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.
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What is the difference between "What good is it to believe something" and "How good is it to believe something"?
The question is self-explanatory. I try to figure out the right choice between the two.
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Alternatives for the word scratch
Is saying I got a minor scratch good enough for something like this:
The above is a very small cut with 3-4 drops of blood coming out.
I am not sure if just saying I got a minor scratch is enough to ...
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fantastic worn condition
What does "worn" mean in the following? Does it necessarily mean the jeans were damaged?
Stevenson has run a denim repair shop in Los Angeles for nearly three decades -- but he had never ...
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Is there any way to tell which word "also" describes?
I also play baseball in Italy.
Are there three ways to interpret this sentence?
Not only Tom but also I play baseball in Italy.
I not only play soccer but also play baseball in Italy.
I play ...
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What does the word 'given' mean in this context?
I've been reading a book on a programming language, and there's an example of creating a data structure in which the names and programming language corresponding to the name are stored
so it looks ...
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What does "I'm grievously sorry" mean?
I've heard the expression "I'm grievously sorry" in the "Game Of Thrones"
These are two definitions from American Heritage® Dictionary I found:
1. Causing grief, pain, or anguish: ...
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What does "legal" mean in legal program?
This sentence "Programming languages are designed so that each legal program has exactly one meaning" comes from a programming book.
The chapter is "Getting started". This ...
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What does "steenkeenk mirrors" mean here?
So, hey, toss Universal Consciousness! Just to be sure.
Awareness don nee no steenkeenk mirrors!
What does "steenkeenk mirrors" mean here?
And one more question :
I read this article from ...
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Election vs Poll
Can election be used in place of poll? Like when you vote for your favourite actor for the best actor of the decade can it be called an election? Or does election strictly mean a formal appointment of ...
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Difference between "detonate" and "explode"
What is the difference between "detonate" and "explode"? Are they interchangeable?
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What does the following statement mean?
"There's no city on God's green earth that rocks harder than Chicago."
Is the statement pertaining to the rich rock culture in chicago, or as in the party scene?
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What is the meaning of 'clear' in the context?
I couldn't find a proper meaning to the word clear in this paragraph.
European officials are looking at whether the banks, including Barclays and Goldman Sachs, have harmed rival organizations that ...
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Society and Drill of Cambridge meaning
When talked about James Clerk Maxwell, James Forbes wrote:
He is not a little uncouth in manners, but withal one of the most
original young men I have met. . . . He is a singular lad, and shy
[but] ...
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Australian "stubby holder", is it understood in America or England?
In Australia, I learned about the "stubby holder",
which is an isolating cylinder-shaped cover to place a 0.33l soda/beer can or bottle to keep it cool.
Looking up "stubby" I found:...
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the New Year's Eve firework display was ridiculous
How do I know in the phrase the New Year's Eve firework display was ridiculous the meaning of ridiculous, since it seems to stand for both, positive and negative sensations (I used an automatic ...
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except for vs. except with
Does "except with" mean "except for" in "the term (moped) used to mean a similar vehicle except with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine". Thank you!
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what does 'would' mean?
Baring the teeth in a hostile way, as noted by Charles Darwin in the nineteenth century, may be a universal sign of anger. As the originator of the theory of evolution, Darwin believed that the ...
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try to make/making your meal plans exciting [duplicate]
I was told that "to try to V" means "to make an effort to V," while "to try Ving" means "to give the specified action a try." Suppose I am giving advice on ...
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Economy vs Economics: Is it like medication vs medicine?
What I understand is:
Medication is what medical doctors (or perhaps I should say physicians lol) prescribe while medicine is what physicians study.
I like to think medicine is the study of, well, ...
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Can "language studies" mean "linguistics"?
Can "language studies" be used to refer to the subject of linguistics, or can it only mean 'the study of languages' – i.e., the kind of studies you do to learn a new language?
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"Home page", "start page", or "starting page"?
In my language, we use "startsida" (literally "start(ing) page") for the first/starting page of a website, but when I google "start page" and "starting page" in ...
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An expression in mathematics
The mathematics is a kind of 'formal science'.
I have no idea about the meaning of the word, 'formal',in this expression.
From my perspectives,the word,'formal',should stands for some qualities like '...
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Is 'full-grown' only about physical growth?
Is 'full-grown' only about physical growth? Does it have the connotation of mental growth? Say, does saying someone is full-grown imply that he/she is mentally mature by any means?
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"Of" to explain possession
Cambridge Dictionary says "of" can be used to explain made or consisting of; having:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/of
One of the examples quoted is "a woman of ...
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Bloomed as an Adjective
A "thick-trunked tree" means a tree with a thick trunk. Likewise, can we say "fragrant-bloomed tree" to say that the tree gives out fragrant blooms?
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'Evilsome': archaic or British?
Has anyone come across the word "Evilsome?" When I do a search on google, I also find this in older books from the late 1800s and early 1900s. But I see this commonly used by Asians even ...
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Is "eye-up" the right word in this sentence? "She's eyeing-up Christmas, being a bridesmaid at her auntie's wedding, getting back on her bike,...."
