texts: Is there a difference between negligible and neglectable?

texts:
According to wiktionary.org they are synonyms. However, most words have a slight difference in the way or in which context they are used. I would like to know those differences.
For example, when one has two mathematical models that describe data where you have an error measure to see their performance. Would you rather say A) or B) or is it really synonymous?

A) The performance differences of model alpha and model beta are negligible.
B) The performance differences of model alpha and model beta are neglectable.


texts: How is "Posturing" used in this sentence?

texts:
Charles Murray tweeted this a few weeks ago:

@charlesmurray: People who despise Trump (like me) need to be thinking through this issue. Thinking, analyzing, not posturing. https://t.co/jBBfEtBI4L

And added a link to this article, which is present here.

I've looked up posturing and it refers to me posture, which tells me that it's more about stance and behavior.

Can anyone help?


texts: What is a word like "belies" but means "accidentally reveals"?

texts: Like naming an object Foo accidentally reveals its relationship to Bar.


texts: Idiom/phrase that means "a point in someone's favor"?

texts:
I'm sure there's an idiom/phrase that means that. I thought of plus one but found out it means a person who goes with you to an event.

What's the correct idiom/phrase? Example sentence:

  She smiled at my joke. Yes, __.


texts: Difference between a rule and a requirement?

texts: What is the difference between a rule and a requirement? Can these words be used interchangeable in a national standard?


texts: What is the most eloquent way to transition into pointing out a major flaw in someone's thinking?

texts:
There is phrase that I really liked and was quite articulate, but I can't think of it.  This is in response to a debate when analyzing one's position or paradigm.  Other ways:

crucial fallacy
serious mistake
flagrant error
pivotal blunder
grave misunderstanding
critical misconception


texts: What would you call a mid-life crisis in someone's 30s?

texts: We all know "mid-life crisis" and there's the handy "Quarter-life crisis" for a person around 25 but what would be the appropriate term for a "1/3 life" crisis, ie, a crisis in one's 30s? My latin roots are weak. Foreign loan words accepted!


texts: Pronunciation of “master” and “plaster” in Northern England

texts:
A pattern I've noticed in Northern England is that people of my age (born in the '90s) pronounce words like “master” and “plaster” with a short A (/a/), whereas anyone of my parents' generation (born in the '60s) or older will use a long A (/ɑː/). The distinction is similar to the trap-bath split, though all speakers mentioned in this question would pronounce both “trap” and “bath” with the same vowel (/a/). Furthermore, all would pronounce “faster” with the short A. I've noticed this pattern mostly around South and West Yorkshire, but also in people from Tyneside.
Have any of these features been documented or remarked on before? What other words share this feature? What is the geographical extent, and is my perception of a generation-based shift accurate and widespread? How did the long A pronunciation come about, and is the move towards short A part of a more general shift?


texts: Difference between near, nearby and close

texts:
Could you tell me a ( near - nearby - close ) pharmacy?
  I live ( near - nearby - close ) to the bank.
  Don't leave. I'm (near - nearby - close ).

Do you think that they all are interchangeable here?


texts: Is there a general rule that dictates how the connotation of a sentence changes depending on the ordering of its words or clauses?

texts:
For instance:

"This morning I ate breakfast quickly because the train was late."

"I ate breakfast quickly this morning because the train was late."

"Because the train was late I ate breakfast quickly this morning."

"This morning, because the train was late, I was breakfast quickly."

I feel like the first two are pretty much the same. However, the third sentence emphasizes that the train was late, and the last sentence emphasizes that the event happened "this morning".

Is there a linguistic rule that explains why ordering a sentence in a particular way can change its emphasis or connotation?


texts:
I know one should say: "I was on leave" and not "I was on a leave".

Can you explain why?

How should you say: "He took a leave" or "He took leave">

Thanks.


texts: What's the equivalent to "typo" in handwritten texts?

texts: "Typos" are acknowledged as "technical" errors, ones that obviously aren't caused by the writer's poor spelling. Although less frequent than in typing, they can also occur in handwritten texts, as a result of absent-mindedness or just an accidental stroke of the pen.   Since the text wasn't actually typed, it sounds funny to call them "typos". Is there a more fitting word, one that reflects the "accidental" nature of the error?


texts:
What is the difference between the following:

  Sorry, mate. I wouldn't be able to come for dinner.
  Sorry, mate. I won't be able to come for dinner.


texts: Is there a technical term for a destructive verb?

texts:
My definition of a destructive verb is one that describes a change to the object, such that once the action is completed, it can't be repeated on exactly the same object.
Examples:

I am cutting up an apple
I am eating an apple

If I want to repeat this tomorrow, I have to start with a different apple, since the original apple was destroyed.
Counter examples:

I am feeding my dog
I am walking my dog

I can feed and walk the same dog tomorrow.
Is there a technical term to describe the difference?


texts: What is the meaning of the pejorative form of “gay”?

texts:
Dictionaries don’t define the pejorative use of gay, but the term is used in common parlance. For example:

  That’s so gay.

or

  You’re gay.

Is there a way of establishing what gay means when used pejoratively?


texts: What is the correct usage of the comma in the phrase "that combined have"?

texts:
I have the following sentence:

  The forecast entails logic and confidence that combined have proven to be profitable.

I have seen uses of "that combined have" without any commas as above, and some cases where they insert two commas as follows:

  The forecast entails logic and confidence that , combined, have proven to be profitable.

Which is the correct, or more appropriate way?


texts: Can I precede a noun with more than one determiner?

texts:
Is there a rule that a noun would take only one determiner at most?

For example, according to “Determiner” at EnglishLanguageGuide.com, both both and the are determiners. Can I write an expression like the both cats? Or do I have to use it in either the cats or both cats forms only?

Is this usage correct?

  I saw two cats this morning. The both cats were very young.


texts:
My wife, who is a native speaker of AmE, tells me that I am talking like Yoda whenever I utter a sentence like

  What a great day it is!

that is, an exclamatory sentence that begins with "how" or "what" which is followed by the subject and then the verb.  Her accusation of me being like Yoda is only partially correct, I believe, because that is the normal word order for exclamatory sentences like the displayed one.  (Yoda, on the other hand, utters declarative sentences with anastrophe.)

This makes me wonder how common exclamatory sentence like the said one are in AmE.  People use sentences that consist solely of what- and how-phrases all the time, but I do not remember the last time I heard the variant with verbs.

How common in AmE are exclamatory sentences like "What a great day it is!"?


texts: (I'm not sure) how to capitalize this sentence

texts:
When a sentence begins with a parenthetical clause (uncommon, I'm sure), how should the following portion be capitalized? My thought is it would be either

  (In my opinion, at least[,]) the play was terrible.

or

  (In my opinion, at least[,]) The play was terrible.

Since "The play was terrible" is a complete sentence, and "In my opinion, at least" is a parenthetical attachment, should "the" be capitalized? Should a sentence even start with a parenthetical clause?

Additionally (I will remove this part from the question if it turns out to be too separate an issue), should the comma after "at least" be present? Were the sentence written to include the parenthetical statement, it would be included, but it seems very strange to me to end a parenthetical statement that way.


texts: If we want to let the world know about our country, Shall we say  "To improve foreign trips" or "To improve inland trips"


texts:
Is there any word in English, which describes combination of username and password?

Let's say, I want to say Enter your "this_word", meaning Enter your username and password.

EDIT:

I'll exlpain, why I need this (because I see that it's being asked), though I see some answers, which fit my requirements. I'm a software developer (freelancer) and I'm creating a Desktop application, where login/password pair is present. But after releasing the first version of application I got the feedback, that It isn't clear for 'stupid' (no offense, just expression) users what they have to enter. So before it was like:

|username (placeholder)|
|password (placeholder)|

and after the feedback I want to change it to something like

Enter your Google 'word'
|username (placeholder)|
|password (placeholder)|

so, that's it.


texts: Offensive single-noun term for "indecisive person"

texts: I'm looking for an offensive single-noun term for "indecisive person," preferably short and cutting. Something along the lines of "nitwit" for "foolish person"; but now instead of "foolish," try "indecisive." No adjective synonyms, please.


texts:
I told Korean friends not to label a (non-commercial) package of seaweed as "seafood", but it is from the sea and it is food, so now I'm not sure.

How common is it to refer to "seaweed" as "seafood"?

Does this vary from place to place?


texts:
Doesn't the definition of "dough" imply that the food is raw? After cooking the food it doesn't seem like it would still be dough.

I ask because I always see "Don't eat raw cookie dough" on packages at the store.


texts:
I was talking to a friend of mine and at one point I said

  So, you're a revolutionist.

He corrected me (in a very polite way) by saying that "revolutionist" is a word that does not exist, the correct would be revolutionary. I perfectly understand his point and agree that the word revolutionary is definitively better in this sentence.

But one thing intrigued me a lot... I have followed Starcraft for many years (I like the game a lot) and my favorite player of all time is Bisu, one of Bisu's nicknames is "The Revolutionist" and that was the main reason I chose the word "revolutionist" instead of revolutionary.

Searching online I found some dictionaries that define the word "revolutionist". The problem is that renowned dictionaries such as Oxford and Cambridge do not present such word in their dictionaries (at least not on the free online version).

And that brings us to my fateful question: Is "revolutionist" a real word?


texts:
I'm responding a test. I write a correct answer:

  I was telling the stories this time yesterday.
  He isn't answering the calls at the moment.

Is the use of the definite article in these examples correct?


texts: Towel pronounced as tawrl in Irish dialect?

texts:
My grandmother always says 'warsh' instead of 'wash'. She's from Northern Ireland. I always wrote this off as an odd thing she would do, but today I was reading that it's actually common in some American accents, which made me think it might be a legitimate pronunciation.

Another thing she does is pronounces towel as 'tawrl'. I'm sure my great grandmother did the same - I'm trying to understand where this r sound comes from? Is it a legitimate pronunciation?


texts: Dickens: meaning of “preserves” in “preserves of loaves and fishes”

texts:
What is the meaning of preserves in the opening passage of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities?

  There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the throne of England; there were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France. In both countries it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the State preserves of loaves and fishes, that things in general were settled for ever.

