Questions tagged [expressions]
This tag is for questions about expressions. Expressions are words or phrases used to convey an idea, or else a particular term used conventionally to express something. Consider phrase-requests and expression-requests if you are looking for an expression, phrase-meaning if you are unsure about the usage of a given phrase.
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What is a phrase or analogy for something that has both fixed and customizable parts?
I am looking for a way to describe to my students that some of their courses must be taken at a certain time while others can be taken whenever. Therefore, I am trying to give an example or phrase ...
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1
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Can a single word be an idiom or an expression?
Can a single word be considered an idiom or an expression? If so, how does one tell the difference?
For instance, words like, "dope!", "lit!", "sick!". These words mean ...
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Word or phrase to describe bashing one's opponents to make oneself look good
Is there a word, phrase or expression that would describe the action of defaming or speaking ill of someone just to raise your own standing or reputation? I'm looking for something like what you ...
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"What we are going to do is we are going to VERB"
I see people using this redundant phrase a lot. How/why did this phrase become so popular and where is this used most frequently?
I personally hear this frequently in academia (STEM) on the east coast ...
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3
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When can we use "This/That is how we/you do it"?
I found a restaurant review while searching for google maps, and this is an excerpt from it.
This is how you do it. Delicious with a very nice outdoor space. Parking on the street was very vacant. We ...
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1
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Is "as ... go[es]" correct, and what is this form called? [closed]
I'm a German native speaker. Think I remember hearing an expression of the form "as ... go[es]" somewhere. Do I remember it correctly? Is the meaning I deduced correct?
Example:
As mirrors ...
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Why do people use this expression? [migrated]
Lets say someone states "Tom runs fast, how fast is another question."
Why do and can people say 'is another question' even if there is no previous question explicitly stated?
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4
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857
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Is there an expression for ‘bad news’ when meant literally for negative news we get from the media?
We are checking bad news every day. Should we constantly be informed
about all that _______ ?
I need an idiom or expression for a context like the above.
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what does the expression "I was feathered" mean?
I'm reading "A Day No Pigs Would Die."
I’d just wound up running away from Edward Thatcher and running away
from the schoolhouse. I was feathered if I was going to run away from
one darn ...
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Words and expressions request for order
My mom bought home some fruit last week and before we are able to finish them all she got some more today so she told me, translated to English from my first language, that I should eat the fruit that ...
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What does "forty-four tears hell out of a man" mean
In "East of Eden" the Sheriff tells Kate that Adam Trask is "a forty-four tears hell out of a man". Is that an expression in English? I've never encountered it before, neither has ...
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How old is the expression "walking distance"?
I'm curious about how long we've described distances as "walking" and if it's been used over a long period, what distance did it refer to over time?
The Online Etymological Dictionary, while ...
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What's the meaning of 'couldn't make your car'? [duplicate]
It was a situation that the police were trying to stop a driver who ran two stop signs. The driver finally got out of the car and said "I couldn't make your car".
From a publication article ...
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What does "inside references" mean?
All commencement speakers who shamelessly pander with cheap, inside references designed to get childish applause, will be forced to apologize
It's from Conan's commencement speech and I'm not sure ...
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Phrase like "margin of error" or "buffer" but specifically about spare team capacity?
I am trying to think of a phrase that means something like "margin of error" or "buffer," but specifically applying to spare capacity of a working team within a company. "...
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"Neither wonder" - is it a thing?
In response to a surprising realisation, one might say something like "No wonder {x} is {y}". However for a great deal of my life I was apparently erroneously saying "Neither wonder&...
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Meaning of add texture to something (a plan, discussion, etc.)
I was having a conversation with a senior executive about launching a new initiative. He said he would like to get behind it, but I need to add a bit more texture to the whole proposal.
What does ...
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What is the meaning of "He scowled ahead of him"?
Reading Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse, I just found the expression “He scowled ahead of him” and it struck me as something I'd never heard or read before. The context is that this guy is sitting ...
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"Agriculture" including only plants and excluding animals
In English, "agriculture" includes the cultivation of both plants and animals for food. In some languages, a cognate such as "agricultura" (in Spanish) may contemplate only plants ...
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"That's a good question" as a response to an inquiry
Why does the person being spoken to say "that's a good question". Is this response a form of condescension?
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What does "careabouts" mean?
What does "careabouts" mean? I saw it in a LinkedIn video regarding jobs, workplace, etc.
I searched all dictionaries but got nothing! I even got nothing on Google! Like such a thing doesn't ...
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Why a cow in the phrase "don't have a cow"? [closed]
Why a cow? Why not a sheep or goat in the phrase "my mom will have a cow if she finds out!"
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Is "the art and craft of ..." a common expression in English?
As a German I am wondering whether "the art and craft of" (e.g.) teaching, cooking, etc. as in the title of a book I recently came across ("The art and craft of problem solving") ...
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1930s slang: "low roader"
In various English consulates throughout the world in the 1930s, expatriate Britons who caused trouble due to illegal or unethical behavior were known as "bad hats." The term "bad ...
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Was "Get in, jump in, if you can't get in, throw your money in" once a common saying?
My great grandmother had a saying:
Get in, jump in, if you can't get in, throw your money in.
