User Daniel

41 votes

8 answers

220k views

How did "sinister", the Latin word for "left-handed", get its current meaning?

asked Aug 23, 2011 at 23:02

14 votes

4 answers

192k views

What's the deal with "thank you kindly"?

asked Jan 24, 2012 at 1:28

24 votes

6 answers

153k views

"Clean as a whistle" — why is a whistle considered appropriate for describing cleanliness?

asked Jul 15, 2011 at 14:13

47 votes

6 answers

137k views

Is there a gender-neutral word for "aunts and uncles"/"parents' siblings"?

asked Jun 22, 2011 at 15:09

9 votes

6 answers

94k views

Is "I hear you" impatient or sympathetic?

asked Jan 5, 2012 at 1:29

57 votes

10 answers

86k views

"Eat" is to "feed" as "drink" is to what?

asked Aug 2, 2011 at 16:59

13 votes

4 answers

73k views

Why doesn't "ninth" have an "e", like "ninety"?

asked Aug 4, 2011 at 11:58

8 votes

4 answers

70k views

Is "aren't I" correct grammar?

asked Jul 15, 2011 at 17:32

11 votes

3 answers

60k views

Why do we say "by all means" when we mean "by any means"?

asked Feb 5, 2012 at 1:32

3 votes

2 answers

58k views

How did "heart" come to refer to the shape? [closed]

asked Sep 22, 2011 at 19:41

17 votes

3 answers

58k views

Origin of "man!", "(oh) boy!", and "oh brother"

asked Jun 25, 2011 at 11:08

14 votes

6 answers

57k views

What was "well met!" supposed to mean?

asked Jul 21, 2011 at 20:08

14 votes

1 answer

53k views

Why is it "grandfather", but "great-uncle"?

asked Jul 16, 2011 at 13:13

25 votes

3 answers

49k views

Why does the ending -ough have six pronunciations?

asked Jun 28, 2011 at 23:44

38 votes

5 answers

47k views

Why are "sugar" and "sure" pronounced with an SH?

asked Jul 8, 2011 at 22:24

4 votes

2 answers

46k views

Where did the slang usages of "cool" come from?

asked Sep 23, 2011 at 19:08

31 votes

3 answers

45k views

Why does "for good" mean "forever"?

asked Sep 5, 2011 at 18:39

8 votes

5 answers

43k views

Is "breaths" grammatically correct? [duplicate]

asked Jul 8, 2011 at 13:10

6 votes

3 answers

39k views

Which is standard: "log on/off" or "log in/out"? [duplicate]

asked Jul 12, 2011 at 13:24

16 votes

2 answers

38k views

Why is "plaid" pronounced "plad"?

asked Aug 2, 2011 at 1:03

12 votes

3 answers

35k views

Why is "sherbet" pronounced "sherbert" so much?

asked Jul 6, 2011 at 1:41

22 votes

13 answers

33k views

What's an idiom for doing something in an unnecessarily complicated way?

asked Sep 26, 2011 at 21:16

11 votes

1 answer

33k views

Why is "victuals" pronounced "vittles"?

asked Jul 7, 2011 at 17:26

21 votes

2 answers

32k views

Why is "sergeant" pronounced "sargent"?

asked Jan 23, 2012 at 1:34

11 votes

6 answers

31k views

Are double negatives ever appropriate in English?

asked Jun 27, 2011 at 1:04

19 votes

7 answers

30k views

Where did "There, there" (in consoling) come from?

asked Jul 7, 2011 at 20:49

13 votes

6 answers

29k views

What is the structure in "as best you can"?

asked Oct 5, 2011 at 0:04

6 votes

5 answers

28k views

What is a good substitute for "echoey"?

asked Jul 7, 2011 at 12:04

20 votes

9 answers

28k views

What is the origin of "hissy fit"?

asked Sep 3, 2011 at 22:46

4 votes

1 answer

27k views

Why is "lawyer" widely pronounced "loyer"?

asked Oct 20, 2011 at 18:22

Stack Exchange Network

133 Questions

How did "sinister", the Latin word for "left-handed", get its current meaning?

What's the deal with "thank you kindly"?

"Clean as a whistle" — why is a whistle considered appropriate for describing cleanliness?

Is there a gender-neutral word for "aunts and uncles"/"parents' siblings"?

Is "I hear you" impatient or sympathetic?

"Eat" is to "feed" as "drink" is to what?

Why doesn't "ninth" have an "e", like "ninety"?

Is "aren't I" correct grammar?

Why do we say "by all means" when we mean "by any means"?

How did "heart" come to refer to the shape? [closed]

Origin of "man!", "(oh) boy!", and "oh brother"

What was "well met!" supposed to mean?

Why is it "grandfather", but "great-uncle"?

Why does the ending -ough have six pronunciations?

Why are "sugar" and "sure" pronounced with an SH?

Where did the slang usages of "cool" come from?

Why does "for good" mean "forever"?

Is "breaths" grammatically correct? [duplicate]

Which is standard: "log on/off" or "log in/out"? [duplicate]

Why is "plaid" pronounced "plad"?

Why is "sherbet" pronounced "sherbert" so much?

What's an idiom for doing something in an unnecessarily complicated way?

Why is "victuals" pronounced "vittles"?

Why is "sergeant" pronounced "sargent"?

Are double negatives ever appropriate in English?

Where did "There, there" (in consoling) come from?

What is the structure in "as best you can"?

What is a good substitute for "echoey"?

What is the origin of "hissy fit"?

Why is "lawyer" widely pronounced "loyer"?