The English Oracle

Videos

What's the most appropriate name for non-italicized text: "roman" or "upright"?

35.5K

How did 'fast' shift semantically from 'firm' to 'quick'?

1.1K

Term for self-serving behavior disguised as altruism?

8.9K

Argentine or Argentinian?

82.6K

"New York is a great place to live." (no preposition?)

2K

What accent is 'noice'?

10.6K

Is there a word in English for a man who leaves his pregnant wife and child?

6.9K

Where should the period be put when an entire sentence is quoted at the end of a sentence?

10.9K

Can you use 'miss' instead of 'forget'?

4.8K

When to use “that” and when to use “which”, especially in relative clauses

20.7K

Meaning of: "No man is an island, entire of itself"

132.1K

How can I optionally pluralize the word "diagnosis" in writing?

51.9K

Is it OK to drop the periods in abbreviations?

3.9K

Origin of “Brexit” and “Grexit”

4.8K

Who was Buggins of 'Buggins' turn'?

2.4K

What is the meaning of "casting a blind eye"?

4.9K

Why is news said to be "breaking"?

14.3K

What does “the little guy” in “(Larry Summers) would be an enthusiastic enforcer of bank regulation to protect the little guy” mean?

2K

Is [Its'] a word? (Note the apostrophe at the end.)

41.1K

Which (if any) is correct: est., estd., or est'd.?

272.5K

What does the cause for your feeling like “downing a quart of Red Bull” mean?

792

How did "womanizer" develop its current meaning?

1.8K

Meaning of M'year, S'year etc. in academic biographies

4.5K

Is "caught you unawares" correct?

36.6K

"Will be doing" vs. "will do"

227.2K

Was "baby" originally baby-talk?

1.1K

What does the phrase, “Eat your heart out, Samuel Becket” in reference to Republican Presidential candidate debate?

609

Is "layman" an offensive term?

16.9K

Is there a word for the sadness over "What might have been"?

15.6K

Why do I pronounce "horrible" so harrhibly?

16.2K

What do you call the eating of frogs?

2.3K

what does the term "might as well" mean?

137.7K

"Whip" in British politics

11.9K

What does the phrase “I’m down with” mean?

318.3K

What's that word to describe "technology becoming invisible over time"?

1.7K

To dislike someone while acting like you get on/along

4K

Is there a word that combines aerial, aquatic, and terrestrial?

15.7K

Frequency of word use vs number of words

2.1K

What's the (unobvious) meaning of "I saw you coming"?

10.6K

Is there a technical term for the degeneration or evolution of words?

307

What does "counter" refer to in "countersink"?

1.6K

What does "bad-ass wives" exactly mean? Why did "bad-ass" come to mean "tough and aggressive"?

2.6K

What's the adjective for the Republic of Ireland (Eire)?

2.6K

A single word for a person who suffers great loss

29.4K

What would you call a person who is obsessed with being "normal"?

13.6K

What was required to accept "troll"?

2.6K

What does "in low water" mean in this context?

1.6K

"Olórin I was in my youth in the West that is forgotten": what is forgotten?

3.2K

I am looking for a specific word that starts with the letter 'a' which concerns evidence presented in court

1.1K

"Each X" vs. "each of the Xs"

23.6K