texts: What is the difference between "last scan processed" and "last processed scan"?

texts:
How is this sentence:

  Process a scan if the last scan processed is older than the update time (in seconds).

different in meaning from this sentence?

  Process a scan if the last processed scan is older than the update time (in seconds).


texts: Use of the subjunctive for verbs other than "to be"?

texts:
It is to my understanding that it is grammatically correct to say:

  If I be [something], then [something].

because 'were' is the subjunctive of 'to be'.  However, is it correct to use the subjunctive of other words in a similar way?  For example:

  If he jump, the trampoline will shake.

or

  I request that he file these papers.

If it is correct, is it incorrect to use the simple present tense in those contexts?


texts: What's the origin of saying "yoo hoo!" to get someone's attention?

texts:
A character in D.H. Lawrence's novel Women in Love (published 1920) calls out, "Shu-hu!" to hail her sister in a crowded place.

This must be the same as "yoo hoo".  What is the source of this exclamation?


texts:
Which is correct and why?:

I like to adopt abandoned things. This, and the fact that my wife works for an animal charity, appear to be why I have six dogs.
I like to adopt abandoned things. This, and the fact that my wife works for an animal charity, appears to be why I have six dogs.

I’m not sure because I could talk of both factors as a single set, or a single mereological object, or, alternatively, I could be talking of both factors as two things.


texts: Should the definite article "the" be used in "periods of [the?] Italian economic history"?

texts:
I came across this phrase and I'm wondering whether a definite article should be placed there, or not:

  ...for long periods of [the?] Italian economic history...

Although my instinct tells me it is okay without "the", I was thinking that, (a) it doesn't refer to the academic field of economic history but rather to history as the events that took place; (b) it refers to a specific noun, rather than to an indefinite one - for example, we would say "long periods of inflation", but "for long periods of the dictatorship", if we made reference to a specific dictatorial regime.


texts: What is the grammatical term for the following idiom?

texts:
When there is a group or list of specific items, its components are curiously pluralized when reciting them in one sentence.

For instance,when a person discusses the qualities of blue-chip stocks, he might say, "I'm talking about your IBMs, your Procter and Gambles, your General Electrics."

In referring to Hall of Fame baseball players, one might say, "Just compare your Ruths, your Gehrigs, your Cobbs, your Killebrews, to today's players."

Why is the "intrusive s", or inappropriate plural form, so often heard and seen? After all, we are only talking about one IBM company, one Babe Ruth ....


texts: Word for made-up scenario that stretches believability

texts:
I believe the word starts with con-

It describes a made-up scenario that stretches the limits of believability and was clearly made up in order to further the individual's point.


texts:
I came across Rudyard Kipling's poem If, quoted below:

  If you can keep your head when all about you
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
  If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
    But make allowance for their doubting too;
  If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
  Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

  If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
  If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two impostors just the same;
  If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
  Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

  If you can make one heap of all your winnings
    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
  And lose, and start again at your beginnings
    And never breathe a word about your loss;
  If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
    To serve your turn long after they are gone,
  And so hold on when there is nothing in you
    Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

  If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
  If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
    If all men count with you, but none too much;
  If you can fill the unforgiving minute
    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
  Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

I pretty much like it and I am trying to translate it.  But I found some of the sentences difficult to understand.  Maybe because English is not my native language or because I am not used to poetry.  Anyway, here are my questions:

How to understand "losing theirs and blaming it on you" in the first stanza?  In particular, what do the pronouns "theirs" and "it" respectively stand for?
Why do the first and the second stanzas end with colons?
How to understand "Yours is the Earth" in the last stanza?  What does "yours" stands for?
In the third stanza, what does "To serve your turn long after they are gone" mean?  Particularly what do "turn" and "they" respectively refer to?  The "turn" in "pitch-and-toss" and "winnings"?

Any help will be appreciated.

EDIT:

Added Question 4


texts: The best way to refer to the difference between two numbers

texts:
Let's say I have a goal of working 100 hours but I've only worked 80.
Or I planned on working 100 but ended up working 120.
How do I refer to the 20? I need a word that would imply that these hours need to be made up, completed.
I tend to think Gap is the best word, but I'm not convinced.
The word difference, in my opinion, doesn't fit well in the context. Because I feel that it suggests simply a mathematic consequence, but not an independently existing item.

Example (as table columns):

Total Hours Worked: 80

Total Required Hours: 100

_________: 20


texts: An adjective for a person who is new to a certain field/activity

texts:
I am looking for an adjective, a compound adjective or adjective phrase that would fill in the blanks below

  He is a [...] stamp collector.
  = He recently became a stamp collector.

  She is a [...] mailwoman.
  = She recently became a mailwoman.

The meaning I am looking for is that of a person being new to an activity, which is now performed by them regularly, in a positive sense.


texts: Is there a linguistic reason why we sometimes use a singular pronoun and verb even when it refers to a plural subject?

texts:
Here is the exact quote from Why is a Red Herring Red? by Mitchell Symons (2020):

Consequently, when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first.


texts:
Can anyone tell me what this type of repetitive use of two words together in a phrase is actually called? For example:

"What it is, is..."


texts: What word that describes a person who only cares about race

texts: I'm looking for a word that describes SJW, feminist people or others who  judge entertainment, political or social topics by race and diversity. Note: I was thinking about the word racist but that implies hatred towards a race


texts: What do you call a group that performs plays (theatre)?

texts:
I'm writing a review of the play, I need to list credits for the play.
The person who writes the play is the playwright.
What term do I use to refer to the group of actors etc that performed the play? From their Facebook page - they say they are a

inter-disciplinary Performance Art Collective

What word would I use to describe the group?
ie.

The adventure of John Smith
Playwright: Jane Doe
[Performance Group]: The Snazzy Art Collective
Venue: Some Venue.


texts: What does "sweeping phrases" mean? And How should the sentence be understood?

texts:
What is more, this ever-expanding pool of information did not start with humans, but dates back to the beginning of time. “[W]e are born from it, and it is born from us,” he writes gnostically. As such sweeping phrases make clear, adding to economic-growth theory is not the only goal motivating Mr Hidalgo, a statistical physicist who teaches at MIT’s Media Lab and is a pioneer in visualisation tools, which extract meaning from piles of data.

According to Macmillan Dictionary (http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/sweeping), the word "sweeping" means: 1. a sweeping change or development has a major effect 2. not based on specific facts or details and therefore not completely accurate or fair 3. with a wide impressive curved shape

It seems that the word "phrases" here refers to the sentence in the double quotation marks. But how can the word "sweeping" be understood in the context so that the "phrases make clear"? It is confusing because I don't think each of those meanings of "sweeping" can fit in well with the sentence reasonably or logically. Could someone please paraphrase or explain it?

The next puzzling problem: How should I understand the meaning of "adding to economic-growth theory"? The sentence reads rather peculiar because I can't find out what is exactly added to "economic-growth theory". In other words, the object of the verb "add" is missing. In my opinion, the sentence should be modified like this: "adding XXXX(something certain) to economic-growth is not the only goal of Mr Hidalgo ..." Is that right? If that's not correct, could you please tell me what the author intend to tell the readers here?

Thank you!


texts: Abstruse algorithms have been derived for, and implemented in, superfluous software --- correct? readable? better with or without commas?


texts:
On a train, earlier today I overheard one Scottish guy say to another: "There's nary a hold chap in that bunch of slordy, poofy freeks. All o' 'em is crank in the head, that's what I say".

I have heard him and also other people use this term from time to time, but I am still not quite sure what it means.


texts: Word to describe person who is rich in wealth, but is poor in class?

texts:
Looking for a word to describe a person who is rich in wealth, but is poor in class.

I've heard of words to describe poor people who have no class or manners, words to describe rich people who have class and manners, but I've not heard of a word to describe people who are rich in terms of wealth but lack manners and class.

Is there a specific word for that? I'm looking to describe a few men in politics who clearly best exemplify this but I don't have a word to describe them besides "poor in class but filthy rich"?

The sentence I wanted to use is:

"Some men in politics, such as Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, have very contrasting attributes. Because they are both filthy rich, yet class is nowhere to be seen, I like to call these two _________"


texts: What is wrong with this sentence? I can't figure it out

texts:
What is wrong with this sentence?

  If you cause any trouble to him, I’ll not tolerate that.


texts:
I was puzzled to find out the definition of “discursus” incidentally in Readers Plus English Japanese Dictionary, one of the best-selling English Japanese dictionaries, which is published by Kenkyusha, a well-reputed foreign language dictionary publisher in Japan.

It defines ‘discursus’ as;

n. 理路整然たる討議、説明 (logically consistent and well-organized discussion or explanation), while it defines ‘discursive’ as;
a. digressive. One’s sentences and stories passing from one thing to another; ranging over a wide field.

To me, it’s strange that ‘discursus’ and ‘discursive” both of which are considered to be cognates derived from Latin `discurro’ meaning ‘running about’ come up in the reverse meaning: ‘discursus= logically consistent and well-organized” and ‘discursive =digressive, loose thinking.’

So I consulted with other English Dictionaries.

All CED, OED, Merriam-Webster define “discursive’ in the same way as “digressive; Passing from one thing to another; ranging over a wide field," but none of them provides definition of ‘discursus.’

Spellchecker keeps trying to correct “discursus” into “discourse” while I’m typing this question.

However, Wikitionary and Dictionary.com. carry the heading of ‘discursus’ with the same definition as an uncountable noun; (Logic) Argumentation; ratiocination; discursive reasoning.

Google NGram shows that compared with a notable rise of the currency of ‘discursive’ (0.000669585% in 2007), the incidence of ‘discursus’ is negligibly low (0.0000009975%).

Do you think the definition of Readers Plus English Japanese Dictionary of “discursus” is appropriate? Depending on your input, I’d like to request the editor of the dictionary to re-edit the definition of the word.


texts:
I'm describing my job responsabilities and would like to note that in terms of my position I was in charge of research and choosing technologies.

