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1500 questions
48
votes
12 answers
Are there English proverbs that warn against “speaking up” in front of people?
I recall a Japanese proverb, “犬も歩けば棒に当たる,” of which literal translation is “When a dog rambles around outside, he get a hit with a neighbor’s stick,” meaning, “Don’t come on the surface, don’t try to do anything new, don't say anything, otherwise…
Yoichi Oishi
- 70,211
48
votes
4 answers
Expressing an opinion: to me or for me?
Which one should be used?
To me, it makes no difference, but I'm not really sure why.
vs
For me, it makes no difference, but I'm not really sure why.
rochb
- 952
48
votes
12 answers
Is a hamburger considered a sandwich?
Today, a fellow user was given a CAPTCHA that looks like this:
He wasn't sure how to solve the CAPTCHA, so he asked me: Are hamburgers considered sandwiches? Well, I couldn't figure it out, so I'm asking here!
I know that the hamburger has in…
user28567
48
votes
6 answers
"At the beginning" or "in the beginning"?
Are both expressions
"At the beginning"
"In the beginning"
valid and equivalent? The first "seems wrong" to me, but it has more Google results.
ripper234
- 1,028
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48
votes
6 answers
Etymology of a "pegged CPU"
There's a slightly obscure, slang meaning in tech circles of the word "pegged" as it relates to a computer's CPU. When it is fully utilised for a duration (at least several seconds), you can say that "the CPU is pegged".
Does anyone know the history…
aaaidan
- 621
48
votes
3 answers
Where does the term "Smurfing" come from?
In multiplayer online gaming, the term "Smurf" (noun) is used to refer to an experienced player who creates a new account for the purposes of being matched against inexperienced players for easy wins. Where does this usage of the word come from?
GWLlosa
- 961
48
votes
6 answers
Which is correct: "special thanks go to" or "special thanks goes to"?
what is grammatically correct:
Special thanks go to Tom...
Special thanks goes to Tom...
IMHO I'd say thanks is one of those plural nouns which implies it requires go but I'm not sure.
It's for the acknowledgements section of my thesis; it should…
Juri
- 583
48
votes
5 answers
What is the proper plural form of 'apparatus'?
Dictionary.com claims that the plural of 'apparatus' is 'apparatuses'. Surely that can't be right... isn't it 'apparati'?
einpoklum
- 3,464
48
votes
4 answers
Is it "peek", "peak" or "pique"?
I have always thought the phrase was "pique my interest" as in:
Her mysterious background piqued my interest.
However, of late, on blogs and social networks, I have seen people using "peek my interest", as in:
Disney is starting to peek my…
Nikhil
- 2,071
47
votes
4 answers
What is the correct pronunciation of “regex”?
The term regular expression is often shortened to regex. What is the correct pronunciation of the g in regex?
Is it like the g1 in gallium, or is it like the g2 in giraffe? I’ve heard it said both ways.
1. IPA /g/
2. IPA /dʒ/
47
votes
6 answers
"Paid" vs "payed"
I think I have always used these two words interchangeably without noticing until my professor was saying how some students misspelled the word and he was amazed.
Can someone tell me when I should use paid over payed?
I searched for a similar…
Phil
- 637
47
votes
6 answers
Why does Polly want a cracker?
Where does the expression "Polly wants a cracker" come from? Why is the parrot named Polly, and why doesn't she want seeds?
Jonas
- 788
47
votes
6 answers
Please, don't - I'm not
“Please, don't mock me.”
“Oh, no, I don't! I’m not! I'm completely serious about that.”
This is a correction I received from a proofreader of my story.
How does that work? What happens here so that "I don't mock you" should be replaced with "I'm…
SF.
- 11,386
47
votes
7 answers
Are the endings "-zation" and "-sation" interchangeable?
What is with words that have forms that end both in -zation and -sation, such as localization and localisation?
Many spell checkers recommend -zation.
pramodc84
- 615
47
votes
2 answers
"As a side note" vs. "on a side note"
What is the difference between as a side note and on a side note?
Are they interchangeable?
Which one is preferred?
Noah
- 13,490