texts: an expression for someone else taking over a project at the very end, then taking credit for it

texts:
There's an expression I can't remember about someone else taking over a project at the very end, and taking credit for it - something like taking it the last mile, taking it in for the touchdown...

I.e. I don't want her coming in on the final minute and bringing it in for the touchdown/homerun/taking it the last mile.


texts:
As a British native English speaker I have only ever used the word "folk" as an adjective in phrases such as "folk music" or "folk tales". My unscientific impression is that its use as a synonym for people is increasing in the British media, which prompts the question: How can I decide whether it should be folk or folks?

We should do more for our old folk.

or

We should do more for our old folks.

..

Some folk never listen.

or

Some folks never listen.

Are the two words interchangeable, or are there some clear usage patterns?


texts:
I want to create a poster titled "An Incomplex Introduction to Complexity-based Cryptography." As you see, it contrasts the words incomplex and complexity. (Words like simple or easy do not provide this.) I looked up the word incomplex, and found it in a few dictionaries:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Incomplex
http://thesaurus.com/browse/incomplex

However, most dictionaries do not include this word. Is it a legitimate word at all? Can I use it?


texts: Modem is a common word for modulator/demodulator. Is there a word that in a similar fashion (or in general) would describe the encoder and decoder functionality presented in one piece?


texts:
I've looked around the internet, but have been unable to find a word, or words, that simplifies the phrase: conversion of letters to visually similar numbers (or vice versa, numbers to letters). For instance, a g becomes 9, or Z becomes 2, i or l becomes 1,  etc. I'm sure I've heard someone describe the process previously using a single word, but wouldn't swear under oath.

We tend to use the process for setting up initial passwords and the like, and I would like to use this short term for repeated occurrences of the phrase above in our documentation.


texts: What is a word for someone who doesn't follow unspoken rules?

texts: Is there a word for someone who dosen't follow unspoken rules? example- you do not yell in a movie theater during a movie. It is not a rule but is it should not be done for it is just plain rude.


texts: What does r/t and e/w stand for, after the flight ticket price?

texts:
What does r/t and e/w stand for when shown after the price?

Something like this:

  Flight from $300 r/t
  and flight $100 e/w


texts:
If someone describes Australia day as "Christmas for Bogans", would that be a metaphor? What stereotype is implied in this statement?

  The term bogan (/ˈboʊɡən/) is Australian and New Zealander slang word that can be used to describe a person with a working class background, or whose speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour exemplify a proud working class mentality and depending on the context, can be pejorative or self-deprecating. [Wikipedia]


texts: Single word to describe "being made to feel inept (unjustifiably)"

texts:
Looking for word (short phrase also acceptable) to describe being made to feel (contrary to reality) inept or stupid by something. Sort of like "gaslighting" but for matters of intelligence rather than sanity.

For example,
"I have a PhD, but my taxes still [make me feel like an idiot even though I know I'm not] every year."

"This should be simple, but this [making me feel inept even though I'm perfectly capable] paperwork is so impenetrable."


texts:
I'm looking for a single word, probably a verb, to take the place of moved around a lot.

"I was in a military family. By the time I was nine, I lived in 6 different cities. We _________ [moved around a lot]."

It's okay if it's a verb-article-noun construction, but the verb should be clear that a lot of moving has been done.

And travelled doesn't quite cut it.


texts: What is the difference between ‘dose’ and ‘dosage’?

texts:
I found that these two words are synonyms and share the same meaning: the amount of a medicine. Can I use both of them in the same sentence?

for example:

  The highest dosage of drug A increased [...] while the middle dose did not.


texts: Missing words after commas in these sentences?

texts:
In the following sentence, why did the author use "thinking" after the comma? Is a word omitted after the comma?

  I waited for two months, thinking that it would be bad time for him.

Should it be something like "I waited for two months and now I am thinking that it would be bad time for him"?

Again, in the sentence below (describing League of Legends), is something like a word omitted after comma? I just cannot figure out why they type like this. I mean it seems more like a present continuous tense without "subject + be."

  Shaco's basic attacks poison his targets, slowing them for 2 seconds and causing minions and monsters to....


texts:
Watching a parody on Sesame Street, episode 'True Mud (A True Blood Parody)',  I got confused.
Bill comes in a cafe and says that he wants mud. Other customers think he is a grouch, because he loves mud.
Why do they think so? Why must a grouch  love MUD? A grouch is an ill-tempered person. I can't understand. Is it an idiom?


texts: What do you call a person who doesn't know when to stop eating?

texts: What do you call a person who doesn't when to stop eating? I have character who eats more than what should be healthy but isn't greedy. I need a word for his older brother to use to describe him.


texts:
A friend asked yesterday how to diagram these two phrases within a longer sentence:

"... in a mansion, or rather in a shed ..."

we're wondering what function "or rather" serves?

thanks!


texts: What's a word to describe an action that is considered wrong and sometimes immoral, taken by a person whom you wouldn't expect that from. For example, when a politician is caught receiving illegal money, we can say that he embarrassed himself with that. But would there be another expression besides embarrassing oneself in this case? A word or expression that conveyed a stronger connotation?


texts: Figurative alternative to "have the conch" (the right to speak)

texts:
Conch noun
   Remote Control. From the shell in Lord of the Flies, the person holding it having the authority to speak at council meetings.

I may be pushing the envelope in my own usage (I'm happy to say "I have the conch" simply to (re)assert my right to speak and be heard in any discussion context, not just "council meetings"). But for no particular reason I just wanted to convey that without the somewhat literary reference. I couldn't think of an alternative metaphoric usage.

Did we have a generic term for such a symbolic "talisman/totem" before conch?


texts: Is there any specific word to describe walking the same path from one place to other. For e.g, 1 Km line, where someone walks from one end and turns back, goes to other end & Keeps repeating it.


texts: Two pairs of items and three times and. How to put the comma?

texts:
I'm just proofreading my thesis a last time and I stumbled upon the following (I'm nonnative english speaker):

  To describe the flow of two fluids with saturations S and T and pressures P and Q, we ...

I'm inclined to use a comma after T to avoid ambiguity. Would this be correct? If I add something to the sentence like

  To describe the flow of to fluids with volumes V and W, saturations S and T, and pressures P and Q, we ...

the comma would be the typical Oxford comma, wouldn't it? However, this is only used if 3 items are listed. Any suggestions?


texts: Is there any difference between "I'd dare to say" and "I dare say"?


texts: What is a non-winter themed snow globe called?

texts:
Most people are familiar with snowglobes: fist-sized glass spheres that have 3D sculptures inside, and upon shaking the globe, the white flakes inside simulate snowfall.

However, I imagine that there must exist non-winter themed "snowglobes" (perhaps their theme is based on a city, or on mountains, etc.). I would like to purchase one of these, but I don't know what it's called. So my question is, what is the more general name for "snowglobes" that includes globes with any other theme?


texts: Can I write a comma followed by an em-dash?

texts:
We have in an 1858 court case:

"A curious doctrine this,—a singular kind of subtraction,—to subtract crime from crime, and there remains nothing but innocence."

It appears that we are no longer "allowed" to do this. But why not?


texts: Word to describe the moment when you ask the question, "How did I get here?"

texts: Have you ever had that moment when you are in a current situation, usually a good one, but can be a bad situation, too, when you ask yourself the question, "How did I get here?" What is that moment, or phenomena, called?


texts: Word for articles grouped in a Series, but not initially intended to be a part of any series

texts:
I'm trying to find a word to describe a particular grouping of individual articles within a specific topic.

The context for this word is I have a blog, and on the blog I have a bunch of articles. A large part of the articles were written as a part of an explicit series. Which is to say: one article follows another, there is a definite order the reader is supposed to read through them, and later articles use knowledge shared in the earlier articles.

But I also have a bunch of other, stand-alone articles, which aren't explicitly tied to other articles in any other series, that all share some commonalities. I want to refer to these groupings of articles as something -- and that is the word I am looking for.

Example sentence:

  The following are links to meta-series: Articles which weren't initially written as a part of a series, but whose concepts overlap enough that grouping them together is helpful to the reader.

So far, I've tried Meta-Series, but I feel that means something more like a series of series, not necessarily a set of individual independent articles grouped together within an informal series.

The new grouping may have a suggested order the articles should be read in, so simply calling them a "group" or "topic" or "compendium" or some such doesn't quite work.

A single word or compound word is ideal. I'm also willing to consider a phrase if one fits the description above well.


texts: "I can feel/hear/see someone" or simply "I feel/hear/see someone"

texts:
I'm confused as to when one should use "can" and "could" before verbs such as "feel", "hear" and "see".

Does it make a difference in any way when you do include "can" or "could" in front of a verb of perception?

Here are some example of sentences using the perceptive verb "feel". Some use "can" before it, others don't. Does it make a difference to the meaning?

I feel someone grab me from behind.
I can feel his body tense next to mine.
I feel a strange calm as I look at him.
I can feel the anger boiling up inside me.

Thanks!


texts: Is the word "Ray" related to the Egyptian "Ra"

texts: My Communications professor was quite adamant that the word "radio" could be traced back to the Egyptian word for sun, "ra". Radio comes from the Latin "radius" and I could find no sources that connected radius to ra. In fact, I'm pretty sure that Latin didn't develop out of Egyptian at all, but I could be mistaken. Can anyone offer further insight?


texts: Intellectual who supports a political party in return for benefits

texts: What is the right single word for an intellectual (often a journalist) who is not a member of a political party, but justifies the party's causes to the general public and secretly takes benefit from them in return?


texts: Correct plural form of a noun preceded by "zero"

texts:
When using zero as a quantifier, is it correct to use the singular form on the object of the quantifier, or the plural form?

It sounds confusing when I put it that way, but what I mean is: Which is correct?

Your password expires in 0 days.
Your password expires in 0 day.

Essentially I suppose I'm asking, does "singular" mean "one" or "the opposite of more than one", as zero is not "plural" in the traditional "more than one" sense?

