Questions tagged [phrase-request]
This tag is for questions seeking a phrase that fits a meaning. If you are looking for a word, or don't care, see the "word-request" tag too.
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What are the different ways to say "bye" in a online conversation?
I'm in the US. I've heard some people say things like "I have to go" if they have to leave.
"I'll let you go". That one doesn't make sense because it assumes I'm holding on to them ...
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"Well-known classical phrase" [closed]
What is the "well-known classical phrase"? All Quiet On The Western Front
Himmelstoss is a raging book of army regulations. The Kaiser couldn't be more insulted. "Tjaden, I command you,...
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What does it mean, "a contact has shot home"?
What does it mean? All Quiet On The Western Front
We feel that in our blood a contact has shot home.
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What do you say to mean "The subject X is taught in the n-th time slot of the day"?
I assume that in English schools a number of subjects are taught in a day, like
9:00 - 10:00 English
10:10 - 11:10 Math
11:20 - 12:20 Science
What are standard phrases to express these? What I can ...
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How do you show off a bedroom? (in the context of movie production)
The eleventh book from the Red Rock Mysteries series, Windy City Danger, has the following excerpt
The production was set up in the corner of the warehouse behind the main showroom. It took forever ...
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What is the common expression saying that a person has played or gone out so long that it makes you feel unhappy?
A mom let her child to play with friends but the child must get home on time. However, the child plays for a very very long time and she/he only gets home much later than the time her mom expects. The ...
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Is there a phrase or expression that means "riding a horse with another person"? [duplicate]
Is there a phrase or expression that means "riding a horse with another person"?
I can't think of a shorter more concise way to say it. The best I could manage is "riding a horse as a ...
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How can I replace "everything" with an idiom? [closed]
I forgot an idiom that means "everything". "Lock, stock, and barrel", "the whole gamut", it's not that. Could you remind me of it? I think it contains "and".
- 3,340
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Is it correct to say "unglue the box to make it flat"?
To make a box, you might fold the box like the above pictures and then glue the flaps together to form the shame of a box
But if the paper is hard enough, we don't even glue the flaps, but just tuck ...
- 21.6k
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How do we express a person who can not see anything in the dark and moves by feeling things around him with his hands?
Say a man is blindfolded and is trying to get to a place. He can not see anything and he has to move by feeling things around him with his hands.
I found this verb "grope".
For example, He ...
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Is it correct to say "I have low-paid insurance"?
Now, Bin works for a company and his company buys insurance for him. When he goes to hospital and pays the hospital fee, the insurance will cover some of this fee.
It depends on kinds of insurance. ...
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Mentioning good deeds that you give to someone else
What do you call an action (a verb word) to describe a verbal action in which you mention your good deeds to someone else that you did for them in the past, to remind that person of what you have done ...
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A person that is "storm in a cup of tea" or overestimating personal abilities and skills
Do you have any suggestions for a phrase expressing a person that is "storm in a cup of tea" or highly overestimating personal abilities and skills? A phrase that is used in a derogatory ...
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How to express the idea that a wound has young skin when it is healing?
I have a scrape on my knee.
At first, the scrape is covered in dried blood and I don't want to break it off because it might bleed.
After a week, the dried blood breaks off by itself and I can see ...
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Do Americans say “My car's tire has a slow puncture” in everyday English?
According to the Britannica Dictionary:
British people say: “I got/had a puncture”
Americans say: “I got/had a flat or a flat tire”
But what about "a slow puncture"?
According to the Oxford ...
- 21.6k
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How can I mention that a question has arisen from a previously asked question?
I was asking a question on math.SE and therein I wanted to mention that the question has arisen from a previously asked question.
I want to not write it that way but using a word that is better than (...
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Is it correct to say "give me 100 bamboo segments and I will turn them into a bamboo with 100 nodes"?
According to my study, the part between 2 nodes of a bamboo is called "internode". But there is no such word in dictionaries.
What do you say that part in everyday English?
Can we call it &...
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1
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Is it idiomatic to say "are you up to nonsense again?" the same way we say "up to no good"?
"up to no good" is an idiomatic expression
up to no good: (informal) doing something wrong or dishonest
Those kids are always up to no good.
My children sometimes talk nonsense and I don'...
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How to indicate someone stood in for someone else on meeting minutes?
We have person A who normally takes notes. Person A was sick, now Person B did the notes. Would it make sense as follows in the meeting minutes?
Secretary: Person A, but stand-in Person B
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How would a native speaker qualify or respond to such an accusation?
I live in an Asian country and I am not a native English speaker. I see native English speakers here run into misunderstandings with locals that are trying to communicate with them in broken English ...
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A wonderful month for me! (in future/present/past time)
A wonderful month for me!
In the book's context the mentioned phrase is used to describe the future time.
I guess it's possible to use the phrase also for present month. Right?
What about past time? ...
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Can I use the verb "I sail a boat" when the boat does not have a sail but an engine?
We say:
I drive a car/taxi/truck etc
I ride a bike/motorbike/horse.
I row a boat.
The dictionary says:
sail: to control a ship or boat (especially one that has sails) while traveling on water.
...
- 21.6k
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4
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What is the very thick liquid called when we braise meat in coconut milk?
I dice meat, then cook it in coconut water in a slow cooker.
We don't have a slow cooker, we can use a pot and cook it slowly for a long time until it boils down and thicken.
The result is some pieces ...
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Correct phrase for "domesticated" opposition party
In Bangladesh, we use the word "গৃহপালিত" for an opposition party that was installed by a ruling regime through a rigged election. The main duty of this party is to give the vibe that the ...
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What's the adjective/phrase to describe a romantic novel or TV show that has a detailed description of the (change of) emotion?
