texts: Finish off your meal, or finish up your meal?

texts:
In the situation where you want to tell a kid about the expected order of activities, which phrasal verb is correct?

You have to finish off your meal before you may watch the movie.
or

You have to finish up your meal before you may watch the movie.


texts: Word for disenfranchising women of their rights to make money

texts:
Disenfranchising is mostly used for deprivation of voting rights. what I am looking for is a word for depriving women of their right to earn money.

Her husband _____ her, so she is stuck as a housewife.


texts: "climb down from a tree" or "come down from a tree"

texts:
What's the expression when someone has taken an extreme position and for reasons of ego finds it difficult to soften his position? Something along the lines of "coming down from the tree," maybe?
As in: I initially accepted a full settlement freeze, but eventually changed my mind. However, for diplomatic reasons, I found it difficult to...(come down from the tree?)"


texts: Word request (historical) - net worn by ancient soldiers

texts:
I am looking for a word for a net worn by soldiers in ancient times hanging down from their helmets, sometimes too long as resting on shoulders. (Please, refer to the picture annotated by red arrow posted below this text.)

I read about it a long time ago on Wikipedia, and as I recall the net was used for ornamental purposes. I cannot find that Wikipedia article. There is a specific word for this type of net worn by soldiers on their helmets in historical times.


texts: Word order in sentences starting with "How"

texts:
Could you please tell me which one is correct?

How China's economy is being damaged?
How is China's economy being damaged?


texts:
What's the difference in meaning or nuance between the following two sentences? And, for what purpose do you use each of the two following sentence constructions:

  There is a stack of unopened mail waiting for you at the house.
  A stack of unopened mail is waiting for you at the house.


texts: What is the etymology of the word "bae"?

texts: What is the etymology of the word "bae" as a term of endearment?


texts: What does "semantic" mean when used dismissively?

texts:
The word "semantic" means "related to the meaning of things". I understand, for example, the difference between syntax and semantics. But people also say "X is just semantics", "they're just arguing semantics", or things like this NYT article:

[Trump's] blood pumps red, white and blue, or so he assures us. In his dreams and decisions, he sees his country above all else. “The most important difference between our plan and that of our opponent,” he told Republicans in Cleveland on Thursday night, “is that our plan will put America first.”
But this lavishly professed love is a largely semantic affair. It’s fickle. It’s reckless. Under its guise, he’s apparently prepared to jettison values that really do make America great and alliances that really do keep America safer. His patriotism brims with grievances.

The rest of the article describes how Trump's patriotism is perhaps disingenuous, but I can't see any way it could be described as "largely semantic". Is there perhaps a separate, non-technical meaning of "semantic"/"semantics" when used like this?


texts: What do you call phrases that are in the pattern of X-Y-X-Z such as Maddaog Mattis, "man crush Monday" and Throw-back Thursday?


texts: Do or does: “Stative verbs show a state of being that does/do...”

texts:
I read the sentence 'Stative verbs show a state of being that does not show qualities of change' on Grammarly.

I'd expected do instead of does, in the sentence. But by this, my understanding is that, the intended subject of a sentence is solely depended on the third person singular present. So if I wanted to make stative verbs the subject of the sentence, then I should use do?


texts: Is an article (a, the) considered a part of the noun, when it comes to text formatting?

texts:
Let's say I want to bold the noun "emotion" in the text. Which is better way to do it?

An emotion is the feeling in the heart.
An emotion is the feeling in the heart.

So, should I consider articles (a, the) as parts of the nouns when it comes to text formatting?


texts:
What does "categorical approaches" mean here?

  So the vast range of the subject matter in this book – contemporary art and science – has presented me with a mapping challenge: how to forge a clear route through the territory without over-prescribing a new set of categorical approaches. In general I have pursued my own curiosities and made my own links in the hope that readers will use them as starting points for their own enquiries, connections and sometimes, too, contradictions.

approaches that classify things in the form of groups
approaches that work with definite concepts


texts:
I have skimmed through the part on modals of a classic grammar book (Murphy's "Grammar in Use") and picked up all the structures that look strange to me. Could you, please, explain how often they are used and how do they sound in the contemporary British and American English?

[Lately added] This page explains some of the usages: British and Am. English: Differences in usage

1) I should ... / I shouldn't ... to give somebody advice:

  —Is it cold? —Yes, I should wear a coat. (It is not a misprint! "I" refers here to another person.)

  I shouldn't stay up too late. You'll be tired tomorow.

2) might to ask for permission:

  I have finished my work - might I go home?

3) will for present habits:

  Every morning I will get up early.

  I've tried everything - the car just won't start.

4) Using should after a number of adjectives (strange, odd, funny, typical, interesting etc.):

  It's strange that he should be late. He's usually on time.

  I was surprised that he should say such a thing.

5) If something should happen ... :

  If the situation should change, we'll let you know.

  If Tom should phone, tell him I'll call him back later.

6) Begin the sentences from 5) with should:

  Should Tom phone, tell him I'll call him back later.

7) It's (about) time ... :

  It's time the children were in bed.

  It's about time he did something instead of just talking.

8) Needn't and needn't have (done):

  Everything will be OK. You needn't worry.

  It didn't rain. I needn't have taken the umbrella.

9) might as well for an alternative:

  Buses are very expensive - you might as well get a taxi.

10) oughtn't [to] (ought not [to])

  You oughtn't to watch scary movies before sleep.

  You oughtn't come to me for news, but here's some anyway.

11) shan't (shall not)

  I'm goint for a walk. I shan't be late.

  He hath promised I shall never want money; and you shan't want money neither, mother.


texts: If I say "youngest elder brother", I wish to refer to that elder brother of mine who is younger than all other siblings but elder than me. Is it the correct way to express?


texts: After singletons, twins, triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, sextuplets, septuplets, and octuplets, what comes next?


texts: Languages understandable to English-speakers without learning

texts:
There are groups of languages that are mutually intelligible.

For example, as a Russian, I can partially understand what is said to me in Ukrainian, Belorussian, Bulgarian, Czech, and some other languages, though I have never learned any of those languages.
I heard that Swedish people can understand Norwegian and Danish without specifically learning them.

The question is: How is it with the English language? Are there any languages that can be, at least partially (the overall meaning of the phrase spoken), understood by a person whose native language is English, provided that the person in question never learned any of these languages beforehand?


texts: What do you call it when someone agrees just to avoid an argument?

texts:
(A) asks, 'Do you think this is a good idea?'
(B) says, 'Yes, l do', - but (B) is more on the side of 'no' not 'yes', but (B) tells (A) what they want to hear so (B) doesnt have to talk about 'the idea'. What is (B)s comment called?
Is it a lie as its an untruth? Or something different?
(B) says its not lying.
(A) says it is as its not the truth.


texts: Is there a single word for someone who seems saintly but is not?

texts: I am hoping for an English word. And if no such word exist in English, is there such any such word that means the same thing or near about the same thing in other languages?


texts: Does "break your head" really mean literally breaking one's head?

texts:
I was reading Tom Brown's School Days, and I came across the part where they were describing a sport called backswording, in which the competitors will have their left hand tied to their leg/back, and they will be armed with a stick with their right arm. The aim of the game, is to break the head of your opponent, who is also tied up and armed in like manner.

I am not sure how much damage is being done, when someone "breaks" his opponent's head. Does he really crack his skull and break his head? or does he just "break" the skin of his head?

In both cases, blood must flow, that I know, and the loser of the game is when any amount of blood, no matter how little, flows down his forehead, or anywhere above his eyebrows, and is seen.

So, going back to my question, what exactly does "break one's head" mean?


texts: Is there a specific word for a person who tries to tell you what you think or believe?


texts:
I know the grammatical correct way is he doesn't but I have seen many people saying don't with singular subjects, is there any case where it's correct.

I am just learning, please ignore my mistakes if I did any here. You can tell me my mistakes any time.


texts: What do you call a person who collects funds for a charity?

texts: For example, if someone walked up to my home asking for me to donate to X cause on the behalf of Y group of people, what are they called?


texts: meaning of "rub shoulders with" in context

texts:
What does it mean? What does rub shoulder with what?

  ....when the confines of narrow specialism are no longer appropriate and philosophical, literary, scientific, ideas rub shoulders with relative ease.


texts: How to say the margins of a page in a book

texts: What is the best way to express the margins of (i) the bounded side of a page and (ii) the edge side? I see people referring to them as left margin and right margin, but they are inaccurate. On even-numbered pages, what these people call left margin comes to the right and what they call right margin comes to the left. For the other two sides, I think top margin and bottom margin are okay.


texts: Connotations of "have you ever thought about..."

texts:
I recently had an argument with a friend around the question "have you ever thought about something?" The question was asked in the context of exploring some life possibilities, such as buying a sports car or moving to a different country. The disagreement was around whether an affirmative answer to the question bears the hidden meaning that the something being considered is something that the person answering actively wants.

To give an example: when asked "have you ever thought about moving to Sweden?", if a person answers in the affirmative, which of the following two meanings best describes their answer?

They consider moving to Sweden a practical possibility, and they actually want to do so in the future.
The thought has crossed their mind, but nothing can be inferred about whether they want or plan to move to Sweden in the future.

Assume the subject is not currently living in Sweden :)

Question update: Some of you answered that the meaning depends on other factors, such as tone of voice, body language, context, etc. As I said in a comment, to the purposes of this question, ignore such secondary conversational artifacts. They can always extend the range of meaning of any sentence or word, from the "proper" sense, to the complete opposite, such as when being sarcastic (e.g. "Would you like to go to Sweden?" "Yeah, right...") Consequently, the disclaimer "it depends on the tone of voice" can probably be applied to most answers on this site.

To put it another way: assume you read the text, with minimal context. What's the meaning then?


texts:
To Alexander Hamilton

  Mount Vernon Novr 10th 1787.

