English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

Færd

17:07

Can swing simply mean run around playfully?

> This tapestry depicts some children swinging in a rural garden.

tchrist

No.

It means they're playing on a swing set.

Færd

Thanks.

tchrist

Without the cultural imagery, I can see why that’s opaque.

Færd

Actually I thought of that too, but dismissed it.

In Farsi swing can mean hang around or run around playfully.

And hang and swing are somewhat synonymous.

@tchrist What imagery exactly?

tchrist

@Færd These

So the typical playground swing sets of young children.

Færd

17:19

Sweet. I had one in our yard too.

tchrist

Some of the old children's playground gizmos like those are no more due to health-and-safety liability concerns.

Færd

Children fall down off them too often?

tchrist

We had one of those ^^^^

Those, too ^^^^

Except ours were in color, not black-and-white. :)

Færd

In the private backyard of your house? Or the nearby park?

tchrist

At the schoolyard half a block away.

Færd

17:30

Nice.

tchrist

Færd

Mine was a single swinging seat that my dad made with a board and a length of rope.

tchrist

I’m getting these from here

They were all great fun for kids.

Or substitute in "mid-century" for "vintage" in that search.

Færd

I guess they are replaced now with toys more fun.

(If toy is an appropriate term for them.)

tchrist

Yeah, I was struggling with toy as well.

But no, they have been replaced with gizmos that are less fun but less unsafe.

These days you have to ridiculously out of your way to find playground toys like that you can play on, and you usually have to indemnify their owners from all responsibility if you break your arm, leg, face, or neck.

Demisemihemidemisemiquaver

17:36

Our playground had a metal slide, a seesaw, and 3 swings.

What sucked is that usually all of it was taken up

So we built our own mini-playground

And then our neighbors took that over

tchrist

Cool!

Uncool?

Demisemihemidemisemiquaver

Very

We live in a condo

So our neighbors would just use it when we weren't looking

And then slowly they would do it when we were.

So we just took it down.

Færd

I had a seat swinging from a barfix in the house, so that one was all mine.

tchrist

Swinging ropes over a river.

Demisemihemidemisemiquaver

We had a hill for a while

That was fun

tchrist

17:43

This is the one in Boulder:

Demisemihemidemisemiquaver

My childhood

tchrist

Colorful!

Demisemihemidemisemiquaver

It may sound like I hated it but it was fun

Also it's funny because that hill race is a traditional hill race for a wheel of cheese

Færd

@tchrist That looks safe.

Demisemihemidemisemiquaver

Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake

The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper's Hill, near Gloucester in England. It is traditionally done by and for the people who live in the local village of Brockworth, but now people from all over the world take part. The Guardian called it a "world-famous event", and indeed, in 2013, a 27-year-old American man and a 39-year-old Japanese man each won one of the four races. The event takes its name from the hill on which it occurs. The event is traditional. Until recent years, it was managed in a quasi-official manner, but since 2010...

I just love this too much

The 'and Wake' really hits it home

tchrist

17:46

Because people die?

Demisemihemidemisemiquaver

They actually had to replace the cheese with a foam replica because it would kill spectators

Matt E. Эллен

Weirdly, despite going to Brockworth swimming pool regularly at primary school, I never heard about the cheese-rolling until I left Gloucestershire

Demisemihemidemisemiquaver

Britain has some fun events that take place

I heard somewhere there's a toe-wrestling championship

Abhishek Bhatia

hi!

tchrist

Okay, there are definitely things you shouldn't search for.

Abhishek Bhatia

17:49

I am non-native english speaker and wanted some help. I am writing an Statement for Purpose for grad. application.

What could be the alternative phrases for "Through this project, I have learnt"

Demisemihemidemisemiquaver

My learning from this project is...

I learned... [stuff] ...during this project

Abhishek Bhatia

I don't want to mention learn.

tchrist

What things do you which to point out?

Abhishek Bhatia

The whole sentence is "Through this project, I learned how decentralized autonomous components can self-organize to operate in a state of optimum performance."

The starting I have used at many places and want to replace that.

Matt E. Эллен

During this project my synapses changed to accommodate the following knowledge:

2

Abhishek Bhatia

17:52

@MattE.Эллен not too sure abt that one.

Matt E. Эллен

fair enough.

tchrist

@AbhishekBhatia Try created something, or made something, or devised something, or built something, and so on.

Demisemihemidemisemiquaver

@MattE.Эллен So much sass you could make fancy root beer

Matt E. Эллен

@Demisemihemidemisemiquaver I prefer ginger beer, but I'll take it!

tchrist

@MattE.Эллен Now we know the secret of your whiskers!

