texts: A spinster or old maid! What is a similar term for male?

texts:
old maid: a single woman regarded as too old for marriage. Source

spinster: a woman who is not married, especially a woman who is no longer young and seems unlikely ever to marry. Source

These 2 above words refer to female, but now I want to find the similar term for male.

You can say that we can use "unmarried man" which is similar to "unmarried woman"

However, unmarried woman is "a woman who is not married" Source and it does not have the connotation as of "old maid" or "spinster".

It is because that "unmarried woman" could be the sister in a church who just do not want to marry because her religion. On the contrary, "old maid" or "spinster" means she is not attractive enough to get a husband or noone wants to marry her.


texts: Does 'for' here mean despite? and Does 'lightness' here mean light-minded?

texts:
She had gathered these things from time to time when she had gone to the Sunday-school with the children, and had laid them up in her memory more carefully than she had done with those other words and phrases; and she had studied them deeply, for her good and ours. One may see by this that she had a wise and thoughtful head, for all there was so much lightness and vanity in it. (Mark Twain, A Dog's Tale)

Does for here mean despite? and Does lightness here mean 'light-minded'?


texts: What is the meaning of "let in" in : "but they were let in in early in the spring through the Venezuelan loan, as no doubt you remember"

texts:
I am quoting from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, the Stockbroker's clerk, by Arthur Conan Doyle. It says: "I used to have a billet at Coxon and Woodhouse's, of Drapers' Gardens, but they were let in in early in the spring through the Venezuelan loan, as no doubt you remember, and came a nasty cropper".
I am wondering where was the company let in and what is the Venezuelan loan Hall Pycroft is refering to, It seems to me to be common knowledge since Pycroft and Waston have just met and Pycroft says "as no doubt you remember", but I still couldn't find such a thing as the Venezuelan loan, unless it's just imaginary.


texts:
If I want to talk to my coworkers about my wedding do I say "I had a wedding last month" or do i say "I had the wedding last month"?

Since it is the only wedding I shall ever have, and it is the very important to me, I think I should say "the wedding". "The wedding" just doesn't sound right to me, though I think it is more appropriate because if i say "a wedding", it removes emphasis on how important it was.

Which would be correct in the given context? "I had a wedding last month" or "I had the wedding last month".


texts: Why use "an" before a word that starts with a "L"

texts:
In this document, it says:

An LTI (Linear, Time-Invariant) system, in a simplified sense, will exhibit two behaviors

Can someone explain why the use of "An" instead "a" is correct here?


texts: Is there a name for adjectives like "beautiful", "incredible", "amazing", etc.?

texts: Is there a name for adjectives like beautiful, incredible, amazing, etc.? Adjectives that are often generically substitutable when, say, describing vacation resorts, or the like. Preferably a name that doesn't sound salesperson-ey, but I'm curious to know those too, so do comment.


texts:
Good evening ,i have a question

Is it okay if i say "We do not have to ignore the negative ones"?
Or the negatives ones.

Also, , I would like to focus on the negative facts about animals in zoos.

Is it negatives facts or negative facts...

Thank you

context:I know that there might be positive things about zoos, but we do not have to ignore the negatives ones.


texts:
A person who wastes money could be called a ____.
I saw this article that made me want this word, I can't believe governments are spending like 100x consumer price per unit.

Government workers are professional ______s.

I have considered "splurgers", but that seems more like throwing money around, and doesn't have strong enough connotations of being wasteful.
Maybe a synonym for prodigal? It feels weird to me to use prodigal as a noun, even though it can be one. But I would definitely associate the word I want with a rich son showing off his wealth, like playboy style. Like the Batman Begins scene where Bruce Wayne rolls up to the hotel in his million-dollar car with his foreign escorts, and then buys the hotel so carelessly because he got told off that his escorts were bathing in the water fountain centrepiece.
I want a word that means, this is a person who spends lots of money, without caring at all about whether they are getting appropriate value for it. They expend no effort at all in fighting for a fair price or doing market research, they are happy to let themselves get conned, they don't care at all if they're being charged thousands of times production costs, they waste money like whatever.


texts: Can "first" be used with indefinite article?

texts:
I was taught that the word "first" always comes with a definite article - the first. I never really questioned it and most of the time, it really seems natural to use it. However, sometimes I feel like indefinite article would be better. For example:

  This is a first blog post on this site after quite a long time...

Maybe this example is not the best one so let me ask generally: is it ever correct to use "a first" under some circumstance or is it always wrong?


texts: Vice Chair Elect or Vice Chair-elect or Vice-Chair-Elect? Elect or elect?

texts: The position for the incumbent in my club is referred to as Vice Chair (no hyphen). But "elect" is preceded by a hyphen. So, would "Vice Chair-elect" be more appropriate to describe the incoming Vice Chair? Also, should 'e' of "elect" be capitalized?


texts: Could Kamala Harris use “will” instead of “are going to” in this short viral video?

texts:
In this short viral video on Youtube, Kamala Harris says:

We did it. We did it, Joe. You're going to be the next president of
the United States.

Could she use “will” instead of “are going to”?


texts: Last I checked, we put commas after appositive phrases

texts:
The Official SAT Study Guide, Second Edition's second practice test's writing section contains the following question, with the objective to choose the answer that is most correct.

Through his novels Thomas Wolfe reveals to us both the pain and the beauty of his boyhood in the American South.
(A) [no change]
(B) By means of Thomas Wolfe's novels, which reveal to us both the pain and the beauty of his boyhood in the American South.
(C) Not only the pain is revealed to us in Thomas Wolfe's novels but he also describes the beauty of his boyhood in the American South.
(D) Thomas Wolfe, through the medium of his novels, reveals to us both the pain with the beauty of his boyhood in the American South.
(E) As a novelist, Thomas Wolfe thus revealing to us the pain and the beauty of his boyhood in the American South.

B through E are all blatantly incorrect, so the only remaining option is A, which is listed as the correct answer.
However, everyone I've asked agrees that that sentence requires a comma after the word novels, because Through his novels is functioning as an appositive phrase.
Is there something I'm missing here, or are all of these sentences incorrect?


texts: Is it a finished basement or a furnished basement?

texts: When one buys a house with a fully done basement, is it known as a furnished basement or a finished basement? I’ve heard both used, but I was always under the impression that the right usage is a furnished basement. I thought, being that the words sound similar, the two terms became confused and eventually interchangeable, but perhaps both are correct. Regardless, any logical, coherent answer to this question would be appreciated!


texts: As pointless, meaningless, can I write: planningless in a scientific paper?


texts: How to say that something happened in the past while emphasizing that it is not finished yet?

texts:
Let's say that we are in a 2-round tech-competition for which we have already entered the selected list of the first round and waiting to see the results for the 2nd round. Here I want to put the emphasis on the fact that our work was good enough to have the above result.
I want to somehow put that in my resume as one sentence for the sake of brevity!
If I say "Our solution has already shortlisted us in the X competition", would that send the message that we are waiting for the final evaluation? or maybe people misunderstand that's the best we could have made for this competition.
What if I say "Our solution currently shortlisted us in the X competition"? is it grammatically correct and also does it better emphasize that we are waiting for the rest of the evaluation?


texts: Can the suffix "to do so" change a noun into a verb?

texts:
Consider the following:

  The Cleaners were asked to clean.

Is it valid to use to do so instead of to clean removing the redundancy from mentioning cleaners and clean in the same sentence?

While I'm a native speaker, I haven't learnt the laws of the English language academically other than standard schooling to the age of 16, so would appreciate the elucidation here.


texts: Use of "results" in "Substituting for the numbers results in equation A" correct?

texts:
I have the following sentence:

  From Equation 1, x=1 and y=2. Since z=x+y, substituting for the numbers results in z=3.

I want to just check the usage of "results" is correct. My logic is that substituting for the numbers is a singular "act", as in the act of substituting for the numbers results in equation A.

Am I correct?

MS word has failed to enlighten me, accepting both versions without highlighting :)

In addition, the following doesn't sound right:

  The static nonlinearity was modelled by firstly simple polynomial and then dual-polynomial functions, the latter of which reduces the number of parameters required and the accuracy of the model.

At first glance, I should probably change reduces to reduce, as the functions are plural. But something is telling me the `latter of which' is needlessly complicated, so I attempt to write it as:

  The static nonlinearity was modelled by firstly simple polynomial and then dual-polynomial functions, with the latter reducing the number of parameters required and the accuracy of the model.

Please advise on both the validity of the change.

EDIT:
Altered original example and added 2nd part


texts:
I was watching a show on TV (I escaped my killer) and Lisa Noland is dropped off after being raped several times by her attacker and to her surprise he doesn't kill her, drops her off at her neighborhood. Then Lisa says:

  I just started running. Every time a car went by, I hit the road.
  I said "He's coming back, he's coming back for me and I just kept
  running."

Hit the road as far as the dictionaries go means like "to get on the way, to start a journey etc"

Why is she getting back on the road where she should get off the road, hide or something?


texts:
How to say "he was waiting long time but not ... (did not reach goal)"?

I have problem with some translation I want express such expression that "someone" is waiting long but not finished it since something not occurs.

Example "I was waiting whole day for sun but did not ..."? (reach?, wait?).

I am not native speaker and have problem to find this simple thing.


texts:
When the nominative articles for masculine and feminine nouns were exchanged for þe and cases for nouns were lost, it would make sense for masculine and feminine to become a common gender like in various Germanic languages.
But neuter would still have þæt to be an article for neuter nouns. Like: That land belongs to the man; that child is rude.
Why would neuter be lost?


texts:
What is a better way to say "and again" when you are repeating instructions to someone?

When you just went over how to process something and the client doesn't seem to get it. You start to tell them again and lead in by saying " and again...." It seems harsh like you are shutting the other person down. I'm looking for a softer way to do this.


texts: Someone who remains calm during panic or disaster

texts:
I'm looking for a word that describes someone that remains calm when others panic, specifically in a calamity or accident.

Example 1: Someone that is in an auto accident and they remain level-headed when others around them freak out.

