texts: Adjective in "Ulysses" that means "existing in this world as opposed to an imagined one"

texts:
I came across this word in Joyce's Ulysses, but can't remember what it was. I only remember looking up the definition, which was something like "existing in this world as opposed to an imagined one." This makes it somewhat synonymous with "real," "actual," or "factual," but it's not any word that commonly appears in thesauri (or anywhere for that matter), so don't expect to find it in your average thesaurus. I've already looked through several. I believe it was a Latinate word, however. Anybody familiar with Ulysses know which word I'm referring to?

I'm something of a logophile and found this word quite lovely. I'm going crazy trying to remember it.


texts: How to define the transitive nature of a relation?

texts:
I am writing definitions for some terms used in a requirements document. One of the definitions is as follows:

  Child account: User account that is created by the account in
  consideration.

For some requirements I want to define the notion of a descendent account. By that I mean basically the transitive version of a child account.

So far, I'm not getting much further than "child account of a child account", but that does not capture the transitive aspect of the relation.


texts:
So I was writing a sentence and the word majoritively popped into my head as a "Hey, why not? Sounds good!" type of word.

My sentence was to the effect of:

Our GridViews majoritively use classic bindings from the its ItemsSource property which is usually bound to an ObservableCollection of an entity data object, where then each GridViewColumn is bound to its respective (or matching) entity data object property.

Note: This sentence contains words that are control names.

I know I can switch the sentence around to use "The majority of the time".  I was just curious about the specific word.


texts: Multiple instances of the same (foreign) word

texts:
Consider the following snippet:

  The Spanish word lágrima comes from Latin lacrima which also has a
  descendant in English. When you cry, your eyes get their tears from
  special glands known as lacrimal sac. These glands are named after
  lacrima. Lacrima also happens to have descendants in other Romance
  languages.

If you notice, there are three instances of the Latin word in the snippet. If I am following a style where I italicize foreign language words, is it necessary for me to maintain consistency by italicizing every single occurrence of the same word just because it's foreign? Or should I just italicize the first instance of lacrima here?


texts:
I need a  verb or an expression  to convey the idea of being sold something unwanted or unneeded. Like when you go to a shop to buy , let's say, a shirt, and they somehow are able to sell you also a sweater (something you didn't ask for and you don't actually need).

As in:
- I  needed to buy  only a shirt but they ......  also a sweater.

Is it appropriate,  for instance, to say that they dumped the blouse on me. ?

N.B. Please note that I am not a native speaker and  though the expression may come natural to natives, it does  not to me. In my research I could find only to dump something on someone but I am not sure if it may fit my context. Thanks


texts: Is Have To/Has To a verb, auxiliary verb, or modal?

texts: I'm wondering what is the actual verb in this sentence: "I have to study". Is the verb "have" or "study" ? Is the verb "have" and "to study" the infinitive?


texts: Is "How and why child is become criminal" proper English?

texts:
My friend is writing a paper for his Criminal Justice class and has asked me to take a look the the rough draft and point out any grammatical errors that I can spot.

The first thing that jumped at me was the subject of his paper: "How and why child is become criminal". I suggested that he instead write: "How and why a child becomes a criminal".

He told me that nothing was wrong with the way the subject is written. It has been submitted to and approved by his Professor, reviewed by his entire class and none pointed that out to him. He refered me to the Openheimer quote of the Bhagavad Gita and some Bible verses to support his point. Still I find it difficult to believe that this is the proper way to use the verb become in Modern English.


texts: The difference btw "Wire transfer" or "Bank transfer"

texts: As far as I understand, "wire transfer" is used for internal money transfer (within one bank) whereas "bank tranfer" indicates a money transfer from one bank to another (say, from American Bank to UniCredit). Am I right?  Is there a difference btw those two?


texts: Countable vs. uncountable and use of "volume"

texts:
Which is correct (or does it matter)?

....due to a high volume of requests....

....due to a high number of requests....

to my ear, volume is incorrect here - I realize we use volume to talk about a book or a magazine, but generally, isn't it a mass noun?


texts: What is a word that means unforgettable but with a negative connotation?

texts:
When I look up unforgettable in a thesaurus, I get words like enduring, remarkable, or exceptional. These all are positive; I just cannot forget such a wondrous thing!

I, however, want a word that means unforgettable because it was so horrible. As in, I cannot forget such a horrible thing that has happened.

Any suggestions?


texts:
We say subjective to indicate that something is based on feelings and opinions, and objective to indicate the opposite.

Why are these the same words as objective and subjective referring, in grammar, to nouns and pronouns in a sentence?  Is this a coincidence?

I'm looking around for the roots of the words… they seem like they've gone through a lot since medieval Latin—their current meanings in English are only vaguely related to their meanings in Latin:

  from medieval Latin objectum ‘thing presented to the mind,’ neuter past participle (used as a noun) of Latin obicere, from ob- ‘in the way of’ + jacere ‘to throw’

and

  from Latin subjectus ‘brought under,’ past participle of subicere, from sub- ‘under’ + jacere ‘throw.’

–NOAD

I cannot find an association between their two sets of meanings, either logically or in their etymology.  Perhaps I'm missing something obvious here?  I sure hope not, because in that case I would look silly.


texts: If bovine means related to the cow or ox, what is the word that means related to the snake?


texts: What is a word for a big, insurmountable problem?

texts:
I'm trying to describe unemployment in the first sentence of an economics essay about South Africa. The sentence I'm thinking of is, "Unemployment is a ... problem in South Africa,... "

I'm trying to think of a word to put in the first ellipsis, and it should have the connotation of the following words: widespread, malignant, intractable, pernicious, enduring, problematic, big, serious,... you get the idea. Can you think of the word I'm trying to find?

The sentence can be modified from the one I suggested; my aim is to have a powerful opening sentence.


texts: "Each country's dances are different" or Each countries' dances are different"?

texts: Each country's dances are different or Each countries' dances are different?


texts: What do you call someone who isn't doing their calling in life?

texts:
You have a person who has an incredible talent, whether it be cooking, writing, sports, whatever.  This person briefly showed this talent but then is living their life without fulfilling their calling in life.  I would like a noun and I would hope it would not only convey that the rest of the population is missing out on that person's talent too.

Note: The Will Hunting comment is a good one.  1 out of 5 movies seem to be about this type of person.


texts: Shouldn't we spell “extrovert” as “extravert”?

texts:
I saw the spelling extrovert in a text, but I intuitively felt that the correct spelling is extravert.

I did a little research and read that extravert is commonly used in scientific/technical literature, while extrovert is common in non-technical usage.

From what I read, it seems that this is because in 1918 when the word extravert was becoming more popular and more commonly used outside of technical literature, non-technical people often misspelled it as extrovert because it was commonly paired with the word introvert.

Am I wrong if I choose to always (even in non-technical writing)   spell it extravert because I think it is the correct spelling    and that I think other people are spelling it incorrectly? Or does majority rule and am I wrong to not conform to the majority?

My question is more about the decision that I need to make (based on which alternative is right or wrong and why) than about this specific example of extrovert vs extravert. I've had similar experiences with other spelling and also grammar rule mismatches, so I'd like to be confident in my decisions in those other situations too.

-Does majority rule? Or are they technically wrong?

If majority does rule, at what point does a misspelling or a grammar error become correct? 50% saturation? 75%? Does the original simultaneously become incorrect at that point? For the example above, if extravert is incorrect to use in non-technical writing, at what point did it become incorrect? Because at one point it was the only way of spelling it, and was only pushed out of popular use by replication of the misspelled form.


texts: Is "Viet Nam" a mistake, a typo, an archaic spelling, a regional spelling, or an idiosyncrasy?

texts: Is "Viet Nam" a mistake, a typo, an archaic spelling, a regional spelling, or an idiosyncrasy of the author? I found the word in this book, and I can't really tell what type of spelling it is.


texts:
I was experimenting with Google's ngram tool, and came upon this curious result:

My assumption would have been with the more open attitudes towards discussion of sex, usage for "erection" would have gone up.  Yet it has gone down by over a factor of 3 since 1876.  Searching some old period bands (such as 1820-1840), I saw that the primary use for "erection" had been in the context of erecting a building.  However, the current biological meaning existed as well.

My guess is that people are using the building-related "erection" a lot less, to avoid unintended sexual connotations. If so, they substitute some other terminology. Either that or we write a lot less, proportionately, about building than we used to.

I added "hard-on" to the graph, suspecting it was supplanting "erection", but as the graph shows, it is still relatively insignificant. (It began steady ascent around 1958.) I cannot think of another word likely to be used in books that would be supplanting the biological meaning.

BTW, while writing this, I graphed the same ngram, but terminated it at 2016. The slight upward slope has continued steadily since about 1996. It had yet to reach .00040%, though.  This may be illustrating what I expected initially, more open attitudes toward sex.


texts: Prepositions related to the Internet and computers

texts:
I am not a native speaker and prepositions are the part of speech that troubles me more. Checking different posts from the site I've learnt that you say:

On the Internet / On a website

In an email

At www.site.com

Could you please give me a hand and tell me, which prepositions normally will go with: chat, file, document, forum, Skype, computer, folder?
Thanks a lot


texts: What does "budget return allowance" mean?

texts:
I have applied for a position in a firm abroad, and in the acceptance email they mentioned that they would provide budget return travel allowance.

Which of the following do you think budget most likely implies?

A partial reimbursement of my return travel expenses (as defined by some maximum limit). (i.e. budget reimbursement)
A reimbursement of my budget return travel, i.e. economy class travel or equivalent

EDIT: The company actually meant #2, as the chosen answer suggests. Thanks.


texts:
I came across this sentence from John Adams by David McCullough

  Crossing the Channel on board the Dover packet days later, Abigail offered to share the family's cabin with a desperately seasick young man who, in gratitude for her kindness, gave her two songbirds of his own.

