This tag is for questions about the meaning of a longer passage of English.
-1
votes
0answers
29 views
The other norths [closed]
If 'true north' is as Mitch says (and I like his answer best) then what is the metaphorical equivalent of Grid North, and Magnetic North?
3
votes
1answer
133 views
“I have done every bad thing in the good book” - what does it actually mean?
This question might be very specific to a situation in "Revolution" but I cannot understand this sentence.
From my understanding, he was saying that he has done everything that the book (he ...
0
votes
0answers
30 views
Meaning of “there to” in this sentence [closed]
Sentence:
Johnson said he expects tremendous Asian buying on dips and demand by
central banks there to more than offset fast-money-type selling by
Western financial institutions.
I'm ...
-2
votes
1answer
72 views
Meaning of “as it was” in context
What does it mean "as it was" in this context?
She was awakened by a shock, so sudden and severe that if Dorothy had not been lying on the soft bed she might have been hurt. As it was, the jar ...
0
votes
0answers
65 views
What does “though” mean in these sentences?
I knew these are American English sentences, and they are informal. However, I would like to know what exactly it means, or it simply means nothing, and people merely want to add something unnecessary ...
2
votes
0answers
90 views
What does 'trout-shouldered' mean?
In an episode of the television show Archer one character refers to another as being "trout-shouldered."
“This pathetic, trout-shouldered excuse for a boom operator is Chet Manly."
What might this ...
1
vote
1answer
115 views
I can't make heads or tails of this paragraph. It's a complex pun. (Warning: mildly “bad language” and urban lingo.)
Here it is:
It's your brother's MR. T PUPPET, which of course is kept in the apartment with a sense of profound humorous irony. But as usual with your BRO's exploits, this is no ordinary irony, or ...
0
votes
1answer
47 views
use of phrasal verb “reach out” meaning to contact someone [closed]
This morning when I was writing a note I've got myself in doubt about using the reach out phrasal verb. My intention is to tell a person that I tried to reach him out, but, this is the doubt. What is ...
0
votes
0answers
39 views
What does “unmatched value” mean in the following sentence [closed]
What does "unmatched value" mean in the following sentence?
Should a business turn down a client for unmatched values
-3
votes
2answers
53 views
“Only for A, B, and C”: Includes cases where not all are present? [closed]
After submitting the report, changes can be made only for the font
size, margins, and line spacing.
Does this sentence imply that changes can be made only if all three types of changes are ...
-1
votes
1answer
91 views
Meaning of 'take it to the hoes'
I came across the following sentence:
You can just take it to the hoes on Broadway if you need to get your freak on.
And not only can I not understand the phrase 'take it to the hoes' but I also ...
2
votes
1answer
50 views
What are “shrewd turns”?
In John Webster's play, The Duchess of Malfi, Antonio says of the Duke:
He never pays debts unless they be shrewd turns,
And those he will confess that he doth owe.
I really don't understand ...
0
votes
1answer
48 views
What does “put the top down” mean? [closed]
Well, I have been searching the meaning of "put the top down", but I didn't find anything useful. Let me show you a little bit the context.
I'm gonna put the top down
I'm gonna talk about old times
...
-2
votes
1answer
95 views
What does “put on a show” mean? [closed]
This is verse one of the song Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5 (sorry it looks so spread out I tried to single line it, but didn't work):
Just shoot for the stars
If it feels right
Then aim for ...
-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
1answer
127 views
What does “Dollars to <something>” mean in the context?
I found it through the comments below:
What a shame. Dollars to your aunt's cherry the next thing to go will be the Beach Races - I'd put money on it.
And also here in the comments.
-1
votes
1answer
65 views
Is “encrusted with dust” correct? [closed]
A big black vehicle rumbles through the streets of the slum. Its battered exterior is encrusted with dust.
"Encrusted" means that water or oil has been combined with dust (or something) and then ...
