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1500 questions
42
votes
3 answers
Why is "iron" pronounced "EYE-URN" but not "EYE-RUN"?
I just noticed that the word iron is pronounced EYE-URN in standard Englishes instead of what the spelling suggests. I have always been pronouncing it "EYE-RUN" but I just checked its pronunciation and it shocked me a bit.
So in UK English, it is…
user119042
42
votes
4 answers
Can you please explain this joke: "I'm going bananas is what I tell my bananas before I leave the house"?
Can you please explain this joke: "I'm going bananas is what I tell my bananas before I leave the house"?
And another one: "I hate it when my friends ask me to do them a solid especially when I've been eating grapes all day"
Can you please give…
Hammad Ahmed
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42
votes
5 answers
How can you recognize if an "uncle" is father's brother or mother's brother? (Is there any "default option"? )
Sometimes the speaker (or author) specifies their meaning for the word "uncle", for example:
The gelding was mine, a gift from a great-uncle on my mother’s side. (Educated by Tara Westover)
But suppose that you read about someone's uncle in a…
Peace
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42
votes
2 answers
What is the basic unit of a chain called in English?
Chains are made of a lot of oval shaped units. What is each one of them called in English?
I don't know the name in my native language either.
Virtuous Legend
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42
votes
3 answers
What is the difference between IMO and IMHO and IHOP?
I was reading a public forum, and I saw the following abbreviations:
IMO
IMHO
IHOP
As far as I see, these are interchangeable somehow, but I don't understand the correct usage of them.
Just assuming the
IMO
Probably stands for "In my…
Bálint Pap
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41
votes
5 answers
What does `'s` mean in "What CPU's will it run on?"?
Does it indicate a possessive adjective or just a plural noun? If noun, why it is not CPUs (without apostrophe)?
aryndin
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41
votes
6 answers
What's the meaning of "Ordinary shampoos need not apply!" on a shampoo bottle?
I can't seem to understand this weird sentence I saw as the first sentence on this shampoo bottle
Ordinary shampoos need not apply! [...]
There seems to be missing a part of the sentence, right? I have never seen such a sentence before, it seems…
Rakete1111
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41
votes
5 answers
What does "Nailed it" mean?
I came across a few combinations of 'nailed it' or 'nailed down' in various contexts. According to the blog-posts, it seems to be widespread on the internet.
However, I have never heard these expressions in the real life. Is "nailed it" a common…
Bálint Pap
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41
votes
2 answers
What is the difference between "wait" and "await"?
I'd like to know the difference between the two verbs since they seem to have the same meaning. When should I use await, and when wait?
Misael
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41
votes
9 answers
"co-worker" vs. "colleague"
What is the difference between "co-worker" and "colleague"?
In my company there is an employee whose name is Bob. But Bob and I, we don't know each other. In this case, is Bob my "co-worker" or "colleague" or both?
In my team at work, there is…
Jason Heo
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41
votes
7 answers
Is "until" inclusive or exclusive?
I sent an email to someone and got an auto-reply saying:
I am out of the office until 09/15/2014.
Does this mean he will be available on the morning of the 15th?
AGamePlayer
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41
votes
5 answers
Who is frowning in the sentence "Daisy looked at Tom frowning"?
I read this sentence from The Great Gatsby:
“Plenty of gas,” said Tom boisterously. He looked at the gauge. “And if it runs out I can stop at a drug-store. You can buy anything at a drug-store nowadays.”
A pause followed this apparently pointless…
Qian
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41
votes
10 answers
"He borrowed me some money."; right or wrong?
Can we use borrow as I have in the above sentence in a sense like;
He borrowed (from someone for) me some money.
I wonder if there was a better way of expressing the idea that I am meant to.
Clarification: borrow there is not mistakenly used…
Zeeshan Ali
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41
votes
7 answers
What's the meaning of "Can it, will you?"
I was watching a TV show, and one scene in a movie theatre goes like this:
Film viewer: We know, sit down.
Jason: Maggie.
Maggie: How are theatre owners gonna know how we feel about this garbage if we just sit through it?
Film viewers: Or…
Qing
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41
votes
3 answers
"Important to me" or "Important for me"
I cannot easily figure out which one is more appropriate to use:
It's important to me.
It's important for me.
Are they the same? If not, what's the difference?
B Faley
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