Sunday, June 12, 2022

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

What does this symbol mean? What is it's name?

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 08:30 AM PDT

[What does this symbol between ELEGY and ON mean? What is it's name?][1]

Metaphorical looking at distance (to get high-level perspective)

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 08:41 AM PDT

I'll get to the example right away as it will describe it better than I can:

Always consider how I want to be in the future (~10yrs), whilst ignoring the day-to-day ongoings (today, this week, last month, etc.). Any decision I'm about to make (be it deciding to change jobs, or choosing what to eat) ought to be made from this perspective.

Visualize me to be looking ahead, at distance (rather than being overwhelmed with what's happening "here") when tackling any activity in the present. In summary, when doing anything in the current moment adopt the metaphorical perspective of ___.

Normally humans react based on their current emotional state (which changes day to day!). This perspective is the diametric opposite of that, since self/identity/affect is removed from the equation, leading to a more dispassionate outlook

Words like "frame of reference" and "point of view" and "outlook" capture the class to which this word belongs, but not quite the specific distance aspect. The distance metaphor (captured in the picture below) translates into wanting to be something in the future rather than (reacting to) what I'm already being in the present. Compound words/phrases are acceptable too, as a fallback.

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Word denoting a culture different from one's own

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 08:00 AM PDT

Modern developments sow in some individuals the seeds of ____ paranoia.

To say 'cultural paranoia' in my case might imply paranoia of one's own culture (atop the intended paranoia of different and incongruent cultures). Is there a way to express 'differing culture' in a way that would fit the gap?

Adjective meaning "making oneself feel better about oneself by doing something good after doing something bad"

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 06:28 AM PDT

I tried looking it up and couldn't find the word with the meaning I needed, the reverse dictionary didn't help either.

What I found:

  • "redemptory", but from what I understand it's 1. old 2. sounds odd 3. doesn't mean exactly what I'm looking for.
  • "redemptive", but, again, from what I understand, it is mostly associated with Christianity + the meaning is far off, so it's not for me.
  • "redeeming" means "making someone or something seem less bad", so it's also not what I need, since someone seems less bad in someone else's eyes, and I need an adjective describing a feeling coming from within.

In general, "redeem" and its forms seem to focus more on redeeming yourself in someone else's eyes rather than your own.

Context sentence: He didn't know why he was helping her. After all he'd done, it felt right. ________, even.

Any ideas?

What's a word for a person being fed on by a blood sucking animal?

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 05:03 AM PDT

I am looking for a word that means "The one being fed on by an animal"

For example, if a mosquito or leech is sucking someone's blood, what is the best word for this person? Suckee? Victim? Prey?

The context is that I'm writing a script for a fantasy series I'm working on. I have a beetle that sucks blood and grants its [prey] good luck as it feeds on their blood. I'm looking for a better word to replace [prey].

A word for when a word describes both the superset and subset? [duplicate]

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 06:00 AM PDT

Is there a word for when a word is used as both the superset and subset?

The example comes from the word atheist (putting aside none of this is universally agreed). In this world we refer to

  • Atheist, or weak atheist — does not believe in god
  • Strong atheist — believes there is no god

Atheist is both the superset encompassing weak and strong atheist, but it's also a subset in that every atheist is at a minimal level a weak atheist (but possibly a strong atheist on top of that). Many atheists will refer to themselves as just atheists, and the subset only when needed to differentiate or stress their view.

Hope that makes sense and that there is an obscure word for this.

How to say that something (liquid) dropped on my shirt [closed]

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 01:31 AM PDT

Is it correct to say that some sauce fell (or dropped) on my shirt when I was eating.

What is the word for someone that is both good and bad at the same time?

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 06:12 AM PDT

With a single word, how do you describe a person who has both great and bad qualities? They are not solely good or pure, but they're also not bad people. They have both positive and negative qualities. "Neutral" may come close, but that's a very broad definition.

Example:

Donald Trump may have done some good things as president, but he has said some nasty things as well, making him a very [insert word] person.

