expression?
I started an internal email discussion with the title "Editorial: link issues, some spelling issues and then some".
However, upon rereading my own mail, it occurred to me that this might express ...
3
votes
2answers
327 views
What does “a pretzel palace” mean?
Today’s New York Times picked up a line of the comment of Governor of California, Jerry Brown on California's tight budget, which calls for severe spending cuts to deal with a $15.7 billion shortfall ...
3
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4answers
617 views
“Despite the fact” implies knowledge of said facts
I had an argument about the phrase "despite the fact". The argument was around the headline:
US Immigration officials deport 14 year old runaway to Colombia, despite the fact that she's American ...
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2answers
1k views
What does “be at it” mean? Is it an idiom?
In the talk show titled “How Dogs Evolved Into 'Our Best Friends'” on NPR’s “Fresh Air” aired on November 8, naturalist Mark Derr offered an intriguing story about how humans and wolves developed a ...
3
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2answers
121 views
Origins of the phrase “How killing!”
My mother says this phrase all of the time, to mean "That is hilarious".
Supposedly "killing" is short for "killingly-funny"(!) but I must admit I have never ever heard anyone else say it.
Is it a ...
3
votes
1answer
138 views
“Unpleasant smile” vs. “unhappy smile”
Is an unpleasant smile the same as an unhappy smile? What does an unhappy smile look like? If they're not the same then what does an unpleasant smile look like?
3
votes
3answers
1k views
“Take long/longer/less long”
Which of these are correct English and which ones aren’t?
This took long.
If we do X, it will take longer.
If we do Y, it will take less long.
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votes
3answers
582 views
“just married” or “just wed”?
I saw this for the first time in something recent: "just wed".
I wonder how and when it is used (BrE only, under certain conditions). Does it mean exactly the same as "married"?
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3answers
307 views
Take this question with a grain of salt
Where did this ubiquitous phrase come from? Usually it is used in conjunction with either disputable of downright dubious information but I can't think of how salt helps the situation. The only thing ...
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2answers
232 views
What does “Without padding one’s end zone” mean?
In the following sentence of Eat, Drink and Be Healthy in New York Times (Feb.1) contributed by columnist Jennifer LaRue Huget, I found the following sentence:
You can work up Super Bowl Sunday ...
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2answers
494 views
“Pardon me French”
Even though the phrase pardon my French is used much more often, I do constantly run across pardon me French as well. What's the deal with that? Wikipedia does have an entry on Pardon my French, but ...
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votes
1answer
120 views
Should I say “I make a living by teaching” or “I make a living teaching”? Which one is correct? Is the preposition 'by' necessary?
I am confused about the correct usage of the phrasal verb, 'make a living'. I don't know whether I should add the preposition 'by' at the end of it.
I looked up several dictionaries, most of which ...
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3answers
612 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.
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2answers
436 views
What does “call past” mean?
What does the expression "call past" mean? See some usages below:
I called past the supermarket on the way home from the office.
He just called past and asked to gather the team in the ...
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votes
3answers
341 views
Equivalent of homonym for terms and phrases
A homonym is a word with two distinct meanings, for instance:
chase (from dict.org)
To pursue for the purpose of killing or taking, as an enemy, or game; to hunt. [1913 Webster]
...
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4answers
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Meaning of “ask of”
What is the meaning of the phrase ask of in the following sentence?
Trust and security are important for any application; before we move on to the
meat of accessing data, let’s make sure the ...
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votes
5answers
1k views
What does “fly by the seat of one's pants” mean?
Reading a book, I came across an expression I really can't parse.
For some developers, the invocation of
the word plan is cause for alarm.
Endless meetings with pointy-haired
bosses creating ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
Not only… but also
Consider the following:
Not only you should be able to speak but also able to write.
You should be able to not only speak but also write.
You should not only be able to speak but also be ...
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votes
4answers
17k views
What does the phrase “good for you” mean?
What does this phrase mean? And in what cases is it appropriate to use it?
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4answers
156 views
A prediction made in the past that affects something we will do in the future
Please ignore the factual accuracy of this sentence and focus on the tenses used.
If the Mayans were wrong to end the calendar on Dec. 20, 2012, we'll use your donation to fund 2013 programming.
...
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3answers
570 views
Horse of a different color
I recently heard someone use the expression "Now that's a whole different bag of dog food". While highly unusualy, the meaning was well understood by the audience. I know there is an actual ...
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4answers
1k views
“Everything is everything”
I tried to google the phrase "everything is everything" but can't find its origin. Where does this phrase originally come from? What does it mean?
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vote
1answer
502 views
What is the meaning of “zen is the art of being at one with the two'ness”
zen is the art of being at one with the two'ness
What's the being at one?
What's the two'ness?
Why two'ness not twoness?
I just don't know the meaning of this sentence.
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vote
3answers
297 views
Is it “house is on fire” or “fire on the house”?
What are the origins behind our use of "house is on fire" as opposed to "fire is on the house"?
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1answer
8k views
'Today afternoon' vs 'Today in the afternoon'?
Which adverbial phrase of time is more grammatically correct: 'Today afternoon' or 'Today in the afternoon'?
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3answers
1k views
What/who are “toy soldiers”?
There is a song called Toy Soldiers by Martika of which a part of the lyrics goes:
Step by step
Heart to heart
Left, right, left
We all fall down
Like toy soldiers
Bit by bit
Torn ...
1
vote
2answers
171 views
“fail to convey it”
Does "I fail to convey it" mean "I know but I don't explain it" or does it mean "I know and I try to explain it, but not well enough for people to understand it" or can it mean both?
What's another ...
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3answers
3k views
What's the meaning of “a staple amongst the community”?
In this context:
trying to become a staple amongst the
community
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3answers
3k views
Movies 'based on' v. 'inspired by' true events
I have heard there is a difference between movies 'based on' verses those 'inspired by' true events. Does one relationship with the 'true events' have more license than another, or is it just the ...
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vote
3answers
295 views
Is there a term for French words adopted by the English language, such as “hors d'oeuvres” or “objet d'art”
I would call them "Frenchisms" or some such -ism, but I figured I'd at least ask first. So is there a name for such adopted foreign phrases? Also, how about those adopted from languages other than ...
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vote
1answer
988 views
What does “Fight through the pain” mean?
What does sentence "Fight through the pain" mean? I heard this sentence in XBox360 game Gears of War. Can the sentence be also used with other verbs - can it be simply expressed as pattern "Do ...
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vote
3answers
2k views
“Which we discussed” vs. “about which we discussed”
Which one is correct?
I’ve added changes/fixes which we discussed yesterday.
or
I’ve added changes/fixes about which we discussed yesterday.
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votes
3answers
126 views
“at all the vertices”, what does this mean?
My professor has written a statement like this:
function is non-negative at all the vertices of the structure S and positive at some vertex
for a publication. It is a peer-reviewed publication ...
0
votes
1answer
142 views
Under which cases should an article (a/an/the) not be used? [duplicate]
The current machine has been repaired.
Current machine has been repaired.
Which is more natural? What are the subtle differences between them?
Under which cases should an article ...
0
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2answers
323 views
What is the courteous alternative of “Do you understand what I say?”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Does it make sense?” or “Do you understand me?”?
"Do you get me?", "Do you get my point?", etc?
What is the courteous alternative of "Do you understand what I say?"?
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votes
2answers
240 views
When is it OK to use foreign words and phrases in everyday English? [closed]
I think that every learner of a foreign language has to decide at a certain point whether they are going imitate native speakers, so as to be mistaken for something they are not, or to retain ...