Do I assume correctly that in the following case it's possible to use either gerunds or nouns?
But which of the following statements is better?
Do these forms have different meaning/focus?

  Researching and choosing the optimal solution stack

or

  Research and chooce the optimal solution stack

Can I use both of these forms or one of the is gramatically wrong?


texts: What does "constant proportionality" mean in simple words?

texts:
I read this sentence from algorithm book:
The reason is that any split of constant proportionality yields a recursion tree of depth O(lg n).
What does mean by "constant proportionality" in a simple words?


texts: Usage of Would or Would Have with Prophesied Event

texts:
I am writing subtitles for a rare, old foreign movie (in Italian) for my English speaking friends. I have a doubt. What is the correct form among the following, and can you help me understand why?

He built a temple for when the rain would come

He built a temple for when the rain would have come

The character in this story is building a temple to protect his family in case a prophesied event (a devastating and endless rain, as in the tale of Noah) occurs.

The original phrase in Italian, in case you are interested, is:

Ha costruito un tempio per quando la pioggia sarebbe arrivata.

Thank you!


texts: "With my/their/our V-ing..." as supplement to main clause

texts:
Here are some news article examples containing 'with my/their etc. being...' as supplement to a main clause:

(1) Since the opposing counsel would be the U.S. Department of Justice, and with my being new to that game, I enlisted as co-counsel an accomplished federal litigator with extensive experience in dealing with the DOJ.  (Source)
(2) Since this raised many leftists' ire and with my being the reasonable man I am, I propose a compromise: no immigrants from the Third World or the Old World.  In other words, no immigration, period. (Source)
(3) The Jordans were serving at Destiny Life Church in Oakland, and with their being hired by Divine Hope Church, both churches merged while keeping the Divine Hope name. (Source)

Is the use of genitive pronouns (my, their, etc.) well-formed and natural?
Or is it better to have accusative pronouns (me, them, etc.) instead?
EDIT
In a related question "with/without + pronoun (me vs. my) + gerund-participial phrase", I have shown this example from The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Page 461):

We set off again, the Rover going precariously slowly in very low gear up hills, with me staying on its tail in case it petered out altogether.

CGEL says, and I agree, that my cannot replace me in this sentence.
If the above examples (1)-(3) are well-formed and natural, how do you distinguish (1)-(3) from the CGEL example?


texts:
Is it right to say "Start save money..."
or it should be start saving money?

and how the continuation of a such sentence after that could be...
I mean, which of the following are correct sentences:

Start save money and help people
Start saving money and help people
Start saving money and helping people


texts: How to correctly express a successful job (where others failed) in a cover letter

texts:
I was working on a project where the two other person before me failed to get the job done as expected. Basically that was the reason they hired me, and fortunately I did it better than expected.

How can I express it in a proper English in the cover letter when I'm applying for a new job?

Just in the case that it might help, the first person lost the job (employer didn't renew the contract) however he's still promoting himself using the project name and saying he were working on the project. The second person got fired, however he is also doing the same like the other one.

I think, I have to mention it somehow that it was my effort to make the project successful, because that could potentially land me the job, but I really don't know how should I express that that doesn't sound negative, etc.

P.S. I know that I have to discuss it while they are interviewing me, however I prefer to increase the chance by putting that in the cover letter first.


texts: Can there be an -ing word after "while"?

texts:
The navy seals soon dispersed, some entering the shallow waters at the beach while others venturing out onto the rocks to access deeper waters.

Is this sentence grammatically correct? The book says that this is the answer but I don't trust the book. It sounds wrong. It sounds like it should be "while others ventured out onto the rocks"


texts:
I'm looking for a single word that can describe a container object as having the ability to be in a state of emptiness.

The first word that springs to mind is "emptiable", but that implies an ability to change the state, rather than the possibility of "empty" being a state at all.

I'm looking for a word that describes that possibility. What do you call something that may or may not be empty?

I've been dancing around the word "void", but that seems to have the same issues (see "voidable").


texts: Beyond reproach - alternative expressions

texts:
What are some alternative, diplomatic ways to say "beyond reproach", "above question", "of the path that is ethically spotless/sound and cannot be challenged".

I was thinking, "unquestionable", but that doesn't sound quite right.

Context - a diplomatic email:

  It’s worth noting that we only sell genuine software via the official
  and sanctioned channels.  You might be able to get black market
  software elsewhere on the cheap, but as an official government
  organisation of the highest order, I would imagine it in your interest
  to always take the path that is above question.

Another variation:

  It’s worth noting that we only sell genuine software via the official
  and sanctioned channels.  You might be able to get black market
  software elsewhere on the cheap, but as an official government
  organisation of the highest order, I would imagine it in your interest
  to always take the path that is beyond reproach and safeguards your
  ethical reputation in a public office.


texts:
You understand that a good brand strategy and a strong advertisement
  strategy are the bases of a succesful advertising campaign.

How would one avoid the repetition of strategy?

  ...a strong brand and advertisement strategy..

This seems to imply you need a strong brand (not strategy) and any (not a strong) advertisement strategy

Would this be correct nevertheless?


texts: What's the formal answer to a question beginning with "Shall we"?

texts:
I've been asked "Shall we chat then?".

The automatic affirmative answer that I would give is "Yes, let's." But in this case, the email conversation is a bit more formal, and I feel my go-to answer would be a bit too informal in the emails' context. (An alternative "Yes, please" that works for most "shall we" questions is also rather an unfitting reply in this case, I think.)

Is there a (bit) more formal way to say "yes" in response to a "shall we" (without sounding like a mock reply, such as "Yes, we shall")?

Help, please!


texts:
Please help us solve our debate.
One person says to write "Jess' Bridal Shower", the other says to write "Jess's Bridal Shower".
What is the correct way, or are the both correct?


texts:
I am writing an academic paper and would like to use the Oxford spelling throughout (I am native British). I read that Oxford spelling generally follows British English other than a few exceptions, such as ize (ization) instead of ise (isation). I have not managed to come across rules for the words "whilst/while" and "amongst/among", with the prior of the two commonly used in British English.
Which would be correct to use according to the Oxford spelling?


texts: Is “ ’s ” ever correct for pluralization?

texts:
A relatively modern dictionary (I don’t know which one, because we’ve cut out the pages and used them as wallpaper in our bathroom, but I know it’s less than 20 years old) indicates that R’s is one correct pluralization of R, as is Rs, but whichever dictionary this is, it’s kind of a no-name brand, so I’m not sure I trust it.

I’ve always wondered what the best way was to pluralize single letters or numerals, like 2’s or 2s.  What’s correct?


texts: What is the difference between partial and total synonyms?

texts:
I am really confused with these terms. In my notes from lexicology lectures, partial synonyms are words which differ in emotional color, valency, style, or grammar. In some cases, I can’t see which of these apply,
for example, the following pairs:

eat/consume
help/aid
plenty/many
former/older
nest/colonize

Is there another way to define or explain the difference between partial and total synonyms?  Or a better list of the possible differences?


texts: What does Tutankhamen “died on his knees” mean?

texts:
Time magazine (November 4) carries an article titled, “Tutankhamen died on his knees, then his body spontaneously combusted,” which is followed with the following statement:

  Working together with car-crash investigators, a team of British
  scientists says that the legendary pharaoh Tutankhamen died after
  being run over by a chariot while on his knees.
  http://science.time.com/2013/11/04/study-tutankhamen-died-on-his-knees-then-his-body-spontaneously-combusted/#ixzz2jpEknncO

The article adds that a theory presented last year held that the pharaoh might have died from epilepsy.

What does “die on one’s knees” mean? Was he killed when he was praying on his knees in ritual, which seems to be an extremely unusual occurrence?

Does it have any connection with “die / live on one’s feet / knees” in the saying, “Better to die on one’s feet than to live on one’s knees”?


texts: Why “can” not “could” in “She was one of those people who can. . . .”?

texts:
The following sentence is from George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, occurring in chapter 5 of part 2:

  She was one of those people who can go to sleep at any hour and in any position.

Why is who can grammatically correct when used with was? Shouldn’t it be who could?


texts: About time presentation. The latest News should be restricted before 24 hours ago from current time?

texts:
I have a web service to provide News.
But by the contract, I can only show the latest News before 24 hours ago.

That is, if today is 2015-11-24, the news I provided should be before 2015-11-23

Can I say that in this way.

The latest News we published should be restricted before 24 hours ago from current time?

it just sounds strange and ambiguous, how could I change the above sentence, thanks


texts: Would there be an invisible and unneccesary preposition after the word conjuntion "and" if earlier in the sentence there is already a preposition?

texts:
I am trying to combine these two sentences in order to make it more concise.

The program provides training on reviewing data schematics; it also provides training on interpreting data charts.

I would like to know if both combinations A and B are both gramatically valid and correct. Thank you.

A) The program provides training on reviewing data schematics and on interpreting visual data charts.

B) The program provides training on reviewing data schematics and  interpreting visual data charts.


texts: Verbally differentiating between "sign" and "sine"

texts:
I'm teaching math to undergrads. The classes are taught in English, which is a second language for me.

In the middle of one class I've stumbled upon an unexpected problem: the inability to distinguish between "sign" and "sine". Sometimes it's evident from the context. Sometimes not. For example, if I'm saying to student "You forgot a /saɪn/ here", it can both mean "a sine (of x)" or "a (minus) sign".

Is there a way to make a clear distinction between these two homophones in spoken language, or should I just try my best to build unambiguous phrases?


texts: Is 'All of my first attempts did not succeed' equal or close to the meaning of 'None of my first attempts succeeded'?

texts: I would say that the former one means the same as 'Not all of my first attempts succeeded' and 'Some of my first attempts failed'. I don't have a persuasive answer as to why.


texts:
As she turned to leave, the flower retailer immediately replaced his
  smile with ...

I want to say he replaced his smile with his 'idle face' or his face without expression, but neither of those sound good.

The face that you pull when you're not pulling a face. Not a defined expression. Kinda like I've noticed I'm doing right now as I type (though this fact's no help to answerers).


texts:
I understand why naïve is spelled with two dots, and that those dots are called a diaeresis.

