Questions tagged [phrase-meaning]
The meaning of phrases.
1,385
questions
-1
votes
0answers
6 views
Confusion about “weird flex but ok”
Why do people post their picture with the caption "weird flex but ok" whereas nothing weird on that picture neither they are showing off something. As far as I know "weird flex but ok&...
1
vote
0answers
33 views
What is the origins of the phrase “on the lam”? [duplicate]
After puzzling over this phrase for quite some time I came across the possible answers offered in this site. The one that seemed to show the most promising solution was the longest entry, which ...
1
vote
1answer
25 views
“At somebody's bidding” vs. “at somebody's behest”?
Do the following two sentences have the same meaning? If not, what is the difference between them?
This briefing session is held at the Commander's bidding.
This briefing session is held at the ...
0
votes
2answers
25 views
Missing data: not registered vs not available
I have a scientific paper table that has a few missing values. Values are missing as they were not recorded (written by a doctor) on patients' medical records. Should I address these values as "...
19
votes
7answers
3k views
What's a positive phrase to say that I quoted something not word by word
Sometimes I quote in my writing sombody else, but I do not know the exact words the other person had used. What is a concise and positive(*) phrase to describe this? I found different options on the ...
0
votes
1answer
44 views
“The answer is in the positive” vs “the answer is positive” vs “the answer is ‘yes’”
Is there any difference in meaning or appropriate usage between the following expressions?
the answer is in the positive
the answer is positive
the answer is ‘yes’
0
votes
0answers
22 views
What is the difference between these responses? [duplicate]
Suppose I tell you that you can't understand what this means "fdhfshdgfjdsghskdrhgyc". You could reply "Yes, I can" or "No, I can". For the first phrase, it means that ...
6
votes
4answers
948 views
“What have they to say?” vs “What do they have to say?”
Is "what have they to say?" grammatical? If so, what is the difference with the phrase "what do they have to say?"? Do they mean the same thing?
1
vote
0answers
60 views
what's the grammar structure of “ought to” [duplicate]
I've seen many explanations that just treat ought to as a whole which equals should. but how to explain the function/role of each word separately?
for example:
I ought to go now.
which role does to ...
0
votes
0answers
39 views
“I'd go careful OR carefully with that”
I have recently used this expression in an answer on another site:
This is not a frequent structure and I should have more knowledge in the field to discern if you can say that about algorithms. You ...
0
votes
0answers
23 views
Position of Preposition phrases
Do all the following three sentences mean the same? Where should I put the preposition phrase.
1- In India, people love to eat mangoes.
2- People in India love to eat mangoes.
3- People love to eat ...
1
vote
1answer
29 views
Meaning of this piece of dialogue in The Call of the Wild?
Here is an excerpt from Chapter 1 of The Call of the Wild by Jack London:
Yet his time came, in the end, in the form of a little weazened man
who spat broken English and many strange and uncouth ...
4
votes
1answer
71 views
Was “blue death” a popular term for Cholera in the US in the1800s?
I'm working on my dissertation on public health. I just came across Robert Morris' book on Cholera called, "The Blue Death". My university library doesn't have access to the book and both ...
-1
votes
1answer
31 views
What is the meaning of “someone runs down the tree”? [closed]
I would like to know if the phrase "someone runs down the tree" has the meaning of someone who comes down from the top of a tree to the floor in a hurry?
Is it right? If yes, can I use this ...
0
votes
1answer
32 views
Meaning of “squeeze the limit”
I was watching a movie and the phrase "squeeze the limit" came to my attention (if I heard it right). I have never heard the phrase before, and according to the Japanese subtitle, it seem ...
0
votes
1answer
32 views
Friendship Directionality
When I was younger, I thought of friendships bidirectionally ("we're friends"). However, not all friendships necessarily are bidirectional, or they might become unidirectional. Although I'm ...
2
votes
1answer
49 views
What is the difference “I made him angry” and “I got him angry”?
These are from dictionaries, and it is hard to distinguish "make somebody/something + adj" and "get somebody/something + adj" and grammar books seldom talk about them
Get
18 MAKE ...
0
votes
1answer
23 views
What is the meaning of the phrase “you don't have it”?
