Questions tagged [meaning]
This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.
16,086
questions
1
vote
0answers
38 views
Is this an edge use of "toted" or a typo for "touted"?
This certainly seems like a typo, but the circumstances make it so hard to accept that I thought I'd check whether there's an unusual usage that I'm unaware of.
In the novel The Liar's Dictionary by ...
0
votes
1answer
20 views
Preceded/succeeded by text on a tombstone
Here is a text from a video game I read which is written on a tombstone:
Margaret Alice Miller 1892 - 1941 Beloved Mother, Daughter, Sister,
and Friend
Margaret Alice Miller was a beloved member of ...
0
votes
0answers
16 views
Meaning of the expression "in dicta" in this particular legal context?
I'm writing my thesis in International and European Trade Law, and one of the research papers that I'm using reports :
However, a comparative examination of other GATT exception provisions like ...
0
votes
2answers
89 views
Will the word sour in "sweet and sour" dish give negative connotation?
Will the word sour in "sweet and sour" dish give negative connotation? In Chinese we actually say "sweet and vinegary" dish ('糖醋' as '醋' is vinegar). Check https://en.wikipedia.org/...
-1
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0answers
24 views
What does "absolute merit" mean in the sentence?
The following part is quoted from Byways in Bookland by W. H. Davenport Adams in the 19th century, and I can’t understand the “absolute merits” here in the sentence. In addition, the last sentence of ...
7
votes
5answers
876 views
Why do we use two different verb forms for sentences like “that person is broke” versus “that person is broken”?
We usually use only a verb’s past participle when we
need to make an adjective out of it, not its past
tense—but not always. Sometimes we even use both forms
but assign these two different meanings!
...
0
votes
1answer
81 views
Meaning of “show out” (intransitive form, NOT show someone out)
In a video about undercover police work, the expression to “show out” comes back twice:
No wonder he got shot, to be honest. Mind you he showed out, didn’t he? Golden rule.
[3:46]
You never break ...
0
votes
1answer
27 views
What is the meaning of elliptical in this context? [closed]
...and it is this possibility, which is clearly provided for in language, that has encouraged a rival idea (8), namely that needing is always by its nature needing for a purpose - any purpose at all ...
0
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0answers
23 views
Need help with the language of this philosophy paper explained [closed]
What form must a theory of epistemic injustice take in order to successfully illuminate the epistemic dimensions of struggles that are primarily political? How can such struggles be understood as ...
0
votes
0answers
40 views
How to interpret this instruction I found in a card game? [closed]
The instruction "Trade any two completed cards between players" ...
Does it mean (1) or (2)?
Trade one completed card of yours with one completed card of another player
Trade two completed ...
-1
votes
0answers
25 views
Clarification of ambigious meaning of "stay away from...as much as possible" in a sentence [closed]
In the following sentence:
Well, he couldn‘t be much of a papa: he to stay away from his daughter
as much as possible.
From my knowledge the English language, I think it might imply distance: "...
2
votes
2answers
76 views
What is the meaning of "take-haver"?
There's an interesting article in Mother Jones on how to pronounce "omicron". (Apparently, both short and long Oh versions are correct.) This sentence appeared near the end
And while we ...
-1
votes
0answers
29 views
Do you think these four sentences are acceptable? [closed]
I'm writing my graduation essay and need some research about it.
The title of my paper is 'A contrastive study on English verb and Japanese verb from the aspect of cognitive typology.'
I'm especially ...
0
votes
1answer
17 views
What is a word for "services not provided" or "Goods paid for not delivered"?
What is a word for "services not provided" or "Goods paid for not delivered"?
For example: The "scam" is a word for a dishonest scheme. The word "fraud" is a ...
0
votes
0answers
17 views
Meaning of "Mindtrap" by Blank Banshee [closed]
Musixmatch lyrics page
Song on YouTube
Song on Spotify
Hello, I'm not the best at interpreting writing and I was wondering if there was an underlying theme/meaning behind the lyrics to Blank Banshee's ...
-1
votes
0answers
63 views
Has the word individual 'outcompeted' that of person historically?
Would it be correct to say that the word individual have 'outcompeted' that of person since 17th century in everyday English, as well as in social sciences?
