texts:
"We tore the roof off that one red light town" - from Thomas Rhett's Remember You Young.

What does "one red light town" mean? I've always assumed it's talking about how small the town is, but just looked it up and couldn't find the term defined or used anywhere else.


texts: Word for "the action of making something optimistic"

texts: Is there such a word or concise paraphrase that corresponds? Optimize might have the same root but it obviously doesn't have the same meaning. Is there any verbal form that could fit or does optimism (and any other philosophy) imply a self state?


texts: Which one is better (or correct) expression? "go up 5 percent'" or "go up by 5 percent"

texts:
I ran into some curiosity on some expression just like,

A) It took me a day to go up 5 percent.

B) It took me a day to go up by 5 percent.

I think the B is right, but someone is sometimes using the A.

Can you explain for the reason about A and B ?

Thank you.


texts: Words to address young (male) people with?

texts: I am thinking about words, maybe used by older generations to approach a young man. And using some common word that also has some meaning along the lines of "young, handsome, lively, energetic or innocent boy". Which, basically, reminds the older generation of how they once were themselves. E.g. something like, "excuse me ...(young, handsome boy), could you carry that bag for me, please?"


texts: Is there an antonym for the verb form of delegate?

texts:
This question seeks an antonym for the noun form: Is there an antonym for “delegate”?
I seek an antonym for the act of delegating, where instead of passing work or authority to another to keep it for for yourself.
I would also accept single words for taking on work/authority from a subordinate, whether it had previously been explicitly delegated or not.


texts: What is the correct word for "happening every minute"? How do you pronounce it?


texts: Is there a colour that displays the word "sullen"?

texts: I have maroon and cool red in mind, but I'm not really sure. I need help with this problem. Identifying what problem it is was hard.


texts: "an (among other things) schizophrenic" or "a (among other things) schizophrenic"?

texts: I'm lost on whether I should use "a" or "an" in the part of the sentence: "an (among other things) schizophrenic". How does the part in the brackets affect the rest here?


texts: Listening understanding problems when something is said "out-of-context"

texts:
I have studied in UK since I was 15. I have now been here for around 8 years. I have never noticed that I have any issues with language until I started working full-time. I am very used to academic language, so on the meetings at work I can follow what is being said because there is a "theme" of the discussion so to say.

But I have noticed that it is quite hard for me (most of the time) to interpret what is being said if it is being said out of context, for example, if someone cracks a joke, or if someone enters the room and says something. In these circumstances, I find it difficult to understand what is being said and have to ask to repeat again, and when they do I can understand them no problem. I was wondering if anyone is perhaps aware of some good listening resources out there on the web that can train the sort of social setting talking/listening skills? Is anyone also aware of some resources that list some of the more used slang English words?


texts:
i'm confused about super tight meaning in this sentence..
Elon Musk emails Tesla employees: ‘Breaking even is looking super tight’

breaking even is looking very close?

reaching to the break even point is so hard?

or something else?


texts: Word or phrase for a rule or system so complex/vague/inconsistent that everyone is violating it

texts:
X: A policy, rule, standard or law so vague, complex, or inconsistent that nearly all entities subject to it are in violation of it.

Virtually every economic activity a person takes is somehow related to interstate commerce. (The constitution's Interstate Commerce clause is an X).
The accusation of "bias" can virtually always be slung at one's opponent in an argument. There is a presumption that "bias" is inherently bad, when in fact bias is inherent in choice of words. (All journalists are biased; the idea that journalism should be "unbiased" is an X).

What is X?


texts: Is "At which he was really shocked" grammatical?

texts:
Last month Qziz was told that he had been laid off. At which he was really shocked

Is the second sentence grammatical? Is the preposition at used appropriately here, or should I use a different one? Google Books showed 552,000 results for “at which he was”


texts: Is it correct to use "branch" to describe type of industry?

texts:
I've always used the word branch when describing the type of industry, line of business or operation category. Please note that I'm not referring to a part of a concern structure as in "Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin".

For instance, to express that John is in finance and doesn't understand the importance of well defined code structure, which a programmer or other IT professional definitely would, I'd state the following.

"Jonh doesn't know jack. He's not in our branch."

I've never got eye browse arousal on this so I lived happily ignorant that it might be an incorrect usage of the Swedish term (borrowed word from English) until my colleague had the cruelty to point that out for me.

I tried to defend my position with an online dictionary but apparently there's a bug in their logic because it only confirmed the said colleague's critique of my expression.   :)

Seriously speaking, though, I'd like to get some light shed on the usage of the term. Is it understandable? Commonly used? Poetically or metaphorically expressed? Just plain wrong?


texts: Are there any rules to using "semi-", the prefix?

texts:
The prefix semi means "half, partial". Examples such as semi-annual/semiannual and semi-truck come up quite often.
I got into a debate with someone. He used the term semi-sales to refer to a sales job that is not quite real sales. I reasoned that he couldn't simply combine semi- with just any word and create new words or give a new meaning to a word.
Are there any rules to using semi-?


texts:
I researched help and examples on the uses of the word nay but found these inadequate/insubstantial.

The Free Dictionary has described:

  an archaic or dialect (except in voting by voice) word for no
  (noun)  a. a person who votes in the negative    b. a negative vote
  (adverb) (sentence modifier) an emphatic form of no

as an instance for an adverb, I found the following line:

  and not only so but; not only that but also; indeed: many good, nay, noble qualities.

I see nay in the latter example as one that contains a compound connotation(s.)
so could the same example be re-written in the following ways?

a)"not only did he have (many) good qualities, he had noble ones too"
or

b)"not only were his qualities good, they were noble too"

I'm very uncertain and critical as to how nay is understood to describe the situations a) and b) because I understood all along that nay was another word for no.

I'm looking for a detailed review and examples of the meaning and utilisation of nay


texts: Is there an English word/term/phrase for when you are working on something while using it at the same time?

texts:
For the last couple of years, I've been working every day, all day, on a code library/framework. It's the most advanced software project I've done all my life, and it has required numerous "iterations" and endless hours of hair-pulling while trying to debug things and verifying that things still work correctly.

Almost since the beginning, I have been using this system at the same time as I'm developing it. That is, not with a "stable version", but the actual, live code files which I'm editing. I do all kinds of automated logic with this, such as fetching my bank account information or talking to various APIs, processing all incoming e-mails, etc. Basically any reasonably solvable task that I need to do with my computer.

As soon as I update a source code file, my running "master loop" detects this and restarts itself. It only waits if it detects that one of the source code files are syntax incorrect. If I'm not very careful, this causes a cascade of errors which are sent by this system to myself internally and plays various sounds.

I've been trying to find a term to describe this "paradox", if it can be called that. Basically, I'm developing the same system which I'm using to develop this system. Sometimes, I have to really stop and think about what I'm doing, because it even confuses myself.

Is there an established English phrase/word/term to describe this?


texts: What phrase is less idiomatic than "softball question"?

texts:
In the US, a "softball question" is asked because it would be intentionally easy to answer. It's not an intellectual judgement, just a question formulated to be intentionally easy for that particular person to answer.

I'm looking for a word or phrase that can be more widely understood (outside the US) that preserves that same meaning. Preferably, it would fit nicely into the form: "The best political reporters no longer ask [softball] questions."


texts: "So much ahead of" vs. "so much forward of"

texts:
Let's say I'm a pitcher in a baseball game, standing on the pitcher's mound which is supposed to be 100m away from the batsman. Someone messes up the mound and moves it 50 m further, making it 150 m away from the batsman.

How should I report this error if I want to ask a rhetorical question before pointing out the mistake? I want to say:

  Why is this pitching spot so much ahead/forward of the normal spot? It needs to be taken back 50 meters.

Is using ahead/forward okay? Or should I use something else?


texts: Should it be 'the case worker supports the client IN finding their goals', 'the case worker support the client WITH finding her goals', or 'the case worker supports a client to find her goals'? Or something else? I can't find any answers to this anywhere!


texts: Omit the subject after a conjunction in negative sentence?

texts:
I suppose these two sentences are equivalent:

I did A and I did B.
I did A and B.

So in the case of

I didn't do A, but I did B.

Can I use:

I didn't do A but B(past tense).

Or:

I did B but not A.

?


texts: The use of 'how could ...' in past tense situations

texts:
A grammatical issue has been bugging me for some time, and I just can't seem to wrap my head around it. If I'm writing in the past tense and questioning the ability to do something or the possibility of something that happened earlier, can I simply use 'how could ...'? For example:

  I was under so much emotional stress at the time. I really wanted to tell you my feelings. But how could I tell you when you were never around?

Or, would I have to write:

  But how could I have told you when you were never around?

Similarly, would one write:

  You were a terrible person back then, but I forgave you for everything you'd done. How couldn't I forgive you?

It's clear that everything is taking place in the past in both cases, so it's impossible for a reader to think that 'could' in this case has to do with a future possibility.

What's the 'rule' regarding questions beginning with 'how could'? Does 'could' -- in contexts where it's completely clear we're dealing with the past tense -- denote the simple past, and 'could ... have' a more distant past? For instance, would it be correct to write:

  But the Romans couldn't defeat the Amazons. How could they defeat such a powerful people? And how could the Greeks before them have beaten them?

Is my understanding correct? I'm totally confused right now, so any clarification would be much appreciated! Thanks!


texts: "Is far from..." - How do I connote the simile, without the literal connotation?

texts:
In using a contrasting simile, I think I have fallen into a trap. I want to say:

  The academy is far from a placid house of learning.

In the sense of:

  The academy is not at all a serene place for study.

Unfortunately, the literal meaning connotes physical distance, as in:

  The academy is 500 miles from a quiet school that I know.

I have checked Ngram Viewer, and is far from a place does not come up with any hits, and the limit is five words per phrase. I could not pinpoint the problem in any of the usage dictionaries either. Might one say:

  The academy is far from being a quiet place of study?

That doesn't sound right at all. Being should not be a verb.


texts:
Gigantism is a disease of having abnormally large size.

