Questions tagged [phrase-requests]
This tag is for questions seeking a phrase or an expression that fits a meaning. If you're specifically seeking only a single word, see the "single word requests" tag too.
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questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
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Word or phrase for things that are only noticed when they break? (or are pointed out)
E.g. the engineering that goes into the roads we travel on, the railways we use, the negative space in a painting, or any of the many systems that we depend on.
3
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The state of not knowing and/or ignoring each other
I'm looking for a word that expresses the state of not knowing and/or ignoring each other.
In a blog post, I've found the term Principle of Mutual Oblivion. This is supposed to be a rule in software ...
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2
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Colloqial idiomatic metaphor for incomplete logic?
Seems like[1] I vaguely recall some colorful expression for conveying a rhetorical failure to complete a logical argument. Something along the lines of “failing to tie the knot” or “complete the ...
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Is there an accepted term for this style of management?
There are terms for different management styles—for example seagull management, mushroom management, and micromanagement. What I am looking for is a term that describes management which changes well-...
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2
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Is there a phrase for "the boy who cried wolf" when the boy stops crying wolf because the townsfolk won't believe him anyway?
In the Fable of "The Boy who cried Wolf", the townsfolk end up not believing the boy when there actually is a wolf because he lied about there being a wolf so many times, leading to the ...
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5
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Is there a phrase for a person who supports something which is bad for them and is held up as proof that the bad policy is good?
Is there a phrase which describes the situation in which a person supports something that is detrimental for them, and then held out as evidence that the detrimental policy is correct?
For example: ...
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2
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0
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437
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English version of a Marathi expression that describes someone taking credit for someone else's work ('Aaiji chya Jivavar Baiji Udar')
There is a Marathi saying,
Aaiji chya Jivavar Baiji Udar
which means, roughly,
At the expense of a mother-in-law's efforts, the daughter-in-law can show off her generosity.
It comes from the image ...
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2
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0
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What's the term for (tech-)companies discouraging integrating with other companies' ecosystem or through public protocols in general?
Especially when it causes said other companies to look bad?
Example:
Google services and apps are (as far as I'm aware) available for all kinds of devices, Android, Apple, etc. For messaging and ...
2
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0
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"Unless instructed to do so" vs "Unless instructed otherwise" preferred usage
I want to give a short but clear instruction like:
1. Please do NOT perform X unless instructed to do so.
2. Please do NOT perform X unless instructed otherwise.
Which one would be a better option ...
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2
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0
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Is there a word/phrase to describe a person "who hates someone rather than hate their views"?
Let's say there is a person called X. X is a good person, in general. He has a problematic view about something, let's say, homophobia. So, here is the conversation between Y and Z.
Y: X is ...
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2
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is there a word or phrase meaning "to falsely believe one's opinion/feedback is being considered"?
Here is an example: In a conversation, one is asked their opinion regarding a decision, but the decision has already been made—so the individual being asked is led to believe (falsely) that their ...
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298
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What are the British and American expressions for “falso d’autore”?
A Falso d’autore, literally “author’s fake”, has the following characteristics:
Riproduzioni di opere note non solo pittoriche, ma più in generale figurative, eseguite da artisti contemporanei che ...
user66974
2
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1
answer
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What do you call an area where people can pick up flyers/pamphlets?
What do you call an area/corner where people can pick up free flyers/pamphlets/brochures?
Sometimes they're on catalog stands and sometimes they're just in stacks on a table.
My non-native speaking ...
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2
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0
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390
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A thing whose name is hard to track down
Is there a word/phrase for a thing whose name is hard to track down?
Sometimes there is a concept which I believe must have a name, but I can't find that name; it's hard to track down ; I don't know ...
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1
answer
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Is there an opposite for the saying "winner winner chicken dinner"?
Maybe something like, "loser loser drunken boozer"?
I couldn't find examples online, other things come up in a search.
