All Questions
128,610
questions
89
votes
21
answers
17k
views
English equivalent of the Persian proverb "When there's fire, wet and dry burn together"
There's a well-known proverb in Persian, which, translated literally, goes like this:
Where there's fire, wet and dry burn together.
The original being ".وقتی آتش موجود باشد) تر و خشک با هم می ...
- 1,007
89
votes
10
answers
354k
views
What is the difference between 20$ and $20? [closed]
I am seeing both 20$ and $20 usages. (20 is nonessential to this question.)
What is the difference between them?
89
votes
2
answers
248k
views
Two crows being an attempted murder
What is the point of this joke?
— "What do you call two crows on a branch?"
— "Attempted murder."
I've googled it to check if it was a word play but the closest one I've hit was "marauder". ...
- 2,204
88
votes
12
answers
1.3m
views
How do you greet multiple recipients in an e-mail?
How do you greet multiple recipients in an e-mail?
Assuming they're both male, I just use "Sirs", but it seems a bit informal.
- 2,344
88
votes
4
answers
22k
views
What's wrong with "I'll open you the door"?
When I call the buzzer outside my girlfriend's flat, she sometimes says *"I'll open you the door". I correct this to "I'll open the door for you".
I've never heard a native speaker say it the first ...
- 1,003
88
votes
7
answers
102k
views
Are there rules about using "that" to join two clauses?
He will understand that I was not joking.
He will understand I was not joking.
Which of the sentences is correct? Are there any specific rules about the use of "that" in the sentences I ...
- 58.6k
88
votes
6
answers
702k
views
"It worths it", "it worth it" or "it is worth it"?
Which one is correct and why?
I think "worth it" is an adjective phrase. So what is "worth" then?
Example:
You should try spending money on her. It worths it.
You should try ...
- 2,057
88
votes
3
answers
490k
views
"Any" followed by singular or plural countable nouns?
This question has troubled me for ages despite my several attempts of looking it up in dictionaries or usage books. Do we say, "Do you have any ideas" or "Do you have any idea"? I do see an example ...
- 1,301
86
votes
24
answers
141k
views
What is a word for making something seem not as bad as it actually is?
Some examples:
Instead of admitting that I'm an alcoholic, I just say I had one too many drinks.
Instead of the bank admitting that it has lots of loans that are in arrears and are likely to default, ...
- 971
86
votes
19
answers
31k
views
Words with "bi-" prefix that no longer mean "two"
Are there words in English that include the prefix bi- whose current usage includes meanings other than 'two'?
To clarify, I am specifically looking for the prefix of Latin origin meaning "two". If ...
- 1,014
86
votes
28
answers
147k
views
Idiom or word for a very crowded place
There is a popular idiom in Russian for describing a really crowded place: "(there's) no room for an apple to fall" ("яблоку негде упасть").
I struggle to think of anything similar in English, and ...
- 96.5k
86
votes
7
answers
693k
views
What does the phrase "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish" mean?
It was Steve Jobs's ending comment in the Stanford Commencement in 2005, and Jobs mentioned:
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
What does this phrase mean? I understand this may also seem philosophical, ...
- 2,943
86
votes
5
answers
182k
views
Substitute X for Y
An awful lot of people seem to use the phrase "substitute X for Y" to mean "replace X with Y", while I've always used and understood it as "replace Y with X". This makes sense to me, given that a ...
- 1,103
86
votes
6
answers
68k
views
Why is "zero" followed by a plural noun?
I could have:
Two books
One book
Zero books
Why is zero followed by a plural form?
I don't expect English to always make sense, but everything has a reason, even if the reason is stupid.
The ...
- 1,021
86
votes
4
answers
314k
views
What's the difference between 'resolve' and 'solve'?
What's the difference between 'resolve' and 'solve'?
- 5,655
86
votes
3
answers
183k
views
Should there be a space before a percent sign?
Should there be a space before a percent sign or not?
Should you write 20% or 20 %?
I'm not sure if there is any consensus about this or not. Is one way more common than the other?
