texts: I heard somewhere that if we wish someone younger than us then say "best of luck" and if we wish someone older than  us  then say "all the best". I don't know how much of this is true. Will you please describe the difference between the phrases and also which to use under the different contexts?


texts:
I am making a decorative chalkboard for my daughter's birthday.

I plan to list the things she can do:

Swim like a fish
Jump like a frog
Climb like a monkey
Stay up late like an owl.

I want a single word verb to replace "stay up late" so I can maintain the pattern.


texts:
Does the insertion of with here make a difference? Is one incorrect, or one more correct than the other?

to carry on watching the cartoon
to carry on with watching the cartoon


texts: should 'the' be repeated in front of two or more nouns?

texts:
If I list some similar things, should I place an article in front of each?

Like: I want to be a pilot, or a teacher, or an artist, or a queen.
Or: I have eaten the soup and the sandwich you made for me.


texts: What does "something eats into somebody" mean?

texts:
What does it eats into you mean? I have read this in a play

  It eats you, which is normal

I like to know what the meaning is and how many meaning I can consider for it.


texts: Why isn't the word "Which" one of the 5 Wh-question words?

texts:
Wikipedia has a nice history article on the 5 question words beginning with "Wh" namely,

Who, What, Where, When, and Why

But nothing on the word "Which."  Could this be just tradition?


texts: In certain case, double negation doesn't cancel the negation?

texts:
From time to time I come across a sentence with double negation, but where the meaning is still negative. For example :

  I don't need no man.

I suppose that this sentence means

  I don't need any man

but normally, because of the double negation, it would mean

  I need a man

So why ? Maybe it's a way of speaking I don't know about ?


texts: Which is correct?: "my childhood dream" or "my childhood’s dream"

texts:
As an English native speaker, I feel tempted to say

  "my childhood dream",

but from a grammatical perspective, would

  "my childhood's dream"

be more correct?


texts: I am trying to find alternatives to the term crash course, in reference to a training session that intends to get you started with a topic quickly.


texts: Are sentences that have multiple "WH Question" words considered grammatical?

texts:
Are sentences that have multiple "WH Question" words considered grammatical ?

For example, is the following sentence grammatical:

  Tomorrow, where are we meeting at what time to do what ?


texts: Is "urban-rural gap" a proper English term for a disparity between urban and rural areas or just a word-for-word translation from Chinese?

texts:
I came across this phrase when I was reading a research paper. Here's a quote from the abstract:

  I find that the urban-rural gap accounts for 40% of mean country inequality and much of its cross-country variation.

After doing some research on the internet, I've found out that "urban-rural gap" is frequently used on Chinese and Taiwanese news sites. Personally, I've never seen this wording before so I'm not sure if this is a direct translation from Chinese. Is this a proper English term for a disparity between urban and rural areas or just an artifact of a word-for-word translation?


texts: The article before "adjective + person's name"

texts:
I am trying to write this sentence, but cannot decide if I should use a or the here:

  It would be minutes before [a/the] slightly agitated Mrs.
  Smith finally finds him in the crowd.

If the should be used here, is there any scenario where a can be added before a specific person's name? I remember seeing such usage before, but my memory could be wrong.


texts: What does "to skin your eyes for sth" mean?

texts:
The expression in question occurs in the following passage from Moby-Dick

“It’s a white whale, I say,” resumed Ahab, as he threw down the topmaul: “a white whale. Skin your eyes for him, men; look sharp for white water; if ye see but a bubble, sing out.”

I get from the context that it may mean to actively look for something, to look for it with a substantial effort. I did some research, yet I have found no confirmation of my implied understanding of to skin your eyes for something. Am I not correctly implying the meaning of it? What do y'all think the phrase means in this passage? Do you know of any helpful reference?


texts:
Yet average FiCO [consumer credit] scores for the pool, percent of no-doc["Liar"] loan to value measures and other indicators were pretty static.... The point is that these measures could stay roughly static, but the overall pool of mortgages being issued, packaged and sold off was worsening in quality, because for the same average FICO scores or the same average loan to value, you were getting a higher percentage of interest only mortgages.-The Big Short by Michael Lewis

I don't know what "value measures" part exactly means.


texts: Does including an indirect object in a question change the answer or just help specify it?

texts:
For example, I'm trying to figure out what the proper answer to a question like,

"Why did the car blow up two weeks ago?"

Would the answer to the question be simply the reason why the car blew up, and two weeks ago is an identifier (helping you figure out possibly which incident is being referred to), or would it be why it happened specifically two weeks ago as opposed to another time?


texts: Simple Present, Simple Past or Past perfect progressive?

texts:
Suppose if there's a web site which was out of service yesterday. And it's still down today. Which sentence below should I tell the web master?

The web site is down/(out of service) since yesterday.
The web site has been down/(out of service) since yesterday.


texts: What Emotion Do You Experience When You Feel "Honored"

texts:
There are a ton of situations where it would be appropriate to start a sentence with the phrase "I'm honored."  For example, "I'm honored to receive this award."  "I'm honored to be a guest at your wedding." Etc.

However, try as I might, I can't put my finger on what emotion the person who feels honored is actually feeling.  Is there a better way to refer to this feeling other than "feeling honored?"


texts:
I will send you my proposal two months before the exam date.
  I will send you my proposal two months before the exam day.

Which one is more correct?


texts:
I'm confused with the following sentence:

  In this section, we look at how the shuffle works, as a basic understanding would be helpful, should you need to optimize a Map-Reduce program.

How do I understand the grammar and the meaning of this sentence?


texts:
In a diagram, I added small visual elements to identify specific objects. Should I call these things (visual) marks or (visual) markers? What is the difference? Is there a better term?

According to dictionary.com a mark is a a visible impression or trace on something and a marker is something used as a mark or indication. However, this does not answer my question because the definition of marker is somehow self-referencing: is something used as a mark a mark or a marker?


texts:
Which phrase is grammatically correct:
"1 tablespoon olive oil" or "1 tablespoon of olive oil". It seems that the second one is definitely correct but the first variant is often found in recipes. Though I can hardly find the same structure with other names of food ("1 teaspoon of pepper" is ok, but "1 tablespoon pepper" looks wrong)


texts: "If I didn't have" vs. "if I hadn't had"

texts:
Can someone please tell me if these sentences are correct? I prefer number one. Here I am trying to talk about a past condition that didn't actually happen because the person had the example sentences and they did understand.

  If I didn't have the example sentences, I wouldn't have understood the text.
  If I hadn't had the example sentences, I wouldn't have understood the text.


texts: Am I wrong when I think that I can hear the two different ways they pronounce "flap T"?

texts:
When I listen to the Beatles' "LET IT BE", I can distinctly hear that the first T is pronounced like Polish or Russian or Spanish "R", only more quickly and softer. But when I watch "The Negative Reaction" episode from COLUMBO TV series, I can distinctly hear that when Lorna says "Mrs Peterson", her "T" is pronounced like Polish or Russian or Spanish "D", not "R". I asked my Tennessee friend about it and he says that he hears no differences. But I hear the differences! Even that edition of Advanced Oxford dictionary that I own says that "it is like a brief /d/ or the r-sound...". That is the dictionary implies that there can be two versions of flap-t. But all Canadian and American students I ask about it say that they see no difference. Can native British English-speakers tell me if I am right when saying that I see the differences in pronouncing this FLAP T.

For example, Abba pronounces "D" in "waiting" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ7C127Q-GY. But they pronounce Polish/Russian "R" in "takes it all" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyIOl-s7JTU


texts: Where does the idiom “root for something” come from?

texts:
I am familiar with the idiom “to root for something” meaning that I am hoping for something to happen or taking the side of something.

But what does this have to do with roots? Does it mean that I am putting my root where somebody else stands?

Where did this idiom originate?


texts: How nutty are the terms "nut case", "health nut" and "sports nut"?

texts:
If someone is nuts about something/someone it means they are a very enthusiastic— sometimes bordering on obsessive—devotee of that particular thing or person. To be nuts is a colloquial term meaning crazy, mad or insane, and there is the idiomatic expression to drive someone nuts, meaning a person's annoying or irritating behaviour is responsible for making another, figuratively speaking, lose their mind.

When (and why) did the humble innocuous fruit, nut, become associated with insanity?
We're all familiar with the politically incorrect term, basket case, I am referring to  its modern-day meaning: someone or something that is incapable of functioning normally, a state of helplessness [...], most frequently in the context of mental health, is the idiom
nut case therefore related to that expression or is it coincidental?
Are the terms health nut and sports nut derogatory, neutral or positive today? Were they originally insults, as I suspect, or were they meant to be semi-affectionate, tongue-in-cheek expressions?


texts: A word for a romantic but not physical relationship

texts:
I am looking for a word to describe a relationship that is romantic as opposed to platonic or familial, and a relationship is mutual as opposed to a crush, but that does not involve physical interaction that is sexual in nature.

Despite the title, I don't mean necessarily a complete lack of physical contact, although it could lack all physical contact (e.g. a romantic relationship of pen pals, or over the Internet).

For example, such a relationship might involve holding hands or a kiss on the cheek where this is socially normal, or touching in the context of dancing or figure skating or teaching someone how to bowl or whatever.

Is there a general term that describes all such relationships, or if not, are there words that describe particular kinds of such relationships?


texts: In the phrase "a button click", what are the parts of speech of each word?

texts: In technical writing, if we say something like "the user performed a button click, which took them to the next page," what part of speech is "click"? Is it a noun, since the click is an event, and the button is the thing which received the event? Or is it a verb, since a click is an action? Also, I am confused about what part of speech "button" is since it is "qualifying" the click, in a way.


texts: What is the correct abbreviation for the word estimated? (not "estimated time of arrival", just the single word)


texts:
In the CBS’s “Face the Nation” aired on the last Sunday, co-anchor Norah O’Donnell asked GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan about inconsistency of his voting for defense cuts in last summer with Mitt Romney’s recent statement in an interview on NBC that Republicans were wrong to agree to a deal last summer that included automatic cuts to defense spending in exchange for the agreement to raise the debt ceiling.