  ...
  The new Constitution has, as the public prints will have informed you, been handed to the people of this state by an unanimous vote of the Assembly; but it is not to be inferred from hence that its opponants are silenced; on the contrary, there are many, and some powerful ones—Some of whom, it is said by overshooting the mark, have lessened their weight: be this as it may, their assiduity stands unrivalled, whilst the friends to the Constitution content themselves with barely avowing their approbation of it. Thus stands the matter with us, at present; yet, my opinion is, that the Major voice is favourable.

  Application has been made to me by Mr Secretary Thompson (by order of Congress) for a copy of the report, of a Committee, which was appointed to confer with the Baron de Steuben, on his first arrival in this Country—forwarded to me by Mr President Laurens. This I have accordingly sent. It throws no other light on the Subject than such as are to be derived from the disinterested conduct of the Baron. No terms are made by him “nor will he accept of any thing but with general approbation”—I have however, in my letter enclosing this report to the Secretary, taken occasion, to express an unequivocal wish, that Congress would reward the Baron for his Services, sacrafices and merits, to his entire satisfaction...

What does than such as mean above? Could someone please anatomise and parse this conjunction (I think?) ?
Why "Major" ? Why did Washington capitalise the adjective "major"?


texts: Why is "Consequences inflicted." not a sentence?

texts:
I was helping a friend write a paper and came across a sentence which confused me.
The sentence was something along the lines of:

  Horrifying consequences inflicted upon innocent people.

As soon as I read this, I knew it was a fragment, but could not describe why. I can distill it down to:

  Consequences inflicted.

and from there it seems to follow that there is a subject (the consequences) and a past-tense verb (inflicted). In my mind, it is no different from the sentence:

  Icicles melted.

I am fairly sure that the latter is a complete sentence whereas the former is not, but both seem to have a past-tense verb and a plural noun. I would love if somebody could shed a little more light on the situation. Thanks in advance.


texts: What does "uhh tight" mean in this clip?

texts:
I don't understand the conversation up to 0:15 of this clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5tK0QULaPI

VANESSA: Woah, woah, woah, woah, baby. You sure you wanna shoot your full wad?

WADE: Uh… Tight.

VANESSA: Vanessa.

First the girl asks the guy if he wants to shoot his whole load, then the guy answers with what I presume is an adjective for a woman's body part, then the girl follows that with her name.

The whole conversation doesn't make sense to me. Are they just saying random sexual sentences to each other, or are those expressions commonly used in pairs in the US?


texts: Do both these sentences beg the question?

texts:
A. "The BMW is better than the Ford because with the BMW you get 'German quality' engineering."

B. "Chocolate is more delicious than celery because it is tastier."

In the former, the premise takes for granted that German engineering is better than non-German engineering.

In the latter a synonym of the conclusion has been straightforwardly included as a premise.

I get that the latter one assumes the thing that's being argued for, but the former one seems to assume not the thing it's arguing for but rather something that itself requires evidence (i.e. that German engineering is better than non-German engineering). Only the latter fits with my preconception about begging the question, but the former is adapted from an authoritative source.

I adapted the former quote from Pinker (2014), which on p270 gives as an example of begging the question:

  "When I asked the dealer why I should pay more for the German car, he
  said I would be getting 'German quality,' but that just begs the
  question."

Pinker, S. (2014). The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century. Penguin.


texts: "Take On Me" - Scandinavianism or valid English?

texts:
"Take On Me" is a song by the Norwegian band A-ha, from their album Hunting High and Low released in 1985, and the lyrics (and title) has been bothering me for the past thirty years or so. The chorus goes something like this:

Take on me (take on me)
Take me on (take on me)
I'll be gone
In a day or two

Now, the phrase "Take on me" sounds very much like a Scandinavianism for lack of a better word. (I don't speak Norwegian but I do speak Swedish. Meh. Close enough.) In Swedish you can translate this word for word:
Take - Ta (or: Tag)
On - På
Me - Mig
What you end up with is "Ta på mig", which means touch me. It looks as if they just translated the Norwegian equivalent of touch me, word for word, and ended up with take on me. This would make sense, thematically.
But does it actually mean anything in English?


texts:
I've written the following in a sentence, but now that I look at it, I'm doubting my grammatical instincts and wanted to get a second opinion.

  ...the balance need be swayed only slightly...

Is the use of "need be" here correct?  I read this as essentially identical to:

  ...the balance needs to be swayed only slightly...

but I haven't been able to find any other written uses of the first syntax.  Formal references for this usage would be appreciated, but more general comments are of course welcome.  Thanks!


texts:
I've noticed recently the "word" pre-prepared popping up in my daily life, and if my completely selection-biased anecdotes are any evidence, it seems to be catching on.

Is there any reason why the 'pre' prefix has any meaning or use in this context, or is it just a prefix version of RAS Syndrome?

And is its usage increasing?


texts:
In "Nine While Nine" by The Sisters of Mercy there is this line:

  Nine while nine and I'm waiting for the train...

What does "nine while nine" actually mean? I've never encountered anything similar in English apart from "nine to five" maybe. Perhaps these are related somehow?


texts: Which one to use Relevance or Correlation

texts:
In order to ask the questio0n, I need to explain the context:

Background:

I was in discussion with a friend(Annie), talking about one of our friends, James.

He was filming a video documentary for his PhD thesis about Chinese music. Unfortunately, we lost him about 3 years ago due to stroke.

During the discussion, I mentioned a concept in Chinese:时代相关性, which means the documentary has its relevance to today's world. In another words, the documentary makes perfect sense in the current world, but may not be relevant after 2 decades or whatever the time could be.

I searched online and found 2 words:

Relevance and Correlation

So here is my question:

In this context, which one fits the best and why?


texts:
I do wonder what is correct "until dead" or "until death". We have been arguing about this for a few hours. For me, it's more natural to say "Until dead" but I'm not sure, if I'm right or not. What is correct and what is not?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
I want to know if the use of "For Brokes" mean what I think because I'm not a native person.

If I want to sell things to people withouth money (broke person), the things that I sell are really cheap so the I could use the phrase "Things for brokes", but I want people to get it only with "For Brokes".

It makes sense? Thanks in advise :)


texts: How come 'much enough' isn't correct if 'big enough' is correct?

texts:
I'm asking for my friend who is learning English. Although I'm a native speaker, I can't really explain it besides "it's not right".

Can someone explain why saying "much enough" isn't correct, while "big enough" is correct? Much and big are both adjectives.

Use case: "it's much enough, we don't need to order anything else."


texts:
When you are talking about the fall of a place and you want to say

  ... helped with the xxx of said place ...

is it falling or felling?


texts: A person that shows officials where to go

texts:
What is the name of a person that guides officials during visits or other public appearances and basically acts only to show them where to go next?

For example, the person I'm talking about is leftmost in this gif:

Example sentence:

  President-elect Donald Trump was left hanging by a _______ that was pointing him in the opposite direction.


texts:
Let's say we are categorizing people in a photograph. Which of these is correct?

Artists with hats
Artists with a hat

No artist has multiple hats.

The first option sounds better to my ear, but I'm not sure. Is either one definitely wrong? Why? Is there a name for this rule?

To make my example, a full sentence, I might say: "Please identify the artists with hats."


texts:
can somebody help me?

Which one should I say:

“I took a blood/urine test yesterday”

“I had a blood/urine test yesterday”
?

Thank you!


texts: What is the difference between "dominant" and "predominant"?

texts: What is the difference (in meaning) between "dominant" and "predominant"?


texts: Are there English equivalents to Japanese word, ‘有名税－Tax on the famous’?

texts:
When you are famous, you are always the target of gossip, curiosity, and ridicule. We call that “yu-umei-zei - 有名税” in Japanese, for which the literal translation is “tax (imposed) on being famous.”

It sounds somewhat akin to the Japanese proverb, “the nail that pops up is always hammered down.” I posted a question about an English equivalent long before, but they are quite different in meaning. The former means acceptance of cost / disadvantages of being famous, the latter means an admonition not to be too conspicuous among peers. It’s also different from “noblesse oblige.”

When a politician, famous actress, singer, football player, or whoever famous makes a gaffe which would be taken for granted if it was done by an average citizen, it is picked up in TVs and newspapers hyperbolically, and people make a fuss by attributing it to “yu-umei-zei - tax on the famous.”

Are there English equivalents in a short word to “yu-umei-zei” which comes up as only three characters in Japanese?


texts: Referring to specific individuals gender-neutrally

texts:
I am reviewing a set of CVs for a senior position. I need to provide a short summary of each CV with a proceed/drop recommendation. Here is a sample:

  Ford Prefect: From his CV, he seems to have successfully moved away
  from functional role A to functional role B. He has been performing role B for the past 5 years; the last instance when he performed role A was when he was employed with Slartibartifast, Inc. which he left in 2011. Since the requirement
  calls for candidates with advanced experience in role A, he is not
  suitable for this role.

Now, I do want to write this in a gender-neutral manner. Right now I make a guess about the gender of the candidates from their names and use the appropriate pronouns, but I don't want to do that. I am also wary of looking up social media profiles (LinkedIn etc.) to identify gender. What could be the best way to structure the above summary to do this?


texts: Are 'practical' and 'intellectual' the best words to describe types of musical study?

texts:
I think the sentence below could be better put.  In particular, I wonder whether 'practical' and 'intellectual' are the best 'headings' (?) for the broad areas of musical study (explained below).

  When you start to play the piano there are many things you will need to learn - both practical and intellectual.

Practical study - activities that make a piano player better able to control their fingers and hands.

Intellectual study - activities that enhance a piano player's understanding of rhythm, harmony, melody, notation.


texts: Use of “What kind”, and “What kind” vs “Which kind”

texts:
If we want to know the exact kind of a group of brids, should we say:

  A: "What is the kind of these birds?"

or

  B: "What kind of birds are these birds"?