Is preserves a place that is kept for private hunting, or an activity regarded as being reserved for a particular group? I cannot figure out this sentence grammatically. I understand its allusion to Biblical references, but since I am not a native speaker, I'd also like to be clear about the sentence structure; is there a way to paraphrase this sentence?


texts: How to place pauses in a sentence when speaking?

texts:
I would like to know how to place pauses in a sentence when speaking (besides pauses on comma and semicolon) to deliver a better message to audiences. I researched this for a while but I don't find any formal documents on this subject on the internet.

Here is an example I found:

  Now that you have reduced the word count of your presentation // you
  need to prepare your message in shorter, // simpler // chunks.  To do
  this well // you need to consider where to place stress in words and
  in sentences, // where to pause naturally in your speech // and where
  // to pause for effect.


texts: Which one is correct? Using "were" multiple times

texts:
Which form is correct?

  His palms were sweaty and fingers trembling, but...

or

  His palms were sweaty and fingers were trembling, but...


texts: Is there a single word in English that is the opposite of "can't bear to" do something?

texts:
As the title suggests.
In the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, a classic example of "could NOT bear to" would be when Charlie brings home some chocolate to his family and no one in the house at it, letting him eat it instead.
To address some of the comments:
When I say "could not bear" I mean, could not bear the idea of losing something. The key idea is loss or pity/sympathy:
Examples:
"He couldn't bear to let his little sister go hungry so he gave the last piece of bread to her."
This particular sentence in Chinese would be written, 'the brother [couldn't bear] to eat the last piece of bread (ie could not bear the thought of using up a precious resource) lest his sister go hungry.'
"She couldn't bear to let the child go hungry."
"She couldn't bear losing him."
"She couldn't bear to sell the house as it was her grandparent's house."
"The migrant worker was the family's sole breadwinner so he didn't [bear to] buy expensive groceries and survived on 99 cent instant noodles."
There is such a word in Chinese, and it is "舍得" which is a a positive/affirmation word (that is more emotional based rather than financial) that means "bear to" part with something, lose something. It can be used as a negation "can NOT bear to/not willing to part with/lose something" as well as an affirmation, voluntarily "willing to" lose something (however this has a somewhat bad connotation. It usually insinuates that the person is reckless, or is willing or forced to lose something they shouldn't lose/do).
I have not found a suitable equivalent in English, which seems like it only has the negation version, "could NOT bear to". I'd like a word or phrase that removes the "not".
Some examples of usage would be:

The poor migrant worker could only [insert word. NOT 'afford'] to eat 99 cent noodles because he was the sole bread winner of the family and there were hospital bills waiting to be paid.

"How could you [insert word] to do that to your own child?"

'Bear' does not sound right in these cases, especially since there is no past tense.
In Chinese it would be:

穷困的移民工人只 舍得 买99分的方便面，应为他全家靠他一个人的收入,而且还有医疗费需要付款。
“你怎么舍得 对你自己的孩子做那种事？”


texts:
Is there as word that means "to say fondly"?
I've searched far and wide, but I have not located an adequate word. I would really appreciate the help. Thanks so very much.

-Kelsey


texts: Pronunciation of "priv-" in British English and American English

texts:
For example, the pronunciation of "priv-" in the words privacy and private is different in British English. The former is pronounced as prɪv- whereas the latter as praɪv-. Yet, in the US, the pronunciation is the same.

Meanwhile, the word privilege is, so far as I know, pronounced the same in both British and American English (prɪv-).

There seems to be something very arbitrary in all this. But there must be an explanation. Any ideas?


texts: Is "Don't just talk to your audience, play with them" correct ?

texts:
I am about to print out some business cards and I was wondering if

Don't just talk to your audience, play with them

is correct. I understand that as "audience" is singular, it should be

Don't just talk to your audience, play with it

but that just sounds weird.

Any ideas?


texts: What does the expression "to get (one's) thoughts centered" means?

texts:
I just heard it in an IELTs preparation video on youtube and googled it for definition but couldn't find any. Does "to get (one's) thoughts centered" mean to relax? or perhaps if somebody is distracted by a whole lot of things to think about and have scattered thoughts and ideas in his or her mind and then he or she finds a way to focus on one of them or the common ones. Would anyone kindly explain it to me? Also tell me if it is an idiom. Thanks.

Regards,
Aamir the Global Citizen


texts: Why is there a drastic difference in meaning between *amused* and *bemused*?

texts:
I'm sorry if this is a duplicate, but I have yet to find an exact match by search.

Both words use the same root of muse, which as a verb means to lose yourself in thought, ponder, etc.

So, clearly bemuse trades upon this usage, with be as an intensifier of a prefix meaning to really be lost in thought, bewildered, nonplussed, etc.

Why, then, is amuse to entertain?  The a prefix here means at (as derived from the Middle English and Old English).  And, if one were at muse, you would think them to be at a state of bewilderment, lost in thought, etc.

Or, is this meaning of muse related to the nine goddesses of Greek and Roman mythology who preside over the arts and sciences, and it means that you are at the muses?  It just strikes me as strange to mix an Middle English prefix with a Roman concept.

I guess it would suffice to say, I'm bemused by this one.


texts:
What is the plural form of "status"?
What is the plural form of "status"?


texts: Is it correct to use "City Name-area" in a sentence?

texts: Is it possible to use this: "Phoenix-area businesses" instead of "businesses in Phoenix" or "Phoenix businesses?"


texts: What do these sentences from "When Dinosaurs Roamed North Dakota" mean?

texts:
[W]e passed rolling hills with emerald green grass, farmhouses dotting
  acres of fields and wild, rocky landscapes. (Hillary Richard, "When Dinosaurs Roamed North Dakota", New York
  Times)

I understood the sentence as the following:

We passed rolling hills with emerald green grass that had farmhouses dotting a big area composed of fields and wild, rocky landscapes.

Does this sound intuitively right?

Or could it be read as:
"We passed three things: 1. rolling hills with emerald green grass 2. farmhouses dotting acres of fields 3. wild, rocky landscapes."

I believe grammatically both are correct, but I am wondering how most of you would read it intuitively.

Also, from the same article,

  The convoy — eight adults including a mother with an adolescent boy —
  turned off the highway

How many people do you read to be in the convoy? In the story later, the adolescent boy appears, so it's not saying a mother who has an adolescent boy came by herself.

To me, it sounds 9 people: 8 adults and 1 adolescent boy, but grammatically "eight adults" is a nominal appositive to "the convoy." Then are we counting the boy as one of the 8 adults?


texts: Shouldn't "the exact same" always be "exactly the same"?

texts: I've always avoided using the common phrase "the exact same" because it sounds incorrect to me (unless perhaps a comma were inserted thus: "the exact, same".) Shouldn't "the exact same" be "exactly the same"?


texts: An adjective for expressing beads freed from a beaded necklace

texts:
Start from the vision of a suddenly broken beaded necklace, from which all beads seem to escape, falling down to the ground and bouncing away. My English is imperfect, yet a sentence I can think of would be:

  The *** beads broke away from the neck of their elegant hostess.

I thought about unleashed, unchained, freed, released, yet I cannot catch this positive (like a child joy) feeling.

Is there and what is an adjective to describe how this inanimate object (bead) seems animated by free will (and freedom)?


texts: Idiom meaning to seize an oppportunity hungrily

texts:
There is an idiomatic phrase I have in my head but I can't seem to find it in online resources so I'm wondering if I've misremembered and in fact it doesn't exist or if I've remembered it correctly but it's not used outside of my circle.

The phrase is

  I would've taken [personal pronoun] arm off!

It means to be feel that an offer is extremely good such that one would rush to accept.

For example:

  Normally the day rate is 100, but he offered me 200 for half a day's work - if I hadn't been preoccupied I would've taken his arm off!

It's a metaphor imagining the offer was a morsel of food in the palm of a hand offered to the speaker, which he would devour so enthusiastically that the hand and its arm were eaten as well.

Has anyone else heard this?


texts:
I read the following sentence in a book and could not in any way justify the correctness of the sentence. Please help:

  Most states impose limitations on the authority of the legislature to borrow money, limitations intended to protect taxpayers and the credit of the state government.

Why could we not just write:

  Most states impose limitations on the authority of the legislature to borrow money, to protect taxpayers and the credit of the state government.

Or,

  Most states impose limitations, which are intended to protect taxpayers and the credit of the state government, on the authority of the legislature to borrow money.


texts: What is the name of the grammar structure of the words in the sentences below

texts:
What is the name of the grammar structure for sentences or expressions in the examples below?

Your coming here is always a pleasure!!

Your talking to her made all the difference !!

In these sentences the expressions : coming and talking are what? Verb , noun etc ?


texts: What's the proper word for "surity or sure-ness". E.g. "It's a surity that it will happen". I know "assurance" can be used. But is there an even closer term for this..?


texts: The proper word for a person who accompanies a patient

texts: I'm writing an article in health care field. I'm looking for a word that is used for a person who accompanies a patient in hospital. I once saw the specific word for that in an article but I can't remember it. I know that it's not "visitor" or "patient relative". There is a very specific word for it.


texts:
"This can be done using the technique of Peters, and using the
technique of Matthews, both which involve mathematics"

Having searched "both which" and "both of which" in Google, it appears "both of which" is more often used.

Why?

What does the "of" do?

If the "of" is necessary, why is it not necessary in the following sentence: "This can be done using the technique of Peters, which involves mathematics"?


texts: Plural forms which end in -x such as tableaux

texts:
Words borrowed from French and ending in -eau originally had plural forms which appended an -x rather than an -s. For e.g., the plurals of tableau, beau, and plateau were tableaux, beaux, and plateaux respectively. While the use of plateaux and beaux has petered out in favour of plateaus and beaus, tableaux has not.

