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1500 questions
44
votes
16 answers
Handwriting is to illegible as drawing is to what?
If your handwriting is illegible, then you can not understand what word is written.
But if you have not drawn well then you can not understand what is being drawn.
What word do I use for this?
Edit: The objects being drawn here are TV, cars, clocks,…
Rahul Ranjan
- 671
44
votes
4 answers
What term can be used to describe Yoda's speech?
What is Yoda's speech called? Is there a particular name for it (such as "dangling...")?
Jon Onstott
- 597
44
votes
7 answers
Why is "our today's meeting" wrong?
One of the answers to this question states that "We shall discuss it in our today's meeting" is grammatically correct. To me, that sentence is clearly wrong. While in today's meeting is fine and in our today meeting is OKish (though at the very…
terdon
- 21,559
44
votes
2 answers
"In detail" vs. "in details"
Which form is correct: "in detail" or "in details"?
I want to use it while describing an algorithm. First I give a general description of an algorithm and then more detailed description.
jutky
- 631
44
votes
17 answers
Is there any word for the opposite of a "bug" in programming?
A "bug" is essentially when a program fails to function as expected/desired.
What I'm looking for is a word for the opposite of that - a function that is desired but isn't supposed to be working yet unexpectedly starts working. As an example, I'm…
ChrisV
- 574
44
votes
1 answer
How did "s***" and "the s***" come to mean opposite things?
Your idea is shit
Your idea is bad.
Your idea is the shit
Your idea is good.
The same does not apply to "the crap" or "the poop", or other profanity like "the fuck".
I can think of examples where adding "the" to a noun makes it descriptive, like…
Owen
- 563
44
votes
5 answers
'Clean' vs 'Clear'
What is their difference?
Please provide an example (or two if the use as verb or adjective differentiates their meanings).
Dimitris Leventeas
- 613
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44
votes
21 answers
Is there a saying or proverb for a situation where the weakest party will always lose?
Context - One might use it in the following situations:
"An employee has an argument with their boss and a dispute follows." (they get fired a few weeks later)
"A student having an argument with his teacher over his grades takes the problem to the…
Centaurus
- 50,047
44
votes
18 answers
Word for a task which is flawed or doomed to failure but which you have to do anyway?
I'm looking for a word which describes a task which I think is poorly designed and will lead to either mediocre results or failure, but which I have to do anyway, especially in a work setting.
The word "Dilbertian" comes to mind, however this word…
Mark Micallef
- 1,496
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- 11
44
votes
7 answers
"For all it's worth" or "for all its worth"?
Should I put an apostrophe in "for all its worth"? The meaning comes to about the same thing either way, as far as I can make out, and it seems like "it's" is more popular. But is there an accepted version? Or any reason for preferring one over the…
Daniel
- 57,547
44
votes
2 answers
What's the difference between "general" and "generic"?
What is the difference between them? Do they have different meanings? When should I use "general" or "generic"?
gitaarik
- 543
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- 6
44
votes
1 answer
another greeting aside from "I hope you are well" in an email?
I'm stuck with "I hope you are well" every time I compose an email. What other similar opening lines can I use in an email?
user73103
- 449
44
votes
6 answers
Difference between "invoice" and "bill"?
I am talking about something you should pay. "Invoice" here doesn't mean the proof of payment.
Sometimes I am told to pay my "bill", and sometimes they may refer to the similar paper (physical or virtual) as "invoice". The only difference I can…
LLS
- 1,103
44
votes
5 answers
"How about" vs. "What about"
Is there a difference between starting a question with How about and What about?
Can we use both expressions interchangeably?
Mehper C. Palavuzlar
- 35,654
44
votes
3 answers
Difference between "choose" and "select"
These two words are often used interchangeably and the greatest difference I can find between the two is "choose" for choosing multiple items from a set, and "select" for selecting a single item from a set. Are there other qualifiers to consider and…
user5163