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An idiomatic expression for the situation when a punisher in fact punishes himself rather than the one he intended to punish
The context:
Someone wishes to punish somebody, and the wish is so strong that whatever they think will do a lot of harm to the one planned to be punished, they do it obviously at the expense of their own welfare, much higher than the…
Victor B.
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4 answers
"very unique" - Is it wrong? Why?
Is the following statement correct:
I have found a very unique book.
meaning that the book I found is very rare.
I was told that statements very unique and extremely unique do not make much sense. If that is true, can you please explain why that…
Tom
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25
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3 answers
Difference between "uptown", "downtown" and "midtown"
I've noticed a frequent usage of the words uptown and downtown while watching movies made in the USA. Also the word midtown is seldom used.
What is the difference between them? Is possible they can refer to different places and areas in order what…
Nikolas Charalambidis
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25
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6 answers
Glass vs Cup - differences in usage
In everyday spoken language when you, as native English speakers, say "glass" and "cup" are they considered as a synonym for you or you have a special meaning for each one of them?
As a non native English speaker I don't find a difference between…
Virtuous Legend
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25
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6 answers
What do you call the imprinted pattern left behind a car in mud?
What's the name for this ... chase? stria? groove?
In Czech, we call it "stopa" - which literally translates as "footprint" but has a lot of other meanings as well so I can't really work out which of the tons of the English translations I should use…
Probably
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25
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2 answers
"Pretty" versus "quite"
Is there any difference between using pretty, and quite, in the following sentences?
I am pretty good at playing soccer.
I am quite good at playing soccer.
How are you?
I am quite well.
How are you?
I am pretty well.
The reason I am…
apaderno
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25
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1 answer
What is the English name for the palm's spots of the "working hands"?
People who are used to going to the gyms, after sometime they get thick skin in the palm — under each finger — because they work with their hands a lot.
What are these hard spots called in English?
When I put the word callus into my dictionary it…
Virtuous Legend
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25
votes
5 answers
Is it good to call someone "Nerd"?
My friends always use "nerd" to describe an intelligent person, but when I searched its meaning online, I found that it's not really a good word.
"A foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious."
Oxford…
Řazan Ďawud
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25
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5 answers
What are these holes in sinks and tubs called?
What are the holes in the pictures called? They are usually found in sinks and tubs and their function is to prevent water from overflowing.
user5267
25
votes
8 answers
Can I say "I speak Chinese as well as Spanish"?
I speak Chinese as well as Spanish.
I want to say that my Chinese and Spanish are equally strong. So please help me out with this. I think it's weird to say speak "as well as". I don't know if there are other better expressions.
HUN
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2 answers
"it was backwards in heels"
In his Democratic National Convention speech on 27 July, Barack Obama said:
Let me tell you, eight years ago, you may remember Hillary and I were rivals for the Democratic nomination. We battled for a year and a half. Let me tell you, it was…
T_T
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24
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4 answers
Do most Americans pronounce 'months' as 'mons', and 'clothes' as 'clos'?
I am watching a video course which teaches American accent (The video course is called 'The American Accent'). The teacher inside it says that most of Americans actually omit the [th] sound and pronounce 'months' as 'mons' and 'clothes' as 'clos',…
Hua
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1 answer
the exact time of "evening" and "night"
I wonder what the exact times of the following words are: morning, noon, afternoon, evening, night, mid-night.
What's the difference between at night and in the night?
user48070
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24
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1 answer
which one is correct "Cost" or "costed"
Which one is correct "cost" or "costed"
The website, englisch-hilfen, says that the word "cost" does not change in three different tense form (past, present, and past participle). However, the dictionary has used the word "have costed" in their…
ARYF
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2 answers
How to pronounce the "s" in "apples" in English and American English?
I remember my teacher told me the "s" in "apples" should be pronounced as /z/, but in some American teaching programs, I heard it be pronounced as /s/.
Which one is correct? Does it follow the same rule in English and American English?
Update:…
Freewind
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