What I do not understand is whether the use of a diaeresis is legal in English; is it?

Other than naïve, I am hard pressed to come up with another example of a word that uses a diaeresis.


texts: Is the structure "This is because... and so..." grammatically correct?

texts:
For example, in the sentence:

  This is because he was smart, and he worked hard, and so he was very rich.

Is this structure correct? If not, how can the sentence be corrected?


texts: Name for a phrase, whose words communicate the similar meaning (fluid liquid, white bleach)

texts:
How would you call this kind of lexical errors, when two words of a phrase communicate generally similar meaning?

fluid liquid
sunny sun
white bleach
decorative ornament
sorrowful misery


texts: Alternative to "winner takes it all" or "first-past-the-post"

texts:
Consider the scenario of two scientists independently and concurrently working on a problem. The first one to achieve the breakthrough and have his or her results published will eventually be the one to who is remembered. The work of the runner-up, on the other hand, will essentially go to waste since there won't be any reason to have it published. Similar examples could be said of explorers, pioneers, etc.

I'm looking for a compact expression for this. The winner takes it all isn't exactly accurate because it's not so much a matter of winning as it is a matter of getting there first and being recognized for it. Similarly, first-past-the-post is too tightly linked to the context of elections to be applicable.


texts: Sentences beginning with "I do not think (that)" vs. "I think (that) + negation"

texts:
Among the following sentences (assuming they are all grammatically correct, and hopefully seem natural to native speakers as well):

I do not think the overwhelming majority of the countries in the world would agree with your opinions.

I think not the overwhelming majority of the countries in the world would agree with your opinions.

I think the overwhelming majority of the countries in the world would not agree (or just say "would disagree") with your opinions.

First of all, I assumed that 2) and 3) are different: let's say 80% is an overwhelming majority, then my understanding is that 2) claims that only a significantly smaller percentage of the countries agree, e.g., 60%, or 50%, or 40%; while 3) claims that 80% disagree, which means that at most 20% agree.
If my understanding above is correct, then which ones are equivalent? I feel that 1) is about the same as 2), but from the grammar I learned from school, 1) is supposed to be another (more correct/common?) form of 3).  Any native speaker to tell?
The answer to a relevant question seems not satisfactory: "I think that ... not ... " and "I don't think that ..."


texts: Difference in meaning and prononciation of urbane and urban

texts: I encounter these two words pretty often, both orally and in writing.  What is the difference between two, and how to pronounce, say in USA?


texts: "Cross-posting" - is this word able to be used literally nowadays?

texts:
"Cross-posting" is the act of asking a question of more than one site within a system.

As far as I know, it has always had a poor reputation, because doing so encourages answers that are not seen among the various sites. (I'm sure there are many reasons not to like cross-posting, but that's not the issue here)

Also, as far as I know, it is a behavior that is often desired by question-askers, especially if the question is ambiguous or broad or touches on disparate areas (e.g. "What is the words for the dial on the dashboard of a glider?" (good for ELU or Aviation) or "What is a good calculation method for attenuation of the radiosignal from Voyager I?" (good for math, physics, space exploration, scientificcomputing.SE) ). Which is all to say that it is a well worn concept well deserving of a name even if there is no specific mechanism that implements it.

I don't know the full history of it, but I became aware of the term with usenet in the late 90's where there was a mechanism to author a single message and have it appear on multiple usenet sites at once.

My question is whether 'cross-posting' is figurative. Does it require that the particular system being specifically engineer an option to post to more than one site (like usenet)? Or can it be used, literally, even if done by hand? Or does it mean posting to entirely separate engineered mechanisms like SE, Yahoo Answers, and my grandmother's blog by hand, just all in the same time frame? Which of these latter does the word apply to (or others if not these)?


texts:
Although I hesitate to ask this question, I see it as necessary to promote common proper word usage. I certainly never want to appear arrogant or offend anyone, but I have noticed that there is one word that is commonly misused, primarily in metropolitan areas. Why must people “axe” for or about something?
When I first arrived in the city, a new acquaintance, who is my now dearest friend, said that she had to “axe me a question.” Fortunately, before I panicked she quickly continued to “axe” me what I planned to have for dinner that night. For several years I have heard “axe” incorrectly repeated in this context, and I sincerely wish to simply correct those who are using it improperly. However, I have heard and seen angry confrontations when someone insists that when one is ‘axing a question”, they might try instead to “ask a question.”  Even the mildest of attempts to persuade them of their improper use of the verb "axe” in the present tense is typically ignored if not met with outright contempt. Every time I now hear the word misused, it becomes more wrenching.
I work as an editor, so every day I refine the words of people who are renowned in their areas of expertise but who cannot properly enter words into a document. Together we work as a team to submit properly worded bids on multi-million-dollar contracts. Does anyone have a gentle, but effective way to correct this error that I seem to hear so frequently?


texts: Term for two words that don't make sense when placed next to each other

texts: I'm drawing a blank here -- for example, in the sentence "The manager directed that the employee build destruction", the two words "build destruction" do not really make sense together.  I'm pretty sure there's a term for this, but I can't remember it -- the only thing that comes to mind is "non sequitur", but that apparently has a slightly different meaning.


texts:
I'm designing an exhibition for the Resistance Museum in Amsterdam where I'm currently writing several dialogues between Dutch citizens in the year 1940. The problem is these dialogs would also need to be translated into English for tourists. I'm Dutch and, though I wouldn't call my English bad, I'm having a hard time coming up with English words/phrases that feel like they're from that time.

Does anyone have tips, words or phrases I can use to make it feel more authentic?

To get an idea, here is an example of a dialogue in its current form:

Johan: Goodday Theo, I'm here to help you with organizing those books.

Theo: Oh thank you Johan.

Johan: So, how is that ancestry form coming along.

Theo: I haven't filled it out yet. My wife and I both have our doubts.

Johan: Why? It is not a big deal, most of us already handed it in.

Theo: The library never cared about my Jewish ancestry before, why now? I don't trust it.

Johan: Why not? Aren't you proud of your heritage?

Theo: Of course, but what about my family? What if they use it against us.

Johan: Just fill it in, refusing will only make the situation worse for you.

Theo: I don't think I should do it.

Johan: Look, this will not only cause serious problems for you and your family but also
for the library and its board.

Thanks for any help at all!


texts:
I am wondering about the origin of the common non sequitur "How many fish heads?". Is it an oblique reference to Douglas Adams'"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" where when the dolphins leave they say "Goodbye, and thanks for all the fish"? Or is it from something else?

Edit: I have seen this primarily on internet message boards. Also occasionally in conversation, but generally with millennials. One example


texts: Noun (or alternative) of thought-provoking?

texts:
I'm planning to start a blog. And before every post, I'm planning to add how thought-provoking I think that post is.

So I was thinking about something that I can call thought-provoking-ness level. However, I don't think thought-provoking-ness is an English word. So my question is:

Is there a noun for thought-provoking, and if there is not. What could be an alternative?


texts: What is the word that shares meaning with "mausoleum" but sounds like 'chartomb' (/tʃaːtuːm/)?

texts:
Example sentence:

  In 1984 the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO) successfully
  constructed a General Electric nuclear boiling water reactor about 60
  miles east of New York City. However, before the power-on
  testing would begin, an oil-financed, anti-nuclear, pro-solar power campaign had
  swept through the small town of Shoreham, NY, where the plant was located, eventually
  mobilizing the locals to successfully prevent LILCO from ever doing any
  start-up tests at all, and ultimately winning the legal battle for the power station's
  decommissioning.

  Today the site, complete and intact, is frozen in time as
  a non-living museum of sorts, in its 25th year of neglect. This [chartomb] is as an empty a vessel as the promise it once held: to displace 3 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. Neighbored by gas and wind-turbines taking advantage of its grid infrastructure, it stands sentry over the area, now as CO2 contributor.

The word in the brackets shares a similar meaning with mausoleum or sarcophagus. It's expansive and sprawling, but barren and left to the elements.

IPA transcription: /tʃaːtuːm/


texts: What word describes something that can move orthogonally and diagonally?

texts:
Is there a word for the union of orthogonal and diagonal? If used in a sentence:

  The queen in chess can move ______.

And used in another sentence:

  There are infinitely many directions. My pet robot can only move vertically, horizontally, or diagonally at 45 degree angles (a total of eight uniformly distributed directions). My pet robot can move ______.

The rules for chess describe the queen as able to move vertically, horizontally or diagonally. Just as vertically and horizontally can be condensed into a single word, orthogonally, I was hoping to condense all three to a single word.


texts: the position of 'not' when using the To-infinitive

texts:
I have learned the position of 'not when I use to-infinitive is before the to-infinitive like:

  I didn't go home not to meet my cousin.

but, sometimes I have seen 'not' is behind the to-infinitive like.

  While patience is one of the most important parts of finishing a task, we sometimes cannot bring ourselves to not just expect quick results.

I am wondering if the expression,'to not just expect~', is right or wrong.

Please help me.


texts: I made both of you buy the (games or game)

texts: I had made two of my friends buy CS:GO and today, while texting in a group I said "I made both of you buy the games". My friend corrected me with "*game". Was I wrong? I tried googling but couldn't find anything.


texts: A dash or ellipsis when someone doesn't finish their sentence?

texts:
The speaker, in their stupefaction, leaves the sentence trail off. Would it be:

What on earth...?!

Or:

What on earth--?!

Thank you kindly.


texts:
Does 'but for' mean:

'If we had X (but we didn't), Y would have been the consequence'?

Or can it also mean; because we had X, as a result Y happened?

Some different examples of but for:

(Case 1)

  But for a cup coffee, it was to be a productive day of writing.
  Unfortunately, I'd run out, and spent the day craving.

(Case 2)

  But for the glass of wine I had dinner, the house work didn't get
  done.

