User Airymouse

8 votes

2 answers

2k views

When and why did “mess” come to mean an untidy condition?

asked Sep 17, 2016 at 14:08

3 votes

4 answers

2k views

What is the term for a word with two quite different spellings that are pronounced alike?

asked Jan 27, 2017 at 18:07

0 votes

2 answers

1k views

It's easy to track down the etymology of the verb to calve . What is the origin of glacial calving?

asked Aug 31, 2016 at 21:33

3 votes

3 answers

870 views

Meaning of the first "ye" in Robert Herrick's poem, To the virgins, to make much of time

asked Aug 19, 2016 at 18:08

2 votes

2 answers

870 views

Why does the suffix -ful sometimes mean "evoking," and is there a pattern among the words for which this is true?

asked Aug 29, 2016 at 15:21

9 votes

2 answers

537 views

Experts on ELU assure us that there is no subjunctive mood in English. How should we who have been mistaught refer to what we were taught?

asked Dec 1, 2016 at 15:40

2 votes

1 answer

529 views

How does "hard" come to mean "close"?

asked Jan 12, 2017 at 19:19

2 votes

2 answers

445 views

Can the double dash be used to embed a sentence within a sentence?

asked Aug 21, 2016 at 14:54

0 votes

1 answer

313 views

Is there a name for misspelling or mispronouncing a word by confusing it with a cognate?

asked Aug 17, 2016 at 23:07

8 votes

2 answers

303 views

Is there a well-known secular sentence that uses all three of the imperative, indicative, and subjunctive moods?

asked Aug 22, 2016 at 17:31

6 votes

1 answer

203 views

Why is it that modern English readily accepts forming the adjectival form of some family member's names (e.g. motherly) but not others (e.g. sonly?)

asked Dec 11, 2016 at 16:00

0 votes

0 answers

159 views

Is there a word for a deictic pun?

asked Sep 8, 2016 at 19:56

2 votes

0 answers

100 views

Who is responsible for calling the water between England and the United States "the pond?" [duplicate]

asked Sep 25, 2016 at 16:53

1 vote

0 answers

78 views

US horsemen use the terms "green broke," "cold back(ed)," and "proud cut." Where are these terms used and where did they come from?

asked Jan 21, 2017 at 16:05

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14 Questions

When and why did “mess” come to mean an untidy condition?

What is the term for a word with two quite different spellings that are pronounced alike?

It's easy to track down the etymology of the verb to calve . What is the origin of glacial calving?

Meaning of the first "ye" in Robert Herrick's poem, To the virgins, to make much of time

Why does the suffix -ful sometimes mean "evoking," and is there a pattern among the words for which this is true?

Experts on ELU assure us that there is no subjunctive mood in English. How should we who have been mistaught refer to what we were taught?

How does "hard" come to mean "close"?

Can the double dash be used to embed a sentence within a sentence?

Is there a name for misspelling or mispronouncing a word by confusing it with a cognate?

Is there a well-known secular sentence that uses all three of the imperative, indicative, and subjunctive moods?

Why is it that modern English readily accepts forming the adjectival form of some family member's names (e.g. motherly) but not others (e.g. sonly?)

Is there a word for a deictic pun?

Who is responsible for calling the water between England and the United States "the pond?" [duplicate]

US horsemen use the terms "green broke," "cold back(ed)," and "proud cut." Where are these terms used and where did they come from?