texts: What does “Schmissues” mean in “Issues, schmissues. Can the Presidential candidates sing”?

texts:
Today’s (May 7) New York Times carries an article under the title, “Issues, schmissues. Can the Presidential candidates sing?,” which begins with the following passage:

“The cacophony of presidential candidates is getting louder by the day, and while they have a variety of views on political matters, many of them have at least one thing in common — a love of music.”
- http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/05/06/for-2016-candidates-a-mix-of-musical-talents/?hp&action

I consulted with Oxford online English Dictionary and Cambridge online English Dictionary to get the meaning, neither of which carries the definition of the word, “Schmissues.*”

I presume “schmissues” is an Yiddish origin from its sound. What does it mean? Is the word popular among Americans?

*P.S. I should have checked "schm-," not “Schmissues.”


texts: Is it possible to use "demotivate" with something not related to studying or job?

texts:
The question is in the title. Actually, I need something of a synonym to "disencourage" and "demotivate" was the first word that came to my mind. Also, if it's possible to use "demotivate" with something not related to studying and/or job, which preposition should I use? I would try something like "demotivate from doing something", but I'm not 100% sure.

Edit: I've noticed a mistake just now: I mean "discourage", not "disencourage". As for the context, it's something like "demotivate young people from commiting crimes".


texts:
In Stephen King's Salem's Lot, I read

  ...Parkin's Ford with a stick-on dashboard bubble...

What is a stick-on dashboard bubble?

Googling didn't yield any meaningful results (anything you could glue to a dashboard of a car and looked like a bubble).


texts:
If I have a sentence like: ... was an old, ugly, half-blind ...

Does it mean 50% vision in both eyes? Or does it mean complete blindness in any one eye? Or does it not really mean anything - just poor eyesight? We were discussing this sentence in class today and this question came up, it's a serious question though it sounds stupid.


texts: How to say "the game demands a high-characteristic device"?

texts:
I want to highlight for users that a certain game demands devices with high resources.

Could you please tell me how would native speakers say it?

Doesn't my variant in the title sound weird?


texts: When do we use “had had” and “have had”?

texts:
I have seen several sentences in English where some writers have written had twice in a row. I am a bit confused about when the grammar calls for using had had.

For example:

  I had had my car for four years before I ever learned to drive it.
  I had had a bath, but I didn't feel clean, so I had a shower.


texts:
I am not sure what the difference between 'a' or 'any' is in the following sentences. Which one of the following sentences is the most grammatically correct?

Please select a number less than 1,000.
Please select any number less than 1,000.

Thanks for your help.


texts: Is it the correct length vs. has it got the correct length

texts:
Which sounds more natural to a native speaker of English? "Is the code the correct length?" or "Has the code got the correct length"?

Speaking as a non-native language professional, I'd choose "is", but I've seen "has" version often enough to start wondering. Most Poles use "has" (mother tongue impact), and I suppose the same may be true for many other non-native speakers.

Do you have any strong preference towards any?


texts: Can "Mrs" be used before the name of a spouse who keeps her maiden surname?

texts: For example, Donald Trump's wife changed her name from Melania Knauss to Melania Trump when she was married, adopting her husband's surname. In this case, Melania can be referred to as "Mrs. Trump" and the couple collectively as "Mr. and Mrs. Trump". However, Mark Zuckerberg's wife Priscilla Chan keeps her surname at birth, "Chan". In this case, the two spouses use different surnames. My question is, for example, can Priscilla be referred to as "Mrs. Chan" or "Mrs. Zuckerberg", or should she only be referred to as "Ms. Chan"? Also, can the couple be referred to collectively as "Mr. and Mrs. Zuckerberg" or must the two spouses be addressed separately?


texts: What is the phrasal verb of the word go that means break? I've thought of go beyond but it seems to be unsuitable. So what is the correct phrasal verb?


texts: Would "well done" also apply to a presently proceeding action?

texts:
Would "well done" also apply to a case, in which the performer of the action, the one for which he is receiving a praise, is still performing it at the moment of receiving the praise, in other words, when he is not done yet?

For example:

  Dad: "Okay, now start jumping over these obstacles and keep doing it
  for 5 minutes"

  Son: "Okay, Dad!"

  Dad (1 minute later): "Well done. You are doing really well!"

or something like that.


texts: Is there an idiom for playing games with the heart?

texts:
The pop band Backstreet Boys has this song Quit Playing Games (With My Heart). I wonder what idiom can describe the phrase "play games with someone's heart"? Apparently the phrase "playing games with the heart" sounds perfectly good, but I wonder if there is any other phrase to convey the same meaning. Googling the phrase, it seems that there is no dictionary acknowledgement of it. The closest idiom could I get is play one's heart out, but it's about being enthusiastic and devoted when playing something (sports, game, instrument).

The idiom should describe the intention to gain someone's confidence, only to betray it.


texts: Word for "follow certain steps so that accidents do not happen"

texts:
I am trying to make the point that we must (form habit) follow certain steps to do certain things so that accidents do not happen.

For example, If I am moving something hot I must make a sound, look left and right or something like that every time whether someone is there or not, whether I feel it necessary or not. I can not skip doing it just because no one else is here today, or I feel there is no risk.

What would be the most appropriate word for it?

I came up with -

We must follow "Rules"
We must follow "Protocol"
We must follow "Instruction"
We must follow "Guideline"
We must follow "Best Practice"
We must follow "Standard"

But it does not sound right.


texts:
Could someone please explain, why the pronoun and the verb "be" are omitted in the following sentence?

"it allows communication even for people far away from each other"

Shouldn't this sentence be "it allows communication even for people WHO ARE far away from each other"?


texts: What is the origin of “Get a hold of the short/wrong end of the stick”?

texts:
I know this is a duplicate, of this question: Origin of "the wrong end of the stick"
but none of the answers are can be considered fact.
I propose this answer:

The split tally was a technique which became common in medieval Europe, which was constantly short of money (coins) and predominantly illiterate, in order to record bilateral exchange and debts.
A stick (squared hazelwood sticks were most common) was marked with a system of notches and then split lengthwise. This way the two halves both record the same notches and each party to the transaction received one half of the marked stick as proof. Later this technique was refined in various ways and became virtually tamper proof. One of the refinements was to make the two halves of the stick of different lengths. The longer part was called stock and was given to the party which had advanced money (or other items) to the receiver.
The shorter portion of the stick was called foil and was given to the party which had received the funds or goods. Using this technique each of the parties had an identifiable record of the transaction. The natural irregularities in the surfaces of the tallies where they were split would mean that only the original two halves would fit back together perfectly, and so would verify that they were matching halves of the same transaction.
If one party tried to unilaterally change the value of his half of the tally stick by adding more notches, those notches would not be on the other tally stick and would be revealed as an attempted forgery.
The split tally was accepted as legal proof in medieval courts and the Napoleonic Code (1804) still makes reference to the tally stick in Article 1333. Along the Danube and in Switzerland the tally was still used in the 20th century in rural economies.
The person with the short end of the stick was in a bad spot because they were in debt to the person holding the longer side.

Source: Virtual Exhibitions in Informatics Tally Sticks
An image of a medieval tally stick, courtesy of Wikipedia

Medieval English split tally stick (front and reverse view). The stick is notched and inscribed to record a debt owed to the rural dean of Preston Candover, Hampshire, of a tithe of 20d each on 32 sheep, amounting to a total sum of £2 13s. 4d.


texts: Repeating (or not) "to" in a sentence involving infinitives set in parallel

texts:
I googled it but I couldn't find the answer... maybe I didn't seek it in the proper way.
My question is if "to" must be repeated in sentences such as the following ones:

In the past, women used to do the housework and to take care of children.

The aim of this meeting is to control their progress and to discuss the new working plan.

If I had to bet, I would omit the second to... But I am not sure about it.


texts: Is there any difference between "you both will" and "you will both"?

texts:
For example, are both of the following sentences correct:

If it is cold out, you both will need a coat.
If it is cold out, you will both need a coat.

And do they mean the same thing?


texts: When to use past perfect continuous and simple past tense?

texts:
What's the difference between:
"I had been working for ABC for 5 years" and "I worked in ABC company for 5 years". I feel that both are correct but cannot figure out the differences.


texts:
Which way is correct?

  In Partnership of the Embassy of Spain...
  or
  In Partnership with the Embassy of Spain...


texts: Phrase experimentation - Marching a trough

texts:
I'm trying to touch up this part, and wondering if the above could work as a metaphor.

This is my text right now:

  “George, it's me, .... I can't connect with my money!” he fired while marching back and forth in his living room...

I don't like using back and forth right here, and wondering if it could work with -

  ... he fired while marching a trough up and down his living room (floor?)

I could use up and down anyway, but came up with this visual to go with the firing and wondering if it's too much, or if it sounds fine.

Could also be pacing up and down, and leave it alone...

TIA


texts: Why we say Happy New Year without an article "a", but we say "I wish you a Happy New Year" using the article?

texts: I was wondering if there is any rule in English that forbids us to say A Happy New Year when we wish someone Happy New Year? I know that we just say it like that, but I was trying to find the rule which would explain this. Thank you for your help.


texts:
The following sentences use more than one adjective for a single noun.

  She has a black and white cat.

It implies that the person involved here has only one cat which is black and white coloured.

The following sentence is however different from the preceding one.

  She has a black and a white cat.

The indefinite article a has been repeated as many times as there are adjectives for the noun in the sentence changing in meaning of the sentence - the person involved has now two cats - one is a black coloured cat and the other is a white coloured cat.

Similarly, the following sentence implies designations.

  The magistrate and collector is present.

One person owns two different designations which are magistrate and collector.

The following sentence however implies two different persons - one is a magistrate and the other is a collector.

  The magistrate and the collector are present.

What do the following sentences mean?

