A fearful over-reaction to an object or situation is labelled a phobia. Learn the definitions of two kinds of phobias, specific and social, as well as their causes and treatment. Explore our homework questions and answers library Search
The Cambridge Dictionaries Online says the noun is singular in the UK and plural in the US, though all the American dictionaries we’ve checked list “dripping” as the principal noun, with “drippings” as a common variant. Gravy, as every cook knows, is made from the drippings (we prefe...
Many people routinely stick a colon in front of every series or list. But that’s not always kosher, especially if the list is introduced by a verb or a preposition. The trouble is that it’s generally incorrect to use a colon to separate a preposition or a verb from its object. So ...
list those two pronunciations. In fact, M-W also lists a third standard pronunciation, with the vowel pronounced like the double “o” in “foot.” In short, our pronunciation of “to” is determined largely by what follows it.So Obama is using standard English here, and he’s not ...
“JOHN: Really, you are so vulgar and coarse, I just don’t want to hear it. “JACK: You’re still late. Is this better? You are screwing the pooch. “JOHN: (shrill laughter).” May goes on to explain that Rawlings enlisted in the Air Force and helped design early prototypes of ...
These are the relevant definitions from Oxford Dictionaries online, one of the standard, or general, dictionaries we regularly consult: Relate:“Give an account of (a sequence of events); narrate,” as in “various versions of the chilling story have been related by the locals.” Relay:“Rece...
In other words, THEE and THUH evolved as common practice, and dictionaries list them as differing pronunciations of “the” before vowel and consonant sounds. These are the standard pronunciations given in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.) and Merriam-Webster’s...
A: We’re sorry to be the bearers of bad news, but we checked half a dozen dictionaries and none of them consider “Ecuadoran” the preferred English adjective or noun for Ecuador and its citizens. Most of the dictionaries list “Ecuadorian” as the standard noun and adjective. The most ...
In both of those definitions, #1 and #2, something’s being executed, and here the verb “execute” means to carry out, produce, or put into effect. But, as you know, to “execute” also means to put to death. And once upon a time, an “executor” (pronounced EK-suh-kyoo-ter)...
(Sightings were reported in separate, nearly simultaneous postings to the ADS-L, the mailing list of the American Dialect Society, by Ben Zimmer and Garson O’Toole on March 9, 2021.) And your hosts at Grammarphobia found several examples in a letter written in February 1949 in Australia....