texts: "Can't help but think": origin and current meaning

texts:
The regular English-language column in this week's Spectator (by one 'Dot Wordsworth') examines the opaque but not uncommon construction "I can't help but be reminded of the relationship...", which has been discussed at various times here, notably at this question.

I call it "opaque" because, as Dot points out, I can't help loving you means the same as I can't but love you, which are both the opposite of I can't love you. I can't help but love you would therefore be a double negative and express lack of affection.

As mentioned by several users in the linked question, usage trumps logic and
nowadays "I can't help but..." means the same as "I can't help...", while "I can't but..." though it means the same, has an archaic feel. However, nobody would say this is an obvious way for a construction to evolve, and Dot proposes the (startling to me) thesis that it was invented by the author Thomas Hall Caine.

Hall Caine was an eccentric figure, who thought he looked like Shakespeare despite a bushy red beard, and sold millions of copies of what are now regarded as potboilers. The OED's first example of the construction is "she could not help but plague the lad" from The Manxman (1894), but the columnist has found an earlier example in The Bondsman (1890).

'Dot' concludes by asking "if anyone comes across prior examples. I can't but think they exist". I have had no luck as yet, but feel my ELU colleagues might well be successful.


texts: Why is "ain't" not listed in dictionaries?

texts:
Google finds 52,000,000 matches for ain't but non-natives simply can't look up this word. Wiktionary isn't helpful.

Is it some kind of 'wildcard' for "am/is/are not"?


texts:
In the following sentence

Check out our newly created (by people) directory for quick and easy to access information.

should I be using a comma after the closing bracket and after the word quick? Or should there be any commas used?


texts: Idomatic expression for focusing on means at the cost of the ends?

texts:
What's the phrase for the situation where "doing A is valuable because it ledas to B, but you achieve A in such a way as to negate B". Something like this: "detailed writing is valuable because it helps readers understand the topic; but a writer who focuses on detailed writing and forgets the reason for it risks becoming verbose and confusing the readers instead". I think there's a saying or idiom that describes this situation via an example - it's on the tip of my tonuge, but I can't for the life of me pin it down.

It's not quite the same as Word for someone who focuses on the smaller details of a bigger problem; here, I'm talking about the sense in which you take actively counterproductive actions because you've lose sight of the big picture. Word for focusing on the details to the detriment of the whole? seems like the same question, but was marked as a duplicate of the first question linked, which doesn't seem quite accurate - and both those questions are looking for words, I'm looking for an idomatic expression akin to "throwing the baby out with the bathwater" - only that phrase (in its most common useage) suggests excessive zeal leading to negligence (don't lose sight of the good in your haste to eliminate the bad), rather than misplaced zeal actively undermining your own goals (don't sabatoge yourself by overzealously focusing on intermediate goals).

Does such an expression exist, or is my memory misleading me?


texts: Is there any difference between 'plaid' and 'tartan'?

texts:
It seems to me that some Americans will say plaid where we will use tartan.

Whilst tartan refers to woollen cloth woven in one of several patterns of coloured checks and intersecting lines; plaid can refer to the same thing but, usually in the UK, it refers to a specific long piece of tartan worn over the shoulder as part of Highland dress.

Am I right in my belief that plaid is more often used by Americans to refer generally to the cloth? Are the two words used interchangeably? It would naturally be nice to receive a Scottish opinion on this.


texts: Would or will - in a somewhat hypothetical situation

texts:
At (my old company) I made translations on a daily basis. Thus, my experience in
  translation will help me to ensure timely provision of translated materials.

This is from a cover letter I'm sending. Since getting this job (and the second sentence) is a hypothetical situation, "would" seems appropriate, if I understand the rules correctly. However, "will" just sounds better to me. Which one is correct?

Thanks


texts: When something is published in instalments, is there a word for that?

texts:
If something is not published as a book, but is published in sections, or instalments, is there a word, other than 'instalments ?

All I can find online is the word 'serialised ', but we do  not call the individual items, serials.


texts:
The term is used in Harper Lee's Go Set A Watchman, in the following passage. The context is that Jean Louise has been preparing for the big dance at the high school; the referent for "them" in the first paragraph, although irrelevant to the meaning of the expression, is a set of falsies:

As Jean Louise handed them over, a sudden thought rooted her to the spot. “Oh golly,” she whispered.
“What’s the matter now?” said Calpurnia. “You’ve been fixin’ for this a slap week. What did you forget?”
“Cal, I don’t think I know how to dance.”


texts: What is the right verb to use in “I have just ( ) 15?

texts:
I was baffled when I happened to pick up an English drill book of my granddaughter who is high schooler, and found a question asking to fill the sentence, “I have just (   ) 15.”

I’ve never thought of seriously what is the right word to use to express reaching a certain age.
Though it must be a self-evident question, I, as a non-native English speaker am not confident of what is the right answer to this question, when asked in face.

Is it ‘gotten’, ‘been’, ‘reached’, ‘grown to’, ‘come off, become’ or what else?
What is the right verb?


texts: Complicated sentence in the past: did vs. would do

texts:
Consider the following:

On my way back home from  work I recalled what my boss had asked I did - turned off the lights before I went. Hence unfortunately I had to drive all the way back to the office.

On my way back home from  work I recalled what my boss had asked I'd do: turn off the lights before I go. Hence unfortunately I had to drive all the way back to the office.

Which is the correct form? Would you use a dash, colon, comma or a semicolon after the first statement? How about the conjugation of the verbs in bold?


texts: Is there any rules of the 'th' sound in phonological?

texts:
I know well, the tongue is exactly going to the teeth in between(upper&under) when sounded.
Yet, my point is that Do I have to place the tongue at there all the time?

For example, "Whats' the matter?" and "What's that?"

these two are not so easy to do sound exactly (a /s/ and followed by a /th/).

When sounding them, the tongue is only placed behind of upper teeth.

Either it has obviously to be placed in between or that doesn't matter in speaking, I am really in curious.

Thanks


texts: Is there a word for when someone uses a relationship to get an advantage / promoted?

texts:
I'm thinking of a verb, or maybe a saying, to be used in the following manner: He'd cheated, lied, and (question word) to get to the top.
Preferably, the word or phrase would have something to do with manipulation, because he intentionally created these relationships to exploit them for his personal benefit.
Admittedly, the sentence could be reworded as "He'd cheated, lied, created and then destroyed relationships to get to the top," but that feels a little clunky.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!


texts: How should I interpret 'come evening' in this long sentence?

texts:
How should I interpret come evening in this long sentence?

  This ensures that, come evening, you've remembered whether or not you followed through in the morning.

This is a new grammar that I haven't seen before. What grammar does it follow?


texts: What's the difference between "really" and "for real"?

texts:
For example:

I don't know who Tiger Woods is.
For real?

and

I don't know who Tiger Woods is.
Really?

I don't see any difference in this case, but are there some specific cases when these exclamations are different?


texts: What does "bad for the greater good" mean?

texts: I heard Kevin Spacey in The House of Cards say "bad for the greater good". Can anyone tell me what that means??


texts: Does "He do what he do." make grammatical sense?

texts:
According to a DMagazine.com headline, it reads:

  Ron Washington: He do what he do.

Is there any case we have to use he do or does it mean something different?


texts: Word for a public place where people frequently come in contact with one another

texts:
Is there a word for a place where people frequently come in contact with one another? This is like an intersection but in the context of general habitable places. For example,

  [...]as I was running up and down to calm down my stupid dog so that
  he won't go out and bite people and/or bring bring back a piece of raw
  flesh and/or throw up a massive vomit somewhere __.


texts: What do you call it when a scam artist modifies the contents of a document to deceive other people?

texts:
Some unscrupulous scam artist decided to modify a contract that had my signature on it, to make it appear that I had agreed to things I did not. Here is a simplified example:

  Bob agrees to pay Fred $20,000 for Fred’s service of building Bob a home.

  The bellow signature indicates acceptances into this contract.

  Bob’s Signature: Bob
  Fred’s Signature: Fred

Now say Bob gets crafty and uses an image editing software, such as Photoshop, to replace "$20,000" with "$10,000".

What would this be called? What word would describe this "falsified" document? I'm not so much looking for a legally correct term, as what's legal is for the judge to decide. I'm looking for an easily understandable term. It looks like I'm going to have to explain this to a few people and I want a way to distinguish between two documents where one had been subtly altered.

Since both signatures are valid, I don’t think it’s correct to say it’s forged. I also considered fake, but not sure this is accurate as (in a sense) it is intended to be different from the original. Other words that come to mind are counterfeit and phony.


texts:
I have attested two words in English that come from two Latin words. These are "night" and "light". They derive from the words "nox" and "lux" respectively; both Latin — in the case of the word "nox", though, this one might also derive from Greek "nyx".

Nevertheless, the question is: is this a normal transition and happens often, or has it happened because of the word wasn't a direct loanword from Latin, but it came through other languages?

If so, do we have any other word in English that ends with -ght and its Latin counterpart ends with -x?


texts:
A piece of news from the BBC reads as follows [emphasis in the original]:

  The UN has said very little on the matter, apart from to insist it
  is immune from legal proceedings.

Now, I knew that any prepositional phrase must be followed by the -ing form of the verb, so I’d have expected the reporter to use “insisting”. Is it a correct usage? If it is, are there any other prepositional phrases that can be followed by the infinitive form?


texts: Are there idioms specific to one English dialect?

texts:
Let's get into a little conversation about the differences between American English, British English and regional dialects. Some words are specific to certain dialects (lass is Scottish, the lads is British, etc.). Some words take different meaning (theatre vs. cinema to mean “movie theatre”). Pronunciation is obviously different, and spelling can be (neighbour/or, gray/grey, etc.).

What I wonder is this: are there some specifically British (or American, or whatever) idioms. I don't see why there shouldn't be, but I can't think of a single one right now. So, can you come forward with such idioms with the following constraints:

the individual words do not markedly belong to one dialect
it does not refer to a specific cultural element: geographic place, local dish, …

It would be fun to have some from a wide variety of English dialects, to broaden the perspective.

