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1 vote
6 answers
6k views

Is there a word or phrase for questioning authority?

I'm looking for a word or phrase that questions authority but not to the point of open defiance. As an example: Boss: I think my plan is the best plan and we're going with it. Employee: Well, it may ...
22 votes
16 answers
168k views

What is a term for someone who doesn't know what they haven't experienced?

I'm struggling to find a word or short term for a person or group of people who do not experience jealousy/remorse/etc. due to a lack of something. For example, people from the middle ages could not ...
1 vote
2 answers
79 views

What's a word for feeling or being invisible (maybe in person or socially) but obviously or physically there

I'm not good at describing stuff, so I'm sorry. But is there a word that means something like feeling socially invisible yet you're not really? Like being invisible to other people despite being ...
34 votes
11 answers
7k views

Slang word for "police station"

For a story I'm writing, I've stumbled over a word and dictionaries aren't much help (if they turn up anything at all, they don't give me a good feel for either the exact meaning or usage). I need a ...
0 votes
0 answers
50 views

A word(s) describing a person with control/power over an important aspect of others lives. They abuse that power to harm others and personal gain [duplicate]

I am in need of a word(s) or term(s)for a person who willingly, openly, and unapologetically abuses the power or influence they have over other peoples lives,more precisely; people who have control or ...
11 votes
6 answers
3k views

What is the American equivalent of a "backie"?

From Collins informal Brit a ride on the back of someone's bicycle And here the words backie or backy is listed as an "untranslatable", the blogger found no American equivalent. The BBC have been ...
13 votes
8 answers
16k views

Is there a term for "mains power" in U.S. English?

I'm not sure if this is a case of selective memory, or if it's real. It seems that Americans do not use the term "mains power," which is common in British English. The closest synonym I know is "wall ...
1 vote
4 answers
719 views

Is there a word for fans making excuses for their favorite artist? [duplicate]

The example I'm thinking of is Bethesda and Starfield. Other than the graphics it's not a well designed game, but people keep making excuses for it, when smaller teams have done far more with far less ...
13 votes
10 answers
3k views

American Equivalent of "Bog Standard"

I'm searching for an American English phrase that is the most readily equivalent to the British expression bog standard (which means, as I understand, plain, ordinary or unremarkable). I'm tempted to ...
8 votes
7 answers
23k views

What do you call an area enclosed by apartment complex structures? Is it a courtyard?

Please take a look at the picture above. This is an inside area surrounded by apartment complex buildings. It contains parking space for the residents and a playground for kids. What would be the ...
0 votes
4 answers
112 views

Is there a shorter expression for 'are not commonly discussed as much as'?

I am currently doing some writing, and constantly try to create smooth transition and ease of readability and linkage between sentences. This sentence feels like it kind of halts the reader a bit. ...
15 votes
6 answers
20k views

British and American most common term for rubber/eraser shavings

I've been looking for the name of the rubbish left when one uses a rubber (UK), eraser (US). I've come across a plethora of terms but it isn't clear which are more “universal”. (After all, a sharpener ...
9 votes
1 answer
6k views

Why does the "e" in judge vanish in the word "judgment"?

The in the word "judgment", the "e" from "judge" is absent. Three questions on this: Why is this? Is there a name for such a contraction? How and why does the "g" still retain its "soft" ...
0 votes
1 answer
184 views

"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?
20 votes
3 answers
3k views

Southern Dialect: Word for a time of day?

I remember reading a story somewhere that a Southerner wrote about one of his life experiences. He mentioned that in the region he lived there was a time of day that cooled off a large amount in less ...

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