The English Oracle

Videos

News article: "Man sentenced for murdering his 10th wife". What does this mean?

1.7K

How are double consonants pronounced in Old English (Ænȝlıſc/Eald Englisc/Anglo Saxon?)

969

When can an adjective be postposed?

3.3K

Is there a single word that expresses "music end-users / enthusiasts"?

27.9K

Suitable saying for "different people like/dislike different things"?

31.8K

Should I use the past tense for things that are still the same as before?

4K

Money vs Monies

204.1K

Etymologies of "basilisk" and "basilica"

6.8K

How to describe something that is very likely happening immediately?

3.9K

Obscured, obfuscated, what is the best word to use to ensure all sensitive info has been removed

6K

What does "to whip the burn with a cardinal" mean?

422

If I write two phrasal verbs with difference prepositions consecutively, can I omit the first preposition?

933

Etymology of "card" referring to an eccentric person

21.2K

Is there an explanation for why both "pop" and "pops" are used to mean father (singular)?

45.8K

When does thousand turn into thousands?

15.2K

"Another" vs "other"

2.3K

"Pupil" or "Student", what is the correct use?

72.5K

How come it is "how come" and not "how comes"? Orig:Is "how come" slang?

32.7K

Three Consecutive Verbs?

2.8K

Is there a single word that means 'adding more details' or 'enriching with information'

71.3K

Is it correct to ask "what's your father?" when you actually mean to ask about his job?

68.5K

What does "Without padding one’s end zone" mean?

411

lie vs fabricate. When to use which one in what situation?

4.1K

Does one "speak" a sign language?

30.8K

“Battled-hardened,” Is this one of New Yorker's renowned idiosyncrasies?

691

Is there a short phrase to describe forgetting to do something because something else had your attention?

6.9K

X’s language is so rich and . . .?

532

What do you call someone who makes a request?

53.4K

What do you call something that everyone says will happen but never does?

2.2K

Why does Facebook have "like's" instead of "like"s?

1.4K

A word for "to make more concrete" in philosophical context?

33.9K

What is the antonym of the verb "equip"?

6.7K

Is "East or west India is the best" grammatically correct?

1.3K

Grammaticality of "Shoreditch station to permanently close"

1.3K

A word like "inappropriate", with a less extreme connotation

4.4K

What is the correct pronunciation of "AJAX"?

45.4K

Why did John Wells need three lexical sets--NORTH, FORCE and THOUGHT--for the same vowel /ɔː/?

2K

What's a good term/phrase for things of a specific branch everybody should know?

443

An expression that adds little information

711

'To' vs 'in order to' in negative clauses

24.8K

Contraction: "it've"

3.2K

What does “making a league” mean?

1.5K

Why is it a *canary* in a coalmine?

3.4K

What does "five-ten one-twenty" mean?

8.8K

'Which', 'whose' or something else?

41.9K

Word for outdoor area on the side of a ship

2.5K

Where does the expression "long odds" come from?

2K

What is "/ /" used for in a sentence?

19.3K

Dad, auntie, nana, grandpa, etc... What is this group of words used as informal family nicknames called?

1.4K

What’s the meaning of “there are more of somebody than there are of somebody”?

6.3K