This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.
0
votes
1answer
22 views
Meaning of the proverb
Meaning of the English proverb "Life is to death as pleasure is pain". I came across this phrase on a newspaper.
0
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0answers
19 views
A thing of the past
I'm looking for the right word to describe a thing of the past that no longer needed nor it is useful, but we still have it in our world today.
Example:
- vaccines for illnesses that are gone for ...
-2
votes
0answers
33 views
Is Hotel California (Eagles) a metaphorical synonym for hell allegorically chosen by lyricist? [on hold]
In the song Hotel California by Eagles there was an excerpt:
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
'Relax' said the night man,
'We ...
-1
votes
0answers
17 views
what is the meaning
Employer shall have the right and remedy, for a period of one (1) year after commission of a breach, to require Employee to pay over to Employer, upon demand an amount equal to sixty-five percent (65%)...
1
vote
2answers
30 views
What did 'rap' mean in 1970?
I found these folders (think pee chees) among a pile of school supplies. They reference "rap" in sort of a hippie look (and... is that John Wayne??), dated 1970. Presumably wrap is referring to folder,...
1
vote
2answers
65 views
I'm a god. I'm not the God
In 'Groundhog Day' Bill Murray's character said "I'm a god. I'm not the God."
What does "I'm a god" mean?
0
votes
1answer
33 views
Is what we call 'democracy' really what might be termed 'macrocracy'?
I came across the word 'macrocracy' for the first time today, quoted by a virtually unknown writer in his first attempt at a novel.
I can find the word in no dictionary and Google returns only the ...
0
votes
0answers
17 views
i've been feeling tired all the time these days
if I want to express I was healthy but these days I always tired
i've been feeling tired all the time these days
is okay? or are there any other good expression for conversation?
-1
votes
0answers
29 views
What is that word to describe competitors all clustering in the same location for mutual profit?
You get situations like Harley Street private doctors in London. Some are in the same branch of medicine, yet they all go there because they benefit from the fact that Harley Street is known (or at ...
5
votes
1answer
42 views
Double O patterns
I realised a few years ago how many words there are that have 2 'o's next to each other that mean something circular or at least very close to circular, as if the shape of the object may in some way ...
2
votes
1answer
46 views
Connotation of the word “disappointed”
As a non native English speaker (I speak German), I'm frequently confused by the usage of the word "disappointed". When someone tells me they're "disappointed" that something didn't happen, the ...
0
votes
0answers
9 views
What are some ways to formally express something as 'few and not fully mature'?
I am trying to make a point of certain research areas are still in its young stage and is not ready to be widely used. What are some better way to express this?
3
votes
2answers
42 views
The meaning of mathematics from an etymological point of view
I study mathematics and I wonder what mathematics means. I've been searching for the definition and until now I haven't found something clear, so I decided to begin from the start. On Wikipedia I ...
0
votes
0answers
19 views
What's a word that mean you're scared to do something but will do it? [on hold]
I'm having trouble finding a word that means you're scared to do something but you will do it.
2
votes
0answers
30 views
what is the meaning for “divers for crotchets”?
I'm reading Eureka by Edgar Allan Poe and he says a phrase that I've been looking for everywhere but couldn't find anything.
The context is this
An ocean well described by the Nubian Geographer, ...
3
votes
3answers
151 views
meaning of '4/5' (American slang?)
What is the meaning of '4/5' in this phrase?
Azealia Banks' Insults Cardi B "You're illiterate, you're baby mama 4/5 to a man who has women crawling out of the woodworks with kids."
— ...
1
vote
0answers
26 views
Sentences that end in “by”
Sentences that "Talent goes by", "... passing us by".
What is the "function" of "by" in sentence?
Why to use "by"?
18
votes
4answers
6k views
I couldn't understand a sentence while watching The Big Bang Theory [on hold]
Recently I've been watching The Big Bang Theory with scripts. In one of the videos, they said:
"I’ve got a girl who punishes her father by sleeping around and an alcoholic who’s two tequila shots ...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
how much bleeding was there VS How much bleed you got?
