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1500 questions
87
votes
5 answers
If the letter J is only 400–500 years old, was there a J sound that preceded the design of the letter?
I understand that the letter "J" is relatively new — perhaps 400–500 years old. But since there has long been important names that begin with J, such as Jesus, Joshua, Justinian, etc., and which predate the introduction of a special letter, does…
Bruce James
- 3,236
87
votes
4 answers
What's the difference between 'resolve' and 'solve'?
What's the difference between 'resolve' and 'solve'?
Yousui
- 5,685
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86
votes
4 answers
Why do eleven and twelve get unique words and not end in "-teen"?
In short, why is it not oneteen and twoteen, and we start at thirteen in English?
In another thread, I supposed that despite that fact that people have ten fingers, amounts of items leading up to and including twelve were more common because twelve…
Joost Schuur
- 2,522
86
votes
19 answers
Words with "bi-" prefix that no longer mean "two"
Are there words in English that include the prefix bi- whose current usage includes meanings other than 'two'?
To clarify, I am specifically looking for the prefix of Latin origin meaning "two". If we used the word bicycle (bi- + cycle) to refer to…
Nathan Hinchey
- 1,014
86
votes
7 answers
What does the phrase "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish" mean?
It was Steve Jobs's ending comment in the Stanford Commencement in 2005, and Jobs mentioned:
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
What does this phrase mean? I understand this may also seem philosophical, but when studying English, often we not only study…
nonopolarity
- 3,023
86
votes
24 answers
What is a word for making something seem not as bad as it actually is?
Some examples:
Instead of admitting that I'm an alcoholic, I just say I had one too many drinks.
Instead of the bank admitting that it has lots of loans that are in arrears and are likely to default, it only says that it has underperforming…
John Petrak
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86
votes
10 answers
Word meaning both create and update?
I'd like to know if someone has a better word than authored or produced, for both creating and updating something.
Context:
I'm a software developer and I'm trying to think of a clever way to name the function that will initially create an object,…
undefined
- 1,005
86
votes
10 answers
Is it wrong to use the word "codes" in a programming context?
Is it wrong to use the word "codes" in programming context?
I shall use these codes.
Shrinath
- 1,049
86
votes
28 answers
Idiom or word for a very crowded place
There is a popular idiom in Russian for describing a really crowded place: "(there's) no room for an apple to fall" ("яблоку негде упасть").
I struggle to think of anything similar in English, and the dictionaries I consulted were of no help,…
RegDwigнt
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85
votes
4 answers
"Updatable" vs. "Updateable": which is correct?
Which spelling is correct, "updatable" or "updateable"?
For example, "The file is not updat(e)able."
By the way, I did go to Google and ref.dic.com for this first, and they both seem to indicate that both spellings are correct. If they are indeed…
Nick Rolando
- 1,015
85
votes
10 answers
Captain America said "if you get killed, walk it off!" How to understand "walk it off"?
The Avengers 2 just hit China yesterday. The official translation of the line "If you get killed, walk it off!" is "Someone is trying to kill you, run, run for your life" (This is the English version of that Chinese translation). Such a nonsense.…
Zoe Lee
- 953
84
votes
2 answers
"Have a look" vs. "Take a look"
What is the difference between Have a look and Take a look (meaning/connotations)? For example:
Have a look at the question.
Take a look at the question.
For some reason I only found first version, but Google Translate suggests second one.
Loom
- 1,265
84
votes
6 answers
Is it "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely"?
When should one sign a letter with "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely"?
Julius A
- 2,051
83
votes
6 answers
"Extensible" vs. "extendible"
Where does the adjective form extensible come from and does it connote anything different than extendible? What's the difference, if any, between the two?
AspWri88
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83
votes
25 answers
What is deliberately using complex sentences to confuse people called?
I'm wondering if there's a word, phrase, or idiom to describe the action of deliberately confusing people by using complex sentences. For example, some politicians will throw out some big words and fancy sentences to confuse people what he or she…
RexYuan
- 1,632