Discussion Groups / English Usage / March 2009

What is stock speed (of a computer)?
This is taken from here:
"I've taken a look at the benchmark you posted and I think the reason
for the much lower kn/s from the Intel Q8200 is in part due to the

We are going through the process of appointing a new dean so I have
spent the day listening to higher education management-speak.
One candidate advised us to "apply teaching and learning outcomes in
related areas to enhance value and create a deep seated perception based

They both seem to be such nice words and it would help to be able to
know their meaning without having to go to a dictionary.

Casual conversation at work unearthed a couple of terms I have never
encountered before. One colleague talked of having a "cunning keep"
and the other called it a "cunning kit". That nice Mr Google has heard
of the second only. It appears to be a cache of money held against a

It's well known that the following sentence is grammatical:
You Can Not Believe It.
But my colleague told me that he'd heard the following sentence in
some movie:

From a draft document setting out guidelines for student group work:
"Where the group work is formally ‘legoised’ , the components produced
by each student should be assessed individually (as well as the entire
product if appropriate)."

Recently I have several questions in mind and I cannot find a reliable
reference around. As always, here  are so many knowledgable and warm-
hearted people, willing to provide their knowledge to help me in
English teaching. Please be patient to read the following questions.

I have a question about using "Sincerely" to end a letter. Someone said
the following:
[quote]
'Sincerely' is used to address someone you've met already.

While reading The Washington Post online today, I came across a word
apparently used in a way I am not familiar with. What, in the article
below, does "kiss-off" mean? Not a rude dismissal, surely, which is
how the COD10 defines it.

Is phrase (i) right?  A friend of mine claims that (i) is wrong as the
subject is meant to be plural and the verb should be ‘have’ or the
sentence should be written as (ii).  However, I wrote (i), I think the
subject as a collective noun phrase and can take a singular verb

Would you allow:
1) Construction of a bridge is difficult.
2) Constructing a bridge is difficult.
Thanks.

We spoke recently of the BrE / AmE usage of 'foreclosure'. Here's a Guardian
article on the subject. Note the headline attention-grabber says
"foreclosure' and the article itself mainly speaks of 'repossession'.:
http://www.guardian.co ...

The doctor also told him to lay off the alcohol.
Does the above "lay off" mean
1. to decrease the intake of booze
2. to avoid the booze altogether?

There is a suggestion that the mondegreen should in future be known as
Obama's elf.
Because ...
(Flee, LFS, flee I tell you)

The first part of this sentence confuses me when tacked on to the
rest. Can anyone explain or help me make this clearer? Again, not my
writing...I'm just the copyeditor...fyi: the "he" in this case is the
university president (name removed by me).