All Questions
128,610
questions
143
votes
3
answers
27k
views
Why does "quadratic" describe second power when "quad" means "four"?
In mathematics, quadratic means "involving the second and no higher power of an unknown quantity or variable". But the prefix quad- usually describes something that has to do with four, such as quad-...
- 1,635
142
votes
2
answers
25k
views
Why is "bicycle" pronounced differently from other obviously related words?
The word bicycle is pronounced /'baɪsɪkəl/ (bahy-si-kuhl), like sickle. However, the words unicycle and motorcycle both have the -cycle pronounced as /-'saɪkəl/ (sahy-kuhl). Is there some sort of ...
- 1,546
139
votes
17
answers
112k
views
Is there an English idiom for trying to do two things at the same time and failing at both of them due to splitting your effort?
I'm basically searching for the opposite of putting all your eggs in one basket, where the risk is total failure because you did not hedge your efforts. I'm searching for a phrase that encompasses ...
- 1,647
139
votes
6
answers
197k
views
Difference between "artifact" and "artefact"
Is there any usage preference between artifact and artefact?
My understanding was that an artifact was properly applied to physical, historical objects, while an artefact was more correct for more ...
- 2,290
139
votes
9
answers
73k
views
The plural of "index"–"indexes" or "indices"?
A table may have one index, or it could have more [...]?
Is it indexes or indices? I'm just asking this because I've noticed they're both used quite often. Even Wikipedia seems to support both ...
- 1,493
138
votes
41
answers
16k
views
What are your favorite English language tools? [closed]
To prevent myself from asking an obvious, silly question multiple times: What are the English language tools you found most useful?
I found Corpus Concordance English extremely useful for looking up ...
138
votes
7
answers
49k
views
Why is "Pokémon" written with an accent?
Is there a language-related reason why the word has an accent on the "é"?
The Japanese for Pokémon is "ポケモン" (pokemon), so it's not to represent a long vowel.
- 18k
137
votes
7
answers
54k
views
When should compound words be written as one word, with hyphens, or with spaces?
Some compound words are written without hyphens (nonaggression, nonbeliever), some with hyphens (well-intentioned), and others with spaces (post office).
Is there a rule or good guide as to which ...
- 58.6k
137
votes
2
answers
915k
views
"Which" vs. "what" — what's the difference and when should you use one or the other?
Most of the time one or the other feels better, but every so often, "which" vs. "what" trips me up.
So, what's the exact difference and when should you use one or the other?
- 1,521
135
votes
3
answers
498k
views
What is the difference between "till" and "until"?
What is the difference between till and until?
When to use till or until? Please explain with examples.
- 1,795
135
votes
1
answer
15k
views
Did English ever have a word for 'yes' for negative questions?
The Germans have doch and the French have si as a word that means "yes" in response to a negative question, such as:
Don't you want some ice-cream?
Yes [I do]!
In English, we only have yes (as ...
- 5,022
134
votes
8
answers
24k
views
What is it called when experts think they only know a small part of a topic and amateurs think they know almost all of a topic?
What is it called when experts think they only know a small part of a topic and amateurs think they know almost all of a topic?
KmYKShdbjx
133
votes
13
answers
399k
views
When should "no problem" replace "you're welcome" as a response to "thank you"?
I have observed a growing trend in which people substitute "no problem" for "you're welcome" as a response to "thank you". In particular, it seems to be an increasingly common response from servers ...
- 1,719
131
votes
11
answers
123k
views
Alternative terms to "Blacklist" and "Whitelist"
My company is developing a management tool for managing SIM cards. One of the features of the tool is to block the SIM card if it's put into a disallowed device by device IMEI validation.
The feature ...
- 1,471
131
votes
17
answers
20k
views
Is there any English/American equivalent for the Hungarian phrase "beating the nettle with someone else's penis"?
I am trying to translate this comically vulgar Hungarian phrase, often (but not exclusively) used in a political context. It means to make someone else carry out one's rash or risky ideas, usually ...
- 1,351
131
votes
7
answers
165k
views
Is "guy" gender-neutral?
The plural "guys" definitely is, at least here in San Francisco — I'm often hearing all-girl companies here being greeted with 'Hi guys, how are you doing?'.
How about the singular guy? Is it ...