After quoting Ryan’s statement immediate after his voting, O’Donnell said

“You voted for the Budget Control Act. In fact I went and looked, you put out a statement at the time it was passed and you called it a victory, and you called it a positive step forward. And now you're criticizing the president for those same defense cuts that you voted for and called a victory.

The writer (Glenn Kessler) inserted the line “It is a rah-rah statement designed to win votes, but does not indicate that he called the defense cuts a victory,” before Ryan’s answer:

“That's putting politics out of national security. “More to the point, I authored the bill, brought it to the floor, and passed it to prevent the president's irresponsible, devastating defense cuts from occurring by cutting wasteful Washington spending in other areas of government to replace these defense cuts.”

I know “rah” is equivalent to hurrah, but what does “rah-rah” statement mean? Does it mean populistic statement? In what cases can I use “rah-rah” statement / remark reaction other else?


texts: How did "Captain" become a term for a businessman who employed prison labor?

texts: My great grandfather, who owned a small railroad and lumber business in central Georgia after the Civil War, was referred to frequently as "Captain."  I learned that that was not a military rank, but an honorific for persons who employed prison labor. (Think of the lyrics to "I've Been Working On the Railroad" -- "Can't you hear the captain calling ....").  Was that honorific applied nation-wide or regionally?  When and how did it start?


texts: Would this qualify as "racism" or would it be called something else?

texts:
I was listening to an Aboriginal women speak about indigenous rights and the government. She made a few references juxtaposing Christianity and their beliefs. For example, it is perverse and uneducated to think Adam and Eve (and their children) could populate all of man. Immediately after she went on to talk about Turtle Island which is the belief that North America is on the back of a living turtle (I know wikipedia says it's just an Aboriginal name for North America, but the speaker definitely stated her people believe it to be more than that).

What world would be used to describe the speakers attitude or speech towards Christianity? At first I thought it would be racist but then I realized religion has got nothing to do with race. Also she did not necessarily say it's inferior to another. Is my understanding correct: that by definition for something to be considered racist it must make a generalization about a race (usually based on skin colour) and say it's inferior to another? What would a better term be used to describe the way Christianity was disused?


texts: Is "cover one's fee" a formal structure?

texts:
I was wondering if "cover one's living fee" can be included in a TOEFL essay.

My teacher thought the structure was not formal enough, but she does not know how to replace it.


texts: Over half our board and staff [are/is] people of color?

texts:
I'm under the impression that the correct verb to use is "are," but my colleagues believe it to be "is."

And what about just: "over half our board [are/is] people of color" ?

Another case: "over half the stadium [are/is] people of color"

We're tripping over these examples, any help appreciated!


texts:
A person, supposedly a native speaker of English, assured me that

  I would say "often" means roughly 50-60% of the time, whereas "more often than not" means 75-95% of the time, and is closer in meaning to "almost always."

Is that really so? It doesn't seem logical (but then, language rarely is).
I do not trust the dictionary I usually use, and I'd like to get an opinion of native speakers who at the same time studied English in a university.

If it is indeed the case, is it the same with "more rarely than not" and "rarely"? How productive is this model exactly?


texts: What is the equivalent in English of the French sentence part "complément de phrase"?

texts:
In French, a sentence has two essential syntactic parts (the subject and the predicate) and may have one or more "complément de phrase", which are optional parts.

"complément de phrase" = "sentence complement" (literal translation)

(Nuances and details could be added to that explanation in an advanced grammar and syntax context, but let's keep it simple.)

I tried looking for the equivalent in English of that syntactic function, the "sentence complement", but grammar sources I found contradict each other and don't define a specific syntactic function, but different sub-fonctions (functions held by grammatical groups within the three main syntactic groups (subject, predicate and "sentence complement"). Maybe I'm only stuck in my French grammar point of view. Therefore, I'll explain the "complément de phrase" so you can tell me what it refers to.

The "complement de phrase" syntactic function is usually held by an adverbial group, a prepositional group, a nominal group or a "subordinated sentence".

Adverbial gr. : Very carefully, he opened the cage.
prepositional gr. : With all due respect, I must refuse your offer.
nominal gr. : I ate cereals this morning.
"subordinated sentence" : While he was asleep, someone stole his ring.

Here are the characteristics of a "complément de phrase":

optional/removable

Very carefully he opened the cage. (Sentence still works = OK)

While he was asleep someone stole his ring.(Sentence still works = OK)

X *While he was asleep, someone stole his ring. (Sentence not OK, the predicate is incomplete, so "his ring" is not a "sentence complement", but a direct object complement of the verbe stole.)

X While he was asleep, someone stole his ring. (Sentence not OK, the predicate is incomplete = "his ring" is not the "a sentence complement", but a direct object complement of the verbe stole.)
movable within the sentence (usually before/after the subject/predicate/other "sentence complement rather than inside them")

Very carefully, he opened the cage.

He opened the cage very carefully.

? He very carefully opened the cage.

X/? He opened very carefullly the cage.
"non pronominalisable" = "cannot be replaced by a pronoun" (except for "location complements" that can be replaced by the pronoun "y", but that is probably only specific to French).

X Very carefully It, I opened the cage. (wrong sentence = Ok, the )

Very carefully, I opened the cage it. ("The cage" can be substituted with a pronoun, "it", since it is the direct object complement of the verb "opened".)
detachable (can be isolated)

I ate cereals and that took place this morning
   Someone stole his ring while he was asleep.

Now that you understand better the "complément de phrase", can you please tell me what is its English equivalent and if there are differences between the French and the English concept?


texts:
I am writing a technical research paper as a part of a large group and a lot of the authors are constantly using the word (phrase?) nowadays in their sections. Examples being:

Nowadays a greater significance with the advent of online transactions
The collection and processing of data locally inside the web browser
is a common process nowadays for analyzing the user information.
Encryption is widely used nowadays to have more control over the
information access

What would be some apt, prudent replacement of the same that doesn't sound repetitive and feels more, say, professional?
Thanks!


texts: Is it proper to capitalize "its" in a title?

texts: For instance, say a book is titled "Genesis and Its Interpretations". Is it correct to capitalize "its" in the title?


texts: Figuring out what's wrong with the sentence

texts:
I took a quiz given in the BBC magazine. it had the following sentence.

  The Queen arrived at the castle with the King by her side, in a dress
  adorned with hand-sewn embroidered dragons.

please explain what is technically wrong with the above sentence.


texts:
I hope this is not a double post.

Should I use "at the time" or "at that time" when I want to express something that was known during the time when the events occurred?

  Bonco presents the facts known at the time about Fiolo and their interpretation by various authors.

Here I mean "at the time" as "at the moment that Bonco wrote it."


texts:
To leave or abandon.

Can this expression be used to indicate an ordinary instance of leaving or abandoning  like:

I rat out on the party after midnight.
 I rat out on the city before noon.

Or has this expression a specific meaning with a more restricted use?


texts: What is the relationship between Juxtaposition, Oxymoron, and Paradox?

texts:
Explain the definition and relationship between "juxtaposition", "oxymoron", and "paradox".

I'm supposed to apply this to Romeo and Juliet too, so any examples including them would be appreciated.

I tried to understand them. Oxymorons are like a phrase that consists of words that have an opposite meaning. Like Jumbo Shrimp.

Paradoxes are like things are don't really make sense, but have a somewhat true deeper underlying meaning.

And juxtaposition was to broad and confusing for me to learn.


texts: Which is right in this sentence, than or that?

texts: A friend of mine asked me if this sentence is correct: "And after all, it is with you than I want to be."  My thought is that "than" is wrong, and the correct word is "that."  Am I right?  I told him I was, but he can't accept that he is wrong, saying "than" can be used in this sentence as well.


texts:
I've got two sentences:

And now I'll announce the winner of the competition.
And now I'm going to announce the winner of the competition.

In which sentence the structure is used more accurately?
Are there any rules that would apply to this exact (or similar) situation?
I know the difference between will and going to in terms of spontaneous/planned actions, but I'm confused here.
Edit: This sentence is from an exercise used in an English Language Competition.
The question prompt was "Decide whether the sentences are grammatically correct and try to correct the ones that are not."
The sentence in the exercise went

And now I'll announce a winner of the competition.

and in the keys the corrected answer provided was

And now I'm going to announce the winner of the competition.


texts: what is another way to say become a trendsetter?

texts:
The field is nursing and the quoted person is a professor of nursing speaking about her students being trendsetters. I need a transitional sentence to lead up to this quote and speaks to the students being educated to continue on the trendsetting path.

"Students who come here are trendsetters. They want to be one of those change-agents who make a difference."


texts: Is there a name for the "overly scoped not" construct in English? (See details)

texts:
The following sentence

I didn't meet you today so I could drink coffee.

could be parsed two ways:

I met you today, but the reason was not so I could drink coffee. (It was so I could discuss our divorce.)

and

I did not meet you today, and the reason was so I could drink coffee. (Starbucks had a half-off sale on cappuccinos today.)

The first way is widely used, and I think it can be confusing, as the sentence contains the phrase "I didn't meet you", while the intention of the sentence is to say "I did meet you".

Which is why I always try to say:

I met you today not so I could drink coffee.

Or the common alternative:

I didn't meet you today just so I could drink coffee.

Is there a name for this construct?


texts: Are the teachers' answers to this assignment wrong?

texts:
I answered this assignment to the best of my abilities, but I feel the "official" answers are incorrect in some places. It's a multiple choice questionnaire.

  I am sure that Huston Rockets ___ the game, if Yao Ming’s knee had not been hurt.

I chose might have won correct answer is would win

  The same thing, happening in war time, ____ great disaster.

I chose would amount to, correct answer is would have amounted to

  If I ___ the job, I would do it in a different way.

I chose were to do, correct answer is would do.

  If there were no subjunctive mood, English ____ much easier to learn

I chose would have been, correct answer is would be.