I'm pretty sure "days" sounds correct, but I can't be sure.


texts: Words that define spectrums of quantity and consensus

texts:
I need to fill a 4x4 grid with words, as seen here:

I'm not quite sure how to fill in each blank box. They should be a spectrum of controversy to consensus, and minority to majority. This grid of words will help describe things that are agreed upon (or not) by many people.

So something that is very polarizing between many people should be controversial and a majority, if it's something polarizing between few people it should reflect that it is a minority and also controversial.


texts: Do finite verb and 'main verb' refer to the same thing?

texts:
Your Dictionary Grammar states that 'main verbs' are also known as finite verbs. However, I can easily find a few instances where a main verb isn't the finite verb of the sentence.
Example: We are learning math
'Learning' is the main verb but 'are' functions as a finite verb.
Am I misunderstanding something, or is the website unreliable?


texts: Suitable word or phrase to replace 'unique' when something is almost unique?

texts:
I have this sentence as part of an abstract

  Verification of space weather forecasts presents some unique challenges compared with other types of forecasts.

I go on to detail briefly what those challenges are. Now, these aspects aren't, in truth, entirely unique to this area, but are still much more of a factor than in other areas. I am trying to succinctly replace 'unique' with something more suitable.

I have toyed with 'peculiar' or 'idiosyncratic' but neither really appeals. 'Particular' might fit but I'm still not too happy with that.

Unique works because in the context because I think it also conveys a sense of these challenges being interesting, which doesn't come across so much with the other words mentioned.


texts:
Take the following example sentence:

"She was concerned that in spite of her recent requests, he wouldn't accept her proposal on time."

Since there's a comma after 'requests', aught there to be one at the beginning of the propositional phrase--before the word 'in'--making it a non-restrictive modifying phrase?

As the above sentence stands--without the second comma--am I to interpret the preceding clause before the comma as a nonessential element?

I hope people see what I'm getting at. The included comma obviously enhances the readability of the sentence, and it feels natural to include it but, strictly speaking, isn't the single comma incorrect? Two commas are required, no?

If this sentence is fine, can sobody explain the logic from a syntax perspective?

Thanks for any responses.


texts: Has the term "Hit the bricks" ever meant "go to bed"

texts: I am from Iowa and I have heard the term "Hit the bricks" used in the same way as "hit the sack" or "hit the hay" in terms of going to bed.  Recently a friend from Colorado and I were discussing this phrase and he remembers it being used the same way.  Was it ever used in this fashion?


texts: Which dialect of English do people pronounce advertisement as ad-VER-tis-ment

texts:
I recently listened to an audio book in which the narrator had pronounced advertisement as ad-VER-tis-ment, and thought this was a strange way of pronouncing it, so I'm curious to know in which part of the united States he could've possibly gotten that from.

The t in between VER and tis sounded blended in together like in verdict, vertices, etc.


texts:
"My grandparent told me a lot of stories about the past, and it was such stories that help me to understand more about the difficulty that he used to face"

I just want to use the structure "It was ... that" to emphasize. Is it grammatically right or should I write "they were such stories that?". However, "they were.... that" doesn't seem right to me, it sounds peculiar.

Can you give me some advice since I am not a native speaker? Thanks so much.


texts:
I am trying to decide whether the appropriate wording is:

...

"Your clients are evolving. Shouldn't you?"

or

"Your clients are evolving. Shouldn't you be?"

...

For some reason, "be" feels both necessary and unnecessary.


texts: "Any object in A and B"—What does it mean?

texts:
Does "any object in A and B" in English mean

any object in A and any object in B;
any object in A or any object in B; or
any object in the intersection of A and B?
Thanks a lot.

Another question is that if one wants to express 1, should it be "any object in A or B", or is there another simpler way to express 1? Thanks a lot.

Any helpful answers would be greatly appreciated.


texts: What does "tell us know what you think" mean?

texts: Is it even grammatical? A little bit of Googling returns quite a number of searches which lead me to think it is a grammatical sentence.


texts: "The young" means young people, but are they "the modern young"

texts:
Please answer my following question.

I think that "the+'adjective'" means "adjective people". For example, the young means young people.

Then, I have a question. Can I use two or more adjectives in the same situation?

For instance, does "the modern young" mean "young people in modern times"?  Is it a correct grammatical usage?


texts: Under- and over- seem to be prefixes with contrary meanings. But with the example of undertake and overtake, I don't see contrary meanings between them. Am I missing something?


texts: In this sentence, is the correct pronoun me, I, or myself?

texts:
I need help with figuring out what pronoun to correctly use at the end of the following sentence:

"As a child, I witnessed my father regularly fight with my mother, and exhibit strong, emotional and physical outburst towards my sister and me/I/myself."

Can anyone explain which one it correct and why?


texts: "I wish for a rest now": what does "now" modify?

texts:
Consider this sentence:

  I am truly amazed by my success at this diagramming business, but I wish for a rest now.

I think that the adverb "now" modifies "rest". But according to the answer page, I'm wrong, and I don't know why. Please, can someone clarify?


texts: abbreviation for september and october in the 18c. English manuscripts

texts: While I am reading a 18th c. manuscript, months of september and october are abbreviated as "7ber". I have not come across any other abbreviation for differing them. Can you please help me, is “7ber” September or October?


texts: Does the word "hope" require the use of the subjunctive mood?

texts:
e.g. - I hope you be/are fine during your travel

 - I hope you be/are fine living in your new apartment


texts: A tempered alternative to "I suggest ..."?

texts: An american colleague told me "I suggest that..." or "I suggest you..." is a heavy tone that I should avoid in most circumstances. I agree with him, but what should we say for instead?


texts:
"What ho!" - this strange form of greeting is used all the time by Bertie Wooster, a character of well-known "Jeeves and Wooster" stories by P. G. Wodehouse.

  Bertie Wooster: Oh, what ho, Sir Watkyn!

  Sir Watkyn Bassett: Kindly do not address me in that familiar way, Wooster. I happen to know
        that once again you've yielded to the awful temptation to steal a policeman's helmet!
      .....

  Bertie Wooster: Aunt Dahlia! What ho, old blood relation!

  Aunt Dahlia: [affectionately] Hello, Bertie, revolting young blot.

What does "ho" mean in such expressions? Is it a word reduction or an idiom?


texts: "Or so say scientists in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters."

texts:
The sentence is from the transcript of a podcast:

  What does a bookworm have in common with a black-tufted marmoset? They both like a little quiet. Or so say scientists in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters. [Marina Duarte et al., "Noisy Human Neighbours Affect Where Urban Monkeys Live"]

How should I understand the sentence in bold?
What's the grammar phenomenon called in English?
What does "or so" mean here?


texts:
... because oxymoron just doesn't seem to be enough.

The term: tragic mishap

Ok, admittedly I'm trying to correct someone and I want to be absolutely sure that I know what I'm talking about. I understand that this definitely fits for oxymoron. However, calling it such would indicate intent.

I know this particular writer didn't intend to use this for any kind of effect. I know this because it was used in a list.

Yes.
A list.
On paper.
Titled, "#getmylifetogether".
As in, "stop dwelling on my tragic mishaps"
It was right after "organize suitcases in trunk" and right before, "quit shooting meth".
I'm not kidding.

This wording make my skin crawl and gives me a migraine.

Anyone?


texts: Why "death involving" and "risk involved" and what parts of speech are "involving" and "involved" in these sentences?

texts:
When I studied a writing reference book for EIKEN Grade 1 exam, a kind of English exam in Japan, I saw below sentences.

  For example, in Japan, driving-related deaths involving alcohol are
  almost eight times more common than deaths without alcohol,...

and

  Since these are harmful substances, it makes sense to force companies
  to clarify the health risks involved with these products.

The first sentence contains "deaths involving" and the second sentence contains "risk involved".

Why the first sentence is "deaths involving" and not "deaths involved"?
And, also why the second sentence is "risk involved" and not "risk involving"?

And what parts of speech are "involved" and "involved" in these sentences?


texts: Should you hyphenate 'one hour session'?

texts:
The phrase two-hour session should have a hyphen, because you are making a singular of what is actually plural, i.e. two hours.
But what about a one hour session? Should that be 'one-hour session'?


texts: "English teacher" or "teacher of English "

texts: An Indonesian teacher teaching English is supposed to be a "teacher of English" and NOT an "English teacher". Am I mistaken?


texts: Why do some people pedantically cling to dying word forms (e.g. die, oxen)?

texts:
The only times I have ever heard the word "die" to refer to one dice are from my mother, and from my primary school English teacher. Every person I ever hear always says, "give me a dice" if they want one, and "give me the dice" if they want two. I used to "correct" people to say "die" if they meant one, but that just makes me look overly pedantic and asinine.

So I have personally started using "dice" in the singular, and "dices" in the plural, which people understand, and a few of the priggish ones will try and correct.

And on that vein of thought, I thought, why not use "ox" and "oxes" instead of the stupid "oxen". Why is there such a strong pull to hold on to archaic constructs, which don't really add flavour to the language, and in fact, just make it more confusing?


texts:
What is the term used to describe sentences such as:

They did all they could, they did.
It was a gorgeous day, it was.

EDIT: Thank you so much to all who helped; you guys are great!


texts: A question regarding verb parallelism from GMAT

texts:
This is a question from GMAT sentence correction section.

\begin{question}

The growth of the railroads led to the abolition of local times, which was determined by when the sun reached the observer’s meridian and differing from city to city, and to the establishment of regional times.

(A) which was determined by when the sun reached the observer’s meridian and differing

(B) which was determined by when the sun reached the observer’s meridian and which differed

(C) which were determined by when the sun reached the observer’s meridian and differing

(D) determined by when the sun reached the observer’s meridian and differed

(E) determined by when the sun reached the observer’s meridian and differing

\end{question}

see original posting here.

The correct answer is (E) but my native language experience tells me (D) is much better, because "was differing" makes far less sense. Why is it that parallelism cannot happen between "was" and "differed" here, but has to happen between "determined" and "differed"? Are there any explicit rules in established grammar reference that forbids conjunction between active and passive voice? What about a casual sentence like "I got up and was greeted by my dog"?