  He is a better counsellor than a scholar.
  He is a better counsellor than scholar.

and

  He is a better poet than a novelist.
  He is a better poet than novelist.


texts: Can the word 'pre-order' be used for an item already in production?

texts:
As I understand it the term pre-order refers to ordering an item that hasn't been released yet, probably as a concatenation of pre-release order.  However I just received an email from Farnell Element14 inviting me to pre-order my Raspberry Pi.  Now as I understand it, these machines are already in production and limited release; a lot of people have already received theirs.

Shouldn't the company in this instance have invited me to simply order my copy at this point, even if the estimated dispatch time is a couple of months away, or does the term pre-order have a different meaning in this context?


texts: The shopkeeper had hardly any of those kind/kinds of goods.


texts:
I have a tendency to place the phrase I suppose at the end of a sentence. It sounds alright to me. But when I want to write the expression down in words, how should I write it so that I won't violate the syntax of English?

This is a question regarding punctuation, I suppose.
This is a question regarding punctuation I suppose.
This is a question regarding punctuation. I suppose.
This is a question regarding punctuation, I suppose.

Or is placing the phrase I suppose at the end of a sentence considered a bad habit? Sometimes I do the same to phrases like I assume,  I believe, I guess too.


texts: I happened to read a "programme of visit" of a foreign delegation which stated that the delegation would arrive in [name of city] by train H702. Obviously, H702 is the designation of a specific train. As for me, I would probably say "on train H702" in such a case. Similarly, I would go somewhere by bus (just to indicate the means of transport), but on bus 111 (when I indicate a specific bus route). Am I wrong in my thinking?


texts:
Why both "was" and "were" in this sentence? Grammarly checker suggests again "was" instead "were". What is right?
Here is the sentence:

Michael’s actions, Michael’s frenzy was and were absurd.

Here is the context:

Whose actions were absurd?
Michael’s actions, Michael’s actions were absurd.
Were Michael’s actions calm and logical? Or were they absurd?
They were absurd. Michael’s actions, Michael’s frenzy was and were
absurd. Jeff said,  “Michael, this is absurd. Just buy a wig. ”

(The Effortless English Club, Automatic English For The People, Small Is Beautiful Mini-Story Text)


texts: Are there different regional pronunciations for "ornery?"

texts:
I use a word which I learned from my parents that is pronounced ahn-ree. It's meaning is somewhere between "cheeky" and "rambunctious."  My wife asked me how to spell it and I was at a loss.

The closest word I've seen in print is "ornery," but everywhere I look it up the pronunciations all have a long "o," such as or-ner-ee or orn-ree. And the definitions, although similar, are slightly more pejorative, such as "ill-tempered," " difficult," or "unpleasant."

Are these the same word with a regional variation in meaning and pronunciation or is the one I use a completely different word?

I'm from the Midwest US btw.


texts: There is a word for mis-characterization of a political figure

texts:
What is it called when someone (example: a political figure) is mis-characterized constantly and untruthfully?

For example a campaign constantly hammers the message: "Senator X promotes high spending", because they voted for 1 expensive bill, but evaluating them across all votes might demonstrate that they are actually quite fiscally conservative.

There is a nice concise term for such mis-characterizations that's used commonly in the political landscape.

In this case we might say: "The opposing campaign has ____ this candidate", or something along those lines.

Addition: Perhaps the word I'm hoping to find is one that describes the wholesale act of this kind of mis-characterization across political discourse...


texts:
What does " to keep somebody amused" mean?
Context:

  But at least he’s sneaking in a cheeseburger so that should keep him amused while I write this.


texts: Since when did the United States become known as "the States"?

texts: As a naturalized American, I usually say, "the United States" or "the US", but sometimes I do say "the States" as well, given that this seems to be a relatively popular choice... at least on the Internet. How did the expression "the States" rise in popularity?


texts: Meaning of "veteran" as a noun for a person in British English

texts: In British English, if "veteran" is used as a noun to refer to a person, without saying what they are a veteran of, does it default to mean veteran in the sense of military service?


texts: What is the demonym for Norfolk, Virginia?

texts:
According to this Fritinancy entry, the demonym for Norfolk, England is "North Anglian," rather than "Norfolker" or "Norfolkite," for historical reasons.

What about Norfolk, Virginia, in the United States? I suppose you could argue for the same historical reasons, since it was named after Norfolk in England, but that just feels wrong to me.


texts: Word for "buying more expensive items to go with the expensive item you actually want"

texts: I have been searching for a word that describes this phenomenon: If a person buys an expensive item, it leads to them buying more expensive items to go with it.


texts:
I have this sentence.

Method A prevents the model from reaching a poor solution.

but I am trying to replace the word prevent with something "weaker" because method A does not prevent the model from reaching a poor solution, it just makes it harder for the model to reach that poor solution. However, I am not sure if the sentence below is grammatically correct.

Method A makes it harder for the model from reaching a poor solution.

Forgive my English its not good.


texts:
I am Asian and in Asian mythology like epics like Mahabharatha, when some person is going to do something bad then a voice from nowhere comes from background, after a thunder or something, to stop him or to warn him.

A specific case would be (Some one who knows Mahabharatha could relate to it): When Bhisma uses a Powerful arrow against the rival in a competition, a voice comes after a thunder warning him the supernatural arrows should not used for fun and selfish reasons Video clip. Like this, God's voice comes multiple times in this epic. I would like to know the word for it in English.

In Tamil my regional language, it is called "Asariri". But this word is also used in situations where you tell something and the bell rings then it is a confirmation from god or nature accepting the statement.


texts:
If it is build here, it will be next to a large housing estate.

Can anyone tell me if "it is build" in the above sentence is correct?

And if so, why isn't it in the form "it is" + past participle? Shouldn't the correct form be "If it is built here..."?


texts:
I just saw a use of "come away" below, and felt that the phrase is rather strange. It seems almost malfunctioning because "come" suggests moving towards the current location and "away" suggests well, moving away from (or leaving) the current location. More "compatible" combinations seem to be "go away" or "get away"..

How is it that these two can be put together ("come" and "away")?

  we will attempt to introduce error handling one piece at a time so
  that you'll come away with a solid working knowledge of how everything
  fits together.

Suppose the above is in a lecture, are you coming or leaving the place when you "come away with" something? Any historical origins for the usage?


texts: How did 'under influence', as in in driving under influence, get equated to 'intoxicated'?


texts: What do you call writing in memory of someone who has passed away?

texts:
I was recently invited to contribute a piece of writing to commemorate a friend who has passed away. My writing, along with others, were compiled into a book that was passed out at the funeral; these were memorial tributes "in memoriam" of my friend, some prose and some poetry, but certainly not "obituaries." Is there a better word or phrase to refer to this type of writing than "eulogy," which, as far as I know, generally refers to a praise-filled speech?

  Eulogy: A speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly,
  especially a tribute to someone who has just died (Source: Oxford Dictionaries)

EDIT: These writings range in tone from elegiac to eulogizing, which is why I hesitate to use the word "eulogy" as a blanket term.


texts:
I'm searching for a word to indicate something that was current at some time in the past, but not necessarily now.

For example:

  The doctor's report of June 2008 set forth the patient's ?{then-current} complaints.


texts: What is the word or process of an outcast becoming a hero or savior?

texts:
John is an outcast, but by saving her life, became a hero. What is a word to describe John, or a word to describe the process of him transitioning from an outcast to a hero?

The context in which this word will be used is in a story involving John (an outcast) being placed into a zombie-infested world, and through his actions, building up an establishment that thrives under the conditions, and becoming a savior in the eyes of the people.


texts:
What is the correct use of experienced, with in or of? For example,

  I have experienced in system development.

  I have experienced of system development.


texts: Is there an idiom or euphemism for when someone has an average/small penis but knows how to use it?

texts: Really, what the question title states. In my language there's a more "flowery" phrase to say "size doesn't matter". It would roughly translate to "even a small clown can work in the big top" – I'm looking for something that tries to maintain the wit of the "small"/"big" antithesis.


texts: I'm looking for a word or phrase that expresses something (or a decision) being expensive by costing money in many small bits (perniciously) rather than being a large single cost.


texts: Is there a difference in meaning between accumulated sum and cumulative sum? In this case we are talking about prizes we collect.


texts: Is "you are yourself" grammatically correct?

texts:
I know what "be yourself" means. I usually see people using it in some sentences like "You have to be yourself", "You must be yourself" etc., but I barely see anyone saying "You are yourself".

Is that sentence correct? I used it in this below context when I tried to define what a friend is

"Friend is someone you have a bond with. You feel comfortable and are yourself when you are with them."

If it is wrong, how could I correct it, particularly in the context?


texts: Is it a "Texas Accent" or a "Texan Accent"?

texts: Is it proper to say "Texan accent" or "Texas accent" - or does it make any difference?


texts: Why is a comma used here instead of a semi-colon?

texts: I'm doing some khan academy SAT practice and I came across this question. I can't figure out why the answer I chose is incorrect, and the correct answer is correct. I would really appreciate if you guys could help me figure out why. Thanks. The answer I chose was C, and the correct answer was B. This relates to sentence number 7.


texts: difference between "to share in" and "to share"

texts:
The following is part of a Washington Post article of today.

  This may be Obama’s military intervention, but if she is a candidate in 2016, Clinton could share in whatever credit or blame the public assigns to his decisions.

Is there any difference in the meaning or nuance between

  share in whatever credit or blame and
  share whatever credit or blame (without in) ?


texts: What does “term” mean in the following context?

texts:
The word "term" has a lot of meanings. What does it  mean in the following context?

  The term complication is a nod to high-end watchmaking and refers to a function a watch performs beyond telling the hour and minute.


texts: What is ‘Academy Award speeches are “metaphysical impossibility" for most of us in plain English?

texts:
Time magazine (February 21) carries the article dealing with the exclusivity and subtlety of the Academy Award speeches under the title, “Science analyzes the Academy Awards speech.” In it, I’m interested in a unique (or creative) analogy comparing Academy Award speeches to attendance at one’s own funeral:

  “Academy Award speeches are the artistic equivalent of attending your
  own funeral: an event that’s wholly, utterly, solely about you and one
  that, for most of us at least, is a metaphysical impossibility.”

