texts: An adjective describing a crowd who are talking with each other passionately

texts:
I read the term but am failing at the spelling. Just like you have a gaggle of geese or other words. The word I'm looking for is to describe a crowd of various nationalities, skin colour etc who are constantly talking, just like penguins do. The opposite of homogeneous is heterogeneous, but is known/used in the animal kingdom more. Does anybody know the word I'm looking for. I'm sorry I can't be more clear than that atm.

Update - It rhymes with concupy - concopious , it is something similar, it is also used to describe in many small children fantasy books when birds and other animals make noise in celebration, all in different voices.


texts:
I'm writing a paper about the lives of aristocratic women during the Heian period in Japan and I'm wondering about how to capitalize certain nouns in this sentence:

"In Heian japan, there were many famous books published but the most famous and well known of those books is, Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu."

When I say "Heian japan" I am refering to the time which what I am saying is occuring. Since I make Heian Japan a single noun phrase would only the first word of the noun phrase be capitalized, or should both?


texts: Is it correct to write 'valuable asset'?

texts:
According to this dictionary, the word 'asset' already includes a value in its meaning :

A useful or valuable thing or person:
quick reflexes were his chief assets
the school is an asset to the community

Why is it so common to see, 'valuable asset', 'good asset',  ect.? Do I look in a wrong dictionary or many people get the meaning of the word wrong?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “Any” or “some” in various questions?

I'm trying to figure out which is correct, or if both are correct.

From what I understand (and I may be wrong, so please correct me)... "some" can be used with non-count nouns and plural count nouns.  Example:  "I have some information about the car accident".  "Any" can be used in questions and in negative sentences.  Example:  "Do you have any information about the next class?"

Am I correct with "any" versus "some", especially with regard to the word "information"?


texts: A questionable sentence involving relative pronoun

texts:
I found the following sentence grammatically questionable:

The Eclipse can reveal an entirely new path that we weren’t aware it was an option.

I think it should be,

The Eclipse can reveal an entirely new path that we weren’t aware was an option.

Source:
https://www.unpretzelyourbrain.com/sagittarius-full-moon-lunar-eclipse-june/?fbclid=IwAR1D5i5sktnFioIr5jSKh4vJ37miu18ShnXNVDAe2bICd-fhli1uuP5nb0M


texts: Fear of asking girl out - is called ...?

texts:
Fear or phobia of asking girl out, fear of rejection(that she would say no or even worse).

Here, Soceraphobia (fear of her father/brother) is not involved.

Mostly guys are feared by most compelling feelings of asking girl out. Some however have overcame such intimidation. What this fear is called? Is there any word sum it up ?


texts:
This is the question:

  A: Does she have many books?
  B: ................. She only has two books.

  a. Yes, she does.
  b. No, she does not.

My answer is B, am I wrong?
My friend absolutely stands to say that my answer is wrong.
He said that, two books are plural, even, there is a word "only".
So, even only two books, it is included in plural, and the answer is A.

I'm really so confused.

(sourse: Use of the singular or plural "is" or "are" in ambiguous situations)


texts: Is “make a dream board” a synonym to “draw a blue print”? Is it a trendy expression?

texts:
I came across the word, “*make a dream board” in the sentence of New York Time’s (December 16) article titled “Split by Race and Wealth, but Discovering Similarities as They Study Steinbeck.” The article deals with the recent program of intermediate schools in two different town of Westfield and Plainfield to let their student read John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men.”

“Students in Westfield, about 25 miles southwest of Manhattan, said the project had brought a different world right to their doorstep and taught more empathy. As part of the exchange, each student made a “dream board” of goals and aspirations to be shared with the group on Tuesday.”

I searched for meaning of “dream board” on Google, only to find the following description in WikiHow other than the title of internet game.

“Setting goals is something we're all familiar with. In fact, it’s almost become a cliché that some people no longer pay attention to. Making a dream board can take the cliché out of setting your life goals, and can even help you to accomplish those goals.”

It appears to me “make a dream board” means to “draw a blue print” in our old expression. Did it come from “Dreamboard Game”? Is it a novel expression, because the NY Times writer uses this phrase in parenthesis?


texts: I often come through the titles with "to die". And sometimes very confused about the meaning of this "to". Does that mean a future action? But definitely not in this context as the man already died before the news came out. Looking forward to your advice to help me understand this?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
Using “that” and “this” interchangeably

When should I use "this way" or "that way"? Is there any difference between these two when they used in a sentences? More specifically do these two sentences mean the same thing:

Don't look at me this way!
Don't look at me that way!

As far as I understand, someone should use "this way" when he is intended to mean something very specific to the situation. Say when you point to some bad picture and say to the students, "Don't do it this way!".
Update 1
I have looked the answers to the question Using “that” and “this” interchangeably, but this makes things even more difficult. It seems I should use "Don't look at me this way" sentence. Google thinks so (15,600,000 for "Don't look at me this way" vs 5,190,000 for "Don't look at me that way"). But there is a song named "Don't Look At Me That Way" by Chaka Khan after all!
Update 2
Please note that "this way" ≠ "this" + "way". It has much deeper meaning. Aristotle said that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. So I guess there is no need to close this question only because you think other way, really!


texts:
My question: Is there any word in English (generically speaking) that have something like this:

In our language (Filipino), there's some words that if you subtracted or added a character to it will give you different meaning for example:

PAKANANG = Right part of
'PAKANAN' = Turn right
PAKANA = Command / Mastermind
PAKAN = Healt / Interest
PAKA = Mollusk
PAK = Wonderful
PA = Father


texts:
I came across this exercise in one of Oxford books.

Most / Most of flowers bought at airports are safe, about 90%.

Shouldn't we use "most of the" when we are talking about a specific set of something?

I will be grateful for any help you can provide.


texts: What are these types of sentences called, and am I missing any?

texts:
All the "pluperfect" and "preterit" (sp?) stuff makes my head swim. I have tried to make a list of all the different basic sentence types using a common theme. Could somebody identify the term for each one, and also inform me if I'm missing anything?

I eat tacos

I will eat a taco

I would eat a taco

I am eating a taco

I had eaten a taco

I have eaten a taco

I would have eaten a taco

I will have eaten a taco

I ate a taco

Me eat taco! <= cave-man speech


texts: Meaning of "(On) Her Majesty's Secret Service"

texts:
The 1969 Bond Film was titled "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".

I have always wondered what was with the use of "On" in this phrase. Certainly, it should be "In Her Majesty's Secret Service"?

Is "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" even correct English? Does it mean anything?


texts: Relating to tournaments.. what's that word?

texts:
So, in a tournament, there are several events.  Each event has so many people sign up for it.  There is a total number of people attending the tournament, and each person can sign up for multiple events.

If Joe signs up for 2 events, and Mary signs up for 3, John signs up for 1...

There are 3 people/registrants, but 6 somethings. (2 + 3 + 1)

What is that somethings? (Does it even exist?)

Edit:

"Entries" just occurred to me as a possible answer.  I've been thinking about this all night and wonder what else is out there.


texts: What are metal pans and covers of a staircase?

texts:
What are metal pans and its covers of a staircase and what do they look like as mentioned in the following account?

  My boss and I were carrying 160lb sliding glass doors up an unfinished staircase (just metal pans with no covers so you were walking on a surface about 3/4" wide, with water in the bottom because it had been raining.)


texts:
M-W dict listed it as :  a moment of sudden realization, inspiration, insight, recognition, or comprehension. Could you please better describe aha moment with examples?
Thanks,


texts: Another Achievement Verbs with the Progressive Aspect

texts:
I am a reading a book called, The Teacher's Grammar of English.

Achievement verbs have previously been mentioned here. Many of you might be familiar with the matter.

The sentences below are examples of ungrammatical sentences, which I don't understand.

The book says:

Achievement verbs usually cannot occur with stop or start.

*He started catching the kitten.  (I don't understand this sentence, it seems alright to me.)

*He stopped recognizing the thief.


texts: Is it correct to use "either" and "too" interchangeably?

texts:
The other day, I heard someone say:

  I want it either.

It comes strange to me. I'm usually used to hear/say:

  I want it too.

Is it grammatically correct to use either of them?


texts:
Just a curious question:
Why is "assume" pronounced so funny by many native speakers?
I can't think of any other word where "ss" is pronounced like that.
A bit hard to explain via text, but it's like "sh" with something like a speech impediment.
You probably know what I mean.
Is there even a phoneme for this?


texts: is the phrase "long time later" correct?

texts:
I have come across this weirdly formed phrase in a book , but i am not sure of its correctness. If this is correct, what would be its proper usage?

Is saying "I met you a long time later" correct?


texts:
I'm doing research paper and I want to write a sentence like

  We wanted to compare two groups isolated.

A colleague told me to write isolate, without d. I just checked, this is an actual adjective. (merriam-webster says: being alone, synonyms: solitary, isolated)

Do people still use this word?

Which word should I use in the above example?

When would I use isolate over isolated in general?


texts: Why does refrigerator have the prefix "re"?

texts: Shouldn't it just be frigerator??  What I am specifically looking at is the prefix "re" [to add the meaning "do again", especially to verbs, e.g. rebuild, remarry] when most things you would put in the Refrigerator are room temperature.  I imagine this would even be more so in the past.


texts: What is the polite word describing a person who unreasonably says and does things to make a person happy?

texts: Assume a powerful or rich person (like a boss in an office) and assume there is guy who wants to get some benefits from that person. He always does every thing and says every lies to make the powerful guy happy. I know an impolite phrase to describe this person, which has something to do with kissing certain part of the body of the powerful guy. But, I was wondering what is the polite and literal way to call this type of individuals and what is called this action?


texts:
As far as I can tell they refer to the same thing (bathrobe).

I'd like to know the roots of both, and if possible the history of their evolution. Specifically if the usage is influenced by social class, if possible?

EDIT:

From OED:

housecoat: A woman’s long, loose, lightweight robe for informal wear around the house.

dressing gown: A long, loose robe, typically worn after getting out of bed or bathing.

