Use this tag for questions about the meaning and/or usage of a particular phrase, which a dictionary cannot answer.
Questions tagged [phrase-meaning]
4998 questions
48
votes
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Is it rude to say "I'd appreciate if you could reply as soon as possible"?
Recently I have emailed my teacher and asked for my transcript. I've thought that I asked for it politely, but my teacher emailed me back that he was currently busy and "your tone was quite rude"
I discussed this with my friend and she said "I would…
Maimai123
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What does "Bless you" mean in this context?
“What's that?” said Ron, pointing at a large dish of some sort of shellfish stew that stood beside a large steak-and-kidney pudding.
“Bouillabaisse,” said Hermione.
“Bless you,” said Ron.
“It's French,” said Hermione, “I had it on holiday summer…
dan
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24
votes
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"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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What is the meaning of the so-called "pregnant chad"?
They’re not passing it on, they’re not voting for anyone, they’re
wasting their PR like so much pregnant chad!!!
I encounter the above from here. I have looked up the dictionary but find it confusing:
a chad that has been punched or dimpled…
Lerner Zhang
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19
votes
3 answers
What does 'just so you know' mean?
“just so you know” (Urban Dictionary)
What does this mean? And what grammatical role does “so” have?
Listenever
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Strange words people say when leaving
I've been at parties or other gatherings, and, when it was time to leave, native speakers would come up with odd ways of saying "It's time to go."
One way would be:
Let's make like a bakery truck and haul buns.
Another was:
Let's blow this…
J.R.
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16
votes
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'Die hard' phrase meaning
What does "die hard" phrase mean? Is it hard to kill? I have always been curious about its meaning. This movie title has been translated as 'Deadly Trap' in Czechia.
Leos Literak
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15
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what does "stuck for an angle" mean?
Source: Englishtown Lesson
Stuck for an angle for a story, Lukas took himself out onto the streets and let himself be inspired by the people and things around him.
What does "stuck for an angle" mean in the above context? What can be used instead…
AR AM
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14
votes
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What does "the C++ track" mean?
From the book Thinking in Java:
I found out, by creating and chairing the C++ track at the Software Development Conference for a number of years (and later creating and chairing the Java track), that I and other speakers tended to give the typical…
Michael Rybkin
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1 answer
What is the meaning of the phrase "Shed some light"?
I heard this phrase in the movie "the fugitive" when the news reporter was talking about the investigations around the murder of the fugitive wife
Marina Medhat
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Making sense for "How does it look like?"
Would the phrase "How does it look like?" possibly make sense in any situation in English?
For many non-native speakers, it is hard to understand why "How does it look like?" is wrong and "What does it look like?" is correct. An example situation…
brilliant
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13
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What does "the past day" mean exactly?
Cited from an article on Khan Academy:
Jacob distributed a survey to his fellow students asking them how many hours they'd spent playing sports in the past day.
Does "the past day" mean yesterday or any arbitrary day in the past? Or does it have…
catwith
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13
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Meaning of 'lose their grip on the groins of their followers'
What exactly does this phrase mean? Specifically, is groins used here as an idiom? Or just coined by the speaker here? Here is the context:
What I hope for the future is that all that major religions of the
world (the chief promulgators of…
dubina
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13
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You're three for three
Here is a dialogue from Dilbert:
Pointy-Haired Boss: Now let's hear what Dilbert did this week.
Dilbert: I unnecessarily duplicated Ted's work because you forgot you asked both of us to do the same task.
Pointy-Haired Boss: And how about…
Omar and Lorraine
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The neuroscientist says "Baby approved!" What does that mean?
We asked young scientists to “name a discovery that inspired you and then describe it in exactly six words.”
Neuroscience
Prechtl’s general movements
Non-invasive neuro diagnosis. Baby approved! (6 words)
Source: Science
More info: Prechtl’s…
NewPlanet
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