According to etymonline.com's entry on ...
2
votes
0answers
48 views
Why does "I'm sure" used in a sentence sometimes reduce apparent certainty?
Take these two sentences as example:
This road is closed during football games.
I'm sure this road is closed during football games.
Why does the first sentence convey more certainty, when the second ...
-1
votes
0answers
30 views
Is this poem grammatically correct and does it suit English poetry structure? [closed]
Anida
You haven't heard my reply,
coming out from it, a single lie.
Hence, deserves it do not I,
who you are accusing in sinful tie.
Shall my soul be cleaned when I die?
Or gods have turned a blind ...
1
vote
1answer
41 views
About the definition of the word “study”
I and some friends were debating about whether the following question is correctly formed or not. Are the multiple choices are accurate and suitable for the question? We all agree that answer number “...
0
votes
1answer
45 views
‘Two people have a baby’ interpretation [closed]
Why do some people say ‘Two people have a baby’ can mean ‘two people have a baby each’ but others say it can’t mean ‘two people have a baby each’ if there’s no ‘each’?
Two people have a baby.
A: It ...
2
votes
2answers
217 views
Was the word "inoculation" regularly used for introducing a disease for purposes other than inducing immunity?
While researching the history/historiography of the British potentially spreading smallpox via blankets at the siege of Fort Pitt during Pontiac's War, I came across General Amherst's letters. These ...
0
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0answers
15 views
I'm trying to find useful definitions of Lethargic [closed]
I haven't been able to find credible dictionaries online, and I have yet to find a definition of lethargic that makes sense. Does anyone know what I could do?
0
votes
0answers
22 views
What does the phrase "meaning up" means/states? [closed]
What does the phrase "meaning up" suggest?
I want to ask native English speakers how they sees "meaningup.com" at first glance.
I am a web developer and a friend of mine wants to ...
0
votes
3answers
54 views
What does "Stan" in "PHPStan" refer to/mean?
I found this the other day and have started using it: https://phpstan.org/ It's nice. But it really annoys me that nowhere does it explain/mention what "Stan" refers to.
It's not the name ...
2
votes
1answer
54 views
Ad hominem for non persons
An ad hominem argument is typically, according to Wikipedia, "a rhetorical strategy where the speaker attacks the character, motive, or some other attribute of the person making an argument ...
0
votes
0answers
45 views
What's the meaning of genre conventions? [closed]
Could you please tell me the meaning of "genre conventions" in the following sentence?
As this brief overview has shown, from the level of terms, to phraseology, register, genre ...
1
vote
1answer
59 views
"All green apples but 1" or "All but 1 green apples"
I would like to use phrase "all but one" in the sentence like "Except for the one green apple, all the other green apples are bad."
Which expression is not ambiguous? "All but ...
1
vote
1answer
54 views
Phrases or idioms which mean "I did not do my homework" [closed]
İs there any idom or phrase to say you did not prepare your homework?
For example, my teacher gives me homework. Let's assume that I did not do my homework, what should I say?
-1
votes
0answers
28 views
Difference among sound, music and audio [closed]
From Differences between "audio" and "sound"?, I learned that sound is a generic term and can be caused by any source.
Audio refers to sound coming from a recording, transmission ...
3
votes
5answers
520 views
What can I call 2nd and 3rd place finishes in a competition?
There are many awards I received from the sport I did. I thought to compress everything and write as 'Inter university and All island winner' but I have placed only 2nd and 3rd places. What is the ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
What does "won medal up" and "won medal down" mean? [closed]
Two phrases "won medal up" and "won medal down" is from the song "Come out ye black and tans" and I truly can't understand it :(
"Come out you black and tans,
Come ...
-1
votes
1answer
40 views
What is the meaning of 'bear' in this context? [closed]
"The year which has passed… has not, indeed, been marked by any of those striking discoveries which at once revolutionise, so to speak, the department of science on which they bear"
1
vote
0answers
19 views
‘One egg was given to three people’ [closed]
Can ‘one egg was given to three people’ mean ‘one egg each was given to three people’? Or does it only mean the one egg was shared by three people?