My questions:

How are these -x plural forms pronounced?
Is there any particular reason why tableaux is still the preferred plural form unlike plateaux, beaux, and portmanteaux?


texts: Word or phrase for remoteness, great distance from human habitat

texts: I am looking for a word or phrase denoting remoteness and great distance from human habitat, for the purpose of naming a cabin in the wilderness. I have already thought of "far cry" and "back of beyond". It would be good if the word or phrase was associated with a quotation or title from a book or proverb, but mostly it needs to resonate with the idea of a place "far from the madding crowd".


texts: Is there a word or words for a group of numbers that is used with a specific meaning apart from the values of the numbers themselves? Like 911 for emergency, 411 for information, 24/7 for always available, or 10-4, 10-20, and similar radio code designations? I know each of these has specific meanings and associations, but I wonder what term/s can be used to refer to this category of numbers used as language.


texts: The phrase pied piper is used to refer to "a person who induces others to follow or imitate him or her, especially by means of false or extravagant promises." Does it have synonyms?


texts:
I've been having a small argument with a family member. She insists "It's no skin off my teeth" is the correct saying, though I've only heard "It's no skin off my nose" before.

Which saying is more "correct" than the other? By this, I mean which came first, which is more commonly used, and which is more acceptable to use.


texts: What's the meaning of boilerplate in programming?

texts: I am not very clear about the word boilerplate when it comes to programming. How is it different to other similar terms such as template and prototype? I would appreciate some examples that clearly explain the difference.


texts:
What is the definition of that phrase? Does it refer to the aforementioned words as bad? Or does it refer to the words as what it is.

Example: “Tonight I am to sup with my lords bannermen, such as they are."

Does this mean his bannermen are bad? Or does this mean his bannermen are bannermen?


texts: Word request: miscellaneous/supplementary (historical) accounts

texts:
I'm working on a site focusing on performing artists and I need a category for all the articles that (1) don't belong anywhere else (2) more often than not, offer behind-the-scenes insights and miscellaneous historical accounts.

My research so far:

behind the scenes: too narrow, excludes misc. articles
miscellany, miscellaneous: too generic/boring
trivia: too flippant
ancillary: too technical
addendum: too formal
annals: too formal


texts:
Are there differences in usage between unsuccess and failure?

Is failure harsher to hear than unsuccess? In other words, is unsuccess a euphemism of failure?


texts:
Consider the following statement:

  I have four assessments due in a weeks' time.

Here, the four assessments are due in one week. I am unsure if the apostrophe is placed correctly, i.e. is weeks' or week's more appropriate in this instance.


texts: How to say that the phone is held between shoulder and ear?

texts:
What are common phrases an English native speaker would use for the pose of speaking on the phone where you use your shoulder to keep the receiver against your ear (and mouth), so your hands are free?

I have some ideas, but they all sound wooden, and I don't think I've ever heard anyone describe this pose in words. It's also pretty much impossible to google for a pose or look it up on leo.org or other dictionaries.

OK, since people keep asking for what phrasings I found, I'll provide two, though I was hoping I could avoid influencing people who answer here by not providing them: "balance on one's shoulder", "held/nestled/sandwiched between shoulder and ear".


texts:
Suppose I have a collection of numbered items, say toll booths that are numbered from 1 to 10.

Consider three sentences:

  Toll booth 4 is closed today.
  Toll booth 1, toll booth 2, and toll booth 5 are all closed today.
  Toll booths 1,2 and 5 are all closed today.

This is not a question of correctness. I believe all three sentences to be acceptable Standard English. My question is: does the third usage (in which I pluralized name of the items in the collection, and listed the relevant items by numeral) have a technical name, something that I can look up in stuffy grammar text?

By the way, this occurs all the time when referring to page numbers. We don't typically say "See page 1, page 2, and page 10 for more details." Does this form of abbreviation have a name?


texts: About the use of the definite article "the" before a word starting with capital letters

texts: I am writing a scientific paper. I have made several assumptions which are properly ordered. When I cite them, shall I use, i.e., "... by the Assumption 1,..." or simply "... by Assumption 1,..."?


texts: Is the phrase “every X and every Y” singular or plural?

texts:
‘Every’ is considered singular, or so I have been told.

Every boy is happy.

However, what is correct when ‘every’ is used in both components of a compound subject?

Every boy and every girl is happy.
Every boy and every girl are happy.

People on my end give unconvincing arguments for both. I find neither particularly appealing. Still, one of them must be correct. Which one, and why?


texts: Who is responsible for calling the water between England and the United States "the pond?"

texts:
I'd like to blame the English of course, but if there is an individual culprit that would also be satisfying. As an example of such an individual culprit, the American, T.S. Kuhn, coined the equally inappropriate "paradigm shift", according to Collins English Dictionary:

  Word Origin
  C20: coined by T.S. Kuhn (1922–96), US philosopher of science

Etymonline mentions pond is a

  Jocular reference to "the Atlantic Ocean" [that] dates from 1640s.

Is this the first use of pond in this sense? Was the first use "jocular"?

This question has been said to be a duplicate of Why do we use the phrase 'Across the pond'?, but that question, and the answers, focus on why the phrase "across the pond" was used, rather than on the origin of "the pond" (not "across the pond"). Also, that question, and so the answers, did not focus on the origin of the phrase, even if the answers did dally with the origin. Note that the etymology tag was added to that question more than a year after most of the responses; the one later response did not treat the origin of the phrase.


texts: What word describes the form of address in which someone is called "Dad" or "Mum"?

texts:
I'm writing about what people might call God when praying, things like "Lord" or "Father" etc.

With respect to using "Dad" or "Mum", would you call them names? (not exactly - not like "Brian" for instance).  Not really a title either, is it?  How about an APPELLATION, perhaps?


texts: Word or phrase for knowingly engaging in bad behavior

texts: I want to specifically talk about behavior that doesn’t affect other people like a bad diet or gambling. Also it doesn’t necessarily have to influence a person’s life so badly, it could be something benign like leaving dirty clothes on the floor. Basically stuff that you know you shouldn’t do but you do it anyway


texts: What is perfect in present perfect continous tense?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Why is 'present perfect' present if it happened in the past? And why is it 'perfect'?

This is a mystery for me.

Why do we say perfect in tenses, for example present perfect continuous.
present and continuous is very obvious but what is perfect?


texts: Is this usage of "lol" considered a hedge?

texts:
In doing some research on another question I bumped into the term "hedge":

A hedge is a mitigating device used to lessen the impact of an utterance. Typically, they are adjectives or adverbs, but can also consist of clauses. It could be regarded as a form of euphemism.

I commonly see "lol" online but recently I have noticed it used as such:

I completely forgot about our meeting... lol.
I am completely embarrassed, lol.
Oh wow I was a complete retard will you forgive me lol

The final example could use some punctuation but these uses seem different than the original use of lol. It seems to signal an embarrassment or defensiveness in an attempt to (a) avoid conflict (b) claim no hard feelings (c) lighten the mood or (d) something else?
In any case, while I am curious about this usage in general I am more specifically asking about its classification. Is this considered a hedge? Or am I not understanding this term correctly?


texts:
Is a comma necessary in the above sentence?

My teacher was not able to explain why there should be a comma in this sentence whereas she asked me not to put a comma in this sentence-

Only if you are a member can you borrow books.

Could someone please explain the logic behind this?


texts: How to syllabify "obsessive": OB-SE-SIV or OB-SES-IV?

texts:
I was taught by my high school teacher how to count syllables and according to that method, you count them by clapping each syllable. The word "obsessive" should be: /əb.se.sɪv/ -- OB-SE-SIV. But when I searched it in Cambridge Dictionary, they say it is /əbˈses.ɪv/. /əb.se.sɪv/ (my method) sounds natural too).
The word "absolutely" is correct by both the dictionary and my method: /ˌæb.səˈluːt.li/
Is there any standard way of syllabification? Is the dictionary correct or not?


texts: What do you call a person who has never done anything wrong in their life?

texts:
What do you call a person who always speaks the truth, never does anything wrong, and treats everyone fairly?

I am looking for a word or name of a popular person who was famous for having similar characteristics.

I cannot think of any example, but I can use the word "Hitler" to associate a person with authoritarian or tyrannical characteristics.

PS: Is there any ironic word for it?


texts:
Bring me a book in the top drawer.
Bring me the book in the top drawer.
Bring me books in the top drawer.
Bring me the books in the top drawer.

Are they all grammatical? Would you let us know the difference in meaning?


texts: What is the accurate English translation/meaning of the phrase "In nocte consilium", the motto of Birkbeck College in London?

texts:
Not sure if this is the appropriate place to pose this question, but apparently we don't have a Latin Stackexchange...
The motto of Birkbeck College in London is "In nocte consilium". However I have seen widely differing interpretations of this phrase. The Wikipedia page cites a web page from a department of the college (now dead link), stating it means "Study by night". However a page on Wikipedia states that this phrase means "Tomorrow is a new day", which I don't see how could be possibly connected to the previous translation. And then on a page from Wikiproverbs, meanings like "An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening." are listed, which seem to be completely contrary to the first translation.
Finally, on the page http://distichalatina.blogspot.com/2012/01/in-nocte-consilium.html, a whole passage is displayed, stating:

In Nocte Consilium
Consilium in tenebris capias et nocte profunda:
Humanis obstat sensibus alma dies.

--

Before thou bring thy Workes to Light,
Consider on them, in the Night.

Which I find most plausible.
How shall this phrase be interpreted in English exactly? Surely a college that adopts this motto should have a clear idea about what it means before doing so? However, Googling doesn't reveal any official information on it given by the college...


texts: Idiom or word to say to someone who is talking without proof or data

texts:
I am working in the IT field. We faced an issue and hired a consultant to resolve that. Consultant gave us some generic recommendation which is not based on any data and will not resolve our issue.
Do you have any word or idiom in English to explain such situation?


texts:
Source: p 105, The Law of Contract, 5 ed (2012), by O’Sullivan and Hilliard

  It is encapsulated in the difficult seventeenth-century language of
  Lampleigh v Braithwait (1615):

    A mere voluntary courtesie will not have a consideration to uphold an assumpsit. But
    if that courtesie were moved by a suit or request of the party that gives the assumpsit,
    it will bind,
    for the promise, though it follows, yet it is not naked,
    but couples itself with the suit before , and the merits of the party procured by that suit,
    which is the difference.