The sentence goes, "You douchebags don't have it"
It was said by a woman who complained about guys that were two-timing and they should fess up to their women.
-1
votes
1answer
53 views
Can anyone explain meaning of this phrase “I might as well be in OT”. It has been used in online chatting
"I might as well be in OT" someone has used this phrase during online conversation and I don't understand the meaning of this phrase.
Conversation:
A: Can you tell me a bedtime story?
B: ...
7
votes
1answer
2k views
What does the phrase “or euer” mean in Middle English from the 1500s?
What does the phrase "or euer" mean in Middle English from the 1500s?
It's often translated as "before", but I'm trying to find out specifically the cultural connotation of what ...
1
vote
1answer
35 views
What is the meaning of the phrase “as they relate to…”?
e.g. in the following sentences:
This section presents recent developments in climate change as they relate to oceans.
Two UN publications present the activities of the organization as they relate to ...
2
votes
2answers
90 views
On Passage, Objections to the Contrary Notwithstanding
What does the following mean? There seem to be a lot of double negatives in here, so I'd like to understand this better.
On passage, objections of the president to the contrary notwithstanding
This ...
3
votes
1answer
99 views
What's the meaning of “it was a tidy bow”?
I found this expression in a news article:
When Vermont’s first coronavirus case was detected last month, it took two state health workers a day to track down 13 people who came into contact with ...
0
votes
1answer
41 views
Meaning: “a race of one”
This phrase is found in "Stranger From a Strange Land" (Robert Heinlein).
ONCE UPON A TIME when the world was young there was a Martian named Smith.
Valentine Michael Smith was as real as ...
0
votes
2answers
131 views
Does “fatherly” mean “of the father”? [closed]
I found two expressions used quite a few times in a text, which I am translating as:
the fatherly house / the fatherly embrace
and it seems to me that I can use these expressions to mean
the house/...
1
vote
1answer
24 views
What could “touch the incongruous” mean? (from an old story)
Reading an old story by A. Blackwood, I stumbled upon the following sentence (for the context, the woman is said to have some kind of second sight):
And the idea of this motherly, sedate, and ...
-3
votes
2answers
31 views
Why do some double negatives oppose with the natural or instinctive meaning which apparently occurs from the context of sentence they're applied in? [closed]
There would be more double-negatives like these, but I specifically want to mention "This couldn't be further/farther from the truth".
When this phrase is used, it apparently incites the ...
5
votes
1answer
93 views
Can “to close one's eyes” mean “to die”?
I am proofreading a translation and I came across this sentence:
Man’s entire life, from the moment he first sees the light of day until he closes his eyes, does not suffice to fully understand the ...
0
votes
2answers
85 views
What is the origin of the phrase “burden of shame”?
I had never heard this particular phrase ("burden of shame") before today. All I can find on Google are references to a UB40 (a mostly-white reggae-pop band from the 1980s) song. Are there ...
asked Dec 16 '20 at 12:45
Eric Hepperle - CodeSlayer2010
1721 gold badge1 silver badge8 bronze badges
1
vote
2answers
41 views
way/mode of life or way/mode of existence? [closed]
I have a hard time understanding the particularities of these expressions:
Do we say
way or mode of life or
way or mode of living ?
If I say mode of existence, am I using a specific expression as ...
1
vote
0answers
81 views
Is there such expression as “Charlie someone out”?
There is the following exchange in Deadwood series season 1 episode 3
...
Johnny: Al?
Al: Yeah.
Johnny: That cherry New York dude is downstairs askin’ for ya.
Al: No good. Charlie him the fuck out.
(...
1
vote
2answers
52 views
What does “Tree someone's or their game” means?
As contextually hinted here in the sentence "1838 – "Instead of having treed their game....", the meaning of possibly rarely-known phrase "tree his/her/someone's/their game" ...
0
votes
0answers
13 views
Literal & Figurative Meaning of 'Inform approaches' [duplicate]
I am unable to exactly comprehend the following sentence (word-by-word) as I am not getting what it means by 'Inform approaches' there:
Assessments like 'Uwezo' are being used to inform approaches to ...
0
votes
1answer
50 views
meaning of “leave me alone”
I understand this to mean to stop bothering me or interfering with me, however, does it also mean to ignore me and pay no attention to me ever again?
