Questions tagged [meaning]
This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.
14,191
questions
-1
votes
0answers
7 views
maybe Parasomnia ??? i don’t know what it could be
okay so when i was younger , about 8-11 years old , i experienced something very strange, and i say that because anytime i try to find out what could’ve happened, it just pops up sleep paralysis or ...
2
votes
1answer
28 views
Can you expiate someone else's wrongs?
This is a public notice to the people of a town in Yugoslavia (now in Serbia) by a Nazi commander in 1941.
This was a reprisal attack against the people of the town because some Yugoslav partisans ...
0
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0answers
47 views
Meaning of “as well asleep as awake”
What does "as well asleep as awake" mean in this sentence? I think it overall means it's so evident that you can sleep no matter what, but I would like to know what "awake" supposed to mean here. Can ...
2
votes
1answer
28 views
English Philology vs English studies difference in meaning and connotations for Natives?
In Poland, English University major is called "English Philology" (pol. Filologia Angielska), and this is how it is usually translated and communicated. By the Poles.
When you google English ...
1
vote
1answer
35 views
Tenth grade dance
"During the middle of a toast to the bride, you don't have to interrupt yourself to tell them you accidentally skipped the part about drinking wineat her house before a tenth grade dance."
What is a ...
0
votes
1answer
38 views
Is “temerity” a positive or negative word? [on hold]
I am confused about usage of word like "temerity". Is it a positive or negative quality to have?
0
votes
1answer
64 views
Teach + Uncommon Object
After I asked a question on Psychology and Neuroscience SE, some confusion arose over my use of the phrase 'to teach a disorder'
I was told that 'to teach a disorder' is a poor choice of words when ...
1
vote
1answer
32 views
Is there a difference between “I am male” and “I am a male”?
Both versions seem grammatically correct to me, since the word "male" can be either a noun or an adjective, so it can be used with and without an article.
But I wonder, is there any difference in ...
3
votes
1answer
46 views
noble - can it be split into morphemes?
Can I split noble into nob + the suffix -le?
-le is found in other adjectives such as little, brittle, fickle
nob is found in noble, nobleman, nobleness, nobler, noblesse, noblest, nobly. But ...
0
votes
0answers
31 views
What is the definition of semantic and lexical?
I google around for the definitions of the word, yet they don't make sense. I am a foreign student and have hard time understanding google definition.
0
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0answers
26 views
Do these two expression have different meanings?
I really don't know if it's the right way to do it.
or
I really don't know it's the right way to do it.
I think they basically have the same meaning but I would like to listen to other opinions.
-1
votes
0answers
13 views
Inference from a reading comprehension
The transplantation of organs from one individual to another normally
involves two major problems: (1) organ rejection is likely unless the
transplantation antigens of both individuals are nearly ...
-1
votes
0answers
27 views
I execute a mission by giving others missions, they are not missions for me. How to call them?
A mission that plans a task may be structured in multiple parts. These parts can be missions.
Is there a word for the constituting missions? They are not "partial missions", because to complete the ...
0
votes
0answers
45 views
To prise open the gap between price and prize
The words "price" and "prize" and "prise" are easily confused.
They mean different things*. It is not a difference of writing between US and British English.
Part of the confusion is that "price" ...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
Is it possible: Attend a contest but not a contestant?
Can I attend a contest to observe or to confer, but not compete for a prize (not a contestant)?
0
votes
1answer
69 views
What does “10 years too soon” mean?
I’ve read an article on the Verge. The title was
YouTube bans robot fighting videos for animal cruelty roughly 10 years
too soon.
And here’s the article.
I can understand the first part of the ...
3
votes
2answers
53 views
What is the word to describe an action taken for ones self?
I was wondering what is the best way to describe an action taken for one's self without a negative, or positive connotation behind it?
Such as in the action of someone recusing themselves from an ...
1
vote
0answers
33 views
Using a verb like 'to finish' with different nouns
Here is an example:
I finished lunch.
I finished shower.
Why is 2 incorrect?
What is the difference between these two nouns that makes the grammar different?
1
vote
1answer
20 views
Is it correct to say Win-win lottery?
Is it correct to say Win-win lottery? It is meant the kind of lottery where you will get a prize anyway.
0
votes
1answer
40 views
Can I use 'global people' to say people from around the world?
I need to write a short sentence where I refer to people from all around the world. Can I use 'global people'? Or is it a totally different concept?
Thanks!
0
votes
1answer
36 views
What meaning does phrase “separate classes for boys and girls” carry
I was passing past a school where it said "separate classes for boys and girls", meaning separate classes for boys and separate classes for girls. Does this phrase "separate classes for boys and girls"...
0
votes
2answers
52 views
Meaning of the phrase “embedding theoretical knowledge into practice”?
So, I have been writing my application for a job, and I want to mention that I consider the job as an opportunity where I convert the theory I have learned in my study into practice (real work). In ...
0
votes
1answer
45 views
Meaning of earlier in “1 year ago, maybe earlier”
Someone told me this a while ago, but I always remember it cause I couldn't quite understand.
Does the "earlier" in the sentence "1 year ago, maybe earlier." means that it was prior to 1 year ago (...
1
vote
1answer
38 views
What does Affair means in “The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair” [on hold]
My question is about meaning of word "affair". Does it has a meaning of "case,deal" or "relations, love affair"
0
votes
1answer
48 views
“Valid through 2021” means until when?
If some validity period, say a promotion, specifies "valid through 2021", does that mean until Dec 31, 2021, or Jan 1, 2021?
This is in the USA, if this differs around the world.