However I have mostly heard this used interchangeably.


texts:
Is there a word that means "the person who is to receive a report"?

I'm looking for the equivalent of assignee with the difference that it would describe the person who is to be reported to.

Example:

  The assigner assigned the assignment to the assignee.
  The reporter reported the report to the [reportee?].


texts: Does 'should' imply an unquestionable command?

texts:
My question is prompted by a question on the programmers.stackexchange:

This may be a duplicate of another question here on english.stackechange, but the answers given to that question did not provide a definitive legal definition of 'should' vs. 'must'.

It has long been my impression that 'shall', 'will', and 'must' have about the same imperative weight; that is, the phrase that follows these words is a command that is not to be questioned.  However, in my mind, 'should' falls in a category of lighter imperativeness, almost to the same level as 'may'; that is, the phrase that follows 'should' is a command that does not need to be completed.

Does 'should' imply an unquestionable command, as is the claim in the chosen answer on programmers.stackexchange and the second definition on wiktionary, or is it closer in meaning to 'may'?


texts:
"We choose our path out of fear. "

Does it mean:
(A) We choose this path because of fear;
or
(B) We choose this path to get rid of fear.
If the meaning is (A), then could I make a sentence in the meaning of (B) with "out of fear".


texts: Why use "constitutionality" instead of "constitutional"?

texts:
This morning I heard the word "constitutionality" being used by a journalist with regard to the debate over the legality of health care reforms here in the US.

This grates on my British ears as I would simply use 'constitutional' in this context. Does 'constitutionality' have a different meaning? Is this a recent Americanism?


texts: Is the following sentence correct? A statement followed by a list. Should I use a colon?

texts:
Is the following sentence correct?

"My main priority as a tutor has always been to help the learner feel at ease, with me, with themselves and with their own abilities."

I feel like there should be something in between the "at ease" and the rest of the sentence. Something more definitive than a comma. Perhaps a colon?

"My main priority as a tutor has always been to help the learner feel at ease: with me, with themselves and with their own abilities."

I'm not really sure which is correct or better. I do know that it feels off in its current state.


texts: What word do other countries use in place of "hoon"?

texts:
In Australia (and seemingly New Zealand), "hoon" is actually used quite liberally (despite being informal), from media to law and parliament. Essentially it describes a person who partakes in the act of "hooning" - driving at high speeds or doing donuts, etc.

  hoon Australian/NZ informal

  noun
  1.  a lout or hooligan, especially a young man who drives recklessly.
  "The whole family was wiped out because some drunken hoon had to drive
  his car"

  verb
  1.  behave in a loutish way, especially by driving recklessly.
  "She noticed people hooning around Ohariu Valley"

Source: Google/Oxford

What - if any - word is used in place of "hoon" in the UK, USA, Canada or anywhere else?


texts: Correct usage of "to hear" and "to listen to"

texts:
Did you hear the song?

Is this the correct expression, or should I say the following:

  Did you listen to the song?


texts: What is the best word or phrase for expressing that 2 skills are unrelated to each other?

texts:
I'm trying to find a word or phrase for describing a situation where learning one skill doesn't help you in another area.

My instinct was to use parallel or perpendicular, but I'm not actually sure which would be right, which indicates to me that neither actually conveys the meaning I want.  I could use "unrelated", but thats not as descriptive as I would like, especially since the skills may be "related" in some way that isn't "how they're learned".

Basically I want to say something like "Software development skills are <???> to engineering management skills.  Learning one doesn't help you learn the other."


texts: Can one 'reject a vector on another vector'?

texts:
In mathematics, one can project vector A onto another vector B, and the result vector P is called vector projection.

There's also related term, "vector rejection" defined by R = A - P where R denotes vector rejection.

You can find the exact definitions from wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_projection

Anyway, I wonder I may say "reject a vector" in the same manner of "project a vector".

I've googled "reject a vector" but what all I could find was 'reject' in other usage(mainly refuse something).

Is it okay to say 'reject a vector' as a mathematical operation to get a vector rejection?


texts: What would be the word that is used to describe a person that uses dysphemisms a lot?

texts:
dys·phe·mism
/ˈdisfəˌmizəm/
a derogatory or unpleasant term
used instead of a pleasant or neutral one, such as “loony bin” for
“mental hospital.”.
(Lexico)


texts: Lately, I keep hearing and seeing "embarrassed of..." used instead of "embarrassed by..."

texts: It seems very awkward to me. You never hear "thrilled of you", it's "thrilled by you," so what happened to "embarrassed by you"?


texts: What is the term for "Government by comedians"?

texts:
I'm doing research for a story where, before a person can run for federal public office, he or she has to have performed five hundred hours of stand up comedy.  Every year the nation's leaders have to perform, and the audience picks their leaders who've produced the best act (most social insight and most laughs generated).

To the best of my knowledge and from where I have searched the Internet, there's no existing term for 'rule by comedians'.  I hope I'm wrong.

There's Kritarchy for rule by judges,
Theocracy for rule by priests on behalf of a deity, and other examples where the ruling class forms out of one specific occupation.  I'm seeking something like this for satirists.

I've edited this question to indicate that I'm looking in this question exclusively for an existing term in current usage and not invented words nor invented terms.


texts: Word/phrase meaning "prepare ahead of time"

texts:
Is there a word or phrase meaning "to prepare ahead of time" that is shorter / more cohesive?

For example, if I'm working on a recipe, let's say it takes 30 minutes to prepare the ingredients and 20 minutes to cook. If someone says "go" and I don't do any preparation it will take 50 minutes prior to serving. If I have time ahead of time, I can prepare the ingredients and it will only take 20 minutes between when someone says "go" and it's ready to serve.

I'm interested in something similar for software: preparing some kind of computation or processing, to minimize latency, so if there's a software-specific jargon, that would help too. ("instruction prefetch" is a term used in microprocessor design, but it doesn't apply to application software.)


texts:
We perceive a difference between "but" and "yet"; that is, they're not perfectly interchangeable.

So how can the difference be defined, anyway? They're both conjunctions.

I was trying to explain to someone why I had used "yet" instead of "but" to join two independent clauses, but I realized that I couldn't explain why.

I asked quite a few experts and did not get any thoughts.

And so...here we are on the internet. Begin!


texts: I still write a little [part of speech of 'a little']

texts:
a. Do you still write? I still write a little.
b. Do you still write short stories? I still write a little.

Is a little an adverb in (a) and a pronoun in (b)?


texts: Why, after the salutation and name of addressee, followed by a comma, is the following word capitalized?

texts:
In a letter of any sort, why do most people capitalize the first word after the comma that follows the name of the addressee? I was taught (at Cambridge, England) not to do so! For example:

  Dear Mr. Black, in relation to our stated plan to.... etc.

was the way I was taught.

  Dear Mr. Black, In relation to our stated plan to... etc.

is incorrect, is it not?


texts: What would be the meaning of "Red roses for young lovers, French beans for longstanding relationships"?

texts:
In his Book of Nature Ruskin Bond makes the above statement.
Does he mean that French beans are homegrown vegetables requiring a degree of effort on the lover's part, as opposed to red roses, which are merely picked and presented?


texts: Word that describes both skills and experience together

texts:
What is an English word that means together a combination of both experience and innate skills?

I thought of the word talent but it conveys much more about skills than experience. I am looking for a word that at once describes the summation of both innate skill/talent as well as whatever (in addition to skill/talent) has been accumulated through experience.

An example sentence for me might be something like this: "The skills and experience of the expert were very significant." But I want to replace the part "skills and experience" with a single word: "The <blank> of the expert was very significant."

This sparked me to also think of the word prowess but I am not sure if the connotation of that word allows it to be used in most common places. It is unusual to describe the "prowess" of an auto mechanic, for example, but I'd still like a single word of this sort for describing experts who are possibly auto mechanics (just as an example).

Is there such a word?


texts: Parallel structures when dealing with two items

texts:
Is there a need to make the sentence below parallel?

  Whether you are looking for a place to leave items or want to manage your inventory . . .

I find that if it's converted to the more parallel structure below, the contrast between the two choices is lost.

  Whether you're looking for a place to leave items or manage your inventory . . .

[Managing the inventory will happen at the place, so the sense of the sentence above is correct. This isn't the actual sentence I'm working with so it might not sound completely logical.]


texts: 'Gwine': How accurate is the African-American dialect in early 20th c writing?

texts:
A recent question here about "fo' sho'" produced answers with a number of quotes of Southern US or AAE (African American English) varieties. To my ear, these quotes sounded awful and I question their authenticity. The sound like

The quotes come primarily from late 19th c literature. Some more famous examples:

Jim is written in a particular dialect by Mark Twain which is supposedly accurate, but still sounds like a caricatured minstrel show written by whites disparagingly about blacks.
Uncle Remus's B'rer Rabbit stories are in a popular dialect version written by a white Southerner (supposedly with extensive contact with native speakers of 19th c AAE), but still has the same minstrel show vibe.

Reading all these examples, I can't tell if it's bad transcription, or a great transcription by Mark Twain for a very very particular idiosyncratic dialect that everybody followed afterwards for any AAE speaker, no matter how far off.

I've never heard 'gwine' in real life. Did people ever and do people now say this?
I've only ever heard/seen written any of these things in fiction
(except for maybe) current AAE is non-rhotic and th-stopping just like these old examples

But that's more than a hundred years ago.

So what's the deal with 'gwine'? Do people still use it? Has AAE changed that much? Or maybe it hasn't at all, just the transcriptions are bad? Or maybe it's hardly changed at all? Or, to be disinterested, maybe the lampoonish 'minstrel show' language was a linguistically faithful representation of how AA people spoke? Is there any scholarly research describing the 19th c varieties of AAE and how it might have changed through the 20th?


texts:
I'm reading The Witcher - The Last Wish

The witcher was asking the castellan about a proclamation, and the castellan told him:

  “Right. Do you know what, Geralt? This”—Velerad slapped the proclamation—“let it go. It's a serious matter. Many have tried and failed already..."

