Questions tagged [meaning]
This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.
16,359
questions
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What does the acronym DAO mean in the book Clean Code? [closed]
I am reading a book called Clean Code. Although it is actually in Portuguese (translated) there are some code samples which aren't translated, so I don't know the meaning of the acronym "DAO&...
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2
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1
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75
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How is Dickens using 'as' in ' ... he didn’t know **as** anybody could say how it was ...'?
Well, he couldn’t say how it was; he didn’t know as anybody could say how it was; all he know’d was, that so it was.
(Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens, Chapter 12)
Lexico lists three parts of speech ...
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2
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363
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What does Jesse Stuart mean by "weaker devour the stronger"? [closed]
When I was reading the short story Love by Jesse Stuart, I came across this sentence,
the weaker devour stronger even among human beings.
Can the weak really devour the strong? I think it would make ...
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1
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26
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"after all I have seen" vs "after I have seen all"
After all I have seen, I know but one thing.
After I have seen all, I know but one thing.
For me, these two sentences mean the same thing. Could there be any difference?
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Meaning of the verb "set" (in Mathematics) [closed]
I am reading a math book And I have come across this verb (set) many times in this book. I have searched all online dictionaries But because this verb has a special meaning (I think so) in mathematics,...
40
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4
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Does "300-odd pages" mean "about 300 pages" or "somewhat more than 300 pages"?
I've always understood the adjective -odd used in combination to mean about, as in "She read 300-odd pages and then stopped." After reading a comment by Edwin Ashworth in another question (&...
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Why is the sentence structured this way?
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
I need a little clarification on ...
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334
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What does "Please find the attached for the completed application form" mean?
I was filling an online application form, then after filling out and clicking "submit this information", the following message appeared:
Please find the attached for the completed ...
1
vote
2
answers
104
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Is using "abysmal" and "lack" in this sentence ambiguous?
I had recently come across a sentence that said,
The lack of representation for LGBTQ people and women of color is abysmal.
Page 241 of Broken Horses, by Brandi Carlile.
Considering that the rest of ...
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3
votes
0
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Do dictionaries disfavor "disfavor"?
A question on ELU asked for A word for making an event more likely or less likely and I proposed the verb pair favor/disfavor in an answer, with these examples:
For example, in the case of the Ising ...
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85
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What does "arse-knit" mean?
In Alan Hollinghurst's 2004 novel The Line of Beauty, winner of the 2004 Man Booker Prize, there appears the term arse-knit. What does it mean?
In context, it seems to be some kind of uncomfortable ...
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355
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What does "heraldic cognisance" mean in this paragraph?
Neither party would listen to the antiquaries who delivered learned lectures in the neighbourhood, showing the Bleeding Heart to have been the heraldic cognisance of the old family to whom the ...
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1
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54
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What is the definition and origin of the phrase "force the straits"?
I've seen the phrase used often in information about the WWI Gallipoli campaign ("forcing the straits" or "force the Dardanelles").
I know what force means (power, or using power ...
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64
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What does "the Godfather Break of Day was peeping at its namesake" mean?
When he started up, the Godfather Break of Day was peeping at its namesake. He rose, took his shoes in his hand, turned the key in the door with great caution, and crept downstairs.
(Little Dorrit by ...
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0
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What do you mean by, "Please schedule a meeting by [date]"? [duplicate]
Should I schedule a meeting ON or WITHIN the specified date?
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1
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53
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Can you "finish" something because you don't plan to do it?
Q: "Have you finished washing the car?"
A: "I don't plan to wash the car, so yes, I am finished washing the car."
Is this appropriate usage of the word "finish", or is it ...
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1
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73
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What does "national" mean in this paragraph?
John Baptist, staring at him with eyes opened to their utmost width, made a number of those national, backhanded shakes of the right forefinger in the air, as if he were resolved on negativing ...
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1
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A question about outdated English grammar [closed]
So, basically I've been having this argument with my English teacher about this one grammar question. She wrote "I haven't any money" on the board and I told her that "I haven't any ...
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1
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45
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Meaning of "stay way in droves" [closed]
What does "stay way in droves" mean in the context of this passage? I cannot find a suitable definition from Oxford.
GARY: I would welcome any comments either you or other participants
have ...
2
votes
0
answers
108
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Is "thus forth" valid English, and if so, what does it mean?
Is "thus forth" valid English, and if so, what does it mean? Searching through Google, this can be found in place of therefore and thenceforth/henceforth, but I don't see any specific ...
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2
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172
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What is Dickens’ “fly-catcher”?
This is a passage from Dickens’ Little Dorrit, chapter 11. Emphasised words relate to the question below.
‘Ah Heaven, then,’ said she. ‘When the boat came up from Lyons, and brought the news that the ...
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1
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What does the phrase "be matched by GitHub" mean? [closed]
You can also sponsor the work of LaTeX team members through the GitHub sponsor program at the moment for Frank, David and Joseph. Your contribution will be matched by GitHub in the first year and goes ...
4
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2
answers
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What does "a tall question" mean?
During a talk, I heard the expression "this is a tall question".
May someone explain what does it mean?
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What's the word for someone who consistently replies to positive statements in a contrarian manner? [duplicate]
An example of this would be,
"I like [x]."
And, unprompted, the other party replies,
"I don't like [x], I think [y] about it and that's what makes it bad."
They persist to find ...
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1
vote
1
answer
66
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What is the exact meaning of 'give me a pair of'? [closed]
Does a pair always means '2 of something' or can it be used more generically to indicate 'a few of something'? What is the exact amount indicated by 'a pair'?
