Questions tagged [meaning]
This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.
15,232
questions
0
votes
4answers
62 views
Maybe vs Probably? There is a lot of confusion [closed]
Maybe/Might = >0% something will occur
Probably = It is likely something will occur
Why does saying "probably" imply more confidence than "maybe/might" if both imply that ...
-1
votes
0answers
26 views
meaning of“should have condemned his action”
Does "should have condemned his action" here mean "Spiritualist should have condemned his action ( Making every allowance for the difficulty of distinguishing) but they didn't it" ...
2
votes
4answers
329 views
What's the meaning of “wrought”, “in its own right” and “in legal system after legal system” in the following sentence?
I have a hard time interpreting the meaning of "wrought", "in its own right" and "legal system after legal system" in the following sentence.
That inquiry is important ...
1
vote
1answer
31 views
What “the ceiling was too high to make out,” means [closed]
I was reading Harry Potter and the Philopher Stone when I came across this sentence
"the ceiling was too high to make out,"
What does "make out" stood for in this context? (In this ...
0
votes
1answer
27 views
what does “taken refuge in wilful imposture” mean?
what does "taken refuge in wilful imposture" mean?
If Slade ever really did this, it may
probably be accounted for by a burst of ill-timed levity on his part in
seeking to fool a certain ...
0
votes
3answers
32 views
While <A was happening>, <B happened>
Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
The tree was slender compared to other weirwoods he had seen, no more
than a sapling, yet it was growing as he watched, its limbs thickening
as they reached for ...
0
votes
1answer
28 views
“A ten minute interview” vs “An interview of ten minutes” [duplicate]
I remember my English professor saying that these two sentences are quite different in meaning, but after four months, I cannot recall the exact difference. Can somebody explain to me what's the ...
0
votes
1answer
23 views
What is the meaning of “unqualified gain”?
What is the meaning of "an unqualified gain" in context of the following sentence?
For environmental advocates, the increased focus on ecoefficiency (measures to reduce negative ...
2
votes
1answer
386 views
meaning of a sentence in movie Headlock
Please help me to understand sentence '' Youāre a gnatās ass away from having this conversation behind bars.'' to in the following dialog in movie ''Headlock'' (about minute 26 to 27).
PETER TO TESS: ...
4
votes
1answer
109 views
What does safety-valve mean in terms of a “safety-valve caporegime” in Godfather?
I recently came across some terminology in the Godfather novel and do not understand the exact meaning behind the word. The appropriate quote from the novel is:
...The first person he called was Luca ...
0
votes
1answer
48 views
Does “having” a child refer to when the child was conceived, or to the time of their birth?
If I was conceived during a romantic vacation in Paris but was born some months later in Ohio, would it be right to say "my parents had me in Paris" or "my parents had me in Ohio"? ...
0
votes
2answers
40 views
Verb + Suffix āIonā as noun
I've been wondering on the usage of the suffix -ion and what it means if put at the end of a verb.
I notice that oftentimes it means the process/ action of the verb.
Examples: Transformation, ...
0
votes
0answers
53 views
I've just discovered that “spuriative” isn't a real word. What word am I mistaking this for?
I've just discovered that "spuriative" doesn't exist in English, despite having quite a firm definition for it in my head. I've even used this word in spoken conversation to many English ...
1
vote
2answers
50 views
it was best not considered
Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
Soon they were high enough so that looking down was best not
considered. There was nothing below but yawning blackness, nothing
above but moon and stars.
The ...
2
votes
1answer
62 views
Are the Africans brought over from the Transatlantic Slave Trade considered “immigrants”? [closed]
Are the Africans brought over from the Transatlantic Slave Trade considered "immigrants"? Although I realize that they are forced to come to the US against their own wills, the definition of ...
-2
votes
0answers
30 views
What does “enlarged conception of space” mean?
What does "enlarged conception of space" mean?
Zollner gave a dignified reply to the supposition that he was tricked in these cord-tying experiments: "If, nevertheless, the foundation ...
0
votes
0answers
19 views
Usage of 'there'
'There will be no produce if we are not there.'