0
votes
1answer
94 views
Meaning of “it” in “it [. . .] settled into its unbreakable parts”
Please help me understand the meaning of “settled into its unbreakable parts” as used in this excerpt below from Flannery O’Connor’s The Violent Bear It Away:
He was sitting forward on the seat, ...
0
votes
1answer
61 views
What are metal pans and covers of a staircase?
What are metal pans and its covers of a staircase and what do they look like as mentioned in the following account?
My boss and I were carrying 160lb sliding glass doors up an unfinished staircase ...
0
votes
2answers
97 views
Meaning of “that” in “holomorphic function in the sector S that is continuous”
I have encountered a confusing sentence in a math textbook:
Suppose F is a holomorphic function in the sector S that is continuous
on the closure of S.
What does that mean in the above ...
-1
votes
1answer
42 views
They give very less attention to the him [closed]
Ron gets inside room filled with people. They give very less attention to the him.
Here what I mean by "give very less attention" is - out of all the people in the room only few people looks at ...
1
vote
2answers
76 views
Difference between “technically possible” and “physically possible”?
Do you think these expressions can be used interchangeably? I find little or no differene between the two meanings. Does this question need more context?
-1
votes
1answer
68 views
“when all is said and done”, finger should be “level” [closed]
Person A tried to catch a falling patio door and ended up losing a fingertip, a nail, and a broken finger joint as the door slammed his fingers against the dock plate. He went to the ER afterwards and ...
2
votes
1answer
82 views
What does it mean to “offer a plea for a caution”? [closed]
This is a sentence in a letter to request waiving a fine. The sentence is:
I offer the following plea for a caution in this instance.
Also, it seems to me that caution is more correct than a ...
-2
votes
1answer
64 views
The ironic correlation of the words “Ineffable” and “Circumlocution”
Both the word "Ineffable" and "Circumlocution" are contradictory by definition. For context;
first The very existence of the words shows defies its definition; so should one say "indescribable" as ...
-1
votes
1answer
69 views
What does the meaning of the phrase “couldn't be more”?
I have a question about the word "optimistic" from the Peter Klein's resignation letter. He wrote:
One noteworthy characteristic of Finance is the regularity of its
rhythm – month end, quarter ...
2
votes
2answers
372 views
“10 Commonly Misunderstood Words In English”
We have all probably misunderstood words and then used them in the wrong context from time to time, so a little update might come in handy. This infographic from Grammar called
10 Commonly ...
1
vote
1answer
57 views
Meaning of “conferred obligation” and “conferring obligation”
What does “a conferred obligation” mean? Given that confer has a positive sense to it as a transitive verb, could it be used to refer to an obligation which is favorable for the obligor or considered ...
2
votes
1answer
103 views
Meaning of the German “ersatz” in English [closed]
As a native German I know some well-known uses of German phrases, but I was
astonished that a book from a British reporter I am reading today used "ersatz"
without explanation.
Is the word "ersatz" ...
-1
votes
2answers
34 views
yet another application of “them”
Could anyone explain the use of them in the following song (Deep River Blues):
Let it rain, let it pour,
Let it rain a whole lot more,
'Cause I got them deep river blues.
1
vote
2answers
80 views
“cool” used to describe a person
I was reading the about me page on an author of a poker strategy website and on one of the passages he describes himself as a pretty cool guy:
This is the page where you get to read a little more ...
-1
votes
1answer
45 views
What does this “after deadly shooting” mean?
The showdown came after the fatal shooting of a campus police officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
So is the police officer dead or did he shoot someone else dead?
-2
votes
3answers
132 views
Meaning of “I'm a disaster” [closed]
What does disaster mean in the following sentence?
I'm a disaster.
0
votes
2answers
53 views
What is the meaning of “contribute” in the following context [closed]
What is the meaning of contribute here?
Plug-ins can contribute actionSets extensions that define actions with an
ID, a label, an icon, and a class that implements the interface IActionDelegate.
...
