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Results tagged with meaning
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user 5964
This tag is for questions related to definitions and nuances of meaning of a word or phrase.
9
votes
April Fool's day = April (Fool's day) or (April Fool)'s day
It's none of those, it's:
April Fools' Day
However, I understand it as a day for 'April Fools' rather than 'the day of Fools that occurs in April' because there is no Fools' day in any other mon …
- 13.2k
2
votes
What is the sense of the word "kettle" here?
According to the BBC the term is derived from the German military usage of the word Kessel (cauldron) meaning an encircled military force, for example in the Keil und Kessel tactic used extensively against …
- 13.2k
25
votes
7
answers
47k
views
What are the differences between a proverb, adage, aphorism, epigram, maxim and apothegm?
Dictionary definitions of all three are very similar, typically something like:
a pithy observation which contains a general truth
But the Wikipedia entries for each are quite different. Are th …
- 13.2k
2
votes
Literal meaning of "to give a run for someone's money"
The original meaning comes from the horse-racing world and just looking at the results in google books it was simply 'to give it a try and hope for some luck'. … The most literal meaning is that punters will get good value out of the bets they have put down. …
- 13.2k
8
votes
What does Albert Einstein’s epigram, “Many of the things you can count, don't count. ...” mean?
This is a misattribution and in fact comes from William Bruce Cameron's Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963).
The comment is part of a longer paragraph and do …
- 13.2k
6
votes
Accepted
What does "a drifty car" mean?
It refers to a car that is good for drifting, which basically means letting the rear end of a car slide around a corner. Rear-wheel drive cars, for example.
- 13.2k
1
vote
Accepted
"Change to line X" - is that correct in public transport context?
In the context of public transportation, transfer usually refers to conveyance to a departure point or between two other services. For example airport transfer services convey you to the airport, and …
- 13.2k
21
votes
Accepted
What does "left for dead" mean?
To understand what this simple phrase means first think of the literal meaning, that the person was abandoned because it was assumed that they were already dead, mortally wounded or that it was inevitable …
- 13.2k
6
votes
4
answers
83k
views
What is the difference, if any, between 'art', 'the arts', and 'Art'?
Also, does Art (capital A) have a special meaning distinct from art (lower case a)? …
- 13.2k
9
votes
Accepted
What is the origin and meaning of the phrase “bane of my existence”?
bane: a cause of great distress or annoyance
Therefore the bane of your existence is the chief annoyance or distress in your life, it is something that prevents you from enjoying life, turning it ins …
- 13.2k
21
votes
What does "to trap in amber" mean and where does it come from?
It means to preserve for perpetuity, or at least, a very long time. Some creatures trapped in amber have been preserved for millions of years.
- 13.2k
6
votes
2
answers
36k
views
Was the word for the BDSM costume "gimp suit" coined by Tarantino in Pulp Fiction?
This is apparently derived from another meaning of gimp that OED dates to the 1920s (origin unknown). … Does the 'sexual submissive' meaning originate from the Tarantino film? …
- 13.2k
9
votes
Accepted
Meaning of "steady-as-she-goes financial package"
It was originally a maritime expression, where she refers to a vessel and it is an instruction to maintain the current course. So the author is saying that with this budget, the chancellor is continu …
- 13.2k
5
votes
Accepted
Is 'equivocate' a euphemism for 'lie' or can it not be about lying?
I agree that it is related to lying but not the same. I wouldn't like to say it is worse... putting these terms, lie, prevaricate, equivocate, etc. on some sort of scale would likely involve a conten …
- 13.2k
35
votes
History of "X is dead. Long live X"
The original phrase is
The King is dead. Long live the King!
According to wikipedia:
The original phrase was translated from the French Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi!, which was first declar …
- 13.2k