Is there a grammatical rule that says that it should be called "gigantism" and not "giantism"?


texts: Word for blaming all problems on one cause?

texts:
I'm not quite sure what the word I'm looking for is, but I think it would be something along the lines of stupid and unoriginal.

For example, let's say a man frequently gets into arguments with his wife, but he refuses to acknowledge that there is actually a problem or that he's doing anything wrong; he makes no effort to understand her, and instead blames it all on her period. Every. Single. Time.

Or, he gets into an argument with his teenage daughter and blames it all on her being a teenager.

What do you call this? A weak argument, a lame excuse, changing of the subject, or ... what?


texts: How to say "the same below" in academic papers?

texts:
Simply put, if I use a notation and do not want to repeat noting that again and again in the rest of the paper, what should I write? The meaning I want to express is that this notation carries the same meaning unless otherwise stated.

Thanks in advance.


texts: What does "of its own too-much" mean in the mentioned context?

texts:
Can we use "too-much" as a noun? (Shouldn't it be "too-much-ness?) Then, does "of its own too-much" mean "because of being too much" in the following context?

  Since then I have lived to see state after state extirpate its wolves. I have watched the face of many a newly wolfless mountain, and seen the south-facing slopes wrinkle with a maze of new deer trails. I have seen every edible bush and seedling browsed, first to anaemic desuetude, and then to death. I have seen every edible tree defoliated to the height of a saddlehorn. Such a mountain looks as if someone had given God a new pruning shears, and forbidden Him all other exercise. In the end the starved bones of the hoped-for deer herd, dead of its own too-much, bleach with the bones of the dead sage, or molder under the high-lined junipers.

Context: Thinking Like a Mountain By Aldo Leopold


texts: "Video" is to "visual effects" as audio is to "__ effects"?

texts:
Video is to visual as audio is to...?

Just wondering what would be appropriate.

For example, I could say something like "the visual effects in that video were awesome!" But how about audio? "The audio effects in that piece of audio were awesome!" Doesn't sound so good...

EDIT: Just thought up 'auditory', would that be correct?


texts:
There's a famous story about a Marine sergeant at the Battle of Belleau Wood shouting "Come on, you apes.  Do you want to live forever?"  It's been attributed to several people; a character in Starship Troopers says it; but what does it mean?

"You are acting as if you wish never to die; in fact, you should desire to fight and to die fighting."
"If you fight, your life may be shortened but you will achieve metaphorical immortality -- 'live forever' -- through your valor."
A deliberate ambiguity between (1) and (2).

EDIT:
I didn't make something clear.  I am not taking a poll here.  A sound argument for one alternative or another would be good; a cite would be better; but an opinion is famously like that body part that everyone has but no one else wishes to see or hear about.


texts: This word doesn't make any sense in this context

texts:
Cowley's Poems:

  But I within me bear alas too great allays.

What does this 'allay' mean?

This poet says, I wish I could be overheat with praise!, so this man is unhappy. However, allay means 'to soothe'.


texts: I have a hard time trying to get my pronunciation of words like hood, book, hooker, or wood right. I was wondering, is the 'oo' sound in these words pronounced exactly the same as in good? If so, that would make it a fair bit easier for me.


texts: Has anyone else heard this phrase?  I heard it growing up in western Kansas and have always wondered where it came from. My brother in law would say, "That dog is a as crazy as a pet coon under a red wagon!"


texts:
I got a book titled Self-study vocabulary practice. Can I replace self-study with self-education?

Does it make sense to use self-learning in the statement of above?


texts: Is there a word meaning "of or relating to objects?"

texts:
The closest I've found is objectual, but depending on the source, that may not be an actual word.

For example, if I were to refer to an author's use of symbolism via objects I would say something like:

  The author is fond of ____ symbolism.


texts:
I've just seen someone comment:
We send our children to fight in a war we know not what we are fighting for.
I am not English expert (it's not even my first language) but the structure just seems wrong but I have no idea if it is or why it is or isn't wrong. Need an expert's opinion.


texts: To capitalize or not to capitalize the start of a quote that doesn't actually quote anyone

texts:
In correcting a non-native speaker's English, I'm not quite sure what to do with the expressions in quotes below. Should they be capitalized, as they are below, or should they begin with lower case letters?

  I already heard the correct expressions were "Thank you for talking to me" or "Thank you for talking with me."

I'm unsure because the function of the quotation marks here isn't really to quote what someone said or might say, but merely to demarcate the expressions from the rest of the sentence and each other.


texts: Is it bad behavior to add filler words such as "so", "um" in business speak?

texts: Sometimes when I speak with my fellows at work, I start my sentences with "so" or "um". I don't know if this a bad behavior in business speak or not? If so, how can I get rid of those filler words?


texts:
I am confused as to when to use "prefer to" and "prefer than".
For example, we write:

  I prefer coffee to tea.

So why can't we use than  instead of to?
Also, can someone give me an example of a sentence where we use prefer than? I exactly can't remember a sentence but I'm sure I've read it somewhere.


texts: Usage of question: How does it look like from your side?

texts:
How does it look like from your side?

It is often used at communication with customer when asking how they are or how it looks like/what they think, if they already finished etc.

For example:

  I have finished maintaining the data. How does it look like from your side?

Is this word "side" the correct one? Shouldn't I use:

  How does it look like from your part/point?


texts:
I have looked up the word decanter in several dictionaries to find a meaning that matches its use in the sentence below, but I failed.

  In a problem-based learning setting, teachers need to decanter their roles as the source of knowledge by consciously refraining from giving only right-wrong answers.

Can anyone help me, please?


texts: What do you call it when it's not raining, but the atmosphere causes everything to be wet?

texts:
I'm currently having a discussion with colleagues about what this is.

Basically it's kind of a cloud has rolled into to ground level. It's not raining in the sense that there are no drops of water falling from the sky, but it causes everything to be wet.

What do you call this?

I'm not sure I would call it drizzle either - because there doesn't appear to be distinct water drops.


texts: Classification: usage in the marine community

texts:
I recently heard "classification society" in a conversation - I thought it's an organization that classify or sort things somehow. My friend later explained a classification society is actually a regulatory body in shipping standards.

However, looking up "classification" in the dictionary, I found no definition relevant to marine engineering or shipping.

Why is this the case? And how does "classification" relate to shipping?


texts:
In the sentence below I'd like to ask the meaning of BARREL in this context.

  I'm not interested in dressing in the latest mode; a barrel and a pair
  of flipflops are fashionable enough for me.

It seems that a barrel refers to a kind of dress.
But dictionary don't give me any meaning with regard to this meaning.


texts: Does the if clause modify "I will play the violin" even though the clauses are not next to each other?

texts:
I will play the violin when I am at the park if my fingers are not sore today.

Is the "if" clause modifying "I will play the violin" even though these clauses are not next to each other?
So that the sentence means:

If my fingers are not sore today, I will play the violin when I am at the park.

I know using an "and" between both subordinate clauses would clear up the confusion, however, if there is no "and" does a "nesting" situation arise?


texts:
Every time I write GPL license the spelling checker of my Mac OS X keeps to underline license in green; if I write GPL License, the spelling checker doesn't underline License.
When I hover the mouse over the word, the Mac shows a tool tip with the following sentence:

  The word license may not agree with the rest of the sentence.

This happens whatever I write, even if I write The GPL license is commonly used.

If I write the GPL Licence is commonly used, the word Licence is underlined in red, and I get the suggestion to replace it with License or Licensee.
The same happens if I use licence.

What I am  doing wrong?

PS: My Mac is set to use the American English as default language.


texts: Difference between "selfish" and "self-centered"

texts: Is there a difference between the meaning of selfish and self-centered? I have seen some using them identically. If there is a difference who would you like to hang out with: a selfish person or a self-centered person?


texts: Is the word “flatulence” ridiculous sounding?

texts:
I ask because there is a small disagreement over the terminology that was used in the following (original) Travel.SE question

  My seatmate farts like rotten eggs. What ought the cabin crew do?

The discussion, as far as I'm concerned, is over. The "new" and approved title “My seatmate has digestive problems causing unpleasant smell. What ought the cabin crew do?” should remain.

BUT I am interested in knowing if other native speakers agree with the following assertions

  "Flatulence" just comes off as comic/ridiculous, it's worse than "fart"

and [emphasis in bold not mine]

  The phrase "recurrent flatulence" is really ridiculous - it sounds comic. It's admirable to want to change it to a neutral word in native English, but you definitely don't want "recurrent flatulence"! It's almost like the edit is making fun of the OP

The offending edit, suggested by me, was

  My co-passenger has recurrent flatulence. What ought the cabin crew do?

Are the observations made by the American speaker valid? Would visitors snigger at the word "flatulence"?
Would they think that the proposed edit was making fun of the OP? Why?

I am honestly interested in hearing if the term "flatulence" causes hilarity among Americans, Britons, and Australians. I've always assumed that it was a formal, albeit slightly stuffy, alternative to “fart”.


texts:
This is part of my essay that I'm writing, and I'm unsure of whether to use "has" or "have."

"that experience, and others like it, have/has taught me"

That experience has taught me, but others like it have taught me.  Which one should be used in this situation?


texts: Can you explain a grammar of this sentence please

texts:
Yeah, yeah. Microsoft would have been willing to buy it, too. . . . I don't know for $19 billion, but the company's extremely valuable.

Full Article is here.

From the context I can understand that Microsoft wanted to buy WhatsApp before Facebook did, but I can't understand the grammar. Can someone explain to me please?


texts: Square is to rectangle as cube is to ...?

texts:
What is the word I'm looking for? A shape that has 6 sides where every side has a 90 degree edge to the neighbor side.

Not necessarily a cube though, because a cube also has the additional restraint of each edge being the same length. I'm describing a shape that doesn't have that restraint.


texts: Are units in English singular or plural?

texts:
I am a little bit confused about using units in English, sometimes I hear that people use singular units for plural things, sometimes they use plural ones. Which one is correct?

