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1500 questions
42
votes
3 answers
Is there a name for text that reads the same upside-down?
This is similar to a palindrome but, instead of a word/sentence that reads the same forwards and backward, is there a word for words/sentences that read the same right side up and upside-down?
See picture below where the word "yeah" is written in…
Remi
- 544
42
votes
6 answers
"Who wants ice-cream?" — Should I say "(not) I" or "(not) me"?
With the enthusiastic question of "Who wants ice-cream?", what is the more correct response?
(Not) I.
(Not) me.
Neither response is a sentence. The first response of "(not) I" sounds stuffy, like it should be followed with an indignant sniff.…
drewk
- 560
42
votes
8 answers
'Earth-based' adjective counterpart to 'Lunar' or 'Solar'
We have adjectives relating to various celestial bodies: 'Solar', 'Lunar', 'Martian', 'Venusian' etc. What would be the counterpart to Earth? 'Earthian' sounds very awkward to me... is it valid?
For example, the situation where Earth is eclipsed by…
SF.
- 11,386
42
votes
15 answers
"Wait on" vs "wait for"
I've just heard
your sister is waiting on you
with the meaning of wait for (as in wait for the bus).
Up to now I had only encountered wait on with the meaning of attend to / serve.
Is this use of wait on instead of wait for widely spread in the…
None
- 4,216
42
votes
6 answers
Word(s) to say if someone doesn't want one thing they surely don't want some second thing
I have been going crazy trying to find this word and I just cant seem to be successful. The word is to state something kind of obvious. Here is an example on where/how to use it:
Parent: "Do you want to go to school today son?"
Child: "Dad I don't…
Samer
- 439
42
votes
2 answers
Why and when did 'Down's Syndrome' change to 'Down Syndrome'?
Having watched a charming video of 'Carpool Karaoke' with mothers and children on the World Down Syndrome Day website, in preparation for the twenty-first of this month, I noticed that 'Down's Syndrome' has been changed to 'Down Syndrome'.
Such is…
Nigel J
- 24,448
42
votes
5 answers
What is the best format to use when writing out dates?
What format of date is appropriate for different contexts (business, personal) in written English, nowadays?
1st of April, 2010
April the 1st, 2010
April 1, 2010
April 01, 2010
another one
rem
- 10,331
42
votes
2 answers
I can understand 'Disaster Preparedness' but what is 'Pediatric Terrorism?'
I was googling for something else related to ELU and came across the page heading Pediatric Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness which according to the introduction is a
new comprehensive report (...) practical resources that pediatricians can…
English Student
- 7,372
42
votes
13 answers
Word to describe sitting in quiet anger
I need a word to describe someone who has been told something they don't like, but they have to accept it.
EX:
"We need to travel all the way to Montreal to pick up my sister," Mom
says.
Dad sits back in his seat, and __________. "Fine," he…
Eman Nep
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42
votes
6 answers
Is "triple" the proper counterpart of pair when describing a group of three items?
I'm writing a tech doc and this question bothers me, though I know it should be simple.
I know I should say "A pair of [Key, Value]", but when I have something like "A ____ of [Key, Value, Flag]", I'm just not sure if the proper word is triple, or…
Yang Chi
- 685
42
votes
5 answers
What does “covfefe” exactly mean?
The Washington Post (May 31, 2017) reports that “[President] Trump targets ‘negative press covfefe’ ” in his tweet:
MORNING MIX: Trump targets ‘negative press covfefe’ in garbled
midnight tweet that becomes worldwide joke / Trump tweets…
Yoichi Oishi
- 70,211
42
votes
20 answers
Does a word meaning "Created Recklessly for Temporary Use" exist?
Imagine you are surviving in the wilderness traveling in a wandering manner. You've found this landscape that is wonderfully abundant in food and basking in a very favorable climate. Therefore, you decide that this is your new residence.
Night is…
Jeremiah Knefel
- 521
42
votes
15 answers
Is there a word for happiness made possible by a tragic situation?
I frequently find myself needing a word to express happiness that acknowledges a tragic or unfortunate circumstance underpinning that happiness. Preferably the word could have both adjective and verb forms. For example, "Gregory [verb-ed | felt…
mthomps
- 503
42
votes
15 answers
Single-word antonym for "cheapest"?
I've been doing a translation for an article and it occured to me that I don't know a one-word antonym for the word 'cheapest'.
I tried googling it, and the best suggestion I got was 'expensive', but that's not right since 'the most expensive' is…
the_raven
- 445
42
votes
4 answers
"This question has been asked at Stack Overflow" vs. "on Stack Overflow"
How should I phrase it:
This question has been asked at Stack Overflow.
Or,
This question has been asked on Stack Overflow.
Graviton
- 1,041