- 1,792
130
votes
5
answers
195k
views
Can “whose” refer to an inanimate object?
We lit a fire whose fuel was old timber wood.
Is the word whose referring to fire, an inanimate object, correct in this sentence? Or is there a more appropriate word?
- 8,568
130
votes
2
answers
75k
views
Why should the first person pronoun 'I' always be capitalized?
Why should we capitalize the first person pronoun 'I' even when it does not appear at the beginning of a sentence? Why is it not the case for other pronouns?
- 1,493
129
votes
7
answers
86k
views
Which is correct: "Filename", "File Name" or "FileName"?
Which is correct: "Filename", "File Name" or "FileName"?
- 1,393
125
votes
6
answers
19k
views
How to say "It's not rocket science" before rockets existed
Prior to the invention of rockets, was there a phrase equivalent to: "it's not rocket science"? If so, what was it?
Here I am looking for a phrase that makes a comparison with a difficult job/task, ...
- 2,709
125
votes
3
answers
120k
views
I don't get this joke. Is it some kind of play on "water, too?"
I don't get this joke. Is it some kind of play on "water, too?"
Transcript:
Two scientists walk into a bar. The first says, "I'll have some H2O." The second says, "I'll have a glass of water too. ...
- 5,346
125
votes
2
answers
1.9m
views
124
votes
19
answers
27k
views
Is "women men girls love meet die" a valid sentence?
Is "women men girls love meet die" a valid sentence? If so, what does it mean?
The sentence shows up in academic papers about the "Sausage Machine" for natural language processing. ...
- 2,391
124
votes
13
answers
17k
views
What is the word for things that work even when they aren't working (e.g. escalators)?
I'm looking for a word (or phrase) to describe mechanisms that are perfectly functional even when they aren't functioning as expected.
Examples of these include:
Escalators & Electric Walkways: ...
- 1,273
124
votes
7
answers
17k
views
What’s a “handegg”?
What’s a handegg?
NOTE: This question is primarily related to the etymology of a compound noun which is not in The Dictionary.
There is a hat this year called “Handegg”, given out for a posting that ...
- 133k
124
votes
15
answers
276k
views
When should I use "a" versus "an" in front of a word beginning with the letter h?
A basic grammar rule is to use an instead of a before a vowel sound. Given that historic is not pronounced with a silent h, I use “a historic”. Is this correct? What about heroic? Should be “It was a ...
- 1,383
123
votes
24
answers
1.0m
views
"Lunch" vs. "dinner" vs. "supper" — times and meanings?
I've seen cases where a noon-time meal is referred to as dinner, and the evening meal is called supper. There's also lunch around noon followed by dinner in the evening. Is there a particular ...
- 1,361
123
votes
11
answers
203k
views
Can “thanks in advance” be considered rude? [closed]
Some argue that because “thanks in advance” is written before any help has been offered, it adds an expectation of help and thus can be considered presumptuous.
Is this reasonable? Would it be ...
- 2,031
122
votes
11
answers
69k
views
What is the difference between “tits” and “boobs”?
What is the difference between “tits” and “boobs”?
P.S. I'm not sure if this question is appropriate but as English is not my native language I really would love to know the difference.
- 1,465
122
votes
6
answers
163k
views
Is it ever correct to have a space before a question or exclamation mark?
In written English (mainly online) I often come across sentences ending with a question or an exclamation mark with a space before it. Is it always just an error or a typo? Or there are cases when it ...
- 10.2k
120
votes
19
answers
563k
views
How do native English speakers respond to "Thank you"?
In my school and university I was taught to say "Not at all" or "Don't mention it" in response to "Thank you!". Now I rarely hear these phrases used, but rather something like "You're welcome", "It's ...
- 10.2k
119
votes
11
answers
114k
views
How many tenses are there in English?
Do we have 16 tenses in English?
With
future
present
past
future in the past
in these forms
simple
continuous
perfect
perfect continuous
Can we manipulate these together to create English tenses? ...
- 1,311
116
votes
15
answers
47k
views
"Jane makes over six figures" - how much money does she make?
Suppose you are told that "Jane makes over six figures". Assuming this to be true, what is the minimum amount of money that Jane can be making?
I have always understood this to mean "Jane makes at ...
