Questions tagged [word-meaning]
For questions which a dictionary cannot answer about the meaning of a single word. It is best to include details about where you found the word, and any definitions that you have found that don't make sense, or don't fully answer your question.
242
questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
2
votes
2
answers
58
views
Is it called a doorway even if there's no door?
Example:
He moved to the doorway to the family room and peeked in.
Is 'doorway' used even if there's no door but just an opening into another room? Or would native speakers use another word for that?...
- 1,243
2
votes
2
answers
154
views
How can I describe this kind of prostration?
To prostrate, as Collins dictionary says, means:
"If you prostrate yourself, you lie down flat on the ground, on your front, usually to show respect for God or a person in authority"
On the ...
- 1,653
2
votes
1
answer
111
views
Figuring out what "it" might refer to
Russian energy giant Gazprom meanwhile warned the government in Kiev that it would cut off gas exports if it did not settle a $1.89bn (£1.13bn) debt. In 2009, Gazprom halted supplies to Ukraine in a ...
- 249
2
votes
1
answer
188
views
What does the word "feedback" actually mean?
I googled the meaning and it tells me "'feedback' means 'information about reactions to a product, a person's performance of a task, etc. which is used as a basis for improvement'." However, ...
- 39
1
vote
1
answer
26
views
Holds no benefits to alleviate the problem
Two people are arguing/quarrel and the arguing/quarrel they have will not alleviate the problem the already have. It is like someone telling him that stop arguing/quarrel that won't alleviate the ...
- 29
1
vote
0
answers
95
views
the reality of reflection
Today’s “Phrase of the Day” is “hold a mirror up to“ and it is a phrase meaning “to take a look at oneself objectively to examine or reflect on things (issues) stemming from the reality of reflection; ...
- 193
1
vote
1
answer
30
views
interrogative pronoun where vs. adverb somewhere
Tell him where he can put it.
(Here, can means permission.)
Can this sentence be interpreted as Tell him he can put it somewhere?
- 93
1
vote
0
answers
69
views
Meaning of 'across' in 'across a surface'
I came across the following sentence in an article:
Radiation is generated as the electrons move across the surface of the metallic sample.
Which direction of movement is considered here?
The ...
- 257
1
vote
0
answers
41
views
Can "dip X in Y" mean just "put X in Y" without taking X out of Y?
I can't understand
whether "dipping X in Y" necessarily involves "taking X out of Y"
or it can mean only "putting X in Y without taking X back".
For example (academic.ru):...
- 2,555
1
vote
0
answers
40
views
Can I say "the sofa was broken" when the foam of the sofa got loose and too stretchy to be usable?
The word "broken" has 2 meanings
1 : separated into parts or pieces by being hit, damaged, etc.
The street was covered with broken glass.
2 : not working properly
a broken camera
So, when ...
- 21.6k
1
vote
0
answers
15
views
Is the foliage which is separated from a plant still called foliage?
I understand "foliage" can mean the leaves which grow on a plant.
I'd like to find out if "foliage" can mean the leaves falling from a plant. For this purpose, I made up the ...
- 2,555
1
vote
1
answer
33
views
metalinguistic use of "many"
In the following dialogue, is B's use of "many" a metalinguistic one?
A: "Were there many there?"
B: "Many"! There were more than "many" - the whole place was ...
- 5,894
1
vote
2
answers
61
views
What does "be raised' mean in this context?
This context comes from the movie "Ford Vs Ferrari"
"We've only minutes of racing
left here at Daytona, a pitched battle for the
lead is being raised as The number 98 Ford makes an
...
- 2,698
1
vote
1
answer
18
views
Here how does the word ''where'' play as its role?
in this following sentence, what does the word ''where'' mean?
How should I take the word ''where''?
''How is it ever possible to speak of the annihilation of a self, or soul, or ego, where no such ...
- 429
1
vote
1
answer
53
views
Is the use of the word "opening" correct in this context?
This context comes from the book "Black Rednecks And White Liberals" by Thomas Sowell
"Early Lebanese businesses in the United States were noted for “opening 16 to 18 hours daily,” ...
- 2,698
1
vote
0
answers
33
views
You shouldn't / You don't
A: We just discussed a few things.
