Questions tagged [expressions]
This tag is for questions which a dictionary cannot answer asking the meaning of a particular expression.
1,442
questions
8
votes
6answers
2k views
Can I say: “I'm booked for tomorrow.”?
Is it correct to use this expression with people? I wanted to say that I cannot tomorrow because I scheduled too many calls and don't have time for another one. I thought I could say: "I'm booked ...
1
vote
1answer
38 views
“This is the tent I had when I was a little boy.” VS “This is the tent I have had since I was a little boy.”
Daddy Pig says:"This is the tent I had when I was a little boy." If he said :"This is the tent I have had since I was a little boy". Are there any subtle differences between the ...
0
votes
0answers
6 views
How does “a month ago” and “the past month” in the below article differ?
"A month ago...More than 750,000 coronavirus cases were tallied
worldwide in a single day... But the past month... New cases have
declined to half their peak globally..."
(New York Times ...
14
votes
3answers
4k views
What does “I am all stomach” mean?
What does I am all stomach mean?
A: ‘’It’s my turn for a gift. I would like to take you to lunch. To my favorite spot.’’
B: ‘’I am all stomach, professor!’’
Lonely Man Full of Love
0
votes
1answer
29 views
What is the difference between: “I am reading a lot these days” and 'I have been reading a lot these days'?
What is the difference between: "I am reading a lot these days" and "I have been reading a lot these days"?
As far as I can tell, they can both describe temporary situations. Can I ...
0
votes
1answer
30 views
In which way vs in what way
Can these two expressions be used interchangeably? I'm not sure but if I'm not mistaken "in which way?" is not correct, or maybe I just can't come up with an appropriate sentence.Also I've ...
0
votes
0answers
21 views
Can the structure “let + Noun + adverb / preposition” be used with any preposition or adverb?
Say, the structure "go + adv./prep" can be used with almost any preposition or adverb.
For example, I went into the house / up the hill / on the bank of a river / through a tunnel / over the ...
2
votes
0answers
49 views
“Who said that/so?!”
Boss: I'm going to fire him. (him=Will)
Employee: You can't do that!
Boss turns to the group of employees.
Boss: Who said that?!
Employee: I did. You can't do it. Will doesn't deserve this.
Hi. I ...
0
votes
1answer
26 views
Which preposition should I use: “from”, “out of” or “out from”?
Which of the following is the best choice if I want to say that we must facilitate information flow within the company at the same time as we must not let parties outside the company get hold of any ...
0
votes
3answers
52 views
The shadows ahead
"High above this quagmire of violence rise the sunny plateaus of Eden, casting their shadows before."
The wording is meant deliberately ambiguous.
It opens a paragraph about a group of ...
1
vote
4answers
51 views
What's the English for different kinds of notebooks?
What are the common terms for these kinds of notebooks?
For the one that has lines:
And for the one that has squares:
1
vote
1answer
51 views
What's the meaning of “my hand has been played”?
What is the meaning of "My hand has been played"? And is it similar to "I've been played?"
This is the context:
"How did you get my phone number?"
"...She told me ...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
Can I say “I was surfing Facebook and I found a video of a citizen shouting at a police officer”?
Is the expression "surfing Facebook" something native English speakers use in their talk?
0
votes
1answer
22 views
Can I say 'he works away and away'?
Can I say 'he works away and away'?
work away means work hard and I wonder if I can use the 'away' once again with and together.
-1
votes
1answer
32 views
Three triangles have three lines vs. three triangles have nine lines
Each triangle has three lines.
Which one is correct, (or are both correct)? 'Three triangles have three lines' or 'three triangles have nine lines.'
Please don't insert adverb 'each'.
(I try to know ...
0
votes
1answer
19 views
Is the past simple tense used correctly here?
Look at this sentence: Before the twentieth century, more than a thousand people tried to reach the pole.
Is the present simple tense used correctly there? It seems (to me) that the past perfect tense ...