However, I’m a bit perplexed with the word, “metaphysical impossibility.” Does it mean the chance to make a speech at Oscar for most of us is logically, theoretically, statistically, or practically naught?

Why is it specifically “metaphysical”?  How can I translate it in plain English words?

Will I be ridiculed if I use the word in such a way as “the odds of your finding a job at your age are metaphysical impossibility,” in the conversation with my friends?


texts: Which one of my possible translations for this sentence best reflects the time construct of the original sentence?

texts:
I'm translating a book (from Japanese), and character A says the following line to Character B during the conversation shown at the bottom of this page.

  平穏な暮らしをしている限りはわからないわ。

The above can be translated into two events – let's call them X and Z – occurring along separate levels of time, because the している "to do" connects the past event to present time.
Event X occurred far in the past, and may have been on-going. but has now stopped.
Event Z occurred in the recent past
and has effects that are still relevant in the present.
Event Z occurred (became true) because event X became false.
The sentence basically follows the structure of "As long as X (far-in-past event, now false) continued Z (recent-past-present event, now true) would not occur".

Put together, the following is a possible translation with the changeable section (that represents Event X's far-past-to-present connection) in bold:

  "As long as you lived a peaceful life you wouldn't have discovered it."

The above also allows for the following translations. The parentheticals I retrieved during my own research on tenses and how they are used came from this answer.

  "As long as you had continued living a peaceful life..." (at a point in the past; continuously)

  "As long as you were living a peaceful life..." (at a point in the past; in the past in general)

  "As long as you had continued to live a peaceful life..." (before a point in the past)

  "As long as you continued to live a peaceful life..." (up to and including a point in the past, continuously)

Which of the above choices is the best in terms of representing the original sentence's time construct of "As long as X (far-in-past event, now false) continued Z (recent-past-present event, now true) would not occur"?

Conversation provided for context:

  Character A:
  “As for an ordinary person, in that situation they almost without a doubt would have panicked. Placed in that situation one would attempt to understand it, and while in confusion they will be killed. But you were different. You dealt with the situation before you understood it. That is your talent.”

  Character B:
  "That sort of thing……is absurd.”

  Character A:
  "Certainly until now, you probably didn’t notice your own such talent. As long as you lived a peaceful life you wouldn't have discovered it.


texts: What's the difference between orthography and spelling?

texts: The terms "spelling" and "orthography" seem to be largely synonymous. What is the difference really? Is it that "orthography" is a more formal or technical term and hence more well-defined? Or is it just a fancy word to make me sound smarter when saying the same thing? (-:


texts: The door was opened vs The door was open

texts: What's the difference?  I think these two sentences seems slightly different. But I don't know the exact difference. Could anybody explain the difference to me?


texts: What is the proper way to express a future action that depends on a past event?

texts:
I'm writing an assignment description.  Users have to push one of two buttons on a robot.  They are referred to as "left" and "right".  Once the user pushes one of the buttons, the robot will take an action.  Here is the current way it's written:

If the left button was pressed, the robot will rotate counter-clockwise.  If the right button was pressed, the robot will rotate clockwise.

My issue(s) is that the button pressing is in the past tense, the rotation is in the future tense, and everything is based on conditions that may or may not happen. Is what I wrote grammatically correct?  If not, what is?


texts: How do you describe an act of making a mistake on purpose, but convincing even yourself it was an accident?

texts:
An example of such behavior would be the following.

  The mother is depressed and alone with her child. She doesn't want to wake up the baby, but him being awake would really help her feel better. So she coughs a few times to wake him up. "Accidently on purpose".

Another example.

  You hate your workplace and you want to leave it, but you have feed your family, so you cannot just quit. Then you complain online using your real name on (for example) Reddit. Indeed, chances for your boss seeing it are realistically low. By the time he sees it, you've almost convinced yourself that it was not your intention. You "accidently on purpose" fired yourself.

And another one would be where you "accidently on purpose" hurt other people's feelings by mentioning things which can be understood in multiple ways. You can always say that "that wasn't your intention" or "it was just a coincidence I said that in front of you".

If there's no everyday word for this behavior, is there a psychological term for people who expose this trait?


texts: Is “a little” used literally in these sentences?

texts:
I heard this when I was scrolling through Tik Tok:

“I find myself losing just a little bit of my faith in humanity every day.”

^ Context: the speaker was commenting about police brutality.
I also saw an Instagram caption saying:

“Here’s to loving myself a little more every day.”

^ Context: the speaker was telling her audience about self-love.
I don’t think “a little” is used literally here but I’m not sure. Could someone please explain this expression to me? What do people try to express when they use it in their sentences? Thank you.


texts: " Substance with critical comments on style "?

texts: I have an admission test on 5th and the syllabus has a topic " Substance with critical comments on style " for 25 marks. I don't really understand what it says. Help ??


texts:
Is "racing thoughts" singular or plural?

 So what is racing thoughts? It differs from one individual to another...
      or
 So what are racing thoughts? They differ from one individual to another...

The Wikipedia page on Racing Thoughts use both singular and plural:
     Racing thoughts refers to the rapid thought patterns that often occur in manic, hypomanic, or mixed episodes. While racing thoughts are most commonly described in people with bipolar disorder and sleep apnea, they are also common with anxiety disorders, OCD, and other psychiatric disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Racing thoughts are also associated with sleep deprivation,[1] hyperthyroidism.[2] and the use of amphetamines.


texts: Different ways of Usage of word "sarcastic" to represent a person who is sarcastic

texts: If I met a person who is sarcastic,  is it correct if I say that the person is having a "sarcastic inside"  where inside means brain or soul


texts: Hypernym for "boys only", "girls only", and "co-ed"

texts:
What word would be used on a form where one is asked to stipulate if a school accepts only boys, girls or is co-ed?

We are creating the form, and the word I am looking for would be used for a drop down that has the three options "boys only", "girls only", "co-ed".


texts: Can "to winnow out" or "to screen out" mean "to extract or identify (something desirable)"?

texts:
Can I fill in the blank for:

  The organization ______ the best candidates from the student body.

with "winnow out" or "screen out"?

As a non-native speaker, to "winnow out" or "screen out" seem can mean to "identify" or "extract" something desirable in some colloquial sense. Am I far from the truth?

Here is a Link to MacMillan Dictionary that seem to support my opinion, but most of the other online dictionaries suggest the opposite.


texts: Is “If not impossibly so” a popular phrase used in daily conversation?

texts:
I came across an expression, “If not impossibly so” in the review of movie, “Magic Mike” under the title of “The body politic” in New York Times (June 28).
The phrase appears in the following sentence:

  “The hard-working Mr. Tatum is scarcely non-Hollywood. – He’s pretty, if not impossibly so, with the looks of the heartthrob next door and the wrestler’s neck, jug-handle ears and smiles that help bring him down to earth. Unlike Matt Damon, though, Mr. Tatum hasn’t yet played smart on screen.”

I understand ‘If not impossibly so,’ is a phrase to show the author’s reservation from making a conclusive remark, but I feel somewhat redundant and circumlocutory in this double-negative construction.

What does “If not impossibly so” exactly mean? What is the added value of using this phrase? Is this a phrase used in your daily conversation?


texts:
I was studying about passive voice from some good websites but I am really confused with these two sentences.
From grammarbank; Active: People say he was working very hard. Passive : He is said to have been working very hard.
From grammaring; Active: They reported Vincent was staying in Paris at that time. Passive : Vincent was reported to be staying in Paris at that time.
My question is about passivization of Past Continuous part. One of them is have been Ving and an other is be Ving. Are both correct? And if it is,  what is the rule.


texts: Shouldn't there be "bogie" instead of "bogey" in this sentence?

texts:
I read a sentence in a chapter in my book which was:

  A bogey of a train that was returning from Ayodhya and was full of Karsevaks was set on fire.

I didn't find any dictionary describing the word "bogey" in the sense it has been used in here. So I want to know whether it is acceptable to use the word "bogey" as a variant of "bogie"?


texts:
A mother spends much time with her children in comparison to the father.

A mother spends much time with her children in comparison with the father.

I don't have an idea which preposition to chose. I thought that I would get help online, but could not get what I wanted.
However there is one blog post of Oxford English Living Dictionaries site under the title of compare to or compare with; the title contains the words "compare to" rather than comparison, thus is not akin to what I am asking here.


texts: What's the meaning of "let it fly" in this context?

texts:
I'm an English learner and I'm reading this article from the NYT: College is the Goal. The Problem? Getting There.

But I'm confused by one of its paragraphs:

  A dove hurtles out of the cedar trees, but Nate Triggs, in camouflage vest and cowboy boots, cradles his Mossberg shotgun and lets it fly. The dove is borderline out of range, he said. He would have to be lucky.

At first glance, I thought "let it fly" means "Nate lets the dove fly away". And I thought the last sentence "he would have to be lucky" means "he would have shot down the dove and thus be lucky. But he didn't/couldn't."

But my teacher says, "let it fly" means "open fire"; and "he would have to be lucky" means "(since he opened fire) he can rely on his luck/he can take a chance".

I'm not convinced. I do find in dictionary that one of the meanings of "let fly" is "fire a weapon", but can I understand the phrase in its literal meaning? I mean, can its meaning be "let (the dove) fly (away)"? or does it have only one meaning here, "fire the gun" ? What's the etymology of the expression? Does it mean "let the bullets fly" in the first place?

Also I don't understand the meaning of the last sentence, "he would have to be lucky". I don't know the grammar of "would have to be". Can you explain it to me?


texts:
I'm trying to find a short word or 2 to mean the opposite of over-allocated, the shorter the better. "Allocated Correctly" doesn't really mean the same thing and "Not Over-Allocated" seem a bit awkward with the double negative.

I'd like to create a list of people with a tick or cross like the pic below.

