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

15 votes

What is the meaning of "I'm on detail"?

Detail as a noun refers to a specific task that someone is (temporarily) assigned. To be on detail means to be temporarily assigned to do a task that is different from one's regular assignment. Simila …
Justin's user avatar
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9 votes

Is there any difference between "congenial" and "genial"?

: A no-nonsense guide to easily confused words by Philip Gooden: CONGENIAL or GENIAL There's more than a shade of meaning between these two words and the careful user will pick the right one for the …
Justin's user avatar
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6 votes
Accepted

What are "hangers" in the context of American Revolution duel?

Collins Dictionary has: : Obsolete a short sword hung from the belt and a light saber of the 17th and 18th centuries, often worn by sailors From the Wikipedia article for cutlass: In England abou …
Justin's user avatar
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1 vote

Why do job ads use the word "discipline" to mean different areas/types of jobs?

OED defines discipline as a subcategory or element of a particular subject or field (also mentioned in DjinTonic's answer). So the examples in the image you have posted are each a subcategory of a bro …
Justin's user avatar
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44 votes
Accepted

What does "holding the cup at the other end of the string" mean here?

It's not an (established) idiomatic phrase, but a metaphorical one. [...] holding the cup at the other end of the string. Literally, it refers to two people talking to each other using only two cups …
Justin's user avatar
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0 votes
Accepted

What is the meaning of “he had loathed the world, should it loathe him first”?

[...] should it loathe him first This is an example of should with inversion. This is semantically equal to, "[...] if it (read: the world) should loathe him first. I believe this implies that, be …
Justin's user avatar
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41 votes

Meaning of "The devil with you"

It's an idiom (old-fashioned): Go to the devil in British English : b. (interjection) used to express annoyance with the person causing it (Collins Dictionary) Compare the structure of the phrase wi …
Justin's user avatar
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20 votes

Use of "Say ..." to begin sentences, particularly in BrE versus AmE?

Looking up "say exclamation/interjection" on Google, we see that it is definitely American: say exclamation (North American English, informal) ​used for showing surprise or pleasure Say, that's a ni …
Justin's user avatar
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9 votes
Accepted

What does "Oxford Classic" mean in this context?

From a letter from Charles Darwin to J.D Hooker in 1874 (Source): It is, if you ever attend the Balloting meetings of Athenæum Club, to attend the first one early in February & vote for my nephew, He …
Justin's user avatar
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2 votes

Who became a professor?

As requested by OP in comments to post this comment as an answer - As it stands, the sentence is completely ambiguous. Without knowing the historical facts, there is absolutely no way to tell wh …
Justin's user avatar
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2 votes

"agenda-driven": single-word synonyms and a good definition

Here's something I found in Google books that might help - (An APEC Trade Agenda?: The Political Economy of a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific) Implementing this will definitely require …
Justin's user avatar
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2 votes

Word for unquestioning belief/opinion.... Doctrine? Ideology?

Here's what you might want - Dogma : a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true. "The dogmas of faith" (From Oxford)
Community's user avatar
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1 vote

Meaning of the expression "labour under another "

Here's something that might help - Labour under [something] : [labour under something] to exist or try to live in a situation where there are serious difficulties or problems. Example sentence - "M …
Community's user avatar
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1 vote

What is the difference in meaning between 'was doing' and 'did' in American English?

"I did" is the "simple past" form. We use the simple past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Here is a good example - Sarah says, "I was doin …
Justin's user avatar
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1 vote
Accepted

What this means: "that is very nuanced"

Nuance : a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound. Source: https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/nuance The definition of "nuance" is a subtle difference. …
Community's user avatar
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