Example 2: Someone that hold it together in a natural disaster while people around them break down into hysteria.

Possible sentence 1: "John is a ________. He kept it together when the hurricane hit."

Possible sentence 2: "Devin is a real ________. He was still calm after hitting that vulture with his Jeep."

(Before you ask, yes, I hit a vulture with my Jeep today.)


texts: Why are they called Hudson Bay and Bay of Biscay? Why Mediterranean Sea and Sea of Japan?

texts:
I was looking up a French town on Google Maps, when it struck me. There are bays shown as  "Bay of ..." on the map, as well others listed as "... Bay". Their naming seems to be consistent with the naming in other maps I checked.

Likewise we have most seas listed as "... Sea" (e.g. Caribbean Sea), but some oddballs like the Sea of Okhotsk. This also can be noticed in the naming of gulfs.

I simply can't figure out the rule.  Here is a link to the list of seas on Wikipedia.

(On a random note, this is probably coincidental, but the names of bays I can think of off the top of my head that end in "Bay" are all in America.)


texts:
He’d been dashing out of Chamberlain’s class over and over again for fake bathroom breaks, bolting down the hallway and out the door, a gust of wind, only to find…nothing. No monster. No mutant. No madman. Just Brooklyn being Brooklyn, left with a new awkward excuse about what took him so long in the bathroom.

I need someone rewrite this sentence in a easy way i can understand...
Here's what i got: He slammed hallway's door and make wind?


texts: Diagramming simple wh- "to be" sentences

texts:
I have read a syntax book cover to cover and it seems to stubbornly avoid diagramming sentences with "to be" (or other auxilliary verbs) functioning as the principal verb. For example:

That dog is friendly.

If I want to turn that into a wh-question, I am uncertain of how the movement would be diagrammed.

How friendly is that dog?

As far as I can tell, "is friendly" is a simple tenseness verb phrase. However since "is" also functions as an auxilliary verb, I am assuming that is why it undergoes movement as well. "How" is moved to the head of the complementizer phrase, and takes "friendly" along with it as part of a wh-island. "Is," functioning as both a primary and auxilliary verb, moves into the complementizer position modifying the determiner phrase "that dog." The tense phrase "is friendly" seems to be stuck on the right side unless we are simply dismantling that phrase and moving its components to other roles. That seems somewhat arbitrary to me.

Am I mis-characterizing "is" here by calling it a complementizer? Is that movement just a special case of principal auxilliary verbs in wh-questions?

IANAL (I am not a linguist), so I hope that makes sense.

Edit: this was too long for a response to Bill--

But "friendly" is not an object, right? Unless an AP/A' falls into a similar structural position as a "non-subject."

The main point that confuses me is that "is" is a main verb. Main verbs do not typically undergo movement in English. Think of "That dog is running fast" vs. "How fast is that dog running?" In these sentences "is" is not the main verb so it moves naturally as would any auxilliary including modals such as "can" or "will." It takes the position of complementizer (T -> C movement) where it would otherwise be null but still part of the essential structure in a statement ([(null C)] That dog [is (T)] running/[Is (C)] that dog [(moved T)] running?). But when "is" is a main verb, it is not a complementizer, or at least it does not appear to be.

The deeper tree structure of "That dog is friendly" seems to be far more complex than it first appears if it must allow for 1) a node with a null specifier component to appear on top of the whole sentence somewhere (perhaps a CP?) and 2) another node to lie above the VP (a TP?) that allows the V to move into the null T position (or something like it) only for the special case "to be."


texts: A question in a sentence of the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird"

texts:
I have a question in another sentence of the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird".

The sentence is in the paragraph below.

  Being Southerners, it was a source of shame to some members of the family that we had no recorded ancestors on either side of the Battle of Hastings. All we had was Simon Finch, a fur-trapping apothecary from Cornwall whose piety was exceeded only by his stinginess. In England, Simon was irritated by the persecution of those who called themselves Methodists at the hands of their more liberal brethren, and as Simon called himself a Methodist, he worked his way across the Atlantic to Philadelphia, thence to Jamaica, thence to Mobile, and up the Saint Stephens. Mindful of John Wesley’s strictures on the use of many words in buying and selling, Simon made a pile practicing medicine, but in this pursuit he was unhappy lest he be tempted into doing what he knew was not for the glory of God, as the putting on of gold and costly apparel. So Simon, having forgotten his teacher’s dictum on the possession of human chattels, bought three slaves and with their aid established a homestead on the banks of the Alabama River some forty miles above Saint Stephens. He returned to Saint Stephens only once, to find a wife, and with her established a line that ran high to daughters. Simon lived to an impressive age and died rich.

Which meaning of the word "line" is used in the sentence "and with her established a line that ran high to daughters"?

Does "ran high to daughters" mean "gave birth to many daughters"?

http://www.penfield.edu/webpages/jgarbarino/files/to_kill_a_mockingbird_text.pdf

Thanks a lot for everyone's help. I really appreciate it.


texts: What does "taking a class at the Yarn Barn" mean in the following context?

texts:
What is "the Yarn Barn" a reference to in this passage?

  Like a gangster rapper caught taking a class at the Yarn Barn, these
  are the creatures who bring naught but shame unto themselves and all
  who came before them.


texts:
I'm working on the website for a theater that teaches improv classes and sketch classes, and also features improv shows and sketch shows.

The front page of the website lists: "Improv and Sketch Classes and Shows," which sounds okay, but doesn't strike me as particularly clear or well-put.

Is there a succinct way to express this 2x2 idea, or can anyone suggest a concise way to write around this idea?


texts: Is it correct to end a sentence listing various things with just "and similar" and nothing more after?

texts:
Take the example sentence:

  Our offering includes widgets, gadgets, gizmos, and similar.

Would this be a correct way of ending that sentence, or do we need to add something more like:

  Our offering includes widgets, gadgets, gizmos, and similar machines.

The latter sounds more correct to me, but I have no real reason for thinking so. Also, it is a little unfortunate having to sum opp all the examples' commonality in one word, when the purpose of having such a list in the first place is that it is hard finding a succinct common word.


texts: Do "Bulgaria" and "vulgar" have some common etymology?

texts: A Yahoo answer says no, but I thought I'd ask my more enlightened StackExchange friends.


texts: Would a participle phrase with an independent clause still form a simple sentence?

texts:
"Drinking his coffee, Stepan started reading through his letters."

Would a sentence structure like this one, with a participle clause joined to an independent clause, count as a simple sentence?

Thank you


texts: "I told you last night, it’s finished." - "it is" or "it was" finished?

texts:
This is from the educational serial Extra English s01 (Hector’s Arrival). Here's a part of the script.

BRIDGET [reading email message]
‘Gigi!!
Did you get my message?
Please call me.
Love, John.
P.S: Did you get the flowers?’

BRIDGET
Is he stupid?!
(Writes email)
‘I told you last night, it’s finished.
Sorry. B.
(And don’t call me GIGI.)’

What is this contraction for - it's finished - it is or it was?  (in this context).


texts: "You" as an indefinite pronoun in a first-person statement

texts:
But like most young people of my generation, waking up 6 am in the
  morning to study things you do not understand, is not an idea that
  appeals to me

Is my usage of 'you' in this context wrong? It sounds weird, but it doesn't sound right when I replace it with 'I' and 'We' either.

EDIT: It's wrong either way right? Is it better if I replace the whole phrase with

  waking up 6 am in the morning to study incomprehensible things,
  is not..


texts: In poetry, what is the word for using a word that can be substituted for many others?

texts: In Frost's poem Loneliness, the last line is 'Our loneliness, so long and vast.' I believe that the word 'loneliness' could be a 'stand-in' word for many others such as 'life', 'expectations' or 'sorrow'. I am somewhat certain that there is a word/phrase that sums this up as I recall hearing about it, but I cannot remember it?


texts: A string of words illustrating the subtle differences between vowel phonemes

texts:
The large number of vowel phonemes in English makes learning pronunciation difficult. I am looking for a string of simple words that highlights the differences between the vowels.

For example, bad, bed, bid, and bead differ only in their vowels. Arranged with a decreasing openness of the vowels, the subtle differences are more noticeable. Are there similar strings of words for the rest of the vowels?


texts: Is "my preference towards exact sciences" legitimate?

texts:
Do you consider the following phrase legitimate?

  my preference towards exact sciences

Is there a more accurate way to say it?


texts: Loudly is Complement or adverb/adjunct in the sentence The cat / scratched / loudly

texts:
Loudly is mentioned as Complement when it is actually an adverb or adjunct in the site, http://changingminds.org/techniques/language/syntax/clause_arrangement.htm . Is it right or wrong?

I have given the following based on my understanding. Is it correct?

The cat / scratched – S / V
The cat / scratched / the door – S / V / O
The cat / scratched / loudly – S / V / A
The cat / scratched / at six o'clock – S / V / A
The cat / gave / the door / a scratch – S / V / IO / DO
The cat / scratched / the door / loudly – S / V / O / A
The cat / scratched / the door / at six o'clock – S / V / O / A
The cat / scratched / the door / soft. – S / V / O / C
The cat / can scratch / in straight lines. – S / V / C


texts:
I am wondering whether there is a rule concerning "The + noun of (the) + noun". I mean, is there any rule specifying when to use the or a/an and when not? Here are some examples representing my concern, which among these are correct? I know that there have been some threads on this topis on the forum, but none of them answered my question.

The lack of the computer system.

Lack of the computer system.

The lack of computer system.

The view of the canal.

View of the canal.

The view of canal.

I hope I expressed my question clearly enough.


texts:
For example, you're in a room with three people. You're talking to one person and the other is getting kind of stupid or is doing something that you find dumb.

To insult them without them catching on to what you actually mean, you come up with a statement that you say to the person that you're talking to, and it sounds like you're talking about something else, like your dog, but you're really insulting the person.


texts: How can I say "girl" in archaic English?

texts: I'm looking for an archaic replacement for the word girl ?


texts: A word that encompasses both creating and editing something

texts:
I am combining two website-based editors (one for create, one for edit) into one, and am trying to think of a word that encompasses both creating and editing in one.