  This means, if A asks B to do something for him and later promises to pay for it or do
  something in return, A’s promise will be enforceable because it is supported by consideration,
  namely what B did at A’s request.

Which definition of suit applies? I don't think that this means lawsuit, because the quote above discusses the 'request of the party', far ahead of any litigious action. So is it 4.1?

  4.1. = [literary] A petition or entreaty made to a person in authority) ?

I don't think that this means lawsuit, because the 'courtesie' hadn't been performed yet.


texts: What is the part of the speech of “But” in this sentence?

texts:
“These commands are binding on all  children; they cannot be neglected without sin. Whatever God has commanded us to do, we must perform, without calling in question the propriety of the command.
But the reasonableness of this command to obey parents is clear and easily understood by children, even when quite young.”

(The word “But” is a start of the new paragraph according to the sentence above. “Reasonableness” is a noun, so should it be preposition or conjunction? Because “but” could be preposition or conjunction...For me, I think it is a preposition...I’m not sure)


texts: What are you hiding behind your back vs behind yourself

texts:
I saw my son holding something very small and he didn't want to show it.While he was going to his room I said :

What are you hiding behind your back.

What are you hiding behind yourself.

Which one is correct?

Thank you.


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "I'll take a raincheck"?

texts: What is the origin of the phrase I'll take a raincheck?


texts: What would be a good term for a 'randomness generator' if that term is not suitable?

texts:
Dice can be used to generate random numbers, and online many random number generators can be found. However, what if you would have a device that creates non-numerical randomness? Think for instance of a large bowl with a great number of cards with single words on them. Each day, you would randomly pick two cards and try to figure out a meaningful relationship between the words. That could perhaps be called a 'random word generator,' or a 'random word connection generator,' but obviously one can introduce randomness in many forms to such a generator. So, what would be the best term to refer to such a generator? I was thinking of 'randomness generator,' but does that make any sense? What suggestions do you have?

Thank you.


texts:
Do we have 16 tenses in English?

With

future
present
past
future in the past

in these forms

simple
continuous
perfect
perfect continuous

Can we manipulate these together to create English tenses? For example, "present perfect" or "future perfect continuous"?


texts: Use of "have/has" when you don't know if the subject will be singular or plural

texts:
I have a log message in my application which depends on a list which may contain one or several elements. The string I am trying to create to show in the logs is like this:

"The key(s) {listOfKeys} have an odd length"

Given that the list of keys may have a minimum of 1 element, and hence I don't know if the subject will be singular or plural, should I use "have" or "has"? Or maybe something like "have/has"?
Note: I know that I can rephrase the sentence to avoid this problem, maybe something like "Invalid length for the key(s) {listOfKeys}", or even introduce a condition to write the sentence one way or another depending on the length of the key list, but I'm just curious to know how this problem is solved in English if I had no other option.


texts: Word For A Feature That Is No More Striking, But Still Deeply Embedded

texts:
I don't see how I could have phrased the question any better. What I'm looking for is a single-word for a characteristic and/or feature of something that had probably been a striking feature for the observer once, but isn't any more. However, it is still deeply embedded in it, as much as ever. It just isn't the distinguishing feature any more for one of several reasons.

So for example, the question of ethics and morals of Christianity were a hotbed for debate in the 15th and 16th centuries. A lot of its doctrine boiled down to the questions of right and wrong. Today, though it remains a salient feature, religion has come to mean so much more than just that. And while most people don't pay close heed to it, and often show blithe indifference to it, Christianity is still based on the very same notions.

What would such a feature, still there with the same intensity, but no more as distinctive, be called?


texts: Spelling out numbers that appear as written

texts:
Numbers under ten should definitely be spelled out, but what about the case where your use of them indicates how they exist in the thing you are describing? For example: “I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button marked with a 3.” Should that be three? Because the number isn’t spelled out on the elevator button. Moreover, if the answer is that it should be 3, should the 3 be in single quotes?

(I realize there is a more elegant way to construct this sentence, but my question still stands.)


texts: Should I say "at a low price" or "at a low cost"?

texts: I want to place an ad to sell my services. Should I say I have good service at a low price or low cost?


texts: What does "Slide on build" stand for in the PPt presentation?

texts:
This expression is used in the speaker notes to some slides of PPt presentation.
I suppose that "build" stands for some content of a slide like diagrams or table with text or something like that. But I am not sure.


texts: Does "I'm sure a lot of people will resonate with you on that" sound awkward?

texts:
"I'm sure a lot of people will resonate with you on that."

I am using this in one of my short stories and I am wondering if it is awkward?


texts: What's a good phrase for "refining a process which is hopelessly broken"?

texts:
I'm looking for a turn of phrase to describe a situation where the powers that be wish to continue making small improvements to a process which, due to deep-rooted flaws, will never be close to accurate.

I'm working on a process for estimating the states of business objects, and there's interest in fixing some edge cases which have been noticed.  This could be worthwhile, but because of missing data we're already making heroic guesses.  So if implemented, we might get from 80.0 to 80.1% accuracy.  If we were at 99.5%, I'd be happy to get it to 99.6%, but in the current situation it doesn't seem productive.

We have some CS people on E.SE; what would you call it when someone wants to optimize a two-second process to load data, though once loaded it will be chewed on by an inefficient algorithm for hours?

Something like "bailing the ocean" or "fixing a leaky faucet in a burning building" is close to what I have in mind.  There's also "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic," but that carries an implication that the changes are wholly useless, and that events are coming to a head.


texts: More concise form of "not intended for human consumption"

texts:
Is there a more concise way of describing something as not intended for human consumption?

For example how would you make the following more concise:

  This kind of thing [medicines in animals] was a concern when horses not intended for human consumption were found in meat fairly recently.


texts: Word for a person who find errors with anything?

texts:
Is there a word for a person who find errors with anything and everything and/or is difficult to please?

Example: I do everything David tells me to do, and he is still not pleased.

Or: Matthew complains about everything. No matter what I do and no matter what I speak to him about, he complains that it is wrong or not good enough.


texts: Correct word for work vacant, place, employment

texts:
In Human Resources, we want to implement MOF (Manual of Functions) for each employee based on their area and position, so that when an employee leaves, the functions remains for the next employee. We now lack of a word to name this in HR.

What is the best word to describe the position (that is, job title) of an employee in a specific area of an organization?

Can anyone please help suggest a word? Possible candidates I found are vacant, place, employment, and job.


texts: Is there a difference between "tongue-tied" and "speechless"?

texts:
Earlier today, a student of mine was telling me a story about how his colleague, upon seeing him wearing an over-the-top jacket, was so surprised that she couldn't say anything.

Question: Which expression would you have said?

  "My colleague was tongue-tied  when she saw me wearing such an extravagant jacket"
   or
  "My colleague was speechless when she saw me wearing such an extravagant jacket"

I'd always thought that the two were synonyms, but Merriam Webster defines tongue-tied as "unable to speak because you are nervous or shy" and speechless as "unable to speak because of anger, surprise, etc.", so I'd probably be more inclined to use speechless in this situation.

However, Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary has a broader definition of tongue-tied ("unable to speak, as from shyness, embarrassment, or surprise"), which seems to suggest that speechless and tongue-tied are synonyms.

Your thoughts? How would you use speechless and tongue-tied?


texts: What do you call a person who funds and supports someone else during a certain period of time?

texts: For example: Friedrich Engels supported Karl Marx during his entire life, so he could focus on his work. I know there is a word for such a relationship, but cannot remember it. Please help me out.


texts:
What's the difference between these two sentences?

  This movie is hardly as interesting as that one.
  That movie is almost more interesting than this one.

I would like a native speaker's opinion on this.


texts: What is the origin of using 'x' to mean 'with', and how has it spread?

texts:
I first came across this in horticulture, for example Viburnum × burkwoodii, to symbolise a cross between species of plants.

  When you see a genus name followed by the letter "x," followed, in turn, by an epithet, this is an indication that the plant is a cross between two different plant species—a "hybrid plant."

thespruce.com

However, I have recently seen this outside of horticulture, for example you can see 'Prismic x Gatsby' and 'Prismic x Nuxt' in the footer here, and 'Collier Webb X Samantha Todhunter' on the Collier Webb website.

The meaning here is pretty much the same as the horticultural one, as they mean a cross, association, or mix of two things. Did this start in botanical nomenclature, or is there some other root (excuse the pun)?

I'm curious as to how jargon from plant names has broadened to other sociolects.


texts: Punctuating and constructing a confusing list

texts:
I need to write a list that I cannot find a great parallel construction for because certain items in the list use "of" and one uses "to".

The sentence as originally written:

  Ratification, acceptance and approval of a treaty or accession to it shall be conducted when it is required by the treaty.

I've been contemplating the following re-write:

  Ratification of, acceptance of, approval of, or accession to a treaty shall be conducted when required by the treaty.

Or:

  A treaty shall be ratified, accepted, approved, or acceded to by the State when the treaty so requires.

Any other ideas on how to construct this sentence in a readable and grammatically correct way?

EDIT: I noticed the question on passive voice recently posted as well. The third example would be a case where passive voice is arguably preferable as the emphasis of this sentence should be the treaty and not the State.


texts: What is the difference between "acquisitional", "acquisitive", and "acquisitory"?

texts:
I am actually a native speaker, but this one threw me.

"Acquisitory" seems to be associated with avarice/greed, possibly specifically for material goods.

"Acquisitive" also seems to be related to the desire to acquire more material things, but possibly less pejorative.

"Acquisitional" seems to be the most neutral of the three, pertaining simply to the act of acquiring, without the connotation of greed.

Could anyone confirm or clarify?
Many thanks!


texts:
According to Wikipedia, accismus 'is a form of irony wherein a person pretends not to want an object they truly desire,' but, I wonder, what is 'a person who pretends not to want an object they truly desire' called — i.e., someone feigning an absence of interest in that which they keenly desire?

While I cannot understand English proverbs, it seems that "fie upon hens, quoth the fox because he could not reach them" could be appropriate in cases like this one, but I would like to know a single word or a concise expression to describe that person, rather than the situation.