Edit: to clarify, an idiom in this question has the meaning of “a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words”


texts: Person who organizes and presents at school functions

texts:
I need to put my previous activities on some form for High School and need to find an accurate word to describe what I did.

I participated in event organization in school (helped planning the event, added several things here and there)
I spoke at all school events(prom, grad bash, graduation, beginning of school year speech)
I was basically the man saying: "Ladies and Gentlemen, today we are proud to welcome you on our XXX event bla-bla-bla", "Now we ask you to welcome our dear Principal Mr. XYZ". Then when that Principal ended his speech I announced other people and in the end I said "Thanks everyone for coming/something similar" and fancy music started playing and event was pretty much over.

Ideas are following:

"Master of ceremonies" and
"Anchorman".

I consider my English level enough for everything I need but ask your help to not miss this very specific word.

Sample sentence: "He was XXXX at this school in 2016-2017."


texts:
Is there an English word for the act of holding your shirt near the chest area and moving it up and down in order to provide some kind of ventilation on a hot humid day?

  The sun was so strong he began to ____________, filling the nearby seats with the stench of his sweat.


texts: "It is one of the few terms that cast/casts a positive light on this subject."

texts:
What should the verb "cast" agree with in the example below?

Should the verb "cast" be conjugated as "cast", agreeing with "terms" (terms that cast a positive light)

  It is one of the few terms that cast a positive light on the subject.

or should "cast" agree with "one" .. (one (of the terms) that casts a positive light)

  It is one of the few terms that casts a positive light on the subject.

Should it be the first, the second, or is either correct?


texts: "The later part of the 20th century" vs. "the latter part of the 20th century"

texts:
For the sentence fragment:

  "...during the later part of the 20th century"

using "latter" sounds better to me:

  "...during the latter part of the 20th century"

But most websites I find have later as the option that deals with time, e.g. http://grammar.about.com/od/words/a/latergloss.htm

Which word is more appropriate in this case?


texts: How can I ask about the "winner" of an ongoing match?

texts:
Imagine that a match is being played now. The match has not ended yet. It is still played and each team is scoring some goals. Now, I would like to ask about the winner till now (at the middle of the match) ... How Can I express it?

Once, I said: "Who is the winner?" but the reply was: "The match has not ended yet". They got me wrong. How can I ask the question so that they understand me the correct way?


texts: Using the word “forge” in a positive context

texts:
I came up with a two-word business name where the first word is “forge”. I imagined a craftman making something of great power and value, which carried the feeling I wanted to invoke, but I forgot about the other meaning of this word.

Is the word very ambiguous or primarily used in the context of counterfeit, or “it depends”?


texts: Which Verb to Use Depending on the Context?

texts:
I want some clarification on the verbs tell, say and speak because they mean the same action to me.
For example, you can use both of these sentences.

He said "I am not attending the party."
He told he is not coming to the party.

I am not sure about the second one but in any case

He spoke he is not attending.

seems kinda awkward. My impressions are based on the common uses as I see and hear people. Is there any formal rule about which one is most appropriate in a given context for native speakers?


texts: What words can I use to express two separate relationships instead of "the relationship between" phrase?

texts:
I measured the relationship between A and B and then the relationship between A and C separately. Now I need to form my title based on those two separate analyses. When I use "The relationship between A, B and C" it sounds like I studied a model and I don't want to mislead the readers. Is there a usage like "The relationship of A with B and C"? What are the alternatives of "the relationship between" phrase?

lf you help me I will be grateful. Thanks in advance :)


texts:
What does the author mean by "interpretive clutter" in the following text?

  tourism has become a significant creator of forms in the contemporary
  world. At a micro level, tourism creates souvenirs and
  representations. It affects dress. It generates signage and
  interpretative clutter.

Source


texts: What is the difference between seems like /seems that/seems?

texts:
Is there any difference between these expressions?

It seems like they have not completed the task yet.
It seems that they have not completed the task yet.
It seems  they haven't completed the task yet.


texts: A word/phrase for an unexpected change or turn of events in a person's life

texts:
I am looking for a single word similar to a turn of events, changing one's stars/destiny, passing a crossroads or doing something that would cause someone's life to have a dramatic change. From a writing perspective it is similar to a "plot twist" except happening to a person, if that makes sense. It does not have to necessarily be a catastrophic change, which for example happened as a result of guilt or a loss, but a change which sets a person on a very different path.

Eg.:

  After that happened George's life would never be the same; he'd
  reached a/an ______________ .


texts: Would I need to put "a" at the beginning of this sentence?

texts:
I'm writing a statement in which I wanna say something like:

Last semester I taught course xyz. Prerequisite for many upper-level courses, course xyz covers topics such as ...

Would it be better if I started the second sentence with 'A prerequisite"?


texts: What could be a translation of classic-style French titles, such as "Du contrat social"?

texts:
In order to write classic-style titles in a French text, the technique of using a préposition before the remaining words of the title is often used. A widely known example is Rousseau's "Du contrat social". Even tough that style is pretty old-fashionned, modern French texts might content such literary sugar, e.g. some news articles or research papers. A few examples, extracted from that website, could be:

"De l'incompréhension du propos";
"De la méconnaissance du Japon".

I was wondering how the style of those titles could be kept in an English translation and how to have an equivalent English aesthetic effect.


texts: What's the opposite word of "strict parents"?

texts:
I am a non-native English speaker.
When I was writing an English essay, a question came up my mind.
Which word is better "carefree parents" or "easy-going parents" when I want to compare with "strict parents"?


texts: Gerund vs. infinitive: are both forms acceptable for the following examples?

texts:
It is a lesser evil to have x than to have y.
Having x is a lesser evil than having y.

Which of them are incorrect?


texts:
Just wondering if the [g] sound is sometimes used to link a word ending in [ŋ] and a word beginning with a vowel sound. For example, can "hang out" be pronounced as /hang-gout/?

If you know any helpful source about this inquiry, can you share it with me?

Thanks a bunch!


texts: What is the difference between "There will be users who doesn't buy something" and "There will be users who don't buy something"? Are they both grammatically correct?


texts: How to say "local community" in ONE word?

texts: I'm struggling to say 'local community' in one word. Is there a suitable word which describes 'local community' or synonym?


texts: What is it called when you refer to someone by using an adjective rather than their name?

texts: For example; the "the brunette said" instead of "Susan said" or "The young man asked" rather than "Jason asked".


texts:
I have recently seen "fair-skinned" written to mean the opposite of "dark skin".

In other contexts, "fair" usually sounds to me as judgemental, implying it is better.
Example: fair weather

Is "fair-skinned" politically correct?
Should I prefer another term?

Here is an example of the term being called questionable: First comment by heltonbiker to this question.


texts:
When reading movie magazines or news I come across lines like the below:

  Mr. A's new film goes on floors next month.
  The actors 2 movies are going on floors later this year.

One can guess the meaning of the phrase go on floor from the above lines but I am not sure what exactly it means, and couldn't find it in any dictionary.


texts: Feminine version of colloquial use 'hi man'

texts: When a man greets another man, he often says 'hi man', 'thanks man', etc. I am wondering whether these expressions have feminine use. I never heard a woman greeting another woman with 'hi woman'. Any thoughts?


texts: Can you say "that which" instead of "that that"?

texts: Which is better: "...and it is that that is our 'result'" vs "...and it is that which is our 'result'"?


texts: Double relative clause or something different

texts:
I assume, throughout, the state of things which, where the labourers and capitalists are separate classes, prevails, with few exceptions, universally.

Are those true or false?

The state of things prevails universally.
The labourers and capitalists are separate classes in this state of things.

So can I rewrite?

  The state of things which prevails, with few exceptions, universally and where the labourers and capitalists are separate classes.


texts: Are all single letters in English considered words?

texts:
For example, would you consider 'e' to be a full-fledged word? I'll delete my post if this relies too much on opinion.

(We may ignore obvious single-letter words such as 'a' , 'I' here.)


texts: What is the word for the emotion I feel when I see someone being humiliated?

texts:
When I see someone else being embarrassed / humiliated, for example a singer forgetting their words in a concert, I would say something like "I feel embarrassed for them". But is there a better word to describe this feeling?

I would say it's a mix of:

Empathetic discomfort for someone else's humiliation
Tension; hope that spectators will be forgiving
Frustration that I cannot help them

Other scenarios I would feel the same emotion:

Seeing someone make a presentation, the slides are all out of order, and their face gets red with embarrassment while there's a tense silence in the room.
Seeing someone make an embarrassing social blunder in front of unforgiving people.
Seeing a speaker who keeps making a distracting and annoying gesture, and they don't realize that the whole audience is annoyed.
Seeing someone be taken advantage of, like seeing someone naively and happily accept a terrible offer on a car.
Seeing a person of strong image (for example the CEO of your company) do something like accidentally leave their webcam on after a conference call, and employees see him/her let out a big burp and pick their nose or something.

In these cases it's important that the audience is not forgiving, even if they don't confront the person about it. The person may or may not know they are being humiliated.

"Pity" as proposed in an answer seems very close, but I think it lacks a few components. I think "pity" has a chronic connotation - that you are referring to the general state of things rather than a specific event.

I think "pity" also depends on the subject suffering, but in my example they are often oblivious.

It could very well be that there is no word for this at all.

NOTE: Some people do not feel the same way I do in this scenario, so you may not think this question makes any sense.


texts: I tried to inform that the changes were reflected already in the system. How this could be communicated in a better way. Shall I use 'The changes have already been reflected in the system'? I am using have been here to say that it was done and the changes exist still?


texts: Should there be a comma after "loose" in this sentence?

texts:
I read a sentence which was:

  He reiterated his plea for a loose (united), confederation with considerable autonomy for the confederating units.