- 2,167
114
votes
8
answers
646k
views
"Whether or not" vs. "whether"
This will depend on whether he's suitable for the job.
This will depend on whether he's suitable for the job or not.
This will depend on whether or not he's suitable for the job.
It is ...
- 21.5k
113
votes
11
answers
24k
views
Is there a suffix like "phile" or "phobe" for don't care?
Thinking that every thing that you can like and dislike, you can also not care about and there may be a suffix for it.
- 1,241
113
votes
6
answers
328k
views
"Here's looking at you, kid" meaning?
I'm sure many will know Rick's famous line from the film Casablanca:
Here's looking at you, kid.
While I can guess at it, I was never fully confident about the meaning of this phrase. I am not a ...
- 1,099
113
votes
4
answers
315k
views
What does "something 101" mean? [closed]
Many times I saw the phrase something 101, such as Microsoft Excel 101. What exactly does it mean?
- 5,655
112
votes
3
answers
14k
views
How did 7 come to be an abbreviation for 'and' in Old English?
According to A History of the English Language: Revised Edition by Elly van Gelderen, p.53, in Old English the numeral 7 was used as an abbreviation for the word and:
Abbreviations are frequently ...
user28567
112
votes
10
answers
19k
views
"A/An" preceding a parenthetical statement
When a/an precedes a parenthetical aside (sometimes seen in informal/conversational writing), should the vowel rule depend on the first word in parentheses, or the next word in the "regular" flow of ...
- 3,354
111
votes
15
answers
1.2m
views
Which is correct, "you and I" or "you and me"?
When the phrase is used as an object, why so many native speakers are saying "you and I" instead of "you and me"? I'm not a native speaker but I thought "you and me" is correct. Not sure if this falls ...
- 3,654
111
votes
9
answers
12k
views
Is there a word for a person with only one head?
Reading this article by the fantastic Douglas Adams I came across this interesting quote:
‘[I]nteractivity’ is one of those neologisms that Mr Humphrys likes to dangle between a pair of verbal ...
- 4,490
110
votes
14
answers
93k
views
"Email" or "e-mail"?
Which way of writing the word: "Email" or "e-mail" is correct? Both variants seem to be in wide use. If both ones are okay, maybe there is a difference in contexts they have been used (one is more ...
- 10.2k
110
votes
1
answer
532k
views
What does a single letter "J" mean in emailing? [closed]
Today is Halloween. After a successful party, many conversations have been going on in my company's email box.
The end of one email said "Till next time J". I had no idea what "J" meant in this ...
- 10k
110
votes
8
answers
24k
views
Which is correct: "__ is different from __" or "__ is different than __"?
As someone who learned English later on in life, I was taught that different from is the correct grammar to use: this is different from that. However, it seems these days everyone uses different than ...
- 1,313
109
votes
10
answers
37k
views
Is there any word in English where "th" sounds like "t+h"?
It might be a strange question, but I, as a non-native speaker (Pakistani), have listened to English pronunciations by my native people who have over time developed their own pronunciations.
So, I ...
- 1,188
109
votes
8
answers
190k
views
Which day does "next Tuesday" refer to?
At what point does next Tuesday mean
the next Tuesday that will come to pass
and no longer
the Tuesday after the Tuesday that will come to pass?
And, when does the meaning switch back?
- 12.3k
108
votes
3
answers
41k
views
What is the word for "the smell of rain"?
I've always noticed that sometimes rain can have a pretty distinct smell.
Do we have a word describing the smell of rain? How can we describe the smell of rain?
"The rain smelt like..."
"The rain ...
- 1,243
107
votes
6
answers
175k
views
When I say "comment out", does it mean to uncomment something or comment it?
When I say I commented out a line written in a programming language, does that mean I uncommented that line or that I made it a comment?
- 2,459
106
votes
7
answers
38k
views
Why is Nike pronounced "naikee" and not "naik"?
A word ending with e usually doesn't have a vowel at the end like bike and strike, so why is Nike different?
- 1,173
106
votes
4
answers
251k
views
Why does the multi-paragraph quotation rule exist?
The answer to this question clearly explains the standard rule that when you have multiple quoted paragraphs, each new paragraph starts with an opening quotation mark, but only the final quoted ...
- 133k