Some of these seem like they would depend on the author's intention. As both options would be accepted. Am I wrong?


texts: Number of noun modified by coordinated PP: "the [X-sg] of [Y] and [Z] is", or "the [X-pl] of [Y] and [Z] are"?

texts:
I've tried searching Google and StackExchange for this one, but I find it difficult to state the problem generally and therefore have had no luck so far; apologies if the answer is already out there somewhere (and easily to be found given the right formulation).

Now to flesh out the rather abstract phrasing in the title of my question - which of the following (if any) is correct:

  (a) The performance of Y and Z is comparable.

or

  (b) The performances of Y and Z are comparable.

My intuition is that both are at least commonly used, and perhaps even correct. But do you know of any grammar book that addresses the issue? And what is your intuition as a native speaker (if applicable)? Please don't argue by saying that (b) is more logical, language as a rule doesn't have to be logical :) I'm interested in a normative body's opinion and/or your native speaker's intuition. (If I were a native speaker myself, I'd use whichever would feel most natural to me, not being overly fond of prescriptive grammar, but I don't have that choice.) Thank you!


texts: Word to drink something quickly, as in 'down' or 'chug' a shot

texts:
I'm looking for a word to describe the act of drinking alcohol quickly / taking a shot. I need a formal (as these I deem informal) word akin to:

He chugged the beer.
She downed the shot.

Imbibed works generally in the context of alcohol but I don't think

She imbibed the shot

is accurate in this context.


texts: Is there a word that means to multiply by 1.5, or to increase by 50%?

texts:
Is there a word that means “to multiply by 1.5,” or “to increase by 50%?”
I’m familiar with “double,” “triple,” etc. for the first few integers greater than 1. And I assume there isn’t a convention for constructing words for all possible rational multipliers. But 1.5 seems like a sufficiently common case that there might be a special word for it?


texts: Avoiding possible redundancy in referring to the age range of individuals

texts:
"What do children aged/ages 5 to 11 years old know about the sun?"

I truly believe there is something a tad... non-normative about constructions like "children ages 5 to 11 years old" or "children aged 5 to 11 years old". Isn't that redundant? Shouldn't it read "children aged/ages 5 to 11"?


texts:
Can you help me about the exact meaning of the words in bold?

  In an emotional meeting with some hundred remaining deputies on February 3, deputies reaffirmed their loyalty to the tittering order.

Note: Deputies were expressing their loyalties to a regime which was collapsed 8 days later. But, the meaning of "tittering order" is ambiguous for me. Titter is nervous laugh but its meaning in this sentence is unclear. I guess it means "ridiculous order" but I am not sure.


texts:
I'm a bit confused about where to put commata in a "though, since, for example" construction. The sentence I used reads:

  The class of cofibrant objects is larger than the class of CW--complexes, though, since, for example, a retract of a cellular map is not necessarily cellular.

This looks horrible and hard to read, imho. Googling for "though since for example" yielded various variations of comma placements, including mine. So the question is: which of the four commata may I omit, if any.

Edit
To avoid problems with the technical details, the sentence syntactically identical to

  Not everything that grows on a tree is a fruit, though, since, for example, walnuts grow on trees.


texts: Do you make a difference between “anybody” and “anyone”

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is there a subtle difference between “somebody” and “someone”, “anybody” and “anyone”?

Not being an English native, I’m totally unable to distinguish between the two words. Is there any difference? Could you use one instead of the other at any time?


texts:
"to let him think on it and get an, uh, education or something behind him" is a full sentence I couldn't understand

What does that "or something behind him" mean? What can I find the verb up there?


texts: Is it possible to begin a subsequent question with "Or" without repeating the subject?

texts:
Examples:

Are you planning a trip with your friends? Or collaborating on a project with your peers?

Have you discovered a new movie you'd love to watch? Or found an original recipe you'd like to try out?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the correct way to pluralize an acronym?

I am helping a former intern ready their resume for distribution. The candidate used an abbreviation I was unfamiliar with:

  B.S.s in Physics, Computer Science, and Mathematics

I am familiar with the student's educational background so after a moment of thought realized "B.S.s" was their attempt to indicate multiple bachelor of science degrees. That said I can see those unfamiliar with the student's background being confused. Unfortunately, I do not know how to provide the correct punctuation to indicate the correct grammatical number for multiple degrees in the same discipline.

What is the correct plural form for multiple bachelor degrees? Additionally, are there variations for other degree levels: associates, masters, Ph.D, etc.? In addition to the abbreviation what's the correct way to indicate plurality for the unabbreviated form?


texts: Word to mean unfair with economic connotation?

texts:
Is there a word that means "unfair" with economic connotations? Specifically, to mean bribing one's way out of something? However, I also want to avoid words that imply intent to benefit on the part of the party being bribed. Essentially, words that blame it on "the system", not the people involved.

Example sentence:

  I can't believe that we're allowed to buy our grades now. That seems a bit ____


texts: What do you call a person who incessantly thinks only they are good enough to do something?

texts:
What is the best word or way to describe a person who just has to try and do everything themselves because they think, either rightly or wrongly, that only they are good enough to do the task in hand?

The type of person I'm thinking of will attempt to take over any situation. So if you're having a BBQ only they are good enough to cook the food or if you're planning a day out then they decide only they are good enough to drive you there.


texts: What is the origin of the usage of the word "rook" as it refers to the chess piece?

texts: And when did it start being used that way?  Before or after the bird meaning of "rook"?


texts: What's the difference between nauseous and nauseated?

texts:
I read an article about the difference between nauseous and nauseated:

It seems the article at last indicate that both nauseous and nauseated can mean the state of wanting to vomit.  Is that true?  Is that a mistake that too many people make so people basically accept this misusage as correct one?


texts: What does the word "off" mean when it is describing someone's pronunciation?

texts:
I got some feedback regarding my English pronunciation and it contained this message:

I think you are doing a good job at least 90% of the time. Occasionally it is a little bit off, but it wouldn't be noticeable to me if we were just chatting.

I've also seen people asking about their pronunciation get answers like "it sounds a little off and so on. So, I'd like to know what the word "off" means in this kind of contexts.


texts: What does “It (the debt ceiling) is one law too many” mean?

texts:
There was the following sentence in Sept 29 New York Times article, titled “Obama should ignore the Debt Ceiling”:

  “The debt ceiling is the fiscal equivalent of the human appendix — a
  law with no discoverable purpose. It is one law too many. Once
  Congress has set tax rates and spending levels, it has effectively
  said what it wants the debt to be. If Congress leaves the debt ceiling
  at a level inconsistent with duly enacted spending and tax laws, the
  president has no choice but to ignore it.”
  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/30/opinion/obama-should-ignore-the-debt-ceiling.html

What does (the debt ceiling is) “one law too many” mean?

I found the idiom, “one too many” in the freedictionary com, which is defined as a euphemism implying drunkenness that comes from ‘one drink of liquor too many.’

Is “one law too many” a variation of “one too many”?

Is the author Henry J. Aaron, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution saying the debt ceiling is a superfluous fiscal measure by likening it to human appendix?


texts:
This is not a duplicate of "Single word for a very gentle touch"
I'm well aware of the variety of words for gentle, repeated or sweeping touch (caress, stroke, sweep, brush, rub, swish, graze etc.), but also of punctual, non-repeated touch with a certain amount of power applied (tap, dab, pat, tip, press, knock, poke etc.)
Yet, it's driving me nuts that there seems to be no English word uniting these two aspects, as there is in my native language Finnish -- a light, non-sweeping touch. May sound like a niche concept, but I find myself missing the word on a regular basis.
A "hipaisu" -- is an ephemerally light single touch, as though using a button on a touch screen with neither a tapping noise nor pressure applied.
("lipaisu" in turn refers to an equivalent act with one's tongue. Extra applause for figuring out a word for that too.)

Some examples:
"Holding her breath she approached the alien life form timidly with her hand, and _______ed its translucent skin."
or "As she kept her eye open with her fingers, the boy _______ed her eyeball and giggled."

You could surely use "touched on," which, however, fails to convey the timidity and gentleness of the act, besides being generic. "Tapped," again is too vigorous, and "stroked" too extensive.
Please, Stackers, help me out!


texts: What does "the infelicities of language" mean ? Infelicities means "inappropriate and unpleasing manner or style".  So, is the phrase "infelicities of language" a euphemism for curse words ? Or is the phrase a euphemism for vulgar language ? Or does the phrase "the infelicities of language" mean something other than what I have suggested ?


texts: What's a better word for "cowardly", that doesn't sound like name-calling?

texts:
Would an average reader know what "pusillanimous" means?  That would be the kind of word I'm looking for if anyone would - it sounds more distant than "cowardly".  "Cowardly" sounds like you have a personal vendetta against the person/deed you're referring to.  I'm trying to avoid that.

The situation is this: someone is anonymously attacking someone I know, and will not reveal him/herself or back down from attacking, and I want to find a good way to describe such activity, without sounding personally irritated.  Not necessarily professional or dignified, but something similar.


texts: "I am lucky to find..." vs "I am lucky to have found..."

texts:
Originally in the monstrous question Compound sentences, the punctuation and mooore, which I am now trying to split up, I wrote the following sentence:

  So lucky I am to find this site!

And suddenly I got pondering on the correct verb tense to be used.

I am embarrassed by the fact that the site is something I have already found, but the sentence contains not a trace of a past tense. Maybe it would be more correct to write "So lucky I am to have found this site"?


texts: Is it good to begin my response with "Good One"?

texts:
I am planning to respond a comment in one of the other forums in StackExchange! I was wondering if I can begin my response by saying "Good one, .." to confirm that it was a "Good suggestion".

In general what are other good choices for similar occasions that are both polite and common in English.

EDIT
Since I did mention, it is in the forum environment I didn't think it will be considered as a broad question. I suppose in general in the forums users are communicating in a mix formal-informal way (which I guess is closer to the formal).


texts: Does "next highest" mean higher or lower?

texts: A friend of mine recently argued about an interpretation of some by-laws. Specifically, what "next highest" meant. My interpretation: if you have roles A, B, C, where A is the highest role, then B is the next highest. He disagreed, saying that the "next highest" should be HIGHER, not lower. I was sure mine was the common usage, but doing a little Googling I do see instances of his approach--saying, for example, that after third place, the next highest is second place. Which is correct?


texts: What is a word for an activity without a concrete goal?

texts:
I'm developing a time management application.