I don't think there should be a comma in between an adjective and the noun that it's qualifying. Am I right?


texts:
What of the following examples is better:

  In Figure 1, we show that A performs better than B.

or

  In Figure 1 we show that A performs better than B.

When looking through a few journals I found that both versions are used. I usually used it with a comma because when I did not use a comma, I would need to skip the comma also for

  In this case we maximize X.

and

  In this section we show that

to assure consistency.


texts: A character to indicate a sharp intake of breath

texts:
Is there a character in any established alphabet (I couldn't find anything in the IPA) to denote a sharp intake of breath, as if by surprise?

I want to include it in a character's name. Initially I thought "!" would suffice, making the name, for example, "!Davis" (pronounced -breath-Davis) based on its usage in demonyms like "!Kung-San", but it seems I have mis-remembered what the exclamation point here does.

Googling just gives me information on "a sharp intake of breath", which I'm sure is wonderful but is of little use to me at the time of writing. Thanks.


texts: "And yet we're meant to be educating them for it." What does this mean?

texts:
I was watching a TED video and didn’t get a few of the sentences. I hope someone can explain them to me.

  So I have a big interest in education, and I think we all do. We have a huge vested interest in it, partly because it's education that's meant to take us into this future that we can't grasp. If you think of it, children starting school this year will be retiring in 2065. Nobody has a clue, despite all the expertise that's been on parade for the past four days, what the world will look like in five years' time. And yet we're meant to be educating them for it. So the unpredictability, I think, is extraordinary.

What does "And yet we're meant to be educating them for it" mean?


texts: "greater", or "greater than", in a dropdown?

texts:
This is more a matter of usage and common sense than anything, but I'm faced with the following problem. I have a dropdown with things like greater, equal, between, and then a field where numbers can be entered. So it basically looks like this:

[dropdown ^] [__number_field__]

The idea is that you select the appropriate option from the dropdown, enter a number in the field next to it, and then the associated search would look for things that have that a value eg. greater than 5, as in this example:

[greater ^] [__5__]

The options in the dropdown are:

equal
not equal
greater
greater or equal
less
less or equal
between
is empty

Technically, when we use these in full sentences, we use them with "to" added after each equal, and "than" added after each "greater/less" - and of course we use "and" between the two values mentioned in the "between" case.

But is it ok, in a form, to use these without the to/than/and? To me it looks weird and off (possibly because I read things in my inside voice when I read - which I know is a bad habit - and it sounds weird and off), but is it perhaps common usage to skip the preposition?


texts: Pronunciation of "esplanade" and "promenade"

texts: Checking Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary shows that the British and American pronunciations for each of esplanade and promenade differ. Also the way the ending is pronounced for each dialect is different in the two words. Are there any explanations for this phenomenon?


texts:
When writing my bachelor's thesis together with my group, we could not figure out where the not in the following sentence is most properly placed.

"The site-to-site variability was found to be not significantly different from zero..."

We found that the not could be placed at more or less all of the following places, producing more or less pleasant sounding sentences:

...was not found to be significantly different...
...was found not to be significantly different...
...was found to not be significantly different...
...was found to be not significantly different...
...was found to be significantly not different...

Is there a correct placement or is it up to the writer? Does the different placements convey different meanings?


texts: Is it awkward to start an email with "I am [my name]. I am writing to ask you...."?

texts:
I saw a job announcement (faculty position), which usually says "questions regarding this position should be addressed to [name and email.].

I want to ask a few questions about the position, and wonder what would be the most natural, correct, polite way to start the conversation.

Is starting with "My name is [name]" awkward? Should I start by saying "I am [name] at [name of my current school and my job]?

-Alice-


texts: Which preposition should be used after the verb “request”?

texts:
Which is correct?

I would like to request you to refrain from shouting.
I would like to request of you to refrain from shouting.
I would like to request from you to refrain from shouting.
Something else?


texts:
What is the difference between comportment and deportment?

I have tried looking up a comparison, but with very little results.  The few discussions I found were contradictory.  I also tried looking them up individually to do my own comparison.  However, the definitions I found were almost indistinguishable.  Even the example sentences made them seem like they could be used interchangeably.


texts: If I were to say "2-3 weeks" it seems clear that weeks should be plural.  Are there any cases where a number range would not be plural (e.g. 0-1 week or 0-1 weeks)?  Would it matter if the usage was in a legend versus being written in a sentence?


texts: Using a common be verb for adjective and noun

texts:
Are the following sentences grammatically correct?

A: He is nice and a grocer.
B: He is nice and is a grocer.


texts: What is the actual difference in the following statements

texts:
Sentence 1:
  Many Hindus study Sanskrit,but only a few Parsees study Avesta.
  Sentence 2:
  Many Hindus study Sanskrit,but only few Parsees study Avesta.

I fail to understand the difference between both the sentences,if any?
Which sentence is grammatically correct and should be used.


texts: Is there a word for flirting when it's intended to be serious?

texts:
flirt (flərt)
  verb: flirt; 3rd person present: flirts; past tense: flirted; past
   participle: flirted; gerund or present participle: flirting
  1. behave as though attracted to or trying to attract someone, but for
   amusement rather than with serious intentions.
      "it amused him to flirt with her"
  synonyms: trifle with, toy with, tease, lead on
      "it amused him to flirt with her"
  experiment with or show a superficial interest in (an idea, activity, or
   movement) without committing oneself to it seriously.
      "a painter who had flirted briefly with Cubism"
  synonyms: dabble in, toy with, trifle with, amuse oneself with, play with,
   tinker with, dip into, scratch the surface of
      "he flirted with the methods of the neo-Impressionists"

What do you call the courtship ritual of using flirtatious behavior when it has serious intentions of attracting the object of affection for long-term romantic partnership?

Regarding the use of courtship in place of flirting:

If I want to distinguish between, for instance, *conversation to get to know her and *being supportive when something bad happens and *those little mannerisms and quirks of communication I use to show I like her romantically, then I'll want a good synonym for 'serious-minded flirting'.
It includes teasing, doting, gushing, sexual innuendo, compliments, gratitude . . . a lot of things, but it's not broad enough to be courting.

And I don't want to call it flirting because that's misleading, since flirting literally means, and implies, that I'm not serious.

It just seems there should be a huge difference between leading someone on and being sincere. The action is the same, but the intention is opposite. It's different enough it needs a different word so as not to be misconstrued by incorrect usage.

And seduce doesn't really help since it's strictly about sexual activity, and the etymology and usage implies negative connotations. Enticing someone to abandon their duty is not what I'm looking for: it's already a good synonym for irresponsible flirting.


texts: What is a less offensive term for "Christian mythology" that still implies it's non-empirical?

texts:
I'm trying to find an alternative term for "Christian mythology" that characterizes it as non-empirical, but isn't quite so caustic towards those sympathetic to Christian beliefs.

I've considered "cult mythology", since it's less specific, but that seems even more offensive. I've also considered just "mythology", but I need to make a distinction between works which were never intended to be taken seriously, and works that were. This last part is key, since the focus of my debate is cognitive dissonance.


texts:
In so-called memes and vines, I've seen sentences such as "People be like", "Boys be like", and so on. Every time, I wondered how be was in those particular sentences. Grammatically, how can be be in such sentences in that way?

My assumption, is it like subjunctive [should] be? Are is and are not used because using them would make the sentence determinative, whereas [should] be would make the sentence suggest possibility?

Thanks.


texts:
I am studying differences between verbs used to enter a vehicle.

Hypothesis number one: for entering a car it it enter or get in, for entering a bus, train, boat, airplane it is get on.

Question: what is it like for a submarine?

Hypothesis number two: it is get in to enter a submarine, and get on means "get on top of it"

Hypothesis number three: it is get in and get on for entering the submarine


texts:
Is it "superior of" or "superior to"?

In a sentence:

  We conclude that our proposed model is superior to the base case.

or

  We conclude that our proposed model is superior of the base case.


texts:
The first reference I can find in the OED to "Merry Christmas" is from 1534. This date very roughly corresponds with the English Reformation and Henry VIII's breach with Rome.

From that time the idea of a "Merry Christmas" seems to take off with several entries in the 17th century. But it cannot, surely, have been protestants, let alone puritans, who promoted the idea of a 'Merry Christmas', since the word merry suggests at least mild intoxication.

Charles II (1630–1685) was known as the Merry Monarch, a reference to his lifestyle, many mistresses, and his annulment of the puritan laws instituted by Cromwell.

Until references to Christmas became politically incorrect, it was interestingly in America (the great puritan bastion), that "Merry Christmas" was more frequently used — Britons preferring the more sober sounding 'Happy Christmas'.

Does anyone know anything about the history and politics of "Merry Christmas"?  Prior to let's say the 1970s, when secular symbols and "Season's Greetings", or "Yuletide greetings" start to take over,  does anyone remember any strong movement against a notion of 'Merry Christmas', on the grounds that it imported a decadence into the religious festival?


texts: Looking for a word that means "not requiring permission"

texts:
I was thinking maybe, free to use but I'm not sure. Is there any one-word alternative?

Preferably an adjective.

For example, some user information is confidential and you need permission to access it. I need a word for user information that doesnt require permission. So the sentence would read: _____ user information


texts: A good word for additions to a written work that is already published

texts:
Let's say I have already published a book. Now, on the website for this book, I want to post additional documents, numbered like 1, 2, .... What word is best to use to describe each of these documents?

Would "Addendum" work? Like "Addendum 1", "Addendum 2", or is Addendum more for things at the end of the book itself?

Feel free to suggest other words. I suppose "Supplement" is another alternative.


texts: "Value was fetched successfully" or "Value is fetched successfully"?

texts:
In an application I'm developing, a user is allowed to fetch a value using a button. Upon the value being successfully fetched, I need to notify the user. I used the following sentence.

The value was fetched successfully.

Upon reviewing it, my co-worker suggested the following sentence, which doesn't sound right to my ear.

The value is fetched successfully.