I would appreciate any suggestions.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Origin of the phrase, “There's more than one way to skin a cat.”

what is the origin of the expression "there is more than one way to skin a cat"? I can't find a good reference for it.


texts:
Though this subject is somewhat discussed at Difference between “jargon” and “technical terms”, what are the differences?

From Merriam-Webster online:

Jargon: The technical terminology or characteristic idiom of a special activity or group.

Terminology: The special words or phrases that are used in a particular field.

Lexicon: The words used in a language or by a person or group of people. (Also: The vocabulary of a language, an individual speaker or group of speakers, or a subject.)

Can you please give examples where it is appropriate to use only one but not others.


texts: What is this type of argument called? Commonly used today

texts:
For example:

I'm sure all of the republicans crying & lying about "vaccine passports" were out in the streets fighting to change the laws that said HIV+ people weren't allowed to enter the US.

Here, (A) is dismissing republicans concerns with “vaccine passports” stating they are hypocritical. However, by doing so, is (A) also saying that HIV+ laws were appropriate?
Another example

the protests at the capitol were violent, but it needed to be violent to get the message across. The left was fine when the riots for BLM were violent, so they cannot complain now.


texts: "That" vs "Those" which to use after both a plural and a singular noun?

texts:
"The rise of computer technologies and networking is due to collective action similar to that of other social movements, such as the environmental movement, the anti-tobacco movement or the women's movement, for example."

In terms of traditional grammar, is it technically wrong to say "those" instead of "that"? 2. If so, is it still wrong even in colloquial situations?
Are there other errors or slight incoherency from the viewpoint of a native speaker?
FYI since I'm not a native, I would very much like a response from a fluent native speaker.


texts:
Sentence One: The main image, which takes up the majority of the page, is of an artist's palette.

Sentence Two: These aspects are of more interest to buyers.

It seems that in sentence two, we can remove the preposition 'of' by turning interest into a gerund. These aspects are more interesting to buyers. Without the gerund, the sentence sounds awkward and is incorrect. These aspects are more interest to buyers.

In sentence one, it seems that even without the preposition 'of', and something to replace it with, the sentence seems makes sense and is not awkward. The main image, which takes takes up the majority of the page, is an artist's palette.

Why does sentence one sound fine without the preposition (is it grammatically correct?), while sentence two doesn't really work without the preposition and gerund replacement?


texts: Willingness to learn a language / "reactivate" school knowledge

texts:
In a job ad it says that one should be able to speak German and Polish and that one should be willing to learn French. I had French in school and now I want to express my willingness to learn French and I also want to point to my old school course, where I had basics in french. So I want to show them that I have a basis I can build on.

I thought about something like this:

  I am fluently in German and Polish and I am willing to reactivate my
  school-knowledge in French and further on to improve it.

Well I am quite sure this sentence is not really correct ("I am fluently in ..." does this work? And the sentence in general), so I hoped someone has a better proposal.


texts:
Is this sentence correct?

  I wish I would wake up early

Some grammar rules say that would shouldn't be used when its subject is the same as wish subject. It ‘would be illogical’, the rule says.

I came across this sentence which seems to break the rule. What is the reason?


texts: Can object be omitted in participial construction?

texts:
"Hyperfocus requires willpower and mental energy to activate, drawing from the limited supply we have to make it through the day."

In this sentence, I think the things that are drawn from the limited supply are willpower and mental energy. But then, is it okay to omit the repetitive object from the sentence?


texts: A word for a statement that sounds true because it sounds good

texts:
A statement that appears true mostly because it sounds good / poetic / alliterates / rhymes.

I'm pretty sure there is such a word. I heard it a few years ago, but have since forgotten it.


texts:
What word is used to signify "change/transform letters from uppercase to lowercase?" Uncapitalize? Decapitalize? The grammar check on my laptop suggests these words are not commonly used, or they do not exist.

Thanks


texts: What is the difference between "compound" and "complex" sentences?

texts: And what is the difference between coordinating and subordinating conjunctions? Is one kind of sentence (compound or complex) characterized by either a coordinating or subordinating conjunction, while the other kind is characterized by the other?


texts: Some battles take long to win - correct?

texts:
I was speaking with my friend (neither of us is English native speaker) and regarding his relationships, I used the following:

  Some battles take long to win

I have never heard that or been able to google it so I doubt it is correct. What would be the correct sentence to express this meaning?


texts: What does "Kiss something /Somebody goodbye" mean?

texts:
You can kiss getting married goodbye.
When my boys hit 2nd grade and decided to ditch "Mommy"  for "Mom", it was really painful. U can't say kiss the kid goodbye anymore when you drop him off at school - at least not within view of his peers.


texts: How to comprehend a sentence with multiple contrasting word and commas?

texts:
Darwin’s influence on modern scientific inquiry is largely ......; yet while Darwin’s ideas inform fields as disparate as genetics and social psychology, one cannot help but think that each group, in ...............Darwin’s ideas, has imparted a slant that might have surprised Darwin.

Blank 1

(A) anecdotal
(B) commonplace
(C) uncontested

Blank 2

(D) subverting
(E) appropriating
(F) questioning

Explanation:

  "Darwin’s influence on modern scientific inquiry is largely ......;"

Up to here we don't have any idea either it accepted or ignored

  yet while Darwin’s ideas inform fields as disparate as genetics and social psychology,

Here two contrast are, which inform that the blank-1 should be in accord with above line.

  one cannot help but think that each group, in ...............Darwin’s ideas, has imparted a slant that might have surprised Darwin.

I could not comprehend what would be the option for second blank.


texts: How did the prepositions up and down both come to be associated with writing?

texts:
Per this question "Writing things down" vs. "writing things up", it is clear that things can be written "up" (typically in respect to longer entries that are being thoroughly considered) or "down" (typically in respect to quick notes.)

My question is more etymological - the prepositions used would seem to be directional.  I would have thought "about" or even "on" would be more logical.  And, while one can write "about" a topic or "on" a subject, the prevelance of Up and Down cannot be denied.

So, how is it, etymologically speaking, that things came to be written up or down?  Did these happen more or less simultaneously,  or is it just a happy circumstance?  And why up and down?


texts: Is there a positive verb "to not do anything about"?

texts:
For a positive verb meaning "to do something about," we have "address" or "handle."

For a negative verb meaning leave alone or not do anything about or not give attention to, we have "neglect."  Also "disregard" is a more neutral word, but it specifically means to not pay attention to rather than to omit action concerning.

Is there a verb without negative connotation that means "to omit action or activity concerning; to not do anything about"?

Example sentence:

  I am going to _____ this project, as I think the people running it are doing just fine on their own.

Edit: Since a couple people in the comments somehow think such a verb is intrinsically impossible—an interesting concept—I'll mention several other words that are similar in many ways and do not have any inherent negative connotation, at least demonstrating that it's not fundamentally impossible to have a word with the meaning I've described above, even if there isn't a well known word that does:

Words/idioms with similar meanings and without negative connotations include: abstain, refrain, leave alone, let be, hold off (on something), tolerate, live with.


texts: Interjecting adverbs between indirect and direct objects in ditransitive verb phrases?

texts:
I'm currently writing a paper about a syntactic issue in English and I was curious how these sounded to everyone.

Sam put carefully the coffee on the desk.
Sam put the coffee carefully on the desk.
Sam carefully put the coffee on the desk.
Sam put the coffee on the desk carefully.

My opinion is that (1) sounds completely ungrammatical, (2) sounds awkward but is grammatical, and that (3) and (4) are both equally grammatical and not awkward at all.

Is the ability to interject adverbs between the direct and indirect objects like in (2) a common thing that happens?


texts: What is the implication of Herman Cain “tried to parse the meaning of “settlement” versus “agreement”?

texts:
In Maureen Dowd’s article titled “Cain not Able” appearing in the New York Times November 1st issue, there was the following line:

“He [Herman Cain] has contradicted himself even more risibly on his memory of the harassment charges than he has on his abortion position.
At first, he said he wasn’t aware of the five-figure settlement to one woman; then, suddenly, he was aware. Instead of the meaning of “is,” Cain tried to parse the meaning of “settlement” versus “agreement.” He still claims he doesn’t remember the other five-figure settlement to another woman.”

I don’t get meaning of “Cain tried to parse the meaning of “settlement” versus “agreement.”
Of course I understand “settlement” is different from “agreement,” because they’re different words. But what does this line mean exactly in this particular context.
What is the technical difference and difference of implications between “(five-figure) settlement on payment” and “agreement on payment” to a woman for his alleged sexual harassment charge (or liability)?
Why did Dowd say Cain tried to “parse” the meaning of his own words, not saying “he mixed-up” or “intentionally obscured them" or even evaded the question on his charge?
Additional question: What does "instead of the meanig of 'is'? mean? What does 'is' have a particular meaning here?


texts: Why do we use an "s" for some verb conjugations? e.g. I run/He runs. Why can't it be I run/He run?


texts: A word for someone who wrongly belittles others for using a larger vocabulary?

texts:
EDIT:
Some people can wrongly accuse others of being pretentious, verbose, or wordy JUST for having larger vocabularies (even slightly).
Is there a definition for people like this?
Thanks kindly for any help.


texts: Can "other story" work without a definite article (for a title)?

texts: As far as I know, “Other story” is an expression often used in conjunction with the definite article "the," as in "the other story goes" or "the other story says". In some cases I've seen it used without "the", as in "it's a whole other story," but can it be used in a title without "the" before it, or as the name of a collective like "other story collective"?


texts:
What would be a more concise word/phrase to replace "a step in the right direction"?

Tolerance is a step in the right direction.


texts: Use of decline for condition has got worse

texts:
I am trying to say that health difficulties have got worse - or the difficulties have increased:

I have long term health difficulties that have declined and are significantly impacting on...

Does it make sense to use the word declined?


texts: Is "A Spanish Learning Grammar" grammatical?

texts:
My friend and I are talking about his renewed interest in Spanish and he is using a book called "A Spanish Learning Grammar"?

