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This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.

2 votes
Accepted

meaning of 'shake loose'

To "shake loose" has several slightly different meanings, but in this context 'some things shook loose' does mean something has changed, probably more information / evidence has come to light. 'movin …
Peter Jennings's user avatar
7 votes
Accepted

What does "visigraph" mean?

This is a made up word invented by Issac Asimov to name some future means of transmitting a document from place to place. Presumably some form of futuristic fax or PDF! It is common in science fiction …
Peter Jennings's user avatar
2 votes

Does "the weed" refer to tobacco or marijuana?

There is an article here which discusses when the term weed began to be used as a slang term for marijuana and concludes that it was in the 1930s. Although it further claims that this name didn't beco …
Peter Jennings's user avatar
2 votes
4 answers
621 views

What is the origin of the phrase "Into thin air"

The meaning of the phrase is well known and can be found in several online dictionaries including Cambridge and Merriam Webster. To disappear without a trace. … Is it just for effect or is there some extra meaning? …
Peter Jennings's user avatar
3 votes
Accepted

so much [verb] as [verb]

so much as without the verbs has a different meaning, and even can be a definition in this case. Collins English Dictionary has this definition and example …
Peter Jennings's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
223 views

Is there a "correct" definition of woke as an adjective?

Merriam Webster and (Lexico) effectively define woke as social awareness. Bussel.com claims The Urban Dictionary has a similar definition, but over on The Urban Dictionary itself there are multiple de …
Peter Jennings's user avatar
0 votes
Accepted

Are all the variants of the following sentence correct?

All 3 versions are grammatically correct. 1 and 2 have identical meaning and can be used interchangeably, 3 is subtly different. In 1 & 2 "he works to find", which doesn't guarantee that he succeeds. …
Peter Jennings's user avatar
1 vote

"my stomach told me" VS "my guts told me"

Yes, in both cases. Unprecedented means without precedent that is without any previous occurrence or example. For example, precedence is often quoted in court for guidance where a similar, previous ca …
Peter Jennings's user avatar