Appreciate if someone can clear up the difference between these two sentences. Are both grammatically correct? If so, which is more appropriate to use for this case?


texts:
Human nature and long distances have made exceeding the speed limit a (i)__ in the state, so the legislators surprised no one when, acceding to public demand, they (ii)__ increased penalties for speeding.

  (i)
  A. controversial habit
  B. cherished tradition
  C. disquieting ritual

  (ii)
  D. endorsed
  E. considered
  F. rejected

The correct answer are B & F. But I just wonder what is wrong if I select A & D? I think the sentence still makes sense and correct grammatically.


texts: What's the difference between 'subway', 'metro' and 'tube'?

texts:
When I watched the "American Album" program, Susan and Henry talked about New York, and she used the word 'subway'.

When I listened to BBC's '6 minutes English', I heard 'tube' used in the conversation.

And as I know, there is another word, 'metro', also used sometimes.

Could you please give me some more description about these words?


texts:
What kind of slang word or you can say idiom can I use for something that is impossible.

Like we use cherry on the top... Something like that

Here the sentence is "His parents never loved each other and loving him was like......."


texts: What alternative would you suggest to "in/with regard(s?) to"?

texts:
I see in many of the "corporate emails" I receive the expression: "in regard to".
Sometimes, it is also written "in regards to".

First, to be sure:

"in regards to" (with an extra 's') is incorrect, right?
"in" or "with regard to": are they strictly equivalent?

Then, the expression sounds a bit too wordy to me.
Is there any simpler alternative?
If yes, is there any context when that simpler alternative should not been used? (i.e. when "in regard to" is actually more appropriate)


texts: what are the rules for using half of the services were or half of the services was

texts: The OIG determined that almost half of the psychotherapy services evaluated in this report were inappropriate, and that Medicare paid for services that were medically unnecessary, inadequately documented or not covered.


texts: Polite way to refuse to answer a question

texts:
It sometimes happens that I am asked a question which I am uncomfortable answering for a variety of reasons (it invades my privacy, the answer may hurt the person asking, it is painful for me to discuss, it would violate a confidence etc.).  I may also not feel comfortable explaining why I don't want to answer.

I remember a colleague of mine introducing me to the Far Eastern concept of Mu (sometimes translated as "unask the question"), which seems to quite aptly capture what I'm looking for.

What is the most polite way of expressing this in English?


texts:
So, I happen to be in the process of creating this research paper about a historic figure; I had used Google to search for a synonym of occasionally, and one of the words I stumbled across was “periodically”. Now, don’t get me wrong – I have heard of this word many times in the past; however, I have never known it to be used in the place of a word such as the former mentioned. Up until this point, I’ve only ever really used it in the denotation of “a regular occurrence”.
For that reason, I decided to genuinely find its listed definition – and, as it turns out, this word is a complete paradox. It simultaneously means two entirely different things – they do nothing less than completely contradict each other.

periodically   | ˌpirē'ädək(ə)lē |
adverb

from time to time; occasionally: I will periodically check on your progress | the students received help from a friend only periodically.

at regularly occurring intervals: the newsletter is sent out periodically to update members | the lamps were periodically switched on and off at 30 minute intervals.

Would someone be willing to explain how I should use this word? I’m incredibly confused – is it even “proper” to use “periodically” so that it means both occasionally and regularly? Or, would it generally be more accepted to just use the common definition (which I assume is the latter)?
I’d appreciate any and all comments and answers! Thanks, everybody!


texts: "Release", "free", or "delete allocated memory"?

texts:
release the allocated memory.
  free the allocated memory.
  delete the allocated memory.

What are the differences between them?


texts: When does an acronym lose its capitalization, e.g. RaDAR 'radar'?

texts: The reason that I ask is because this is happening to LiDAR, and I am inclined to use lidar because it is easier to read.


texts: In which circumstances is the expression "I have an ask" more appropriate than "I have a request"?

texts:
I found the following definition for ask as a noun.

  a demand or situation that requires a specified degree of effort or commitment. Example: "it is a big ask for him to go and play 90 minutes"

Here is an example from a blog post, whose author seems to misuse that above definition. I would have written it as a question, or just omitted "I have an ask" to make it simple.

  I have an ask: if you hear of anyone coming around to these parts [of the world] , do let me know.

My (possibly) flawed understanding is that it is informal (and borderline incorrect) to use ask as a noun in that context, and that using request should be preferred in about any circumstance. Yet, according to Google Ngrams, its usage has doubled in the past 20 years.

In what cases should one prefer writing "have an ask" instead of "have a request"? I'm sure I'm missing something here.


texts: Word meaning "narrow minded person" that ends in "an" if such exists

texts:
I'm looking for a word which is opposite or similar to Cosmopolitan and also ends in "an".

I'm trying to title something opposite or related to Cosmopolitan the magazine which sounds similar. So the goal is either an antonym or something that rhymes and is masculine.

I am specifically looking for an antonym for the word, but barring that such does not exist that ends in "an" at least in sound, I'll go with any word that rhymes that is in some way a masculine word.

From dictionary.com
cos·mo·pol·i·tan/ˌkɒzməˈpɒlɪtn/ Show Spelled [koz-muh-pol-i-tn] Show IPA
adjective
1. free from local, provincial, or national ideas, prejudices, or attachments; at home all over the world.
2. of or characteristic of a cosmopolite.
3. belonging to all the world; not limited to just one part of the world.
4. Botany, Zoology . widely distributed over the globe.
noun
5. a person who is free from local, provincial, or national bias or attachment; citizen of the world; cosmopolite.
6. a cocktail made with vodka, cranberry juice, an orange-flavored liqueur, and lime juice.

Antonyms:  narrow, narrow-minded, specific

So are there any words that mean "narrow minded person" that end in "an"?


texts: Usage of 'if' and 'if not' to mean 'and perhaps even/also'

texts:
Consider the sentence:

  While this assumption, on its own, is relatively innocuous, if
  implausible, in practice, it is supplemented by assumptions...

The 'if' here really means something more like 'but perhaps also'.

Another sentence:

  He appeared very happy, if not exuberant, at her arrival.

'if not' here means something like 'and perhaps even', as if the latter statement should be a more extreme version of the former.  But it also feels like an exclusive disjunction.  That is, it is one or maybe the other, but not both.  On the other hand, 'if' by itself feels like both statements could be true.

I can conjure up many examples where both 'if' and 'if not' violate my above descriptions and many more which just seem malformed and awkward but fit them, e.g., 'He seems happy, if not a little confused'.  or 'The proof appeared correct, if sloppily constructed,'...  Adding further confusion, if I make a small change to the previous example: 'The proof appeared correct, if a little sloppy, .., it feels correctly formed although the semantics or grammar have not changed substantially (although I could be wrong as I am thoroughly confused now).

So my questions are: are there any concise descriptions of how to use 'if' and 'if not'? Does this grammar usage have a name? When are they interchangeable and when not?

Thanks


texts:
I am asked the following the question:

Question: Why are your results important?
Answer:

For segmenting and classifying a stream of documents dynamically without a fixed training dataset

For segmenting and dynamically classifying document streams without a fixed training dataset

Which answer is correct to you? Grammatically, the word dynamically is intended to be related to classifying not segmenting.


texts: Does English have (or has it had) the diphthongs /uɪ, ʌɪ/?

texts:
Modern English has some diphthongs ending in /-ɪ/, as in *oy/oi of "boy/voice", *ay/ā of "bay/ace", *ey/ī of "eye/ice", etc. But I haven't found the diphthongs /uɪ, ʌɪ/ (or even /ʊɪ/).

Does Modern English have them? If yes, where (in which words)?

Did English have them at some time in the past (in Old English, Middle English, etc.)? If yes, into what did they evolve and how are/were they spelled? Is the /wi/ of "cuisine" or the /aɪ/ of "buy" the modern pronunciation of an historical *uy/ui which was pronounced as /uɪ/?


texts:
I am a native English speaker with a British accent.

When I say words like: lion, liver, below etc. - there is definite contact between my tongue and teeth/roof of the mouth.

When I say words like:
 golf, golfer, wolf, else.

I don't notice my tongue touching my teeth or roof of the mouth. Is this normal?
If I make a conscious effort to make contact when saying "golf" it sounds odd.
Should there always be contact (between the tongue and teeth/roof of mouth) when pronouncing the "l" in these words?


texts: Quotation marks in a block quote that consists entirely of quoted speech

texts:
I know that you wouldn't normally enclose a block quote with quotation marks; but what I can't seem to find out is what to do if the quoted material consists entirely of quoted speech.

For example, this is the original quote (from the Bible):

  Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:
  "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
  wisdom and power are his."

Which of the following is correct?

  In Daniel 2:20, Daniel sings a song of praise to God:

    Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
    wisdom and power are his.

or:

  In Daniel 2:20, Daniel sings a song of praise to God:

    "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
    wisdom and power are his."

Many thanks, and apologies if this has been asked before; I did search, but couldn't find anything!


texts: Synonym for statistical meaning of "mode"

texts:
Are there any synonyms for the term mode as used in statistics?

the value that occurs most frequently in a given set of data.

The term seems like one that is not user friendly and would not be understood by all users.  What are possible alternatives that are easier to understand?


texts: Correct construction for "easily protected against"

texts:
What I am trying to express is that I have a problem P and a good G and it is easy to protect G from P.
However, G is not the focus of the sentence and P was described in the previous sentence.

So I would like to say something like:

  There is the additional problem P. However, it is easily protected against.

With it referring to the problem P and without going into what G is again. However, the construction seems complicated and possibly plain incorrect. What we would be a good expression?

I also considered:

  There is the additional problem P. However, it is easy to protect against.


texts:
For the meaning:

figurative: a profound difference
between people, viewpoints, feelings,
etc.

Is a chasm or a gulf generally interpreted as being a larger difference?