Is there a different meaning whether a ...
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vote
2
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218
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What is the difference between Ghost and Apparition?
I'm stuck at getting the clear and sharp difference between these two words. WikiDiff says:
As nouns the difference between apparition and ghost is that apparition is an act of becoming visible; ...
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30
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the meaning of "yet" in the quote
Could you please explain "yet" at the end of the following quote?
"Perhaps the mystery is a little too plain," said Dupin."Oh,
good heavens! who ever heard of such an idea?&...
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0
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42
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What does honey hustler means?
Hi I am not native english speaker. I just wanna know what does mean when girl says about herself she is honey hustler. Especialy when she is like postitute or former prn actress. Thank you for your ...
4
votes
1
answer
322
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Crenellated or Castellated
I read an article today. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60767454 It used the word "crenellated". I thought I knew the word "castellated", but I'm getting more confused.
...
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32
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What is the meaning of "We should complete it by this weekend"? [duplicate]
We assume that Saturday and Sunday are the weekend, so I am confused about the meaning of "by this weekend".
If for example in a sentence: "We should still complete the paper by this ...
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1
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42
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What does "less than five years of their year of manufacture" mean? [closed]
I'm doing my research to import a vehicle to my country. Vehicle Manufacture Year/month is 2006/12 and Registration
Year/month is 2007/2. The vehicle import regulation of my country states the ...
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votes
1
answer
201
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Meaning of elevator stack?
So when the word spread that Lila Mae had been assigned the 18-deep
elevator stack in the Fanny Briggs Memorial Building (18-deep!), a
career-making case for any inspector, few were surprised and ...
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1
answer
32
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what exactly happened to the sorcerer? [closed]
I don't understand the meaning of 'broken into' in this sentence. what exactly happened to the sorcerer? The sentences from the end of the THE BRONZE RING story, and i think it talks about punishment ...
0
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0
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What does "bring a human face" mean in this context? [duplicate]
The global financial crisis had brought a human face to structural wealth and income inequality in Anglo-American countries (as Thomas Piketty documented in his book Capital in the 21st Century), and ...
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vote
2
answers
293
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Interpretation of sentence in introduction of “When we were very young” [closed]
I've been reading When We Were Very Young by A.A.Milne and stumbled upon this sentence in the Introduction, when the author raises the topic of who is “saying” the verses in the volume of poems:
I ...
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1
answer
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Meaning of “but” in the context
I was reading an article and ran into this phrase. Why “there is impact” is doubled in the end? Is it kind of emphasis of the phrase?
In Western nations, there is much talk presently about the need ...
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1
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32
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Does "multiple" have a special meaning within the context of industry?
I just came across this unusual usage of the word "multiple" in two separate articles about Daimler's name change and it got me wondering if it has some industry-specific meaning.
Example 1 (...
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1
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35
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What's the meaning of "bring a human face to"?
The global financial crisis had brought a human face to structural wealth and income inequality in Anglo-American countries.
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0
answers
25
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A word for creepiness without reason? [duplicate]
What would be one word for a deep-rooted, unsettling fear at a creepy place without any particular reason, just an unfounded, instinctive and unnatural feeling that something is not right, something ...
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1
answer
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What is the proper meaning of this sentence? Please explain this briefly [closed]
In a Batman(2022) movie, in public memorial for mayor,there is a announcement that
"As a reminder, the family asked that those wishing to honor the
mayor's memory... consider a donation to the ...
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1
answer
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People who extract raw materials [closed]
People who extract raw materials from the ground are called what
0
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0
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25
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A word for a feeling of instinctive and unfounded fear to the observer has no foresight into? [duplicate]
What would be one word for a deep-rooted, unsettling fear at a creepy place without any particular reason, just an unfounded, instinctive and unnatural feeling that something is not right, something ...
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2
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62
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"deep run" - what does it mean?
In "a deep run" seen in the sentences below, what does "run" mean?
a chance at making a deep run in the tournament
Panama did not appear poised for a deep run
they were usually ...
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1
answer
68
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What is the difference between fixation and preservation?
I'm currently doing some translations and I found one phrase that is being specially difficult:
"After being fixed with formalin, the specimens were preserved in ethyl alcohol."
Even after ...
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0
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Does "later" ever unambiguously refer to an unspecified time in the future?
I'm wondering about whether the meaning of "later" always can mean "later today" or if it may sometimes clearly have the meaning of an unspecified time in the future, such as a ...
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1
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36
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Is the condition '[a value] reduces to [number]' fulfilled when the value reduces to less than the number?
I am trying to deduce the nuances of the titular language for the purposes of a logic puzzle. To illustrate the specifics of the question, the following situation is provided.
Item A has a price of 40....
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0
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What is "sylthane" in the context of a "sylthane bag"?
Frederick Forsyth's novel Icon makes reference to a "sylthane bag" in the possession of a British character.
The context suggests that this is a small plastic bag of some form, but sylthane ...
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1
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What does "styled themselves of his connection" mean?
But when those of the inhabitants who styled themselves of his connection became acquainted with him.
The Distracted Preacher, Thomas Hardy
What does the term "styled themselves of his ...
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1
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Interpretation of Lincoln's speech Second Inaugural Address "as was said three thousand years ago",
What does the phrase "as was said three thousand years ago" mean in Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address?
Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's two ...
1
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1
answer
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Meaning of "whip’s gotta be full-on European luxury" [closed]
I would like to know the meaning of "whip’s gotta be full-on European luxury" in the context below. Is it something like: the car is going to be full of European luxury goods?
The minute I ...
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