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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Is the abbreviation “Id” acceptable in an essay?
If I need to write “Apple Id”, in an essay, should I write “Apple Identification”? “Id” is an abbreviation for “identification” so would it be proper to write “Apple Identification” instead?
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Is there any term for attributing the function typical of one thing to another thing with a different function?
Sometimes, especially in fantasies, we attribute the function typical of one thing to another thing with a different function. For example, we say "X's ears saw something", "X's heart ...
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Is there a term to describe starting a sentence with its intention?
This is common in the depiction of monotone robots in sci-fi. For example,
"Statement: You are only human, after all."
"Reassure: This will only hurt a little."
"Question: ...
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5
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"So I have learned."
Earlier today I found myself with the desire to use the expression: "So I have learned" in response to someone as a confirmation of recently gained knowledge. My question for you all is ...
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What does it mean "to karma the knife"? [closed]
There's this music "Karma the knife" from Angelica Garcia. She says in chorus "I can Karma the knife", what does it mean?
In the videoclip she's like cutting a miniature of her and ...
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3
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Is there a general rule for a phrase like "I am not a big movie person"? [closed]
I've been trying to find a general rule for these sorts of expressions:
I've never been a big movie person.
He's never been a big New Year’s resolution person.
I can't find any dictionary or grammar ...
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Like BrE's apparently idiosyncratic "drink-driving", does English have any other hyphenated constructions of the form "noun-verb"? [closed]
As in title. I can think of many hyphenated constructions of other forms, such as
noun-adjective (e.g. nut-safe, child-friendly, community-driven)
adjective-verb (e.g. low-flying),
adverb-verb (e.g. ...
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Looking for the phrase or idiom that means if you think or act in a certain way it often happens to come out that way [duplicate]
It's a well-known phrase or idiom (in the 20th Century...not sure about now, but it is still used sometimes) that means one's fearful (or can be pleasant too, sometimes) thoughts or actions actually ...
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English equivalent to the Portuguese expression “entendedores entenderão”, “those who understand understand”?
In Portuguese, “entendedores entenderão”, which literally can be translated to “those who understand understand”, is often used on the internet.
Someone might write this when (s)he posts something ...
- 1,616
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2
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Simple term for a group of things that were isolated from other things to mitigate bad cross-effects
Suppose you have a bunch of things; every thing has a certain performance; and one thing's bad performance negatively impacts the other things' performances. For example, links in a chain, or school ...
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Trying to help but ending up causing more harm than good [duplicate]
I'm writing a paper on Romeo and Juliet and how Frair Lawrence and the Nurse are to blame for Romeo and Juliet's deaths and I'm looking for a word. I've looked at other posts but I just see the same ...
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Non-negative idiom for someone arriving the moment you were talking about them?
In several languages, there is a positive idiom or expression which is uttered when someone coincidentally walks in while people were talking about him/her. In some cultures, it is considered to be a ...
- 1,616
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4
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English idiom or expression for thoroughly researching something [duplicate]
I'm trying to find an idiom to describe a field that has been "explored head-to-toe". For example, in Arabic we say "researched to death", but that's the literal translation and it ...
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Word(s) to describe persons that leave a company and have a lot of information in their heads that is lost [duplicate]
What would you call the situation/a person with a lot of knowledge about a company that leaves the company, and the information is no longer available because the person left?
I'd like to use the word(...
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What does "we're good as new" mean here?
Friends Help Each Other is a song for Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.
There are two lines:
And when I spilled the tea I didn't know what to do
But then we cleaned it all up and we're good as new
Here, &...
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subject of the term "be concerned with" [closed]
There is a paper with two authors. The paper is about topic XXX.
Which of the following is correct?
(A) The paper is concerned with XXX
(B) The authors are concerned with XXX.
A google search seems to ...
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1
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Scottish use of "and them" as a subject
Living in Scotland, I am accustomed to hearing "and them" used in non-controversial constructions such as "We are going to see Fiona and them for Christmas", where "them" ...
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What’s the rude way to say “You just said something that I already know”?
What’s the rude way to say “You just said something that I already know”? For example, two people (John and Paul) on a bus are arguing. John says, “You were touching my leg.” Paul replies, “I didn’t ...
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What's the nuances when using "modicum"? Can I say "a modicum of coffee"?
I came across this word modicum, which seems a fancy way of saying a little bit.
What's the nuances when using it?
Can I say "a modicum of coffee"? -- I usually order latte with tiny amount ...
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Origins of "trim the tree"
The expression "trim the tree" in the context of Christmas means "decorate the tree." It seems an odd verb to use, since "trim" usually means to take material away rather ...
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Can I say "in age only"?
Does this phrase work?
A senior in age only, he's never lost his strength.
It should mean that he's old, but you can't tell. It is meant to be a variation of "in name only", although I can'...
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"All of us deserve" or "all of us deserves" or "all of us deserved"? [closed]
As in "all of us deserve to be free." Assuming "all of us" refers to those who are dead and alive. So should we use "deserve" or "deserves" or "deserved?&...
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To the best of their ability/ties? [duplicate]
It's "To the best of my ability"
But which is (more) correct:
to the best of their ability
to the best of their abilities
I'm finding both options on linguee.com about equally often, so I ...
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Can you think of a way to replace "high time" in the sentence, "It's high time I took a shower"? [closed]
"High time" is too formal for the voice I'm using in this work.
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Where does the phrase "That's a wrap" come from?
