texts: Why have I not heard "radical muslim terrorism" on TV?

texts:
In the United States, on TV I have heard much about "radical islamic terrorism" during the republican debates and also in mainstream media.

Nearly all these cases involve a male aggressor, or a muslim (the female form is muslima).

May I please ask why the common term in media and during our debates is "radical islamic terrorism", and why I have never heard the term "radical muslim terrorism"?

Is there a literal or nuanced difference in these phrases? Or are they equal and the choice of one phrase adds repetition value? Or is it an equivocation used to speak negatively about muslims without using the word muslim?

I am only interested in the meaning and word choice. Please, no discussion on how I should vote, or the character of people that use that phrase.


texts: Inconsistency regarding plural: why do we write "results file" but also "result list"?

texts:
How come it is ok to write "results file",
while you must write "result list" rather than "results list"?


texts: Term for people who are somewhere between blue collar workers and white collar workers

texts: Blue Collar iplies production or assembly line.  White collar implies professional.  I'm looking for a term that would describe people who work for the railroad, or are police officers, or fire fighters, or


texts:
Does this make any sense?

  I have been keeping ignoring you.

Besides that it sounds awkward, my Chinese buddy who knows more grammar rules than I care to list said that the phrase is grammatically correct.  Can anyone tell me why?


texts: What is a term to refer to two ideas in exact opposition (e.g. good & bad, positive & negative)?

texts:
So basically, I know the name for both sides of a coin, yet not the coin itself.

In other words, when you refer to a coin, you don't want to say 'this object with one side heads, and the other tails', you would want to say 'this coin'. What I want is a general term to refer to two ideas, that are the absolute opposite to each other. I can't really use the word 'concept', or 'idea', because such words are already assigned to the very concepts/ideas themselves.


texts: Irish English use of "college" for secondary schools?

texts:
I've been filtering locations in Ireland from a list that comes with Google Maps location data for each, selecting those that are close to a "college".

I just checked on one of those locations manually, and found a "Killorglin Community College", and the place's webpage says it is "a co-educational and multi-belief Secondary School under the governing body of Kerry Education Service".

Is this common in Ireland, to use the term "college" for a secondary school?

In the Wikipedia page for "Education in the Republic of Ireland", I can only find "college" associated with "higher" or "third-level" education (I would say "post-secondary", coming from Canada)...


texts: 'Enjoy the rest of your day'. What is the name for such expressions?

texts:
Nowadays people everywhere will, after a conversation, invite you to 'enjoy the rest of your day'. When on holiday on one occasion I was urged to 'enjoy the rest of your holiday'.

What is the purpose of such expressions which seem to me to be there simply as a way of ending conversations?

Is there a name for such things?


texts: Expression: "To wish sb./sth. at the devil" meaning?

texts:
"Sancho Panza, who was wishing the goatherd's loquacity at the devil,..."

Context:
The goatherd was relating a lengthy story to Don Quixote, it was late at night and Sancho Panza, Don Quixote's squire, has had quite enough of it himself wanting to go to sleep...

I understand this expression must be archaic and not currently in use, can anyone provide a precise meaning and/or any synonymous expressions/words


texts: How can you estimate how many people know a word?

texts:
There are already plenty of sites that tell you the relative frequency of a word in various corpuses, but how can you use that number to find an estimate of what % of native English speakers know that word?

I think I remember using a site that would give you a rough estimate, i.e. "most", "some", or "few people know this word".  Does anybody know what that site is?  Does anybody know of a site that is more precise?


texts: How to tell someone that they are wrong?

texts:
I'm looking for a phrase which I could use to tell a child (age 10-14) that their answer is wrong, without offending them of course. This would be something I could on a test.... Any suggestions?

PS I'm not a teacher, but I'm designing computer software that could be used as a teaching aid.


texts: "Some" with singular or plural in the mentioned context?

texts:
One of the meanings of "some" is:

  an unspecified amount or number of.

Example: "I made some money running errands" (Source)

So, can I use "some" with a noun that might be singular or plural? For example:

  X should satisfy some physiological condition.

In the above sentence, it might be just one condition or more than one. Is that a right way to say that having in mind that "some" is used for unspecified number? Or do I have to use a plural s with parentheses:

  X should satisfy some physiological condition(s).


texts: Usage of "ladies and gentlemen" to address two people of different sex

texts:
It seems to be not quite logical to use the traditional address "ladies and gentlemen" when there are only a single lady and a single gentleman in the room, not counting for the person who is speaking.

What an address (in a similarly traditional style) would it be better to use in such case? Does it depend on the speaker's gender or any other circumstances?


texts: The meaning of a noun phase which is modified by an adjective clause

texts:
(1)Vin is the smartest guy that can play a piano.

  (2)Vin is the smartest guy in the class that can play a piano.

  (3)Vin is the smartest guy in the class that can understand every kind of algebra and calculus.

I asked my grammar teacher about the meaning of the first one today, and she said that means "there are many people who can play a piano, and Vin is one of them, and he is the smartest."

I thought that made sense, so I came up with another example(which is the number two) and asked. She just replied "there is no such kind of usage." I just said to myself "what!? there are plenty of them!"

So, please help me with (2) and (3)!
And, I'd like to try to explain (2) and (3) because I think that may make it easier for you guys to help me^^

My explanation to (2) is: Vin is the smartest in the class, and he can play a piano.(I don't think it implies "there are classmates who play a piano, and Vin is the smartest one in them." I think the meaning of (2) is different from (1). Maybe it is ambiguous so it could be explained that way?)

My explanation to (3) is: Vin is the smartest guy in the class, and he can understand every kind of algebra and calculus.(kind of like the (2))

About (3), there is a similar sentence on the net:

  Sailor Algebra: The smartest guy in the universe that can understand every kind of algebra and calculus.

from http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Sailor_Moon/List_of_minor_Sailor_Moon_characters


texts: What do you call a pun that isn't a pun?

texts:
I've just learned of the event within the (UK) Labour Party known as the 'Chicken Coup' and it made me wonder: is it still a pun if it's a play on writing, and not the spoken word?

According to the Oxford Living Dictionaries, a pun is:

  A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings.

Neither of those criteria apply here, so the answer would seem to be 'No'.

My question is: if it's not a pun, what is it?


texts: Elections took place, Impersonal Passive

texts:
I am reading one PhD thesis at the moment, and encountered an explanation which states that the form of the verb take used in the following sentence is 'impersonal passive'.

  On 25 April, for the first time in Portugal, fully free and democratic
  elections took place.

I don't think it is correct, but am not quite sure, because I believe that this is an active sentence. Could you please explain to me whether there is a mistake in this claim or no not?


texts:
As I'm not an ELL, I'm posting this question here.
It seems that both are grammatically correct:
"Please send those documents into my e-mail"
"Please send those documents to my e-mail"
What are the differences in semantics in these two usages? It seems "into my e-mail" signifies documents being in the e-mail mailbox, and "to my e-mail" is really an ellipsis of "to my e-mail address"?


texts: Is there an official term for long, unpunctuated sentences?

texts:
after reading a recent thread on this topic (see here: What would you call the stylistic omission of punctuation?) I found that answers such as 'stream of consciousness' and 'run-on sentences' simply did not fit the examples which I had in mind.
For instance, this quote from 'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath:

'But each time I would get the cord so tight I could feel a rushing in my ears and a flush of blood in my face my hands would weaken and let go, and I would be all right again.'

Evidently, the lack of punctuation (up until the comma) is used to create a tone of panic, the comma acting as a breath to break up this building anxiety. However, is there a specific term for this? Or would I have to explain the sentence's construction clunkily in order for the point to come across?

Any opinions or answers would be much appreciated.


texts: How did “to doctor” come to mean “to falsify"?

texts:
Doctor as a noun originally comes  from French “doctour” from Latin “docere”, to teach; all terms with a positive connotation:

  c. 1300, "Church father," from Old French doctour, from Medieval Latin doctor "religious teacher, adviser, scholar," in classical Latin "teacher," agent noun from docere "to show, teach, cause to know,"

The meaning of doctor as a verb is related to the original noun. But from the late 18th century it develops a negative connotation:

  1590s, "to confer a degree on," from doctor (n.). Meaning "to treat medically" is from 1712; sense of "alter, disguise, falsify" is from 1774.

(Etymonline)

To doctor:

  To alter or tamper with something dishonestly; cook: We doctored the receipts/ He doctored the booze (1774+).

(The Dictionary of American Slang)

This later meaning appears to be English specific, as the negative connotation does not appear to present in other European languages such as French, Spanish or Italian.

How did the term doctor develop the decidedly negative meaning  of alter, falsify?


texts:
I am writing an essay and I am not sure whether I should place "will" in this sentence or not.

  The experience I will gain living in Panama will assist me in understanding how Central Americans live.

or should it be

  The experience I gain living in Panama will assist me in understanding how Central Americans live.


texts: I am teaching Intermediate Level English to exam students in Spain and I have been asked when is it correct to use contractions. I am of the understanding that, in an oral or written exam, it would be more appropriate to use the full form. However, my query is, would it be incorrect to use a contraction? Would they lose points?


texts: Should "Scientific research in general(,) and numerical mathematics in particular(,)" take singular or plural agreement?

texts:
This question is not a dublicate of "Singular or plural verb form where subject includes a 'parenthetical' element" since the latter discusses only compound subjects with "as well as".

Is the singular or the plural form correct?

  Scientific research in general and numerical mathematics in particular is/are a team effort.

What about a version with commas?

  Scientific research in general, and numerical mathematics in particular, is/are a team effort.


texts: 'For while ..., yet ...' : Right quantity and use of conjunctions?

texts:
For while the capacity to overcome all opposing sensible impulses can and must be simply presupposed in man on account of his freedom, yet this capacity as strength is something he must acquire. (Kant, Metaphysics of Morals, p. 397)
for {conjunction} {literary} = Because; since
yet {conjunction} =
But at the same time; but nevertheless

Did I correctly identify the grammatical categories and definitions?
If so, are these conjunctions used rightly? I can't pinpoint why; so please help me discover why, but it sounds wrong to write:
Because while ..., but nevertheless ...?
Footnote: I don't know which English translation was used by Dr Mark D White, who authored the webpage on which I encountered this quote.  Yet I realise that the transation may be old; so it would feature olden (pun intended) grammar.


texts: Difference between headstrong and strong-minded?

texts:
I can read the dictionary definitions myself, of course:
strong-minded:

Someone who is strong-minded is determined and unwilling to change their opinions and beliefs:
You'll have to be strong-minded if you're going to push the changes through.

headstrong:

very determined to do what you want without listening to others:
She was a headstrong child, always getting into trouble.