EDIT: Peter has pointed out the real issue here is that "determined" is used as a modifier rather than a verb here. So clearly D is ruled out since "differ" can only be used in an active voice sense here.


texts: What's the right spelling of "synchronized"?

texts: What's the right spelling of synchronized (like  in synchronized swimming), and are there any differences between the British and American English?


texts:
I'm doing some exercises and don't understand why in the sentence below "deliberate" is the right answer whereas "ponder" has similar meaning:

  The jury are still deliberating, but they're expected to reach a
  verdict soon.

Thanks for you thoughts.


texts: Difference between "Archival record" and "Archive reference"

texts: How should an official document containing information about exams passed by a person in previous years be called? Are there any differences between "Archival record" and "Archive reference" in the context of this purpose?


texts: What does the phrase "with your bad self" mean?

texts:
A user, on Reddit, responded to a question, about what will become obsolete in the the next decade, with 'magazines.'

Then another user responded with 'True and awful. What if the tablet dies and I need to poop?' And finally a user replied to that with 'To the shampoo bottle with your bad self. In Canada we have English and French so that's twice the reading.'

I don't understand the phrase 'To the shampoo bottle with you bad self', I can understand that he's talking about resorting to reading the shampoo bottle instead of magazines or tablets and whatever, but the 'bad self' part, I don't understand.

I googled the phrase to no avail, most of the search results are that of a song by the name of 'Go on with Your Bad Self' by Consumer Rapport and a few links to UrbanDictionary but they are all in reference to the same phrase as the song title.


texts:
A. Our system can detect a sudden increase of water levels.

B. Our system can detect a sudden increase in water levels.

Which sentence would you say sounds more natural? Are they both actually correct?
Many thanks


texts: What do you call "Your blood-related brother's wife"?

texts:
Your blood-related brother's wife? If she is older or younger than you?

I came up with a discussion some time ago. But, nobody or my friends seem to know. How should I address her?

Your blood-related sister's husband?
What if they are just or god brother or god sister?


texts: What is the difference between Clients and Clientele?

texts:
Google says Clientele means: "clients collectively."
But so does Clients mean


texts: Equivalent for the Persian idiom "Khaste Nabaashid"

texts:
We Persian speakers have a common idiom, Khaste Nabaashid, and usually say it to someone who finished a task or is in the middle of doing that.
The literal translation of the idiom is something like don't be tired or I hope you do not feel tired.

Most of time non-Persian speakers who learnt Farsi become confused when we say them Khaste Nabaashid. So, I think there is no equivalent for that in other languages, specifically English.

Is there any idiom that conveys this?

Update:
I just read somewhere, the equivalents may be nice job or well done! However, I'm not OK with them.

Update 2:
As a given scenario, it could be used as greeting! When we see a friend who's doing some work, we usually say, Salaam (Hello), Khaste Nabaashid!

Moreover, if she/he is doing something for us, the idiom conveys our appreciation, otherwise it's used as some type of admiration.

Update 3:
This expression implicitly signals the end of the work. For example, when students are tired and want to indirectly and politely ask the teacher to stop and end the course, they usually use this expression and tell him/her Khaste Nabashid!


texts:
No, no, it is not what you think!

It is a poor fish called slippery dick:

  The slippery dick, Halichoeres bivittatus, is a species of wrasse native to shallow, tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.

So how on the earth this fish is named "slippery dick" in English?

What is the origin of this name?

Note: I'm afraid that the answer would be the obvious metaphoric connection.


texts: Could you teach me a word to describe to mix two electrical signals?

texts: Would you kindly give me advice? I would like to express mixing two electrical signals of different freqencies and transmitting in one pair of metal wires. To overlap signals or to overlay signals are possible options I googled, but I can't have confidence.


texts: Noun for a person that finishes work on time

texts: I am doing a review and I want to encourage the person to finish his work on time but I want to give him a noun that he can visualize/relate to that describes a person that completes his work on time


texts: Why is "margarine" pronounced with a soft "g"?

texts: As far as I know, margarine is the only word in which a 'g' is pronounced as 'j' though it is not followed by 'e', 'i', or 'y'.  What causes the unorthodox pronunciation?


texts: Is this sentence correct as a title ? Social media's weak signals scanning, for future strategical decisions taking

texts:
I'm trying here to write the title of an article.
the article I'm trying to write is a research topic to apply for a scholarship. (English is my third language)

My article is about detecting the small changes in profiles behaviour on linkedin to predict the changes in a given company.(Eventually where the profile works).

So I thought :

  Social media's weak signals scanning, for future strategical decisions taking

Would be a good title.
What do you guys think?


texts: Is there such a thing as a sentence sign?

texts:
Many of us are familiar with the section sign (§) and the paragraph sign or pilcrow (¶), but is there a sign, symbol, or mark meant to denote a sentence?

Potentially, such a mark could be used for precise citations, but I'm not really asking with any use-case in mind. I'm just itching to know if there is such a symbol, no matter how obscure!

I bring up the subject of citation because it is concise and referential. For instance, how can we refer to [sentence]5within ¶2 of §4.3?


texts: What is the term for how aerodynamic something is? Aerodynamicicity?

texts:
On more than one occasion I've attempted to say something like:
It depends on the object's aerodynamicicity and had to stop myself before finishing the last word.

Is there really only one option: to just re-word the sentence into It depends how aerodynamic the object is or is there another word I could use here?

Why should something like opaque and aerodynamic both be handled differently? Both are adjectives that can be swapped in and out of each-other's sentences, yet when it comes to saying something like:
It depends on the object's opacity we can't swap opaque and aerodynamic anymore.

(I'll accept aerodynamicicity should probably be aerodynamicity if this rule is allowed to work here.)

Alternatively, should the term be aerodynamicry - as with mimic and mimicry?

-

(The same question applies for hydrodynamic or just dynamic.)

(Opaque (opacity) could be substituted for ferocious (ferocity) or generous (generosity), etc.)


texts: A word descibing an object specifically designed to hold the shape or form of something else

texts:
Is there a word to describe a general class of objects which are specifically designed to hold the form or shape of another object.

Almost the opposite or inverse of a mould. In a similar way that a skeleton holds the shape of a body, or a cobbler's iron holds the shape of a shoe while being worked upon.

I'm thinking of something in a similar vein to a brace, frame, scaffold, or a jig. Specifically a solid object inside of another object that would not hold its form otherwise.

The context in which I wish to use this word:

"The coil is wound and bound tightly to the plastic word, in order that the coil maintains it shape and form"


texts: What is the literary term for not keeping a story consistent?

texts: For example, if something is established early on in a story but is contradicted by something else later on, almost as if the detail was forgotten.


texts:
Keep up the great work you're doing, fighting for both animal and human rights.

And is following sentence grammatically correct?

Keep up the great work, fighting for both animal and human rights.


texts:
Which of these sounds more natural?

Rural areas are beneficial to people's health, because they provide people with opportunities to escape pressure and noises of modern life.
Rural areas, which provide people with opportunities to escape pressure and noises of modern life, are beneficial to people's health.
Rural areas are beneficial to people's health, providing people with opportunities to escape pressure and noises of modern life.

I am learning how to write IELTS essays and I read the third sentence from some online teaching materials written by a teacher. But somehow I feel that it's a little weird. Am I right? Or are there any ways to improve this sentence?


texts: “By whom” vs. “By who” with passive modal for forming questions

texts:
Consider this sentence:
Children should be taught appropriate behavior by their parents.
If We want to question the actual doer of the action (their parents), are these correct?

By whom should children be taught appropriate behavior?

By who should children be taught appropriate behavior?


texts: What is the name of the glyph that separates sections of a chapter?

texts:
What is the mark of punctuation called that sometimes separates sections of a chapter with a glyph placed in the middle between the margins?

It's hard to explain, but here's a picture. Does this have a name? (Yes, I know this is a asterisk. Sometimes it's three of them, sometimes it's a stylized graphic. I'm looking for the general name of the...methodology/practice (?) of doing this.)


texts: In the same way that verbally means with spoken words, I'm looking for a term that means with written words. Is there such a word?


texts: "Angry with" vs. "angry at" vs. "angry on"

texts:
Which is the most appropriate/correct usage?

  Are you angry on me?
  Are you angry with me?
  Are you angry at me?


texts: I've found one reference that says hierarchial is an alternative form of hierarchical, but it's an unreferenced resource.  Some wiseacre wrote a bug fix for my software saying hierarchical was the only spelling of the word and I'd like to prove said wiseacre wrong. So, can someone crack open the Oxford English Dictionary with the tiny print and help me out?


texts: Is the following sentence odd? "I find them comic"

texts:
But this is the Old Bailey. He's a Lord — or she's a Lady. You may
  find the wigs and the ceremonial ways that people refer to each other
  strange or intimidating. I was advised. But I don't find the wigs
  intimidating any more than the arcane forms of address; I find them
  comic.
   p6, Apple Tree Yard By Louise Doughty

My head tells me it should be "comical". My Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary tells me that comical is an adjective which means funny, amusing, often because it is odd or absurd.

  He looked highly comical wearing that tiny hat

Merriam-Webster (which is an American English Dictionary) says comical is: causing laughter especially by being unusual or unexpected. And causing laughter especially because of a startlingly or unexpectedly humorous impact. This matches The OALD's definition.

  I must have looked comical in that big hat

And Oxford Dictionaries provides this example:

  It made me jump at first, but once I was used to it, I found them strangely comical.

The OALD says that comic is [usu attrib] making people laugh; funny. 2. [attrib] of comedy: comic opera, comic actor

However, The Chambers Dictionary tells us that comic adj. is related to comedy; raising mirth or laughter, funny, humorous while comical adj. means funny, amusing.

For comic M-W has: causing laughter or amusement, funny

  a comic monologue
  His comic timing is impeccable.

If comic is normally used attributively and two dictionaries seem to confirm this, am I right in thinking the following sentence " I find them comic" sounds odd, or worse incorrect?  What if the phrase were the following:

  I find him (the judge) comic

Would that be exactly the same?

