Discussion Groups / English Usage / July 2009

Let me ask a question about the meaning of "the works" in the
following sentences from a novel.
"Have you lost your mind? Impossible. That place is busy at all hours.
They have security

In an article published in today's (2009-07-29) online Globe & Mail
(Canadian newspaper),  Maria Cheng writes about the risk of cancer from
tanning beds.   One of her sentences includes the phrase "...most types of
skin cancer are benign."

Can anybody knowl how to speak hidden English or some methods of
speaking english which others cant understand,
It'll be useful for me and my Girl Friend to communicate so that no
one who's present there cant understand.

Which "old man" would this be? Not mentioned before that. Could it be
their father?
Also "tables sell" is a bit unusual. People sell, not tables.
---

Is this common for "not beautiful?" Or created?
----
... if Rod's description of Mark's woman last night is anything to go
by then she was no oil painting either.

What is the exact meaning of
"friendly with it?"
Is it "friendly while at it, while doing it?"
Any similar idioms with "with it?"

"had the numbers"
Does this mean they had numerical superiority?
---
We had them boxed in and gave them a hiding, working fast because

How would one hyphenate
 fifteen and a half year old
if at all?

My mother's passion in life was singing.  She sang in the choirs of
several churches.  She'd attend an earl mass at the Catholic church,
and then hurry over to the Methodist church or the Presbyterian church
to sing in their choir.  (Our church didn't have a choir)  More than

I happened to cruise by Language Log today.  Some here might enjoy
this post, maybe especially the second comment.
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1592
--

Earlier this month I mentioned an advertisement for a witch to do
his/her stuff in Wookey Hole, Somerset, England.
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/alt.usage.english/msg/8ffd403e45d62aad
Auditions were held yesterday, 27th July.

A post in another group I hang out in, pointed us to this
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/is-funnest-a-word.aspx
and I think, despite its age, it might be of sufficient interest to
some in here,c to pass it on.

Over the year I have come across the following
English expressions but was not able to find
any of them in the Merriam Webster or
Collins dictionaries so I was wondering

Are there better current alternatives to
"make a crooked face at someone"
(including slang)
which is well represented in Shakespeare?

Good to hear our own Philip Eden on the Today programme this morning, talking a
lot of good sense about the nature of weather forecasting (and of Press
Offices).
If the denizens of aue ran the world, would it be a better world?