What does the castellan's word "Do you know what" mean?

It looks strange to me. I can't get the castellan's mood precisely since I don't know if it's "Do you know" or "You know what" or "What do you know" or "Do you know what is this" or something else?


texts: What is the maximum number of consecutive periods can be used in a grammatically-correct sentence?

texts:
I'm curious how many period characters can be in a row in a valid sentence.
I acknowledge that there are different conventions for how to treat dots (e.g. treating an ellipsis as a single character or putting a space before and after an ellipsis), but for the purposes of this question, I think we should allow reasonable conventions that could be considered acceptable, even if they aren't perhaps recommended. I'm also fine ignoring whitespace.
Examples

Here's a sentence with one period.
This sentence combines two periods into one, according to some prof.
This sentence ends with an ellipsis....
This sentence also might make sense, according to Knowsalot et al.....

Clarification
Please read the question carefully and in its entirety before voting to close a question.
Some closed this question because they thought this question has an answer here: When "etc." is at the end of a phrase, do you place a period after it?. Those people have made unreasonable assumptions about what this question is asking.
For clarity: I am not asking whether or not the period following an abbreviation gets put at the end of a phrase. I am not asking about a period before or after an ellipsis. I am asking how many periods can be in a row for any reason. Clearly, those other questions are relevant to my question, but to answer my question, you'd need the answers to all of those kinds of questions and combine their answers to be able to answer this question.


texts: Is a question mark used when trying to get someone's attention?

texts:
Mike: Hey, Matt?
Matt: Yeah?
Mike: What are you doing?

Since it's not actually a question, I'm not sure if a question mark should be used or not. But I'm also not just saying 'hey' to someone; there's more to come. I know if you were to greet and ask a question of someone before their response, you'd use a period like this:

"Hey, Matt. What are you doing?"

but I'm not sure what punctuation to use in this instance.


texts:
Apologies for re-opening a discussion on this topic, nevertheless, I'd like to hear your opinion on this. Take this sentence:

  There are ethical reasons that may lead John to opt for this choice.

My impression is that if in a sentence you can safely replace "that" with a gerund, then it's correct to use "that" (instead of which):

  There might be ethical reasons leading John to opt for this choice.

I just wonder if this approach could be an easier shortcut for choosing between that/which.

Thanks!


texts: What does "burning the candle at both ends" mean?

texts:
I was reading some random book and came across this idiom.
Can anybody explain the meaning?


texts: Should I write "I have been teamed up" or "I had been teamed up"

texts:
I want to write a past perfect tense sentence with a word "teamed up". Should I write

  I have been teamed up

OR

  I had been teamed up.


texts: How to express "lucky" in formal writing?

texts:
I feel very lucky that I chose CS, and feel even luckier that I went into this field midway in my journey. As an outsider, I am not constrained by rules.

Are these sentences authentic English? I feel they are redundant but cannot improve it. Below is the context.

  After failing to build a bionic robot, I designed a soft artificial muscle which can shrink when electrified. I believe it may have potential use in robotics. Some projects like dynamic levitation model of solar system and Flying Hammer will be put on Kickstarter in June. I feel very lucky that I chose CS, and feel even luckier that I went into this field midway in my journey. As an outsider, I am not constrained by rules. On the contrary, my interdisciplinary perspective and aspiration always motivate me to try something which is traditionally regarded as impossible. With technology in my hands, changing the world is no longer mere enthusiasm.


texts: Looking for a more precise noun than "acceptance"

texts:
I want to express that someone who's renowned "has much social acceptance".

But acceptance doesn't seem so close in meaning, I've seen another expression elsewhere, just couldn't find it.


texts: Is there a word that means the opposite of ruthless? I don’t think ruthful is a real word.


texts: Which is the correct one? “Appointment with/to doctor X”

texts:
"Hello I would like to make an appointment with doctor X"
Or
"Hello I would like to make an appointment to doctor X "


texts: Are the size of tittles the same as the size of the full stop, or the dot in an exclamation mark?

texts: As the title says: are the tittles the same size as the full stop, or the dots in an exclamation and question marks?  If they are different, is there any reason for this?


texts: Are "Czech Republic" and "Chechnya" cognates?

texts:
Let me preface this question by saying that the Czech Republic and Chechnya are two different countries.

Are the two countries' names etymologically related, like Austria and Australia are?

Wiktionary doesn't have the etymology for Chechnya, nor does the Online Etymology Dictionary.


texts:
The following quote is from the NYTimes.

  So I signed up for every and any race that anyone suggested to me. My nagging injury — and slow pace — limited my weekday training. But I knew that if I plunked down $50 for a race, there was no way I wouldn’t be at the starting line.

Could someone explain to me what the author means when she writes, "But I knew that if I plunked down $50 for a race, there was no way I wouldn’t be at the starting line."


texts: Why is the "round figure" of a person associated with being "comforting"?

texts:
Example:

  Miss Beam was all that I had expected middle-aged, authoritative, kindly, and understanding. Her hair was beginning to turn grey, and her round figure was likely to be comforting for a homesick child to look upon.

Here, I think "her round figure" means the "fullness of her figure". But how exactly would it be comforting? (Especially when in movies, the bad guardians are mostly represented by big, fat people.)


texts: Is it correct to write a noun once while listing two related (verbs) activities?

texts:
For instance, in the sentence:

  Without adding new items and modifying existing items.

Would it be correct to completely remove the first reference to the noun items? as in:

  Without adding new and modifying existing items.

It sounds wrong. Is the only correct alternative replacing the explicit noun with an implicit reference as in:

  Without adding new items and modifying existing ones.

Is there a more elegant way to avoid writing the explicit noun twice in this sentence?

I read this: Mixing adjective and noun enumerations but did not find it very useful.


texts: Expression for indirectly asking someone to do something

texts:
Could there be an English expression (a verb or an idiom) for indirectly asking someone to do something that you want them to do that you find it awkward to ask them to do?

For example, let's say you're in a restaurant. And the seats are full and your waiter wants you to eat your meal faster and make your seat available for other customers, because you're there like a couple of hours.

The waiter doesn't have the stomach to ask you to finish your meal already, so he is asking you whether you're done with your meal, in an effort to hint that he wants you to finish your meal ASAP.

Is there a single verb or an idiom describing the waiter's action in this type of situation?

For example, could there be a verb or an idiom that fits in with this sentence?

  The waiter ____________ that he wants you to finish your meal ASAP.

I was thinking along the lines of the verb 'hint' or 'insinuate', but I was wondering if there could be verbs/idioms that are more fitting in this kind of situation.


texts: Should object phrases usually only be in the beginning or end of a sentence in English?

texts:
I was talking with a friend about an event tomorrow, and I wanted to tell him I'd text him tomorrow after the event and let him know what happened. I said, "I'll text you tomorrow what happens."

I said this entirely unmonitored in casual conversation, but it sounded clunky when I heard it out loud. The natural alternative would be "I'll text you what happens tomorrow." This variation brings the "what" phrase immediately after the object, which sounds a little better, but it also introduces ambiguity, especially since it refers to the same time period as the event. I could resolve the ambiguity by saying, "Tomorrow, I'll text you what happens," but that sounds far worse than my original statement.

Is there a best practice (for lack of better term) for dealing with this? Also, would someone be willing to explain what's going on grammatically and linguistically? I'm new to serious grammatical and linguistic studies, but it seems like "what happens" is the retained object, and "tomorrow" is a preposition. Is there a prescriptive and/or descriptive linguistic reason for why these different cases to sound better or worse?


texts: "...Batman is the personality-shelf where Bruce Wayne stores the crazy-plates..." - is this just a metaphor, or is it something else?

texts:
In this article on Cracked.com, I discovered this gem of a phrase:

  ...Batman is the personality-shelf where Bruce Wayne stores the crazy-plates...

...and I thought it was a fantastic phrase.  Then I looked at it some more, and I wondered if it was just a simple metaphor, or whether there was a name for this kind of imagery.

My thinking is that to be a metaphor, it could have simply been:

  ...Batman is the shelf where Bruce Wayne stores his crazy...

The Batman persona is a shelf, and the crazy is a thing that goes on the shelf.  That's a metaphor.

The line in the article, however, invents two new things that clearly refer to existing ideas, but aren't the same as them.

So they've invented the concept of "personality-shelf", and said that's what Batman is.  The same with "crazy-plates":  even though it seems like pure whimsy, it provides some symmetry, clarifying the image and serving as the punch-line.

I looked up "inventaphor", but that's not a word that Google knows, so I assume that's not what this is called.


texts:
I'm writing a short letter and want to include 'separately' a supporting document, but I'm unsure how I refer to it within the letter.

The letter is short, and I feel the statement "see appendices" is too verbose.

Is there a word I'm looking for, or am I overthinking it?


texts: Term to describe “revenge through sexual intercourse”?

texts:
What term can be used to describe someone who,
to take revenge on or extract payback for (perceived) past wrongs
done them by their (unfaithful) romantic partner,
goes off and has casual sex with someone other than their customary partner?


texts: "in the context of" or "within the context of"?

texts:
I am going to examine this question in / within the context of the
  epistemology of memory.

I can see that both are frequently used online. Are both equally acceptable?


texts: Contextual difference between "That is why" vs "Which is why"?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Do we use “which” or “that” when referring to the preceding main clause as a whole?

Please consider the below sentences.

  I have flunked the exam, that is why I am attending coaching classes.
  I have flunked the exam, which is why I am attending coaching classes.

Is there any change in the meaning of sentence if I replace That is why with Which is why? For me both are suitable for the above context and unable to differentiate change in the meaning.


texts: What's the difference between "egotism" and "egoism"?

texts: I am interested in the difference between these two seemingly synonymous terms.


texts: What are the best adjectives describing a chaotic and uncalm sea? I mean, when there are horrifyingly tall waves.


texts: This is a sign from a pub. I would expect it to read “Irish truth” or “true Irish”. Why is “Irish true” used?


texts:
Just a different question but it's bugging me, I need an answer.

