Jun 23, 2015 · Q&A for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts

If there is an actual line drawn on the floor, I might stand on line. If i'm waiting behind others, I will stand in line. If I wait behind others while using my laptop, I am standing in line on-line!

Jun 15, 2020 · For example, in a bibliographic list, rather than repeating the same author over and over again, three consecutive em dashes (also known as a 3-em dash) stand in for the author’s name. In …

AT&T offers other phones, too. Bob's Phone Shack sells mobile phones from Bob's favorite mobile device manufacturers, viz. Nokia and Samsung. Bob only sells Nokia and Samsung phones. …

Dec 3, 2022 · Calling in sick sounds like you're sick and "calling in" by phone or video call for a regular work from home day. I do understand that calling something in means to call and give a report about …

I'm heading into the postgraduate phase of my Computer Science-oriented studies, and I can't put my finger on what this root means. According to Etymology Online it comes from Cybernetics, which i...

Mar 11, 2018 · That said, the rest of my comments stand: people are not watching their phones, unless they’re watching a video on it (in which case it’s more idiomatic to say they’re watching a video [on …

When referring to email in a business context (or any other) is it acceptable to say mail or should I always write email? I have a secure email product for use on smartphones and would like to kno...

Feb 21, 2013 · This is why we often use on rather than in with such vehicles; when we're on a train we're on the train-based transport network in a way that "on a car" doesn't compare to (though "on a …

Jun 16, 2015 · This word is related to the Socratic paradox, which is the phrase "I know that I know nothing." I'm looking for a word which describes the extent to which one is aware of one's own …