Questions tagged [phrase-meaning]
Use this tag for questions about the meaning and usage of a particular phrase, for which a dictionary cannot answer.
1
vote
1answer
14 views
meaning of “Figures” in this context
"Ach," laughs the baker's wife, "such a funny man, the Count."
"I knew you'd like that," Dracula says, forcing a chuckle, "now get out of my way." At last he opens the front door but time has ...
1
vote
1answer
22 views
What does “Happen the gin'll work” mean?
It' a quote from TV drama Gentleman Jack S1E01, a historical drama, set in England during the first Industrial Revolution.
Here are the lines:
A: She says they were engaged.
B: Did he know ...
1
vote
1answer
15 views
meaning: Wheat Belly
I've heard "beer belly," but what does "Wheat Belly" mean in the following book title?
Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health
I'd appreciate your help.
0
votes
0answers
25 views
meaning of the word “some” in this context
"Right," says Dracula, slamming the front door. "I've decided to stay. Pull down the window shades quickly— quickly! Let's move it!"
"What window shades?" asks the baker.
"There are none, ...
0
votes
1answer
28 views
What does “play me close” mean?
From Maroon 5's girls like you:
Roll that Backwood, babe, and play me close.
Slang websites show the phrase means trick or deceive but I'm not sure this is what the singer means.
0
votes
1answer
21 views
Are there ways to rephrase this sentence?
Caroline was skiing when she broke her leg.
Is when a conjunction or adverb? Can I replace when with the word and?
Are there ways to rephrase this sentence?
0
votes
1answer
47 views
What does “cold-linking” mean?
A scene in the movie The Departed:
Billy (to Trooper Brown, with a gun to Colin's head): Look, he's Costello's rat, all right? I got boxes of tapes! Evidence! Other documents proving it!
...
-1
votes
1answer
17 views
what is the defference between 'I don't have anything' and 'I have nothing'
I don't have anything.
I have nothing.
What is the differnece between them?
I wanna know the nuance, because to me they just look the same.
0
votes
1answer
23 views
How to understand “All could devil set me free”? [on hold]
I'm listening to this song "A Whisper in the Noise - All my.."
All could devil set me free
I'm so tired I can't sleep
All my feelings gravity's
Spinning in the world over me
...
0
votes
1answer
15 views
Could you write the sentence in bold in other words?
Now he starts to stir. The fluttering of his eyelids is a response to some age-old, unexplainable instinct that the sun is nearly down and his time is near. Tonight, he is particularly hungry and as ...
1
vote
1answer
16 views
What is the meaning of “all the news that's fit to print”?
The heroic image of journalist selflessly gathering "all the news
that's fit to print" and publishing it "without fear or favour" is
itself a heavy idealisation.
I know it is a newspaper motto, ...
0
votes
1answer
19 views
Meaning of “He may not come today”?
I suppose that
He may not come today
means that he is not allowed to come today. Right? But what is the right way to say that he is allowed not to come today?
He may not to come today
Is that ...
5
votes
4answers
2k views
What is the meaning of the simile “quick as silk”?
It seems that the Internet is unhelpful at all. The original quote, where this simile appears, is:
“Once upon a time,” began Frank switching, quick as silk, to a
sonorous story-telling voice...
...
0
votes
1answer
23 views
How should I understand “is its own”?
In general I do not understand the usage of "is its own" in a sentence. For example how should I understand "is its own" in the following sentence?
Since the hand of a clock is its own clearly ...
1
vote
1answer
19 views
What does the phrase “shadows dance on the gravel underneath it” mean here?
Here is a sentence from a sentence:
Sunlight kisses the yellow leaves of a tree by the lake, as shadows
dance on the gravel underneath it.
I am not sure about the phrase ""shadows dance on the ...
1
vote
1answer
24 views
What does “suggests after the event…” mean?
Just as the development of a society sometimes suggests after the event a pattern not in the minds of its creators, the transition from the old convict system to the new did not always follow the ...
2
votes
1answer
38 views
What is a “tomato word”?
