Questions tagged [meaning]
This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.
0
votes
1answer
14 views
Invocation or evocation?
The context is a report from antiquity of a priest summoning a daimon. I'd like to know if I should write 'evocation' or 'invocation' in the blank in the following sentence or if, in fact, both are ...
0
votes
0answers
14 views
What is the meaning of to 'gain one's ends'?
I was reading a paragraph which quoted Johann Von Goethe. It said:
The only means to gain one’s ends with people are force and cunning. Love also, they say;
but that is to wait for sunshine, and ...
0
votes
0answers
14 views
What is considered a statement?
Hello benevolent linguists
There are quite many answers to type of statements or meanings of specific statments but I don't quite understand the meaning of "a statement" itself and what is considered ...
0
votes
1answer
22 views
How to use the word total properly?
Hey guys which one of the following sentence makes sense the most?
• The numbers were great and totalled 95%
• The numbers were great and totalled to 95%
• The numbers were great and totalled up to ...
0
votes
1answer
26 views
What does “philoso-fugal” mean?
What does "philoso-fugal" mean in the following sentence? "It seems to me
that a consideration of Malick’s art demands that we take seriously the
idea that film is less an illustration of ...
0
votes
0answers
21 views
What are the naunces of the placement of 'be' in the following two sentences?
I'm translating a bit of dialogue (from Japanese to English, in case anyone was wondering) in which Character A is speaking to character B. The two possible translations I came up with are:
"There’...
0
votes
2answers
25 views
When referring to the word “sensitive” what does having a greater sensitivity mean?
This might sound a bit confusing, so let me specify.
John is more sensitive to food than Louise
Does this sentence mean John is able to taste more food, and therefor has a larger range of food, or ...
0
votes
0answers
37 views
What's this idiom or proverb? Please help!
You want to give a criticism to someone, but you cannot because you’re not close to them, but you give that criticism to someone else and hope the other person understands.”
I will explain more so ...
0
votes
1answer
59 views
Word for the river emptiyng into the ocean
In Portuguese we have the word "desaguar", which would roughly translate to "to release water" but is almost exclusively used to mean the offloading of water by a river into another body of water. We ...
0
votes
1answer
39 views
Should vs Will?
What is the difference, if any, between the following:
the building materials should be stored on pallets
the building materials will be stored on pallets
0
votes
1answer
42 views
Does the word “append” work for when one inserts something at the beginning of something else? [on hold]
For example, does putting one's initials before the name of a copied document count as "appending" one's initials to the name of the document? I know there is a word called "prepend," but it is ...
-1
votes
1answer
33 views
what may “micro-specifications of task” be referring to in that sentence? [on hold]
A society of rootless, atomised individuals, produced by the modern workplace’s
need for mobility of labour and micro-specification of task, is a fearful society.
1
vote
1answer
26 views
Simplifying a sentence
The logistics were those of a very large army, which indeed it was,
battalions of extras and theatrical performers for the biggest sound
set ever conceived.
Could someone simplify this sentence ...
1
vote
1answer
37 views
Is it still a horizon if it is where the buildings meet the sky?
The general definition for horizon is that it's the line where the sky appears to meet the earth's surface. But what if I'm on the outskirts of a city, and behind me it's the city, or maybe just a ...
1
vote
1answer
53 views
Word which sounds the opposite of its meaning - i.e. antonym of onomatopoeia
Decomplexify!
Definition: To rid of complexity; to simplify.
Now, a word which sounds like its own meaning is an onomatopoeia.
But, what is a word (like decomplexify) which sounds (to me) like the ...
0
votes
1answer
69 views
Is whisky wine?
I have talked about “is whisky wine?” with a Chinese guy.
To my knowledge, wine is sth made from grapes, but whisky is not.
However, in his concept, wine is equal to alcoholic drink. Rum is wine, ...
0
votes
0answers
25 views
what does this sentence “tend to get some meaning to them it turns out” mean?
I am learning this course Stanford CS224N: natural language processing with Deep Learning.
The professor is saying
... it'd be exactly the same vector space just sort of rotate around
your new ...
3
votes
0answers
36 views
What's the difference between a spouse and an espoused partner?
I was looking at the Wikipedia article about Julian Assange, and was confused about this particular information:
Spouse(s): Teresa Doe
(married 1989; divorced 1999)
Partner(s): Sarah ...
1
vote
3answers
35 views
A word's different meanings in a sentence
The image of God is one thing, and that which is contemplated in the image is another.
I'm not sure but it seems the two "image" in the sentence have different meanings from each other. in my opinion ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
What does “is its own” mean here?
In general I do not understand the usage of "is its own" in a sentence. A sentence containing "is its own" immediately becomes unclear to me. For example what does "is its own" mean in the following ...
0
votes
2answers
46 views
what does “killed and went away” mean?
I am learning this course Stanford CS224N: natural language processing with Deep Learning.
The professor is saying
on the one hand, whenever you see these pictures you should hold onto
your ...
-4
votes
0answers
25 views
I have some question about college [on hold]
I am making a research article. It is about college. I have six question, please help me. Thank you very much！
What did you think of college in your point ?
What did you do in your college life ?
...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
Is 'Another Europe is possible' correct English? [on hold]
Given that we don't have a second Europe, I thought it should be something like 'A different Europe is possible'. Or does this sentence have the same meaning?
0
votes
0answers
40 views
what does “hold onto your wallet” mean?
I am learning this course Stanford CS224N: natural language processing with Deep Learning.
The professor is saying
on the one hand, whenever you see these pictures you should hold onto
your ...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
What does the quote “Only a fool see fools” mean? [on hold]
What does the quote "Only a fool see fools" mean?? I just can't actually grasp the idea....
