texts:
The word "the" in Indian English seems to have a different function than in American English, and I'd like to understand it better.  The first sentence of this article demonstrates what I mean:

  Today in this article I would discuss about the Database Mail which is used to send the Email using SQL Server.

In American English, I'd write:

  In today's article I will discuss Database Mail, which is used to send email using SQL Server.

Is that considered wrong or overly concise in Indian English?

What is the use of the additional "the"s in the original? Is this a typical pidgin construct or specific to Indian English?  What rule of American English makes this sound awkward to my ears?


texts: What dictates how new words should be pronounced?

texts:
Say the word 'libuv', which is a relatively new support library in computer programming.

If I can't find any references on the web as to how it should be pronounced, how do I say it?

And in general is it how the inventor uses it or how the majority sees how it should be pronounced?


texts: What is a metaphor for something that seems simple or straightforward but is actually complex or has many considerations involved?

texts:
For work I'm writing about a product that on the outside seems simple but has many factors. We are manufacturers of this product and want to sell customers on the idea that we take care of the complex details so they can just reap the benefits of a properly built product. Wanting to start with a sentence like

  "x is an x, except it's not. While seemingly simple, there are many considerations that go into the proper make and use of x. They are the _______ (metaphor) of the xy industry."

Something like that.

Thank  you.


texts: Today my co-worker wrote a sentence "We will be able indicate those numbers". I told hım that he should use "to" before "indicate" but he answered that there are some exceptions where you can ıgnore "to" before a verb, and "indicate" is a word that can be an exception. Who ıs rıght?


texts: Birth of a universe vs birth of an universe

texts:
Which is the correct usage from the following two sentences?

Birth of a universe

Birth of an universe


texts:
What is a "small minority"? I can see this being argued either way:

1% is a small minority because 1% is a small number.
49% is a small minority because, albeit a minority, it is only barely.


texts: How much can we trust text-to-speech pronunciation of names?

texts:
Text-to-speech software are applications which try to generate a sound based on a textual input by following linguistic rules of a language (mainly phonetics and phonology). They make a sound for anything you enter, whether it's valid or not.

Because pronunciation of the names of people are really hard to be found over the Internet, I thought suddenly to use these software as a close hit. But I'm not sure if I can trust them or not. Do pronunciations of names follow linguistic rules by a good and acceptable percentage? Could this approach be useful?


texts: What was “Herbal Tea” called before ‘tea’ was introduced in Europe?

texts:
I recently got in a discussion with a colleague, about herbal tea not being a correct term, as it contains no tea. Instead, one ought to use the term herbal infusions.

Tea (dried leaves from the tea plant aka Camellia sinensis) was gradually introduced in Europe during the 16th/17th century, but the making of herbal teas — all right, herbal infusions — was already widespread at the time.

So, my question: How did they call these herbal infusions? The term infusion sounds very scientific to me, so was there another way these were referred to?


texts: What is the origin for meaning of "Wild-card"?

texts:
Please go through this excerpt from The Tales of Kasi by Madhira Subbanna Deekshitulu:

  'Kasyam maranam mukti', goes the sanskrit saying, which means dying in Kasi leads to liberation. Hindus believe that if they die here, there is an automatic upgrade to heaven, no matter what the sin committed on earth. It is amazing how god provides this wild-card entry at death.

I perceived the applicable meaning of wild-card for this context is a rarest luck or facility which comes with no cost.

But what is the origin for this meaning?


texts: What's the term for business conducted over time, as opposed to in one meeting?

texts:
I'm looking for a word or term that describes conversation and development that's conducted over the course of several meetings and asynchronous communications, in contrast to work that's done all at once.

For example, after spending nearly a full hour going back and forth, a member thinking they'd like to suggest the formation of a committee that would meet once a week for the next two months and/or a mailing list or call-for-papers might say,

  "May I suggest that we consider this question ______________,
  instead of right now?"

Phrases that are in the neighborhood of the one I'm pretty sure I'm thinking of, but not quite right:

over time
in procession
in deliberation
in assembly
in absentia
post facto
de novo
at length
at large
at leisure
asynchronously

For some reason, the word "roll" comes to mind when I think about this, some imagery of a thing rolling along in the process of deciding the question.


texts:
What would be the indirect speech for this sentence: Mina said, "Let's go for a walk".
In my opinion it should be 'Mina suggested that they should go for a walk' but according to my book it is 'Mina suggested that they go for a walk'. Which one is correct?


texts:
What is the origin of the idiom "wearing the < role > hat"?

Here is an example from the post Getting things done when you wear multiple hats in PookieMD's Blog:

  I wear many hats, and I suppose you do as well.  I wear my small business owner hat when I run/manage my company, ExtraMD, my doctor hat when I play doctor, and my consultant hat when I head off to multiple meetings that seem to define the EHR consultant world I live in.  Of course, I wear my mother hat, wife hat, Girl Scout leader hat, and the hat that seems to get worn the least–the self hat.

and another example from Jean Scheid's The Many Hats of a Project Manager:

  As the owner of a small auto dealership, many of my managers wear more than one hat. My service director is also my parts director and my finance manager is also my sales manager. In the business office, my controller has an added responsibility of obtaining registrations for the vehicles we sell.


texts:
In the sentence below, what is the exact role of scouting (adverb phrase, gerund, etc.) and what is the adverb happily for?

  Ricky began running ahead happily scouting the bushes.


texts:
I have had questions on other boards edited with the reason "remove run on sentence"

but why are they bad I went to one page and the example was

  I have a dog his name is George.

The suggested solution was

  I have a dog. His name is George.

well I was taught that was wrong as you can't use his in a sentence alone, as a sentence is a standalone construct and we have no idea who "his" is (I have been roundly told my teacher was wrong).

another solution was

  I have a dog, and his name is George.

This appears to be a rule without reason, so please what is the reason?

I have read the suggested duplicate ,which has been closed, it is about comma-splice with only a passing nod to run on sentences.


texts: Why do people say "Go down this road" or "Go down this corridor" instead of saying "Go straight"

texts: I was wondering, when giving directions, is it correct to say "go straight" instead of "go down"? Does down and straight in the context of giving directions mean the same thing?


texts:
When should I put "amount of" after "sufficient" or "adequate"?

I have found a mix of both and I couldn't figure out a pattern or logic in the usage.

Many villagers had also felt that the proposal did not offer adequate parking.
These boys are not brought up with an adequate amount of respect for the opposite sex.
Allocation of adequate resources for research in these fields is highly desirable.
If I had not had sufficient cash on me I would have had to find my own way to the nearest cash machine.
Therefore, if a sufficient amount of fiat money is supplied, the fixed asset (land) need not play the role of commodity money in the equilibrium.
This means that by employing only a user corpus, we cannot obtain a sufficient amount of data to construct a good language model.
If not all, then a sufficient amount of material could be made available.
They are assumed to save during working periods to ensure they have sufficient income when not working.
One of the major stumbling blocks may be the availability of sufficient capital to fund the company's start up operations.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/example/english/sufficient-amount

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/sufficient

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/adequate

so let say we talk about water, then which one of the followings is right?

i. During summer, make sure you drink enough water.

ii. During summer, make sure you drink adequate amount of water.

iii. During summer, make sure you drink sufficient amount of water.


texts: Looking for help in using names for a business

texts: My brother and I are starting a business and would like to use our names for the business.  For example Kate & Larry's restaurant.  Or is it Kate's & Larry's Restaurant.  Thanks


texts: Under which conditions can "one" be used to refer to non human entity?

texts:
I've heard that one is understood as referring to people if one uses any one as in

  Q: Which of these ice cream flavors do you want?
  A: Any one.

I understand that any one sounds like anyone, but is that a reason not to use the expression?

What about other uses of one, such as the first one and one of them?


texts:
Considering a regular laptop:

a friend of mine said "under the keyboard" to mean the places where you usually rest your palms which is more towards you with respect to the keyboard.

I understood it to mean, the surface which stands between the motherboard and the key (which is not directly visible normally).

Wouldn't it be more appropriate to say "below the keyboard" in that case? Doesn't "under" imply that its surface is hidden?


texts:
In mathematical context, or in the context of mathematical logic, is there a difference between:

  This is valid for each x.

and

  This is valid for all x.

?

If both have the same meaning, which is preferable?


texts: Is it natural to use 'once' with 'used to'?

texts:
Is it natural to use 'once used to' as in the following construction?

I once used to read the Times everyday.


texts: How to unambiguously ask a question with "OR"

texts:
I want to ask a question about a piece of text.

  Is the text about McDonalds Corporation or McDonalds Products?

I want the answer to be "Yes"/"No", rather than "McDonalds Corporation"/"McDonalds Products."

How do I ask the question unambiguously? Should I start with "Answer Yes or No:"?


texts:
I don't know which is correct, it seems both can be used?

"The above gun shows..." or "the gun above shows.."

Also the below gun or the gun below, which is correct?


texts: When to put "River" before or after its name and why?

texts: Unlike mountain names, where "Mount" always precedes its name, e.g. Mount Everest, I've noticed that some rivers have "River" before its name, e.g. the River Nile but others have it after, e.g. the Colorado River. How does one decide where it should be and how did the difference come about?


texts: I'm trying to describe the feature my iPad has that is counter-efficient. I'm positive there is a word that means counter-efficient. Does anybody know what that word is?


texts:
Children have become less emotionally expressive, less energetic, less talkative and verbally expressive, less humorous, less imaginative, less unconventional, less lively and passionate, less perceptive, less apt to connect seemingly irrelevant things, less synthesizing, and less likely to see things from a different angle.” Who or what could we blame except parents and an educational system that often squash original thinking and penalize students for using their imagination? Our students get the message rather quickly from our obsession with kindergarten “readiness,” to society’s detriment.
Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett

what does the bold part mean


texts: What is the word for object that take lots of time to prepare, and then you can only use them for a very little time? (like Drones)

texts:
What is the word for things that take lots of time to prepare (or charge) and then you are able to use them for a short time until you have to prepare (or charge) them again?

For example, Drones take 2 hours to charge batteries and you can use them for only 15 minutes.