Edit: Just to clarify, this particular meaning is referring to "has not been over allocated", rather than "has some remaining capacity to allocate".


texts: Is it possible to use "Achieve" in negative sentences

texts:
I've noticed in IELTS reading that there was a sentence as below:

  disappointing results were achieved by the Australian Academy.

I looked this verb up in Longman dictionary, It's been said that:

  To get a good result or succeed in doing something.

It has positive meaning. How we could use "achieve" with the above sentence? Is it correct? Is this a good use of the verb?


texts: I want and you want, but a higher power wants

texts:
'I want and you want, but a God/higher power wants'

This is an Arabic idiom used when 2 people don't get what they want and they believe a higher power got what he wants, and it is maybe for the better.


texts: "…who/whom I can share my feelings with"

texts:
Is it a correct sentence:

  I just wanted a friend, who I can share my feelings with.
  OR should I say
  I just wanted a friend, with whom I can share my feelings.


texts: Why is the origin of “threshold” uncertain?

texts:
The Barn, Church Hall Farm, Broxted, Essex (England)
See the YouTube video

(13.40) George Clarke: The architecture of threshing barns is absolutely driven by their function. With two opposing doors to create the through draft, sloping floors to drain any water away from the grain and high ceilings for storage and the circulation of air.
(13.58) Dr. Nicola Verdon: Threshing was an incredibly dusty hard job, so you got these big barn doors which you would keep open to have a through draft. You can actually keep half of the doors closed and that literally is the ‘threshold’. You want a nice breeze coming through to get rid of the dust and so on but you want to make sure that the crop doesn't blow away.
(14.23) George Clarke: The threshold to the threshing barn… it is ‘holding in’–that's brilliant– all the material.

In 2010-11 Etymonline said (see Word Origin and History)

…the oft-repeated story that the threshold was a barrier placed at the doorway to hold the chaff flooring in the room is mere folk etymology.

That derisive comment has since been modified; today Douglas Harper, the owner and editor of Etymonline, says

Old English þrescold, þærscwold, þerxold, etc., "door-sill, point of entering," a word of uncertain origin and probably much altered by folk-etymology. […] Liberman (Oxford University Press blog, Feb. 11, 2015) revives an old theory that the second element is the Proto-Germanic instrumental suffix *-thlo and the original sense of threshold was a threshing area adjacent to the living area of a house.

From M&W

Middle English thresshold, from Old English threscwald; akin to Old Norse threskjǫldr threshold, Old English threscan to thresh

There is no mention of a threshing barn, yet many barns in Britain were used for threshing wheat and have existed since the early middle ages. Where was this threshing performed? Did this building have a different name?
Even though Dr Nicola Verdon is a professor of Modern History and not an etymologist, she was certainly convincing when she explained the meaning of threshold, and it made perfect sense to me.

Is there any truth in the folk etymology that claims the origin of  threshold is the area destined to ‘hold’ in the threshing?
Why do sources, such as Oxford Dictionaries and Merriam-Webster, say the etymology of the second element in threshold or threshold is unknown?

Related to but not a duplicate of Etymology of "Threshold" which specifically asks about its spelling.


texts: If speaking or writing to someone and it becomes apparent they did not interpret something correctly, is it correct to inform them "you misunderstood" or "you misunderstand"? I'm not sure because the faulty assumption took place in the past but the person is still under the influence of the faulty assumption. On a related note, I was taught that when speaking of something that could happen it is spoken in the past tense but then why does it sound so unnatural to say something like "Since Bob is not a native English speaker he will surely misunderstood the meaning of the letter"?


texts: "Due to buy a house" vs "due to look for a house"

texts:
I know that "due to do something" is the correct way. For example:

  Sometime next month, we're due to buy a house in Rutherford.

However,

  Sometime next month, we're due to look for a house in Rutherford.

This sentence sounds weird to me because of the verb look. Can we use the verb look with due to in the sentence?


texts: Precise terms for directionality in a writing system

texts:
The term directionality often refers to two distinct directions in a writing system.
Most commonly directionality is used to refer to the direction in which individual characters are written in a line. For example, the directionality of latin script is left-to-right, the directionality of arabic script is right-to-left, mongolian or asian script is top-to-bottom, etc. Let's call this more precisely line direction / orientation.
However another direction is required to define a writing system, namely in which direction the lines progress. This "direction of line progression" is perpendicular to the line direction, which in a 2D plane means it can have two possible values. For example, in latin script the lines progress from top to bottom. But you could imagine a script where the lines start at the bottom and then stack upwards. And indeed, there are scripts with vertical line direction that differ in the "direction of line progression". For example, most asian script progresses right-to-left, while mongolian script progresses left-to-right.
It's this "direction of line progression" that's usually conflated with "directionality" and which I try to untangle. Something along the lines of line ordering, line progression direction, line progression order maybe?
For reference, this question uses "directionality" to refer to both of these example:
Word for the direction of written words
Wikipedia use the syntax right-to-left, top-to-bottom to describe the two directions on Right-to-left scripts. However they nowhere mention any terms for each. Unfortunately they also propose to shorten it to the first direction only,

(commonly shortened to right to left or abbreviated RTL)

which completely disregards that the second can still have two possible values (2 perpendicular directions on a 2D plane).


texts: An adjective for an expression/reaction/gesture that shows familiarity with what just happened?

texts:
I am trying to show that a character is reacting to a certain situation but are familiar with this situation and their reaction to it because it has happened to them before (perhaps even several times). This is the difference between for example smiling at something positive the first time it happens to you, but the fifth time it still makes you smile but you no longer have that first time surprise. It's not that it makes you happy any less, just that the novelty is gone.
Here are 2 examples I am not happy with but that capture the same meaning:

She smiled with familiarity seeing the landlord help the old
tenant.
An unsurprised smile broke across his face as the stray dog came running back again.


texts: This sentence seems too ambiguous to me. I don't get the meaning

texts:
"But in the harsh light of hindsight it's uncomfortable how often the writers' stabs at bitter-little-pill realism - a sort of kitchen-sink Tolkien - tip over into edgy nihilism for nihilsm's sake."
I was reading an article on this link, and I encountered a sentence, which seems very odd to me. I'm not a native English speaker, and this sentence is beyond me.
I know the in the hindsight part and all that, but this part confuses me: "it's uncomfortable how often the writers' stabs at bitter-little-pill realism - a sort of kitchen-sink Tolkien - tip over into edgy nihilism for nihilsm's sake"
I searched the bitter-little-pill thing and I feel like it's like a hard job that you'd need to do (or sth like that) but the stabbing parts make me confused. Does it mean that the writers tried to evade the bitter-little-pill realism or did they actually engage with it? I know the kitchen-sink part too, but the whole sentence seems odd to me. Can you translate it to some low-level English please?


texts: When does it feel more natural to have articles in names?

texts:
In my observations, names usually don't have articles like the, a, an. For example: Stack Exchange (not The Stack Exchange); Facebook, (not The Facebook).
However:

There are cases when the name really have the "the", but people drop it. For example, people refers to the newspaper The New York Times as New York Times
There are cases when there is no "the" in the names, but people add it. For example, people refers to the newspaper Daily Star as The Daily Star

I wonder if there is any rule for this? I suppose that with time, the article will gradually be dropped. So if it isn't, then probably there is a stronger reason that it sticks to the name. What would that reason be?
Also, what about names that consist only regular words, like house, book, etc? Since it can be confused with the actual object, would it's more natural to have "the" in the name? Would they say:
- I pick a book from Book
or
- I pick a book from The Book
?
Meta: Is asking about a name of a product (not naming it) on-topic?


texts: What part of speech is 'stumble' in this sentence?

texts: I saw this sentence somewhere: 'This episode sees the heroine stumble upon a body.'. I know 'stumble' is a verb, but which part of the verb is being used here?  I don't think I really know how to parse any part of this sentence after the word 'heroine'.


texts: Way to describe entering old password out of habit?

texts: Recently I changed my password on my computer but for the past few days I keep entering the old one when trying to log in or unlock it.  Is there a word or phrase in to describe this?  Another example would be writing 2013 for the year out of habit even though you know it's 2014.


texts:
What's the difference?

I think these two expressions are almost the same as "here it is". Am i wrong?

Almost same meaning? Or a little bit different.
How about "there you are vs there you go"?


texts: I'm looking for a quote similar to this.

texts:
I've heard a quote similar to the following message and am having a hard time finding it.

  "Do not judge me by my faults, rather judge me by my lack of awareness
  and desire to change them?"


texts: Term for Making a New Word that is the Same Part of Speech as its Root

texts: Recently, I've been noticing that in casual speech people often unwittingly create new words from standard English words that are (a) of the same part of speech as the standard word and (b) meant to have precisely the same meaning. In particular, I've noticed that people tend to redundantly nominalize nouns or adverbialize adverbs. Some examples would be saying "seldomly" instead of "seldom" or "resiliency" instead of "reselience." I've looked up both of those words and have found that neither is new or uncommon, but my question still stands: What is it called when you make a new word from an old word and the new word means exactly the same thing as the old word?


texts: A word meaning more than "like", but less than "love"

texts: I'm sure there must be a word that fits the bill; "like a lot" and "fond" don't really cut.  Any suggestions welcomed.


texts: What is the difference between parataxis and asyndeton?

texts:
Online, I have found many different definitions and comparisons of parataxis and asyndeton. In the dictionary (New Oxford American) they are defined as follows:

  Parataxis: the placing of clauses or phrases one after another, without words to indicate coordination or subordination

  Asyndeton: the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence

I do not see a difference in meaning between these definitions. Curiously, some webpages claim parataxis may include conjunctions.

LiteraryDevices.net describes the devices like this,

  Parataxis is derived from a Greek word that means “to place side by side.” It can be defined as a rhetorical term in which phrases and clauses are placed one after another independently, without coordinating or subordinating them through the use of conjunctions. It is also called “additive style.” Parataxis is sometimes used as asyndeton, in which the phrases and clauses are coordinated without conjunctions.

Again, "without coordinating or subordinating them through the use of conjunctions" seems to be equivalent to "coordinated without conjunctions." If, perhaps, there is no coordination regardless of conjunctions in parataxis, how is it possible to distinguish?

