日期：2009-03-12 Reader question: What does this sentence Of course the opinions of newspaper reporters, radio personalities and television faces mean very little in the grand scheme of things mean? My comments: It means to people who do not read a newspaper, listen... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-12 英语中有许多拼写相近的单词,有的仅一个字母之差,意义却相差较远,可谓貌相近,意相远.因其貌近,难辨者众,常指鹿为马.其实这些词有很多都是同根生的兄弟姐妹.本文试图把某些常用貌近之词依貌分组列出,结合构词法分析其根,配以语句进行对比,希望能帮助英语学习者辨其貌,知... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-12 Reader question: In this headline New young poets have come to the fore what does come to the fore mean? My comments: New young poets have become visible. They have made their presence felt. They are perhaps coming into their own. In short, they are... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-12 Reader question: In this headline Warne has faint praise for Gilly what does faint praise mean? My comments: Praise is good. Faint praise is not. Something faint is weak (faint-hearted) and difficult to see (faint lines) or hear (a faint voice). Fai... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-11 Reader question: In this paragraph What a bummer! A study by the British Medical Journal reveals that although the Wii game console offers more activity than passive videogames, it is no replacement for real exercise what does What a bummer mean? My... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-11 Reader question: In this sentence I don't know what I have to do to make him see the light what does see the light mean? My comments: For someone to see the light is for them to be enlightened, to see a point that they previously do not see. Seeing... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-11 Reader question: In this sentence Globalization is not a zero sum game but a great opportunity for all what does zero sum game mean? My comments: Sum means total, as in sum total. Zero-sum means it all adds up to naught. A zero-sum game is one in wh... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-11 Guo writes: Please further explain these sentences He doesn't believe in fines; he believes in benchings. Guys make too much to care about fines, he says. Burying them gets their attention from your column From the Old School (February 5, 2008). I d... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-10 Reader question: This Never Seen the Light of Day is the title of a song. What does see the light of day mean? My comments: For something to see the light of day is for it to get its share of opportunity to succeed, to be shown, to be brought out an... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-09 Reader question: What does this He's from the old school, fool mean? My comments: Ha, it means the speaker is not very fond of he who is from the old school. The speaker considers him foolish, perhaps not in the straightforward stupid, unintelligent... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-09 Reader question: In this sentence history suggests profits will be far below expectations, possibly making those investments fool's gold what does fool's gold mean? My comments: Fool's gold is the common term for iron pyrite, a gold-colored mineral.... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-09 Reader question: What does the expression you do the math mean? What math? Give examples. My comments: You do the math is a colloquial expression that usually comes at the end of an argument as emphasis, emphasizing on an advantage or disadvantage o... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-05 Yan writes: Thank you for answering my letter so quickly that I didn't expect... I remember that you encouraged me just to fire away with questions when I for the first time write to you for some answers, so, here I'd like to talk about my trouble w... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-05 Reader question: In this sentence I don't want any ifs and buts, just do as she says what do if and but mean? My comments: If and but here go hand in hand. If you want someone to give you no ifs and buts, you want them to go ahead and do what you as... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-05 Reader question: What does anything goes mean and, how to use it? My comments: It means everything is permitted, or tolerated. There's a party you're going to attend and you ask the host what dress to wear, formal (suit and tie to one extreme) or in... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-04 Reader question: What does the expression one thing leads to another mean exactly? My comments: Cause and effect. Farfetched? Maybe, maybe not to me, the expression signifies the fact that you're responsible for what happens to you. Let me make up a... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-04 Reader question: In this Random thoughts and whatnot what's whatnot? My comments: Random thoughts and things like that. Whatnot means other things of the same type that you have already mentioned without actually naming them. Always preceded with an... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-04 Reader question: In this sentence We need our main guys to come through what does come through mean exactly? It doesn't appear to be a complete sentence. My comments: That sentence means if we want to succeed and get out of this difficult situation,... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-04 Reader question: What's small talk exactly? My comments: Small talk is gossip, chitchat, unimportant chatter, small being the significant adjective pointing to its, well, insignificance. In terms of the media, all the gossip columns are small talk.... 阅读全文>>

日期：2009-03-03 Reader question: What does this Don't put me on the spot like that mean? My comments: It means don't embarrass me like that. If we are put on the spot, we're called out to answer a question or to solve a problem. It is usually a troublesome question... 阅读全文>>