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- 01.What does "sort of" mean here?
In this context, "sort of" is just a filler word that doesn't have any specific meaning. "Sort of" can be used anywhere you want because there are no rules on where to put in a sentence. Ex: I was thinking sort of doing the same thing. "Sort of" also means "slightly", "a little". Ex: I am sort of hungry. Ex: I feel sort of tired.
- 02.What does "public failure" mean?
When Steve Jobs says that he was a public failure, he means that he had "failed" in public. This means that he considered himself to be either a "failure" in the eyes of the public, or he is referring to the fact that his "failure" was witnessed by other people around him. Normally, people have "failings" in private, but his unique identity as someone with some fame made him consider himself to be a "public failure." Ex: The movie was a public failure. The famous lineup did not help ticket sales at all. Ex: Many individuals who experience public failures go on to be quite successful.
- 03.Since the word "land" indicates a "location" of somewhere, would it be okay to say "wherever" instead of "whatever" in this context?
I see where you're coming from! However, the difference here is that they are talking about land as an object rather than a location. Whereas if you used "wherever" that would be more in the context of location! Ex: You think you own whatever you put your hands on. Ex: Wherever you go, I know you'll do great things. Ex: I'm happy to meet you for coffee wherever you want. Ex: You think you can buy whatever you want just because your dad's a CEO.
- 04.What is "without further ado"?
"Without further ado" is an idiom that means "without waiting any longer". This idiom is often used when introducing someone or something to an audience. Ex: Without further ado, I present to you the group you've all been waiting for - BTS!
- 05.I cannot understand the line "Magic gone from a pretty thing." Why would he say this?
The song is about giving up and doing anything for the promise of luxury. Here, "pretty thing" refers to luxury, and "magic" references the appeal that luxury had. In the end, realizing that luxury only grants you a small amount of happiness that doesn't last long; the "magic" of it goes away. Ex: When the new phone model came out, it was like the magic disappeared from the old one.
- 06.As long as I know, "freaking" is often used instead of "fucking" which could sound offensive. Then does "freaking" not sound offensive at all?
"Freaking" is a milder version of the word "fucking," but it still is considered to be a bit vulgar and impolite. A safer word would to use here for emphasis would be "so." Ex: That car's so cool! Ex: That's a freaking huge truck. It takes up two lanes by itself!
- 07.I understand that the word "superstar" refers to highly esteemed celebrities however, what do I call people who have higher prestige?
It depends on the context and the situation you are in. If you are addressing someone formally and he or she has a higher prestige than yourself, you can usually address them as "sir" or "ma'am." If they are a police officer on duty, you will address them as "officer." If they are a judge and you are in court, you would address them as "Your Honor." If they are a military officer, you will address them by their rank: Colonel, Lieutenant, Sergeant, etc. If they are a doctor, you would call them "Doctor" and usually their last name. I recommend watching crime shows and medical shows in English. These shows tend to have many titles for their characters. I recommend watching CSI, Grey's Anatomy, Judge Judy, and Criminal Minds. These shows have titles used to address people with higher prestige. As I said earlier, there are many different ways to address someone who is of higher rank than yourself. It depends on the situation. However, if you know that person well and are of higher rank than you, you could probably call them by their first name. The person of higher prestige will more than likely correct you if you call them by the wrong title. Ex: I'm here with Lieutenant Ford on a military assignment. Ex: Officer Baker was in charge of leading the funeral procession. Ex: My doctor is Doctor Hammond.
- 08.Why would she mention "sitting down" all in sudden? Is it some kind of an idiom?
No, this isn't an idiom! "Sitting down" refers to being in a sitting position on a surface. But it does have a kind of meaning behind it in certain contexts. When someone has big news to share, or something difficult to process, they often say, "sit down" or "are you sitting down?" to indicate that it could be too much to handle emotionally, perhaps with the possibility of fainting. Ex: It'd be best to sit down before I tell you the news. Ex: Are you sitting down? Okay. I'm going to win an award!
- 09.I hear "〇〇 basis" a lot. But when do you use this expression?
The expression "on a day-to-day basis" means something happens on a daily basis or happens everyday. The word "basis" means a pattern, process, or a point at which something happens. This word can be attached to other words to describe a pattern of something happening in time, like "regular basis", "daily basis", "monthly basis", etc. There are of course a few other expressions which use "basis", however, these are the most common. Ex: I call my mom on a daily basis. Ex: She cooks on a regular basis.
- 010.Isn't "holy crap" a really bad swearing word? Or is it acceptable to say "holy crap" in similar contexts?
"Holy crap" is considered a relatively mild swear word and is acceptable in most informal situations, like the one in this video (including on TV, as it is usually not censored). You cannot, however, use it in professional or formal settings. "Holy cow" or "oh my god" are similar expressions that are milder in meaning. Ex: Holy crap! Did you see how fast that car went? Ex: Holy cow. Today was an exhausting day.
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Here, "Consign" means to assign or commit permanently. And you're right. It doesn't have a very positive meaning here, since it implies that the item will never be used and kept in the closet forever. Other meanings of "consign" include: delivering something to someone's custody, or to send goods by a carrier. Ex: I consigned my birthday cards to the third drawer of my dressing table. Ex: I'm consigning one of my artworks to the gallery in town. Ex: The package has been consigned to a courier. It'll arrive tomorrow!
Unfortunately, "after eight hours" by itself can't be used because it is not specific enough. The phrase "in eight hours" means "after eight hours from now". Only using "after eight hours" could refer to that eight-hour time frame beginning at any time. An example of how you could use the phrase "after eight hours" is, "After eight hours of sleep, I feel refreshed."
Yes, in this case you can replace "entirely" with "all". Both "all" and "entirely" are adverbs and they have very similar meanings, so you can often use them interchangeably. However, "entirely" is a bit more formal and can more strongly emphasize that something is complete, whereas "all" does not have the same emphasis. Ex: I spilled the drink all on my shirt. Ex: I spilled the drink entirely on my shirt. Even though "all" means that something is "complete" or "whole", it does not imply that something is totally covered with something because "all" is often used to exaggerate something that is not complete or whole. So when used to describe something complete or whole, "all" sounds less strong.
"Scared to pieces" is an idiom that means to be extremely scared. Ex: I was scared to pieces in the haunted house. Ex: She scared me to pieces yesterday.
Of all the synonyms listed by Wiktionary, the most formal option seems to be "absurdity". As a replacement for nonsense, I'd use the plural, absurdities. *Wiktionary is a multilingual, web-based project to create a free content dictionary of all words in all languages.