A: The gulf between rich and poor has grown into a chasm?
B: The difference is not merely a chasm,
but a gulf.


texts: "What were they doing differently *that* had led to this dramatic improvement?"

texts:
What were they doing differently that had led to this dramatic improvement?

I saw a sentence having the same structure as the one above. But I am not sure that this sentence is grammatically correct. I would like to know your opinions.

The "that" in the sentence seems a relative pronoun, but where is the antecedent? When I speculate what it says, the antecedent could be the "what". Is it possible?


texts:
The verb talk usually has to preceding its complement/object:

(I) I talked to him about his misbehavior.

Is it idiomatic (and/or grammatical) to use with instead?

(II) I talked with him about his misbehavior. (?)

(III) Who did you talk with yesterday?  (?)

I ask because an associate has claimed that with is not idiomatic with talk and therefore ungrammatical.

This online resource suggests the difference is semantic:

  Usage varies, but generally 'talk to' indicates the simple action (as
  opposed to remaining silent), while 'talk with' suggests an extended
  conversation.


texts:
What is the meaning of this "my wife insisted on my putting on my thick winter woollies this morning"?
Especially this part "insisted on my putting on my thick winter woollies"?


texts: On your opinion what is the meaning of this quote?

texts: Mental Health is not a destination but a process. It's about how you drive, not where you're going." Noam Shpancer.


texts: Are the words "sillily", "uglily", "friendlily", "livelily", etc., valid English?

texts:
I have wondered about how to make the words silly, ugly, friendly, lively, etc. into adverbs, so I researched in the Internet. I found many different answers, so I tried checking Oxford Dictionaries.

However, Oxford Dictionaries still gave me two answers:

this is from Oxford Dictionaries’ online grammar reference, “forming adverbs” page

  Adjectives that end in -ly, such as friendly or lively, can’t be made
  into adverbs by adding -ly. You have to use a different form of words,
  e.g. ‘in a friendly way’ or ‘in a lively way’ instead

from the dictionary entries: there are results from typing
sillily, uglily, friendlily, livelily into Oxford Dictionaries’
website (online dictionary)

That’s quite an obvious contradiction from one of the most famous dictionary providers of the world!

So, are the words sillily, uglily, friendlily, livelily, etc. valid English?

Note: I already saw the “comparative and superlative adverbs” question that asked about the word sillily but I don't see any sources in there that are trustworthy enough (compared to oxford dictionaries), so I'm asking a new question.

EDIT: I've already reported the mistake to Oxford Dictionaries. They said that those words are valid (although rare) and it's a mistake in the reference, They say they will get it fixed soon.


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

texts: Every time I hear this idiom, I cogitate to no avail as to its sense.  Why is it a whistle, and not a lantern, or an axe?


texts: I can't think of a word that means "one person can see something but the other people can't"

texts:
So what I mean for example:
A man can see a ghost of a past person but other people can't. Sort of like a seer but i'm looking for a better word than that.


texts: Single word (preferably noun) to describe an indecisive person

texts: I am writing a software which provides user an ability to either mark "will do" or "consider doing". Right now I need a word to describe the latter. People who want to do something, still consider doing something or, in general, are on the fence of doing something.


texts: Why aren't there entries for paleolithic and mesolithic?

texts: Why do dictionaries list neolithic and medieval, but not paleolithic or mesolithic, as synonyms of outmoded/outdated, when the latter two periods supposedly much preceded the former two?


texts: "Agree on" vs. "agree with" vs. "agree to"

texts: What are the differences between "agree on", "agree with" and "agree to"?


texts: What's the adjectival form of 'deficit'?

texts:
Does deficit have an adjectival form? If my business loses a lot of money, can I say that I 'got a deficit', that my business is 'in a deficit', or that my business suffered 'a deficit'?

Is there a common way to express the concept of deficit adjectivally?


texts: What quotation marks are used for the 3rd quote?

texts:
I know that the nested quotes are usually punctuated as follows (British usage):

[...] and then he said: 'I will always remember Churchill's "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat" as the most powerful quote to ever get me through tough times.'

What quotation mark should be used if that is inserted into yet another quote: eg.

Jules Cocovin gave this precise quote: '[...] and then he said: "I will always remember Churchill's #I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat# as the most powerful quote to ever get me through tough times."'

Please, kindly, refrain from advice regarding how I can restructure the sentence. I know how. I don't know what the 3rd level of quotation marks is in English.


texts: I yelled Let go! to my son while he was pulling his sister's arm. My husband says it's incorrect. I have no idea. Is it correct?


texts: What is the meaning of "atleast" and is it different from "at least"?

texts:
I don't think atleast is an actual word,  but I've found many instances of its usage. A simple google search for atleast reveal  13,100,000 hits.

What is the meaning of atleast and is it different from at least?


texts: Proper use of "prescience" & "prescient" with implicit subject

texts:
If I am sending an email with the subject line:

Look at how spot on the Economist was with the Real Estate Bubble

In the body of the email, I quote 2 paragraphs from the article and write a comment like so:

---- Begin Email Body

This article was written in 2005.

Key passages:

  NEVER before have real house prices risen so fast, for so long, in so
  many countries. Property markets have been frothing from America,
  Britain and Australia to France, Spain and China. Rising property
  prices helped to prop up the world economy after the stockmarket
  bubble burst in 2000. What if the housing boom now turns to bust?

  According to estimates by The Economist, the total value of
  residential property in developed economies rose by more than $30
  trillion over the past five years, to over $70 trillion, an increase
  equivalent to 100% of those countries' combined GDPs. Not only does
  this dwarf any previous house-price boom, it is larger than the global
  stockmarket bubble in the late 1990s (an increase over five years of
  80% of GDP) or America's stockmarket bubble in the late 1920s (55% of
  GDP). In other words, it looks like the biggest bubble in history.

http://www.economist.com/node/4079027?story_id=4079027

Wow......talk about prescient.

---- End Email Body

Is my use of 'prescient' here correct or incorrect? Why or why not? I would love an explanation about the structure of the language and how it applies in this case.


texts:
The ambiguity in "may not" can only be removed by context, right?

For example:

You may not play football in the garden = you must not/are not allowed to play football in the garden
This method may not be applicable in this case = It is possible that this method does not work in this case = It is likely that this method does not work in this case

Do I have the right understanding of "may not"?


texts: "Has not been updated" vs "Doesn't seem to be updated"

texts:
I was talking to the computer guy at our school about my grades, and I came across the following two options:

  I hadn't received my grades for one of my courses until last week. But it doesn't seem to be updated in the system yet.

Is it okay, or should it be:

  I hadn't received my grades for one of my courses until last week. But it hasn't been updated in the system yet.

At the same time, is there a grammatical difference between the two?


texts: My aunt Diana is married to a man named Evens, he’s legally my uncle. They have two daughters named Daili and Diane whom are my cousins. Daili and Diane have a cousin named Daniela who is Evers niece. Is there a relation between me and Daniela? I’m assuming we’re not related but I’m just curious if there is a term.


texts: Name of a three-item list of verbs in sequence

texts:
What do you call a list of three verbs that form a sequence?

e.g.

  I often find myself sitting down, opening the paper and reading the section on sports.

or

  He was tearing up bunches of grass, beating them against his knees to clean them and stuffing them into his mouth.

What are all the names you could use to describe this type of list?


texts: What is the purpose of changing "Nürnberg" to "Nuremberg" in English language?

texts:
For the longest time ever I assumed these are two different places and was very confused about never knowing where Nuremberg is. Recently I found out that Nuremberg is the English form for Nürnberg.

Is there a known first documented mention or some other historical evidence which may point to the purpose of this change?


texts: "A million and a half" vs. "one and a half million"

texts:
Every so often, I come across the phrase "a million and a half X" - which always strikes me as strange: it suggests 1000000.5 of the thing. I was taught to use instead "one and a half million" to be unambiguous.

Is the first form actually acceptable, though? Or is it just sloppy writing/editing?


texts: What does "we’ll see about that" mean in this context?

texts:
I am a nurse at a hospital, and I was cyber chatting with this girl who has just told me that her mother is being treated for a chronic illness at the same hospital. Our conversation went like this:

ME - Hope she gets better and you’ll never ever have to see me or that hospital again
GIRL-Thanks. Hospital. Yeah. You. We’ll see about that :)

My question is (because someone else and I argued the meaning of the girl's response):
What did the girl mean by "You. We’ll see about that :)"
Did she mean that she’s hesitant to see me?
Or did she mean that she wants to see me when she arrives home?
Throughout the conversation, flirtatious jabs were exchanged and said that she wished I was with her. (She’s abroad and has told me several times that "we’ll have October to ourselves".)
English is not my first language.


texts: What does "creep around on someone" mean?

texts:
What does "creep around on" mean in this phrase?

  You've been creeping around on me while you're calling me baby


texts:
I am looking for the antonym of the verb "mint" in the context of creating value assets, like coins; for example:

  The Royal Mint has the right to mint new coins.

What is the opposite, when coins are taken out of circulation and destroyed?

(I don't like "destroy")


texts: Is there a word for (computer) keyboard keys that have a valley in them, like caps lock?

texts: Sorry if the title isn't clear. Some keyboards will put a pit/valley thing on certain keys to put some extra space between the key and its neighbor. A common one is on Caps lock, presumably so you don't accidentally press it when you want to press "A". I think I have also seen it on the "Enter" key. Is there a word for this type of key, or the characteristic?


texts: “Open sesame”: how widely understood is it, and how else to put it?

texts:
“Open sesame” is a passphrase opening the treasure cave in the tale of Ali Baba and the Fourty Thieves. In French at least, it is a widely used phrase to say jokingly when using keys or any other mean to open a locked door (especially if your friends have been waiting for you, the bearer of the keys!).

I don't think I have ever heard it used in English, though, and I was wondering:

How widely understood is it? Is it a common cultural reference, or something only literary or classicaly-educated people would understand?
Is it commonly used in media or kids’ books (other than variations on The One Thousand and One Nights)?
How else would you put it? Are there other idioms that pertain to opening of doors and gates?


texts:
I've composed a sentence but I'm not sure if it's acceptable.

