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1500 questions
33
votes
7 answers
Why did "sceptical" become "skeptical" in the US?
Compare the following two Google Ngram Viewer charts for sceptical vs. skeptical in American English and British English:
British English
American English
My interpretation of these charts is that:
Before the 1910-1920's, sceptical was used in…
b.roth
- 21,782
33
votes
3 answers
When do you use "relate to" versus "relate with"?
I have a feeling that maybe you use one preposition with people, and the other with situations. For example, you might relate with a student who's nervous about an exam, whereas you relate to test anxiety. Am I correct in assuming this? If not, what…
ktm5124
- 2,818
33
votes
3 answers
Is there a historical trend towards shorter sentences?
From my own reading of older books (eg. 18th, 19th century) in various styles (novels, philosophical treatises, scientific publications), it seems that sentences were longer back then.
Is there good hard data on this? Have sentences in fiction…
Seamus
- 2,787
33
votes
5 answers
"Warranty" vs. "guarantee"
Is there any relation or difference between warranty and guarantee? What do they mean? In what situations do we use them? For example, I suppose we say
When we buy something it has a warranty.
munish
- 515
33
votes
12 answers
Word for not obscure but not mainstream
Is there some way to describe something that the average person doesn't know about but is still not obscure? Such as a musician who doesn't get much radio play but still has thousands or even millions of fans, or how an independent movie that does…
MBR-6161
- 442
33
votes
12 answers
How can the Chinglish expression "you can you up" be translated?
The Chinese phrase 你行你上 (literally "you good you up", usually expressed in Chinglish as "you can you up") is used against people who criticize the incompetence of others, yet are not competent themselves. The meaning is basically, "if you know how…
Peter Olson
- 6,111
33
votes
2 answers
Why is a 'vulgar fraction' called 'vulgar'?
I am just wondering about the origins of the phrase 'vulgar fraction'. It is synonymous with 'common fraction' & 'simple fraction' and simply refers to any fraction of two integers (e.g.: 2/5).
I assume vulgar is used in the 'lack of sophistication…
Toke Faurby
- 603
33
votes
7 answers
“based in” vs “based out of ”
I have seen people use both forms below. Which is correct? If both are, in which situation is each better used?
I am a software engineer based in New York.
I am a software engineer based out of New York.
Pratik Deoghare
- 1,096
33
votes
4 answers
Etymology of the "nick" used in "nickname"?
I've enjoyed your material on the etymology of the word "nick" meaning:
A) just in time = in the nick of time (from notches nicked into wood or also to denote good timing)
B) in good condition = in good nick (maybe the neck & head of horses, or…
Teleah
- 347
33
votes
8 answers
"On" hard drive versus "in" memory
Why do American English speakers typically say something is "on the hard drive" when referring to data stored with a hard drive (or other permanent storage device) but when referring to something stored in memory say that it is stored "in memory"?…
user1636780
- 341
33
votes
19 answers
Euphemism for diarrhoea
I've recently been having diarrhoea and may be calling in sick to work tomorrow. I work at a small company, so typically this involves emailing my manager and team with something like this:
Hi team, I seem to have caught the flu that's going…
c560141
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33
votes
4 answers
What does "Roger" mean in war movies?
Is "roger" equivalent to "Ok"? I hear it in war movies, movies like Star Wars Clone Wars, and in war games.
33
votes
8 answers
Besides raisins, what other dried fruits and vegetables have their own names?
Dried grapes¹ have their own special word: "raisins". There are a few words for different types of dried meats ("jerky", "prosciutto", etc.). But other than "raisin", I can't think of any special words for dried fruits or vegetables. Dried apples…
Steve
- 637
33
votes
5 answers
Is it proper to use a colon followed immediately by a hyphen?
I have seen some writing where people have a list or a figure in writing and they will write something like this:
The information is provided in Image
3:-
Is that correct? Is this a British style?
way0utwest
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33
votes
5 answers
Is there a word for "a person from another race"?
I am searching for a word that means ‘of another race’ to be used in context of a sentence such as
"She was deeply protective to her [of other race] foster children."
"They shunned the [other race] people."
The definition of race that I am…
dgun
- 475
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