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single word requests - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
Modicum appears in a few book titles, e.g., Armando Heredia; An Artist of Modicum Success. (2016) Whether or not matter claimed to be a trade secret"possesses at least that modicum of originality which will separate it from every day knowledge" is a question of fact which must attend the trial.
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adjectives - Difference in usage of"regular","usual","ordinary ...
To be perfectly honest, each of these are interchangeable for the most part (given the details explained), and I would guess that certain phrases only sound 'off' because of a lack of familiarity, or, over-familiarity with other constructions: they all indicate a sense of typical circumstance, commonplace.
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british english - In Britain the word 'normalcy' is ridiculed - English ...
The word normalcy is used both in AmE as well as BrE, though to a lesser extent than normality. normalcy vs. normality, AmE, 1900-2009. normalcy vs. normality, BrE, 1900-2009. Overall, normalcy seems to be used chiefly in news reporting and commonly in its 'idiomatic' sense (see further below). normalcy vs. normality, English, 1900-2000
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What makes something overrated or underrated?
1."Overrated" means exactly that: rated over. Rated over what? What it"should" be. So, yes, this is going to come down to personal opinion, both on what it"should" be rated, and, to a lesser extent, how it is rated (that is, one can dispute a claim that something is overrated either by saying it deserves being rated highly, or by claiming ...
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Normalcy or Normality? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
"Normalcy" was used by Warren G. Harding in his 1920 election campaign called"Return to Normalcy." When pointed out that the word was a mistake, Harding said he couldn't find the word"normality" in his dictionary. Before his gaff,"normalcy" was used as a mathematics term.
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"Active" or"activated"? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
In most simple terms, active is a state, while activated is how it got there. The former is a mere description of the things as they are, the latter reminds us that there was an action that had an agent. When something is activated, someone went and made it active. Compare to open vs. opened. So how is this with the example"blocked"; if ...
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british english - Why in Britain were the police called"rozzers ...
I had a look in Google books. There's an excerpt form"A dictionary of slang, jargon and cant" by Albert Barrere and Charles C Leland that reinforces the French roots already reported in another answer, and proposes a more tenuous possibility:
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etymology - History of the idiomatic usage of vanilla - English ...
It'll usually be pejorative, because of the accentuation of the normalcy and easy availability of replacement. A vanilla guy might be just what someone is looking for, but calling him 'vanilla' emphasizes that he's garden variety and dime-a-dozen. At the same time, a vanilla or plain vanilla stock swap might be preferable to anything too ...
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"Dream of" vs."dream about" - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
1. 'I dream of' is usually followed by a verb: I dream of winning the World Cup. 'I dream about' is usually used when referring to a noun: I dream about chocolate ice cream. However, I have seen these used interchangeably.
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