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9 answers

The antonym of "diss"

I learn that 'diss' is a shortened version of "disrespect" Urban Dictionary: diss For example, try to diss me, man. What's the opposite of it? I searched 'spect' as shorthand for 'respect'. Nevertheless, it does not feel as strong and smart as…
AbstProcDo
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Why doesn't the couple want to eat the dessert in this comic strip?

So, why do the couple not want to eat the dessert? Is it because they know their suggestions were in fact terrible?
user68458
27
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10 answers

What is the filling of the stapler called in English? (picture attached)

What is the filling of the stapler called in English? (you can see it in red circle in the attached picture). I looked for this word in my native dictionary but I didn't find this word.
Virtuous Legend
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Unusual meaning of "wet"

In the movie "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" Jake was saved by the peculiar children while he was into a pub. An invisible child made pots and glasses fly all around and another start a fire on the pub's door. At about 36 minutes of…
genespos
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What do we call English with dots and dashes?

In our native languages, pronunciations of the words are different if we write it in normal English. For that reason, we have a different set of alphabet. Such writing helps us speak correct pronunciation. This specially happens in writing language…
Maulik V
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Why should "are" be used here instead of "is"?

The sentence given in our book is as follows, More important than winning is developing the ability to work with others and developing leadership skills We are supposed to find where the mistake is in the sentence... 4 options are given ( which I…
Hassan Ashas
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10 answers

What defines a native English Speaker?

I think this particular phrase creates a lot of concern in English learners. From general conversation to posts here, we see native speaker a common usage when talking about a person who speaks English by birth. So according to this definition,…
Mistu4u
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Is there any difference between "temporary" and "provisional"?

The English dictionary shows that either temporary or provisional indicates the short time. Therefore, I get confused about which is more proper in the following sentence: Any physical theory is always temporary/provisional, in the sense that it is…
Shudong
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How much should I trust Wiktionary?

My first reference that I use for English words is Wiktionary. I primarily do so because it's a not-for-profit project, so I don't have to worry about it suddenly charging for subscriptions, or that it will have advertising that links to…
Andrew Grimm
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Is there a word for losing something in order to gain some other thing?

For example I want increase the speed of a memory system in a computer but this will cost more money or decreasing the capacity will also gain more speed. So I have to lose capacity and money in order to gain speed. More general example, when losing…
Adam
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What is a non-vulgar synonym for this swear word meaning "an enormous amount"?

How do I say "shitload" or "shit-ton" without cursing? Ideally, I'm looking for a term for casual conversation but without any cursing, the word you can use with kids and teens, or just adults you want to be friendly with without being vulgar. I…
Teleporting Goat
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When to say "I need money" as opposed to "I need the money"?

I learned that if we are referring to money in general, then we don't use "the". So: "I need money" = I need money in general (any money). But when watching a movie, I heard people say "I need the money". Here is the plot - a girl is currently out…
Tom
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Why there are two 'were's in one sentence?

But, as time went on, it became increasingly obvious that many of the programs were not available, and the ones that were were written in a particularly obscure form of BASIC. (Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by E. T. Jaynes) What is the…
showkey
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Specific word to describe someone who is so good that isn't even considered in say a classification

When someone says "He's the best", or "he is definitely first". But there is someone else who is better and when some other subject considers him/her and asks "what about -name-?", is replied with something like "Yeah dude he/she is a god, it…
TrisT
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"I did my best" vs "I did the best I could"

In one post, a commenter maintained that the phrases "I did my best" and "I did the best I could" don't mean quite the same thing. If it is true, what is the fine difference between the two?
Victor B.
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