1
vote
1answer
38 views
Please help me with a vacancy announcement
I'm writing a vacancy announcement in English, and I want to express that whoever gets the job is supposed to work primarily in the workplace. Now I'm wondering:
(i) how I best refer to 'whoever gets ...
0
votes
2answers
20 views
What are the differences between “clean in between the fingers” and “clean between the fingers”?
I'm teaching my little children to wash their hands.
Why do people say "clean in between your fingers"?
Why not "clean between your fingers"?
0
votes
1answer
15 views
“patients with X disease” vs “patients of X disease”
It appears that both expressions exist in the internet although "patients with X disease" seems more common than "patients of X disease".
Of note, Google Ngram finds the expression ...
0
votes
1answer
18 views
relative clause problems
Instead of using words like shallow or superficial to describe a thought or an idea, we tend to like to phrase it in a way that sounds less offensive but still delivers the message.
Above is a ...
3
votes
1answer
39 views
Emotion or Expression words meaning Dictionary
When I watch TV with my closed captioned on, and sometimes there are words that I want to know what it means. My question is Are there some good sites that will help me what the Emotion or Expression ...
0
votes
2answers
26 views
Is “it’s like men’s shirts” an idiomatic expression?
I came across the expression on a JapanToday webpage.
Why it's hard to make vaccines and boost supplies
"We think, well, OK, it’s like men’s shirts, right, I’ll just have
another place to make ...
0
votes
2answers
20 views
A verb for getting in pose of stubborn confrontation
What verb could I use when a person is getting in the pose of stubborn confrontation? Kind of aggressive, but restrained, the same way when a bull is frozen, waiting for an attack to start?
For a man, ...
1
vote
1answer
27 views
What's an idiom for intentional misinterpretation (of an agreement etc.)?
In Swedish, we have the expression for intentional misinterpretation of the intended content. An example is we have between two and three million dollars and someone saying that two dollars isn't much....
1
vote
1answer
35 views
Do you really “see someone about something”?
I've got to see my GP about vaccinations for my trip.
It's a sentence written by a British English native speaker.
Is it grammatically correct or it's just brachylogy?
Is "to see sb about sth&...
3
votes
3answers
301 views
What does the expression of 'mountain frowning on me' mean?
I have stumbled upon this expression twice now, once in Bram Stoker's Dracula in which he writes:
Then the mountains seemed to come nearer to us on each side and to frown down upon us.
and in The ...
3
votes
2answers
55 views
Can you say “This has attracted them to aim for the stars”?
I found
This has attracted them to aim for the stars.
in a text written by a non-native speaker of English, and I haven't been able to find any support for this construction when I've Googled it.
To ...
0
votes
1answer
18 views
Is this right to say “It has been 20 years since they have seen each other.”
I saw this sentence below on the internet.
It has been 20 years since they have seen each other.
Is this right expression?
Should I collect like "It has been 20 years since they saw each other.&...
2
votes
1answer
24 views
What would be a well understood opposite for “honorable mentions”?
As "honorable mentions" is defined to be
a commendation given to a candidate in an examination or competition who is not awarded a prize.
What would be an expression used for the opposite ...
1
vote
0answers
22 views
Can “I dare say (so)” mean “Of course” in a certain context?
Can the expression "I dare say (so)" mean "Of course" in a certain context?
I know the general meaning and usage of this expression.
From Collins dictionary:
You can use 'I dare ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
i could meet you vs i can meet you & i would meet you vs i will meet you?
i have so many doubts about given sentences i would be greatful if someone could clear those!
Could is generally referred to talk about past possiblity - is it true or not?
if it's true then why
we ...
0
votes
2answers
43 views
What does the expression “from downtown” mean in the basketball?
I really like to watch NBA and sometimes a commentator says "~from downtown" or "~from way downtown". Is it an expression used in NBA, or the basketball? Or is it one of the ...