  This is a time constrained campaign.

I want to make the time constraint sound like an adjective but I don't know how. I just ended up rephrasing it but I still want to know about my given sentence.

Thank you.


texts: I cannot understand what's being asked here

texts:
What are the ways in which the universal, inclusive conception of French nationalism was tested by a (racially-conceived) particularistic, exclusive one?

I'm at loss, I don't know what's being asked.  What does this mean?


texts: Usage and meaning of "up" in "...worth at least a thousand pounds up in London"

texts:
Two chairs like that must be worth at least a thousand pounds up in London.

I don't know what the 'up' mean in the sentence. I'm even not sure which words — perhaps either 'a thousand pounds' or 'in London' — are modified by it.


texts: Grammatical terms used in the definitions of the Oxford English Dictionary

texts:
For example, the entry for the noun "counsel" reads:

  (Usually a collective plural, but sometimes treated as a numeral plural; formerly, in ‘to desire the benefit of counsel’, treated as a
  collective sing.: cf. quot. 1681.)

I'd like to know where I can find the definitions/explanations of all the grammatical terms used throughout the OED, such as collective plural, numeral plural, collective singular.

Edit: The terms don't appear either in the Glossary of grammatical terms


texts: "Prefer to do something" vs. "would prefer to do something"

texts:
Are these sentences different?

"I prefer to walk."
"I'd (would) prefer to walk."

In some books I read one is used in general and the other in specific situations.

So when you say "I prefer coffee to tea" you are stating something in general, and when you say "I'd prefer coffee to tea" it is in that specific situation that you would like coffee", and maybe you will want something else in another situation.
Is it correct, or can we use prefer in specific situations, too?


texts:
Here's the sentence: He's pretending that he didn't know anything. He is _____.

What is the adjective for someone who pretends? Pretender is a noun. Is it pretentious? But the meaning of it is:

pretentious /pri-ˈten(t)-shəs/

adjective

1:  characterized by pretension: such as

making usually unjustified or excessive claims (as of value or
standing)

  the pretentious fraud who assumes a love of culture that is alien to
  him — Richard Watts

expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature

  pretentious language pretentious houses

2
:  making demands on one's skill, ability, or means :  ambitious

  the pretentious daring of the Green Mountain Boys in crossing the lake — Amer. Guide Series: Vt.

pretentiously adverb

pretentiousness noun

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretentious


texts: "Solution for" or "solution to" a problem?

texts:
I need to find a solution to/for this problem.

Can to and for be used interchangeably here? Is one of them just plain wrong?


texts:
Are "resort to" or "resorted to" (phrasal verbs followed by a preposition) always negative?  For example, is it always incorrect to write any of the following sentences, or are there circumstances under which they would be acceptable?

It began to rain, so we resorted to moving the event to the lodge.
The chairman then resorted to a helpful, detailed account of the
incident.
If the proposal is well received, we will be able to resort to
disclosing the dollar figures.
The neck brace worked wonders, so the doctor was glad he resorted to
it.


texts: Word for people who live in the same city

texts:
What are the people who live in the same city are called? Any words for that?
I want to use it in the following context:

  I and my ____ are happy.


texts: Unclear verb structure: to have her help with the homework

texts:
This is a sentence from Lasher by Anne Rice (USA). I'm not sure about the verb structure. It may be

1 Her friends loved to have Mona help (verb) with their homework. Structure: to have someone do something)

2 They loved to have her help (noun) with the homework.

In my opinion one of the cases where the structure of English words is ambiguous because in this case noun and verb have the same form. I think both views are possible. But I would like to hear how native speakers see it.


texts: Countable ingredient pluralization for English cookbooks

texts:
The rule for countable ingredient pluralization appears to be:

  If more than one countable ingredient is necessary to fill the required amount, then the ingredient is pluralized.

For example:

2 cups watermelon
2 watermelons
2 barrels watermelons
2 tsps egg yolk
1 cup egg yolks

When writing a cookbook, what determines whether a countable ingredient should be pluralized (in the ingredient list)?


texts:
A wild guess tells me that agenda vs agendum is like data vs datum (former is a collection of the latter), but what is the use of agendum in today's English?

If part of my party's agenda is to get rid of all vegetables and to bring loud mufflers to the whole country, would each of those be a single agendum? How would the word get used nowadays?


texts: What's the difference between "Weltanschauung" and "worldview"?

texts: On an academic legal blog I visit, from time to time I see people using the word Weltanschauung where I feel worldview would have sufficed.  It all seems a bit ostentatious to me, as I'm pretty sure that Weltanschauung had a precise academic usage before it became (fairly) common lingo.  If in fact there is a difference between the two words, can someone demonstrate that difference to me, and illustrate with a couple of sentences when one word would be a better choice than the other?


texts:
We often say "PIN Number", this is part of everyday conversation. But why?

PIN stands for Personal Identification Number, so what we're actually saying is Personal Identification Number Number.

Is there a reason for this?


texts:
Could you please tell me what does "if done correctly" mean in this sentence?

If done correctly, all existentialism is applied existentialism.


texts: Words "transitoriness" and "transientness" not in all dictionaries

texts:
I know that many adjectives can be transformed into nouns by adding -ness suffix. Usually, I check if the word is present in a dictionary (preferably Merriam-Webster). This time I was not satisfied with the search result so I tried other dictionaries.

These are the results for  "transitoriness" and "transientness"?

                                "transitoriness"    "transientness"

merriam-webster.com:                  YES                 NO

oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com:       NO                  NO

collinsdictionary.com                 YES                 YES

dictionary.com                        YES                 YES

dictionary.cambridge.org              NO                  NO

thefreedictionary.com                 YES                 YES

Google Books Ngram Viewer shows that in recent past the occurrence of "transitoriness" is 40 times higher than of "transientness".

My first question is: Because there is no official US/UK English dictionary and there does not seem to be a consensus among popular online dictionaries, how do I decide if set word is legitimate or proper to use?

My second question is: When there is a word like "transientness" that is clearly used a lot less than alternative synonyms, is it alright if I pick up such word and use it, let's say in a graduation speech?

I understand that maybe there are no clear answers, but I would welcome all opinions and advice.

Thank you.


texts: Achilles' heel or achilles heel? - Is it proper to lowercase the usage

texts:
I was reading an article that uses the phrase "Achilles' heel" to refer to Facebook's acquisition of Instagram, but it was written thus:

  achilles heel

My main question is - was this a bad mistake or is making this kind of description in this way a common thing? If so, could you provide examples where others have taken common phrases and lowercased them.

A little more context in case it helps:

  Because Facebook is essentially about photos, and Instagram had found and attacked Facebook’s achilles heel — mobile photo sharing.


texts: Lexis: How to derive new words by applying affixes to old ones?

texts:
At university I learned the process and some of the details of how to
derive new words from old ones using prefixes and suffixes, and how this
process makes words change their part of speech, but I know how this
works only for the process of translating from English.  For example,
if I see the word blacken, I know that’s a verb derived from the
adjective black, and so on.

Can somebody please explain to me the process of making new words with
prefixes and suffixes when it comes to deriving new words in English?
I know I can't just add en‑ to the start of just any old adjective
and make a brand new verb out of it — or can I?  Can I use en‑
to transform any word into a verb, like from light to enlight?
Or can I do this only with different groups of words (parts of speech?),
and if so, than with which ones?


texts:
In Dutch there's a quite commonly used word that denotes the commercial sector around selling food and beverages for immediate (or near-immediate, e.g. take-out meals) consumption: horeca. (This usually also includes snackbars and the like, but not supermarkets)

I'm in the process of creating an English version of a website that has it as a menu item, and I'm looking for a translation of approximately similar size (i.e. not a full sentence). I found that the word horeca also exists in English, but the Wikipedia page is quite small and seems to be written by a Dutch native. The definition given is the exact definition of the word I'm looking for, but I'd rather have something that's less obscurely used in English..

  Horeca (or HORECA) is the sector of the food service industry that
  consists of establishments which prepare and serve food and beverages.
  The term is a syllabic abbreviation of the words
  Hotel/Restaurant/Café.

I'm edging towards distrusting the fact that it's a word that English natives would understand. Does anyone have any alternatives with a simialr meaning?


texts: Adjectival forms composed with -like with a substantive or an adjective

texts:
I want to describe a process that, although not industrial, behaves closely to industrial processes. I have an hesitation between a description with "industrial-like process" or "industry-like process". The wording is not pretty, other options are welcome. Yet, I would like to better understand the "-like" construction.
The first form was already used by a fellow non-native English speaker. I do prefer the second form, since words in -like I know of (like businesslike,  porcelainlike) are based on the substantive. As I understand it, the suffix "like" may turns a substantive into an adjectival form, either as a compound adjective (with hyphen) or closed.
So, "industrial-like" seems to me an adjectival redundancy.

Is there a better different choice?
If not, should I use "industrial-like" or "industry-like"?
Could you point to sources on how to build words in .like or .-like, and a rationale in the presence of the hyphen?


texts: A word that means the study of the human in relation to the animal and vice versa

texts:
I am looking for a word/adjective that can fit to describe the human and the animal in relation to each other. A word like 'zoology'does not quite work, because it means the study of animals independent of humans. 'Ecology' hardly works either; it does not convey exactly what stated.
What I need is an adjective whose meaning gives the effect of something like the 'human-animal'relationship, especially how each stands in relation to the other in nature.

Examples:
Gulliver's Travels has redefined the human-animal relationship
Gulliver's Travels has redefined the position of the human in
relation to the animal.


texts: Subconscious vs Unconscious in The Big Bang Theory Series

texts:
The Big Bang Theory season 11, episode 15:

Leonard: "I didn't intend to write about Penny ... maybe subconsciously I did."