I used to come from France to the USA when i was a boy to visit my family, and to my great annoyance (they thought it would suit my blond hair) and embarrassment my two American female cousins managed to put me in a dress and attach something to my hair. I can't figure out the name of what they attached to my hair back then but I think it's called either a ribbon or a streamer and it was in American flags.

Is there a difference between the two?


texts:
In Margaret Thatcher's speech, she says:

  To those waiting with bated breath for that favourite media catchphrase, the U-turn, I have only one thing to say: You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning!

How to understand the word for in the highlighted section?


texts:
This is a review of punk group Gang of Four's debut album by noted critic Robert Christgau:

  Though the stressful zigzag rhythms sound thinner on record than from
  the stage where their chanted lyrics/nonmelodies become visible, the
  progressive atavism of these university Marxists is a formal
  accomplishment worth attending. By propelling punk's amateur ethos
  into uncharted musical territory, they pull the kind of trick that's
  eluded avant-garde primitives since the dawn of romanticism. And if
  you want to complain that their leftism is "received," so's your
  common sense. No matter how merely liberal their merely critical
  verbal content, the tension/release dynamics are praxis at its most
  dialectical. Don't let's boogie--let's flop like fish escaping a line.
  A-grade

I posted the entire review here because I think context might be helpful. But I suppose my question is specific. In what way does he mean "received"? Does he mean it pejoratively -- "received wisdom"? Or as in "conventional," "accepted"?

Thanks for your time!


texts: What's the difference between "client" and "customer"?

texts:
I already asked a similar question (customer vs. client vs. user vs. consumer of on-line service) but, I believe, there may be some differences between technical and legal jargon and general usage of English.

I'd like to find the distinct most appropriate and unambiguous terms to distinguish the users of on-line services:

malicious bot vs. entity using programming tools to access online services;
general public vs. registered for a free service user;
registered for free service user vs. user who paid for a fee-based additional on-line service;

Well, the terms under consideration, so far, are:

user
consumer
client

What is the difference between customer and client?
What are other possible pertinent terms?


texts:
I'm writing a computer program that allows the user to alter some parameters while ensuring that the combination of the parameters stays constant.
For example: it calculates a + b = c. If the users increase a, the program has to decrease b accordingly to make sure c doesn't change.
The target audience of my program is nontechnical, especially artists.
Should I write "Keep c" or "Preserve c"?


texts: Is "pushing at an open door" a common expression in English?

texts: I'm not sure if the expression "pushing at an open door" is used and understood by a native English speaker.


texts: Why do I need a comma before but if the sentence after is not an independent clause?

texts:
I wrote this sentence in a response.

  I liked the amount of time between the lab and the project but not the amount of time on lectures.

According to Grammarly, I need a comma before the word "but". While that was my initial inclination, I can't figure out why. I don't think it is because the phrase after but is an independent clause or nonessential information. Please let me know if I am wrong about my previous sentence, or I am missing a comma rule. Thanks


texts:
I’m watching a documentary, and a sentence confuses me.

  Births in royal families were always packed out, it was an honour, and also people there to make sure that the right baby came and was kept. So no stunt babies were brought in.

It would be appreciated if you could help me understand this phase. Thanks!


texts: A word for a value between 0 and 1 (inclusive)

texts:
I'm a programmer. I'm so sick of writing documentation for things that should be explainable in a word.
When you write a function in a programming language, you get to name its parameters. Most things I can name easy enough, such as "Name" or "URL" or "MaxSizeN". The first 2 are self explanatory, the last one is the maximum size of something in relevant data units(as opposed to bytes or some other unit) but that one is easily understood by other programmers too.
Very often though, there is a parameter that is a floating point type (float) that needs an input in the range of 0 to 1 (inclusive). This is problematic since I have no idea what to call those things so I have to write function descriptors (assuming the language has them) or document it some other way which is annoying.
Lets say this float needs to define the accuracy of something so I declare it:
function FuncName(float Accuracy)

This is very ambiguous since the type float itself can contain a ridiculously large variety of numbers. Meanwhile if I were to declare it as such:
function FuncName(float AccuracyPercent)

Then its immediately obvious that the input should be a value from 0 to 100.
Percentages aren't useful for math however, they are more like a "human friendly" markup for fractions and have no place in actual program logic and I'd rather avoid unnecessary overhead.
I'm looking for a word that I could mangle into my parameter names so that they would convey "this should be from 0 to 1".
I don't even care if the word is unknown to most people, I'll just start using it and tell others to read the dictionary :D
Is there any word for that?


texts: Is there a difference between "Frenchmen" and "French men"?

texts: I was just reading a news article about a couple of French men and was wondering what (if any) the difference between that and Frenchmen is?


texts: Can an adjective modify the entire sentence?

texts:
I came across the following sentence, and I was so curious about “effective next Monday.”

  Mr. Michael has resigned his position as senior sales manager, effective next Monday.

Effective is indeed an adjective.

How could we place an adjective in this position of the sentence?

I understand the meaning of the sentence. The word “effective” is to describe his “resignation‘. However, I just don’t know why an adjective could be placed here.

Could anyone help?

Thanks!


texts:
Four days ago, just when they were nearing Dynize, an immense gale had
  scattered his fleet. Dozens of transports and their heavily armed
  escorts had been caught up in the storm. When it finally passed, the
  Seaward had found itself all alone and blown a couple hundred miles
  north of their rendezvous point on the Dynize shore. Styke had no way
  of knowing how many of the ships had been lost, or how badly they’d
  been dispersed. He didn’t know if half of his Lancers had drowned, or
  been dashed against the shore, or if his entire army of twenty-five
  hundred cavalry had already landed and was waiting impatiently for him
  to arrive. Regardless, the Seaward sailed south at speed, hoping to
  make up for lost time and avoid any Dynize warships along the way.

"Four days ago, just when they were nearing Dynize". After that they have used, "an immense gale had scattered his fleet". Instead of "an immense gale scattered his fleet. And then they have used "had" again and again. Why is that so?


texts: What part of speech is "down" in "Put your pencils down"?

texts: I need to know what down in this specific sentence means. I don't know if it is a preposition or an adverb.


texts: Usage of file extensions as nouns and verbs

texts: What are the rules for style regarding the use of file extensions as nouns and verbs? Are file extensions to be capitalised (e.g. PDF file, JPG image or pdf file, jpg image)? What about making them into verbs? Often in my line of work I will say "I'll PDF that and send it your way", but what would be the other forms of that verb (PDFing? PDF'ing? PDFed? PDF'd?) and should the file extension be capitalised in this case? Finally, what are the rules on redundancy when calling it "PDF format"? Is it bad style to do so?


texts: phrase request-'Luckily, it could have been worse'

texts: It's like you just don't have money, but suddenly you realised you did put a note somewhere deep in your bag and you grab that out and just feel the mixture of being lucky and relief and pessimistic about how it could be if you hadn't put that note in. What phrase can be used to desribe this feeling?


texts: Do `no username or password provided` and `no username or no password provided` mean the same?

texts:
On a website, which is the correct error message when a user does not provide their username, their password, or both:

  No username or password provided.

or

  No username or no password provided.

or

  No username and/or no password provided.


texts:
I have been said by an english teacher that the sentence below is not correct. Do you agree? What is wrong?

What will this course help you to?


texts: When it is needed to refer both male and female with pronoun,we usually use masculine pronoun 'HE'.But nowadays many people claim that it is a form of gender discrimination.So if in this type of case ,I use 's/he'.But can it be called grammatically correct?


texts: Which timeline illustrates “I have finished my homework” most accurately?

texts:
I have learned Present-perfect in school.
But I felt that foreigner used in different way of Present-perfect.
What is the right tense of this sentence?

Please choose the right picture that shows the exact meaning of the sentence i.e. I have finished my homework. Is it No.1  or No.2?

I heard that the Present-perfect tells the nearest past. The blue part of the picture shows the tense of the sentence. I think No.2 is the right picture that shows the right meaning of the sentence (I have finished my homework.)
The sentence below include the nearest past of Present perfect tense. Am I right?


texts:
One can lead a team. But what verb is best used for not leading but just being part of the team? That is, what verb belongs in the blank in the following sentence:

  One can _ a team.

I am considering support or join.


texts: A word that means "revelling in being dirty"

texts:
For example, that wonderful feeling you get when you have been camping for three nights without a shower. Or when pulling apart and eating a crab with your hands. Or when you stand out in the rain on purpose.

I'm looking for a word that has a similar vibe to "hedonism", "debauchery", but with less sexual connotations and more emphasis on actual dirt. "Carefree" or "primal" would usually fit in this context, but not precisely.


texts: Why is inversion used in "The bigger the European Union gets, the more inevitable WILL BE DIFFERENCES between the member countries"?

texts:
I saw this sentence in the Cambridge English Advanced Grammar in Use book for teaching grammar:

  The bigger the European Union gets, the more inevitable will be differences between the member countries.

Can we also say it this way

  The bigger the European Union gets, the more inevitable differences will be between the member countries.


texts: "That don't make your place safe" grammer

texts:
Strangely, in Amy Winehouse' song "In my bed" there's a line in the chorus which goes:

  So sorry if I turn my head Yours is a familiar face But that don't
  make your place safe

Obviously, "that" is like "it" and should be followed by "doesn't".

Is this a bold grammatical mistake? some extremely regional British* way to conjugate verbs? or maybe simply a style thing, to give the song more "colloquial" feeling"?

A link to the song itself (it's from her Vevo so it's legal to share)
a link to the lyrics

*although the song itself is sung with an American accent.


texts: Do I have to put a comma before "in which" here?

texts: A book, in which you can read interesting things, is more thrilling than TV.


texts:
The following is part of the text I recently came across and have had trouble tracing to a valid, reliable source. Now, regardless of which source it comes from, could anyone please give me his/her opinion(s) on the writer's word choice in using "incredible," most probably as an idea which is meant to contrast with "pleasant"? I'd appreciate it if you put your opinions in clear and distinguishable terms as I need to decide whether to include the text in the book I'm trying to compile. Thanks.