Is there a word describing this?


texts:
My question is about my contract at work. My employer started providing us with an "on call" phone for the week we are on call to contact us in case of emergency call-ins. For the past  20 years they would call us in via cell phone or home phone. In the contract it says that the phone provided will be contacted "first". They have my personal cell phone number on file, which they use during the day to reach me. They also use my personal cell phone to call me in if they need an extra person to help the on-call crew. However, the management says that the phone provided by them will be the "only" phone contacted to call in the emergency crew. Again, the contract says the provided phone will be called "first". Can you use the word "first" and there not be a "second"? Especially if they have a second number on file? I was just wondering if there was a grammar rule on this. Thank you for any help.

It is written exactly like this:

  EMERGENCY CALL IN.  Designated employees required to be on Stand-By will have a cell phone provided so that Supervision can contact them while on call. The cell phone will be the first number called.

Since they have my personal cell phone number also, I take this to mean that they would call my number second. Now Management is saying that the provided cell phone is the only phone they will call. Ironically, if I don't answer the provided phone, they move on to the next guy by calling his personal phone. I basically was wondering if grammatically you use the word "first", that there should be at least a "second".


texts: Word or phrase for "using excessive amount of technology to solve a low-tech task"

texts:
If you look at this gif of a drone replacing a lightbulb, you'll understand what concept I'm trying to find a word for. Using dynamite for fishing would be another example.

I'm looking for a word that describes the use of high-tech equipment, for a purpose that is normally filled by low-tech equipment, usually done out of laziness or amusement.

This is specifically relating to technology (overengineering is very close).


texts:
I'm native Russian and when we need to talk about some tough choice between two alternatives, we use a metaphor of a traditional scale. Namely, it's bowls.

Так вышло, что на одной чаше весов был чемпионат мира, а на другой — дружба.

In English: It so happened that the World Championship was on one side of the scales, and friendship was on the other.

Idioms are generally very regional-specific, and so I think it won't be a good idea to translate it to English literally. What will be a good alternative for it?
I know about "on the one hand ..., on the other one ...", but it's not quite the same.


texts: Verb meaning the same as "to be late" or "to become late"

texts:
In other languages that I know there are verbs which describe the action of becoming late. They are more commonly used than adjective form that is used in English.

"To be late". Here "late" is adjective describing the state of someone.

Is there a verb meaning the same thing, (something in the form of "I lated to the class")?


texts:
Einstein said:

  The individual feels the futility of human desires and aims and the
  sublimity and marvelous order that reveal themselves both in nature
  and in the world of thought.

Does here "individual" means like when we use word "one" in order to talk generally and not about any certain person? Like when we say "if one takes a look, he/she can easily find out about the contradiction"?
Does "reveal themselves" refer only to "sublimity and marvelous order"?


texts:
This site said:

  The future in the past is used to look into the future from a point of
  time in the past. However, this "future" event still occurred at a
  time before the present time.

  E.g. I woke up (1) at 8am yesterday. I was meeting my boss (2) at ten
  o'clock that morning, so I wouldn't be able to have lunch (3) with
  Susan. I wasn't going to get home (4) again until late that night.

But, see this example in reported speech:

Let say today is Monday & at 1 PM, A says "I will have lunch with Susan tomorrow".

Ok, at 2 PM, B says "She said she would have lunch with Susan tomorrow".

My question is that:

So, the law of Reported speech does not adhere the law of the future in the past, right?

Because the law of the future in the past said the-future-in-the past event still occurred at a time before the present time. but the action "would have lunch with Susan tomorrow" will not happen before now.

However, let say, at 3pm on Wednesday, B says "She said she would have lunch with Susan yesterday", then it adheres to the law of the future in the past because that action occurred before now.

So, Are there any differences between the future in the past when using "would" & reported speech when changing "will" to "would"?


texts: meaning of "grunt" when it comes to towing

texts:
The title of the humorous story is "The Sun got stuck"

“I don't suppose you could give us a tow, could you, sister?”
Luna's eyebrows shot up, “How? With what? The sun's 400 times larger than the moon, and even if I could give you a tow, it'd take me 8 light minutes to get there! And besides, I may have lowered it and put a supercharger in, but I'd never have enough grunt to tow it! Sorry, sis, but you're on your own. You can fix it, can't you?”

I tried the usual (Wiktionary, Merriam-Webster, The Free, Dictionary.com) and none of the definitions (foot soldier, sound, menial worker, fish, dessert), seem to match this kind of usage. What does grunt in this context mean?


texts:
This is the title of a Hallmark movie: A Wish Come True.

Unfortunately I can't speculate anything as why it is come and not comes.

Thank you for your help.


texts: Is there a word for person who is obsessed with scores

texts: Is there a word for a person who is very eager to earn points or scores? Not only in some academic field but everywhere, like sports or even if they join Stack Exchange, they start concentrating on getting reputation rather than on helping people.


texts:
With reference to a commonly bad behaviour (e.g. corruption), may I write/say:
"it seems to be everything but an Italian bad habit only!"?


texts:
Should we say:

  I am a great fan of Shakespear's and Enid Byton's writing

or

  I am a great fan of Shakespeare and Enid Blyton's writing


texts: The usage of "to hold(consider) + something + adjective"

texts:
I hold him in high regard.

The court holds him responsible/liable.

She held it dear.

We hold these truths to be self evident.

This construction only seems to work with certain adjectives. Are these examples all set phrases or can it be used freely? Can I say "I hold that crazy" and make sense?


texts: An expression for things that work out surprisingly easily (like German schwuppdiwupp)

texts:
I am searching for ways in casual (informal, everyday) language to express elegantly that something which initially seemed (or could have seemed) a difficult task working out surprisingly easy once you started doing it.

Referring to all dictionaries in my reach I so far found only

  Bob's your uncle

So, if this is true, I could say

  We worked on that problem and were prepared to spend several hours on it, but - Bob's your uncle - a solution came up.

for what in German might be expressed by

  Wir beschäftigten uns damit und waren darauf eingestellt, dass das Stunden dauern würde, aber dann, schwuppdiwupp, fand sich eine Lösung fast von selbst.

However, I am not sure if Bob's your uncle is really appropriate, or if it should be used rather in a family situation, with children etc. but not so well in ordinary (say: workplace) situations. It was simply the only thing I found for schwuppdiwupp so far.

PS: I might add that schwuppdiwupp in German is an onomatopoetic expression depicting some objects (timber, or a piece of soap, or whatever) that move surprisingly quickly and without apparent effort.


texts: What's the meaning of "knocking in my knees" in this sentence? and one more

texts:
"I tug on my skirt, willing it to be longer, wanting it to cover the knocking in my knees."  -from the Hunger Games

What is the difference between "to cover my knees" and the sentence above?

All I know about "knocking" is a kind of "knocking the door" or "hit sth".

"My whole body's shaking. Hopefully, it will be put down to excitement." -from the Hunger Games

Does it mean 'I wish everybody would think the excitement cause shaking of my body'?

Thank you.


texts:
In indirect speech we generally backshift the tense.
For ex -
Direct speech : "I am the most powerful person."
Indirect speech : "He said that he was the most powerful person."

What if someone reports like -
He denied the charges claiming that he is/was the most powerful person.
So here which is correct- is or was ?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Is there an etymological relation between the words "exorcism" and "sorcery"?

texts:
I've been wondering for a while now whether the words "exorcism" and "sorcery" are related etymologically in any way. The question came to me from the fact that, in Greek, we have the word εξορκισμός for "exorcism", εξορκίζω for "exorcise", etc. And what made me curious is that we also use another  derivative of the word "exorcism" (written out as ξόρκι/ksorki) to mean "sorcery" (or "spell"). I thought that maybe this could be more than coincidence.

But after looking around, I'm under the impression that they aren't related to each other. "Exorcism" seems related to όρκος/orkos (Greek for "oath", with "exorcism" meaning "to bind by oath"), while "sorcery" seems to share a (Latin) root with "sort".

Is there any deeper (maybe older) relationship between the two words that I'm not seeing? Or are they really just two unrelated words that happen to share a few letters?


texts: Use of articles before proper nouns of person

texts:
In a closed question to a related topic on this forum, the following was suggested as an answer:

"Another is to use a proper noun as an example of particular traits that could also be held by others (a type of synecdoche). "The next Bob Dylan" (a singer-songwriter from the folk scene who will repeat Dylan's success), "He's an Einstein" (he's very smart), "All Mozarts have their Salieris" (not really true even for Mozart and Salieri, but let's say we believed the film Amadeus was accurate)"

I just want to ask when to use a/an and when to use the in the above-mentioned context (of using articles before proper nouns of person). Do an Einstein and the Einstein mean two different things?


texts:
Do the following sentences have the same meaning?

a) You need to discuss with them how they may help you.

b) You need to discuss with them how they might help you.


texts: Does anyone know the origin of idiom full of hot air. Was it created by Kipling in 19th century? I need it for 6th grade assignment.


texts:
As cited above what is the difference between later and latter?

Latter : occurring or situated nearer to the end of something than to the beginning, the meaning of latter is similar to later only. so please throw the real difference between both of the words.


texts:
The most drastic, and thoroughly illegal, reaction has been the emergence of Sci-Hub, a kind of global photocopier for scientific papers, set up in 2012 by a Khazak graduate student, which now claims to offer access to every paywalled article published since 2015.    source

This subject of the sentence is  The most drastic, and thoroughly illegal, reaction, before and the comma is necessary?

Without the comma: Does The most drastic and thoroughly illegal reaction express the original meaning?


texts: Is 'faithless' a literary version of 'unfaithful' (in the context of a spouse)?

texts:
Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. defines 'faithless' as:

  faithless, (of a spouse): unfaithful (literary)

Is 'faithless' really the literary term for 'unfaithful', unlike unfaithful which would supposedly be the most neutral one?


texts: What is the origin of the word "copped"?

texts: In the language used by footy (Australian football) commentators the word "copped" is frequent. For instance, if a player gets knocked on the head, say, then the sentence might be "player X copped one". I never heard this expression in Britain or the USA. Is it a specifically Australian word? And where does it come from?


texts: Answering a question with another question when the answer is obviously 'Yes'

texts:
I heard it in the TV Series Fargo, Episode 9. Here is the transcript:

  A: We still on for golf next week?
  B: Course we are, Burty Burt.
  A: But more importantly, are you and Louise still gonna make it on Sunday?
  B: Do dogs smell each other's butts?
  A: I think I might have observed that type of behavior on occasion.

