Is “lunatic cat” like “crazy cat” or “it’s nonsense, they don’t say so”, or something else? According to https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/lunatic there is a connection to the moon (see “origin”). Could native speaker imagine “lunatic cat” as “moon cat”? Answer There is only one modern adjectival meaning of ‘lunatic’ and it is: “silly in a dangerous way”, … Read more
My understanding is that both words refer to a hard-charging “take no prisoners” approach to an issue.Relentless is defined as, “showing or promising no abatement of severity, activity, strength or pace,” and ruthless as “having no pity.” My further understanding is that “relentless” is more “honorable” than “ruthless.” Examples: In a “relentless” pursuit of her … Read more
I’m interested in using the word maven to describe someone as being an expert, but don’t want to seem condescending. Does maven have any negative connotations? Answer The OED identifies maven as being chiefly North American in its usage pattern, but they say nothing about the word being cant or jargon, casual or colloquial, nor … Read more
I am a non-native speaker trying to find the right expression for my sentence. There is a study that reports a 55% decline in the number of trades, however, I cannot examine the data or the study itself. I would like to express that I only quote the number without any kind of double-check by … Read more
The indefinite article certainly adds something, creating a slightly different shade of meaning, but is there a clearly defined rule or principle for this? What kind of freak show is this? What kind of a freak show is this? Or: What kind of person are you? What kind of a person are you? There is … Read more
I was reading definitions of unsparing Not merciful. Not frugal: unsparing generosity. It seems that unsparing has two entirely opposite definitions. I guess its meaning would be clear in context. I have a feeling that in the second definition, it has a negative connotation? Is this right? Answer unsparing OED Not niggardly; liberal, lavish; Showing … Read more
As a non native English speaker (I speak German), I’m frequently confused by the usage of the word “disappointed”. When someone tells me they’re “disappointed” that something didn’t happen, the obvious meaning is they really wished / expected for that something to happen. My question is, when I was the reason for that something not … Read more
Is there a single word to describe a word that has the same literal meaning, but is opposite in connotation to another word? In other words, what is to connotation as antonym is to denotation? To clarify, I mean “connotation” in the simplest possible way, such as this Wikipedia quote: A connotation is frequently described … Read more
I am curious what kind of connotation does the word ‘Commanding’ have. Does it have the same kind of connotation as a leader has of ‘strength’ and ‘maturity’? Or does it have a negative connotation of a ‘controlling’ and ‘bossy’ person? Take the example of the following sentence. He has a commanding persona. Edit: Well, … Read more
I found few examples of the word gone as preposition; I know that this form is chiefly used in British English, and that it means “later than the time mentioned”. But I couldn’t grasp the connotation behind this word. It was gone ten o’clock by the time they arrived. It’s gone six already. Can anyone … Read more
