In his most recent monologue on The Late Show, the comedian host Stephen Colbert, gently mocked a New York Times reporter’s style of writing (watch the excerpt on YouTube) “500 words” she whispered, her silken robe sliding to the floor as the morning sun hit her bedude form. I think that’s how the word “bedude” … Read more
I’ve recently seen a phrasing that I don’t think I’ve ever heard before. But that is often a sign more of consciousness rather than evidence. The phrase is: hearts and prayers. There are similar phrases used, usually as condolences or a response to some distant disaster where only words can be given. It seems to … Read more
User: It’s a shame this answer was the accepted one, when it lacks detail, and doesn’t address any of the ways that such a request from a recruiter could be cause for concern (or how to mitigate the associated risks). Author: Brevity is the soul of wit. If you want the best way to mitigate … Read more
People often use the word "reactionary" to mean: "quick to react or jump to conclusions based on scant evidence." For example: People who think that this athlete is over the hill based on a single poor performance are simply being reactionary. Of course, the word "reactionary" does not actually mean this. But is there a … Read more
This is my first post on the English Stackexchange so please point out any mistakes 🙂 . After much research on malapropisms, I am back to square one. Why would anyone use malapropism on purpose? I know that there are people who use it accidentally but what is the motive of using it on purpose? … Read more
Squeegee is: a scraping implement, usually consisting of a straight-edged blade of india-rubber, gutta-percha, or the like, attached to the end of a long handle, for removing water, mud, etc. [OED] OED‘s earliest citation is from 1844: Holy-stoning the decks..is the worst description of nervous torture of which I ever heard, excepting perhaps, the infliction … Read more
When correcting somebody on the application of a word, could it be said that you are being critical of their use of semantics? For example, calling the tool used to pick a lock a “tension wrench” is incorrect because the force being applied is actually “torsion,” not “tension.” In this situation, it could be said … Read more
What’s the actual meaning to “throw down something” as in “His offer was thrown down”? Is it the same as saying “His offer was rejected”, or is it like saying that the offer was made for consideration? The definition given by FOE is [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/throw%20down) But, please consider the definition given by MW source, plus these … Read more
Is “professional vocation” an acceptable alternative to “professional occupation”, and to “professional calling or career” also? You might want to consider the following sourced examples for this: What is your current vocation? How many years have you been currently involved in… source What is your current vocation? High school English teacher at Westfield High. source … Read more
I just recently came across “assist someone do” searching Google for examples to my previous question, and would like to check with you whether it is an acceptable option to “assist someone to do (or “in/with” doing)”, or a snapshot of language in transition — analogous with “help someone do” — that I caught here. … Read more
