Discussion Groups / English Usage / March 2010

These seem to be swabs or bandages?
Why call them "four by fours?"
---
[Huge wound in the thigh]

Does "down the lake" give a clear direction, say away from the viewer?
Or could it mean "across the lake, in any direction?"
---
Watched the land turn blue and cold. An osprey went down the lake.

Any rules for forming the simple past in nonstandard/dialect speech?
From the first sentence, I could think the past participle ("seen,"
"done") is used as a simple past ("saw," "did).
But that doesn't work in the 2nd sentence, with "give" instead of

Any reasons for not having "himself" after "dried?"
---
... went back into the bathroom and washed himself and dried with one
of the bath-towels.

Does "coming" in
"he'd already taken more chances than he had coming"
mean
"... than they were _assigned_ to him by fate?"

Has she decided to stop drinking coffee (for ever), or it's just on
this occasion that's she's had enough?
---
You want some more coffee?

I think the two verbs "tie" and "bind" can't be exchanged here, right?
---
When Chigurh came down the steps and out the front door of the hotel
he had a towel wrapped around his upper right leg and TIED with

I have just received notification of two meetings, one described as a
"brain shower" to be followed some days later by a "brain squeeze".
I hasten to add that this has nothing to do with the university where I
work, where brains are never mentioned.

I'm not getting
"they've done lit a shuck"
They seem to have run away.
---

"sweated"
does it mean "forced, labored onto?"
How do these
"mapp-gas burners"

I associate "transoms" with say the "transom window" above the door on
the left of
http://tinyurl.com/yaote2n
Does he mean that no light came from inside any of the rooms through

Can you please tell me guys why: "I won't probably be at work" is wrong  
while "I probably won't be at work" is ok?
Best Regards

What is the meaning of "stand pat" in the following sentence? I don't
know even after I check dictionary. Thanks.
You've been acquisitive in recent years. Will you stand pat for now?
We will continue to acquire some when we need new skills and

I've long noticed that what is called a "station" in Australia and New
Zealand is called a "farm" or "ranch" in the U.S.
Questions:
1) is "station" also used in Great Britian?

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ok then i will tell you my NEW album (what is called 'fourteen', just
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thear Is of course as hugh would excrete a free track on line at