3 meter(s) long?
during a 2 week(s) period?
0.5 dollar(s)


texts:
For example:

Billionaire John Smith purchased a new yacht last week.
ACME Corporation says it treats workers well, but protestor Jane Doe believes otherwise.

What role do the nouns "billionaire" and "protestor" play here? They seem to be acting as adjectives. They don't seem like noun modifiers to me, as the names are not really being modified.


texts: How do you pronounce (r) in British English?

texts:
For example, we have
- car  /kɑː(r)/
- or  /ɔː(r)/

I thought the brackets means you delete it - i.e. non rhotic - but now I see the phonetic spelling of words like "hard" which don't include the r at all /ˈhɑːd/


texts:
In the classic American children's show Spongebob Squarepants, one line in the theme song goes like this:

  If nautical nonsense be something you wish

and it is then followed by the chorus.

My question is on the use of the word be in this context. Although it could simply be a form of silly, "pirate-speak" to be entertaining, I am wondering if this could be a form of the subjunctive. The sentence is asking if you might want to watch a show about hi-jinks in in the ocean (hence the phrase "nautical nonsense") and so thus is a hypothetical and in my understanding, hypothetical statements are supposed to be used with the subjunctive.

So, is this proper English grammar, or simply a sentence intended to sound funny? If it is proper grammar, then why has this usage largely disappeared?


texts: A definite article before government institutions

texts:
I know English uses a definite article with the names of government institutions (eg: the White House, the State Capitol and the Pentagon, etc.). But I don't know if it's the same case with the names of schools, colleges and universities that are run by a particular local government. The college I go to is also a government institution and it's name is "Government Polytechnic". Would it be grammatical, if I used a definite article before my college name?
(Note: There is one such college in each district of my state.)


texts: What does the phrase "this the new vivy and millennium wavy" mean? Is it a slang?

texts:
I was listening to the new Chris Brown's album, "Royalty" and the last track/song called "U Did It" which features the rapper Future has the following line that I didn't understand at all:

I just need some codeine just to relax
This the new vivy and millennium, wavy

This is the lyrics according to Genius.com web site.

Also, I don't know what the words "vivy" and "millennium" mean, if someone could help me with that, I'd be grateful.


texts: What is the relation between a verb and an adverb (officially) called?

texts: What does an adverb "do" to a verb? When googling I found terms like modifies or describes, but I'm not sure if a name for the relation exists.


texts:
Can somebody explain me please what does this quote by Countess Morphy mean?

Plain cooking cannot be entrusted to plain cooks.


texts: Does saying I have "functional understanding" of something convey that I understand its functions?

texts:
If I say,

  "I have a functional understanding of
  car engines"

does this convey:

I understand how car engines function (this is what I originally thought)
My understanding of car engines is functional (which doesn't make much sense, but what I suspect is correct)

So if I wanted to tell someone I understand how a car engine functions, I would say:

  "I understand how a car engine
  functions"

and not:

  "I have a functional understanding of
  car engines"


texts:
Question 1
When we have a certain number of people that share the same interest, do we refer to them as:

interest group or
community [sharing same interest]?

What would be preferred and more correct? Maybe there's a third option that would be even more appropriate for this context?
Question 2
The word group by itself can be associated with anything — people, things, etc. Community, on the other hand (as far as I know), is generally associated with people, right?
Question 3
When we use the term group, does it already imply a certain size or not? Is the word group used more frequently with smaller numbers or can a group's size be any number larger than two?


texts:
Though it's only mentioned in Urban Dictionary, I know the meaning of "island time", which is more or less where the locals aren't too stressed about being on time.

But what's the origin of the phrase? Which island or islands were originally referred to?


texts: What does "Further bulletins as events warrant" mean?

texts: I came across the following expression, "Further bulletins as events warrant," when reading Calvin and Hobbes comic strip.  I googled it but cannot find out what it means.  I just don't understand the structure of it.  Here, "warrant" is a verb?


texts: In the following sentences is "bad" a noun or a nominal adjective: "You have to take the bad with the good" and "Things went from bad to worse"


texts: Conjunction contraction - second "a" and "at"

texts:
Which one is correct? Or are both acceptable?
*He earned an MD and a gold medal from St James for his dissertation.
*He earned an MD and gold medal from St James for his dissertation.

*He was appointed Surgeon at Hospital A and Hospital B.
*He was appointed Surgeon at Hospital A and at Hospital B.


texts: Why Third 'Reich'? Why is 'reich' not translated when 'third' is? What is the English synonym of reich?

texts:
Why is Nazi-Germany commonly referred to as "The Third Reich" in English? Why is reich not translated when Dritten ("third") is?

And what is the English synonym of reich? Realm?

Austria (Republik Österreich), Norway (Kongeriket Norge) and Sweden (Konungariket Sverige) all have reich (or the Norwegian/Swedish corresponding etymology related word) in their name and they all have English translations of their name.


texts:
Perhaps the same goes for nappy versus nappies. Since when one is changing one of these, there are two involved. But, is the plural more along the lines of pants and shorts?

Does anybody out there feel like one of them is "wrong"? I would lean toward the singular being less natural, but I'm fairly sure I have been caught using them both rather freely.

If I talk about diaper-changing, I don't think I would accept diapers-changing, while with pants, I would insist on pants-changing (if ever I had to use it) - perhaps enumerating a costume change? However, the term pantless has just sprung to mind.

Shortchanging would just be ambiguous...


texts: What is the scope of the word 'Augment'?

texts:
The dictionary meaning of the word Augment is to make (something) greater by adding to it. Is the scope of the word restricted to just quantity or does it extend to quality as well?

For example: 'Her secretarial work helped to augment her husband's income' refers specifically to an increase in quantity.

But can the word be used like: 'He augmented the code by including XYZ compatibility' to mean an increase in quantity as well as quality?

Also, is there a better word that can be used to mean an increase in both quantity and quality?


texts: Question on the usage of "taking into consideration"

texts:
I am inquiring the correct usage of "taking/taken into consideration" in the following context:

  We leave it as one future work to XXX, given the identified issues and also taking randomness into consideration.

Or

  We leave it as one future work to XXX, given the identified issues and also taken randomness into consideration.

Which one is correct? Thanks for a lot!


texts: What is the difference between 'process of registration of application' and 'process of registration for application'?


texts: What does the statement "Once I did bad and that I heard ever.  Twice I did good and that I heard never" mean?

texts:
What does the statement

  Once I did bad and that I heard ever. Twice I did good and that I heard
  never.

mean? In what situations is it meaningful?


texts: "Your message was deleted" vs. "your message has been deleted"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How do the tenses in English correspond temporally to one another?

I don't know which form is better to use, when telling a user that his message was/has been deleted (in the sense that the message was not appropriate/against the rules e.g. in the comment section etc.).


texts:
"The PM is seeking legally binding changes to the backstop - the plan to avoid the return of Irish border checks should no EU-UK trade deal be in place."
I don't understand the grammatical structure.


texts: Meaning of "issue" in "my trusty navy-issue peacoat"

texts:
My trusty navy-issue peacoat is old as hell

What does issue mean here?


texts: Word for someone who propounds a point despite all basic rational evidence against it

texts:
Yesterday Donald Trump tweeted about the upcoming fall 2016 presidential debate calendar between him and Hillary Clinton:

  As usual, Hillary & the Dems are trying to rig the debates so 2 are up against major NFL games. Same as last time w/ Bernie. Unacceptable!

Despite the apparent fact that, according to CNN:

  In fact, the fall debate schedule was determined almost a year ago by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, a private group made up of both Republicans and Democrats.

  ...

  The commission responded to Trump on Saturday afternoon by saying that it "announced the number, dates and sites for the 2016 general election debates in September 2015."
  "The CPD did not consult with any political parties or campaigns in making these decisions," the group said.

What CNN says is corroborated by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) website:

  The CPD is an independent organization. It is not controlled by any political party or outside organization and it does not endorse, support or oppose political candidates or parties. It receives no funding from the government or any political party, political action committee or candidate.

Commission On Presidential Debates announces sites and dates for 2016 general election debates - Sep 23, 2015

I have to imagine that Trump (or someone in his campaign) knew that Clinton could have had no involvement in choosing the debate schedule (unless there's some heretofore unheard of conspiracy theory). Yet Trump still plainly said Clinton is "trying to rig the debates".

What's a word (or term) for someone who, like Trump in this example, propounds a point despite all basic rational evidence against it?

I was thinking demagogue:

  a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument.

And while discrediting Clinton is a popular desire, discrediting her on the relatively insignificant issue of debate scheduling is probably not what most people really care about (i.e. it's not popular).

Willful ignorance also might work, but I have a very hard time believing people in Trump's campaign willfully believe that Hillary chose the debate times. Maybe they want their supporters to believe that but no presidential campaign could be that oblivious.

I guess I'm looking for a mix of the two.

(Sorry for all the politics here. This debate example really did get me thinking about this question so I used it. For the record I think Trump's criticism of having the debates on football days is legitimate (though perhaps overdue), just his blaming Clinton defies rationality.)


texts: What is it called when organizations set stations (tables and stuff) to deliver information?

texts: I'd like to know what those information stations (just like tea/coffee stations) are called?


texts: Word for an ultimate target that MUST be achieved

texts:
Looking for any ideas as to a word or phrase that  can be used for subject title.

Say we have a deadline at the end of the year with a target/objective that must be achieved at all costs.

Is there anything that really emphasises the fact that this target must be achieved?


texts:
The following is an advice given to someone who is looking for ways to make a couple thousand bucks in a short period:

  With no deets on your situation it's really hard to help you. But I will say for sh-ts and giggles my fiance and I went garage saleing like a mofo last summer for shit to re-sell on Craigslist. Made quite a bit of cash. But selling ANYTHING on Craigslist is a fucking bit-h.

  But on the other hand if you're hard up for money. You can roll out with $50 and easily turn it into $200+ if you have the time and patience,

  I found an expensive light fixture for $35 that I sold for $125, and a set of 2011 F150 side view mirrors I got for $100, and sold for $350.

