I live in the south west of England and there are many villages and roads that feature the word "Clyst". For example, Broadclyst, Clyst St Mary, Clyst Honiton and so on. What does clyst mean, and...

English is ambiguous when it comes to the use of "or." "Either/or" (for example, "Either take your turn or quit the game") implies one or the other but not both, but "or" by itself can mean either exclusive or …

This word proverbial has been bothering me a lot lately. I cannot understand it even after translating it into my native language. I would like to know its meaning as well as its origin.

What does a / mean in a sentence, for example, "They read/reviewed the books they have." I can't find an answer to this question, but they only get an opinion which is what I do not need.

What does "Per John:" mean? From the context of the article I'm reading (article unlinked), it seems to mean "From John:" or "John (said):" What exactly does the word "per" mean when used as such?

What does the punctuation "//" mean? Ask Question Asked 14 years, 7 months ago Modified 3 years, 4 months ago

4 " mensa " here is not English. It is literally the Latin word mensa, which happens to translate to "table", but the English translation is not relevant.

You: "What does it mean?" Pretty similar, yes? Look a little more closely, however. The first pair indicates that you want to know what aspect of the word discombobulated applies to me, and not …

The Grammarist has an interesting article on the usage and origin of the expressions “ by and by ” and “ by the by ”: By and by is usually an adverbial phrase meaning (1) after a while, or (2) soon—for …

What does sb. mean? I keep seeing it certain posters' questions and I'm not sure what it's supposed to stand for — the word something, my initial guess, doesn't have a 'b' in it.