Can the clause 'If we are not there' be used to mean 'If we don't exist/survive' in the sentence?
Would it be semantically correct?
Would it be in line ...
1
vote
0answers
31 views
bobbing their hats at the chapel doors (author's use of the word)
I'm having a really hard time understanding this phrase (from Iris Murdoch's story "Something Special"):
āDonāt start on that thing again,ā said her mother. āSamās a nice young fellow, and ...
1
vote
0answers
18 views
Where vs. In places where
He built cathedrals in places where there were no cathedrals. The New Yorker
Many Medicare patients live in places where only one H.M.O. The New York Times
What is the trait you most deplore in others?...
0
votes
0answers
18 views
Does “screen” here refer to something like “net bed” or not?
Does "screen" here refer to something like "net bed" or not?
Doesn't it refer to a "Folding screen"?
which one is true?
While some slate writing was going on, a bed, ...
0
votes
1answer
27 views
What's the meaning of buzziest in this context? [duplicate]
This is the context:
Seasoned travellers, especially the sort that jet around the globe clutching laptops, know that certain words are to be avoided like the plague. This is because those who choose ...
0
votes
1answer
84 views
Is there a correct answer to this 12th Grade English question, listed below?
This was published on BuzzFeed as a supposedly 12th Grade English question
Should you change this sentence to make it grammatically correct?
"We took shelter in the middle of the night when my ...
0
votes
3answers
28 views
Authority vs Cerification vs Credentials [closed]
I want to know the difference of these three words (Authority, Certification, Credentials)
I search about these on dictionary, but It is difficuit for me
Can you describe the proper usage?
As far as I ...
0
votes
3answers
55 views
What's the meaning of buzziest? [closed]
This is the context:
"Seasoned travellers, especially the sort that jet around the globe clutching laptops, know that certain words are to be avoided like the plague. This is because those who ...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
How to interpret “only” in sentences?
I have hard time understanding how to interpret "only" in sentences. Consider the following statements:
"Only on Saturdays I play football".
Can I interpret this as "If I ...
0
votes
1answer
30 views
Are “to be unselfconscious” and “to lack self-consciousness” completely synonymous?
As an expert non-native speaker, I can sense a slight difference in the two expressions, in that "being unselfconscious" can be used in a positive sense, whereas "lacking self-...
0
votes
0answers
45 views
Difference between potential and power
I am not so sure about the difference in the meaning of "power" and "potential" and when would I rather use one over the other.
For that, I have tried to put them in some sentences ...
0
votes
1answer
53 views
Explain the structure of this sentence: āSegway will be to the car what the car was to the horse and buggy."
Dean Kamen, the inventor of Segway, ever said:
Segway will be to the car what the car was to the horse and buggy.
It seems to me that the structure of this sentence is āSegway will be (something1) ...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
Meaning of the phrase “opining from the rafters, a movieās overall rating”
Can anyone kindly explain the meaning of phrase "opining from the rafters, a movieās overall rating" in the following sentence:
Very few veteran critics tend to be enamored of the recent ...
-1
votes
0answers
23 views
Does “lower part” refer to the “lower part of Dr. Slade's body”?
Does "lower part" refer to the "lower part of Dr. Slade's body"?
A chair opposite to me was raised some eighteen inches from the floor; my slate was taken out of my hand, and ...
-1
votes
0answers
14 views
What does “academics” mean in this sentence?
The interview usually takes place in an academics' tutorial rooms.
Does "academics" mean a higher education institution or a higher education program?
0
votes
2answers
36 views
What's a word for someone who needs to always be flustered about something? [duplicate]
A word for a person who if left in an impossibly perfect environment, would find a way to be upset with how perfect it was.
Someone who will invent issues to be offended about. Someone who is never ...
1
vote
0answers
23 views
Can I write this about eyes?
I looked into her egocentric eyes and told her to get lost.
Is it okay to use this kind of adjective before eyes? thanks
0
votes
1answer
36 views
Does“ domestic life” means “in his house”?what does "absence of regard for 'conditions' mean?