Also in Prison Break, Season 1 episode 11:

  A: You still interested in getting in on PI?
  B: Does my momma got big breastices?
  A: I wouldn't know.
  B: Hell, yeah, she does. And hell, yeah, I do.

What is the name of this construction?


texts:
Learning and using English I'm always confused about what word to use for referring to things that have been described by me a few sentences earlier: "that" or "this".

Confusion comes from the fact that only the equivalent of "this" is always used in my native language for such referring. But I've noticed that in English for such referring "that" is used as often as "this" (or maybe even more often).

Some examples for illustrating (just tried to google something appropriate to convey my idea better):

  We assess local... the demographics of the local population. What are the natural traffic drivers in the area. Things like cinemas and pubs and retail and office and all that type of things and we now put together a bit of a matrix and actually give a weighted score to each of the things we know help our business. That helps us decide in a more scientific fashion.

or:

  The problem of Cervantes' origin became after that into a tough matter. Some experts believed that the Cervantes from Alcázar, in the times of the Lepanto Battle, was in the age of a child, more concerned about gathering nests and that type of things than about fighting as a soldier.

and for "this":

  I believe lot of people who involved fishery industries in Mexico Gulf are suffering now but as for economic issues, U.S government and other countries will support them and give an utmost response to it. Important thing is that we learn from this mistake and make sure this type of things will never happen in the future and protect nature environment thus we have to take this technology to get energy from water very seriously. I really hope this technology will be available and used for everybody as soon as possible.

Is there a rule describing proper usage of these words in cases like this? (or should I have written "..in cases like that"?)


texts: What's the word for a signature that incorporates an artistic flourish?

texts: I remember reading years ago that there was a word for this. The only example I can think of is Liberace's signature, which famously incorporated a piano. There is a term for this, I'm sure of it.


texts:
I have an issue with an online purchase in the Steam platform. Now I need to open a ticket to get my issue solved, but I do not know which is the correct term to refer to the payment method that I have chosen. The payment method consists in generation of a paper/document with a barcode that represents a sequence of numbers. To pay, you need to access your  internet banking or go to your physical bank and scan the barcode or digit the sequence of numbers that are represented by the barcode.
The document looks like this:

So, my question is:

Which is the appropriate term to refer to the paper with barcodes that you pay in your internet banking or physical bank?

P.A.: Terms that Google have returned:
- Bank Slip
- Banking billets
- Bank ticket


texts: Can "crowded" be used to describe non-human things

texts:
A room can be crowded with people, or even overcrowded, since crowds consist of people.

But can a plate be said to be overcrowded if the food is spilling out of it?

Or will I have to describe it as overfull? (until the food stops spilling, at which point it will be just full ;-) )


texts: Does "be engaged in" mean "have the symptoms of " here?

texts:
First the University of Minnesota neonatal-pediatrics professor Dana Johnson shared photos and videos that he’d collected in Romania of rooms teeming with children engaged in “motor stereotypies”: rocking, banging their heads, squawking.
Is it common to use "be engaged in" to describe people’s symptoms?


texts: What does due diligence on you checked out means?

texts:
If I have contacted someone who wanted to check how I am good at something, and after checking the status I have received an email saying:

  'Peter' told me that the due diligence on you checked out.. We are
  waiting etc.

what does the due diligence mean in this sense.

On google it says: "reasonable steps taken by a person to avoid committing a tort or offence.", but what does "checked out" part means?


texts: Is there a word that means badge/ hallmark but has a negative connotation?

texts:
I want something for the sentence:

  Being a minority is not a _____ of shame but a badge of honor.

Edit:
I wanted the parallel between ____ and badge. See the accepted answer for details.
Thanks to all who contributed!


texts:
Where does the phrase "The elephant in the room" come from? Why an elephant?

If it is 'elephant' because it has to mean something big, why not "the whale in the room" instead, since whales are big?

If it has to be something that needs urgent attention then why not "the fire in the room", which would be much more urgent than an elephant?

Bottom line, what has brought an elephant in this phrase?


texts: What word best describes a person who has the ability to understand two opposing opinions?


texts: In a recent exchange with a highly eloquent friend (we were discussing a particularly peculiar episode he has pointed to me in a book) he replied to my comments on the episode with an idiom I've never heard before (being an ESL guy). He said literally "Not biting, eh?". What does this mean?


texts:
I'm not even sure if "numerifying" is a word (my computer's spell check program doesn't seem to think so). But I'm looking for a word that describes translating experiences into numbers for comparison.

(I'm describing the QUALY, a tool used by utilitarians and welfare economists to compare benefits of various different courses of action that ordinarily would have been thought of as apples and oranges - for instance, curing blindness and curing AIDS.)


texts: Is it okay to say “Excuse me, Ms.” to get attention from strangers who are women?

texts:
I was wondering that above sentence on title,
“Excuse me, Ms.” is rude or not. I’ve watched a video on youtube about English titles, but “Excuse me lady.” is very rude to get attention from women, and “Excuse me ma’am”
is good for southern part of the U.S. whereas it sometimes feels uncomfortable in other area. I know that Sir. can use for all men regardless of age. I need native English speaker’s
correct and clear answer. Thank you !


texts: For a small consulting firm, is it appropriate to use CEO or Managing Director as the owner of the business?


texts: "Jane makes over six figures" - how much money does she make?

texts:
Suppose you are told that "Jane makes over six figures". Assuming this to be true, what is the minimum amount of money that Jane can be making?

I have always understood this to mean "Jane makes at least seven figures", i.e. "Jane makes at least $1,000,000", but I have recently learned that some people understand this to mean "Jane makes more than the smallest six-figure number", i.e. "Jane makes at least $100,001".

Which of these interpretations is more widely understood?
Which of these interpretations is prescriptively correct (if either)?

(I am aware that there are unambiguous ways to express the same idea, but that is beside the point here.)


texts: Using a designer's name or brand name as a substitute for the product itself

texts:
Example: A character owns a pair of Sophia Loren sunglasses. Before going out for the afternoon, "She drew on her Sophia Loren’s, flipped her long mane back, and tossed him a cheeky grin."

If I'm not mistaken, this is an example of a "proprietary eponym". Is the apostrophe correct here, or should it be "Sophia Lorens"—i.e. since the thing referred to is a plurale tantum, should the proprietary eponym also take the form of a plurale tantum?


texts:
What sounds better to a native/is more correct? I assume they all are correct, but still - what is the best way to say it?

If one wants to do something, one should do it.
If one wants to do something, he or she should do it.
If one wants to do something, they should do it.

As the question was marked as duplicate, I'd like to point out that the main thing asked was not whether there exists a gender-neutral pronoun, but rather how to end the sentence if I begin it with 'one'.


texts: I have a group that is named "Service Group". Within that service group, there are service sub-groups. Within those service sub-groups, there is another level down. Is there another word that is better than "Service Sub-Sub-Group"? I wanted to avoid using level 1, level 2, etc. since sub-group sounds more intuitive.


texts: It's a term for a sociological type, like a 'yuppie', 'baby boomer'. DINK, etc. But what else are they? Scene in a club: My Friend: "I'd like to go over to that table full of girls and talk to them but there's two guys with them. Me: "No worries. Let's go talk to them. Those dudes are just beta orbiters." (Urban Dictionary). I'm looking for something deeper than this that explains more about the dynamics of the beta orbiter's social environment. This might be a gender neutral term but I suppose it's mostly applicable to men.


texts:
Growing up in Nebraska, I only knew the word "appetizing" as a adjective.

Not until I converted to Judaism and married a nice Jewish girl from Flushing, Queens, did I learn that "appetizing" is a noun (and that an angel dies when a Jew puts mayo on a deli sandwich).  According to my wife and other New York Jews, "appetizing" means "the things you eat with bagels," e.g. lox, whitefish, sable, cream cheese, and more.  You buy these at an Appetizing store.

I've looked in dictionaries, but none say that appetizing is a noun.  Does this mean gentiles or "out-of-towners" (generally non-New Yorkers) use "appetizing" only as an adjective and never as a noun?


texts:
In the sentence: Don't be crazy.

Am I right to  say in the above sentence, the noun is the word 'you', which is not expressed  and so is silent.

So am I right to  say we can have a sentence without the noun being expressed and silent?


texts: What can I use to replace the expression "Since the dawn of time"?

texts: What should I replace the clichéd expression "since the dawn of time" with?


texts:
I feel like there is a word for this, but I cannot think of what it might be?

For example: let's say you know someone who is constantly in trouble with the law. They're very naive, foolish, and self-destructive. They associate with some other very unsavory types of people and you wonder what else might be going on with them. You've put up with their nonsense and have enabled them long enough. No matter how much they've hurt you and no matter how much it kills you to see them throwing their life away, you reluctantly decide that it is time to part ways with them and save yourself instead, as they apparently will do nothing to help themselves. You are concerned with how continuing to have a relationship with this person will affect your life;  your security, safety, peace of mind, and freedom.

"I'm torn between my feelings for you and my _______"...


texts:
I think I have known this word before, but it has completely slipped my mind. It will be a bit hard to tell you what word I'm talking about, but I will try as good as I can.

Consider these sentences

  I'm your older brother, it is obvious that I will kick your ass.

Now, the sentence I want to use doesn't use an adjective where obvious is placed. It uses a noun.

  I'm your older brother, it is a/an (...) that I will kick your ass.

I'm going to give an example of this with words that I know exist.

  I'm your older brother, it is inevitable that I will kick your ass.

But the sentence I want is-

  I'm your older brother, it is an inevitability that I will kick your ass.

So, I want the noun, not the adjective. I don't think there is a noun form of obvious, though I don't need that either. I just need a noun that fits my description.