Studying with the TV or radio on adversely affects your ability to absorb what you're trying to learn. The same goes for any background music which competes for your attention. Choose music you find pleasant, not incredible.


texts:
I'm currently writing a blog about web development. I'm unsure of when to capitalize a job title and the industry.

Are the following sentences correct?

As an experienced Front-End Developer......

Having worked alongside other developers....


texts:
Take a look at this part of a conversation:

A: I got very wet walking home in the rain last night.

                     |1. You could have taken a taxi.
B: Why did you walk? |2. You could take a taxi.
                     |3. You was were able to take a taxi.

Which one of the numbered sentences is wrong? (WHY?)
Using 'could' confuses me! What's the difference between them?
Thanks in advance.


texts: What is the word or idiom for a person who pays attention to small and unimportant things?

texts:
We were reading a text in my English class and One of my students Lost the line. I pointed to the line we were reading and instead of following the text she said teacher you have beautiful nails.
Now I am wondering if there’s an adjective, idiom or so which shows disapproval for

a person who pays attention to small and unimportant things ?


texts: What is a single word for both location and size of an object?

texts:
An object has a location (or center) (x, y, z) and a size (or dimensions) (width, height, length).
What is a single word for both? I thought of "measurements" but it's not so accurate.


texts:
Cooking quickly doesn't mean omitting flavor, nor does fast food have to be junk food.

I can't understand this sentence. "nor" is tentative for me to understand.
Can I understand it this way:
"It doesn't mean fast food have to be junk food."?


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "picking up friction"?

texts:
Earlier today, I used the phrase "picking up friction" thinking it was a common saying. Later intrigued by the possible history of the phrase, a Google search turned up pretty much no results for the phrase as I used it.

I consulted a friend who also believed the phrase sounded familiar, and agreed that the meaning went something like "to rise in popularity".

  Ever since people realized how cute squirrels were, the squirrel market has been picking up friction.

Is there a reason as to why it feels completely natural for me to say it, and why other people may possibly understand it?


texts: Do "want to" and "have to" mean the same thing?

texts:
Which one of the following is correct?

  To shine like a sun, you want to burn like a sun.

  To shine like a sun, you have to burn like a sun.


texts:
I’m curious how one describes the etymology of a word.
Does the etymology of a word entail more than its origin?
Does etymology also contain a word’s usages and history?


texts: Idioms for fake sadness other than crocodile tears?

texts: Is there another saying/idiom similar to crocodile tears?


texts: Is this hypothetical (if-clause) question grammatically correct?

texts:
I came across the following question at a chat room:

  If I were an admin responsible for the security of an organization's
  network who were using X products in their network, how would I know
  for sure whether there were backdoors in them?

Is the above question grammatically correct?
And for the part in bold, is it a real question (as in asking for an answer) or is it rhetorical?


texts: Looking for a breakdown of this sentence relating to (I think) relative/essential/non-essential clauses

texts:
I'm an ESL teacher and one of my adult students and I recently read this article in class. He and I were stumped by the structure of the very last sentence:

  Toshimitsu Motegi, minister of economic and fiscal policy, said Friday that the Cabinet Office would need to correct figures on employee compensation, which it publishes along with GDP every three months.

My student understood the gist of the sentence after I pointed out that "which it" refers to "figures on employee compensation", but he still wanted to dig deeper into the grammatical structure of this sentence. I wasn't positive, so I told him I would look into it and get back to him with a breakdown for next time.

We both thought it might something related to relative or essential/non-essential clauses, but looking into examples of those online I'm not so sure.

Any help or leads are appreciated.


texts: Difference between usage of room and space

texts:
There is no more space for you in this apartment.

There is no more room for you in this car.

How to determine which one to use?


texts: what do you call the feeling of pain addict have before using drug?

texts: when addicts don't use drug for a rather long time, they feel kind of angry and are in a bad mood. they also feel pain over their body I think(esp opium users.) what is that feeling or mood called?


texts:
What's the difference between pain and ache?

I often see the two words used (almost) interchangeably. At the same time the phrase "aches and pains" is pretty common, and seems to suggest that the two words aren't exact synonyms.

The dictionary definitions I've seen ("ache is a continuous dull pain") don't really help in understanding many of the usages I've come across, such as this one from the NHS:

  Back pain [...] usually feels like an ache

and also this title:

  Stomach ache and abdominal pain

It would be particularly interesting to see examples where one of the two words is appropriate when describing physical suffering, and the other isn't.


texts:
In the sentence- "Jessie's and Nora's dogs are lovely".
Do we really have to put apostrophes on both the names?


texts: Parallelism with "have" and "have been" sounds wrong

texts:
I came across a sentence like this:

  (A) Many have been buggy or poor experiences.

It sounds wrong and I would have written that like this:

  (B) Many have been buggy or have poor experiences.

The problem with (A) seems to be with the Parallelism requiring splitting "have been" to just "have", which makes it bad.

Questions:
Is (A) wrong grammatically ?
If so, why is it improper to split "have been" to "have" in Parallelism ?


texts: How should a numbered list be punctuated within dialogue?

texts: In a story, a character reads aloud a numbered list. What should the punctuation be?  I was thinking of treating it like a recitation of a poem or song - indented and italicized. There are 26 items in the list, so it makes sense to leave it as a list rather than write it all out in a paragraph.


texts:
Which version is correct?

...plus proven ability to collaborate with people from culturally diverse backgrounds is evidenced in his success in the US, Europe and Asia.

...plus proven ability to collaborate with people from culturally diverse backgrounds is evidenced by his success in the US, Europe and Asia.


texts: What does "curfew" mean in the context of a concert?

texts:
I am going to buy a ticket for a concert, and the show description says:

Door time: 7pm
Curfew: 10pm

I was thinking that curfew means the latest time you can access the venue, is this correct?
Or does it mean the time the concert will finish?


texts:
I know that you can use the word "found" in the past tense. For example:

He founded Google in 1998.

Say I plan to create/start up a new company in the future. Could I say:

I plan to found a tech company.

I know there are alternative ways to say this, but can I use the word "found" in this situation?


texts:
What verb is used for power outage?

  Power goes out everyday in the morning.

Is "goes out" correct verb for power outage or there is any other verb for it.
And what verb is used for power come back.


texts:
Which one is correct?

  There is an apple and an orange..

or

  There are an apple and an orange?"


texts:
Can I say «n» instead «and»?

Example: I like apples n pears.


texts:
Chess is one of the few sports that offers a cornucopia of words, which are used in ordinary parlance. checkmate, stalemate, zugzwang, and gambit are a few well-known words that owe their origin to the sport of chess.
I came across a new chess word very recently: plachutta.
Here is how Wikipedia defines the word:

The Plachutta is a device found in chess problems: a white piece sacrifices itself on a square where it could be captured by one of two similarly moving black pieces (for example, a bishop and a queen moving along a diagonal, or two rooks) moving along a different line; whichever black piece captures, it interferes with the other.

My question is how could this word be used in an ordinary context like we use the other chess terminology.


texts:
I have a hard time deciding. Which of the two punctuations is correct?

"So what?," you may ask.

"So what?" you may ask.

Or is there a better way to set the punctuation?


texts:
One critique of problem bottom up problem solving was offered by Rich Hickey - who called this guard-rail [problem-solving]. The idea that you can take a piece of the puzzle and keep failing and changing until it works.

His alternative suggested was a top-down thinking about the problem, fitting the whole system in your head.

Likewise in kids education, there is a recent emphasis on computer-training for maths problems, where the kids get 'rapid feedback' on solving maths problems, at the expense of learning theory and carefully thinking through a problem.

My question is: What is the name for this dichotomy between rapid feedback vs whole-system in thinking/problem solving styles?


texts: Looking for a word to describe a misleading numerical indicator

texts:
I'm looking for a word that describes a misleading numerical indicator, one that does not give the entire picture or truth, or one that distracts from the issue.
For example, measurements of average salary are misleading because they can be skewed by few high-income earners.
The word "skew" is not appropriate, because it is specifically about a statistical distribution that changes its shape. I'm looking for something more general, that can be used in sentences like:
The X that is average salary

or
Average salary is (a) X

Maybe something like "red herring" but for numbers?
Less commonly used words or semi-archaic words are acceptable.


texts:
This pair of adverbs of opposed meaning, one indicating the present and the other the past, when conjoined is used to attract attention to what is going to be said or suggested next, in other words nothing to do with the meanings of the individual words.

How does this work and why?


texts: what does "volatile pair" mean in love/romance relationship?

texts:
Recently, I am studying Chinese Zodiac Compatibility. They said "Snake (one born in Snake year) and Rat (one born in Rat year) are a volatile pair".

I am not sure what "volatile pair" mean? like each person can go to different direction in their life or something like that? or they just do not like to each other

See the website here http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/compatibility.htm


texts: Switching tense in a sentence when describing events

texts:
I'm not sure whether the following sentences are grammatically correct:

  A figure appeared at the window, waving happily.

and,

  "Sure," he answered, pulling out a chair at the nearby table.

Both sentences sound fine when I read them aloud, but they switch tenses after the comma that leads me to the confusion. Is this correct or incorrect? And if it is correct, what grammar rules would allow verb tense to be changed in such a way?


texts: What's the difference between "non alcohol" and "alcohol free"?

texts:
I saw a few groups on the web.

A group's name is "Non alcohol ~" and another one is "Alcohol free ~".

But I don't know the difference between "non alcohol" and "alcohol free".

I think that "non alcohol" and "alcohol free" have the same meaning.

Am I right?


texts: Someone who uses too many descriptive words to deceptively seem intelligent

texts:
What is a word in the English language to describe someone who purposely and excessively uses too many complex words, usually looking them up in a thesaurus, to seem more intelligent in their writings?

I found the term "waxing prolix". But, this doesn't seem to cover the fact that the person is doing this purposely to seem more intelligent than they actually are.

