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- single word requests - What do you call the sound of a bell? - English . . .
If you wanted to describe the sound of a small brass bell that you can hold in your hand (this is an example image of what I mean - what word would you use? Brrring? Bling?
- idioms - For whom the bell tolls - origin of ask not instead of . . .
"Ask not for whom the bell tolls" is a popular cliche My understanding is that it comes from John Donne's Meditation XVII (1623) But in Donne's poem, the line is any man's death diminishes me,
- etymology - What caused bell peppers to be called capsicums in some . . .
A person working in an Indian supermarket was shocked when I told her it's called Bell Pepper in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland I had to pull out Wikipedia to convince her it was true (Probably because she associated pepper with the spice ) What is the historical etymological explanation for this divergence in names between countries?
- colloquialisms - Words are not sparrows; once they have flown they . . .
The bell, once rung, cannot be unrung or You cannot unring the bell Google books traces "cannot be unrung" to 1924: what is learned or suspected outside of court may have some influence on the judicial decision It may be only a subtle or even subconscious influence, but a bell cannot be unrung Adverse claimants have at least some reason to fear By 1948 it is in the Utah bar
- etymology - Why do we beat seven bells out of someone? - English . . .
To thrash someone within an inch of his life is sometimes referred to has beating seven bells out of him But why should seven be the number chosen? This source here acknowledges the phrase exists
- How to cite an author who does not capltalize her name if you are . . .
If you are writing a paper and citing works by an author researcher who does not capitalize her name, how do you begin a sentence using the author's name?
- A figure of speech to illustrate the irreversibility of an action
Personally I like "You can't unring that bell" as deadrat mentioned above The phrase refers to the fact that you can't un-hear a bell that has been rung There's a nice essay about its history here: Unring the Bell (impossibility of taking back a statement or action)
- Origin of the phrase under your belt? - English Language Usage . . .
The literal meaning of having something under your belt is having it in your stomach, but it’s probably more frequently used figuratively, to mean having acquired something, often intellectual For example, the OED has these two supporting citations, from the English novelists P G Wodehouse (1954) and John Wain (1962): Just as you have got Hamlet and Macbeth under your belt He wanted me to
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