Hopefully this wasn't too complicated, but I often struggle to illustrate what I'm talking about when it comes these kinds of questions.


texts: As simple or as simply as possible: should an adjective or adverb be used?

texts:
For the following sentence:
The rockets were modelled as simply/simple as possible.
I'm confused which of the two options is best. It feels like both options are potentially valid: the modelling is simple (pick adverb), or the rocket model is simple (adjective). Adding 'to be' forces:
The rockets were modelled to be as simple as possible.
Is there a preferred answer when omitting 'to be', or are both options defensible?


texts: Is "old hen makes good broth" actually used in English?

texts:
While looking for the more appropriate English version of the Italian proverb "gallina vecchia fa buon brodo":

  Proverbio: "è sempre bene fidarsi di chi ha esperienza". - È usato spesso per giustificare un rapporto amoroso con una donna non più giovane.
  Le carni di una gallina ormai vecchia risultano le migliori per dare un brodo saporito.

  (Proverb: "it is always good to trust those with experience". - It is often used to justify a loving relationship with a woman who is no longer young.
  Meat from a now old chicken is the best to give a flavorful broth.)

Note that, despite its appearance, the saying is not used as an insult, but to convey the idea of a more experienced person.

I have  found only literal translations as the one suggested by the Collins Dictionary.
But checking with Ngram the proverb "old hen makes good broth" does not appear to be commonly used in English and the only the UD mentions it, saying that it is known in Latin American cultures.

Questions:

It the proverb (old hen makes good broth) actually used in BrE, AmE or other English dialects?

What other saying is  used to convey the above mentioned concept?


texts:
Having no friends or not having friends.

Are they equal or different?
 I think they are in same format with these two sentences being equal. Do you not like him? or Don't you like him?


texts:
What is a word that means "Reason to leave"?

For example, if I said, "That was my reason to leave," how could I replace "reason to leave" with a single word?

Thank you!


texts:
I'm a native English speaker and for some reason the following dialogue sounds wrong, but I don't know why:

A: "I think this is a new episode!"
B: "Yeah, I had not seen it before"

I think B should have said: "I have not seen it before" but I don't know why.  Am I right?  If so, why?


texts:
In my writing I have the following statement:

  We tried to account for this issue by doing this and that.

Is there a single verb that be substituted for "tried to account"?


texts: Could "Terry" be a diminutive for Peter or Walter?

texts: I know "Terry" is used as a given name, and derives from french Thierry. It could also be used as a nickname for e.g. Terence. Here the first syllable of the given name is used as the stem in the nickname. Another way to form such diminutive nicknames is to use the last syllable of the given name for the nickname, as in "Betty" for Elizabeth. Analogue to this, I wonder if Terry is sometimes used for Peter or Walter?


texts: What is the exact meaning of manifestation?

texts:
I am unsure why my professor is using the word manifestations for example here

  Biochemical manifestations of apoptosis. Activation of caspase family,
  DNA and protein breakdown, and Membrane alteration facilitating the
  recognition by macrophages.

I think the manifestations these manifestations are only processes in the apoptosis.
What is the definition of manifestation?

What is a better word for a manifestation?
I think just a process.


texts: Term for a person responsible for the next action

texts:
I am designing a system that tracks a complicated workflow. Each step of the workflow has a different person assigned to take an action. What is a succinct term I could use to describe the person who is responsible for the currently active step?

I considered "owner", but that more accurately describes the person who initiated the instance of the workflow. The ball is in this person's court. Who is he?


texts: What is the origin of the "half your age, plus seven" phrase?

texts:
Stories vary online about the origins of this.  It comes up in French in the early 20th century, and apparently American newspapers in 1931.

What are the earliest known examples in the English language?  Or maybe the concept was borrowed from something prior, other than as an ideal age match-making rule of thumb?

Ref.

The "half-your-age-plus-seven" rule (Wikipedia)
About the "half your age plus seven" rule (the concept even has its own dedicated domain name.)
What is the origin of "half your age, plus seven" dating rule? Quora.com


texts:
Which would be correct?

  The fridge, the shelves, the walls, the floor, and John himself, were all covered in foam.
  The fridge, shelves, walls, floor, and John himself, were all covered in foam.

The the can be applied to all the nouns, so is there a need to repeat it?


texts: Word or expression for a dismissive hand gesture

texts:
I need a word or expression for a slightly rude and dismissive hand gesture that could accompany an eye roll.
Jake and Tom are art students. Stacy is majoring in accounting.
Jake discusses byzantine art with Tom. They seem absorbed in the conversation, when Stacy intervenes making the remark that byzantine art seems influenced by the Gospels. Jake rolls his eyes and performs a dismissive hand gesture.
I think that "wave her away" would fit. Are there better choices?


texts: Winston-Salem metropolitan area, or Winston-Salem Metropolitan Area?

texts:
Or Winston-Salem Metropolitan area? Which one of the three are the correct form?

Also if I add state names in metropolitan areas, should I add it after the city name or should I add it after (M)etropolitan (A)rea?


texts: What is a word for someone who disregards the harms to others to get what they want?

texts: What is a word for someone who knows what they are doing will hurt others financially, physically, and emotionally greatly but does it anyway for financial gain?


texts: Was 'douchebag' used in its metaphorical sense already in the '80s?

texts: Stranger Things is a '80s period piece TV series that was written in 2016. In the first episode, I noticed some characters using the word 'douchebag' to mean not the vaginal cleaning aid, but 'asshole'. Is this usage (by average, mainstream, small town US characters) period-correct for the '80s, or is this an anachronism?


texts: 18th Century British-English - "Know not" vs "Don't know"

texts:
I'm trying to write some dialogue for a character who lives in 18th century England. I want the dialogue to sound as accurate as possible, but I'm not sure what the proper phrasing should be. I suppose the modern-day equivalent would be:

"She doesn't know me either."

But this sounds wrong for that time period. In 18th century, I feel like they didn't use the word "didn't" or "did not" very often. Instead of saying "I don't want to go." they would say "I wish not to go." and so forth. But in this particular case, I'm not sure what the proper phrasing would be.

Would he say "She doesn't know me either" or "She knows me not either" or "She neither knows me"? The last one doesn't sound right. Any advice would be very helpful. And if anyone can offer some good resources on 18th century British language I would also greatly appreciate it!

Edit: Also I should add that the character is of the upper-class and educated.

Edit 2: Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and recommendations on reading material!


texts: Which of these two should be preferred: "sinification" or "sinicization"?

texts:
Which of these two options would be considered most elegant / correct? Personally I think Sinicization (or Sinicisation) has a more natural ring to it, but I have seen Sinification used also.

Also, can anyone give an answer as to when either of these neologisms came into usage?


texts: Is there a reversal in the following sentence?

texts:
This mapping also helps better support page parameters.

Is the above sentence the same as this one?

  This mapping also helps support page parameters better.

The original sentence is extracted from the tech book 'Silverlight 4 in action'.


texts: I used to think "notoriety" is "negative fame", but saw "The keynote speaker is notorious for his work in the field" with the obviously positive connotation.  So which is it? Both?


texts: what is the verb for water going past a rock?

texts:
I'm looking for a verb to describe the "Y" thing the water makes when it hits a rock, for example in the river. Here is a professional piece of art I made (view from the top):

Is it simply called "going around"? Or there's/re another word/s for it?

Here's the sentence example: "He stood in the middle of the shallow river, the water _____ him."


texts: Was the verb "bring" once used as a noun?

texts:
In the book of Amos (KJV, Amos 4:1), we find the verb bring is capitalized in the middle of a sentence. This is in sharp contrast to the same verb written in v. 4 in lower case letters. Finding a verb thus capitalized seems to defy all known rules governing English capitalization in print. This specific phenomenon dates back to the Wycliffe Bible and seems to have been perpetuated in many if not all subsequent translations.

Since Bring was coupled with the place names of Bashan and Samaria in v. 1 (also capitalized), Bring as a verb seems definitely out of place. Is this simply an error in printing, or was Bring meant to be used as a noun within some form of steganography?


texts:
which one is correct?
"Steve was amazing before his leg break."
"Steve was amazing before his leg broke."


texts:
What is the difference in meaning between what the following sentences convey?

  Although John was very upset, he approached Jack
  with a staid hand.

and

  Although John was very upset, he approached Jack
  with a stayed hand.

"Stayed" is the past participle of the verb "stay," but you'll see with it that "staid" is, too.  Since past participles can be used as adjectives, it stands to reason that using either or both can be used as an adjective.

"Staid," though, is also an adjective on its own, an adjective that may not mean exactly the same thing that the participle of "stay" being used as an adjective would men.  I say "may not" because it seems somewhat different but also seems somewhat the same -- it's close.

Anyway, I'm having a hard time understanding when to use "staid" and when to use "stayed" adjectivally.  Is saying "a stayed hand" even grammatical?  Or, when applying a modifier, are we to use the participle/adjective "staid"? I mean, we can write, "I had stayed," so "stayed" is a past participle for sure, but is it to be used as a modifier or is that always "staid"? It seems to me that as a modifier it's usually "staid," but I can't find any data on that.

Also, it kind of seems to me that the first sentence above (i.e., "staid") might indicate a calm hand, John being calm, while the second might not but might indicate that John merely refrained from hitting Jack, which merely keeping yourself from hitting someone can be a far cry from being calm.  But, again, while I've looked, I can't find any data to support that.

So, when is one to use "stayed" and when is one to "staid" to modify a noun?


texts: Is it a standard usage of ‘blue’ to be used as a verb to mean ‘being deflated / become pessimistic’?

texts:
I was interested in the usage of ‘blue’ as a verb in the headline of New Yorker’s article, “Bibi Netanyahu’s election blues,” followed by the following lead copy:

  “The center-left, which had seemed so deflated in spirit and imperiled
  in the polls, benefitted from the biggest voter turnout in Israel in
  more than a decade.”

I’m not familiar with the casual usage of “blue” as a verb, but by combining the definitions of ‘blue’ in OALED as the verb, (1) make or become blue and the adjective, (2)informal (of a person or mood) melancholy, sad, or depressed, I can surmise that ‘blues’ in the quoted headline means the prospect of Netanyahu’s winning the Election is being deflated or becoming uncertain.

Is ‘blue’ normally used as an intransitive verb in such a way ?
Can I say “the chance of me being promoted as CEO blues” / “The prospect of Japan and China agreeing on the territory issues blues” ?


texts: "...in the context * you used them" - do I need more here?

texts:
None of those fancy words are correct in the context you used them.

