Questions tagged [meaning]
This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.
16,359
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Cambridge IELTS 13 General Training's answer looks incorrect [closed]
Hi guys,
I am doing IELTS 13 - Test 3 - Reading. The question #2 says "An ability to read music is essential". My answer is "false". The correct answer given by the book is "...
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1
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Unidentified word or construction [closed]
There is a puzzling sequence of words in the following text (bold type).
We live in a society in which
money is needed to survive. Unfortunately, many people work in no-end jobs just to have some ...
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1
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What does "under me" mean in this passage?
Could you tell me what "under me" means in the following passage?
"And does Mr. Rackstraw look after that [=occult stuff] too?" asked Colquhoun.
"Well, some of it," the ...
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What is the difference between these four sentences (that he be/ that he would be/that he should be/that he is) [duplicate]
I just came across these four sentences on a worksheet my son is doing. We are in Japan - so this is from English class at his Japanese school.
It’s surprising that he should be an actor.
It’s ...
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The person who received a complaint from someone
I'm creating a policy and procedure in one of my subjects and am wondering is there another way of saying "a person that received a complaint". I know there's way for a person being ...
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What is the origin of the idiom of “to stick it to someone”? [duplicate]
My cursory review so far has only been able to uncover the fact that dictionaries can’t even have a consensus on the exact meaning of it, and they differ substantially in how they define it.
Collins — ...
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What does “recover equanimity despite some perhaps truly significant losses” mean?
In the following quote
The angry are also scared. They may seem bullishly confident in their rage, but they smash things up out of panic. They have no faith in their own capacity to survive ...
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Is it understandable to say "I'm listening to the 70's"?
Is it grammatically correct and understandable to say the following, where the word "music" is omitted.?
I'm listening to the 70's"
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Can 'disposition' in the sense defined below relate to inanimate objects?
A disposition is defined as "a natural tendency to do something, or to have or develop something" [Cambridge Dictionary].
For example;
A book has the ability to be opened.
Is this ...
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4
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68
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Meaning of not-so-dumb
Style is the external expression of your most internal self. How’s that for some not-so-dumb blonde shit?
I would like some help to understand the meaning of the question above: "How's that for ...
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Definition of sober: does it necessarily include drugs other than alcohol? Which ones? [closed]
When I say sober it means “not intoxicated.” And intoxicated would be under the influence of alcohol or any controlled or illegal substance.
Is someone sober if they are alcohol free but, let’s say, “...
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85
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What's the meaning of the following sentence by Isaac Newton?
What's the meaning of the following sentence by Isaac Newton?
Is not the Sensory of Animals that place to which the sensitive Substance is present, and into which the sensible Species of Things are ...
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What does "they both can't be selected" mean? [duplicate]
The sentence "They both can't be selected", does that mean (1) None of them can be selected or (2) They both can't make it at the same time, only one of them can ?
If I, for example, want to ...
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Meaning of "pull in" in this context?
I'm reading The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead and found this part is difficult to understand.
The scene is like this. Lila Mae is an elevator inspector. While she was returning to Headquater she ...
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Is chremamorphism the literary technique for objectification? [closed]
So I was hoping if someone could support that chremamorphism is the literary technique term for objectification. Specifically, I am looking at the phrase "the pushing of your sadness". ...
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kick as in "to go from one place to another as circumstance or whim dictates"
I've just come across a meaning of the verb "to kick" I didn't know before.
To provide the context, I'd like to give a Youtube link, but I'm not quite sure about this site's link policies. I ...
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Word used for replying to a person when they answer a question but focus on a detail in the question which has nothing to do with the actual question? [duplicate]
Example:
Person A: If I needed to save $400 a week, what would be the best savings plan?
Person B: That doesn't make sense, how are you able to save $400 a week if no one here makes more than $500 a ...
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Are the words “proverb” and “pronoun” etymologically related?
I’m not aware of any verb equivalents of a pronoun. We have to say “he did what?” We don’t just have a single word like we do for nouns that replaces the verb. But do proverbs function on this way at ...
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What's the word for when someone produces a piece of art solely for the profit of it? Or art without any kind of artistic merit? [closed]
I know there's a word for this that I just can't remember
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A word for a person in an employment role that is petty [duplicate]
I'm trying to think of a specific word and so far google isn't much help. It describes a type of employment role where the person has quite an impressive sounding title but in actuality the job role ...
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What is the meaning of “he had loathed the world, should it loathe him first”?
Recently, I stumbled upon the excerpt below, and the last part confused me considerably. Although I generally understand the separate parts and the syntax of the sentence, I can't quite decode the ...
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What does the bottom of the brainstem to do with attention?
What did I miss in the passage? I am not good at biology. I have no idea of the relation between the brainstem and attention.
While some blame our collective tech addiction on personal failings,
...
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100
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What is the female equivalent of a 'monk'? [closed]
I don't exactly know what the author of this task had in mind, but I am supposed to fill in female equivalents for different words and I stumbled across this. The only idea I have is a "nun" ...
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How to understand “wouldn’t” here [closed]
“Ah, poor James!” she said. “God knows we done all we could, as poor as we are—we wouldn’t see him want anything while he was in it.”
I just interpret the sentence “ we wouldn’t see him want anything ...
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3
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Why do some people say “negative growth” instead of using a single word indicating a decrease?
I am not a native English speaker, nor am I an economist.