-1
votes
1answer
123 views
What is the meaning of this cartoon by Dr. Seuss? [closed]
I don't quite understand what the author was trying to say in this picture. Could anyone explain?
http://libraries.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dswenttowar/#ark:bb4813149f
-1
votes
1answer
69 views
Does a group overlap another group?
I'm not a native speaker and I want to describe the following case:
There is an Active Directory group and another one. Let's say "Managers" and "Janitors". Both of these groups have the same ...
0
votes
1answer
117 views
Meaning of “a rage of vision”?
What is the meaning of “had sent him a rage of vision” in this excerpt:
The old man was in a position to know what his ideas were. He had lived for three months in the nephew's house on what he ...
6
votes
3answers
341 views
Why does “I am in your debt” mean the opposite of what it suggests?
I don't understand why if someone says:
"I am in your debt"
It seems to mean the opposite of the literal meaning.
For example, the person saying this says that (s)he is in the "debt" of the ...
9
votes
1answer
184 views
What does “to whip the burn with a cardinal” mean?
In "Five Red Herrings," at least in the BBC TV adaptation, Lord Peter Wimsey declares at one point that he plans to "whip the burn with a cardinal."
He seems to be referring to fishing. The burn is a ...
-4
votes
2answers
77 views
What does “faculties” mean in the context of this Coca Cola ad? [closed]
This advertisement (by Coca Cola in 1889) features the sentence "A glass adds to the pleasure of a drive or a walk by brightening and refreshing the faculties"
In this case, what does faculties ...
1
vote
1answer
63 views
What is the difference, if any, between “divine providence” and “Providence” (with a capital p)?
ODO defines providence as:
providence: [mass noun] 1 the protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual
power: they found their trust in divine providence to be a source of
comfort
...
2
votes
4answers
148 views
The meaning of “like fire hardened”
He barely noticed when he ran out of the woods onto the bare red road. It streaked beneath him like fire hardened and only gradually as his breath choked him did he slow down and begin to take his ...
0
votes
2answers
146 views
Does the noun “stable” have meanings other than “place for animals”? [closed]
I came across someone noting that an English term for the training area of Sumo wrestlers is "sumo stable", and that "stable" is usually a word used for horses. She found it a bit funny. I'm not sure ...
0
votes
1answer
37 views
(out of the year) VS (during the year)
I read this sentence:
In the Arctic tundra, temperatures are below freezing for nine months out of the year.
Why didn't the writer use "during the year"?
What is the difference between "during ...
4
votes
3answers
340 views
Can the word “deceiving” stand for “positive”?
I was puzzled with the line “(President Lyndon Johnson’s) appearances can be deceiving,” in the Washington Post’s (April 2) article titled “President Lyndon Johnson did indeed attend an Easter Egg ...
3
votes
1answer
62 views
“is to” + verb, “was to” + verb
I've got a sentence that I can't quite well understand. My problem in the sentence is the "were to play" part.
How does it change the meaning of the sentence? Does it mean that this was an action in ...
-3
votes
1answer
56 views
What does “cross” mean in the phrase “cross and crabby”?
What does cross mean in the phrase "cross and crabby"?
Crabby means bad-tempered and unpleasant (Oxford Learner's Dictionary).
1
vote
3answers
75 views
What does “data-lite” mean as an advantage of an application?
What does "data-lite" mean in the following context?
This application is:
...
data-lite and saves you money
...
I couldn't find it online or in the dictionary (OAAD). For ...
2
votes
1answer
76 views
Is it “backward/forward” or “backwards/forwards”? [duplicate]
Can backward and forward be used interchangeably with backwards and forwards, or is there some particular situation in which one pair is consistently used over the other?
0
votes
1answer
51 views
meaning of 'call to aid your fancy'
“Well then, Jane, call to aid your fancy:—suppose you were no longer a girl well reared and disciplined, but a wild boy indulged from childhood upwards; imagine yourself in a remote foreign land. . .” ...