B: Right. Let me just make one thing very clear - you
shouldn't/don't discuss my love life with them, alright?
If B is angry and orders A not to do that again, ...
- 1,243
1
vote
3
answers
397
views
What is the meaning of "just" here?
Let's say I arrive outside my friend's house. He's expexting me. I need a cigarette, so I smoke one outside. I see my friend in the window. He sees me. I finish smoking and walks up to the front door. ...
- 1,243
1
vote
0
answers
38
views
Mingle, transitive - meaning in an example: His soul mingled in the third black kiss of Death
In a story by H. Kuttner and R. Bloch, there is the following line:
His soul mingled in the third black kiss of Death.
No dictionary entries I found make sense to me. I guess the meaning is not &...
- 25
1
vote
0
answers
448
views
Can I use "tho/though" just like when I use "because" or "but"?
In my country, to be precise, the dialect in my country (not English) is often using a sentence like this (for convenience reason since it's an English site, I'll try to translate into English):
...
- 4,980
1
vote
0
answers
49
views
What word can I use as the opposite of "artistic" in university contexts?
Work at the university is generally divided into on the one hand artistic work, and, on the other hand, work based on scholarly research, right? Now I need an adjective for the non-artistic kind of ...
- 1,702
1
vote
0
answers
25
views
What does "social evolutionary outcome" mean?
Han et. al.,2021 mentioned
Our article differs from this literature in examining how social
transmission biases such as SET affect the social evolutionary outcome
Simply speaking, SET is Self-...
- 563
1
vote
1
answer
42
views
Is this the right connotation for the word across in this context?
This is the context, from an English translation of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.
A very poor-looking room about ten paces long was lighted up by a candle-end; the whole of it was visible from ...
- 2,698
1
vote
0
answers
65
views
Meaning of " The huts gaped black"
And the village was deserted, the huts gaped black, rotting, all askew within the fallen enclosures. A calamity had come to it, sure enough
Does the huts gaped black mean that the huts were wide open ...
- 111
1
vote
0
answers
58
views
Is "bolt" only used if running away from someone/something?
BOLT
Verb
(of a horse or other animal) run away suddenly, typically from fear.
"the horses shied and bolted"
(of a person) move or run away suddenly in an attempt to escape.
"they ...
- 409
1
vote
2
answers
97
views
Found the ATV flipped over/knocked over/flipped on its side/knocked on its side
They found the ATV flipped over/knocked over/flipped on its
side/knocked on its side.
If I want to describe that the ATV lay on its side after an accident, could I use "flipped over" or &...
- 409
1
vote
0
answers
46
views
What does the word "otherwise" mean in this passage?
Does "otherwise" here mean "If it can survive the changes"?
Whatever is true now should be discoverable now, and describable in terms that are not an outright affront to the rest ...
- 3,643
1
vote
0
answers
58
views
Do you use "abet" positively?
Longman dictionary defines “abet” as: to help someone do something wrong or illegal.
Oxford dictionary: abet somebody: to help or encourage somebody to do something wrong
That's what I learned until I ...
- 65
1
vote
0
answers
390
views
What does "late challenge" mean in football (soccer) context
What does "late challenge" mean in football (soccer) context?
62' Lewis Montsma is booked for a late challenge on Troy Parrott.
- 740
1
vote
0
answers
35
views
Synonyms/meaning of the words "big cycle" in a contect
Currently reading this article, there is a line,
Many of the donors on the Cheney call are expected to donate the maximum amount of $5,800 to her 2022 re-election campaign before the end of the first ...
- 942
1
vote
0
answers
38
views
What does "reflect on" means in this context?
Political parties engage strongly during a campaign. Popular votations
are an opportunity to highlight themselves, reflecting on concrete
issue against the background of their basic ideologies and ...
- 629
1
vote
0
answers
164
views
What is 'humbling thought'?
I was reading this news article. And this paragraph is a part of the article:
Hi, just saw your news report. What concerned me is the lump on your
neck. Please have your thyroid checked. Reminds me ...
- 966
1
vote
0
answers
39
views
vague phrasing: characteristically
In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, the adverb characteristically means "in a way that is very typical of something or of somebody's character."
In the following extract from Frankenstein, who ...
- 5,894
1
vote
0
answers
36
views
Out, Among or From?