For example, I said to my brother, who kept ...
1
vote
3answers
76 views
If I say that someone was mean to me, does that imply that they were conscious of it?
The dictionary doesn't help me with an answer. It gives me other words which may or may not require intent.
mean (adjective)
unkind, spiteful, or unfair.
To be spiteful requires intent, to be unfair ...
1
vote
0answers
28 views
Meaning of “sort through” in this context?
Here is an excerpt from the book called I’m Right and You’re an Idiot (by James Hoggan).
For example, environmentalists tend to see things in terms of black and white, good versus evil, “so they can ...
26
votes
8answers
7k views
What does the phrase, a person (who) is “a pair of khaki pants inside a Manila envelope” mean?
I came across the phrase, someone who wears “a pair of khaki pants inside a manila envelope” in Vanity Fair’s December 1st issue, which came under the headline,”Look at what we love. It’s on fire: ...
0
votes
1answer
48 views
Use of recurring words - 'somebody who' [closed]
Think of somebody who takes you for granted, somebody who is treating you with disgust, somebody who thinks about you as a thing to use.
Is that sentence well written? I mean the recurring part '...
0
votes
2answers
43 views
What is the meaning of put us on deals?
Early on in my career as an investment banker, I asked to work with the biggest, baddest, scariest VP that ever walked the halls of Goldman Sachs. And my staffer who put us on deals, looked at me like ...
0
votes
1answer
38 views
Difference between 'I love you' and 'I have loved you' [closed]
What is the difference between below phrases.
I love you
I have loved you
0
votes
2answers
27 views
Meaning of “to achieve the setup of a disaster recovery plan” (business language)
From a document I'm translating:
Business Continuity
A. Managers shall ensure that procedures within their area of responsibility are carried out correctly to achieve the setup of a disaster recovery ...
0
votes
1answer
69 views
What is “authorized signature competence”? (business language)
From a document I'm translating. The document lays down requirements for a company to comply with in order to pass certification:
Authorized Signature
A list of authorized signatures shall be kept ...
0
votes
1answer
16 views
What does mean by “to step aboard by [someone]”?
I know that "aboard" is a preposition as well as an adverb. It denotes:
on or onto a ship, aircraft, bus, or train: Cambridge Dictionary
Example sentence:
The ship sank, killing 155 ...
0
votes
0answers
32 views
Meaning of “weird's another place”
There's a conversation in an episode of Midsomer Murders (S06E04) that's been bugging me. In full context:
Back to normal, then?
Normal's a bit weird round here, isn't it, Mr. Wilson?
No, Darren. ...
-1
votes
1answer
52 views
“Insistently believing that this is a photo of Neil Armstrong in the face of everyone else's…” Can one really insistently believe something?
The sub-context is that there's an iconic photo of Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the Moon taken by a large format Hasselblad camera and in Aldrin's gold reflective visor one can see the photographer ...
4
votes
1answer
307 views
What does “betrun-cheoned” [betruncheoned] mean in Suttree by Cormac McCarthy
McCarthy's works are filled with obscure words, but this one is particularly strange, and prior to me posting this question, almost constitutes a Googlewhack.
I'm reading the Kindle edition and so it ...
-1
votes
1answer
51 views
Meaning and usage of “rife with uncertainty” [closed]
What is the meaning of "rife with uncertainty" and where it can be used?
I search the meaning but I cannot find desirable answers. Moreover, is it possible to use the "rife with" + ...
0
votes
0answers
23 views
it seems we'll get the paper over the line
My supervisor wrote an email:
''We've got feedback on how our journal paper went. It seems quite helpful feedback, in that it seems we'll get the paper over the line.''
Could anyone tell me what he ...
0
votes
1answer
80 views
What does the sentence “I lit a cigarette that tasted like a plumber's handkerchief” mean? [closed]
In what way does a plumber's handkerchief taste like a cigarette?
1
vote
2answers
62 views
What or who does 'the rick-thatcher' refer to in Middlemarch by George Eliot?
Here is the full quotation:
No matter what a man is—I wouldn’t give twopence for him”—here Caleb’s mouth looked bitter, and he snapped his fingers—“whether he was the prime minister or the rick-...
