Wordwizard

We call them "drinking fountains". I guess it's a sign of the times, but when I was a kid they were everywhere... in department stores, bus depots, random spots on the sidewalk downtown...

Most certainly, it can apply to a person. Your example is perfect. When you apply it to a person, you need some sort of qualifier, explaining in what way they you think they are second to none...as a cook, as a Mom , as a friend, as a bullshitter, etc. You wouldn't just say "Julia is second to none"...

...and it probably won't be the last time!

Is it just me, or does using "doctor" (change in order to deceive) in a statement about something medical seem to somehow detract from the statement? I immediately thought there was some (attempt at) humour injected in there and questioned how serious the statement was. For some reason, I would not ...

Oh....that Alexander. I was racking my brain, trying to work out exactly how side-swiping your husband's car related to one of history's greatest military strategists...

Heard in the wild, at work:

" I have to say...I'm a little skeptable"

The funny thing is... I don't ever trust a word this guy says. He really is a little skeptable.

They both may be "grammatical and natural to use", but for some reason (that I can't explain), #1 seems a little oddly worded. There is something about the "only went to school until 10th grade" part that doesn't sit right with me. I'm not sure it's incorrect, but I wouldn't say it that way.

This is one of those phrases that just seemed to come out of nowhere and, very quickly, be everywhere. I heard it for about the tenth time in the last couple of days and wondered how and when it started. Here's a quick read, with some surprising facts for anyone else who is curious. https://www.merr...

G. No one else buys eggs for my dog.

F. If I need eggs, I always steal them. I only buy eggs for my dog.

"I guess one way to read '1' is that dessert was probably the most unhealthy thing you could eat on the menu."

I don't really see any other way to read that.(I'm not up on my "colon rules") If the intended meaning was "she chose the most unhealthy dessert"... then just say that...easy -peasy!

The more I look at these, the more unsure I am of their intended meanings. It shouldn't be that hard to glean what someone is trying to say...if it is, then it should be expressed differently. Unless I have missed the point all these years, surely the idea is to communicate precisely and effectively...

While listening to a couple of US political pundits, after that schoolyard fight last night, I heard the word “hector” used to describe one of the debaters (guess who?). One of them was “hectoring” the other. I thought I had misheard “heckle/heckling”. That certainly seemed to fit what I seen on the...

I guess it's like "putting a lid" on something:
https://politicaldictionary.com/words/lid/

Steve, it was a joke...or at least, an attempt at one. I was referring to my life-long misinterpretation of the phrase "thanks a bunch" and hinting that now I have to reconsider what people really mean every time they thank me. You've made over 2800 posts here and I'd wager that about 50% of those w...