Good morning Lady x Miss [closed]

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 05:57 AM PDT

I have been wondering if when writing the following it is correct to use Lady, or if I should use Miss instead?

Good morning Lady Jane

The sentence is about talking to royalty and so Lady is her title, but it does not seem right writing it and as such, I wanted to make sure if I should write "Lady" or "Miss" when she has a nobility status.

The target audience is developers [closed]

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 12:51 AM PDT

I have a question concerning the usage of is/are.

The audience is developers.     vs.     The audience are developers.

Audience is singular but the developers are plural. What are the concrete rules here?

Can a single word be an idiom or an expression?

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 07:41 AM PDT

Can a single word be considered an idiom or an expression? If so, how does one tell the difference? For instance, words like, "dope!", "lit!", "sick!". These words mean completely different things than their original meaning when used in a certain way/context, "sick" means ill but in a certain context can mean "excellent". There are also words like, "cathouse", which have nothing to do with cats.

Are these words idioms or expressions? Also a clear definition that shows the distinction between the two would also be very much appreciated.

Why are there different words that have the same meaning?

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 04:15 AM PDT

I am trying to improve my vocabulary. I often google the meaning of a word; and in the Google definition of, say, a word x it says:- y,z. I google the definition of y, it says in the meaning:- x,z; and when I look for the meaning of the definition of 'z':- x,y.

What's up with this circulation?

An example in google search:- define perplexed -> baffled -> bewildered, perplexed.

bewildered -> perplexed

Do American pronounce "she looked at me" as "/ʃiː lʊkt æt mi/" or "/ʃiː lʊkd æt mi/"?

Posted: 11 Jun 2022 10:30 PM PDT

Although some people say that Flap T is used if the T is between 2 vowels as in "matter" /ˈmædər/.

But I think that definition is not completed because if T stand before a stressed vowel, then American still say T as a normal T.

For example, American will say "potato" as /pəˈteɪdəʊ/. The first T stand before a stressed syllable and it is still pronounced as a normal T. However, the 2nd T stand before an unstressed syllable and thus it can be pronounced as a Flap T.

However, I feel that American "flap T" is used whenever it stands before an unstressed syllable, not necessary it stands before 2 vowels:

"if T stands before an unstressed syllable, then T sounds like a quick D"

I am not sure if feeling is correct.

But, I feel "she looked at me" sounds like "/ʃiː lʊkd æt mi/" although T does not stand between 2 vowels.

Do American pronounce "she looked at me" as "/ʃiː lʊkt æt mi/" or "/ʃiː lʊkd æt mi/"?

Grammatical correctness of "He hasn't punished one of them— not one of them— since baby is born," [duplicate]

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 02:47 AM PDT

So I was reading a story called 'Desiree's Baby' and I saw this sentence appear, when one character (Desiree) was telling her mother that her husband was so happy upon the birth of her child, that he hadn't punished any of his servants since then.

"He hasn't punished one of them— not one of them— since baby is born,"

This sentence sounds very wrong to my mind. I think it should be:

"He hasn't punished one of them— not one of them— since the baby was born,"

So I guess what I'm really asking is:

  1. Is that sentence grammatically correct?
  2. If not, why not? (Which grammatical rule states that such sentences are not correct?)
  3. Is my correction to the sentence correct?
  4. If not, what is the correct way to say this?

Grammar explanation needed [closed]

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 01:02 AM PDT

Please, give me the explanation to teach my students

I must acknowledge I have....... notion of what it means to be pleasant to everyone.

(a) little (b) some

"Ask questions of the past raised" or "Ask the past the questions raised"?

Posted: 11 Jun 2022 07:56 PM PDT

I read a following sentence:

[Yet the stories they tell avoid any evolutionary model of progress, as well as any systematic critique. I want to outline, however rapidly, the history of the present moment in translation studies.] And to some degree this means asking questions of the past raised by the latest tendencies in theory and research.

Source: Lawrence Venuti, "Introduction," in The Translation Studies Reader, 4th ed., New York: Routledge, 2021, p.2.