What makes "I came, I saw, I conquered" as three independent clauses arranged side by side distinct from reading the statement as "I came, I saw, and I conquered," only with the conjunction removed?

Maybe parataxis can apply to separate sentences as independent clauses, e.g. "I came. I saw. I conquered," while asyndeton is limited to the parts of a single sentence?


texts: Is it incorrect to say, "Why cannot....?"

texts: At any point in history was "Why cannot...?" used as frequently as "Why can't...?"  Is it even grammatically correct to say "Why cannot you do this?" I know it can be rearranged to be "Why can you not do this?," but I always presumed the contraction and the contracted phrase could be used equivalently, without changing the sentence structure. I think this pattern holds true with the other question words (e.g. how, when, etc.); however, I also know it is common to say "Who cannot do this?" In general, are there rules pertaining to the uses of contractions in questions?


texts: What is a word for someone who tends not to think too much about life?

texts:
What is a word for someone who tends not to think too deeply; often about life, themselves or the world (something more neutral than "shallow" or "oblivious")?
Perhaps my difficulty is that i personally don't think that not thinking is a neutral characteristic.  Plus, the type of person i am trying to describe does not necessarily take life with ease or serenity.  The word i seek is more about thought-life, than temperament. A non-thinking person can still have a negative, angry, unpleasant (etc.)  outlook on life, they just don't question it.


texts:
What is the meaning of "pull-out" in this sentence? I can't figure out the exact meaning even though I looked up the dictionary.

  Schools that have adopted pull-out, team teaching, or block scheduling practices will only inaccurately be able to isolate individual teacher “effects” for evaluation, pay, or disciplinary purposes.


texts:
So I asked a question that I knew I had asked a long time ago and actually made me think...

"Am I the only one whose program went back to how it previously was or not?"

The aforementioned quotation was my question and I started thinking if it should be "how it previously had been" since there are two actions in the sentence. One of which, "went back to", preceding the other one, meaning one action comes before the other, so perhaps should have put the past perfect tense to use?


texts: "a capacity limit for each warehouse" or "capacity limits for every warehouse"

texts:
I am not really sure whether I understand these phrases correctly.

"a capacity limit for each warehouse" means that each warehouse has its own limit, which may be different from other warehouses' limits??

"capacity limits for every warehouse" means that each warehouse has more than one limit and that set of limits of a warehouse is the same as the other sets of different warehouses??

Do I understand these correctly???


texts: Is there a word that means 'boring to death'?

texts:
Is there a word in English that is more or less synonymous with 'boring to death', as for example, fratricide is synonymous with killing a brother?

I would guess that there probably isn't a  'proper' word for boring to death, but I'd be grateful for any intelligent suggestions!


texts: How to write dollar amounts in a narrative

texts:
What's the best way to write dollar amounts in a narrative (such as a novel), particularly if the amounts are large and/or fractional?

I would use this:

  "The national debt just hit 14.6 trillion dollars," said Jack, "yet you complain about my $2 million fee and $5,000 airline tickets?"

Are there better ways to write this?  Specifically:

What is a rule of thumb for spelling out amounts vs. keeping is as a number?
If I spell out dollars once, do I need to keep spelling it out within the same context?


texts:
Is it correct to say : "What is the John's car's color ?" ?
As non native speaker, this sentence seems weird to me.
Would I say : "What is the color of the John's car ?"


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "from your lips to God’s ears?"

texts: I used this phrase in a conversation with my wife yesterday and was surprised to learn that she had never heard of it.  This led me to wonder where it came from.


texts: Word to describe someone who likes physical contact/touching in a non-sexual way

texts:
I'm struggling how to describe someone who likes non-sexual physical contact, such as touching, hugging and/or does these kind of actions regularly.

As a German, my first thought was "touchy", however that seems to mean something different. "Handsy" seems to have negative implications and imply some kind of molestation-component, as in forcing themselves on others. I'm looking for a word that just describes someone who is very comfortable with and really enjoys regular physical contact. Is there such a word?

It would be used like "John is a very [x] person, he always hugs people on their first meeting"


texts:
I am pretty sure that both "swim teacher" and "swimming teacher" are valid, but are there any rules that would make one preferable to the other?

As a British English speaker, "swimming teacher" is what I would naturally say and "swim teacher" sounds more American to me. However I have just been debating whether "swim" or "swimming" sounds better with my girlfriend (who is also a native speaker of British English), and she would say "swim teacher" more naturally. She argues that "swimming teacher" reads more like "someone who teaches while swimming".

So, is there any real difference between the two?


texts:
I'm looking for a word that means roughly "almost comprehensive" or "nearly comprehensive."

The context: I've created an app that does a fairly complete suite of jobs (given its purpose), but clearly does not do all possible jobs that the app could do or that one might want it to do.

In other words, it does a suite of tasks that would be "complete" for most users, but surely some users might find certain abilities to be missing.


texts:
Is it encouraged or discouraged to use "IT IS" at the very beginning of a paragraph in formal writing English?. For instance:

It is often argued that study art in school should be mandatory, since kids who study it, boost their qualifications in other fields, because multi-talent students are more likely to learn things easily.

This is the first and introductory paragraph of an essay. Also, it is correct to write the gerund "studying" after "that"??.. Thanks for your response!!.


texts: Noun phrase converted to verb, is a hyphen needed?

texts: When "air kiss" is treated as a verb, as in "they air kissed", should it be hyphenated to "air-kissed"?


texts:
Which is correct?:

  A and B combined is sufficient

or

  A and B combined are sufficient.

...Basically, is the proper interpretation of 'A and B' as two nouns or 'A and B combined' as a single noun?


texts: Should I use 'are' or 'is' in this sentence?

texts:
Which one is correct?

Our first choice are garden Mum’s.
Our first choice is garden Mum’s.


texts: Punctuation of "as well as" in this sentence

texts:
Considering the conjunction "as well as", have I punctuated this sentence correctly?

"The total potential energy for the semi-circular portion can be explained in terms of internal stored flexural, shear, and axial energies, as well as external energy, given in Eq. (1)"


texts: I am quite confused with the usage of I and me, Can anybody tell me what should be used in the following sentence: Your husband doesn't believe that You're older than (I / Me).


texts: How do we add the plural between brackets when it's optional?

texts:
When part of a word is added between brackets to indicate that it might be an option, how do we deal with the plural version in grammatical terms?

For example:

  The student(s)

Also, when the noun ends with a 'y', do we follow the "y" with (ies), too?

  Signatory(ies)

Thank you,


texts:
In writing up an answer, I wrote:

  Furthermore we are cautioned that using shame punishment from a "retributive standpoint because the public can see punishment at work, it is nonproductive."

Now, I know I'm missing a comma after "furthermore", but my question is how would I remove ", it" from this quote?  Using an ellipses seems like overkill, but I could be wrong.

Here is the original text:

  In every case possible, judges should combine shame punishment with some utilitarian aspect. While requiring an individual to parade around a courthouse satisfies society from a retributive standpoint because the public can see punishment at work, it is nonproductive.


texts: Situation when a sentence can't be appealed

texts:
After a specific period, or if the appeal is found invalid for any reason, or was issued at the final instance court, a sentence becomes valid and is to be executed.

I found the translation of the term to describe this situation from my language to point to "prejudice", but as I read about it, it appears to apply only to a limited range of situation — dismissal of a proceeding with or without prejudice, or overturning it on appeal. I don't see "prejudice" for example getting applied when the sentence becomes final through normal procedure without appeal (defendant pleads guilty and accepts the sentence).

So, is there a term that describes a sentence that is final — can't be appealed, overturned or otherwise changed?


texts: Present participle with Simple Present tense

texts:
The boy comes running.
My father stands behind me smiling. (I saw the first example in a grammar book and the second in a prose)

In which cases is this particular form (S + action-verb + s/es of the verb + 'ing' form of the another action-verb) applicable?


texts: Gradations between Skim and Contemplate?

texts:
I'd imagine there is a range of words to describe the spectrum of levels of cares between skim and contemplate. What are those words?

That is, what are the appropriate words to fill in the blank spaces beween these two words:

skim: (v) To read or glance through (a book, for example) quickly or superficially.
...
...
...
contemplate (v) To consider carefully and at length; meditate on or ponder


texts: English equivalent to Russian "Ты обалдел/офигел/etc.?"

texts:
Basically, "обалдеть/офигеть/охренеть" and their vulgar counterparts in Russian are informal and quite expressive words of shock and surprise.

  – Our country has won 50 medals total at the Olympics.
  – Обалдеть! (No way!/Holy cow!/etc.)

Another way of usage is to address a person whose words or actions don't meet with your approval and are mostly offensive.

  – Mom, I've decided to quit university for a career of a stripper.
  – Ты обалдела, что ли?

In this case the translation could be "Have you gone mad?" or such, though it would be more precise for expressions like "сойти с ума/сдуреть/слететь с катушек/etc."

What I can't seem to find is a more aggressive and menacing phrase. You usually use it instantly when someone unexpectedly does or says something unacceptable to you.

  – [Grabs her buttock]
  – Офигел? Get your hands off!

In such situations the word is identical to "обнаглеть/оборзеть" which literally means "to grow impudent". You can put it in affirmative sentences as well:

  – I've spent all the money you gave me for the month, again.
  – Ну ты уж совсем офигел, друг мой. (roughly "This is too much/You've gone too far, my boy.")

This question really baffles me since I can't think of any "catch phrase" in English with the similar meaning despite it being quite a commonplace in Russian. If there aren't at all, I wonder what a native speaker would say in these sort of situations (and hope I've made it clear enough as to the meaning).


texts: I like the dog most vs I like the dog the most

texts:
Is there any difference between those two sentences?

I like the dog most - "most" is adverb.
I like the dog the most - "the most" can be adverb?