So from these, headstrong has a more negative connotation, more or less meaning stubborn in inappropriate circumstances, whereas strong-minded might mean tenacity in general, perhaps with positive tint. Is this a good summary of the distinction or am I inferring too much from these definitions and the terms are more liberally interchangeable in common discourse?

N.B. If google is not mistaken, strong-minded sees less usage than headstrong (or strong-willed nowadays), perhaps because strong-minded is more ambiguous.

But simply looking at n-grams doesn't help with context.


texts:
what's the meaning of "It is not without interest that"?

e.g.
It is not without interest that most of the reports of military campaigns and
the scenes of destruction of towns are dated to the late Fifth and the early Sixth
Dynasty, that is, the final stage of the Old Kingdom.


texts: A word meaning the opposite action of recruiting

texts:
If I was starting a club for cool kids only, I would recruit all the cool kids by, for example, actively seeking them out and convincing them to join the club.

To keep the uncool kids out of my club, I dissuade them from wanting to be in my club by telling them that it's a dumb club and only losers join.  Is there a word that describes what I'm doing to the uncool kids?


texts: How to describe persons who care about cost-effectiveness?

texts: How can I describe in a single word or two words a person who is sensitive in cost-effective stuff or products? Or persons who care the most for cost-effective stuff?


texts:
I just saw an update on Facebook saying:

  Watch Russell present LIVE at the 42nd Annual NAACP Image Awards. Tonight at 8/7c on FOX.

What does "8/7c" mean?


texts: What does "goathawks" mean in this passage from All The Pretty Horses?

texts:
I'm currently on page 123 of All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, and came across this passage.

The mouths of the cans were lensed with tinted cellophane and they
cast upon the sheeting a shadowplay in the lights and smoke of antic
demon players and a pair of goathawks arced chittering through the
partial darkness overhead.

What does this word goathawks mean in this passage? I'm guessing its an amalgam of different words, but what could goat + hawk possibly mean in this context? Is this some western slang that I'm unaware of?


texts: Tip of my Tongue: some word that means fear out of respect

texts: So I'm looking for some word that means to fear someone out of respect. I feel like the mafia comes to mind? Or something of the kind. For example, someone excelling in an area, and demanding(?) admiration. Sorry if I can't provide more of an explanation.


texts: Is the affix/root/combining-form model necessary to understand medical terminology?

texts:
I am learning medical terminology. My medical terminology textbook has me confused about roots, prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms. As a neophyte to morphology, I am trying to understand why it is critical to classify individual word parts as a prefix, suffix, root, or combining form, when trying to determine the meaning of a word. Is it that a word part can have a different meaning based on whether it occurs at the beginning of a word versus the end of a word, e.g. an- vesus -an?

What is troubling me is that my medical terminology textbook provides a cursory introduction to the concepts of root, prefix, suffix, and combining form that imply rules which are contradicted later in the textbook. For instance, the book implies that prefixes and suffixes cannot stand alone; that they must be applied to a root. This then implies that every word must contain a root. The textbook presents poly- as a prefix and -graph as a suffix. But then introduces the word polygraph. If poly- is a prefix and -graph is a suffix, where is the root?

I then looked to several dictionaries for help. What I found was that they often disagreed on the classification of word parts. For example, the American Heritage Dictionary classifies poly- as a prefix, but the Merriam-Webster Dictionary classifies poly- as a combining form.

Should I worry less about classifying each word part and worry more about recognizing word parts and their meaning (keeping in mind that word part position within a word is important)? Or should my medical terminology textbook be more rigorous in choosing and applying a consistent morphological model, or at least notifying the reader of exceptions?

My goal is not only to learn medical terminology, but also to convey it to others in a clear and concise manner.

Thank you.


texts: English idiom for a solution that doesn't always work on repeat attempts

texts:
I can't quite think one up. The situation I have in mind is that the solution worked at one point, and it conceivably could have been repeated, but it doesn't necessarily upon repeat attempts.

Does such an idiom exist?


texts: What is the origin of the word “skunk” as a verb?

texts:
Merriam Webster defines the word as:

  a : DEFEAT
  b : to prevent entirely from scoring or succeeding : SHUT OUT
  : to fail to pay; also : CHEAT

While the origin of the noun form of the word is provided, there is no mention of the origin of the verb except that it has been around since 1843.  Online Etymology Dictionary mentions “skunk” as a noun but not as a verb.

skunk (n)  refers to – according to Merriam Webster- either:

  a : any of various common omnivorous black-and-white New World mammals (esp. genus Mephitis) of the weasel family that have a pair of perineal glands from which a secretion of pungent and offensive odor is ejected
  b : the fur of a skunk

Or

  an obnoxious or disliked person

Origin (Online Etymology Dictionary):

  1630s, squunck, from a southern New England Algonquian language (probably Abenaki) *seganku, from Proto-Algonquian */šeka:kwa/, from */šek-/ "to urinate" + */-a:kw/ "fox." As an insult, attested from 1841. Skunk cabbage is attested from 1751; earlier was skunkweed (1738)

How about the origin of the verb and is it related to that of the noun?


texts: Is "my place" correct and common in British English?

texts: I was recently told that "my place", such as in "let's go to my place" is not commonly used in British English? Is that the case and what would you say instead?


texts:
Currently there are about 4,000 international students from 110 different nations across the world, thus/so the university offers perfect conditions for socializing and making new friends.

Is this sentence correct formal English? I don't know if I can use "thus" here, or if I should use "so" instead. Or is it better to rephrase as follows?

  With about 4,000 international students from 110 different nations across the world, the university offers perfect conditions for socializing and making new friends.

In German we would write the latter, but is it possible to use "with" this way in English?


texts:
Are there specific rules / conventions at play when creating demonyms? Or are they merely formed organically over time - the most popular winning out?

There are many suffixes to choose from, but I cannot find concrete guidelines as to which is proper to use in which instance.


texts: Which preposition to be used for the below statements? Of, From, or By?

texts:
I'm confused with which preposition to be used for the following sentences. A friend of mine told me that is should be "from".
1.Those opening songs are FROM Lady Gaga.
2. Those songs are FROM Beatles."
I believe it should have been of or by because the above sentences are pertaining to songs sung by the said artists. It shows possession.
Many thanks!


texts:
bizarre n. "very strange or unusual"

I know that it (likely) comes from Basque. Does anyone have a certain knowledge of this? I heard that it comes from Italian from some sources, too.


texts: Does "until [date]" mean "before that date"?

texts:
What does until mean in the following?

  You need to deliver this product within 2 days (until August 18, 2011)
  to meet your deadline and get paid.

Does this mean that I have to deliver the product by 23:59 on 17 August 2011 or 23:59 on 18 August 2011? The order time is 21:04 on August 16 2011.


texts: Organizational term meaning "order appearing in a book" as contrasted to chronological

texts:
Is there a word that means "in the order something appears in a book or document" as opposed to chronological meaning "the order something occurs in time."

Ignoring the fact that my examples may not be the best literature, this is the type of usage that I am looking for.

Sample sentence as an adverb: The dialogue immediately preceding this event chronologically was....

My desired sentence: The dialogue immediately preceding this event [the word I am looking for]...

Sample sentence as an adjective: Chronological story telling has its place, but so does [my word] story telling.

Following are a few organizational terms that I can think of which are included here for benefit of the community. The word I am looking for belongs to this set.

Chronological, Geographical, Topical, ...


texts:
I try to express the fact that I'm traveling a lot in a figurative way.
In french I would say "toujours entre deux voyages" ("always in-between two travels").

I have tried the following sentences but it looks weird:

always coming from and going to travels
always coming from and planing travels
always looking for a connection flight


texts: I was told by a school teacher that it was incorrect. I've seen it in articles coming from reputable sources. The general meaning would be similar to the word 'yet', but I can't find any place to confirm whether or not it is correct.


texts: What does “I never took a position on Keystone until I took a position on Keystone” mean?

texts:
I was drawn to the fact that many newspapers and online news sources quoted in accord Hillary Clinton’s remark in CNN Democratic presidential debate -“I never took a position on Keystone until I took a position on Keystone” in the headline of their news yesterday (October 14th).

Among many articles and video’s reporting Clinton’s riposte to the race rival, Martin O’Malley’s attack questioning her political stance on Keystone pipelines during the debate, www.politico.com describes:

  “Martin O’Malley cited Clinton’s stance on the proposed pipeline as
  one of “a lot of reversals.”  It’s an argument often cited by
  Republicans — and one Clinton will almost certainly face if she
  becomes the Democratic nominee.  But Clinton said she is no
  flip-flopper. “I never took a position on Keystone until I took a
  position on Keystone,” she said.
  http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/hillary-clinton-climate-keystone-debate-214773#ixzz3obxPRttu

What is the plain translation of “I never took a position on Keystone until I took a position on Keystone.”

Is “I never did sth. until I did sth.” a popular pattern of phrase to mean that it is the first time ever someone said or did, therefore is no flip-flop or attitudinal change, and there’s no reason for being blamed? Or is it just a nonce expression?


texts:
What does "in spades" mean, for example in the following sentence:

  demand and love are both there in spades ...

I guess "in spades" means "on cards" or "on the table" or exist?


texts: in the early January or in early January

texts:
I am confused with the use of "early." For example, I heard people say that I will be back early January. But on the internet, I saw people use it with proposition "in" and some even put "the" in front of the month indicated. Could anyone explain the nuance among these usages? Thanks.