My question is about "of the past," especially its role and position.

  1. Can it be paraphrased as "And to some degree this means asking the past the questions raised by the latest tendencies in theory and research"?

  2. If it can be paraphrased as such, why did the author write "asking questions of the past raised..."?

Can we say "vocabulary mastery" or "mastering vocabulary" to express the idea that someone has a skill in understanding all the form of a word [closed]

Posted: 11 Jun 2022 06:09 PM PDT

like in this sentence, "Improving students' Vocabulary mastery using Intensive reading activities"

The word "country" seems to often mean "sovereign state", including the UK. The UK identifies its component units as countries. Which sense is older?

Posted: 11 Jun 2022 09:49 PM PDT

I speak American English. My guess is that calling the UK a "country" would be seen as incorrect in British English. However, just about every map I see online showing "X by country" identifies the UK as one whole country, including those by the World Bank, Wikipedia, the CIA World Factbook...

Has the meaning shifted over time? What is the history of the word "country"?

Meaning of 'the consonant s, which no more belongs to the word, than any other letter in the alphabet'

Posted: 11 Jun 2022 05:02 PM PDT

The following is a passage from Noah Webster's Preface to his Compendious Dictionary published in 1806. Could anyone help me understand the part of 'the consonant s, which no more belongs to the word, than any other letter in the alphabet'? Could you be kind enough to paraphrase or explain the part?

Johnson gives for the etymology of island, the Latin insula, the Italian isola, and ealand, which he calls Erse. Now the two first have nothing to do with the word, and the latter, tho it may be Erse, is also a Saxon word which the English dictionaries do not explain. The Saxons wrote the word igland, ealond, and ieland, which, with a strong guttural aspirate, are not very different in sound. It is a compound of ea water, still preserved in the French eau, and land,—ealand, water land, land in water, a very significant word. The etymology however was lost, and the word corrupted by the French, into island, which the English servilely adopted, with the consonant s, which no more belongs to the word, than any other letter in the alphabet. Our pronunciation preserves the Saxon ieland, with a trifling difference of sound; and it was formerly written by good authors, iland.

Use of "tactical" to describe objects

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 08:11 AM PDT

I see the word "tactical" used to describe objects. But I'm not sure what it is supposed to mean. It doesn't obviously flow from the usual dictionary definition of "tactical", which describes plans and actions.

The word seems to be used in a military, police or perhaps general combat context. I'm not sure if it would cover a general fighting context, such as street fighting.

Eg the following news article of 9-June-2022 describes a man as having a "tactical knife": Armed man charged with attempted murder of US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh - ABC News

The man, identified as Nicholas Roske from Los Angeles, was carrying a handgun he had purchased to kill Justice Kavanaugh, as well as ammunition, a tactical knife, pepper spray and other items, according to an FBI agent.

But the word doesn't just describe weapons. It may also describe torches/flashlights, backpacks or water bottle holders. There are shops that sell "tactical gear", eg Tactical Gear Australia—Supplier of Police Military Outdoor Products. That web site has a banner that says "tactical; law enforcement; military; outdoor; survival".

So, the word seems often related to military and law enforcement, but not exclusively. What is the essential meaning of this usage of "tactical"?

In speech, what is the purpose of restating the form of address of the person one is addressing?

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 07:06 AM PDT

For instance, during a debate held on 27 July 1891 in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, one member, Mr Atkinson, said the following:

Mr. Speaker, Sir, may I very respectfully claim freedom of speech in order to call your attention to the Journals put before the House to-day, which contain a statement with reference to me which, if it were true, would make me ashamed of myself and my conduct as a Member of Parliament for the remainder of my days.