Would it be more grammatically correct to write 'on board of/aboard the Dover packet'? (As according to thefreedictioanry.com, when used as prep., 'aboard' means ' on board of;on;in'.)


texts:
When saying goodbye and thank you after hosting something, it is common to say something like "I have been your host" or "I, person X, have been your host" BUT, would it also be correct to simply say "I have been person X" Even though one does in fact continue to be person X after the event has ended?

I have seen examples of this  (Stephen Fry to be more precise), but is it a correct use of grammar?

The wording was: "You have been watching QI, I have been Stephen Fry. Thank you and good night!"


texts: Is there a business phrase for whack-a-mole?

texts:
In my company, I've been asked to generate reports about accounts (for example) that have abnormal traits (less than 1%, for example).  They want to know where these abnormal cases are so they can go fix them, but it's too time consuming to manually check until they find them.  So they asked me to find these cases and report on them.

Some people try to call it exception handling; but exception handling is already a well-define phrase in computing, so it can't be used.

I'm trying to come up with a phrase to describe this type of hunt.  Is there a better phrase than "whack-a-mole" or "exception handling"?

Also, I'm new here, so I don't really understand which tags go where.  Thank you!


texts: My question is about compounds adjectives

texts:
I have been reading archaeological literature in english and some descriptions are constructed with several complex compound adjectives. My question is when you have for example “soft hammer flakes” does soft describes directly flakes or is bounded first to “hammer“ forming a compound adjective? In theory, it can not be a compound adjective because it lacks the hyphen but it does make sense when understood as one in because of the context.

I really hope you can help me. It drives me crazy.


texts: Why don’t people ever say “I have wanted to ask”?

texts:
Why do people never say the following:

  I have wanted to ask. . . .

Maybe it would be better to ask whether it’s correct to say:

  I have wanted to ask. . . .

But really I think I’ve never heard that form. Usually I hear people say (for example):

  I wanted to ask  how you spent this morning.

I’m talking about the situation when, for instance, one person is discussing something with other people. Suppose in the middle of the discussion, the person realises that they need to get some complementary information from the speaker. They wait for their turn to have a word, and when their turn comes, they say:

  I have wanted to ask you, how do you make pastries?

That is, they wish to ask the question which occurred in the mind of the person, and they retained the thought until the moment they asked the speaker.  Is it formally correct for them to use present perfect there?

Of course, there is another situation when you say:

  Yesterday I wanted to ask you about your health, but you had fled. How are you now?

And here it seems quite okay to use the simple past.


texts: The funniest English mistranslations that you've ever heard

texts:
I live in Indonesia and English is not a primary language here but the Indonesia education system stipulates English as a compulsory subject. Therefore, most of Indonesians have learnt English since they were in elementary school yet a lot of words in English have mistranslated here, some are considered as jokes. When my friends and I learned English for the first time, we translated DOORMAT as WELCOME just because of this

I thought that was funny. :D

My question is what is the funniest English mistranslations (words, phrases, or sentences) that you've ever heard?


texts: How to tell when a sentence is using a speech act or habitual action?

texts:
I swear, he did that on purpose.

That was a good movie, I give you that.

In sentences like these, how would you tell if they are talking about habitual action or a speech act? For example, in the first sentence, is the action of swearing done by uttering the sentence or is he just saying that he swears habitually?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_act


texts: As I need to use the phrase a lot in a piece of document, I don't want to sound too repetitive ... so anyone with any suggestions as to alternative phrases and/or any phrases that suggest that someone is totally out of control (because of drunkenness)? Thanks!


texts:
By definition an idiom is an expression or phrase that cannot be understood by the sum of its parts. There are, of course, many idioms that we can understand by virtue of their
transparency like "shed light on" or "in a nut shell". But there are a number of categories that are really rather cryptic.

Question: Can we define phrasal verbs as idioms, or should we keep them separate in their own linguistic and lexical species?


texts:
Does "so that" and "for ... to" have the same usage?

For example:

  I bought this sweater so (that) you can wear it.

and:

  I bought this sweater for you to wear it.

Is there any difference between the two expressions or do they have the same meaning?


texts: What is a word for 'historically' but only relating to my personal lifetime? Something similar to 'in my experience'

texts:
For example, I'd like to say:

  In my experience, I've come to understand that people tend to be misunderstood.

But with a word more like 'historically.'

  Historically, I've come to understand that people tend to be misunderstood.

The reason I don't want to use 'in my experience' is the feeling it evokes of my experience vs. someone else's experience.

I'd like a word that instead emphasizes: "personal experiences have shown" in the same way that 'historically' is thought of as 'times have shown.'

There is no room for subjective interpretation when using the word 'historically.' But using 'in my experience' feels like it casts doubt on whether my interpretation of the experiences is valid.

Does this word even exist or will I just have to structure the sentence better to give off this feeling?
Is my feeling that "'in my experience' casts doubt of whether my interpretation of the experiences is valid" even valid? Or is this just my brain lying to me?

I realize this might be nitpicky, but words are awesome and I love thinking about them.


texts:
Should I use the word gas as singular or plural if I mentioned different kind of gases before but I still want to refer to the total amount of gas, not the types of gases.

  Some greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide or water vapor are
  natural gases which exist in the atmosphere already. Nevertheless, when
  we produce too much/many greenhouse gas/gases, it/they trap the
  solar heat rays and prevent them from escaping from the Earth's
  atmosphere and surface.


texts: "Planning for next year" vs. "planning for the next year"

texts:
I would like to start planning for next year.

In the above sentence, there is no definite article before the words next year. Should it be present, as in the following sentence which sounds far less natural to me?

  I would like to start planning for the next year.

Or, is it more proper to leave it out as in the first sentence? What is the reasoning behind the correct usage in this context?


texts: Word or phrase that means to solve a problem mainly via trial and error

texts:
Is there a word or phrase (preferably one that functions as verb) to describe what you're doing when you solve a problem mainly by trying this and that until you finally hit upon the solution when you're supposed to solve it methodically? I'm looking for a word/phrase that has a more self-deprecating tone that accentuates a lack of due method than "solved by trial and error," which to me sounds quite neutral (and in some, especially mathematical, instances of problem-solving, quite a valid approach).

As an example, when you're given a puzzle that is to be solved logically but you solve it not through brainwork but by exhausting every move possible until everything clicks into place, what might you say to disabuse someone who subsequently unduly praises you?

  "I _____ this puzzle. (So it's not much of an achievement, as I was supposed to solve it methodically, which I didn't do.)"


texts:
I came to this  website when I was looking for a particular word - but did not use a thesaurus because I could not think of a good synonym.

Instead I searched for

  Word for changing or shortening or abbreviating a given name

After amending the original search to try to get what I am seeking & so far what is here is the nearest but I KNOW there is a word for exactly that which I seek.

THIS is getting to be a long entry and unlikely to attract any, let alone many readers.

I am writing in England and am 66 years old - the word 'fanny' in my era is slang for the most intimate part of a woman's body, yet means other things in other versions of English, and is indeed used as a woman's nickname in England on some occasions. So what I am after is something about renaming akin to a nickname - I had hoped it will come back to me but it has not yet!

All this was prompted by the sight of a product supplied in a can - I am not sure where from - that contains what I know as tuna fish but is called 'Fanny' and therefore if it were seen in a British provision store might produce a smirk or embarrassed giggles because some, such as me, would consider it rude - I have said too much.

My wife could not help, she compared it to 'Betty' as an alternative to Elizabeth - but I do not think that is quite the same - as Betty - to me seems - a definite abbreviation of Elizabeth.

I may have posted this in the wrong place - I am happy for it to be repositioned perhaps with a more accurate subject line - BUT I just want to recall that blessed word and improve my grammar!

I imagine my sentence might be -

  In the family she is known as Fanny
  because that is how we have XXXXXXXXXXX her formal name of
  Ermintrude/Glorianna/(or whatever)


texts:
Does the word 'transfer' have the same meaning as 'transmit'?

I look up in the dictionary, and it says 'transfer' means move and 'transmit' means pass. But they seem to be used similarly sometimes. For example, "Bacteria may be transmitted in a variety of ways" and "MPSA and other bacteria are transferred from one person to another."

In addition, if there is a multiple choice exercise:

"•Long false eyelashes are prone to collect bacteria and dust, which can be _____ to the eyes.

A. Transferred B. Transmitted"

Which one will be the better answer?

Thank you in advance!


texts:
What's the origin of the idiom go south? Why is it go south only? Why not go southwest or go east?

Are the direction-related idioms go south, go north, go east, and go west correlated?

Example, go south from http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/go+south:

to make an escape; to disappear.
to fall; to go down.
drop out of sight

I've read a few times go east young man or go west young man, but I am not sure that they formally exist or not.


texts: Is the phrase "has got" grammatically correct?

texts: Does "Mary's Got Talent" mean "Mary Has Got Talent"? Is "has got" grammatically correct in this instance?


texts: How do the terms "fanboy" and "fangirl" differ from the generic term "fan?"

texts:
Prompted by the question: " How did kool-aid come to be the drink of fanboys? "

Wikipedia's explanation on "Fanboy (disambiguation)" provides:

  A fanboy is a person considered to belong to one or more fandoms to a
  point of obsession.

Wiktionary says:

  (fandom slang) Someone (normally male) who is utterly devoted to a
  single subject or hobby, often to the point where it is considered an
  obsession.

While the general term "fan" derives from "fanatic", its current usage, in the US at least, has waned to be roughly synonymous with "admirer" or "someone who is fond of --."

Are the terms "fanboy" and "fangirl" gender-specific synonyms of "fan" or are they supposed to convey the same "fanatic" intensity that "fan" once had?  Are "fanboy" and "fangirl" intended to be used in a derisive way?


texts:
If you or your attorney do not call me by 5:00 p.m. today, then I will go ahead and file a complaint.

Do v. Does

'Do" sounds best, but why?  Which is correct to use:  do or does?


texts:
In English you can say:

  sleep like a log (or top)

  Sleep very soundly.

