English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

« first day (2498 days earlier) ← previous day next day → last day (2417 days later) »

3:46 AM

Q: One word for something that is distributed/handed out

I need a single word which is essentially an item/component which can be distributed to people. I would have termed them as distributables (something that is distributable - a distributable), but I don't see the word ever being used as a noun. For instance: Things like bookmarks and pamphlets ar...

single-word-requests

1 hour later…

Færd

4:47 AM

@Mitch When I come over I'll pay you a lump sum in cash.

3 hours later…

Feeds

7:20 AM

Q: Obsession with the rich and famous

Either a word or brief phrase describing the fixation on the part of ordinary people and the media on a small segment of society living an extravagant lifestyle. Example sentences: What's behind America's [obsession with the rich and famous]? A left-wing blogger called out the New York Times f...

single-word-requests phrase-requests

2 hours later…

Feeds

9:06 AM

Q: appointment for Life term

One of the director is being appointed as a Chairman. He shall remain so for his life term. Is there a particular term/word to describe a person holding a position or office for life.

single-word-requests

Valentin Drozdov

9:42 AM

@tchrist are you going to ignore me forever?

3 hours later…

user8469759

12:45 PM

can I substitute a relative pronoun with an -ing form?

like the following

"... an architecture candidate that meets all the requirements..."

"...an architecture candidate meeting all the requirements..."

Feeds

1:06 PM

Q: Alternative word for "preset"?

What kind of word can be used instead of preset? Need an alternative word that conveys a set of rules that already set

single-word-requests

2 hours later…

MetaEd

3:16 PM

@Mitch No, no, not cape on, you're thinking of that weird peninsula in Massachusetts.

Feeds

Q: Substitution for 'still going on'

What is the one word substitute for 'still going on' as in a question like ,' Did the class end or its still going on'?

single-word-requests

Gigili

@ValentinDrozdov What do you need him for? You can talk to me instead.

Mitch

3:41 PM

@MetaEd No no not Cape Anne, you mean the sound that happens when someone punches Batman in the face.

MetaEd

@Mitch No, no, not KER-POW, you mean spicy Thai chicken.

SmokeDetector

4:17 PM

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Bad keyword in answer: incorporating three points of data in a single sentence by Shadowtail on english.SE

MetaEd

4:47 PM

@SmokeDetector fp-

Mitch

@MetaEd No no not Kang Pao. You mean that director of comedies about being 40 years old

MetaEd

No, no, not Apatow. You're thinking of that movie with blue people.

Jasper

5:05 PM

Wow, I didn't know I could get 3 stars on the wall, miracle.

Feeds

5:32 PM

Q: Is there single word meaning "a meeting of evil people"?

Is there a single word that means "a meeting of evil/bad people"? I would like to use meeting or a gathering but with a negative connotation to it. Rather than writing: "I found myself intruding on a meeting of malicious people." I'd rather write something along the lines of "I happened across...

single-word-requests

Mitch

6:25 PM

@MetaEd no no not Avatar, you mean a large container of pitch

not the excrescence that was The Last Airbender

MetaEd

6:39 PM

@Mitch No, no, not vat of tar, aren't you thinking of that stew from France?

Gigili

No no no, baghali polo

MetaEd

Okay, I don't see what you did there.

But that's because I've never been here before.

Gigili

Aren't you the lurker with scary gloves?

Mitch

7:01 PM

@MetaEd no no not ... bouillabaisse? .... pot-au-feu? ... consommé?... velouté? ... Vichyssoise?... Brunswick stew?... burgoo?...

ohhh no no not ratatouille, you mean the mountain where Noah's Ark landed.

@Gigili no no not kashk bademjan, you mean the same thing but with tomatoes

NVZ

hello

do we have any meta question where we share our stories? or can we have one? what's your opinion?

an example from IPS, which in turn is inspired from another meta:

Q: Why are we here?

In the spirit of a similar question on World Building, I'd like to ask why we're here. Not as a site, but as individuals. What brought us here initially? Why did we stay? What makes this community meaningful for us? In short, why are you here? Let's take a moment to put our positions and pers...

discussion

Q: Who are you and what planet are you from?

