Questions tagged [phrase-usage]
How and why certain phrases are used in varying ways within various contexts.
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The grammar and semantics of "eat our way to ours" in a specific context
I encountered an unusual grammatical construction while watching a scene from Scooby-Doo! first frights (video link for context).
The character Shaggy says:
"With Scoob and my sweet dance moves ...
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Usage of the phrase "to take your school"?
I recently read the children's book Mr Mole Takes Charge (1967) by Jane Pilgrim.
It includes the following line.
"You will not be well enough to take your school on Monday," he said.
I ...
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Are sleeves somehow connected with old women?
I cannot understand a joke about the sleeves in the book The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani.
An 81-year old granny complains to her granddaughter. “Old age is terrible.” The girl says, “There ...
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Meaning of "back the car up"
I recently came across the phrase/phrasal verb "back the car up" in a stand up comedy. https://youtu.be/bUYUSXyp3Pg?si=HN27fFAsRkOrdbI4
At 0.27 when he says back the car up, I wonder wether ...
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"Can you change me?"
I was at a retail store buying some stuff. As I was standing at the counter to check out, a foreign military person, whom I suspect was with the U.N., walked in, held up a U.S. dollar bill, and asked ...
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Is it proper to say "vanish into (thin air)"? [closed]
Saying "disappeared into thin air" sounds just fine, but "vanished into" seems wrong. "Vanished from" is also just fine. It's just "vanished into."
user772444
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What is being given and received in 'exchange [thing 1] for [thing 2]'? [duplicate]
I was reading an article on Investopedia about Stock Swap. I came across this line:
'An acquiring company's stock is exchanged for the stock of the acquired company.'
This line seems to be addressed ...
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In the phrase “advance planning”, is the adjective “advance” redundant?
I often hear phrases like “advance planning” or “advanced warning”.
But isn’t all planning inherently done in advance anyway? Wouldn’t just “planning” or “warning” suffice?
Or is the use of “advance” ...
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Is "out of midair" a generally well-understood phrase?
Though less often used in more formal writing, this phrase is quite common in sports journalism. For example:
"Jalen Duren snatches the ball out of midair for an incredible block."
Sure, ...
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Is the expression “dumber than a sack of bricks” in common usage?
Today Elon Musk was reported as having used the expression:
“He is dumber than a sack of bricks”.
The saying strikes me as a bit odd, and checking a few dictionaries it appears that like a bag, a ...
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"Something free" vs "free something"
I'm in Spain.
Bars usually offer a free appetizer with a drink, the typical "Spanish tapa." Going to the bar on the corner of my house, I wanted to make a joke and ordered "una cerveza ...
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"If it works, it works" [closed]
I've always hated the phrase
If it works, it works.
I know it's trying to say that if something already functions as intended, then there's no reason to change it. But is that always necessarily the ...
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Is ��Raid Kills Bugs Dead’ grammatical?
I came across this slogan from Raid: ‘Raid Kills Bugs Dead’ written by poet Lew Welch. It is apparently very successful (having its own section in Raid's Wikipedia). But isn’t the sentence ...
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How does the meaning of "high time" depend on the tone of voice and/or context?
I read the following explanation for the phrase "high time" in Dictionary.com:
The appropriate time for something; also, past the appropriate time.
For example,
It's high time we did ...
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'Each time' vs. 'Every time'
Sentence:
He never looked quite the same every/each time she looked at him.
every time
idiom
: each time : whenever
Every time I go there I learn something new.
Merriam-Webster
I want to say that ...
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