The architecture considers, that all the user does/plans can be separated in "areas" / parts of life (like "health", "job", "family", "self-development" etc. -- the concrete list depends on the user).

The second hierarchy level are the "activities". Actually nearly always that's "projects" like "building a website", "getting a certificated developer", "getting a driver's license". But some activities are things, that the user might just want to do without a special goal * (s. below), e.g. "doing sports" or "reading books".

What is an adequate word for such activities?

Maybe "doings"?

types of activities

project: A finite activity with a defined goal and usually restricted by the time and other factors.
doing: An activity without any goal; here "the path is the goal". (Btw.: can the word "doing" be used in this context in
singular?) Or maybe occupation?

Just to round the concept up:

The third level are "actions" (or maybe "tickets"? or maybe "tasks"?), e.g. "read the manual" or "lunch with colleagues at 1 p.m.".

The fourth and last level (that's optional) are "tasks" (or maybe "sub-tasks"?) like "call the colleagues to make an appointment" or "by cinema tickets".

* To the meaning of "goal" in this context:

A goal is something, we want to reach through an activity. And: After (or in the moment), when it's reached, the activity becomes obsolete / is finished. A goal should be concrete enough to be (in principle) reachable and verifiable. Short, it should be SMART.

"I do sports to win the world championship." The "win on the world championship" is a goal.
"I do sports to become fit." Here there is no goal (in this meaning), because "becoming fit" is not concrete and so absolutely not measurable and achievable. Sure, this activity has a purpose/sense. But no goal.
"I do sports to be/stay fit." That might be even a much better example of an activity without a goal. Here there is no concrete, measurable, etc. goal. And more than this, it's also not achievable for the following reason: If I define it like this, I am already fit. So I cannot achieve it, at least because it's already achieved. Also here: This activity of course has a purpose/sense. But no goal.


texts: What is the difference between “pad out to“ and “pad out with”?

texts:
I have read an article that says;

  We then have to pad out the JPEG header to the length of 0x2F2A with nulls

but in my mind, it should be

  We then have to pad out the JPEG header with the length of 0x2F2A using nulls


texts:
If north is the antonym of south, then what is the relationship between north and all other non-north directions such as east, west, south, south-east, south-west, etc.?

Similarly, if male is the antonym of female, then what is the relationship between male and the other non-male genders such as transgender variants, female, etc.?

Perhaps I can illustrate my question as:

        antonym
 north<--------->south

          ?
north<--------->everything non-north

They are perhaps mutually exclusive. But I expect that there's a semantic term that better describes this relationship. If there's no straightforward technical term available, I'd appreciate non-technical alternatives as well.


texts:
Which one of the following is correct and why?

  You both are my friend.

or

  You both are my friends.


texts:
When I have to decide whether a clause is restrictive/non-restrictive I typically figure out whether the information in the restrictive clause is, in my opinion, necessary. Is this correct or is the fundamental definition that the sentence would grammatically be incomplete without the restrictive clause. I saw some examples where the sentence would be complete without the corresponding restrictive clause, but would like to have a definite answer. Example sentence is:

  Would you lend me the video that you told me about last month?

In my understanding, the sentence would be grammatically correct without the restrictive clause ("would you lend me the video?"), and thus, the definition of a restrictive clause depends on the writers judgment!

Thank you!


texts:
What is the correct way of pluralizing acronyms in which the last word is either irregular or a foreign word?

For example: radiation transparent medium (RTM)

What would be the plural of the acronym RTM?
RTMs or RTM considering that the plural of medium is media?


texts: Punctuating a quoted question within a quoted statement

texts:
I'm working on a story, and I find myself faced with something of a quandary.

Specifically, I need to know the proper style for the following:

  “I have thousands of them,” the commissioner answered, “but I’ll start with ‘What do you need?’.”

Is it proper form to have both the question mark and period, or should one of them be dropped?


texts: Does "unfold with something" mean "unfold like something"?

texts:
Here's a sentence I don't completely understand.

  The story leaps back and forth in time with crisp juxtaposing of scenes set in disparate places. The production nevertheless unfolds with the seamless fluidity of one of those electronic stock tickers smoothly spinning out numbers on financial news channels.

In this, does "unfolds with the fluidity" mean "unfold like the fluidity"? Or does it mean "the production made the work with the fluidity..."? Or something else?


texts:
I was wondering whether saying "have an impact" instead of "have an impact on" is idiomatically correct.

"He aspired to have an impact through education and hard work."


texts: A verb for giving motivation for a topic

texts:
Is there a good word for giving motivation to a topic and that can be used in the following manner:

  Our research on the cultural history of industrial adhesives is [blank] by the entire lack of scientific literature on that topic.

or

  The study of spontaneous wood combustion is [blank] by the traditional use of wooden furniture.

Note that I am looking for a word that can be used in passive in the above examples.

It seems that some people would use 'motivated' in the above examples, but to my understanding, this can only be used as in 'to motivate people'.


texts:
Yesterday I went to a chocolate shop and they were in a sale. Here is the question:
   Two boxes--€13.
Can I say: Two boxes together is 13 euro (to emphasize that these two are sold together)/ Two boxes are 13 euro.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Was Valentino the first person to be called ‘sexy’?

texts:
According Etymonline , the term sexy underwent a semantic change in the early 1920s when it was used to for the first time with the connotation of “sexually attractive” in reference to Rudolph Valentino:

Sexy:

  1905, from sex (n.) + -y (2). Originally "engrossed in sex;" sense of "sexually attractive" is 1923, first in reference to Valentino. An earlier word in this sense was sexful (1898).

I couldn’t find any evidence of sexy used at that time referring to Valentino in Google Books or other online sources.

Questions:

Was the term “sexy” meaning attractive really first used for Valentino in the early 1920s or was this usage already in place in before then?
Is there evidence that “sexy” was used at that time to refer to the famous actor?


texts: Is "to be at inspire" a correct way of saying "I am inspired"?

texts:
Today I received an email with the sender using " I will be at inspire". Never heard of this collocation! Is it right to say so?
Thanks for your feedback.


texts:
What is the etymology of the term Frenchified? In The Gangs of New York (2002) Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting says

  Careful, Tweedy. The Mort's Frenchified

to William 'Boss' Tweed who has just decided to stay in his company on the account of some floozies. By looking it up or even merely from the context I can tell that he is referring to the great certainty of the temptress being affected by a form of venereal disease.

This being said, I was not able to find why syphilis and the likes would be attributed to the French or be French in origin.


texts: What would be an internet slang adjective to describe something perfect, mythical and ultimately kind

texts:
In Russian language there's a slang/meme to describe something that possesses the "ideal" properties or characteristics - "lamp". It comes from the myth that amplifiers for sound systems that are based on lamp diodes literally sound better than transistor analogues. Hence, "warm lamp sound". The saying got more popular and characteristic "lamp" became standalone. "Lamp chat", "lamp [twitch] stream", "lamp tyan (girl)" - all describe something heartful, cordial, better than usual, maybe even perfect, etc.

So I was wondering - is there a slang/meme analogue for this term in English?


texts: What is the antonym of "think highly of"?

texts: Consider the sentence "I think highly of you." A quick Google search reveals the opposite to be "I think slightly of you", but I have never heard anyone say that. Is there a more commonly used alternative?


texts: A single word for a secluded garden surrounded by a wall

texts: Can anybody give me a single word for a secluded garden surrounded by a wall?


texts: What would be the correct preposition to use with "accident"?

texts:
What is the difference  between in accident and on accident?

Do we say, He lost his legs on accident or in accident?


texts: Is it really OK to use "spend" as a noun?

texts:
Lately I keeping encountering "spend" used as a noun. For example, in the brochure for a piece of software: "See your employee spend", meaning the amount of money your employees are spending on expenses. Or in the software itself, a screen with the header: "My Spend".

I know this is in the dictionary, but it still sounds very strange to me. People I ask have never heard it used this way, either, they think it must be a mistake, or a fad. What's wrong with "spending"?


texts: Word for nemesis that does not refer to a person

texts:
I was wondering if there was a word that meant nearly the same thing as nemesis, but was not connotated with a person.

For example, if someone were to say: "Your greatest nemesis showed you your deepest fear."

Most people would assume nemesis was actually referring to a person, but in this context, the author was trying to refer to an abiotic thing. (ex: anger, drugs, acid rain)

So what is a word that means the same as nemesis, but does not refer to a person?

Also: The author cannot explicitly state what the nemesis replacement word refers to in the sentence, the reader must 'fill in the blank' with what the word means to them.

EDIT: Here is the exact sentence I am writing:

The relationship between you and your [nemesis] may seem to be purely an unmutual fight, but underneath the surface, your [nemesis] fuels you to greater heights.

but, in this case, I do not want your nemesis to refer to a person necessarily, I want it to refer to a deep struggle that you might have.

EDIT 2: Due to popular demand, I have changed the phrase purely an unmutual fight to strictly a fight with no benefits, the sentence now reads:

The relationship between you and your [nemesis] may seem to be strictly a fight with no benefits, but underneath the surface, your [nemesis] fuels you to greater heights.


texts: Difference between "give them a cheer" and "cheer them up"

texts:
Is it more common to say that way written on the left rather than those written on the right?  If so, please let me know why.

give him a hug       hug him
give him a smile     smile at him
give him a cheer     cheer him up


texts: Why is 'qualified' a better fit than 'recapitulated' in this GRE sentence?

texts:
The following is a GRE sentence completion question.

  In failing to see that the justice's pronouncement merely ______
  previous decisions rather than actually establishing a precedent,the
  novice law clerk overemphasized the scope of the justice's judgement.

synthesized
qualified
recapitulated

The correct answer is 'qualified'. But 'recapitulate' also fits, right?

The judge may summarize (recapitulate) his previous decisions rather than forming new ones or he can qualify them. So why is recapitulate wrong? What is it that makes recapitulate wrong here?


texts:
Context
The definition of "blues" being used here is:

feelings of melancholy, sadness, or depression.