(Case 3)

  But for the glass of wine I had for dinner, I would have got the
  house work done

What is the correct usage of "but for"?


texts: What tense is appropriate when a group includes alive and dead people?

texts:
In a recent article, I was comparing the atheism of Joseph Stalin, Ayn Rand, and Christopher Hitchens. Which of the following sentences would have been appropriate to describe them?

All three believe that there is no deity.
All three believed that there is no deity.
All three would agree that there is no deity.
All three would have agreed that there is no deity.


texts: Origin of "moke," used in the mildly derogatory term "you lil' moke"

texts:
Does anyone know the origins of this term? I have only managed to track one reference to it. I heard it from my Granny who was Romani. The Online Etymology Dictionary has this short entry:

  moke (n.) "dolt," 1855, originally (16c.) "donkey;" of unknown origin, perhaps originally a personal name. In U.S., "black person," from 1856.


texts: I'm writing a LinkedIn post about an interview I did with The College Fix. The first sentence of my post is: “After seeing one of my Austin news segments, Jon Garaffa from The College Fix invited me to an interview where we spoke about life at TVAH.” I'm concerned about whether it's correct for me to say that I was “invited to” the interview instead of being “invited for” it. I've heard the sentence both ways. Is being “invited to” an interview the same as being “invited for” one?


texts: In general, is it acceptable to capitalize Googled?

texts: I Googled, "What is the meaning of life?" and this is what I learned


texts: Should I use a comma with a phrase and clause modifying the same noun?

texts:
There were things strewn on the floor which the child could have put in his mouth.

Should I use a comma here?  Without one, it looks like it's saying the child could have put the floor in its mouth.


texts:
Our office is divided on both the prevalence of the two phrases, and whether they have different meanings.

The absurd extremes of our conflict claim, respectively, that "no hands" implies the speaker is informing others that he physically has no hands, or "no handlebars" refers to a bicycle or other conveyance that is missing the handlebar part.


texts: Why is the exercise price of an option called a "strike price"?

texts:
The exercise price of an option, the set price at which a derivative contract can be bought or sold when it is exercised, is sometimes called the "strike price."
Historically, why is it called a "strike price?" (In what sense is anyone "striking" here?)
Merriam-Webster says the term "strike price" originated in 1972. Who originated it, and why that term?


texts: I'm wondering what is the term for the person, that is doing business on his/her own and has tax liability. It's different in each country, I'd like to know how they are called in USA and UK.


texts:
We say we do not give a hoot or care a hoot when we do not care very much or at all.

On the "hoot" that we do not give, Etymonline has this to say:

  [...] Slang sense of "smallest amount or particle" (the hoot you don't give when you don't care) is from 1891.

  "A dod blasted ole fool!" answered the captain, who, till now, had been merely an amused on-looker. "Ye know all this rumpus wont do nobuddy a hoot o' good--not a hoot." ["Along Traverse Shores," Traverse City, Michigan, 1891]

  Hooter in the same sense is from 1839.

  HOOTER. Probably a corruption of iota. Common in New York in such phrases as "I don't care a hooter for him." "This note ain't worth a hooter." [John Russell Bartlett, "Dictionary of Americanisms," 1877]

[Etymonline, "hoot" entry, emphasis mine]

Now "iota", of course, is a plausible metaphor for a smallest amount of particle. Unlike "hooter", which does not seem at all to be self-explanatory as a measurement of anything. (Vaguely, I used to think that I don't give a hoot had to do with hooting as the sound, but admittedly that does not make much sense, either.)

How could "iota" become "hooter"? The explanation above sounds logical, but not quite phono-logical. How could the phonological leap from "iota" to "hooter" take place? Is this a strong case of folk etymology? Was there a sufficient phonological proximity historically?


texts: What is the origin of "hot" as "good-looking" or "attractive"?

texts: I'm not sure if "hot" as "warm" or "heated" existed before "hot" came to mean "good-looking" or "attractive", but if so, how did this new meaning come to be?


texts: The correct term for little pieces of rubbish of all sorts found on the floor

texts: There are always little pieces of rubbish found on the floor, which means when you clean the floor, dust is not the only "rubbish" that you have to get rid of. What is the correct term for those little pieces of rubbish? Maybe "bits", "detritus" or "scraps"? Thank you!


texts: I'm looking for a technical word to describe objects that are travelling in parallel pathways but in opposite directions from each other. For instance on a highway you have two cars , one in the southbound lane and the other in the northbound lane, you would say the cars are .............(fill in the blank).


texts: A word for playing roles with hand puppets

texts:
When kids play with hand puppets and they act different roles, is it correct to call such games "role playing games," or is there any other, better word for it.

Thanks,
Tommy.


texts: Phrases you can say to people who are ashamed to eat at your house?

texts:
Any phrases or idioms that one can use to tell someone who is perhaps ashamed to eat at your house as a guest. Something other than 'take those shackles off, help yourself,  make yourself at home'. Something that can let them feel more comfortable and more welcome.

Any ideas?


texts: I prepare for situation of losing my cell phone

texts:
To prepare for situation of losing my cell phone, I am making a sticker label for my cell phone.

Is this sentence okay?

  "If you pick up this phone, please contact us. Tel: xxx-xxx-xxx"

If it's not, please recommend a better sentence.


texts: A word for something that is impossible to be sure of?

texts: A noun for something that you cannot prove; something you can never be sure of actually happening/being real?


texts: What’s going on with “drink > drench”? Is it like “passage > passenger”?

texts:
Edit: I am looking for a particular linguistic term for this process (which here uses terminal palatalization to indicate such)  of turning passive verbs like drink into active verbs like drench.  I know one such term exists, because I have seen John Lawler use it, but I cannot now find his posts where he did so.  The OED does not mention this general phenomenon in the related etymologies. For all I know, it may be older than OE, perhaps even going back all the way to PIE.

English has a bunch of verb-pairs where the first one ends in a stop and the second in a palatal, usually with vowel-modification, like these:

cling, clench
drink, drench
hang, hinge
meng, minge (now dialectal)
stink, stench
tint, tinge
wring, wrench

What is going on there?  It seems like some hidden regularity of some sort.  What does it mean?

For words that seem to be missing one of the pair, did those once exist?  I’m thinking of words like quench: what happened to *quing?

Does this have anything to do with these pairs:

message, messenger
passage, passenger
porridge, porringer
pottage, pottinger
wharfage, wharfinger

Or is that something different and unrelated?


texts: Downwards upon us - is it above or below then?

texts:
Reading a story, I found the following sentence:

Downwards upon us, with limbless Atlantean stridings, there swept the
cloudy cohorts.

I am struggling with understanding of the phrase "downwards upon" - is it the direction (in downward direction but upon us) or a place?


texts: "Ask help/permission/forgiveness" or "Ask FOR help/permission/forgiveness"?

texts:
I found some illustrative sentences as below in online-dictionaries (Cambridge and Learner's Dictionary).

If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask.
She asked their forgiveness.

Why they don't use "ask for" in this case?
What is the difference between "ask help/permission/forgiveness" and "ask for  help/permission/forgiveness"?

And please tell me how and when I can use "ask" instead of "ask for", as well.

Is usage of 'ask something' ('ask' with a direct object) limited only in the case of 'help/permission/forgiveness'?


texts: What should be put first in this sentence?

texts:
I'd like to use a large-scale experimental dataset, QQA-HTT.

Or

  I'd like to use QQA-HTT, a large-scale experimental dataset.

Which should be put first? What is the difference?


texts: Irregular shape with projections and recesses that interlock with other shapes

texts:
What might be a word for the shape with a lot of random projections and recesses? I would like to describe the shape of countries in Europe where countries have interlocking shapes like distorted jigsaw puzzles. Alternatively, what would be an analogy for irregular shape with female and male connections?

The analogies which come to my mind are:

irregular jigsaw puzzle
inkblot, puddle, blood pool
amoeba with its tentacles (pseudopods)


texts: What's the exact meaning of this sentence?

texts:
I came by a certain sentence which is quite difficult for me to comprehend. It goes:

"To the extent that being caliph had any more purchase than being Caesar for the Ottomans in the late nineteenth century, it was largely the result of a political campaign on the part of Sultan Abdulhamid II to rally anticolonial sentiment around the Ottoman state and to boost his own domestic legitimacy".

What exactly was the result of the political campaign? The fact that being caliph was more important than being caesar? If so, then the phrase "to the extent" is superfluous, or even confusing. Can someone rewrite the sentence in a way more easy to understand?


texts: Smudge / smear that is very hard to wash off

texts:
What is the name (noun or adjective) for a smudge that is very difficult to wash off the surface?

Example:

  I tried to wash this ______ off my shirt, but it seems to be too ________ to remove


texts: Can I say two-series to describe a series of two events?

texts:
I am presenting two talks on two different dates, and I would like to describe the first one as the first of a two-series talk. Is two-series talk a word that can be used with this meaning? Googling it I found zero references.
This question looks similar and I am thinking of changing to use a two-part series, but isn't it maybe a little too cumbersome?


texts:
In the following sentence: "I am against animal cruelty." Why don't we say the animal cruelty since technically it is a specific type of cruelty - "animal" cruelty.

Thanks


texts:
First, I'd like to know the technical term for this fallacy, and then I'd like at least one down-to-earth example that I can refer to in a section heading.
Background: Down Syndrome tends to feature some cognitive impairment, but this can range from mild to moderate etc. etc.  A nasty guy is arguing that Student's intellectual disability is moderate, rather than mild.  However, as offensive as his insistence on that point is, it's still irrelevant, because Student still has the right to a Free, Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). (The nasty guy is suggesting that because Student's impairment is moderate, Student's IEP goals are wildly undoable.  But IDEA 2004 guarantees Student the right to FAPE regardless.  FAPE would still be guaranteed even if the impairment were profound.  FAPE is FAPE, and IDEA is for everyone.)
I can explain it in the document I'm drafting, exactly as I explained it here, but I would also like to label it for the fallacious argument that it is.  For example, another section of my draft is called
Individualization vs. Least Restrictive Environment: A False Dichotomy
That one is okay as is, because everybody and his cousin understands false dichotomy.


texts: "The" usage on a subjectively modified known location

texts:
In the following sentence,

  It was great meeting you at X-Event in [the] beautiful Monterey Bay.

is [the] required by grammar, or is it optional?   It sounds more fluid and poetic without it but since Monterey Bay is a known location does it require the?  On the other hand the refers to 'beautiful Monterey Bay' which is not directly the location but it is subjectively modified by beautiful.


texts: Can someone help me understand this quote about love?

texts:
Ah! a blessing beyond all fate;
  My sole mate 'tis my soul mate.