- 1,345
85
votes
10
answers
28k
views
Captain America said "if you get killed, walk it off!" How to understand "walk it off"?
The Avengers 2 just hit China yesterday. The official translation of the line "If you get killed, walk it off!" is "Someone is trying to kill you, run, run for your life" (This is the English version ...
- 953
85
votes
10
answers
38k
views
Is it wrong to use the word "codes" in a programming context?
Is it wrong to use the word "codes" in programming context?
I shall use these codes.
- 1,039
85
votes
2
answers
886k
views
"Have a look" vs. "Take a look"
What is the difference between Have a look and Take a look (meaning/connotations)? For example:
Have a look at the question.
Take a look at the question.
For some reason I only found first version, ...
- 1,275
85
votes
4
answers
82k
views
"Updatable" vs. "Updateable": which is correct?
Which spelling is correct, "updatable" or "updateable"?
For example, "The file is not updat(e)able."
By the way, I did go to Google and ref.dic.com for this first, and they both seem to indicate ...
- 1,015
85
votes
3
answers
29k
views
Is it "falsy" or "falsey"?
I have seen both spellings of this word, falsy and falsey.
It can mean "something that is equivalent to false" in computer science, such as "The only two falsy values in the Ruby Language are false ...
- 2,943
84
votes
10
answers
46k
views
Word meaning both create and update? [closed]
I'd like to know if someone has a better word than authored or produced, for both creating and updating something.
Context:
I'm a software developer and I'm trying to think of a clever way to name ...
- 985
84
votes
6
answers
1.2m
views
Is it "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely"?
When should one sign a letter with "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely"?
- 2,021
84
votes
5
answers
181k
views
If the letter J is only 400–500 years old, was there a J sound that preceded the design of the letter?
I understand that the letter "J" is relatively new — perhaps 400–500 years old. But since there has long been important names that begin with J, such as Jesus, Joshua, Justinian, etc., and which ...
- 3,166
84
votes
9
answers
218k
views
"There is/are more than one". What's the difference?
While adding to an Answer to this question, I needed to use the above phrase, and I suddenly realised I was unsure whether to write "is" or "are".
There is more than one way to skin a cat.
If there ...
- 137k
84
votes
4
answers
57k
views
Why do eleven and twelve get unique words and not end in "-teen"?
In short, why is it not oneteen and twoteen, and we start at thirteen in English?
In another thread, I supposed that despite that fact that people have ten fingers, amounts of items leading up to and ...
- 2,492
84
votes
8
answers
106k
views
Is there any online tool to read (pronounce) IPA and APA written words?
I am looking for a tool to read a word written as phonetic transcription (IPA or APA).
I need it to provide users with a tool to verify if they've chosen the correct IPA transcription (users will need ...
- 941
83
votes
9
answers
346k
views
Difference between nevertheless and nonetheless
I am never quite sure whether to use nevertheless or nonetheless; they seem almost synonymous to me, but I think I might be missing a subtle distinction. Is there a difference, and if so, how do I ...
- 16.3k
83
votes
12
answers
195k
views
"Synced" or "synched"
Which is correct: synced or synched? Is one of these American and the other British spelling or are they interchangeable?
I have only ever seen sync used in the computing industry.
83
votes
2
answers
141k
views
Why is Sean pronounced Shawn?
I've always had this question about the pronunciation of Sean.
Is Sean a word from another language? Is it actually not pronounced Shawn and instead it's some sound between Shawn and Seen? Also, why ...
- 1,299
82
votes
25
answers
48k
views
What is deliberately using complex sentences to confuse people called?
I'm wondering if there's a word, phrase, or idiom to describe the action of deliberately confusing people by using complex sentences. For example, some politicians will throw out some big words and ...
- 1,622
81
votes
6
answers
613k
views
Should I write "PhD" or "Ph.D."?
Question pretty self-explanatory. Should the abbreviation of the Latin term philosophiae doctor be written as PhD (no periods) or Ph.D. (with periods)?
- 2,025
80
votes
23
answers
27k
views
How to degender "separate the men from the boys"?
How can one degender the phrase "separate the men from the boys"?
