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1500 questions
43
votes
10 answers
"Childlessness is hereditary in our family" What do you call a statement containing a contradiction such as the example?
This kind of sentence is usually absurd and may or may not be recognized as such by the person who utters it.
She will regret it till the day she dies, if she lives that long!
"Aren't you going to John's funeral? After all, you were best friends."…
Centaurus
- 50,047
43
votes
10 answers
Atheist/agnostic form of expressing condolences
I have lived in the U.S. for 20 years now but I am yet to find an elegant and eloquent phrase to express condolences to somebody upon the death of a close one that does not involve religiosity and prayer ("Your family will be in my prayers").
My…
amphibient
- 2,890
43
votes
4 answers
Do I keep myself "up-to-date" or "up to date" on something?
The question is quite straightforward: Which of the following is preferable?
"I keep myself up-to-date on the latest technology."
"I keep myself up to date on the latest technology."
maggix
- 533
43
votes
2 answers
"On a page" or "in a page" for a web page
Which is the correct usage:
Something on a page
OR
Something in a page
By page, I mean a web page, not a physical book page.
Chairman Meow
- 723
43
votes
7 answers
Is it alright to use lowercase "i" or should you always use "I" (uppercase)?
I frequently edit questions on StackOverflow, and I always fix the "i" into "I".
See this edit revision for instance.
When i I start my tomcat, i I am getting this problem.
How could i I resolve this problem.
Am I right to do so?
Benjol points…
VonC
- 14,744
43
votes
1 answer
"Maths" for "Mathematics"; where does the S come from?
So in US English we shorten mathematics to math, and in the UK they say maths. Where does the 'S' come from in the UK version? For some reason I had it in my head that this was just because it's plural so you add the 's'; referring to multiple types…
WendiKidd
- 1,249
43
votes
10 answers
What do you call unclean water that you can't see through?
What do you call unclean water that you can't see through? Probably contaminated with dirt, prolonged stagnation or mineral erosion, almost pale brown, like stagnated water on a rainy day.
Essai Selvan
- 495
43
votes
4 answers
Trolling: billy goats gruff or fishing reference?
Where does the internet jargon "Troll" come from?
The way I see it. If it's a fishing reference, then you can't accuse someone of "Being a troll" and if it's a mythology reference then someone isn't really "Trolling" they're just "Being a…
Peter Turner
- 1,247
42
votes
8 answers
Less vulgar synonyms for "circlejerk"
Someone asked in the Math.StackExchange chatroom what a "more refined word for circlejerk" might be. UrbanDictionary defines this (in our desired usage) as:
[...] pompous, self-congratulatory discussion where little to no progress is made.
A…
anon
- 523
42
votes
8 answers
Can I "wear an umbrella"?
Does it make sense to say the following?
Yesterday I wore an umbrella and a coat.
42
votes
2 answers
In England, why are some high schools called hospitals?
I noticed that in the UK some high schools are called hospitals. For example, Grey Coat Hospital,
Christ's Hospital and Queen Elizabeth's Hospital. Does hospital sometimes mean school?
Simd
- 2,473
42
votes
7 answers
Is there any rule for the placement of space after and before parentheses?
I often get stuck when forming or formatting a sentence with one or more parentheses. For example, I wrote an answer on another Stack Exchange site, in which I wrote:
...whereas, my phone(xperia x10 mini)
comes with several widgets...
which,…
lalli
- 523
42
votes
5 answers
"Versus" versus "vs." in writing
In writing, when should one use the abbreviation vs. as opposed to the full versus?
This abbreviation seems to have special status from common usage. What is the origin of that, and in what writing contexts is it important?
ted.strauss
- 1,207
42
votes
5 answers
In 1700s, why was 'books that never read' grammatical?
Naomi Baron, in Words Onscreen: The Fate of Reading in a Digital World (1 edn 2015). p. 16, quoted Daniel Defoe's The Compleat English Gentleman, composed in the early 1700s:
I hate any thing that looks like a cheat upon the world. Whatever I am,…
user50720
42
votes
20 answers
A word or a phrase for "completely optimised, thoroughly researched technology"
I am looking for a word or phrase that can be used in the sentence:
It is a rather old, but _________________ technology.
The word or phrase should address a technology that is totally investigated, researched in detail, and thoroughly optimised,…
Kkatja
- 423