New answers tagged phrase-meaning
2
votes
What's meant by ". . . he went the pace extraordinary"? (go the pace ?)
It is a postpositive adjective or postnominal adjective, placed after the noun.
Some more common examples are
attorney general
queen regnant
matters financial
court martial
So 'pace extraordinary' ...
- 16.2k
2
votes
What's meant by ". . . he went the pace extraordinary"? (go the pace ?)
to go the pace
1829–
colloquial. to go the pace: to move at great speed in the course of a hunt, race, etc.; (hence) to proceed in a vigorous, energetic, or dissipated way. For some reason, it ...
- 41.5k
0
votes
May I know the meaning of *Take some punches*?
The phrase "to take a punch" (from the domain of fighting and boxing) literally means to be hit with a clenched fist and remaing standing, to not be knocked unconscious by the blow. As ...
- 121k
2
votes
May I know the meaning of *Take some punches*?
ludwig explains the idiom take a punch:
If somebody takes a blow, something bad happens to them.
It is often used as a metaphor for someone being able to handle a difficult situation, especially if ...
- 7,559
1
vote
"I'm starving to death" or "I'm hungry to death" can mean "I'm very hungry"?
starve to death
is an idiom
to die from lack of food
The famine caused many to starve to death.
hungry to death is uncommon. "BE + hungry to death" is much less common than "BE + ...
- 7,559
2
votes
Accepted
Do Americans use the expression "it looks common"? If so, what does it mean?
In the US one does hear things like Don’t act that way, it’s so common, but—dare I say it?—not all that commonly. The disparaging sense of common is a good deal less frequent over here than the other ...
- 5,779
20
votes
Accepted
What does "single British English accent" mean in this particular context?
It means all the examples will use the same accent. And that accent will be one specific British accent. It doesn't say which British accent, but probably the accent used in the South of England (...
- 203k
0
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"Two times as long as" versus "two times longer than"
For something to be x amount of times longer than something would surely mean that if x = 1 it would still be longer than the original value.
So im seeing…
The value is 1 time longer
Similarly..
The ...
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What does 'The oh-so-British affair touts its hats and projects charm with antique flair' mean?
The oh-so-British affair touts its hats and projects charm with antique flair.
A paraphrase:
The so very British affair (TV show? play? movie?) gives hats a prominent role and exudes charm in an old-...
- 3,123
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votes
what does the phrase "gotten to it" mean in this context?
To get to something can also mean to manage to reach it, touch it or take hold of it or disturb it, or do damage to it.
"The body appeared then to have been dead two or three days. Hogs had ...
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2
votes
Accepted
The lead has pinched right out
to pinch out in this context is a mining metaphor. A lead is a cut made to get access to a seam of ore. When the ore exposed "pinches" it grows narrower, and when it "pinches out" ...
- 3,123
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Differences in asking what the time is
They are simply two different ways of asking the same question.
It isn't unusual:
What is the colour? / What colour is it?
What number is it? / What is the number?
When you use the pronoun 'it', as ...
- 96.2k
1
vote
Accepted
meaning of "I know you are but what am I?"
This is a childish response to being called a rude name and was very common in the school playground when I was a kid.
It goes something like this:
Child A: "Idiot!"
Child B: "I know ...
- 96.2k
1
vote
meaning of "I know you are but what am I?"
Hmmmm…. Instead of “I know you are but what am I, I believe Putin’s use of his childhood phrase is more akin to “it takes one to know one.” Putin is not declaring what Biden said is false, the ‘but ...
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