Lee


texts: What does “raising the debt ceiling is not groovy” mean? Is the word “groovy" obsolete among the youth of America”?

texts:
In Japan, the word groovy has been used to mean "fashionable and trendy" as an imported English word, which I think, doesn’t go far from the definition, "fashionable, attractive and interesting" in OALD.
However, use of groovy in the recent New York Times article Four Dudes and a Table seems to me to have a different nuance from “fashionable and attractive”:

Ron Paul ... has a new TV ad, directed at the youth of America, which begins with a picture of Rick Santorum. “Is this dude serious?” the announcer demands. “Fiscal conservative? Really?”
The ad then goes on to say that Santorum’s votes to raise the debt ceiling were “not groovy.” I am not an absolute expert on the speech patterns of young people, but I am feeling pretty confident that they do not use the word “groovy.” ...
Take your pick, Republican primary voters. If neither [Romney nor Santorum] works for you, there’s always Newt. Or Ron Paul. Some choice, dudes. Not groovy.

What does groovy in "Santorum’s votes to raise the debt ceiling were “not groovy”" exactly mean?
Are the meanings of groovy in "Santorum’s votes to raise the debt ceiling were “not groovy”" and in "Some choice, dudes. Not groovy," the same?
Is the word groovy really obsolete among the youth of America today as the author claims? If so, why is Ron Paul using a word that no longer gets across (even if in the negative sense) with the younger segment of voters in his commercial directed to them?


texts: Why does the "-ed" suffix give "wanted" a second syllable, when "based" or "looked" only have one?

texts:
Why is it that wanted has 2 syllables, but based has 1 syllable. The root of these words, want and base, are both monosyllablic. And both of these past tense forms end with the same -ed suffix:

Where does the extra syllable in wanted come from?
Or perhaps, why does the extra syllable disappear in based?


texts: When I began to study English in my high school (Moscow Institute of Applied Physics) I could not believe our teacher (or tutor?) that the English pronounce it as /aɪ/. I was all of shocked. In school I studied French and I always thought that all normal nations (at least European) pronounce it as /ɪ/. What is the origin of such crazy behavior of Englishmen?


texts:
when the phrase "Can't complain" is pronounced [ˈkænt kəmˈpleɪn] I think that the T is dropped in fast speech because of the alveolar plosives. Right? I read that when T comes before these letters: / s, f, n, l, p, k / it's silent.

I know that in American English the T is held in "I can't do it" but above I'm talking about dropping it completely. I recorded myself: https://clyp.it/zqgvfxh3 Does it sound okay?


texts: Past tense used to mean an universal truth?

texts:
The more and more technology developed, the more and more relationships turned fake.

I feel this is a grammatically correct sentence. But what is the underlying concept here? Past tense is used (viz, developed, turned) in the sentence, yet it says an universal truth for which we generally use simple present tense. Can you please help me in figuring out the underlying concept here? Thanks in advance!


texts: How to express that a musical composition you wrote is your own

texts:
I am describing a composition that I wrote for an English project that I have to write a paper on.

Would "self-written composition" be correct? Or "self-composed composition", "personal composition" or "my own composition"?

I'd like to know the commonly used term.


texts:
I've been looking for the origins of green as the colour of envy.

So far all I can get is "green-eyed monster" from Othello and vague, hand-wavey remarks about ancient Green ideas about bile.

The Othello line strikes me as being a bit too specific (in "green-eyed") to be an entirely original thought. If green skin had been the prevailing association until then, then why not "green-skinned monster"?

To put it another way, could Shakespeare have expected his audience to connect green eyes with envy? The green of eyes is far more literal than the "green" of skin, which is more grey/pallid.

I suspect there's something in between, perhaps a myth or fable which isn't ranked highly in Google results.

Anyone know what it might be?


texts: What is the meaning of vice in "as in a vice"?

texts:
I'm having trouble finding a definition of vice that explains its usage in the following NYTimes article:

  The Monarch, no less boldly than her compeer, dashed among the rebel fleet, and singling out the Lovell, under full speed struck her fairly near the wheel, her prow crashing far into the hull, and remaining for a moment fastened as in a vice.

The closest meaning I could find is "vise" (British vice), which in the Oxford Dictionaries means:

  a metal tool with movable jaws that are used to hold an object firmly in place while work is done on it, typically attached to a workbench.


texts:
There is a kind of argument that goes like this:

  x is good because if x were not there, y would be bad.

What is this kind of argument called? I learned about this in school but forget the name of it. Basically you argue not directly about the positive features of having whichever element you're arguing for, but you argue that without the element, there would be negative effects.


texts:
I know that this question may be a bit trivial but just curious about it.
I know that according to grammar, “six-week course” is the right form. But when I replace “six” with the number 6, I read that both “6 week course” and “6-week course” are pretty common, so a bit confused about which is grammarly correct and which may be better.
Thanks!


texts: Is "defusal" a legitimate verbal noun form of the verb "to defuse". Is it correct to describe a guide on how to defuse bombs as a "bomb defusal manual"?


texts: “Mathematics” is to “mathematical” as “programming” is to what?

texts:
I thought of programmatic but that doesn't seem right because it puts too much stress on the automation side and not on the actual development and logical side of it.

  A place to collect your mathematical and [programming] thoughts.


texts: Term for group of guys attempting to show who is alpha?

texts:
Similar to pissing contest - but not in an aggressive manner. Just each guy attempting to out talk one another to show they are the leader / in charge.

Sample sentence:

  Well, that meeting was more of a X than being productive with Greg trying to show he was in control.


texts:
I've left high school and we don't study English at University and I feel that I haven't learnt to pronounce at all yet.
What habits or routines can I do to speak better and fluent?

Thank you so much!


texts: What is an adjective that describes something very visually crowded or busy?  Cacophonous is perfect, but it describes sound.


texts: Is it "if you need further instruction" or "if you need further instructions"?

texts: Having a debate with a friend about whether it is "instruction" or "instructions"


texts: "..to hearing from you and getting inspired.."

texts:
Is the following sentence correct english?

"We are looking forward to hearing from you and getting inspired by your photos"

It might just be that english is my second language, but the "getting" in that sentence seem wrong to me. Should it rather be:

"We are looking forward to hear from you and to get inspired by your photos"?

This is for a tag line if that matters at all. I've seen questions regarding the "to hear" or "to hearing", but not together with a "getting".


texts:
If I were speaking of three sisters, young girls, whose family name was "Holmsworth", I might say The Misses Holmsworth.

But if I were speaking collectively of Donald Trump's three wives, the present one and the two previous ones, how would I adopt a similar style? Would it be The Mesdames Trump?

Another question on the site asks a general question about addressing groups of people, but it does not specifically relate to the plural of Mrs.


texts: I've just finished watching "Pride" and one thing stays unclear to me. There was a scene where a guy comes up to a group of women and asks  with a dose of anger in his voice "It's you lot, is it? The gays?" What exactly "lot" does here? Thanks for help.


texts: Searching for a word nearly describing "how alive something is"; synonym just out of reach

texts:
A distinguished colleague and I have been scouring our resources for a noun which correctly articulates the distinction between a pangolin and a croissant.  Exempli gratia, one is alive, the other is not, yet both would be on a spectrum which this word describes, henceforth the two are related by this elusive word.

Nouns broaching the concept we desire to convey include:

Liveliness
Corporeality
Sentience
Cognizance
Mortality

Yet each of the aforementioned words fall short of a satisfactory definition.

Example usage:

Man (or woman): "That looks like a croissant."
Woman (or man): "I'd say it's a pangolin, but who am I to assume its [__________]?"

This example was adapted from a recent conversation which was ground to a startling halt due to our collective lack of knowledge and comprehension of the English language. Our conundrum has severely impeded our ability communicate, to the point at which we must humbly grasp in desperation into this vast hive mind of linguaphiles for an answer.

We thank you dearly, with the kindest sincerity.


texts: Is “Go down like a shot dog” a well-received turn of phrase?

texts:
I came across the phrase “It would go down like a shot dog” in the Hill’s article (December 30th), which comes under the headline, “Hawley (Josh Hawley -R-Mo) to challenge Electoral College result in Senate.” It follows;

“I mean, in the Senate, it would go down like a shot dog,” Sen. John
Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters this month. “I just don’t think it makes
a lot of sense to put everybody through this.”

I presume the phrase implies Sen. Hawley’s motion will turn out to be futile, but I was unable to find the meaning of the phrase, “go down like a shot dog” in neither English language dictionaries in print nor online dictionaries.
What is an exact meaning of “go down like a shot dog”? Is it a well-received English phrase? If not, are there any other well-established, similar turn of phrases to this phrase?


texts:
When I emailed somebody my weekly schedule, I wrote:

I'm free except for the following times: MWF 4-5pm; TR 8-9am; F 10-12am.

I'm not sure about the usage (or usages?) of the above bold words: shall I keep "for" or not? Shall I use "times" or "time slots" or "time periods"?


texts: Should I say "domesticable" or "domesticatable"?

texts: What should I say to sound better, "domesticable" or "domesticatable"?


texts: Like the famous quote, 'Now I am become death, destroyer of world' when is it allowed to use 'am' before any verb?


texts: What are the historical justifications for first-syllable stress in the word “orthoepy”?

texts:
Funnily enough, the word orthoepy (or orthoëpy) meaning “(the study of) correct (or standard) pronunciation” has no single established correct pronunciation: it may be stressed on either the first or the second syllable (there is also variation in the pronunciation of the vowel in the penult syllable).

I’m curious about how the variant with stress on the first syllable originated, and how it has been justified by the orthoepists who have favored it. (A Wordnik blog post by Charles Harrington Elster, the author of “The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations”, seems to say that he favors the first-syllable stress only because “authorities have ... long countenanced” it and because he thinks it better emphasizes the root “ortho”; this seems like a lame explanation to me.)

The earliest source I am familar with that describes this pronunciation is John Walker’s Critical Pronouncing Dictionary (1824). Walker says it is accented on the first (pre-antepenult) syllable, citing Elphinston and Nares (p. 429). It’s not clear from his respelling system whether he means for the penult syllable to have secondary stress and a long vowel (/i:/) or no stress and a reduced vowel /ɪ/, as Walker seems to transcribe both of these sounds as e².