I have a general idea of what he meant by the term roll out, but what exactly does it mean? I found a few definitions of the phrase roll out in the dictionaries, but they don't seem to fit the context. The definition I found are:

  to get out of bed.
  football to execute a rollout.
  to show (a new type of aircraft) to the public for the first time
  to launch (a new film, product, etc) in a series of stages over an area, each stage involving an increased number of outlets
  to cause (pastry) to become flatter and thinner by pressure with a rolling pin


texts: What does “soft bigotry of low expectations” mean?

texts:
There was the following question from a reader and the answer by Charles Blow under the headline, “Your Questions, Answered” in the Opinion Page of May 7 New York Times.

  I invited you to ask me anything this week, and you did. Here are my
  answers to some of your most interesting questions

  Q. What do you think of the phrase “soft bigotry of low expectations?”
  What do you  think of the way it figures in today’s education policies
  and debates?—John A., New York, N.Y.

  A. I think it’s a fascinating concept and often a true expression of
  the way some children are treated.

According to Wikipedia, the phrase “soft bigotry of low expectations” was conceptualized by the former President G.W. Bush, and involves much debate.
What does the phrase exactly mean? Is this phrase still up-to-date and meaningful as being questioned now by a NYT reader?


texts: What is the term for dystopic speculation as a debate tactic

texts:
I am trying to find out what the word(s) are to describe this. When 2 people are in a debate, and person A takes person B's argument and follows through what would happen if the group chose person B's idea. Person A then goes on to show all the bad things that would happen with person B's argument and why it shouldn't happen.
Thankyl you if there is a term for this


texts: "It's not a lottery ticket I'd like to buy." - idiom or metaphor?

texts:
Is "It's not a lottery ticket I'd like to buy" an example of an idiom or a metaphor in this extract? Or could it be something different altogether?
Context:

Despite the chance that people may be able to get COVID-19 twice, several countries around the world are considering immunity passports or certificates that could exempt recovered people from coronavirus restrictions.
...
"Are people going to go off and have corona parties, but not with the beer, and get themselves infected?" he asked.
"I suppose there are always going to be individuals that are going to think that, but there have been cases of quite young and healthy people dying of this.
"It's not a lottery ticket I'd like to buy."


texts: What does "over at" mean? I saw this being used in "A over at the site/blog/forum B". I understand this means A is somehow related to B, but I want to know the precise meaning. Does it imply that A is always at B, or A is an owner of or affiliated with B?


texts: "As of this patch..." , "From this patch onward..."?

texts:
I want to express that the new patch of the software I am writing enables the system to do "X".

Which of the following options are preferable:

  As of this patch, the system is able to do X.
  From this patch onward...
  Starting on this patch...

Any other sugestions will be much appreciated.


texts: Do not say that you are 'sorry for' something

texts:
Page 390 of Collins English Usage reads

When you are apologizing to someone for something that has happened,
you can say that you are sorry about it.
She was very sorry about all
the trouble she'd caused.
Note that you do not say that you are 'sorry for' something.

Isn't it contradictory? A common counterexample: We are sorry for any inconvenience caused


texts: If you lie down with dogs you will rise up with fleas

texts:
Though I have two questions, they are both related to this proverb, so I thought they could combined.

Are there other proverbs or idioms with the same effect?
Is there a proverb or an idiom that is the opposite? (Something like if you are with the good/honest/truthful, you will be one.)


texts: Can "meet her" be pronounced [miːdər] in American English?

texts:
I heard people say meet her as  [miːdər] in an American movie.

Is it ok to pronounce it like that, or am I mishearing?


texts:
Is there a better word or phrase for an item on a menu than "menu item"?  I'm talking about restaurant menus, not user interface menus.  "Menu item" is so dry...

"Restaurant dishes" doesn't work very well, because some of the things on a typical menu aren't dishes (cocktails for example).


texts:
Would it be valid or invalid English, to use phrases along the following lines:

Can you build a coffee?
I'm building a coffee
I'm going to go and build a coffee
I built a coffee

Etc.


texts: using article "the" before three scientific methods

texts:
I dove into similar questions but didn't find the exact question.
I am writing my paper and I know that "the" should be used before methods, but how could it be when there are 3 methods consecutively in a sentence? I was wondering if you could let me know which of them is true.

We analyzed aftershocks using the Gardner (1974), the Knopo (1986), and the Grünthal (1998) methods.
We analyzed aftershocks using the Gardner (1974), Knopo (1986), and Grünthal (1998) methods.
We analyzed aftershocks using the Gardner (1974) method, the Knopo (1986) method, and the Grünthal (1998) method.

Could we omit the or method in two of them in order to get rid of repetition?


texts: "I'm afraid she's gone too far this time" - Relative Clauses

texts:
I am going to have to explain all the parts of this sentence to a class, but I am having a little trouble identifying all the parts.  The sentence is:

  I'm afraid she's gone too far this time.

This is what I have so far, but I may be incorrect:

I = subject;
am = linking verb;
afraid = predicate adjective;
(that) she's gone too far = relative clause (I think, but what noun would it be modifying?);
this = demonstrative adjective modifying time;
time = I have no idea what part of the sentence this word is.

Any help would be appreciated.


texts: Which sentence is correct? Help laughing or help but laugh

texts:
I was wondering which of the following sentence is grammatically correct (British English preferably):

I could not help laughing.
I could not help but laugh.

There is a similar question on this site but that does not explain the grammatical correctness of the above mentioned sentences. References are welcome.


texts:
I wish to refer to a specific week which contains the date I mention. Example:

I suggest the week of November 9th for our meeting.

where I refer to the date range Monday 9.11. to Friday 13.11.

How do I correctly write this in English?


texts: Longer than a word — smaller than a sentence

texts: What would you call a linguistic construct that is just big enough to convey a meaning within a context, longer than a word but not having the length and proper form of a complete sentence? Like, for example, "good job" or "nice shirt" — neither of those is a full sentence but both get the point across. A sentencette, or is there a formal term for it?


texts: Word for "a group of people responding in unison to a greeting"

texts:
I'm looking for a word to describe the event in which a group of people respond in unison to a greeting or introduction.

The most obvious example I can think of is in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, when a person introduces themselves and the rest of the group responds in unison with the same phrase.

Another example might be a customer entering a restaurant and the employees all greet the customer with the same saying.

The best word I could use to describe this is a "reprise", but I don't think it's commonly used this way.

Edit: An example of a sentence of how I would expect this word to be used might be:

  John expected a reprise after introducing himself to the group for the first time, but all he got were stares and murmurs.


texts: Is it grammatical to say: Your understanding is correct?

texts: Is it grammatically correct to say: Your understanding is correct to re-assure a concept?


texts: What is the difference between "If I must" and "If I had to"?

texts: I read a message from an American friend saying "If I must leave [place], [...]". What´s the difference between "If I must" and "If I had to"? Is there a subtle difference in meaning?


texts:
I've heard that the word Oriental, if used to people, is racism.

Is it true? And if it is, why?


texts: Noun for somebody that is eloquent/a good public speaker?

texts: What would you call somebody that has a strong way with words, especially in terms of public speaking?


texts:
Is there a way to properly pluralize a quotation, if I must and can't just rearrange the sentence to avoid it (or do not wish to rearrange it for artistic purposes)?
Example:

We exchanged many "I love you"s/ 'I love you's/ "I love you" 's.

Or would this simply be left unquoted?


texts: What do you call someone that doesn't want to use something unless they understand it?

texts:
By someone, I mean myself.

I acknowledge the fact that I use things anyways, but it bothers me so much to the point that the thought has become frustrating. I know I'll have to get used to it at some point in time, as I can't delve in to the world of atoms or quarks and all those subatomic structures any time soon.

I tried looking it up online, but the word doesn't seem to exist, that or I just don't know the term.


texts:
While discussing What does "I was had" mean? I've found there are some not so common usages of had in English like:

  I have/had been had

(meaning "to get fooled")

but further Google search exposed even constructions like

  I am been had

or even

  I am had

and of course

  I was had

from the question above. Are all of those grammatically correct? Can you give me some usage examples?


texts: Word for a member of a team who improves morale

texts: People in teams have names for their specialized roles: Medic, Navigator, Leader, Quartermaster, Cook, Ambassador, etc. What is the name for a person who's specialization is keeping the team's spirits high? A Bard kind of fits, but that's more intertwined with music.


texts: Where can I ommit "a" and "the" articles?

texts:
Should I allways use "a" article, when something is indefinite? And should I allways use "the" article, when something is definite?

Where can I ommit these articles?


texts:
According to an article I read, the following sentences are roughly synonymous:

He looked by the building.
He looked past the building.

I don't know what look by and look past mean. I found a dictionary says that to look past means to “look at the (back)side of something”. Is that dictionary right?

Anyway, I would please like to know what look by and look past mean.


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "bush league"?

texts: I know it's baseball terminology, but I've never heard anyone explain why a feeder or low-level league is associated with shrubs.  Is there some relation in the phrase to "farm system"?


texts: Something like P.S. but before the text?

texts:
I wrote a letter (electronic) to someone yesterday but could not send it and fell asleep. Now if I want to send it today it will make less sense as it was written in context of yesterday. So I have added something like -
"I wanted to send it last night but things got delayed and I eventually feel asleep after taking a tablet.
Anyways here we go." But what if it was a hard copy letter, in that case would going by with P.S.or P.P.S. be my only choice?
Should I just write Note in front of it, or is there something like PRE scriptum, that I can mention before the letter starts.


texts: How does the pronunciation change in verbs that end with "‑e" or "‑ie" for their "‑ing" forms?

texts:
How do you pronounce the ‑ing forms of verbs that originally end with -e or ‑ie?

Although the rules for writing such verbs that end with ‑e or ‑ie are сlear:

make > making (take off "-e" + "‑ing")
die > dying (take off "‑ie" + "‑ying")

Nonetheless, the rules for their pronunciation are not clear to me like those for their spellings are.