  ‘I slept like a log until morning’

In Spanish we have the exact same expression, dormir como un leño, which is an exact translation word by word and with the same meaning. I was just curious to know which language created the expression first, so I'm tracking it down to find the oldest cases in both languages. In my related question in Spanish Language I have found a case of the Spanish version in a text from 1561, using the Spanish corpus provided by the Royal Spanish Academy:

  De que's en la cama
  duerme como un leño,
  bien harto de migas
  bruxo çahareño [...].

  Juan de Timoneda, "Cancionero llamado Sarao de amor", 1561 (Spain).

First verses roughly translated: "he's in bed sleeping like a log".

Which is the oldest case registered in English of "sleep like a log" (or its equivalent expression in Medieval English or other stages of the language)?


texts: Is there a name for these long, snaky paint drips?

texts:
If you smear paint on a wall, the combination of surface-tension and viscosity makes it trickle down in little “stalagtites” of paint instead of all at once:

Do these little “stalagtites” of paint have a name?

I would like to distinguish them from, say, the drops of paint which drip from a painted ceiling, and have detached entirely from the mother smear.


texts: What do you call the individual sections of a subway train?

texts:
What's the common name? Wagon? Passenger car?

Example sentence:

  I sat two wagons from Tom to spy him.


texts: Is it okay to say: " ...... defines me, as me."

texts:
My teacher wrote on the board: "My ability to overthink is what defines me, as me."

He asked us to correct the sentence

So my correction was, "My ability to overthink is what defines me."
I feel as though my correction is missing something. If it is missing something, what should I add-on or change or fix?


texts: An idiom for "saddened /or fretful" due to the weather

texts:
I have been searching for an idiom for saddened for quite a while now, and am not found an answer that satisfied me.
I have found the idioms below

• down in the dumps-  Someone who is down in the dumps is depressed or feeling gloomy.
• down in the mouth-  When someone is down in the mouth, they look unhappy, discouraged or depressed.
• face like a wet week-end

however, those didn't suit my needs as the emotion it was expressing was a bit too strong for me, as I was simply describing a scene where the dreary weather influenced my mood (sort of like saddened).
I am thinking if there's any idioms or phases or just words which describes my situation. Thankyou !


texts:
In the UK, at least, we use the term "a schoolboy error" to mean a simple or foolish mistake.

Oxford has it as:

  British informal
  A very basic or foolish mistake.

It is used very frequently in sports, especially football (soccer) which I watch a lot.  Schoolboys are very much amateur and can be expected to make simple errors and I wonder if it was in football that this phrase originated.

Away from sport, I have seen the term used in politics, entertainment, finance, and news.  Everywhere really.

What I can't find, however, is the phrase's first usage.  If first used in an academic sense, how did the term transition into its current mainstream usage?

Anyone care to help?


texts: Are both the "future perfect" and "future perfect continuous" used in everyday conversations?

texts:
I would like to know if native English speakers use these tenses in daily conversations. Or, perhaps, it's mostly used as formally?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Is there a word to describe rotation of ownership?

texts:
Is there a word which means that ownership rotates or moves around a known set of options? For example, the Olympics are hosted by a different nation each time, so they are [word I am looking for].

The only thing I can think of is something derived from "round-robin", which is a way of rotating ownership of tasks for scheduling in Computer Science, but I don't think that is a universally understood term.


texts:
This word is just not coming to mind. The closest I can think of are "arms and legs asunder" but that conjures up some pretty graphic and unintended imagery. Same with spread-eagle which is the first term that came to mind.

My question is, is there some word to describe a person laying on the ground with there arms and legs spread that doesn't carry the same sexual connotations as spread-eagle. Example:

  She lay ____ on her back after she had fallen from the jungle gym, the air knocked from her lungs.

The part where other words I can think of (such as haphazardly) don't fit, is that spread-eagle seems to imply lying down which is something I would like the alternative to do as well though without the sexual connotations.


texts:
I am not so sure about the difference in the meaning of "power" and "potential" and when would I rather use one over the other.
For that, I have tried to put them in some sentences and figure out the difference, but, I am still confused.

I have the power to do it.
I have the potential to do it.

To help youth realize the power of their time and potential.
To help youth realize the potential of their time and power.


texts:
Students in Korea start dating around their 14th birthday.
Students in Korea start dating at around their 14th birthday.

What is the difference between the two sentences?

Is there any problem in the sentence above? (in sentence No 1, No 2)
Ant, what is the meaning of 'at' in the sentence no. 2?


texts:
I want to paint a picture that uses the quote "love and prayers".
Should I say "all we need are love and prayers" or "all you need is love and prayers" or "all we need is love and prayers"?


texts: How productive is the verb prefix "un-"?

texts:
Is it possible to use un- with new words such as sit, sleep, sad? I'm currently seeing many words (in programming) which use un- in the meaning of undoing something.

For example, is it possible to use "make me unsleep" (the Chrome spell-checker underlines it) as a synonym for "wake me up"?

If yes, why is it so rare? And if not, why can't it be used?


texts: Questions related to acceptability of "threatener / threatenee."

texts:
Background

In the context of a legal/political philosophical writing, I have occasion to examine the relationship between one who makes a threat (the "threatener") and one against whom a threat has putatively been made (the "threatenee").

Preliminary Research

OED has an entry for "threatener." Google n-grams confirms that it is used, but only rarely. Notably, a general search reveals that its used almost exclusively in contexts like mine. However, there is no OED entry for "threatenee." N-grams lists no books, but a general search yields a number of hits works similar to those above. It seems as though "threatenee" is accepted, if in very limited use.

As an alternative, I am considering "the threatened" carrying the (to me obvious) sense of "the threatened [person]." Ambiguity might arise in situations where "the threatened [course of action]" is a reasonable interpretation, but I think those will be rare and can be dealt with contextually. There may be additional alternatives but I have no data on use or acceptability for any.

I have three questions:

Is threatener / threatenee acceptable to you?
If any part is not, can you suggest an alternative?
Are there any general rules for determining the appropriate suffix in such cases?

Re: #3, This post on choosing verb to noun suffixes suggests there are no general rules. This post specifically on "er/or" suggests a German/Latin distinction between "er/or" for verb -> "acting on" noun. Other posts suggest that when both are available, choose based on contemporary usage (see, e.g. the post on canceller / cancellor), but there isn't much guidance when both are rare. Finally, this post specifically on "ee" suggests "ee" is acceptable for nearly any verb -> "acted on" noun so long as it will be clear to the audience.


texts:
I have a friend with whom every conversation turns into a power struggle. His tone of voice is very sharp and snappy. Should I describe this person's personality as militaristic or militant?

Militaristic - advocating or pursuing an aggressive military policy; hawkish.
"the president and his militaristic administration"

Militant - combative and aggressive in support of a political or social cause, and typically favoring extreme, violent, or confrontational methods.
"a militant nationalist"


texts: What does ‘Knicks have to go through another week of “jelling on the fly”’ mean?

texts:
I came across the phrase ‘jelling on the fly’ in today’s New York Times’ article titled, ‘The Knicks are racing to blend talent into a team.’

As I don’t understand the meaning of ‘jell on the fly,’ I checked several online dictionaries and found only one definition for ‘on the fly’ at whatis.techtarget.com that reads:

  In relation to computer technology, "on the fly" describes activities that develop or occur dynamically rather than as the result of something that is statically predefined.

I don’t think this definition applies to my case.

Can somebody teach me the exact meaning of going through ‘jelling on the fly’? The original text containing the phrase reads:

  Despite an abundance of talent, the reconfigured Knicks will have to get through another week of jelling on the fly, especially on defense. But D’Antoni had already offered a reality check: He said he did not expect the Knicks to be cohesive until the N.B.A. playoffs begin next month. “It just takes a while,” he said.


texts: What is the plural of "virus"? I have seen the word "viri" floating around in various sources throughout my life, but most people say "viruses". The spelling checkers I have tried do not recognize "viri", but I have learned that is not a very good method of verifying a word.


texts:
I'm reading a book by Horace Walpole called The Castle of Otranto now.
And I found the last part of this long sentence confusing:

  Yet whether provoked at the peasant having observed the resemblance between the two helmets, and thereby led to the farther discovery of the absence of that in the church; or wishing to bury any such rumour under so impertinent a supposition; he [Manfred] gravely pronounced that the young man was certainly a necromancer, and that till the church could take cognizance of the affair, he [Manfred] would have the Magician, whom they had thus detected, kept prisoner under the helmet itself, which he ordered his attendants to raise, and place the young man under it; declaring he should be kept there without food, with which his own infernal art might furnish him.

To me "with which" (in the last line) is confusing.

I understood this sentence as "His own infernal art might furnish him with food"
 and "with which" refers to food...

But I don't understand this usage logically because when I see the meaning, it's like saying "He should be kept there without food, which infernal art might give him." but why would he put him there when his infernal art could give him food anyway?

Maybe I'm not interpreting it correctly, and that's why it doesn't make sense. So I want your help now.


texts: Can I use "procrastinated" with an indirect object?

texts:
This is what I wrote:

  I found the inspiration and energy to get stuck into old todos that
  were being consistently procrastinated.

I believe this is an incorrect usage of the verb "procrastinated" but I wanted to focus on the "todos" that my procrastination had caused me to avoid, rather than on my procrastination.

Or am I wrong and is this perfectly good grammar?


texts: pretty: How did its Old English etymon semantically shift from 'a trick, wile, craft' to its Middle English etymon 'manly, gallant'?

texts:
Etymonline contends  the semantic shift is 'uncertain', but what  semantic notions might've underlain  'a trick, wile, craft' with  'manly, gallant'?

pretty

  Old English prættig (West Saxon), pretti (Kentish), *prettig (Mercian) "cunning, skillful, artful, wily, astute," from prætt, *prett "a trick, wile, craft," from Proto-Germanic *pratt- (source also of Old Norse prettr "a trick," prettugr "tricky;" Frisian pret, Middle Dutch perte, Dutch pret "trick, joke," Dutch prettig "sportive, funny," Flemish pertig "brisk, clever"), of unknown origin.