EDIT
I've read the post comic vs. comical but it hasn't answered my query, because that asks about the difference in meaning. The definitions are included in my post therefore I am asking about a specific sentence in a novel  and its grammaticality or appropriateness.


texts: "Television channel" or "television station" and some preposition?

texts:
I make my portfolio and have some problems with description of my works. I made some cartoons for local television. What is a correct form:

  Short cartoons for weather forecast broadcast on a local television channel in 2012.

OR:

  Short cartoons for weather forecast broadcast on a local television station in 2012.


texts: What roots does the word 'paradice' have, and why has it been changed to 'paradise' and since when?

texts:
What roots does the word paradice have?
Why has it been changed to paradise and since when?
Are there any other English words that had such a transformation?


texts: What is the correct hyphenation of the sequence: "diffusion time dependent"?

texts:
The sentence in which I use it similar to the following:

From this, it is possible to define a diffusion-time-dependent dimension.

I am not sure if the double hyphenation is correct or not, but I cannot rephrase the sentence with other words, so, please, don't suggest particular changes.
Furthermore, "diffusion time" is often found in literature without a hyphen,
so maybe "diffusion time-dependent" is the correct choice, but it seems a bit wrong to me...
Could you explain what are the general rules for cases like this?


texts: Choosing the correct title for a paragraph

texts:
I first went to Harrow in the summer term. The school possessed the biggest swimming-bath
  I had ever seen. It was more like the bend of a river than a bath, and it had two bridges
  across it. We used to go there for hours at a time, and bask between our dips, eating
  enormous buns, on the hot asphalt margin. Naturally it was a good joke to come up behind
  some friend, or even enemy, and push him in. I made quite a habit of this with boys of
  my own size or less. One day when I had been no more than a month in the school, I saw a
  boy standing in a meditative posture wrapped in a towel on the very brink. He was no bigger
  than I was, so I thought him fair game. Coming stealthily behind, I pushed him in, holding on
  to his towel out of humanity, so that it should not get wet.

The question is choosing the correct title for above paragraph. Of course there is a list to choose from. The key suggests "Giving Way to Temptation".

What does this title mean? Why does it best describe the content of the paragraph?

As I looked up in the dictionary, the title can be understood as "failing to resist a negative desire". However, I don't understand what temptation in the title refers to. In other words, I can't find the link between the title and the content.


texts: When referring to the capitalised version of letter in text, should uppercase or lowercase be used?

texts:
In practice, which would be correct: "Does the word begin with a capital m?" or "Does the word begin with a capital M"?

In that situation I'm minded to use M, because that's what I'm referring to, but to ask " Does the word begin with an uppercase or lowercase _?" is not so obvious.


texts: Where to put the "+" in "200-word" to mean "200 or more words"?

texts:
I wrote this:

  Write a 200-word essay.

However, I need to indicate that it should be at least 200-words. For brevity, I'd like to place "+". I've tried these:

200+-word
+200-word
200-word+

Which way is correct in formal or technical writing?


texts: Is there any rhyme or reason to when one should double the last consonant when adding -ed or -ing?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  focussed or focused? The double consonant

Sometimes, final consonants are doubled when adding -ed or -ing to the end of a verb whose penultimate letter is a vowel.

stop → stopping
grab → grabbing
mar → marring
run → running

But sometimes, the consonant is not doubled.

label → labeling
madden → maddening
book → booking

Is there any way to tell whether it will be necessary to double the letter in a generic way, or is this another case of English's general rule of "you must memorize all cases separately"?

I think this also relates to pluralizing nouns in some cases, although an example escapes me at the moment.


texts: Verb + object + infinitive. What is the logic behind choosing between to-infinitive or bare infinitive?

texts:
For example, why

  I saw him eat/eating pasta.

but

  I asked him to eat pasta.

or

  She asked him to leave her.

but

  She saw him leave her.

I saw some articles about the topic that told you to remember the exact verbs. Moreover, another article — another set of verbs. Can someone explain to not native speakers what intuition lays behind this choice?


texts: An idiom meaning "The ideal form of something always seems perfect, but in reality it probably isn't"

texts:
Is there such a thing?

I am thinking, specifically, of socio-economic systems whose theory looks fine and good—but usually turn out bad. Consider the scenario where someone, for example, is defending the implementation of a so called "benevolent dictatorship." (Where the appropriate response is: Yes, that would be nice, but could never happen—because, when actually implemented, a single person with all the power will not be benevolent.)


texts:
I am unsure whether I am identifying the elements in the following clause correctly.

Phobias often originate from traumatic experiences in one's childhood

I am parsing this as follows.

Element
Part of speech

Phobias
subject

Often
adverbial of frequency

Originate
verb

From traumatic experiences
adverbial of place

In one's childhood
adverbial of time

Is this correct?


texts: Is the use of "can" in descriptive statements simply a matter of preference?

texts:
If I were describing a motorcycle to a potential buyer, I would have to describe its specs. The usual selling points for adrenaline junkies are top speed and 0-60 MPH acceleration (or 0-100 for track bikes).

If I say, "This bike accelerates from 0 to 60 MPH in 3.2 seconds." it's somewhat obvious that one could accelerate slower than that if they chose to. Does that mean I am only relying on the context of the statement to convey, "This bike can accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in 3.2 seconds."?

When describing general abilities, when do you use "can"?

What are the different tense names for saying "X can do W, Y, and Z." verses "X does W, Y, and Z." and when do we prefer one over the other?


texts: "Snatch a nap"/"take a nap"/"have a nap"

texts: Can we say "to snatch a nap"? If it's possible then Is there any difference between "snatch a nap", "take a nap" and "have a nap"?


texts:
What's the difference between 1 and 2 below?

  1. Oil will float on water.

  2. Oil floats on water.

The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English says of the first "used to say what always happens in a particular situation or what is generally true". How then does it differ from the second in terms of meaning and use?


texts: Quantity for abbreviations of plural terms

texts:
I have two questions which I think are so closely related that they should be grouped together.
Quantity for an abbreviation that stands for a plural
Context: The author is trying to explain what open market operations (OMO). The term "open market operation" is meaningless in the context, it is always a group of operations.
Which of the following sentences is grammatically more correct?

OMO refer to the buying or selling..........

or,

OMO refers to the buying or selling.........

The second one is what I found in print. But I think it should be the first one.
Abbreviations that stand for the singular
Do I need to pluralize an abbreviation if it stands for the singular form?

5 kg. costs about €10.

or,

5 kg. cost about €10.

or,

5 kgs. cost about €10.

P.S.:- Please do let me know if the context is insufficient for the first one. Does the context even matter in such cases?


texts: Why can't the parts of "able to" and "capable of" be switched?

texts: Why are "able to [verb]" and "capable of [gerund]" both perfectly valid English, but "capable to [verb]" sounds slightly off and "able of [gerund]" sounds entirely wrong? What's the etymological reason?


texts: Could `impliant` be a proper word, meaning opposite of `pliant`?

texts:
We have the word impliable meaning the opposite of pliable, but there is no dictionary opposite of pliant. (Shorter OED, Apple Dictionary on Mac, dictionary.reference.com, www.merriam‑webster.com)

Could impliant be acceptable under certain circumstances, such as in a literary or poetic context?

Note: according to this question, pliant and pliable are synonyms.

My online searching would have been more successful, if I'd realised that I'd been redirected to define implant, and that there was a subtle link to actually search for define impliant.

Having said that, I still wouldn't have found unpliant as a plausible answer.


texts: pro-active/initiative-taking as an adjective

texts:
How can we describe someone who always takes the initiative?

He is very _.

The only word I can come up with is pro-active but it sounds/feels a little awkward to me.

Edit:
Dictionary[dot]com has a list of synonyms:

aggressive, anxious, ardent, banzai, can-do, dedicated, eager, energetic, enthused, enthusiastic, excited, extremely enthusiastic, fanatical, fired up, fired up, intense, keyed up, lively, passionate, proactive, spirited, take-charge, zealous

But nothing really strikes me...


texts: If number is represented by '#' what represents text?

texts: Numbers are represented commonly by '#' but I fail to see any sign that represents text. Is there any sign/symbol that indicates it should be in text (or text format)?


texts:
I am struggling with the definite article.
 I have checked other posts and examples. But often I stumble upon some cases which I just can't fathom, and can't make them fit into the given examples.

#1 without THE

a) LinkNatalie Portman has pulled out of a major award ceremony due to take place in Israel, citing her “distress” at recent events in the country.

b) LinkRecent events on US college campuses illustrate how the right has fine-tuned its formula for pushing progressives' buttons.

c) LinkAs the Resolution Foundation thinktank has noted, council tax is only weakly linked to the value of the property and has failed to capture changes in house prices.

d) LinkAs birthrates dropped in the 1990s, the number of children in state primary schools in England and Wales plunged.

Questions:
a) b)Why not the recent events in the country The recent events on US college campuses? We exactly know which events we are talking about. We can point at them: this event, that event.
 Is it without THE, because the writer actually doesn't know or doesn't care about each and every individual event? We just know that some events did happen and we are indiscriminately referring to them as a bundle.

c) Why not the the changes in house prices? Is it without THE, because the writer knows that there were many changes? Had there been a very few well known and prominent price changes would have it been  the changes in house prices?

d)Why not the state primary schools in England and Wales? We know which primary schools are there in  England and Wales, this school, that school.

#2 with THE
 a) LinkThe UK knows well the benefits of the single market.
 b) LinkIt lays bare the multiple injustices heaped upon disabled people and their families.
 c) LinkReligious toleration and common law without the periodic invasions that beset other parts of mainland Europe.

Questions:
 a) Is it the benefits of the single market because we know exactly, or were supposed to know, about which benefits the writer is writing about? This seems similar to #1 a) b) Had there been many indiscernible benefits, would it have been benefits of the single market?

b) Why the multiple injustices? The text did not elaborate on these injustices. If it is in general about injustices, shouldn't we write multiple injustices?

c) Why the periodic invasions? The text did not mention individually any of these invasions. Why not periodic invasions


texts:
From Smart Cities by Anthony M. Townsend:
Instead of sifting through the tailings of macroeconomic statistics for clues about recent events, they can plug into a sensory infrastructure that shows what is happening in the real economy at a microscopic level, second by second.

