Questions tagged [meaning]
This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.
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Difference between sentence structures and syntactic patterns?
I was reading a website that
Sentence structure is the order of all the parts in a sentence: subject, predicate, objects, phrases, punctuation, etc.
And on the next page was
syntactic patterns are ...
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What is the meaning of "explicit" here? (Source: Focus on Vocabulary 2)
What does "explicit" mean here?
The second kind of food-place category includes foods that may have originated with a traditional recipe in a particular place, but which over time have ...
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2
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What's the origin and first meanings of the term "grand piano"?
I'm specifically looking for the meaning attached to the adjective "grand" by those who first used it to apply to the earliest musical instrument which is a type of pianoforte where the ...
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Definition of 'Person' vs definition of 'person'. Capital P vs lowercase p [closed]
Wanting to know what the definition of 'Person' vs the definition of 'person', the difference being one is capitalized and one is in lowercase.
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meaning of 'parallel' in relation to time
The temporal definition of parallel, according to the Oxford Dictionary of English, courtesy of Google is
occurring or existing at the same time or in a similar way;
corresponding.
I have always ...
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Meaning of "literary and argumentative artisans and repulsive coquetry with them" [closed]
The following text is from a letter written by Mikhail Bakunin (1814-1876). I don't know exactly when it was translated into English, but I'm quoting directly from a book published in 1917 or 1918. I'...
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Does the word "spoils" include cattle?
I have a text about a king from the Old Testament. God commanded him not to take any of the possessions of the tribe he was fighting against, but he kept for himself a small share. He kept
the best ...
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"In sober fact" meaning
What does "in sober fact" mean.
I know that "in fact", is used to emphasize the truth of something, especially when it may seem contrary.
However, adding sober must somehow change ...
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2
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, which have helped to feed [closed]
Satellites track weather patterns and measure the effectiveness of
farming methods and innovations in agriculture, which have helped to
feed millions more than we could have dreamed possible before ...
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1
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Meaning of "Carrying water to the cat" [closed]
In Don Quixote Chaper VIII there is a scene where Quixote and a Biscayan squire are about to get into an altercation. The Biscayan warns:
"..if though droppest lance and drawest sword, soon ...
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When did the term "mental gymnastics" start being used in a negative context?
I remember using the term "mental gymnastics" during message board arguments in the early 2000's. I'm curious if it changed it's meaning around that time.
I do not think I originated ...
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Vignette vs. Scene
Can a vignette take place inside a scene in a movie, or must 'scene' and 'vignette' be separate from one another when describing?
In the film-making process, the 'scene' has been described as the most ...
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3
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The word for a serious situation that doesn't look it [closed]
Is there a term or word for a very serious situation that doesn't look serious, like a situation that needs or should have been attended to as early as possible but wasn't, because it doesn't seems ...
2
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1
answer
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as much + something + as anything
In a lecture I heard, the speaker talked about a chapter in John Maynard Keynes's book, and then he said on that chapter,
I think you’ll find you’ll get as much wisdom from reading that as anything ...
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What was the meaning of this unusual version of "natural" in the early 1970's?
I just want to say off the bat that I can speculate really well myself, was culturally adjacent, and am pretty good with the language. So if you don't have more or novel information on this subject ...
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Meaning of "blunk"
Wordle accepts "blunk" as a correct word, but neither Google Translate nor ChatGPT give a translation.
ChatGPT:
If "blunk" is a valid choice in Wordle, then it might be an English ...
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"So I say" after you've said something [closed]
I'm wondering about this after listening to the song "Harpy Hare" by Yaelokre.
Lyrics go:
Harpy Hare, where have you buried all your children?
Tell me so I say
Harpy Hare, where have you ...
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What's the origin of the colloquial "peachy", "simply peachy", and "just peachy"?
I found a few connotations of how the slang "peachy" is used:
Vocabulary.com: #1: very good [non sarcastic]:
If you're unhappy, it's usually best to be honest about it, rather than ...
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3
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Meaning of “ ’thwart” in a 19th century poem
What does 'thwart mean in this poem by Caroline Elizabeth Sarah Norton? The poem is titled ‘A Destiny’:
Shame, like a marble statue at his door,
Flung her ’thwart shadow o’er his threshold stone;
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What does "close" mean in the phrase: "close a tooth pick between the jamb and the door"?
I found the sentence on quora.com but I cannot figure out the exact meaning of it, specifically the meaning of the verb "close".
If you come home feeling like someone was in your home ...
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"Seller" - is this noun used for an actor (someone who sells) or an undergoer (item that is being sold)?
The word "seller" is used when describing a salesperson, but "bestseller" is used when describing an item (usually a book) that is being SOLD in large quantities.
Could you please ...
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How to tell the difference of "echo", "resonate", and "strike a chord"? Do native speakers often use these three word together? [closed]
I read a short passage and confused by the usage of these three words. Here's the passage.
A Ukrainian woman posted on Xiaohongshu(a lifestyle social media platform in China) a picture of her looking ...
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"Tickle your ass with a feather" joke?
So I heard a joke about how one man taught another how to bring woman home. He said:
"you casually walk up to a woman and ask her: 'tickle your ass with a feather?' If she gets offended, just ...
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What does "hypothecate" mean? [closed]
I was asked to look over a draft "power of attorney" for things like incorrect names. In it was the following paragraph:
2.1 Property: To purchase, receive, take possession of, lease, sell,...
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2
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Bad to Badly, please help
What is it called when you change bad to badly? Bad is an adjective and badly is an adverb. What is the process of changing from an adjective to an adverb called? Is it conjugation?
