This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.
0
votes
0answers
11 views
'under the guise of' or 'under the banner of'
Could anyone please tell me when to use 'under the banner of' and when to use 'under the guise of'? Does banner have to be applied for a large group? e.g. 'They were hunting fox under the banner of ...
0
votes
0answers
17 views
so that I arrived at the station vs
Q: I left home early so that I arrived at the station in time for the train.
In case that "...so that subject ..." structure indicates results as in
the above sentence, auxiliary verbs can,...
0
votes
1answer
33 views
Is the expression “we could might be able to […]” grammatically correct?
I came across the expression “we could might be able to [...]” a few times (although it seems that this expression occurs very rarely).
Example #1 (source):
That adds about 7KB minified, and ...
1
vote
1answer
28 views
An unfamiliar word ‘raked’
I had something weird happened to me not too long ago, I was texting a friend and was asking a question that isn’t super illegal but it didn’t cross any lines within the law. To cut a long story ...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
not going to happen
I'm not sure when to use the phrase "that's not gonna happen". Does it mean it actually will never happen? I think using "not gonna happen" implies that I'm going to do the best I can to keep it from ...
-1
votes
0answers
28 views
-2
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2answers
34 views
Connotations of the word Triassic [on hold]
Our company is planning to name a new venture as Triassic... and our user base is native English speakers mostly in the US and rest of the world.
I wanted to check with native speakers does the word ...
0
votes
1answer
40 views
What is the word for pride in one's own race [on hold]
Someone informed me of this word years ago but I have forgotten it. I may be wrong but I think it began with 'p'
1
vote
1answer
30 views
Can anyone tell me meaning of this line [on hold]
A man who suffers before it is necessary, suffers more than is necessary
0
votes
0answers
35 views
What does the phrase “Seal to the rescue” mean? [on hold]
What does the phrase
"Seal to the rescue"
mean?
-2
votes
0answers
14 views
Use of 'constraint' and 'size' , and the meaning of the sentence
Sentence:
When dodo's ancestors setteled on this island with abundant food,no competition from terrestrial mammals, and no predators, it could survive without flying, thus was freed from the ...
-1
votes
1answer
26 views
What does poor audience mean?
Here is the statement..
We did a show at the party and hardly anyone came.
Great show great place but poor audience.
What does poor audience mean here?
Thaks.
0
votes
2answers
48 views
“restart” vs “reset” in the context of a game or puzzle
Given a partially-completed puzzle or game (e.g. sudoku or klondike solitaire), would reverting the puzzle/game to the initial state be considered "restarting", "resetting", or is there a third, ...
0
votes
1answer
39 views
Use the word “Works” to mean “Projects”
Suppose I have done some computer projects (i.e. built some programs). Now instead of the word "projects" I want to use "work". How can I use it to mean projects?
Work or Works?
Do they convey the ...
0
votes
1answer
51 views
What is the meaning of the phrase 'dichotmous dilemma'?
I have the idea that 'dichotomous' means conflicting and 'dilemma' is state of mind when one/many cannot simply decide between two options. But I'm unable to wrap my head around the phrase. Also if I'...
-3
votes
1answer
36 views
about midnight meaning [on hold]
All are requested to submit the assignment by 16-11-2018, 12 O' Clock midnight.
What is meaning of this I have to submit it by before 4 hours today or I have 28 more hours to do this?
-1
votes
0answers
42 views
What does the word “loops” mean in this context?
In a golf game's description, I found the following sentence:
In order to be safe, ping your ball up and around loops.
I am not sure about the meaning of "loops" here.
My research suggests that ...
-1
votes
1answer
18 views
Hold the affirmative
What does it mean to hold the affirmative or the negative?
Upon this , Senator Douglas holds the affirmative and Republicans the negative
1
vote
1answer
16 views
What does “risk divides too wide for any bridge” mean?
I read a sentence "China should re-learn Deng’s self-knowledge, or risk divides too wide for any bridge." Can you help explain the meaning of "risk divides too wide for any bridge" and show where the ...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
When the position of the verb and the subject is changed, how can I interpret?
When I was reading Today's NY Times, I saw this sentence.
But gone is the city's vision of a mixed-use community filled with apartments, some of them for residents of more modest means.
I don't ...
1
vote
4answers
57 views
How to define a sense of bitter satisfaction (or ironic bitterness) at having resigned over a principle - which was then upheld after you left
Tracey Crouch, UK Sports Minister, resigned because the government delayed a ban on gambling machines. More than a week after her resignation, the government changed its position - and acted upon her ...
0
votes
0answers
9 views
What's the difference between usage of “inquiry” and “enquiry”? [duplicate]
Are they interchangeable?
I feel like "inquiry" is used to investigate and figure out something, but "enquiry" if you're asking general questions of something, but that's just how I use it.
What is ...
1
vote
0answers
55 views
What's the difference between a Minister and a Secretary of State in the UK [on hold]
Could anyone please explain the difference between a Minister and a Secretary of State, or are both words sometimes used for the same function? Bit confused, I always thought the Minister was in ...
0
votes
0answers
15 views
Is 'in a colloquial sense' grammatically correct?
I saw in a thesaurus that 'colloquial' is synonymous to 'informal' , so can 'in a colloquial gesture,sense,manner etc' be grammatically correct? Or is colloquial only limited to experssion (in a ...
2
votes
2answers
36 views
What is difference between timetable and schedule?
I'm building an application, that shows schedule/timetable for university students.
I'm confusing, what is the correct word for it: schedule or timetable?
How should I name it?
Here is the result of ...
