Search Results
| Search type | Search syntax |
|---|---|
| Tags | [tag] |
| Exact | "words here" |
| Author |
user:1234 user:me (yours) |
| Score |
score:3 (3+) score:0 (none) |
| Answers |
answers:3 (3+) answers:0 (none) isaccepted:yes hasaccepted:no inquestion:1234 |
| Views | views:250 |
| Code | code:"if (foo != bar)" |
| Sections |
title:apples body:"apples oranges" |
| URL | url:"*.example.com" |
| Saves | in:saves |
| Status |
closed:yes duplicate:no migrated:no wiki:no |
| Types |
is:question is:answer |
| Exclude |
-[tag] -apples |
| For more details on advanced search visit our help page | |
Results tagged with american-english
Search options not deleted
user 13149
This tag is for questions related to the English language as used in the United States of America.
3
votes
What does "deader than a doornail" mean?
The phrase is deader than a doornail (or dead as a doornail).
It means utterly and completely dead -- either literally or figuratively. Or, as this site puts it:
“Dead as a doornail” (or, I suppo …
- 41k
2
votes
Accepted
Pronunciation of "Porsche" over time
Car guys and gearheads have (pretty much) always known how to pronounce Por-sche.
Porsche's television ads have always given the proper pronunciation, so anyone who paid attention to them (which may …
- 41k
2
votes
Usage of the word 'burlesque'
Merriam-Webster Unabridged gives three senses for the noun form of burlesque:
1
a : a literary composition or dramatic representation that ridicules something by means of grotesque exaggeration …
- 41k
2
votes
Accepted
Difference between elegancy and elegance
Merriam-Webster Unabridged notes that elegancy is "usually used in plural."
While elegance has a perfectly valid plural (Macmillan states that the noun form is uncountable, while M-W Unabridged does …
- 41k
4
votes
Accepted
"Lunch" vs "luncheon"
Precisely.
luncheon: a light meal of more formal character usually for a group of people in a public dining room (as at a club meeting or a
business meeting)
lunch: a: a light meal usually …
- 41k
1
vote
Guardrail vs Guard rail
The dictionary is your friend; Merriam-Webster says guardrail.
There isn't even a hint of giving guard rail any legitimacy.
- 41k
1
vote
Accepted
What is the term for the person leaving the position and person replacing the position in a ...
I gleaned my answers about secondments from this document from the Fife Council in Scotland and this UK job board:
A person leaving their substantive (primary) position is the secondee
A person leav …
- 41k
4
votes
Is the Word Homeopathy Used Inappropriately?
It's likely a case where, in trying to use neutral and concise language in their definition, Merriam-Webster comes off seeming disapproving instead.
Here's an excerpt from the definition of homeopath …
- 41k
4
votes
Is the common definition of "muckle-mouthed" a product of "The Catcher in the Rye"?
As a comment notes, muckle is a variant of mickle, which MW defines as Scottish for "great, much."
Oxford Dictionaries defines mickle-mouthed as "having a large mouth," and identifies it as Scottish. …
- 41k
3
votes
Where is the word "cutlery" in common usage
Macmillan flags cutlery as "mainly British," and goes on to note that the usual American word is silverware. (Which apparently has other connotations in British English.)
Another chiefly American sy …
- 41k
9
votes
A word for editing a sentence to make it flow better without necessarily changing the vocabu...
Writers I've worked with tend to use rework, as in "let's rework that sentence, it's much too verbose."
rework, v.: to change something such as a computer program or a piece of writing in order to …
- 41k
0
votes
"Mic" as an abbreviation for microwave
There are no definitions or examples for mic aggregated here that even hint at a microwave.
As a matter of fact, you're much more likely to hear a microwave referred to as a Radarange than you are to …
- 41k
3
votes
Accepted
Is "Most of the world does not distinguish captions from subtitles" true?
From Apple's Final Cut Studio documentation:
In the U.S., closed captioning for broadcast is mandated by the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC). If you’re delivering tape
masters for broa …
- 41k
2
votes
When referring to a specific person by title only within a specific office, should the title...
The Chicago Manual of Style, "8.22 Civil titles" says:
In formal prose, however, civil titles are capitalized only when used
as part of the name (except as noted). See also 10.13.
By this, your sent …
- 41k
9
votes
What is the difference between dialogue and dialog?
OxfordDictionaries.com has a page on British and American spelling, where it has this note:
The distinctions here are not hard and fast. The spelling analogue
is acceptable but not very common in Ame …
- 41k