Thus, my question is: Is there a word or a concise expression to describe 'a person who pretends not to want an object they truly desire'?


texts: Capitalising names of geographical/tourist terms

texts:
I'm translating a series of short tourism-related texts from Croatian to English and I can't find definitive answers for some of my dilemmas:

Names of waterfalls / caves / trails & word order

Are they capitalised the same as river / mountain / etc.?

Is there a rule on whether they should be used before or after the actual name (if the place in question is not big or famous enough to have an English name for it used consistently)?

What is correct:

Lorem Waterfall / Waterfall Lorem

Ipsum Cave / Cave Ipsum

Educational Trail Lorem / Lorem Educational Trail / Lorem educational trail (or any other combination)

Forest Trail Ipsum / Ipsum Forest Trail / Ipsum forest trail...

This has been driving me crazy, so thank you in advance!


texts: Terminology for using "the" instead of plural

texts:
I'm wondering about the following construction:

  The dog is a noble animal.

This seems to have the same meaning as:

  Dogs are noble animals.

I'm wondering if this sort of construction, referring to "the X" instead of X in the plural has a particular name.


texts: Is there a pithy phrase describing the state where two or more people are reduced to pointless, petty criticisms of each other?

texts:
I'm looking for a succinct way to describe what I believe is a semi-common situation, both in online discussions and sometimes in real life (e.g. with siblings during long car trips):  when a discussion between two or more people turns sour, such that rather than discussing or debating the subject at hand, the people involved get sufficiently irritated with each other that they instead get drawn into a back-and-forth series of pointless/petty/passive-aggressive criticisms of each others' style, grammar, minor logical ambiguities, etc.

I might call this "hen-pecking" (in reference to possibly-apocryphal reports that chickens packed into too-close proximity with each other will eventually start pecking each other to death, and must therefore either be given more space, or fitted with red contact lenses to calm them down), but I think there might be a better, more well-known phrase that describes the phenomenon.  Can anyone supply such a phrase?


texts: What is the idiom/proverb for "the more you pressure someone they will run away from committing"?

texts:
What is the idiom/proverb for the following?

  the more you pressure someone they will run away from committing/engaging"

This is attributed to a girlfriend and boyfriend, parent and child, teachers and students.

This reminds me of a non-related, but similar analogy:

  the more you ban things the more they will be inquisitive to indulge in it.

Does this also have a common idiom or proverb, or do they sound different principally?


texts: Can the second "by" be omitted from the expression "not by (sth), but by (sth else)"?

texts:
Is it correct to omit the second "by" from the following sentences?
    This is not caused by evil, but by simple ignorance.
    ..., know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

If Conjunction Reduction rule also applies here, instead of saying "not by something but by something else", he could just say
    This is not caused by evil, but simple ignorance.
    ..., know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but faith in Jesus Christ.


texts: "What would you with the king?" -From the book "Eats, Shoots and Leaves"

texts:
In the book Eats, Shoots and Leaves, in order to show how punctuation changes meaning and can be used for jokes, it says:

  Instead of “What would you with the king?” you can have someone say in Marlowe’s Edward II, “What? Would you? With the king?"

I understand the innuendo but I don't understand the sentence in bold. It sounds like there is a word missing? Or is it grammatically correct and I'm missing something here? Thanks


texts: A translation for the Bulgarian word "колбас", less specific than "sausage"

texts:
In Bulgarian we have the word "колбас" (kolbas) which means roughly "cooked meat, almost always with additives, usually ground, usually wrapped in an intestine or in something else".

English terms that denote kinds of "kolbas" include:

Sausage
Salami
Bacon
Ham

But online dictionaries translate "kolbas" to simply "sausage", which is really only one kind of "kolbas".

Note: I found the cognate "Kiełbasa" which has been borrowed into English from Polish. But it means just a type of sausage.


texts: For my English Language A level class I am analysing the song "The Story of O.J." by Jay-Z which frequently uses the word "nigga".  Is there a term to define the word "nigger" (as in one that shows that is socially unacceptable to use it rather than just a 'noun') but is there a totally separate one if it is changed to "nigga"?


texts: How should "Home sweet home" be punctuated?

texts: A quick survey of the internet reveals many instances of "home sweet home", no punctuation. But doesn't "home, sweet home" make the most sense?


texts: What does it mean when the beginning of a sentence is 'To Think' (followed by a comma)?

texts:
For example,
"My name rolled out of his tongue like it laced the abhorrence of a deplorable word. He might consider using to it summon the devil. To think, I hated my last name."

I don't understand the sentence.


texts: How can I call file not under version control in one word?

texts:
In opposite to - versioned - files that are under Source-Code-Version-Control system (i.e. Git/SVN), is there a way to call files that left deliberately out in one word?

Is word "un-versioned" ("non-versioned"?) valid construct?


texts: Are these two phrasal verbs expressing the same concept or 'pays back ' has a certain negative connotation?


texts:
I've come across the word simpatico and it aroused my curiosity, so I looked it up in the Oxford dictionary:

Having or characterized by shared attributes or interests; compatible

The usage examples include the word relationship after simpatico, which slightly perplexes me. Is this always the case?
Plus, based on the definition, I would assume simpatico is synonymous with the word same. Am I right?
Consider the following examples. Is simpatico used correctly here?

The two companies have simpatico ideas for some products that can trump a myriad number of others and cause them to be out of business.

We had a simpatico relationship and we were the epitome of a perfect couple as we were like-minded.


texts: Synonyms for black eye without the word "eye"?

texts:
Is there a synonym like that? Example sentence:

  One Monday, Mary showed up with a __ at work.


texts: Is there a difference between sortation and separation?


texts:
According to the online Oxford English dictionary, a magnum opus is

  a work of art, music, or literature that is regarded as the most
  important or best work that an artist, composer, or writer has
  produced.

Does there exist an opposite term (in the sense of the least important or worst work ever produced by someone)?


texts: What does this complicated sentence mean?

texts: Would to god I could strip you   of life and breath and ship you down to the House of Death   as surely as no one will ever heal your eye,   not even your earthquake god himself!’


texts: Comma Separating Ordinary Prepositional Phrase Following Object

texts:
I was playing a board-game last night with my friends and stumbled on this sentence in the rule book:

  Each Mine Region your Dwarves occupy is worth 1 bonus Victory Coin, at
  the end of your turn.

I thought this was a really strange way to use a comma and probably a mistake, but the rule book had so many other similar examples:

  Place a Troll's Lair in each region you occupy, to increase its
  defense by 1.

I mentioned this to a friend during the game. They assured me that it was correct and told me to read Stunk and White. I didn't want to contradict him, because I needed him in an alliance against an army of skeleton warriors.

Is this comma usage okay? Is there a name for it?


texts: Pandemic, Global Epidemic, Epidemic, Endemic

texts:
I really want to hear from the experts the definitions of all 4 terms especially whether global epidemic is equivalent to pandemic. Or should this question be directed to the epidemiologist?

Pandemic
Global Epidemic
Epidemic
Endemic

I have Googled the terms and I understand the definition of 1), 3) and 4). In short the definition is based on geographical location and scale of outbreak, Pandemic is an outbreak of disease on a global scale (e.g. HIV). Epidemic is an outbreak of disease on a localised area. Endemic is a disease in a localised area. However, a definition for Global Epidemic is not available online.

Recently, WHO mentioned that "“It is important to put this on the table: this virus(Covid19) may become just another endemic virus in our communities, and this virus may never go away,” WHO emergencies expert Mike Ryan told an online briefing." Isn't covid19 considered a pandemic since it is on a global scale and is spreading rapidly?

Another term that I come across often is Global Epidemic. For example in the WHO website, HIV is listed as Global Epidemic. Does that mean Pandemic and Global Epidemic are the same?


texts: What is the effect an average person feels when he/she meets a celebrity like Justin Beber or JFK in person?

texts:
What is the effect an average person feels when, for example, that person meets a Justin Beber or JFK in person?

I saw a documentary on JFK (I don't remember which one) once and they mentioned this syndrome where doctors in the hospital were tense and jittery ("don't know what to do, don't know what to say") during the time they were trying to bring
him back after he was shot since they were operating on a celebrity of that stature.

The phrase used was some kind of social syndrome.

Like one could say cold feet syndrome....but cold feet is a medical symptom too so it cannot be used.


texts:
I'd need help from native english people to understand if and how the verb "to give birth" can be used in a passive form.
I have this phrase but I'm not sure it's ok.
"They pray for help from idols given birth to by frightened minds."
I've read somewhere on the web that the passive form must have the "to be" + "past participle" + "to".
now I miss the to be in the phrase but not sure how to use it in the right way.
Thanks in advance.
EDIT:
First of all I wanna say thanks to all of you, who have spent a little time to answer my question. So, what we have here? Well it seems to me that almost each one of you has his own view.
Even my own phrase, that I thought was wrong or incomplete, has its own "supporter", and even if it is described as non perfect, seems that the same form is quite present on the web.
Than we have some alternative form: Generated by / Birthed by / Born of.
This can be reassumed as follow:
They pray for help from idols,

given birth to by frightened minds.
generated by frightened minds.
birthed by frightened minds.
born of frightened minds.

which is a vast array of solution, even if I didn't understand wich one would be the "most correct", if one of them can fall under this kind of definition.
Any other solution and/or further explanation is more than welcome.
Thanks again guys.
I'll follow this thread as long as someone of you keep on adding his point of view.
Cheers.


texts: To "fling oneself on his/her face" -- expression

texts:
What does this phase "fling oneself on his/her face" mean in the following context?

  Winston promptly flung himself on his face.


texts: I've checked some online dictionaries and have not found it in some while it does exist in others and so wonder if it's a word or not and unsure how to be sure about such things? Given a word, how can one be sure it exists? Is there an official online dictionary that can be trusted?


texts: A phrase that means “feigning being violated”

texts:
There was a recent phrase I can't remember for feigning being violated.

I know the word perfidy is sometimes used, but that is not what I am looking for.  I remember seeing something on the media and I just can't remember it.

It's like when someone takes offense for something that was never meant offensively,  making a big to do about nothing. Similar to  positioning oneself to assume the worst in people, never assuming the other person made a genuine mistake.

