The English Oracle

Videos

Why do we say "archenemy" differently from "archangel" and "architecture"?

7.2K

What is the origin of the phrase "from your lips to God’s ears?"

112.7K

What does the word "only" mean in this sentence?

1.7K

Preposition following "estimated"

2.1K

Why do we walk on "dry land" when we should be just walking on "land"?

3.9K

What is the name of the condition when I temporarily cannot speak because of shouting too much?

13.1K

What is the name of this castle part?

44.6K

How to use the UK verb "reading" to mean studying/majoring in some university subject in the present tense?

24.4K

Use of 'at large'

15.4K

Why is the right jack in cribbage also called "his Knobs"?

39.1K

"We are all of us engaged in..." What does 'all of us' mean here?

11.9K

"So long as" vs. "as long as"

8.4K

Is "sushis" the plural form of "sushi"?

33.8K

"Open source" as a verb

4.2K

What does the phrase, “there is properly no history, only biography” mean?

6.7K

What's the difference between "suasive" and "persuasive"?

6.5K

"Happy median" versus "happy medium"

49.1K

Transcribing long repeating phone numbers

2.6K

What do you call an unsupported roof that juts out over the entrance to a building?

6.2K

Are these uses of em dashes extant in English-language fiction?

2.1K

Are the dual transportation and learning meanings of both "coach" and "train" just a coincidence?

4.5K

Etymology of "what's the deal with __"?

228

Equivalent of using (s) to indicate possible plural for words using "ies" for plural?

3K

What word defines a category suited for both header and footer?

14K

What are the historical reasons for the conventional sequence of footnote symbols?

6.2K

Is there a word for a person with only one head?

11.8K

English Idiom for "the squirrel feeds itself arduously"

4.3K

"Punctuality is the politeness of kings."

42.2K

Is there an English equivalent to the Persian saying "Now that it's my turn, the sky fell down"?

11.7K

Word for student's notebook

2K

"Cups of gold and wine"

167

Proper answer to "excuse me"

78.2K

Adjectives to describe a big human achievement vs. a quick achievement

1.5K

Can "Claptrap" be used to mean low quality?

226

What does "8/7c" mean?

578.4K

What did we say before "clockwise"?

11.7K

Etymology of 'vanity unit' / 'vanity table'

1.1K

Is it correct to say “He got a fatal injury in the accident” when there is a possibility that the person’s life will be saved?

33.8K

Why are women called chicks?

115K

What do you call both persons involved in a transaction?

9.5K

In 18th century England, was "eat" the past tense of "eat" and how was it pronounced?

3.9K

Meaning of “But I repeat myself” in Mark Twain's quote?

20.9K

Understand Rudyard Kipling's poem If

37.2K

Is there a phrase or idiom for "being defeated by future problems"?

4.7K

"Omm," the shaming word

1.5K

Secular alternative to "doubting Thomas"

6.1K

What is a How (placename)?

507

Why is "fastly" not a word?

12.3K

Past simple with today

18.7K

Why do I so often want to replace "happen" in sentences?

1.2K