I didn't get this quote. Let me know its meaning please.


texts:
Snuff film means

  a pornographic film in which one of the actors is murdered during or
  after a sadistic sexual act.

On the other hand, snuff means

  act of inhaling, breathing in; sound made when breathing in; powdered
  tobacco that is inhaled through the nose; burnt end of a candle wick.

Why is it snuff film? What is the meaning of snuff as in snuff film?


texts: Difference between "meant to" and "supposed to"

texts:
Those two expressions have close meaning:

  He is not meant to do this

  He is not supposed to do this

What is the difference between them, and when I should use one or the other?


texts: A young woman's old husband is taken away by a crocodile

texts:
A  young woman 's  going  for  an ablution in the Ganges with  her  fellow women resulted  in her  old husband  being  taken away  by  a  crocodile

Telugu:  Satt varito  sariganga snanalu  chestunte , musali  moginni musali yettuku  poindi

It is  beaiful for its  assonance  and meaning.

The  context:  It  is  a  custom among  the  Hindus  to  have  a  holy  dip  in the  river  duriing  Pushkaras ( every 12 years) and  during some festive  seasons. It  is  a  custom that  both  wife  and  husband have  a dip   in the  rivers  at the  same time  along  with  some  others  couples. While  a  young  woman and  her old  husband along with  some  other  couples  were  taking the  holy dips , a crocodile  took  the  old man away causing  the  young  woman a lot  of  agony. ( The  practice  of  taking  the  bath  by  a number  of  couples  is  called   sariganga snanalu ( taking  a bath  together  by  wife arnd husband  in the rivers)     ( It  is not a  tale. The  people  in My  region  understand  the  idiom  without  any  context.  ,  in  fact  it  is  not  a tale  or
 something  really  happened )

This  proverb  is  used  in a humorous  context  to  say  that  if  we  try  to  imitate  others  without  knowing  our  limitations, we  might  find  ourselves  in real trouble..

I would  like  to  know  a  similar  and  funny  proverb in English.


texts: it takes a certain kind of person to become

texts:
What does "It takes a certain kind of person to become" mean in the following sentence?
Is it a accpected phrase "it take a... kind of person to do sth."?

It takes a certain kind of person to become a journalist, and there are specific qualities that are essential for a successful career in journalism.


texts:
The origin of the term backlog meaning:

  a reserve or accumulation, as of stock, work, or business:
  a backlog of business orders.

probably   refers to either the shipping term:

Log:

  the meaning "arrears of unfulfilled orders" (1932) might be from, or suggested by, log (n.2),  that is:
  "record of observations, readings, etc.," 1842, sailor's shortening of log-book "daily record of a ship's speed, progress, etc." (1670s). The book so called because a wooden float at the end of a line was cast out to measure a ship's speed. (Etymonline)

or to a large  piece of wood in the fireplace:

Backlog:

  This word is used to describe a build-up of work or, more particularly, of unfulfilled orders. But this is a meaning it has had only since 1932 – was that the year that customer care became the vogue or was it the year that inefficiency first made an appearance? But the word’s origins were much more prosaic – it was used, principally in America and Canada, in the late 17th century to describe the largest log on a fire which was always put to the back. By the 1880s it was used figuratively to depict something stored for later use, just as the back log was the last to burn.
  (windowthroughtime.wordpresse)

Ngram: backlog.

The two assumptions have in common a piece of wood, but  its  usage and context was totally different. Is there any evidence to support one theory vs the other, or are there other possible credible assumptions to make?


texts: I don't get why dangerous could be positive. Is the author trying to indicate something?


texts: How to adress personified concepts like "love" like they're people? (with no ambiguity)

texts:
There's a song lyric in a French song that goes like this:

  Je t'attends depuis longtemps, toi l'amour

Which means, more or less:

  I've been waiting for you for a long time, love

But there love is not an affective nickname to a significant someone, it's addressing love directly, as a personified concept. Kind of like "Death is coming to get you".

The sentence means "I've been waiting for love for a long time and it's finally here". But it doesn't work if I use "you".

I can't find a way to express this in English with no ambiguity, I'd need a complementary sentence explaining it.

I'm not sure a capital L would do the trick, and the ideal solution would work when spoken.


texts: An adjective for something which satsifies given conditions

texts:
I'm looking for a single-word adjective which means 'satisfies the given conditions'. For example, the condition might be, "Your number must be less than 10." Here the number 2 would be a _____ number. This is specifically in a mathematical context so the surrounding language is somewhat formal.

I thought of satisfactory (but it sounds like I'm still not happy with the choice), suitable (I've used this word once already so I don't want to repeat it), and fitting (doesn't really... fit).


texts:
I was telling my kids that sometimes there are many ways to say the same thing, especially with idiomatic phrases. I don't know why, but the simple phrase "a really long time" came to mind, and I started thinking of idiomatic phrases that relate that.

After coming up with the list below, I started trying to think of more out of my own curiosity to see how many I could think of, but could not think of any more. I am sure there are more. Can anyone think of any more?

DAY IN DAY OUT
ALL NIGHT LONG
FOREVER AND A DAY
TO THE END OF TIME
ALL DAY EVERY DAY
AROUND THE CLOCK
TWENTY FOUR SEVEN
WITHOUT STOPPING
ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT


texts: Does a verbal noun turn back into a verb when modiﬁed by an adverb?

texts:
Here singing is a noun:

I like singing.

But what about here?

I like singing loudly.

Loudly is still an adverb, right? But singing is still
behaving like a noun, right?

So which is it, a noun or a verb? How can it behave like a noun when it
gets modiﬁed by an adverb?


texts: What does "You end up having somebody that’s a problem" mean?

texts:
I've read one article about the murder of one guy and stumbled across one sentence, which I can't understand fully.

  It's within the Chinese culture. You end up having somebody that’s a problem, that doesn’t give you what you want, they’re eliminated.

I think, I got the basic idea but it still looks odd to me. What does the first part ("You end up having somebody that’s a problem") mean? Why it is said in that way? Can you please give some examples of similar construction?


texts: Is there a word for the sound that is made after taking a sip of hot coffee/tea?

texts:
Sometimes, after people take a sip of hot coffee or tea and send it down their throat, they make this sound originating from the front of their mouth. Something like "Aaah" — exhaling a little steam. Usually to express delight in the deliciousness of the drink. Is there a word for this sound?

For example:

  He took a slurp from his coffee and ____ in delight.

What could go in the blank?


texts:
I'm interested in the difference between the idea of ritual versus supersition. As an example of my struggle, let's say that someone has a behavior whereby: if they enter a house in one door they have to exit through that same door.

Let's also say that it was their grandmother's idea, and that they follow it still today, even though they don't know why. That they are anxious about it, and if someone visits, they will gently request that the visitor follows these rules.

Is this superstitious or ritualistic behavior, and why is it either?


texts:
I can't find the right keywords to use in google search to find the reason behind on why the whole profit was called Gross and the remaining profit as Net.

I want to know the deeper meaning because I always forgot which is which.


texts:
Here are three ways to say the same thing. I wonder if there are particular rules regarding to the position of adverb phrases:

  Then play those passages over and over again in your memory

Or,

  Then play those passages in your memory over and over again

Or,

  Then play over and over again those passages in your memory

I think the last is the worst choice but the first twos seem ok. The first is better because "over and over again" is closer to "play" so it is emphasized. Agreed?


texts:
For example, one may say that 'happy' is a synonym of 'joyous.'

However, one may also say that '5' is a synonym of '2+3'. Weird, I know, but bear with me.

In the former case, the two are not exactly the same. The words, while difficult to define, have slightly different connotations. However, the latter are exactly the same. In an ontology, one might say that the latter two identifiers (I mean '5' and '2+3') are referring to literally the same object, whereas the former two identifiers ('happy' and 'joyful') are referring to related, but slightly different, things.

So can we only say that 'x and y are synonyms' if x and y are referring to exactly the same things? Or can they be synonyms if they are merely referring to similar, but slightly different things?


texts: Whats a word for manipulating someone into doing stuff against you to where it is exactly what you wanted?

texts:
Like above, I saw a word before which was used to call someone or actions of someone who led other people into action which in their minds would cause them to win against you, and it is exactly what you wanted thus manipulating them into doing it.

TL;DR: Someone does stuff against you and they win, but, it is exactly what you wanted and the win benefits you in some way (eg. partial truth is uncovered).


texts: Warning message when user navigates away from a page

texts:
In my software, If user edits some content of a document and clicks close icon without saving the changes he made (i.e. without clicking the save icon first), the text of message that I display to the user is as follows:

“Leaving this page will discard unsaved changes.”

Should I use ‘the unsaved changes’ instead of simple ‘unsaved changes’? Does this sentence look correct?


texts: Is there some idiom for telling someone specialised knowledge is not required to understand the situation?

texts:
I’m searching for an idiom that would mean the following: The situation is obvious to an untrained eye.

For example, say someone looked unwell, perhaps with a cold and one person says to another about a third party,

  "You don’t require a doctor to understand that he has a cold, because
  it’s ____________ [obvious to an untrained eye as to what is going
  on]".

Thank you!


texts: Does “gay” still include the meaning “merry”?

texts:
Dictionary.com lists eight meanings
of gay, with “merry, lively” as
the first entry.
Microsoft banned an
Xbox user for listing Fort
Gay (a real place) as his
hometown:
Xbox Live considered the term gay absolutely inappropriate in any context.