Think of a person bumping into someone accidentally,  and the other person acts as if they have been physically assaulted.


texts:
What is the opposite of "granular" in the following usage?

  granularity

  The level of detail considered in a model or decision making process.
  The greater the granularity, the deeper the level of detail.
  Granularity is usually used to characterize the scale or level of
  detail in a set of data.

  http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/granularity.html

I'm looking for something tropologically parallel, so not "generalized," "basic," or the like.


texts: Is the use of the contracted negative form of Do, the DON'T, in reference to a singular event or action acceptable in formal writings as is in song lyrics composition?


texts: I need to explain to someone why it's grammatically incorrect to use "artifacts reduction" as opposed to "artifact reduction." Can anyone help with an explanation?


texts: Meaning of this sentence "if you want to glimpse the future, just look behind you"

texts:
I was going through the script of the motion picture Furious 7 and in the opening scene Jason Statham says:

  If you want to glimpse the future, just look behind you

Before posting this question, I did some research over the internet to figure out some other occasions where this sentence may have been used, but most of the results that I got are related to this dialogue from this movie.

So I'm a bit confused by what he means by "look behind you". Is he saying that our future will be similar to our past?


texts:
I am not sure about using the past tenses here:

  Yesterday I saw my friend who had just finished the university and
  wanted to go out.

Is that correct? I am not sure about the past perfect but using past simple would (IMO) imply that the actions happened one by one.


texts: Two concerns about this short passage written by William Trevor

texts:
Growing up in the listless nineteen-eighties, Cecilia Normanton knew her father well, her mother not at all. Mr. Normanton was handsome and tall, with steely gray hair brushed carefully every day so that it was as he wished it to be. His shirts and suits gave the impression of being part of him, as his house in Buckingham Street did, and the family business that bore his name. Only Mr. Normanton’s profound melancholy was entirely his own. It was said by people who knew him well that melancholy had not always been his governing possession, that once upon a time he had been carefree and a little wild, that the loss of his wife—not to the cruelty of an early death but to her preference for another man—had left him wounded in a way that was irreparable.

What substitution do you recommend for the ward steely? According to dictionaries steel gray is a nearly neutral slightly purplish dark gray that is lighter and slightly bluer. I have my doubts if the writer meant that his hair was blue gray!
What the highlighted that is reffering to in line 4 ? Is it reffering to the melancholy ? I mean does it mean the melancholy , or is it just an object, like other that s that come follwing the first one?


texts: What determines the meaning of ‘rise’ with no adverb or preposition?

texts:
From my earlier question, I got “rising” in the following citation means getting up from the bed.
1.(Harry was sitting up on a bed in the hospital wing at school, surrounded by his visitors. Fudge, one of them, started to insult Harry.)

"Insane," whispered Fudge, still backing away. "Mad ..."
And then there was silence. Madam Pomfrey was standing frozen at the foot of Harry's bed, her hands over her mouth. Mrs. Weasley was still standing over Harry, her hand on his shoulder to prevent him from rising. Bill, Ron, and Hermione were staring at Fudge. (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (4) [US Version]: p.709)

Then I came across another rise, which obviously means getting angry.
2.(Malfoy provoked Harry and Ron.)(They are not sitting or kneeling.)

"Don't rise," Hermione whispered imploringly to Harry and Ron, who were both watching Malfoy, faces set and fists clenched. "It's what he wants…." (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (5) [US Version]: p.361)

No.1 means getting out from the bed and No.2 means getting angry or upset. That's okay, but I'd like to know why rise in No.1 meaning is so obvious. I'd appreciate it if you could clarify it for me.
Side Note:
Actually, I have a guess about what determines the meaning of rise and that's as follows; When the person who is told to rise has already been up on his feet, the rise means getting angry. On the other hand, when the person has been sitting or else, the rise means assuming a standing position or getting out from the bed.
There might not be such a rule. But in that case, I can’t figure out why rise in No.1 definitely means getting out from the bed, because Harry is insulted and anyone would get excited in the situation. It's not surprising Mrs. Weasley prevented him from getting excited. Besides, a dictionary says putting a hand on one’s shoulder sometimes expresses restraining someone's excitement. (eg. Jonathan was outraged. Fletcher, seeing his face, put a hand sharply on his shoulder and said, "Don't say anything you might regret…." )


texts: Is it correct to append "no" to a question?

texts:
I have always been puzzled by some sentences people make that end in a no. For example, let's say someone instructed you not to leave your post before they arrive. Then they return but you're not there. When you finally meet them, they say:

  So you decided to wait for me elsewhere than we had agreed, no?.

What is the meaning of no and what should I answer?


texts: Do you capitalize the names of holidays?

texts:
I always thought the names of holidays were proper names, and should thus be capitalized "Christmas", "Thanksgiving", etc. However, I recently made a typo when talking about Christmas (Christmsa), and my spelling checker corrected it to be lower case "christmas". It knew what word I wanted, but made it lower case, where it would usually recognize incorrect capitalization.

So I wondered: Is my spelling checker wrong? Or is capitalization of holiday names not a requirement?

And either way, any insight on why the spelling checker would be this way?


texts: Can I use "needs of the hour" when referring to something plural?

texts:
Can I say "needs of the hour" in place of "need of the hour" when talking about plural subjects? For example:

  These changes are needs of the hour.


texts: Difference between Past Simple and Past Continuous for a past action

texts:
Should the gaps in this sentence be filled with verbs in Past Simple or Past Continuous tense?

_______________ you ___________________ (make) a lot of friends when you ________________ (live) abroad?


texts:
I'm quite confused about the use of abbreviations and full stops and I also have an additional question.

According to Oxford A-Z Grammar and Punctuation, if the abbreviation consists of the first part of the word, then you  use a full stop:

Wed.

1) Then how comes I always see exam isn't written as "exam."?

2)Silly as this seems, if I were write the sentence "On Wed.", would it require another full stop at then end?


texts: Correct usage of numeral-noun adjectives with nouns

texts:
Sorry for such ridiculous question, but I cant find an answer by myself.
I have a one column row ( row with one column in it ) and two column row ( with two columns in it ). The question is : what is the correct variant ( two column row or two columns row or the third one ) and how I can find grammar rules about that?


texts: What's the word that sounds like “convolution” in this recording?

texts:
Here's what I think about what this recording says:

  So they thought this behavior, this convolution and stuff, is a reaction against the witch.

I can't get the word that sounds vaguely like convolution to me.

Do you have any suggestions?


texts: What is the origin of the expression "do me a solid"?

texts:
What is the origin of the phrase "do me a solid"?
The definition I am referring to:

do me a solid
do something for someone as an act of kindness; do someone a favor.

Example usage:

Hey Bob, can you do me a solid and help me move out of my apartment?

An attempt at googling this found really different answers ranging from Seinfeld to drug usage.


texts: "If I was"/"If I were": what's the right usage and why?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “If I was” or “If I were”. Which is more common, and which is correct?

From what I have read so far both are correct and was is used in an informal way. But somehow statements like "If I was to lose my mind" sound incorrect.

Is the above sentence correct? Why is this the case?


texts: Positive version of 'A miss is as good as a mile'

texts:
If some quality can be quantified where there's some threshold value that has a significance, then, no matter how close you are under that threshold, the idiom 'A miss is as good as a mile' applies. Implying, of course, that the closeness is irrelevant: below the threshold is below the threshold.

For example, say you had an exam where the pass mark was 60% and you scored 59%: you still fail, even though you were only one percentage point from the threshold.

My question is: Is there a 'positive' version of this idiom, for the situation where you're slightly over the threshold? To extend our example: say I scored 60% and my friend scored 96%; when the quality is banded by its thresholds, we both passed, even though I only just made it.


texts: Place of "either" for different propositions

texts:
I want to work on either X or Y.

I have to change that sentence this way:

  I want to work either on X or in the realm of Y.

Is there any problem with it? I am doubtful about the proper placing of "either".

P.S. I know that we have to adjust place of "either" according to the verb(s).


texts: What is the word for things that work even when they aren't working (e.g. escalators)?

texts:
I'm looking for a word (or phrase) to describe mechanisms that are perfectly functional even when they aren't functioning as expected.

Examples of these include:

Escalators & Electric Walkways: Even when they aren't powered these systems still function as perfectly adequate stairs or sidewalks
Mopeds: Even when out of gas, the owner can still pedal along
Electric Toothbrushes: One can still brush their teeth without turning it on

I've considered using engineering and management terms such as redundant mechanisms, enhanced systems, or fault-tolerant machines that come close, but those terms refer to very specific technical concepts that don't apply to my needs or the the examples.


texts: Proper way to use the comma when having a similar items in a list with one exception

texts:
What I am trying to say..

The thermal conductivity of a material is dependent on its crystal structure, phase , microstructure and doping level (for semiconductors).

What I wrote..

The thermal conductivity of a material is dependent on its crystal structure, phase and microstructure – and doping level for semiconductors.

Is this the correct usage of em-dash or can you suggest a better way.

Thanks


texts: Does "is" or "are" introduce a list of items?

texts:
Should a list of items be introduced with is or with are? Does the verb agree with a singular list or with multiple items in the list?

  Next in the row is/are Khorasan-e-Razavi, Esfahan, Khuzestan, Fars and East Azarbayejan provinces with 5.3, 4.6, 3.9, 3.6 and 2.8 million persons respectively.


texts:
I found a question asking:
Upon leaving, we were shocked to discover/discovering that a mandatory tip of 15 percent was added to our bill.
the answer is "to discover" to explain the reason why they were shocked. My question is why not "discovering?" (as a participle phrase)
I thought adverbial phrase can be changed into participle phrase as in
I went out for a walk after I finished my homework.
--> I went out for a walk finishing my homework.
but why not "discovering" in that question above?
please help me.


texts:
I'm studying "that clause" but I'm confused

"that a bus may have a flat tire confuses you when you decide which vehicle you get on"

this sentence is grammatically correct ? if not, why?

thanks


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “Checked into the database” versus “checked in to the database”

I understand the difference between "into" and "in to".  The first involves the movement towards the inside of a place.  The latter, is a combination of an adverb and preposition.  This is explained here.