Examples of how this phrase has traditionally been used:
Math teacher: "The ability to do proofs of this type is what separates ...
- 21.4k
80
votes
14
answers
61k
views
Is "You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!" still considered a compliment in English?
I grew up hearing the phrase, "You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!" used as a compliment, a genuine expression of admiration, fairly self-effacing at the same time.
I have to admit that, while ...
- 55k
80
votes
8
answers
126k
views
Is there a reason the British omit the article when they "go to hospital"?
Why do British speakers omit the article in constructions like "go to hospital" or "go on holiday"? Pretty much all American speakers would rephrase those as "go to the hospital" and "go on a holiday",...
- 21.6k
80
votes
6
answers
63k
views
"Extensible" vs. "extendible"
Where does the adjective form extensible come from and does it connote anything different than extendible? What's the difference, if any, between the two?
- 843
80
votes
2
answers
510k
views
Which is correct: "rack my brain" or "wrack my brain"?
Which is the correct usage: "rack my brain" or "wrack my brain"? Google turned up pages with conflicting recommendations.
One argument is that to "rack a brain" comes ...
- 1,283
80
votes
1
answer
402k
views
Which is correct: "feedback is welcome" or "feedback is welcomed"?
I am used to writing feedback is welcome. Is that correct, or should I write feedback is welcomed? Why?
- 58.6k
79
votes
24
answers
19k
views
A fun, catchy way to say the opposite of a 'no-brainer'?
A no-brainer is "something that requires a minimum of thought" (Merriam-Webster). I could use some help with a catchy way of saying the opposite.
Sample sentence:
"I have to make a decision and it ...
- 4,356
79
votes
3
answers
45k
views
Donald Trump's run-on sentences
In every Trump speech, almost every sentence is a run-on sentence. Here is a quote from one of his speeches last year
Look, having nuclear—my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer, ...
- 885
79
votes
7
answers
664k
views
Where does the period go when using parentheses?
Where should the period go when using parentheses? For example:
In sentence one, I use this example (which has a parenthesis at the end.)
Should the period be inside, or outside of the parentheses?...
- 893
79
votes
13
answers
656k
views
Do you really answer "How do you do?" with "How do you do?"
We're told in our English classes (learning English as a foreign language) that the only possible answer to
How do you do?
is to repeat the question:
How do you do?
(While it's ...
- 1,309
79
votes
3
answers
637k
views
Usage of "p." versus "pp." versus "pg." to denote page numbers and page ranges
At the risk of saying something foolish, I won't attempt to answer the question myself. I understand that all three synchronically more or less equivalent and substitutable, but it would be quite nice ...
- 971
78
votes
18
answers
81k
views
A formal way to say "I don't want to sound too cocky..."
Allow me to clear the situation. I was talking with my professor about a piece of software that I had developed. While we were discussing, I wanted to say something like
I don't want to sound too ...
- 860
78
votes
14
answers
50k
views
Word for fake religious people
Is there any word for calling people who pretend to be religious in the religious group they’re in? I mean, the people who lost their belief but can’t say they’re not religious anymore because people ...
user211560
78
votes
11
answers
16k
views
Why is "distro", rather than "distri", short for "distribution" in Linux world?
Why is distro, rather than distri, short for distribution in Linux world?
- 2,678
78
votes
4
answers
190k
views
Which is correct: "one or more is" or "one or more are"?
Should the phrase be "one or more is...", or "one or more are..."?
- 1,029
78
votes
8
answers
545k
views
What is the difference between 'make decision' and 'take decision'?
What is the difference between make decision and take decision? When to use the one and when the other?
- 1,251
77
votes
17
answers
24k
views
Is there a word for "air can pass through it"?
If light can pass through an object, or if you can see through it, it is transparent.
Is there a similar word for "air can pass through", or you can breathe through an object? This adjective would be ...
- 3,580
77
votes
14
answers
13k
views
Is it conceivable that President Obama might use the word "queue"?
President Obama in a press conference, in London today, has said that if Britain votes to leave the European Union and makes separate application to the United States for a trade deal, she will be at ...
- 64.2k