What is the difference among these 3 words?
He had to choose which I liked best from/ among/ out of 10 ice creams.
I chose this tie out of/ from/ among my 6 (ties).
There were many things ...
- 487
1
vote
0
answers
43
views
Is oblivious appropriate here?
I was distracted by his overgrown front yard lawn, while he seemed completely oblivious to its appearance.
The intention is that he's so unconcerned about how his front yard looks that it seems like ...
- 21
1
vote
0
answers
44
views
Meaning of reverse newlyweds?
"The station doors open, and every officer in the building files down the stairs and forms a line on either side of me [Amy], holding the press back, creating an honor guard for me, and Rhonda and I ...
1
vote
0
answers
148
views
What does "is accounted for" in this mean?
I partially get the idea of the sentence but I'd really want to know the actually meaning of this phrase here. Plus, for that last clause I don't really get its sentence structure as well. Lastly, ...
1
vote
0
answers
63
views
Are "condition" and "situation" interchangeable in the context?
1) He has been in a coma for three months. His condition/situation is still very complicated, but we're not ready to give up on him yet.
2) He has been in a coma for three months. His condition/...
1
vote
0
answers
47
views
Cases of different pronunciation and word meaning in American and British English and its influence on the sense of humour
Spellings and pronunciations of some words in American and British versions of the English language sometimes don't coincide.Also, these versions have different meanings of some words( like the most ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
2k
views
Grate on someone's ears / nerves
What does the sentence below mean?
His voice grates on my ears.
His voice grates on my nerves.
Please have a look on Longman's definition below:
To grate on (to annoy someone):
- Mr ...
- 14.2k
1
vote
1
answer
3k
views
In relation to versus respect to
I would like to know first if both expressions are commonly used by English people. If yes, what is the best to use in which circumstances, if they are different.
For example, what would be the ...
user9470
1
vote
1
answer
37
views
I do not get the use of " what time" in Dickens A Tale of Two Cities
What time, the mail-coach lumbered, jolted, rattled, and bumped upon its tedious way, with its three fellow-inscrutables inside. To whom, likewise, the shadows of the night revealed themselves, in the ...
- 243
1
vote
2
answers
213
views
Could cash cow be used for a person?
Could the word cash cow be used for a person? Like a person who is making a lot of money for someone else and probably for himself too?
- 63
1
vote
1
answer
72
views
What does "when shift breaks" mean in this context?
The context is from the movie "taxi driver" by Martin Scorsese
The main character Travis comes to a taxi company to ask for a job as a cabbie.
The manager he talks to after some initial ...
- 2,698
1
vote
1
answer
46
views
Would "ordinary" sound self degrading in this context?
A: So you work for that company. Are you some kind of hotshot business man or something?
B: Me? No, I'm just an ordinary office worker.
Hi. Does "ordinary" sound self degrading or does it ...
- 409
0
votes
5
answers
814
views
Can we use hide to mean make something disappear?
Someone asked me
What if someone hides their instagram stories from you?
I replied
I'd hide them from my life.
Is my sentence right
Does hide mean to make disappear?
If not What else could ...
0
votes
3
answers
57
views
"that" meaning in this sentence
Busy waiting wastes CPU cycles that some other process might be
able to use productively
Does it mean some other process might not be able to be used productively?
- 11
0
votes
0
answers
46
views
I can't see but what you've got to support and bed and board with him to the end of time
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XVI, published 1892)
Passage 254
“There's San Quentin, to start in with,” said the captain; “and suppose you clear the ...
- 559
0
votes
0
answers
30
views
What'the meaning of "break and run"
What is the meaning of break in this sentence "he'd broke and run".
For the context: it's a boy bullying by three other boys. They holding him to hurting him. When one of the bullies " ...
- 81
0
votes
1
answer
31
views
What Meaning of 'in which' here
What does ‘in which’ mean in the following context?
Window size (window=10000 B): receiver tells about his buffer capacity in which he has to store messages from the sender.
Source: https://www....
- 21
0
votes
1
answer
34
views
What does "compromise" mean in this sentence?
Orwell didn’t live to see the compromise which English Socialism now
represents – a minimum of public ownership, a social-security
apparatus that costs too much, a mass of ‘equalizing’ laws not easily
...
- 131