An example. "The feature is a pastiche of mediocrity and boorish cynicism. They are a political and artistic hack pandering to an assemblage of bitter philistines." The person could have just as easily said, "I'm not a fan of this movie or it's actors".

They simply sound like they are trying to sound more intelligent by using an arsenal of words that are not often used in the common tongue. Perhaps elevating themselves above their own audience?

Not a duplicate of this because the accepted answer to that question does not describe the word I am looking for.


texts: Can "forcibly" be used in an action that a person performs to himself/herself?

texts:
For example, can I say:

  She doesn't cry very loud. When she cries it sounds like a string of almost inaudible sobs she forcibly wants hold inside.

Can forcibly be used in a case like the one presented above? If not, what's a better verb to use?


texts:
Please kill me and (just) shoot me now are two common idiomatic colloquial expressions which are generally used to mean that you, metaphorically, would rather  die  than do something or to express the idea you just cannot stand something.

a ten-hour drive to get there?? Just shoot me now, please.
the whole week-end with your parents? No, please kill me.

(Just) shoot me:

  Expression of dismay, where the speaker is expressing, metaphorically, his/her wish to die because events (for him/her) are so bad.
  This phrase can also be used with the ironic meaning 'kill me, I am to blame', equivalent to the Latin phrase mea culpa. It is chiefly a US English phrase made popular in the last decade or so. (wiktionary)

Though they may be natural expressions and, as noted, there are similar ones in other languages, I think that something  (a song, a novel, a TV show etc.)must have  made these expressions popular as they are known and used now.

My questions:

What  made them popular, and are they really used mainly in AmE?
What other effective expressions could be used to replace them?


texts: Word for Following The Shift In "Immigration Patterns"

texts:
I'm looking for an effective word or words to replace immigration pattern. I use the phrase in a previous sentence, and would not like to reuse it again. I can't think of a better word choice to replace it with though, and fine with not using the immigration pattern at all, but I would like to see other options first.

Here's the text.

  "This decline is primarily due to changing immigration patterns. Up until the 1980s, immigration to Sweden predominantly comprised of  European labor migrants; however, since then non-European refugees and asylum seekers have begun to make up larger shares of the immigrant population. Following the shift in immigration pattern, labor market integration rates have deteriorated and welfare dependency increased among immigrants."

To be frank, I'm not a fan of the phrase in the first place, and if anyone could help come up with a different choice of words, I will be grateful. Thx :)


texts:
In a power-point presentation about interent trends, the abbreviation Y/Y is being used:

25MM+ people (+14x Y/Y) use Duolingo app to learn new language
12MM+ teachers / students / parents (+15x Y/Y) use Remind101 to send 500MM+ messages

Sadly, the video does not work, so I'm not sure what the abbreviation stands for. What does it mean in this context?


texts: English for French word "équivalence", in an academic context

texts:
I'm looking for the English word for the French "équivalence", in an academic context. It is used when one has followed a course with material that is sufficient for another course, and as such, the school hands out an équivalence and you don't need to do the other course.

Here is a less abstract example. John has a bachelor's degree in computer science. He then decides to change field and go into law. In the law program, there might be a course like "Computers 101" where he is taught MS Word and such. Since this stuff is trivial for John, and given his previous education, he can ask for an équivalence and not have to do that course.

Is there such a word in English?


texts: Why is "Good Friday" called "good", instead of sad or bad?

texts: This Friday (Good Friday, April 22) is a day of sadness to the human kind. Then, why is it called Good Friday?


texts: Where shall I put the comma in this sentence?

texts:
I'm not sure whether I should write like this:

  Try A or, a more famous one, B.

Or like this

  Try A, or a more famous one, B.

Or try other forms to avoid expression like this.

Does anyone have ideas about this?


texts: Do you hear words as sequences of smaller components?

texts: This is the question of how to hear language sound. I think most of Japanese people hear Japanese words as a sequence of sound units which are the most fundamental. And, I guessed that this was true in English too at first, but started to doubt it recently because weak sounds in English can easily fall off and this means the sound is not necessary so that the sequence of components can easily be changed into another form.  What do you think of this matter?


texts: Are "academic society" and "industrial society" correct?

texts: I'm writing a Personal Statement and I need to say something like "this research topic is hot in both academic society and industrial society". Are these phrases correct?


texts:
Here is a sentence from a novel which I can't understand exactly:

  "I faced forward and templed my fingers in front of my mouth, trying to give the impression that I wasn't talking to anyone at all."

I don't know what temple means here. Dictionary.reference.com only gives definitions for it as a noun, not as a verb.

I think this character covered his mouth with his fingers so hide the movement of his mouth. But what does temple mean as a verb?


texts: "Scarcely did/had she put down the phone when it rang again"

texts:
Which is correct:

  Scarcely did she put down the phone when it rang again.
  Scarcely had she put down the phone when it rang again.

My own take is that both are correct, but that "had she" indicates a connection between the phone ringing and the fact that it was put down.

My "adversary" believes that only "had she" (past perfect) is correct, because the putting down precedes a past event, ie the phone ringing.


texts:
I'm an engineer.  My doc team has been using step-action tables to create user-facing documentation for some software that I've built recently.  I think these tables are awesome, but I keep seeing them prefixed with a sentence of the form:

  The following step-action table contains the procedure for kerfumbulating the fooziewhatsits:

My question is: Should the term "step-action table" just be "table"?


texts: Word to describe the caring of the seller for the buyer?

texts:
A buyer and a seller come to a trade agreement. During the discussion, the seller (whose product is good quality) shows that they are a generous person, like so:

The buyer expresses that although they can handle the original price, a little discount for each product would make the total more affordable. The seller agrees to a discount.
The buyer requests that due to the time it takes for delivery, the products be sent at once. However, the buyer says that the money can't be sent at once because, even though a discount has been agreed, the sum total is still large. The buyer requests instead that the money be transferred in monthly installments. The seller agrees to both of these requests.
Eventually however, despite the seller having accepted all the requests of the buyer, it transpires that the buyer has to buy an alternative product from a different seller. The seller understands the situation and kindly allows the buyer to cease the transaction without incurring any costs, penalties or obligations.

Thanks to this generous conduct, the buyer wants to thank the seller. What would be an appropriate term to use in these circumstances?

  Thank you so much for your _______

I know that kindness, caring or help would fit, but I want to find a more specific word or phrase.


texts:
I'm going to go to US for a long business trip, during which I'm going to meet a lot of people. Some of them are senior managers; others are day-to-day colleagues.

I want to know how to greet people in different ways: formal things to say to a manager, and casual things to say to co-workers.

I don't know if it's appropriate to say these to your leaders:

  wassup / How's it goin'


texts: What is the equivalent word for "compile" in an interpreted language?

texts:
In C, we say:

  GCC compiles foo.c.

For interpreters (such as Lua), what is the equivalent verb?

  The Lua interpreter ____ foo.lua.

When I write instructions for users of my Lua script, I often say:

  Run the interpreter on foo.lua.

I think this can be said more succinctly:

  Interpret (or Translate) foo.lua.

but that sounds awkward for some reason (perhaps because I'm unsure of its correctness). I can't really say compile because users may confuse it with the usage of the Lua compiler when I actually mean the Lua interpreter.


texts:
I have wondered for years if there is an (adjective?) form of the word: "experience".  Obviously, I'm not too much of a grammar Nazi, as I'm not even sure if this would even be an adjective.  But, that's why I'm here; to expand my vocabulary and enhance my grammar.

Anyway, it seems like the word I'm looking for would be "experiential" - or something meaning "of experience".  I see that I didn't get a spelling error when I typed that, so that might be some indication.  Thanks and sorry if this is the most ridiculous question you've ever seen.


texts: Hypernym for “conjunction” and “opposition”

texts:
Conjunction and opposition are terms from astronomy and astrology, and refer to two celestial bodies (usually planets) being together, or opposite one another, as seen from a third body (almost-always Earth). (Syzygy, beyond being an incredible Scrabble word, refers to three or more bodies lined up.)

Is there a hypernym for these terms, something roughly meaning “of or related to the relative positioning of celestial objects,” that is actually used in the context of astronomy and/or astrology?

An example usage might be,

  Mars and Venus spend more time in ______, that is, in conjunction or opposition, than any other pair of planets as seen from Earth.

(I have no idea if this statement is accurate.)

(Ironically, this question is completely unrelated to Hypernym for “conjunction” and “disjunction” which refers to operations in formal logic.)


texts: How to ask a question about ordinal number?

texts:
There are many pupils in the classroom. Peter was the n th( n is a positive integer) student to arrive. Now I want to ask Peter about what n is. How can I ask him?
It seems that it is very difficult to begin with a wh- question in situations like this.

As I have noticed previous similar questions about this.

Where did Peter fall in the sequence of arrival?

Is this idiomatic ?


texts: Choice of an agent to give an active voice - me or the computer program

texts:
Background
I am writing a scientific article that describes a computer program. Although it is common in the field to use a passive voice, it is also acceptable, and my preference, to diversify the text with an active voice.
That said, the focus of my paper is a computer program, and I am describing what it does. I am having a difficult time determining when it is appropriate to say that the program does something versus when I (or we) did something.
Example
Call the program 'FOO' (all caps since it is an acronym, though presumably, since I am introducing FOO in this paper, I could change this to only have a capital first letter)

FOO uses addition to determine Y,

versus

we use addition to determine Y,

or

Y is determined by addition

I think that giving agency to Foo makes it easier to write, but then my text becomes 'FOO does this ... FOO does that'; making the name 'FOO', which is really incidental, dominate the page when looked at as a whole. In addition, it can feel awkward to writing about a computer program as a protagonist (however, this is my first attempt to describe such a program).
Question: What is the best way to write about software in an active voice?
In my field, the passive voice is dominant so I am having difficulty finding good examples of the use of an active voice.


texts: Choice of articles: the reduction/ a reduction /reduction

texts:
I am often confused about the use of articles before abstract nouns. Are the following three sentences all grammatically correct? If so, what differences are there, if any, in their meaning or nuance?