In some romantic novel or TV series, there are many depictions on characters' emotion and the change of emotion. For example, a boy does a favor for a girl, and the novel/TV shows the girl's subtle ...
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Is this a "teachers' lounge"?
In Japan, high school teachers have a place like this, where they each have a desk:
Can this be called a teachers' lounge? Or there's a better alternative?
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Can we say "She painted her fingernails twinkling"?
I saw many women painted their nails like the above picture. There are a lot of tiny shiny dots on it.
if it is a normal color like red or blue, then I just need to say "she painted her ...
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Do we say "we have a situation here" for big serious problems in American English?
According to dictionaries, especially in American English, people say "we have a situation here" when they have "an important or sudden problem".
I am not a native speaker so I can ...
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"I pushed him by his back" vs "I held the cup by its handle"?
Normally, we use "by" to say a part of an object that we hold, grab, take etc.
For example, "I held the cup by its handle".
Can we say "I pushed him by his back" or "...
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Is it correct to say "it's getting late to cook lunch"?
normally, we say "it's getting late" to say that time is passing
and especially that evening or late evening is coming
For example, It's getting late so we should probably go home.
My ...
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What is a better wording for "agreed proposal"?
When I write emails discussing about sending follow up (e.g. meeting notes, invoices, etc) about proposal that both party (my party and other party/client) have both agreed upon, I usually write like ...
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"some" in negative sentences
I learned that usually I should use "any" and not "some" in questions and negative sentences. But I also learned that sometimes I can use "some".
Can I say like this:
I ...
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Is it common to say "the doctor gave my leg a check-up"?
According to my research, it seems "a check-up" is often refereed to a complete **whole-body **check-up (ears, eyes, lungs, blood test etc).
I am not sure if "a check-up" can be ...
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7
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Is it correct to say "his wife ghosted him although they lived in the same house"?
The dictionary says
ghost somebody: to suddenly stop all communication with somebody, usually online, in order to end a relationship
so, according to the dictionary, we often say "someone ...
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3
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Do we say "she gave a lip service when she did her work" to say that she did her work with little effort?
Some people just do their work superficially or they did not put 100% of their effort into doing the work and the product or the result that they created is often of low quality.
Do we say "she ...
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What is the man who controls or monitors student behavior in a high or secondary school called?
In primary or secondary or high school in some countries, there is a man who patrols the school to make sure students behave well.
For example, he will send students in the principal's office if he ...
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Is there a better word/phrase/idiom for "talking too much but not doing anything"?
This is the sentence I made which undoubtedly looks wordy in my opinion.
A: No, that's wrong! Be careful with the fire! You're going to burn
them all!
B: Do it right know then! Don't just talk too ...
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Is it correct to say "She married the rich man for her parents' wishes"?
Most dictionaries have this kind of example, "She married the poor man against her parents' wishes".
However, as an English learner, I found it very strange that the dictionaries don't have ...
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Is it correct to say "soup doesn't go well with fried eggs"?
We know that "someone gets along well or gets on well with someone" they have a good relationship.
How do we express the similar idea when talking about food?
For example, people don't eat ...
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What is a more formal way to say, "all hands on deck"?
I want to convey that there is a lot to do, and that everyone's help (who is willing) is needed. I do not think that "all hands on deck" is very formal?
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How do you tell someone to vocally act out a part? [closed]
Acting or vocally acting a part out?
Let's say someone plays an audio clip and hears:
"Hurry, hurry up or we're gonna all die!"
How do you tell someone to vocally act out that part? Saying ...
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Can I say, 'Before the reader may think I'm mad...'? [closed]
Can I say, 'Before the reader may think I'm mad...'?
Let's say I've just written something that might make no sense to most people. Can I use this phrase?
Before the reader may think I'm mad, I'd ...
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Is it correct to say "Some milk flicked out of the bowl" in this situation?
When I pour milk from a box into a bowl, I keep the distance between the box and the bowl far enough away that tiny bits of milk shoot out of the bowl.
These tiny bits of milk are very small and that ...
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Is it correct to say "I did yoga on the wrong side of the mat" or "I did yoga on the bottom side of the mat"?
Sometimes, I put my yoga mat upside-down on the floor before doing yoga. I should turn it right-side-up.
Is it correct to say "I did yoga on the wrong side of the mat" or "I did yoga on ...
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2
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Is it correct to say "Don't act too much when saying 'Hi Siri'"?
If you use iPhone, you probably know this Siri App in which you ask Siri robot a question and it will answer you.
Before you can ask a question, you have to say "Hi Siri" first or else the ...
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What kinds of smartness does Tom Sawyer in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" have? "street smart" or "smart aleck"? [closed]
I guess most American or British people have read "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer".
Tom Sawyer in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is smart but not book-smart.
Once, his aunt punished ...
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Can we say "a piece of equipment turns on/off"?
Most dictionaries say "turn" is a transitive verb in "turn something <-> on/off".
For example, "I turned the hair dryer on/off"
Can "turn" in this case is ...
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Is "you have all the tickets to get it" understood in English?
In Spanish we have the following expression:
Tienes todas las papeletas para conseguirlo.
This can be translated as:
You have all the [lottery] tickets to get it.
You have all the ballots to get it....
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1
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Do we say "a student quits class/school" when he is lazy to go to class/school but not quit class/school permanently? [duplicate]
When we say "he quit school" it means he left school permanently and never come back.
However, some students are lazy to go to class/school but that doesn't mean they "quit class/school ...
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2
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How to tell someone that them being near you is making you feel hot?
Suppose my friend and I are sitting on the couch and my friend is getting too near me. It's making me feel hot and I want to convey it to him.
Would it be natural to say this to him:
You're turning ...
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