I've never heard anyone else use it but somehow I always had the feeling that she got it from somewhere. ...
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Does anyone know the expression "Aye Gannies" (or perhaps the spelling is "I gonees")
Growing up in the Missouri Ozarks we had a neighbor named Hicks who used this expression. One of Mr. Hick's frequent and unique expressions was, “I Gannies” (the “a” was short). The only other times ...
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What is the definition and origin of the phrase "force the straits"?
I've seen the phrase used often in information about the WWI Gallipoli campaign ("forcing the straits" or "force the Dardanelles").
I know what force means (power, or using power ...
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What is a another way to describe a union stronger than the parts? [duplicate]
I am looking for a beneficial way to describe the merger of two companies where the sum of the two is stronger than the two halves - where each brings something the other needs.
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What does "a tall question" mean?
During a talk, I heard the expression "this is a tall question".
May someone explain what does it mean?
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What is the exact meaning of 'give me a pair of'? [closed]
Does a pair always means '2 of something' or can it be used more generically to indicate 'a few of something'? What is the exact amount indicated by 'a pair'?
Is there a different meaning whether a ...
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English equivalent for the Aramaic idiom "eyes so jealous they cannot carry"
That isn't a literal translation, but it's essentially similar.
When someone is jealous of you or your success and are resentful about it, in response we say "their eyes cannot carry"; Which ...
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"hot for what you got"
The dialogue in an American TV show goes like this
It's just that he walked you to the door, and where I come from, that means he's hot for what you got.
How can we rephrase "hot for what you ...
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"deep run" - what does it mean?
In "a deep run" seen in the sentences below, what does "run" mean?
a chance at making a deep run in the tournament
Panama did not appear poised for a deep run
they were usually ...
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Can I use "be exposed to" for positive things?
Is this sentence correct:
In order to learn a language, best practice is to be exposed to that language via movies or talking in person.
Can I use "be exposed to" for positive things? If ...
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Unidentified word or construction [closed]
There is a puzzling sequence of words in the following text (bold type).
We live in a society in which
money is needed to survive. Unfortunately, many people work in no-end jobs just to have some ...
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Expression for treating people for punishment/demotion/embarrassment?
When a boss does not like someone, and gives them a meaningless job to embarrass them. Is there a expression for such treatment, e.g. put in a dog house?
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How to use "Some more so than others"?
Consider the following sentence:
Americans all around the world felt a sense of pride, some more so than others.
Is such a usage of the phrase correct?
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A catchy way to say that someone "backed off from a deal"
I need to find an expression, idiom, or image to say: "They backed off from the deal before it even started."
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Modern usage of the word 'hearken'
I'm doing some translation work and would like to use the word 'hearken' as the original piece (Chinese) has a religious and traditional feel to it.
Question:
Would the sentence,
"Such an ...
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up by 6% over ANY previous year?
What does this "up by 6% over any previous year"?
Since 2019, Clarksville-Montgomery County has added over 6,000 new jobs and, even with the decline in travel from the pandemic, in the last ...
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Why do some people say “negative growth” instead of using a single word indicating a decrease?
I am not a native English speaker, nor am I an economist.
I have heard the term "negative growth" used in the context of Gross National Product (GNP), and it seems that it is also used in ...
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What is the reverse expression of 'is divisible by'? [closed]
When I can say following expression with two numbers, a and b,
a is divisible by b, e.g. 24 is divisible by 6.
How can I say it in a reversed manner?
Say,
b is ... ... a, e.g. 6 is ... ... 24.
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Is it correct to say "it accounts the" in place of "taking into consideration"? [closed]
Example:
It accounts the total size of data...
It accounts the total time required to complete job X...
In place of:
taking into consideration the total size of data...
taking into consideration ...
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Meaning of "The devil with you"
What does the expression "The devil with you" mean in this paragraph?
“Yes, yes, I know all about it. Your dear sainted mother is the only woman you’ll ever let into your heart, more’s the ...
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X hours to schedule
I want to explain how many hours a student has on their balance so they can use these hours for scheduling lessons. It's not a complete sentence, rather a short notice about the state of their balance....
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"For your sake" vs "For the sake of yourself" [closed]
"For your sake" is found enormously often if compared to "For the sake of yourself".
Nevertheless, if we take a look at this page we have to come to realize that this second ...
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What's the meaning "jumped the joint"?
What's the meaning "jumped the joint"?
Full sentence:
Pepe: My bro jumped the joint, deserved a hero's welcome...
It's from Cyberpunk2077 game.
Does it mean that his brother just leaves ...
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Is "I'm glad you were able to make it" often used sarcastically? Ambiguous? Help understanding something that happened to me [closed]
I've lived in the US for 17 years and I thought I had a good grip on the English language, but something interesting happened to me and it has bothered me for a while. I am hoping someone with deeper ...
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What does it mean when someone says "the result is the gravy, not the turkey"?
I came across the following statement in a book I'm reading about remote working:
Letting people work remotely is about promoting quality of life, about getting access to the best people whenever ...
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Single medical term for "taking a pulse"
I have been searching for a technical/medical term to use in place of "taking a pulse". I see some texts use "palpatory measurements" in place of the colloquial "taking a ...
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