How do you pronounce a final ‑e and ‑ie when you add an ‑ing to it in these verbs?


texts: What do we call a place, which is a plane land just beneath a mountain range?

texts: I want to describe about a village. It is not a mountain village. It is located just at the border from where hills started to rise.


texts: What is a word for "doing something to appear normal"?

texts:
Such as intentionally smiling and making a movement or say something you normally would, to disguise feeling very sad or angry.

  While clenching her teeth because of the lump in her throat, she
  ..?.. flicked some crumbs off the table and laughed ...as a ?...


texts:
What statement is correct between these two?

  Because each of us is a qualified programmer (are not you?)...

or

  Because each of us is a qualified programmer (is not you?)...

That the context would be more clear here is a more complete statement

  Because each of us is a qualified programmer (are not you?) and in
  contrast to the student each of us knows that there already exists
  standard algorithm ....


texts:
I’m not a native English speaker. I’ve noticed that in titles or headlines,  many words often start with a capital letter while others are still lowercase. As an example, the title of my question would most likely be:

  Capital Letters in Headlines

I already found a solution on how it’s done, but I still want to know why.


texts: How to express a "push for simplicity" when explaining complex topics?

texts:
Many times, when discussing a complex topic, you are asked to make it simpler so a lay person can understand it and relate to it. However, not everything can be made simple; yet, there is a push to make things simpler (e.g. when you are pitching, talking to a reporter, etc.).

How can I express this push for simplicity, which I don't necessarily agree with?


texts: Is there a word for suffocation by chest compression?

texts:
Question:

I'm looking for a word that means "to be unable to breathe due to constriction or compression of the chest (lungs/ribs)." Does such a word exist, and does anyone know how best to (succinctly) express this concept?

Note: I am looking for a word that is more specific than "suffocate" that specifically refers to the chest (lungs/rib cage) impact.

Background:

It's not quite as morbid of a question as it sounds. I was in the car with my son (in a car seat), and he was talking about how he didn't want his five-point harness (i.e. the "seat belt" part of a car seat) to be too tight or else he would "choke." He clearly meant that he wouldn't be able to breathe properly in that scenario, but I believed that choke wasn't the correct word. This led to an interesting conversation about what the correct word would in fact be. We settled on "suffocate." However, this, to my ear, sounds like it inherently has an implication of airway obstruction in the vicinity of the mouth/nose. And even if not, the word is certainly more generic than the word that I'm trying to identify.

Research:

For reference, here are the words that appear to be relevant. All of these definitions are from http://www.merriam-webster.com/.

choke

to become unable to breathe usually because something gets stuck in your throat or because the air is not good for breathing
to cause (someone) to stop breathing by squeezing the throat
to make (someone) unable to breathe in a normal way  [Note: this definition would presumably apply to my scenario, above, but it still doesn't "sound right" because of the prevalence of the first two definitions.]

suffocate

to die because you are unable to breathe  [Note: this is probably the closest match. It doesn't mention mouth/nose as a key part of the definition. Is that just my own connotation? Additionally, it appears to be quite a generic definition, and doesn't offer the specificity of the chest compression instance that I'm curious about.]
to kill (someone) by making breathing impossible
to be uncomfortable because there is not enough fresh air

drown (for the sake of comparison)

to die by being underwater too long and unable to breathe
to hold (a person or animal) underwater until death occurs
to cover (something) completely with a liquid

(Note: the full definition goes on to specify: to suffocate by submersion especially in water." So I interpret that as "drowning is a subset of the ways in which suffocation can occur." Thus, the word drown and the word I'm trying to find would be of equal specificity.)


texts:
"We'll move your old appliance to another room in your house, or haul it away for $20."

Are they saying the $20 charge applies for moving or hauling away the appliance?  Or it only applies if it is hauled away?


texts:
You goes with are. Does the presence of each change this?

How satisfied are each of you with the time you've spent in your respective  universities.
How satisfied is each of you with the time you've spent in your respective  universities


texts: Citing a Shakespearean Play: What Constitutes a "Line"?

texts:
According to many sources that I've searched, it seems that the in-line citations for dramatic works, such as Shakeaspearean plays, are cited in the following form: act.scene.line(s). So for example, Act I Scene I lines 20-22 would be cited like so:

"some quote in here," (I.i.20-22).

But my question is the following: what constitutes a line? Do the narrator's lines count as lines? For example, I want to cite Hamlet Act I Scene I, and it begins like so:

  Act I

  SCENE I. Elsinore . A platform before the castle.

  FRANCISCO at his post. Enter to him BERNARDO

  BERNARDO
  Who's there?

  FRANCISCO
  Nay, answer me: stand, and unfold yourself.

  BERNARDO
  Long live the king!

So if I were to cite Bernardo's first line ("Who's there?"), which of the following would I count as line 1?

"Act I"
"SCENE I. Elsinore. A platform before the castle."
"FRANCISCO at his post. Enter to him BERNARDO"


texts: Academic / formal word meaning opposite of entrenched / set in stone

texts:
I want to find a way to convey the meaning of 'not being entrenched' and at the same time maintaining a formal / academic tone. The sentence I'm working with is:

The market share leader board is becoming incrementally _________.

For context: There is reshuffling of ranks at all segments of the leader board now (whereas in the past it was very static/entrenched).
My early attempts included (and reasons why rejected):

'fluid' (seems too modernist)
'dynamic' (while the opposite of static, seems too abstract here)
'less entrenched' (unwieldy. I'm not 100% happy with using entrenched
to describe a leader board)

Question
What is an academic word that can convey that the leader board is 'less set in stone'? If there is no one magic word, a phrase would likely suffice.


texts: Does "shake his booty" mean "shake his butt"? And does it make it more attractive?

texts: I seem to see the phrase "shake his booty" being used to say something is good and attractive.  But does it mean "shake his butt"?  And if they are the same, why does "shake his butt" seem a somewhat distasteful action, but "shake his booty" all of a sudden becomes somewhat glamorous?


texts: Etymological relationship between "to" and "too"

texts:
The words to and too have rather different meanings but from what little information I can gather (from their Dictionary.com references) they seem to potentially be from the same old-English root.

If these two words are related in origin, how and why was the original word divided into two different spellings?


texts: What can we say about this excerpt from "Utilitarianism" from a grammatical aspect?

texts:
“If, then, it is asserted that there is a comprehensive formula, including all things which are in themselves good, and that whatever else is good, is not so as an end, but as a mean, the formula may be accepted or rejected, but is not a subject of what is commonly understood by proof.”

Excerpt From: “Utilitarianism.” iBooks.

First of all, is this sentence grammatically correct? If so, what is the subject of "is not so?"
Secondly, regardless of the correctness of the sentence, what does it mean?

Context:

  “On the present occasion, I shall, without further discussion of the
  other theories, attempt to contribute something towards the
  understanding and appreciation of the Utilitarian or Happiness theory,
  and towards such proof as it is susceptible of. It is evident that
  this cannot be proof in the ordinary and popular meaning of the term.
  Questions of ultimate ends are not amenable to direct proof. Whatever
  can be proved to be good, must be so by being shown to be a means to
  something admitted to be good without proof. The medical art is proved
  to be good by its conducing to health; but how is it possible to prove
  that health is good? The art of music is good, for the reason, among
  others, that it produces pleasure; but what proof is it possible to
  give that pleasure is good? If, then, it is asserted that there is a
  comprehensive formula, including all things which are in themselves
  good, and that whatever else is good, is not so as an end, but as a
  mean, the formula may be accepted or rejected, but is not a subject of
  what is commonly understood by proof. We are not, however, to infer
  that its acceptance or rejection must depend on blind impulse, or
  arbitrary choice. There is a larger meaning of the word proof, in
  which this question is as amenable to it as any other of the disputed
  questions of philosophy. The subject is within the cognisance of the
  rational faculty; and neither does that faculty deal with it solely in
  the way of intuition. Considerations may be presented capable of
  determining the intellect either to give or withhold its assent to the
  doctrine; and this is equivalent to proof."

Thank you all in advance.


texts:
My friends and I are in different time zones, so I'm trying to say,

  We have a 10 hours time offset

Is that right for this situation ? If not, what's the right replacement of offset here ?


texts:
This was presented to me years ago and I've not gotten what I consider a definitively right answer.  I'm looking for the word that would go in the brackets in this sentence:

There are three common ways to spell the word [to, too, two].

The issue is that none of the three spellings seem to be appropriate.  You can say the sentence easily enough  because all spellings sound the same, but how would you write it?


texts: Is there a noun for "someone who has access"?

texts:
I'm building a data model for a computer program, and I'm in need a noun (a short compound noun is acceptable) for "someone who has access".

The information will be provided as an answer to the question: "Who has access to the data within your company?".

My initial thought was to go with something along the lines of "internal data accessor", but accessor doesn't seem to be a common English word, and it's usage in computer programming doesn't quite match what I'm describing.


texts: which is the different ea pronunciation : really /ideas/disappear/mean

texts: a couple of my classmates and I had a discussion about which is the different word.Some said it's ideas, others said "mean". and as a follow up questions does the sound of "ea" change between ideas and idea. We checked some dictionaries but we had conflicting results. Thanks in advance.


texts: Usage of the expression “be up against you”

texts:
Can I use this construction with an inanimate subject? Please see the context

On one hand, you like your partner’s rationality and coolness, which you lack so much. On the other hand, sooner or later, these qualities will be up against you, and you will feel suffocated in this relationships.


texts: what would you call someone that enjoy making friends

texts: I want the the one word that is used for someone that enjoy making friends.


texts: Was “matchmaking” the equivalent of today's “shipping”?

texts:
Oh my goodness. I'm shipping Lupita and Trevor so much!!!! They are so beautiful together and irradiate such a good energy!

Comment copied verbatim from YouTube. ‘Lupita’ is the Mexican-Kenyan actor, Lupita Nyong'o while ‘Trevor’ is the presenter of the satirical American programme The Daily Show, Trevor Noah.

But how on earth did shipping come about? What are its roots?  You can ship someone off and I've heard of when my ship comes in, but none of these idioms fit.