Question
Is there an antonym of this word, but based on a color name? The antonym would be synonymous with such words as optimistic, joie de vivre, delighted, cheerful, etc.
Example sentences

Sridhar has got the ____ [or, Sridhar is ___ [a color adjective]]; as he sees no reason not to enjoy this moment, regardless of situation he is in.
John has been diagnosed with cancer [or whatever]; yet he remains optimistic and delighted at the ongoings of life. John has got the ___; or, John is ___ [a color adjective].


texts:
Ok, This site says:

  When we talk about ability, we mean two things.

  First, we mean general ability. This is something that once you have
  learned you can do any time you want, like being able to read or swim
  or speak a language, for example.

  The other kind of ability is specific ability. This mean something
  that you can or can't do in one particular situation. For example,
  being able to lift something heavy, or find somewhere you are looking
  for.

  Present:

  can / can't (for both general and specific ability)

  I can play the piano.

  She can speak English.

  He can't drive  he's too tired.

  We can't come now.

  Past:

  could / couldn't (for general ability)

  I could read when I was four.

  She could speak French when she was a child, but now she has forgotten
  it.

  He couldn't dance at all until he took lessons.

  My grandfather couldn't swim.

  was able to / couldn't (for specific ability)

  When the computer crashed yesterday, I was able to fix it.(not 'I
  could fix it')

  She was able to pass the exam, even though she hadn't studied
  much.(not 'she  could pass')

  He called us because he couldn't find the house.

  I couldn't open the window.

See this conversation from an English TextBook-Solutions 2ndEd

  A: Where were you last weekend?

  B: You weren’t at Sam’s party

  A: No, I couldn’t go. I was with my parents. We were in London all
  weekend.

  B: Really? Was it fun?

  A: Yes, it was. Look at my photo of the London Eye.

  B: It’s great. I really want to go on that. Was it good? What could
  you see?

  A: It was fantastic. We could see the whole of London.

There is 1 expression in the above conversation "We could see the whole of London.". It sounds wrong to me because it is a specific ability & therefore we need to use "was able to"

So, It is better to say "We were able to see the whole of London"

Is "We could see the whole of London." wrong?

Note: Even Oxford expert says it is wrong to use "could" for specific ability. See this video


texts: What is the name of this line in a letter . e.g we have subject etc?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is it appropriate to use the salutation “Dear All” in a work email?

  Dear Mr.Dandy Rabbit, <----------------- What is the name of this line

  I hereby wish to advise that we are out of carrots .

  ................

What is the name of this line in a letter . e.g we have subject etc .


texts: What's the word for "the item which is sold"?

texts:
I'm looking for a single word that describes a part or item being sold. The word should describe the individual items, not the product line, and should make no delineation between different products. It should just mean "an item which we sell, or is sold". Here's a simple example:

You work at a store that sells widgets. There are multiple product lines. You've got your standard widgets and your deluxe widgets. You have multiple stock of each product.

I want to say somethings like the following:

"Check that all the items to be sold are properly packaged"

"Each item to be sold must be tested before going on the shelf"

"Count how many deluxe items to be sold are in stock"

"Product" does not work as it describes the entire product line. "Part" is too vague, as it has too many other meanings, including the same as "product". "Stock" or "Stock item" does not work as it specifically means things which are in inventory.


texts: Is there a term for "neutral" in the vein of "pros and cons"

texts:
Pros means positive aspects
Cons means positive aspects
____ means neutral aspects

Is there a word to fill that blank?


texts: Word for when I present a graph to support my point but it refutes it?

texts:
What's the word for when I present a graph to support my point but it refutes it?
I guess its shooting myself in the foot. But I want a better term.


texts:
Is it Magic; or is it Magick?

I think the latter is the correct way, even though the latter version is listed in some dictionaries. Why is that?


texts:
Which one is correct:

"A popular approach is the so-called immersed interface methods."

"A popular approach are the so-called immersed interface methods."

In Portuguese, the second one would be correct, because the verb "to be" sometimes agrees with the object instead of the subject. I was wondering if in English such exception also exists, of if the verb "to be" always agrees with the subject no matter what.


texts: What do you call a question when the answer is in said question?

texts:
For example: "What religion are Buddhist Monks?"
Obviously the answer is Buddhism, and the answer is in the question.
What is this technique called?


texts: "Including the likes of A, B, C" vs. simply "including A, B, C"

texts:
I found the following sentence in a sports report:

  Manuel Pellegrini's men claimed their second title in three years last season and boast a squad including the likes of Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Vincent Kompany.

Why did the writer use the likes of? Couldn't they just say "including Sergio..."?


texts: What do you call it when you ask a question but you actually know the answer?

texts:
And you may not really expect an answer or want/need an answer. Not quite rhetorical.
For example you may be talking about something that happened and wondering who did it and everyone knows who did it including yourself but you ask, 'I wonder who that was.'


texts: Address: Building number or House number?

texts:
Which one is correct when we are talking about addresses:

  Building number
  House number


texts: According to most pages about it on the internet, adverbs just modify the verb and not additional information. Although, I have heard many different replies on this matter and still don't know which one is right. In an instance like, "I played at the park again." at the park would modify played and again would modify played, right? Also, in a sentence like, "I played quickly again." Quickly would modify played and again would modify played, right?


texts: What's the origin of "-er" vs. "-re" endings?

texts:
There's some words that end in "er" or "re" depending on the word, and depending on what country you learned English from.
There's words like reader with the "er" ending, but that's because reader is derivative of read, and the "er" is tacked on at the end to create a noun.
But there's cases where creating a noun is not the case, and it's not as clear why an ending was chosen. There's center in American English, and centre in British English, which I always chalked up to weird spelling quirks between the two forms of English (similar to color vs. colour). The weird spelling quirk doesn't explain why there's words that aren't derivative of other words like acre, mediocre, etc. which always use the "re" ending, or like river, letter, member, etc. which always use the "er" ending. They're both examples of words that use these spellings regardless of your country of origin, but it's not exactly clear why that is, or why there's even a difference between British and American English spellings of words.
Why is this? Is there some etymology behind the "er" vs. "re" ending of words?


texts:
Is the following grammatical? If so, what would you call the phrase after the comma? It sounds somewhat like an appositive but there's no (explicit) noun to which it refers.

  Bill might assume his car is parked outside, a false assumption if somebody towed it away.


texts: During the "Cold War", did Americans/Westerners call it such?

texts:
I am old enough to remember the fall of the Soviet Union, but not old enough to have had any interest in world affairs in the times before.

Did Americans/Westerners refer to the "Cold War" by that name during the Cold War? Note: I am not asking about the origin of the phrase. I'm sure it was coined long ago.

Specifically, it seems odd to refer to the historic event in a present sense, especially since the Cold War was marked by a lack of war-like activity. Saying "the war in Afghanistan" makes sense, because it is happening, and war-like things are taking place.

But in the modern context, saying "the Cold War" refers to an era, not an event (or set of events).

In short, did people, during the Fifties, Sixties, Seventies, or Eighties, commonly refer to the the state of Western-Soviet affairs as the "Cold War"?


texts: Was Old English "ēalās" equivalent to Modern English "hello"?

texts:
In a question in the Spanish Language site about the origin of Spanish hola 'hello', one of the answers states that Old English ēalās, written ēalā before a name, already sounded quite similar to hola, and was used as an equivalent to our current hello. The user states that ēalā freond means hello friend. But the only example I can find of those words is in the Wessex Gospels:

  Ða cwæð se hælend to hym. Eala freond to hwam be-come þu. Ða geneahlacten hyo & þanne hælend ge-namen.

This is from Matthew 25, 50:

  And Jesus said unto him, Friend, do that for which thou art come. Then they came and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.

Given the context, I would say that ēalās means something closer to the current alas, and not hello. In fact, ēalās and alas are much more similar than ēalās and hola.

Etymonline actually states that Modern English hello comes from hallo, an aliteration of holla, which came from French holà (akin to Spanish hola) and does not refer to ēalās. In the same web, the only reference to eala from Old English is in the entry for oh.

So, did Old English ēalās mean hello? Or was it used as the current alas? Or did it mean something completely different?


texts:
There are many large areas covered in ice in the world, like in Yukon-Alaska and Patagonia. They are often referred as icefield or "ice field", but I don't know if one form is better that the other.
I feel like "ice field" is more generic, it can be used for any area covered in ice, man made or not. For example, it is of common use for sailors when describing large areas of the sea surface covered in ice. Instead, icefield seem to me to be specific to the large ice masses that cover one or multiple valleys and mountain massifs.

Which form should I use when referring to large ice fields like the North Patagonian Ice Field in this image?

The answer on the question "When to use a hyphen to coin a new word and when to omit a hyphen?", suggest to keep the single word version if it is of common use, which is the case for icefield because:

In a google search "Icefield" return about 5 times more results than "Ice field". Despite that in google scholar the difference is much narrower (20k vs 16k), it is still more common than "ice field".
The Wikipedia page for Ice field consider Icefield as a valid spelling for the same thing. This issue is also mention in the Wikipedia talk page for that article, but with no clear answer or argumentation.
Google Ngram, show that icefield is of common usage, becoming even more common than "ice field" in the later decades. Despite that "ice field" can be used other contexts too.

All the above suggest that I should use the single word "icefield". However, that world doesn't exist in the Cambridge Dictionary, and in the Oxford Dictionary (or this version) redirects to "ice field". Something that I understand as an statement on what is the right spelling.

So, should I follow what the dictionaries suggest? Or, should I follow the common use rule recommended in "When to use a hyphen to coin a new word and when to omit a hyphen?"


texts:
What is a small tent kind of shop on the side of the road called?

It can sell stuff like newspapers, snacks, coffee, and other small things. The only two things that come to mind are "a hot dog stand" and "street vendor" (though the latter is the person). So, I was wondering what other words for it may be?

In my language it's called a kiosk or simply a van, whether it's immovable or on the wheels, but from what I've googled, the pictures say it's not the same thing in English.