If the questions above are phrased correctly, then there is a new question raised. Suppose there are three kinds of birds: A, B, and C, and the kind C is facing extinction. If we want to know the name of the kind that is facing extinction, how should we ask:

  A: What kind of birds is facing extinction?

or

  B: What kind of birds are facing extinction?

or

  C: Which kind of birds is facing extinction?

Which one is correct?


texts: Is it correct to say "lesson count" or "lessons count"?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “user accounts” or “users account”?

If I mean "number of lessons", which grammatical construction should I go for? I can imagine three of them:

Lesson count
Lessons count
Lessons' count


texts: Which word(s) can be used to express causal relation in modern English?

texts:
I will skip it over, because nobody will have doubt on this.

  Since nobody will have doubt on this, I will skip it over.

  I will skip it over, for nobody will have doubt on this.

An American friend told me that we should avoid using “for” or “since” when describing a causal relation.

Is this true? I feel that these three sentence have no differences at all.


texts: With or without FOR? "The last thing I want is (FOR) anyone to..."

texts:
I am doing Proficiency exam practice and came across the following sentence transformation:
As you can see, according to the answer key, my answer is wrong. However, I did some research and found out that my version also works. Is it the case of the structure simply being more idiomatic with FOR?


texts:
Minutes ago, I was reading an article "Yahoo, Google and Apple also claim rights to read user emails". As usual I was reading it out loud, and I was stuck at "Following the revelation that Microsoft could, and did, read users' email".

How should I pronounce it, should I just read it as if it were "user's email" or should I pronounce it like [juzerziz]?


texts:
"He can continue to lead a normal life" vs "He can continue to live a normal life.

What is the etymology of lead? Lead as in leader?

When can it be used? Can you" lead happily forever after"?


texts:
Definition 2 of binky at
wiktionary is "(rabbit behavior) A high hop that a rabbit may perform when happy."  This definition is consistent with that at
rabbitspeak, and not inconsistent with "A kind of twisting jump made by a rabbit at play" given in wikipedia.  What
is the etymology of this term?

The three quotations given in wiktionary date from 1996, 2003, and 2009, while
ngrams shows the incidence of binky near zero in the 1970's and rising
steadily since ca. 1995.  In web searches, I don't know how to disambiguate binky as a high hop from its other common-noun usages or its more-common use as a surname; can one do so?

Note, I found no results for binky at word-origins, at etymonline, at dictionary.reference.com, or at learner's dictionary and other dictionary.cambridge.org sources.

The nicest illustration I've seen of a binky appears in the opening seconds of this video.  (The sharpish "Aht!" and "Ech!" sounds (can someone transcribe these more faithfully?) near the end of the video are warnings from the owner to the rabbit, to make it cease chewing the furniture, which -- in the video -- it does.)


texts: A Inquiry About Infinitive-To and Its Role As A Subordinator or An Auxiliary

texts:
If you're interested in grammar, as I am, I am sure you have delved into a thought process about infinitive to, and like me, you have probably questioned what it is, or what it could be defined as. My mind always wants to place it in the Eight Parts of Speech, and I know this is foolish of me to some regard, so I stray from it, but I still wish to designate it under something that can be explain it. So, this is the motivation for this post, this question: What is the infinitive to, and why?

Here are my thoughts: There are three real possibilities, going back through the times. First, we can say that it is part of the verb that comes after it (to go, to run, etc.). This could be supported by the claim that you are not supposed to "split" infinitives ("To boldly go"), but only that.

Secondly, we could consider it a subordinator. I came across this designation most recently in my studies of modern and transformational grammar. As of right now, it is still the one I accept, especially as a result of the trend of designating more phrases as clauses. It works, except it's weird. Do we call this a unique subordinator as a result of how it operates? For example, to-infinitive clauses call for non-finite verb forms, which typically have an implied subject as a part of their clause. For example, "I want to go to the store." In the infinitive clause, "I" is the implied subject, as a understand. So, again, this works. However, things get a little weird when other subordinators come into play. For example, "I'm excited for you to win the competition." Now, if I'm right, those of you will say that "for" is a preposition here, as a result of the new-grammar stuff, but I'm going to count it as a subordinator, as defined by my own beliefs and that of a lot of other grammars. So, how do the clauses work in such a sentence? According to transformational grammar, "for you to win the competition" is defined as an ordinary clause. So, does that mean that it also contains a secondary clause within itself (the infinitive clause part)? If so, how do those two clauses work in conjunction to each other when one is so integrated? "For you to win the competition" looks to just be one clause, but if that's the case, doesn't "to" have to represent something else?

This moves us on to the third way to look at things, which is to consider "to" as auxiliary verb, a defective one at that. There are a lot of things to support this, and it even allows for the split infinitive. Furthermore, it calls for a non-finite verb form to follow, like an auxiliary. But, as I said before, it's defective in the way that is all it can function as.

As I said, I still accept to as a subordinator, but I want to be proven wrong or right. Wrong by showing evidence of it being something else, or right by showing how clauses operate when it seems to be layered up.


texts: Does "push the resolution to a very high level" sound natural?

texts:
Does the sentence below sound natural?

  The megapixel war in the camera industry has pushed the resolution of image sensor to a very high level.

p.s. I write this sentence in an academic paper.


texts:
When turning nouns to adjectives, what is the rule for using the suffixes -ous or -ful?
Why do pain/harm became painful/harmful and not painous or harmous?
Why do glory/nerve become glorious/nervous and gloryful/nerveful?


texts: XS sounds like excess, B4 sounds like before, XLNC sounds like excellency, etc.  What are these wordplays called?


texts: Word for a retailer's distinctive products

texts:
When I worked in retail, I learned terms such as "loss leader", which describes a product that generates little or no profit but draws customers into a store.

Is there a similar term for the unique products, among a retailer's many less distinctive ones, which draw customers to the store?

For example: I shop at Trader Joe's primarily for their cheese selection.  I buy a lot of other things while I'm there, but I would seldom shop there at all if not for the cheese.  Another example: I used to shop at Target primarily for a specific brand of baby wipes.  Since those wipes have been discontinued, I'm far less likely to shop at Target.

What are these kinds of products called?


texts: Is “a glut of” well-established idiom, or simple combination of “glut” and the subsequent word?

texts:
Recently I often came across the phrase, “a glut of” as such “a glut of heroine and denial” (Reuters), “a glut of hiring alternative” (Business Week), and “a glut of foreclosed homes” (New York Times - May 23) in the following sentence:

“The nation's biggest banks and mortgage lenders have amassed a glut of foreclosed homes that threatens to deepen the housing slump”

As far as I consulted English Japanese dictionaries at hand, none of them lists “a glut of” as an idiom akin to “a lot of.” So I checked the definition of “glut” in Cambridge Dictionary Online, it simply says “a supply of something that is much greater than can be sold or is needed or wanted” but doesn’t show any reference to “a glut of.”

Is “a glut of” well-established idiom meaning abundance or excess, or simple combination of “glut” and the subsequent word?


texts:
Is the use of via below correct ?

"Read about ... via [website title]."

I had thought via is when u got something through/from/by means or ways of... I can simply substitute the above with on, but would like to know if via is used correctly here.

It sounds ok when it is "posted at 1129hr via Twitter", but am not to sure about "read about ... via [website title]"


texts:
How do people choose to pronounce the -agogue suffix in these three words?

  pedagogue
  pedagogy
  pedagogical

The first is a reasonably common word and its suffix is surely consistently pronounced as /əgɒg/ (agog). However, dictionaries suggest that the relevant bits of the other two words can be alternatively pronounced either as /əgɒdʒi///əgäji/ (agoji), or as /agɒgi/ (agogi). In other words, while people always use a hard g for the first g, they might prefer a soft g for the second.

The same can be noted for pronunciations of the various forms of demagogue and synagogue. Why this "discrepancy"? How do people decide to choose the hard or soft g for such uncommon words? It might be *cough* logical to conclude that people who choose the soft g do so due to their familiarity with the French-influenced -logy suffix. However, I personally pronounce pedagogical with a hard g due to my preceding use of another hard g.

Or is this simply an AmE-BrE divide?


texts: May, Merkel, Lagarde...is there a term for women that govern?

texts:
Is there a term that refers to political power held by women? A term that possibly ends with  -cracy:

  word-forming element forming nouns meaning "rule or government by. " The connective -o- has come to be viewed as part of it. Productive in English from c. 1800.

I can't find any reference looking in Google.


texts: This is right grammar? not easy to understand this

texts:
I am wondering how I understand this below sentence.

"A low level event is the discovery of a weakness or a deficiency that could cause an undesirable effect but has not."

I didn't understand the end part of this sentence.
"but has not"

I think some words have hidden due to rewriting.
So I tried to make them revival.
is it right?

**"A low level event is the discovery of a weakness or a deficiency that could cause an undesirable effect but (the discovery of a weakness or a deficiency)has not (an undesirable effect)."

Please give me your answer. Thanks.


texts: Was vs were in "Today's lunch was sandwiches"

texts:
I was told the sentence "Today's lunch was sandwiches", should be "Today's lunch were sandwiches", but I don't think this is correct.

However, when I switch the order I end up with this:

  Sandwiches were today's lunch.

Therefore, because "were" seems appropriate here, I thought maybe "were" is correct in the above example as well.

However, no matter how many times I try to convince myself, "Today's lunch were sandwiches" just sounds wrong.

Is there ever a case where "Today's lunch were ~" is correct?


texts:
Is there a word that can describe something or someone that always seems to win when a challenge arises?

Example:

  JP Morgan Chase is BLANK in the banking industry.


texts: Should there be a comma after "Thank you"?

texts:
Should there be a comma anywhere in the following sentence?

  Thank you Annie for making us proud.


texts:
Word for someone who always seeks appreciation for his deeds or work however small or trivial it may be. If they don't get it, they will be vocal about it and ask point blank like for example "Isn't this good. You didn't say anything about it."