I have heard the term "negative growth" used in the context of Gross National Product (GNP), and it seems that it is also used in ...
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What does "holding the cup at the other end of the string" mean here?
I'm trying to comprehend the actual meaning of this line in context — "She was my only connection, holding the cup at the other end of the string" — from a memoir book I'm reading. I assumed ...
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Help me with understanding the context
I'm having difficult time to understand the dialogue below.
It comes from "Project Runway season 19."
KRISTINA: Did you start to put your zippers?
CHASITY: It's not gonna be the last moment. ...
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1
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69
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What is the meaning of "I get wild on you"? [closed]
What is the meaning behind the phrase "I get wild on you, baby"?
I tried to find this kind of phrasal verb "get wild on..." , but I didn't find anything. In my head, this could ...
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Meaning of "The devil with you"
What does the expression "The devil with you" mean in this paragraph?
“Yes, yes, I know all about it. Your dear sainted mother is the only woman you’ll ever let into your heart, more’s the ...
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Meaning of ‘convey the flavor of’ in this context?
The context in the first paragraph suggests that the Watsuji’s idea has nothing to do with the Kyoto School. And the second paragraph confirms that reading of the first paragraph. Yet ‘conveys the ...
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What's the meaning of "that vagabond was made for the next two days"?
I am currently reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. There is one sentence which has puzzled me.
But the Doctor himself was the idol of the whole school: and it must have been a badly ...
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‘should’ versus ‘expected to’ [closed]
I have the following piece of college regulation.
Staff and students should have access to teaching rooms on the hour. Allowing time for setting up equipment and finding seats, this means that formal ...
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3
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553
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What does "be won of" mean in "Great Expectations"?
On page 59-60
She threw the cards down on the table when she had won them all, as if she despised them for having been won of me.
My guess for the phrase is "as if she despised them for having ...
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What does ‘Garden Girl’ mean?
The following passage was in Lord Tebbit’s recent column in The Telegraph:
Mr Pascall wrote that he was “amazed to read that there are now 400
staff in Downing Street” and goes on to say that in ...
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2
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The difference between saying you're "from somewhere", "raised somewhere" and "grew up somewhere."
Raised
The Cambridge English dictionary states that to "raise" is:
to take care of a person, or an animal or plant, until they are completely grown
Taken literally, if you were to spend 0-...
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What is the meaning of these words? [closed]
group of six rough frame buildings was bisected by a narrow dirt street; there was a scattering of tents beyond the buildings on either side. The wagon passed first on its left a loosely erected tent ...
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What is the precise meaning of the word ‘beget’ in this text [closed]
I know the meaning of the verb ‘beget’: reproduce, cause, bring about,father, give rise to, …
It is just that in this context I cannot get what is meant by it. Does it mean giving rise to ‘...
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What is a "fresh-woman"?
It is all settled around the character himself who refuses strongly to review the "worst game of all times" (E.T.) and is tricked into dealing with the topic by a clever company fresh-woman ...
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What's the meaning "jumped the joint"?
What's the meaning "jumped the joint"?
Full sentence:
Pepe: My bro jumped the joint, deserved a hero's welcome...
It's from Cyberpunk2077 game.
Does it mean that his brother just leaves ...
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"Cowboy" as an adjective for an object? [duplicate]
I forget what phrases it's used in, but I'm pretty sure I've heard cowboy used an adjective to describe something someone made (most likely something poorly shimmed together on the road, just good ...
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"Cowboy" as an adjective? [closed]
I forget what phrases it's used in, but I'm pretty sure I've heard cowboy used an adjective to describe something someone made (most likely something poorly shimmed together on the road, just good ...
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Use of "circa" in relation to time
The definition of "circa" is generally regarded as "approximately" in relation to dates. However, how well can the use of "circa" also be extended to connect a current ...
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Word order in the sentences with 'I wonder'
I do not know the correct terminology for phrases that contain the 'I wonder' bit. I do, however, realise that most of the time the word order in such sentences is supposed to be sort of 'reversed', e....
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3
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What is the word or mental state to describe someone that takes any disagreement with them as negative and unacceptable? [closed]
What is the word or mental state to describe someone that takes any disagreement with them as negative and unacceptable?
Is there a word or mental condition to describe someone that takes any and all ...
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What is the etymology or history of "Your" for addressing a noble?
There are several ways of noble addressing, such as:
Third person - female (Her)
Third person - male (His)
Second person (Your)
e.g : Your Highness
But, what are the meanings behind that?
Why it ...
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What does "in" mean in "tie a knot in the rope"? [closed]
What does "in" mean in "tie a knot in the rope"? Can "on" be substituted for "in"?
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When to use optional and and when to use facultative?
I'm normally use to the word "optional" but there is also the word "facultative" ( https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/facultative ) which also seems to mean "optional&...
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Is there a word for the memory of a place that no longer exists? [closed]
My secondary school was destroyed, I still remember the layout of the building and can walk through it in my mind. Is there a word for this? Other than nostalgia?
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Use of "Say ..." to begin sentences, particularly in BrE versus AmE?
We were looking at this sentence, or actually a line of dialogue:
They're in the car.
JACK
Say John! I better concentrate. Would you be able to figure out the AC?
Our colleague Jane who is generally ...
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<go to> or <come to>? [closed]
My wife is very fond of London.
I recently noticed someone saying "She wants to come to London" whereas I used to stay "She wants to go to London".
Is there a difference between ...
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