I’ve always wondered what the correct or considered correct pronunciation of the old Saxon word hele is. The Oxford English Dictionary states it should be pronounced as /hiːl/ and that’s what …

is it 'a usual' or 'an usual'? 'A usual' sounds more correct in my head ('Today was a usual day.') than 'an usual', but u is a vowel. Which one is correct and why?

Apr 26, 2012 · I got an email from an instructor today. Towards the end of email she says: "Here is to finishing off the semester in a positive way." What does that mean?

Nov 12, 2011 · It seems to me that if one describes hell as 'bloody', that is simply describing one of the properties you'd expect of it. So, why is 'bloody hell' used as an offensive or shocking …

I know it was a sort of archaic greeting, but I don't know how to interpret the actual words. I had a foggy idea that it meant "It is good that we met here and now", but even then, "well met" is n...

Jan 17, 2013 · This is strictly spoken or informal written English. Unless you're writing some kind of serious formal report, business letter, or academic paper that's going to be published in a …

The Oxford English Dictionary describes "head over heels" as a corruption of "heels over head" (my emphasis). The latter phrase it cites from 1400. My own experience is that as a small child …

Jan 4, 2017 · As we all know, the underworld cannot fornicate as it is not a living being (probably). Where then, did the natural-feeling pairing of swear-words "Fucking hell" come from?

Jun 13, 2011 · Mod. Would you like another half-dozen? b. c 1401 Jack Upland in Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 69 The cloith of oo man Myȝte hele half a doseyne. 1420–1555 [see dozen n. 1]. …