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1500 questions
40
votes
19 answers
What is the opposite of procrastination in one word?
I thought of precrastination at first but that appears to be the act of planning to procrastinate.
Renan
- 697
40
votes
3 answers
Why do I give my pets "food" but my livestock "feed"?
When I feed my cat or my dog, the package tends to say "Dog Food" or "Cat Food."
In contrast, I give my chickens "chicken feed" or "poultry feed." Likewise, a cow's silage is her "feed."
Why does this distinction exist? Is there an historical or…
Affable Geek
- 4,558
40
votes
1 answer
Etymology of *spreadsheet* / an anachronistic use
Near the middle of chapter 14 of Murder Under A Blue Moon (2019, Abigail Keam) a character (Dexter) says, "It is an up-to-date spreadsheet of all your assets and liabilities." The story is set in April-May 1933. However, etymonline shows 1965 for…
James Waldby - jwpat7
- 66,660
40
votes
10 answers
Is there an English idiom for 'your silence implies your consent'?
I was asked an interesting question today, is there an English equivalent of the saying Zwijgen is instemmen, that is "since you didn't answer, then you agreed with me".
I could not come up with any good example; although I could think of a few…
Paul Wagland
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40
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4 answers
Is this toilet sign, "Please leave the toilet properly," correct?
Our company has signs at the toilet that read
Please leave the toilet properly
Is that correct? My intuition would be that "properly" as an adverb would reference the action "leave" and not the thing "toilet." So that wouldn't make sense,…
Mathias Bader
- 525
40
votes
2 answers
"Successfull"/"successful" — is this a UK/US difference?
I would tend to write double-l, but Google gives me more single-l, so I'm guessing it's an Atlantic divide thing.
And I guess all the other *full words.
Benjol
- 4,729
40
votes
10 answers
Is there a word for an object that is no longer kept for its original purpose but instead for sentimental value?
The object in question would usually be no longer in use, or perhaps used extremely infrequently compared to when it was first brought. The piece should not be regarded as a waste of space, as the owner would view it with some sort of fondness due…
Alexander51413
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40
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2 answers
Why were slum kids called “urchins”?
To the eyes of Mr. Jeremiah Cruncher, sitting on his stool in Fleet Street with his grisly urchin beside him, a vast number and variety of objects in movement were every day presented.
A Tale of Two Cities (1866)
I actually discovered quite a…
Mari-Lou A
- 91,183
40
votes
6 answers
Word meaning "to make more efficient"?
I think this question came up in a conversation with a friend...we were discussing how serving lunch could be made more efficient.
They could _____ the lunch line by doing this or that.
The only word we could think of was "efficienize", but I…
kennysong
- 813
40
votes
6 answers
How did "Jew" become pejorative?
For some reason, the word Jew often carries a pejorative or offensive connotation, which the related adjective Jewish does not carry. This is most obvious when either word is used as an attributive:
The story was all over the Jewish media. [Not…
JSBձոգչ
- 54,843
40
votes
4 answers
What is the plural form of "Software"?
Is it correct to use softwares, as in the following sentence?
There are various video conversion softwares in the market.
Mehper C. Palavuzlar
- 35,654
40
votes
15 answers
Two English words to distinguish French words “numéro” and “nombre”
I am French and I am always confused when I have to translate these two French words:
“numéro de l'objet” = number of the object = a number used to identify the object
“nombre d'objets” = number of objects = a number used to count objects
These…
oHo
- 555
40
votes
7 answers
What is this strange sentence by Walt Whitman?
The future is no more uncertain than the present. —Walt Whitman
This is supposed to mean "The future is certain, just like the present."
But it means the opposite...
I learnt in school that no more ... than... means negative...like
He is no more…
user231854
40
votes
18 answers
What do you call a person who keeps talking about art; studies art, criticizes art, and thinks he'd be amazing with it. But he doesn't practice it
I've come across this word before. It's not "hypocrite". But the definition of the word was very specific. Basically it's an adjective, it's something you call a person who's really into art; like for example movies and film making.
He keeps…
Carl
- 465
40
votes
6 answers
Is it acceptable to use "is become" instead of "has become"?
In the King James version of the Bible there is a verse like this:
The Lord is my strength, and my fortress, and my song. And He is become my salvation.
Is it still feasible to use "is become" instead of "has become" and what is the semantic…
malach