Leonard's mother: "I believe you mean unconsciously dear."

I have read here on SE and other sites that subconscious is the proper word to use and unconscious means you're passed out and not in your senses.

Have I been mistaken all this time?


texts: Is there a definition for pedophile who has acted on urges and one who has not?

texts:
I have being looking for a way to differentiate between someone who is sexually attracted to children but has not acted on the urge and a pedophile who has actually acted on their urges.

Pedophile is sexual attracted to children.
Pederast is a man who indulges in sex with boys.

Is it sexual predator? or does it change to being a pedophile rapist? Since children are unable to consent it would be rape.

It's come up lately in a lot of videos I watch where they have shown pedophiles coming forward and talking about their lives. Many of these seem to have the urges but have not crossed the line of sex or interacting with children. However we call both types pedophiles.


texts: Why do we write "Tsk" for the sound of disapproval?

texts:
Wikipedia says alveolar clicks are found only in Africa/Australia, which isn't true at all.

For instance, there's the one usually done twice in rapid succession with the tongue against the upper side teeth/gums - to "gee up" a horse, indicate "mock-conspiratorial" agreement, etc.

So far as I know, we don't even attempt an onomatopoeic written representation of that one, but the one formed by suction against the back of the front teeth/palate is normally written as either "tut" or "tsk". Sometimes people actually say "tut" or "tut-tut" (presumably, influenced by the written form).

But I've never heard anybody say anything remotely resembling "tsk". So where does the "k" come from in that written representation?


texts: Looking for a non -ly word to use instead of certainly

texts: I'm writing a seminar on a book as a school assignment, and I need a word to replace "certainly", as in "this is certainly true", because I want to avoid using words that end in -ly.


texts: Why we use the present simple for itineraries?

texts:
As far as I know, when we use the present simple for future, generally it is used for public future schedules that we have no control over, such as, transportation schedules. So I don't understand why the tense can also be used for itineraries. Here are two samples in "Complete English as a Foreign":

A secretary is telling her boss his itinerary for a business trip next week: you arrive Endinburgh at 11.00. You have a lunch meeting with Mr Jone at 12.30 and then at 3.30 you take the train to Glasgow.
A travel agent's assistant is talking to his customer about his itinerary: you fly to Naples with Alitalia on the 12th of next month. When you get to Naples a coach picks you up form the airport and they drive you to your hotel. Next morning the coach takes you on excursion to...

For two samples above, I don't think they are public events and so unchangeable as ones in public transportation schedules. So I hope native speakers can tell me why the present simple can be used for itineraries and whether the present continuous and the present simple are exchangeable in the samples.


texts: What is a phrase or a word for someone who says "I knew that would happen" after the fact?

texts: Is there a word or phrase that describes someone who claims to have known something all along, but only proclaim this after the incident has occurred?


texts: "The dark oxen that turn the millstones of the world"

texts:
I'm trying to make sense of a Terence McKenna quote, here with more context:

  You know, you have to get a job, your first love is not your last love, slowly this pristine shining belief in perfectibility is eroded by the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. You know, the dark oxen that turn the millstones of the world.

What did he mean by that?


texts:
What's the correct way to use the term intelligence quotient in a sentence?

  Jim's IQ is 130.
  –or–
  Jim's IQ score is 130.


texts: What is a person if they are described as a "wet hen"?

texts:
In Terry Pratchett's Discworld books (Witches Abroad in particular), the character Magrat Garlick is often called a "wet hen" by at least one of her witch colleagues.
Web searches only yielded the phrase [to be] "mad as a wet hen". From the description there I think it could mean that she is looking for her "nest", meaning she is trying to get a man, but I am far from certain.
From context in the books I am pretty sure that it does not mean she is mad. She does actually seem quite sane, for a Discworld character anyway.
Here are some quotes for context:

Even Magrat had one [a witch hat], although she hardly ever wore it on account of being a wet hen.
"That's 'cos you're a wet hen, Magrat Garlick," said Granny.


texts: “if our photographer was” or “is” or “were”?

texts:
"Although you are more than welcome to take photos today, it would be appreciated if our photographer was/is/were given the best opportunity to photograph the happy couple."

Which one is correct, please?


texts:
I was completing an ACT test and ran across this question that stumbled me...

Both the posterns and the towers served as defensive positions for protecting Rome.

I thought there should be commas around the posterns and towers making the sentence the following:

Both, the posterns and the towers, served as defensive positions for protecting Rome.

However, the test disagrees but I thought that the posterns and towers are nonessential so they should be surrounded by commas, can anyone explain why not? Thanks.


texts: The use of the definite article with proper nouns

texts: While accepting the destination argument for roads, why does the same conceit occur with countries? For example The Gambia, The Lebanon or The Argentine.


texts: How to denote a piece of art or a person?

texts:
If I want to refer to a piece of art, like a painting, sculpture, film, TV series, or a person associated with such a piece of art in an essay then how do I denote it? Do I italicize that part or put that part into double quotes or single quotes?

For example, I want to say that Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, is the best TV series on this planet. In this case, Breaking Bad is the TV series and Vince Gilligan is the person associated with it. If I want to write this in my essay how do I denote it as a piece of art and a person associated with it, respectively?


texts: What's the difference between too and so?

texts:
I'm trying to explain the subtle difference between "too" and "so" in the following sentence (from a child's book) to someone whose first language is not English. But I'm struggling.

"That's not my fairy, her dress is too shiny"
"That's my fairy, her wand is so sparkly"

How would I explain this difference?


texts:
It was my understanding that, in traditional Western weddings, if the bride were to become unavailable on the day of her wedding then the groom was expected to wed the maid of honor or the next available bridesmaid, thus precluding married women from serving as bridesmaids.

Times have changed and the term matron of honor seems fairly commonplace but its logical counterpart, bridesmatron, much less so.  What, then, is the term for a married bridesmaid?


texts: Do I need the second "from" in the following sentence? I'm from Greenwich from London

texts:
And if so, do I need to put a comma before it?
BTW I'd say "I'm from Greenwich, London."


texts:
OK . . . another one similar to "What is a feminine version of 'guys'?"

"Dude" is masculine; what is the feminine version?

The usage I'm thinking of is that "dude" nowadays is used primarily as a way to address a person very colloquially, e.g.:

"Dude, why are you squirting rubbing alcohol on the grill to start it up?"
"Dude, pass me a brew."

Again as in the other "guys" case, it might be culturally acceptable to say "dude" to a female, but I'm not sure, and it feels a little wrong (and has for 30 years).

So what are some suggestions for acceptable female-gendered alternatives?

babe: might work, but sounds a little too diminutive (or does it?)
dudette: cute, but hasn't caught on (but could it?)

Australians have "bruce" and "sheila" (I hear from the movies) but that just doesn't fly in AmE (and maybe that's already out of fashion).

What do Californians say (as "dude" in my description seems to come from there)? What do the surfers say?

Any suggestions? It may be the suggestion is that there is no perfect parallel.


texts:
Using the suffix "able", many verbs can be made into adjectives that describe what it is that the relevant (perhaps implicit) subject can perform or be allowed to do according to the verb. Examples:

understandable (from S can be understood)
destructible
learnable
incrementable

Now I am looking for a suffix that says that the subject is not just able to do this, but it must be done like that.
One way around it, would be to say the oposite and negate it. So for "must stay", we can use the anonym "destruct", make it the adjective "destructiable" and negate it:

indestructible, undestroyable, unbreakable, unwreckable

But I would prefer a syllable that adds the "must" at the end. So for example: There exist "incremental learning" and "batch learning" (learning on thing after the other, learning everything at once).
These two words are jargon in machine learning.
So, now I want to say that some learning technique "enables learning one thing after the other", so I call it "incrementable learning" (the technique might also allow batch learning, but it also allows incremental learning).
Now I want to say a different technique enables to learn in batch, so is "batchable learning" (but it could also enable incrementale learning - this is not clarified!).
Now I want to say a third (different) technique only enables batch learning. No incremental learning is possible, so it is "batch-must learning"...? What is the right syllable - if there is one...
Looking for an antonym at https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/incrementable did not help.


texts:
I've read conflicting advice on the use of the word "goods" in an economic context (e.g. "goods for sale"). One piece of advice is that it is a plural noun that should never be used singular (e.g. "one type of good for sale).

However, I've also seen prominent usages of the singular form: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_(economics)

I'm making a computer program with some logic revolving around economic goods. Lets say I classify various Merchants by the types of goods they sell, and obviously a merchant may sell multiple types of goods.

So I may ask a user of my program "What types of goods does this merchant sell?" and present them with a list of goods, from which they can select one or more.

Clothing
Food
Vehicles
etc...

It makes sense to me that I might label the list "Goods Sold" because odds are a merchant sells multiple types, and even if they don't (say they only sell clothing), are likely to carry many styles and varieties within that type, therefore "goods."

Let's say I want to give my user a screen where they can pick from the list of possible goods, and see all the merchants which sell that good. I would ask them "Which good type would you like summarized" or "Pick good type". In this instance, I'm restricting them to choosing only one item in the list above. To me, "Pick a goods type" or "Which goods type would you like to see summarized" sound wrong but I really can't place why.

So the question really boils down to this: in the list above, is clothing a "Good Type" or a "Goods Type" (or perhaps "Type of Good" vs "Type of Goods")?


texts:
While I was attempting online ISL test, where I got the following MCQ:

Chen's looking forward ______ his job next week.
a) to starting
b) to start
c) starting
d) in starting

The ISL considered the option "to starting" as a correct. But I think that the correct option is "to start" because we don't use -ing form after to-infinitive.
So which one is correct?

Chen's looking forward to starting his job next week.

OR

Chen's looking forward to start his job next week.


texts: Could someone explain to me the difference between "based upon"/"based on" and "according to"?

texts:
I am assuming "based upon" and "based on" are basically the same phrase.

In my language, "based upon" and "according to" have pretty much the same translation. What is actually the difference?