Which one is right ? Or two sentences are right?


texts: "Try me": Too Sexually Suggestive and "Slangy" for Retail Marketing?

texts:
Is the expression “Try Me” inappropriately sexually suggestive and “slangy” for use in retail marketing?

A client wants an expression for use on a sticker for an electronic device in a retail store to invite customers to try out the device. “Try me” was suggested as common and effective. However, others have warned that “Try me” is inappropriate as likely to be considered lewd.

Which view is correct? And if “Try me” is inappropriate or if the client insists on another expression, what would be more appropriate?


texts: What is the meaning of “till death do us part”?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “Till death do us part”

It's a English name of a forthcoming Chinese film. The Chinese name is “Best love”.


texts: What is the difference between "ok" and "alright"?

texts:
What is the difference between "ok" and "alright".

Do the two words have the exact same meaning? If not, what is the difference? Is the difference reflected only according to different usages in different circumstances?


texts: What would be the best word used to name the days that at the beginning and end of a schedule

texts: I'm setting up a couple of columns in my restaurant-based database. One of the tables involves a restaurants schedule. It would have what time the restaurant opens/closes (i.e. opens/closes) and the days it's actually open during the week (Mon-Fri). What would be the best name to describe this range. start_day and end_day come to mind but feel that there's something else better. Any ideas?


texts: what does drive mean in the "donation drive"

texts:
What does drive mean in the donation drive?
What's the difference between donation and donation drive?

Thanks!!!


texts: what do you call a person who can focus on a thing perfectly for a particular period of time?


texts:
Could someone of the Native speakers assist with the following?

I need to find the best and the shortest expression for a time reporting software.

The expression I am really stuck at:

"(Work hours) expected as of today" - meaning "the work hours the employee is expected to report until present date including today".

Does the "as of" really mean what I am trying to express or am I wrong?
Or are there any other alternatives which could be better?

I hope to find the shortest, but the most intuitive and comprehensive expression.

Thanks to all in advance!


texts: Is it okay saying "What the deal with him is that ...."

texts:
I am non-native english speaker, and I just realized that I use expression like this a lot
"what the deal with is that he is too laid-back and  reckless". I just checked on the internet and I did not find any links corresponding to this particular expression. So I am wondering whether it is a even a valid expression?

I guess it is same as "what I want to do" or "what I have in my mind"


texts:
I have just seen the following sentence in a prestigious grammar book.

  We use might ( not ‘may’) + infinitive to talk about what was typically the case in the past:
  -During the war, the police might arrest  you for criticising the king

I am not too sure about the 'typically'.  Shouldn't we say:

  During the war, the police could arrest you ...
     (or, even better:)
  During the war, you could be arrested for criticising the king


texts: Do I need to include "the" for each item in a text sequence

texts:
Can anyone please tell me that which is more appealing:

• My industrial collaborations at the national and the international levels.
• My industrial collaborations at the national and international levels.

What if the list has more than two items, like this:

Our contributions have impacts on the wireless industry, the application of IoT, the underwater channels, etc.

Do I need to add "the" before each item?


texts:
When someone says, "It's all academic" or "This one's academic", I believe that, certainly within the realm of sports context, the outcome of a game has finally been decided. The end result is a given; there is no doubt who the victor will be.
Example:

With 20 seconds on the clock and having a 12-point lead, the Ravens will emerge triumphant. This one is academic from this point forward.

Sound logical? To have a discussion about something that is a moot point is an academic discussion:

If I had $5 million, I'd buy two mansions and a Lamborghini.

But I don't have this kind of money, so it's all academic anyway.
Another example:

Despite fervent begging by the shoplifter, I informed him he would be arrested for petit larceny and the police were on their way. It's now all academic.
Correct to all examples given? Thank you.


texts: Looking for phrase to describe not understanding someone's misunderstanding

texts: Is there a phrase that would describe it being more difficult to comprehend someone's misunderstanding of an idea or concept, once you yourself have understood it?


texts: What does “surprise on the upside” mean?

texts:
There was a phrase, “surprise on the upside” with specific quotation marks in the Washington Post (June 9) article with a headline, “Trump says he’ll size up Kim Jong Un within the first minutes of summit," followed by the clause:

“Voicing optimism ahead of the summit, the president suggested the North Korean dictator will “surprise on the upside.”

I checked the meaning of “surprise on the upside” on both Oxford and Cambridge online dictionaries, neither of which doesn’t carry definitions of this phrase.

An answer in WordReference to the question on this phrase states:

“surprise on the upside” is a financial jargon and used to indicate a surprise (an unexpected result) which is positive rather than negative.”

GoogleN gram shows that the phrase started to be in use in /around 1980. The usage went up to 0.00000004% level in 1990, and plummeted to 0.000000015% level, which seems to be almost a negligible currency to me.

Does “surprise on the upside” mean unexpectedly positive outcome? Is it really a technical (financial) jargon?
Can I use it in daily conversation simply for 'very good news' ?


texts: A generic term for both fast-forward and rewind modes?

texts:
I'd like to add an option to some program that would control the speed (or more exactly the delay between steps) in fast-forward or rewind modes.

I don't know how to name it. If it wasn't for the size, I could use --fast-forward-and-rewind-delay.

I looking for a shorter term that would stand for both fast-forward and rewind. Would “fast motion” be understood correctly? Is there anything else?


texts:
I'm looking for an idiom or phrase similar to "dig your own grave"

It's for this scenario:

Person 1 made a comment and is now attempting to explain it/talk themselves out of an awkward situation, but they are just making it worse.

Person 2 tells them "stop, you're digging your own grave"

I need something better than "digging your own grave" because it doesn't flow with the rest of the scenario. It's not snappy/quick enough.

Could "quit while you're ahead" work? It sounds good but based on the meaning of it I'm not sure it fits properly.

I hope someone can help - I also hope my question makes sense, I have no idea it's half 6 in the morning and I haven't slept yet so brain is running a little slower than normal :P

CJ x


texts: What does "playing the usual kabuki" mean?

texts:
What does "playing the usual kabuki" mean in the following excerpt from the Japan Times of May 24? And is this a common expression?

  Japan can score big in the eyes of Trump if it quickly provides an “easy win” to Trump without having trade negotiators playing the usual kabuki of trying to protect the domestic market until the very end.


texts:
Does this sentence need a comma before “which”?

The sentence of interest:

She wasn’t able to send the pictures to you earlier due to technical difficulties with her phone which took an unusually long time to resolve.

When is it appropriate for a comma to precede the word “which,” and is the sentence above correct?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Phrase for order is done or order received?

texts:
I am developing a mobile application, which gets orders from client and sends it to us. What I am wondering is what kind of a statement can I use in order to inform the user that we have received his order. It must be a short statement as well as informative.

Order Is Done
Order Received
or??

Since I am not a native English speaker I think I need some help here :)


texts: Subject-Verb Agreement and Do as a substitute verb

texts:
I don't understand why does is not used instead of do in the sentence highlighted in the photo below.

=>> Audio File  01:09:0


texts: Is this usage of the word "concerned" correct?

texts:
Dictionaries are not generally concerned with phonetic transcription, but rather with phonemic transcription of the words presented.

Sentence by myself. I just wanted to see if this sentence makes sense, specifically the usage of the word "concerned." I checked the meaning of "concerned" in Oxford Dictionary of English, American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, but still I'm not sure if this specific usage is correct.
Thank you in advance.
PS: Also, is the rest of the sentence grammatically correct?
PPS: Here are links to the entries for "concerned" in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary and American Heritage Dictionary, respectively:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/concerned
https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=concerned
And simply googling "define concerned" will bring up the Oxford definition. It was requested that I quote this definition. Here it is:

Worried, troubled, or anxious.

Although Merriam-Webster (with the link provided above) provides more definitions with different shades of meaning, and American Heritage Dictionary gives at least two.
I do realize that some of the definitions linked may apply in this case, but, to me at least, none of the definitions (alongside the examples) prove that this word can be used here too, because it is not exactly clear in which contexts the word can be used. All I'm asking for is, if possible, a native's word on whether this usage sounds right or not.
On a second thought, I guess I've just been too finicky about possibly limited applicabilities of the definitions, and maybe I should just accept them as showing that my sentence is correct. Still, I'd be really grateful if a native said how this usage sounds to them. Sorry for bothering.


texts: Is there a word to describe a claim that cannot be disproved because the situation will never occur?

texts:
I'm looking for a way to describe a statement or claim made by a person that can't be disproved purely on the basis that the situation itself will never occur (or is highly unlikely to).

For instance, a person giving a talk about his commitment to a vegan diet might make the claim that "If I was stranded on a desert island with no food, I wouldn't kill animals to eat even if I was starving to death."

It's clear that there's no way to disprove this as it's highly unlikely they would ever be in the situation in the first place, so what would you call these kinds of statements?


texts: What's a correct expression for professions in which you do a lot of sitting?

texts: I'm a native Dutch speaker writing a short English piece on sitting professions, sitting positions and whether these positions are back friendly. In Dutch we would just write these words together, but this seems wrong in English. What are proper terms for sitting profession, sitting position and back friendly?


texts: Some sentences in the beginning of movie "Forrest Gump"

texts:
In the beginning of movie "Forrest Gump", Gump said:

1. I wish I had shoes like that.

Why did Gump said "that"? Is it correct? And what about "I wish I had shoes like those?"

2. She said they was my magic shoes.

Why it's "they was" not "they were" nor "it was"?

These questions have puzzled me for a couple of years. I had asked some friends who learnt English, but they didn't know either. They said: "Maybe Gump is not smart"


texts: Omitting the determiner: "a peach cake or (a) cheesecake"

texts:
Can I omit the second determiner "a" in this sentence?

  Which would you like, a peach cake or a cheesecake?