In this explanation of the word myopic I get stuck by this sentence:
In terms of pronunciation: it's a tomato/tomahto word: pronounce it
"my-OP-ick" or "my-OH-pick," although that short o sound ...
0
votes
2answers
20 views
What is the meaning of the phrase “provocatively elliptical”?
The following line can be found in the novel We by Yevgeny Zamyatin:
a laconic
language that frequently lapses into the provocatively
elliptical and imparts a sensation of breathlessness.
The ...
-1
votes
0answers
13 views
You can expect to: [closed]
advance the end-to-end process workflow
shorten IT support delivery time
reduce operational costs
deliver consistent and predictable IT experience for end-customers
be ready to scale up on demand.
1
vote
1answer
18 views
Does the phrase “literary servility” have a negative meaning in this paragraph
Following paragraph is from the novel We by Yevgeny Zamyatin:
Antagonised by Zamyatin's insistence on telling the truth as he saw it, by his open disdain for anything that smacked of literary ...
0
votes
1answer
20 views
“in the morning on Sunday” and “on the morning of Sunday”
Jesse takes the train in the morning on Sunday.
or
Jesse takes the train in the morning of Sunday.
It looks to me that both are correct. If yes, do they have different connotations?
0
votes
1answer
45 views
Are they equivalent: “prolonged periods of high unemployment” and “persistently high levels of unemployment”?
...the program tackles broader labour market problems, such as shortages of skilled workers, prolonged periods of high unemployment, and ...
What I am trying to convey is that the unemployment rate ...
1
vote
1answer
16 views
“If you pay for my ticket then we will be quits.” — what's the meaning?
I just came across the following sentence;
If you pay for my ticket then we will be quits.
What does the phrase "we will be quits" mean in there? Please, elaborate!
0
votes
1answer
12 views
A worker who takes orders in McDonalds
what do you call a worker who asks me about what i want to eat?
I mean it's not a waiter and it's not a hostess i guess.
And what do they say when there is no any line and they are ready to serve ...
12
votes
4answers
2k views
When a company launches a new product do they “come out” with a new product or do they “come up” with a new product?
When a company launches a new product do they "come out" with a new product or do they "come up" with a new product?
1
vote
3answers
30 views
“to play out” meaning
After that, the back-seat chattering stopped. When Mr. Hampton looked into his rearview mirror he saw his daughter sending a text message on her cellphone. “Katie, you shouldn’t be texting all the ...
-1
votes
1answer
18 views
“milling over the grass” meaning?
Sirius stared around at the students milling over the grass, looking rather haughty and bored, but very handsomely so.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I'm not sure what "milling over ...
0
votes
4answers
28 views
One of the students whose mobile _missing(is or are)
Usage of "one of" if a relative pronoun whose is used in the sentence what will be the verb?
One of the students whose mobile (is/are) missing
1
vote
1answer
26 views
Meaning of pay by use and potential alternatives
A company is experimenting with a new licensing model. It is called "Pay by use".
However, this does not make sense to me. In my understanding, "Pay by use" means: "I compensate for the hotdog by ...
2
votes
1answer
68 views
What is the meaning of this phrase? [closed]
Can anyone rewrite this phrase in an easier fashion, so I can understand it:
The last function of reason is to recognize that there is an infinity of things which are beyond it. It is but feeble if ...
1
vote
1answer
29 views
What does the “last then” phrase mean in the given sentence?
What is the meaning of the "Last then." phrase in the following sentence?
Last then. Although I’ll concede that some online degree programs
aren’t accredited and not worth the time, it’s simply ...
2
votes
2answers
353 views
What can the phrase “is embedded in a whale of a bill” mean?
Here is an excerpt from “Abstinence Or Obstinacy?” (The Washington Post; May 17, 2002):
"Soon after, the measure providing more money for President Bush's cherished abstinence-only program sailed out ...
4
votes
1answer
457 views
Proper way to express “He disappeared them”
While watching an early episode of the TV show, "The Blacklist," one of the characters used the phrase:
We got the list of the people he disappeared.
I'm sure they meant the people the bad guy ...
0
votes
1answer
19 views
How to understand “alone of everyone” in this context
He made a small choking noise, then looked round at Kingsley and the man with short grey hair, who alone of everyone in the room had remained entirely silent so far.
