New answers tagged meaning
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Long answers with present perfect
The word "yet" refers to a specific moment in time. But the phrasing "I have been" refers to an entire period of time. Therefore I think that your stated B choices are poorly ...
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Is there any difference between the idioms "pull the rug from under" and "leave in the lurch"?
EFL teacher here.
An important point to note is that it is not plural. You leave someone in the lurch, not the lurches. (I have no idea what the lurch is).
I would naturally say 'pull the rug out from ...
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What is the definition of "calculus" (not referring to the mathematical connotation)?
In wikipedia land the definition is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithmetic ...
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Is there any difference between the idioms "pull the rug from under" and "leave in the lurch"?
You can apologize (sincerely) for leaving somebody in the lurch. As a mentor "Sorry I left you in the lurch at the meeting. My train got stuck for an hour in a mobile phone no-spot because of a ...
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Is there any difference between the idioms "pull the rug from under" and "leave in the lurch"?
"Is there any difference?"
Yes. To "pull the rug out from under" someone is when the withdrawal of support is actively destructive. Leaving someone in the lurch is not.
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Is there any difference between the idioms "pull the rug from under" and "leave in the lurch"?
'Pull' in this usage is the common punctive (hence 'suddenly or unexpectedly') usage. The rug needs yanking to remove it from underneath a person. It's also a dynamic verb, and causative (bringing ...
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What is meaning of the phrase "should be the way to go"?
Would you understand it better if I said ...should be the path to follow....
This is an older idiom which means exactly the same thing.
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Is there any difference between the idioms "pull the rug from under" and "leave in the lurch"?
You correctly define them both - and I am a little surprised that you have not spotted the slightly different circumstances in which each might be used. Though the examples you give do seem to suggest ...
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“upskill your mind”
The word "upskill" is management-science jargon - meaning to "advance the skills of a person, department or institution" (my definition).
There is no set idiomatic phrase "...
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“upskill your mind”
While the phrase "upskill your mind" does make sense, the word is very uncommon and until now I've never heard it used in a sentence. As such I don't think many people know what the word ...
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What does "within a generation" mean in this context?
Using "within a generation" is not just about expressing a number of years. It would be easy to say "within 30 years."
The words are also saying, "This change happened by the ...
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What is meaning of the phrase "should be the way to go"?
means "Should be the approach to use"
Merriam Webster Way n.
4a: manner or method of doing or happening
admired her way of thinking
also : method of accomplishing : MEANS
that's the way to ...
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Meaning and interpretation of Bilbo's "half as well" quote
I don't know half of you half as well as I should like...
= I don't know half of the people here near as much as I am supposed to
...and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
= and ...
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"Didn't any" and "didn't either"
"Teams that did not participate in either game" means "teams that played in zero of the two games that were played."
"Teams that did not participate in both games" means &...
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"Didn't any" and "didn't either"
Did not participate in either means failed to participate in both. Otherwise I think participated in only one would have been used.
Any would only be used if more than two championships were involved.
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What does it mean for RFC 3339 to be "a profile of" ISO 8601?
The standard ISO 8601 is not publicly accessible but there is a preview of its part including Terms and definitions:
https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:8601:-2:ed-1:v1:en:term:3.1.2.1
There we ...
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What does the idiomatic phrase "err on the side of" mean?
The three entries have essentially the same meaning.
'Err' means to stray, to wander (like a sheep, for example). It carries the idea of a mistake as a secondary meaning based on the aforementioned ...
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Consider the question, "Aside from his pronunciation, what mistakes did he make?"
Your sentence does not necessarily mean that there were any mistakes in pronunciation. It may be the case that the speaker does not know whether there were any such mistakes. If there certainly were, ...
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Consider the question, "Aside from his pronunciation, what mistakes did he make?"
Aside from his pronunciation, what mistakes did he make?
How should it be rewritten to clarify that the pronunciation is not considered a mistake?
"His pronunciation was excellent, but what ...
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What does the idiomatic phrase "err on the side of" mean?
Great question, xbladefate25. I don't think the above answers quite nail it. The phrase most closely fits a situation in which you have a choice to make between two options, either one of which may be ...
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Accepted
Word request for a in-game page
The term Pop-up is fine and quite accurate as far as it goes. In the programming realm the term for this is a Modal window. That is a window that you cannot ignore or dismiss by clicking the window ...
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Meaning and origin of the word "muist"
The Scottish trail for “muist” appears to be the more interesting one: from “Dictionaries of the Scots Language”:
†MUIST, n., v. Also must; moust, moost.
I - n. 1. Musk (s.Sc. 1808 Jam.), in comb. ...
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Meaning and origin of the word "muist"
The OED has no entry for "muist" but has mu, noun3 and interjection.
Etymology: < Japanese mu nothingness (13th cent.; 1603 in Vocabulario da Lingoa de Iapam), use as noun of mu nothing (...
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Accepted
Meaning and origin of the word "muist"
According to John Jameson, An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language (1808), there is (or was) a word spelled muist in Scottish:
MUIST, MUST, s. Musk, Border. [Cited examples:] Thy smell ...
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What does the idiomatic phrase "err on the side of" mean?
All entries are really saying the same thing, though I agree they're not well articulated. I think there's only really one definition.
When tasked with a job whose performance lies on a spectrum with ...
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Accepted
What does "data trail for transactions" mean?
