Discussion Groups / English Usage / February 2010

"Pull commissary"
is perhaps "to get food from the prison store?"
---
[This white prison inmate is threatened by a black inmates' gang]

"Shake it"
does it mean
"dispense of it"
or

Just had to translate this as part of a translation course:
"Arbitration is the act of settling a dispute to one or more neutral persons
nominated by the disputants..."
Can this be correct? Sounds odd to me. I assume the 'to' should be 'by'?

As near as I can tell (in the U.S. at least), the spelling "theatre"
seems to be used to distinguish those cinemas that are more likely to
show Ingmar Bergman films from those that are more likely to show
Arnold Schwarzenegger films, the latter using the spelling

Background: a discussion this evening, with a pronunciation of
Villeroy & Boch that was at odds with what my mind's ear hears and
what I'd say if I said it.  (I didn't raise the question, as
discretion on the part of the word-nerd kicked in.)

his family were paid compensation
his family was paid compensation

1. "Courtesy is not something people used to be shown routinely in the
business world."
While the above sentence is, I think, valid, I'd prefer:
2. "Courtesy was not something people used to be shown routinely in

Folks, I'm trying my hand at a screenplay.
FYI, a screenplay is composed mostly of
descriptive action and dialogue. Action is
usually described in the active voice.

I've read the following sentence from somewhere:
Please this service is NOT free.
I want to know  whether this sentence is clear and correct or not?
Best regards.

I've recorded one word, which is hard for us to catch as a specific
one.
But it must be clear for English speaking people, I guess.
So let me test.

Now, "being that" Pansy is a dog, what would "let herself back in"
exactly mean?
---
[Burke's "office" is under the roof of the building, where Pansy, his

No, not me. There's a series of TV commercials running in the US for a
stop-smoking drug. Part of the voiceover something like, "30% of users
are quit by week six."
The "are quit" is unusual to me. I'd say, "have quit". Is that a

Could anyone please explain me the meaning of the term "verticals" in
the following sentence:
"Sequential revenue improvement was driven by broad-based growth
across verticals and service offerings."

A New Zealand surgeon told a severely obese 44-year-old Maori woman that
she had to go on a "f.cking diet."  That fat slob objects to the word
"diet," preferring instead the term "lifestyle."
_The Sydney Morning Herald_, Feb. 11, 2010

I know the answer as it is said in my textbook, but
knowint it is a  different matter from how it hears like.
Acutally, it doesn't sound to me like the answer.
it must be clear for English speaking people, I guess.