Questions tagged [meaning-in-context]
This tag is for questions about the meaning of a longer passage of English. A SPECIFIC CONCERN must be emphasized.
5,093
questions
3
votes
1
answer
106
views
What does “turn down an empty plate” mean?
I was reading Raymond Chandler’s The Lady in the Lake (1943) and came across this quote that puzzled me:
Tell Webber I was asking for him. Next time he buys a hamburger, tell him to turn down an ...
- 131
0
votes
0
answers
63
views
Can any member in this group kindly explain to me the meaning of 'Storying' in the context of narrative qualitative ethnographic research? [closed]
I keep coming across the term storying in articles on narrative research. The authors however do not explain how the term storying is different in meaning and connotation from the term storytelling or ...
- 11
0
votes
0
answers
58
views
What's meant by ". . . he went the pace extraordinary"? (go the pace ?) [migrated]
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XX, published 1892)
Passage 319
But before he was out of long clothes, the cloven foot began to show; he proved to be no ...
- 219
0
votes
0
answers
44
views
Meaning of "these thin boards divided the secret" [closed]
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XX, published 1892)
Passage 318
I had escaped the grounds and the cattle; I could not escape the house. A lady with silver hair,...
- 219
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Meaning of "teen" in Aeschylus's play "The Persians"
I came across the phrase "how shall I bear my teen?" in Aeschylus' play "The Persians". I also saw "the children of teen" in "Seven against Thebes". What ...
- 81
0
votes
0
answers
9
views
Meaning of "by a sort of flying sap" [closed]
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XIX, published 1892)
Passage 304
I will never deny that our prolonged conjunction was the result of double cowardice. Each was ...
- 219
3
votes
0
answers
154
views
What did Walt Whitman mean by "a pennant universal"? [migrated]
(Edit: This was closed because it was marked as "opinion based" and I was asked to edit the question so that it could be answered by facts and citations.
@Fumblefingers gave citations, ...
- 131
0
votes
1
answer
78
views
Meaning of "Bellairs had the address, and I was the more deceived or Carthew would have news of him."
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XIX, published 1892)
Passage 294
The conjunction of these planets seeming ominous, I drew near; but it seemed Bellairs had done ...
- 219
0
votes
0
answers
46
views
Meaning of. . . "it was hardly possible but what he should suspect"
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XIX, published 1892)
Passage 290
“Well, it's the other thing that has done that,” I replied. “It's all bygone now, all dead and ...
- 219
0
votes
2
answers
66
views
What does 'haply' mean in Keats's 'Ode to a Nightingale'?
The following line occurs in Keats's poem 'Ode to a Nightingale':
And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne
It seems to me that 'haply' means either, as Merriam-Webster says, 'by chance', or, ...
- 183
0
votes
2
answers
86
views
I know it was a liberty—I made it out you were no business man, only a stone-broke painter; that half the time you didn't know anything anyway
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XVIII, published 1892)
Passage 287
“Jim,” I said, “you must speak right out. I've got all that I can carry.”
“Well,” he said—“I ...
- 219
-1
votes
2
answers
133
views
What does 'pards' mean in Keats's 'Ode to a Nightingale'?
John Keats's 'Ode to a Nightingale' contains the line "Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,".
Away! away! for I will fly to thee,
Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,
But on the ...
- 183
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
What is the meaning of "burke a school" in Anticipations?
In Anticipations (1901), chapter 9, in the middle of a long passage, H. G. Wells wrote (referring to a personification of Jewish people):
... He is a remnant and legacy of mediævalism, a ...
- 179
0
votes
0
answers
10
views
The difference between [migrated]
Is there a difference between
He walks so slow
And
He walks so slowly
- 1
1
vote
2
answers
42
views
Can 'to wilt' be something positive? [closed]
I came across (a pretty sad) poem by Meggie Royer.
She writes:
I stood by as strangers stroked her muzzle and she wilted beneath their touch like she did once for mine.
For context: she writes about ...
- 111
-2
votes
1
answer
98
views
What is "Antipodean English"? [closed]
I was watching this video where the English gentleman asks the Scottish MP to speak in "Antipodean English". From what I know, 'Antipodes' refers to the southern hemisphere and I am unable ...
- 57
-1
votes
0
answers
76
views
Meaning of 'block' in "We attempted to block for local spatial variation..."
I am trying to translate a book from English and am confused about the meaning of the word "block" as it is used in this context.
We attempted to block for local spatial variation in the ...