Should it be

  None of those fancy words are correct in the context in which you used them.

Or :

  None of those fancy words are correct in the context that you used them.


texts: Where does the period go in an MLA in-text citation?

texts:
I've always been confused when citing like:

  "The windows misted over from the heat and the smoke inside.” (Hemingway 1)

Does the period go inside the quotes (as above)? Or after the citation (as below)?

  "The windows misted over from the heat and the smoke inside” (Hemingway 1).


texts: Is something "half price" or "half priced"?

texts: When I walk into Shoppers Drug Mart the day after Easter and see cheap chocolate galore, should I announce it on my Facebook profile by writing it's "half price chocolate" or "half priced chocolate"? I've honestly written it both ways in the past and this has left me wondering if one form is more correct than the other.


texts: The quote "How did you know you're alive, unless you'd once been dead?" by Alan Watts seems like it uses the incorrect grammar. I would think instead of "you'd" it should be "you've", but perhaps I'm incorrect about this?


texts:
I copy pasted this symbol from

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jls/se7/html/jls-15.html#jls-15.8.3

but I want to know what it is called and how to make it.


texts: Is there an informal way of saying "I've been informed my child was accepted at the school I always dreamed for him"?


texts: Do phrases such as "by tomorrow" or "by Thursday" include the day mentioned?

texts:
I wasn't sure how to research this without being able to explain what I mean.

When someone says something like "I will have it done by tomorrow", does that phrase mean that they will have it done before tomorrow, or does it mean before tomorrow is over?

Also, how would less-defined times be affected by this? For example, "I'll have it done by tonight"...


texts:
I am reading a news paper now. I tried to figure out the meaning, but I could not.

The sentence in question is taken from The New Indian Express:

  However, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra accepted the plea by the victim's father [...]

In the sentence I want to know the meaning of 'headed by'. Is it a noun, a verb or an adjective? Please also tell me the meaning of headed.


texts: Origin of "battle royal" and does it exist outside of professional wrestling?

texts:
I was reading an article on CNN about America's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, and read:

  A battle royal is shaping up in Tehran's corridors of power.

I'm familiar with this term from wrestling, where many competed in the ring at the same time when I used to watch wrestling. It's sometimes spelt battle royale (stress on second syllable).

From Merriam-Webster Dictionary it means:

  1 a : a fight participated in by more than two combatants; especially
  : one in which the last fighter in the ring or the last fighter
  standing is declared the winner b : a violent struggle 2 : a
  heated dispute Merriam-Webster Dictionary

It's mostly used figuratively, ie., no one literally and physically fights. Where it is used in the real fighting sense it's associated with professional wrestling (the entertainment type).

I was wondering if such a fight among many people exists outside of professional wrestling, ie., karate, MMA, street brawls, boxing, etc. And also what the origin of this is? Does it date back to an old custom or is it of recent coinage?


texts: Describing a concept as exhibiting polysemy

texts:
I am writing an essay where I argue, in part, about the different meanings a concept can take depending on the context and/or the person it is being applied by. (In my case, it's the concept of 'goodness'/virtue).

I stumbled upon the following word which seemed to define the idea quite succinctly.

Dicitonary.com defines the word Polysemy as:

  a condition in which a single word, phrase, or concept has more than one meaning or connotation.

However, it seems that polysemic is not an actual word. Would it be correct to use it in this context, regardless of that fact. Or is there a better alternative?

The sentence:

  Bertolt Brecht introduces the polysemic nature of 'goodness' in his play...


texts: "has been effected" or "has been affected"

texts:
For some reason I'm really struggling with this one... Here's the sentence that I found it in:

"We'll start you off with a free identity theft scan to see if your good name has already been affected."

Sentence can't be reworded, I just need to make sure it's the right usage of affect/effect.


texts: What is the correct use of "even" as an adverb, with the verb "to be"?

texts:
http://www.onestopenglish.com/community/your-english/word-grammar/your-english-word-grammar-even/156431.article gives some examples of correct use of "even" as an adverb to indicate that something is surprising or unexpected:-

"She even forgot my birthday"
"He can’t even spell his own name!"

However, using "even" with "to be" results in some odd-sounding sentences:-

"Will you even be there?"
"Who even is she?"

And, (famously?)

"What even is that thing?"

Adverbs usually come after auxiliary verbs, but in this case it doesn't seem like moving the adverb makes a more pleasing sentence:-

"What is even that thing?"
"What is that thing even?"

Is there a correct way those sentences could even be formed, or should "even" not even be used with "to be"?
As an additional point, these formations seem very common - especially colloquially or in writing on the internet. Is there anywhere I would be able to investigate the frequency of usage and perhaps find some early examples?
EDIT:-
For anyone interested, I found these:-

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2943
http://www.benyagoda.com/post/what-does-what-does-even-mean-even-mean

Suggesting that the use of "even" in this context is new/wrong, rather than specifically the pairing with "to be", e,g:-

"What does that even mean?"
"How does that even work?"
"Is that even a thing?"


texts: How to dissect/parse 'nave in so many places wilfully corrupted the scripture' ? (1786 UK)

texts:
Source: p 175, The Catholic Christian Instructed in the Sacraments ...,  by Richard Challoner, 1786

  But as for those that have vowed a chastity, they must make use of other means to prevent this burning, particularly prayer and fasting. But what a wretched case must that of the adversaries of the celibacy of the clergy be, when to maintain it they nave in so many places wilfully corrupted the scripture ? and what a melancholy case It must be, that so many thousands of well-meaning souls should be wretchedly deluded with the pretence of God's pure word, when instead of this, they have nothing put in their hands
  but corrupted translations, which present them with a mortal poison, instead of the food of life ?

How do you determine/deduce the syntax of the subordinate clause with the bolded? Please explain and show all steps and thought processes. I first tried to ignore  'nave in so many places':

...when to maintain it [= a wretched case]
they [ie = the adversaries of the celibacy of the clergy]
  wilfully corrupted the scripture ?

Yet afterwards, I still can't resolve where nave in so many places fits?

Footnote: I lit on this work only while reading definition c. for 'to vow' on OED.


texts:
From Butter’s news serial, 2nd August, 1622:

  The certaine Newes

  of this preſent Weeke.

  BROVGHT BY SVNDRY

  Poſts from ſeuerall places, but chiefly
  the progreſſe and arriuall of Count Mansfield
  with the Duke of Brunſwicke into Champeny in
  Fʀᴀɴᴄᴇ; and the ioyning of ſundry of the
  Princes with them, &c.

  With the preparation of the French

  King to reſiſt him : And what great feare Count
  Mᴀɴꜱꜰɪᴇʟᴅꜱ vnexpected arriuall hath
  put all Fʀᴀɴᴄᴇ in, &c.

  Out of the best Informations of Letters and
  other, this ſecond of August 1622.

  Lᴏɴᴅᴏɴ,
  Printed by I.H. for Nathaniel Butter, and are to
  be ſold at his ſop at the ſigne of the Pide Bull
  at S. Auſtins Gate. 1622.

I’ve transcribed this from p. 197 of Andrew Pettigree’s masterful The Invention of News: How the world came to know about itself. I can cope with most of it, but ioyning has me puzzled.


texts: Does "an accordingly big army" sound awkward?

texts:
Is it just me or does this sound weird?

  To protect such a big empire with wide borders, an accordingly big army is required

When I wrote it initially it seemed a bit off, but I read it again and it seemed okay, but then I read it once again a couple of hours later and now it just seems downright wrong. I'm looking for a second (more educated/experienced) opinion.


texts: Meaning of “But I repeat myself” in Mark Twain's quote?

texts:
There is the following sentence in the conversation between Florentyna Rosnovski, the heroine of Jeffrey Archer’s novel, The Prodigal Daughter, who was first elected as the Congressman of Illinois and her husband, Richard Kane, Chairman of a New York bank.

  She captured the Ninth District of Illinois with a plurality of over 27,000 votes. Richard was the first to congratulate her.
  "I’m proud of you, my darling." He smiled mischievously. "Mind you, I’m sure Mark
  Twain would have been as well."
  "Why Mark Twain?" asked Florentina, puzzled.
  "Because it was he who said: 'Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself'." – The Prodigal Daughter, Page 302.

I can’t get the idea of the last phrase, “But I repeat myself,” following the preceding subjunctives – Suppose you are idiot or a member of Congress. Is Richard simply saying “Whoever you are, I won’t change.”?

What is the meaning of it as the punch line of a famous quote from Mark Twain?

Is he saying he won’t change his attitudes / belief / way of life whoever the counterpart is, i.e. he always stays as he is? Though it may sound uncouth, what is the essence of the humor of this line?


texts: "The place I was born" vs. "The place I was born in"

texts:
This is the place where I was born. [1]

I can omit where & keep the antecedent place :

  This is the place I was born. [1a]

I can omit the antecedent place and keep the relative word where :

  This is where I was born. [1b]

I can replace where with "preposition + which" :

  This is the place in which I was born. [2]

I can place the preposition at the end :

  This is the place which I was born in. [2a]

I can omit which from this sentence :

  This is the place I was born in. [2b]

Do both the sentences, [1a] and [2b], sound good?


texts:
I’ve lighted on a use of the word “which” that has interested me.

  “‘Doctor’ means a learned man, which I suppose this man is.”

Of course, when we talk or write about people, we use “who” or “whom,” so does this “which” refer not to the learned man himself, but to the condition of being learned? I’m certain I’ve used “which” in a such a way, but is it grammatical?


texts: What is it called when an arguer blames an action upon subconscious thoughts?

texts:
What is it called when Person A asserts that Person B performed an action due to Person B's subconscious thoughts? That is, what is it called  the accuser assumes the modus operandi of the accused.
Contextual Examples

Jane Doe misses an interview for a CSR position John Doe networked her to. John Doe asserts that she forgot about it because "She didn't really want it'.
When a rapist or sexual assaulter claims their victim 'wanted it'.