(1) Obama chose the middle ground, ordering the reduction of U.S. troops to 50,000 by August 2010.

(2) Obama chose the middle ground, ordering a reduction of U.S. troops to 50,000 by August 2010.

(3) Obama chose the middle ground, ordering reduction of U.S. troops to 50,000 by August 2010.

Please assume that this reduction of troops has not been mentioned before this sentence, thus "the reduction" in (1) does not refer to something already mentioned.


texts: I just wrote "propriety" when I meant to say "proprietarity", but that's not a word. Does one exist?

texts:
I just wrote the following comment:

  AFAIK there is virtually zero secrecy in commercial IC chips (except for those occasional little drop-ins for espionage). Aggressive deconstruction and reverse engineering abounds. But there is certainly a lot of propriety - so even of many people know, they may not want to write about it at length here in stackexchange.

As a user of English without a license, I've used the word "propriety" to try to refer to the treatment of intellectual property as proprietary. I wanted to use the term "proprpietarity" (lest I try to say  "proprietariness") but it did not appear to be a word. Have I mis-used propriety, and if so, is there a better word or short phrase that I could have used in its place?

While I have found words such as proprietarian, proprietariat, proprietarily, proprietary in an ODO search for proprietarity, I don't see a noun form that has the meaning I'm looking for.


texts:
One word for Point of No Return?
I thought Anti, or Ante was the Ancent Greek one word for it, but I couldn't confirm. Please advise?


texts:
Is

  Please advise

really a sentence?

If so, is it because there is an implied subject (I am not sure if that even exists)?


texts:
Sometimes there is an interesting effect when you convert a question into a statement, though this does seem somewhat modern. For example,

  What the heck.

as opposed to

  What the heck?

or even

  What the heck!

Or consider this statement:

Clearly this (non-) punctuation (along with the aggressive-looking formatting) has a very different, almost passive-aggressive, effect than

  Would you please show your respect ...?

What is the effect by which we modify the meaning of a question by changing it syntactically into a statement?


texts: What is the idiom or expression to describe the state that a person interrupts their happy time by believing that “this will end soon “?

texts: There are some people who don't enjoy the available good time and sometimes it even worries them. I am not sure why, but they might think that they will miss those moment and suffer for the lack of it.


texts:
In monarchical countries, the estates and the
  greatest portion of the wealth are left to the first son, that the
  vanity of the parent may be gratified by the thought that his name and
  title are to descend to succeeding generations unimpaired.

I think the "that" is supposed to be "so that" considering the context. But Isn't it impossible to omit "so" of "so that"?


texts: Question Regarding Possessives with ('s) and (of)

texts:
Question: Is the first one redundant and proper, or is it redundant and not necessarily correct?

(1) He is a friend of Doug's.
(2) He is a friend of Doug.


texts: 'Communication skill'. Why not 'communicational' skills?

texts:
I understand that communication skills is more appropriate. But, i have this doubt-
Why is the word communication (which is noun) used in 'communication skills', while in 'interpersonal skills' the word 'interpersonal' is used (which is adjective)?


texts:
I somewhat know the difference between kind and type, but I want to know it in detail so I can be able to use these words in my daily conversation.

Which one of these is correct?

  What kind of job is this? / Which kind of job is this?

Or

  Which type job is this? / What type of job is this?


texts: When and from whom did the quotation "Vulgarity is the effort of a weak mind to forcibly express itself" originate?

texts: Seems to have high merit as a motivation to think and speak with civility.


texts: "neophyte writer" or "neophyte in writing"?

texts:
Quite paradoxically, I came across this usage in a blog on How to improve your writing skills where the author says,

  "When I was a neophyte writer..."

Is this a correct usage? Shouldn't it be

  "When I was a neophyte in writing..."

Neophyte is not an adjective but a noun so, it has to be a wrong usage there. But I found this on a website which I usually visit to correct my grammar and English usage, therefore, I am perplexed. Later when I googled this word, I found the same usage at few other places as well.

Can neophyte also be used as an adjective?

Edit: While asking this question, I was not aware of attributive nouns so didn't note this question about usage of noun attributively. But as it stands now, this can be considered a duplicate question.


texts: Does "typically" always imply a habitual occurrence?

texts:
Example:

  When she lost her wallet, typically, she panicked.

That looks awkward and incorrect.

A present tense version of the sentence looks correct:

  When she loses her wallet, typically she panics. (or "she typically panics")

I am trying to explain to someone why why "typically" is wrong in the past-tense sentence. Is it because "typically" always implies a reoccurring event?


texts: Use of past tense in scientific publication

texts:
Consider the following sentence:

"Bob started to feel uneasy, as Alice was doing X."

What I want to express is that in the past, Bob started to feel uneasy.
Alice started doing X in the past and still is to this day.

Is the example sentence correct? Or "...IS Alice doing X"?

For a scientific publication - being written in present tense - how do I express this situation in correct English?


texts: A word to express "removing some parts of history from history books by authorities"

texts:
In some countries some parts of history books of students have been removed by authorities of the time. For example, it has happened for Achaemenid Empire (a part of ancient Iran history) 2 years ago in history books of Iranian students. It is a kind of ideological censorship but I am finding for a better term or word to describe it.

Iranian authorities justified it as an attempt to focus on the Islamic part of Iran history and avoid of reading something complicated which may not be according to Islamic culture of Iran nowadays.

However, Iranians think there is nothing offensive and criminal in those ages but it has been removed because talks about a different religion, handwriting, and culture that Iranians had and caused golden ages for Iran history without Islamization. It is ironically strange because the other authorities remove dark histories like criminal attacks and genocides but Iranian authorities removed the most glorious part of Iran history! I think we have to find or create a new word to describe it if there is nothing similar!

Censoring is too broad and general.  The word or phrase should not be one that is used for censoring sexual or offensive materials from art or literature, or removing something which seems vulgar or offensive. Historical revisionism might be the correct kind of word, but it refers to Communism ideas about revision about the history, religion, and political ideas, so it may be a correct word for North Korea but not about Iranian kind of it.


texts: What's a popular phrase that means "a warning against doing something"?

texts:
For example, the failure of the Prevention of Atrocities Act to change the social standing of Dalits is a [ENTER PHRASE HERE] that social change cannot always be legislated from the top-down.

In my mind, it's something like the phrase "clarion call", but more of a warning than a call to arms.


texts: Would you add the plural "s" to the short form of an abbreviation on first reference?

texts:
When you want to give a group of words an abbreviation or short form so it doesn't have to be repeated in long form each time, and it is plural, how would it be abbreviated on first reference? Would you add the "s" in the short form on first reference as below?  What if the same document has singular references to the same abbreviation?  I cannot find a clear answer in The Chicago Manual of Style.

The local bread companies (LBCs) are working together to sell more products . . . An LBC has the option to sell its products in another state. . .  The LBC on the corner . . .etc.


texts: What is the correct and most formal way to say "since it fulfills", "as it satisfies" or "meet" the conditions?

texts:
My university asks me to include this text on my thesis:
Prof. Dr. XXX, as director of the doctoral thesis YYY
by Mr. ZZZ in..., authorizes for submission since it has
the conditions necessary for its defence.

But I think it doesn't sound well.
Should I make any changes to improve it?
Prof. Dr. XXX, as director of the doctoral thesis YYY by
Mr. ZZZ in the..., authorizes for its submission since/as
it meets/fulfills/satisfies the conditions necessary/required
for its defence.

I also don't know if have to suppress that "for" nor if I should write "necessary conditions".


texts:
While typing a post on SO, I noticed that the word "ok" (when used in the sentence "I'm still learning so it is ok") was marked as misspelled (got to love spellcheck!) The first suggestion, however, confused me. The suggestion was "OK" (as opposed to "ok"). Then I thought, what about "okay"?

So, why is "OK" correctly spelled (vs "ok") and what is their relationship to the word "okay"?  They all have the same meaning; could "OK" be a form of slang or abbreviation?


texts:
In the "Frozen" animation, I have heard the following sentence:

  ''We are never closing the gates again.''

I wonder why she did not use "We will never close the gates again". She is the queen of Arendal and tells it in response to her sister, "I like the open gates".

Thanks.


texts: Can the word "incumbent" be used to describe a company?

texts:
I just ran across a reference to "incumbent companies." I think the writer means "established" or "long-established" companies.

I thought incumbent referred to office holders — politicians and other public servants. Is it OK to use incumbent this way?

Here's the paragraph:

  The big challenge for many incumbents is speed and agility. They are simply too slow. For companies to become faster and more agile, B— believes that the key is building an engaged employee base.


texts:
I recently came across a sentence which looks wierd to me.

The sentence is:

  Crazy it seems.

I think it had to be like below.

  It seems crazy.

If the first sentence is correct then clarify it please.


texts:
This is time when you're not working but playing.

Is instead required in the sentence above? When can instead be dropped?


texts:
I have a phrase that reads:

  Section 8.01, entitled "Polar Bonding in Basic Organic Compounds,"
  provides, in pertinent part, that due to the slight electro-negative
  bias of fluorine, the carbon-fluorine bond has an electronegativity
  that slightly favors the Fluorine pole.

The first part of the sentence is what I'm concerned with. Should I remove the commas separating "in pertinent part"? What's the grammatical justification?


texts: I work at a call center.  I said something somebody I work didn't like.  I was working.  They came behind me while working and just kept calling my name and would not leave me alone.  I reported this to HR as harassment.  HR told me this was not harassment.  So, what is the proper word to describe a situation like this?


texts:
In the discourse-guidelines there are multiple bullet points of what to avoid to improve conversation.

One of these points is Knee-jerk contradiction.

Now I know what a knee-jerk is and I know that (in a conversation) it usually means a reflexive answer or behavior without reflecting the actual conversation.

