Top new questions this week:

What's the English equivalent for the Italian slang expression "magna magna"

"Magna magna" is a typical Italian slang expression used by common people to give vent to their frustrations and disappointment with politicians when cases of corruption and personal interest in ...

*phrase-requests *american-english *british-english *slang *idiom-requests

asked by Josh61 24 votes answered by Edwin Ashworth 28 votes

Is there any equivalent for this Persian expression "____ is like an unopened watermelon"?

The Persian expression/ simile "____ is like an unopened (=uncut) watermelon" implies that you never know what the given (risky) issue/ choice will turn out to be until you proceed to experience or ...

*idiom-requests *expression-requests

asked by Soudabeh 22 votes answered by Benjamin Harman 35 votes

Word for "lose something temporarily"

Is there any verb which means that I lost something but actually you're sure that it isn't lost forever? So I don't know where is it now but if I was looking for it, I would find it. Or, I put it ...

*single-word-requests *verbs *synonyms

asked by gabe 21 votes answered by vanderpn 78 votes

Is it awkward to call a wound "heavy"?

According to the definition of Oxford Online Dictionary, the adjective heavy means: Of more than the usual size, amount, or intensity 4. Very important or serious If someone is heavily ...

*single-word-requests *word-choice *differences

asked by sana ne 17 votes answered by Helmar 27 votes

What is a person who rides on camel-back called?

A person who rides on horse-back is called equestrian. I came across the following guidelines: "Camel Ride Guidelines: XXXXXXXX We will do all we can to accommodate riders, however, ...

*single-word-requests *word-choice

asked by Dinesh Kumar Garg 14 votes answered by V0ight 22 votes

What do you call this particular sitting position?

Have a look at the following picture Is there a word for the sitting position of the boy with recorder ?

*vocabulary

asked by zany 10 votes answered by P. Obertelli 21 votes

Did people actually talk like they do in Pride and Prejudice?

The characters in Pride and Prejudice seem to speak in a way that is very distinct from most contemporary anglophones. Among the major unique features are: Richer vocabulary Readiness to use obscure ...

*history *speech

asked by Superbest 9 votes answered by Bookeater 1 vote

Greatest hits from previous weeks:

"More clear" vs "Clearer": when to use "more" instead of "-er"?

Which one of these adjectives is correct? I can see that both of them are being used, I'm just not sure which one is grammatically correct. Are there any general rules to follow as to the use of one ...

*word-choice *adjectives *comparative

asked by Hamid 82 votes answered by delete 97 votes

Why use BCE/CE instead of BC/AD?

When I was a kid, I was always taught to refer to years using BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini / year of our Lord). However, I somewhat regularly hear people referring to years as in the CE ...

*terminology *abbreviations *acronyms *initialisms

asked by Jez 12 votes answered by aedia λ 21 votes

Can you answer these?

How do we get pronunciation Yoost to?

In this thread How does the phrase "used to" work, grammatically? the construct "used to" is discussed but there is no mention of its pronunciation. Here (Canada) the "used" in this phrase ...

*pronunciation

asked by Robert Craigen 2 votes

How has pathetic fallacy's meaning changed?

When John Ruskin first coined the term pathetic fallacy he truly did mean that people were committing a fallacy when describing inanimate objects as having characteristics (or having pathos so were ...

*meaning *archaic *semantic-shift

asked by BladorthinTheGrey 1 vote

Is it grammatically incorrect to use "It was double the pleasure..."?

English is my second language and somebody told me that the second sentence I created is grammatically incorrect: It was a great pleasure to meet you. And it was double the pleasure to share a ...

*meaning-in-context *phrase-meaning

asked by Jae C 1 vote