The origins of “shipping”

I found the answer at What's the source of "shipped" in a romantic sense? wherein the OP asked

  This is obviously slang and new slang at that but where does it come from?

The same OP later posted an answer, citing TV Tropes, which claimed that ship was coined by fans of the 1990s TV series The X Files who, influenced by the sexual tension between the show's two leading characters, Mulder and Scully, wanted the investigators to initiate a sexual/romantic relationship. It's therefore clear that the neologism was born from the noun relationship and its derivative, relationshipping.

All fine and dandy and if anyone has a different idea, please visit the older EL&U page and post your answer there. We'd love to hear it!

But was there a yesteryear equivalent of “shipping”?

A word or phrase before the 1990s that meant you wanted two people to become romantically involved with one another? For example, was the expression matchmaking ever used by fans of movies starring the same couple? I'm thinking of films that starred Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Doris Day and Rock Hudson (obviously long before his secret homosexuality was reported by the press), Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy (their off-screen love affair was a closely-guarded secret), Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, or more recently, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

Did movie/film fans of yore ever used “matchmaking” the same way that “shipping“ is used today? If not, what was said instead?


texts:
Why do we say 'chairman' for men and 'chairperson' for women? Why don't we use 'chairperson' for both?

It's a neutral word a single word can used for both.

Also, why do we use 'man-made' environment? Why don't we use 'human-made' instead?


texts: What is the word for the intense desire to physically hurt a person?

texts: I'm looking for a word that essentially means the intense desire to hurt/maim/injure someone - using it for one of the characters in a short story I'm writing. Thanks!


texts: different versions of "take into account"

texts:
The Free Dictionary collates a number of definitions for "take into account."

  take someone or something into account and take into account someone or something
  to remember to consider someone or something [McGraw-Hill]
  take something into account and take something into consideration
  to consider something to be an important factor in some decision. [McGraw-Hill]
  take something/somebody into account  also take account of something/somebody
  to think about something or someone when you are making a decision or a judgement [Cambridge]
  take something into account also take account of something
  to include something when making a decision or judgment [Cambridge]

I am wondering how you would take into account their difference? Or are they interchangeable? If so, when, where, or in which situation?


texts: Do 'stay on the list', 'make the list' and 'make the cut' all have the same meaning?

texts:
Today’s New York Times reported a flamboyant dinner party hosted by President Obama to welcome President of China, Hu Jintao. According to the article, many outstanding figures of politics, business, sports, entertainment, and other fields were ‘on the list’ for the state dinner. Some ‘made the cut’. Some ‘made the list’. In this context, are ‘make the cut’ and ‘make the list’ exactly the same in meaning? Why don’t you simply say ‘[stay/survive] on the list‘?

  Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter made the cut. So did Bill Clinton and his wife, the secretary of state. The heads of Microsoft, Boeing, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Walt Disney were on the list. So were the singer Barbra Streisand, the ice skater Michelle Kwan, the cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the architect Maya Lin and the fashion designer Vera Wang.
  But Fred P. Hochberg, the chairman of the Export-Import Bank, did not make the list for President Obama’s state dinner for President Hu Jintao of China, even though trade was a major theme of the day.


texts: What is the English equivalent of gatasan?

texts:
It literally means to milk. It also means a dairy cow.
It could be both a noun or verb.

v. To use someone for the money he/she can give you.
n. Someone (a girlfriend, husband) that you milk for money.


texts: How does one know when to use a gerund or an infinitive?

texts:
As a native speaker of English, the gerund version of this sentence sounds better:

infinitive:

  When used together in chains,
  extension methods are an unprecedented
  tool to produce extremely concise
  code.

gerund:

  When used together in chains,
  extension methods are an unprecedented
  tool for producing extremely concise
  code.

But how can I explain to someone learning English how to decide in situations like these whether to use the infinitive or the gerund?


texts:
• Camping and caravanning are increasingly cost-attractive.

I don't understand what does 'cost-attractive' mean. What is the meaning of "cost-attractive"?


texts: What does "dish" really mean? Does it refer to a serving of food or a plate?

texts:
Koreans will often say: "I had barbecue for lunch, with side dishes"

A Canadian English teacher says, 'You cannot say "I had barbecue for lunch with side dishes."  I would be thinking that you ate the plates.'

What about this question:
"What is your favorite Korean dish?" Is it correct?


texts:
We have abbreviation for 'that is'-i.e., 'for example'-e.g., 'confer'-c.f., 'versus'-vs.

In my understanding, i.e. and e.g. is commonly used inside a sentence, while c.f. and vs. is used outside a sentence, e.g. inside a bracket. (Correct me on this)

  "These models are called feedworard, in contrast to recurrent neural networks, because information flows through the function evaluated from x."

I see a lot of usage for 'in contrast to' (probably as much as i.e.), but never seen an abbreviation for it. Is there any abbreviation for 'in contrast to' (where you can use commonly put inside a sentence)?


texts: Proper use of comma before and after therefore

texts:
Is this right?

I, therefore, recommended to him...

or

I therefore recommended to him...


texts: Is it a fashion to omit “is” as in “this a problem that can seem unanswerable.”?

texts:
I often see cases that a verb and a preposition are omitted as I posted a question the other day about the omission of “in” in the line, “Perry has had difficulty planting doubt about Romney.”

Today I saw the case “is” is omitted as “this a problem” in the following sentence of aNew York Times article written by Michael P. Lynch under the title, “Reason for Reason."

  “Disagreements like this (Evolutionism and Creationism) give rise to an unnerving question: How do we rationally defend our most fundamental epistemic principles? Like many of the best philosophical mysteries, this a problem that can seem both unanswerable and yet extremely important to solve.”

I think it should be “this is a problem.” But if it is the case, can we use “a,” not “the” when “the problem” is modified (or defined) by “that clause”? (though I feel like an article maniac these days.)

Is the omission of “is” today’s fashion, or just a typo?

You may say the author isn’t NYT’s writer unworthy for digging in each phrasing. But according to opinionator @nytimes.com, Michael Lynch is a contemporary philosopher, who must be the master of logic and rhetoric.


texts: I do not understand this phrase, which is actually the title of the book. Taoism: Way Beyond Seeking. Is it "more than seeking" or something else?


texts: Synonyms for "impact ventilation" and "cross ventilation" of (West) Germanic roots (dead / alive / old / new)

texts:
A German "end of the year" 2020 overview of absurdities and rather funny trends mentions British "Corona talk" about the German words

Stoßlüften = impact ventilation,
Querlüften = cross ventilation,

coming from The Guardian:

Impact ventilation, or Stosslüften, which needs explanation for most
people unfamiliar with Germany except for experts in air hygiene,
involves widely opening a window in the morning and evening for at
least five minutes to allow the air to circulate. Even more efficient
is Querlüften, or cross ventilation, whereby all the windows in a
house or apartment are opened letting stale air flow out and fresh air
come in.

The idea at first sight was to get around any Latin or Greek roots (I would call it "Lenglish" and "Grenglish"). Mind that even "air" is Greek. The question:
Which English words can be chosen for "impact ventilation" and "cross ventilation" that root entirely in the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family?

The words do not have to be West Germanic, it is just first choice.
They can be "dead or alive", old or new.
Noun phrases as in the example are not necessary, you can also use verbs instead. It is likely that verbs can fit in the text above using gerund, and even if that is not the case, the idea will still add value.
Even barely recognizable / uncommon words can be good ideas, obviously, if there is nothing better to find. Moreover, other people might also get new ideas from such an answer.
The accepted answer is chosen regarding sound, usage, history, or any other background.


texts: Word for: "Repeatedly doing something you are scared of, in order to overcome that fear in time"

texts: If a child were scared of dogs, for instance, the parents would gently force them to stay around dogs so that they overcome their unnecessary fear, and in time it would become normal. Is there a word in English (conversational or even formal English, but not psychological jargon) which refers to this mechanism?


texts: Can a plosive be pronounced without an audible release sound following it?

texts:
When a plosive is at the beginning of a word, the pronunciation naturally flows into the vowel which follows it.  The extra vowel sound following the plosive seems to give the plosive a very obvious end.  When the plosive is at the end of a word, I find myself releasing the stop with an extra bit of sound at the end which does not seem to be part of the plosive itself.

Consider "cat" which is generally transcribed as [kæt].  I feel like I pronounce it more like [kætə].

Another example is [med].  I find that I cannot detect the difference between [med] and [men] unless I audibly release the [d] in [med].  (This also begs the question of how to pronounce a word which ends in a nasal followed by a plosive on the same articulation point like [lænd]).

I'm looking for two pieces to the answer:

Is the extra sound an actual feature of the pronunciation of the plosive?
If yes, is this feature unique to English or is it common to all languages with plosives at the end of a word.


texts:
I'm a bit confused with the usage of all but and none but:

  "We are all but defenseless" – should mean we are definitely defenseless?
  "None but misfortunes follow" – only misfortunes follow?

Were all but and none but used correctly here?

How do you use them correctly? There seems to be a contradiction.


texts:
In the conclusion part of my article, I want to describe the proposed method A is based on methods B and C, literally the combination of B and C: Pros of B and C are taken and cons are avoided.

So can we say: A takes advantages of both B and C, and the limitations in B and C are eliminated/removed?

I believe there is a better way to compose the above sentence.


texts: Inverse/Reciprocal word for "affiliate"?

texts: e.g. If I am an Amazon affiliate, what is the term for Amazon's relationship to me?


texts: Is "a very good read" grammatically correct?

texts: Is it grammatically correct to describe a book or article as a very good read?


texts: A Word For A Typographical Illusion or Typo Blindness?

texts:
Sometimes typographical errors are exceedingly difficult to catch - often because of typographical illusions.

This image is a good example of what I mean:

You may have missed the double "the" as many do!

I am curious if a word exists for this strange process of the brain "glossing over" the typo. Humorously, these typos are sometimes difficult to spot even when another person points them out.