Another member, Mr Goschen, said:

I am only expressing the feelings which obtain universally in every part of the House when I say that you, Sir, have shown courtesy and impartiality to all sides of the House and to every Member of the House. You, Sir, have been obliged to appeal to the House against a Member of this House and you have said it is intolerable that during the whole of last week you have had to complain of the conduct of the hon. Member. I venture to think it will be the universal feeling of the House that the protection which you have asked at our hands must be accorded to you, Sir, unanimously. Without wishing to bear hardly on the hon. Member, without wishing in any way to show towards him any animosity, I still think the House will be of opinion that what you have said, Sir, must be marked, and must be marked in such a manner that it may be known that you have the support of the House.

What part of speech does, "Sir", the restated form of address, constitute and what is its purpose?

"under the ten minutes" vs "under ten minutes"

Posted: 11 Jun 2022 08:05 PM PDT

By the end of Chapter 5 of The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, there is a usage that I have never seen before: "under the ten minutes".

The context:

Until we got three-quarters down Regent Street. Then my gentleman threw up the trap, and he cried that I should drive right away to Waterloo Station as hard as I could go. I whipped up the mare and we were there under the ten minutes.

Is "under the ten minutes" exactly the same as "under ten minutes"? Or do they have different shades of meanings?

Blood “from” or blood “of”?

Posted: 11 Jun 2022 09:05 PM PDT

I was watching a series and at one point the police say "there was blood from her wife". Is it ok to say "blood of her wife" too?

it's high time you {past perfect} something

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 04:00 AM PDT

I know that usually it should be "It's high time someone did something."

However, what about "the past perfect"? Is it possible to use? If yes, when should it be done and for what effect?

"It's high time someone had done something."

Here are examples from literature:

It was high time he had written, Dick thought; it was high time he had come.

Lieutenant Stewart replied, in substance, that the British officers had too long trampled on the rights and liberties of his countrymen, and it was high time they had learned to respect the rights and persons of an independent nation.

I told him, it was high time he had ended the course he was pursuing.

How to structure the speech of one character when it consists of two linked but independent phrases

Posted: 11 Jun 2022 11:04 PM PDT

If you were writing a quote structured like this... 'You were right Izzy!', said Ted, 'there is something we can do.'

… would be correct to have a fullstop after 'Ted' and a capital letter for 'there' (because it is two separate phrases) or would it be correct to write it as I have typed it above (because they are still spoken by the same person and so are connected, and a capital is not required)?

Also, would this alter if the example were something like 'It's no use,' said Fred, 'go on without me.' (e.g. would that need a full stop and a capital after 'Fred', or does the above work?)

Thank you!

What does "notwithstanding" mean in the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution?

Posted: 11 Jun 2022 10:00 PM PDT

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

According to Dictionary.com, notwithstanding means "nevertheless,yet,anyway", but it does not make sense here to me. Is it some kind of legal use here?

Where does "nickel tour" come from?

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 03:36 AM PDT

I heard "Nickel tour" is to show you around. From usingenglish.com we can read:

If someone gives you a nickel tour, they show you around a place. ('Fifty-cent tour' is also used.)

I also read it can also mean a cheap visit. Does anyone have more information about that term and where it comes from?

What is a "dash-one"?

Posted: 11 Jun 2022 04:54 PM PDT

I'm reading Thomas Pynchon's Vineland, and I came across a phrase I'm unfamiliar with. For context, Zoyd (the main character) has taken a job playing music on a temperamental synthesizer in a flying Hawaiian-themed cocktail lounge.

Zoyd was presented with a thick tattered fake book full of Hawaiian tunes, and on the lounge synthesizer, a Japanese make he'd heard of but never played, he found a ukulele option that would provide up to three orchestral sections of eight ukes each. It would take several flights across the Pacific Ocean and back before Zoyd felt easy with this by no means user-friendly instrument. The critter liked to drift off pitch on him, or worse, into that shrillness that sours the stomach, curtails seduction, poisons the careful ambiance. Nothing he could find in the dash-one under the seat ever corrected what he more and more took to be conscious decisions by the machine.

What the heck is a "dash-one" in this context? Googling the phrase (or searching on this site) yields a lot of people debating whether to use one dash or two when writing, so it's difficult to find this phrase in any other context.
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