All Questions
Tagged with british-english meaning
238
questions
7
votes
1
answer
994
views
What is the meaning of "sutting "?
On Netflix, I came across the word sutting while watching a British series called Supacell. It seems that the actor was talking about a gun. Unfortunately, I haven't found its meaning in any ...
- 145
6
votes
1
answer
532
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Is 'bunch' meaning 'protuberance, swelling' used in British English?
Looking up 'bunch' with reference to a question on ELL, I noticed that Merriam-Webster's first definition is protuberance, swelling. I don't see a similar meaning given by other online dictionaries, ...
- 26.1k
1
vote
1
answer
82
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being nice vs. being kind [closed]
In the TV series Doctor Who, in his last episode 'Twice Upon a Time', the 12th doctor says:
Always try to be nice
and never fail to be kind.
full quote on wikiquote
What is the difference between ...
- 111
20
votes
2
answers
4k
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What does this Peter Sellers sentence mean?
What does the sentence mean which Peter Sellers is here quoting from his grandad?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mbUdsQfSq0&t=294s
(I refer to the sentence he says immediately after you start ...
- 319
2
votes
1
answer
203
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British school terminology "given yards"
In a recent Tom Scott video, an older gentleman who is currently serving as the town crier of Honiton recounts his childhood involvement in the "hot penny festival".
We used to wear gloves, ...
- 690
12
votes
3
answers
3k
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The British equivalent of "X objects in a trenchcoat"
Today while giving a technical presentation to our research group, I used the expression
3 [Insert technical thing here]s in a trenchcoat.
Our advisor (British/African roots, but has been in the US ...
4
votes
2
answers
153
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Meaning, origin, and usage of 'mitch' to mean lucky/unlikely
Wuthering Heights' Joseph is, in my opinion, one of the more annoying characters in the book, because of a) his temperament, and b) the opaque transcriptions of his thick Yorkshire accent and ...
- 8,620
5
votes
3
answers
539
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What is the meaning (and origin) of the word 'peck' in the expression 'bomb peck' (BrE)?
Someone used the words 'bomb peck' in conversation to me yesterday and I queried what they meant. I have found the expression being used colloquially online but with no explanation of what 'peck' ...
- 24.8k
-1
votes
2
answers
129
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Usage of non-definitive answer to a definitive question
I'm having a discussion with someone currently about the use of non-definitive answers to definitive questions, and am hoping StackExchange might be able to help me with this one!
The person I'm ...
- 101
42
votes
2
answers
9k
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In England, why are some high schools called hospitals?
I noticed that in the UK some high schools are called hospitals. For example, Grey Coat Hospital,
Christ's Hospital and Queen Elizabeth's Hospital. Does hospital sometimes mean school?
- 2,501
0
votes
1
answer
184
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"Cask" as for "coffin"
I'm wondering if the word "cask" in English can be used to mean "coffin".
I know it means barrel but can it be used to mean the thing someone is buried in or you see at a funeral?
- 103
10
votes
2
answers
2k
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What does "a chip of strawberries" mean?
In Chapter 10 of Ulysses, there is another confusing quote among all the other innumerable "poetic" and "literary" and "metaphorical" ones:
Blazes Boylan walked here and ...
1
vote
2
answers
105
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Talking "saloon"
I recollect vaguely a line found in some piece of poetry by Dylan Thomas, and it suggests a question in many ways puzzling that I could hardly answer. I have not been able to find the poem and I ...
- 22.7k
6
votes
1
answer
124
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Does 'pre-empt' have 'presage, signal, or indicate' as one of its meanings in current British English usage?
A UK Ministry of Defence 'Intelligence Update' posted on Twitter on October 29, 2022, includes the following bullet point:
In the Russian national identity, [Prince Grigory] Potemkin is heavily ...
- 165k
0
votes
1
answer
85
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What is the meaning of "can I help this"?
What is the meaning of "can I help this?" in this passage from Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop? Is it "can I avoid this?"
Now, whether she was in her laughing joy, or in her ...
- 33