0
votes
0answers
22 views
Prepostion at vs in, which is correct, "I am at my house" or "I am in my house"? [migrated]
Prepostion "at" vs "in", which is correct, "I am at my house" or "I am in my house"?
I tend to use "I am at my house" if for example I am calling a ...
-1
votes
0answers
50 views
When ordering from a restaurant, what exactly is "still water"?
For starters, I live in Canada and therefore speak Canadian/North American English. Today, I saw the expression "still water" when ordering in a restaurant, as opposed to "fizzy water&...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
What is the meaning of "music streets" here?
While watching the 2021 AMAs, I heard Billy Porter as a presenter saying, "It always feels good to be recognized by your peers whether in my hometown, your hometown, or up in these music streets. ...
1
vote
1answer
97 views
Could "jibe with" imply something racist? [closed]
In the latest episode of Succession, they are talking about potential candidates and we know there is a guy called Salgado (I don't remember a prior implication that Salgado is racist but he is not ...
0
votes
0answers
19 views
What does "among other houses" mean in the following sentence? [migrated]
What does "among other houses" mean in "A burglar broke into my house, among other houses?" Does it mean that a burglar picked out my house of all the houses or that a burglar ...
0
votes
2answers
55 views
Difference between 'specify' and 'select'
What's the precise difference between specify and select? Can either be used in this example, or does one work better than the other?
I can instinctively feel that there is a subtle difference between ...
2
votes
1answer
66 views
Meaning of “this food has a bite to it”
If I say “I prefer my steak/burger to have a bite to it”, I’m referring to it having enough thickness or density. Is this a proper usage of the word “bite”? My wife says she’s always heard the word ...
0
votes
0answers
34 views
Can “deserve it” be used alone?
Can a phrase “deserve it” be used alone?
Let’s say there’s a phrase “open it, deserve it” written on a package or a pizza box, would it make sense?
0
votes
1answer
48 views
Is "I would request you to" totally wrong in both American and British English when I want to want to request something from someone? [closed]
I wrote an email to someone like-
Thanks! I would request you to [do this] so that I can [do that].
They replied making fun of English by saying "okay I will thank you for that" so I thought ...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
What's a word that describes the type of person that unintentionally answers a question with related info without answering the question specifically? [duplicate]
Imagine you are talking to an older person and you ask, "What is the sun made of?" To which they reply, "It was a cold day today, but I was sitting on the park bench earlier and felt ...
0
votes
0answers
32 views
What is the difference between impure and un-pure?
In Algernon Blackwood’s the Damned, he describes Frances’ sketches from the POV of her brother:
And the word that rose in my mind was not the gross description of "impure," but the more ...
-1
votes
2answers
38 views
What does 'conver' means
[![enter image description here][1]][1]
I saw the word on Remarks by President Biden and President Xi of the People’s Republic of China Before Virtual Meeting
[1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/vAdJr.png
0
votes
1answer
39 views
Is "Closing the loop" generally understood?
I am currently looking for a slogan on the topic of recycling.
Therefore, I found also this ELU topic:
Meaning of phrase "to close the loop on this"?
I want to ask, if it is common or at ...
0
votes
1answer
37 views
Further away from .... than [closed]
A is 50 miles further away from B than C.
Does this mean distance between A and B is 50 miles Or between A and C is 50 miles.
I am really confused. please help.
0
votes
1answer
27 views
What is "several means by which this can be achieved" in this sentence mean?
The solution then is to change the materials system; several means by which this can be achieved without changing the parent materials are described in Chapter 4, section 4.1.
I have tried to ...
0
votes
0answers
39 views
It struck from me a sudden, springing dislike?
I'm reading The Song of Achilles and don't understand what 'struck from' means here (chapter three):
It struck from me a sudden, springing dislike.
Who is feeling the dislike here? I only know of ...
3
votes
1answer
147 views
What are ATS in Betjeman's Henley-upon-Thames poem (beefy ATS without their hats)
From the Betjeman poem 'Henley-upon-Thames':
When(*) shall I see the Thames again?
The prow-promoted gems again,
As beefy ATS
Without their hats
Come shooting through the bridge?
(*) sometimes ...