I've heard this described as "Typographical blindness" but am looking for something more succinct.


texts: What are the alternatives for "May I ask..."

texts: Before posting a question, "May I ask..." seems would make it more politely. I wonder what are the alternatives for that phrase? Seems "Pray, .." also do, but that sounds a bit Jane Austin?


texts: Is /æ/ pronunced like the shortened version of /ɑː/?

texts: Is /æ/ pronounced like the shortened version of /ɑː/? Or are they totally different?


texts:
I was writing an online post, and I found myself wanting to write the word "contestation", the 'noun' form of "contested".

Is there such a derivation of "to contest", that could go in the noun slot of a Mad Lib? In other words, fill in the blank:

  The claim was contested. There was a ________ about the claim.

If there is no such form of the verb "contest", then what other words are a good match?


texts: Pursuant to English grammar rules, what is destined in 1 Peter 2:8b, the stumble or the disobedience?

texts:
I am seeking an English grammatical analysis of 1 Peter 2:8b, as rendered in Net English Translation, in order to determine [what] is destined;i.e., the stumble or the disobedience.

I am not asking for a theological exegetical or hermeneutical analysis or any kind of interpretation of the text.

NET I Peter 2:7,8

  7 So you who believe see his value, but for those who do not believe,
  the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,

  8 and a stumbling-stone and a rock to trip over. They stumble because
  they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

.


texts:
What is the right way to convey the meaning that I want to say?

  Your job is worse than mine, so I am not going to quit my job.

Is there a better choice to say this? Should I use less better than instead?


texts:
Today, a fellow user was given a CAPTCHA that looks like this:

He wasn't sure how to solve the CAPTCHA, so he asked me: Are hamburgers considered sandwiches?  Well, I couldn't figure it out, so I'm asking here!

I know that the hamburger has in the past been called a sandwich.  Wikipedia even says:

  A hamburger (also called a beef burger, hamburger sandwich, burger or hamburg) is a sandwich consisting of one or more cooked patties of ground meat, usually beef, placed inside a sliced bun.

It explicitly says that it's a sandwich.  And I suppose someone must have called it a "hamburger sandwich" at one point, but it sounds very odd to me—like someone put a piece of beef between two hamburgers.  Anyway, I don't think that term is in common use, and it's easy to find examples like the following in print:

  Also on offer are hamburgers, sandwiches, and salads.

And this seems to imply that hamburgers and sandwiches are different things.  So I'm not sure I can take Wikipedia's word on this one.

Since I didn't know how to respond to the question, I brought it up in EL&U chat, where different people put forth different arguments.  It was even suggested that the American English / British English difference might be relevant.  But so far I don't think we've come to a conclusion, so I decided to ask on the main site.

I'm not sure what to think.  All I have is speculation.  Maybe hamburgers were once considered sandwiches by everyone, but now the terms are diverging and speakers have started to disagree.  Or maybe it just depends on where you're from.  Or maybe hamburgers exist in an interdeterminate state of quasi-sandwichhood.

So I ask you all:

Is a hamburger a sandwich?


texts: Names including initials: with or without the full stop?

texts:
To clarify, my question relates to British English.

Is it considered grammatically correct to use initials with and without the full stop after each capitalised letter?

Example: Which is correct for Jack Russell: J.R. or JR?

I am compiling an agenda, which includes the meeting attendees (each referenced by their initials). Each of the items of the agenda is then assigned to a person, with only their initials being listed.


texts:
The sentence is:

  This is what they have been reduced to be doing to.

I'm ok with understanding how This is what they have been reduced to is correct, but the to be doing to part in original sentence kinda confuses me. Thanks a lot.


texts: If someone says "by 2015" does that mean before 2015?

texts:
Nissan aims to enlarge capacity to produce 450,000 vehicles by 2015"

Does this mean that Nissan enlarged capacity by the onset of 2015 (i.e. jan 1 2015)? Or if it's July 15th 2015 can Nissan still be enlarging capacity?


texts: What does “turn as I would” mean in “The circular rift vanished; nor could I get a glimpse of it afterwards, turn as I would” mean?

texts:
There is the following passage in a famous novel of Edgar Allan Poe, “The Golden Bug” written in 1843.

  “Having carefully taken the bearing of the tree, I turned homewards.
  The instant that I left ‘the devil’s seat,’ however the circular rift
  vanished: nor could I get a glimpse of it afterwards, turn as I
  would.”

How should I interpret the phrase, “turn as I would.”? Is this usage of 'as' very common? Does it mean '(though) Legrand, the teller looked back again and again the bearing of the circular rift where a death's-head is placed'?


texts:
I'm really confused with this since my students have asked me if this sentence is correct or not.

Is it correct to say:

  Please sign BOTH first and second PAGE.

(Or is it PAGES?)
Under what circumstances, if any, Page would be correct? (I've been told to use PAGES)
Do I need any articles before First or second?


texts: Meaning of "Peron" as used in Le Morte d'Arthur

texts:
I am unable to find a fitting definition for the word "peron" as used in Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory. The book uses many archaic words, but usually I am able to find the definition online or figure out an approximate meaning.

Below are a few examples from the book. As a note, the chapter and book numbers may be different across editions.

Within Book X, Chapter II: "How Sir Tristram saved Sir Palomides' life, and how they promised to fight together within a fortnight" (second-to-last sentence, first paragraph):

  "Ye say well, said Sir Tristram, how I assign you to meet me in the meadow by the river of Camelot, where Merlin set the peron."

Note that it is being used as if it were an object, "the peron".

The title of a chapter:

  Book X, Chapter V: "How Sir Tristram met at the Peron with Sir Launcelot, and how they fought together unknown."

Within the chapter mentioned above (first sentence, first paragraph):

  "Then departed Sir Tristram and rode straight unto Camelot, to the peron that Merlin had made tofore, where Sir Lanceor that was the king's son of Ireland, was slain by the hands of Balin."

From searching into a possible definition, here are some definitions that don't quite fit:

From The Free Dictionary, referring to Juan Perón, former President of Argentinia, or his family;
Referring to Peronism or Peronists, an Argentinian political movement, based on the political ideology of Juan Perón;
Referring to the French word perron meaning "steps (to an entranceway)". I don't think Merlin could "set" steps (from the first quote).

Any hints towards the right definition would be helpful!


texts: Dictionary for eh, uh-huh, eww and so on

texts:
I'm looking for a dictionary or good reference for words such as eh,  uh-huh, or eww.
I'm not an English major, so I don't really know what should I search for (not to mention tags).
I've seen some questions regarding particular ones, though couldn't find all of them listed in one place.

Such words appear to be quite common among native speakers.
Maybe there's a place with such words gathered together and explained?
Usually they are not explained in standard dictionaries - a more or less complete list with explanations would be much appreciated, perhaps not only for me.


texts: What is the general term that describes subjects and objects? (direct, indirect and prepositional objects)

texts:
John gave Jack money with enthusiasm.

John is the subject, Jack the indirect object, money the direct object, and enthusiasm a prepositional object.

Is there a general term that describes the "things" involved in an action/verb?

Nouns doesn't work because there are pronouns. "Nouns and pronouns" doesn't work because there are gerunds that can also be objects, for example He likes swimming.

I have been using "things" to describe them, but it sounds lame :/


texts:
I recently heard the term 'Judeo-Christian' which caused a thought to strike me. I don't know how to switch the order of the classical compound (word).

What is the combining form of 'Christian?'

Before I posted this, I searched for an answer in the entry of 'Christian' of Merriam-Webster and Googled "(what is the) combining form of christian."


texts: what is the origin of caricatured gangsters using "say?" to end sentences?

texts:
Here's an example:

I also recall watching cartoon gangsters, from Looney Toons iirc using this. For the longest time I thought they were saying "see?"

What is the origin of this postscript to gangster-spoken sentences?


texts: Using "the" before the name of a railway station

texts:
Should I use "the" before the name of station ?

"the Shanghai Station"
or
"Shanghai Station"?


texts: Comma(s) when using: "As of January 2018" at end of sentence

texts:
Here is a sentence for you:

  The Amiga Computer Corporation has finally closed its doors
  permanently as of January 2018.

Should the comma(s) be placed like this:

  The Amiga Computer Corporation has finally closed its doors
  permanently, as of January 2018.

OR

  The Amiga Computer Corporation has finally closed its doors
  permanently, as of January, 2018.

OR

... No commas used at all?


texts:
If someone tries to sound smart in repartee by saying,

  Well obviously blah blah blah

but what they said is actually wrong, then what's a good comeback to that, or what's a good way to phrase the comeback?


texts: What does the phrase "behind deadline" mean?

texts: If someone (or something) is behind deadline, does it mean that she/he has already missed a deadline or does it mean that she/he is about to miss a deadline ?


texts:
I wish to say in a poetry commentary something like:

  These two enjambing lines demonstrate...

I know enjambing is not a real word, but I wish for something to substitute.


texts: What are the meanings of "semi-secrecy" and "quasi-complicity"?

texts:
Instead, Mr Stargardt argues, the German press “hinted at what people
  already knew, fostering a sense of collusive semi-secrecy.” The
  resulting “spiral of silence” led to a sense of quasi-complicity.

This sentence is exacted from The Economist. I cannot understand the meaning of this sentence well.

I have already looked up the dictionary, so I guess that the semi-secrecy means that even though Goebbels avoid the information open but half of people know the holocaust. The quasi-complicity means that people want to do something different from a holocaust.
In this case, I cannot see why this is the result of spiral of silence, as there is not hint that doing something else is the opinion of majority.

The whole paragraph is

  Gradually, a new conviction spread: that this genocidal war “must
  never come home to Germany”. For, just as the Germans gave no mercy,
  so they could also expect none. Goebbels made sure that no details of
  the Holocaust were ever reported. Instead, Mr Stargardt argues, the
  German press “hinted at what people already knew, fostering a sense of
  collusive semi-secrecy.” The resulting “spiral of silence” led to a
  sense of quasi-complicity.