I assume this is grammatical since its the title of a published book on grammar, but I can't get it to sound right.

How should this be parsed please?

I keep reading it as if it should be "A Spaniard Learning Grammar"


texts: What is the "line" in "cash on the line"? Is it a ship mooring line?

texts:
In the phrase "cash on the line" (immediate payment, payment during the transaction), what was "line", originally?  I suspect it was a ship mooring line but I'd like to be sure.  (I imagine a ship coming in with goods that are in demand, and business people show up in port and the ship insists they pay on the spot (by the mooring line) before the ship will unload the goods to give to them.)

I found the following sites with definitions of the term but they lack the origin:

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/cash+on+the+line

http://esl-bits.net/idioms/id111.htm


texts: Name of text describing an action in a play

texts:
I'm trying to find the name of an element of playwriting which describes actions performed by actors in a play. For example,

Let me see.
Picks up skull
Alas, poor Yorick!

The element I'm referring to here is "Picks up skull". Does this have a name? If so, what is it?


texts:
I just came across this sentence and there's something that I feel is wrong in it but I'm not sure why. Could you help?

"Don't stick with your phone all the time..because I want you to enjoy the weekend! but don't forget it at all either, I might be sending you emails."

I can rephrase this in several ways but why I feel that the word "stick" isn't used properly..I know the writer could say "don't be stuck" or "don't stay stucked" but what's wrong with "don't stick"?

Thanks so much for the help.


texts:
Which is correct "I wished I was a painter" or "I wished I were a painter"?

I've seen in several places that "I wish I were a painter" and "I wish I was a painter" are both correct (e.g. Which one is correct: "wish I was here" or "wish I were here"?), but I have not been able to find a solid answer to past tense "wished".


texts: Is there a shorter alternative for "Enjoy your meal"?

texts:
The French have "Bon appetit".

In Belgium and the Netherlands we have "Smakelijk".

Is there a short way to wish someone a good meal in English?


texts:
This is a part of the script of the movie 'The Fellowship of the Ring'

NARRATION: Three were given to the elves. Immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven to the dwarf lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of men. Who above all else, desire power.
For within these rings was bound the strength and will to govern each race. But they were all of them deceived. For another ring was made.

...

And the Ring of Power perceived. Its time had now come. It abandoned Gollum. But something happened then that the Ring did not intend, it was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable.

BILBO:  What’s this?

NARRATION: A Hobbit. Bilbo Baggins of the Shire.

BILBO: A Ring!

GOLLUM: Lost! My Precious is lost.

NARRATION: For the time will soon come when Hobbits will shape the fortunes of all.

I think the 2nd 'for' means 'because' but I'm not sure what the 1st and 3rd ones mean.
Whenever I encounter uncommon 'for', the paraphrase 'because' somewhat somehow seems to make sense but lingering doubts bothers me.


texts:
Like it will help straighten your hair
OR
it will help straightening your hair

Which is correct?

Thanks,


texts: Word to describe set of 'Absolute' and 'Relative'

texts:
A pretty straight-forward question, but I'm totally unaware of the answer (unless I'm missing something horribly obvious). Is there a word that describes the set of these two words, where the definitions of these two words are as follows:

Absolute: without relation to any other thing
Relative: in relation to other things

To clarify what I'm asking, I'm doing a bit of programming where an object will contain a numeric value, and a property on that object will contain a value indicating the nature* of the aforementioned value, either absolute or relative. Now, the name of the latter property is totally arbitrary, but it's bothering me that I don't know what it should be called and I'd like to know what other people have to say on the matter.

Now, although this question arose from a programming problem, it does not pertain to programming specifically. In this case it actually refers to positioning in space, so I'm looking for a more general answer to the question.

*Maybe Nature is a suitable answer? :)


texts: Need alternative word or phrase for "clinical"

texts:
Related to More formal word for "know-it-all"
I need an alternative for the word clinical in the following context.  This is a quote from my special education impartial hearing transcript.  The child's therapist, a PhD in psychology, is the person testifying.  (I'm the one who asked the question.)  She's describing anomalies she observed in a school meeting she attended.  Normally these meetings involve the child's teachers and parents talking collaboratively about how to resolve certain academic and behavior problems that come up in school for the child, who has a disability.

Q: What sort of role were you seeing the district's lawyer play?
A: A very active role.  I think if someone just looked at the meeting, it would appear to have been run by the attorney and the deputy superintendent. Both the administrator and the attorney engaged in a great deal of back-and-forth often about clinical issues.

I need another way of expressing this idea of clinical issues, to use in the analysis section of my written Closing Argument.
Here's a standard definition of clinical, which doesn't seem to fit (Collins Dictionary of Medicine):

Concerned with the immediate observation, examination and treatment of patients.
Relating to a CLINIC.

These look more promising (Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary):

clinical policies: professional rules of thumb which are used to decide on the management of a case when there are no research results on which to base decisions. They are policies originated by the senior members of the profession, especially those in academic posts.
clinical judgment: exerted while the patient is still alive; the critical decisions made on the basis of scientific observations but with the added skill provided by long experience of similar cases. To this must be added an innate ability to make balanced judgments based not only on the state of the animal and its predictable future but also on some consideration for the patient's overall well-being and the client's financial status and degree of psychological, or in some cases actual, dependence on the patient.

I feel like I understand what the psychologist was saying in her testimony; she's used to using clinical in this way, in her profession.  But I would be more comfortable using a different word when I'm writing in my own voice.
The closest I've gotten is
issues of educational management of the child's disabilities
And my point is going to be that the lawyer is not qualified to participate actively in those discussions, and that it's not appropriate for her to get involved in educational management decisions to that extent.
Is there something closer to clinical than my proposed educational management?


texts: Why is English foot generally regarded as left-dominant foot?

texts:
I'm now thinking about the foot in English. This is an unit of rhythm.

And I think that the English foot is seen as left-dominant, which is always started with a strong syllable.
But I don't know the reason.

What do you think the reason is?


texts:
When it comes to word-loaning, English sure stands out. Having come across many loan words from other languages, I started to wonder if China too blames us of contemporary word-theft. Well, apart from the obvious such as Kung-fu, Ih-don-kno or tea. I am on the look out for some strong words along the lines of Zeitgeist or Ménage à trois, something mainstream, something modern yet Chinese.

Tuhao seems to have caught up.


texts: Is saying "can you do this for me" rude?

texts:
I recently got into a conversation with a freind who said it's rude to directly ask people without using the word "please" or converting the question to an indirect one. In the US this is the norm and I seem to have seen countless people using it on a day to day basis.

Can I get a fry?
Can I have a cup of tea?


texts: Which verb fits better for the action of "creating" an earth connection?

texts:
The following sentence is used on a warning label:

Ensure that an earth connection is made

I think that "making an earth connection" doesn't express the real intent here. The alternatives that I can think of are:

provided
created (not so suitable)
connected ("connection is connected" sounds a little bit off)
done (very unlikely)

Any other suggestions?


texts: Origin of "no." abbreviation in meaning of "number"?

texts:
I Russian speaker and we have № sign for American #.

But I surprised that there are uses of No. abbreviation as shortened form of number.

What the origin of "no." abbreviation in meaning of "number"?

Because it must be nu or num... Is that come from Latin?


texts: Is there a word/phrase to describe a government's leading power during wartime instability?

texts:
So in a wartime scenario where a nation's government is undergoing upheaval from various factions gaining and losing power, is there a proper word/phrase to describe "the current group in charge" in a way that encompasses all types of governmental bodies?
E.g. The Rebels coup and install some sort of Oligarchy, but 2 years later they are overthrown by a Nationalist faction who turns it into a Dictatorship - how would you describe the Rebels and Nationalists when they are in charge at their respective periods of time?
"Leading faction", "Ruling party", "Ruling power", "Sovereign" seem close but not quite it.
By the way, 'oligarchy' can be a legitimate form of government.  In
ancient Greece, where it originated most city states were oligarchies.  They replaced 'aristocratic' rule, where those in power were so by birth, and 'oligarchy' was rule by the citizens with more than a certain minimum property, and officials were elected from them and they could all vote on laws.   In that sense Britain was an oligarchy till 1917 - and women did not have it till 1928!


texts:
I get struggled in choosing to put or not to put a preposition at the end of the sentence.
I feel like it's optionally, but I'm not sure, so I'm asking. The question is, should I put prepositions in these sentences and why?

What am I guilty of?
It's nothing compared to what I could be asking for.
Whom are you talking to?

It seems a big theme (prepositions at the end or the start of a sentence), that is why I would like to thank you even if you explain to me at least these cases.


texts: How to avoid making generalizations without "some" or "such as"?

texts:
How can I avoid making a generalization below in the sentence without using "some", "such as" or "excluding" before or after the subject?

Impressionist painters turned their attention to scenes that celebrated life.

Actually, not all Impressionist painters did so. There were exceptions.


texts: Meaning of "Bring out the devil inside me"

texts:
I'm trying to understand one of sentence from song.

"Oh baby you bring out the devil inside me"

The "bring out" is not clear for me

Can I replace word "bring out" by "expose" and the meaning of the sentence will remain the same?
Or is it more like: you letting go out of the devil who is inside me?

Sorry if I wrote something wrong - I'm still learning English. I hope you understand what I mean.


texts: Is there a famous quote saying something to the effect of ‘everything we've learned about x we learned through blood’?

texts:
I'm trying to recall a quote I read some time ago.
The gist was that ‘Everything we've learned in/about x we learned through blood’, with the implication being that every current rule/practice in x came to be because somebody came to harm in the past and the rule came about to avoid that harm in future.
I can't remember what x was, which is stymieing my attempts to search online, but I believe it was either:

the military;
policing;
health & safety; or
healthcare.

Can anybody help me to track down this quote?


texts:
EDIT 2: The nuance difference may be subtle, maybe even subliminal to most people, but still important to me. I don't think there's one right answer to this question (but maybe there is), as any answer is subjective, so I'm interested in any opinion from anyone.