Here the person may not have an inflated sense of their own importance like a narcissist, but they always seek appreciation. They go into depths of detail about what and how they have done mostly to sensationalize how difficult or tough the job was so that they can get some appreciation.


texts: Nouns  for 'living' and 'working' which sound more category-like?

texts:
I have the following categories (for a forum):

Entertainment
Transportation
Business
Travel
Legal
Relationships
Technology
Politics

I also wanted to add two more categories:

One about living in general (getting a house, getting use to a new country, etc.)

And other about working in general (getting a job, complaints about work, etc.)

Which are the right nouns for them?

(or is it correct to just use 'Living' and 'Working/Employment' as 'Categories')?


texts:
What's the difference?

I'm having hard time figuring that out
I'm having a hard time figuring that out

According to Google both are used equally often. Does the article change meaning here?


texts: What is the definition of "iat" in Commissariat/Secretariat, also what are some other "iat" words. (Links, if you have any, please.)


texts: What's difference between could choose and could have chosen in this sentence?

texts:
A story is only as believable as the storyteller. For story to be effective, trust must be established. Yes, trust. Whenever someone stops to listen to you, an element of unspoken trust exists. Your listener unconsciously trusts you to say something worthwhile to him, something that will not waste his time. The few minutes of attention he is giving you is sacrificial. He could choose to spend his time elsewhere, yet he has stopped to respect your part in a conversation. This is where story comes in. Because a story illustrates points clearly and often bridges topics easily, trust can be established quickly, and recognizing this time element to story is essential to trust. Respecting your listener’s time is the capital letter at the beginning of your sentence ― it leads the conversation into a sentence worth listening to if trust is earned and not taken for granted.
What is the difference between could and could have pp in this sentence.
I know "could" is referred to possibility and "could have pp" to hypothetical past inability.
But I can't feel the nuance between 1) and 2)... plz explain these with ease and logic

He could choose to spend his time elsewhere, yet he has stopped to respect your part in a conversation.

He could have chosen to spend his time elsewhere, yet he has stopped to respect your part in a conversation.


texts:
What do "study down" and "study up" mean?

They deem to be methods in sociologial or ethnographic researches:

  Regardless of whether you are ‘studying up’ or ‘studying down’, it is
  crucial to think through the ethical implications of your findings.

Researching the City: A Guide for Students


texts:
The delightful-sounding tickle your fancy is, I think, one of those rare idioms where the word order can be reversed and its meaning changes; the request: fancy a tickle? said with a raised eyebrow and a coy smile can  suggest light sexual foreplay, the addressee could be tickled pink at the idea and accept the offer.  Things get more serious between two people who have taken a fancy to each other, as more often than not, they are “up for a bit of slap and tickle”; a euphemistic phrase meaning sexual intercourse.

But not all relationships work out in the end, the bright initial spark that lit a fire fizzles out, and when a couple split they become footloose and fancy-free.

It is my understanding that many of the expressions emphasized above are peculiar to British English, and I was wondering if north American speakers  say these expressions to one another?

People of a certain generation still  say “Whatever tickles your fancy”, but I fear it is becoming dated. Nowadays,  what do north Americans say? Are there modern-day equivalents of:

tickle your fancy
tickled pink
take a fancy to
footloose and fancy-free

I am especially interested in hearing American English/slang idioms or expressions. The  rude ones, I know. If you would like to include snippets of their etymology, I'd be very tickled.


texts:
I am confused about how to write the sentence below. Is it grammatically correct?

  Our mission is to make it easy to post or search institute.

Are there any alternate phrases for "make it easy"?


texts:
There is an idiom in Turkish for describing very heavy things: "Heavy like a dead donkey" (Eşek ölüsü gibi ağır).

In English, there is a dead weight but it is not quite similar. Also, it has two meanings, the first of which is related to heavy weight but used for people in certain contexts. I'm not sure if it used for objects also. And the usage of the second meaning seems like more common. (It might need analysis).

  1. if someone is a dead weight, they are very heavy and difficult to carry, often because they are not conscious. Tom was a dead weight and her muscles ached as she carried him upstairs.
  2. something or someone who prevents other people from making progress We must free ourselves from the dead weight of history. She's just a dead weight on the business at the moment.
  Source: http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/a+dead+weight

I think there is a misperception of dead being heavier than alive and it is reflected to languages also but technically it is not correct. A dead body has the same weight of an alive body. The misperception comes from that an alive (conscious) person can distribute weight and adjust the center of gravity for a better balance. But, "dead weight" is the center of mass being wherever supported, lacking any effort on their part, and therefore concentrated in one spot, more or less.

Why am I saying all of these? Because there is too much technicality and different senses behind a dead weight.

Is there any idiom to place in a sentence smoothly? As in:

  heavy like a ______

or

  as heavy as a ______

For example:

  The box was heavy like a ____, I couldn't carry it by myself.

Are these usages flexible enough that it can be filled with different words that convey heaviness?

Other than that, is there a single word that means "very heavy" or "extremely heavy" ?


texts: Which of these is right? “I've had three family members recover(ed)”

texts:
I've had three family members recover.

OR

I've had three family members recovered.

What's the difference between them (if these both are correct!).


texts: What is the difference between "honesty" and "sincerity"?

texts:
I feel like they can sometimes be interchanged:

  John gave a very sincere statement

  John gave a very honest statement

But sometimes they can not:

  I would like to offer my sincere thanks

  An honest man would not do such a thing

I feel like sincere has more of an emotional component to it?


texts: Type of spurious reasoning which ignores other effects of a counterfactual

texts:
Consider a male athlete who is a reasonably skilled 100 metres sprinter, with a best time around 10.3 seconds. Probably not enough to make a career in track and field, but faster than the women's 100 metres record of 10.49 seconds, enough for him to declare:

  What a shame I was not born a woman, for then I would have been a record-breaking champion instead of an amateur.

This reasoning is clearly flawed because if he had been born a woman, he would not have run 10.3 seconds.

I think this mode of spurious reasoning, in which the side-effects of a counterfactual are ignored, is reasonably common in practice, but is there a name or expression which describes it? Either the technical name of this particular fallacy, or a phrase or idiom which alludes to it, would both be welcome.


texts: What are the formal English words for "compensated public holiday"?

texts:
As per the title, what are the formal English words for "compensated public holiday"? As in when a public holiday falls on a Sunday, normally the next day (Monday) will be a day off. How should I refer to that "day off"?

I would like to put the word in a sentence similar to this: I will be going back to my hometown this weekend because Monday is a [compensated public holiday]. The words inside [...] should be replaced with another formal English words (if there is any).

Note: it can be a single word or a phrase


texts: What is the origin of "Couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo"?

texts: This picturesque expression, meaning 'not a very good shot with a rifle' or (of a footballer) unable to score any goals, has cropped up a few times recently in my reading. Does anyone know where it originated?


texts:
He still had the moment filed away in his memory.

Is the meaning of the sentence I wrote widely understood?
Should that sentence be used in a particular context (e.g., when writing a book)?


texts: What's the term for a show which is augmented with content in real life?

texts:
For example the BBC's Sherlock series seeps into reality via Dr John Watson's Blog and various characters' Twitter accounts.

I think it's something along the lines of multi-format media; but can't recall the exact term.


texts: A word for the feeling of 'I don't want to be like them'

texts:
Suppose I am a teacher trying to discourage my kid to do bad things, I might proceed in 2 ways.

  'Kid, if you do anything bad, I will personally come and beat you up'

In this way, I can say I am appealing to the kid's sense of fear.

But I could also say:

  'Kid, look at those people who did bad things, they become despised and rejected. You don't want to be like them, do you?'

So I am appealing to the kid's sense of 'I don't want to be like them' or 'I can do better than this'. It is not exactly fear, or superiority. What is it?


texts: Often "dilemma" is used to describe a situation of  choosing between two undesirable alternatives, or two unpleasant choices. I am interested in a situation where there are sharply conflicting two answers for a (scientific) question, there are good reasons to doubt each of the two answers, but otherwise, each answer, if correct, will be fruitful and "good." Is using "dilemma" to describe such a situation appropriate (and not confusing)? Is there an alternative word?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What are your favorite English language tools?

I have a question regarding the English language that is too general for this site according to the faq. OTOH, I don't know where to look for the answer. Is there a list of sites, books, etc. that are commonly used to answer questions?


texts: Looking for a phrase which would be something like 'under any criticism'

texts:
I am translating a text, and looking for a phrase which would be something like 'below any criticism.'

Example:
'The thing is in such a bad condition that it is 'outside any criticism.'
(Meaning - any criticism wouldn't be strong enough; one cannot find the words which would be powerful enough; no point in criticism.)


texts: Is using “they” in things like “John and Bob, they looked blah blah” an error, or is it ok?

texts:
Is the following sentence right the way it uses they after naming the two dogs?

  Nap and Winkle, they looked at the hay and they didn't know what to do.


texts: Adjective for the unfortunate side of having a "good sense of smell"

texts:
(Anecdotal kickoff)

I recently moved to a new town. While visiting, my mom -- who has a particularly good sense of smell -- noted a constant foulness in the air that I've been unable to pick up on. Clearly, having such an heightened sense of smell can be both a blessing and a curse.

I'm struggling to come up with an adjective that concisely describes this situation. In general, I would call this a "good nose," "sensitive nose," or even "astute nose." None of these quite grasp the light, but empathic tone I'm looking for.

Is there an adjective out there that fits?

Bonus points to whoever can up with a contrasting adjective for my comparatively stunted sense of smell.


texts: Does it make sense to end email with: regards from *country*

texts:
I have seen many people say:

Greetings from [country name here]

But would it make sense to end an email with

Regards from [country name here]

It seems a little weird, specially if I also put a name below it:

Regards from Italy,
Bob


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

What's the difference between the following two sentences?

  I had finished reading the book yesterday.
  I finished reading the book yesterday.

