What does exactly mean ‘to plant oneself somewhere’? On MacMillan dictionary we read: to firmly put someone or something or yourself in a particular place or position. Plant something in/on etc something: "Henry planted himself in the seat next to me." But what emotion does this action convey specifically? What could be the reason for … Read more
These are some sentences from dictionaries with the word "staff": Cambridge dictionary: There are over a hundred staff in the company. Oxford dictionary: the pending lay-off of fifty staff Why is it fifty or a hundred staff and not "members" of the staff? I thought that staff means: (Professions) a group of people employed by … Read more
I was using the word "revise" in my group when I post telling that I should revise my previous lessons. Someone corrected me, and they said I should’ve used "review". According to them, it’s wrong to use "revise" because it has a meaning that’s similar to change something. Then, I checked OALD and found this: … Read more
This is from the transcript of a podcast. LEE: Gim is also a key ingredient in one of Eric’s favorite dishes, gyeran bap, which literally means egg rice. It’s a simple pantry meal and anyone can whip it up in 10 to 15 minutes. I wonder what ‘pantry meal’ is. Answer It’s not a fixed … Read more
What does "never cop a quart" mean? It’s from the movie Nightmare Alley. Clem : Folks know to come to me for it. Half a plug a quart. Never cop a quart. You gotta make the tin cling, same as everybody else. Stan: I never touch the stuff. Clem: Ain’t we virtuous? Just say you … Read more
This is from a webpage. Twitter user Tara Neilson shared photos of the orca while it was stranded. It appeared to be lodged in seaweed-slicked rocks. I wonder what ‘seaweed-slicked’ means in the above context. My sense is that it means ‘covered with seaweed and having a smooth surface’. Am I right? Answer The Free … Read more
I came across this adverb (naturally) while reading a math book. In this book, a concept (extended complex plane) has been defined before and now the book says it can be motivated even more naturally by another mathematical concept (linear fractional transformations). The extended complex plane…can now be motivated even more naturally by linear fractional … Read more
This is from a TIME article. The precocious child’s isolation from his peers had been exacerbated by a move to Toronto in 2000, the same year Putin was first elected. His father characterizes Vitalik’s Canadian upbringing as “lucky and naive.” Vitalik himself uses the words “lonely and disconnected.” I wonder which of the following two … Read more
Suppose my mom buys my sister some clothes in a clothing shop. Actually, my sister doesn’t like the clothes, but she doesn’t say anything and just urges us to go home. I assume that my sister gets satisfied quickly regardless of whether she likes the clothes or not. If I want to describe my sister … Read more
In one of the episodes of The Office U.S that was aired in 2007 there is a word usage I don’t understand. One of the employees, a lady who works at the receptions says: "Michael(the boss of the office) just rented "The Devil Wears Prada" he has his Netflix sent to the office and watches … Read more