  Connection between Old English and Middle English words is uncertain, but if they are the same, meaning had shifted by c. 1400 to "manly, gallant," and later moved via "attractive, skillfully made," to "fine," to "beautiful in a slight way" (mid-15c.). Ironical use from 1530s. For sense evolution, compare nice, silly. Also used of bees (c. 1400). "After the OE. period the word is unknown till the 15th c., when it becomes all at once frequent in various senses, none identical with the OE., though derivable from it" [OED].


texts: Articles when describing commercial logos

texts: I shoot stock photography and sometimes I post pictures showing logos of business corporations. Usually I use a phrase like "The logo of Orange S.A., a French telecommunications company" etc. Is this form correct or should I use " A logo of Orange ... "? And in case if "a logo of Orange" is preferred - is using "the" in this context a grammatical error or just less popular but correct expression?


texts:
According to the Oxford dictionary, "mucking out" is defined as:

  "The action of cleaning a stable, etc., by removing dung, soiled straw, and the like".

I work in construction and often see the term "mucking out" when people refer to 'removing the excavation spoil out of the site'.

Is this a valid usage of the term, if not, what term would you recommend?


texts: How to describe a process that resists changes in velocity?

texts:
I'm writing a scientific paper in which I'm describing a process affecting the sliding of an object (a glacier in this case). This process resists both acceleration and deceleration. I'm currently saying that it acts as a "buffer" but I feel that doesn't properly describe the property I'm referring to.

Does it?

Are there other nouns (or phrases) that can be used in this case?

Here is the paragraph in its current form for more context:

  Isolated cavities display persistent high water pressures, often close
  to overburden. Therefore, under steady basal sliding speeds, they
  would offer little resistance to movement. However, their fixed volume
  would result in a pressure drop if sliding accelerates, or a pressure
  increase if it decelerates. In other words they can act either as
  sticky spots when basal sliding speeds up or as slippery spots when it
  slows down, working as a buffer for basal sliding variations.


texts: What's the word in English for something that increases/decreases?

texts:
I'm a game programmer and currently working on a generic system that works for most type of games. I have a generic piece of code, that I use on anything that could increase/decrease called EffectCauser - It has a bunch of parameters for it to work:

The target component (health, mana, speed, stamina, etc)
The effect methodology (OneHit, Overtime, Permanent, etc)
The effect type (Positive/Negative)
The effect amount.

First let me explain how this works in a couple of simple examples so that you understand better:

Let's say I wanted to create a first aid kit. I create an EffectCauser which will cause its effect on the Health component of the target object, I specify the methodology of the effect of type OneHit and the type of the effect to be Positive and an amount I choose, lets say 100 for a full heal.

Another example, if I wanted to create a Mana spell that decreases mana overtime:
I would create an effect causer that targets the Mana component of a target, select a methodology of Overtime (temporarily in other words) (filling the appropriate time values), an effect type of Negative this time, and an amount, like 50. (Imagine a spell in an RPG game where an enemy cast it at you, so you get -50 mana over a 10 sec time period)

And so on and so forth. I could do this for a Speed component, Agility, Stamina, etc.

The main thing for this to work is that all these things (Health, Mana, Speed, Stamina, etc) have to implement a common interface. I'm not being able to find the name of that interface.

One common thing between all these things, is that they increase and decrease. I thought of IChangable but that's very generic, maybe IIncreasableDecreasable but that's very long, and screaming "there's a better word than me"

Note that the convention of naming interfaces, is "IXXXable" (IMovable, ICombinable, ITransformable, etc)

So, what can I use here? what is the word that satisfies my needs?

Thanks a lot.

EDIT:
To make it easy, it need not be an interface. I could create an abstract class. Interfaces define behavior, while a class is for something that exists. I just have to change my way of thinking.

Ex: an abstract Character, with Player and Enemy as children. Player and Enemy are a Character. (Character is an abstract term for Enemy and Player)

So... what are Health, Mana, Speed, etc? For one thing, they're Components but what else? (I can't use Component here due to ambiguity as well). What about PlayerAttribute? well, for one thing I can attach Health to an enemy, not just the player. So... CharacterAttribute is good? nop, still ambiguous. (Attribute means a total separate thing in .NET)... I'm out of words :(

If you ever played an RPG game, what would a common name be to all your player stuff? (health, mana, agility, stamina, speed, dexterity, etc)


texts: Significance of "prepost" in the word Preposterous?

texts: What does the chunk "prepost" mean in the context of the word preposterous?


texts: "Do that and I'll leave": Is there a term for the use of the imperative as an emphatic conditional?

texts:
Is there a term for the use of the imperative as an emphatic conditional?

For example:

  Lose an hour in the morning, and you’ll be looking for it the rest of
  the day.

An instructive borderline case is: “Eat your veggies, and you’ll live a longer, healthier life.”, which can be taken literally, or as an emphatic conditional, thereby showing that the pattern is that the introductory verb is indeed an imperative and not merely a verb in plain form.


texts: What other alliterative phrases have become inseparable?

texts:
Just asking out of idle curiousity. There are some words that just always seem to be found together, such as

strong, silent type
cool, calm and collected
cheap and cheerful

Can you think of others? Does their alliterativeness doom them to the status of cliché?
Unrelated: How is it possible that 'cliché' and 'alliteration' do not yet exist as tags on the site? (As a new user I can't create tags.)


texts: 3 Final Questions on BrE Punctuation ... Proper Insertion of Commas (BBC)

texts:
I have three final questions regarding comma placements inside/outside the quote marks in BrE.

The following are sentences that were excerpted from the BBC News.

Separatism was a "serious threat", he said. [I understand that the comma is inserted outside the quote marks because it's not part of the actual quoted material here.]

"I want to make Ukraine a modern European country," he said. [But in this one, the comma is inside. It's not part of the quote in and of itself. Why? The example above has the comma outside.]

"Mr Obasanjo", he said, "why did you accuse Mr Jonathan of failing to deal with the many problems facing Nigeria?" [And with this sentence the comma is outside (after 'Mr Obasanjo'). Shouldn't it go inside because it's not part of the quote?]

"Mr Obasanjo," he said, "Why did you accuse Mr Jonathan of failing to deal with the many problems facing Nigeria?"
[With the cap-W in the second quote, this would indicate that the original sentence had a full stop after 'Mr Obasanjo', ie Mr Obasanjo. Why did you accuse Mr Jonathan of failing to deal with the many problems facing Nigeria?" The comma after 'Mr Obasanjo', in this case, would substitute for the full stop.]

I'm trying to understand this whole concept. Would you have punctuated these three sentences à la the BBC?


texts: "Developers with cahuna's only" - is the apostrophe appropriate?

texts:
I have the following sentence I've just seen, but I am pretty sure there should be no apostrophe on cahunas.

  developers with cahuna's only need apply.

Any ideas, I think it should be:

  developers with cahunas only need apply.


texts: A tendency to use "a" in place of "an" in American English

texts: I have noticed that a lot of native American speakers use the indefinite article "a" in front of words beginning with vowels, such as  interesting, old, apple  , etc. Is there any reasonable explanation?


texts:
I am trying to help my girlfriend study english.

She was wondering why use "of" in the following sentence:

  The Chinese self-image is still in so many ways, of a weak country.

Is it simply a more formal way of describing something which must be learned by rote, or is there a grammar rule I can explain to clarify it?


texts:
I often hear people describe a specific subset of a larger set as "those things that are ________."

Is this correct English?  I mean, you could just say "the things that are ________."

Something about the first usage always irked me, but what do you all think?


texts: Can't find the reason why : riceful and antful are ungrammatical. Can someone help me? Thanks


texts: How does the pitch change through the phrase "a gorgeous young model"?

texts:
When one pronounces the phrase

  a gorgeous young model

in a very normal way (without any special stress to emphasize a specific meaning), which word will be said in the highest pitch, which word will be said in the lowest pitch and which word will receive the middle range?

Information added later:

Yeah, I mean the frequency change. See this photo to know what I mean. But I'm not sure if these pitch patterns will sound natural or not, so please recommend me the better pitch pattern!


texts: How did the expression "put the blame on" come about?

texts:
Put/lay/place the blame on someone or something meaning to assign a bad outcome on someone or something is an expression which dates back to the 18th century in the form with lay, while the forms  with put and place appear to be from the mid 19th century according to Ngram.

Now the more common form is "put the blame" which became popular especially from the '40s probably because of the famous song "Put the blame on Mame" from the famous Hollywood movie "Gilda".

Though  the wording is clear, it is very specific to the usage of the word "blame" and, as a matter of fact, similar expressions such as "put the guilt on"  and "put the fault on" are not idiomatic:

So, how did the expression come about? Does it refer to some old biblical saying  for instance?

Edit:

Regarding @deadrat interesting comment/answer I'd point out that all the expressions listed are not idiomatic as "put the blame on" is, see NGRAM


texts:
How do you indicate a question (as in an uncertain statement) mid-sentence? My first thought was:

"That's Fred and his—cousin?—by the punch bowl."

But if you take out the parenthetical, you're left with:

"That's Fred and his by the punch bowl."

Which makes no sense.
I considered this:

"That's Fred and his cousin(?) by the punch bowl."

But I feel like it breaks some sort of grammar rule. (Does it? Is a question mark in brackets allowed?)
I also tried:

"That's Fred and his... cousin, by the punch bowl."
"That's Fred and his... cousin? by the punch bowl."

But the first one gives off the wrong message for me. More like the speaker had to pause to remember their precise relation, rather than that they're unsure if they've got it right.
And the second example brings the issue of not capitalising after the '?'.
I don't know. Is there a good way to show this? (Without just restructuring the sentence—I want to know how to punctuate this specific turn of phrase, not make it a non-issue.)


texts: The phrase "as with" presumably stands for "as is the case with." But sometimes it does not fit the sentence: for example, I think "As with any other skill, the art of listening can be fine-tuned" should read "Like any other skill. . ."  Or is the phrase "as with" now generally entrenched to cover even those sentences in which the grammar is technically incorrect?


texts: Single word(s) that describes all activity sorted by recency

texts:
We are struggling to find the correct word(s) that describes a list of all messages in the system that are sorted by recency.