Does" domestic life" means "in his house"?what does "absence of regard for 'conditions' mean?
he did not pay attention to conditions or he did not set conditions, which one is ...
0
votes
1answer
26 views
What does “buglike sunglasses” refer to?
I'm reading "Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal" by "Nick Bilton"
There is a line that describes one of characters sunglasses as "buglike ...
-2
votes
1answer
30 views
What is the 'traffic thunder'?
Please let me know what 'traffic thunder' means!!!
Here is the whole sentence.
On a bridge in the busy shopping district of Causeway Bay, a popular spot for pro-democracy protests over the past year, ...
-2
votes
1answer
88 views
What is meant by “web” in words “world wide web”? [closed]
Dictionaries provide a description of the word depending on the specific context.
Cambridge Dictionary, Collins Dictionary
Each word has its own meaning. And when you collect a few words in a heap, ...
0
votes
1answer
35 views
What's the difference between a quarter and a district?
All I want to know about these words is their meaning difference and how they are used in sentences...
(If you can give me examples it would be great :))
-1
votes
1answer
14 views
Does “them” pronoun refer to “outside intelligences”? What does “such as to” mean?
Does "them" pronoun refer to "outside intelligences"? What does "such as to" mean?
It is impossible to record the many mediums of various shades of
power, and ...
0
votes
0answers
21 views
Help with the meaning of a sentence
I thank you in advance if you can help me with the meaning of the sentence:
"I favoured what motivates him above addressing the priorities of the company".
"Above addressing" means ...
0
votes
0answers
25 views
De Jure and De Facto Girlfriend
The message of the sentence I want to create is, āShe is my girlfriend in practice and by title.ā
However, I want to substitute the word āin practiceā with āde factoā and the word āby titleā with āde ...
0
votes
0answers
15 views
Is the lyric “ Tell them not to fear no more” wrong in expressionļ¼
When I listen to Oasis's masterplan and see the lyric 'And as they land upon the shore, tell them not to fear no more', I doubted whether it is wrong in expression.
Usuallyļ¼If the sentence already has ...
0
votes
2answers
19 views
Can the word 'slab' be used to mean 'range'? For example, distance slab and weight slab (in technical specifications), income tax slab
In Merriam-Webster dictionary, none of the meaning of 'slab' is 'range'. But slab is also used to mean range in India. For example, limit X1 for weight slab 10-20kg, limit X2 for slab 20-30 kg.
1
vote
1answer
43 views
What does “four years in advance of the last fifty” mean?
In a speech given by Lucy Stone called "The Progress of Fifty Years" in 1893, she says, "Four years in advance of the last fifty, in 1833, Oberlin College, in Ohio, was founded. Its ...
0
votes
0answers
28 views
How to ask if someone is doing the same thing as before without using “still” for negative connotations?
"So, X, are you still living in Y?"
"So, A, are you still working at B?"
For a conversation opener or continuer, is there an alternative way to enquire, interest, about someone ...
2
votes
1answer
48 views
What is a role of 'how' in 'How so many people' : [how][so many people] or [how so many people]?
I realize how so many people don't have those simple things that we so much take for granted.
"how so many people don't have those simple things that we so much take for granted" is an ...
-1
votes
0answers
26 views
Does “level” here mean “height”?
Does "level" here mean "height"?
Colonel Olcott's wise conclusion was that, as the evidence was so
conflicting, he would put it all to one side and test the mediums in his
own way ...
-1
votes
0answers
26 views
Seven Cavaliers
In Chapter 6 of "Gone with the wind",
She had scarcely touched plate in here hands and seven cavaliers about her.
I cannot understand what this sentence is talking about. What does "...
2
votes
1answer
30 views
What is meant by “hard mail adress”?
Does "hard mail address" mean postal address?
I received a text:
Please, send me your e-mail and also your hard mail address
But I do not know the meaning of "hard mail address".
0
votes
1answer
30 views
What is the word for two different sides against each other?
Ok so you all know cowboys vs Indians, Russia vs USA, blue black vs white gold (the Internet dress)
Is there a word for two sides against each other? If you get what I am saying.