Could anyone explain this to me? Are there any example sentences that you could give me to show the difference?

EDIT: I am not sure why this is being voted down. I am here to learn, and these two phrases are very similar in Mandarin Chinese. Sorry.


texts: Use of single and plural in the sentence structure "one of ______ is..."

texts:
Hi I want to clarify in the following sentence:

  "One of the processes is brought by aversive emotional responses, and is likely to be controlled by the xxxxx pathway."

We usually use "One of the __" followed by singular verb "is". However "emotional responses" is plural? Is this correct? Second following question would be - should I still use "is likely" or "are likely"

Thanks.


texts: What does visceral means in this context?

texts:
Some people’s imagery is largely nonvisual: visceral or emotional or
  kinesthetic or something else.

What does visceral mean?


texts: Comma usage: "In July of 2012 ..." or "In July of 2012, ..."

texts:
Consider the following sentence:

  In July of 2012 Jesse informed us that she was engaged to be married
  and asked if she could add her fiancée to the lease,
  beginning the 15th of August 2012.

Is it any more or less correct to place a comma after the first date?

  In July of 2012, Jesse informed us that she was engaged to be married
  and asked if she could add her fiancée to the lease,
  beginning the 15th of August 2012.

Assuming one is no more correct than the other, does this change the meaning of the sentence, or is it pure style?

Bonus question: Word tells me that it's improper to place a comma after the "August" at the end of the sentence. I've always been taught that a comma should be used to separate the year from the rest of the date. Was I taught wrong, or is Word lying to me?


texts: What does 'respectively' mean in this sentence?

texts:
This sentence is from one of my exam.

  Find A and B of C and D, respectively.

Should I find {A, B of C and A, B of D} or {A of C and B of D}?

I think the answer is the second one because 'respectively' means there are two parallel lists and items are matched one-to-one.
But my friends said the answer is the first one.


texts: A Word for a Society in which the Power Source is Your Contacts

texts:
Does a word exist for a society or a tendency in which the power source is based on your contacts?

For example: Let us assume that I am applying for a job. I know Joe, the boss, and because of this, he hires me in front of other, more qualified applicants. Then we can say that I am living in a _________.

I am looking for a word similar to oligarchy, meritocracy, and so on.

I assume there is no such word, but I thought it was worth a try here anyway.


texts: Which punctuation should be used for spelling out acronyms?

texts: Is "COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)" more correct, or would "COPD [Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease]" be right?


texts: Do I need to use 'the' in this case?: the implications of study findings

texts:
I hope to clarify that I used 'the' in a right place in the following sentence.

'The findings of this study'
'The implicatinos of study findings'

Since 'findings' and 'implications' are limited by 'of the study' and 'of study findings', I think that I need to use 'the'. Am I correct? Could you review the following sentence?:

Since the PSED data sampled only nascent entrepreneurs in the U.S., the findings of this study would not be applicable to other countries. Therefore, the implications of study findings are limited to the U.S. context.


texts: Usage of Can't - I can't tell VS can't you tell

texts:
I was reading a poster recently which stated:

  Babies love skin on skin – can't you tell?

And I realized that while this is perfectly grammatical, if I were to now replace can't with can not (which is the non-abbreviated form) it would no longer be so:

  Babies love skin on skin – can not you tell?

I found this interesting because generally it would be fine to use the non abbreviated form, see the following for example:

  I can't tell

Becomes:

  I can not tell

Which is just fine.

So is Babies love skin on skin – can't you tell? a valid usage of the word can't? Why is this?


texts:
This is something I've heard in some TV show. I don't remember which one. I just wrote it down when I heard it.

Here it is.

  -I'm on protecting the public.
  -Are you still on saving your girlfriend?

What I'm especially interested is the meaning of on in these sentences. What does it mean or imply?


texts: Punctuating "etc." after a series of questions

texts:
How should I terminally punctuate etc. when it's used at the end of a series of questions?

  How's your brother? Did you get the job? Are you feeling better? Etc.?

Is this right, or do I use a period?

  How's your brother? Did you get the job? Are you feeling better? Etc.


texts: In a reading comprehension exercise for my students there is a sentence: "What was it like to become famous with your very first novel?" Does it mean that the author wrote more than two books? ... I´ve read the answers on the related topic, but they didn´t help me in this particular case.


texts:
I have to fill a form but have no idea what the "handle" means (see picture) and what I have to fill in there.

Its purpose is to change the ownership of a domain.


texts: How to ask about ordinal place of an offspring?

texts:
Here is the question: I want to know what is the ordinal place of someone in her family. For example, I'd say:

I'm the second child of my parents.
and afterwards, I'd like to ask something along these lines:

What nth child are you?

(So that I'm expecting something like first, second, third, etc. child as answer). Just wondering how the question should be asked.


texts: The verb for when someone's "autonomy" is violated

texts:
They are going to make the decision without telling him. I think they
  are ---- his autonomy.

What verb to use for the above sentence? Violate? Deprive him from? Harm? ...


texts:
I'm a non-native speaker writing a song in which I would really like to use "aggravate" in the context of "We could aggravate us everyday" (constantly annoy each other). Somehow the word just came into my mind and I'm not entirely sure if this is a valid - and somewhat common - use of the word.

So, my two questions:
1) Is the sentence "We could aggravate us everyday" correct in my context?
2) Is it more or less commonly used? After all, I wouldn't want my song to sound more like an academic paper.

Thank you.


texts: What is the origin of the word espresso?

texts:
The word 'espresso' has a particular spelling that people frequently get wrong.

What is the root language of the word? (I'm sure it's Italian - but do the components of the word come from Latin or Greek?) (The 'Es' makes me think of Spanish)

What is its origin?

I can see 'press' in the word - as in to 'press coffee'. Are there other parts in the word that I haven't observed?


texts: Should I say "a LSM-tree" or "an LSM-tree"?

texts:
The "LSM-tree" is an acronym term for "Log-Structured Merge Tree".
I wrote "a LSM-tree", but Grammarly keeps reminding me it should be "an LSM-tree".
What is the reason for this?


texts:
There’s a term for walking over your own footprints several times to confuse anyone who may be tracking you, and all of a sudden idk what it is!
Please help. So I can finally move on w my edits

If you need any context:

  “The boy took a strange path through the trees, circling back to the same spot every so often. I couldn’t tell if it was intentional, an effort to ___________ his tracks, or if he was truly lost”


texts: I wonder, if there is any adequate and up-to-date guide on transliteration of Cyrillic names. All I have read seem rather inconsistent and confusing.


texts: What is it called when someone is utterly absorbed in a piece of art?

texts:
At one art workshop, the lecturer was describing the state of being when one is fully absorbed in a piece of art.

It is paired with losing a sense of time for a brief moment and sometimes followed by an emotional reaction caused by a particular work.

An example would be when one is looking at paintings and they burst into tears.

I know that there is a word for this state of being. The word could be taken from another language.


texts: Is there a term for "recognition anxiety" such as when you recognize but can't remember the name of someone in a movie?

texts:
I'm sure there must be a more pithy term for when you recognize someone in a movie, TV show or real life, but can't remember their name or where you recognize them from.

Specifically, it's more than just "on the tip of my tongue" because there's that overwhelming need to stop everything else to resolve it.


texts:
Is it appropriate to use demise in the following sentence:

  it is with deep sympathy that we announce the sad demise of ...

It sounds archaic and I was not sure whether it was used correctly. How is demise usually used?


texts:
I heard a person saying :

  We can misunderstand things wrong.

These are two negations. How can he misunderstand something that is already wrong?

I can't really understand the grammar of this sentence. Why can't we say :

  misunderstand things right.

Even the grammar of this sentence is confusing.
Shouldn't the sentence be: we can understand things wrong Is it the same as  We can misunderstand things wrong ?

.


texts: take the bite out of something / someone

texts:
Question about the expression: "You should take the bite out of him by telling him...." meaning you should subdue him.
Does anyone know the origin of this expression? I am especially interested to find out of this is a typically American expression?


texts: Is "giffy" (meaning airborne salt spray) a real word?

texts:
My mother (from Charleston, South Carolina) uses the word "giffy" (spelling unknown; hard g sound) for airborne salt spray that gets all over cars, windows, and (in extreme cases) power lines when you have a windy day near a body of salt water. [Actually the day doesn't have to be locally windy if you are near the surf, which can put salt spray into the air using the strength of winds far away.] Unfortunately my google-foo was insufficient to prove that this word, with this meaning, actually exists.
Is this term used outside my immediate family, and/or does it have an obvious heritage from better-known terms?


texts:
The symbol @ is frequently used to represent two main things; the word at (particularly in market pricing) and in e-mail addresses.
Where does the symbol come from?
Wikipedia suggests the following origin theories;

One theory is that the symbol developed as a mercantile shorthand symbol of "each at"—the symbol resembling a small "a" inside a small "e"—to distinguish it from the different "at" (symbolised by the mere letter "a") or "per."

Another theory is that medieval monks abbreviated the Latin word ad (at, toward, by, about) next to a numeral. A theory concerning this graphic puts forward the idea that the form derives from the Latin word ad, using the older form of lower case 'd' : ∂, which persists as the partial derivative symbol.

Another theory is that it derives from the Norman French "à" meaning "at" in the "each" sense, i.e. "2 widgets à £5.50 = £11.00". It is also used like this in Modern French, Swedish or Czech; in this view, the at-symbol is a stylised form of à that avoids raising the writing hand from the page in drawing the symbol.

Is any of those theories correct?
Can you provide some proper citations, as the Wikipedia article is practically barren?


texts: What does "Centrality Afforded" imply? For example : we were struck by the centrality afforded to social media in general, and visual media such as memes and gifs in particular,


texts: What is an idiom for loneliness and unnoticed?

texts: It is for a poem that is about loneliness and how nobody really sees you or notices you, somewhat like if you are an invisible "thing" and I don't know what I can use to describe it.