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1500 questions
67
votes
22 answers
Is there an idiom or typical expression for an unfunny joke?
Could you tell me some suitable idioms to express this situation:
A guy told you a joke, but it's not funny at all.
In Japanese, we say "He slipped" or "His joke was so cold that the air got frozen," for that situation.
Are there any similar…
EPRAIT
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67
votes
4 answers
"Toward" or "towards"?
Which one should should I use? For some reason I have always used "towards", but I see some people saying "toward", like here:
A great deal of his work in economic theory has been directed toward strengthening the foundations of our understanding…
Vivi
- 1,417
67
votes
5 answers
When is a 'gerund' supposed to be preceded by a possessive adjective/determiner?
I assume that the following sentences are all acceptable:
He resents your being more popular than he is.
Most of the members paid their dues without my asking them.
They objected to the youngest girl’s being given the command position.
What do you…
b.roth
- 21,782
67
votes
9 answers
Is there an English idiom that means "you can always find a law to convict anyone"?
There's an infamous phrase in Russian (attributed to Stalin's Chief Prosecutor Vyshinsky):
"Был бы человек, а статья найдется"
Translated literally, this means
"if there was a man, an article {{meaning "a law to convict him under"}} will be…
DVK
- 1,490
67
votes
9 answers
Order of "not" with infinitive
This is one thing that keeps bugging me, and maybe there's a direct answer.
Grammatically, which one is more correct of these two? Does it make a difference?
I tried not to do that.
I tried to not do that.
RétroX
- 819
67
votes
3 answers
Why would you "throw" a party?
Where does this "throwing" action come from when talking about hosting a party?
Throwing usually has to do with hurling something, usually an object (but it could be an emotion: throwing a tantrum). But one also uses the verb when talking about…
Chronicle
- 753
67
votes
13 answers
What is the term for when you become more aware of something?
For example, when you buy a car, you start becoming more aware of cars with a similar make and model. The number of that type of car hasn't increased, but your awareness of it has.
Similarly, when you learn a new word, you start hearing the same…
Javid Jamae
- 1,155
67
votes
2 answers
Why is Santa Claus a man but Santa Maria a woman?
When it comes to cities and boats named after saints, it seems that "Santa" is always female and "San" is always male.
e.g.
Male Saints: San Diego, San Francisco, San Antonio
Female Saints: Santa Barbara, Santa Maria
So why isn't "Santa Claus" a…
Urbycoz
- 15,698
67
votes
15 answers
When to use "nude" and when "naked"
The question is quite clear.
Is there any difference (semantically or connotationally, if that's a word) between nude and naked? Nude seems more formal to me, but I'm not quite sure.
Interesting:
Merriam-Webster link from naked, to nude
Definition…
Bram Vanroy
- 1,267
66
votes
2 answers
What is the first part of a joke called?
How does one refer to the first part of a joke?
The follow up is often referred to as a punchline but I'm unsure how to refer to the first part. Is it a 'joke' or does a 'joke' include the punchline?
benni_mac_b
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66
votes
4 answers
When is it necessary to use "have had"?
I have come across a few sentences that contain "have had". I would like to know in what kind of situations we should use this combination.
Gopi
- 901
66
votes
1 answer
Independent/independently of/from
Which of these are correct, and why? Suggestions for rephrasing it are also welcome.
[noun] was developed independently of [noun]
[noun] was developed independently from [noun]
[noun] was developed, independent of [noun]
bhinesley
- 763
66
votes
2 answers
Why is this joke about elephants and quarts funny?
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?
Andorian
- 1,085
66
votes
11 answers
Is there an English phrase for an inability to actually *leave* already?
There is a Hungarian expression, küszöbgörcs, which literally means "threshold-cramp", and is used to describe that long conversation you have in the entryway, with all the guests awkwardly holding their coats and purses, and every so often somebody…
Marthaª
- 32,910
66
votes
7 answers
What happened to "You're welcome?"
Quite often (9 out of 10 times?), on radio (NPR), when the interviewer says "Thank you" to the interviewee, the reply is also "Thank you."
What has happened to "You're welcome?" Why is "You're welcome" so uncomfortable to say?
smblackledge
- 693