What does "tailings" mean?
Thanks for response.


texts: Is there a one-word representation for not advanced?

texts:
Is there a one-word representation for "unadvanced" (not advanced).

Example:

Advanced and "unadvanced" people do xyz.......


texts: did "born and bred" originally have different meaning?

texts:
Internet searching suggests the phrase "born and bred in Boston" means the same thing as "born and raised in Boston."

But "bred" is the past-tense of "breed."

Might "born and bred in Boston" have originally meant "born in Boston to parents who lived in Boston at the time of conception"?


texts: I don't know the meaning of "salt allowance"

texts:
In Oxford Learner's Dictionary, under allowance, it says that

  Roman soldiers received a salt allowance, called salarium, the origin of the word salary.

allowance
2: the amount of something that is allowed in a particular situation

But I don't know the meaning of the phrase "salt allowance".


texts:
If a balloon bursts, then how should I tell about it to another person right after this event occurred?

the balloon has burst
the balloon had burst
the balloon has been burst
the balloon had been burst
the balloon burst (simple past)


texts:
In this document, I found "codify"

https://www.terraform.io/intro/use-cases.html

1.

  Terraform can be used to codify the setup required for a Heroku application

2.

  Because the creation and provisioning of a resource is codified and automated

How do you use "codify" when you 're talking about coding?


texts: What is a word to describe these two separate but related items in a software application?

texts:
Some background: I am working on the menu for an online homework assignment generator.  In this program, the user will click through a series of pages and fill in necessary information (assigned & due dates, questions included, order & number of questions, etc).  At the top of each page is a group of tabs to allow the user to switch between the pages.

The current tabs have the labels:

Details
Questions
Edit
Print
Done

All pretty self-explanatory.

Now, a page is being added to the application in which the user can make the assignment only be assigned to certain students in the class, or give certain students different assigned or due dates.

The question is: what would be a good tab label for this page?  I'm looking for a single word that would describe to the user what they can do on this page.  Two words could possibly fit in the tab, but no more than that.


texts: Grammatical differences between "curio" and "curiosity" when used as an object noun

texts:
I've recently heard the term curio when talking about a strange or foreign object, whereas previously I would have used the term curiosity in that context.

Is the use of the use of curio a more correct term when speaking about an object, compared to curiosity which is a better term for a behaviour, or can they be used interchangebly in the context of talking about an object?

For example, contrast:

I brought this curio back from the orient, but I'm not sure what it does.
I brought this curiosity back from the orient, but I'm not sure what it does.


texts:
Which is the past tense of backup?

backuped
backup-ed
backed up
backed-up

The context is the following:

  Due to the advent of cloud-based storage solutions, the data is backed up in different countries reducing the risk of data-loss even if a tornado wipes-out half of the surface of the Earth.


texts: "split 'em up with a movie" on the sitcom "Friends"

texts:
I have a question about a sentence from the television sitcom Friends. The six are playing poker, and the girls lose.

  Phoebe: Alright, here's my $7.50. But I think you should know that this money is cursed.

  Joey: What?

  Phoebe: I cursed it. So now bad things will happen to he who spends it.

  Chandler: That's alright, I'll take it. Bad things happen to me anyway. This way I can
    split 'em up with a movie.

I can't understand the this line. How are bad things related to a movie? What does it mean to "split 'em up"? Does it mean by watching a movie he can escape the doom?


texts: What is the difference between "bind" and "link"?

texts:
Bind and link are both verb and noun but the difference in meaning between these words are quite hard for me to catch.

I'd say the "the moral bind of the law" to express that both of them are tied tightly together. On the other hand, link would express more an relationship if I see it correctly.

But, when I say that "the system A (computer) is linked/bound with another system B", which of the two, link or bind, expresses that data flow from one system to another?


texts:
Is there a word for "a word that you forgot"? In the situation before you found out or remembered the meaning of the word, how could this word be described? Not "the unknown" or "the forgotten".

"Lethologica" is the condition of being unable to remember, but not the word itself.


texts: How is the following "at the risk of using a bad pun"?

texts:
One of the guys was telling the rest of us about his new girlfriend (whom we've met). In explaining why he liked her, he said, "At the risk of using a bad pun," (pause), "a lady swallows" (pause) "her pride."

That seemed straightforward enough to me. One thing he likes about this woman is that she "swallows her pride." Which seems like an important trait given that she is not the most pleasant person in the world, and apparently is prone to quarreling with him (and us).

What's confusing is the "bad pun" part. Is it something connected with "a lady swallows her pride?" Or could it be about the fact that she is so quarrelsome? And were those pauses "pregnant pauses?"


texts: In the sentence "You can search site by site," what type of phrase is "site by site"? And am I correct in thinking that it does not need hyphens in that particular sentence?


texts: When was the first print usage of "Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice."

texts: Henry Ford may have said received credit for this quote. He even had it carved into his mantelpiece in Dearborn Mich but I am not sure if he originated it or borrowed it from somewhere else. Any help on origin would be appreciated. Thanks


texts: Is it a common way to use “heartland” as in “give a heartland shout-out / comment to somebody”?

texts:
I found the phrase, “give a heartland shout-out to sb,” in the article of today’s (December 9) New York Times, titled “The Rough Rider and the Professor,” which comments on President Obama’s speech delivered in the Kansas high school gym on December 6th.
It reads:

  “Obama gave a heartland shout-out to Dwight D. Eisenhower, Warren Buffett and his own Kansan grandfather, who served in General Patton’s Army. It was a rhetorical device, to make common cause with men of common sense. This made it easier for him to make his main point.”

From the context of the sentence, I guess “a heartland shout-out” means a critical or very important shout-out.

But when I checked Oxford online dictionary, it defines “heartland” as:

  the central or most important part of a country, area, or field of activity:e.g. wildlife sites in the heartland of Russia
  The centre of support for a belief or movement e.g. the heartland of the rebel cause

Cambridge Dictionary simply defines ‘heartland’ as “the central or most important area.”

Merriam-Webster defines it as;

  Central area: as a: a central land area.
  The central geographical region of the United States in which mainstream or traditional values predominate.
  A region where something (as an industry or activity) most strongly thrives.

Except definition of 2. of OED, none of the above definitions seems to me to sit very well with the “heartland shout-out”.

Is “give heartland shout-out (message, comment, advice, proposition)” a common usage of “heartland,” which comes top of mind to me as simply a geographical place or area.

Doesn’t it sound clumsy if I say to my friend or subordinate in a serious look, “Listen, I’m going to give you 'my heartland advice.'”?


texts: What does commute/commutation mean in this context?

texts:
I am trying to understand the following sentence from a legal document. Can anyone explain me what 'commutation' means?

  Immovable property presently sold is free and clear of all seigniorial
  dues having commuted and the price of commutation has been paid.


texts: Present perfect/Past simple - 2 structures which work differently?

texts:
I´ve got a problem to understand how work present perfect/past simple in these two strucures. I will be really grateful for any kind of help.

1.structure

I played in two finals this season.

I have played in two finals this season.

Here present perfect opens a possibility for more finals in the season. The season hasn´t finished yet. I may play in more finals.

However the opinion of native speakers differs when it comes to sentences with "every time".  Some of them say that present perfect does have the same function here as in the two sentences above. Unfortunately there are a few of them who disagree with those natives and see it perfectly ok to use past simple + every time even though the season is still running and I still can play in more finals. I would personally use present perfect in this structure as well if I didn´t  consider the season to be finished.

2.structure

Every time this season I played in a final  I won the trophy.

Every time this season I have played in a final  I have won the trophy.

I wonder why present perfect doesn´t have the same function in both of these structures. I would not wonder if there were difference in American/British English but in this case all the help I was given comes from people using British English. Therefore it surprises me that one part of them says that:

  If you want to emphasise that the activity is over and finished, you
  use the past. If you want to suggest that there is a continuity into
  the present, you use the present perfect.

On the other hand there are people saying otherwise:

  The phrase "Every time in my life/career/season" is an expression of a specific past
  time (in fact of several specific times considered one by one), so the
  simple past is perfectly normal.

Thank you very much.


texts:
Talking out of the side of your mouth

This means one is lying, right? Or something else?


texts: That guy who says nothing except to criticize those who do

texts:
What’s a word for a person who sits silently in a discussion except to harp on what another person says?

For example, at a business meeting, one person doesn't add any helpful ideas, but is quick to tear down those of everyone else.

I thought “jaybird” might be it, but that just means chatterbox.


texts:
Which of bazaar or bazar is better to use for the domain name of specialised marketplace?

Both are available according to the dictionaries.

Any advice which of these two is better to use in the URL?


texts: What region(s) of the UK still use 'pint pot' over 'pint glass'?

texts:
I have noticed some colleagues refering to a pint glass as a 'pint pot'. No one else that I've spoke to is familar with this term.

It appears to be regional, but I can't work out from google searches where in the UK it originates?


texts:
Does one say:

I have a great pride for my country

or

I have a great pride in my country


texts: Present Perfect and Past Simple together

texts:
I just wonder if i have a possibility to mix these tenses in this way. For example, i say about things happened in the past. Can i use present perfect to show result of this sentences in present? I know that i can do that with Present Simple but Past Simple suits it for me too. I can give you an example

I've gain weight after i ate many pizzas

or

The day was bad for me anyway.I went to school and in the hall I broke my leg.Because of that I've gained a scar.


texts: Equivalent of sarcastic song "non ti preoccupare, l'importante è partecipare" among Italian football supporters

texts:
Is there an equivalent in English or American sports culture of the sarcastic song that originated among Italian football supporters, that they sing to the losing opposition team? It's like this:

  [Milanista/Interista] non ti preoccupare, l'importante è partecipare

which can be roughly translated to:

  Don't worry, the important thing is to participate

Any ideas?


texts: where does the idiom 'driving me mad' come from?

texts: any ideas? It's for use in an English Language class I teach.


texts: Is there a word meaning "append", but at the beginning, not the end?

texts:
In computer programming, when you append a "string" to another, you add it to the end of the former string.

