Is there a word for a person who has been subpoenaed? If two people are subpoenaed, they are called co-...? They're not co-defendants. Is there an equivalent?
posted by streetdreams on Nov 19, 2009 - 14 answers

Grammarians: Is it OK to take liberties with the word "win" when publicizing a contest or draw? [more inside]
posted by wackybrit on Oct 5, 2009 - 15 answers

Why do we say "female child" or "male child," but reverse the word order for "adult female" and "adult male?"
posted by arcticwoman on Feb 15, 2009 - 19 answers

Is the English language stagnating or do dictionaries just suck? [more inside]
posted by Ookseer on Dec 1, 2008 - 19 answers

Tariff: Are there any other words in English that include two Fs next to each other?
posted by Pants! on Jul 29, 2008 - 62 answers

Who's "stupider"? [more inside]
posted by macrowave on Mar 3, 2008 - 26 answers

What are the funniest-sounding English words to speakers of other languages? If you grew up speaking another language (for some weird reason) what English words still make you giggle?
posted by paul_smatatoes on Aug 23, 2007 - 45 answers

What is the shortest sentence that would highlight differences in dialects and accents in the English language? [more inside]
posted by Samuel Farrow on Jul 21, 2007 - 26 answers

About unisex terms: What is the reasoning behind them? By this I mean, for example, flight attendant instead of steward or stewardess, server instead of waiter or waitress, etc. I suppose during the height of the feminist movement in the 70s it was probably claimed that it was sexist to use terms that specify gender. But I am scratching my head wondering what the logic would be behind this. After all, if you use a term to specify females (eg stewardess) then you are also specifying males (eg steward), so I fail to see how this would be sexist. Also, it strikes me as a very handy conversion to be able to specify gender in the same word as the title. Nowadays, we have two words.. so you might hear your neighbor say, "I went to see a female doctor yesterday" (indeed, I think this is a common one), so we are still specifying the sex, so why not use doctress? I'm just curious about why this trend towards unisex words is happening and the logic behind it because frankly, I fail to see any. Thanks for any thoughtful replies!
posted by dbooster on Feb 22, 2007 - 95 answers

What does one call something that contains the seeds of its own downfall? [more inside]
posted by viewofdelft on Oct 5, 2006 - 35 answers

Is there a term for when people go by a single name like Madonna or Cher? [more inside]
posted by Cochise on Jul 12, 2006 - 22 answers

What are the 500 most commonly used words in the English language ? Where can I get such a list ? [more inside]
posted by inquisitive on Apr 24, 2006 - 15 answers

What words do people use that consistently make you cringe and wonder if they understand what they are saying? [more inside]
posted by Invoke on Sep 11, 2005 - 241 answers

I'm pretty verbose, but I don't think my vocabulary has grown much in years. And I'd like to build it up. [more inside]
posted by grumblebee on May 18, 2005 - 23 answers

What does "normative" mean? Is it a useful word? I only ever see it used in obscure, academic writing, which makes me suspect it's worthless. How is it different from "normal"? My dictionary says it means, "Of, relating to, or prescribing a norm or standard: normative grammar." That sounds like "normal" to me, so why not just say "normal"? Can someone give me some clear sentences that use the word -- sentences that are not written in post-modern, complit speak? Can one use "normative" meaningfully in a sentence about real-world things, like butter, eggs or bricks?
posted by grumblebee on May 21, 2004 - 24 answers

What's the difference between the words "proffer" and "offer"? This has been driving me mad for some reason for a few days now. Every dictionary I consult basically seems to say that they mean the same thing. But surely there must be a difference, right?
posted by reklaw on Apr 19, 2004 - 12 answers

Why do people misspell 'lose' as 'loose'? I was looking at this old entry at waxy. All the info on the web seems to be of the 'haha, look how stupid people are' variety but I haven't found anything that tries to explain these mistakes away. Is it phonetics, usage, words that are an exception to a rule?
posted by vacapinta on Dec 30, 2003 - 19 answers