Discussion Groups / English Usage / August 2008

"Hurl in the cars?"
Could it mean "jumping in the cars?"
I don't get
"it stayed off."

Among the many meanings of "to turn" is one meaning "to say?"
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[Father Ardlui is also a writer]
Eleven years, Ardlui nodded, refilled his glass and turned, It's not a

"Slappy pucker?"
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With the stick from the lip gloss, she slides the clearness along then
squeezes both lips thegether in a slappy pucker.

What has become of our beloved belly dancing secret agent Emma Peel?
"She was a catsuit-clad sex symbol in the Sixties' series
'The Avengers' before gaining widespread acclaim as a serious
theatrical actress."

"Bought over"
does it mean
"Bought with bribes?"
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"Balloon up"
is this
to appear drowned and swollen by water?
Also, how about "the shingle?" What kind of shingle?

I have two confusions after reading the following text. It is quoted
out from Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words by Bill Bryson.
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Too strict an application of the rule can result in incongruities─a

...detective Jerry Bates says the man made three passes
    by the coffee stand. "Apparently nude from the waist
    down, and in one of the approaches to the business was
    also wearing a woman's bra."

ISLAM and the AIM of LIFE
What is your purpose in life? What is the rationale behind our life?
Why do we live in this life? These questions frequently intrigue
people who try to find accurate answers.

But, for once, it's not about the band name. I've just watched a
documentary about Pink Floyd. It was quite good, but there was some
archival footage with sound of 'lesser' quality. I could make out most of
what was said, but there were two bits I didn't get. Would someone help

What is the noun of unstoppable? Is it correct to say unstoppability?

This "so's" seems to mean "so that." What would be its origin (seems to
be a reduction)?
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They removed footwear wrapped in separate Superstore carrier bags so's

From the BBC daily mini-quiz:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/default.stm
(quote)
A surprise for Boris Johnson as he traced his roots. Who was his

My question will be somewhat weird but I am trying to settle a style in my
academic paper, for a section I am working.
Consider that I have three levels (of pension amounts).
I need to refer to these levels as low, middle, high.

Fredric Brown, in /The Fabulous Clipjoint/, written in 1947, mentions
"white sodas". In fact, the two heroes in that story usually drink quite
a lot of beer and whiskey or rye, but on that occasion, they are
drinking "white sodas", whose big advantage, according to one of the