Questions tagged [meaning]
This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.
16,896
questions
0
votes
0
answers
8
views
"Within 7 working days upon arrival" vs. "of your arrival date"
Two questions
Is there any difference between the sentence "within 7 working days upon arrival" and "within 7 working of your arrival date"?
How do we count these 7 working days? ...
- 1
1
vote
1
answer
39
views
being nice vs. being kind [closed]
In the TV series Doctor Who, in his last episode 'Twice Upon a Time', the 12th doctor says:
Always try to be nice
and never fail to be kind.
full quote on wikiquote
What is the difference between ...
- 111
-1
votes
1
answer
60
views
Meaning of "harvesting your eyeballs via electronic mail"
A few years ago I subscribed to the "Little White Lies” newsletter and in their latest edition there is a sentence I don't understand:
We understand that, when it comes to harvesting your ...
- 1
-1
votes
1
answer
51
views
Meanings of "carriage" in Enola Holmes
The following conversation takes place near the beginning of the movie Enola Holmes
Mycroft: We didn't send for you silly girl, we sent for the carriage.
Did you at least bring it?
Enola: The ...
- 184
0
votes
0
answers
16
views
"Deploy in your way" or "Deploy your way"？ [closed]
Deploy in your way
or
Deploy your way
Which is correct? What I want to say here is to use your own method to deploy something into your computer.
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
15
views
Learning English : almost like this "where are you from ?" [migrated]
I have one question almost meaning like this "where are you coming from?" but not ask country or state or province, it is not long way long time. It is short way and just happening. It is ...
0
votes
3
answers
96
views
How to express a situation when a class teacher briefly and quickly mentions a section without full coverage
How to express a situation when a class teacher briefly and quickly mentions a section without full coverage.
What is the best word (verb & noun) for this situation. Is it called skim? This is ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
46
views
What's the meaning of "to outdraw" somebody? [closed]
In the lyrics of "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, there's one line that has been puzzled me for a long time:
Well, maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Was how to ...
0
votes
0
answers
33
views
Is "intellectually exacerbating" grammatically correct; and does it mean what I think it means?
Is "intellectually exacerbating" grammatically correct, and does it mean something along the lines of "making others stupider"? If it doesn't, what adjective can I use in lieu of ...
13
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Is "stife" a name for smoking cooking oil?
My parents and grandparents used to describe smoking cooking oil as "stife". Has anyone else heard of this? Perhaps I've spelt it wrong?
- 131
0
votes
0
answers
35
views
What could "Your talent is well noted" mean? [closed]
I'm an amateur voice over artist and I've sent my auditions to a few casting calls. There is one individual in particular whom I've asked for an update regarding my entry. This particular part in her ...
- 1
3
votes
5
answers
1k
views
How to talk about two different counts
In our scientific article, I have a sentence:
The numbers of residents and transients are constant over time.
I want to say that the number of resients is constant and the number of transients is ...
- 809
-1
votes
1
answer
35
views
What is the meaning of "partial cloaks"
What is the meaning of ""partial cloaks" in this sentence?
Partial cloaks that work like sophisticated camouflage -rather like the alien in the 1987 movie Predator — might be ...
0
votes
2
answers
42
views
What's the word for when two worlds coexist in the same space simultaneously but one is hidden or veiled from the other?
Consider how the wizarding world is hidden from the muggle world in the Harry Potter/ Wizarding World universe.
Or in Hell Boy II. The troll market is hidden under a bridge. Red can see it but it's ...
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
30
views
Is “actual” both a false friend and a cognate from Spanish to English?
English definition of “actual”:
existing in fact; typically as contrasted with what was intended, expected, or believed.
Spanish definition of “actual”:
current, present, contemporary
These are ...
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
65
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
3
votes
1
answer
95
views
When and where did 'hospice' in the sense of 'palliative care facility or program for the terminally ill' originate in English?
Merriam-Webster's Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, first edition (1898) has this entry for hospice:
Hospice, n. {F., fr. L. hospitium hospitality, place where strangers are entertained, fr. hospes ...
- 162k
0
votes
0
answers
14
views
“the room whose door is broken” vs “the room which door is broken”? [migrated]
Which exactly is the difference in meaning and usage between choosing whose versus choosing which in this first sentence?
He chose to live in the room [ which / whose ] door was broken.
How do these ...
- 9
0
votes
1
answer
33
views
Meaning of a complex word [closed]
What do you understand when you see a board "Intelligentsia Confluence" in front of a hall in an educational institution?
- 1
1
vote
1
answer
68
views
The meaning of "The paradox of courage is that a man must be a little careless of his life even in order to keep it." — G. K. Chesterton
I recently came across this quote by G. K. Chesterton.
The paradox of courage is that a man must be a little careless of his life even in order to keep it.
(Note that the version I initially saw ...
10
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Etymologically, how did 'outrage' get 're-analyzed'?
Wiktionary:
From... Old French... oultrage (“excess”)... derived from Latin ultrā (“beyond”). Later reanalysed as out- + rage, whence the contemporary pronunciation, though neither of these is ...
- 819
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
1
answer
66
views
Galloping incompetence & galloping ineptitude
Is it correct to use "galloping" as a synonym of "extreme"? For example, I often see "galloping incompetence" and "galloping ineptitude".
But Merriam Webster's ...
- 103
4
votes
1
answer
447
views
Meaning of "swindle" in "…while four to five days in London would be suitable to swindle across the streets" [closed]
I came across this sentence in a blog. Is the 'swindle' being used correctly? If yes, what does it mean in this sentence?
