Tagged Questions
-3
votes
0answers
65 views
Is there any difference in meaning between “transient”, “transitory”, “fleeting”, “ephemeral”? [closed]
I got a little bit confused about the difference between them. They all convey the meaning of "short-lived". How to use every single one in particular circumstances?
1
vote
1answer
47 views
4
votes
1answer
93 views
Is there a term for a married couple who have the same christian and surname?
My wife and I share the abbreviated form of our name - Alex derived from Alexandra and Alexander respectively. As we are married, we have the same christian and surname when used in the short form.
...
0
votes
1answer
170 views
Difference in naming between consulting and consultants
I have a domain research for a company and since English is not my first language I was wondering about the difference between e.g.
Boston Consulting and Boston Consultants
My guess is that the ...
1
vote
2answers
202 views
Difference between “to enhance” and “to improve”
What is the difference between the verbal synonyms "to enhance" and "to improve"? Do they have exactly the same meaning?
2
votes
3answers
60 views
What are the uses for 'quick'?
Is the word quick ever used in reference to candles eg the quick of the candle? I know about the quick of the nail and obviously about the wick of a candle but I have a memory of the quick too being ...
-2
votes
1answer
134 views
What's the meaning of “Shrubbery”? [closed]
A shrubbery is a wide border to a garden where shrubs are thickly
planted; or a similar larger area with a path winding through it.
This is a sentence from wikipedia: shrubbery. I do not quite ...
4
votes
1answer
85 views
What does “count off” mean as a noun?
I looked up Webster, Oxford and some other sources and fund nothing for the meaning of "count off" in the followig sentence.
Each track on the CDs that accompanies the book is presented with an ...
-1
votes
1answer
252 views
“Learn” vs. “study” difference [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is there any subtle difference between “to study” and “to learn”?
What is the difference between "to learn" and "to study"? Can you study without ...
0
votes
1answer
357 views
Can't understand the meaning of “facile” in these example [closed]
I found the meaning of facile is easy, getting something without effort.
http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/facile
I have read those sentences. But can't understand it clearly.
I'm trying to ...
-2
votes
1answer
308 views
What are the differences in characteristics of 'analytical' and 'descriptive' writing excerpts? [closed]
Suppose I have been given a paragraph and at the end of it, I am asked what the author's intended tone was.
What characteristics can I use to distinguish 'analytical' writing from 'descriptive' ...
0
votes
1answer
659 views
What is the definition and usage of “tids and bits”? [closed]
What is the correct definition and usage of the term "tids and bits"?
I tried googling but nothing turns up, not even a definition.
1
vote
3answers
422 views
What does “insteadly” mean?
I have seen it couple of times in a chat room on the internet. What does "insteadly" mean? Is it a shortcut of "instead of"?
2
votes
2answers
6k views
“features and characteristics”
In English, the phrase "features and characteristics" is often used.
However, I, as a non-native English speaker, can't understand the difference between them.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary ...
0
votes
3answers
2k views
“stress” vs. “distress”
From Cambridge dictionary,
stress - great worry caused by a difficult situation.
distress - extreme worry, sadness, pain.
I'm not sure if the words 'distress' and 'stress' have the same ...
3
votes
2answers
193 views
What word or phrase expresses shortly detaining a suspect on the street and then letting him/her go?
Today, a Dutch paper published a little research triggered by a politician outing the English phrase (abbreviated) "65 percent of them have been detained by the police at least once."
I think, and ...
3
votes
2answers
464 views
What is the noun for “implore”?
What is the noun form of the word "implore"?
I saw some suggestions online for "imploration", but this seems awkward to me.
-4
votes
2answers
837 views
“Innovation” vs “invention” [closed]
What is the difference between innovation and invention? Where should we use these words? I referred to Wikipedia but did not understand much.
1
vote
1answer
959 views
So much is at stake
In this sentence:
So much is at stake that courses in foreign languages are often inadequate training grounds, in and of themselves, for the successful learning of a second language.
I have ...
2
votes
0answers
310 views
Difference between “fluid” and “liquid” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Fluids” versus “liquids”?
What is the difference between fluid and liquid?
2
votes
5answers
562 views
Vast amount of vocabulary in English books [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Are there 20,000 English words in the average adult's vocabulary?
English is not my native language, but I use it on a daily basis. I started reading English ...
-4
votes
2answers
244 views
Meaning of “Chase a Crooked Shadow”?
What is the meaning of chasing a crooked shadow?
I read Chase a crooked shadow in the Times of India newspaper, 10 Feb 2012, but could not understand the meaning of that title.
Some context from ...
2
votes
0answers
343 views
Whats' wrong with the following sentence? [closed]
One thing that despise me is when people cannot look me in eye.
I believe that the statement is grammatically wrong since we are using passive voice in the sentence so it should be 'despises' ...
1
vote
3answers
224 views
What's the difference of these words that means “to indicate by signs”? [closed]
presage
bode
augur
betoken
omen
portend
These are the words I learned today. Are they basically the same, or are they usually used in different contexts? I checked the Google Ngram ...
2
votes
3answers
125 views
What is “outbearded”?
I was reading Scott's Woodstock the other day, and came upon the word outbearded. Searching with Google reveals nothing relevant and I am wondering what it means.
The context is that Everard and a ...