In an earlier section about general principles of stress placement in compounds derived from Greek  he gives the following odd justification for this stress pattern: “Orthoëpy, having no consonant in the antepenultimate syllable, naturally throws its accent on the first” (p. 54).

I don’t understand why this seemed “natural” to Walker. Walker loved analogies; are there any other Greek compound words where this happens that I’ve missed? I actually can only think of counterexamples, such as psychiatry.

In fact, I wasn’t able to find any other Greek-derived or Latinate words of any type ending in "V.VCy" that had stress earlier than the antepenult. There are a lot of words like sponta’neity with antepenult stress on a vowel in an open syllable. I did find polyploidy, haploidy, diploidy but in these words the “oi” is pronounced as a diphthong rather than as two vowels in hiatus, so they don’t really seem to have the same structure. (I also found the words breviary and zedoary, but I disregarded these as they end in the suffix “-ary” < Latin “-arium/-aria/-arius”  and words with this suffix tend to follow different principles of stress).

I realize this question may seem to be a matter of opinion. But, I don’t actually want an answer that describes your preferred pronunciation. I want to learn facts relevant to the pronunciation of this word, in particular:

whether there are any words that back up Walker’s idea that antepenultimate syllables that don’t have a consonant after them are less likely to be stressed
whether any of Walker’s contemporaries or precursors gave a different explanation for why this word is, or should be stressed on the first syllable.

I don’t think these are matters of opinion.
Also, note that this is not a duplicate of either of my previous questions about the position of stress in specific other words, Why does "stigmata" [often] have penult stress? and Can the stress pattern of "uroboros/ouroboros" be explained by any principle, or is it random? Those questions were just open-ended “why is this word stressed this way” questions; in this question I’m specifically focusing on the two points listed above (if there are any analogous words with the same stress pattern, and whether anyone discussing the pronunciation of this word in the past gave another justification than the ones Walker and Elster give).


texts: What does "we all got a bit carried away" mean?

texts:
I'm not a native English speaker, but I'm preparing to suffice an IELTS test. I'm practicing my reading skills and I can't give a correct interpretation of: "we all got a bit carried away" in this paragraph:

Everyone liked this idea and we all got a bit carried away and decided a direct approach would be the best one.

Maybe any of you could help me with this one.


texts: "Fasting" a word for going without food, what is the equivalent for going without water?

texts: Does English have a word for voluntarily abstaining from water, like "fasting" for voluntarily abstaining from food?


texts: Looking for a verb derived from a numeral

texts:
Somebody told me that - here or somewhere else on the internet - mention was made of a verb derived from a numeral, in the way of "they were sixty-foured". And that there was a lengthy discussion of the origin, e.g. some word sounding similar to the numeral, or the numeral being the number of a legal provision, rule, etc. The meaning of the verb may have been something like "neglect" or "leave unconsidered".
Is there a chance to find that word and the discussion about it?


texts:
I'm writing an email and I want to ask them (Career Development Office) if there are any volunteering opportunities for the time being.
But, the way I wrote it in the actual message doesn't really match with saying "for the time being". I'm looking to say that in a more proper and formal way.
The meaning I want to go for is something along the lines of "temporarily" or "for this period" or "currently".
Are there any suggestions?

For the time being = a bit informal
Temporarily = sounds as if you are not serious enough and only looking to volunteer for an hour and then give up
Momentarily = ? sounds like you couldn't come up with a better wording
For the moment = for just ONE MOMENT ???

seems like I cannot come up with the word to describe in a literal and formal, at the same time, way what I am looking for.
I want to say something along the lines of:
I am available now, and in the near future, but after that, not anymore.


texts: Should I use adjacent parentheses or a semicolon (or something else)?

texts:
In scientific writing it is common to use parentheses to refer to the details of statistical analyses at the end of a sentence.  However, it is also common to refer to figures or tables this way.  Often I find that the same sentence requires both a reference to statistical details and a figure (example below).  Should I use adjacent parenthetical references or separate the statistical information from the figure reference with a semicolon?

  Treatment A contained significantly greater mass than treatment B (p = 0.001)(Figure 1).

OR

  Treatment A contained significantly greater mass than treatment B (p = 0.001; Figure 1).


texts:
I am trying to remember an idiom that is used when someone has a premonition about something, often coincidentally i.e. I am thinking about someone and then they call me. I know there is the expression: speak of the devil, but I think there is another less-commonly used idiom which can be more broadly applied. As I remember it is also not used directly like speak of the devil but more to say someone has summoned someone/something else.

EDIT: Apparently speak of the devil is not used in a negative sense. Thanks  user240918 for the correction.


texts:
Is there such a construction as "to send hello" or "to send hi"?
Or something close?
Or which is better?


texts: Term/expression for "to spend too much time talking about an issue"

texts:
In the context of a business meeting, the chair of the meeting tells the participants that he doesn't want to "dwell on the tasks that have already been closed".

To my understanding, "dwell on" means to think about something at length. Is there a better word or expression that the chair could have used?


texts: Is the word after 'footwear' in this sentence correct? Should it stay 'enhance' or should it be 'enhances'?

texts:
The sentence is this:

Take time to explore how your beautifully crafted footwear enhance your every moment.

This doesn't read comfortably to me and I feel that it should be 'enhances'.

Which is correct? I am proofreading a document and I am aware that 'footwear' can be the plural form, too. Would that mean that 'enhance' is then correct, even if it doesn't seem to read correctly?

Thank you


texts: When I am quoting something does it need to be incorporated into my own sentence? (Also, should I use an ellipsis?)

texts:
I am writing an essay for my English class. At one point I make a statement about the book and end the sentence. Afterwards I've inserted a direct quote from the book on its own. Here's an example:

  Jake is in love with Kate. "Jake looked at Kate and his heart began to
  race..." (Johnson 102)

That is exactly how I have it written. Is this correct, or should the quote be within a sentence? Also, is it all right to use the ellipsis there because I left out the end of the quote? Should there be a period after the citation? Ugh!!


texts:
I am reading many academic papers at the moment and am becoming more aware of the use of has, have, had in front of a verb, where it seems redundant. For example the following sentence:

  The economic and financial crisis has pushed Western OECD countries to
  cutback management and to savings, but has also pushed them towards an
  awareness that trust in the capacity of governments and its public
  sector to realise effective policies is a crucial element in a
  performing society and economy.

My intuition says

  The [...] crisis pushed Western countries...

is the same, and avoiding redundant words is always favourable. Am I correct here, and if not, is there a rule the use of this?

(I tried Google, but I don't know what the correct name of this past tense is)

edit

Am I correct if I say both versions are right, but 'has pushed' is more appropriate because it does not refer to a specific point in time?


texts: what is the word for saying bad words about other people

texts:
There is a word to call this kind of person:

  habitually say bad things about other people, ONLY when the said people are not present
  always excited to spread rumors, especially the bad things about some people he/she does not like

The word is something like "long tongue" or something like that, but I just cannot recall.


texts:
All the standard dictionaries--with the notable exception of the OED--seem to trace the etymology of fairy through Old French fae to Latin fata, meaning "the fates" or "the goddess of fate". As a classical languages major with primary focus on Latin, I find this etymology of fairy doubtful. I can buy the origin from French, but the French connection to fata seems strained.

I'm familiar with the apotropaic "fair folk" being used in place of "fairy," but am inclined to think that this usage is based on an incorrect folk etymology that assumes fairy comes from fair, which in fact seems to be unrelated, coming from Teutonic sources.

The OED traces to Old French in the same way, but--interestingly to me--does not trace further.

Would anyone be willing to explain how fata would be transformed into fae? Thank you!


texts: Can an adjective follow dynamic verbs ("leave", "declare")?

texts:
I know that an adjective can come after some verbs, such as: be, become, feel, get, look, seem, smell, sound. These verbs are "stative" verbs, which express a state or change of state. For example:

Dinner smells good tonight

But I also find this kind of sentence.

Seventeen years of war left the country bankrupt
The company was later declared insolvent

In those sentences, an adjective can follows other dynamic verbs (leave, declare) as well. Is it right for those sentences?
Or who knows what is another grammar point being used in those examples? Thanks.


texts: What is the collective noun for a group of magpies?

texts:
I have searched for this and found no definitive answer or answers.
This website says it is a parliament, where as this one lists several others (conventicle, gulp, mischief, tidings or tittering) and an old BBC article says tiding, charm or gulp.
None of them have references and the popular online dictionaries don't seem to list a group of magpies as one of the definitions for any of these words. Compare this with "murder", which they do define as a group of crows.
This question has also been asked on Quora, but the responses seem to be verbatim quotes from the above sites, again with no references.


texts:
It might sound weird but one of my students asked me if there is a difference between 'a stone bridge' and 'a stony bridge'! Well off the top of my head I said it's the matter of collocation: we normally say stone bridge... like glass tower... stony is general while we use stone bridge with proper names like 'Stone Arch Bridge'

Does my answer make sense to you?


texts:
I read in a book:

  There were lots to do on the farm: feeding the hens, collecting the eggs, going on a hay ride, visiting the ducks.

To me it seemed odd, that it should have been "There was lots to do"—but it was explained that this was the backward existential  and was therefore correct. This seemed outmoded to me.

My question is: "There were lots to do" vs "There was lots to do...": is the backward existential still used?

NOTE:
I believe this is not a duplicate of this or this as we're asking a question about the general usage of the backward existential in a particular situation.


texts: Is it correct to write "the adjacent room" even if there are multiple adjacent rooms?

texts:
Recently, I posted a puzzle on Puzzling.SE.

The puzzle describes a prison containing thousands of hallways which all run next to each other, like the pipes in a pan flute. In my description of the prison, I wrote that most of the hallways have a door which leads to the adjacent hallway.

Someone wrote in the comments that my use of the word "the" is incorrect. After all, most of the hallways have two adjacent hallways, and so I can't write "the adjacent hallway"; I have to write "an adjacent hallway" or "one of the adjacent hallways".