In most cases, three to four days in Paris would be enough to skim through ...
- 41
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
-1
votes
0
answers
21
views
Games people play [migrated]
Eric Berne wrote his famous book ”Games People Play.”
Has this title other meaning than People play games?
- 501
-1
votes
0
answers
13
views
Meaning of "not without parts" [closed]
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XIX, published 1892)
Passage 298
Such was our first interview, the first of many; and in all he showed the same attractive ...
- 219
-2
votes
2
answers
80
views
What's the meaning of "jolly weezer" on the show WW2BAM?
A TV presenter of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" lamented it would be a "jolly weezer" if the man made less than his wife on a game show. What did he mean?
0
votes
0
answers
10
views
Meaning of "the usual 'get to know you' banter" [migrated]
What exactly does "'get to know you' banter" mean in this phrase:
Emma arrives. Their dialogue consists primarily of the usual “get to know you” banter.
- 1
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
0
votes
0
answers
23
views
Is 'bold' used correctly here? "This aspect of this issue seems bolder than the rest." [migrated]
I've been having a little bit of a debate with one of my friends about the correct use of a word. I hope the native English speakers can help me put an end to this :)
I know the word "bold" ...
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
61
views
"Ay me" origins and usage?
I have been recently reading Romeo and Juliet, and towards the beginning of the balcony scene, Juliet says
Ay me.
What does this phrase mean and when was it first created/used?
- 103
0
votes
1
answer
88
views
What does "gadget" really mean?
In finding this article, I questioned my understanding of the word 'gadget'.
My current understanding is the word is (and please let me know in your answer if I'm right or wrong on this one) ...
- 103
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
0
votes
2
answers
114
views
What meaning of "off" is used in "bedrooms off the hallway"?
I've read some description of certain house design as below:
Living and dining rooms are towards the front with kitchens to the rear, with bedrooms either off the hallway or upstairs if it's a two-...
- 119
23
votes
2
answers
4k
views
“I am fourteen past”
"My name is Helena, and I am fourteen past."
I found the line in My New Home by Mrs. Molesworth. I don't know what it means, and why it ends with past.
I know time expressions like “Half ...
-1
votes
2
answers
81
views
Is there a word for the ability to communicate in a manner that makes it easy to be empathised?
To "empathize" with someone means to
"understand and share the feelings of another" (Oxford dictionary).
In science fiction, an "empath" is
"a person with the ...
- 139
0
votes
0
answers
24
views
what does the word "another" refers to in the sentence : "he could not forget or pardon a lapse in another"? [migrated]
I am quoting from The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Second Stain, by Arthur Conan Doyle : “Mr. Holmes, I will tell you everything,” cried the lady. “Oh, Mr. Holmes, I would cut off my right hand ...
- 775
1
vote
0
answers
56
views
Would not 'armistice' be a better word to use than 'pause' in present discussions of 'ceasefire'?
In the current situation, there are calls for a 'ceasefire' and calls for a 'pause'.
Humanitarian pauses and ceasefires – what are the differences?
Chatham House org
But there exists a better word ...
- 25.6k
4
votes
3
answers
889
views
What does 'that looks about it' mean?
(I'm South Korean, so non-native question here.)
I saw the sentence 'that looks about it'.
Does it mean that something is seemingly almost done?
I searched this expression on google but I couldn't ...
- 41
5
votes
1
answer
158
views
When did the word 'palatable' start being used for not-related-to-food things?
I'm trying to trace back the etymology of 'palatable', but what I'm really looking for is the process of semantic expression over time. When did the word begin to be used to speak of things unrelated ...
- 59
0
votes
2
answers
106
views
What is the difference between "Chinese-Canadian" and "Canadian-Chinese"?
What is the difference between a "Chinese-Canadian" and a "Canadian-Chinese"?
Do I understand correctly that the first part of such phrases will show the origin of a person, and ...
- 13
2
votes
0
answers
40
views
“Core” as the name of a class in school
When I was in middle school (roughly ages 10–13 years old) in the US in the early 1970s, they combined English—or what might now be called language arts—with social studies into a single class that ...
- 2,059
6
votes
4
answers
968
views
What is the difference between “To every action” and “For every action”?
Here are two statements:
The first statement is: To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.
The second statement is: For every action there is always an equal and opposite ...
16
votes
4
answers
2k
views
What does "make the Iacke go" mean?
The introduction to the first folio has the phrase "make the Iacke go." The I is almost certainly a J, but I don't recognise the word/name Jacke. What could it mean?
The text is given here ...
- 2,475
0
votes
1
answer
458
views
What does "1C18" mean? [closed]
In Raymond Williams's Keywords (pdf here), one can read:
Culture as an independent noun, an abstract process or the product of
such a process, is not important before 1C18 and is not common before
...
- 127
0
votes
0
answers
89
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
1
vote
2
answers
93
views
Is it idiomatic to say "call of the blood"?
I've been struggling with this one...
I'm trying to figure out whether it's okay to use the expression "call of the blood" to describe the phenomenon of doing something naturally (or coming ...
- 11
0
votes
0
answers
42
views
How to distinguish these two senses of characteristic or attribute?
There are two different senses in which we use the word "attribute"; for example, I can describe someone as "blond", which is a hair color. We say "blond" is a ...
- 41
0
votes
1
answer
53
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 ...