Additionally, is there a fallacy associated with that type of (faulty) deduction?
Edit: Clarified the assumption being made by the arguer.


texts: Is it colloquially acceptable to use ETA in place of "estimated time to completion"?

texts:
Literally, ETA means "estimated time to arrival". It is often used when traveling, like you want to know your ETA to your destination, or the ETA for the package delivery.

However, often I find myself wanting to use ETA when I am referring to a completion date, even though literally ETA means arrival, not completion. Obviously, there is no colloquial expression, "ETC", especially since that could be confused with "et cetera" in writing.

I wanted to know what you people think about this, is it colloquially acceptable to use ETA in place of "estimated time to completion"? I do believe the other party would understand, but I am more concerned with proper grammatical usage.


texts: Is there one word for higher "quality" and "volume"?

texts:
I am not sure if such a word exists, but I figured it good to ask anyway:
I'm looking for a single word to describe something that has both better quality, and also higher quantities or volume of something.
e.g.

"Our oceans provide more quantity and better quality sustenance."
"Our oceans provide better sustenance."

Is there a way to avoid other dull words like "better" or "more"?


texts: "Is or be" Which one is correct in the sentence

texts:
Which is correct:

  "Darkness is needed to know the importance of light"

or

  "Darkness be needed to know the importance of light"

I don't know too much English so if anything wrong here please explain :)


texts:
what does" this far" mean?
is it a synonym for"thus far"?
and what does it mean in this example:" Oh I guess we made it,
Or at least we made it this far,
And it all looks smooth from here."?


texts:
This is all about one question but I had to create some context for that sentence to make it sound as natural as possible. Is that sentence with past perfect correct?

Telling a story about my best Wimbledon.
....
After the victory in the third-round match I was so excited. I went to sleep at about three o'clock in the morning. It is usual that you can not fall asleep that quickly when you are full of emotions. That night I wasn't the exception. I could not fall asleep and therefore I opened my favourite book to read - The Alchymist. It was an amazing feeling to know that every win  would bring  something extra special, something unexpected. To be honest I didn´t expect myself to get that far. That Wimbledon had (already) been the best tournament in my short career. Nothing could change that feeling.

I have got two different answers to this and therefore I decided to create this thread to make sure which of them is the one I should believe.

I have also been told that the past perfect here is possible however it may sound as if a children were speaking rather than an adult person - because it is unusual to consider things to be the best immediately after the start of the tournament or so - third round is still closer to the start I would say.

Looking forward to your answers.


texts:
What is the exact meaning of this sentence?

  Got Questions? Ask Away and I'll Answer

In what other cases can I put "away" after a verb to suggest a continuing action? Please provide examples.


texts: Passive/ active statement- specific question

texts:
Why don't you come this evening?
She ________________ that evening [SUGGESTED]

The answer is: suggested coming/that I/we come

Why can't it be: 'suggested I came'- because the passive tense changes time??


texts: Primary, secondary, tertiary, etc... - what is the -ary for the etc? The nth-ary?

texts:
Target: I've been losing my mind ever since I learned "tertiary" corresponds to 3 instead of encompassing all the lower orders. I have bi-weekly need of a word in the same vein as primary/secondary, but unspecified and non-primary, when talking about computery things, religion, and philosophy. I'm looking specifically for a completion of the set; I'm aware of the hacks (see the following), but what is the term for non-specified non-primary primacy?

What it's not: A friend recently gave me hope when casually using the word "ancillary", but that is more precisely synonymous with secondary or auxiliary. I found "n-ary" to be an annoying invention to save specifically the unary/binary/ternary series, and "arity" includes the whole list and does not exclude primary importance. In A term that describes high-order ordinal numbers there are some decent hacks, but they don't always fit (test them in the example), and others require an extremely ambiguous "low" or "high" modifier which may serve to confuse more than elucidate.

Example: "While a maturity-befitting soteriology and Christology is necessary for effectual salvation, most eschatology (important as it is) is [not primary and not specifically secondary]. Even though prophecy is the revealed word of God, and it befits an aged believer to have developed a Biblically sound expectation of what to expect and hope for, it's hardly a matter that will make or break acceptance into the kingdom in the early stages of new life."


texts: Conventions in referring to a baby's age

texts:
What are the ranges wherein a baby's age can be referred to in terms of weeks, months and years respectively? Is there a set threshold that people conventionally use, or does there exist a "threshold period", an overlap between ranges?
Whilst not quite an overlap but an example of regular exceptions, are the dates where a multiple of 4 weeks or 12 months correspond to an integer amount of months or years respectively. For example, over the course of 2 weeks one could start referring to a baby as "3 weeks old", a week later "1 month old", and a final week later as "5 weeks old".
Save these exceptions, does there exist a hard threshold between using weeks and months; and months and years?


texts: what is the meaning of "middle fork" in this sentence?

texts:
I'm looking for the meaning of this sentence:
they went right, left, middle fork, right again.


texts: What is the difference between a quay and a wharf?

texts:
A "wharf" is "an area like a wide wall built near the edge of the sea or a river where ships can be tied and goods can be taken off them," says the Cambridge Online Dictionary.

A "quay" is "a long structure, usually built of stone, where boats can be tied up to take on and off their goods," says the same dictionary.

Does size matter here? I mean, ships for wharves, and boats for quays? Because, apart from that, I can see no real difference.


texts: Is it OK to omit a first part of compound word when it was used on its own right before?

texts:
From https://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~ee105/fa19/discussions/dis2.ee105.fa19.v1.pdf :

Other than first/last line, order doesn't matter.

As I understand, it should be "Other than first/last line, line order doesn't matter", but the second "line" was omitted. Is it a common and/or recommended practice to omit the words that are located in such a way?


texts: I know someone named Davidovici, pronounced /dəˈvɪɾəvɪtʃ/ (i.e., rhyming with witch. It's from Romanian).  How is it pluralized (as, to refer to the family): Davidovicis or Davidovicies?


texts: Correct term for computer language that's close to human in syntax

texts:
I've always used the term canonical syntax to refer to a computer language, the syntax of which is verbose and resembles the patter in conventional human speech. Recently, I learned that canonical actually means accepted by vast consensus, so I'm lacking a word in my vocabulary now. Actually I lack two, because the opposite of that I referred to as uncanonical syntax.

Example for the different syntaxes' look.

 if condition is true
    then begin call donkey end
    else begin exit end
 end if

 if(condition)
    donkey();
 else
    exit();

To make it easier to come up with a great answer, I'm quoting from one of the comments.

  "Cobol and SQL have XXX syntax, while C# and Java have YYY syntax, whereas LINQ has both XXX and YYY syntaxes."

What would appropriate values for XXX and YYY be?


texts: What's difference between reassure, soothe and settle down?

texts:
I researched the meaning of this expressions in the Longman Dictionary and I found this:

reassure: to make someone feel calmer and less worried or frightened about a problem or situation

soothe: to make someone feel calmer and less anxious, upset, or angry

Both are related to make someone feel calmer. But I don't feel comfortable in them in a sentence.

I've tried to figure out and searched in the Internet the difference between them but I've not succeed.

Please, could someone help me out?


texts:
Here is an example of something I occasionally encounter, and it always trips me up. The title of an applied mathematics book from Stanford University in 1959 is (bold mine)

  Partial Differential Equations with More that Two Independent Variables in the Complex Domain

I myself would certainly use more than in all instances of constructions like the example above, but I also see more that from time to time. Whence comes this alternate construction?


texts:
The product description of a (computer) tablet reads,

This is one tablet you'll want to pass around the house.

What does "pass around the house" mean here?
Does it mean that it's good enough to want to have even after giving the other person a house?
I searched dictionaries but couldn't find a relevant result.


texts:
"GHWC has solutions that address the root causes of common problems."

"has solutions that" seems bulky and incorrect.  I feel like it could be more active voice.


texts:
In a digital card game I'm playing I see this text:

If this follower's attack or defense has not been increased by a spell or effect, destroy this follower. ("attack" and "defense" is a numeric value of this follower.)

I'm confused about the segment of If attack or defense has not been increased. Does this mean:

"attack has not been increased or defense has not been increased", or
"attack has not been increased and defense has not been increased", since due to De Morgan's laws NOT (A or B) = (NOT A) and (NOT B)?

Thank you.


texts:
Wiktionary gives this:

Irish Osgar, from os (“deer”) + cara (“friend”) ; resuscitated by James Mcpherson in The Works of Ossian (1765). Napoleon, an admirer of the Ossianic poems, chose it for his godson Oscar Bernadotte, who became a king of Sweden.
It can also be explained by Old English ōs (“god”) and gār (“spear”) (see Oswald, Osborn, Oswid, Osric, Oslak).

While Wikipedia states that:

The name is derived from two elements in Irish: the first, os, means "deer"; the second element, cara, means "friend". The name is borne by a character in Irish mythology—Oscar, grandson of Fionn Mac Cumhail. The name was popularised in the 18th century by James Macpherson, creator of "Ossianic poetry". Today the name is associated with Scandinavia because Napoleon was an admirer of Macpherson's work and gave the name to his godson, Oscar Bernadotte, who later became Oscar I, King of Sweden.1
The given name Oscar is not to be confused with the Old English Ōsgār, which is of an entirely different origin (from two Old English elements meaning "god" and "spear").2

So the question is: What is the real origin of "Oscar", Irish or OE?


texts: Word that represents your truest desires

texts: Looking for a word to describe the desires of your heart, in other words, what you are constantly thinking, or what worries you.  Usually things you would only confide with very close friends.


texts: What is the proper use of the semicolon in nested clauses?

texts:
I do a lot of technical writing where I feel that it is appropriate to clarify some technicality. I often produce nested clauses and sub-clauses but I am unsure about the proper use of the semicolon. I have been told that its proper use is to separate clauses and sub-clauses; for example, a sentence and a list of a, b, and c.

To give an example, what is correct use of the following:

  "CORFILE contains the product of the analysis, run using the entire
  event set, run 161457."

or

  "CORFILE contains the product of the analysis; run using the entire
  event set, run 161457."?

To strip away the jargon:

  The sentence starts with a clause, followed by a sub-clause,
  clarification for the sub-clause.

I know I can circumvent the issue by just splitting the sentence. However, for this case, and many others, the extra grammatical logistics needed to do so distracts from the information I am trying to convey.