Let's assume we have a company ACME that has some technology used in some product. To your ears, what would be the difference between saying

"The benefit of using ACME technology to accelerate the development of [...]"

and

"The benefit of using ACME's technology to accelerate the development of [...]"?

The former sounds to me as if the technology was developed by ACME, regardless of who owns it. The latter makes it sound like ACME owns the technology (patents etc.), but didn't make it themselves. At the same time, saying "our technology" should be analogous to the second variant (assuming you work for ACME), but it doesn't feel quite the same.

EDIT: I ran a few searches on Ngram, substituting ACME for various well-known industry names, and the two forms seem to run hand in hand, occurring with about the same frequency. I still don't think the two are entirely interchangeable.


texts: What's a good idiom to describe someone who is included in a group only because they have something the group needs

texts: I want a one or two word title for a character who is included in a group only because he is their "ticket" to get where they want to go.  "Ticket" is what I'm thinking now but would love another option.  Basically, where the other two are trying to go they can't get through without his permission.


texts: Does 'colonialised' have some different meaning according to its usage?

texts:
I know 'colonised' is used more often but that has a different meaning. Would you use 'colonialised' in a sentence to talk about "converting an item to look like its from the colonial era"?

For example:
You are remodeling some furniture,say table and you want it to look like its from the colonial era. Can you use it in a sentence as "This table has been colonialised."

This doubt has been bugging me for some time and I know this question seems a bit odd.But, its my first question here and this website seems like the perfect place where I can get some decent explanation about it.

Not much explanation here:

Dictionary.com - Colonialization

Merriam-Webster - Colonialization


texts: How do I choose between "while" and "whilst"?

texts:
When should whilst be used instead of while?

For example, should I use the first or the second sentence?

  They don't do this whilst they do that.
  They don't do this while they do that.

Which would be correct?


texts: Is it good to add 'I believe' at the beginning of the sentence?

texts:
I believe that people should eat apples.

or,

  People should eat apples.

Which one is best, or when to use which? Is it good to say 'I believe' or 'We believe' in public speaking or public statement?

Another example:

  We believe that every user deserves good socks.

versus

  Every user deserves good socks.


texts:
What is the meaning of "we are not without ~"?
e.g. Like a Goliath, the giant of evolution defies the living God day after day in the public arena. But we are not without our Davids. Our speaker is a David.


texts: Category name for "Other fun stuff" vs "Other serious stuff"

texts:
On my website, I currently have seven categories.

Games
Art
Music
Video
Text
Other
Misc

"Other" is for other things that are fun, like games, art, music, video, and text. For example, a fireworks simulator would fit in the "other" category because it's not really a game, just a fun thing.

"Miscellaneous" is for non-fun things, like my contact page or my copyright license.

However, a visitor to my website won't know this, and would probably be confused as to what the difference is.

What could I rename these categories to, so that a visitor would realize that one is for entertainment, and the other is not?


texts:
I am confused with adjectives before compound nouns , For example  If I say 'stupid human mistakes' ,what does it mean exactly?

1-mistakes made by stupid person

2-human mistakes that is stupid

Thanks,


texts:
How can I express "food for thought" in a word? Does such a word exist?

Example usage:

  The world will only know peace when our love for power is exceeded by our power to love. That's __ (something to think about).


texts: What does 'war horse in the drought' mean in this context?

texts:
From Downton Abbey.

In Downton Cottage Hospital:

Dr Clarkson: 'It is kind of you to take an interest'.

Isobel Crawley: 'I am afraid it is a case of the war horse in the drought. You know my late husband was a doctor'.

I think she means that more than taking an interest she is used to treating patients due to her familiar setting and nursing studies, but I am not sure.


texts: When can a redundant "respectively" be dropped?

texts:
Over the years I've stuck fast to a possibly self-invented rule that enumerating pairs of things in an out-of-order fashion requires a "respectively":

  …where x, y, and z are "ecks", "why", and "zed", respectively.

But I begin to tire of this redundant usage where it's clearly obvious (or is it?) that the pairs match up n-to-n in the lists.

Is this rule I follow a real rule? Can I drop it in what seem to me, the writer, to be patently obvious cases?


texts: "The song is on Reservoir Dogs" vs. "is off Reservoir Dogs" vs. "features within Reservoir Dogs"

texts:
During a discussion today, the song Stuck in the Middle came on. One of the members of my team asked, "is this on Reservoir Dogs?" Another said, "this is off Reservoir Dogs". To which the team manager stated, "no, what you meant to say was, this song features within Reservoir Dogs".

I stated that syntactically, all three are correct. While only the third is the correct way, the first two are still valid. Is this correct, are any valid?


texts:
I'm looking to write a Java interface similar to Observer/Observable but with Newspaper/insert_word_here. I'd like the word to not be something simple like reader, but has some sort of reference to what the reader is reading.

If someone has other suggestions of an item that is read/viewed/etc and a corresponding noun-ified verb that goes alongside while referencing the item type I would also like to see that.

Meta - I wanted to add a tag 'word-pair' for the alternative second half but I couldn't due to low reputation. If anyone wants to add it, or if they feel like it should be a separate question, feel free to comment.


texts:
Consider the following:

  He will be able to do it.

  He can do it.

They mean the same thing, right?

Can "can" replace "will be able to" in any sentence? What is the difference, if anything? Why not just use the shorter version?


texts: Is "Drop the big hammer" American slang?

texts:
In a trailer for the movie "Black Hat", one person says

  "The guy we're working with will drop the big hammer and not think twice about it"

Is this some sort of American slang, possibly for a nuclear weapon?

Doing a onelook search for "Big hammer" only gives Urban Dictionary, with a meaning that wouldn't make sense here.


texts: What's the difference between addendum and supplement? The way I see it they both mean pretty much the same thing. It's something added to something else to complete it. I think supplement can be used in a wider, more general sense, while addendum is used in published works like books, more or less. In a way, it seems to me that they overlap each other. But does that mean that they are synonymous?


texts:
“I think immigration is becoming a national issue and ONE that will need to be addressed by all parties in the fall.”
If I drop the “ONE”,will it cause any difference of the meaning？


texts: How to translate "por la cara" to English?

texts:
I'm looking for a suitable English translation of the Spanish expression "por la cara".
In Spanish, unless you go very deep into the details, for various context that are   very specific, generally, "por la cara" can have two relevant meanings (I think); those are the following:

There is no specific reason for something to happen, it just happens - e.g. You get out of your home and see an elephant in the street. In Spanish, you would say that the elephant is in the street "por la cara", meaning "out of the blue".

There is no reason for you to get something, but you still get it - e.g. Your brother came back home from shopping and got you an ice-cream without you asking for it. In Spanish, you would say he got you the ice-cream "por la cara", meaning "just because".

I'm very interested in this second meaning and what would be the best translation to English.
Even though I used "just because" which I think can be a very good option for the translation of "por la cara", I've seen other options such as "because reasons" or "for the hell of it". However,  I'm not completely sure that this latter  has the right meaning.
Therefore, for meaning number 2, I was wondering what translation would be best:

just because
because reasons
for the hell of it.

Thanks.


texts: Is there a word that means "the wife of one's brother"?

texts:
In some of the non-Latin-based languages that I know there is a special word for your brother's wife. Is there such a word in English?

Usage would be something like:

  She is my __  (My brother's wife)


texts:
I know that the pattern manner-place-time shouldn't be taken too seriously if one wants to speak natural English.

In real life, people rarely use a string of adverbs. Speakers will easily break the pattern for emphatic or stylistic reasons (usually placing the adverb at the beginning of the sentence). Other factors such as length and specificity will also override the arrangement.

But I'm constructing illustrative sentences that highlight (and stick to) the Royal Order of Adverbs.

What all the online sources are doing is mixing adverbs and prepositional phrases, but I can't have the concept of prepositional phrases in my examples just yet. This means I should include only one-word or two-word adverbs (without prepositions).

So, I have these:

He sat quietly upstairs all day.
She waited impatiently outside this morning.
They gather noisily downtown every Saturday night.

Are the sentences above still correct, as in natural-sounding? Somehow they started sounding a bit off to me. I guess I just need to test them with a second pair of ears.


texts:
Just wondering which verb is the most natural to native speakers to use with 'workload.'

Among

  I wish to receive heavier workload.
  I wish to take heavier workload.
  I wish to have heavier workload.

which would be appropriate?


texts: Expression/ idiom meaning: "Hold your shoulders back!"

texts:
I was reading the poem Father Forgets (pdf) by W. Livingston Larned.

  Part of the line said, "Goodbye, Daddy!"

  I frowned, and said in reply, "Hold your shoulders back!"

I couldn't find the exact meaning of this phrase.

Here's the part of the poem:

  At breakfast I found fault, too. You spilled things. You gulped down your food. You
  put your elbows on the table. You spread butter too thick on your bread. As you started off to
  play and I made for my train, you turned and waved a hand and called, "Goodbye, Daddy!" I
  frowned, and said in reply, "Hold your shoulders back!"


texts: How do you decide which clause is "independent" and which clause is "dependent"/"subordinate"?

texts:
Consider the following sentence:

"My bother felt sick because he ate too many chocolates"

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but the word "because" is a conjunction.
I have read that the dependent clause is:

"because he ate too many chocolates."

Why is the following not the dependent clause?

"My bother felt sick because"

A dependent clause is never a complete sentence. Neither of the two sub-strings I identified is a complete sentence.

"My bother felt sick" (INDEPENDENT CLAUSE)
"My brother felt sick because" (DEPENDENT CLAUSE)
"because he ate too many chocolates" (DEPENDENT CLAUSE)
"he ate too many chocolates" (INDEPENDENT CLAUSE)

There are two different ways to group sub-strings into clauses:

"(My bother felt sick because) (he ate too many chocolates)"
"(My bother felt sick) (because he ate too many chocolates)"

It seems like, if you have a sentence, and someone asks you what "the" dependent clause in that sentence is, then there are at least two choices. For any given sentence, a dependent clause is that sentence not unique.
How do you decide whether the leftmost-clause absorbs the operator or the right-most clause absorbs the operator? Additionally, why is it done that way and not the other way?


texts: How would you describe a set of words that are all from the same domain/idea, but tenuously applied to an unrelated domain/idea?

texts:
Imagine you created a suite of Microsoft Office-like business tools that you named "Tiger", for whatever reason. Then you named the word editor "Growl" (to vocalize, i.e. talk), and the spreadsheet program "Stripes" (because stripes are like columns). Then when you create the presentation/slideshow program you are struggling to find a Tiger-esque word to apply to the concept of the software so you use a word like "Paws" (I guess you can "pause" a slideshow...) simply to keep with the Tiger theme.