Is the determiner of cheesecake necessary to make the intended meaning of either a peach cake or a cheesecake?


texts: Is there any English equivalent to the Portuguese proverb “days of plenty, nothing’s eve?”

texts:
Days of plenty, nothing’s eves (in Portuguese dias de muito, vésperas de nada) means your days of plenty are eves of days of nothing, i.e. you alternate between splashing out and hardship, usually because you spend excessively when you have money. The saying is used as a comment on, or warning against this.
I’ve looked into this other question, which focus on wasting time or money and regretting it later. I wonder whether there is any saying that more closely conveys the idea of alternating between relative luxury and belt tightening. While the situations you use days of plenty, nothing’s eves to comment on may involve wasting money, it is not necessarily so. Take the following examples (fill the blank with a suitable saying):

They splash out as soon as they get their paycheck, and then they can hardly afford bare necessities for the rest of the month. You know, ____________
The city council spent nearly all its culture budget on free concerts in the first four months of the year, and now there won’t be any more significant events this year. You know, ____________

Especially in the second example, the city council and many among the public may think the money was well spent. But others, while agreeing the events were worth the money, would prefer the events more evenly spaced out throughout the year, and use the proverb to criticize the council’s policy.
You can off course use the saying to criticize waste of money:

He inherited quite a lot of money from his parents, but he’s frittered it all away, and now he doesn’t even have a house of his own. You know, _________________


texts: How can I translate "Jeitinho Brasileiro" into English?

texts:
Jeitinho Brasileiro can be literally translated to "Brazilian way to do things"! Wikipedia has an article about it.

There are various meaning to this expression and one gives the idea of "Malandragem". I want to know an english expression that can pass the same idea of this expression, that is: in an imaginative and dubious way, you circumventing a rule not in fact violating it.

This is a rea example of Jeitinho Brasileiro. There is a law that every cultural event needs create 50% of discount to students. But businessmen created an imaginative way to solve it. Put the price of ticket in $100 then create a promotion: If you give one kilo of food, you will win 50% of discount. But if you are a student, you pay your 50% of discount in the full price. Everyone has discount, but in fact, no one has it! How can I call what he did?

The Brazilian version of Blame it on Lisa from The Simpsons uses this expression, but the original version is:

  Bart: Hey, look! There's Copacabana beach! The heart and soul of Rio!
  Lifeguard: Excuse me, Americans!
  Homer: How did you know?
  Lifeguard: There is a dress code on this beach. But we can help you.
  Bart: I feel so European.

When the lifeguard says "But we can help you.", in Portuguese he say "But we have the Jeitinho Brasileiro". This doesn't help to much.

So, what expression can I translate it in English with? What expression do you use when someone is being malandro with you?


texts: Grammaticality - 'what care I then for the Ridicule' (1778 November, US)

texts:
Original Source. Google Source: p 169, The Portable John Adams, by John Adams

  AA to JA
  [Braintree, 12-23 November 1778]

  In vain do I
  strive to through of [throw off] in the company of my Friends
  some of the anxiety of my Heart, it increases in proportion to
  my endeavours to conceal it; the only alleiviation I know of
  would be a frequent intercourse by Letters unrestrained by the
  apprehension of their becomeing food for our Enemies. The affection I feel for my Friend is of the tenderest kind, matured by
  years, [sanctified?| by choise and approved by Heaven. Angles
  [Angels—ED.] can witness to its purity, what care I then for the
  Ridicule of Britains should this testimony of it fall into their
  Hands, nor can I endure that so much caution and circumspection on your Part should deprive me of the only consolor of
  your absence—a consolation that our Enemies enjoy in a much
  higher degree than I do, Many of them having received 3 or 4
  Letters from their Friends in England to one that I have received from France.

1. I guess that Abigail Adams writes that she doesn't care that her letters might be ridiculed by the British, if they fall into their Hands because her letters evince her affection for her Friend, so pure to be approved by Heaven and witnessed by Angels?

If my guess is right, then what about the grammaticality and syntax? Was it right even in 1778?

2. The Latin verb consolor worsens my confusion; did Abigail Adams use it as a noun?

Digression/excursus: For those who are wondering, a Google Books search on the use of 'I endure that' revealed this letter fortuitously and then impelled these several questions.


texts: One word to describe a boy who immediately jumps to do what he is told

texts:
I'm writing a book and need help finding a word to describe a boy who immediately jumps to do what he is told. This is the sentence it will be used in ->

  "Ulric bring me a glass of water," Yohann says, in a raucous tone, as he turns back to the window seeming to forget about the ________ boy who scrambles to follow his grandfathers request.

I might need to rephrase the sentence...


texts:
Is there any word for that? Example sentence:

  "There's nothing wrong with my mood!" Mary cupped her mouth as soon as the _____ left her mouth. "Sorry, I didn't mean to shout."


texts:
What is another word/phrase for "best face forward"?

Example usage:

  What first attracts us to a business is its visual appeal— so why not present your business with its best face forward?


texts: Can I say "awaken me from my naive view"?

texts:
I found out that the same product tended to mean different things for different people. For one person, a lipstick brought confidence. For another, it was just a simple pigment. This experience awakened me from my naïve view that the lipstick of itself reignited my cousin’s passion for life. （Rather，？）It was the idea that she accepted from that advertisement of Maybeline that gave her inner strength.

I have heard the expression like "awaken me from my dream/ dogmatic dream", but I am not sure whether one can say "awaken from a naive view" or "...from a dogmatism". Is this analogy comprehensible?


texts:
I am grateful if you could clarify the meaning of the following message I got from my supervisor in college.

"Please come by this coming Tuesday for an chat."

Which do you think is correct?
(1) come by = drop by
(2) come by = come before


texts: Members must use their own cards ,or, members must use their own card?

texts: Which is correct? Members must use their own cards, or, members must use their own card?


texts: What Does "easy on the" Mean in Food Preparation?

texts:
If I walk into a restaurant and order a sandwich that comes with lettuce, and say "easy on the lettuce", would that mean that I wanted no lettuce at all, or simply less than normally comes with the sandwich?

I'm primarily referring to American usage, but would be curious about other locales as well.


texts: "Is of the view that" vs. "is of a view that"

texts:
Is there any significant difference in the meanings of sentence 1 and sentence 2 below?

  Mr. Jones is of a view that the project is unnecessary.
  Mr. Jones is of the view that the project is unnecessary.

Sentence 2 seems more natural, but sentence 1 does not seem absolutely wrong; “is of a view that” gets many hits on Google.

However, looking for a similar construction, I would say “I am of the opinion that X is Y”, but not “I am of an opinion that X is Y.”


texts: Exact meaning of "rubbing the sleep from her eyes"

texts:
Searching Google for sleep results in the following definition, among others:

  2.
      a gummy or gritty secretion found in the corners of the eyes after sleep.
      "she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes"

I always thought that a phrase like "rubbing the sleep from her eyes" is meant to be more poetic/figurative than literal - that is, someone is rubbing her eyes in order to wake up, thus figuratively/metaphorically removing all remnants of the sleepy state from her eyes. It is surprising to me to see the noun "sleep" interpreted as to refer to a literal substance, a secretion of the eyes.

So who's right here, me or Google? :) Does "sleep" here refer to an actual physical substance?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is it ever acceptable for a period to come after a quote at the end of a sentence?
  How should I punctuate around quotes?

I graduated with an English Major from Radford University back in 1991, but over the years I've done a lot of technical writing as a web developer, and it does not make sense to me to put punctuation inside quoted terms. For instance...

  When you find the item marked 'Lever A', please move it near 'Lever B'.

...rather than...

  When you find the item marked 'Lever A,' please move it near 'Lever B.'

The reason is because I'm not quoting what someone said.

Of course, when we use double quotes or single quotes for these terms, that's just a problem with typography where we might not have italics available to us. The best way to compose this, then, would be:

  When you find the item marked Lever A, please move it near Lever B.

However, sometimes when composing an email or other form of communication where italics may not necessarily be available to us, it appears that double quotes or single quotes are used and therefore we get stuck in this problem.

Is it appropriate to put common sentence structure punctuation outside quoted terms in cases where italics is not available?


texts:
Below is the definition of therewithal according to google and several other sources.

Therewithal: together with that; besides.
"he was to make a voyage and his fortune therewithal"

I was searching for a proper antonym for the word, such as "therewithout" (sadly it's not a real word), yet couldn't find anything. The sentence I'm trying to compose is as follows:

"In order to observe if these isopods would discriminate between environments with soil and other terrestrial environments (therewithout)..."


texts: Are there two verbs with the same past participle?

texts:
I'm interested in finding two verbs with the same past participle but different infinitives.

Mock example:

to feed -> fed
to fead -> fed


texts: What's the meaning of the word "spitters" in The Chemical Worker's Song?

texts:
Amongst the different versions of this song (Known by various names including "The Chemical Worker's Song", "Process Man" and "The ICI Song") that are floating around, there seem to be two variations of the second verse.

  Well I've worked among the spitters and I've breathed the oily smoke

and

  Well I've worked among the spinners and I've breathed the oily smoke

What could be the meaning of the word spitters? Is it just a mangling of the lyrics, or is it an antiquated term for some kind of occupation or machinery?

I doubt it would mean "people who spit".

I have a feeling spitters might be propagated from a transcription error in the Great Big Sea recording, in which it is very difficult to distinguish the sound as n or t, (they may even be singing "spitters"). But I was curious to know if it was a variation that had some other legitimate meaning.

The original recording by Ron Angel with the word "spinners"


texts: "He was sitting on the bench" or "He sat on the bench"

texts:
He was sitting on the bench.
He sat on the bench.

What is the difference in the meaning between those two?
All I could find on Google was that the first alternative most of the time is preferable when talking about a specific time.
I was taught that you use the -ing form when something happens when something else already occurs. For example, "he was sitting on the bench WHEN the tree fell." But in this case I do not understand why the first sentence is correct.


texts:
If you are creating a column for free-form data entry, such as a notes column to hold data about customer interactions with your company’s customer service department, then varchar will probably be adequate. If you are storing documents, however, you should choose either the mediumtext or longtext type.

Could you please tell me what free-form data entry is? I know what data entry is per se - when data is fed into some kind of electronic system for processing - but I don't know how to understand the term free-form. Any thoughts?