A link to this article is here.


texts: Is there a word for days of mental clarity?

texts:
You hear about these a lot in people with Alzheimers. This can also happen to normal people when they eat right and get a good night's sleep and feel very clear headed.

I am looking for a more formal word, as opposed to informal (e.g. A-game days would be informal)

Is there a term, preferably one word, that describes this phenomenon?


texts:
I've come through the expression "to be a laughing stock" to talk about a person who has done something stupid and who people laugh at because of that, and I've started to wonder about it.

First of all, why do we say laughing using a gerund when this is normally used in active meaning, in the sense of someone/something which creates an effect (e.g. an interesting book, a cutting remark, a boring person, etc)? It would make more sense to say laughed, as the past participle is frequently used in passive mode, thus underlining that we are the object of other people's laughter.

Secondly, I've gone through the various meanings of the term "stock" (as in finance, animal raising, supply of things, food, punishment and other areas), but the only expression which seems to be partially relevant here is "stock" being used to indicate the degree to which someone is respected or liked by others, according to OED. However, the term in this meaning is indicated as uncountable.

Does anybody know what "stock" stands for and what the origin of the expression is? And let's not forget about the grammatical side to the question, please...


texts: Is it proper to start a sentence with an Arabic numeral?


texts: Do native English speakers use a word 'study group'?

texts:
I have a question. Would you help me?

Do native English speakers use a word 'study group' in real life?

I live in South Korea. And in my country, people join group activities to study English.

And we call that kind of activity as 'study group'.

So we say like this, "I join several study groups on the weekends."

But I'm not sure the word study group sounds natural to native English speakers.

I asked my teacher(Korean) and she said I could use a word, "English session."

Or other options are "English gathering" and "English meetup".

So which sounds natural to you?

English session
Englihs gathering
English meetup


texts: Having some trouble with figuring out what tense is appropriate

texts:
My heart was set on the blah blah blah program offered at blank
  university; it had (has) a lot of positive feedback from previous
  students and it also offered (offers) an interesting variety of
  graduate courses.

By using "was" at the very beginning of the sentence have I locked myself into a rule of needing to stay in the past tense for the following clause. I ask this because while my heart "was", but no longer is set on that program. The positive aspects of the program still exist. So, by stating that the program "offered" or "had" am I suggesting that it longer does not? Because it most certainly still does.


texts: What is the difference between 'only if' and 'but only if'?

texts:
Is there a difference in meaning between the following two sentences?

I will help you prepare for the meeting only if you finish your report.
I will help you prepare for the meeting, but only if you finish your report.

Do they both mean finishing the report is required for getting help preparing the meeting?
To me, the second sentence sounds as though finishing the report is enough to get help preparing the meeting.


texts:
Hello all,

We just added a new feature to our site where a status bar auto updates based on the Library hours, so we had to add an alternate state for when it's closed. I'm confused as to how the phrasing should be - as is in the picture, "is closed", or "is now closed" or "is closed now" to clearly convey the message that the closure is temporary and will reopen at a later time.


texts: What difference can be expected by saying “Trump the Campaign ” instead of saying “the Trump Campaign"?

texts:
There was the following passage in New York Times’ (November 3) article that came under the title, “Donald Trump, Salesman and Politician, on Gilded Display in Manhattan”:

  “Trump the Campaign and Trump the Marketing Machine are always
  difficult to disentangle. But whatever thin buffer had kept them
  separated the last few months evaporated entirely on Tuesday as Trump
  the Book ($25) went on sale inside Trump the Building during an
  hours-long spectacle that captured all the bizarre, endearing, comedic
  and repellent strands of his current career.”

I wonder what difference is there between “Trump the Campaign and Trump the Marketing Machine / Trump the Building” and “the Trump Campaign and the Trump Marketing Machine / the Trump Building.”

Are they same, or are there any meaningful gain by reversing order of “Trump” and “the”? In other word, what difference is there between 'the Obama Administration' and 'Obama the Administration' - though I think the latter expression is very odd?


texts: Ordering negatives with should (or shouldn't) + verb

texts:
There was some debate at work the other day as to the correct form in the following case:

1) I don't think you should do that.

or

2) I think you shouldn't do that.

A few of us set off on a Google spiral that threw up a few hits but with nothing - as far as I can tell - with a definitive answer. There were a few threads here, but none that were dealing specifically with this issue.

A few also came up at wordreference, but there was nothing definitive, and some contradictory answers seemed to surface. From the research we found the following:

1) Americans say either, but the British always prefer to put the negative first (as in: I don't think you should).
2) There is a slight variance in meaning (at least denotational if not literally grammatical) when one places the negative first.

There were many other things said, but no research was provided.

So I am asking here if anyone has a definitive answer, or is this simply a stylistic choice possibly conditioned by whatever side of the Atlantic you happened to grow up?

Apologies for the rambling post.

Much appreciated.


texts:
I'm reading Jon Gertner's The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation.
In describing the history of the telephone, Gertner describes Thomas Edison (whose inventions helped improve transmitting voices) with:

  Edison usually worked eighteen hours a day or longer, pushing for weeks on end, ignoring
  family obligations, taking meals at his desk, refusing to pause for sleep or showers.

This perseverance reminded me of a personality in David Kushner's history of software company id in Masters of Doom.
It cites game engine designer John Carmack
as saying:

  If you want to set off and go develop some grand new thing, you don't need millions of
  dollars of capitalization. You need enough pizza and Diet Coke to stick in your
  refrigerator, a cheap PC to work on, and the dedication to go through with it. We slept on
  floors. We waded across rivers.

I recall the book also having an anecdote where Carmack's co-workers test his resolve.
They play a movie at high volume while Carmack is working.
After turning around briefly to see what's going on, Carmack continues his work as before.
And throughout the book Carmack puts that kind of effort into every project he attempts.

I would like a noun that captures more intensity than hard worker.
There are hard workers and then there are very devoted workers, who may agree with
Gustave Flaubert's quote:

  L'homme n'est rien, l'oeuvre – tout [which translates to] The man is nothing, the work - all

At the same time I would like the noun to be respectful, if not praise the subject for their industry.
For this reason I'd like to avoid workaholic, which has a compulsory and involuntary aspect to it, as shown in this WebMD quote from Are You a Workaholic?:

  But for workaholics, the day of rest never comes. There is always one more email to read,
  one more phone call to take, one more critically important trip to the office that can't
  wait until Monday.

  Weekends? Holidays? Family? As the uber-workaholic Ebenezer Scrooge put it, "Bah, humbug!"

Similarly, busy bee is not serious enough for my situation.

The word I like most so far is workhorse, defined by MW to be:

  a dependable person who does a lot of work

Unfortunately I am drawn to think of being overworked to the point of injury, such as Black Beauty, who "collapses from overwork," or Boxer in Animal Farm, who "[despite] his injuries... continues working harder and harder, until he collapses while working on the windmill."

Is there a complimentary, respectful, or more neutral noun to describe a really hard worker?


texts: What is the expression/slang to describe that you suddenly decided to go [travel, change environment]?

texts: For example you get tired of your job and saying: Oh,[expression, meaning to go] overseas/bar?


texts: While talking to someone about surnames and ties to various jobs in the past ("Coopers" worked on barrels, "Smiths" made things, etc.) I asked about "Brushwood". He said that name tied to "brushwoodsmen", English thieves. I can't find any references on the term brushwoodsmen or brushwoodsman, though...are there references that such a thing existed?


texts: A better term than "purely theoretically" for when the theory is not applicable in given case?

texts:
What term to use, when the theoretical solution is absolutely inapplicable in practice due to other outstanding factors?

Let me give an example from my answer to Is there a maximum Isp for “exothermic chemical reaction rockets”?.

  The most energetic reaction seems to be (although the claim is unsourced) oxidation of beryllium At 23.9MJ/kg it would purely theoretically allow 705 seconds of specific impulse. Purely theoretically, because beryllium oxide is a powder, so there's no adiabatic expansion of gas which creates propulsion.

And the comment by Uhoh:

  I wish we had a better word than "theoretically" here. I can't think of one, but it's really just an absolute upper limit. Well know, unavoidable thermodynamic realities will probably lead to a lower number without question, so there's no actual "theory" that says it can be 705. But ya people frequently use "theoretically" like this.

I agree with the comment; the qualifier "purely theoretically" is clumsy here. The theoretical rule (all chemical energy converted to kinetic) simply doesn't apply in this case (the mechanism of conversion of chemical to kinetic energy doesn't work if the product of reaction is not a gas). Is there a better way to formulate the qualifier that 'this will not work in practice due to unrelated reasons'?


texts:
As a non-native English speaker, I sometimes feel my speech/texts sound or look weird. I am experiencing such a situation now.

I am trying to tell someone else I just read their document in a very quick way, got the main idea, and feel that it is not the document I exactly want.

I tried "I just read it roughly, just a thought, it does not look like what I want." This sounds unnatural to me.

Can it be fixed to sound more natural?


texts:
I am unable to understand what does the following sentence mean:

  I will do something when I get in.


texts:
When we use "fall behind with" and "fall behind on"? I mean when we use that verb with "with" and when we use with "on"?
He was ill for six weeks and fell behind with his schoolwork.
I've fallen behind on the mortgage payments.
are both sentences above correct?


texts:
In Dutch, we have the word "kwartier" to denote a 15-minute period. It is derived from the word "kwart", which means quarter. It is very common to use this word in both spoken and written language.

Is there a similar word or expression in English (e.g. quarter)? And is it very common to use this word, or is it more commonplace to use expressions such as quarter of an hour, 15 minutes, etc.?

The scenario I'm considering in particular is that of labels on forms or in software. The 'user' has to indicate how much time was spent on something, in time units of 15 minutes. What would be the most appropriate way:

Time spent: # quarters
Time spent: # quarters of an hour
Time spent: # times 15 minutes
Time spent: # minutes (in software, make 15-minute increments the only possible way to input the time)
…


texts:
In writing a dedication as for a plaque, certificate or book, is using the ampersand acceptable?
As in

  William & Rose Smith.

Or should it be written as

  William and Rose Smith

?