E.g.

String string1 = "abcd";
String string2 = "efgh";

Appending the two strings would give

"abcdefgh"

But what if I wanted to add string2 before string1 to have the result:

"efghabcd"

What would be a good name for that that reverse operation? What is the opposite of "append"?


texts: How do teachers ask to calculate expressions?

texts:
How do American/British primary school teachers ask their pupils to calculate an expression? E.g.

What is 2+3 equal to?
What is the value of 2+3?
...

In particular, I'm interested whether the first form ("equal to") would ever be used in a primary school.


texts: When using cleft sentence using 'it', do we use that or what?

texts:
Are these sentences grammatically correct? I looked at different sites, but none mention whether using 'what' would be wrong.

"It was his lying what hurt the most."
"It was the shrimp what made her sick."
"It was his being rude what bothered them the most."
"It is global warming what we should be the most worried about."
"It was the protest what caused the traffic jams."


texts: American dialects: Replacing the past-perfect participle with the simple-past form

texts:
I have come across some American media (The Alternate History Hub youtube channel comes to mind) in which the perfect participle and the simple-past form have been merged.

For example, we would have:

"We've driven there before" -> "We've drove there before"
"I would've sunk" -> "I would've sank"
"I've swum that distance before" -> "I've swam that distance before"

As far as I can tell, the replacement of the perfect with the simple past is consistent in this dialect, rather than just applying to some verbs (Edit in response to commment: with perhaps the exception of "to be" - "I have was ill" sounds odd enough that it would have really stood out).

Is this a feature of some American dialects? If so then in which? How common is this feature?

Related question (@sumelic): Is the past participle becoming obsolete? (I have went)


texts: What is the origin of "putting someone on"

texts:
What is the origin of “putting someone on”?
The phrase means  The act of deceiving, teasing or misleading someone, especially for amusement.  But where could it have come from?

It is not recent, Mark Twain used it some 150 years ago:

  Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it.

  - Mark Twain


texts:
I'm having a hard time deciding if these get apostrophes.

  The beauty of winters first snow.
  The days final light.

If either or both need the apostrophe, where should I place it, and why?


texts: is this correct; using lighted rather than lit?

texts: Please help me clarify if this usage of the word "lighted" is correct in the following statement. "I have lighted the candle"


texts: Is it correct to say: These are not homework?

texts:
A teacher sent home a list of assignments with a cover letter explaining, "These are not homework."

"This is not homework," or "These pages are not homework," sound equally normal to me, but "These are not homework," just sounds weird.  Is it correct grammar?

...

I don't agree that the question: 'Agreement in “[Singular Noun] Is/Are [Plural Noun]”?' describes this specific usage.  In "These are not homework," the word "These" is not a singular noun.  It's a plural pronoun.  I suspect that some of the problem is that the missing noun is implied to the reader only by the physical presence of other documents, and not contextually from the surrounding content of the cover letter itself.


texts:
While writing to a friend, I attempted to ask which web browser they used most. In the end, I asked which browser they used “more frequently”, but this was not the true object of my curiosity.  By using frequently, I effectively asked which browser they turn on more times within a period of time.

I also considered using the term volume, as in, “use with the greatest volume”, but that would have also been incorrect. I would rather use that term solely in reference to cubic measurement.

Specifically, I would have preferred to indicate the sum of durations; perhaps:

  Over a period of time, which browser is used for the greatest part of that period?

Is there such a term?


texts: Do "to ravel" and to "to unravel" mean the same thing?

texts:
I'm reading this dictionary entry for "ravel":

  transitive verb
  1 a : to separate or undo the texture of : unravel
  b : to undo the intricacies of : disentangle

  intransitive verb
  1 obsolete : to become entangled or confused
  2 : to become unwoven, untwisted, or unwound : fray
  :3  break up, crumble

Some of these seem very similar to the meaning of "unravel" - ostensibly its opposite. Why is that?


texts: Word to describe a real computer versus a virtual machine

texts:
In computing environments a lot of software and processes are moving to VMs or virtual machines.  I am always at a loss as to how to refer to a real, physical computer in comparison to a virtual environment.  For example,

  Our amazing software can be installed on a VM (virtual machine) or on a real computer.

  Our amazing software can be installed on a VM (virtual machine) or on a physical machine.

Is there a better word choice to refer to a real, physical computer particularly in contrast to a VMWare or XenServer virtual computer?


texts: Usage of "hundred" colloquially in numbers

texts:
I want to know when it is valid to say 2 digit + "hundred".
Suppose we have the number 3,500, then some people might say:
    -> thirty-five hundred
So for a 4 digit number which is not 1,000, people might say 2 digit + "hundred" colloquially.

What happens if the number is 3,500,000,000. Is the following usage of "hundred" valid?
    -> thirty-five hundred million
Or if the number is 1,003,500. Is the following usage of "hundred" valid?
    -> one million thirty-five hundred

Thank you in advance.


texts: Precise interpretation of "in excess of"

texts:
I'd like to have some precision on the meaning of "in excess of" in following sentence.

Commissions in excess of 180% of quota in a given fiscal year will be calculated at 0.3x of the base rate.

Imagine that the quota is $100,000. Does in excess of 180% of quota means:

Commissions over quota + 180% quota = $280,000 or,
Commissions over $180,000?


texts: there, I got a sentence from television "Lost": "Besides, I'm gonna be in there to get your backs.". I am little confused with this words: get your backs. Can anyone give me some clue about it?


texts: Difference between "slacks", "pants", and "trousers"?

texts: I wonder what differences are between usage of slacks, pants, and trousers? Their meanings seem the same by looking up Google’s Internet dictionary and Wikipedia.


texts: What is a word or shorter phrase for "got the wind knocked out of me"?

texts: In American English, I'm wondering if there is a shorter way to express this (literal) experience. The phrase seems so wordy to me and it's hard to believe that there isn't something more concise. As a native speaker, I have never heard of anything else and alternatives I've thought of such as "winded" or "lost my breath" have different connotations. I'm interested in any alternatives including neologisms and loan words.


texts:
Consider, for example, a forgettable novel. Now suppose you are starting a sentence that attempts to explain why the novel is forgettable:

"The __ of the novel can be explained by ..."

What would you use to fill in the blank? Forgettability? Forgetableness? Other suggestions? Forgettability feels right, but I don't think that is orthodox standard written English.


texts:
What is more intimate when referring to two people and what is the less. I'm trying to describe the change from casual friendship to a romantic relationship.

"When we changed from we to us" or something like that


texts:
Is this grammatically correct?

  The day of rest became a day of violence when a bomb exploded in a Belfast cafe.

Or is this better?

  A day of rest became a day of violence when a bomb exploded in a Belfast cafe.

"Day of rest" refers to Sunday.


texts: What is the saying for when "early adaptors (first timers) always takes the hit" which is opposite of "early bird catches the worm"

texts:
While we say "early bird catches the worm" which means whoever arrives first has the best chance of success; some opportunities are only available to the first competitors.

On the opposite end, what is the saying for when "first timers always takes the first hit". Here what i mean is when say for instance government brings in a new policy for the first time of a new format of passport instead of the conventional. The ones who are about to have their renewal will be hit the hardiest as their will be face the immediate consequence of those changes such as during their airport immigration, visa issues for visit to a new country.


texts:
I am always confused with these 3 items because sometimes they are confusing. Near is preposition, adjective, and adverb altogether. on other hand nearly and nearby are only used as adverb.

Would someone  tell me the proper use of these items with proper examples in a simple way?


texts: "I didn't know you liked her" or "I didn't know you like her"

texts:
I have a friend who insists that

  "I didn't know you like her"

is more correct than

  "I didn't know you liked her"

if the liking is still taking place. But to my ear, only the latter sounds correct.

Which of the above (if any) is correct and why?


texts: "Provide you with something" vs "Provide you something"?

texts:
I have a sentence that reads: "To provide you the best possible service..."

I'm being asked to add the word with so that it reads "To provide you with the best possible service..."  Is there a rule for whether or not I add the word with or is it a preference and the sentence works either way?


texts: "Right up one's alley?" Formal/in-formal?

texts:
Is "Right up my alley" formal enough to use in a cover letter/job application etc? If not, are there any alternative idioms?

It sounded right to me and I was just about to use it in a formal document, but then I googled it and the first result was from urbandictionary, so I became suspicious.


texts: When can I use "any..." in affirmative sentences?

texts:
According to any grammar table I can find, any, anything, anybody should be used in questions and negative sentences. But if I look in Google for Anyone can do it., I have 6 mil. results. The sentence is obviously correct.

Why can I use anyone here? And are there other cases of using any... in affirmative sentences?


texts:
What is the defining difference between indoctrination and brainwashing? From my own understanding, I believe the definition of both to be (I’ll use religion for my example):
Indoctrination: teaching a person about a religion, like always taking them to church from a young age, but allowing them to choose whether they want to believe and live by that religion.
Brainwashing: To force a person into believing a religion by means of well, force, etc.
I am not sure if this is correct or not. I see people look at indoctrination as a bad thing but from the definition I gave, I wouldn’t say that it is a bad thing. And that is what leads me to ask my question.


texts: What is the opposite of hermaphrodite? I.e., having no sex organs?

texts:
How could one describe an animal that is neither male nor female, because it has no sex organs?
But it could choose which sex organs to develop based on the environmental needs.
Not hermaphroditic because that means having both sets of sex organs, and not androgynous because (I believe) that describes solely appearance.

The _______ toad is...


texts: Is anyone aware of a rule behind which nouns can be combined with a preceding "a good" to become an adjectival phrase. For example "He's a good shot" meaning he has good aim.  How many more examples of this construction can EL&U think of?


texts: An Idiom or Colloquial Phrase for a Network of Colleagues

texts:
I am trying to recall an idiom or phrase that would describe a network of colleagues or peers, specifically a group of people who all mutually benefit from one another.