However, I could swear that it's reasonably common in English to write things like "the adjacent room" and "the adjacent lot" even when there are multiple adjacent rooms and multiple adjacent lots, and no way for the reader to determine exactly which room or lot was meant.

I could very easily imagine someone saying "I was lecturing once when I heard a strange noise from the adjacent classroom", even when there are two adjacent classrooms; and "there are trees on the line between this lot and the adjacent lot", even when there are several adjacent lots. To me, if you replace "the" with "an" in either of those examples, it sounds  bit like you're trying to draw the reader's attention to the existence of a new classroom or lot that they weren't aware of before.

Is my thinking correct? Is it really appropriate to write "the adjacent room" when there are several adjacent rooms, or am I just imagining things?

I'm interested primarily in whether or not "the" is actually used this way by careful writers, not in what textbooks for English students have to say about the matter.


texts: Which article do I use if I'm pointing out an object that both I and the listener know

texts:
For example:

Upon seeing a cup on my colleague's desk, I say, "you have a very big cup."

But the cup is already known to him (it's his and there is only one cup on his desk).

Regardless, the above sentence sounds more correct than "you have the very big cup."

Which is correct?


texts: What is the most professional name for "squiggly bracket"?

texts:
I am creating a software training video and need to refer to these brackets:

  { }

I usually call them "squiggly brackets" or "curly brackets".

Is there a more professional name?


texts: is ‘fine’ in the sense ‘of very good quality’ gradable?

texts:
Fine in the sense of very good quality seems to be an absolute adjective, and since absolute adjectives are not gradable, so I am wondering if this principle applies to fine in the sense ‘of very good quality’ as well?

Regarding why fine seems an absolute adjective to me, let us take a moment to consider the following etymology of fine from the Oxford Dictionary of English and Wiktionary:

  from old French fin ‘end’, cognate with Eng. finish

This etymology brings me the impression that it means ‘too good to be improved further’ or ‘so good as cannot be better’, so I feel like fine is much like an ‘absolute adjective’ such as superior.


texts: Can object complements make any difference to sentences?

texts:
I'm reading a grammar book, and I have some questions.

A.

  We ate the fish raw.
  I want Sue drunk.
  I prefer the music soft.
  I like coffee black.
  We drank the beer cold.

This type of sentence (Verb + Object + Object Complement) is in frequent use. Then the meanings are the same as the following?

  We ate the fish which was raw.
  We ate the fish while it was raw.
  We ate the raw fish.
  I prefer the soft music.
  I like black coffee.
  We drank the cold beer.
  We drank the beer while it was cold.
  We drank the beer which was cold.

I suspect there will be differences, but I can't catch them.

B.

Another type of sentence is as follows.

  I know that London is the capital of the U.K. (o)
  I know London to be the capital of the U.K. (?)

The book says the latter is not natural, but no reason for it.

  I believe that the rain is falling. (o)
  I believe the rain to be falling. (?)

Same here. The second is said not to be natural.

  I know Mary to be a Christian.
  I believe John to be a man of interity.

But these two are said to be acceptable. Why?

  I remember him to be tall and lank.
  I remember him tall and lank.

Could be there any difference, if any?

  I find that this chair is comfortable.
  I find this chair to be comfortable.
  I find this chair comfortable.

It says each has a slightly difference nuance, but the contexts are not given. And I don't understand the explanation, perhaps because it was translated word for word into my mother tongue.

  If you look in the files, you'll find —

  that she is Mexican. (o)
  her to be Mexican. (?)
  her Mexian. (?)

This is very strange to me. Are all the sentences not acceptable?

C.

I'll type up some more sentences below.

  NBC announced Henry to be the winner.
  vs. "… Henry the winner."
  They report the sea level to be down considerably.
  vs. "… the sea level down considerably."
  He hates gin to be diluted.
  vs. "… gin diluted."
  The police want Bill to be alive.
  vs. "… Bill alive."
  Quick, get in here! Tommy needs his leg [set (o)/to be set (?)].
  Tommy needs his leg [to be set (o)/set (?)] eventually, but let's not rush things.


texts: How would you use "can" in a future sentence?

texts:
If you purchase this then you will be able to do that.

How can I write the quoted statement using can?


texts: Are there any mistakes in the following text?

texts:
"I want to express my gratitude to all those, from whose hard work and determination I've learned so much and will continue to learn in the future (some of whom I haven't had the pleasure to talk to personally but have pursued their work over the years)."

For some reason, I don't feel good about "those" being used like that by itself (especially because there was no earlier mention of those people. We don't know who "those" are yet. That's just the start of the sentence. The names are supposed to come later).

I'm not sure if a comma should be used after "those" since the following adjective clause is essential.

Using "their" in that adjective clause sounds clunky to me. But then again, some subtleties can only be discerned by a native ear. I may be wrong.

I was wondering how native speakers of English would feel about my questions and generally the whole text.
P.S. I believe this in not a proofreading request. I have certain questions in mind regarding determiners (not sure if "those" is a determiner or a pronoun in that sentence, I would appreciate a clarification about that too) and adjective clauses. Writing a paragraph was my way of providing a clear context. I don't know how I could've chosen a better title or formed my question in a better way.
Thanks a lot


texts:
If a person who only knows English, goes to say a country like Japan, could he be considered illiterate in Japan? What I am asking is whether a person who can read and write in one language, can be considered illiterate in another.
If not, then is there a word that can effectively characterize being unable to read or write in a foreign language?

illiteracy - a lack of ability to read and write (dictionary.com)

This definition of illiteracy is a bit broad for me. Does it only apply if a person cannot read and write at all in any language? Or can you be literate in one language but not another?


texts: Is "would" the past future tense of "will" or just a modal verb?

texts:
What's the difference between the following sentences?

  Would you give me some advice?
  Will you give me some advices?


texts: Primary determinant for deciding if you should use ‘the’

texts:
In the following dialog, both

  ‘the people who we don’t know’ and
  ‘Ø people who we don’t know’

might mean either

  ‘all the people who we don’t know’ or
  ‘some of the people who we don’t know.’

‘The people who ...’ sounds more like ‘all’ than just ‘Ø people who ...’ according to some native speakers. However, it is IMPLIED/ FELT/ PERCEIVED.
In fact, some native speakers say ‘the people who we don’t know’ sounds no more than just ‘some.’ ‘All or some’ shouldn’t be the determinant.

What do you think is the determinant, then? Any and all insights would be welcome. What do you think is the determinant for deciding you should use ‘the’ or not in the following example? Some people feel you mean ‘all the people’ with ‘the,’ but it’s not the primary determinant, many people think. Would it be your mind that wants to emphasize the meaning of the relative pronouns that places ‘the’ there?

  (Suppose there is no context, explicit or implicit, that brings on the
  definite article in front of ‘people’ and ‘ones’ other than, possibly, the
  relative noun clauses ‘who we don’t know’ and ‘who we know.’)

  Tom: Although the/Ø people who we don’t know from our Sendai factory
  came to the party, the/Ø ones who we know didn’t.

  Sam: Oh, I didn’t even know you have a factory in Sendai.

  (I wrote this dialog, thinking ‘we’ are Tom and some of his co-workers, and
  that it doesn’t include Sam. Sam is from outside Tom’s company)


texts: How and when did "jug" come to be a slang term for "prison"?

texts:
Most of the online dictionaries give this kind of alternate meaning of jug:

Slang. jail; prison.

When I was in grammar school it's what we called detention: "If you talk back to the teacher, she's going to send you to the Jug."
Collins says the origin of the main meaning as a narrow-necked container is

[C16: probably from Jug, nickname from girl's name Joan]

and Etymonline goes on to say the origin (of the name of the receptacle) is unknown:

Perhaps it is from jug "a low woman, a maidservant" (mid-16c.), a familiar alteration of Jug, a common personal name such as Joan or Judith.

Not sure what to do with that information.
The OED's first instance of jug meaning a prison occurs under "Stone-Jug" where, in 1796, in Grose's Dictionary Vulgar T, "Stone-Jug" refers to "Newgate, or any other prison." Under "jug" itself, the OED cites an 1861 poem in which the narrator was sentenced to "ten years in the Jug." (There is an earlier reference, from 1834, but the example given feels more tangential to me.)
Now, the relation between a prison and a container of any kind must be fairly obvious. But if the earliest reference to this relationship is itself in a dictionary, the term must have been in use in that capacity well before that. I'm curious to know whether there is any more substantial evidence of an actual usage underscoring that relationship. I'm also curious to know how the usage survived and was transported from 18th century Newgate prison to the detention room of an American parochial grammar school in the 20th century, especially since I don't recall ever hearing "the Jug" as a reference to any American prison.


texts: Present participle clause with modal verbs

texts:
I am studying how to use present participle clauses in sentences. Like:

  Because Tom felt hungry, he went into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

Can be written as:

  Feeling hungry, Tom went into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

But how can I use the present participle with sentences using modal verbs like below?

  Because Tom could not find any food to eat, he went back to sleep.

I don't know which one is correct:

  Could not find any food to eat, Tom went back to sleep.
  Could not finding any food to eat, Tom went back to sleep.
  Not being able to find any food to eat, Tom went back to sleep. (Someone suggested that I should use 'be able to' to replace 'can/could')


texts:
When I mentioned to friends I had recently been to Benalmadena in Spain, I was corrected on its pronunciation. I had chosen to pronounce it in an English way rather than in a Spanish pronunciation. After all, I wouldn't say Paris how a Frenchman would say it.

If I use the native pronunciation of a foreign city I might look pretentious. If on the other hand I use the English pronunciation, I might then get corrected with the alternative.

Which is the correct convention please?

Many thanks.


texts:
What's the difference in meaning between "with purchase" and "upon purchase"?

e.g.

Enjoy a complimentary tote bag with every purchase of cosmetic goods
Enjoy a complimentary tote bag upon every purchase of cosmetic goods


texts:
What's the single word for someone who is either a plaintiff or defendant in a court case?

Plaintiff -> the accuser

Defendant -> the accused

Plaintiff or defendant -> ???

