Rebecca
"Openness" here means honesty and frankness, a lack of secrecy or concealment. Thus, "a palms up gesture indicates openness and honesty" means "a palms up gesture shows/represents frankness and honesty". Ex: She's known for her openness and honesty. Ex: Her openness about her past surprised everyone.
08/24
1
Could you give me some example sentences using the phrase "make play"?
"Make play" in this scenario means to pretend or to pose as something or someone else. Loki is accusing Dr. Banner (the Hulk) of being a mindless beast pretending to be a normal man. If you do not know, Dr. Banner transforms into a huge, very powerful green man when he gets angry. When Dr. Banner turns into the Hulk, he loses control over himself and usually doesn't remember what happened. I'm unsure about British English, but we don't really use "make play" in American English. We tend to use "pretend" more often. Ex: He likes to make play that he is a sweet guy, but he's really a jerk. Ex: The children made play that they were knights. Ex: She likes to make play as a princess.
2
What does "might as well" mean?
"Might as well" is an informal expression used to suggest doing something, usually when there isn't a better option. The speaker has used this to suggest that because of all the fighting going on, even living with his parents who fight all the time again seems to be a better choice. Ex: The bus is late, and the place isn't far. We might as well walk there. Ex: The wait for this restaurant is too long. We might as well go somewhere else.
3
What's the difference between "social media" and "social network service"?
That's a very good question. Basically, "social media" is a platform for giving information or "content". We use it to refer to what is being uploaded e.g. a blog, video. You can think of it as a one-to-many communication method. Although people can respond and comment, you aren't sending the media specifically to any one person. Whereas "social networking" is a way for communicating with one another, the communication has a two-way nature. Social networks are about interacting and creating conversations. Ex: I consume a lot of social media, like YouTube and Instagram. Ex: My family communicate a lot through social networks like Facebook and Whatsapp.
4
Does "predicament" mean something more severe than "problem"?
Not necessarily. A predicament is a difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation. If someone were to say that he has a predicament, it just means that he is in some sort of situation, it doesn't mean that it is more severe than "problem." A: I have a predicament. B: What is it? A: I forgot to bring my lunch. Ex: Her shirt is covered in dirt. That is kind of a predicament. Ex: We are in a predicament. We forgot our IDs before going into the liquor store.
5
What's "look" mean as a noun?
"Look" as a noun means the appearance of something or something. Here, it's specifically about the "look" of his outfit, similar to a "style" of one's clothes. It can also mean looking at something to get a better idea of it. Ex: Let's gets a closer look to see what type of bird it is. Ex: Bright yellow is quite the look on you! I could never pull that off. Ex: I liked the nice and quaint look of the house on the hill.
Complete the expression with a quiz!