But what does a contradiction has to do with this? In this context does it mean that I should not automatically oppose what the other person said because it was them who said it (basing my response on the negative emotion towards them, not on their actual post)? Does it have a different meaning?


texts: What is the name of the profession "creating layouts for web sites and CSS and HTML" in English?

texts:
What do you call this profession in English:

  someone who creates layouts for web sites in css and html


texts: What is a word for a person who has been initiated into secret knowledge (apprentice, ___, master)?

texts:
I'm looking for a noun that can fit well in a 3-level scale: apprentice, ____, master.

The scale describes the progress of a person from a layman/uninitiated (apprentice), through being accomplished and versed in the secret knowledge he acquired, and finally arriving at the ability to teach and mentor apprentices into the same knowledge (master).

The noun initiate has connotations of being a beginner and thus isn't good for my need.


texts: I'm looking for a word to describe the role of an adult between facilitator and mentor when it comes to working with kids: someone who keeps the group on task and goal oriented, but who also might support relationship development (short-term) and growth as well. These are good starts, but not quite descriptive of what I need: Goal Achievement Rubber Ducking Coaching-Mentoring


texts: Is it ok to use the word "killer" as an adjective in a semi-formal text?

texts:
Is it ok to use the word "killer" (as an adjective) in a semi-formal or even formal text like an ebook? For example, "this is the killer part," which essentially means that it is the most significant part.

If it isn't ok, can it be used within double-quotes to signify the usage of an informal term?

Thank you!


texts: Predisposed supporter of authority views for the supporter's benefit

texts:
'A person who has a predisposition to support authority views, because they know they will be reinforced for doing so.'

Words that come to mind are: group think, and authoritarian. But is there something more accurate reflecting how they are predisposed, and do it for their benefit?

I'm looking for non-slang, formal words or phrases.


texts: The most appropriate term for a noisy machine

texts:
I've written the following sentence:

  He had wanted to write a letter to Jimmy, an old comrade of his, but when the boisterous clipper started, he decided to have a second breakfast instead whilst waiting for the workers to finish their task.

Someone mentioned that boisterous may not fit in here and proposed clamorous instead.

How do these words differ from each other, regarding their connotations and are there any more, even better suitable terms to use?

Update:

What about uproarious? Can this be used with nonsentient things?


texts: "use some rest" vs. "take some rest" vs. "get some rest"?

texts:
use some rest
  take some rest
  get some rest

Which one is correct if I want to tell my friend to go to relax or take a nap? The phrase "take some rest" is familiar me but I also have heard "use some rest" from a movie.


texts:
I have got two sentences and I want to know whether they make sense gramatically or not.

1) I would surely have crashed the car if I was driving at the time you called me.

2)I would surely have crashed the car if I had been driving at the time you called me.

Both these sentences convey the same meaning though I'd like to know whether  "was" can be replaced by "had been" in sentences like this.

P.S- these sentences are not from my grammar work book.

Thank you


texts: Word Stress in the sentence "I put it on the table"

texts:
the sentence: "I put it on the table" phonetically looks like:
[ aɪ pʊ_dɪ_dɑn ðə 'teɪ bəl ]

and
"I put it on the chair" phonetically  looks like:
[ aɪ pʊ_dɪ_dɑn ðə 'tʃɛər ]

I think the strongest stress is on the last content words: table and chair. Am I right?

When I pronounce these two sentences I feel that the word "put" also gets a bit of stress, a bit lower than the nouns. I may be wrong. I'm not a native speaker.

I think "put it on" is not a phrasal verb. Right? What words would you stress if you pronounce the sentences above? I'm talking about a simple context when someone asks me: where is my coat? and I simply answer "I put it on the chair."

Any suggestion would be appreciated. Thank you!


texts: Would a comma be needed before, after or both of the word "hopefully" in this sentence?

texts: In the future, I plan to learn to play several more instruments and hopefully become a member of the band.


texts: Wanted to make sure you “had” or “have” what you need to make a start

texts: Would you be able to explain which one is grammatically correct, or whether both can be grammatically correct depending on the context?


texts: Where do people pronounce "ank" as /eŋk/ vs. /æŋk/?

texts:
Let's use "bank" as an example.  Some Americans pronounce it /bæŋk/, using the vowel of TRAP.  Others pronounce it /beŋk/, using the vowel of FACE.

Where are these two pronunciations found?


texts:
I've always wondered why it's called top hat, and not just a hat, or some other word, which would better describe this specific type of hats. I mean, all hats are placed on "top", right?

Could it mean that this hat was worn by the "top" people of society in the past? Or it was made of the highest quality materials? Or was it excessively overpriced?

Why the "top" in "top hat"?


texts: What could "mucka doozy" mean and where does it come from?

texts:
My first manager out of college used to throw around this phrase, "mucka doozy". I always understood it to be a 'big mess' or something to that effect. My spelling is only approximate, and so I would appreciate anyone who knows the proper spelling! I know he was of some Italian, German, and English heritage, but I don't know if that helps at all.
I'm curious if anyone has any inkling as to the etymology of the phrase, its precise spelling or meaning.


texts:
I knew that Joe was used to mean the average man, and I discovered that joe is used to mean also coffee.

What is the origin of such meanings?
When it is used to mean the average man, should I understand that Joe is/was the most common name?


texts: Meaning of the phrase "for the rest of us"

texts:
What does the phrase "for the rest of us" mean? I am coming across this one a lot recently. I googled to find its meaning, but with no luck.

For example, from Startups for the Rest of Us

  Welcome to Startups for the Rest of Us, the podcast that helps developers be awesome at launching software products. Whether you’ve built your first product or are just thinking about it.

Also "The iPad Review For The Rest of Us" and "Functional Programming For The Rest of Us"


texts:
Which season do you like (better / best), spring or winter?

I was told the answer is better, but why is that so?

Both better and best would make sense, I think.


texts:
As a non native speaker I'm quite stumped trying to understand what "do the 45" means in this song by Ryan Shaw that has the same title.

A few searches didn't help at all, so I wonder if this is some kind of lesser known idiom or obscure reference that I don't get just because it's a cultural thing. I know that 45 could refer to a revolver, but the song doesn't sound like it has anything to do with firearms.


texts: Where does the term 'double-jointed' come from?

texts:
I've read many times recently that Michael Phelps is double-jointed. The term is totally misleading because it suggests that someone with this condition has twice as many joints as others have. Actually, the term double-jointed is connected to something called Hypermobility and means only that the joints can stretch farther than normal.

I wondered whether the word 'double' refers to the extent or degree of something in this context (not quantity), i.e. perhaps the joints can be stretched twice as much.

How come they call it double-jointed?


texts: "Succeeded out of luck" and "Is out of luck" To be out of luck

texts:
I understand the usage, but "out of luck" itself I don't quite grasp. Where does it come from?

I want to know the etymology of "out of" in the sense of not having.


texts: Is "Convertor" a valid word in everyday use?

texts:
I work as a software engineer, and we have many uses for converters.

I saw here that "convertEr" is used, and did not find any reference to "convertOr". However, at work I've encountered this word many times.

Questions:

Specifically,when is it acceptable to use "convertor"?
Generally, when and where to use "xxxxxxOr" / "xxxxxxEr" ? Is there any rule as to when I should use this and not that?


texts: What is the binary equivalent to "decimal" and "decimal point"?

texts: I've been working with numbers in fractional form (e.g. 1/2) and written out (e.g. 0.5). However, the numbers are in binary and I do not know what to call the dot between the zero and five in the written out example. Calling it a decimal point seems to imply that I am working in base 10, but that is not true. Is there a term specific to the binary number system?


texts:
I've always thought "to coin a phrase" means to invent a phrase or be the first person to use it.

Today I came across this usage by a reporter for the Lancashire Telegraph

  The Burnley board are damned if they do and damned if they don’t, to
  coin a Kilby phrase, ‘bet the ranch’.

In this statement, very clearly the reporter is using Kilby's common phrase and not making up her own

Some searching led me to the Cambridge dictionary

  to coin a phrase

  something you say before using an expression that has been very
  popular or used too much

In this definition this becomes equivalent to cliched

The same sentiment is explained at http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/coin-a-phrase.html

So my question is whether this is universally the case or is it a British English thing?

Is it now incorrect to use "coin a phrase" with a meaning of "a new phrase" ?


texts:
What does this mean? I stumbled across it here:

"If the design requires a million trips to the server, expect a dog."
(The last sentence in the paragraph titled Efficiency.)


texts: Is there a single-word term for a major change in a word's meaning?

texts:
My example is slang, but I am sure there are other terms, such as 'cool,' which came to mean something attractive, impressive, or a state of composure.

  The word 'sick' became a _____ in the 2000s for mostly youth in America when it began to mean something amazing, instead of affected by illness.


texts: What's the origin of the idiom "get bent out of shape"?

texts:
What is the origin of the idiom get bent out of shape?

This is the definition of the idiom from Wiktionary:

  (idiomatic) To take offense; to become angry, agitated or upset.
  They stopped inviting him to the gatherings, and he really got bent out of shape about it.


texts: Verb that describes voters putting a politician out of office by voting for a different candidate

texts:
Imagine there is a governor in a certain federal state. He or she is currently in office, and if they manage to win the next election, they will stay there.

If the people vote for another candidate, the acting governor will be put out of office.

What is a verb for the voters putting a politician out of office by voting for a different candidate?

De-elect sounds awkward.

Sample sentence (I need a replacement for de-elect):

  Dudayev’s popularity plummeted and it was almost certain that the Chechens would de-elect him during the approaching election.


texts: What is an adjective that means "someone who lets authority get to their head"?

texts:
Looking for an adjective that describes a person who lets authority, power and/or success get to their head, and as a result, start taking their power/status for granted, behaving as if they are superior, and look down on people who either were once their equals/friends or people who currently have the same status as they once did but now treat them as their inferiors.

I don't believe any of the following is sufficient: egotistical, conceited, arrogant, prideful.

An example would be a person who got promoted from being an intern to a higher rank and then starts treating their co-workers and new interns rudely.