All Questions
Tagged with idioms meaning-in-context
23
questions
13
votes
5
answers
82k
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What does "if and when" mean, and is it the same as "when and if"?
Rather than trying to describe my beef with this idiom, I will give a bunch of successively objectionable examples. None of these are taken from real life.
As I see it, if (and when) both "if" and "...
- 1,452
10
votes
4
answers
38k
views
What does "clutching at straws" mean? [closed]
In the following context:
I'm clutching at straws here. I'm trying to imagine how a woman could fail to be offended by being called a "hole".
What's meant by "clutching at straws"?
- 5,298
8
votes
6
answers
33k
views
What does “the lowest common denominator” mean in the context other than math?
In the New Yorker’s (May 31) article under the title, “Stephen Hawking angers Trump supporters with baffling array of long words,” Andy Borowitz wrote;
“Speaking to a television interviewer in ...
- 70.2k
5
votes
1
answer
31k
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Is there any difference between ”control of/over“ and ”power over"
For example, what to choose here?
"To compete for the control of/over a corporation"
or
"To compete for the power over a corporation"
UPDATE
If two workers compete for absolute control/power, what ...
- 51
4
votes
2
answers
688
views
What does “sheafs” mean in “The rays cut straight sheafs”?
This sentence is from Atlas Shrugged, depicting rays of light running through coils of steam enveloping a building:
The rays of a few strong lights cut straight sheafs through the
coils.
Could ...
- 41
3
votes
2
answers
19k
views
What does "waxed rhapsodic" mean?
See context below:
Bloomberg is well known for his malapropisms and mispronunciations:
he's introduced former Yankee manager Joe Torre as "Joe Torres" [and] waxed
rhapsodic about the famous ...
- 1,129
2
votes
5
answers
8k
views
"The Moving Finger writes even in Heaven." [closed]
Following is an extract from a Rabindranath Tagore story called, "A Wrong Man in Workers' Paradise". I need help in understanding the contextual meaning of a line in it.
The story is about a man who ...
- 413
0
votes
1
answer
346
views
Clarify an idiom in a political text
Please carefully read the text below:
On 24 November, 1993, a meeting of Leftist intellectuals occurred in
London under the auspices of the Institute for Public Policy
Research (IPPR), which is ...
- 33
0
votes
1
answer
30k
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 made ...
- 385
14
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Meaning of "Carrots aren't that great" in the sentence
I was reading "10 hurdles to Windows 10 adoption". In slide 12, there's this paragraph:
I still think it’s smartest for Windows 7 customers to stand pat,
unless they see something in Windows 10 ...
NVZ♦
- 22.6k
13
votes
2
answers
8k
views
What does "proverbial man with a hammer" mean in this context?
From Programmer Q&A website, I came across the following line, which was a reply/answer to the question Design Patterns: Should I learn them?:
It depends on how disciplined you are as to ...
- 1,505
13
votes
4
answers
67k
views
What is the meaning of "six ways from Sunday"?
This is a line from the book Test Driven Development by Kent Beck:
Fortunately, we are well rested and relaxed and unlikely to make
mistakes, which is why we will go in teeny-tiny steps, ...
- 1,000
10
votes
5
answers
47k
views
What does ‘play a blinder’ mean? Is it a popular phrase?
I came across the phrase ‘played a blinder’ in the following paragraph of the New York Times’ December 12 article, titled “British Euro Farce,” dealing with British Prime Minister David Cameron’s veto ...
- 70.2k
6
votes
1
answer
37k
views
Does "but one" mean "only one" or "except one"? [duplicate]
Does "but one" mean "only one" or "except one"?
This phrase shows up in the song "Love is an Open Door" from the movie "Frozen". The relevant line is "Our mental synchronization can have but one ...
- 61
4
votes
2
answers
415
views
Figure-eight logic meaning
What is "figure-eight logic" meaning in this context:
Laura Ingraham’s show on Friday night was a particularly captivating example of the figure-eight logic we resort to when our stories ...
- 153
4
votes
3
answers
5k
views
What does "to be dead to {something}" mean?
'She was still in love with her husband; frequently she glanced at him with furtive wistfulness. She was able to enjoy the summer weather. She was not quite dead to the common phenomena of the ...
- 14.8k
3
votes
3
answers
33k
views
Close to home = quite accurate?
Citing Wikipedia:
Many actuaries were unhappy with the stereotypical portrayals of these
actuaries as unhappy, math-obsessed and socially inept people; others
have claimed that the portrayals ...
- 1,747
3
votes
4
answers
13k
views
What did "your mom did a number on you" mean in Seinfeld?
I remember one episode on Seinfeld, a girl said "did your mother do a number on you" when they were talking about breaking up or not.
This is the sentence reported from the transcript:
LISI: Boy,...
- 3,023
3
votes
2
answers
5k
views
"It’s the height of the season"?
The question is from the transcript of a podcast:
Mmmm, blueberries. It’s the height of the season, and I’ve been tossing a handful onto cereal, into pancakes or just straight into my mouth.
I don'...
user8970
2
votes
2
answers
9k
views
Meaning of "You might want to sit down for this"
And thanks, too, for contacting me, because you need to hear what I have to say. You might want to sit down for this. If you’re on anti-anxiety medication, all the better.
What does the columnist ...
- 2,365
2
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Meaning of "top" in "to sleep as sound as a top"
From "The Early Bird", by George MacDonald.
A little bird sat on the edge of her nest;
Her yellow-beaks slept as sound as tops;
Day-long she had worked almost without rest,
And had ...
- 3,649
1
vote
1
answer
4k
views
Meaning of "Blunt instrument" [closed]
I am having difficulties trying to understand this sentence:
In some respects, Courses of Action are the more basic of the two. In
and of themselves, however, Courses of Action tend to be rather ...
- 187
0
votes
0
answers
114
views
What does "grandfathered in" mean? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“I'm only grandfathering you in because of Serena.”
Over here, Jeff says something using the expression "grandfathered in." What does that mean and how can it ...
- 189