Here is what I want to know the name for:


texts: Is this gramatically correct? (with options)

texts:
Context: Class mate gave me a gift

  "A gift from my classmate. It is moments/things like these/this which make my heart grow fonder of XYZ school every day"

I'm wondering if I should use moments over things and these over this.


texts:
I hope this is the correct place for my question. I didn't post in English learner site because it seems a more specific question.
As everyone knows the plural of person is people, but I saw in a menu

  Starter for 4 persons

I was sure about the error, but a friend told me that sometimes in menus and lists it can be used if there is a fixed number.

What is your opinion?


texts: Why no determiner before either 'lunatic' or 'knight' in "He's more lunatic than he is knight"

texts:
In the Norton Critical Edition of Don Quijote, ably translated by Burton Raffel, there is a passage in which Sancho Panza is talking about the titular character and he says

  ...while I am thinking like this it's no problem dealing with whatever foolishness my master's up to, because I know perfectly well that he's more lunatic than he is knight.

My question regards the singular common nouns lunatic and knight. Neither has a determiner before them. How come?

Compare:

  A mellifluous voice, as I am true knight.

from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, 3, iv. Again, no determiner. But there are plenty of places in Shakespreare (and Chaucer and ad infinitum) where a determiner is used with knight, such as the almost parallel

  ...as I am a true knight.

King Henry IV: part II, I, ii

  Much more a knight, a captain and a leader.

King Henry VI, part I: IV,


texts:
I saw on the 2016 November's NEW SCIENTIST a sentence:

  The capsule, containing hydrogen isotopes, sits in a spherical target chamber (pictured, top right). Its science-fiction looks bagged it the role of the warp core of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: Into Darkness.

In this sentence, what does "bag" mean? Or is there any misspelling?


texts: How would you describe the difference between these two sentences?

texts:
The block has a mass of 50 kg.
The mass of the block is 50 kg.


texts: contested combat photographs of the Spanish Civil War

texts:
Does "contested" here mean "controversial and influential"?

Context:
In the tradition of war photography that Sontag outlines—from the Crimean War and the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857 to the contested “combat” photographs of the Spanish Civil War—the Vietnam/ American War holds a special place, since in it photographers no longer staged battle as they had in the past (Art and Politics).


texts:
I’m looking for the origin of the idiom “to be a thing”. It means roughly “exist” or more specifically “be recognised” or “be a phenomenon”. I first noticed it around 2008–2009.

  Is medical grade tea a thing?
  I don’t think that is a thing, but I just don’t think that it should be mandatory
  Unlocking accomplishments? I don’t think that is a thing.
  Is That a Thing?
  I didn’t know that was a thing.
  a tech startup cto who doesn’t know how to code / yes, that is a thing :(

It seems to come from the use of thing in the sense of a popular phenomenon—cf. “Ecigs are the new thing”. However, its meaning also extends to differentiating set phrases, names, or terms of art from normal productive constructions. For example:

  — If you assign the mutable reference…
  — Is that a thing? [Is “mutable reference” different from “mutable” + “reference”?]
  — Hm? Oh, no, a variable can be mutable or be a reference, or both; they’re separate.
  — Oh, okay. So if we assign this here…

So I’m wondering how it was originally used and whether any authorities recognise it yet.


texts: proneness to + [verb] instead of proneness to + [noun]

texts:
This is my first question in here so I ask you to be tolerant with any faux pas I may commit.
Having said so, my question is about the word proneness, of which I've only found examples in which it is followed by a noun.

Can it be followed by a verb? If so, gerund or infinitive (e.g. my proneness to observe/observing)?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Pride and Prejudice, what does: “decline the office, I will take it on myself” mean?

texts:
"I honour your circumspection. A fortnight's acquaintance is certainly
  very little. One cannot know what a man really is by the end of a
  fortnight. But if we do not venture somebody else will; and after all,
  Mrs. Long and her daughters must stand their chance; and, therefore,
  as she will think it an act of kindness, if you decline the office, I
  will take it on myself."

I have difficulty understanding the last sentence, "decline the office, I will take it on myself." What do “the office”, and “take it on” mean here?

Actually, I don't quite understand the whole passage.
Why does he say “if we do not venture someone else will, … Mrs. Long … must stand their chance.”?


texts: What is the difference between at a hotel and in a hotel? The NYTimes seems to be using both of them. I looked up the ngram on google and it seems in a hotel is used more often than at a hotel, which is kind of surprising to me.


texts: "mine ears"and"my ears",I should choose which one?

texts: I just want to know between "mine ears "and "my ears ",which one is right ? Can anybody give me some reasonable explanations?


texts: Is it common to end an email with a question?

texts:
Lately, I encounter marketing emails which are concluded with a question and followed by a name/position signature. Schematically, these are constructed as follows:

  I notice you were once interested. Here is more information I would like to bother you with.

  Are you familiar with these newer technologies?

  Joe Doe,
  The Chief Marketing Specialist

Is ending an email with a question like that permissible?


texts: Can I Start a Sentence with the Words 'Awesome' and 'Great' when Responding to Someone?

texts:
I was wondering if it's grammatically correct to start a sentence with the words 'awesome' and 'great' as a response.

For example:

Person 1: "The meeting has been scheduled."

Person 2: "Great, thank you for all of the help."

         "Awesome, I appreciate the help."

Would the words 'awesome' and 'great' be standalone sentences?

Any help is appreciated!


texts:
here is my sentence

This makes the best use of balding resistant hair, most of us have at the sides and back of our head.

The sentence after the comma does not make sense ALONE. However, grammatically speaking, it is a complete sentence. My QUESTION is whether I should regard is a subordinate clause and use a comma, or regard it as a complete sentence and use a colon to join the two sentences?

Thanks


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between the adjectives Kafkaesque and Kafkan, or are they synonyms?


texts: Searching for a word that means... "even better than"

texts:
I'm searching for a word that means... "even better than"

I want to use it in this sort of context...

  "It's a sitting duck."
  "A sitting swan -word here-"

  "I'd like to buy some flour."
  "Organic flour -word here-."

For some reason the word nonetheless pops into mind, but nonetheless means however so is obviously not it... the word I'm looking for is possibly similar sounding, but I'm not sure.


texts:
Which do I use, in the sentence
"I'm reading a biography ___ Winston Churchill" ?


texts:
I was taught that any terminal punctuation marks end the sentence, however I have a particular sentence that I have been wrangling with:

In order to answer the research question “Are bi-lingual individuals from China (a collectivist country) more likely to evaluate positively television advertisements that portray individualistic (Western) values than Chinese individuals with a low level of globalization?” a quantitative study will be conducted.

Is this proper punctuation considering that the question is nested in quotation marks?

UPDATE: I am aware one could say...

A quantitative study will be conducted in order to answer our research question: “Are bi-lingual individuals from China (a collectivist country) more likely to evaluate positively television advertisements that portray individualistic (Western) values than Chinese individuals with a low level of globalization?”


texts: What is the difference between omnidirectional and non-directional?

texts:
As I understand it, omnidirectional and non-directional both indicate that something:

  ...is not affected by direction in any way

Is the meaning of these two words equivalent.


texts: A simile / metaphor for the concept that an entity is formed from a wide range of factors

texts:
I am trying to explain that health is not simply determined by biological factors. Instead it is shaped by a whole host of variables: lifestyle, education, culture,  attitudes, socio-economic factors etc.
I wanted to use a powerful simile or metaphor to elucidate the point and make for a more interesting read. So I would like a simile that succinctly demonstrates the idea that one entity is being shaped from a wide variety of factors.

How could I write this sentence?


texts: How to simplify that 'the math scores of all people are roughly the same, and the physics scores of all people are also roughly the same '

texts: My answer is 'All people have roughly the same scores in math and physics, respectively.'. However, it will make me regard that the math and physics scores of people A are the same, which happens for all the other people.


texts:
Does anyone know whether "batter" as in "batter up!" on a baseball field is a noun or a verb derived from a noun?

To test for its verbhood, you'd have to apply some verb-related tests. Can it have a tense ending attached to it, for example? But if "Batter up" is generally used as a command, then that test is not available.

If it is a noun, then can you provide other examples of the pattern Noun + up that are used as commands?

I've found some examples, such as

  "it's time to batter up and play ball."
  --from Google Books

  "It’s time to batter up and make that homerun!"
  --from a Realty One Group webpage

  "...like Babe Ruth from a New York Yankees baseball match, we batter up and knock those curveballs right out of the park."
  --from Google Books again

If this sort of sentence works, that'd be evidence for its verbhood.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: What is the difference between "parentheses" and "parenthesis"?


texts:
What does this mean?

  Project is testable.


texts: Using an unrelated "too" before an infinitive

texts:
I came across the following in a children's textbook about Japanese:

  [Ninja] did not have magic powers but they did have [discipline, determination and daring] ... These attributes will help you too succeed in learning a new language.

At first I thought it was wrong, but Comma or no comma before "too"? (and possibly others) states that commas aren't required unless the "too" is used for an abrupt change of thought, and this question on infinitives says you don't need to have a "to" before "help". Combined, would this mean that the quotation is grammatical?

Also, is it recommended to edit a phrase that looks incorrect so that it looks correct, or to avoid schoolchildren (and others!) thinking that the infinitive is "too learn"?


texts: What is the differece between "to receiving" and "to receive"?

texts:
I am wondering the differece between "to receiving" and "to receive"? I found in many sentences a simple verb or a "ing" after "to". Though I have explore the following, still I am not clear.

If the work is in continuous form then we use "ing" after "to".
If the work is still to happen then we use simple verb after "to".


texts: "To a T" or "To a Tee", and where does it come from?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Origin of “Fits [x] to a T”?

I frequently hear the phrase "To a T[ee]", but I'm not sure that I've ever seen it written. What is the correct way to write this phrase, and what are its origins?


texts:
I have seen a discussion regarding Harry Potter quotes, such as:

  Voldemort will not have made it easy to discover his hiding place.

Which is said in a situation when Voldemort had hidden the thing already (in the past). But I am thinking - if I did not know the context, I could think that he has yet to hide it (and will not make it easy, is that correct?)