I also want to know that in general, when do we use simple past over past perfect?


texts:
To use COMPLETELY PROPER English, I've been told that Hell should be capitalized when referring to a location.  For example: Go to Hell!

However, does one capitalize it when it's used as part of a phrase instead of a location?  For example: I sure as Hell won't go!  or  I sure as hell won't go!

Any help in this matter is appreciated.  Thank you.


texts: Adjectives relating to town and city names

texts:
A person who lives or was born in London may be called a Londoner; a person in Dublin, a Dubliner.

In this way, which formal (non colloquial) adjectives correspond to citizens of the following cities,

York
Carlisle
Edinburgh
Kent
Brighton
Oxford
Cambridge
Bath
Whitby


texts: Is the word “classless” neutral in its implication, or does it have a derogatory tone?

texts:
I was drawn to the word, “classless” in Carolyn Hax’s answer to a reader in the counseling corner of Washington Post (June 7), which comes under the title, “How do you get back at a loudmouth? By letting the boor talk.”

  Asker: What to do, as a full-grown adult, when a classless coward
  makes a loud, public and derogatory comment about your mother after
  your unknowing mother walked out of the restaurant, where this person
  and party were coincidentally seated near us?

  Carolyn Hax: If you want to take down a “classless coward,” then
  give her a megaphone and let her dismantle herself. With no amplifying
  equipment handy, it’s okay just to let rude people think they won, to
  have faith that people of character know a boor when they hear one and
  to trust you won’t implode waiting for the vengeful urges to pass.

I’m inclined to associate the word “classless” in the above quote with the Japanese expression, “どこの馬の骨とも解らぬ人-Dokono-uma-no hone"- A person like a bone of horse who comes from an unknown family - meaning a person whose family line and social class are unknown, therefore boorish or untrustworthy. Yesteryears’ parents wouldn’t have agreed their daughter to marry a lad like a “bone of horse”.

However as far as I checked CED and OED, the meaning of “classless” is just neutral:

CED defines ‘classless’ as;

Not belonging to a particular social class
Having no different social classes

OED defines it as;

(Of a society) not divided into social classes
Not showing obvious signs of belonging to a particular social class

Is the word, “classless” just neutral on its implication, or does it have a somewhat negative tone depending on the occasion, as observed in the above example?


texts: What is a hypernym for holy things or objects in general?

texts:
I've checked Word Hyppo, but I cant find a hypernym for 'holy things' that is quite what I want. I feel so sure that there's a word for such things collectively, and I'm looking for a particular one that sounds close to 'acoustics' because that's how I remember it. Any help here, please?
An example: Stealing 'holy things' is sacrilegious.


texts:
I was thinking about ruminants, as you do, and I noticed that, unlike with sheep or deer, cows is the plural of cow. I started wondering why, then it occurred to me that maybe there were dialects that used cow as the plural.

I tried searching Google books but in almost all references to "a field of cow", cow was modifying another noun (e.g. pats, pies, peas).

So I did a Google ngram comparison of "a field of cows" and "have _NUM_ cow", and they are comparable:

Comparing "have _NUM_ cow" and "have one cow" shows a difference, and there are 0 hits for "have 1 cow":

So now I'm wondering what number of cows can be cow? Whereabouts will I hear this usage? Or is the second chart just a clerical error?


texts: for example a quote from the haunted house: a high-shouldered young fellow.


texts: Where did the idiom "scot-free" come from?

texts: As in, that criminal got off scot-free despite a mountain of evidence that would seem to indicate his guilt.


texts: A word for: trends were in both directions (negative/positive or decreasing/increasing)

texts:
I have a sentence as follows. Background knowledge is that the temporal trends in the use of different types of hospital care were bidirectional/involving both increasing and decreasing changes/diversified...
Or in other words:

the use of some hospital care types increased (change shown in percentages)
the use of some hospital care types decreased (change shown in percentages)

Trends in the use of different types of hospital care were [need a good word here].


texts:
Why is the English word "teasel" also spelled teasle/teazel/teazle?

Reference:
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/teasel


texts: I've encountered this expression "came to believe" multiple times, I do know about what "believe" means, but I cannot understand the meaning of "came to". Can you make me understand it?


texts: The word ambitious can be used to describe both positive and the negative traits of someone's personality, depending on context. Is there some synonym that conveys purely the negative meaning of ambitious, ie. greed and eagerness to get success, even through unfair means?


texts:
1) Setting goal may appear easy but it is quite challenging.
2) Quantifying goals provide specific ways to track progress 3)  Finding the right footing,precisely mastering the skills and getting to the next place,all depend on how we approach and tackle the problem.                                                  4)I like reading more than writing.                                                5)We are planning to execute our strategies.


texts: What does "epistemological" and "epistemological ignorance" mean in the context stated here?

texts:
The definition of epistemology is related to the limits of human knowledge.
But the aforementioned definition does nothing to facilitate my understanding of the following sentence used by author David Wallace-Wells in his book, The Uninhabitable Earth:

But sea-level rise is different, because on top of the basic mystery
of human response it layers much more epistemological ignorance than
governs any other aspect of climate change science, save perhaps the
question of cloud formation.

What does the author mean when he says "epistemological ignorance." Does it mean ignorance of the limits of human knowledge. Any guidance would be appreciated.


texts:
I work with electronic circuits terminology a lot and I sometimes see key switch (two words) and keyswitch (one word).  I was wondering which one is right ?

The word is to designate a switch activated by a physical key that has to be inserted.

e.g. Elevator override keyswitch/key switch located at the main floor.


texts: How can I ask for a quick shelter under someone's umbrella?

texts: Scenario: suppose it is pouring outside and I need to get to my car by walking and I don't have an umbrella, but one of my coworker does. Can I casually ask if I could also walk under the umbrella? I hope this makes sense. Thank you!


texts: As a Southerner, I completely understand the meaning of fixing to. It means I'm getting ready to do something. But what I don't understand is where this rather unusual usage of fix comes from. Nothing actually gets fixed!  Do you know where this phrase originates?


texts: What is the proper expression for 'putting down the hood' (of a sweatshirt)?

texts:
Alright, super simple question I guess, but I'm no native speaker and google doesn't seem to be helpful here...

What do you call it when you go from wearing your hoodie 'hood up' to 'hood down (open?)'

thanks a bunch


texts: Is there an English term for a person whose in favor (or against) an affidavit is made?

texts:
A (affiant) signs an affidavit where he/she declares that in order to cover his/her living costs, he/she has been receiving some money from B.
What term would best describe person B which could also be used in other contexts where money is not necessarily an element?


texts:
What countries is "early mark" used in? It means being let out of something, typically school, early.

onelook.com only reports it being mentioned in Urban Dictionary, and it doesn't have information on what varieties of English use it.

Google ngram isn't very useful - too many uses of early mark without it having the meaning above.

Oz Words is even claiming that it's only used in some parts of Australia, while Superlinguo says its reach extends as far as New Zealand.

Is "early mark" only used in Australia and New Zealand?


texts: A positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances instead of your circumstances having power over you.


texts: "cDNA as template for standard PCR" and the preposition "as"

texts:
This question may be a tad technical but I don't know where better to ask it, so here goes.

All dictionaries I have say that the word "template" is a countable noun and this is pretty much consistent with my experience. But I see one counter example all the time that goes something like this:

  We used the cDNA as template for standard PCR.

It seems as if the word "template" is used as an uncountable noun here where I would have expected to see an indefinite article so that it read "..as a template for standard PCR."

The word "template" does appear to be countable in most other constructions, even in this technical sense used in molecular biology.

Does this phenomenon has something to do with the use of the preposition "as" as in "He was also in the room acting as interpreter to the President"? I understand that in constructions like the last sentence, it is common to use a countable noun without an "a/an."

Thank you.


texts: What does the word “trip” exactly mean in English?

texts: My question is whether “trip” means experiences on the way to one’s destination or experiences after arriving at the destination? Or can it mean both?


texts:
I was writing some article about scientific debate over one subject and then came to my keyboard the following : "... demonstrate large variability..." .

I was wondering if I could replace variability with discrepancies, sounding a bit more elaborate ? In other words, it is idiomatic ?

Edit: There seems to be needed a clarification of the problem/debate in order to determine correct wording. It is about a property of biologic tissue, where authors have used a lot of values in their studies, while there should only be one.


texts: What is a word for an employee of a company that deals with community-related matters?

texts:
As in someone who interacts with the greater community and enforces an ethical code within the company. We came up with a few possibilities like "Crime Prevention Officer" or "Public Liaison Officer", but we are not entirely sure.

My uncle works in customer service for a utility company and his colleague stumbled across a house that had about 10 tenants in the past month. After discussing it, the colleague raised it with management and the manager didn't want to do anything, so my uncle would like to put in a formal request to get one of these officers in the company. However, he feels that management will pay more attention if proper terminology is used.


texts: Part of speech for "please" followed by a verb

texts:
I know that "please" can be many different parts of speech; interjection, an adverb, or a verb, depending on how it's used. I'm looking specifically to find out what part of speech "please" is when followed by a verb:

Please send me your information
Please find your shoes
Please write down your name


texts: Different prononunciations of "consummate"

texts:
How can one remember the pronunciations of consummate, which depend on its state as a verb or adjective?

I venture that because its verbal definition involves intercourse, thus the "mate" rhymes with the single noun mate. But is this right?

Moreover, what's the rationale or reasoning behind the differences?


texts: What is the word for the joy felt when a favour offered is subsequently not needed?

texts: There is a feeling that I get when I have earned "Brownie Points" for offering to do something for someone but the offer gets turned down for some reason before I need to actually do it. All the reward for none of the effort.


texts: English expression for "ascribing negative intentions to someone"

texts:
There's a French expression that means "ascribing negative intentions to someone with no factual base" (prêter des intentions). It's  practical, as the English sentence "stop ascribing negative intentions to me based on your interpretation of my words" is quite a long way to say something that is quite simple in some other languages.