I'm specifically looking for a way to describe the process or the resulting set of words when the theme has been over done and the associations have become tenuous, meaningless, contrived.


texts: Question tag after a verb modified by "only"

texts:
When a verb such as "can" is modified by "only", the meaning of the sentence becomes rather negative (impossibility rather than possibility), and to me it sounds strange to use the negative tag "can't it?".
On Google Books I find an example of an author doing it so,

  It can only be Jagged Sky we're aiming for, can't it? (The Empty Sea, by Craig Michael Curtis)

But I'm not sure it's the most cautious literature. I would have said "isn't it", based on meaning:

  It can only be Jagged Sky we're aiming for, isn't it? (= isn't it Jagged Sky we're aiming for?)

Is there a rule, and what is the actual usage?

EDIT: I understand that since "be" was present in the first example, my alternative suggestion is confusing as it seems to be related to it. A second example is:

  Lorries can only use the main road, can't they?

where I wonder whether one would employ this negative tag or rather a positive one, "can they?" (="can they use other roads?")


texts: Citation of internet webpages that have limited lifetimes

texts: Some websites, especially news websites, either leave up content for limited periods, or archive content after a few days and charge readers to access their archives.  It seems to me that citations in a footnote or bibliography to the former are rather useless since the content cannot be accessed.  Should I just cite such material using the old-school methodology, as if it were printed matter available (maybe) on microfilm at the public library?  If archived and available only for a fee, should my footnote or bibliography also make reference to the charge?  How?


texts:
What does it mean if somebody says: "It might be a runner"?

Example context:
"I have to check with my boss, but I reckon it might be a runner."


texts: How did 'even' semantically shift to emphasize something surprising or extreme?

texts:
This post's title refers to ODO's definition 1. Used to emphasize something surprising or extreme.

  [ OED : ]
   II. In weakened use as an intensive or emphatic particle. (In later use many uses of senses in this branch show some suggestion of sense A. 8.)

  5. Exactly, precisely, just. In later use generally somewhat archaic.

  8. a. Used to convey that what is being referred to is an extreme case in comparison with a weaker or more general one which is stated or implied in the adjacent context. Prefixed to the particular word, phrase, or clause in which the extremeness of the case is expressed.

   b. In uses parallel to those at A. 8a, but placed after the word, phrase, or clause to which it relates.

  [ Etymonline : ]   The adverb is Old English efne "exactly, just, likewise." Modern adverbial sense (introducing an extreme case of something more generally implied) seems to have arisen 16c. from use of the word to emphasize identity ("Who, me?" "Even you").

  Etymologists are uncertain whether the original sense was "level" or "alike."

Q1. What semantic notions underlie 'levelness' or 'alikeness', with 'something surprising or extreme'?

Q2. Don't the semantic notions of 'levelness' or 'alikeness'  contradict the notion of 'something surprising or extreme'? If X is more extreme than Y, then X and Y are neither level nor alike.


texts:
Paramount:

  more important than anything else; supreme.

Tantamount:

  equivalent in seriousness to; virtually the same as.

??mount:

  less important than anything else

What is the word that completes the trio with a matching suffix?


texts: Is it common to use "A" and "B" to represent something during talking?

texts:
E.g. I would like to say "Lets call (someone from some department) A, and (someone from some department) B. A and B are....".

Is it common to do it in English?


texts: Must the subject be "I" when I start a sentence with "Considering"?

texts:
I think the best way to do this is using the examples below:

  Considering it's going to be summer in Australia, you don't need to
  take that many clothes with you.

Is the sentence correct?

Because I think the one that considers it's going to be summer in AU is clearly "me (who says the sentence)", not "you" in the sentence.

So I am wondering if the subject should be "I" in this case, for example:

  Considering it's going to be summer in Australia, I think you don't need to
  take that many clothes with you.


texts: Can I use score and metric interchangeabily?

texts:
What is the different between scores and metrics? If I have a table to store engagement metrics, like the level of the engagement, can I call it engagement scores?
Another example would be another table called reading scores, that stores things like adverb count or word count. Can I call it reading metrics?


texts: Communicate via written notes - although native speakers?

texts:
In another forum I read the following amazing thing:

"In the middle 1980s, when I was in the Navy, the submarine I was in operated out of Holy Loch, Scotland. Our Xerox copier needed maintenance and the American Xerox tech was on leave. So a tech came out of Glasgow. I had a junior yeoman, an Alabama Black, escort the Glaswegian. The two of them were reduced to writing notes to each other. They had no trouble reading the other's written English, but the two accents were so strong that their spoken English was mutually incomprehensible. However, if you had asked either of them, they would have told you that they were speaking their native language, English."

Have you had similar (comparably extreme) experiences? Please, only native English speakers (obviously there are many examples from or with non-native speakers)!


texts:
I'm trying to explain the difference between "go to" and "go" and I'm not sure what the actual rule is. I've tried searching about it, but I couldn't find anything.

When should I use "go to" and when should I use "go?" For example, I should say "Let's go home" but not "Let's go to home." On the flip side, "Let's go to your house," but not "Let's go your house."

Can someone help me with the rule behind this?


texts: Part Two: When was “googleable” or “googlable” first used?

texts:
Part One

Part one is here, and cites references and dates about the verb ‘to google’, and asks about the syllabification  and spelling of googl(e)able.

Part Two

This was originally my second question, but I think it deserves a whole post of its own, and users may be more interested in its history than in its pronunciation and orthography.

Q. When was googleable or googlable first used?

So far I have unearthed the following citations

Googleable (2006)

  "But, still curious about why anyone, let alone his father, would want to read Quinn Scott's biography, he began searching for more information on the other members of the family; people who retained or created their fame during the computer age, and were therefore far more Googleable."
  When the Stars Come Out

googlable (2005)

  I actually “found” Andrew through google search in 2003, when I was searching for alternatives to EM. Therefore I should also thank Andrew for the “googlable”  website he built, which brought us to work together, and the collaboration turned out to be such an enjoyable experience.

  Molecular Basis of Type IV...

Google-able (2005)

The following citation is from 2005 but the adjective, this time spelled  “Google-able”, was being heard and used in speech a few years earlier

  When Scott Painter went looking for funding for a custom-built car company in 2003, he had a relatively easy time raising $25 million. "Everybody knew who I was," he says. "I was Google-able, so it was a very easy thing to put together. That's the benefit of having some success as an entrepreneur."

  Inc.com 25 Feb 2005

Can anyone find earlier instances than these? It seems very odd that the expression Goog-able with all its spelling variants, does not appear in print prior to 2005.


texts: What does the phrase "crossing the streams" mean?

texts:
What does "crossing the stream" mean? I have been through "Cross the stream where it is shallowest" but I also sometimes see this phrase without the "where it is shallowest" part.  For example, today I saw this phrase being used in one of the comments in Stack Overflow:

  With negative weights Dijkstra I found the most expensive path in the graph: one that crosses the streams.


texts: When "who" is an antecedent, does it need to directly touch the person it's referring to?

texts:
When who is an antecedent, does it need to directly touch the person it's referring to?

For example:

  I called Sally, who urged me to move in with her in Texas.

OR

  I called Sally, the mother of Selena Gomez, who urged me to move in with her in Texas.

In the second case, is the who incorrectly referring back to Selena Gomez? If it refers to Selena Gomez, how to write the second sentence to refer Sally?
In the second case, is the her incorrectly referring back to Selena Gomez? If her refers to Selena Gomez, how to write the second sentence to refer Sally?
In the second sentence if who refers to Sally, how to write this sentence to refer Selena Gomez?
In the second sentence if her refers to Sally, how to write this sentence to refer Selena Gomez?


texts: Software for transcribing English phonetics

texts:
After asking this question and learning a lot of facts from comments I got there, I was wondering about the existence of software that transcribes English text into phonetics. I discovered sites such as upodn.com and www.phonetizer.com and software such as PhoTransEdit.

After using them on a few trial sentences, I got slightly differing transcriptions. Are these tools authoritative, and do people have any experience with them? Is there software that also transcribes typical stressing patterns in sentences?


texts: Good evening, in a "creative writing" course this question was brought up. Some of my classmates argued the plural form is "Atlas" because the word comes from Latin. Others favored "Atlases". What is the correct form in BrE and AmE ?


texts: People's belongings or peoples' belongings?

texts:
I refuse to look after other people's belongings.
I refuse to look after other peoples' belongings.

Which is correct?
We're talking about the belongings that potentially belong individually to every other person.
Not a dupe of 'people' vs 'peoples' as this is talking about the possessive of 'peoples'.


texts: What do you call a former soldier who has been injured in a war?

texts: There is a two-part word "Janbaz" (Persian جانباز) in Persian comprised of two parts i.e. Jan (i.e. life) + Baz (i.e. gamer) which refers to a former combatant who has sustained an injury during a war and is currently suffering from resulting disabilities. Is there a single English word used for such a person?


texts: Term to refer to the 'advantage because of someone's experience'

texts:
I'm trying to express the following situation:

A college student has decided to change his field of study as his fellow students are already ahead of him because of the prior learning from their school. What is the term to describe the advantage that other students have due to their prior experience?
Similarly, a person has given up on doing something that he was trying to do for a long time. His reason is that it is too late now to do it because even after accomplishing what he set out for, the achievement's worth has diminished.

However, the situation can be re-presented to him as the case that he should continue with this attempt because he is now ahead in the race already due to the prior experience he has. This puts him in a stronger position than others he is competing with and will enable him to achieve more than he is actually looking for.