0
votes
0
answers
58
views
Meaning of “I didn't bring you ashore to sound my praises” [migrated]
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XV, published 1892)
Passage 241
“We've been pretty good friends, you and me, Mr. Dodd,” he resumed. “We've been going through ...
- 219
0
votes
1
answer
143
views
'. . . there's always a fathom or two of slack hanging out of the other end'
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XIV, published 1892)
Passage 227
“All very well,” said I. “That's your Hoyt, and a fine, tall copy. But what I want to know is, ...
- 219
3
votes
1
answer
90
views
Meaning of "be just a little too smart by ninety-nine and three-quarters"
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XIV, published 1892)
Passage 224
“Guess so,” he said. “You needn't fool with it. There's nothing else but a lead-pencil and a ...
- 219
0
votes
0
answers
86
views
Problems with understanding a requirement in a technical document
I'm following the advice of a user who answered a question on StackOverflow.
Page 15 section 4.A.4 of NIST call for proposal (the 2016 one) says:
For the purpose of estimating security strengths, it ...
- 109
2
votes
1
answer
845
views
Meaning of . . . "fill up on a clean break"
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XIII, published 1892)
Passage 210
Thence we turned our attention to the table, which stood spread, as if for a meal, with stout ...
- 219
0
votes
1
answer
51
views
"my stomach told me" VS "my guts told me"
I'm an English learner and I came across this sentence:
My stomach told me that this was unprecedented.
Does this expression mean that I had a feeling or my instincts told me that something that had ...
0
votes
1
answer
54
views
At this time tomorrow, I am playing cricket [closed]
I know that:
At this time tomorrow, I will be playing cricket.
is used since the so-called future continuous is used to talk about a continuous activity at a specific time in the future. Even ...
- 2,714
1
vote
1
answer
61
views
Use of 'plain old' in: "The loudest, most obnoxious and aggressive voices telling us the world is about to end plain old don’t act like it."
Could it be that we are hearing the hysterical pleas of “environmental activists” to change our ways or face doom and noticing that not only are they not changing their ways, but that their ways are ...
- 11
-1
votes
1
answer
75
views
What do you call a person who talks bad about someone but still shows interest in that person?
For example: Sally Mae says she doesn’t like John because he’s ugly, but will go and act nice with him because others are watching.
What word would you use to describe Sally Mae?
- 11
1
vote
2
answers
130
views
Meaning of . . . “you just meet me on the ballast, and we'll make it a barquentine.”
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XI, published 1892)
Passage 177
“I don't see it,” returned the captain drily. “One captain's enough for any ship that ever I ...
- 219
0
votes
1
answer
102
views
Meaning of . . . , "I'm laying a little dark"
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XI; published 1892)
Passage 176
“Well,” returned Nares, with the same unamiable reserve, “for a reason, which I guess you know, ...
- 219
0
votes
1
answer
69
views
Meaning of "bring them away" in Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" (Act2, scene1)?
In act II, scene 1, of Measure for Measure, Elbow says:
Elbow. Come, bring them away: if these be good people in a Common-weale, that doe nothing but vse their abuses in common houses, I know no law :...
- 1,720
2
votes
2
answers
206
views
Meaning of "low, cherry voices" in Stephen King's 'The Jaunt'
In Stephen King's The Jaunt, I found this sentence:
Five Jaunt attendants circulate, speaking in low, cherry voices and offering glasses of milk.
It's either a typo (was supposed to be 'cheery') or ...
- 29
-1
votes
3
answers
157
views
What's the difference between "period" and "time" ? Is it more correct to say it rained at the right time, or the rain happened during the right pd.? [closed]
What's the difference between "period" and "time"? Is it more correct to say "it rained at the right time" or "the rain happened during the right period"?
...
- 99
0
votes
2
answers
71
views
What does it mean to be “cashiered?”
I was reading up on the Dirlewanger Brigade (a scummy bunch of Nazis even by Nazi standards) and came across this line:
“…cut-throats, renegades, sadistic morons, and cashiered rejects from other ...
- 914
2
votes
0
answers
76
views
Meaning of "Bore many gentlemen" in Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure"? [closed]
In act I, scene 5, of Measure for Measure, Lucio says:
Lucio. This is the point.
The Duke is very strangely gone from hence;
Bore many gentlemen (my selfe being one)
In hand, and hope of action: but ...
- 1,720
0
votes
1
answer
59
views
What is difference between revered and venerated words? [closed]
English is a foreign language for me, so I have to use a Google Translate or similar services. They give same translation to my first language, and I feel some nuances are being lost.