Demisemihemidemisemiquaver

17:56

Not bad, but I prefer brunette beer

Matt E. Эллен

:-o I've said too much

Demisemihemidemisemiquaver

Ginger burns too easily

tchrist

Keep it in your trousers, nakes.

Demisemihemidemisemiquaver

~~Some day I'll learn I'm not funny~~

Abhishek Bhatia

@tchrist Thanks, but I want to mention something like a learning experience.

Please help if possible. I had applied previous year and was rejected from 17 unis!

Matt E. Эллен

18:01

This project taught me...

This project helped me to understand ...

I now have a better understanding of ... through working on this project

Demisemihemidemisemiquaver

Or you could be a true American and say you learned nothing

Matt E. Эллен

@Demisemihemidemisemiquaver oddly, there is ginger beer and beer blonde, but not brunette beer

Abhishek Bhatia

Thanks! What could be good alternatives for "understand" I mention that a lot too.

comprehend?

Matt E. Эллен

yeah

grok

get

I mean, thesaurus.com is a good place to look for synonyms

There is brown ale, though, so close enough

Demisemihemidemisemiquaver

Why isn't there white ale

Racist

Tonepoet

18:18

@Demisemihemidemisemiquaver I don't get it:

Kit Z. Fox

18:28

There is white ale.

user227867

@KitZ.Fox Hello, if you need to share your anxiety with me, you may. Good luck for the therapy next week.

user227867

@Tonepoet Racist and racer are so different that the translator must be really bad.

Mitch

@MattE.Эллен it's on all the sports channels here every year

Studies show that there is a sizable inverse correlation between inebriation and # of bones broken/death

user227867

I learnt some new words: caducibranchiate, circumbendibus, diaheliotropism.

Mitch

@MattE.Эллен you haven't said enough

@WillHunting those are words?

In name only

user227867

18:35

@Mitch Yes, they are real words. You may find them in the Collins English Dictionary.

Mitch

Hahaha get it? Linguistics joke because hehe, it's hilarious

Matt E. Эллен

@Mitch I thought I heard you laughing

Mitch

Collins? Everyone know they make up words to meet word quotas

user227867

No, I don't get jokes, generally speaking.

Mitch

How about generally writing?

Matt E. Эллен

18:37

Generally producing films

Mitch

Generally sculpting

user227867

I would like to ask a British for his opinion. @MattE.Эллен what is your favourite dictionary other than the online OED?

Mitch

Performance artists don't actually do anything

Matt E. Эллен

The Oxford Dictionary of World Mythology is pretty good

user227867

@MattE.Эллен I mean an English dictionary, actually.

Matt E. Эллен

18:38

it's not as comprehensive as you'd think it would be, but it's a fun read

Mitch

Don't trust a Britishes opinion. They'll say anything just to be polite.

They start all their sentences with 'I say' and 'What! What!'

user227867

I think it is important to be nice, not polite. Politeness is so fake.

Mitch

And what not.

Matt E. Эллен

@WillHunting oh, um, I use etymonline, as well as the Oxford paperback dictionary

Kit Z. Fox

@WillHunting Thanks. I'm doing pretty well right now.

Except for my itchy tattoo.

user227867

18:40

@KitZ.Fox I don't know about tattoos but I usually use hot water for itchy skin. Just make sure the water is not so hot as to scald.

Matt E. Эллен

if you don't count ODO as the OED online, then I use that the most of all

user227867

@MattE.Эллен I see. I am very close to actually ordering the physical ODE now. I will make a decision by the end of this week!

Mitch

I have fond memories of using dictionaries

user227867

I got the Compact Oxford Ger/Fre/Ita/Spa dictionaries for these four languages. Nice. When I become proficient in future, I will get the full sized ones.

user227867

However, note that some of the concise and full sized ones are out of print, so we need to wait for a new edition.

user227867

18:45

By the way, the three difficult words I mentioned above are not in Oxford Dictionary of English, even though they are in Chambers Dictionary and Collins English Dictionary @Mitch.

user227867

It is Fri here, time for the Rebecca Black Fri song.

Matt E. Эллен

it is never time for that

Tonepoet

@WillHunting That's the joke.

Is it bad that I'm tempted to say this sounds strange without the word ain't?

-2

Q: the use of the phrase "got no" in standard english

When asked to purchase a service or a product and someone replies: I got no money.

phrase-usage

Mitch

@WillHunting I was joking about it before but now I seriously wonder about Collins then.

