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1500 questions
54
votes
5 answers
Should I use " related" or "-related"
What is the correct use of the term "related?" For example, should I use it like computer related, or is it more proper to use computer-related (where the word "computer" is just part of my example?)
Are the cases where it is used in one form and…
MikeSchinkel
- 1,417
54
votes
4 answers
How to answer a negative question without ambiguity?
I faced a problem to answer a negative question, for example, when someone asks you:
Don't you have any money?
It's a yes/no question but how should one answer the question without ambiguity?
When you answer "yes", does it mean "yes, I don't have…
Gigili
- 5,298
54
votes
3 answers
White Noise: Why White?
I'm always surprised when I hear the term white noise.
White noise itself sounds a little more "evil" than anything else, I would almost expect it to be called black noise.
Why is white noise called white noise?
Mou某
- 5,377
54
votes
5 answers
Why can we say 'an American' but not 'a British'?
I am confused with the use of an indefinite article in front of British or Chinese.
To my understanding, we can place an indefinite article in front of any “countable noun”.
So, we can say a cup and an orange.
But when it comes to nationalities,…
Feng Rong
- 557
54
votes
18 answers
How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number (e.g., the third prime)?
I want to make a question having an answer as follows:
5 is the third prime number.
The bold part is the answer. How to phrase the question?
LaTeX
- 633
54
votes
3 answers
When should "into" be used rather than "in to," and vice versa?
"Into" (one word) and "in to" (two words) are frequently confused. In what situations should the former be used? The latter?
Pops
- 5,975
54
votes
1 answer
"created at" or "created in"
I'm not sure which one I should use:
Created in ____
or
Created at ____
calbertts
- 651
54
votes
7 answers
Can 'revert' be used as a synonym of 'reply'?
I am a native speaker of American English, and I have only ever heard this usage of the word revert from one person. This person is not a native English speaker (he is from India), so he may just be mistaken, but I'm curious if anyone else has…
pkaeding
- 1,737
53
votes
14 answers
What do you call a person who started something that is later followed by everyone?
What do you call a person who started something that is later followed by everyone? For example, someone started to stay late at night till 8 p.m. and later everyone started to stay till 8 p.m..
Mridul Raj
- 708
53
votes
6 answers
"Speak to" vs. "Speak with"
What are the differences between these two phrasal verbs and what are the best situations to use each?
Mysterion
- 7,328
53
votes
7 answers
What is the origin of the phrase "Top of the morning to you"?
Each morning, a colleague of mine greets me with the phrase:
Top of the morning to you!
I've tried to figure out what the meaning of this really is and how to properly respond, however there seems to be dozens of interpretations as to what this…
hafichuk
- 811
53
votes
16 answers
Antonym of "recommend"
What's the antonym of recommend? For example:
I recommend that item!
I tried to use unrecommend, but the spell-checker throws an error and it sounds stupid as well!
daGrevis
- 691
53
votes
8 answers
When your 10-year old boy says “It’s meta,” what does it mean? In what situation and of what sort of object they use this phrase?
I asked about the meaning and usage of meta a few days ago, quoting Maureen Dowd’s review of the movie, “J. Edgar” in New York Times.
I received six answers. But I still don’t get a clear idea of what “It’s meta” means because I don't understand…
Yoichi Oishi
- 70,211
53
votes
3 answers
Is the etymology of "salary" a myth?
Since, perhaps forever, I had always ‘known’ that the English word salary was derived from the Latin salarium, to the time when Roman soldiers were paid in salt for their service. Salt was a highly-prized and sought-after commodity due to its…
Mari-Lou A
- 91,183
53
votes
1 answer
What does "c'tee" mean?
I have been seeing the word c'tee frequently. Here are some examples:
Sports minister sets up c’tee to find solution to football crisis
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/08/sports-minister-sets-up-ctee-to-find-solution-to-football-crisis/
Trajtenberg…
dotancohen
- 3,011