0
votes
3answers
36 views
Meaning of “generating new actualities” in context
Jordan Peterson at Oxford Union:
... a society that's only composed of the left-leaning liberal types is
very good at generating all sorts of new possibilities, but very bad at
generating all ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
what does the word “process” mean in this sentence? [on hold]
I would like to ask this question to an IRS representative for getting information about whether my application is still in progress or if the process completed without any problem? Is this the right ...
1
vote
0answers
21 views
find vs find out
I know "find" is commonly used with something, and "find out" with information. However, I did see this sentence before:
"I found that....", like, "I found that it costs more than I thought."
My ...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
Could you explain the grammar of this sentence? [on hold]
"This is an extension of the past work to a new version, and use this as a measurement of the fitness of the communities it detects."
My question is, what does "it" stands for in this sentence?
And, ...
-1
votes
0answers
30 views
What does the word interest mean in this sentence? [on hold]
What does the word interest mean in this sentence?
And what does that mean?
There has been a resurgence of interest in religion over the last ten years.
Origin: from Longman online dictionary.
-1
votes
1answer
27 views
Meaning to use the sentence if it's correct [on hold]
I want to send email, but I'm not sure if this sentence below it's correct or not.
"we are received a lot of pressure and stress from the customer"
Thank you in advance
1
vote
3answers
45 views
What does 'ambient' in this scenario?
Ambient: relating to the immediate surroundings of something.
"the liquid is stored at below ambient temperature".
Cited from Oxford Dictionaries.
As far as I know 'ambient' is an adjective that ...
26
votes
7answers
6k views
Mine’s a gin and tonic
I encountered a sentence that's full of British culture:
I have found a pair of my father’s old tan driving gloves, the sort that say ‘Mine’s a gin and tonic’ and that my mother would have ...
0
votes
0answers
24 views
What are the bounds of the term “any amount”?
According to Merriam-Webster, the noun "amount" is defined simply as "the total number or quantity". But, subjectively, I know it specifically as a positive integer (or at least a discrete amount) ...
1
vote
0answers
32 views
What's the distinction between a narrative and an essay? [on hold]
During a recent symposium a speaker stated that "Thomas Kuhn's book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions was not a narrative, it was an essay.
In searching online there are discussions of ...
0
votes
1answer
16 views
Omitting ',' or not in the case of ', from the cellular level to the organ-system level,'
I read through my textbook and encountered this quote
'Homeostasis is a dynamic condition. In response to changing conditions, the body's parameters can shift among points in a narrow range that is ...
0
votes
0answers
28 views
Do English speakers ever call the electric outlet a “tap”? [closed]
Do English speakers ever call the electric outlet a "tap"? If not, is the word "tap" used in the electrical field in any way?
0
votes
1answer
12 views
What is the meaning of “jobs problem”?
I find on Wikipedia that "labour problem" is defined as"the problem of improving the conditions of employment of the wage-earning classes." Does the "jobs problem" in the context like "xxx(some ...
0
votes
3answers
54 views
What do you call a person who fights injustice? [closed]
I need to know what a person is called who hates injustice in the world and fights for equality for all.
0
votes
1answer
33 views
What does “trail” mean in “trail of death”? [closed]
I read this sentence saying:
The wildfires leave trail of death in California.
What does the word "trail" mean here? The closest meaning I found in dictionary is "marks by actions". So, is it like ...
0
votes
1answer
24 views
before and after
Novartis places great emphasis on leadership development in its pharmaceutical
business. It offered over 160 leadership development courses in 2003
for approximately 4000 associates worldwide. The ...
0
votes
2answers
30 views
What do you call it which seems like love but actually it is not? [closed]
Just wanna know what do you call something which seems like love but actually it is not.
0
votes
2answers
36 views
the kind of September [closed]
I see a phrase in the lyrics of the song, Try to Remember.
That is : Try to remember the kind of September when life is slow and oh, so mellow.
What does the kind of September mean in this context?...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
over at least 12 month [closed]
I quote from a book called ' leadership for sustainable future' :
Review and assess current competencies, performance, potential, readiness and mobility over at least 12 months
What does over at least ...
0
votes
2answers
47 views
A way to describe a group of trees of one species using only one word
While working on a short story I faltered when I tried to depict in a concise and yet expressive manner a fact that main character was at the edge of a birch woodland. I don’t really like a word ...
0
votes
0answers
28 views
What's the meaning of “register” in “register one's sadness”
Buses were basically built for crying. If you’re on the back of the bus, everyone can see you and register your sadness when they get on, but is free to turn their back to you or avert their gaze as ...
1
vote
1answer
42 views
What does Sontag mean by “…wheeled-up words like blood-brain barrier”
I'm reading The Way We Live Now by Susan Sontag, and have a problem with this paragraph:
The one thing I'm sure I couldn't take, Jan said he said to her, is becoming disfigured, but Stephen ...
0
votes
0answers
28 views
What does the words “lead your enemies” mean in this context?
In a video game's description, I found the fo6 sentence:
"You can win the game if you get the hang of leading your targets and predicting their movements.'
I am not sure about the meaning of the ...
0
votes
1answer
31 views
What does the words “strafe your shot” mean in this context? [on hold]
In a game's description, I found the following sentence:
"Even if you initially miss, you can keep the player moving to strafe your shot and still hit a few targets."
I know the lexical meaning of ...
4
votes
1answer
47 views
Can a house have a 'roof' but no 'ceiling' in its upper floor?
A user in the Spanish Language site asked a question about how to distinguish 'ceiling' from 'roof' in Spanish, and gave us the following example:
The top floor of my house does not have a ceiling ...