Is there an idiomatic expression that describes, for example, a group of specialists (doctors) who refer patients to one another?


texts: Repetition of article before the same noun

texts:
Which phrase is more correct between:

"At high speed the increase is not relevant, while the directivity of noise pattern is significantly altered by blade re-design. On the contrary, at low speed THE directivity is not significantly modified..."

and

"At high speed the increase is not relevant, while the directivity of noise pattern is significantly altered by blade re-design. On the contrary, at low speed directivity is not significantly modified..."


texts: What is the correct verb for attending a conference call?

texts:
I was invited to a conference call on Skype (it's a popular online conference call application, for those who aren't familiar). I texted a colleague who was also invited. I asked her, "Will you be attending the call?"

It occurred to me that "attending" would be correct for a face to face meeting, such as "Will you be attending the meeting?" or the more casual "Are you going to the meeting?" But it occurred to me that the word might not be precise. "Will you be joining the call?" is probably closer, as in "Bob just joined the call". But that still doesn't sound right. Is there a better word for attend when referring to an online call that no one has to leave their desk to be present at?


texts: What does 'it should be proved" mean in the following context? Could you rephrase the sentence?

texts: It's about building earthquake-resistant houses built of earth in rural areas of earthquake-prone zones. The sentence is : "Using locally available building materials as well as the skills of local craftsmen should be considered for the design of seismic-resistant (earthquake-proof) houses and it should be proved that the solutions are accepted by the users." Many thanks for your help.


texts: word describing hand motion while bowing

texts:
I probably have seen this happen at various times in movies set in eras where people were very obsequious to royalty.  The action I am trying to find the word for is a motion of the hand in a kind of circular motion or spiral (generally towards and away from oneself) while bowing towards someone, often while slowly moving backwards.

My first thought was "genuflect" although to me that invokes the image of someone making the sign of the cross (although the dictionary doesn't seem to mention this, or in fact any hand movement - it seems to be closer to bowing then the hand movement) and I am looking for a word without any religious connotations.

My second thought was "flourish" as that seems to be technically correct to some degree in the sense of "a bold or extravagant gesture or action, made esp. to attract the attention of others", but this word seems to have too many meanings that might confuse, and I am not sure anybody would recognize what I was talking about unless I put a lot of context into the sentence with it, or maybe even if I did!


texts: "scrambled for a hold" vs "scrabbled for a hold"

texts:
While throwing together some prompts for a writing challenge on Writing.CD last night, I wrote this line:

  [My] hands scrambled for a hold on the rough rock.

This morning, while looking back at it, I thought "Huh. Is it actually "scrambled", or should that be "scrabbled"? I seem to recall seeing "scrabbled"."

So, turning to Google, I did a quick search for the line "scrabbled for a hold".

And then, to compare, a search for "scrambled for a hold".

...so it looks like both are in use, but "scrambled" is slightly more popular?

Except that Google Ngrams shows a different story.

The graph shows that even though "scrambled for a hold" makes an appearance nearly thirty years before "scrabbled for a hold" shows up, by the 1950s "scrabbled" has outstripped "scrambled" and is more in-use.

But... which one is actually correct? Does it matter which one popped up first, or that the other one became more popular? Which one is actually more accurate?


texts: What is the action of "breaking up clumps of rice" called?

texts:
I'm really not expressing the verb well. What's the correct way to instruct

You have to "break" the rice before eating?


texts: Should I use a semicolon or a colon in the following case?

texts:
I didn't like Anna calling Tom a bad person. However, most of the boys
  in our class shared her view;/: Tom often bullied others, always
  mocked the weak, and stole stuff from time to time.

Should that be a colon or a semicolon? And why?


texts: "I have a one son" What's the rule explaining that mistake?

texts: Intuitively I know it's wrong, but having done some research I didn't find any rule that would directly prohibit usage of an article before a number in a sentence like that. I understand that "a/an" in them and of themselves mean "one", but there must be some rule..


texts:
According to the Oxford dictionary:

  Sure-fire: (adjective, informal) certain to succeed.
  Example: bad behaviour is a sure-fire way of getting attention

Where does this word combination come from and does it have anything to do with fire?


texts: Should this sentence use the singular "is" or the plural "are"?

texts: On any given day an average of 400 children is receiving care in one of seven major programs providing home health care, respite services, medical day programming, early intervention therapies, well and sick health care at the Family Healthcare Campus on the grounds of Child Haven, in our High Risk Infants clinic, and/or in our Behavioral Health Program. Many children receive multiple services


texts: What's the difference between 'in the year' and 'of the year'?

texts:
the coldest month of the year
the coldest month in the year

To my ears 'the coldest month of the year' sounds more natural than 'the coldest month in the year'. Is there a difference in meaning and/or usage? Is 'in the year' even grammatically sound in such a context?


texts: A word that means "to deprive someone of water"

texts:
"to starve" means "to deprive someone of food", but what about an analogous word for water?

Is there a word that means "to deprive someone of water"?

"Dehydrate" is the closest I could think of, but its meaning is more to actively extract water, rather than withhold it. I was hoping for a word that conveyed "water" and only water - ie particular to the deprivation of water (alone)


texts: Word for saying something knowing it's not true

texts:
I was just talking on the phone to my old boss who was on his way in to my work to fill out paperwork he needs to sort. I asked him, "Would you like me to put the kettle on?", to which he said, "You no longer need to toady to me" (joking of course). I laughed and said, "Sure, you know that I never did".

He's convinced that there is one word to describe this kind of thing. But neither one of us can think of what it is.

Any ideas?


texts: What does it mean by to 'hit an air pocket'?

texts:
What does it mean by the phrase 'hitting an air pocket'?

Does this mean 'to attain such a situation where someone/something can no longer advance forward'?

If that is correct, then, what is the origin of this phrase?


texts:
I'm looking for a word that means a strongly or weakly connected network of groups/societies. These societies can choose to be in communication or may not. The point is that a society or group is generally understood to be a somewhat cohesive and communicative whole whereas groups in this broader network have to be somewhat intentional about beginning communication with one another.

Kind of like "the world," but I'm looking for something that references the social fabric itself a little bit more than "the world."

I'm a native English speaker but I'm having trouble coming up with a word for this. Hopefully something that will be obvious to me when I think of it, and not something that sounds scientific.


texts:
I am wondering whether a sentence like this is correct:

I wasn't allowed to work because I am Christian.

Or should it be:

I wasn't allowed to work because I was Christian.

Should it be all past tense even if they still identify as Christian? Thanks!


texts: To be all over the place - what does it mean?

texts:
e.g. in

"I'm all over the place to day"

"She's all over the place"


texts: Elegant synonym for subject matter of a discipline

texts:
I am writing an essay on critical thinking. I am trying to find a word that allows me to separate the subject matter of a scientific discipline (i.e. chemistry, geology, etc.) from the underlying logic that comes with using or understanding the knowledge.

  Once a fundamental knowledge of physics is obtained, doing chemistry simply becomes a matter of applying critical skills to the _________


texts:
My supervisor and I had a discussion about my thesis progress this morning, and he described my writing progress:

  Like swimming in _____.

I have no idea about the word he said, then he changed the expression into “swimming in honey”. I have spent half an hour on Google to figure out that word and failed.

What is the missing word from that phrase?


texts: Which is correct: "for you who loves knowledge" or "for you who love knowledge"?

texts: In this case, the "you" is singular. Further, does adding a comma after "you" make a difference? Thanks.


texts: Present Perfect vs Present perfect continuous

texts:
Could you correct the comments in parentheses, please? Are they right?

  I have lived in Los Angeles. (A completed action; the person does not live there anymore).
  I have lived in Los Angeles my whole life. (The person is still living there, or spent her whole life in Los Angeles, but is currently
  living in another location).
  I have been living in Los Angeles. (She doesn't live there anymore, but was living there recently, or is still living there).
  I have been living in Los Angeles my whole life. (The person is still living there or spent her whole life in Los Angeles, but is
  currently living in another location).

Thanks


texts: Present continuous form for a polite question?

texts: Should we use use the present continuous form "would you mind if" to ask a polite question?


texts: Where does the term "sleeve fish" come from?

texts:
I was in a snack shop and reading the labels and came across "Thailand Sleeve Fish Slice" on what appeared to be a package of dried squid. I found limited results indicating that it does seem to refer to squid but very little else.

Sleeve fish on thefreedictionary.com

Webster's  (looks like the source of the first)

Other results were suppliers or manufacturers of such snacks.

I'm interested in where the term comes from and if there is a difference or reason for its use instead of the more common "squid".


texts: Name of display with moving lights used in supermarkets and filling stations

texts: What do you call a box like object containing little light bulbs, that when switched on displays moving words. It is commonly used by filling stations, supermarkets etc.,.


texts: In a definition of physical states and properties of matter, should "divided" or "distinguished" be used?

texts:
I asked myself after reading in academic advanced Cambridge the following definition of matter and its properties, states.

  In physics, the properties of matter are distinguished in the three following classes:  Solid, Liquid, Gaseous

I talked to a girl friend. She is speaking native English and she is a English teacher for kids.  She said, that "distinguished", in her view, isn't commonly used. It's more common to use "divided" and she said also to define the "States of Matter", "distinct classes" would describe it better. What I would also confirm.

So I worked out the following definition:

  In physical science, the properties of matter are divided into (or in?) three distinct classes called states as following: solids, liquid, gaseous.

Question: would it be better to use "distinguished", use "distinguished" with "in" or "into", and same for "divided into" or "in"?


texts:
One person has a debt to another.

The other person runs a debt to the first person, so instead of exchanging money, they (insert word here) the debt.

The phrase is to "call it even". I'm looking for this, but in verb-form.


texts: Why is “stuck in a rut” different from “stuck in a groove” in meaning even though “rut” and “groove” are akin as a line of track?

texts:
I found the expression “the economy remains stuck in a rut,” in the article titled ”What would Maynard Keynes tell us to do now – and should we listen?” which appeared in October 10 issue of New Yorker.

