Are names of chemicals not proper nouns? - English Language
Apr 22, 2024 · Product names which are derived after an inventor's name will often remain capitalized, though not always (e.g. the petroleum distillate used to power trucks and locomotives is called …
What is the origin of "sucker" and "it sucks"?
etymonline has for suck: O.E. sucan, from PIE root sug-/suk- of imitative origin. Meaning “do fellatio” is first recorded 1928. Slang sense of “be contemptible” first attested 1971 (the underlying notion is of …
Origin of the phrase, "There's more than one way to skin a cat."
Jun 30, 2011 · There are many versions of this proverb, which suggests there are always several ways to do something. The earliest printed citation of this proverbial saying that I can find is in a short story …
Throttle is to slow down, but full throttle is max speed?
Dec 19, 2023 · Originally, throttle meant throat. So "full-throttle" for a motorized vehicle is like a lion's full-throated roar - the throttle/throat is opened as wide as possible (for maximum throughput of fuel …
Is there a term for "mains power" in U.S. English?
Apr 12, 2011 · After the hurricane, the hospital powered life support equipment from diesel generators for 36 hours, then switched back to the mains. "Grid" would also be acceptable. If you're referring to …
"If it works, it works" - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
Mar 20, 2025 · I've always hated the phrase If it works, it works. I know it's trying to say that if something already functions as intended, then there's no reason to change it. But is that always necessarily ...
Same adjective for two nouns - English Language & Usage Stack …
May 17, 2015 · The government placed restrictions on both diesel fuel and diesel engines. Here I dont want to repeat the diesel. I cannot write: The government placed restrictions on both diesel fuel and …
Rail vs railway - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
Though it's trains were pulled by steam and diesel locomotives, the Northern Pacific, which connected Minneapolis / St. Paul with the Pacific Northwest, used "railway" in its corporate name, while two of …
etymology - Origin of "the wrong end of the stick" - English Language ...
May 16, 2012 · Before toilet paper and Sears catalogs, there was a wooden spatula called the stick. If you were in the outhouse after dark and you had to find the stick in the dark, you had a good chance …
Why are “gym rats” so called? - English Language & Usage Stack …
Why are gym rats so called? Because, it is simply a metaphor. It comes from the fact that rats like to live where people live and they frequent places where humans inhabit. Rats are perhaps the most …