As a non-native English speaker, my question is whether in contemporary English, does gay always mean homosexual? Are British and American English the same in this respect?


texts: Where is the root in these words: miniature, minimal, minimize?

texts: Is it possible to identify one and the same root MIN in all these words: Miniature, minimal, minimize, minimum  minor, minority, minus, minute ? From etymological point of view they all came from one Roman root, but what about Modern English? If we consider MIN as a common root for all these words in Modern English, how shall we treat the other components -im, -ute, -us in those words? As derivational suffixes (if yes, then for sure not in Modern English).


texts:
I have read a sentence in my language and i wanted to translated into english.
the sentence read:

One's belief is never consummated except unless he realizes........

and I want to paraphrase the senence to be as follows:

Consummated not one's belief unless he realizes.....

is the paraphrased sentence correct as well?


texts: Who ''coined'' the term “scare quotes,” and why is the word “scare” used?

texts: I have seen this term used frequently and I had never heard of it until a few months ago. I am wondering if most readers of general newspapers and magazines (where such a term is often used) are aware of its meaning and understand why it is called a quote-unquote "scare" quote.


texts: What is a word for this hand signal of refusal?

texts: When people decline something, sometimes they wave their hand back and forth as a gesture of refusal. What is a word for this?


texts: I want tell to someone "I love you", but not in that manner (indirectly but to get that idea). How can I do it in a modern way?


texts:
Identify the sentence in which the usage of the word match is incorrect.

  "This marriage is a match made in heaven" she gushed.
  "Please light the match so that I can see the switch" said my friend.
  It was an even match between the two contestants.
  This movie sequel is not a match on the original.

I felt in sentence #4 the usage is incorrect. But some of my friends say it should be sentence #2. Could someone please clarify?

"match made in heaven is an expression" used for describing a perfect compatibility.
Expressions such as "evenly match" means somebody/something to be as good, interesting, successful
I also found usage of lighting a matchstick.


texts: 'Although' paired with 'yet' in a sentence?

texts:
It is common to see 'although' used in the beginning of the sentence, but is it paired with any other word like 'yet'?

We were discussing error correction in class today; my professor explained that while it is alright to use just although, there is nothing wrong with although and yet.

  'Although he was bad with calligraphy, yet he tried his best to write a letter to her on her birthday.'

Is this sentence correct?


texts: Is a period used after a stand alone phrase?

texts: If you have a stand-alone phrase, such as "Serving Washington and the United States since 1700" as your brand, should it have a period after it? I say no but our graphic designer insists on putting one. Am I just viewing things from older eyes?


texts: A word that means "one who gives up easily"

texts:
Xin chào! I'm new here to this forum. I have a question.

What word could be used to describe people who give up easily? And what is the antonym (opposite word) of that word?

Thank you in advance.


texts: Is there a word to describe a person who is always curious?

texts:
Is there a word or phrase for describing a person who is always curious?
Curiosiac?

Example usage (as requested by a comment):

  The boy is such a ___, he asks questions all the time!

UPDATE

I appreciate all your answers, but my question was if there was any word - a noun - to describe a person of that kind, e.g. maniac, lunatic, weirdo, nerd, etc.


texts: When to use "generally", "usually", or "normally"

texts:
Generally speaking what are the usually accepted usage scenarios for the above mentioned words in a normally occurring English vernacular?

In short, what are the rules/guidelines for using generally, usually and normally?


texts: Word like "sirsee" for an unexpected, usually small, gift?

texts:
Throughout our marriage, my wife would occasionally come in from shopping and hand me a bag containing an unexpected gift...anything from a small bag of candy to a shirt.

When I'd ask why she got it for me, the word she would use was pronounced "sir'-see".  I've tried a variety of spellings, but cannot find a definition that fits those gifts.

Does anyone know what word she's using?


texts: Is it correct to use "In that" at the beginning of a sentence?

texts:
Is it correct to start a sentence using "in that"? I had a professor who would do it all the time so I started using it in papers, today someone told me it is not a complete sentence on the basis of starting the sentence with "in that". Obviously this sentence was an explanation following a statement made in the previous.

Example:

  The emphasis by both Le Roy and Erasmus on the recovery of language
  and art as “illuminating” suggests the time before was dark and alien.
  In that both texts possess an ominous vision of the future, which
  reveals an anxiety surrounding any deviation from the dictated
  Renaissance values.


texts: Why is it that in English we put the colour before the object but in many other European languages they put the colour after the object?

texts:
I have noticed that in English we put the colour before the object.

For instance we, would say White House but in Spanish it would be
Casa Blanca (House White) or in French they would say for instance
Mont Blanc (Mountain White) or eau rouge (water red) and not the
way we do it with the colour first. Same in Italian, as they would say
Torro Rosso instead of what it is in English which is Red Bull.

So how come English doesn't do it the way French, Spanish, and Italian
do with the object before the colour? Why does English do colour first
then the object?


texts: Standard analysis of the phenomenon in which "where" stands for entire prepositional phrases

texts:
Certain intransitive verbs that take prepositional phrases to express location or motion toward will take where without a preposition as a corresponding object in relative or interrogative clauses. For example (I'm using CGEL's convention of using A and B as speaker tags):

A: Where did Mary take her brother? B: She took him to New York.

Here, ?Where did Mary take her brother to? seems grammatical, but a bit awkward.

A: Where is John standing? B: He's standing beside Platform 4, where the trains to Glasgow stop.

Here, *Where is John standing beside? seems ungrammatical. Although the independent-clause counterpart of Platform 4, where the trains to Glasgow stop is The trains to Glasgow stop at Platform 4, the relative clause #where the trains to Glasgow stop at is nonstandard, and *at where the trains to Glasgow stop simply ungrammatical; one would have to change the pronoun and say at which the trains stop or which the trains stop at. Similar phenomena exist with here and there:

A: Has Jamal flown to California? B: Yes, he flew there yesterday (not the marginally grammatical ?to there).
A: Is Jamal in Los Angeles now? B: Yes, he is there. (Not in there, which is restricted to use to things more container-like than cities, such as A: Is Jamal in that room? B: Yes, he's in there.)

This seems restricted semantically to location and motion toward, not motion from: Where did Mary go? demands the response She went to New York, not the syntactically identical She went from London. Examples like A: Where did Mary leave? B: She left London aren't quite ungrammatical, but they are irrelevant, because leave, unlike go, fly, or take someone to, takes a location as a proper direct object. (In any case, I'd expect A's question to elicit responses about motion through, such as She left via the front door.)
My question is this: Does this phenomenon have a standard name or a generally accepted analysis? In particular, are where, here, and there in the above examples better understood as adverbs, more akin to how, rather than as the objects of otherwise intransitive verbs? And is there a more precise explanation than mine of the semantic restrictions on the prepositional phrases that where can replace?


texts:
What is the meaning of the epression 'on and on'?
The expression 'on and on' have the same meaning like the expression 'again and again'?


texts: "Buildings" are to "blueprints" as "units" are to what?

texts:
I am creating an indie game and since English is not my first language, I would like some help on this.

In my game, you have buildings and units (soldiers and such). The overall theme is militaristic, so I would like something in that area.

Now, here are the expressions used by the players:

  To make a building, you need a blueprint associated to it.
  To make a building, you perform a "build building" from a blueprint.

Now I need the equivalent for units:

  To make a unit, you need an ABC associated to it.
  To make a unit, you perform a DEF from an ABC.

I would like some suggestions for ABC and DEF please.


texts:
What do you call the following hand gestures? Is there any special terms people use to describe or differentiate the two? For example in a sentence:

I saw a nun with her hands ... standing in front of the alter. (base)

I saw a nun with her hands in a palm praying style standing in front of the alter. (colored image)

I saw a nun with her hands hugging each-other standing in front of the alter (colorless image)

both sound stupid, but that is the best guess I can make, and because I don't know the terms, I can't search for it anywhere. so to restate: how do I differentiate the two images below in words?

]1 []2


texts:
In the following sentence, should I say spelled or spelt:

  You spelt/spelled "Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis" wrong.


texts:
I want to use the term used, like I was used. I mean when someone used my name or some of my property for his own advantage.

Is it OK to say in this context: I was used ?


texts: If "variety" is a singular collective noun, can I refer to it with "it"?

texts:
In this sentence I used it to refer to a variety mentioned a few words earlier, because I consider variety to be a collective noun which can be referred to in the singular. However, I'm not certain that the result actually reads that way: is it in my sentence actually referring unambiguously to the variety?

  Shop vendors should include a variety of imported products because it solidifies the bond between countries and offers wide range of choice to customers.


texts: What is the difference between ‘Hot Corned Beef’ and ‘"Hot" Corned Beef’?

texts: I have seen the phrase '"Hot" Corned Beef' on several convenience store signs in my area. Since corned beef is is usually served warm or hot, am I missing part of the meaning of the sign?


texts: Common way to say "give it some veracity"

texts:
I want a common idiom or expression that says "to give (something) veracity"

I was thinking "give it some salt", but that seems like its not a common expression.


texts:
If you ask someone what the opposite of "all" was, most times the answer will be "none", such as the example of "no one" is the opposite of "everyone". There are three antonyms for "all" on Thesaurus.com: none, zero, and incompletely. I'm most concerned about the last one, "incompletely".

As a math student, I am taking a maths logic course, and a couple of logical quantifiers are frequently brought up: ∃ (there exists), and ∀ (all/every). The negation of these is specifically defined as "there does not exist" and "not all/every" respectively.

Everyone knows John becomes Not everyone knows John

Someone knows John becomes No one knows John

Which would be more appropriate to define as the opposite of "all" in English? Is the antonym "not all" or "none"? My understanding is that there can only exist one antonym per word, but is it really binary? To refer back to mathematics:

¬Everyone knows John can mean both No one knows John and Not everyone knows John. Both of these fall outside the domain of which Everyone knows John would be true.

Maybe I'm reading too into it.

edit; this isn't a mathematics question. I only introduced mathematical logic to have some kind of reference to what the "antonym" (actually negation) of "all" is. This question is essentially asking whether the antonym of "all" is "not all", "none", or both.


texts:
Is there any consensus on how the word for a heated discussion (which apparently comes from the same root as Silver/Argent) also came to mean a parameter passed to a function?