It appears in the following sentence:

  “In such a (depressed) situation, the economy could easily remain stuck in a rut, until some outside agency – the government was Keynes’s favored candidate – intervened and spurred spending.”

From the above context, I guess “remain (be) stuck in a rut” means “remains at the standstill” or “caught in quagmire.”

I consulted both Cambridge and Merriam-Webster Dictionary to make sure of my interpretation, neither of which has entry of “ stuck in a rut,” while the former carries “stuck in a groove” with definition, “to be bored because of doing the same thing for long time".

As I checked Google Ngram, emergence of both phrase of “stuck in a groove” and “stuck in a rut” were already observed in mid 1800s, but the usages of “stuck in a groove” picked up  in and after 1940s and “stuck in a rut” in early 1960s.

I wonder why “stuck in a rut,” of which usage is notably on increase for a half century is not registered in both well-known dictionaries (maybe I should ask this to the editors of both dictionaries, not EL&U users)? Hasn’t it still acquired enough currency as an idiom?

If my interpretation of “stuck in a rut” “ as “remains at standstill” is in groove or passable, why the meaning of “stuck in a “rut” and “groove” turns out different even though using a similar “track” concept? Or, are they interchangeable?


texts: Listening multiple possessives and the use of apostrophes

texts:
I want to say that 2 or more people all have something like this:

John's and Mary's hats.

Is this correct or would it have to be:

John and Mary's hats.


texts:
Microsoft Word wants to change this "whom" to "who" -- but wouldn't that be wrong!?

She previously saw another physician in the practice whom she describes as a “terrible doctor.”


texts: Is it chainsaw-equipped or chainsaw equipped? And with what kind of former words to use "-" properly?


texts: Do I put a comma or a period after a mid-quote dialog tag?

texts:
Okay, so I have this sentence.

  "He's where?" Suzy demanded "And what happened to your rig? The whole front is bashed in!"

As you can see, I did not put in a comma or a period after demanded because I do not know which one to use. Should it be

  "He's where?" Suzy demanded, "And what happened to your rig? The whole front is bashed in!"

or

  "He's where?" Suzy demanded. "And what happened to your rig? The whole front is bashed in!"


texts: Why do we say "10 minutes or less" rather than "10 minutes or fewer?"


texts: "Here comes the Queen" versus "Here the Queen comes"

texts:
What's the correct one of the following sentences?

  Here they come.

or

  Here come they.

Consider for example:

  Here comes the sun.

This is the title of a famous Beatles song.

Also consider:

  Here the post office is.
  Here is the post office.

Number (5) seems more natural than number (4). So which is better, or more natural,  (1) or (2)— and why?


texts: “"Welcome to the fourth episode of…” How many episodes have been done?

texts:
There is currently a debate among my friends. It is about our final listening test. In the audio script, the content was about a Radio show and the MC said

  "Welcome to the fourth episode of Getting The Message Across".

The question asked

"How many episodes have been done?" so I assumed 3 was done. But the correct answer was C. four.

I would like to hear your opinions about this as native English speakers.

Thank you


texts: Gender-neutral word for patronymic/matronymic

texts:
According to Wikipedia:

A patronymic is a name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather or an even-earlier male ancestor.
A matronymic is a name based on the given name of one's mother, grandmother or an even-earlier female ancestor.

Is there a gender-neutral word for this?

A ---------- is a name based on the given name of one's parent, grandparent or an even-earlier ancestor.


texts: What is the difference between "degree of damage" and "extent of damage"?

texts:
I am doing multiple-choice tests and this is the exercise I am facing at the moment:

  I can see that there is some rot in the wood, but I need to remove the
   plaster to check the
  A) rank  B) extent  C) degree  D) grade  of damage.

According to the answer key, the correct one here is extent. However, websites like ludwig.guru show me that the phrase works perfectly with degree as well.

Is this a case of people using the phrase even though it is not idiomatic?


texts:
What is the difference between fox and box versus ox, that the first two are pluralized as foxes and boxes, whereas the last one is pluralized oxen?

Note: I know how to pluralize them. What I want to know is what makes them different from each other, why they are pluralized as they are.

Joking: the plural of box is boxen. [Kudos to Mark for that first link]


texts:
When I put an abbreviation for the first time in a document, is this better if I insert it right after the corresponding spelled out name?

For example, is ex1. better than ex2.?:

    ex1. The engineer team should  establish an management system (hereinafter “MS”) in accordance with xxx.

    ex2. The engineer team should  establish an management system in accordance with xxx (hereinafter “MS”).


texts: For several years now, I have noticed that commentators on the radio and TV are dropping the word "the" in certain circumstances. For example, "President prefers foreign aid at this time." or "United Nations convenes this weekend." or "United States has pledged assistance in the matter." Maybe it is the same phenomenon when people from the UK say "I'm going to hospital." In both cases, the omission of "the" is mysterious to me. Are we just trying to save time?


texts:
Which one is grammatically correct?
I want to say that I waited the time that the bus would leave the terminal in the past tense.

While I was waiting for the bus leaves, a man came to talk to me.
While I was waiting for the bus to leave, a man came to talk to me.
While I was waiting for the bus left, a man came to talk to me.


texts: Is there a formal word for people that are local to a place?

texts: I wish to write about the people and language of a city I recently visited in an essay. Is there a word for people who are local to a place?


texts: What does "at their doorstop death" mean?

texts:
I read an article on Time, entitled: Liberal Group Blames Republicans for Ebola in New ad.

  “I think any Republican who attempts to chalk this ad up to politics is a Republican who is too afraid to examine the results of his of her actions and the very real consequences that they have,” she said. “They have developed a governing philosophy that is so fanatically anti-investment that they literally have at their doorstop death.

But I don't know what "at their doorstop death" means.
Is there anyone  kind enough to tell me?


texts: What could be word for something which you can only partially remember? hardly recall/recollect?

texts: One example could be when you meet a person (Peter Parker)  and remember only that his name starts with P or may Par.


texts: When did “have it in” become “have it out”?

texts:
All my life, if a person wanted to do someone harm, their attitude was described as having it in for that person. Lately I have noticed that this has been turned around to having it out for a person.

When and why has this change taken place?


texts: Difference between "sorcerer" and "wizard"

texts:
What is the difference between sorcerer and wizard?

I know that the nomenclature is unclear. However, the common usage seems to indicate:

a wizard is born an ordinary mortal, learns magic and spells from books;
a sorcerer is born a sorcerer, but needs to learn spells (possibly of a certain type) from a master.

Is this correct, or is there more to it?


texts: "You get what you deserve nothing more nothing less"

texts:
In this world we reside, what we acquire depends on what we can acquire. In other words, if we have the money to, we can buy a house; if we have the necessary educational qualifications to, we can get a high-paying profession. I guess the idiom/phrase I'm trying to look for deals more with romantic relationship partners.

From what I have observed, it's common that people choose their partners in relationship based on their own quality, by this I mean for example, someone who's wealthy tends to prefer a partner who's also wealthy as well. Someone who's very good-looking tends to have higher standards and aim for a partner who's also good-looking as well although there are exceptions but that's generally the case from what I've observed. Unattractive individuals are more likely to have lower standards appearance-wise and favour relationship partners who are similar and not quite that good-looking, for reasons either maybe because they feel insecure that their partner might cheat on them or that they feel they're not worthy of them.

So is there an idiom/phrase that describes this idea, that describes something along the lines of:

  (it is meant to be that) what you get depends on your own quality nothing more and nothing less, (if you attempt to be with someone who's way above your standards the relationship will ultimately fail).


texts: Can 2nd conditionals (unreal) have a guessing of the past situation (real)?

texts:
Sentences (1) and (2) have the form of 2nd conditional, which is unreal at the time of utterance (In this text, the time is past, which is natural in grammar and usage in my intuition). However, some instructors (who explain the paragraph below) say that though (1) and (2) have the same sentence structure, (2) is interpreted as the possible past (real), which means 'Picasso' could have gotten warmer ~ or not and the author still doesn't know the two possibilities. But, I don't, cannot buy that. But they insist that the interpretation is possible, depending on its context. What do you think of this?
(1)If creators knew when they were on their way to fashioning a masterpiece, their work would progress only forward:  they would halt their idea-generation efforts as they struck gold. But in fact, they backtrack, returning to versions that they had earlier discarded as inadequate. In Beethoven’s most celebrated work, the Fifth Symphony, he scrapped the conclusion of the first movement because it felt too short, only to come back to it later. Had Beethoven been able to distinguish an extraordinary from an ordinary work, he would have accepted his composition immediately as a hit. When Picasso was painting his famous Guernica in protest of fascism, he produced 79 different drawings. Many of the images in the painting were based on his early sketches, not the later variations. (2)If Picasso could judge his creations as he produced them, he would get consistently “warmer” and use the later drawings. But in reality, it was just as common that he got “colder.”


texts: Is it I'm coming or going as I promised?

texts:
I'm not sure which one to use: I'm "coming" or "going" as I promised.

And why would I use that specific word instead of the other?


texts: Origin of "they don't know they're born"?

texts:
Practising today for my forthcoming role as radgie gadgie, I was having a little rant about modern youth: "they don't know they're born!"

This seems to me rather a strange phrase to describe someone who is, or appears to be, more fortunate than others feel is just or seemly; after all, everyone realises they were born at some point (one hopes). So does anyone know how this phrase came about? Searching the internets provides lots of examples of usage, but no hint of the origin, of this phrase.


texts: My manager recently asked me "How are you doing? Everything OK?". I felt happy that he asked me that question, and felt that he was really concerned about me. I was doing well. So I told him that and  followed it up with "Thanks for asking." Does the statement "Thanks for asking" sound rude (kind of like I don't need to tell you)? Is there a better way to express the expression or can you use your feelings to prove how you feel?


texts: An artist of comedy is a comedian (like Aristophanes), and an artist of tragedy is a tragedian (like Euripedes). What is an artist of horror called?