The English Oracle

Videos

Do “chorus” and “refrain” have different connotations?

28.6K

How can I describe a low temperature that doesn't actually feel cold?

12.1K

Is ‘Trust-but-verify’ a frequently quoted word?

2.7K

Why is "happened" spelled with a single "n"?

22.2K

What's a word for a person being fed on by a blood sucking animal?

5.4K

What is "what are you on about?" on about?

26K

What is the closest alternative to "rubbish" in American English?

13.5K

Is “I'm working totes” new slang?

6.5K

Word for when a precursor shares a name with its product

157

Whoever or whomever: 'happy for ___ has the pleasure of working with you next.'

5.2K

Should I use "authoress" for a feminine author?

43.5K

Is there a word that means "to turn into a habit"?

5K

Does "needless to say" convey to the reader that he is ignorant?

5.5K

What do you call a verb which accepts 2 nouns?

740

"Nowadays" versus "now days"

46.4K

Correct usage of "see" vs. "watch"

3.5K

Is it a "Texas Accent" or a "Texan Accent"?

3.5K

Use of "Or", inclusive or exclusive?

42K

An idiom meaning "sticking fingers in your ears does not change the fact"

10.2K

Is there a more general term for "googling" that doesn't imply a particular search engine?

13.4K

Many more vs much more / many fewer vs much fewer

108.6K

In a written work, is it better to reference people by their first or last name?

99K

What is the opposite of "eschatology"?

6K

What is an action (in one word) that makes you say "goodbye"?

7K

Getting into the Groove

69K

What do you call a note that gives preliminary information before the main part?

6.4K

"He doesn't" vs "He don't"

323.1K

Is there a name for the unusual transitive status of the verb "to pile"?

1.2K

What causes the pronunciation "nucular"?

20.4K

What do you call a thing that raises something (e.g. an event)?

402

Is there a word akin to "hungry" or "thirsty" that implies a need to urinate?

12.1K

What word denotes a belief that apparently inanimate objects actually express a malicious, autonomous will?

3.6K

What lies behind the etymology of the word dandelion?

7.4K

Overuse of "however" in my scientific writing?

17.3K

Where can I find an "official" list of English graphemes?

3.1K

What does “rising senior” mean and what countries use it?

84.7K

What does safety-valve mean in terms of a "safety-valve caporegime" in Godfather?

303

Why do Americans seem to use the word “delicious” less often than I do?

11.4K

What’s wrong with “After roasting the deer, the hunter extinguished the fire and then searched for a tree to hang it from”?

5K

What is a single word to describe beating someone brutally?

29.7K

What is a 'star rose'?

1.3K

When your mind reviews past events

2.9K

Human Face Divine

680

"I wanna get wet in rain with you" Is there a better word than the vulgar-sounding "wet"?

26.6K

If the prefix "a-" means not, shouldn't "await" or "awaiting" mean, "Not waiting?"

49.7K

An ambiguity problem with "the first thing you remember"

1K

Are there any terms equivalent to 'Americana' for other cultures?

1.9K

What is the term for words like “Look” and “Listen” followed by a comma at the start of a sentence?

6.7K

What is the meaning of the subclause of 'goes off the deep end'?

1.1K

Difference between "Warm regards" and "Best regards"

935.8K