Trending does not work because what we are displaying is not what is popular in the system, only the most recent.

Recent does not work because it implies there is a limit to the number of messages we display.

All does not work because it does not imply that they are sorted by recency.

Any hints or suggestions are welcome. Thanks!


texts: Expression for "The time period in which I started working in my current workplace"

texts:
James started to work at place X since 20th February 2019.
Which phrase should be used to refer to the time period which is the beginning of his work at that workplace?
For example (the following is bad English):
"At the beginning of my work at X I used to joke with lots of colleagues."
I seek to replace most of "At the beginning of my work at X" with a phrase.


texts:
I've always been taught that the character "w" in English was a consonant, except in very specific cases. However, on a recent trip to Wales, I learned that in Welsh it was considered a vowel. And then it struck me:

Is W really a consonant?

Whenever we (or, at least I) pronounce the character, I pronounce it as oo (as the Welsh do), such as in whenever (oo-ehn-eh-vehr). Does the w just signify a movement in pronunciation to or from oo and therefore act like a vowel, or is it something about the definition of a consonant?


texts: I'm trying to figure out if there is a word that means "both hilarious and terrifying." Thank you.


texts: Is there any equivalent for this Persian proverb "A lopsided load won't reach the destination"?

texts:
There is a proverb in Persian that literally means:

  "A lopsided load won't reach the (given) destination."

It implies that "dishonesty, deviation from the right path, or injustice wouldn't have good or favorite consequences".

We use it:

for criticizing or giving advice to somebody who is trying to gain
their goals through dishonesty, deceitful actions, or injustice.

or

when someone has acted dishonestly and now has faced bad consequences
so we remind them "Didn't you know that a lopsided load won't reach
the destination?!"

Is there any equivalent for this Persian proverb in English language?

PS:

As you see in the below cartoon, watermelons have been loaded lopsidedly on the poor donkey's back, so the man is not able to deliver them to the (given) market.

Update:

I just found that in some Persian to English sources "honesty is the best policy" is considered as the equivalent to this proverb, does it have the same connotation?


texts: I recommend that "Company X adopt" vs "Company X adopts"

texts:
What is the correct verb form to use here?

  I recommend that Company X adopt Y.

or

  I recommend that Company X adopts Y.


texts:
Today I wrote the sentence:

  The supplied definition defines 24 16-bit words per subframe, and ...

I know the recipient will understand the terminology.  I'm concerned about writing the phrase "24 16-bit words".  It almost reads as "2416-bit words".  The only alternative I can think of is wordy and flows poorly:

  The supplied definition defines 24 words per subframe, each 16 bits wide, and ...

I'm of the mind that "sixteen-bit" is not immediately recognisable, and expressing a quantity, especially of 10 or more, is generally best done in numerals.  Is this the best way to write it or is there a better alternative?


texts:
Over the years, I have often debated whether the phrase is "In the morning, I'm going to sleep in." or "In the morning, I'm going to sleep out."  My best guess is that it is a regional difference of convention.

Is it?  Are there any real, historical or otherwise, reasons to prefer one over the other?

(It would be particularly nice, arm-chair linguistically, if it were "I will sleep out." but "I slept in.", though I quite doubt that fits anyone's usage.)


texts:
I watched the 1st episode of "Taboo" TV show and here is a piece of the description of the main character given by his enemies:

  I would guess that confidence allowed his true savage nature and
  mother's madness to emerge. The necks he broke always belonged to
  officers. And then there is the setting ablaze of a Navy boat in an
  experiment with oil and mashed potatoes while drunk. And a fight with
  a bear in Chancery Lane, a rebellion against the cooks for bad
  custard, started by him, and he raved about fortunes and hidden
  treasures. He tried to recruit other boys to go down the river to
  India, to trade with Red Indians, to take gold from the Aztecs. And
  more necks, more whores and more custard. And finally...

I suspect that the main character actually didn't break officers's necks because it's the crime that a soldier couldn't have committed without consequences. I guess that there is some figurative meaning of "the necks he broke". Am I right?


texts: Why use "need not" instead of "do not need to"?

texts:
The header of psyco.sourceforge.net states:

  High-level languages need not be slower than low-level ones.

Why use need not instead of do not need? What does it mean? Also, why no to before be?


texts: "Most countries in the world" or "Most of the countries in the world"?

texts:
Most of is used to say quantity of a thing in general, and Most of the is used to say quantity of a specific thing. I think in the world is a specific thing which makes me think that Most countries in the world is right, but I'm not sure.

So what is the right answer?


texts:
Is there any English idiom with meaning "a lot of paper" (like documents), like "a tons of paper" or so?

I mean paper as paperwork, but not in the context of the work itself, more kind of going through the papers, filing it and so on. Someone in the comments suggested: “An avalanche of paper” which works great.

Are there any others?


texts: What does "her mama leaned hard" in this Emmylou Harris Song mean?

texts:
I was listening to the song "Red Dirt Girl" by Emmylou Harris, and didn't understand one of the lyrics: "her mama leaned hard." What does this mean?

Her daddy turned mean and her mama leaned hard
Got in trouble with a boy from town

I did find one definition from this blog, but it doesn't seem to be what I am looking for: "To lean hard you must get under God’s feet and submit to His plans and purposes, even if you do not see them fully or understand them at all. Leaning means shifting all the weight of the burden from your shoulders to His."


texts: What is the difference between "catching a cold " and "catching cold"?

texts:
My aunt always used to tell me  "You'll catch cold if you go outside without wearing a jacket".

Why is this different if I were to say "You'll catch a cold if you go outside without wearing a jacket"?

To me, catching a cold makes more sense but I hear many people saying "catch cold"...


texts:
The antonym of "upgrade" is "downgrade", quite broadly used.

What is the antonym of "update"?

Update:
Though, I hoped for something like "un-update" because reverting or uninstalling updates are much lengthier.
Update2:
After having further answers about "Restore", et al, I decided to restore the phrase from my original update.

  Yes, I can revert updates (uninstall
  service packs, hotfixes or restore
  the operating system to a previous
  state/image)


texts:
I have looked up the difference but I cannot decide which word to use.
 I am talking about my high school experience.  "There was always something to be done, from [this] to [that]. Nonetheless/nevertheless, I learned a lot."

Basically like through the intensity, through the chaos, through doing all the aforementioend things, I learned a lot.

Please tell me which would be correct in the sentence and why. Thanks!


texts: Mow the lawn, cut the grass, mow the yard, cut the yard ...what is correct?

texts:
This weekend I mowed the yard. My neighbor says he cut the grass. Did I cut the grass, or maybe I mowed the lawn, or did I cut the yard?

When does one mow, and when does one cut? Is it grass, or yard, or lawn?


texts:
There's a word (that I can't quick remember) that means colloquial / personal fits perfectly in this context:

  I haven't conducted any formal studies on the matter, just speaking from _______ experience

The meaning I'm after is "informal" or "personal"


texts: Do you want choice A or B? Yes!-- Is it wrong to answer with a yes when given two options?

texts:
If someone asks

  Would you prefer to go shopping or go out to eat?

and receives the response

  Yes

the response is ambiguous.

You cannot deduce which choice the responder has chosen because they haven't responded with one of the options.

Is there a rule that dictates which choice to assume the responder has made?


texts: I'm looking for a word like "switchyard"

texts:
I would like it to evoke:

Queuing up of the train cars,
Determining where each should go,
Building lines of cars with similar destinations, and
Sending them on their merry way (once there are enough cars to make it worthwhile).

I'm looking for something even shorter than "switchyard". In my case, I'm talking about chunks of data, not train cars.

Specifically, I'm looking for a concise name to give to a module of C-language code I'm working on. Other functions will provide assorted data to this module, which will sort it by destination and queue it up. When a given queue reaches a size threshold, the data is wrapped into a packet and sent to another function.

Thanks!


texts: Are there subtle differences between "Again, ..." and "Once again, ..."?

texts:
For example, is this:

  Once again, I went to Shibuya and began a leisurely afternoon of people watching.

different from this?

  Again, I went to Shibuya and began a leisurely afternoon of people watching.

Or they mean pretty much the same?


texts: Is "They eat whatever that bugs them" grammatical?

texts:
In the joke

  Why are frogs so happy?

  They eat whatever bugs them.

would it be grammatically correct to change the second sentence to "They eat whatever that bugs them"? If so, what parts of speech are "whatever" and "that" in this case?


texts:
I came across a sentence structure similar to the below, and I am wondering if the sentence should end with a question mark or a period.

  How did you do that, she wondered?

First of all, I would have written "She wondered, how did you do that?" instead. (The "How did you do that" part was NOT a direct quotation, it was the rewording of the author.)

However, if I have to choose one, I would put a period just because if it ends with a question mark I would automatically read the ending with a raised intonation.

Putting a question mark after "that," sounds right, but seems wrong because a question mark is considered as an ending mark.

What would be an appropriate punctuation here?


texts: Did the phrase "final solution" for a form of genocide first appear with the Canadians?

texts:
Did the phrase "final solution" for a form of genocide first appear with the Canadians, or with the Nazis / Holocaust?

The TVTropes "Final Solution" page explains the origins of the term:

  While the Holocaust may be the Trope Namer, the term "Final Solution" comes from the Canadian government's attempts to eradicate the Native population in the 19th and early 20th century.

It gives this blog page, which quotes a letter, "Duncan Campbell Scott to D. MacKay: DCS to BC Indian Agent Gen. Major D. MacKay. 12 Apr. 1910. DIA Archives RG 10 series.":

  It is readily acknowledged that Indian children lose their natural resistance to illness by habituating so closely in the residential schools, and that they die at a much higher rate than in their villages. But this alone does not justify a change in the policy of this Department, which is geared towards a final solution of our Indian Problem.

Googling around, I found:

this blog, which also cites the letter (although attributes it to 1918).
this 2014 Masters thesis, which also cites the letter. It also points to...
this informal presentation.

