Comment by John Gordon on Word for "it is so because we say so, period."
Fiat. Latin "let it be". Vernacular "because I said so."
View ArticleComment by John Gordon on What are the implications of "at my disposal"
In the context of something being at your disposal, the word "disposal" does not have the connotation of being consumed/used up/thrown away.
View ArticleComment by John Gordon on A noun for a person who dominates as social...
I might say he's a loudmouth, or he's a talker, with "talker" carrying a negative connotation.
View ArticleComment by John Gordon on What is a term for a phenomenon where two people...
I don't think mythical man month applies here. In that case, the extra worker is doing the same general job as the other workers, i.e. "software developer", but the specific job is different, i.e....
View ArticleComment by John Gordon on Meaning of words "bake" and "painting" in context...
Wouldn't one just remove the battery before baking?
View ArticleComment by John Gordon on Use of 'as for'
The girls were known (i.e. had a reputation amongst others) for making messes. And for their speaking accents. And for giggling.
View ArticleComment by John Gordon on Word for a choice that is not really a choice
Are you looking for a word that that is specific to cultural norms? Because there are a million things we could choose to do every day, but we don't, because those choices are obviously terrible. I...
View ArticleComment by John Gordon on (Please see the image) would this be called...
When A leans on B, I think of it as A is supported only laterally by B, it is not supported from underneath.
View ArticleComment by John Gordon on Clause structure of "Five'll get you ten, this rain...
I believe Five'll get you ten is a reference to a $5 bet with a $10 winning payout.
View ArticleComment by John Gordon on Idiomatic expression for "putting off a task until...
"Wait until the last minute" is close, although it does not have the meaning of disaster/emergency, but simply time running out.
View ArticleComment by John Gordon on Does "overwhelming" equate to "majority"?
pleonastic TIL a new word.
View ArticleComment by John Gordon on Does "overwhelming" equate to "majority"?
In cooking, a dish could have an overwhelming amount of salt, even though the actual proportion of salt is much less than the other ingredients.
View ArticleComment by John Gordon on 'I think IT unlikely that our team can win'.
it refers to the outcome that our team wins a game this season.
View ArticleComment by John Gordon on What is the meaning of the sentence "The apocalypse...
Native speaker here (midwestern US). I don't think I have ever seen that usage.
View ArticleNegation with 'such as'
I want a foo that doesn't bar, such as a baz.Is baz referring to a foo that does bar, or a foo that does not bar?
View ArticleAnswer by John Gordon for What is the difference between didn’t get to sleep...
"I didn't get to sleep for two or three hours" could mean that the person wasn't trying to fall asleep -- maybe they were listening to music or reading a book."Toss and turn" means they were trying --...
View ArticleAnswer by John Gordon for Is there one word for "being deceived into complying"?
How about just plain tricked?Trick: a crafty or underhanded device, maneuver, stratagem, or the like, intended to deceive or cheat; artifice; ruse; wile.
View ArticleAnswer by John Gordon for Word or expression to describe the feeling of...
You can't go home againThe place has changed, and/or you have changed, so the experience will not be as you remember it.
View ArticleAnswer by John Gordon for What is the word for a belief that is nearly...
Non-starter(informal) a person, plan, or idea that has no chance of succeeding or being effective. "as a business proposition it's a nonstarter"
View ArticleWhy do police use the word "individual" instead of "person"?
I've noticed that when referring to an unknown perpetrator, police often use the term "individual".For example see this article.What is the purpose of using this word? I've always found it odd....
View ArticleAnswer by John Gordon for Is there a phrase that means "too important"?
dwarfv. To make something seem small by comparison.This year’s budget dwarfs all previous ones.In your example:We tried adding a new super-queen to our variant chess game that could move anywhere --...
View ArticleAnswer by John Gordon for What's the best description for this game-piece...
IntersectionA red piece may be placed at the intersection of four squares, instead of inside a square.
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