I'd rather not refer to "plaintiff or defendant" every single time in my essay.


texts: What part of speech is "there", as in "...there could be"

texts:
Consider this sentence:

  There could be a chance.

What part of speech is the word there in this sentence?


texts:
Example:

  Despite the fact he was nearing his thirties and got stressed a lot at
  work, he still had a full head of hair. No thinning at all. [Neither/he] had wrinkles, and his face was still long and thin—not the least
  sign of weight gain.

Should it be neither he or he neither? If both are grammatically incorrect, what's the right option?


texts:
Which of these sentences is correct?
1)Internet technology has significantly contributed to furthering education in the world.
2)Internet technology has significantly contributed in furthering education in the world.
If only one is correct, does this mean that the other one is grammatically wrong or it can be used in a certain context?


texts: What's an idiom/saying about how small humans are?

texts: I'm looking for idioms or sayings like "a drop in the ocean" or "a speck of dust" that can demonstrate how small each person is in comparison to the universe.


texts: Are guilt and remorse basically the same thing?

texts:
The wordnet dictionary defines remorse as:

  n 1: a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)

And it defines gulit as:

  n 1: the state of having committed an offense

  2: remorse caused by feeling responsible for some offense

Yet, the wordnet dictionary nowhere defines one as a synonym of another. Do these both words basically mean the same thing?


texts: Why does it seem to be fashionable to use the verb "to represent" without an object?

texts: It seems to have become fashionable to say something like, "You've got to represent." Another example might be, "The team really represents for the college." What's behind this? I suppose this usage makes sense if the object is understood, but the verb seems to take on a different meaning for the speaker. "You've got to show your pride" might be closer to what is meant.


texts: What's the meaning of "working the corners of the plate"?

texts:
The following paragraph is from Don Winslow's novel The Force:

  Malone and Russo and Billy O and Big Monty and the rest made these
  streets their own, and they ruled them like kings. They made them safe
  and kept them safe for the decent people trying to make lives there,
  and that was their job and their passion and their love, and if that
  meant they worked the corners of the plate and put a little something
  extra on the ball now and then, that’s what they did.

I can guess that "worked the corners of the plate" and "put a little something extra on the ball" are baseball idioms and these two probably mean doing something unscrupulous or cheating. But I don't watch baseball and I have a hard time understanding why and how "working the corners of the plate" would indicate dishonesty.


texts: Formal expression to say that somebody is now a Doctor of Philosophy

texts:
I am trying to translate an expression from my mother tongue into english. A word-by-word "naive" translation would be

He was officially proclaimed Doctor of Philosophy of the Department of Mathematics.

I believe the intended meaning is apparent (he took the oath during an official ceremony of that Department and from that day on he was Doctor of Philosophy) however, I think that "officially proclaimed" isn't the correct the way to go...

I am aware that there are several correct expressions schemes. However, I am looking for that one verb (or more) to substitute "officially proclaimed" with, and have a valid formal expression

My intention is to have a translation which can be as near as possible to the expression as stands in my mother tongue. To this end, please note that the the original expression tries to place emphasis on the person having a new quality (he is now a Doctor of Philosophy, see PS) rather than on the fact that he has a new degree.

PS:He is now a Doctor of Philosophy, which means he has researched in science and extended its results, something that doesn't happen in previous degrees where you mainly get to learn results already obtained by the others.

In this sense, in a PhD you level up from "learning knownledge" into "producing knowledge". That is, you have a new "quality"/attribute -- besides being a scientist (you already were) you are now a researcher who has obtained a "complete" set of research results.

Apparently, this is cultural context hidden in the original expression that isn't immediately understood unless somebody is a native speaker of my tongue -- that's what we mean when we speak that expression in my tongue, and that is a point I would like to be conveyed by the (candidate) English equivalent translation.


texts: Does 'which' refer to the noun immediately preceding it?

texts:
Is the 'which' in

  Proposition 25 suggests a better definition of m-reducibility than given in Definition 23, which is also the one typically given in texts

ambiguous? It is a line from an article I've written, and the anonymous referee claims that

  the reader has to guess to which of the two definitions the "which" at the beginning of the line refers.

It seems to me, however, that the which should refer to the definition immediately preceding it, since if I'd wanted it to refer to the other, I'd have written something like

  Proposition 25 suggests a better definition of m-reducibility, which is also the one typically given in texts, than given in Definition 23.

As the title indicates, this is essentially a question about whether 'which' by default refers to the noun closest to it.


texts: Does the word candidate have to refer to a person?

texts:
I was helping a friend create a motivational letter for a scholarship and I wrote a sentence in the lines of: "(...), which would qualify my project as a candidate for the Program".

We changed this because my friend suggested the word candidate can only refer to a person. Notably the Merriam-Webster dictionary lists only the uses that refer to people.

However lately I've seen a few uses of the word when refering to objects, primarly in tech articles. So can this word be used in a broader sense?


texts: What does seem mean in "Seem things in some procession of the dead" in Sunday Morning By WALLACE STEVENS poem?


texts:
I am discussing with friends the meaning of the following sentence:

  "while some people agree that there are less women in science because they don't have the skills, others will argue that it is just because science is a strongly sexist field"

Does it mean that the writer also shares this view?
Is it right to use the verb 'agree' for an opinion that is held only by a small group?


texts:
A guy who is living with fear about future girlfriend or wife may leave him if she finds a man better than him in all possible ways.

What is the suitable name of this phobia?


texts:
What is the etymology of the phrase "one trick pony"?

Can ponies do tricks?

Oxford doesn't any etymology info.
Wiktionary doesn't provide any info either besides the definition:

  A performing animal (especially a pony) that knows only one trick.
      (idiomatic, by extension) A person or group noteworthy for only a single achievement, skill, or characteristic.


texts: My English professor suggested yesterday that the expression "with respect to", despite being frequently used is simply wrong. He said that one should rather use "in respect of", which in turn is not very common. Can a native speaker confirm this? I have seen this expression so often, even in scientific texts, that I quite simply cannot believe that this is incorrect English.


texts:
I have to translate a Washington Post article on Trump but I cannot understand one part:

  It's post-policy politics. It's about having the right feelings instead of the right proposals. Now, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't point out when he's contradicting himself or when his plans don't add up. But it does mean that we should probably be a little less credulous about this supposed policy pivot or that change in message.
  There has to be one for that to happen.


texts: Adjective order (where to put the adjective )

texts:
What should I say to describe the following context :

1- an intense 13-week course.

2- a 13-week intense course.


texts: What is a word for implying someone else is wrong?

texts:
For instance, if someone says to you, "I like cake," and you reply, "I like to take care of my body," your response is a passive-aggressive way of implying that they don't like to take care of their body because they eat cake.

I'm looking for an adjective to describe this type of response, something akin to passive-aggressive but more specific to the situation.


texts:
They ran to the door of the cellar, but Toto was afraid, and he ran under the bed.
       — Chapter 1 of The Wizard of Oz(Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 1)

In this book, There is no bed that has been mentioned. And I don't know anything about the bed. But
as you can see, the definite article "the"is used in front of the word "bed".

To tell the truth, I have questioned about this topic here. People who gave me answers wrote that the definite article "the" implies that there is only one.

  There were four walls, a floor and a roof, which made one room;and
  this room contained a rusty looking cooking stove, a cupboard for the
  dishes, a table, three or four chairs, and the beds. Uncle Henry and
  Aunt Em had a big bed in one  corner, and Dorothy a little bed in
  another corner.
   — Chapter 1 of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 100th Anniversary Edition

In another edition, The inside of the house is described.
There are two beds.

Could you explain me why the definite article is used?


texts: "Dollars' worth" vs. "dollars worth" for numerals

texts: I have a follow-up question to "Thousand Dollars Worth" or "Thousand Dollars' Worth". Is this a Possessive?.  I agree with the answers that it's both logically correct and sounds more natural to make "dollars'" possessive, but doesn't that imply that when the dollar amount is written as a numeral, we should write "$1000's worth" or "$1's worth" rather than "$1000 worth" or "$1 worth"?  The former ones look funny to me and I've never seen it written that way.


texts: Can you use "team" in plural or singular only?

texts: Is it correct to say "The development team are seeing a new trend", when you're certain that the team consists of several members? Or, is the word team strictly singular in any context?


texts: Where a person has advantage in a specific scenario

texts:
Sally and Tom live in the same street and are both looking for love. Both Sally and Tom have average looking faces.
   Sally is a 37 year old overweight unemployed divorced stay-at-home mother of a 12 year old boy. Tom  is a fit single, childless, 32 year old with a stable job as a civil planner, enjoys the outdoors and is a runner.
  Sally and Tom join Tinder at the same time. Both add a single photo of themselves and list their hobbies and family circumstances.  Both Sally and Tom decide to swipe right(like) every photo they see on their screens.

  After both have done this for a thousand photos they only return to the app a week later. Sally has 200 mutual likes and message from men of various ages wanting to hook up. Tom has no mutual likes.

As a result Sally has a high expectation of her desirability and Tom forms a very low expectation of his desirability.

One could argue  people are biased for Sally/ biased against  Tom but in a real life scenario if Sally and Tom went independently to a club, Tom would get more  interest shown in him than Sally. So the word(s) I'm looking for is related to a specific scenario/use case i.e. Tinder but not in general.

If I look at words like bias, prejudice, discrimination ,inequity, favouritism it has the feeling of unfair which is not want I want to convey, but I rather want to say an illogical advantage not applicable to real life, just Tinder.

Since online dating sites like Tinder did not exist 20+ years ago the word I though of is

Zeitgeist

  Definition: noun
  the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.

However what I am thinking of isn't related to a specific period but rather a situation e.g. realm of Tinder.

Other similar words in vogue, feeling, atmosphere just don't fit in what I am trying to say

How do I explain this either with  word(s) e.g. zeitgeist or alternatively with something to describe the postive/negative bias on each person?


texts: Listing of items in order of their effectiveness

texts:
In a research paper, how do I list things in order of their effectiveness?

For example,

  The order of antagonistic effect of acetic acid against E. coli O157:H7 was salt > glycine > glucose > sucrose.