Did the term "Final Solution" first appear as euphemism for genocide in Canada?


texts:
I am not sure if using "before" is correct here:

  The Stars Music Group did a fantastic job at the University of Kansas
  before a large group of Iranian and American audience.

Is that correct? or should I use

  "in front of"


texts: In my company, my colleagues always say 'DTO' when they take a leave. What is the full form of DTO?


texts: I haven't been able to find a clear and simple definition of "phenotext" and "genotext", both terms — I believe — were created by Julia Kristeva. All explanations are only pompous texts I have not had time to go through. Has anyone a definition for me?


texts:
I am almost sure what will be the answer to this question, but still wanted to ask it anyways.

Can you use "hear back from sb" in a sentence?
Let's say something like:

  We have not heard back from you regarding ...

or should it be just:

  We have not heard from you regarding ...

I checked a few dictionary sources but I couldn't find "hear back":
http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/hear
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/hear


texts: What should you call a preface for a small document?

texts: I think the word preface refers to books.  I have a small document that is in the form of a hierarchical outline.  Before my document, I want to put a small paragraph with instructions how to consume the material.  What should I title that small paragraph?


texts: Is there any difference between "spider-man" and "human spider"?

texts:
I am trying to write a review of a text.

I am trying to understand the context of two phrases: "spider-man" and "human spider".

Do they mean different things?

Although these two words were used interchangeably in the movie "Spiderman" (2002), I have a feeling that, grammatically, "spider-man" means "a human with spider properties". On the other hand, "human spider" means "a spider with human properties".

Am I right or wrong?


texts: Word with the same meaning as "good moments" or "pleasant memories"?

texts:
Is there a single word with the same meaning as "good moments" or "pleasant memories"? I'm looking for a word which describes good thing(s) that happened to someone. The only word I can think of is "joy".

Some examples might be:

Wayne has many pleasant memories of the days spent with the family.
She could remember many good moments from the last weekend.


texts: A word to describe needed (and unobtained) stock?

texts:
The term for stock needed that is already in possession is inventory. However, I don't know what to call the items that are outside the inventory that needs to be acquired.

What I want to do is keep track of the inventory (obviously), but also a list of items needed, that when obtained will be part of the inventory.


texts: What do you call a set of data that contains the position and dimensions of something?

texts:
I have an Element. I'm trying to find a name for a set of data that describes its position and dimensions. What can I call this set of data?

  Positions and dimensions can be referred to together as ______.


texts: Is there a comma between "you" and "three" in the sentence, "You three, get off your butt and do some work!"

texts:
Folks,
This seems like an easy question but I couldn't find an answer after spending about ten minutes searching.  I think it's because it's hard to create a good search engine query for this question.
The closest answer I found was this: Should there be a comma between 'you' and 'darling' here?.  But, the two scenarios seem a little different.
I distinctly remember being taught by my English teacher that there is a comma between you and the object but whenever I see it these days in a book or newpaper, the comma seems to be missing.  Which is correct?


texts: Does "lying" only refer to something you know is not true at the time you speak it?

texts:
Is it proper to use lying to refer to something one says one will do (or not do) and then later fail to follow through on, either due to neglect or forgetfulness?

I have heard twice in the same week, in completely different circles, people use lying to refer to something other than the intent to deceive.

I corrected it, the first time. When it came up the second time in a different context I wondered if I was missing something!

So sorry to even have bothered you all with this. Apparently these were folks making use of one particular definition of lie and ignoring or not aware of the obvious primary definition. You're right! It is right there in the dictionary!


texts:
What is the grammatical name and function of the italicised expression in the sentence

She communicated gladly with a man who was going to see his son in Lagos and they exchanged numbers.


texts:
I am looking for a synonym for something like "ready to use". I have found this question, but I am not sure if "prepped" or "primed" are nice solutions for a logo subline.

So my logo subline should be something like "Ready to use streaming statistics". Looking forward receiving your suggestions.

Thanks.


texts:
At 0:13 of this video clip, the director of the movie says:

What's so exciting is that we are capturing the actors' performance, tracking that into these photo reliefs.

Photo-relief is defined in this dictionary as

An image in relief produced by a photographic process

Which I doubt makes any sense in the movie's context.
So I've looked at another definition here:

A photograph having relief information added.

A photograph of a relief model .

But I still can't wrap my head around the meaning of "photo reliefs" as used by the director.
What does "photo reliefs" mean in context?


texts: What is the word for "composing of a single part"?

texts:
I feel like this is on the tip of my tongue. What is the adjective for describing something as composing of a single part? e.g. "Your goals need not be [composed of a single part]."

Some possibilities that don't particularly ring true for me:

Homogeneous: I get the sense that "homogeneous" describes the qualia of a mixture, but the context I'm using it is not describing a mixture.

Monolith: This word's connotation seems to be more about the size of the object, not the composition of it.

Simple: This is the mathematical word for what I'm looking to describe, but this is a pretty technical and overloaded word that doesn't suit a layman audience, so I'm not inclined to use it.


texts: Plurals, Possesives, and Proper Nouns ending with 'S'

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s?

I just took a grammar quiz in 10th grade English Honors, and one of the questions was very interesting to me.

In this certain section of the quiz, we had to insert (we couldn't take something out) either a semicolon (;), a colon (:), an apostraphe ('), a hyphen (-), or a dash (--).

The sentence in question went like this:

  Jack Walls, Chris Walls, and Jackie Wallses children were very upset when they got home.

I decided to take out the 'e' and insert an apostraphe between the two S's like so

  Jack Walls, Chris Walls, and Jackie Walls's children were very upset when they got home.

I knew that I was told to only insert punctuation, but I decided to take the risk anyway.  After class I went to my teacher and showed her.  She says she might need to make the question a freebie.

Am I right, or is the correct version this?

  Jack Walls, Chris Walls, and Jackie Wallses' children were very upset when they got home.


texts:
I was looking over another person's written article online. When leaving a suggestion in favor of the second of the two sentences below, I was told that the first is actually correct.

The former is the sentence that was there to start with; the sentence below it is the recommendation of mine that was turned down:

"A number of brutal attacks and robberies has left many outsiders disillusioned with the culture."

"A number of brutal attacks and robberies have left many outsiders disillusioned with the culture."

I have very rarely, if ever, seen the first of the two in writing. Is it a mere singularity of AP style?


texts: What is the phrase ending in "game" that means a fool's errand?

texts: I am trying to remember the phrase that describes a particular kind of folly - trying to "beat the house", or willingness to play a rigged game.  As I recall it has the form of "a fool's errand" - that is, the game is referred to as belonging to the person who is silly enough to play it.  I'd appreciate knowing the origin of the phrase, too.


texts:
Is there a word or phrase that means "to start a horse" or "make a horse start moving"? Something like "he [started] his horse".

I thought of "urged her horse on" but that sounds like the horse is already moving. "Brought his horse to a canter" sounds okay but I want something that doesn't specify the speed, just shows that the horse has started moving.

I feel like there's a single word that means what I'm trying to say, but I can't find it.


texts: Which verb should be used with self-control?

texts:
So I know that one loses self-control, but what if you mean to say that someone is responsible for that? Which verb would be OK to use?

Perhaps:

  You disturb my self-control.
  You shake my self-control.
  You take my self-control.
  You vex my self-control.

I can't find any instances of the first or last and only a couple of the second example. I found a lot of accounts using take, but it's part of a song so that taints the results. What sounds most natural?


texts: Why do we say "I would appreciate it if you paid in cash," but not "I will appreciate it if you pay in cash"?

texts:
In the dictionary, I found this example (Source):

  I would appreciate it if you paid in cash.

Clearly, this is the conditional sentence, type 2 which expresses something that is impossible in the future or at the present. For example the following sentence expresses something that is impossible in the future or at the present:

  If I won lottery, I would buy a 10 bedroom house.

So, let’s say you want to buy a newspaper at a shop; you give your debit card to the seller; and the seller says:

  I would appreciate it if you paid in cash.

Does the seller think that the chance that I can pay in cash is impossible?

Why can‘t the seller use the following conditional sentence, type 1, meaning something that is possible in the future or at the present?

  I will appreciate it if you pay in cash.

This way he says that he thinks that the chance that I can pay in cash is possible.

So, which structures do native people use?

  I would appreciate it if you paid in cash.

  I will appreciate it if you pay in cash.


texts: Is the term "errored out" a grammatically correct phrase, or just a colloquial one?

texts: I was wondering whether it is OK to use "errored out" as part of a status message in my code — is it grammatically correct to use it, or is there a better choice of words that I can use in its place?


texts: Can I go without using "that" in this type of sentences?

texts:
Example sentences:

You can only see pictures [that] they have picked.

I've got those letters [that] she sent me.

I don't like "that", but without it it feels like something is missing.

Thank you.


texts: Difference between "Discriminant", "Discriminative" and "Discriminating"

texts:
Let us assume I am writing some technical CS stuff, and I want to talk about "features" of something that discriminate something else.
Translating from my native language (French), I would use the word + adjective:

Discriminant features

However, I have stumbled in reads upon the word "Discriminative" and "Discriminating".
According to Wiktionary, we have:

Discriminant (Adj.): Serving to discriminate.
Discriminative (Adj.): Which has the ability to discriminate between things; or which imparts such ability
Discriminating (Adj.): Able to perceive fine distinctions between similar things; perceptive

So if I understand this correctly, Discriminating does not have the same meaning as the other two, i.e. discriminating is an adjective for someone/something that perceives the differences, instead of caracterizing them.
However it is not clear, with regards to the definition of Wiktionary, whether Discriminative and Discriminant are perfect synonyms, or if one is more used in some context than an other, or if they don't exactly mean the same thing, etc.


texts:
I'm wondering what it is called when a non-transitive verb is used as a transitive verb.  An example would be if someone took the dog outside so it could defecate, and said,

  I pooped the dog.