Can someone suggest me a good word or a phrase for someone having an advantage owing to their prior experience?


texts: What is the correct capitalization of code examples when beginning a sentence?

texts:
I am writing a technical book and a lot of it is structured as explanations of code examples.

For instance:

var links = data.map(function (d) {
    return {source: nick_id(d.from),
                 target: nick_id(d.to),
                 count: matrix[nick_id(d.from)][nick_id(d.to)]};
});

Followed by:

  links is a list of elements that tell us something.

In all versions of the book "links" will have special formatting so it looks like code, the idea being that it's a direct reference into the code sample, which helps readers understand what I'm talking about.

Question is, how should "links" be capitalised?

It's at the beginning of a sentence so it should be "Links", but then it no longer looks exactly like the code sample and technically doesn't represent the same variable since the programming language is case sensitive.

For a more extreme example, what if I want to start a sentence with .map, what are the grammar rules about starting a sentence with a full stop?

I would like to avoid restructuring sentences like the above because links is the sentence subject's name. And a sentence like:

  The variable links is a list of elements ...

Is as silly as:

  The person John went to the store.


texts: Do *appraise* and *apprise* come from the same root?

texts:
I am interested in the origin and usage of apprise versus appraise.

There is overlap in usage. In one meaning the latter can be substituted for the former and this is recognised in sense 4 in the OED - 'to inform or notify'. Its more common meaning, however, is 'to assess or evaluate'.

And appraise has apparently an earlier history  with examples from the 15th century, but it has a less certain etymology, with even the strange suggestion that it is as an alteration of apprise.

However apprise seems a later word and its etymology is said to be connected to the French apprendre - to learn (OED). But there are no examples prior to 1694.

My impression is that so far the the 'inform and notify' meanings are concerned that whilst in Britain it tends to be appraise, (be sure to appraise me of your progress), Americans are more inclined to apprise - or presumably apprize.

Does anyone know anything about this?


texts: How to Use 'Consequently' in Academic Writing

texts: In class, our teacher talked about different ways to use consequently. We can use it at the beginning of a sentence, or use it after colon(;) to connect two sentences. However, our teacher say that we can put consequently between commas to connect two sentences.(e.g.: The weather is good, consequently, we can go picnic today.) The teacher said consequently can be used in the third way for academic paper. But I am just not sure it can be used this way. Can anyone help me with this question?


texts: "For only through assiduous repetition is it possible to redistribute skewed tendencies." | meaning

texts:
To set the quote into context here's an excerpt from Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by H. Murakami.

  There was little left to do but lean up against a wall and count the change in my pockets. For someone in my profession, know how to kill time is as important a method of training as gripping rubber balls is for a boxer. Although, in any strict, it's not killing time at all. For only through assiduous repetition is it possible to redistribute skewed tendencies.

I would interpret as it takes lot of effort (assiduous repetition) to replace (redistribute) bad habits (skewed tendencies) but it's does not seem to fit here.


texts:
What do you call an event that occurs only once in its environment?

For instance, birth and death are two events that occur only once in the lifetime of a living thing.

I am looking for a word or phrase that would be synonymous to "non-repeating".


texts:
There was the following statement in October 29 New Yorker’s article that came under the title, “Why the G.O.P. Candidates Don’t Do Substance”:

Did any of the candidates detail how they would pay for their huge tax giveaways? Of course not. Relying on the discredited arguments of supply-side economics, a few of them did say that reductions in tax rates would produce a much higher rate of economic growth, which would boost tax revenues. ...
It was left to John Kasich, who is seeking to position himself as the voice of sanity in the asylum, to state the obvious: “You know, these plans would put us trillions and trillions of dollars in debt…. Why don’t we just give a chicken in every pot, while we’re coming up with these fantasy tax schemes.”

What does “Give a chicken in every pot” mean? Why should it be chicken, not egg, bread, pork, or turkey? Is this a common idiom?
Additionally, is the phrase, “Don’t do substance” used in the headline a common expression as well? How different is it from “Don’t have substance,” which I feel like being more comfortable with?


texts:
When writing a document that is divided into numbered sections and subsections, sometimes I would like to refer a certain subsection that has been numbered 2.3, for example.  Here the 2 represents the section number and 3 is the subsection number within section 2.

Question: Should I refer to "Section 2.3" or "Subsection 2.3"?

To me, the latter seems tautological (or at least not completely necessary) since the "sub-" component of "subsection" is implied by the number 2.3 itself.


texts: Should I say "American grounds" or "American territory"?

texts:
Which one sounds more natural to you?

  If this message still catches you on American territory, I wish you a
  safe flight!

or

  If this message still catches you on American grounds, I wish you a
  safe flight!


texts: He nodded his head yes; she shook her head no

texts:
Here I am editing this book I am trying to get ready for publication.  I am running into a number of places where I've got nodding and shaking of the head in response to questions.  The original author writes:

"I nodded my head yes."
"...she shook her head no..."

I am also seeing occasional "shake...yes" and "nod...no".

I'm reasonably certain that one shakes one's head for "No" and nods for "Yes".  But how do you write it?

I nodded my head "Yes." - I shook my head "No."
I nodded my head yes. - I shook my head no.
I nodded my head "yes." - I shook my head "yes."

Or should the "Yes" or "No" even be included in the sentence, since the gesture substitutes for the affirmative or negative?  If "Yes" or "No" does have a place there, how would it be best formatted?

EDITED TO ADD: I've edited this to make it clear that it is not merely a formatting issue with regard to "Yes" or "No".


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the correct way to use infinitive after the verb “help”: with or without “to”?

Today I found this headline on bbc.co.uk

  How one family is helping their son win the fight.

which made me wonder when exactly it is allowed to omit the to.


texts: When does "in-" mean which: "not" or "in"

texts:
"in-" can mean "not", for example, "inept", or "in", for example, "intoxicant".

Are there some general principles that will help us know when "in-"  means which: "not" or "in"?


texts: What is the idea called when something has happened to you but you just don't know?

texts:
There is a word/idea that something has happened to you, but you just don't know that it already has occured.
Question
Have you ever been phished before?

Answer
1. Yes.
2. No, I have never been phished before.
3. I don't know.

In this case, say for number 2 (and for intents and purposes that the phishing is silent), you HAVE been phished, you just wouldn't have known it has happened to you. For you, you feel this is true but it may not be because you wouldn't know.
What is this idea called? Naive, Ignorance? I'm looking for an ideology word if one exists, like Occam's razor or even an expression.


texts:
I am writing a paper and meeting a difficulty. I have three sentences:

The total drainage area is 200 square kilometers;
Its mainstem length is 25 km;
The total number of stream miles(i.e. mainstem+tributaries) contributing to this drainage is 80 km.

I need to put these 3 sentences together, and below is what I have tried:

The total drainage area is 200 square kilometers and its mainstem length is 25 km, with a total number of tributary as well as mainstem miles is 80 miles.

However, I think this sentence is not so fluent. Can somebody help me?


texts: Are all 'prospects' always 'potential' by their nature?

texts:
When using the word 'prospect' is it ok to combine it with the word 'potential' or is it unnecessary, since all the 'prospects' are indeed always 'potential'?

Can / should we say 'potential prospects' or simply 'prospects' is sufficient and have the same meaning?


texts:
Do we have to mention the things we refer to after the word "one of these"
For example....

"I have a lot of cars.One of these is BMW"

"I have a lot of cars.One of these cars is BMW"

Which one of the previous phrases is grammatically correct?


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "chance would be a fine thing"?

texts:
I've heard this phrase used many times.

e.g.

  -Got a completion date back on your new conservatory?

  -Ha! Chance'd be a fine thing.

I think I have a general idea of what it must mean from its context. But I just don't see how it makes sense. What does it actually literally mean, and why?

It doesn't seem to make sense to me. What does "chance" have to do with anything?


texts:
I am arguing with friends about this question.

According to what I learned in school, there are some adjectives that cannot be used in the progressive form.
I think this one is ungrammatical because angry describes an emotion, which is a temporary state on its own. Therefore, it is redundant to use it in the progressive form.

Am I correct?


texts:
I recently came across with a religious text of the english Puritan theologian Edward Polhill (1622-1694). Here is a passage from it:

"Satan may hold up his pardoned sins, as it were in their old guilt; the arrows of God may stick fast in him, and bring qualms and sick-fits upon his conscience: but at that day his comforts shall be unvariable; a nightless day, and a cloudless horizon;"

I would like to know the meaning of the word "sick-fits". I am not a native english speaker and could not find that idiom in any dictionary.


texts: Similar words that change from "-ter" to "tre"

texts:
I just found out that luster in British English was actually lustre. This was something that I did not know before.
Are there any other words that behave like this? Why? (According to what?)


texts:
I've checked a thesaurus but I've never heard of the idioms/euphemisms listed there. Are they common? If not, what are better options?

Example sentence:

  Mary's husband wasn't satisfying her.


texts:
I managed to find on Internet the meaning of the word BEOCH which equals BITCH.
But how is it pronounced left me wondering !
Could someone help me with, please .


texts: Should "So", "Therefore", "Hence", and "Thus" be followed by commas?

texts:
Often, I have come across sentences that begin with "So". Should such an usage of "So" be followed by a comma?

Are the following examples correct.

He is very good at computers. So, I think he can fix your computer.
When we multiply an even number with another even number, the result is an even number. So, the square of an even number is an even number.

What happens if we choose to use "Therefore", "Hence", or "Thus" instead of "So"? Do the rules still remain the same?

When we multiply an even number with another even number, the result is an even number. Therefore, the square of an even number is an even number.
When we multiply an even number with another even number, the result is an even number. Hence, the square of an even number is an even number.
When we multiply an even number with another even number, the result is an even number. Thus, the square of an even number is an even number.


texts: Plural of "staff" (stick) — "staffs" or "staves"?

texts:
Which would be the correct use in the following sentence.

  I'm a Shepard and I have many staffs/staves.


texts:
I am looking for a word for:

  someone who enjoys thinking or talking about a thing more than
  actually doing the thing itself.