If my girlfriend having a vaginal spotting or bleeding , and if I want to ask her how much bleeding she got, which could be better Question?
how much bleeding was there VS How much bleed you got?
0
votes
2answers
79 views
What does “;” in “If in Your Dreams; the Flood” mean?
Context: "If in Your Dreams; the Flood" is the title of a visual novel. In short, it's story about a girl who suffers from constant nightmares, namely she has dreasm about the flood, and each time she ...
0
votes
1answer
63 views
What is the difference between “news” and “news stories”?
We did a test in class, and I saw this sentence below.
Read the text and cross out the extra word (maximum one per line).
some of the lines are correct
if the line is correct put a √ ...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
Is my understanding of “not any” correct?
Let's take for example phrase "Not any knight can kill a dragon".
As far as I understand, it can mean "No knight can kill a dragon". The idea is that we can pick randomly any knight - and be sure ...
-1
votes
0answers
35 views
Can you check my grammar? [on hold]
This is an email to my teacher I want to send, can you check the grammar and error, please? The quiz was online
Here is the email:
Hey, I took the quiz today, But I didn't pass it. There were ...
-1
votes
1answer
19 views
Usage of 'out of' in this context [on hold]
What is the meaning of out of in the sentence? Is there any problem if it is not used?
They swindled local businesses out of thousands of pounds
They swindled local businesses thousands of ...
-2
votes
0answers
26 views
Is “GEB” heavily associated with something? [on hold]
I'm naming a product, it is something between a toy and a puzzle, and it is expected to be also used for education. I would like to name it "GEB cubes", because "GEB" is a shortcut made from first ...
0
votes
1answer
24 views
try to change his opinion or try changing his opinion [duplicate]
A powerful opponent made a long speech criticizing John. This speech was so powerful that it threatened John's political career. John decided to try to change his rival's opinion of him. To do this, ...
2
votes
2answers
50 views
Does “Banquet” refer only to dinner?
Longman Dictionary says that banquet is a formal dinner
a formal dinner for many people on an important occasion
a large and impressive meal
Macmillan and Oxford Dictionaries say that a ...
-1
votes
0answers
22 views
Meaning of “retro arcade game master” [on hold]
Here is the sentence:
This retro arcade game master keeps creating must-play games.
The text is a description of a new game that appears in a product review (I cannot share the review itself due ...
-1
votes
0answers
17 views
There would be fever for a while VS There will be fever for a while
If I want to warn people that even though they take tylenol,
there would be fever 1~2 days, How can I express this in a conversation.
There would be fever for a while VS There will be fever for a ...
-1
votes
1answer
40 views
Did you take him any tylenol? VS Did you give him any tylenol?
If a baby running a fever,
and I want to ask to his mom whether she has tried tylenol or not?
Did you take him any tylenol? VS Did you give him any tylenol?
which one is better in a casual ...
1
vote
0answers
26 views
Meaning of “skill pass off”
Can anybody explain what does skill pass off mean in this context and what's the difference with performance evaluation? It's an evaluation method.
skill pass off
performance evaluation
written test
0
votes
0answers
23 views
Really confused about kind and types when it comes to service provider
The question is:
what are the 3 kinds of service provider?
Is it the same as
what are the types of service provider?
I keep on searching but the results are different. When I search the kinds, ...
-1
votes
0answers
16 views
Left confused meaning [migrated]
Why western people used to use “left confused” meaning their feeling?
For example
Typhoon Mangkhut left more than 600 sections of road across Hong Kong blocked by strewn trees and other debris, ...
15
votes
7answers
3k views
Is it correct to say that the “premise” of the show The walking Dead is that people turn into zombies when they die?