Thank you.


texts: Lyrics to the song "Drunken Sailor i.e. 'hose-pipe meaning'..."

texts:
On your site the words to the song go:

"put him in the  scuppers with a hose-pipe on him".

However when I looked up the lyrics on the Rovers  website they give the lyrics as-

"hose-pipe bottom."

Which is it?


texts:
Pennsylvanian English: smiddock

Put your middle finger behind your thumb and flick it against your arm — or better, someone else’s. I believe this is usually called a thump nowadays.

But when I was a kid, let’s say 60 years ago, my mother, who was raised in northeast Pennsylvania, called it a smiddock (however that might be spelled).

I have never found a reference to this word, using any conceivable spelling, since then. Can anyone shed light on its origin? It sounds vaguely German.


texts:
So I am translating an article and I came upon this paragraph:
"According to the company, the new Sisense Hunch product represents a “new class of big data analytics” that can be applied to applications that were previously impossible on the Internet of Things, due to its latency, power, storage, and cost challenges."
Can somebody please tell me what a Hunch product is? I couldn't really fathom anything when I searched for it.
Thank you.


texts:
What is the difference between saying the following two:

She grabbed my arm and walked me to the car.
She grabbed me from my arm and walked me to the car.


texts: “In the outskirts” versus “on the outskirts”

texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct, and why?

  I bought a house in the outskirts of the city.
  I bought a house on the outskirts of the city.


texts: Correctness of questions without inversion, relying on intonation

texts:
I hear and read them all the time. I mean stuff like:

  You're just going to stay here?

Instead of:

  Are you just going to stay here?

Then I write like this out of habit and get called out on my grammar issues by people who speak English much worse than I do. That's kinda embarrassing. So, could someone please explain to me whether it's correct or not? Are they acceptable at all, and if so, in which situations?

  So, what? You're gonna kill me now?


texts:
I wanna find out what this sentence means.

“ASOT is about as much “trance” as Nelson Mandela is indie punk.”

So to generalize:

"A" is about as much "B" as "C" is "D"

Is this comparing A with B? Is this being sarcasm?


texts: word or phrase for describing one that has much opportunities

texts:
Take "folly" for example, there is the term "fool" or "foolish" for the individual that does that folly, and the term "foolishness" that is the quality of being foolish or doing folly.
I am looking for words or phrases that can be applied to "opportunities" as of folly, that mean:

what the person that has much opportunities is called; Analogy: "fool" or "foolish"
the quality of having opportunities; Analogy: "foolishness"

keep in mind that folly, fool, foolish, foolishness are all in the same family of words.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.


texts: Does "I want to bid farewell to you" imply the giving of a farewell party? Or can we say it in another way?


texts: I am looking for a word that describes general phrases that makes one feel good but has no real meaning, such as, "I'm for tolerance."  Well, maybe in some things you are but in others you aren't (murder).  This is just a "______."


texts: "having his helmet break into" vs "having his helmet broken into"

texts:
There is an English textbook newly released in some bookstores.
This book says "having his helmet break into pieces"

having his helmet break into pieces VS having his helmet broken into pieces

Which phrase above is correct? Please give me the answer to the question. Thank you.


texts: Is there a good phrase to replace "camera-shy" within the context of long-form podcasting?

texts:
Yes, I'll admit it; I've watched a fair number of Joe Rogan podcasts. Now, I have a need to describe a specific condition I've seen in these 'casts a number of times. The condition is where the guest is obviously intimidated by the headphones and microphone. Mr Rogan is forever encouraging guests to get the microphone right in their faces.

Many guests exhibit a clear discomfort with the equipment. It is this discomfort I am trying to capture. I'm searching for a phrase I can use multiple times in a business plan without sounding tiresome.

There are not only headphones and microphones to be intimidated by; there are also cameras in the studio. However, as these aren't in such close contact with the guest, they seem to cause less frequent bouts of anxiety or self-consciousness. Yet, the term I'm looking for would also encapsulate that occasional angst as well.


texts: Tenses and modals. Must have been vs. had to be

texts:
I have a question regarding modals: must have/had to.

When an author of a book, that's written in past tense, chooses to use modal "must" he has to use its past tense form:

  The car crashed. The roads had to be slippery. (The roads were slippery)

When he writes about something that happened even before, he'd write:

  The car had crashed. The roads had to have been slippery. (The roads had been slippery)

Why does it look so different in present tense(?), "had to" and "must have" even mean slightly different things. Why one cannot replace:

  That game must have been really bad. (The game was bad)

With:

  That game really had to be bad. (The game was bad, in past tense. A weird sounding assumption, when used in present tense.)

What is the difference?

Thank you


texts: Latin (in wide use in English) for nonsensical response?

texts:
There is a Latin term or phrase (in wide use in English, esp academic discourse) that one uses in situations like the following:

one makes a statement or asks a question
one's interlocutor makes a response that is simply nonsensical: either per se, or which does not relate to the statement or question

The Latin (IIRC--could be Greek) term or phrase is adjectival, in that it describes (and implicitly denigrates) the response. I suspect it begins with 's' (but ICBW). I know I have used this in the past, but I simply cannot recall--please help!


texts: Why do "prisoner" and "jailer" mean different things?

texts: If jail and prison are (at least nearly) synonymous, why does jailer refer to the captor, and prisoner refer to the captive?


texts: Where does the expression "triple-A" come from?

texts:
The term "AAA" or "triple-A" is a term mainly used nowadays in the video game industry, according to Wikipedia,

  ... for video games produced and distributed by a mid-sized or major
  publisher, typically having higher development and marketing budgets.

The same article states that it

  ... began to be used in the late 1990s, when some development
  companies started using the expression at gaming conventions in the
  US.

Nonetheless, the term "AAA", in the sense of something of superior quality, seems to be older. This is a Calvin & Hobbes strip (September 9, 1987) where they travel to the past instead of to the future as they intended:

(I don't even picture Watterson playing or knowing about video games.)

I also found this definition at Cambridge Dictionary:

  relating to a government, company, etc. that is considered to be one
  of the safest to lend money to:

    The company is virtually debt-free and
    is one of a handful of firms with a top-tier, triple-A credit rating.

So, how old is this expression and how did it originate?


texts: What does ‘achy old pros‘ mean , and what is an allegory of ‘Old pros returns to holy rituals of this game (Super Bowl)?,

texts:
I would like to thank many of answerers for giving detailed discourses about the gist and meaning of the sentence of the Washington Post’ article dealing with saturated TV commercial spree during Super Bowl.

There is still one phrase left unexplained (or un-translated) in the line - ‘But willingly, like ‘achy old pros,’ we returned to the holy rituals of this brutal game.

What does ‘achy old pros’ mean on the earth? And what is an allegory of ‘Old pros returns to holy rituals of this game? I tried to insert this question in yesterday's post, but couln't. I appreciate your further explanation. I repeat the original text of the part in question for your reference.

  Too many insipid Black Eyed Peas songs will do that to a civilization. The cheese really is baked into the crust. But willingly, like achy old pros, we returned to the holy rituals of this brutal game, this billion-dollar boondoggle, tweeting our delight that seven-layer dip has somehow become nine. Distraction is the real attraction, which gets a little more true each year.


texts: A word that describes the act of standing on foot to venerate someone

texts: In some cultures like that of mine, people revere the elderly, teachers, judges, or other respected people by standing on foot when they enter the room they are sitting in. What is the word that represents this action?


texts: What are the correct words I have to insert here? (Verb patterns)

texts:
I have to complete this sentence with verb patterns.
I think that my answer is correct but the checker does not think the same.

  Your hair needs -------------- . It looks a right mess! (CUT)

I think the correct form is

  to be cut

What is the correct form?

Thanks


texts: Is there a word that back-of-the-throat creaky rattle that young babies do?

texts:
Recently, when I was handling a friend's baby, he made a sound that was basically an unvoiced creaky rattle. I tried to comment on it, then realized that I had no idea what word was really used for that rattling sound. I've seen them use it when unhappy or when happy although it's usually used more for mild complaint. As a conscious adult, I make the sound by collapsing the back of the throat and pushing air through. Using it to hit low notes in singing is generally called "creaky voice".

I suspect that it's appealing to the child because it a) makes a distinct sound, b) creates a physical sensation in the back of the throat from the vibrations, and c) is relatively easy to do at an early age, not requiring anything fancy with the mouth or tongue.

If I were pressed to pick a word, I'd probably go for "grumbling" or "grousing". Could those be the actual words used for the sound?

To give an example sentence:
"The baby boy awakened and sleepily blinked his eyes as he ground out a low rattling ___ of complaint, not yet crying, but clearly displeased at this disturbance to his peace and wanting to ensure we knew it."


texts: I'm seeing myself age well-rounded and full in form. Does this sentence make sense?


texts: 'In doing this' or 'by doing this'? Which is more common in this context?

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In doing this or by doing this?

Is the following sentence correct as is?

  In doing this, [the products] benefit from greater diversification and wider reach.

('In doing this' refers to the previous sentence which lists various measures - sales, marketing etc.)

It sounded wrong to me but I'm not sure why - I know both versions exist - and haven't been able to find a clear answer online - are both correct, is there a US/UK difference?
(What about 'in doing so' etc.?)
Thanks!


texts: Omission of the noun in the second sentence of two sentences joined by a conjunction like "and"

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First, I want to make clear that I'm not a native English speaker. So this question may seem too easy for native English speakers, but it is quite difficult to definitively answer for me.
I have seen, in several websites and scientific writing, people omitting the noun in the second sentence, for example:

The boys are playing football, and seem to steadily improve their technique.

The sentences look correct, but my concerns are: What if the sentences are too long, would be still understandable and acceptable to omit the second noun or pronoun?
How about:

The boys are playing football with a courage and discipline that I have never seen before, and seem to steadily improve their technique to handle the ball as well as their team work.

I would prefer to use "They" before "seem" in the second sentence.
Which way will be more proper?
And... Are there any rules as to when to omit the noun of the second sentence or when not to do it?