Are there any general rules for such uses of the semicolon that would make it clear which is correct? Are there any relevant rules in regards to colon and semicolon?


texts: What's the word for "Common behavior described in a way to make it sound weird"?

texts:
When someone describes a certain behavior that a group engages in, and intentionally makes it sound like that behavior is weird, in order to make that group seem more distant from the rest of society; what is the word for it?
I'm sure I've seen this word used before.
Edit:
example:
When someone says: "Dog owners like to put a noose around their pets neck and drag them around around in everyones view.", they are engaging in _____?


texts:
In German, the word Fernweh translates roughly as "farsickness." It denotes the desire to be somewhere other than where you are now. It was coined as an antonym to Heimweh, or "homesickness."

Does English have a good word to indicate the feeling of wanting to be somewhere else?


texts: what is the difference between "XYZ-based company" and "XYZ company"

texts:
Question(s)

In the following paragraph, if i change Abbott Park, Illinois-based company to Abbott Park, Illinois company will the meaning change?
Is there a technical term for -based ?
When do we use such terms in english?
I think it's called within-word dashes

Paragraph
Abbott Labs manufactures and develops a wide range of pharmaceuticals,
nutrition supplements, and personal care products. Shares in the
Abbott Park, Illinois-based company rose 1 in trading today to close
at 64 1/8.

Thank you.


texts: Conditionals that are easy to read and understand

texts:
I am probably overthinking this, but I am having a problem with how I should construct conditionals.

Are all of the example sentences below correct? Are some of them better than the others? In that case, why?  Does it matter if the "if" or the "then" comes first? Should there be a comma between the "if" and the "then" part? Are there better ways to construct conditionals that are easy to read and understand?

These strike me as more straightforward:

"If the initial requirements had been changed these follow-up questions could have led to divergent design choices."
"These follow-up questions could have led to divergent design choices if the initial requirements had been changed."

These strike me as what I would call "nicer", for some reason:

"These follow-up questions could have led to divergent design choices had the initial requirements been changed."
"Had the initial requirements been changed these follow-up questions could have led to divergent design choices."


texts: Should You Honor the Local Pronunciation

texts:
[Vote to reopen if you think the spoken language is worth exploring, and I think ELU includes the word 'usage']

Should you pronounce a word according to the region in which you are, as best you can?

For example, if someone is from Nevada, where everyone would pronounce 'advertisement' similar to adver tise ment, would it be considered pretentious if they pronounced it ad vert isement?

The french pastry has a an obvious longstanding pronunciation in American English as 'kruh-sahnt' (croissant). If an American then says 'krwah-sahn', particularly to another American, it seems out of place and disruptive to the conversation.

Another example is when a non-spanish speaker (I'm looking at you NPR), pronounces latin surnames and countries with a (sometimes heavy) spanish enunciation. Rodriguez can have a heavy spanish pronunciation, but then they pronounce Mexico in the American pronunciation, i.e. not 'Me-he-co'. It's inconsistent and annoying.

Is pronunciation relevant?

Should pronunciation, and even spelling (color vs. colour) be more conscientious of the speaker/listener relationship, and is not doing so, considered rude or pretentious?

When you learn a word, do you not ask "how does it sound?"


texts: What's the proper name for this pectoral muscles movement?

texts:
What's the proper name for this pectoral muscles movement:

Not to be confused with pec bounce.


texts:
What is the grammatical function of "how" in this sentence:

  He told us how to do it.


texts: Does extraposition work in "I made happy my friend who..."?

texts:
Can we use extraposition rule in the situations like below?

"I made my friend who came here last week happy"

Can it be like this?

"I made happy my friend who came here last week"


texts: What word or term = propaganda + manipulation?

texts:
I wanted to create a website section devoted to articles about propaganda, disinformation, brainwashing, etc. But it occurred to me that I should include manipulation, which really goes hand in hand with propaganda.

An example of manipulation would be an undercover cop posing as a protester or the government stopping a protest by imposing a curfew. Of course, propaganda itself is ultimately a form of manipulation.

Anyway, I was trying to think of a clever term that embraces propaganda and manipulation both. I eventually gave up and have tentatively named the section PDM - an acronym for Propaganda, Deception and Manipulation.

But before I commit myself, I thought I'd ask if anyone can suggest a better term for propaganda & manipulation. I'd prefer a term that is clearly political. (I've already rejected the word chicanery.) However, terms that aren't strictly political might work as well. I'm really shooting in the dark.


texts:
I just wanted to know if the grammatically correct form is "I am interested in something" or "I am interested by something".

Thanks


texts:
Consider the following sentence:

  Often passages will present information about the topic from more than one perspective or point of view.

Are "perspective" and "point of view" of the same meaning? If they are, why do people say both of them at the same time instead of either one?


texts:
What does it mean, when someone is alluding to quoted speech, and says to be all something? Is this just slang?
For example:

  "I'm all.. I don't think I'm gonna go".
  "And he's all.. I think you
  should."

and etc...


texts:
I can read a French newspaper with the aid of a dictionary, but I cannot speak the language or understand it when spoken.  So I do not really know French.

Some people say that really modifies know; others say that not really is a phrasal adverb that modifies the whole sentence — that is, it is not really the case that I know French.

Which of those two perspectives is correct?


texts: When someone praises me awkwardly too much, how to reply?

texts:
When someone praises me awkwardly, as in too much, to make me happy or to get some help or something else from me, how to say "don't do that".

Like, "I'll do that for you, you don't need to --- me."

What is the word or phrase I can use in that case?


texts: Looking for an expression or idiom for a weak person who can be easily bullied or intimidated

texts: In my native language we have this expression for a weak person - " a low fence " implying that anybody can jump over it ( fig. humiliated or treated badly ) Is there a similar expression or idiom in meaning in English for this type of person ?


texts: Participles with a shared object - faulty parallelism

texts:
I'm trying to explain to a friend why this is faulty parallelism; can anyone help or provide relevant sources to cite?

"... by evaluating customer needs, identifying, and implementing a solution."

My contention is that this should be recast as "evaluating customer needs and identifying and implementing a solution" (or simply "evaluating customer needs and implementing a solution"). I've pointed out the underlying structure--"evaluating X, identifying Y, and implementing Y"--but he's not convinced.

(Note - I've changed the words to avoid posting a Google-able chunk of his resume here, so I'm afraid that suggestions on rewording the whole thing will not necessarily be applicable.)


texts: I wish to jump my career from technical editor to copy editor. I am learning grammar from online sites. I have a trouble how to begin, what are the step by step process. What should I do to become well-informed copy editor.


texts: Is there a more specific term than hyperbole for this kind of outlandish exaggeration?

texts:
I quite often make outlandish exaggerated statements to emphasise a point; for example, if I'm particularly frustrated with a programming problem I'm working on, I'll say something like

  If it doesn't work this time, I'm going to set fire to everything forever.

I know that as defined, this is technically hyperbole (an extreme exaggeration used to make a point) but I don't think the term quite covers what I'm doing as I tend to add additional emphasis to make it ridiculously outlandish.

Does anyone know of a more specific term than hyperbole for this kind of statement modification? Or is it all just hyperbole no matter how much you exaggerate it?


texts: The last one to touch the TV/car/ machine is to blame for any subsequent issues

texts:
Is there some kind of phrase or expression that describes the  blame assigned to the last person to touch a machine or system when it goes wrong?
I think this probably comes from a precentury saying.
For example, my father used to place  blame for a television's malfunction based on the last member of the family to turn it on and change channels. He always bought used stuff, and spent a lot of time smacking it upside  when it could not tune in properly. (this comes from predigital technology). Of course, any teckie will tell you that  smacking  a TV indicates a bad solder connection in a cap or resistor. When it later turned out he was the last person to turn off the TV, why then he just tried to divert the blame to the other last person to touch it.
Another example:
Suppose that a programmer is asked to write a subroutine and it does not work in the main. The program worked before, but with the sub it crashes. The boss blames the writer of the sub, and refuses to entertain the notion that just perhaps there is another issue with their call. It becomes the fault of the sub writer.
I have seen it used politically when an outgoing administration unerringly blames the incoming one for any failures of the economy within a  scant  few months, but is quick to claim credit for any positive change thereafter.
In other examples, I have seen "shifting the blame", but would prefer something more idiomatic.
I am thinking there was a phrase from before the turn of the century, but if there is a more descriptive term from this century I will certainly consider it.


texts: When did "serie" become obsolete in English?

texts:
Why is series both singular and plural in English? In the other languages I am familiar with, serie is the singular. This includes Spanish, French, German, and Italian.

However, it is series (in a row) in Latin
, although I have also seen the singular used in some texts.

The only source (Webster’s 1913 edition) that mentioned serie in English use says it is an obsolete form.

When did it become obsolete? Going back to 1600,  Ngrams is essentially useless in this case.


texts: Hit as "arrive at, come to, reach" (a place, limit etc)

texts:
Do you have any idea how "hit" came to mean reach or arrive at a point, place, or limit and the like?

Oxford:

reach (a particular level, point, or figure) : "his career hit rock bottom"
arrive at or go to (a place): "we hit a diner for coffee and doughnuts"

Are there any restrictions to its usage this way that I should be aware of?

A few examples:

Hurricane Irma Florida path: What time will Irma hit Orlando and Miami?
various expressions: hit the road; hit the skids
"How can I not kill him?" Jack had hit his limit. I was nearing mine as well.

My understanding of the word "hit", the senses above aside, is that it means strike, as in come physically, perhaps violently into contact with something. Might it be that from there it evolved to simply "come into contact"- or, better said- run into, come across ("strike/hit pay dirt" comes to mind), and from there evolved still?


texts:
I would like to know why this tense is used instead of the present continuous in the following examples:

As we speak (instead of - as we are speaking) something is taking place

He joins us from (instead of - he is joining us), (the name of a place - Paris, London) The TV anchor is introducing a guest


texts: Flog meaning to sell in "Flogging a dead horse"

texts:
I saw an article recently where the author used the term "flogging a dead horse" where the term flogging was meant in the UK slang sense of "to sell".It was accompanied by a drawing of a stuffed horse being sold at market with a sign along the lines of "fast, living horse for sale". (I can't find the article again).