I just typed 'define trail' into my browser's title bar and the first definition reads:
1. a mark or a series of signs or objects left behind by the passage of someone or something
That's exactly what ...
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What does the idiomatic phrase "err on the side of" mean?
"Err on the side of" is used in situations where we probably won't be able to do something exactly, and want to know if it's better to have more, or less.
For examples, "cut some wood 8 ...
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What does "bent of mind" mean?
I know I am late in part but bent of mind in a sentence can mean to think very hard about or put a lot of effort into one particular thing.
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What does the idiomatic phrase "err on the side of" mean?
I have been stuck in a mental slump, attempting to figure out which definition (in the listed dictionary entries) is the one and true underlying definition of said phrase.
I cannot help being ...
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What does the idiomatic phrase "err on the side of" mean?
To err is to make a mistake. Let us therefore follow the sequence of relevant subsequent definitions:
Cambridge
err:
to make a mistake
mistake:
an action, decision, or judgment that produces an ...
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3
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What does the idiomatic phrase "err on the side of" mean?
If you look at all the examples you have cited above, they all have one thing in common - and that should make the meaning clear.
It shows that there is a risk of making an error of judgement and by &...
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Is there any difference between "congenial" and "genial"?
Harry Shaw, Dictionary of Problem Words and Phrases (1975) offers this brief discussion of how the two terms differ:
congenial, genial. Congenial means "compatible," "allied in spirit, ...
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What is the difference between "hallmark" and "trappings"?
I would say that a hallmark is how you distinguish the real thing from something fake: the hallmark of a gentleman is his courtesy to others. Trappings are superficial and can be misleading: gentlemen ...
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Is there any difference between "congenial" and "genial"?
Is there any difference between "congenial" and "genial"?
Yes. The sources below cover the subtle difference(s) between the two words:
From The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage ...
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Is there any difference between "nexus" and "locus"?
From your own research, you can see that the definition of nexus emphasises the connection, whereas locus is emphasises the aspect of place.
OED: Nexus:
1.a. A bond, link, or junction; a means of ...
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When does "actively mislead" entail an intent to deceive?
Mislead is a euphemism for lie. It always suggests an intent to deceive, but does not entail it logically, since human intention is not a logical conclusion (the way the truth of She killed him ...
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When does "actively mislead" entail an intent to deceive?
Actively mislead can certainly suggest intent; its range of meaning is visible in the definition of actively (Oxford English Dictionary, "actively, adv.," def. 1).
By one's own action; ...
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Is there any difference between "congenial" and "genial"?
A genial person is pleasant and friendly in their behaviour. Because of this, you will probably find them congenial [to you].
As you see from the definition you found, congenial always has the sense ...
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What's the Meaning of Opposing?
A possible way of interpreting this construction is related to this definition of "oppose" from the OED:
II. Senses relating to opposition or opponency.
3. a. transitive. To set (something) ...
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Please explain the meaning of the following phrase
Based on the context of the full quote (Books are in the competitive set for leisure time), the phrase "the competitive set for leisure time" is the group (set) of activities that compete (...
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What is the difference between "hallmark" and "trappings"?
The origins of the terms points to a significant connotational difference.
Hallmark: "early 18th century (as a noun): from Goldsmiths' Hall in London, where articles were tested and stamped with ...
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The word "glee": How prevalent is the aspect of 'schadenfreude' in normal use?
From Vocabulary.com
Definitions of glee
noun great merriment
synonyms:gleefulness, hilarity, mirth, mirthfulness
see more
noun malicious satisfaction
synonyms:gloat, gloating
There is a negative view ...
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The word "glee": How prevalent is the aspect of 'schadenfreude' in normal use?
I have heard it used where is to describe someone with a low level of responsibility or someone who is insane, as in the glee of irresponsibility or the glee of insanity. I picture these people ...
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18
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Accepted
What is the difference between "hallmark" and "trappings"?
One key difference between the two words in the meaning you've posed is expected number in usage:
hallmark is usually singular
trappings is usually plural
The hallmark (OED, "hallmark, n." ...
1
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Accepted
What is the definition of the phrase "unto itself"?
The answer is in the preposition "unto" (now somewhat old-fashioned but retained in such phrases as you quote)
OED unto
Indicating spatial or local relationship.
1.a. Expressing or denoting ...
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Accepted
Is there any difference between "nexus" and "locus"?
Thank you for researching your question so carefully. To the extent that there is a difference between these two words,you can most clearly see the difference by looking to their derivations.
Both ...
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What is the difference between "hallmark" and "trappings"?
You could think of it this way: hallmarks are the aspects that make someone fit a classic, respected stereotype; trappings are superficial aspects that we notice in a detached, skeptical way. We are ...
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What does "hit me like a two-by-four" mean?
The British army used to clean rifles after firing with a piece of "two-by-four" rag. In an armoury rolls of rag and "pull throughs" were kept. To clean the barrel of a rifle, one ...
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What does "ever having happened" mean?
Just to repeat the comment made by Weather Vane into an answer
The doctor is a time traveller, so tenses get very tense (sorry bad joke)
It is saying the doctor usually fixes thing "after they ...
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What does the phrase "Shop the edit" mean?
Shop the edit means go shopping at this destination offering a curated selection of stuff.
Shop is a transitive verb born of the noun shop. Edit is a noun born of the verb edit.
From the Oxford ...
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