Harry Potter and the Order ...
1
vote
1answer
35 views
What does the word “brembedell” mean?
I heard this word in a song by Nicki Minaj and Britney Spears. This line:
"Anyway, brembedell, whats that?
I don’t know: Femme Fatale."
What does the word "brembedell" mean?
14
votes
2answers
2k views
What do “high sea” and “carry” mean in this sentence?
This is a line from Google's definition of "poop":
(of a wave) break over the stern of (a ship), sometimes causing it to capsize.
"carrying a high sea, we were badly pooped"
This line doesn't ...
0
votes
1answer
32 views
What's the meaning of “what it means for {someone} to be in some place”?
There is this context:
"Since we are discussing the relationship of space, time, and logic, let us talk about time-travel paradoxes. We first have to ask ourselves what it means to travel back ...
-1
votes
1answer
23 views
'Alex is a son of Smith.' and 'Smith is a father of Alex.' carry same meaning or different meaning?
In terms of Data Modeling, either of the following two relationships imply the same meaning. I mean I can use any one of them. (For Specific two Individuals)
IS_A_SON_OF
IS_A_FATHER_OF
Example
Alex ...
3
votes
3answers
24 views
apologies vs apology
How to define when a single apology or apologies are to be used in the case of a singular personal mistake? Is using my sincere apologies valid if there are multiple recipients or if you want to ...
1
vote
1answer
15 views
Meaning of a rule in the guideline
I have hard time understanding the meaning of one phrase.
I understand that this might be an open-ended question, but still maybe
native speakers could make it a bit more clear.
This phrase is ...
1
vote
1answer
15 views
when describing age
I recently came across this sentence in my English class and found it a little weird.
It said, "A girl of about nine years old had recently described ..."
Often I hear people say "a girl about nine ...
2
votes
1answer
51 views
What does “make something the success it is” mean?
What does "make something the success it is" mean?
As a language learner, I don't know if the phrase is idiomatic and grammatical.
These people have made the industry the success it is today.
...
12
votes
1answer
2k views
You're three for three
Here is a dialogue from Dilbert:
Pointy-Haired Boss: Now let's hear what Dilbert did this week.
Dilbert: I unnecessarily duplicated Ted's work because you forgot you asked both of us to do ...
1
vote
1answer
23 views
There be no doing
Plot:
A is a fat woman, and there is a B fatter than A.
A asked her husband,
"B's bigger than me, right?"
Her husband answered, "Yeah, there's no getting around her on the sidewalk."
...
0
votes
1answer
19 views
Fox hung meaning in context
— I'm reading a book by Richard Hughes, The Fox in the Attic.
In the first page, chapter one "Polly and Rachel" there is a phrase that I didn't get it.
"and here in a sodden tangle of brambles the ...
1
vote
1answer
39 views
Feed sb sth VS feed sb on sth [closed]
Sentences:
I feed the dog biscuits.
I feed the dog on biscuits.
Does feed on mean to give as a regular food, and feed mean simply to give food?
Explain.
Thank you.
0
votes
1answer
21 views
Meaning of 'ends meet'
What is the meaning of ends meet in this context
Hi,
This email is to inform you that your application has been rejected.
As the Test scores were not enough. However, we wish you all success
...
1
vote
1answer
29 views
What does mean “to get {somebody} {something}”
Could you say if I'm correct translating the following sentence:
And I'd like to see about getting Harry some contacts.
like
And I'd like to see about providing Harry with some contacts.
I'm ...
-1
votes
2answers
19 views
“taking their lead from him” in this context
He(Neville) had not once mentioned his meeting with Harry, Ron and Hermione on the closed ward in St Mungo's and, taking their lead from him, they had kept quiet about it too.
Harry Potter and ...
-2
votes
2answers
39 views
Charles Dickens bleak house interpretation
It's from Bleak-House. Chapter Down in Lincolnshire ( LXVI)
Some of her old friends, principally to be found among the peachy-cheeked charmers with the skeleton throats, did once occasionally say, ...
