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1500 questions
42
votes
3 answers
Is "Negro" an offensive word, or do some people just take offense to it, and why?
I was not born in the US, so let me clarify why I'm asking such question:
In Portuguese, the word "Negro" is the correct term when referring to the race, where calling somebody "Black", the color, would be considered offensive most of the time.
So…
user47
42
votes
8 answers
The difference between "Older" and "Elder"
What is the difference between "Older" and "Elder" ?
And are they interchangeable ?
Mohamed Hamza
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42
votes
10 answers
Plural of "that's my boy"
Is there a plural of this phrase that preserves the sprachgefühl?
The obvious "those are my boys" somehow doesn't feel right.
355durch113
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42
votes
6 answers
What's the opposite of the phrase "pay under the table"?
Could you tell me what is the opposite of the phrase pay under the table? For example:
The company pays their employees under the table.
Would it be natural to say pay over the table?
Dmytro O'Hope
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42
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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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
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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42
votes
2 answers
What is mom-pkin?
My bae asked me about the meaning of mom-pkin in the book she's reading. I'm stunned and google searching produced but acronyms and chemical stuff. The full sentence is as follows.
She still had ninety minutes before she turned back into a…
Konrad Viltersten
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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
7 answers
"as rich as him", "as rich as he" or "as rich as he is"
1) I've never met a man as rich as him.
2) I've never met a man as rich as he.
3) I've never met a man as rich as he is.
Which one of the above-mentioned is correct (in formal scenario) and why?
Also, how do I detect the subject and the object for…
Shoaib Ashraf
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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
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4 answers
"The first time I met my wife I knew she was a keeper. She was wearing massive gloves" - Alun Cochrane
What is the pun in this joke "The first time I met my wife I knew she was a keeper. She was wearing massive gloves" by Alun Cochrane
Mrt
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