I know the term anthimeria refers to using one part of a speech as another.  Wikipedia says that anthimeria...

  involves using one part of speech as another part of speech, such as using a noun as if it were a verb: "The little old lady turtled along the road."

but it doesn't say whether the term applies to using a non-transitive verb as a transitive one.  Although "poop" is also a noun, it is defined as a verb as well and is being used as a verb, so...

  I pooped the dog

seems like it doesn't qualify as "anthimeria" by definition, but it's clearly a related linguistic phenomenon, so I assumed that there must be a term or explanation for this.  However, searching online on Google and Wikipedia, I have not been able to find any analysis of that kind of switch.


texts: Single word for shopping after comparing price and features across multiple shops and product types

texts:
I'm looking for a phrase or a single word that denotes the act of buying an item after analyzing the price and features of different products across several shops.  The closest I could get to was "discerning" shopper.  I would like to have a word that directly refers to the act of extensive research done before buying a product.

Thank you


texts:
There is a maritime term “lighter” which refers to a unpowered barge that was used to unload (lighten) larger ships anchored at roadsteads, unable to enter shallow harbours, or to facilitate transfer of cargo via inland waterways.

Nowadays, LASH (Lighter Aboard SHip) system is used with standardised lighter barges loaded on board of larger ship (similar idea to containers) to be released at destination.

In a strict context of (technical) maritime writing/usage, it seems that the term is perfectly understandable. However, writing for non-technical audience I ran into a problem where I had a passage describing various types of vessels used during Arctic navigation. Rough shortened quote: “…bulk loaders, container ships, tankers, and lighter barge ships”. Obvious issue is that for uninitiated that would likely mean ships that are lighter (smaller) than the other listed ones.

In Russian, where the term “лихтер” is a calque of the Dutch “lichter”, there is no confusion whatsoever. I am not sure that the same issue as in English would not arise in Dutch or German, languages that use same term.

What is the better way to handle this situation? Best without avoiding using the term. Is there a substitute? Is there a way to ensure the audience know that writer talks about specific maritime term, not just a common adjective of one thing lighter than the other?


texts: Given a word, say deregulate, is there a prefix to denote the opposite, rather than simply saying regulate? It seems fairly illogical to have one but I was wondering if something existed.


texts:
There is a proverb or saying in Arabic and the exact translation is...

  "When whores talk about honor"

...this is said when someone points out other people's mistakes while he/she makes the same mistakes or something even worse.

is there anything similar or equivalent in English?


texts: "All but convinced" as a way of saying that one is, in fact, convinced?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “All but” idiom has two meanings?

It seems kind of counterintuitive, but saying that:

  I'm all but convinced that ponies eat leprechauns.

means

  I'm absolutely convinced that ponies eat leprechauns.

It seems that this is backwards; it would seem to mean "I'm everything except convinced that ponies eat leprechauns," meaning that I'm not convinced, but open to the possibility.

What does this "all but (adjective)" conjunction mean?


texts: Is the word "recommend" the word I'm looking for?

texts:
I am trying to figure out if the word recommend is the word I am actually looking for.

Background

I am trying to decide whether determine if an algorithm I am writing is a Recommender System or something else. In my case my algorithm learns from the history of the user and picks (this is important as the user does not pick, the algorithm forcefully picks) a certain strategy after that history. This is why I'm thinking the term recommend is wrong as the user does not have a chance to choose.

The algorithm spits out a list of things and it's probability of it being in the users favor.

option A 0.32
option B 0.1121
option C 0.054
etc.

So I guess it does recommend the list in this order, but then I choose the top option A always as.

So I think of my system in two ways.

It IS a Recommender System, just that I choose the option with the largest probability.
Well, it is NOT, it is something else.

Meaning

Meanings of the word from top results on Google:

  put forward (someone or something) with approval as being suitable for
  a particular purpose or role.

  to say that (someone or something) is good and deserves to be chosen

  to present as worthy of confidence, acceptance, use, etc.; commend;
  mention favorably:

Also the issue I have with the word is that the meaning of recommend to me is normally used when an object is being recommended is not very known to the party in which the recommendation is being directed at.

I am trying to find a word in which the party already knows of it.

Other words

If there are any other words which can be suitable by all means please tell me. In the Computer Science arena the following terms pop up when in the context of learning from the user and doing something with that data:

Personalization
Context-awareness
Adaptive personalization


texts: What's the difference between for and of here?

texts:
When I learnt linear algebra, I found two similar titles using different preposition. Here they are:

Vector Form for the Equation of a Line. // of a line
Parametric Equations for a Line         // for a line

What's the difference between these two? BTW, I'm always confused about using preposition, could someone shed some light on it, or just give me some suggestion?


texts: How do you form this perfect continuous sentence in the passive voice?

texts:
''They have been giving us water for 3 days.''

What is the passive of the above sentence?


texts:
I have these two questions:

  Could you give me a call please as I need to speak to you about something?
  What is the name of the reference because there is something important that I need to look up?

The actual question stops at the word 'please' in the first question. The actual question stops at the word 'reference' in the second question.

Should these two questions be split into two sentences like this:

  Could you give me a call please? There is something I need to speak to you about.
  What is the name of the reference? There is something important that I need to look up.


texts: Difference between "invest in" and "invest into"

texts:
Possible Duplicates:
  Difference between “in” and “into”
  When should “into” be used rather than “in to,” and vice versa?

  Since solar power is theoretically the most efficient energy source on earth, shouldn't we invest more in harnessing it?

As I was writing the sentence above, I became uncertain as to whether I should write in or into, and thereby doubted whether I really understood the difference. Please explain.


texts:
I am learning English and when reading the definition of "temporize" from the New Oxford American Dictionary, I find hard to understand the meaning.

It says:

  verb 1 [ no obj. ] avoid making a decision or committing oneself in order to gain time

I am confused because there seems to be two ways to understand this. First, it is by "making a decision or committing oneself" that someone aims to "gain time". Or, it is by " avoid making a decision or committing oneself" that one "gain[s] time".

Could someone please solve my confusion?


texts: Usage and acceptability of the word "queer"

texts:
This dictionary.com definition pretty much sums up my understanding of what the word queer is supposed to mean. However, in modern times (at least here in the US, perhap someone else can speak for other regions), it seems the word has been appropriated to solely mean homosexual.

Is it still acceptable to use the word in the sense of "odd", "strange", or "unusual", or does it now only carry a derogatory/offensive connotation? Would using it in this sense be considered offensive?


texts:
I'm wondering how do you read the following expressions. I have some guesses but I'd like someone to confirm whether my guesses are right and if there are other ways to read those numbers other than the ones I'm proposing.

210 (my guess: "two to the power of then" or "two to the tenth power")
∜5 (my guess: "the fourth root of five")
2x (my guess: "two to the power of x")
x√2 (no idea)

Also, I know there are some special cases. For example, 52 is "five squared", √5 is the "square root of five", and ∛5 is the "cube root of five". Are there other special cases (maybe 53)?


texts:
The following sentence appeared in an article: "I would say 94,504 bitcoins is real folding money, but you can't fold bitcoins." A colleague said that it should have been 'are' instead of 'is.' I am torn as to whether he is correct because 'bitcoins' is plural or incorrect because '94,504 bitcoins' is a singular concept that is being equated to another singular idiom.

I think he's incorrect because 'five eggs is enough' is correct and you rarely equate a plural noun with a singular noun; 'apples are orange' doesn't work.


texts: Is there another way to say 'secret handshake'?

texts: I feel that 'secret handshake' isn't an appropriate name for the way some people elaborately greet each other. Some friends have complex hand grasps and what not, and other people may simply shake hands and pat each other's back.


texts: What is the term for an exam which is conducted physically in an examination hall with all the students on the premises?

texts: Due to the Covid 19 situation most of the universities conducted online exams. The exams were held online using internet tools via a computer. When it comes to compare the online exam with an actual examination, what is the best term to use for an actual exam which is conducted physically in an examination hall with all the students on the premises in a given time period? I find it rather odd to use physical examination because it sounds like it’s a medical examination. Offline examination is another term which came into my mind but still I feel like it is not the correct term. Could anyone kindly tell me the correct phrase to be used which is matching with the context?


texts: What is a word meaning "an oft used cliché or line used to defend oneself from negative criticism"?

texts: For example, when someone is being told that  they're being a prick, they might trot out the old, "I'm just saying it like it is. You all can't handle this real talk!", as if that excuses their bad behaviour. What is a word for such lines; lame clichéd defenses of negative aspects of something or someone?


texts: Can I change how to accomplish something once someone says "or something to that effect"?

texts: I periodically get a broad description of how to perhaps solve a problem at work but then at the end of the email the phrase "or something to that effect" is included.  Does that mean - 'just get me the outcome' and forget how I told you to get there?


texts: What is differences between "level" and "degree"?

texts:
When we can use degree? And also when we can use level? Are they similar or not?

For example in this sentence

  The way to tell a true unit from a degree of something is to look at the zero point.

Can I use level instead of degree?


texts: Is the term 'Occidental' still in common usage - or is it a legacy of a bygone age?

texts:
I've heard of the word 'Occidental' or 'The Occident' used to mean the same as Oriental or 'The Orient' but applied to the European continent. This I've seen in historic fiction, such as the works of Patrick O'Brian, and 'The Occidental' - being a pub in Sydney.

Apart from that - I've never heard anyone use this term in conversation. Is it still used?


texts: What does "a Munich-like capitulation by President Obama" mean?

texts:
Europe’s disarray will tempt Putin to subjugate the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania under the pretense of protecting Russian minorities there, who, by the way, have no desire to be Moscow’s subjects again. These states are part of NATO, and the U.S. and other NATO members are under treaty obligation to defend them from a Russian assault. A Munich-like capitulation by President Obama would destroy NATO, the alliance that enabled the West to win the Cold War. The Balts are visibly fearful that their days of independence are numbered. Poland is also increasingly anxious about its security.

The paragraph above is an excerpt from the magazine Forbes USA (20160726). What confuses me is the phrase "A Munich-like capitulation by President Obama". Could someone please explain it to me? Thank you!