This is from the BBC,Recovery from cancer
She's eyeing-up Christmas, being a bridesmaid at her auntie's wedding, getting back on her bike, going back to school and "just doing normal people stuff&...
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The meaning of the word "agency" in this sentence: How dare she have agency again?
This is from the BBC:Indian
At the age of 44, when her mother fell in love and remarried, she again attracted the "ire of society" - "How dare a widow not be the sad, weeping, ...
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What's the difference between from A to B and from A through B? [duplicate]
I've been reading a book. And I saw from 1 through 5 the first time in my life. And I don't know the difference between from ... through and from ... to
My only guess is that from 1 ... through 5 ...
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What does "gutter" mean as a verb?
The following text is not suitable for sensitive readers.
A Wonsul body barrels into them. Another appears by Krissana and Orfea. His head has been pulverized, mouth split and one eye caved in, skull ...
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What does "Difficulty god of gods mode" imply?
A cross-stitch pattern of the original style. Difficulty god of gods mode. Guess I should start practicing.
What does "Difficulty god of gods mode" imply?
She said, "Oh my God, pattern ...
user165285
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here "Page" refer to "Tab"?
"Write “Triggers” on the second tab and insert several sheets of paper. On the first page, write down those things that, if they occur, might cause an increase in your symptoms"
On the next ...
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What does "Surprising shading" mean in this review of Glass Onion
In RogerEbert.com's review of Glass onion, there's this sentence:
His guests include Hudson’s model-turned-influencer Birdie, who keeps getting into trouble for tweets she doesn’t realize are racist; ...
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Can a native English speaker get what 'monochrome kiss' suggests without knowing the plot or lyrics? [closed]
Please take a moment to think about what impression the phrase, 'monochrome kiss', gives you before reading on.
Monochrome Kiss is the name of the opening theme of the anime Black Butler whose ...
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an icon of fear and fascination
The word "fascination" has two senses in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary:
a very strong attraction, that makes something very interesting
the state of being very attracted to and ...
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What does an atom of a person mean?
Brookfield would not have an atom of him different.
Reference: Good-Bye Mr. Chips , Chapter 15
What does actually the writer want to refer to in this sentence? Does it mean that Brookfield would never ...
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Usage of the word fresh in a context
I have come across a sentence:
weigh yourself first thing in the morning after getting fresh
among non-native English speakers. And seen some other sentences using the word "fresh" in a ...
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Is "Grumps" a nickname? [closed]
I found this name in a contemporary American novel. The main character is looking at old objects that belonged to a friend, and among the many things she finds is a gift tag that says 'To Minnie from ...
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Can "correct" be used in the sense of "decent" in "My day was correct/decent"?
After a discussion with a French native speaker, I am asking here:
Can the sentence "My day was correct" be used synonymously with "My day was decent" when answering to "How ...
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What does the adjective "well" mean in this context?
This context comes from the Steven King's novel "The Shining"
"Or you take the race track. I go a lot, and I usually do pretty well. I stand by the rail when they go by the starting ...
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Understanding the meaning in context of the word wifey
I someone asks "How is your Wifey" what exactly does it mean? I checked the dictionary and found this definition of "wifey" - "a condescending way of referring to a person's ...
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Using pussy for a female
If I call a man pussy, that would mean that he is cowardly or timid. Could the word "pussy" be used for a woman too to indicate that she is cowardly?
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What would be like "a ring of six leaves"?
I am not sure whether it is a suitable question here, but I could not find any other good place to ask it.
In the story "The Five Jars" by Montague Rhodes James, its hero dreams of a strange ...
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What does "average" mean in the charts?
I accidentally learned in another question (in the comment section of the chosen answer)that "average" means average consumption per meal. But after reading the comments in this question, I ...
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Question about the adjective "looped" [in a children's book called Chicka Chicka Boom Boom]
Recently I've been reading a children's book called Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.
When the page turns to the page showed as below👇, I feel puzzled about the adjective "looped".
In this book the ...
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what does "positive statement" mean?
One of the definitions for "affirmation" in the American Heritage Dictionary is:
Something declared to be true; a positive statement or judgment.
I know that one of the synonyms for "...
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Why doesn't 'uncanny' mean dumb?
The word 'canny' means shrewd, and the prefix un- is negative. So, it seems that 'uncanny' should mean something like dumb. Yet, it doesn't. According to Cambridge Dictionary, 'uncanny' actually means
...
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What is the meaning of "They have different entangled experiences" in this YouTube video?
What is the meaning of "They have different entangled experiences" in this YouTube video at 15:13? I looked up the meaning "entangled" in the dictionary. It shows "...
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What does the difference "a capsule preview" and "a capsule review "? [closed]
What does the difference "a capsule preview" and
"a capsule review "?
Can you give me an example sentence "a capsule preview" ?
Thankyou
user164163
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What does "off" stand for in this context?
I was watching a youtube video of someone playing a video game called Splinter Cell and saw this piece of dialogue.
"Hmm...work permits, architectural plans...interesting...Zherkezhi has a ...
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