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  1. Which is more proper "rarest" or "most rare"?

    Nov 17, 2020 · In the following usage, which is the correct form for the superlative of the adjective "rare"? "the rarest on Earth" or "the most rare on Earth"?

  2. Were clothes called "loud" because they actually made a noise?

    Oct 4, 2020 · In the mid 19th century, taffeta was ‘loud’ The taffeta and silk used in dresses in the 1830s could have inspired the expression “loud clothes”. This is only a conjecture of mine but it is based on …

  3. Word for a person who likes to hang out in cafes

    Apr 3, 2018 · I'm looking for a word equivalent to "barfly" applying to people who like to spend time lingering and socializing in cafes next to a coffee or a beer. It can be a slang term or something …

  4. Why is the letter 'E' the most commonly-used letter?

    Jul 5, 2020 · While this doesn't speak to the etymological reasons for why 'e' specifically is the most frequent letter, there is actually a very interesting statistical reason that there is such a letter: Zipf's …

  5. Safe as Houses - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    Oct 23, 2015 · Safe as Houses : John Hotten argued in his Slang Dictionary of 1859 that safe as houses may have arisen when the intense speculation on railways in Britain — the railway mania — began …

  6. Is there a word for a person who can recognize valuable items that can ...

    Jul 10, 2023 · She’s found: an antique piece of serving ware–I think it was a pie slicer or cheese knife that was the rarest part of a set, rare pyrex dishes, an original Holly Hobbie doll, a jar of buttons that …

  7. The origin of 'water breaking' during pregnancy

    Feb 16, 2025 · Indeed the earliest-occurring term, amnios, the OED assigns to its frequency band 2, its second to rarest classification. That means it remains extremely rare. The OED estimates that it …

  8. etymology - The pronunciation of the word 'junta' - English Language ...

    Mar 24, 2019 · In contrast, /ʒ/ is the rarest consonant phoneme in the language at all, occurring only in (mainly French) loan words, and notably it is almost entirely absent at the beginning of words.

  9. Word for "animals, including humans"?

    Jul 10, 2015 · Commonly, "animals" means "all animals, except humans". So is there a single word for "animals, including humans"? Particularly, if you had a list of two choices, animal or human, what …

  10. Synonym for "slice and dice" - English Language & Usage Stack …

    Feb 13, 2019 · Can anyone provide me with a more professional way of saying "slice and dice"? For example, "This new interactive report allows you to slice and dice information regarding your clients"