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1500 questions
52
votes
4 answers

Pronunciation of "Azure" in "Microsoft Azure"

This is not a techie query. I am just unclear on how to pronounce the word "Azure" which is the brand name for Microsoft's cloud computing service.
Julius A
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52
votes
10 answers

Grammatically correct sentence where "you're" and "your" can be interchanged?

Most grammar checkers are capable of detecting the the misuse of "your" and "you're"; providing the necessary correction. I'm curious though, is there any sentence that can be constructed where replacing "your" with "you're" keeps the sentence…
Trevor Hickey
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52
votes
7 answers

What is the meaning and origin of the common phrase "the world is your oyster"?

What does the world is your oyster mean, and where does it come from?
RoboShop
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52
votes
12 answers

A way of describing the lesbian parent that is not pregnant?

A friend of mine is in a long term relationship with her female partner. After deciding they wanted a family, my friend's girlfriend got pregnant. Normally when talking about a couple expecting a baby you would use phrases like An expectant mother…
Ilythya
  • 2,276
52
votes
8 answers

Is "forte" pronounced "fort" or "for-tay"?

I've always heard people say something like "Pronunciation is not my [for-tay]" ... but I feel that I've heard that the correct pronunciation is "Confusing people is my [fort]" What is the proper way to pronounce this word?
Daniel LeCheminant
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52
votes
7 answers

How long can you say "the late so and so"?

When you refer to the deceased, you say "the late so and so." How long can you say that? Is JFK referred to as the late John F. Kennedy? How about Abraham Lincoln?
Fujibei
  • 2,355
52
votes
9 answers

Why is "primer" pronounced with a short "i" sound?

This word—used to mean an elementary textbook, not a painting material—annoys me to no end. Does anyone know why, exactly, "primer" is pronounced with a short "i" sound? I don't know why, call it intuition, but I can't see why this word isn't…
user4012
51
votes
13 answers

What would you call someone who imposes on other people's generosity?

What would you call someone who isn't afraid to ask for money or any kind of favor or who misinterprets someone's generosity for a consistent resource for what they need?
Terri
  • 499
51
votes
5 answers

What did we say before "clockwise"?

Before there were clocks, what did people say to describe the clockwise and anti/counter-clockwise directions? Whilst we're on the subject, when was the word "clockwise" first used?
Ste
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51
votes
3 answers

Co-Founder, Co-founder, or cofounder?

I've seen all three used and there doesn't seem to be a definitive one that I can find. I'm hedging towards Co-Founder as it's a title, but any clarity would be appreciated. Edit If it makes it any clearer, the intended use would be for business…
divillysausages
  • 613
51
votes
4 answers

Is it 'what it looks like' or 'how it looks like'?

I live in a country where English is not the native language. Oftentimes I hear my coworkers say they want to know or determine "how it looks like". This is grammatically closer to our native language than "what it looks like", which is the version…
Stim
  • 613
51
votes
20 answers

What's the opposite of "concatenate" in programming?

To concatenate means to string together different things. Concatenating "snow" and "ball" produces "snowball." But what would the opposite action be? What is the name of the action used to derive two words from one? (My dictionaries don't list any…
Taj Moore
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51
votes
9 answers

Should the word Boolean be capitalized?

I keep second guessing myself on this one. On one hand it seems like it should because the word Boolean is derived from the name of George Boole, the inventor of Boolean logic. However, the term as it is commonly used is not meant to imply…
JohnFx
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51
votes
8 answers

"She pulled back her fingers a second before they were sliced off." Does she still have all of her fingers?

I am reading a book (Hyperion, by Dan Simmons) and the following phrase left me flabbergasted! She pulled back her fingers a second before they were sliced off. Does it mean that her fingers were sliced off a few seconds after she pulled them…
Burkhard
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51
votes
11 answers

Idiom: People caring about minor stuff while something terrible is happening

Imagine a situation in which the whole place is on fire, a bomb is about to explode, everyone is running for their lives and someone is checking his looks on the mirror... pretty inappropriate for the situation, don't you think? I'm looking for an…
Pantelis Sopasakis
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