Examples:
...
- 103
0
votes
1
answer
17
views
Meaning of 'north' in "returns on invested capital north of 20 percent" [closed]
I'm reading The Little Book That Builds Wealth, and quote
The result was fat profit margins for Gentex for many years, and the company is still posting returns on invested capital north of 20 percent ...
- 2,211
1
vote
0
answers
41
views
'No one she recognized'. A slightly strange sentence [duplicate]
Good afternoon!
Can you please tell me the meaning of the phrase:
"No one she recognized"
The context is as follows: a woman is watching from afar a stranger who is swimming in her pool. ...
- 299
-2
votes
1
answer
53
views
Does "freed doctors to perform abortions for any reason in the first trimester" mean that the law "allowed abortion up to the second trimester"? [closed]
For the past few years, I have had a long and arduous argument with my English teacher about an exam question she gave us, and I am curious what you all think about it. For context, I attend an ...
- 7
2
votes
4
answers
467
views
Meaning of "to appeal to some law"
This Wikipedia's page says that:
David Hume's problem of induction demonstrates that one must appeal to the principle of the uniformity of nature if they seek to justify their implicit assumption ...
- 191
-1
votes
1
answer
155
views
What does "as fresh as paint" mean in this context?
I saw the following dialogues in the first episode of the Desperate Housewives tv show,
Andrew: I'm just saying, do you always have to serve cuisine? Can't we ever just have food?
Bree: Are you doing ...
- 103
0
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What meaning of "gay" is intended in "He was very gay and had already washed and was now on his feet"?
Yet when he opened the door of the guest room in the morning there was the young man. He was very gay and had already washed and was now on his feet. He had asked for a razor yesterday and had shaved ...
- 67
0
votes
2
answers
67
views
The usage of "utterly mysterious" [closed]
"Philosophy, unlike most other subjects, does not try to extend our
knowledge by discovering new information about the world. Instead, it
tries to deepen our understanding through rumination on ...
- 101
1
vote
1
answer
138
views
Is it Reunion after 50 years or 50 year Reunion?
We have recently conducted a reunion party after 50 years. The party was conducted by the old students of a Highschool. We thought of some titles for it:
50 year Reunion
50th Reunion
Reunion after 50 ...
- 2,714
1
vote
3
answers
88
views
"Planned on system": meaning (G.M. Trevelyan, A Short History of England)
Their method of conquest was to make military roads, planned on system for the whole island, and to plant along them forts garrisoned by the regular troops.
I can't manage to explain this ...
- 19.3k
9
votes
1
answer
299
views
What might the term "B-I-T-sweetie" mean in the context of Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes's play "The Mule-Bone"?
I am currently reading through Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes's 1931 play, The Mule-Bone, and I am rather puzzled by the term "B-I-T-sweetie," which shows up in this exchange in Act ...
- 559
0
votes
1
answer
31
views
Does "Streamline the tone" make sense?
When using the same tense/style for all bullet points in a resume, can we say the following?
Let's streamline the tone for all bullet points.
- 29
1
vote
1
answer
67
views
Differences in meaning and formality of "when/if + verb(ing)" and "when/if + one + verb(s)"
I searched but couldn't find an answer because I don't know the relevant grammatical terms, unfortunately. Sorry if it has already been answered.
I am wondering about the difference between the two ...
2
votes
2
answers
105
views
Meaning of the term"Pitches the bouncing ponies"
From Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, Chapter 1:
[...] wrapped in the soft mesh of the grey-blue morning air, which, as the day wore on, would unwind them, and set down on their lawns and pitches the ...
- 709
0
votes
1
answer
43
views
"The boil must be lanced if it is to heal"? [closed]
In Final Fantasy 16 (FFXVI), which has a medieval-ish setting, C says that "The boil must be lanced if it is to heal". I'm...not sure I understand the phrase.
For context, C is in a ...
- 151
2
votes
2
answers
132
views
What is the definition of the word “spacell” from the novel Roadside Picnic?
I’m reading Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky and translated by Olena Bormashenko.
In this book the word “spacell” is used and I cannot find a definition.
Heavy clouds were hanging over ...
- 188
0
votes
1
answer
74
views
Of what chocolate-house does Swift write in "An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity"?
In An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity it is written:
Another advantage proposed by the abolishing of Christianity is the clear gain of one day in seven, which is now entirely lost, and ...
- 1,720