What does ‘pullout’ mean?
Thanks,
Thomas
Hey Thomas!
‘Pullout’ means exactly what it looks like it means! It refers to the instance of pulling out or removal!
In the context of money or the military, it can also refer to a withdrawal of funds or troops.
And in daily use, you have newspaper pullouts which are complete sections by themselves that you can, well, pull out!
Is there such a word as ‘Blitz’? What does it mean?
I have a feeling that is it a slang word, but my friend who has ‘blitzed’ her way through school says it exists. ;)
Seph
Hi Seph!
‘Blitz’ is certainly a word!
If you look in the dictionary, it generally refers to a swift barrage or attack that is very intense.
Your friend must have left her school in quite a state!
What does the term ‘peeping tom’ mean and where did it come from?
Benjamin (aged 7)
Hey Benjamin!
How nice of you to tell us your age! We feel that we should let you know our ages too but we’d rather keep the fact we’re ancient a secret.
Let’s just pretend we’re all 7 years old as well!
Anyway, a ‘peeping tom’ refers to a person who gets pleasure from secretly watching other people.
And that phrase originated from the legend of Lady Godiva, where a tailor named Tom watched her as she rode naked through the streets on her horse!
Not something we’d recommend you to do, Benjamin, both peeping and riding horses naked.
This picture was taken in front of a row of shops at Block 135, Jurong East Street 13.
I was stumped when I saw this banner with the words ‘COSMECEUTICAL CENTRE’.
The Chinese words read "yi xue mei fu zhong xin" which literally means "medical science, beauty skin centre".
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odour of the human body.
Cosmetics include skin creams, powders, perfumes, nail polish, eye and facial makeup, bath salts and other products.
Cosmetologists are employed in beauty salons, barber shops, nail salons, nursing homes and drug stores. Cosmetology includes hairstyling, barbering and manicuring.
Pharmaceutics is the science of preparing and dispensing of drugs.
So pray tell me what a "cosmeceutical centre" as I am completely ignorant of such "modern science".
Sinologist
Hey Sinologist!
Wow, you sure know a lot about looking good!
We looked in the dictionary and guess what, ‘cosmeceutical’ is a word!
It’s a noun that describes ‘a cosmetic that has or is purported to have medicinal properties’.
We learnt something new today too, Sinologist!
Is there really such a word as ‘shingz’ and if so, how do you use it?
Regards,
Jane Doe
Hello Jane Doe!
As far as we know, there’s no such word as ‘shingz’. And because there’s no such word, we can’t tell you how to use it because we have no idea!
How do you pronounce ‘unctious’ and what exactly does it mean?
Vanessa Ting
Hey Vanessa Ting!
‘Unctious’ is more commonly spelled as ‘unctuous’ and is pronounced ‘UHNGK-choo-uhs’ with the stress on the first syllable! Just think of how you pronounce the first syllable of ‘uncle’ and add a ‘k’ sound at the end of it.
And if you look in a dictionary you will see that ‘unctuous’ is an adjective that generally refers to something having an oily and greasy nature or feel!
Look in a dictionary for all the detailed definitions, Vanessa Ting!
Is a ‘fjord’ the same as a bay?
What’s the difference between the two?
Joseph Heng
Hi Jospeh Heng!
That sounds like a geographical question to us!
We looked in the dictionary and a ‘fjord’ refers to a ‘bay’ in Scandinavia! So they do mean the same thing in Scandinavia!
As for the more specific differences between a fjord and a bay, we think you should ask a geographer, Joseph Heng. Then write back in to tell us!
I have a feeling that they just translate this in babelfish,
The way they construct English makes me want to search for the dictionary.
It just gives me a nosebleed, not reader-friendly at all.
k-one
Hello k-one!
Actually, there’s nothing grammatically wrong with the English in that notice! We have to say we’re quite surprised to see such a wordy sign written without mistakes!
We do agree though, that it isn’t the friendliest of notices. There’s no need to write like this, especially for a public notice, k-one. Short and simple will do!
Perhaps something like ‘Abandoned bicycles are an eyesore’, and ‘Unclaimed bicycles will be removed on’ before the date and time.
No need to talk about a ‘grace period’ and ‘issuance of notice’. That’s referring to the notice you’re reading! And we don’t think you need to say ‘disposed of’ either. ‘Removed’ seems penalty enough!
Hope your nosebleed’s stopped, k-one!
Hi there English Professionals,
What's the difference between an ‘inquiry’ and an ‘enquiry’?
How should we use these 2 words appropriately?
Teamilk
Hey Teamilk!
Actually, there’s not much difference between the two. They’re as good as alternative spellings of the same word!
There are people who feel that ‘inquiry’ be used to refer to more formal inquests, while ‘enquiry’ refers to just the act of questioning.
But we don’t think it will matter much to the majority of people if you use either word to mean both!
Hi there
In today's Sunday Times' front page, at the top left hand corner, there was a sub-headline for an article:
'LEE WEI LING : Call me frugal but I sleep on an exercise mat at home.'
I understand 'frugal' to mean 'not wasteful, careful with money.' The usage of 'frugal' does not gel with the qualifying statement of 'but I sleep on an exercise mat at home'. If 'but' had been replaced with 'because' then it does sound more logical because the qualifying statement shows the reason why I am frugal.
Maybe there's another underlying meaning to the whole sentence which I have missed.
Appreciate some clarifications.
Jeffrey Tan
Hey there Jeffrey Tan!
This is a pretty tricky question! We had a good ponder about it and we think that we agree with you.
In that sentence, ‘but’ should be used to express a contrary situation or opinion but it’s not being used like that. Your suggestion of ‘because’ is, as you say, more logical!
If you still want to use ‘but’ then we’d suggest something like, 'call me pampered but I sleep on an exercise mat at home’. This would be right because it’s two contrary situations that you wouldn’t expect to go together!
