Use this tag for questions about meanings of whole sentences rather than phrases.
Questions tagged [sentence-meaning]
3989 questions
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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1 answer
What would natives take for "Today is so yesterday"?
I saw this sentence "Today is so yesterday" on a T-shirt one of my American friends wore.
My first impression is that the sentence means what's happening today is just repeating what's happening in the past. But I feel there might be some other…
dan
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37
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Possible meanings of "IN CASE OF FIRE, DO NOT USE ELEVATOR."
Background
Below are cited from pp. 14-15 of Introduction to Mathematical Thinking by Keith Devlin:
You often see the following notice posted in elevators:
IN CASE OF FIRE, DO NOT USE ELEVATOR.
Obviously this notice is intended to mean:
If…
catwith
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23
votes
9 answers
How to understand "don't code today what you can't debug tomorrow"?
It's a title of a blog. In my option, I absolutely can debug my code tomorrow which I wrote today. So how to understand that?
Sayakiss
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20
votes
3 answers
"Man proposes and God disposes."
I am curious about the meaning of this sentence:
"Man proposes and God disposes."
(Mathematical Thought from Ancient to Modern Times, M. Kline, vol. 1, page 181)
Whole paragraph is as follows:
"It has often been said that man proposes and God…
user38677
19
votes
3 answers
What is the meaning of "Jump into the bridge"?
During a one-to-one technical chat with my client, he sent me a meeting link and texted me:
Jump into the bridge.
Is he trolling me (as there was a particular issue that had been left unresolved for a long time)? Or is it a normal phrase that is…
Muthukamatchi Ganesan
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18
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3 answers
What does Trump mean here with "They don’t need more as they are going up for the shot."?
I like the NBA so I check any article if I spot them.
Anyway, this article has this line by Trump,
“I think [the kneeling] has been horrible for basketball,” President Donald Trump said on Fox Sports Radio in August. “Look at the basketball…
user17814
18
votes
2 answers
Meaning of “Bulldog drooled courses through his jowls”
I saw this sentence while I was watching the 17th episode (Season 8) of Modern Family.
Bulldog drooled courses through his jowls.
I was really confused about its meaning. To give you a bit of its context:
Phill and Clair are reading an email…
Jocelyn Liu
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15
votes
4 answers
Do these two sentences convey different meanings?
She tried in vain to prevent the work from being done.
She tried to prevent the work from being done in vain.
Our teacher said these two sentences show different intents, but I can't see the difference. Help？
Jack Liu
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14
votes
9 answers
She got an A for effort. (meaning of the sentence)
She got an A for effort.
She tried to get an A (made an effort to get an A, studied hard and really got it)
We don't know whether she got good grades or not, but the teacher gave her A because she showed an effort.
Which one is close to the…
gomadeng
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13
votes
1 answer
Give me a water. Is this expression possible in conversation?
I know that "water" or "a glass(cup) of water" is the right expression.
But I'm wondering.
If someone says to you that "Give me a water, please.", what would you think that means?
JS.Kim.
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2 answers
What does Ambrose Bierce's definition of "eulogy" mean?
I'm trying to understand this quotation:
Eulogy, n.: Praise of a person who has either the advantages of wealth and power, or the consideration to be dead.
Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)
I'm not a connoisseur of English literature. So I don't…
oshliaer
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11
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3 answers
What does "I saw him wash the car" mean?
What does this sentence mean?
I saw him wash the car
Does it mean "I saw him when he was washing the car"?
beginner
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8
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4 answers
He didn’t get married until he was well into his forties. (What's the implication of marriage status?)
He didn’t get married until he was well into his forties.
Does the sentence above imply he married in his mid or late forties or we don't know it because we don't have more context?
gomadeng
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8
votes
4 answers
Is the question "Are you sober?" asking for whether one drinks alcohol or only whether one recovered from being addicted to alcohol?
Is the question "Are you sober?" asking for whether one drinks alcohol or only whether one recovered from being addicted to alcohol?
Torsten Knodt
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