I was talking to a friend and when I told her I was watching TWD, she asked me about the show. I told her the premise of the show is that people die and turn into zombies. She immediately wrote "...
0
votes
2answers
61 views
I'm confused about the usage of “grade” in educational contexts in the UK. Can you please give me some examples on how you would use it? [on hold]
I have searched the web but I can't get my head around it still. I know that "grades" are used in the US system, but I've read that this will be the case in the UK in 2018 too.
In this case would ...
5
votes
5answers
1k views
Why use singular they? Why not make a new word to distinguish its meaning? [on hold]
Why does English use the singular they instead of making a new word for it?
In my native language there's a word dia which has the same meaning as he/she, but it doesn't give information about the ...
1
vote
1answer
42 views
How do you “leave all the beefin' to 50”?
How does someone "leave all the beefin' to 50"?
Context
From the latest song by Richard Colson Baker "Rap Devil"
Let's leave all the beefin' to 50 (please)
Em, you're pushin' 50
You can ...
0
votes
1answer
31 views
“it doesn't - right?” sentence meaning
from podcast transcript
WOOD: So one, when he has 45 minutes to get up on stage, I want people to pay close attention to the logical flow of his argument, to the evidence he's providing, to the ...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
What difference does a comma make here?
What is the difference between these two:
it will not perform well in using the common sense it has stored to solve problems.
It will not perform well in using the common sense it has stored, to ...
2
votes
1answer
32 views
Why is it called a literary cycle?
The word cycle itself is simple enough when used to mean something that returns to its beginning, something that loops. But how did it also gain the meaning of a literary cycle, defined as a ...
1
vote
2answers
33 views
the short hitch
In a short story by Edward Page Mitchel called The Last Cruise of the Judas Iscariot, which goes on in Maine, he tells the story of a schooner with three masts, which never goes to sail without ending ...
0
votes
1answer
19 views
Words in a song:“How every mouth sings of what it's without so we all sing of love”
It is from Iron and Wine song "Innocent bones". As a non native English speaker, I struggle to understand the exact meaning. It is thoroughly grammatical question.
Does it mean that, because everyone ...
0
votes
0answers
11 views
Differences between “order”, “harmony”, “regulation” and “organisation”
Could someone explain me differences between given words ?
Order
Harmony
Regulation
Organisation
0
votes
0answers
27 views
Sources for understanding subtle differences between words [on hold]
I was looking for differences in meaning between:
malign, vilify, slander, libel.
And I came across the following page from this stack: link.
Unfortunately, I couldn't confirm the details ...
1
vote
0answers
35 views
The meaning and usage of “believe”
In my native language, believing in something means accepting it as true without a proof:
For example, asking whether you believe in God is correct, as it doesn't imply said God actually exists.
Or, ...
0
votes
2answers
59 views
What's different between “repel” and “repulse”?
What's different between repel and repulse.
I saw the description on the internet.
Both of them have the mean beat back or drive away, So I am confused about their using situation.
Which situation ...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
Wich one is correct “ i can cycling or i can be cycling” [closed]
I just wanna ask about the modal auxiliary verb
Because based on the grammar book the modal must add by verb invinitive.. then my student wrote " i can cycling" on his book, actually i'm doubt to ...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
Are these the same? It makes no sense & It has no meanings? [closed]
It makes no sense means inconsistency in whatever is being discussed. But could it also mean that something is not meaningful?
0
votes
0answers
33 views
What does “alternative bill” mean? [closed]
Example sentences are listed below, could someone please explain what "alternative bill" mean?
Russian Lobby Group to Present Alternative Bill on Digital Assets.
A lobby group of the Russian Union of ...
0
votes
0answers
16 views
Which one is closer to preceded by?
if I write
The highest sales of coffee, in 1999, corresponded to Switzerland at € 3 M, as opposed to Sweden at € 0.8 M, which was preceded by Belgium, the UK, and Denmark, with 1, 1.5, and 1.8 ...