Why is this tense used here, as a prediction?

What if I say:

  Voldemort surely did not make it easy to discover his hiding place.

Is this the same as using would have for past speculations? Such as in:

  In those ages, people would have used bones to craft weapons.
  Which I believe is the same like "were likely using"


texts:
Is this proper use of 'of such'?

  ...providing resilience to removing keywords or blocking
  the use of such.


texts:
Is there a name for the more general case of "1337 (leet) speak" where you replace some letters in a word with other letters or symbols, as well as numbers while still conveying the original word?

One use case being when posting in a chat room or forum board where they might employ a censorship bot to block out certain offensive words.

Examples:

@$$  => ass
shi!t  => shit
cvnt  => cunt


texts: The solution/solutions of Cases I and II is/are

texts:
Which one of the following sentences is correct?

The solution of Cases I and II is ...
The solutions of Cases I and II are ...

Actually, I want to know whether we have to use a plural noun or a singular noun when the noun refers to two (or more) things.

Thank you


texts: Which usage is correct? "in online" or "online"?

texts: My blog topic is "How to find the right freelancer in online"? I would like to confirm whether "in online" or "online" is correct? please help me urgent!


texts: Is there such a word as "lightweightness"?

texts:
Is there a good translation for the German word "Leichtgewichtigkeit" (lit. "lightweightness")?

According to leo.org and dict.cc, there is none, but according to these translations, there are several.

What I want to express is that there is "...lightweightness compared to...". I don't want to use the adjective "lightweight" but a noun.

Is there a better choice?

EDIT: I want to describe that an API is not as extensive/expensive as others. Thus, lightness is not what I'm looking for.


texts: Is this sentence correct, are there any better ways to phrase this sentence?

texts:
I'm trying to say that many people are doing the same thing -- when I did it, I was viewed differently. But the sentence sounds a bit dull, I'd like other ways to phrase this or suggestions.

  While I told my speech, I had come to the realization that I was being
  observed differently than others who were  doing the same thing I was.


texts: Bill having rejected his job offer. what grammatical point is it?

texts:
I ran into this question in an exam and could not figure out which option to choose and why!
In its key, choice 2 is selected as the correct answer.

  4- Mr. Hill decided to offer the position to Henry, ………….. .
    1) having rejected his job offer by Bill
    2) Bill having rejected his job offer
    3) Bill rejecting his job offer
    4) being rejected his job offer by Bill

why not choice 1 ?


texts: Authoritative source on the diaeresis trema rule

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “Whereäs” as an alternative spelling of “whereas”

I've got an impression that there is (or was) a rule in English:

If you have a rarely used word with two vowel letters in a row, corresponding to two vowel sounds in a row (as opposed to a diphthong or single vowel sound marked by two letters), you have to mark a second vowel with a trema.

For example: coöperation.

As rarely used word gets more popular and recognizable, trema is dropped from the spelling. In contemporary English cooperation is spelled without it.

Is there an authoritative source on this rule?

I guess, any linguistics work would do, Wikipedia would not. Something that I can cite and not be laughed at.


texts: Why does the verb 'have' require 'do' or 'got' and cannot be used alone?

texts:
When I began to study English, about 50 years ago, I was taught to ask, for instance, 'Have you a car?' and, if the answer was negative, to answer 'I have not a car.'

However, when I came back to study English, I learnt that now I should ask 'Do you have a car?' or 'Have you got a car?' and reply 'I do not have a car,' or 'I have not got a car.'

When did this change take place and why?


texts:
Is is correct to use the word yourself as follows in a sentence?

  Can you please set up a meeting tomorrow with Tom, Shaun, Rupert and yourself?


texts:
For instance

  Curvature radius

and

  Radius of curvature

Is there difference between both? When I need to use "of" in this kind of word?

Another example

  Computing time

and

  Time of computing

Are they the same? I already saw the both, in academic books, and I'm confused with it. In my language always it is used "of".

Thank you in advance.


texts: "Woods" and then verb. Singular or plural?

texts:
The woods ushers forth its strength.

or

  The woods usher forth their strength.

?

Where "woods" is to be understood as a forest.


texts: What would you call someone who rather not have something than have it with bad sides?

texts:
I wondered this when I was thinking about relationships but could apply to other situations. Let's say someone has troubled relationship with their siblings so they'd rather not having them to putting up with them. Or they ended up with a pet but they'd rather not have it and not deal with it's responsibilities. Or they are assigned a project with good prospects but wouldnt want to do it because of risks.
I was thinking more of apathetic than slothful. I thought picky or idealist but they're not quite right.


texts:
I'm not sure if I'm using "flounder" right.

  Ms. R was familiar with Student M, the sixth grader.  She expected him to continue to sail through 7th grade in a similar style to 6th grade.  But in 7th grade, when expectations increased and the student began to flounder, Ms. R had no idea.

Is "flounder" the right verb here?  Or is there some other verb used in connection with sailboats?

I want a verb that means that the sailboat is having trouble staying upright, i.e. not capsizing.


texts:
Recently I was watching the Jeeves and Wooster series, when one little but strange thing in a dialogue caught my attention:

  Wooster: Just one thing. Where do I sleep?
  Jeeves: In here, sir.

Why does he use the preposition in here? I must confess I haven't heard that before. Is this a mistake or grammatical? It's very unlikely that such a person as Stephen Fry or his character Jeeves would break the rules of English.


texts: Idiomatic expression about concern or worries with "stomach"

texts: Is there an idiom with "stomach" that expresses one's concern/worries about something, something like "I got so worried that my stomach hurts" & stuff?


texts:
Is it acceptable to start a new sentence after a new sentence in the same line where a quotation just ended?
For example:

I asked the man in front of me where the meeting is about to take
place. "come in," he answered; "right here." I stepped into the room.

vs

I asked the man in front of me where the meeting is about to take
place. "come in," he answered; "right here."
I stepped into the room.


texts: "In college" versus "at college" versus "at university"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Which one is more correct: “works at a university” or “works in a university”?

It seems that only in the U.S. one says that they are or were "in college", even though the person attended a university, such as the University of Iowa. You are either in college, or majored in such and such while in college. You hear the phrase "at college" less often, but never "at university" in the U.S.
Elsewhere, even next door in Canada, the equivalent phrase seems to be "at university": "I majored in English while at university." I don't think I have ever heard or read the phrase "in university" used.
Likewise, in the U.S., one says, for example, "I will be going to college next year" whereas elsewhere one seems to say "I will be going to university next year."

Is there anywhere else in the world besides the U.S. where the phrase "in college" is used instead of "at university"? How did the American English usage come about?


texts: Can I use a pure transitive verb as an Intransitive Verb?

texts:
Please let me know, whether my following sentences are correct or not?

Electrons are generated across the channel.
Electrons generate across the channel.
Electrons generate an electric field across the channel.

Is my second sentence correct?  If yes, why is it so?
Thanks in advance


texts:
If I have the following sentences, which version is correct:

This chapter provides.... or
This Chapter provides....

Note the capitalisation of 'c'.

Chapter 1 provides....
Chapter One provides...

Note the use of numbers

This model was discussed in Chapter One
This model was discussed in chapter one
This model was discussed in Chapter 1
This model was discussed in chapter 1

Note the use of capitalisation and numbers in the last part of the sentence.

Many thanks.


texts: 'Bucketization' - English or corporate speak?

texts:
I work in a BPO and sometimes we talk about 'bucketizing' an audience (segregating them based on performance/scores).
Does such a word exist or should I pass this off as corporate jargon? The word is not in any of the mainstream online dictionaries indexed by OneLook Dictionary Search.


texts: "I care for you" versus "I care about you"

texts: I would like to know if there is a semantic difference between I care for you and I care about you.


texts: Is there a word to describe someone that is able to fail?

texts: I'm looking for a word that describes explicitly someone that is subjected to failure. Is there any? Thank you in advance.


texts: When you learn a word and then recognize it

texts:
I'm looking for a word that describes when you learn a new word (or phrase or song) and then hear it all over the place.
My daughter did not recognize either the melody or the name of the song The Girl from Ipanema. After playing it once (and watching this Adam Neely video, The Girl From Ipanema is a far weirder song than you thought), she began to recognize it in many novel contexts. Indeed, she couldn't unsee it.
This is different from déjà vu (where you falsely recognize something) and jamais vu (where you don't recognize something familiar).
I'd be happy with either a verb or a noun. Obligatory fill-in-the-blanks:

I learned the word schadenfreude and now I _____ (verb) it everywhere.

Never hearing the song, I saw a documentary on The Girl from Ipanema and now have a sense of ______ (noun).

I had a prof who was fond of saying, "When you build a better hammer, it's surprising how many things start to look like nails." This word should entail the concept of the transition from unrecognized to recognized, unfamiliar to familiar, once looking not-like-nails, now looking-like-nails.


texts: What might be the origin of the word "mainframe" for describing a type of computer?


texts: Is hangry a real word? According to Collins Dictionary it means to be angry as a result of being hungry, but it seems far-fetched.


texts:
It seems to me that straw is in fact strewn. The ancient meaning of "strew" is "to lay flat." Anyway, they sound like related words.
I have noticed also that words in English which start with "str" tend to be words that relate to a protracted rather than an abrupt action.


texts: Is there an idiom that corresponds to the Hungarian expression "fall off the other side of the horse"?

texts: There's a Hungarian phrase that can be literally translated as something like "fall off the other side of the horse". (The literal implication is either that instead of falling off this side of the horse, you fell off the other side; or that in your zeal to get on the horse, you overshot the target and fell off the other side.) It means that you are at one extreme of a situation, and you want to change it so hard that you fall into the opposite extreme. Is there an equivalent of this phrase/idiom in English?


texts: What are the reflective thingies called in English?

texts: I'm looking for the proper word for these things you wear to avoid being driven over by cars at night.


texts: Something that provides a way to gain knowledge

texts:
Is there a single word or a phrase for 'something that indicates a direction to pursue or gain knowledge'?