12
votes
4answers
2k views
Is it correct to say “He got a fatal injury in the accident” when there is a possibility that the person’s life will be saved?
I would like to know whether “fatal injury” means (1) an injury which causes a death, (2) an injury which almost causes a death but not necessarily does, or (3) both (1) and (2) depending on the ...
7
votes
2answers
338 views
Is “for true” valid English?
I have an English-language version of my Finnish birth certificate. It is called an "extract from the population system".
The last paragraph, showing the name of the issuing autority, the place, date ...
4
votes
3answers
969 views
Meaning of “one order of magnitude improvement”
There is no single development, in either technology or management
technique, which by itself promises even one order of magnitude
improvement in productivity, in reliability, in ...
2
votes
1answer
757 views
What does it mean to be “worth someone's keep”?
“Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your
belts
no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff,
for the worker is worth his keep.
What does it mean ...
2
votes
3answers
343 views
How should I understand “archaeocyte” in this sentence?
Consider the following sentence:
The fossil consists of a complete skull of an archaeocyte, an extinct group of ancestors of modern cetaceans.
Does it mean "the fossil consists of a complete ...
20
votes
2answers
1k views
Attorney at law, is there any other kind?
I have wondered from time to time about the phrase "attorney at law." Are there other kinds of attorneys? Attorneys at arms? If not, why do we specify?
2
votes
4answers
233 views
Are emails, videos, and audios, etc, considered telegrams?
What does the word "telegram" mean?
It sounds familiar though I've no idea what it is.
The dictionary says "telegram" is defined as: "A message sent by telegraph and then delivered in written or ...
3
votes
1answer
463 views
'Conscribed' vs 'conscripted'
I'm wondering about the usage of the words 'conscript' and 'conscribe' in terms of the meaning they share.
I went to use the word 'conscripted' as in "conscripted for duty", and the word 'conscribe' ...
6
votes
2answers
301 views
Confusing meanings of “inexorable” and “unstoppable”
I saw these two words, which I had always assumed meant the same thing, in the same sentence (below). It begs a question as to the difference between them:
Sentence:
This restless and perpetual ...
13
votes
2answers
811 views
What does “not having a pair” mean?
From http://blog.peta2.com/2011/05/coming-out-twice.html?c=peta2_enews:
I had been trying to keep my vegan
tendencies on the DL for years by that
point, but it was getting harder and
harder ...
2
votes
3answers
12k views
Is it appropriate to use 'eagerly' while ending a formal e-mail
Nowadays, I always use the below phrase when I am ending a formal e-mail;
I eagerly await for your response.
Regards,
I've seen this phrase somewhere, kind-of a formal e-mail and I am using ...
7
votes
5answers
893 views
Does responsibility come with consequences?
When somebody says to me that he “takes full responsibility for” his actions (or inactions), but then requests that I remove the consequences of those actions, it seems to me he does not actually take ...
4
votes
2answers
11k views
What does “Per [person's name]” mean?
Does "Per John:" mean exactly the same thing as "From John:" and "John:"?
What exactly does the word "per" mean in this situation (what denotation does it have)?
2
votes
2answers
477 views
Meaning of “throw some work your way”
I think probably the expression means to find job for someone, Is it a common expression or a word made inside the movie?
I talked to him. He said he can "throw some work my way".
0
votes
3answers
718 views
what does “fancy-ass” mean?
What does fancy-ass mean in the following sentence:
And after that, getting hired by some "fancy-ass".
2
votes
1answer
196 views
What does “run down a ball” mean?
What does "run down a ball" mean?
Here's a past tense example, in this comment heard after a tennis match:
I can't believe you ran down the last ball.
2
votes
2answers
107 views
What does “low-growing” mean?
What does low-growing mean in the following sentence?
She planted some "low-growing" stuff.
4
votes
2answers
463 views
Meaning of some sentences from sports pages of newspapers
I was studying some vocabulary about sports pages of the newspapers from a book. The book mentions that the sportswriters are masters of English language and states how well they attract readers to ...
5
votes
2answers
490 views
What does “hunting” mean in the following sentence?
I was reading a review for a camera lens. I found the sentence there.
Slow focus on my 300D, noticeably better on a 400D... Shallow focus field, with lots of hunting.
1
vote
3answers
204 views
What does “a drifty car” mean?
What does "a drifty car" mean? Does it refer to capability of instant change in the speed of car?
3
votes
5answers
2k views
Is [Its'] a word? (Note the apostrophe at the end.)
I just had a strange flashback to a conversation I had when I was in high school, with a man who was regarded by many members of a particular online community as having an impressive degree of ...
3
votes
4answers
1k views
What does “fringe meeting” mean exactly?
I'm aware of that 'Fringe' means 'not major', 'not mainstream'.
I hardly understand how 'fringe' and 'meeting' meet as one vocabulary.
12
votes
5answers
7k views
5
votes
3answers
2k views
Are 'consecutively' and 'successively' the same? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What's the difference between “successive” and “consecutive”?
Are 'consecutively' and 'successively' the same? Can they be used in place of ...
2
votes
1answer
754 views
How often do words change meaning then revert back to their original meaning?
Words can change meaning over time. A good example of this would be 'gay' which has changed from meaning 'merry' to 'homosexual'. Over the past decade, it has also taken on pejorative connotations.
...