@MattE.Эллен I thought that the only connection between ODO and OED was the word Oxford, and after that little else.

Matt E. Эллен

19:02

@Mitch they're both run by the OUP.

Mitch

but do they have a common lexicon source?

Matt E. Эллен

I don't know. I assume so.

but maybe not

Mitch

I thought...

Matt E. Эллен

do all the dead tree Oxford English dictionaries have the same lexicon source?

like my paperback, the compact, etc

Kit Z. Fox

omg seriously I need to scrape all my skin off.

Matt E. Эллен

19:08

looks for the flayer

Kit Z. Fox

loofah would work

except I'm not supposed to scratch.

Mitch

What are the main differences between the OED and Oxford Dictionaries?

Kit Z. Fox

How can this be this itchy?

Mitch

@KitZ.Fox Did they say you can put something on it, like aloe?

Kit Z. Fox

Yes, but I can't reach it.

So I have to wait for a buddy.

Mitch

19:10

protip: wipe it on a wall or post, then rub yourself against it.

Færd

Do they sell cigarettes at drugstores in the US?!

Kit Z. Fox

Yes

Færd

Weird.

Mitch

the two mirror thing is just too hard. all you hands are busy adjusting mirrors.

Kit Z. Fox

Drugstores are like convenience stores with pharmaceuticals though.

Mitch

19:11

@Færd in many places behind the counter.

Kit Z. Fox

It's probably different in other countries.

Mitch

most?

Færd

@Mitch You mean illegally?

Mitch

In China, the baby gets his first pack at his christening.

Kit Z. Fox

@Færd No, that's "under the table" you're thinking of.

"Behind the counter" means literally behind the counter where the cashier stands, so you have to ask for it and they get it for you.

Færd

19:13

Oh, so it means near the register?

Mitch

@Færd no. behind he counter means literally, the cigarettes are kept in a locked cabinet behind the counter, so only the checkout person can get to them.

Kit Z. Fox

It's not always a locked cabinet.

Mitch

jinx

that was for local color

just like it is not always given to Chinese babies at their christening.

Færd

Thanks for the explanation.

Matt E. Эллен

in the UK, the cabinet where cigarettes are kept must be covered so people can't see them

Mitch

19:14

no problemo

Kit Z. Fox

What? That's hilarious.

Matt E. Эллен

yeah :D

Mitch

So vulgar

maybe if you can't see them they'll go away.

Kit Z. Fox

"Pardon me, is that cabinet possibly one which contains the ahem items that I might be desirous of purchasing?"

Matt E. Эллен

Mitch

19:16

@KitZ.Fox "Condoms? Porn? Firearms? Ammo? or that... you know... stuff"

looks askance

Matt E. Эллен

well, you can't buy firearms in the UK, at least not at Tesco

Mitch

"Yes sir, three packs!"

Matt E. Эллен

except for Nerf guns

Mitch

Shocking!

Kit Z. Fox

Condoms for your John Thomas.

Mitch

19:17

How dare you! Don't bring my son into this!

Kit Z. Fox

I just made myself laugh.

Matt E. Эллен

:D

Mitch

There was a recent linguistic scandal involving Tesco... what was it?

Matt E. Эллен

these are the tobacco rules

Mitch

Tesco. Tesco! Tesco? Nope, I can't think of it.

Maybe Marks and Spencer?

Matt E. Эллен

19:19

@Mitch possibly that most people (not me, of course) pronounce it Tescos

Mitch

@MattE.Эллен do the cigs have messages on them like "You will die"?

Matt E. Эллен

@Mitch oh yes

Færd

Nobody consumes more condoms than I do.

Mitch

@MattE.Эллен nice.

Kit Z. Fox

@MattE.Эллен Oh, so it's a new thing?

Matt E. Эллен

19:19

@Færd do they taste good? how do you prepare them?

@KitZ.Fox yes, quite recent

Mitch

@MattE.Эллен Really? For a long time?

Kit Z. Fox

@Mitch That's very Canadian. "Smoking will kill you" "Smoking will give you lung cancer"

Færd

Does it mean that you have some kind of phobia if you use them two at a time?

Matt E. Эллен

@Mitch yes

Kit Z. Fox

@Færd No.

That's not all that uncommon.

Færd

19:20

Good.

Mitch

That's a problem here too with certain names. Is it 'The Jewel' or 'Jewels'?

SmokeDetector

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Offensive answer detected: Meaning of "excited much", "stalker much" by mikey on english.stackexchange.com

Færd

@MattE.Эллен Can't I use consume there?