A scenario to be used in would be when someone loses a competition and ...
user486022
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2
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A word which describes 'purposefully doing something differently to hide inability of doing it in the originally intended way'
I'm looking for a word that describes 'purposefully doing something different to hide inability of doing it in the originally intended ('better'/'harder') way'.
An example might be where you are ...
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1
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96
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Simpler synonym for serial monomania
I read a book years ago in which one character described another succinctly in one or maybe two words. Sadly, the book was lost in a flood and I cannot recall the vocabulary used. Nor can I recall ...
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1
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What is the name of a written legacy of personal wisdom?
I am collecting the wisdom of elders, publishing in books their insights and stories, focused on the theme "What does your life stand for?"
I wonder if there is a name for such books. Or if we can ...
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1
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131
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Looking for a term, similar to "epigraph," meaning a quotation given in order to explain another text
For an English Lit. essay I am writing on TS Eliot and Joyce, I wish to use a Biblical quotation I find useful in illuminating certain themes common to their work (1 Corinthians 13 if anyone is ...
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1
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Idiom/metaphor for a constant figure in a certain place
I was wondering if there were any idioms or cliched metaphors commonly used to describe someone who you can always expect to see in a certain place because they spend a lot of time there (or even ...
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Word for "doing/getting away with something only because you're 'concealed' in a big group..."
Is there a word for this behavior?
Doing or getting away with something just because you're in a big crowd setting where you don't perceive your actions to be noticeable to most people and therefore ...
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Idiom/proverb or phrase about never forgetting wrong doings
I could have sworn there was a catchy idiom/proverb in english about how you can be kind to something always, but the moment you do one mean thing, it will never forget that (or hate you forever for ...
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More common terms for "tall poppy syndrome"
I came across this New York Times article:
Ms. Hathaway could simply be a victim of what the British call “tall poppy syndrome” — the bloom that pokes above the others is the first to get cut.
I ...
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46
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Expression for a strategy of waiting for a small transgression that can be blown out of proportion?
Imagine that Alice is the President of Arstotzka. Alice has a lot of enemies but she's generally an upstanding President so her critics have a hard time building a campaign against her. Instead, the ...
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145
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Specific type of deception or logic error
The word I'm looking for should describe a case where, during a logical argument, a person uses a word with multiple definitions in sense (1) in one part of the argument, but in another part of the ...
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0
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217
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What is the origin of the phrase "toothless wonder" and what's the meaning of this?
Google says just that "toothless wonder" is an individual in the public who is lacking a single front tooth. Well, that's logical. But what's the purpose of word "wonder" then?
If ...
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53
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Instilled - is there a better word or phrase specifically for a child getting their interest/love of something from a parent
I'm looking for something to better evoke the gratitude one might feel towards their parent (or anyone, but parent in this case) for sharing their love of something (music, reading, etc.) in such a ...
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43
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Phrase like "margin of error" or "buffer" but specifically about spare team capacity?
I am trying to think of a phrase that means something like "margin of error" or "buffer," but specifically applying to spare capacity of a working team within a company. "...
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I am happy for and slightly envious of someone who is the same place I used to be in because I was unhappy when I was there
I'm a trans woman... but I met a guy who is a lot like how I was.
This person is who I tried to be while identifying as a male. He simply is that way and perfectly happy the way he is. When I was ...
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Is there a term for the following type of conduct: someone only responds to one part of your message instead of the whole message?
For those who know german: Die Person geht nur auf einen Teil der Nachricht ein
Here's an example to further elaborate:
A (about something B said): She doesn't even sound rude. Maybe if it's said in a ...
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1
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0
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81
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What common name can be used to classify LaTeX and office suites together?
If someone wants to put LaTeX and office suites (especially the applications related to document preparation: Word, Publisher, Powerpoint, etc.) together in the same line in his CV/resume in the ...
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How to express "at least one" or "at least some" (of a countable or uncountable collection respetively), as in antivacuous statements?