Is it okay to use ">" or "<" in a sentence for a research paper?
It looks a bit weird to me. Is there a better way or any other way to write this down correctly?


texts: Single word for emphasising 'very good' or 'very bad'

texts:
I am looking for a word which can be used in emphasising that "something is very bad or good to the extent that someone else  cannot believe."

For example: I may say to Joseph: "Joseph! To the extent that you cannot believe, Sarah is wicked" or "Sarah is wicked to the extent that you cannot believe".

Is there any other word or group of words I can use to explain to Joseph how wicked Sarah is without using the phrases "the extent that you cannot believe"?


texts:
Can anyone explain the meaning of "bootstrap" to a Spanish Speaker?

Here is some context:

  One aspect of ... (something) ... is the need to bootstrap the configuration.


texts: Best variant (common, more common, the most common)

texts:
Can you please help me to choose the most appropriate variant for the following sentence:

In the USA (common, more common, the most common) college degree among the others is a bachelor of arts.

I suppose "more common" as well as "the most common" make sence.
But my teacher insist on just "common".

Native speakers, what variant sounds better in English? Thank you!


texts:
I am writing an English essay about Shakespeare.
The sentence(s) I am having trouble with:

We've read it, we've heard it, we've seen it. We know the Shakespeare spiel.

The difficulty I am having and what I've tried:
I don't know whether 'spiel' is an appropriate word. I've tried replacing it with the word 'deal' as well (e.g. We know the deal with teenagers in modern society), but it just doesn't seem to work. These are the two opening sentences of my essay and I need something that hooks the reader. Can you suggest any better words for 'spiel'?


texts: What word would denote a person who connects a person to another person who has the same needs, situation or struggles? example: Cathy is a good _________. Cathy  introduced Jan and Sarah to each other because Jan and Sarah both have similar medical conditions for instance or both live in the same neighborhood for example.


texts: When is a person called a "lightning rod"?

texts:
I am aware of the lightning rod used to protect buildings and structures. But, what does it mean to refer to a person as a lightning rod? Also, when is it appropriate to use and when should it be avoided?

See this NY Times article for example, which is titled James Franco’s 2 Roles at Yale - Scholar and Lightning Rod.


texts:
I've negotiated the terms of my employment contract and have inserted the following sentence into the contract...

No after-hours or post-employment restrictions and obligations other than what is stipulated in this letter of appointment alone shall be of any force or effect.

I'm concerned that I might have unwittingly written ambiguously. Is there any uncertainty to anyone here as to what this sentence means?

More specifically... as written, does No [...] restrictions and obligations mean...

1) No obligations that are also restrictions
...meaning that the sentence does NOT refer to obligations that aren't restrictions.

2) No restrictions and no obligations
...meaning that the sentence refers to restrictions of any kind as well as obligations of any kind, regardless of whether the said obligations are also restrictions or not.

3) Some other meaning I haven't thought of.

...?

I'm specifically asking here, because the interpretation of a contract rests heavily on its grammatical meaning. The contract is already signed, so I can't go and change anything now. I just want to know if the sentence is ambiguous or not regarding restrictions and obligations.

Thank you in advance!

EDIT :

I guess the question is whether "or" or "and/or" instead of "and" between "restrictions" and "obligations" would have made any difference to the meaning of the sentence. Consider these sentences...

It is not intended that this letter of appointment define all of the rights and obligations of the parties. Your employment is governed by the Employer’s policies and procedures, as occasionally amended in the sole discretion of the Employer.

a) No after-hours [...] restrictions and obligations [...] shall be of any force or effect.

b) No after-hours [...] restrictions or obligations [...] shall be of any force or effect.

c) No after-hours [...] restrictions and/or obligations [...] shall be of any force or effect.

(The initial sentence is to provide context and eliminate ambiguity regarding whether "after-hours" modifies "obligations" or not.)

So is there any difference in the meaning of the said three sentences? Sorry for being so pedantic about this. I just want to be sure whether the sentence using "and" is lawyer-proof or not. And whether most/all people would interpret the sentence as #1 or #2 above.

Thanks everyone.


texts: What is the term for arbitrary disqualification?

texts:
I'm looking for the term that applies when someone disqualifies another party from social groups membership.

ex: "You're not a real fan if..."


texts: "Among his team" or "among his team members"

texts: Would it be correct to say "to disсuss among his team"? Can we use "among" with collective noun (team, group, committee, etc) if they are in singular form? Or "among" always must be followed by plural noun and it's better to say "to discuss among his team members"?


texts: How did 'to' and 'to throw' combine to mean 'adjacent'?

texts:
adjacent =  1. Next to or adjoining something else

  Etymonline for: adjacent (adj.) =
      early 15c., from Latin adiacentem (nominative adiacens) "lying at," present participle of adiacere "lie at, border upon, lie near,"
  from ad- "to" (see ad-) + iacere "to lie, rest," literally "to throw" (see jet (v.)),
  with notion of "to cast (oneself) down."

Please help me dig deeper than the definition, which I already understand and so ask NOT about. I heed the Etymological Fallacy, but what are some right ways of interpreting this meaning, to make it feel reasonable and intuitive? In particular,

1. How did "to throw"  evolve to mean "to lie, rest," ?

2. Then how did  ad- + iacere combine to mean the modern definition?


texts: What's the origin of the phrase "into the weeds"?

texts: In(to) the weeds is a common way of saying there is unnecessary or too much information or detail about a particular subject.  Where did this phrase come from?


texts:
I need to say that there are hypothesis/assumptions about a certain word (Foobar) - that it means something. But I can't seem to form this sentence properly.

Here is what I got so far:

One can encounter assumptions that "Foobar" is "good-for-nothing", "lazy" person. But
that cannot be true ...

The construct "one can encounter assumptions" seems wrong to me - both because of the encounter word and the assumptions word.

I tried one can meet, one can find - for the first part, and suppositions, propositions for the second - but none of them seem to make any sense.

I hope this is confusing enough :-)


texts: Proper expression for when you want to say "reduce the workload of someone"

texts:
I was wondering whether you could help me in choosing the most suitable word/expression.

Can I say that "I want to reduce the workload person X faces" or is there a better expression? What I am trying to say is that the I want to help person X by doing some of the work he is supposed to do.

Thanks!


texts: Name for presenting two arguments and letting the reader make their own decision?

texts:
As the title says, is there word for presenting two arguments and letting the reader draw their own conclusions from that? For example, let's say that someone has asked for my thoughts on restaurants A and B. If I said that A was good for a, b, and c, and B was good because of d, e, and f, then let the person asking make their own decision. Is there even a name for this? I feel like it's on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't think of what it's called.

Thanks


texts: What is the meaning of this "go in and out"?

texts:
What is the meaning of this "go in and out": (from Randall Jarrell’s The Bat-Poet)

The chipmunk said in a pleased voice: "My day." He sat there and listened while the bat said:

  In and out the bushes, up the ivy,
  Into the hole
  By the old oak stump, the chipmunk flashes.
  Up the pole.

  To the feeder full of seeds he dashes,
  Stuffs his cheeks.
  The chickadee and titmouse scold him.
  Down he streaks.

  Red as the leaves the wind blows off the maple,
  Red as a fox,
  Striped like a skunk, the chipmunk whistles
  Past the love seat, past the mailbox,

  Down the path,
  Home to his warm hole stuffed with sweet
  Things to eat.
  Neat and slight and shining, his front feet

  Curled at his breast, he sits there while the sun
  Stripes the red west
  With its last light: the chipmunk
  Dives to his rest.

When he'd finished, the bat asked: "Do you like it?"
For a moment the chipmunk didn't say anything, then he said in a surprised, pleased voice: "Say it again." The bat said it again. When he'd finished, the chipmunk said: "Oh, it's nice. It all goes in and out, doesn't it?"


texts:
Which one is correct?

They went on their honeymoon to Italy.
They went for their honeymoon to Italy.


texts:
I get confused about what to put after the comparison signal words compared to and unlike. To be exact, what kind of information should I put after this introduction. For example, should I say:

  [1a] Unlike A, B is better
  or
  [1b] Unlike A, A is worse.

  [2a] Compared to A, B is better.
  or
  [2b] Compared to A, A is worse.

To be honest, 1a and 2a sound right to me, but not 1b and 2b.


texts: I kept a door for somebody to pass and he said: "thank you". What should I say in response? I said: "no problem!". But I am not sure my response was the best one.


texts:
Today I was debating whether the use of the adverbs such as 'well', 'badly', 'poorly' must be used after verbs like 'behave' and 'conduct'. Many times I am faced with sentences such as:

  A court interpreter shall conduct himself both inside and outside of the court, as not to give occasion for distrust.

Should adverbs like well, properly, etc. be employed or they would be implied?


texts: What's the origin of the phrase "God's clean earth", and how long has it been around?

texts:
"It isn't every day a man wakes up to discover he's a screaming bender with no more right to live on God's clean Earth than a weasel."
- Dr. Leech, "Blackadder II"

What's the origin of that phrase, God's clean earth, and how long has it been in use? Google NGrams gives me nothing.
EDIT: Given it really does seem to come from this, I agree it's too localized and am chucking the final vote in to close it. Thanks again all!


texts: How to add possessive to comma clause specifying pronoun?

texts:
Not exactly sure what the comma rule is called, but how would I add a possessive in the following sentence where the dog belongs to David?

I had to take my brother, David, ('s?) dog to the vet.


texts: the use of "were to" to mean "suppose" or "imagine"

texts:
Is it okay to use the counterfactual subjuntive verb phrase, "were to" with the present tense of a main clause? I thought that "if subject + were to + verb" should be used with "would" or "could" in a main clause bcause I was taught that it shows something is highly unlikely or unthinkable.

Does "were to" mean "suppose" or "imagine," which expresses possible and factual situations?

Please read the following excerpt.
"If one were to use the Hallyu phenomenon as a measuring stick for the Korean government's culture policies to establish a new Korean identity internationally, it is clear that it has succeeded beyond anyone's wildest expectations. "

Is the present tense of the main clause grammatically correct?
Then, how could we parse the sentence?
Is it kind of a mixed conditional? I'm not sure what we should call that type of sentence, conditional? or subjunctive?


