User Nigel J - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

45 votes

11 answers

13k views

Why is the 'anti' in 'anti-semitism'?

asked Dec 2, 2019 at 5:59

43 votes

2 answers

9k views

Why and when did 'Down's Syndrome' change to 'Down Syndrome'?

asked Mar 18, 2018 at 16:20

30 votes

4 answers

6k views

When is the earliest usage of 'woke' and 'wokeness' in their meaning of awareness of social injustice?

asked Dec 19, 2017 at 17:15

23 votes

7 answers

14k views

How and when did 'being fired' come to mean losing one's job?

asked Feb 11, 2019 at 23:30

20 votes

1 answer

2k views

Why do some ---ify verbs have a different noun ending?

asked Feb 23, 2018 at 1:20

18 votes

9 answers

5k views

What has this tree done, with respect to the fence (picture)?

asked Oct 30, 2018 at 15:02

15 votes

3 answers

4k views

Is it correct to say 'a four doored car'?

asked Oct 15, 2021 at 21:18

13 votes

3 answers

2k views

Is 'server', as used of restaurant server, only an AmE expression?

asked Jul 23, 2018 at 10:23

12 votes

4 answers

4k views

What part of speech is 'say' ? If I were, say, to use it?

asked Mar 3, 2018 at 15:42

12 votes

3 answers

1k views

What is the origin of the verb 'foxed' in reference to book condition?

asked Nov 8, 2023 at 10:30

11 votes

2 answers

2k views

Does 'puggled' mean tired or drunk?

asked Apr 21 at 17:02

9 votes

1 answer

1k views

'It addicted me, with one taste.' Can 'addict' be used transitively?

asked Apr 26, 2019 at 9:00

9 votes

3 answers

2k views

What is the origin of 'fuddy-duddy'?

asked Jan 6, 2018 at 14:40

8 votes

6 answers

15k views

So which should it be - 'lock and load' or 'load and lock'?

asked Nov 21, 2017 at 20:53

8 votes

3 answers

296 views

Why is 'immune' used with 'to'?

asked Sep 4, 2018 at 19:36

7 votes

2 answers

514 views

Can anyone translate this text from the Wessex Gospels of 1175, please?

asked Feb 27, 2018 at 0:45

7 votes

5 answers

2k views

What part of speech is 'really' when it is spoken in a sentence on its own?

asked Jun 2 at 13:11

6 votes

4 answers

470 views

'The Queen That Never Was' or 'The Queen Who Never Was'?

asked Dec 8, 2019 at 13:29

6 votes

2 answers

302 views

A question about 'reptiles and volatiles' to describe creatures

asked Aug 9, 2019 at 15:26

6 votes

2 answers

1k views

A question about the word 'blood' meaning 'a close relative'?

asked Sep 22, 2020 at 17:04

6 votes

4 answers

889 views

Is there a word in English which expresses the idea of 'logicate' (which is not an English word)?

asked Oct 12, 2017 at 9:54

5 votes

3 answers

5k views

What is the origin of the expression to "peter out" meaning to dwindle?

asked Jan 4, 2018 at 3:39

5 votes

1 answer

259 views

For how long have "death and taxes" been accepted as a "certainty"?

asked Feb 18, 2018 at 18:03

5 votes

2 answers

328 views

Does 'climacteric' necessarily express a 'peak' after which there will be a 'decline'?

asked May 16, 2018 at 13:03

5 votes

8 answers

3k views

What is the meaning and derivation of 'cowp'?

asked Aug 9, 2020 at 6:55

5 votes

1 answer

975 views

Why is there an 'h' at the end of the word 'cheetah'?

asked Apr 23, 2019 at 16:56

5 votes

3 answers

539 views

What is the meaning (and origin) of the word 'peck' in the expression 'bomb peck' (BrE)?

asked May 3, 2023 at 13:40

4 votes

1 answer

1k views

How did a Greek 'table' become an English 'trapeze'?

asked Jul 8, 2019 at 14:32

4 votes

1 answer

2k views

The origin of the expression 'move heaven and earth'?

asked Oct 8, 2019 at 8:54

4 votes

2 answers

275 views

What is the term for this non-paperclip technique?

asked Jun 22, 2018 at 8:54

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124 Questions

Why is the 'anti' in 'anti-semitism'?

Why and when did 'Down's Syndrome' change to 'Down Syndrome'?

When is the earliest usage of 'woke' and 'wokeness' in their meaning of awareness of social injustice?

How and when did 'being fired' come to mean losing one's job?

Why do some ---ify verbs have a different noun ending?

What has this tree done, with respect to the fence (picture)?

Is it correct to say 'a four doored car'?

Is 'server', as used of restaurant server, only an AmE expression?

What part of speech is 'say' ? If I were, say, to use it?

What is the origin of the verb 'foxed' in reference to book condition?

Does 'puggled' mean tired or drunk?

'It addicted me, with one taste.' Can 'addict' be used transitively?

What is the origin of 'fuddy-duddy'?

So which should it be - 'lock and load' or 'load and lock'?

Why is 'immune' used with 'to'?

Can anyone translate this text from the Wessex Gospels of 1175, please?

What part of speech is 'really' when it is spoken in a sentence on its own?

'The Queen That Never Was' or 'The Queen Who Never Was'?

A question about 'reptiles and volatiles' to describe creatures

A question about the word 'blood' meaning 'a close relative'?

Is there a word in English which expresses the idea of 'logicate' (which is not an English word)?

What is the origin of the expression to "peter out" meaning to dwindle?

For how long have "death and taxes" been accepted as a "certainty"?

Does 'climacteric' necessarily express a 'peak' after which there will be a 'decline'?

What is the meaning and derivation of 'cowp'?

Why is there an 'h' at the end of the word 'cheetah'?

What is the meaning (and origin) of the word 'peck' in the expression 'bomb peck' (BrE)?

How did a Greek 'table' become an English 'trapeze'?

The origin of the expression 'move heaven and earth'?

What is the term for this non-paperclip technique?