Discrete (countable) case example: All/Some of the trees on this block are oak. [And there is at least one oak tree on the block, but possibly two or more.]
Continuous (uncountable) case example: All/...
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Term for when seemingly-random or loosely-related words form a unique, descriptive sentence or phrase?
Is there a term for when a series of words come together to form a unique, descriptive sentence or phrase?
A few examples I can think of:
XKCD comic about strong passwords: As an example of a strong ...
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0
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Phrase for jokingly pretending that someone's good point is a flaw?
Is there a phrase for complimenting someone by jokingly pretending that their good point is a flaw? Let me give an example, précised from a recent WhatsApp conversation:
A: That bike ride was way too ...
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0
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36
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Any popular phrases that urge the hearer to help a good cause even if help seems unnecessary
What I'm hoping for is something along the lines of "better safe than sorry," but instead of urging the hearer to take possibly-unnecessary safety precautions, my context is one of shared ...
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Single word when you know destination but not path
Is there a single word which describes knowing the destination but not the path?
Knowing the objective but not the method?
Knowing the 'what' or 'where' but not the 'how'?
In a sense this would be the ...
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0
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A phrase for "Turning a match around" kind
I wanted to know a phrase for the purpose of the doing of an event which is unlikely to happened. Like if a football match is being lost by team A by a huge margin, something like "It's X's time ...
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What is the opposite of leftovers?
Like some family cooks, I often prepare more than is necessary to feed a hungry family; however, I hate throwing away food, and always try to re-serve creatively the following day.
Today, I was ...
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Head twitches (?) when screaming
Example sentence: "She screamed in a shrill voice, her head (...) from the force of which she had screamed."
I've searched the words shake, twitch, convulse, jerk. However, if any of these ...
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Saying "favorite dish(es) to cook" in another way
I'm having trouble saying "favorite dish(es) to cook" in a more concise manner. One or two words would be preferred!
Ex:
I hope to hope to try my friend's ______ at the potluck tomorrow!
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Is there a general expression similar in meaning to "at the rate things are going" or "at the rate at which x is going"?
Notice that those expressions are specifically about rate.
Like "if the way things have gone so far mean anything" but less awkward. Like "the way things have gone so far" but ...
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Would it be correct to say "thank you to everyone"?
Would it be correct to say "Thank you to everyone"? It seems like there would be two direct objects to the verb "thank".
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47
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Phrase for a feeling of relief upon finding a solution to a long term irritant
I'm looking for a phrase that would explain the feeling of relief that one sometimes feels when removing a minor irritation, whether physical or mental. For example, settling into a nice bubble bath ...
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0
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What's the other common expression for "You get what you pay for" in reference to high quality?
I’m looking for a familiar saying that I can use for If you pay more money, you get more quality.
Because Google has been giving me the same result — that the meaning of the saying You get what you ...
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A hint with a description reminding me of the past
A hint with a description reminding me of the past
How to call that hint? Something about physical ,about time
For example: Look at the bag( a hint) on the tv screen, it is good and reminds me of ...
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A phrase for "flip the bozo bit" for generic situations
I've only recently heard of flip the bozo bit in the last six months or so, and I find it very useful to understand that aspect of human behaviour (deciding that someone's an idiot and never worth ...
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What is best word to shout "hide him in safe place"
A leader is delivering a talk on a dais and one of the security officers finds a threat to him and shouts from the distance to alert the leader or other security officers around him. What is best word ...
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Dinner: Small group
I would like to invite several people to a dinner. In the invitation, I want to emphasize that this is a smaller group, and not everyone from work is invited.
I was thinking about "dinner in small ...
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Term for advice that cautions against action?
I'm polishing my floors, and I've reached a point where I can add another coat or accept it as it is. As such, I've been having a conversation with myself about whether or not it's advisable to do so....
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Another way to say "you can't get away with it"?
What is another way to say "you can't get away with it"?
In the context of someone not complying to the rules, and will get a penalty.
I need a phrase in conversational English (everyday use or ...
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