Is this usage of the phrase valid? I always thought that the phrase was a slight rewording of "beating a dead horse" where "flog"/"beat" would mean to physically hit.


texts: Use of "permission" in technical writing

texts:
In a request for proposal (RFP) I am attempting to edit the following sentence-fragment which isn't grammatically correct:

"...except for staff permissioned to update..."

My problem is with the word "permissioned." The correct english word is "permission" and it should probably read:

"except for staff with the permission to update..."

That doesn't seem correct for an RFP though.

Is there a better word or phrase to use that conveys the technical meaning of permissions for an IT system?


texts: The Virginia attorney general said:" Courts would likely rule anti-LGBT discrimination is illegal under state law". The last part of the sentence beginning with is seems vague to me. So, can anyone rephrase the sentence, please?


texts: What is the correct method to make a commonly repeated project name stand out?

texts:
I have a project titled "Around the World."

I refer to this project often in text. I have been instructed not to use quotes, but I am unsure of the best way to identify this phrase as the project name without quotes.

sample:

  The aim of the ‘Around the World’ exercise as detailed in section 4.2.2.

Should I use italic, or hyphens?


texts: Could you please suggest any one-word term that is synonymous to «Partially successful» or «Done with errors» or «Done with exceptions» (all these expressions are not exactly the same, but in our circumstances they are more or less equivalent)?


texts: Can "economy" and "economics" be used interchangeably?

texts:
I know "economy" and "economics" are related terms that do not mean the same thing. But I am having trouble understanding a question asking me to state how globalization has affected the world's "economics". And I am wondering if economics here is used to actually mean "economy".

Many thanks


texts: What is the synonym for "to raise the inner parts of the brows"?

texts:
I'm not looking for the name of the face expression (e.g. sad, or sorry, or "inner brow raise", etc.), I'm looking for the name of the movement that is made. I thought maybe there was a less complicated and more appealing version of it than "to raise the inner sides of the brows"? For example, "in the pictures the guys are ... their brows". I can't really find any pics because I simply don't know what to type in in a search bar. But I remembered a couple of movie scenes, so here you go:

EDIT: I found a source which suggests "eyebrows slopped outwards". Sounds weird to me :/  Can that actually be a thing? (context: "By pushing together the eyebrows and pulling up the forehead, the eyebrows can be made to slope outwards.")

EDIT 2: If I said "his eyebrows raised in (a) sorry", would that make sense and be understood? If yes, would the article before sorry be needed?

EDIT 3: Here are some more pictures I could find:


texts: It may sound strange, but why is Merry not used with Easter? Is there a reason why its usage  has been so firmly fixed with Christmas?


texts: NPs containing double genitives: "this harassment of her of yours"

texts:
I am interested in which nominal phrases of the general form
Article + Noun + of + Accusative pronoun + of + Genitive pronoun

sound more or less grammatical to most speakers. Primarily, what interests me about them (for those who accept them as fully idiomatic) is the restrictions over the admissible instances of Article and Noun. For instance, it seems that demonstrative determiners are OK (Kayne 1981 gives (1a) as an example) but definite articles aren't (1b). Also, besides event nominalizations like harassment, some nouns like picture (2a) appear to me to be more amenable to the construction than other nouns like story (2b).
(1a) this harassment of her of yours       ✓
(1b) the harassment of her of yours        ✗
(2a) two nude pictures of you of mine      ✓
(2b) two prison stories of you of mine     ✗

Is this correct? Does anyone have any clue as to what may be going on here? My observations are super exploratory, so I'd really appreciate some external input/more examples to mull over.


texts: Why do drug dealers "move" their product?

texts:
The process of selling drugs - either to a reseller, or the end-user - seems often called "move" in popular (American?) culture - for example in the TV Series, Weeds.

Transcripts from the show are hard to find but here's a synopsis describing an episode:

  Nancy wants to move product while working the shop, so she "interviews" all her former Agrestic people to see what they can move. [...]

Where does this originate from? Does it have its roots in a more legitimate field like agriculture, or is this limited to criminal activity? It seems to be used widely in connection with smuggling (Example: Colombian traffickers moving drugs in submarines) but that is not selling.

The word definition at Merriam-Webster doesn't seem to offer any explanation.


texts: How to refer to ladies who promote a particular beer brand?

texts:
I’m writing a novel where one of the characters is a 酒促小姐 (literally translated as “wine promoter miss”). They come to your table (usually in bars and restaurants) and promote particular beer brands.

I’m not sure if this is something that you only find in the country I’m currently living in (Taiwan).

I would like to know what’s the best way of referring to them (since it is for a novel, I just want something short).

I know they are not waitresses because, well, they only promote beer. They pour beer in your glass, and talk to you sometimes, but I don’t think they are hostesses either.

Any suggestions?


texts: Word to describe "concealing" positive emotions, in fear of being perceived as irrational

texts:
This will be a bit hard to explain, but I'll give it a shot.

I am looking for a good word to describe: A person hiding his intense positive enthusiasm and excitement for something, as to not seem overly excited and hence being perceived as emotional or irrational. This person is afraid that his excitement might generate some sort of mistrust with the cautious person who will decide if he will be able to experience what he is exited about or not.

Example sentence:

  "He is a true pragmatist; one who takes on new challenges with great, yet [word here] enthusiasm."

I have been thinking about using concealed, reserved, humbled, restrained and modest, but I feel like those words come with a sort of negative undertone, as if the person is harbouring some kind of hidden agenda, which is not what I want to say. Any suggestions?


texts:
How would one address a female priest in the Anglican Community?

What do you call a female priest in the Episcopal church?


texts: Drinks Shirley - Slang for overhead dispenser?

texts:
In a TV series, a man from London (living in Canada) asked for the house bar using the word "Drinks Shirley".

What does it mean exactly? Is it this kind of dispenser?


texts: The word for how real a fictional world seems to be?

texts:
A few weeks ago my old English Teacher updated his word of the week and I can't remember the word only the definition; It was something along the lines of

  'How real A fictional world or character feels to be .'
  If Anyon


texts: Does the dependent clause modify both independent clauses in a compound-complex sentence?

texts:
Though Mitchell prefers watching romantic films, he rented the latest
  spy thriller, and he enjoyed it very much.

Would this sentence mean this:

  Though Mitchell prefers watching romantic films, he rented the latest
  spy thriller. He enjoyed it very much.

Or this:

  Though Mitchell prefers watching romantic films, he rented the latest
  spy thriller. Though Mitchell prefers watching romantic films, he
  enjoyed it very much.


texts: What to call an adorable little kid? I'm looking for something similar to "sweetie" which someone uses to call their lover.


texts: "Studying PhD at the university" or "studying PhD in the university"?

texts:
Which of these two sentences is correct:

  I am studying PhD at the university.
  I am studying PhD in the university.

Should I use "at" or "in"? Or is there no difference?


texts: What is the difference between "can" and "could" in asking for something?

texts:
Two questions:
1. Can you please tell me?
2. Could you please tell me?

We can ask in both ways. I want to know the difference between (1) and (2)


texts: Difference between Having Said that & Despite of

texts:
I am not able to find out difference b/w Having said that & Despite of.

1) I like John as a person. Having said that, I don’t like his attitude.

2) I like John as a person. Despite of, I don’t like his attitude.
is there any diff these 2 sentences?


texts: Is there any expression like "minor fun"?

texts: "Minor fun" or "trivial fun", which I think means that tiny, little, minor, trivial things or actions that is funny or interesting.


texts: A word that means education away from self reliance

texts: What is a word that means: To deliberately educate the masses away from knowledge of self sustainability/self reliance. I heard this word some 10 years ago and can't remember what it was..


texts:
And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

Is this archaic?
I see many instances of this usage where simple verbs would be enough in Shakespeare.


texts: what is the meaning of this sentence in that context?

texts:
In the below link, I have found some text. I don't understanf why the author wrote what she wrote.
http://www.greenoptimistic.com/fruit-vegetables-taste-europe-america/#.VsK-rPl94gs

the title of article is "Do Fruit and Vegg Taste Better in Europe?"

  Is it true that Europeans get better tastier fruits and vegetables
  than the Americans? According to science, yes.

  Initially, I was a bit hesitant to write this piece for a two main
  reasons. The first one is the fact that I have never eaten American
  vegetables, and the second one- I definitely have a lot to say about
  quality of European vegetables, especially if sold in a supermarket.

  But, for certain, the findings of Julia Belluz of Vox triggered my
  attention. She shares her experience of visiting rural Italy, where
  she ate the most delicious tomatoes, and then moves on to finding the
  reasons why Americans do not have such tasty produce.

  Now, on one hand, she might be very right. When comparing supermarket
  American tomatoes, with these small flavorsome ones that she has
  tried, it must have been quite a shock. The reason is that American
  supermarkets apparently have regulations on size of tomatoes they
  sell, meaning that anything smaller than whatever it is on the shelves
  now, would just not make it.

  To go further into tomatoes, scientists have found out that the
  genetic manipulation that has been done on those particular red and
  juicy supermarket fruits (vegetables, depending on which side of this
  argument you are), makes them grow. This growth, however, limits the
  production of sugars by the plant, and therefore the resulting tomato
  is pretty looking but tasteless........................

what does she mean by "(vegetables, depending on which side of this argument you are)"?


texts: I know that "{ }" are braces. But I don't know and can't seem to find what "{" or "}" alone are. If I need to differentiate them, what should I call the first and what the second ("opening" and "ending", "left" and "right"?) Thanks a lot


texts: Word or phrase for a gentle or kind act by a gruff person?

texts:
After my wife gave our postman an end-of-year tip, he bought our young girls some donuts as a treat. It was a kind, gentle gesture and he seemed almost a little uncomfortable doing it — he's sort of a gruff, manly-man type of person.

Anyway, we were wondering if there's a good word or phrase that describes this kind of thing (excuse the pun): a gentle act done by a normally gruff person (or relatedly, maybe a person who seems gruff but really isn't).


texts:
How should i phrase this?

She wished it was as easy as he thought.

or

She wished it were as easy as he thought.