According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, capitulate means: 1.to accept or agree to something that you have been opposing for a long time; 2. to accept defeat by your enemies in a war.


texts: Comma in "Experiencing P as well as Q, changed D"

texts:
Experiencing both sides of the X versus Y argument as someone who used
  both as well as both sides of the A versus B argument as a
  professional, altered my view of C.

Is the last comma in this sentence correct? (", altered")

I know that punctuation is dictated by the sound of the sentence, and when I talk the sentence out loud it seems that there should be a comma. But for the shortened version it sounds as if there should not be a comma.

  "Experiencing P as well as Q changed D"


texts: Is the usage of "service" as a verb a recent phenomenon?

texts: I am finding that people use the word "serviced" in place of other verbs such as served, repaired, helped, etc. Has the use of the word service always been acceptable as a verb? Or is that a more recent phenomenon?


texts:
The term 'technical problem' can possibly be shortened to "technicality" and refer to the same thing. However,I would like to know what happens in this case.

We have a word i.e. technology and we try to a single word to describe a word for a technical problem in technology. Would it be "technologicality?"


texts: What is a proper alternative to stop/break/kick an addiction?

texts: With reference to someone trying to break an addiction, what is a word that properly means to stop the behavior? While "break" and "kick" would be understood, they are more informal than desired. "Stop" gives a connotation of something that is easy to do, which is not what I want to convey.


texts: Can "broken" mean never working to begin with?

texts:
Technically speaking can broken be correctly applied to a thing that is not and never was functional?  I think there is a connotation that a thing once was functional, but is that required for proper usage?

American Heritage Dictionary has simply:

Not functioning; out of order

But dictionary.cambridge.org has:

damaged, no longer able to work


texts: Not able to understand the meaning of a particular sentence

texts:
"When she joined the organization, my mother was an 18-year old, fair and green-eyed plump girl with a ready laugh. Most men around her were older to her-coming from varied backgrounds, rural, poor, Dalit, Muslim. Many fell for her instantly and wanted to marry her. In fact, father would receive the proposal for her by some reticent young man, for her family background was intimidating."
I have written down the whole paragraph so that one can get the context. I'm unable to understand the meaning of the last sentence in the paragraph. Who would the receive the proposal, author's mother or father and who is this reticent young man?


texts: Word for pleasing someone sexually because you care about them even though you don't like it?

texts:
Closest words that come to mind are: pleasing or pleasuring, but somehow these don't catch the meaning.

Do you guys know any other words?

Context:

  "I often thought about what I felt. If I were to use a single word to describe it, it would be ______, but essentially I made love to him not because I enjoyed it, quite the contrary, I did it because I cared about him and wanted him to have a good time even though I didn't like it."

It could be a noun such as sacrifice for example.


texts: "lesser visual fidelity" vs. "lower visual fidelity"?

texts:
I'm wondering whether to use "lower visual fidelity" or "lesser visual fidelity" when comparing two identical scenes in two documentaries, one being remastered and thus of higher quality.

The complete sentence is:

"The old documentary features the same scenes, alas in lower visual fidelity."

Can both of these terms be used? What's the difference?


texts: The Function of “breathing" in This Sentence

texts:
For sometime, all that could be heard in the dim subway with its melancholy ambiance, was the sound of Joe and I breathing.

How to analyse the word "breathing" used in the sentence above? Are they trying to say "I and Joe who was breathing" or "the breathing of I and Joe"?


texts: What is the term for a special service a firm provides to secure a sale?

texts: Is there a standard word to describe something a seller does to secure a sale, particularly an add-on service or package? Like when a car dealer adds a package for new wheels or detailing or a dedicated service support line as encouragement to close soon. A "closer"? "Sweetener"? "White glove"? Value-added service?


texts: Term for a word used to pad a sentence while the speaker thinks of what to say next

texts:
Is there a word for a term employed to play for time and allow the speaker a little longer to work out what he/she wants to say next?

Words like um and er fall into this category, of course, but so (sometimes) do terms like actually, obviously, you know, like...

I wondered about filler word, but that would cover other reasons for using such a term. It's more about the grammatical relation to the rest of the sentence (none at all) rather than the purpose for which the speaker is using it.


texts: What to answer if a client says "Sorry for late reply" in e-mail?

texts:
I got a reply from a client, but it was almost one week late. How can I respond to him politely? I don't think saying "No Problem" or "It's all right" is good. He said in the mail that he is "Sorry for the delay caused".

What polite words should I use to go ahead with the current work?


texts: When does one capitalize the word "city"?

texts: In the UK, when does one capitalize the word "city"?  As in My City does not approve of trash receptacles.


texts:
dose that mean that the machine can now  play chess better than what was expected when it was being designed ?

This is The text

  On the other hand, other AI researchers have achieved spectacular results in getting particular aspects of human behaviour from machines. A good example would be chess playing. Certainly, when work started in this area in the 1950s it was seen as a good example of intelligent human behaviour. In a tournament in 1997 a computer called Deep Blue beat the World Chess Champion, Gary Kasparov. That machines can now play chess very well has been established.


texts:
Both nouns can be either a count noun or a mass noun. I think individually benefit tends to be used countably more than it appears as a mass noun.

We list the potential benefits (count) of a thing. And sometimes we don't get much benefit (mass) from things. Risk is similar in this regard.

But I feel uncertain about this phrase "weigh benefit(s) against risk(s)"

  We need to weigh benefit against risk.
  We need to weigh benefits against risks.
  We need to weigh benefits against risk.

Intuitively I feel more comfortable with 3 and would go with it, as when we speak of the element of risk, it sometimes cannot be counted. (But we do say "there are risks.") Interestingly, all three appear in print.

  They need to weigh benefit against risk (Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus)

  A third set of problems arises when the agency seeks to weigh benefits against risks. (Book by Justice Stephen Breyer)

  At present it is not possible to weigh benefits against risk for low dose somatic effects. (Congress hearings)

Consistency is a rare commodity when it comes to this. On the risk-benefit ration Wiki page:

  Risk–benefit analysis is analysis that seeks to quantify the risk and benefits and hence their ratio.

  For research that involves more than minimal risk of harm to the subjects, the investigator must assure that the amount of benefit clearly outweighs the amount of risk.

At this point it does seem this might be a case of personal style. But I am still wondering when benefit and risk are mass nouns, and why should we favor one way over the other?


texts: What is the origin of BrEng ‘bird’ meaning “young woman”?

texts:
Bird:

  (Brit.) a girl or young woman, esp one's girlfriend (Collins Dict. )

According to Etymonline,   bird:

  "maiden, young girl," c.1300, confused with  burd (q.v.), but felt by later writers as a figurative use of bird (n.1). Modern slang meaning "young woman" is from 1915, and probably arose independently of the older word.

also :

  As early as 1300, bird was used for ‘girl’, but this was probably owing to confusion with another similar middle English word, burde, which also meant ‘young woman’. The usage crops up from time to time in later centuries, clearly as an independent metaphorical application, but there does not really seem to be an unbroken chain of occurrences leading up to the sudden explosion in the use of bird for ‘young woman’ in the 20th century.
  (www.dictionarycentral.com)

Modern usage of bird meaning girl appears to be unrelated to the old Middle Ages meaning. Etymonline dates it back precisely to 1915.

What is the modern origin of bird meaning young woman?
In what context did they start to use it at the beginning of the 20th century?


texts:
Is it logic operators or logical operators / arithmetic operators or arithmetical operators. I'd expect both cases to be the same (either have the al suffix or not), and I usually check Google when I"m not sure, but in this case I'm not getting consistent results:

logic operators: 77k results
logical operators: 343k results
arithmetic operators: 434k results
arithmetical operators: 10k results


texts: "Are you having a good day?" Is it about me or about the weather?

texts:
When I'm asked over the phone in a long-distance call "Are you having a good day?" is this a question about me (my mood, my health), or about the weather?

Assuming I'm speaking with a Brit, that is...


texts:
What is the correct usage of the term "Free-to-play?"

I would expect it to mean any game that is at least partially free, up to and including games that are fully free such as freeware or abandonware.  However, I tend to only see it in relation to the former and never the latter, with "totally-free" not being considered "free-to-play."  In fact, the term seems to be applied broadly to games that use micro-transactions, thus making its usage seem more based on how one pays for a game as opposed to how one does not.

Is this just degrading slippage of the word's original purpose?  Is it just a marketing scam?  Is my sample-set just biased?


texts: According to me, it was acceptable, but according to him, it wasn't

texts:
I once had a piece of written work corrected by a very experienced English teacher who told me that writing "according to me" sounded weird and nobody who was English/British would ever say it. I didn't question him, as there was another teacher, Australian, who nodded her approval and so, blushing I murmured "thanks" and felt terribly awkward and almost ashamed.

I surmised that my "mistake" must have stemmed from my living too many years in Italy. After years of exposure to the Italian equivalent; secondo me ("according to" me); secondo te (...you); secondo a lui/lei, (... him/her); secondo noi (...us); and secondo loro (...them). "According to me" just sounded natural to my ears.

Fast forward to this summer and what do I discover on EL&U? That my mistake was in fact, grammatically correct. Is the phrase "according to me" correct?

  It's certainly grammatical. Whether and where you use it is entirely a
  matter of personal choice.

Another user posted this answer:

  The use according to me is correct, but it doesn't have the same
  meaning as in my opinion.

  The form according to nn is used when nn is some kind of authority, so
  if you are using it on yourself, you are also implying that you are an
  authority in the field.

I prefer the second answer because it explains why according to me sounded odd to the English language teacher. I now no longer make this mistake but after all this time, it still bothers me. Who is to say, that by saying according to him the nominated person is an authority. If I say:

  According to my brother, our father will have to go to a nursing home
  one day.

Would that be technically wrong? "My brother" is not an authority, and he may be younger than I am. If I were to rebuke this claim by saying:

  Well, according to me he shouldn't. He would hate losing his freedom
  and independence.

Would a native English speaker find this phrase odd and even laughable?