0
votes
1answer
20 views
Testament of Youth meaning
In the famous autobiography 'Testament of Youth' by Vera Brittain, what the word 'Testament' means? Does it mean 'testimony', 'era', or 'pledge'/'promise'?
1
vote
1answer
53 views
what means “low ceilling means in ”The old man at the bridge"?
The line comes from The Old Man At The Bridge By Ernest Hemingway.Here is the line:
It was Easter Sunday and the Fascists were advancing toward the Ebro.It was a gray overcast day with a low ceiling ...
0
votes
1answer
31 views
Meaning of “controversy surrounding”
The controversy surrounding [something]
If there are 2 sides, 1 side supporting [something] and another side opposing [something], which side does it represent?
0
votes
0answers
21 views
use of Complementary in specific context
Whenever I used to read some academic books, I frequently read this sentence ""complementary value of each other meaning"". Like, if would put prefix to this sentence it will look like, Reliability ...
2
votes
1answer
183 views
What is exactly “This sounds like barn door statistics!”?
This sounds like barn door statistics!
How to understand this phrase?
-1
votes
2answers
50 views
Correct usage of 'proverbial'
Is it the correct usage of the word 'proverbial' to suggest to someone who is completely bald that they need to 'let their proverbial hair down'?
-5
votes
0answers
43 views
Drove my chevy to the levy, but the levy was dry [closed]
-come on people- Meaning follows the song i.e., the day the music died - in that the kids who went to the levy to listen to music (and make out) no longer had this music to listen too, the water(music)...
-2
votes
0answers
58 views
what mistakes are in this text .. maybe someone will help correct this text to a stupid Pole? [closed]
Because (incorrect) interpretation of the light analysis of several galaxies cannot be evidence the universe is expanding as Hubble figured it out (redshift).
Strange. Our cluster of galaxies, a ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
“to be to one’s account” as in “All costs shall be to the Customer’s account.” [on hold]
What is the meaning of "to be to one’s account"? It doesn't seem to be there in dictionaries.
0
votes
1answer
50 views
Can “literally” correctly describe something presented as not being literal? [duplicate]
Not that I expect to find English used correctly in spam email but I recently received a message with the following subject line:
This Literally “Scrubs” The Air In Your Home
I'm willing to accept ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
Is recepted a word?
I have been saying this for years, I think. I also thought I had heard it used before. However, today I used it in a sentence, and my spell checker under lined it.
The sentence(fragment) I wrote was:
...
0
votes
1answer
68 views
Meaning of the word “fold” in the sentence “Lamb astray from the fold” [closed]
Here's a extract from the fable "wolf and the lamb" from Aesop's Fables by George Townsend
Wolf, meeting with a lamb astray from the fold...
In the above sentence what is meant by "fold"? Is it a ...
0
votes
1answer
40 views
What are possible semantics of participle constructions?
Consider a participle constrution
A being B, C happens.
What are the possible semantic relations between the parts?
Which of them is/are the most likely one(s)?
And can one even be sure which ...
6
votes
2answers
186 views
“I like watching” vs “I like to watch” What's the difference?
Which of the two possibilities would native speakers more likely say when they watch a football (soccer or American) match from the comfort of their home?
What sport do you watch most on television?...
6
votes
3answers
867 views
Meaning and structure of headline “Hair it is: A List of …”
"Hair It Is: A List of Hair Words".
What are the rules for this header?
Why is the noun before it is?
Intuitively, I understand the meaning of this header. But please explain it for certainty.
1
vote
1answer
26 views
What this means: “that is very nuanced”
Does "very nuanced" mean "very different" in this sentence?
We are marrying the two up in a way that is very nuanced.
1
vote
0answers
34 views
What are the differences in sentence meaning caused by the placement of 'not' in these two sentences?
I'm translating a sentence of character dialogue from Japanese to English, and came up with two possible translations for the final sentence of the dialogue. Below is the translated dialogue.
"His ...
-2
votes
0answers
40 views
What means “work up over”? [closed]
Here is an example:
"If you get her worked up over something you are going to do with or
to her, follow through."
0
votes
2answers
80 views
Meaning of “e'er” in this sentence (sentences that start with e'er/ever)?
I am reading "Tristram Shandy" and as a non-native English speaker struggling very much to grasp the meaning of some sentences. Can someone help me with understanding the meaning of the following ...
0
votes
0answers
11 views
I Assume vs I think ( that ) … .? [closed]
What are the main difference/s in terms of their meaning and usage between saying " I Assume ( that ) ... ." and " I think ( that) ... ." ?
2
votes
2answers
74 views
Can proceed be used to mean an event that occurs after another?
I've been using the word "proceed" in a manner that I am now wondering if is correct. I use it to describe an event as having occurred after another in the following format:
"Event A proceeds Event B"...
0
votes
1answer
22 views
Save use in a sentance [closed]
when a person says: I am clear on Tuesday save between 9-10am and 3 -4pm. Is this person available in those time or NOT available?
0
votes
3answers
104 views
An English or French word that summarizes 'A very attractive or seductive looking woman' [closed]
I'm looking for a word (English or French) which summarizes 'A very attractive or seductive looking woman'. Also looking for a word or term that explains the Women Beauty.
Edit: Out of my research, I ...
0
votes
0answers
2 views
Continuous Past vs Continuous Past Perfect [migrated]
Well, guys, please consider the following:
When he arrived, he was repairing the bike.
When he arrived, he had been repairing the bike.
Which one is better? Or do they have their own senses?
0
votes
0answers
25 views
What does this piece in boldface mean given the context?
Italy's government tightened the laws on dealing with migrants, sharply increasing the fines that can be imposed on ngos that rescue people at sea and bring them to Italy without permission. The ...