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "sixth-place player"?

texts:
I came across it while reading an article on economy yet failed to decipher its meaning in given context and a Google search was neither effective.

Here's the exact sentence:
"It was almost laughable for Philip Morris - as the sixth-place player with 9 % market share in the 1950s - to take on the goal of defeating Goliath RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company and becomming number one".


texts:
Does the following sentence have a different meanings?

I have a lot of tasks this week.

I had a lot of tasks this week.

I have had a lot of task this week.


texts: What is the correct way of writing a reference to file types / extensions?

texts:
I am a data scientist and regularly refer to various file types when writing to others.

My question is this: what is the correct and/or proper way to refer to a file type and which of the following sentences is correct?

"Here is the .csv you asked for."

Or

"Here is the CSV you asked for."

Note: .csv/CSV is used as an example only; this could be any file type (i.e. .pdf/PDF, .xlsx/XLSX). I have also excluded the word "file" from the sentence simply because it isn't the focus of my question. My question is asking how best to represent file types in writing. In this context, the other words in the sentence are irrelevant.


texts: What do you refer to a chart/graph designer as?

texts: It seems like another branch of statistics that is complete enough to deserve its own specialty name.


texts: An exact cause of death vs the exact cause of death

texts:
1.) It can be difficult to determine an exact cause of death.

2.) It can be difficult to determine the exact cause of death.

In respect to an / the exact cause of death:
1.) seems to represent any one exact cause of death, in a random case of death;
2.), on the other hand, appears to generally encompass individual cases involving death. I somehow senses that in terms of the function of "the," "cause" in 2.) plays a similar role as in "number" in the following expression "the number of deaths" or "pace" in "the pace of deaths."
Can you explain in as much detail as possible any subtle difference in meaning between the two sentences, and what the use of "a" or "the" might imply beyond the surface? In addition, please provide grammatical explanation, if possible.


texts: Is there a word for a "love of storytelling" or storyline

texts:
I don't mean "loving to read stories" but instead a word that describes a love of the content/storyline for any media. For example if there is not a good storyline in a game I start playing. I'm a movie critique because the way the scenes play out, what they decide to show and what they don't are crucial and just as important as the music they choose.

My love of storylines/content/storytelling is the case for any creative piece I create. Do you know if there is a word out there for this?


texts: How To Fuh-freaking Autocorrect Dialogue

texts:
You've likely observed someone in writing, possibly a comedic character, start a word or statement but suddenly upon realizing their mistake, correct their Freudian slip, instances of letting the truth slip out, or slipping up in general, on the fly, midword or midsentence by shifting the slip up to a euphemism, less conspicuous word or some redirection, midword/statement, before accidentally saying the whole thing in error. I don't know if this form of interruption is to be written with an em dash or what exactly.

Example "Everyone's acting so strange toward me as of late" John Doe said with suspicion to which I, in what would become a botched attempt at calming his suspicion, replied "Oh, that's probably because they're getting ready for your surpri---fries ... 'Your super-sized order of fries,' ... that's what the guy at Generic Burger Joint was trying to tell me earlier. Darn, I forgot my fries at GBJ." super-sized fries being a phonetic substitute for accidentally beginning to say the full word surprise which would have, if said in full and without a redirect, spoiled the surprise that I'm clearly in on if I'd actually said more than the surpri part of the word surprise and not attempted to switch it to a substitute.

How does one actually write this midword correction in dialogue for a story. Also, though less important, what is it called if there is a name for it?


texts: How many monosyllabic words does English have? (estimations are fine)

texts:
I'm writing a post about word length in various languages in the world. It seems that English have (relatively) a lot of one-syllable words. Is there a count or an estimate of how many one-syllable words exists in English?

*I think it's because English have a lot of vowels and possible consonant clusters, they are a lot of possible syllables. This allows English to have a lot of one-syllable words.


texts: A verb to describe specific positioning of three layers

texts:
I am describing the positioning of three layers stacked on top of each other in a scientific paper. The first and third layer made from the same material, but the layer in between (i.e. the second layer) differs from the two other.

I would to put the description in the following context.

  The module consist of two layers of A that ....[a verb]...a layer of B

What verbs best suits the context here?


texts: What does 'the date is in my calendar' mean?

texts:
I received a single-sentence reply 'the date is in my calendar' when I asked a person to make an appointment with a specific date. I thought it means the date works for the person at the beginning. The opposite meaning has come to my mind shortly.
Which of the following interpretation (or neither of them) is correct?

(1) (I have put) the date in my calendar. (so it works)
(2) The date is (already) in my calendar. (so it doesn't work)

I failed to find the meaning on the web and I cannot ask the person directly.
Thank you!


texts: what does it mean "I'm in up to my wrist"

texts:
In seinfeld "The pick" episode,

GEORGE: So the minute I started up the steps to her apartment I knew I made a terrible mistake. Going back with her. So we're in her apartment she goes into the bathroom. I'm cursing myself; now how do I get out of this? Then it hits me like a bolt of lightening. The pick.

JERRY: The pick?

ELAINE: The pick?

GEORGE: She comes out of the bathroom, I'm in up to my wrist. You should have seen the look on her face.

What does George mean by "I'm in up to my wrist", it's not about picking nose, is it? How can picking nose be as deep as up to one's wrist? Then what is it?


texts: Using no commas or 1 comma when there's an adverb

texts:
"Michael and Lucy too, also eventually reveal their wish to always be together even when their relationship is on the brink of destruction."

"Still though, they can’t give up George and, despite knowing they might be on the path to destruction, neither girl can accept defeat and the battle continues.

"Too" in the first sentence and "though" in the second. Is it correct this way or would I have to add another comma? (Still, though, they...; Michael and Lucy, too, also...)

I want it to fit the chicago manual of style, so please bear that in mind. Would The sentences I quoted be correct according to that english style?

Or maybe I should not use comma at all like in this sentence, where the however has no comma.

"The second movie however also includes moments of humor"

I already know that using 2 commas is correct in all the sentences I quoted (please confirm that this also applies to the Chicago English Style though). My question is whether using just 1 comma there would be acceptable according to the Chicago English Style. Or even using no commas at all.


texts: The meaning of "mere" in Yeats's "The Second Coming"

texts:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
  The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
  Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
  Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

Can the adjective mere apply to "anarchy"? I've always taken it to mean the same thing as "only", in a dismissive way. E.g He's merely a baby. -> He's only/just a baby.

So does the phrase mere anarchy mean that the anarchy was nothing serious, not much to worry about?


texts: Is there a word for special names given to people of a certain group

texts:
Examples:

People who work at Google are called "Googlers"
Fans of the Green Bay Packers are called "Cheese heads"
Readers of Robinhood enewsletter are called "Snackers"
Hardcore fans of Harry Potter are called "Potterheads"

These are just several examples. This question was inspired by this tweet.


texts: "Does our process cause users to abandon tasks they WERE/ARE about to perform?"

texts:
I have written the following sentence as part of the conclusion to my thesis. This represents one of the future research questions, i.e., it is not part of my research questions, it is something that should be researched later on:

One interesting question is whether the more complicated and less predictable sign-in process causes users to abandon tasks they were about to perform.

(Background: signing in with the new system is more complicated, and some users mentioned that if they thought they'll just check something 'optional' (i.e. "I'm interested in this, but I don't have to do/know it"), and they have to sign in again, they will just think "it's not worth the hassle", and abandon it.)

I could not find any references as to what the tenses of the verbs in the latter part ("causes" and "were") should be, or whether the current format is correct.

What are the rules for this? If this is correct, why can "causes" (present tense) and "were" (past tense) be combined like that?


texts: What's the difference between "Yours sincerely" and "Sincerely yours"?

texts:
I have read online that "Yours sincerely" is British English and "Sincerely yours" is American English.

Is this true?

Or is the difference in formality? I think the first one is more formal and the second one should be used with people you know more (for example colleagues from the same company who know each, but are not friends outside of work).


texts: "Never run out of fun." Can one run out of something intangible?

texts: I want to use 'Never run out of fun' as a sentence. Is it wrong to say this? This is a slogan in a product video.


texts: meaning of "laborious comprises" in the context

texts:
Can you explain the meaning of laborious  comprises phrase in the text below. This paragraph is the 1st paragraph in http://www.all-art.org/art_20th_century/magritte1.html

My issue is actually the comprises word.

Longman and some other several dictionaries didn't help me

best regards

  The union of these two ethnic groups, with their so utterly
  incompatible mentalities, made it necessary to constantly reach
  laborious  comprises, leading to legal and administrative
  complications of such a nature that they tended more to deepen the
  quarrel s than to settle them.


texts: Function of 'unable to afford even one little failure' in this sentence

texts:
Consider this sentence:

  And that is why so many of the richest people in the world were often people who made the most mistakes. J. Paul Getty was known for drilling many dry holes in his quest for oil. He was famous for dry holes. But what made him rich was that he finally drilled one that hit one of the bigggest oil fields in the world. The same is true for Thomas Edison, the man who reportedly failed 10,000 times before inventing the electric light. The reason I say most people are losers is simply because they live their lives unable to afford even one little failure. To be successful, you must be both a banker and a gamblert so you can afford to lose, because every gamler knows that losing is part of winning.

(from Rich Dad's Guide to Becoming Rich… Without Cutting Up Your Credit Cards (2000) by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter)

It seems that this is a appositive clause in which the word that was omitted. What I'm curious about is the phrase unable to afford even one little failure here. I am not sure if the phrase here is a adverbial modifier which modifies because they live their lives. I have Googled it, but was not able to find the answer.


texts: Aviation, what is the equivalent word for ships instead of aircraft?

texts:
From Dictionary.com:

  a·vi·a·tion noun

  the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft.
  military aircraft.

If aviation is the design, production, and use of aircraft, then what is the corresponding word for the design, production, and use of water vessels?

At first I thought it's naval or navy, but the first is an adjective and the latter describes the military branch itself, so those are probably not the right words.