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1500 questions
35
votes
4 answers

Why do we say INcomplete but UNcompleted?

I'm a native speaker and it's just occurred to me that this is a strange irregularity: "The work is incomplete." < Fine "The work is uncompleted." < Less common but still sounds "correct" to my ear "The work is incompleted or uncomplete < Both of…
GMA
  • 783
35
votes
6 answers

Is "tnetennba" a real word?

I've seen and heard the word "tnetennba" used, most famously by Moss in Season 4, Episode 2 of the IT Crowd. Here's a short clip with it. Essentially, Moss was a contestant on a fake episode of the TV show Countdown. In this episode, no definition…
Flyk
  • 870
35
votes
14 answers

What's a parallel for 'mitigate', for worsening a good situation?

I recently read an article claiming that employing some tactic was OK but could mitigate many of the good effects of the main action. What word should the author have used, as mitigate means to improve or to lessen a negative, not to render a…
Jim Mack
  • 11,882
35
votes
13 answers

Is there a slang word or idiom for someone who borrows money from friends or relatives and never (or rarely) pays them back?

Edit - My question doesn't refer to bank loans or credit card accounts. Nor does it refer to getting things out of other people's generosity. It is specifically about money and the putative duplicate doesn't address that. If there is no specific…
Centaurus
  • 50,047
35
votes
7 answers

An English idiom for "solve a problem that has been solved"?

In Polish, and I believe in a number of other European languages, there is an idiomatic expression which translates to "to force a door which is already open". It is used to describe a situation when much effort is spent on solving a problem which…
Jakub Konieczny
  • 1,112
35
votes
5 answers

Not "On the Rocks"

I walk into a bar and order a drink. The bartender may ask me:Do you want that on the rocks?I usually respond "Yes" or "No" Is there a colloquial expression for not on the rocks?
Gary's Student
  • 6,747
35
votes
14 answers

Appropriate word for internet name of a person

What is the appropriate word or phrase which means the internet name of a person. I mean the nickname that a person uses in almost all places on the internet like blog, IRC, forums, mailing lists etc.
beginer
  • 711
35
votes
8 answers

What does "vanilla" mean in the context of gaming?

Consider this comment: I've been playing WoW(an online multiplayer game) since vanilla. I'm an older white male, my first toon was female, created with my wife coaching me. We did it just for fun. What does vanilla mean here?
Theo
  • 5,254
35
votes
5 answers

"right" vs "correct"

Except for the fact that we use right to denote direction, what is the difference between the two terms right and correct? Also, which one is the preferred construction between these two? Am I right? or Am I correct?
Lazer
  • 2,587
35
votes
6 answers

What is the lexical class of the word 'worth' when used in a sentence like "Is this apple worth $3?"

The question "Not worth the paper it's printed on" - wrong meaning? got me thinking about what part of speech, or lexical class, the word 'worth' takes? A comment in Which is correct: "is it worth it?" or "does it worth it?" advises to treat 'worth'…
oosterwal
  • 7,391
35
votes
2 answers

Correspond to vs. Correspond with

Is there any significant difference between Correspond to and Correspond with? I only mean in the sense of "matching", here, rather than "communication". I've looked at a few sources, but I can't seem to find a good explanation that makes it clear…
ekhumoro
  • 753
35
votes
4 answers

"As part of" versus "as a part of"

When should I use "as part of", and when "as a part of"?
PFrank
  • 863
35
votes
2 answers

What is the difference between "maybe" and "may be"?

What is the difference in meaning and usage between maybe and may be? Are they synonymous?
Prabhu R
  • 1,024
35
votes
17 answers

Secular alternative to "preaching to the choir"?

Is there a secular alternative to the phrase "preaching to the choir"?
dmr
  • 2,710
35
votes
2 answers

Why do you drive on a "parkway", and park on a "driveway"?

I've always been fascinated by these two words, as they seem to have the exact opposite meaning as expected. Is it because of the etymology? Or perhaps the meanings were switched at some point in time?
Kevin Yap
  • 735
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