Where does the phrase "That's a wrap", meaning "we are finished" come from? I suspect it is from the movie making process, but I couldn't find much information on its origins.
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What does it mean to "put on one's face"?
In the movie "Hook", there is a scene where a lady with lots of make-up says something along these lines to other ladies of similar looks:
Girls, here he comes! Put on your faces!
Up until ...
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What does "talking past one another" mean? [closed]
In the following sentence:
In fact, the two sides are talking past one another if they focus on how strict zero-covid policies are.
What does "talking past one another" mean?
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How to express cheer myself up in another way
The circumstance is: I have been through some tough times, and now I am ready to cheer up and do some real job.
I think in some TV series or movies, I might hear something like:' I will put things up' ...
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Where does the idiom/story "You know what happened to the man who forced his pig" come from?
This phrase comes from my dad, who is of Bristolian stock, so it may be highly regional. I've only heard it spoken, and not written down.
He uses it, I believe, when it looks like somebody is ...
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What would be the proper adjective to describe an 'open' padlock?
I'm trying to describe an 'open' padlock hanging from a latch.
['open', so a character can lock someone else in the following paragraph]
Is 'open' the right term?
I've also seen 'unsecured', 'unlocked'...
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He has "a ways" to go? [duplicate]
I've always wondered why this phrasing is used in English:
He has a ways to go.
A ways? "A" ways? Why isn't it:
He has a way to go.
? Or:
He has some way to go.
? It really sounds odd ...
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2
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Is "taking liberties with something" always disapproving?
The expression "to take liberties with something" are defined by different dictionaries as follows:
to make important and unreasonable changes to something, especially a
book (Oxford ...
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0
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Is there an idiomatic expression for "treating a story freely"?
I'm looking for an idiomatic expression which means "treating an original story freely". For example, a film director takes an old traditional story and treats it freely in his/her ...
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Committed team vs dedicated team [closed]
I want to express that I am managing a team that is responsible for API integrations. How is the best and tightest way to say it?
Managing a committed on API integrations team
Managing a team, ...
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Is there a term like "apparent magnitude" but for things outside of astronomy and depicting area instead of brightness?
I'm looking for a word that exactly describes the following idea: basically, there's an obvious and simple relationship between how large something is, how far away from it you are, and how large it ...
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Can "a thin strip of Texas leather" be used in several situation? Or are there any similar expressions?
I'm Japanese. When I watched a show on Netflix in English, I came across an expression "a thin strip of Texas leather." As I couldn't find the meaning on any sites (online dictionaries or ...
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Who's he? vs What is he? when the answer is "He is an English footballer." [duplicate]
Who's he? vs What is he? when the answer is "He is an English footballer."
Firstly, I thought it's "Who is he?" simply because "-What's he? -He is an English footballer." ...
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vote
1
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Blanket statement vs sweeping statement
Wiktionary currently defines a blanket statement as follows:
A type of fallacy from making an inductive conclusion with insufficient evidence; a kind of faulty generalization; underpowered ...
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Is there an expression or idiom for getting a negative result after being irresponsible? [duplicate]
There's an expression in Russian (доигрался) which roughly translates to something akin to "You've really done it this time." It's rooted in the word for "playing" and it implies ...
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Idiom: bed of roses
Does anyone know why this idiom came into existence ? On this website it says:
“A bed of roses” as an idiom originated in England and is quite an old expression. One of the earliest examples can be ...
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What does "Oh snap" mean?
May I ask, what does "oh snap" mean please?
I heard it from the DIY Art competition, when the competitors were waiting for the judges to announce who's the winner.
Competitor A said: I'm ...
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What does "turn down a glass" mean?
I was reading Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (from the early 1930s) when I encountered this strange expression. This is the context of the phrase:
Somewhere, as you read, the secret to which I ...
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Is the expression "To date, it's the first..." redundant?
I have read expressions similar to the following multiple times in scientific papers:
"Our study is the first to date to prove that..."
"To date, our study is the first to..."
I ...
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Can "while you're at it" be used in non-physical contexts?
Most of the examples I looked up with the expression "while you're at it" involves physical contexts:
"I'm going to the store to buy a newspaper." – "While you're at it, ...
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Are the expressions "to put it mildly" and "to say the least" always interchangeable?
As we know, the expressions "to put it mildly" and "to say the least" are used to avoid describing something in the strongest way possible. But I wonder if there is a subtle ...
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Regarding the use of the word 'affirmative' in this context
I am presently reading Lewis Henry Morgan's Ancient Society. I have come across a sentence, which I am having some trouble understanding.
It is difficult to describe an Indian tribe by the ...
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Where to use on and upon?
Does the meaning of the sentence change if we substitute on and upon?
Some sentences-
The book is on the table.
I took upon his emotional burdens.
I remain firm on my stance.
I have noticed that ...
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2
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Is it "what in the seven hells" or "what in the nine hells"?
I see both but Google shows more results for nine hells, though I can't find definitely what those nine are supposed to be, whereas a list pops up for the seven different levels of hell.
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What are the participants of a dalliance called?
"Dalliance" usually means some spontaneous or quick romantic relationship. What do we call the participants of this relationship? "Lover" feels a bit too generic since it applies ...
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“Green” has been associated with envy (green-eyed monster), as well as with a novice. How did these associations arise? [closed]
The color green is associated with lack of experience (i.e. novices are called “green”), as well as with envy (“green with envy”, “green-eyed monster”). Does anyone know how, when and why these ...
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