But, does "into" require that the place be a physical location? If so, I would guess using "in to" would be correct since SVN (or Git, or...) is not a physical location.

Is it more correct to check code into svn or check code in to svn?


texts:
Recently I have been puzzled why the word proceed is found on most websites when the user is going to checkout, cart or shopping cart.

Is there a reason for this in the english language that warrants the use of proceed or can I just use go to.


texts: It would be grateful vs. other expressions

texts:
Looking for some feedback on the stock answer I usually give to Korean learners of English when they use the phrase "It would be grateful if..."

Quick background: I'm an English language instructor/coach for Korean business professionals in Seoul, South Korea. Recently, I have frequently encountered the expression above in students' emails.

My stock answer is that this expression is incorrect because "it" (the situation/event/action) is not a person, so it cannot feel grateful about another person's actions. Students usually then ask, "Well, what about: 'It would be appreciated if...'"

This expression is ok because it is passive construction; 'appreciate' is a verb, not an adjective like 'grateful'.

This seems to me to be the best explanation I have come up with so far. Does anyone have any input/additional comments in the way of a better explanation? Also, along the same lines, how would you then explain the expression:
"It would be embarrassing if..."
Thanks!


texts: What is the term that describes the opposite in a pair?

texts:
Say you have a database record, with a field operation, which can have the values checkIn or checkOut. If you have one of the two records, how do you call the other record?

I thought of complement and counter_record, but I would appreciate more ideas.


texts: What are the words for the different parts of a ticket?

texts:
Admission tickets such as those for the cinema are often composed of a part which will remain to the customer, and a part which will remain to the attendant.

What are the two parts called?
What is the action of separating the two parts called?
What is the word for the dotted line, usually with small holes in it to facilitate the process?


texts:
"I am thinking ... ."

"I am guessing ... ."

"I am wanting ... ."

It might be a septuagenarian's illusion or it might actually be that this tense of verbs is now is (overly) heavy use.

Is there any way to account for it, other than fashion?


texts:
I'm looking for, as I feel there probably is, an adjective that means something along the lines of 'as a consequence of war'.

e.g., "The women were bored by the X lack of men." Where X implies that the lack of men is due to some war.


texts: Example of too few commas(,) in an introductory phrase?

texts:
This sentence popped up as correct on a website:

"Even though I enjoyed myself at the expensive dinner and most of my friends were in town to see me, I left."

I'm no grammarian, so I turn to you all for help. Shouldn't there be a comma before and?

"Even though I enjoyed myself at the expensive dinner**,** and most of my friends were in town to see me, I left."

I assume that since "and most of my friends were in town to see me" is an independent clause, it should have a comma at the beginning.

I'm a grammarphobe. Please answer correctly, but gently.


texts:
And then there's the vice chair of central, Stanley Fischer, who told Sara Eisen that he is watching the economy closely.

(Begin video clip)

  STANLEY FISCHER, Federal Reserve vice-chairman: Where most people think it will happen this year, but you don't want to get more definite than that. It depends on how the economy develops. We'll try to do it at the best possible time and we'd like to see the economy beginning to grow again and grow at a decent rate.

This is from a transcript at http://nbr.com/2015/04/16/transcript-nightly-business-report-april-16-2015/.

I don't understand what "you don't want to" means here. Does this mean "do not try (to get more definite. There is nothing more you can find)" or anything else?


texts: Names for the levels of a dictionary entry

texts:
What are the names for the different "levels" of a dictionary entry, especially for the Oxford English Dictionary entries displayed by Google?
E.g., I find a LOT of levels in the dictionary entry for the word like. I'll give this a shot:

"word", (e.g., "like".)
"homographs", (e.g., "like^1", "like^2", "liked^3". Indicated by "^*". From what I can tell, this is the level at which etymologies are provided)
"parts of speech", (e.g., "preposition". Indicated by italics.)
"definitions", (e.g., "1. having the same characteristics or qualities...". Indicated by a tab, and a number if more than one.)
"specifications" or "sub-definitions", (e.g., "in the manner of". Indicated by two tabs and a bullet)

Does this sound right? Any important edge cases I'm missing here?


texts:
I happened upon the following sentence in a textbook:

  'An increase in the number and size of islets is characteristic of infants born to diabetic mothers.

I get that, as the sentence is presented, the singular noun 'increase' is governing the singular verb 'is', but aren't two different 'increases' being described, one in size and one in number?

On another note, I would probably see nothing wrong with 'The love of money and power was his undoing'. I'd imagine a single 'love' that embraces both 'money' and 'power'.

So, what's the rule in matters like this?


texts: Which one to use — "support" or "sports"?

texts:
I have read about many times like as given below:

  Nokia N8 Mobile Support A 12-Megapixel Camera.

and

  Nokia N8 Mobile Sports A 12-Megapixel Camera.

So my questions are:

Is there any difference in the meaning of those two words here?
If yes, then when should one use support and when sports?


texts: 'I eat kittens before ponies' vs 'I eat kittens before I eat ponies'

texts:
Are either of the following sentences grammatically incorrect? Assuming they are both correct, is one preferred over the other? If so, in what situations is each preferred?

I eat kittens before ponies.
I eat kittens before I eat ponies.

I have the same set of questions for the following sentences:

I put sprinkles on unicorns before lumberjacks.
I put sprinkles on unicorns before on lumberjacks.
I put sprinkles on unicorns before I put sprinkles on lumberjacks.


texts: Meaning and etymology of the word "latty"

texts:
In Terry Pratchett's novel, "The Wyrd Sisters", the word "latty" is frequently used. From the context I can figure out that it means some kind of cart (used by traveling performers in the story), but I could not find it in any dictionary.
Does it mean what I think it does? Where does it come from, in what time period was it used?

If you do not "just remember it" from somewhere, please include your sources in the answer, so I could check myself next time. Thank you! :)


texts: Why are visa application centres called "visa sections"?

texts:
In this article, the term "visa sections" is used to refer seemingly to visa application centres, in the following passage:

  Applications around the world soared and visa sections in parts of India, China, Bangladesh and Nepal were closed to new applicants for many months amid concerns over fraudulent applications.

Then, I encountered the term in the photo in this blog article.

How did this term come to be used for visa application centres?


texts: How to translate Portuguese demonyms containing gender?

texts:
I can say "Brazilian company" (empresa brasileira, in Portuguese) for a company in Brazil. If the company resides in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, in Portuguese we say "empresa mineira", or for a group, "grupo mineiro".

This demonym varies with gender, being feminine (mineira) or masculine (mineiro), depending on the noun that it qualifies. How should I apply it in English, since English nouns have no gender? Mineira company? Mineiro company? Minas Gerais' company?

Since this is appearing a lot in the text I'm translating, I would like to avoid repeating "Minas Gerais' ..." all the time.


texts: Can I use two conjunctions in one sentence?

texts:
I learned that if I use two conjunctions in one sentence, I need at least three separated sentences.
(subject+verb conjunction subject+verb conjunction subject+verb.)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In this sentence, the two conjunctions 'for' and 'but' are used without main(or pivot??) sentence.
Then, why is this sentence grammatical?


texts:
I have a review/moderation system for content submissions. Each submission may have one of the following statuses:

Submitted, pending review/moderation. Action: submit() triggered by the User when submitting, events fired: submitting, submitted.
Needs Improvement, I use this status to tell the user that his submission needs a correction/revision before it can be approved. Action: needsImprovement() triggered by Me, events fired: needingImprovement, neededImprovement.
Improved, the user has submitted a correction/revision as requested. Action: improve() triggered by the User, events fired: improving, improved.
Approved. Action: approve() triggered by the Me, events fired: approving , approved.
Rejected. Action: reject() triggered by the Me, events fired: rejecting, rejected.

Can someone please let me know if there is a single word that can be used to replace Needs Improvement status?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Can "hidden in plain sight" be used in a sentence?

texts:
I learned from google that "Hidden in Plain Sight" is a movie title. Since I caught up the expression without context, I tried to use it. Now, I'm not sure whether it can be used without making reference to the movie.

Can I say "This [...] was hidden in plain sight" referring to something that should have been obvious for everyone involved, but was overlooked due to way people approached the problem.

The context is a non-technical introduction to an academic thesis.


texts: What is a word for "first of it's kind" or "unlike anything that came before it"?

texts:
I have a recollection of a word that means something like "first of it's kind", or "unlike anything that came before it".

As in, "the original iPhone had a unique design that was unlike anything else in the industry - no fixed buttons, and an interface that was nothing but a sheet of glass..."

I think the word connotes new, radical, revolutionary, and significant.

I have a very vague recollection that the word was latin, like "de novo", but I'm pretty sure that wasn't it.


texts: I need a word encompassing the meaning of free from something

texts:
Suppose I have a work to accomplish today, but I am not in the mood to finish it. I need the word to comprehend all these ideas.

The sentence to be put in would be like

"Request to free me from the work that I had been assigned today".

"Request to _ from the work that I had been assigned today"

or "Request _ of work that I had been assigned today"
or something close to this formulation.


texts: What is a term for someone who plays the fool and is secretly not one?

texts:
This is akin to the ‘Darth Jar Jar’ theory, where Jar Jar is theorised to be a powerful and clever sith lord who acts clumsy and stupid to hide in plain sight.

Preferably the term conveys a fake persona not just faked ignorance of an individual thing (someone who is openly intelligent but fakes ignorance of a single event doesn’t count for instance)

Please do comment other examples from fiction but with spoiler tags.


texts:
After being put at a crossroad

(I would say: when someone puts another in a situation that he/she has to decide what to do)


texts: Are there any word start with 'a' and means 'iterate'?

texts:
I am in a startup and we are planning to make a product.
We need an eye-catchy presentation of our solution.
And we want a word which means iterate, or upgrade spirally,
and it should start with a.
Are there any words meet the needs described above?
UPDATE： when I say upgrade spirally, what I want to express is
to upgrade our product quickly and repeatedly by collect feedback information of our customers.
I am not a native english speaker, sorry for the misunderstand.


texts: Is there a word for 'a person who is always hungry'?

texts: Let's say I'm always hungry, even after I have my meal(s). What would be a word to express that? IMHO, I think starving, famished won't be applicable as these words would only describe the current situation.


texts:
I came across a sentence:

  There is expected to be an improvement in the transportation system in that town.