Edit: https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/186293/why-are-actual-parameters-called-arguments  Thanks to Mitch. I will leave the question open as I think it's useful.


texts: meaning of 'take no thought' in the Gospel?

texts:
In the following extract, I'm not sure about the meaning of 'take no thought, saying':

  Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

If 'take no thought' means don't think about, then what is the role of 'saying' here?


texts: Polite way when you ask someone you don't know a question

texts:
Which is the best way to ask a question in a polite way; for example, I want to write an email to someone that doesn't know me, and to ask something...

Is okay to say write this:

  Sorry to disturb you, Can I ask you a question about "something"?


texts:
In his 1948 essay Intelligent Machinery, Alan Turing defines a Logical Computing Machine as having:

  ...an infinite memory capacity obtained in the form of an infinite tape marked out into squares on each of which a symbol could be printed. At any moment there is one symbol in the machine; it is called the scanned symbol. The machine can alter the scanned symbol and its behavior is in part determined by that symbol, but the symbols on the tape elsewhere do not affect the behavior of the machine. However, the tape can be moved back and forth through the machine, this being one of the elementary operations of the machine. Any symbol on the tape may therefore eventually have an innings.

The meaning of the word innings, the very last word in this passage, is not clear to me.  Can someone help me nail it down? Is it simply that any symbol may be the “scanned symbol” at some point?


texts: What are the usages of the modifier "Many"?

texts:
Many of his books are...
His many books are...
Many books of him/himself/John/Alex/etc...

Would you kindly tell me the exact difference between these?


texts: Does ‘dislodge’ mean removing accidentally or intentionally?

texts:
I’d like to focus on one of the meanings of ‘dislodge’, to remove something. A dictionary says it means forcing or knocking something out of its position. What I’d like to know is if the word of itself contains two meanings, removing intentionally and accidentally, and waits for a specific context.

Here are my collection of examples for ‘dislodge’ that means removing something.

Italicized lines are my thought.

  a). The wind dislodged one or two tiles from the roof. (From a dictionary)

It might be accidental, but if the wind is personified, strong wind would intentionally remove the tiles. So the meaning seems vague to me.

  b). Ian dislodged a few stones as he climbed up the rock. (From another dictionary)

Either is likely. Maybe accidentally.

  c). When Hermione returned from the trolley and put her money back into her schoolbag, she dislodged a copy of the Daily Prophet that she had been carrying in there. (Harry Potter 4 [US Version]: p.726)[Bold font is mine]

N.B.: Hermione is on a train. She just returned to her compartment after buying something.

I have no idea.

Questions

Which are correct in the above three examples, accidentally or intentionally?
What determines the meaning (accidental or intentional) of ‘dislodge’? Or is there no point worrying about it because ‘dislodge’ is undifferentiated in terms of the two meanings, like a stem cell? (Um, what should I say… I’m not sure if I can make myself understood.)

Why am I asking?

My mother tongue requires different words respectively for removing accidentally and intentionally.


texts: What is the sense of using word "argument", for inputs of a function?

texts: In computer jargon, we refer to "inputs of a function" as "arguments". I was wondering what the sense is in doing so.


texts:
I have been looking online for some good formal alternatives to 'does not' but I haven't found anything that seems ok.

It should fit in a sentence like this: "He doesn't have the ability to ...."

Thanks in advance.


texts: Is "without padding one’s end zone" really a pun?

texts:
In another question, the whimsically yclept Yoichi Oishi asks

  What does "Without padding one’s end zone" mean?

and Robusto replies,

  'End zone' is a pun, because the object of American football is to have one of your team carry the ball across the opponent's goal line into their end zone.

I'm thinking, no, it's not a pun.  Calling a football fan's buttocks his end zone is just an ad-hoc slang phrase, since padding the end zone is not, I believe, something done in football.

By comparison, imagine you were at a football game and another fan said in reference to a comely cheerleader, her back-field is in motion.  Again we have a metaphorical reference to someone's bottom (in football, the back-field is all the offensive players who do not start at the line of scrimmage) but there is a pun, since back-field in motion is a real football term (meaning, I believe, one of the back-field players is already moving when the ball is snapped).

So, is my understanding of football too weak or my definition of pun is too narrow?


texts: The collective noun for cultures from different sites (blood, urine etc.)

texts:
What is the collective noun for microbiological cultures from different sites (blood, urine, feces etc.)?
For example:

  "Data on ___________ [cultures from different sites (blood, urine etc.)] were collected from the department of clinical
  microbiology."


texts: Why is this joke about elephants and quarts funny?

texts:
There is a joke:

  Q: What is grey and comes in quarts?
  A: An elephant.

Why? Why does it come in quarts? What is funny here?


texts: Is the language used in patents archaic or intentionally obtuse?

texts:
Example:

  [f] moving said second cart to said proximate end of said scanning
  device so that said trays in said second cart be passed through said
  scanning device at said proximate end.

Is the language used in patents archaic or simply intentionally obtuse?


texts: Does the phrase "derogatory rules" have a different meaning in setting drug prices for governments?

texts:
The word, derogatory, means disparaging or belittling. Do "derogatory rules" have any positive meaning when it comes to setting drug prices for governments to contain medical spending?

  4. MARKET AND POLICY DEVELOPMENTS

  4.1. Managed entry agreements

  A total of 9 replies from national authorities declare that managed entry agreements are used in their counties. In most cases, the declared market share covered by managed entry agreements is small (less than 5%), although two countries report market shares above 20%.Most of the responses from national authorities do not see any role for the Transparency Directive with respect to managed entry agreements: only three respondents were in favour of
  explicitly extending the scope of the directive to such agreements (their main argument being that the role of managed entry agreements as a derogatory procedure needs to be clarified).

European Commission


texts: Correct usage of preterit and past perfect

texts:
I struggle to understand how to use correctly some tense.

Talking about a past situation, which of these is correct?

  1a) I had left the lights on, in case he had woken up.

or

  1b) I had left the lights on, in case he woke up.

Another example. Say I explain a situation, I start in the present, but then want to talk about something that happened yesterday, should I say:

  2a) "He is sleeping with his lights on. Two days ago, he had woken up at midnight and had been scared to death."

or should I say:

  2b) "He is sleeping with his lights on. Two days ago, he woke up at midnight and was scared to death."


texts: In the phrase "man enough", is man an adjective?

texts: I do realize that the phrase "to be man enough" is an idiom. But I wonder what is the grammatical/syntactic role that man plays in it. Is it an uncountable noun? An adjective? An adverb? Or perhaps because the phrase is an idiom, the question makes no sense?


texts:
When referring to Congress do I refer to it as a single body or a collective? For example, is it

  Congress is stupid.

or

  Congress are stupid.


texts: What grammatical term describes "ashamed?

texts:
In the below sentence, which term identifies "ashamed"?

"Upwards of two years ago, this labouring man had a child sent home to him by the mother, which his relations seem to be so much ashamed that in order to conceal it from their neighbours, they kept it in a meal-barrel"

I thought it might be a complement as it follows the verb "to be", but then though  it to be a participle of some sort - it looks like a past participle, but as the clause is in the present ("seem to be") I really am not sure. Could it just be a simple adjective?

So, what term identifies "ashamed"?


texts: Saxon genitive. Can I use it for objects?

texts:
I am translating from italian, and a question suddenly struck me:

Can I say:

  The items’ content in the Navigation Drawer.

or

  This is a class handling the cards’ layout.


texts: You see a picture of a woman with a phone in her hand and I ask

texts:
You see a picture of a woman with a phone in her hand, and you ask about this impossible situation.

"How was she able to take a photo with her phone if she had it in her hand?"
"How could she have taken a photo with her phone if she had it in her hand?"
"How could she take a photo with her phone if she had it in her hand?"
"How had she been able to take a photo with her phone if she had it in her hand?"


texts:
The sentence is

  Laughter was his way of expressing his alarm and despair.

I know this is the definition of an oxymoron:

  a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction

And that seems like a reasonable fit; however, is it better to say that this is a paradox? Or should I just stick with irony?


texts: Is there a specific phrase for annoucing a schedule?

texts: Is there a specific phrase (phrases) for announcing a schedule?


texts: Can anybody "learn" or "acquire" a talent?

texts:
People often call sports teams or sports players "talented".

Example:

  The Miami Heat have a lot of talent on their roster.

Or:

  Sidney Crosby is a very talented hockey player.

But people also talk in terms of acquiring, developing, or fostering talent as well:

  If you want to acquire great talent in something, be prepared to spend several years working on it. Researchers estimated that ten years is the amount of time that it usually takes to acquire talent.

Or:

  If the goal is to develop markets start by developing talent.  If you want to accomplish the most amazing things focus on developing the talent of amazing people. Mentoring and coaching are the most important leadership roles... If you want to attract the best talent develop a reputation as the best talent developer.

My Question:

  Is it wrong to talk in terms of acquiring, developing, or fostering talent? When one does so, does it suggest that we can "learn" or "acquire" talents?


texts:
What does this bold part mean?
It doesn't make any sense.
What did he want to say here?