0
votes
1answer
25 views
To describe the action
I try to say we don't keep living but people yesterday like us died and we are new born today. I mean this totally literally:
No Let's hypothesize that the smallest time unit is 1 minute.
There are 2 ...
4
votes
3answers
137 views
Is there a difference between “working environment” and “work environment”?
Are working environment and work environment interchangeable, or is there a difference between them? If so, what is the difference?
1
vote
1answer
34 views
Reference of pronoun it : “to read in English regularly” or “to read for pleasure”
My question is what the first and the second pronoun "it" mean in the 2nd paragraph below. I think that the first it means "to read English regularly" or "to read for pleasure,...
0
votes
1answer
48 views
When is “Dammit to hell” used?
When would native speakers utter "dammit to hell"?
Would it be natural to use if you hurt yourself in some way?
(This is a serious question)
-2
votes
1answer
19 views
Meaning of “Just for the academics of it” [closed]
my question is in the title :) thank you in advance for considering answering me.
I wish you a happy new year !
6
votes
3answers
999 views
Is “Don't be” correct as a response to “I am sorry”?
I heard someone saying "Don't be" in response to "I am sorry". I wonder whether it is correct. Some native speakers said it was a mistake, however, some said it was correct. Is ...
1
vote
1answer
25 views
in winter evenings
I don't think I'll ever be able to get over the feeling of sipping a cup of hot coffee while playing video games in winter evenings?
I was asked to talk about my favorite season. I said the sentence ...
1
vote
1answer
26 views
Do I have to touch someone's shoulder to say 'there there'?
To say 'there, there' do I have to touch someone's shoulder?
If so can I say it while touching another part of the body?
For example:
There, there, don't cry. Everything will be OK.
Or can I say it ...
2
votes
1answer
44 views
What is a “side of parking in the blue zone”
In the movie Pay It Forward (25'37" in), there's this exchange.
A: They ought to fire your ass out of here right now!
B: Well, you know, they probably won't do that, because I fill a very ...
0
votes
2answers
32 views
I work there/I'm working there/It's where I work
A man gets into a Taxi and says this:
Man: Hi. Could you please drive me to the Chrysler Building. I work there. We're having an office party tonight.
Is I work there natural? Or would I'm working ...
-1
votes
1answer
78 views
“deep insights” vs. “keen insights” [closed]
Is there any difference between the expressions "deep insights" and "keen insights"? In meaning or just in intensity?
Based on the usage examples available to me, "deep" ...
2
votes
1answer
30 views
Idiom: use of “all things X”
While understanding the general meaning of "all things X" ("All Things Electronic", for instance), I'm having some issue putting it into a sentence.
Would you rather use (I can't ...
0
votes
3answers
36 views
Is there a word or expression when you are thinking too much?
When you are thinking too much and creating situations that will never happen when solving a problem, is there an expression or word for this? What is a better way to express this idea without using &...
0
votes
3answers
29 views
Is there any single word that means “let people know of my presence”
Sometimes we need to write a long expression in a single word. I need to know the single word or verb that means, "letting people know of one's own presence".
Here goes the context: There ...
0
votes
2answers
31 views
“Be done with someone” VS “Be through with somebody”
I was wondering whether either one of the sentences below:
a. I'm done with you.
b. I'm through with you.
can be used in AmE to imply: "our relationship is over" for the speaker. If no, ...
0
votes
1answer
33 views
When you “love somebody so much”
I am looking for some fixed American expressions / idiom to convey my love to someone in an exaggerated way! I was wondering whether the following structures can be used in this sense:
a. I love you ...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
Your point being?
I am looking for the ways one can imply that they are bot following someone else's meaning in the manner that force the other one to make their meaning clearer.
I always say:
What do you mean by ...
0
votes
1answer
62 views
“A hard working day” VS “A hard day's work”
I would be appreciative if anyone could help me with choosing the right answer:
I had a quite ............ and I felt so sleepy. I'm off to bed.
a. hard working day
b. hard day's work
I think &...
