Wordwizard

Erik_Kowal wrote: ↑Fri Feb 12, 2021 3:27 am to attract the attention of one of the waitstaff

"Waitstaff" is new to me.

I can't vouch for the accuracy of this but it amuses.

https://youtu.be/LQEzTcLH27U

In (a) I would expect "choice" rather than "choices", And "without" would be wrong. Although it would convey the same meaning. My German teacher, I only have a little German, was puzzled by the English use of "not bad" in response to the question "how are you". "Nicht schlecht" was not an appropriat...

I would call the parking facility "attended parking". The ticket is simply a "parking ticket".

Ah! Stochastic is the new, cool word for random. At work w used to reserve stochastic for probabilistic results that varied with time. Most of us came across it within Monte Carlo methods applied to any number of real world problems. I guess that soon we will have stochastic advertising. Being: adve...

I enjoy this group as a means of getting away from it all. I do not enjoy this thread and I think of leaving this group when I see it. As I see it: 1. The promised referendum on Maastricht was abandoned because the polls showed it would be lost. 2. The promised referendum on The European Reform Trea...

PauladePlume wrote: ↑Sun Aug 11, 2019 8:22 pm You guys have one of the best sites for phrases I've ever seen!

Compliments are always welcome.

If I have the opportunity to "adjust the Overton window" I think I will coin refenestration. eg "I shall refenestrate the Overton window."


And, just for interest something I have just found: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/ent ... _of_Prague

Bobinwales wrote: ↑Fri Aug 09, 2019 3:46 pm I hope he did, but I seriously doubt it.

My father was a director of various book publishers. He would say that for most authors the only thing worse than not having their book published was having your book published. Either it failed miserably or they could never write a second.

The challenge for the English is that they don't really get loud about complaining. We always imagine Americans are much more exuberant in their emotions. We tend to be quiet and firm. So phrases like "created a scene", "created a bit of a fuss", "raised voices" are all useful.

What is the scenario? At home? At Work? Outside the presidential place? In a restaurant or shop?

The opening paragraphs of Finnegan's Wake. I have highlighted one of his eccentric long words which never quite made it into common usage: riverrun, past Eve and Adam’s, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs. Sir Tristr...

I have taken-up reading it, and have come across the word "beesknees", which appears to be his word-of-the-moment for "business". Any insights? Thanks in advance. I wonder how you managed to survive until beesknees without a serious call for help. I remember my brother trying to read a part of it a...

Husky voices:

https://youtu.be/W-Zcbsd6tmY

As an aside when commissioning technical specifications I do not allow the use of "only" (or "could" or "should"). They are all words that lead to messy interpretation and errors. When asked why I comment that the phrase "I only go shopping on Wednesdays" is open to multiple interpretations. Change ...