I want to use this word for 'Symmetry'. I want to write about how symmetry helps us think in appropriate directions to uncover the mysteries of the universe. So if the word is 'X' then the sentence would go like this:

  "Symmetry is an X conception."

This should mean it is a conception that helps us think in right directions to gain knowledge.


texts: Why is "ammunition" shortened to "ammo" and not "ammu"?

texts: According to Etymonline, ammo has been used as a shortened form of ammunition since 1917. Why does the shortened version end in o instead of u? The only reason I can think of is that it matches other shortened forms like info and photo, but information and photograph actually have an o in them, so I'm not sure that's it. Does anyone have any insight into this?


texts:
"Deja vu all over again" is an example of either a semi-literate (when the speaker does not know what deja vu means) or a jocular use (when the speaker tries to be funny).

Can you give similar examples of (possibly double) usage?


texts: What's an adjective for "financially motivated"?

texts:
I need an adjective for the term "financially motivated." The word I'm looking for isn't exactly greedy or rapacious. Although it can have connotations like that, the word needs to directly mean something more similar to "he does his job well if there's money (or perhaps just incentive) on the line."

Thanks in anticipation.


texts: What words can replace the conditional words "could" and would"?

texts:
The words "could" and "would" are very common words in the English Language. However, they are not always the best words to use. I am trying to find better words to replace "could" and "would". Note that it does not need to be a single word. (It can be a complete replacement of the entire sentence).

Examples of sentences with "could" or "would" that may have a better replacement:

I could eat some pie.

If I could check StackExchange, I would be a millionaire.

I would eat some pie.

(Ignore the subject of the sentence. They are completely random).


texts: Is "form" an abbreviation, or has it ever been?

texts:
The word form as in "web form" or in my case "XML form" would be translated as Formular in German and formulaire in French. Which leads me to the question, though the entry of Wiktionary and Etymonline seems to point to the contrary, has it ever been an abbreviation of a longer word? And if it is the case, is this longer word still in use? If not, is there better alternative to this word in the following example?

  Please backup all the corresponding forms before applying the patch.


texts:
I am trying to find a logical way to explain how/when to use "done" vs "did" and "seen" vs "saw".  The person I'm coaching uses the terms in the following manner and I just don't want to correct him, but would also like to give him the rationale so that he understands how to use these terms in the future.

"I done the letter and sent it on Monday".
"I seen a boy running down the street" or "I seen that movie".

My pupil is a mature person who is generally bright, but poor usage habits are hard to break and even harder to explain!


texts: What are the most common symbols or words used to refer a reader to a glossary?

texts: What are the most common symbols or words used after difficult words in a text to refer a reader to a glossary for a definition?


texts: Do we always use "were" with the 3rd person in imaginary situations?

texts:
Do we always use were with the 3rd person in imaginary situations?

If only she were here ...

If only she was here ...

Are we supposed to use were every time there is an if in the beginning of a sentence?


texts: Can “sui generis” be placed before the noun?

texts:
I came across sui generis in the following paragraph of today’s New York Times (April 27) Restaurant Review section headlined "Chef’s table at Brooklyn Fair."

  César Ramirez's restaurant in downtown Brooklyn is a kind of sui generis exercise in personal expression, and one of the more extraordinary restaurants in New York City.

As I was unfamiliar with the expression, "sui generic," I consulted two English Japanese dictionaries (Japanese publications) at hand; both of which gave the meaning of “unique, of its own kind,” by defining the word as an adjective to be placed after the noun as postposition.

However, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines it simply as an adjective. Which is right? Is it right to place "sui generis" in the way of "sui generis exercise"?


texts: Does the 'object' change when you add a noun to show who the action is done for?

texts: In the sentence I buy a cake, cake is the direct object of the transitive verb buy. If I write instead I buy him a cake, is cake still the object, or is him now the object of a new verb buy with a different meaning to the verb buy in the first sentence?


texts:
Coldplay use this word in their new song Everglow. Some people on the internet do too. However, I can't find the meaning of this word in the dictionary.

Does this word actually exist? If so, what is its meaning?


texts: When someone says "why not [something]?" I often want to reply with "why [that thing]?" However, if they don't actually state the "[something]" and just say "why not?" what is the correct opposite question? Is it "why yes?" or "why to?" (for an action) or something else?


texts: What to call someone who has recently become rich but now his/her attitude has worsen?

texts: I'm inclined to use parvenu but most meaning suggest about lacking refinement. I'm looking for someone who looks down on the poor. Maybe abusive to the poor.


texts: Can the word “off-label” be used for other than medical application?

texts:
The New York Times article (March 4) introduces top 10 ramen destinations in New York under the title, “Ramen’s Big Splash.”
I was amazed to find that ramen acquired so much popularity among New Yorkers, in retrospect that I was unable to find a single ramen shop in Manhattan in mid-70s when I visited New York for the first time . After returning home, I recommended the owner of one of the largest Chinese restaurant chains in Tokyo to open rahmen shop in Manhattan. He scowled, and declared that there’s no way of ramen shop’s becoming a good business in U.S.

Idle talk aside, I was drawn to the word, “off-label” in the following sentence of the article:

  “Another off-label use for ramen has been gathering strength in Japan
  and is a good bet to take off in New York: mazemen. Ramen without the
  slurp, mazemen has no broth, getting its flavor elsewhere. At Ivan
  Ramen, this can be from a mash of eggplant and chiles or, in my
  favorite example of the genre, caramelized garlic pulp.”

  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/05/dining/ramens-big-splash.html?hp&_r=0

I understand “off-label” here implies “non-standard.” But as far as I’ve checked major online English dictionaries, definition of “off-label” is highly medicinal specific, and pretty serious.

For example;

CED: used to describe a medical drug that is used for a different purpose than the one it was originally intended for: Off-label uses may include giving a drug for a disease other than the disease it is approved for, or for treating a child when the product is approved to treat adults.

OED: relating to the prescription of a drug for a condition other than that for which it has been officially approved:

Merriam Webster English Dictionary: of, relating to, or being a drug used to treat a condition for which it has not been officially approved:

Wikipedia: Off-label use is the use of pharmaceutical drugs for an unapproved indication or in an unapproved age group, unapproved dosage, or unapproved form of administration. - - It does carry health risks and differences in legal liability.

Can the word “off-label” be used more broadly on anything such as foods, electric appliances and smart phones as used in the above article other than medical reference, just as a figurative expression?


texts: Multiple hyphens make this phrase feel unwieldy... but are they right?

texts:
I'm writing a paper in which I refer to "natural-language-controlled robots" about thirty times. I'm curious about this phrase's hyphenation.

I would write

  robots controlled by natural language

without hyphens, but when I turn the phrase around to avoid ambiguity, it turns into

  natural language controlled robots

which seems to need hyphens all-upons! The robots are not controlled robots of the language variety, so I need a hyphen between language and controlled. They are similarly not language-controlled robots of the natural variety, so it seems I  need hyphens between all three words.

However,

  natural-language-controlled robots

feels unwieldy, which brings me here. Is this really how this phrase should be punctuated?

The alternative I've come up with is applying a partial initialism, yielding

  NL-controlled wheelchairs

which seems better, but prompts similar problems; do I really want a hyphen attached to an initialism? That looks wrong. But the sentence seems semantically wrong without it!

I'm sure I'm overthinking this.


texts:
Is the comma necessary in the sentence below?

  When a printing is finished, printer sends events to server.


texts:
Is it correct to use "insight of" in the following sentence:

  Statistical insight of binding regions in disordered human proteome

Because here it basically means: insight into the statistics of...

I found some other examples at sentence.yourdictionary.com such as

  Bruce, with the insight of military genius, seized his opportunity.
  The means whereby he engaged the energies of the Italians on behalf of the French Republic and yet refrained from persecuting the Roman Catholic Church in the way only too common among revolutionary generals, bespoke political insight of no ordinary kind.
  Helen has the vitality of feeling, the freshness and eagerness of interest, and the spiritual insight of the artistic temperament, and naturally she has a more active and intense joy in life, simply as life, and in nature, books, and people than less gifted mortals.

And somewhere else:

  Data analysis and statistical insight of demographic and geographic intelligence to assign 'persona types' to assist with communications and service channels, as well as to gain a better understanding and insight into our customer base.


texts: "the idea started simple" vs "the idea started simply"

texts:
What is the difference in meaning between the two phrases in the title, and are both gamatically correct?
My impression is the following:

"The idea started simple" = In the beginning the idea was simple.

"The idea started simply" = It was easy to get the idea started.

Then there is also the following:

"The idea simply started" = the idea started spontaneously.

Are my impressions correct?


texts: What is the meaning of the lyric "don't answer the phone 'udden udden'"?

texts:
There is a Ray Stevens song titled "Shriner's Convention" which, at around 1:05 in the linked version, contains the following one-sided phone conversation between two characters:

  "Coy, why aren't you at the parade?
  What? Well, how'd you get that big Harley
  up there in your room?"

  "What? I can't hear ya' Coy!
  Quit revvin' it up, boy! Turn it off!
  I just want you to know one thing:
  You have embarrassed us all, the whole Hahira delegation!"

  "Now I'll see you at the banquet, son.
  And you be there Coy, you hear me?
  Black tie, seven o'clock! Be there Coy!
  And Coy, don't answer the phone, 'udden udden!'"

What is the meaning of "udden udden" in this context? At first glance it appears to be an onomatopoeic sound that a car or motorcycle engine might make, which makes sense since Coy has a motorcycle in his hotel room. The part that doesn't make sense is how Coy could have answered the phone in a motorcycle-like manner, and what prompted such an admonishment from the speaker in the first place.

This motorcycle theory is supported by some cursory research; the book "The Great Possum-Squashing and Beer Storm of 1962: Reflections on the Remains of My Country" by Fred Reed contains an instance of "udden udden" referring to the sounds of a car's engine. Aside from that, my searches haven't turned up much of anything.

I'm not even positive of the spelling. Some transcriptions of the lyrics have it as "uddn'uddn," and others omit the quotes around these words. If it is indeed a southern/rural contraction or slang term, it's not one I've ever heard.