Most of the answers I have seen so far address the distinction between one who is serious about a subject and one who only wants to bear the distinction of being an expert in the subject.  I was imagining that the person being described is quite serious, e.g. Gregory House is an excellent diagnostician, but not a great doctor.


texts: Word for someone who “really likes and pays close attention to symmetry”

texts:
I was thinking of meticulous, but is there any word that is specific to being meticulous with the symmetry of things?

  I am very ________ because I pay very close attention to symmetry.

Alternatively, the example sentence could be better phrased as

  People call me a ________ because I enjoy symmetry and pay close attention to it. Asymmetrical words do not bring me despair.


texts: Number text followed by numeral in parentheses

texts:
Where I work, we commonly write out the text for numbers (specifically, numbers less than 10) followed by the numeral in parentheses.

For example,

  Quarterly increase of four (4) thousand customers.

Is there a name for this type of syntax? Follow-up question: any input on whether the following is correct?

  This is a nine (9) -week program for interns.


texts:
Which of the following  is "more better":

Here is a handful of snippets...

...or:

Here are a handful of snippets...

? "Snippets" are plural, but "a handful" is singular, so I'm divided between which sounds better...


texts: "X times as many as" or "X times more than"

texts:
Suppose John has 5 sweets. Is there any difference between the following two sentences?

  Jack has 3 times as many sweets as John.

  Jack has 3 times more sweets than John.

I prefer the first construction and would know unambiguously that Jack has 15 sweets in this case. However in the second construction I would be inclined to think that Jack has 20 sweets, since it seems to suggest 15 sweets in addition to the original 5.


texts:
Could you tell me if this sounds right?

  Do you know how to work the projector?


texts:
"In basic terms, transculturalism might be provisionally defined as the transcendence and questioning of cultural delimitations."
What is meant in the text I'm working on is that transculturalism transcends cultural delimitations. To me, the use of "transcendence" here sounds like the cultural limitations are doing the transcending, so to speak, rather than being transcended. I am considering changing "transcendence" to "transcending" (i.e., "the transcending of"). Am I wrong?
(Looking ahead, I see that "transcendence" is used quite a lot in this text, so I want to make sure I'm right before rejecting every instance.)


texts: Use of the present perfect for repetitive actions

texts:
I've already searched a lot on the web, but still can't figure out one specific example.

For instance:

Mary has been to England twice.
Alice has been to the cinema twice this week. (= The week is still not over)

I completely understand why we use the present perfect in the above sentences.

But here is a confusing example:

We've often talked about emigrating.

If it describes a repetitive action in the past and they still perform the action up to this moment, then how is that different from simple present?

We often talk about emigrating.


texts: Is there a word or phrase for 'shared accountability that leads to collective inaction'?

texts:
When a group as opposed to an individual is responsible for a job or task, and as a result the task does not get performed because everyone assumes that someone else will do it.

Is there a word or phrase to describe this?


texts: "I am tall, and, because of a disease, I am weak." or "I am tall, and because of a disease, I am weak."?

texts: I know that it can be a stylistic choice to not place commas in between two full sentences separate by a conjunction when those sentences are very short. Ignore this stylistic choice for the example. If it helps, assume the sentences are longer.


texts: What form, for the Saxon genitive of a noun phrase with a plural noun?

texts:
Please confirm reception of my emails dated Jan. 15.

With Saxon genitive:

Please confirm my emails dated Jan. 15's reception.

Please confirm my emails dated Jan. 15' reception.

Which of 2 or 3 (or neither) is correct? I ask not about 1, even if it's more common.


texts: Is there a word for words that imitate a feeling or mood?

texts: Something like an onomatopoeia for sensations other than auditive?


texts: What is the appropriate question tag for sentences such as "Neither of you is..."?

texts:
Neither of you is going to the show tonight, ____?

Should it be isn't he/she? I think the fact that neither of you takes the third-person singular verb is means that a third-person question tag ought to be used. But it sounds so awfully strange. So does the second-person alternative aren't you? You can trivially replace all question tags with right? in informal speech, but aside from that, what is the appropriate question tag to use in such sentences?

EDIT: Oh right, I should have realized that. How careless of me. But can you explain why you would use "are you" instead of "isn't he/she", even though "neither of you" is a third-person reference?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Why “ain't I” and “aren't I” instead of “amn't I”?

Why do we say "aren't I" rather than "amn't I"? Is it purely for ease or pronunciation?


texts:
This phrase was used to describe Donald Trump in an article in Salon magazine.

Donald Trump is a better politician than a lot of people give him credit for. Granted, he often has no idea what he’s talking about, he contradicts himself on the regular, he has a repellent personality, he’s a misogynist and a bigot, and it feels like he stumbled ass-backwards into the Republican presidential nomination.

Salon

According to multiple slang dictionaries, including Online Slang Dictionary, "on the regular" is well-established slang for "often," "frequently," or "routinely."  It is mainstream enough to be found in reputable print journalism (see below for that).

regularly; frequently. Also on the reg.
Ex: I hit up that spot on the regular.

Online Slang Dictionary

Searching Ngram isn't very useful for this question because the phrase can be part of typically grammatical sentences, like "It wasn't on the regular menu."
Most of the anecdotal uses that I've been able to find have been within the last year or two, but I expect that it must have been a slang expression for longer than that in order to show up in the likes of Esquire and Rolling Stone.
Questions:

When did this phrase come into vogue?

Is it uniquely American slang, and did it originate with a specific region or culture?

To vouch for the legitimacy of this phrase and prove that this is a serious question, here are few uses from major print publications:

Although it's damn near impossible to wake up flawless like Beyoncé on the regular, it is possible to get pro concealing tips from her makeup artist

Cosmopolitan (2017)

It doesn't matter whether you and your buddy from work go out for drinks on the regular and play on the same intramural co-ed after-work bowling team: You still shouldn't trust them to keep your secrets.

Esquire (2017)

Understanding West Virginia has taken on a newfound relevance since the aftermath of the most recent Presidential election. The state has occupied an unlikely place at the center of American politics so far this century, inspiring thinkpieces on the regular every four years.

Rolling Stone (2017)


texts: What is the non-standard grammatical feature in this sentence?

texts:
In the following utterance:

“You know all you’re getting off it then is maybe the CD-ROM which
surely that’s not worth grabbing”.

I’m trying to say that they use non standard grammar by using the demonstrative “that” (in the bold) which would normally not be there.
But what is the precise standard ‘rule’ that is not being followed in the bolded text (not the rest of the utterance) hence making it non standard? (Rule is in quotations as I don’t mean to say that it’s necessarily incorrect.)
E.g. In “I didn’t eat no apple” is non standard due to the double negation.
Note that this is spoken, not written.


texts:
You are not allowed to take part (in a study) if you do not have a trial partner/caregiver who is close to you; sees you at least 3 days each week for a minimum of 6 hours each week while you are awake;

What does "trial partner" mean in this context?


texts: What's the correct usage of "hopefully"?

texts: I said, "Hopefully, I will get better" to a friend and he said that I was using it incorrectly, stating that hopefully is an adverb meaning "full of hope" that modifies a verb. It sounds right, but I'm pretty sure that this usage of hopefully has become prevalent enough to be accepted for this use case. Am I right, is he right, or are we both right?


texts: "Study law at" -- American English vs. British English

texts:
When you google "studying/study/studied psychology at" (or any other subject of study e.g. law) you get a lot more results from British English websites where people talk about doing a degree at a certain college or university.
I am wondering why this phrase does not appear so often in American English, even though AmE dominates google searches in all areas.

Can anybody explain?


texts: How do you say you have an empirical knowledge of something?

texts:
In Portuguese we have an expression according to empiricism... we say "Conhecimento de causa." which means that you have confirmed the knowledge through your senses and experience.

Is there a short way to say that in English? Or do I have to explain it in detail?

  I have ___________ knowledge on this subject.

I know that some of Portuguese words do not have a direct translation in English, like "saudade" which means that you miss someone.


texts: Is the expression 'more alike' awkward or does it work in an interface?

texts:
I want to create a button on an interface that will show me more items (cars) of the same kind (or similar in characteristics).

I was thinking of 'more like this' but this is a bit too long and the interface is already crowded, thus I came up with 'more alike', but I don't know if people understand this.

Alternatives are 'see similar cars' and 'other similar cars' but they are also too long.

How would it be more appropriate to say, in a short form?


texts: What was the actual "cock and bull story"?

texts:
Wiktionary's entry for cock and bull story reads:

  A far-fetched and fanciful story or tale of highly dubious validity.

I can't seem to find the original story with a cock (rooster) and a bull in it. Is it an idiom with "proof in itself" that we don't have a story at all?

The phrase has an entry on phrases.org.uk.


texts:
Since is used to refer to a point of time in the past and for is used with time interval. However I've come across this phrase

  I haven't seen you since ages.

Is this a correct usage of since since ages denotes an interval of time?


texts: What is the name of this American/British dialectic phenomenon?

texts:
When telling stories in the past tense, I've noticed that Americans will tend to say "I was standing on stage..." or "I was sitting at our table at Friendly's last night when..." while the Brits will tend toward "I was stood on stage..." or "I was sat at our table at Nando's last night when...". It's quite interesting, that the British will generally use this passive past type structure while the Americans will generally use the continuous past for the same situations.

Does this phenomenon have a name? Has it been studied?

Examples of this used in British Speech:

Jack Whitehall
Tiff Stevenson


texts:
Is this phrase correct to use 'Difference In behaviour' ?
For example, 'There is a lot of difference in behaviour between the two boys'


texts: To use "test" as an adjectival noun, is the proper form "test" or "testing"?

texts:
When I write a document, I am confused when to use test or testing in my document. For example, which one makes a better statement below?

A test engineer vs A testing engineer

software test tool vs software testing tool


texts: "People like you" versus "people like yourself"?

texts:
In the latest South Park episode, I noticed a line:

  We have so many abandoned babies and
  not enough people like yourself who
  care.

Which kinda struck me, because I'd expect it to be people like you.

Is the original quote broken, or are both correct, representing a different meaning?