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/08/syrian-electronic-army-hackers-new-york-times-tactics.html

Regardless, it’s clear that the individuals who make up the S.E.A. are not simply technically savvy in a rote way. They are fully native products and producers of Internet culture. They use English, both on social media and in their phishing attacks, in the manner of young people who’ve spent their entire lives online; they deploy well-known memes when they hijack accounts; they crack jokes about Justin Bieber; and, of course, they relentlessly broadcast all of their doings on social media. (Their current Twitter account, @Official_SEA16, is, as the number implies, their sixteenth consecutive account, as previous ones were suspended. A Twitter spokesperson explained in an e-mail that the account remains active because “Our Trust and Safety team takes action only after someone reports a violation of our Rules and the report is investigated.”) Most profoundly, the S.E.A.’s campaign reflects the vigilantism of young aggressors steeped in the Web: it’s conducted not simply on widely viewed media sites or on social media itself but for them; the SEA knows how to capture a precise kind of attention from a particular kind of audience. This is in part, one suspects, because they are that kind of audience, one who lives on Facebook and Twitter. That’s what ultimately makes this group so remarkable: it has shifted the battleground from a single place to an infinite number of them, because it’s battling for attention, not power—even if it can be hard to tell the difference.


texts: American English: "Should have came ..."

texts:
So I'm watching Palmer, and Coles, a white, middle-class US American male, just said I shoulda came and visited you (refering to Palmer, who got out of prison earlier that week). The movie plays in the town of Sylvain, which seems to be imaginary. The actor in question is Jesse C. Boys who was born in North Carolina, so it's probably a fair assumption that, in ANAE terminology, he is a speaker of Southern.
English isn't my first language, but I do watch and listen to quite a bit of American English and have never heard such a grammatical construct before. If it was simply part of the dialect, one might expect for it to be quite common, so I'm wondering whether it can be attributed to a sociolect.
To put a question mark here: where did the construction "should(a/have) came" originate and what hypotheses, if any, are there as to why it developed?
(I'm aware of Should have went vs Should have gone but it doesn't answer my question.)


texts: Nature of object in this sentence-- Relative pronoun or adjective clause or something else?

texts:
In the sentence:

  I found a car covered in snow.

"Car" is obviously the object of the sentence. But what kind of object is it? The term "covered in snow" modifies the object "car". But it can also be said:

  I found a car (that was) covered in snow.

So, what could be said about the nature of the object "car" in this sentence. Would it be adjective clause or relative pronoun (are these 2 terms related somehow?) or something else?


texts: Another way to phrase "Earn More Money"?

texts:
We are creating a page that has a title, "Earn More Money" which states how the swimming coaches can earn a little bit of cash by following certain steps.

However, we find that this phrasing is a bit cheap and boring. Is there another way to phrase it that may or may not be related to swimming & less cheap

As per question: We'd one something casual, not too formal.


texts: Tricky Dick, only in reference to Nixon?

texts: In the movie Watchmen Nixon is referred to as Tricky Dick. I'd like to know a bit more about the origin of the term and if it can be used in context other than just when talking of Nixon?


texts: What do you call a person who reconnoitres?

texts:
If a saboteur is one who sabotages, and a spy is one who does espionage, what do you call one who reconnoiters or performs reconnaissance?
Here is some research on the topic. Etymononline produces the following pairs, but not one for reconnaissance:

sabotage (v.) 1912, from sabotage (n). Related: Sabotaged; sabotaging.
saboteur (n.) 1912 (from 1909 as a French word in English), a borrowing of the French agent noun from sabotage (see sabotage (n.)).
espionage (n.) 1793, from French espionnage "spying," from Middle French espionner "to spy," from espion "a spy" (16c.), probably via Old Italian spione from a Germanic source akin to Old High German spehon "spy" (see spy (v.)). For initial e- see e-. Middle English had espiouress "female spy" (early 15c.).
spy (n.) mid-13c., "one who spies on another," from Old French espie "spy, look-out, scout" (Modern French épie), probably from a Germanic source related to spy (v.).
reconnaissance (n.) 1810, from French reconnaissance "act of surveying," literally "recognition," from Old French reconoissance "recognition, acknowledgement" (see recognizance).


texts:
Consider this sentence of mine, please:

John is an American dancer and choreographer, specializing in contemporary dance.

Are 2) and 3) below grammatical?

Specializing in contemporary dance, John is an American dancer and choreographer.

John, specializing in contemporary dance, is an American dancer and choreographer.


texts: Is 'would have' always the third conditional?

texts:
a. No Stone Age ten-year-old would have been living on tender foods like modern potato chips, hamburgers, and pasta. Their meals would have required far more chewing than is ever demanded of a modern child.
How can I explain those 'would have'? The modals in the sentence a. seem to be different from those in the following common past unreal conditional sentences b. and c.
*b. I would have gone to the party, but I was really busy.
c. If I had had enough money, I would have bought a car.*
Cay I say the underlined modals ‘would have’ in a. are also talking about things that didn’t really happen in the past? That is, can I say that it is ‘very similar to the third conditional without 'if clause'? Then, is it real or unreal in the third conditional?
Otherwise, is it a comment on a likely truth of the things in the past? I mean it can be explained just as the perfect form of modal 'would' of likely truth like in the following sentence d.
d. The doorbell just rang. That would be your mother!


texts: How is an "assault" different from "battery" in everyday English?

texts:
In legal parlance, the word "assault" historically means an attempted battery (battery being defined as below) or an intentional frightening of another person. No contact is necessary. On the other hand, battery is when the unwanted contact actually takes place.

Does everyday usage of these words tacitly acknowledge this difference?


texts: Where does the expression “green wave” come from?

texts:
"Green wave" is an idiomatic  expression used in traffic circulation that refers to:

  A green wave occurs when a series of traffic lights (usually three or more) are coordinated to allow continuous traffic flow over several intersections in one main direction.

(Wikipedia)

(wordpress.com)

Curiously the same expression is used also in other languages such as Italian “onda verde”, French, “vague verte”, Spanish “ola verde”, German "grüne Welle" and Dutch  "groene golf".

Where does “green wave” come from. Was it originally a foreign expression adopted by English speaking countries, or was it coined in English and then spread abroad?


texts: What is wrong in "Please don't pluck the flowers" and other phrases used in the Indian subcontinent?

texts:
In the Indian subcontinent, especially India, there are many English words or phrases which are not a part of dictionary or not used in other parts of the world.

The first one is "Please don't pluck the flowers". I might not be proper, but I don't see anything wrong with this. It is pretty easy to understand what the person is trying to convey.

The second phrase is "Please do the needful". This is said to have its root in improper translation from an Indic language. Even though it might sound weird to non-Indians, it is a very simple way of saying "Please do what we expect you to do in this situation without being provided a detailed explanation".

In Indian English it is very well understood when someone asks "I have a doubt in this concept". In UK, doubt is taken in the context of "suspect", but in India, it is taken as "having a problem or not being clear".

There is another term which is actually not in any dictionary — "prepone" which is used as an antonym of "postpone". Even though it does not make sense, its meaning is pretty much straightforward.

After giving this long explanation, here are my three questions:

What is wrong in "Please don't pluck the flowers"?
What is wrong with "Please do the needful"?
Isn't it acceptable to use words like "prepone" even though it not in the dictionary? It is pretty much well understood (especially by people who scorn at others using this word)?

Update

I would like to explain when and where these terms are used:

"Please don't pluck the flowers" is used very rarely, and it is pretty much rare to hear this
"Please do the needful" is used mostly in corporate environments by a person to their subordinates. For example, a project manager gets a mail from marketing or quality assurance about something missing or incomplete, then he/she sends a mail to the subordinate with the body "Please do the needful". The subordinate is usually more well-versed with the work which has to be done. It might be his/her expertise so the manager might not tell what exactly needs to be done as is left upon him/her to figure out.
"Prepone" is used only in one context — opposite of "postpone" the event. The most common usage is "This event or meeting has been preponed".


texts: What's the distinction between "nonessential" and "inessential"?

texts: I'm revising a text that uses the word "nonessential", but my ear is telling me "inessential."  Usually when there are two very similar words like this, there is some subtle (or not so subtle) distinction between them.  Does anyone know what it is, and if so, can you cite any authorities who discuss the distinction?


texts: Positive synonym for "smirk" — to smile in a proud, self-satisfied way

texts:
How to say someone smiles out of pride and affirmation?
Lee was sitting at the table, and heard a story about someone else convincing a denier of the indubitable truth of Lee's own theory.

Lee leant back and ____.

Lee has the attitude "I'm glad you see"
How can you say someone smiles, self-contentedly
Out of smugness or pride, very happy to have themselves affirmed by something.


texts: Is “mustn’t be doing something” deontic or epistemic?

texts:
Do the following sentences have a deontic or epistemic meaning?

  He must be studying now.
  He mustn't be studying now.


texts: does the slogan "furniture made by makers" make sense?

texts:
I am working on a slogan for a new furniture website that will feature furniture made by different individual makers and English isn't my first language, so I was wondering if this slogan made sense:

furniture made by makers

Does that make sense? The idea behind the slogan is that it's furniture made by small makers rather than big brand furniture makers like IKEA, etc. But I didn't want to use the slogan furniture made by small makers.

Is this an acceptable and understandable and acceptable usage? My concern is that obviously big companies are also makers.


texts: Do adjectives typically reflect the meaning of corresponding nouns?

texts:
Is this a hard/fast rule, or are there exceptions?

As he had done during oral argument in January, the Chief Justice used his opinion to discuss how words and their derivatives can mean very different things, or very similar things, and so need to be read in context. 'Corny,' for example, has little to do with 'corn,' the opinion suggested


texts:
"hospitality industry includes... restaurants operated in or in connection with premises owned or operated by employers otherwise covered by this award"

What does the word 'otherwise' mean here?

1) Does it mean employers not covered by this award

2) Does it mean employers covered by this award

link: (under clause 4.2) https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/documents/modern_awards/award/ma000009/default.htm


texts: Correct usage of "to find oneself at daggers drawn with sb."

texts:
I am looking into the usage of the phrase

  to find oneself at daggers drawn with sb.

It seems to require a person at the end of the phrase, but I would like to use it in the following way:

  and find yourself at daggers drawn with gentrification

In the meaning, that if you go there, as in a place, you will likely be engaged in heavy gentrification discussions. Can I use it this way? If not, what are alternatives?


texts: what do you say when someone is at your door?

texts:
When a mail man knock at the door, I was sleeping. I was going to put on my clothes, then open the door. Then I said: "coming". I suddenly felt like it was "come in".
So what do you say when you want to let them open the door themselves and come in?
What do you say when you want tell them you are going to open the door for them soon?


texts: What is the term for someone who has a last name that can also be a first name? For example, Brian Stella.