The term: there is expected to be sounded  strange to me. Is it grammatically correct? If so, what are the other ways to express the same idea ?


texts:
In the context of currency exchange in Argentina, what's the etymology of "Blue dollar" exchange rates?

The US dollar isn't blue (it's green) and apart from "blue movies", I haven't heard of "blue" being used to mean illicit - usually it's black, or grey for less illicit.


texts: Middle English /t/ and /d/ pronunciation

texts:
Were "t"s and "d"s in Middle English realized as apical alveolar stops (tip of the tongue against the alveolar ridge, like in German) or as laminal alveolars/denti-alveolars (blade of the tongue against the alveolar ridge and upper teeth, like in Spanish)?
I'm asking this because I often get tripped up trying to pronounce words with "tr"s or "dr"s in them, where it's an alveolar stop followed by an alveolar tap/trill, like in "trouthe" or "droghte". It seems like the only way I can make these sounds is if I realize the "t"s and "d"s as laminal alveolars, with the blade of the tongue. I can't figure out how I might pronounce those "r"s after apical alveolars.
Thanks.


texts:
sanctuary (Oxford)   /ˈsæŋktʃuəri  ; ˈsæŋktʃueri/

It is /k/ that I don’t hear in the website’s pronunciation. Do they drop /k/ under some pronunciation rule? - it happens that /ŋ/ and /k/ all are velar sounds.


texts:
I came across the following sentence:

  This is the only type of command that requires us to complete by a certain time - all of the other ones aren't governed by exclusion logic.

I am intrigued by the use of the word "ones" to indicate "a subset" or "a group."

Since the sentence could be rewritten to eliminate the use of "ones," I'm inclined to think that "other(s)" and "ones" are somehow related/redundant:

  This is the only type of command that requires us to complete by a certain time - none of the others are governed by exclusion logic.

The use of "ones" seems very informal and colloquial to me - where did it originate?
Is it unique to English, or is there a similar construct in other languages?


texts: What is the difference between a "prefix" and a "combining form"?

texts: According to ODO, mini- is classified as a combining form. How exactly is this different from a prefix (or an affix, in general)? Can combining forms also be prefixes?


texts: Difference between "distinctive" and "distinct"

texts: What's the difference between distinctive and distinct? My understanding is that something being distinctive means it has the power of differentiating between two things or making something different from other things, while something being distinct means it is different from other things. Is that right?


texts: Is there a word for wanting, or craving, power

texts: The title is self-explanatory. Is there a word for the desire to have power, or should I just use the phrase?


texts: Is there a word for wanting something so badly that you begin to hate it?

texts:
This is incredibly specific. But let's say you're an entry level employee at an office. Maybe you work in the mailroom, but really aspire to be promoted to Technician. You dream about the day that you will become a technician and finally get out of the mailroom.

One by one, all your mailroom friends become technicians, but you keep getting overlooked. And slowly, you begin to hate/resent not only them, but the role of technician. You decide that you no longer want to be a technician; that all technicians are morons.

It's like a hybrid of covetousness and resentment and jealousy. Is there a word for that?

Sample sentence: "I used to want to be a technician, but now I __________ that job."


texts:
I am writing a short story using past tense, but I am a little bit confused when it comes to writing this part:

  She had never seen a man as athletic as him before.  She knew Japanese men (were / are) not as tall as British men...

Is it appropriate to shift tense here? Or do I use the past tense throughout? The narrator is stating a fact about a fictional world in my story.

Hope my question and explanation makes sense. Thanks!


texts:
I am wondering, is there a word for grain, or produce in general, that it is ready to be harvested? I was considering ripe but this gives the connotation of completely ready and edible, but doesn't seem to be related to the harvest.

Thanks


texts:
Maybe this is a Stackoverflow question, but I am not sure. I am looking for a word(or perhaps a phrase) to describe a person who registers for a lot of conferences but never bothers to attend them.

There are so many conferences in and around London, and I know a bunch of people who almost always register for all of these conferences but don't bother to attend these. How do I describe them or their behaviour?


texts: What are the differences among Vitrioil, Vituperative and Invective?

texts: I am having a really hard time seeing the nuanced differences between these three synonyms, especially vituperation and vitriol. I saw from my research that invective is used in more formal  context with use of refined language (if somebody can add more to this word, I would be appreciate it). But I have trouble seeing the subtle difference between vitriol and vituperation since both suggest bitter, cruel, harsh abusive language.Thanks.


texts:
Could someone clarify the meaning of the following proverb?

  The name of an honest woman is mickle worth.

(the entry in the Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs is not very helpful)


texts: What is a word to describe the units of influences for a piece of work?

texts:
The thing about a changelog, or an update that has been made for a document or an app, is by the time the reader reads about the update or the change, the update's already happened. The reader is now reading about the past, not the the present.
So this unit of change, from the perspective of the author, is an update, but from the perspective of the reader in the future, it's no longer an update. It's ... what? A completed change?
Another example. The science of evolution has received many contributions, including from Charles Darwin. We would not look at this branch of science and say Charles Darwin made an update. From the perspective of the 21st century... this branch of science has many.... sources. Influences. etc.
Sources and influences are the best words I've thought of so far but they don't sound quite right to me.
Basically I'm looking for a word like update except the word communicates it's already happened and it's helped create what exists now.


texts: A phrase describing anomaly multiplicator

texts:
Let's say the anomaly occurs when the current value is 10 times bigger than 2 previous values. But I want to have the opportunity to change value '10' to something else.

How do I name this '10 times'? I was thinking about 'anomaly multiplicator' or 'anomaly threshold' but they don't sound good.

EDIT

The anomaly is about read pages of a book. So the user is writing the number of pages he/she read every day and the task is to find out when the anomaly occurs.
For example, Anna read 10 pages on Monday, 15 pages on Tuesday and 2 pages on Wednesday. 'Anomaly multiplicator' is 3. The average of 2 last days is (10+15)/2 = 12,5 pages. The anomaly occurs because 12,5 > 2*3. I want to let Anna choose this 'anomaly multiplicator'.


texts: Is the use of word-'both' with plural nouns correct in the sentence below

texts:
Sentence => 'Two or more vectors are said to be equal vectors when both of their magnitudes and directions are same.'
In the above sentence I have used the word-'both' with the words- 'magnitudes' and 'directions' which are in plural form because the sentence is referring to two vectors which each have some magnitude and a direction.
Please also tell if there is an other error or if the sentence can be written in another way.


texts: Suitable words to describe 'the act of defining parameters' and 'set of parameters' in a software

texts: Let's say you have a software that does follow up of payments. You define after x days send a reminder email, after y days alert a manager to call that person, after z days alert another department to send legal notice etc. Here x, y, z are called 'parameters'. Please give a single word for the 'set of parameters' and the 'act of defining/setting parameters' in this context.


texts:
There seem to be two different kinds of adjectives, those that are used as prefixes and those that are used as predicates. Is there a name or terminology for this difference?

For example,

The dogs are agressive.
Aggressive dogs bark.

This adjective can be used both ways.

The president is alone.
The alone president went into his office. <DOES NOT WORK>

The adjective 'alone' can only be used as a predicate.

The only adjectives that seem to not work as a predicate are nouns used as an adjective. For example:

The emergency decree was issued.
The situation was highly emergency. <AWKWARD>


texts:
Is it okay to use different tenses in this way?

  Try to  find an area where science isn't needed, where experiments weren't
  perfomed.


texts: A word or expression for being paralyzed by fear or scare, like German *Schockstarre*

texts:
I am searching for a nice, possibly picturesque and idiomatic way of expressing in English what Germans call Schockstarre -  being paralyzed by fear.

  in Schockstarre verfallen

The word is used, first, to discribe the state some animals fall into when under threat, for example a beetle may have such a condition - not moving, apparently dead, so that a predator would hopefully turn away disinterested. Second, the word is used to picturesquely desribe a similar state in humans; usually ironically.

I tried to find adequate expressions in English but what I found so far seems too normal, not pointed enough to me:

  to be paralyzed from shock

  to be in a state of shock

These expressions seem to be mere descriptions of an actual state of shock, and I feel they lack the expressive power of German in Schockstarre verfallen (which evoces the picture of a motionless beetle or other funny animal).

Any ideas?

If you need a context: imagine, for example, a newspaper article describing a dangerous international situation, and the White House is unable to do anything meaningful due to inner confusion (I make this up, nothing real is intended here). Or take German car makers who seem to be paralyzed by daily new revelations of their fraudful schemes. Anyway, people who should actually do something, but do conspicuously nothing, and you describe this with irony.


texts:
I am reading the following article:

  Nelson, T., Maxfield, S., & Kolb, D. (2009). Women entrepreneurs and
  venture capital: Managing the shadow negotiation. International
  Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 1(1), 57–76.
  https://doi.org/10.1108/17566260910942345

On page 65 there is written:

  Kelley went to a woman friend whose business was also in the life
  sciences to get advice on potential investors with interest and
  successful experiences in the same industry arena. The friend helped
  Kelley with an introduction but the investor “wasn’t interested in
  this ‘anomaly’ business;” he wanted the “cookbook.”
  Rebecca, meeting initial resistance, eventually screened VC firm
  portfolios for women-led businesses believing that this signaled an
  openness to “non-cookbook” opportunities.

What's the meaning of the word "cookbook" in this context? I think it would mean "usual", but I am unable to find this meaning or a similar meaning for the word "cookbook" in dictionaries.


texts: Comma usage with intoductory phrases and/or words

texts:
I have the following sentence "But, in general, we tend to..."
Is this proper comma usage?
A similar sentence "However, as for today, we..."
Thank you.


texts: What’s a word for someone who does not believe in sexual orientation?

texts: What do you call a person who does not believe in sexual orientation (other than the word bisexual)?