Unanswered Questions
315 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
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Where does the phrase "cheater caught, Peter red" come from?
Growing up in Pakistan, I heard variations of either:
Cheater caught, Peter red; or
Cheater cock, Peter red
I assumed it was about a cocky boy named Peter who was either caught red-handed or turned ...
- 72.4k
3
votes
1
answer
66k
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Usage of "give it a read"
Is the usage of the phrase "give it a read" correct? For instance, "Hey, I have attached my essay. Do give it a read and let me know what you think".
CommunityBot
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3
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1
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686
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Idiom/metaphor for a constant figure in a certain place
I was wondering if there were any idioms or cliched metaphors commonly used to describe someone who you can always expect to see in a certain place because they spend a lot of time there (or even ...
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2
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2
answers
133
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Is there a current, widely familiar equivalent of "Irish bull"?
Gardner, The Annotated Alice:
Closely related to Carroll's inversion humor is his humor of logical contradiction. The Red Queen knows of a hill so large that, compared to it, this hill is a valley; ...
CommunityBot
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2
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0
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235
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Words or idioms to describe burden of knowledge but not doing or caring about it
I want to capture the pain which comes from having knowledge that will improve the situation or make the world a better place but being apathetic towards it.
They care, but not enough. They can act ...
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2
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2
answers
521
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Idioms or expressions defining either getting paid fully or being appreciated
I am looking for a common English expression/idiom that defines a situation below:
I have done some work for someone, and in return, they are not going to pay me the full payment. Then I will tell ...
CommunityBot
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2
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0
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111
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“Fools that they are”
I have a question about the interposition “fools that they are” in the following:
“Fools that they are, they never knew thy guiltless pride, thy true spirit.”
Using Google’s Ngram Viewer, I found ...
- 38.3k
2
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172
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Expression 'Europe as a whole' or only 'Europe'?
I have the following sentence:
"The share of renewable energy in Germany was 35 % and thus higher than the one of Europe as a whole"
Would you rather use 'Europe as a whole' or only 'Europe'? The ...
- 364
2
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0
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44
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Would see someone [do vs doing] something
I remember seeing an expression along the lines of "An act that would see him X"
For instance:
"The chess player prepared to make the move that would see him [win/winning] the game."
"He insulted the ...
2
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0
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2k
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Word or phrase for customers won from a competitor
In the context of a company that makes or sells a product (e.g. accounting software) where there are many alternatives on the market, is there a word or [short] phrase to describe "new customers that ...
CommunityBot
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2
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0
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Came "into" fruition?
My friend wrote some copy, explaining that her "company came into fruition because she realized the opportunity..."
I've never used "came into fruition" -- only "came to fruition". Is "came into ...
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0
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546
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A word or term for extrapolation fallacy or using results beyond their context? [Solved]
I am looking for a word or term that means something like:
you are using previous results outside boundaries of the original experiment/observation
earlier experience/results does not apply in all ...
- 133
2
votes
1
answer
263
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so far...as that
Charles Dickens wrote in his preface to A Tale of Two Cities the following sentence:
I have so far verified what is done and suffered in these pages, as that I have certainly done and suffered it ...
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1
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Usage of "spend time"
I live in Japan and have noticed that a lot Japanese people are prone to say/write "I spent a good time with my friends/family/kids." It has always rubbed me the wrong way, and when I can, I ...
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1
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109
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Instilled - is there a better word or phrase specifically for a child getting their interest/love of something from a parent
I'm looking for something to better evoke the gratitude one might feel towards their parent (or anyone, but parent in this case) for sharing their love of something (music, reading, etc.) in such a ...
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