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1500 questions
32
votes
15 answers
Is there an English word or phrase that means "intending to help and hurting instead?"
Consider the case where a professor is erasing a board and one of the teaching assistant tries to help him by erasing part of the board.
Unfortunately, while trying to pick up the eraser, the teaching assistant bumps into the professor and they…
merlin2011
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32
votes
9 answers
What is the meaning of "I am humbled by XYZ"?
From a recent article on CNN:
Aboukhadijeh, who is from Sacramento, California, said he’s been blown away by how quickly his tool went viral and is grateful for all the supportive feedback.
“I’m amazed and humbled by all the attention it’s…
mskfisher
- 2,155
32
votes
11 answers
Idiom for making fun of something people are ashamed of?
What is the idiom that can describe the action of making fun of somebody's already sensitive and weak spot for which s/he is already troubled or ashamed?
For instance, mocking somebody about his/her bankruptcy, past crime history, etc.
user20865
32
votes
3 answers
Is it correct to hyphenate with compound premodifiers? If so, where is the hyphen placed?
For example, "file system" and "related". Is it "file system-related"? It will appear as if it is a compound of "file" and "system-related", won't it?
Louis Rhys
- 3,458
32
votes
3 answers
Can someone explain the phrase "All is fair in love and war"?
What are its origins and what does it really mean?
user9879
32
votes
3 answers
Why "ain't I" and "aren't I" instead of "amn't I"?
Why do we say "ain't I" or "aren't I" instead of "amn't I"? What's the history of this usage? Are there any other similar patterns in English?
I'm guessing it has something to do with the dispreference of two consecutive nasal consonants, but a more…
grautur
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32
votes
14 answers
What is one word for "the nervous excitement associated with new things"?
Here are feelings which to some degree are related:
The feeling of waking up in a new city for the first time or starting work on a new job.
The feeling of new love, meeting someone for a date, getting married or having a baby.
The feeling of…
Inspired_Blue
- 421
32
votes
6 answers
What is the proper term for when an animal is "pregnant" with eggs instead of live young?
Specifically things like chicken or most fish.
Lewis Goddard
- 423
32
votes
3 answers
people are/is: which one is correct?
I have been confused for so long about the plural and singular forms of "people". I want to put an end to this confusion.
What is the difference between these following expressions, and is it correct to use these expressions in both their singular…
stephenranger
- 445
32
votes
6 answers
"All The Best" vs "Best of Luck"
I heard somewhere that if we wish someone younger than us then say "best of luck" and if we wish someone older than us then say "all the best". I don't know how much of this is true. Will you please describe the difference between the phrases and…
xkeshav
- 1,179
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32
votes
6 answers
Difference between "in contrast to" and "in contrast with"
I am just wondering about the difference between:
in contrast to
and
in contrast with
abdeaitali
- 335
32
votes
7 answers
What makes "like" and "so" popular?
So, I was like, why does everyone say like and so in every sentence? Where did this trend come from, like, what started it, and is it actually grammatically correct to like, insert like into our speech in just about any position in a…
Thursagen
- 41,919
32
votes
3 answers
What does President Obama’s phrase “We don’t need to spike the football” mean?
President Obama made the following statement regarding his decision not to show dead body of Osama bin Laden to the public:
"I think that Americans and people around the world are glad that he is gone. But we don’t need to spike the football. And I…
Yoichi Oishi
- 70,211
32
votes
6 answers
Difference between "commentor" and "commentator"
What is the difference between commentor and commentator? Is commentor or commenter a legitimate English word?
Harrison Maseko
- 441
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32
votes
6 answers
Why was the "th" combination chosen for the "th" sound?
Given that the two "th" sounds don't actually sound like a combination of "t" and "h" why was that particular combination selected or become adopted by the majority ?
mP01
- 840