All Questions
Tagged with single-word-requests phrase-requests
3,113
questions
272
votes
11
answers
109k
views
Is there a word or phrase for the feeling you get after looking at a word for too long?
Sometimes after looking at a word for a while, I become convinced that it can't possibly be spelled correctly. Even after looking it up, sounding it out, and realizing that there's simply no other ...
- 6,855
133
votes
11
answers
127k
views
Alternative terms to "Blacklist" and "Whitelist"
My company is developing a management tool for managing SIM cards. One of the features of the tool is to block the SIM card if it's put into a disallowed device by device IMEI validation.
The feature ...
- 1,491
105
votes
21
answers
25k
views
How to say that food is hot (temperature) without the listener thinking that I mean "spicy"?
There is an excellent discussion of spicy vs. hot at this question.
However, having read it, I did not see any answer that tells how to say unambiguously that food is hot (temperature) without being ...
- 1,901
94
votes
7
answers
22k
views
Is there a gender neutral equivalent of “manspreading”?
Who knew that the term manspreading is considered deeply sexist? I didn't
A nameless user proposed to delete the term from an answer of mine. His explanation was “remove misandry”. I had written
...
- 91.9k
86
votes
28
answers
151k
views
Idiom or word for a very crowded place
There is a popular idiom in Russian for describing a really crowded place: "(there's) no room for an apple to fall" ("яблоку негде упасть").
I struggle to think of anything similar in English, and ...
- 97.5k
83
votes
25
answers
52k
views
What is deliberately using complex sentences to confuse people called?
I'm wondering if there's a word, phrase, or idiom to describe the action of deliberately confusing people by using complex sentences. For example, some politicians will throw out some big words and ...
- 1,632
74
votes
14
answers
57k
views
Is there a polite alternative to "No thanks, I'm full"?
English is not my native language, but when I was studying in the US, I was always trying to find an alternative to
I'm full!
I felt that it was a very improper way to express that I have eaten ...
- 773
69
votes
4
answers
11k
views
Is there a term for the type of misleading joke comedians such as Stephen Colbert often use?
The Late Show host, Stephen Colbert (an American talk show host, don't mind that, just think of him as some random guy you don't have to care about) quite often uses a type of joke whereby he ...
- 5,401
67
votes
22
answers
48k
views
Is there an idiom or typical expression for an unfunny joke? [closed]
Could you tell me some suitable idioms to express this situation:
A guy told you a joke, but it's not funny at all.
In Japanese, we say "He slipped" or "His joke was so cold that the air got ...
- 946
67
votes
8
answers
17k
views
What is it called when you search for something on the internet and end up looking for other and it goes in endless meander? [duplicate]
What am I doing when I search for something on the internet and the search provides for some other interesting stuff apart from what I was looking for and I end up opening an infinite number of ...
- 3,102
66
votes
11
answers
6k
views
Is there an English phrase for an inability to actually *leave* already?
There is a Hungarian expression, küszöbgörcs, which literally means "threshold-cramp", and is used to describe that long conversation you have in the entryway, with all the guests awkwardly holding ...
- 32.9k
65
votes
11
answers
47k
views
Is there a general word or phrase to describe the things you do after getting up, such as face-washing?
I'm looking for a more general word or phrase to describe the things like face-washing, tooth-brushing and gargling together.
The word or phrase is to these things as doing sports is to playing ...
- 777
64
votes
21
answers
25k
views
What is the word for always YES (100%) or always NO (0%), never in-between
For example:
1) In statistics, this attribute will always either be 0% or 100%, never in-between.
2) The boundary is either safe or destroyed, because there is never a state where it is only '...
- 753
61
votes
19
answers
17k
views
The act of baiting someone into (incorrectly) calling bullshit
Is there a single word, or commonly-used term, to describe the act of baiting another person into calling bullshit, when in fact you're not bullshitting?
Conceptually, this either a sub-type, or the ...
- 28.4k
58
votes
13
answers
11k
views
A skill that you have, but has little to no benefit for you
Most of us have these little things we are able to do, that are a little different or special. Maybe it is something we mostly use in laid-back social situations, to break the ice and get a laugh. ...
- 12.9k