0
votes
1answer
35 views
What time or which time?
Strictly speaking, when referring to one or more of a definite set of values, the word 'which' should be employed. When referring to one or more of an unknown or infinate set of values, the word 'what'...
0
votes
1answer
19 views
what does “get to something” mean?
I am learning this course Stanford CS224N: natural language processing with Deep Learning.
The professor is saying
if you start getting into more technical and scientific English, it's
easy to ...
-1
votes
0answers
14 views
from Tuesday up to Friday
It may be simple, but does this include Friday or not? I would say not, and would phrase it like "from Tuesday up to and including Friday". What do you think?
4
votes
2answers
891 views
What did Darwin mean by 'squib' here?
Some day after the publication of The Origin of Species, Darwin wrote to someone:
I have received in a Manchester newspaper rather a good squib, showing that I have proved might is right and ...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
My question is about the use of “lest” + “should have + past participle” in the sentence provided below
I have while reading Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' stumbled upon a sentence which has ever since been puzzling my mind and I have not been able to penetrate the grammar used. Here goes the sentence:
"I ...
-2
votes
1answer
72 views
What is the meaning of "byzantine conduit? [on hold]
This dialogue is from the movie: Waking Life (2001)
Creation seems to come out of imperfection. It seems to come out of a striving and a frustration. This is where, I think, language came from. I ...
0
votes
1answer
51 views
What is the meaning of “dangerously harmless”? [on hold]
I was reading an article where a young man is described as "dangerously harmless". There was no context in which to place the term. What does this mean? It seems that the words in this pair should be ...
2
votes
2answers
68 views
the meaning of “thick” [on hold]
Feral horses, belonging to my grandfather, ran wild over thick banks
of water hemlock, and there were more than a few rattlesnakes.
I was told it is like "thick forest", so thick does not modify ...
0
votes
1answer
58 views
A word / term for people who criticize others' behavior while exempting themselves from the same criticism
During gym class, we were doing a workout video. This is what happened:
Two girls start screaming at someone to keep their back straight. The thing is that they are not even keeping their backs ...
-2
votes
1answer
42 views
Meaning of “There isn't one” [on hold]
I recently stumbled on a song's lyrics in which the 1st line says:
The great truth is there isn't one
Given the rest of the lyrics, I think the author meant that no great truth exists at all. Yet, ...
0
votes
0answers
28 views
'WE are the most precious person in the world' or 'WE are the most precious persons in the world' [duplicate]
maybe it is simple qusetion.
I just make that
like 'you're precious in the world'
person? persons? people?
but, i confused. . pls help me
-2
votes
0answers
34 views
Is it correct to say "25% of New Zeland's native plant species ARE BE FOUND there? [closed]
I need to complete a text. Is it ok to say 25% of New Zeland's native plant species ARE be found there.
Is ARE ok? Which word would you write if not?
0
votes
1answer
41 views
Meaning of “Stock Configuration” Car [on hold]
What is the meaning of "stock configuration" in the context of cars?
Is it more like "base/entry level model" or like "a standard configuration" (possibly one of standard configurations)?
Is the ...
2
votes
2answers
130 views
What does “spokes” mean in this context?
As far as I know and have checked a few dictionaries and done some research, spoke is either a verb, past tense of speak, or a noun which has a few meanings such as the metal bars on a bicycle wheel; ...
0
votes
3answers
36 views
Meaning in context of “belong”
While reading The Power and the Glory, by Graham Greene, I don't fully understand the meaning of "belong" in these lines:
The stranger had left his book behind. It lay under his rocking-chair:
a ...
0
votes
0answers
25 views
What does this paragraph mean? so difficult to understand? [closed]
The sole question for determination in this case is legal: Do the averments made by the pursuer in her pleading, if true, disclose a cause of action? I need not re-state the particular facts. The ...
0
votes
1answer
30 views
Does Stockholm syndrome only apply to kidnapping condition?
I mean there should be an implication of meaning that
someone(kidnapper) first treats you badly, then suddenly
changes his attitude to treat less badly. This sudden change makes the object(hostage) ...
0
votes
2answers
35 views
what is the meaning of this---“could you have been dreaming” [closed]
what is the meaning of this sentence---``"
could you have been dreaming?
-1
votes
1answer
16 views
How to describe a customer's business
Which sentence is the most relevant for your point of view:
A client has a retail business consisting of lots of shops
distributed all over the world.
A client has a retail business that includes ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
What does “allot on/upon” mean? [on hold]
In Oxford Dictionary, under 'allot', it says that
to give time, money, tasks, etc. to somebody/something as a share of what is available
Then, what does "I have been allotting upon going." mean?
...
2
votes
1answer
40 views
Re-pair or repair a pair of things
Is there a way to distinguish between repairing something in the sense of fixing it vs. "re-pairing" something in the sense of regrouping things together.
For example a wireless keyboard and its usb ...
1
vote
3answers
48 views
What is the meaning of DISTINGUISHED in a given context?
Excerpt from the book
"A friend of ours was talking to a theatrical agent who was not particularly distinguished for the range of choice of his vocabulary."
I have consulted the online Merriam ...
2
votes
1answer
21 views
How to call articles, online courses, educational videos with one phrase?
I want to write a sentence "You can put any ... on our platform". ... is a phrase that would mean articles, online courses, educational videos, etc.
1) What would be the appropriate phrase?
2.1) Is "...
1
vote
1answer
112 views
meaning of “ghetto kids” [closed]
I'm going to translate the following sentence into a language in which there may not be an exact equivalent for the word 'ghetto'.
He taught ghetto kids in New York's public school system.
(...
-2
votes
1answer
51 views
Is this sentence grammaritcally correct? [closed]
There are published procedures.
Should I say "spreaded"?