Is there any similar expression in English?


texts: Can someone explain the phrase "All is fair in love and war"?

texts: What are its origins and what does it really mean?


texts: I’m looking for a word that describes a UI element that serves no purpose but remains as an aesthetic holdover. Like a button on an iPhone screen that has shine to simulate an actual button, but it’s only an image of a button.


texts:
Example sentence:

  I tugged open the refrigerator. A relatively safe place; I’d never
  heard of anyone falling inside one and dying __.

What's the correct way of referring to "dying of being frozen"?


texts: When 'business' means a 'company', how do I use the word?

texts:
Business can sometimes mean company or firm. However, can it be used in the way company or firm are used?

For example, can I say:-

  "He is the CEO of the business."
  "It's a TV business."
  "A business dealing with drugs."


texts:
[Code Naming Issue]

Please anyone leave me a comment. Anything will be really helpful for me now.

I am working on what to name a feature which works as part of a module that generates URLs that expire when its expiration time comes. So I thought "Expirable Url module" would be okay. However, the verb 'expire' is intransitive. Is it okay to add suffix '-able' after an intransitive verb? Expirable Url is even a right word?

I guess better 'expiring URL' than 'expirable URL', right?


texts: I collect game dice as a hobby. What is a word for someone who collects dice?


texts:
In the sentence

  There he remained for six years, but he still dreamt of a television career.

I have a comma before the but, which I believe follows the FANBOYS rule.

If I omit the second he, will the rule still apply? Example:

  There he remained for six years , but still dreamt of a television career.


texts: attacker is to defender as challenger is to ..?

texts:
In an aggressive fight, you have an "attacker" and a "defender".

In a friendly match, you have a "challenger", and someone who accepts and responds to the challenge (accepts the match).  He could be the "opponent", or "belligerent", but I'm looking for a word that says "he accepted the friendly challenge."


texts: Term for a small number of bad incidents ruining something larger for everyone else?

texts:
I'm looking for a word or expression that describes the following types of events / patterns.

Example 1: Until the late 1960s / early 1970s in the USA, airport security was minimal and you could board a plane casually just like a bus or train. But after a series of skyjackings security was increased.

Example 2: Computers used to be very permissive in how software could operate. But sometimes badly designed or malfunctioning programs would cause serious problems; so operating systems have become much more restrictive. As a result we now have many more layers of user prompts, passwords, etc. to try and avoid this, even though most individual actions are probably not going to be problems.

In both of these cases a relatively small number of bad 'actors' have caused events which now require 100% of people to deal with tedious scrutiny & restrictions. In that sense something which was once free & easy has now been "spoiled" for everyone, apparently forever, because of these few bad cases. Is there a succinct word or turn of phrase with that meaning?


texts: Should a company be referred to as “he/she” or as “it”?

texts: When a customer represents a company, not a person, and a pronoun is needed to refer back to that customer, should one use he/she, or should one use it?


texts: Is "Should I be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me" grammatically correct?

texts:
I was wondering if "Should I be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me" was grammatically correct. What I basically want to say is that if I can be of any further assistance, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you!

PS: Directed to prospective employer.


texts: Which sentence is correct? Which tense is better to use?

texts:
How to say grammatically correct that I had a problem, but then it's gone when I tried a recommendation:

  I had the same problem. Thanks, recommendation above helps me!

or

  I had the same problem. Thanks, recommendation above helped me!


texts:
This is a multi-faceted question (if that's allowed). I am running a web application with a database that is used by Westerners and Asians, so cultural sensitivity is important. I am implementing some "fun" statistics. They will be used in the following manner: Today's <word> is <username>. Where the <word> placeholder is replaced by a word describing one of three things:

The most active user, based on number of page views.
A user that logs in exactly once, then has no other records in the log file (i.e. they log in, but then don't do anything else).
A user that has been absent for a long time, then logs in unexpectedly.

These words are similar to the badges gained on the Stack Exchange network, but I prefer singular words, if possible. I would also prefer words that are non-religious (or faith neutral) and not related to death (especially in relation to the third point).

The best my brain can come up with is:

busybody
sloth
resurrectee

But I'm not happy with those; hence this question.


texts: What is the collective noun for "Artificial Intelligence"

texts:
AI is everywhere now, changing our lives for the better or the worse.

But, is there someone here who can tell me what the collective noun for Artificial Intelligence is?

Or do we have to wait for an AI to come up with one...?

Example:

  The ______________ (colony?) of AI's collaborated to take over the world.


texts: Is using "Doesn't this also..." correct?

texts:
Is the following sentence correct?
"Doesn’t this also apply to your Enterprise architecture?"

It's a question following the statement below:
"There are specific requirements that have to be met when building a house: (a list follows)..."


texts: Difference between "warrior" and "soldier"

texts: Is there any difference in meaning between warrior and soldier? Are they totally synonymous?


texts: Is anagnoristic a word? if not, is there another way to say anagnorisis in the same manner?

texts: Is anagnoristic a word? especially for an formal essay.


texts: Is the 'bounty' tag on stackoverflow linguistically/academically a good name?

texts:
EDITED:
per a simple google search of 'define bounty', I believe bounty means:

a monetary gift or reward, typically given by a government, in
particular.
a sum paid for killing or capturing a person or animal
an amount of money given to someone as a reward for catching a criminal

but at Stackoverflow, bounty means:
Something like a TV ad, even if you don't get an answer you bounty is still to be taken away from you, it's non-refundable. It's like the sheriff will have to pay 10000$ to the local government even if after a week no one comes with a dead body of the criminal.
One of its lines is:
"A bounty does not guarantee a response, however, and reputation refunds are not available if no answers are received as a result of the bounty"
See more from Stackoverflow policy.
How is it possible to reconcile both meanings? Can such a definition from stackoverflow match the inherit meaning of bounty?


texts: Past perfect and simple perfect difference

texts:
This is an excerpt from a newspaper.

In September 2014 the Delhi high court had restrained the institute from using words like......

Why are we using "had" here.. Can we use past indefinite?


texts: What does "Don´t you dare play the strings of my heart" mean?

texts:
What does the sentence "Don´t you dare play the strings of my heart" mean??
I want to say something like: "do not try to provoke any emotions".

Can I use the sentence above to express this meaning??

Hope you can help me.
I´m looking forward to your comments.

Love from Germany


texts: So I was doing a bit of writing and ended up using the phrase "long-thought" (as in, "a technique long-thought forgotten" or "people long-thought incapable of using magic"). I ended up using it quite a few times and was wondering if anyone can come up with another phrase with the same (or a very similar) meaning so that I won't constantly be using the same word. Thanks to anyone who can help!


texts:
While reading a book, I came across some sentences that used past-perfect "after" an event had taken place. Actually, I've seen many books do this, so this must be the grammatically correct way, but I'm curious why.

  It was after Dad died and we had moved to New York.

Why shouldn't it be the other way around, as in "It was after Dad had died and we moved to New York"?

  Not long after that, she had made the decision to sell the house.

I'm really confused why it isn't "Not long after that, she made the decision to sell the house"? It feels like the decision making took after "that."

  He stayed out until the sun had set.

Well, I guessing that this one means that he went home after the sun had set, but I'm still not sure why the writer would write this way.


texts: How to say 'before previous' in one word?

texts:
I'm struggling to say 'before previous' in one word.
Like "I visited my parents pre-previous month".
Is there a suitable word?


texts:
One of the things I've learned (the hard way, may I add) is that in the USA it is very frowned upon to say that someone is black ---if anything, you say they are African-American. I do get the social factors that have led to a preference for African-American, but at the same time, there are occasions where African-American is arguably a descriptively inferior term, most notably:

White people of African ancestry (e.g., US-born children of white South African families).
Black people that lack a significant connection to America (e.g., Africans that still live in their African country).
Black non-Africans (e.g., several ethnic groups in South Asia).
Statements referring to racial features independent of geographical location (e.g., "black people have very high bone density, making them less likely to suffer fractures").

Is there a socially acceptable alternative to black and African-American that I can use in situations like these?


texts: what is the meaning of "locked in a tie"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "locked in a tie" in the following, please?

  Who’s the most accurate shooter in the NBA? Five players were locked in a tie for the highest shooting percentage in the league.


texts:
There's a dark lantern of the spirit,
Which none see by but those who bear it,
That makes them in the dark see visions
And hag themselves with apparitions,
Find racks for their own minds, and vaunt
Of their own misery and want.

I see that 'them' in the third line takes verbs, see, hag, find and vaunt. As far as I know people normally use and in front of the last item. But in this case there is an 'and' between see and hag, where it is not infront of the last item. How can this possible?


texts:
Which of the following sentences would you consider most acceptable, and why?
Please assume knowledge of the difference between the definite and indefinite articles here and that they are used intentionally.
The question specifically relates to the choice of article with respect to the preposition which follows - in these cases, of/about.

A - I want to tell you a story about Mark.
B - I want to tell you the story about Mark.

C - I want to tell you a story of Mark.
D - I want to tell you the story of Mark.

My instinct, as a native speaker, is that A and D are more acceptable than B and C, but I can't explain why.


texts: Why do we use the word “oops”, if something goes wrong?

texts:
Why do we use the word oops in a sentence or when communicating with others, if something goes wrong?

I would like to know the correct information regarding this question.


texts:
I think commas are typically placed after closed parentheses and within quotation marks. This creates a dilemma when all three are used together.

Example one: You may like snelms (or "snail helms,") which are etc.

Example two: You may like snelms (or "snail helms"), which are etc.

Which example, if either, is correct? Thanks in advance for your help and sorry if this has already been asked; I've spent over fifteen minutes searching and couldn't find any answers to this question.


texts: Different tense in explaining scientific fact

texts:
In the following sentence:

"Studies show that the polar ice ______(reduce) by 9.8% every 10 years since 1978."

In the blank we should write the corresponding tense of reduce.