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“Diamond White“
Claire Douglas, The Girls who Disappeared, 2022, p. 1
Sally’s voice was high, excitable and a little slurred as she recalled the moment Mal had bought her a Diamond White.
A group of British girls ...
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What does it mean when you address someone as "Sunshine"?
What does it mean when someone says "sunshine" to you when they address you? For example: "You are my Sunshine."
Thanks, Theo.
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What is “were’t”?
What is were’t in “Were’t ought to me I bore the canopy” from Shakespeare's sonnet 125?
Is it the same as weren't?
Were’t aught to me I bore the canopy,
With my extern the outward honouring,
Or laid ...
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What does 'categorical denial' mean, and where does it originate?
categorical denial —
Is this in fact a term with logic roots, applied to daily use?
I thought it meant something like:
placed in a specific, simple, logical category, thus easily dismissed and ...
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What is the origin of "source" as in "source code"?
There are currently two major interpretations that I have learned:
As in "source vs. destination" sense, in contrast to object/machine code
As in "original", e.g. the compiled ...
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Can you call inanimate things "perspicacious"? [closed]
I learned the word "perspicacious" a while ago, but I think I might be using it incorrectly. Recently, I tried to use it in writing to say
He wrote a perspicacious report on . . .
But ...
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What's the difference between fatally, mortally, and gravely wounded? [closed]
I came over three words in a particular case where I feel that there's no real difference. Here's the three variants of the sentence:
He was fatally wounded.
He was gravely wounded.
He was mortally ...
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What is exact meaning for "as" in "as in duty bound"?
Everyone, my question is on the post title. I am sure the "as" is a conj., but I am expecting the exact meaning it conveys. Can somebody help?
I will as in duty bound, honestly and ...
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but Ireland has ever been a shipwreck coast
This sentence found in Colleen McCullough’s The Thorn Birds (1977) has been throwing me off:
His nose was magnificent, a true Roman nose which must have puzzled
his Irish confreres, but Ireland has ...
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What does "I them" mean in "I have 6 grandchildren that are not blood relatives who have always loved me as their grandpa and I them"? [duplicate]
What does the second part of the sentence, "and I them." mean?
Is it grammatically correct? Please explain.
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In this example do the square brackets mean Mexican was the original word and not addict? "the addict [read Mexican]"
... The suppression of traffic in a drug which makes the addict [read Mexican] frequently a dangerous or homicidal maniac.
In this example, do the square brackets mean Mexican was the original word ...
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In saying "how things ought to be how they ought to be..." is the use of "ought to be" redundant? [closed]
Below is a quote from Herbert Simon (italics his, not mine)-
"...the designer, is concerned with how things ought to be how they ought to be in order to attain goals, and to function."
How ...
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"To put the copestone on something", meaning, literary synonyms
The expression "to put the copestone on something" is found in Wuthering Heights", a novel written by Emily Brontë.
On opening the little door, two hairy monsters flew at my throat, ...
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meaning of to drive out between trains
I am reading Edith Wharton's famous 'Afterward' (1910).
Which is a struggle for me since many of her sentences and words are beyond my understanding. (English is not my native language)
Anyway, today'...
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Is "farfel" an idiolectical quirk/part of a familect?
My whole life, my family has used "farfel" to refer to anything small, unwanted, usually fabric-based, and out of place (i.e., on the floor; not in the trash). Lint, a few millimeters of ...
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Historical use of "reading" for Transportation
Seen in a print advertisement for D. & C. Line, dated 1914:
YOUR RAILROAD TICKETS, reading between Detroit and Buffalo or Detroit and Cleveland, are available for transportation on D. & C. ...
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Need an accessible explanation on nitty-gritty details of how semantical distinction between count vs uncount nouns works in English
Sorry if this question has been answered before, I have been unable to find anything remotely adequate on this website.
What I want: to learn patterns that allow to be better at guessing (and/or ...
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What does ´added twist´ mean? [duplicate]
in the sentence :
He performed his experiments with patients , this time with an added twist . it differs from ´with a twist´
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What is a Word for the Repetition of a Theme Song throughout a Show [duplicate]
What is a word to describe the theme song of a show, such as a movie or cartoon, in which it recurs often, but in a toned-down mode such as played softly by a single horn or string instrument. The ...
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Deck as verb and the accompanying preposition
As per Cambridge dictionary and others, the word 'deck' in its verb form means to decorate or add something to something to make an effect: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/deck
...
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What is the meaning of "sutting "?
On Netflix, I came across the word sutting while watching a British series called Supacell. It seems that the actor was talking about a gun. Unfortunately, I haven't found its meaning in any ...
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Can anyone explain the meaning of "as an old fisherman used to say when I was a boy not so very long ago, ..." [closed]
I read a novel, there is one sentence I cannot understand:
And he slapped the little bunny's back and gave a hop, skip and jump to one side, and then laughed some more, for he was as happy as a clam ...
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The presence of "the" in the sentence of "Find all (the) indices of the ' ' character in a string" [duplicate]
Find all the indices of the ' ' characters in a string.
Find all indices of the ' ' characters in a string.
Do these two sentences have any difference?
Which one is it if one is more natural than the ...
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The meaning of ''as also'' in the given paragraph?
Pakistan Nationals as also "persons resident outside Pakistan" holding Pakistani securities
desirous of sending or taking out the Pakistani securities not covered under the succeeding ...
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Harry Vandiver's comment on the infinitude of Wilson primes
Wilson primes are prime numbers that meet a specific criterion. Only three such numbers are known: 5, 13, and 563.
In Paulo Ribenboim's book "My Numbers, My Friends: Popular Lectures on Number ...
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