Language Overflow

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Catija

00:00

Yeah, I just had the Smokey people add the IPS chat room to the smokey alerts, so we'll see them in there the way they show up in here.

Jasper

00:43

Still no news of Damkerng. Maybe someone else can send him an email.

1 hour later…

Jasper

02:04

I got the enthusiast badge, lol.

CowperKettle

02:50

Good morn

!define esculent

Anonymous

esculent

Adjective: esculent (comparative more esculent, superlative most esculent)

Edible.
"Good enough to eat": attractive.

Noun: esculent (plural esculents)

Something edible, especially a vegetable; a comestible.
(mycophagy) An edible mushroom.

Anonymous

I guess you type define: esculent

Anonymous

Though let's try the NOAD instead: en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/esculent

Anonymous

en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/propitious

CowperKettle

Thank you!

CowperKettle

03:18

> Early 17th century: from Latin esculentus, from esca ‘food’, from esse ‘eat’.

Jasper

03:55

@snailplane What's your favourite dictionary? NOAD?

2 hours later…

Anonymous

05:36

@Jasper Probably 明鏡国語辞典.

Jasper

@snailplane LOL. I meant English dictionary. Anyway, I can read those words because they are Chinese as well as Japanese.

I think my favourite English dictionary would be Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.

I don't like Oxford Dictionary of English because it does not give the pronunciation of every headword.

I don't like New Oxford American Dictionary because it is merely edited from Oxford Dictionary of English.

Anonymous

06:05

I like different dictionaries for different things. I don't have any one dictionary that I feel is sufficient for every purpose.

Anonymous

I feel like, if you're willing to use multiple dictionaries, then each one can make up for the weaknesses the others might have.

Anonymous

I really like the LDOCE and Macmillan Dictionary, and of course the OED. The ODE/NOAD is actually quite good but as you've noticed it does have some limitations. I like the ODE better than the NOAD version.

Anonymous

For the LDOCE, a lot of research went into how learners use dictionaries, and they came up with new ways to present the information in their entries, ways that are helpful for learners.

Anonymous

And it's fairly comprehensive, though you won't find everything in there.

Anonymous

Well, you won't find everything in any dictionary. Not even the OED.

Anonymous

06:08

For historical information, the OED is unrivaled.

Anonymous

Macmillan is a really nice general purpose dictionary. It has simple definitions, fairly good transcriptions of pronunciation for BrE and AmE both, including IPA for AmE. (Too many dictionaries of AmE, particularly those targeted at native speakers, use a non-IPA system for transcription.)

Anonymous

I don't like the transcriptions in the ODE.

CowperKettle

06:21

> Check the machine’s control panel to make sure that no error signals are present; the signal column should display flashing yellow lights and constant green lights.

I wonder if this phrase is okay.

Maybe I should translate it as non-flashing green lights

Anonymous

It seems understandable either way. I like pairing flashing with non-flashing. It seems very clear to me.

CowperKettle

Ha!

It's static

It just occurred to me

Propitiously

Anonymous