At the first sight I thought it is "is reduced", because I think it is a basic scientific fact, which is quite widely accepted. Perhaps "is reducing" is also acceptable; is there a difference in meaning between the two?

But my friend asks me if "has reduced", "has been reducing", and "has been reduced" are also grammatically correct, or if they express some subtlety different meaning.

I can't tell the difference or "right or wrong" of these options. Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance!


texts: Phrase for Someone Not Understanding the Value of Something

texts: Is there some phrase I can use for lamenting about someone possessing something very valuable yet not understanding or appreciating the value of this item? I feel like I've heard such a phrase before, but I can't think of it for the life of me.


texts: Where can I find a good list of MLA citation formats?

texts:
I am working on programing a citation generator. It will only make citations in MLA format.

Does anyone know where I can find a good MLA citation form resource


texts:
By definition, compatibility means

a state in which two things are able to exist or occur together without problems or conflict

Thus, are there situations where there is one-sided compatibility or are all "compatibilities" mutual, which makes the term "mutual compatibility" tautological.


texts: Is “aware of” used correctly in this sentence?

texts:
Is there a better way to write the following sentence:

  After you called me at home – angry about a request I did not make, nor was aware of – I cried in front of my family.

Second, is of a dangling participle in the sentence?


texts: Express amazement at the news, what news or such news! which is right?

texts:
So I receive a piece of info instead of saying "no sh*t, Sherlock", I want to express amazement at the news in a sarcastic, biblical friendly way, e.g. what news! or such news! but those just sound weird and off.

Any help please?


texts: Is there a single word for ravens and crows that are speaking?

texts:
We often hear that the birds are chirping.

What is the word for ravens and crows that are speaking?


texts:
Merriam-webster's definition for here/there as a noun is "here"=this place, and "here" as an adverb "here"=to/in this place ; at this location.
In this sentence: "He's living around here".
What part of speech is the word "here"?
He's living around London. At this point of view, "here" acts like a noun.
He's living around to this place. It doesn't seem natural.....
Besides that, if "around" works like a preposition, I think I could not use here as an adverb. But every dictionary defines "here" as an adverb.
HELP ME! I speak Portuguese, these concepts are really difficult for me.


texts:
Which is correct, re capitalization of the word "mayor"?

San Francisco Mayor John Doe ...

San Francisco mayor John Doe ...


texts: What's the difference between bias and biased? What is a good way to remember the difference?


texts:
This seems to be some type of present tense, but guides to verb tense only give the following two options: present progressive tense and present perfect tense.
Present progressive tense uses a present participle "I am breaking", and
present perfect tense uses the past participle, but with "have", e.g., "I have broken".

Wikipedia tells me that "I am broken" is a stative passive sentence construct. That is, "broken" is an ordinary adjective derived from a past participle and denotes a state. But it seems to me that "breaking" and "broken" can both be states that serve the same function in English. For instance, the state of breaking can be used to describe something (at least in engineering) that is   progressively deteriorating.  "The car's suspension is breaking" could be used when the car still drives but it is a poor ride.

So why is it that "breaking" is treated a participle that forms a new verb tense and "broken" is a participle that just functions as an adjective? This distinction seems like convention rather than logic.

Any help is appreciated.


texts:
It feels like "seldomly" could be a very useful word.
For instance, I often get the urge to say "It is seldomly discussed that the world is a messed up place". "seldomly" here would mean something akin to rarely.
Can someone elucidate as to why we seldomly talk about why "seldomly" isn't used [Edited]?


texts: Why is a smudge stick called a smudge stick?

texts: What is the origin of the name "smudge stick"? And why is it considered offensive by some (according to Wikipedia)?


texts:
But the Laemmle name had not died; it is now associated with exhibition, thus bringing the Laemmle saga full circle since it was in exhibition that Carl began in 1906. (source: City of Dreams: The Making and Remaking of Universal Pictures, 2015)

Because of the relative clause whose apparent function is to specify with "that Carl began in 1906," I was certain this sentence from a book was missing an article and should read instead:

  But the Laemmle name had not died; it is now associated with exhibition, thus bringing the Laemmle saga full circle since it was in an/the exhibition that Carl began in 1906.

Now I feel less certain as I am not sure if "in exhibition" is a set phrase. Is the sentence at issue missing an article? Related: "in exhibition"?


texts: word to describe an irritatingly overhelpful person

texts: My mother-in-law is the type of person that compulsively OFFERS. It’s past good manners and etiquette and bordering on harassment. And it’s thoughtless but not really. Offering a diabetic pie and ice cream and knowing full well they shouldn’t have it and their issues with self-discipline. Relentlessly offering someone on a diet food after being asked not to repeatedly. She sees your legs are bare and offers you the very blanket she’s using, yet you said nothing about feeling chilled, and you’re an adult, fifty years old, not a child. Is there a word for someone who does this type of thing? No, she doesn’t have dementia or OCD. It’s like she sees herself as the solver, or the person that will make it better, but there is nothing wrong, nothing to make better, and eventually you just want to get away from her because it’s so RELENTLESS. She makes things up to “make better.” You can be asleep and she’ll wake you up to see if you need anything or if you needed to be woken up. (I’ve put so much detail because there was a similar question that didn’t get the right word provided, and I’d really like a word, so I can stop using all the other nasty words that are crowding my head!)


texts: What is meant by "the passive voice remains 'an important arrow in the rhetorical quiver'"?

texts:
I'm interested in reading a series of the art and craft of writing by Constance Hale, a San Francisco-based journalist in the New York Times. The 4th in the series on NYT April 30 issue deals with the use of passive voice under the title, “The pleasures and perils of the passive," which reads as follows;

The word passive gets a bad rap. Maybe a high school teacher forbade “passive constructions.” Or we recall authorities like Strunk and White, who famously told us to “use the active voice.”
There is certainly some merit to this rule of thumb; some of the worst writing around suffers from inert verbs and the unintended use of the passive voice. Yet the passive voice remains an important arrow in the rhetorical quiver. After all, it exists for a reason.

I don't understand the line – "the passive voice 'remains an important arrow in the rhetorical quiver'" in the above quotation. I assume it's a metaphorical expression.
Though it may sound like sour grapes, I think clarity is the best art and craft of writing preceding to any other techniques.
Can you explain the line in plainer English for me? Is "an important arrow in something" a well-used expression?


texts:
I am learning word problems for Quantitative reasoning GRE exams. English is not my first language and I wonder if the following expression is ambiguous in English:
"Three times the second integer less 4"
I interpreted that as 3(x-4), but the solution was 3x-4. Are there any conventions in English language? How do I know that "less 4" refers to the whole expression "three times the second integer" rather than to the expression "the second integer"?
I have not had this problem in non-mathematical literature since the relations were possible to be derived from the context, but here it does not seem to be the case.


texts: Is there a greeting used on war memorial/returned services days such as ANZAC Day or Veteran's Day?

texts:
Today is ANZAC day in New Zealand, which commemorates those who served and died in WWI and WWII.

I'm wondering if there is a common greeting people use on such days, similar to how we have 'Merry Christmas', 'Happy New Year', 'Happy Birthday'.

Obviously war memorials tend to me more somber, so 'Happy' probably isn't appropriate.


texts:
Which of the following sentence is correct?

(1) What subjects do this semester encompass?

(2) What subjects does this semester encompass?

I think the second one is the correct one. Because if we try to answer this question it would be something like "This semester encompasses the following subjects..." Am I correct?

Any suggestion regarding this will be highly appreciated. Thank you very much.


texts:
I want to ask, what/which data different model combinations are using, so do I have to say:

Which data is used by the model combinations?

or:

What data is used by the model combinations?


texts: Word For Horribly Complicated For No Reason?

texts: I've noticed that some people really love to overcomplicate things to seem intellectually superior. For instance, say I somehow dropped a pile of clothes on the ground. They'd then ask me: "When would I stop being a pile? If I keep taking away one article at a time, when would it no longer be a heap?" I'm asking if there's there a word for this needlessly philosophical behavior? Thanks!


texts: I'm programming a math library and it never ocurred to me before now that most mathematicians say "translation, rotation, scale" to refer to these transformations. Problems arise when I want to distinguish the verbs "translate, rotate, scale" from the countable nouns "translation, rotation, scale". Is it wrong / strange to use "scalation" for the countable noun version?


texts: What is the person who records the sales/winning bids in an Auction called?

texts:
In an auction there is a person doing the auction chant (auctioneer) and another person recording the results : who won and for how much.

What is that second person called?


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "ill-treat" and "mistreat"?

texts: I'm aware they are synonyms, but all the same I'm interested in knowing if one word is usually used more in one particular context, for example, or reserved for such a context. Or whether either one of the verbs connotes a stronger action than the other. Any information/comments would be appreciated. Thanks.


texts: What's the name of this stand look thing mounted on bike's handle?


texts: Expression for "impression of a dead insect on a paper"

texts: Is there a term to describe the impression of a insect that is formed if the same is crushed between the pages of the book. Or  the impression of a mosquito that is killed in between our palms.


texts:
I was talking with a friend about an event that was going to happen in the future. He asked me "What time?" referring, as I discovered after a while, to the day this event was going to happen.

I didn't know that "time" could be used instead of "day". I thought it could be used instead of "hour", or "minute", asking for the time of the event. But my friend meant to ask me the day.

Is this common usage? If two people are talking about something in the future, can one ask the other "what time", meaning the day of the event, not the actual time?


texts: What's the difference between programmer and developer?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is a good, short, word to describe a software engineer?

I'm French, and I'm a ... developer.

In my language, I prefer that term over programmer. Developing something is much more positive to me than programming something.

Is there really a difference for native speakers?


texts: Auxiliary "do" in questions, sometimes mandatory, sometimes not

texts:
I have doubts about the "do" auxiliary in questions, and its use, and what makes it mandatory.

Is it true that "How many XXX have you got?" is wrong?

