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  1. What does "ratchet" mean and when was it first used?

    From them I learned the following things about ratchet. What does 'ratchet' mean, and how is it pronounced? Ratchet [is] used to describe someone means nasty, ghetto or trifling. —Janet …

  2. meaning - What is a word that could define someone who likes to …

    Sep 13, 2013 · Scheming does not carry the meaning of causing harm to others. You can scheme for personal gain without necessarily hurting anyone or, at least, without that being your …

  3. More formal way of saying: "Sorry to bug you again about this, …

    Aug 22, 2011 · A good question: I'm in a similar quandry with a supplier, but after 'sorry to bother you' email or two, I started to ratchet-up the bluntness. :)

  4. Where did the phrase "batsh*t crazy" come from?

    The word crazy is a later addition. Scanning Google Books I find a handful of references starting from the mid-60s where batshit is clearly just a variation on bullshit (nonsense, rubbish) - …

  5. meaning - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    Terry Pratchett used in his disc world novels the word "avec" as a common food ingredient for french (in his books named "quirmian" or "Quirm" for the country) food. Excerpt from "Snuff" by …

  6. Word for resetting or recalibrating - English Language & Usage …

    Dec 11, 2020 · Since the OP wants the sentence to conjure in readers a sense of "quantifiable relationship", if you will, I suggest the phrasal verb ratchet down, which readily evokes this …

  7. Forward vs Forwards - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    The OED says this The present distinction in usage between forward and forwards is that the latter expresses a definite direction viewed in contrast with other directions. In some contexts …

  8. metaphors - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    ADDED: It is possible that a third sense of racket contributed. Racket is found in some 18th-and 19th-century texts as a variant of ratchet, a toothed wheel or bar, or a tooth or click for …

  9. sentence - What does the phrase, “there is properly no history, …

    I found Ralph Waldo Emerson's famous words, “ there is properly no history, only biography,” in his “Essay I” being quoted in the article titled “Keeping the dream alive: A biography,” …

  10. pejorative language - What is the word (s) for someone who is …

    I am looking for a word or multiple words to describe someone who is very (perhaps even 'overly') concerned about the fine details of something. It could be describing someone who is a …