In the lack of negativity to a suggestion I made in chat, I'm posting this. We've been running for quite a while now and we've got great activity. However, I feel like we could know each other better as a community. So: Post an answer. Tell us about yourself. What kind of thing do you do? Most ...

discussion community

Mitch

I'm not sure what answers you expect here. Maybe you can help by giving the first answer yourself. — NVZ Sep 2 at 5:27

NVZ

yeah, that was me.

until I got the point of it all. the answer to ultimate question of life, the universe and everything.

Mitch

NVZ

@mitch so, that's a "yeah, we would welcome such a question on ELU meta"?

or will it be me talking to a wall?

lol

@Mitch to be fair, i did sorta give my story here:

A: Should we try to contact regular users who are no longer active on ELU?

No, it's not our call. There are many reasons that experienced users have for the decline in their participation. I can share with you mine. How did I get here? I'm an Indian raised in the Middle East. I know English a bit better than my peers back in India. I'm overly conscious of my words, a...

i donno what more i should add to make a separate answer in case i make such a "why are we here?" on elu meta

hello metaed, are you here?

NVZ

7:34 PM

too late. already posted a meta. \o/

Mitch

@NVZ It seems... out of place here.

@NVZ haha. without looking at any activity there, I will make a prediction that ... open the envelope after a day or so.

NVZ

I'm sure someone would have an interesting story to share.

@Mitch Yep. Out of place. I hope I don't end up out of place as well.

Mitch

@NVZ Nah, no big thang.

Some people just get bored and move on to other time wasters. Candy Crush? Who plays that anymore?

NVZ

7:50 PM

@Mitch And they pay a fortune to play that. (read iPhone)

Mitch

SE on the iPhone is doable but not so easy to type non-trivial answers.

NVZ

Not just SE. The people who buy iPhones, I know a handful of them, they only ever play Candy Crush or some copycat of that. No other use for the iPhone.

Also, there's iPhone 10 now. What gives!

@MetaEd what's the highest number ever reached (on ELU, that is)?

Q: Posts pending review, now around 250

The review queues could use your help. It's up to 250 now. Yours truly.

discussion

MetaEd

@Mitch No, no, not Ararat, you mean that little Palestinian guy.

@NVZ tchrist might know how to look that up.

Gigili

@Mitch raises hand

NVZ

@MetaEd Well, @tchrist is the Jon Skeet of ELU, I say. He will know everything. :)

MetaEd

8:07 PM

@RegDwigнt Someone broke into his home, ignored the electronics and stole $7 000 in Legos

NVZ

I'm so used to using Libre Baskerville that I've forgotten what Georgia looks like on ELU. Have you guys tried Libre Baskerville (from Google Fonts)? It's the best.

Mitch

@Gigili wait til the next game comes along. or rather when the movie comes out. that will ill interest in it for those still playing. poor lonely candy crush.

@MetaEd no no not_Arafat_. You mean that new German party that started of libertarian but is now just anti-immigrant

MetaEd

@Mitch Stumped.

Somebody help me out here.

NVZ

@MetaEd why? are you drowning? \o/

time for me to disappear.. poof..

MetaEd

@NVZ _o_

Gigili

8:40 PM

@Mitch No no no not Mirza ghasemi, you mean the stew with ground walnuts and pomegranate syrup

MetaEd

8:54 PM

Want.

themacadames.com/2014/12/23/…

Vegan recipe.

Mitch

9:56 PM

@Gigili none of these are rhyming but here goes anyway... no no not fesenjan , you mean... wait I gotta come up with another? uh... the spinach stew that sounds like a cat?

@MetaEd hm... I thought it might be a stretch. It's not pegida which totally is anti-immigrant, it's in its name. Let's call it an 'alternative' to pegida.

1 hour later…

Feeds

11:01 PM

Q: An adjective for a "scene" that has a lot of different things in it?

Considering all different views, we see how ----- the scene about phenomenon X is. I want an adjective for the blank above, an adjective that means "containing a lot of different things". I found this word "varietal" but it seems to be used mostly for biological usages.