And why do you have to put the auxiliary here, I'd like to see the grammar rule
  (How many XXX do you have?)
Some people says it's okay, some, it's not.

It seems that, when you add something, it becomes "always correct".
How many kids have you got raised/have?

what's the difference, and what really make the auxiliary mandatory in one case, and not in the other one?
Do you really have to put "do" to connect "How many..." clause and "you have"?
What is the written rule in books.

Why can you say "Have you got XXX?" and "Do you have XXX"? What was the English language evolution?

Was the latter not correct in British English, and later became right in American English, or something like that? Or both had always been correct, and it's only a cultural preference.


texts: Why is "more complicated" typically not hyphenated as a compound modifier when before a noun?

texts:
In the phrase "employees for more complicated work," shouldn't "more complicated" be hyphenated as it comes before the noun it describes?
After much searching online, I am yet to find a single case of somebody publishing the hyphenated "more-complicated" but this seems to disregard the convention regarding compound modifiers.
Thank you for any clarification.


texts: Meaning of "I had just finished year 10 and summer break had begun"

texts:
I had just finished year 10 and summer break had begun.

What's the meaning of that year 10? Does it mean his age is 10? Or does it mean it's his tenth year of his school?


texts: MLA style: I need help citing an old article I found in a website

texts:
I found this article from Aldous Huxley that was written a long long time ago, this is the only website I found that has it in full. http://csp.org/practices/entheogens/docs/huxley-drugs.html

In my essay I quoted this and sourced it as is here: "The dictatorships of tomorrow will deprive men of their freedom, but will give them in exchange a happiness none the less real, as a subjective experience, for being chemically induced." (Huxley)

But how on earth do I cite in my works cited page. This is what I put for now.:

Huxley, Aldous. "Drugs That Shape Men's Minds." CSP. N.p., 3 Sept. 1999. Web. 19 May 2016.

Would this be the correct way to cite this in my works cited page mla style since Im sourcing the website I found the article and not the article itself from where it came from?


texts: The phrase "certainly possible" is fairly common, but it strikes me as an oxymoron.  Is it?


texts: Can unthinking entities be “informed” in the sense of “being provided with information”?

texts:
In scientific papers, I read something along the lines of the following at times:

  Our results on banana transmogrifation may inform studies on apple transmogrification.

Given the context, I am pretty certain that this is intended to mean:

  Our results on banana transmogrifation may be provide (useful) information to people performing studies on apple transmogrification.

However, I never encountered inform in the sense of to provide information to applied to an object such as studies, that is neither a person nor an entity representing persons (such as research groups or the government) or similar and thus cannot actually digest information. The dictionaries I consulted1, 2 neither explicitly excluded such a usage nor did they give examples for it.

As all such sentences may have been written by non-native speakers of English and been missed by the copy editor, I thus want to know whether it is actually possible to use inform in this way or whether this is usage is based on a mistranslation or similar.

I am aware that inform can be used with unthinking objects when used in the meaning of to give an essential quality to or similar, but this meaning would not make the sense in the contexts I am talking about – what is “informing” can not be regarded essential in most cases.


texts:
'Good morning' is usually a salutation while 'good night' is said while parting for the night.

My question is basically "What do you say to your friends when you're about to sleep in the morning? What is the morning version of 'good night'?


texts:
We have different pronouns to express objects vs subjects:

he vs him
who vs whom

etc.

What's the point? What extra information is communicated by expressing object vs subject?

Shouldn't it be better to standardize on one form of pronouns and disregard objects and subjects?


texts:
Ok, so here is an example sentence.

"I hoped to lose the race so I wouldn't have to run against him."

Here's my dilemma. I was questioning whether a comma was necessary after "race" to separate the two independent clauses connected by "so," the coordinating conjunction, but then it occurred to me:

Is "I wouldn't have to run against him" an independent clause, or is it dependent? If it were standing on its own, would it be considered a fragment? Can someone please explain?


texts:
Is it correct to use 'were' to clarify usage in the following sentence:

"Model A is a combination of model B and C were model B is used for (..)"

to clarify "were" model B is used for in the combination.

Or should this be "where" or is even "were" to explain completely wrong?

Thanks,


texts: Does the idiom "Birds of a feather flock together" really mean "Feathers of a bird flock together"?

texts:
a) Birds of a feather flock together.

That is, birds having the same feather type flock together. Is this the meaning of this idiom? Or could it have been

  b) Feathers of a bird flock together.

which also means the same?


texts: Synonym for "geek" (computer geek) with positive connotation

texts:
Something like "IT expert" or "computer expert" seems verbose. Is there something better? I am looking, though, for a word with that (IT/computer expert) meaning. Something like "mechanic", "actor", "designer"... But something general like "geek" is, as opposed to a more narrow meaning word like "developer".
(Before I'm asked why I think it has negative connotations: See Wikipedia on Geek: "with a general pejorative meaning")


texts: What is the difference between screen shot and screenshot, where do we use screen shot and screenshot. Are they used interchangeably?


texts:
When used as an expletive, the name Jesus Christ often gets an H inserted into the middle of it for some reason. I've heard lots of guesses about what the H stands for, the most popular one being Henry, but no one seems to actually know, and I've never gotten any good explanation of where it came from or why it became popular to insert it.

Is there any documentation of when Jesus H. Christ as opposed to simply Jesus Christ came into currency as an expletive?
Is there any authoritative explanation of what, if anything, the H was originally supposed to stand for?


texts:
Why does one sometimes use the perfect tense in conditions of the first type? Say,

  I will do something if you have done something.

  I did something when he had done something.

instead of,

  I will do something if you do something.

  I did something when he did something.

For a better example, here is a quote from The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:

  She was preparing to go to bed when the loud ringing of the bell had attracted her attention.

Why didn't the author write the following:

  She was preparing to go to bed when the loud ringing of the bell attracted her attention.

One more example:

  Ring for our boots and tell them to order a cab. I'll be back in a moment when I have changed my dressing-gown and filled my cigar-case.


texts: What is the meaning and structure of this sentence?

texts:
Little is more disconcerting to the average citizen than the seeming
  inability of economists to agree on anything

I thinks this sentence is formed by inversion.
Please, let me know. Thanks!


texts:
Now I'm not certain there is an answer to this, but I was trying to think of a more elegant way of talking about the ability to understand code and programming concepts. It's a relativity new idea, so I'm open to newly coined phrases, ideas etc.

Example: "Our priority is that our students become literate, numerate and [code literate]"


texts: What’s a good English expression for the Chinese idiom "buying horse bones with much gold" (千金买马骨)?

texts:
"千金买马骨” literally means buying horse bones with much gold.

This Chinese idiom comes from "Stratagems of the Warring States- Yan Dynasty" 《战国策·燕策一·燕昭王收破燕后即位》.

It is said that an ancient courtier bought a horse for the king, but only bought the bones of the dead horse, and the king was furious. The king didn’t understand.

The courtier explained to the confused king that if they see that the king has bought just the bones of the dead horse with so much gold, the people will think that the king is really fervent to find superb horses and is willing to pay handsomely. People will naturally bring their best horses to the door.

Pursuing a certain thing or a certain talent does not necessarily mean to catch up with it. But rather, one can work on the fundamentals like improving one’s own ability, quality and strength and good things will naturally come.


texts: Word for a person invited to a competition

texts:
I'm looking for a word to describe a person who qualified to participate in an invitational competition (specifically an academic one), preferably with a particular emphasis on the "invited" part.

I've considered 'invitee,' but read that this is more of a legal term, and additionally it seems to me to have less of a focus on having to qualify for the invitation.

Example usage: "The ______(s) to the American Invitational Mathematics Exam were displeased by the poorly conducted contest after all the work they had put in to get that far."

Thanks!


texts: Is there an idiom or set phrase for "pretending not to understand an innuendo"?

texts:
You understood perfectly what the other person said but preferred to act as if you hadn't. For any reason: it may be that any reply would be embarrassing, it might start an argument, or would make you franker than you wished. In a nutshell, it would make you talk about things you preferred not to.

example: a malicious comment such as "Why don't you dye your hair blonde? I'm sure your husband will love it." when you found your husband is having an affair with his blond colleague.

The idiom or phrase should fit here:  I think she understood perfectly well what I meant.  She just ____________.

Edit: for clarity. I'm not looking for "turn a deaf ear". An innuendo is usually subtle and in this question the listener pretends to have missed its real meaning.


texts:
First of all, I'm speaking of webpage referral.

Second, let me quote Wikipedia:

  The misspelling referer originated in the original proposal by computer "scientist" Phillip Hallam-Baker to incorporate the field into the HTTP specification.[1] The misspelling was set in stone by the time of its incorporation into the standards document Request for Comments (RFC) 1945; document co-author Roy Fielding has remarked that neither "referrer" nor the misspelling "referer" were recognized by the standard Unix spell checker of the period.[2] "Referer" has since become a widely used spelling in the industry when discussing HTTP referrers; usage of the misspelling is not universal, though, as the correct spelling of "referrer" is used in some web specifications such as the Document Object Model.

  [1] Hallam-Baker, Phillip. "Re: Is Al Gore The Father of the Internet?" alt.folklore.computers, 2000-09-21
  [2] Fielding, Roy. "Re: Referer: (sic)." HTTP-wg, 1995-03-09

It seems even the W3C isn't completely consistent:

http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=referer - works
http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=referrer - fails
http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/check?uri=referrer - works

What is the correct spelling to use (referer or referrer), either in general or specific situations?


texts: Using the adjective "specific" as suffix

texts:
are the following structures interchangeable ??
1- This course is more specific to engineering.
2- It is more of an engineering-specific course.


texts:
Wikipedia mentions two versions.

As passed by the Congress and preserved in the National Archives:

  A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free
  State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be
  infringed.

As ratified by the States and authenticated by Thomas Jefferson, then-Secretary of State:

  A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free
  state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be
  infringed.

The first version seems grammatically awkward to me. Isn't there something wrong in the sentence?