Matt E. Эллен

I think "Tescos" stems from the idea that grocers are named after their owner, e.g. Sainbury's

@Færd you can, I was just being silly

Mitch

@Færd You can but they'll be kind of chewy don't you think?

Kit Z. Fox

19:22

It's understandable, but a bit odd sounding.

Mitch

@MattE.Эллен exactly. but I've only ever heard/read Tesco. But then same with 'The Jewel' and I only ever said 'Jewels'

Færd

@Mitch I'm not the one who ... , you know.

Matt E. Эллен

@Mitch I've heard people say Asda's

It used to drive me insane

Mitch

@MattE.Эллен But now you're feeling much better? Well, after the incident.

@Færd They make really good party balloons.

Matt E. Эллен

@Mitch Yes. I can't hear anything they say through these padded walls

Mitch

19:31

I've heard.

@MattE.Эллен I always thought padded walls sounded so luxurious. something everybody would want

Matt E. Эллен

@Mitch yes. I can sleep standing up now

Mitch

A useful talent

Færd

@Mitch What with them being supposed to endure blasts and all.

Mitch

Speaking of blasters, is Star Wars VIII supposed to be really different or what?

Because SW VII was boringly the same as IV (and VI)

Færd

I don't know. I haven't seen any of the previous ones.

Mitch

19:37

Also 'Pigs in Space'. They should bring that back.

@Færd I won't give anything away then. It's sorta obvious that main characters tend not to die off too quickly or the series would snuff it self out.

Færd

Hmm. The name doesn't intrigue me.

Out of all the films that I've seen in my life there were so few of them I liked, so I'm a bit reluctant to spend time on films.

Unless they talk interestingly and a lot, and the film is tolerable enough to bear multiple watching; then learning English may be a motivation for me to watch it.

There are some things wrong with the new version of Oxford Dictionaries:

en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/tapestried

And look at the synonyms of distort: en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/distort

Mitch

20:01

@Færd Those all sounded OK to me. Any particular ones which sound off?

Færd

@Mitch For me, tapestried doesn't have any definition and there are adjectives like twisted and contorted presented as synonyms of distort.

If it's not like that for you then maybe the rendition differs from region to region.

Mitch

20:29

@Færd 'tapestried' does sound a little strange, but I think it would work (reasonable verbing of a noun them past-participled)

Synonyms are never expected to be exact

Matt E. Эллен

@Mitch VII was meant to be the same as IV

apparently

if you believe the hype

Mitch

Twisted isn't distorted naturally (like braids are twisted but not distorted

But distorted could be twisted: 'you twisted my words' ' you distorted my words'

@MattE.Эллен they were very successful in that

Færd

An adjective cannot be a synonym of a verb, is what I meant.

And there appears to be some technical problem with the tapestried entry.

Mitch

@Færd oh. Right.

Tonepoet

21:02

Hey, did we always have a maximum rep. cap. of 200. rep. per day, and if so, why do we have 500 rep. bounties?

Cerberus

Yes.

Bounties can be received on top of the cap.

Tonepoet

Thank you @Cerberus. I'm tempted to spare you the eyesore of lexicophilist but I think the greater good is served better by demonstrating just how ridiculous Wiktionary can be.

Cerberus

Uhh.

What's ridiculous is their spelling, not the spelling you use in your line.

Tonepoet

Hmm, it is different, although part of the thing that bothers me about it is the combination of the -phile and -ist suffixes. Isn't that needlessly redundant?

Cerberus

I can be, depends on how you look at it; but at least it isn't a malformation.

A lexicophilist is one who takes part in lexicophilism, a movement about liking lexica.

If you think "movement" is not appropriate, then, indeed, the suffix is ill advised.

SmokeDetector

21:16

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Bad keyword in title, phone number detected in title: Contact U$$D ***@@18557092847$$$****LEXMARK p.r.i.n.t.e.r t.e.c.h s.u.p.p.o.r.t p.h.o.n.e n.u.m.b.e.r u.s.a by dheeru1001 on english.stackexchange.com

Kit Z. Fox

I forgot to flag it. Curses, mobile!

Tonepoet

@WillHunting We should found a lexicophilist political party based on the platform of furnishing every home with a good dictionary if I'm understanding Cerberus correctly.

MetaEd

@KitZ.Fox Anything you want done from a PC browser?

Kit Z. Fox

21:44

@MetaEd is the user destroyed?

MetaEd

@KitZ.Fox User still exists. No other activity.

Looks like a clear cut case. I'll destroy now.

Boom.

Kit Z. Fox

Thanks.

My little son is doing jazz ballet rigt now. It looks like fun.

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English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…