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Conrad means the word "teetotaler", someone who doesn't drink alcohol:
teetotalism: the principle or practice of complete abstinence from alcoholic drinks
Almost all the dialogue in Conrad's short novel is written in a way that emulates the accents of the men speaking. As a result you can't assume any words are correctly spelled, but sometimes have to ...
4
Big is an adjective. Much is not. You can say "he is big" but not "he is much".
Enough modifies adjectives (or verbs). It's an adverb (or a determiner). So "he is big enough" or "he is rich enough" or "he has studied enough", but there must be a verb or an adjective for it to make sense.
Much is also an adverb/determiner, just like enough. You can often ...
3
Proverbs are made to be interpreted in a standardized manner for native speakers and as a "shorthand" for a far more complex concept. The same happens with idioms and aforisms in general.
Usage of a proverb with a different meaning than the standard interpretation is a surefire way to miscommunication, especially when you're talking to a native - they have ...
2
This is from an article by an investment journalist.
First, he gives statistics to show that this is a growth sector (faster than GDP). It is large(accounting for a tenth of GDP and employment). The sector is stable.
To summarise,, this is a safe investment, a safe place to put your money (always supposing you have any).
'A banker' is race-course slang ...
1
I don't see the contradiction. Kahneman is saying that failure is an abnormal outcome and will draw more opprobrium than could be balanced by any good outcome.
My own conclusion is not informed by any grammatical consideration, and I do not see any relevance of grammar.
1
As @user user21497 points out in the "In a while" vs. "for a while" thread you link to, there are large differences in the meaning of in a while and for a while in certain contexts
I'll give this to you in a while. [Not now, but maybe tonight or next
week.]
I'll give this to you for a while. [You can have it for a week
or maybe a month, but then ...
1
This is from the OED:
Chiefly with capital initial. a. With a possessive adjective: a title of respect, esp. for a person of royal or noble rank. Frequently
(in your Grace) as a form of address. Now archaic or hist. Formerly
(in England until the reign of Henry VIII and in Scotland until 1707)
used for a monarch or prince; now replaced by Majesty ...
1
I will add that the term 'general contractor' is, very specifically, the lead construction firm on a construction project (as opposed to a sub-contractor). In this context, the term general contractor has likely been shortened, for linguistic convenience, to 'contractor.' There is no doubt that the use of this term for a specific trade is confusing, when the ...
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