English Seeking

What does “so long” mean? How it is different from “goodbye” and “farewell”?

The phrase "so long" is said to mean "goodbye" or "farewell". However, today its use is mostly informal.

The first known usage of the phrase is said to be in 1854, and it has since become dated and is used mostly by the people in the US who are in their fifties and sixties (or older). British don’t use the phrase.

"So long" is more final than "goodbye". Saying "so long" to someone at the time of parting means there is possibility, or certainty, that you may never see that person again.

When we are going to see the person again, we use "see you later" which is kind of obvious.

There is another word for the same occasion: Farewell. "Farewell" is also used when you may not see the person again. It is a short for "may you fare well". Meaning, may you be happy and successful, and do well in life.

As far as the origin of the phrase "so long" is concerned, it hasn't been pinned down. But interestingly there are similar sounding words in other languages, including German (so lange), Hebrew (shalom), Norwegian (så lenge), Swedish (så länge), Arabic (salaam), and Irish Gaelic (slan), and even Malay (selang).

What does the phrase "it's anybody's guess" mean?

I often came across this phrase in books and movies and thought I understood it, until I thought to cross check my understanding.

What happened after that is anybody's guess.

When I read a sentence like the above I thought it meant that anyone can guess what happened after that.

But today when I researched the meaning of the phrase, to my surprise, I found out that it actually means quite the opposite. "Anybody's guess" means "no one knows"!

So when you read or hear "something is anyone's guess" it means no one knows what it is.

Examples:

When it will rain is anyone's guess. (Right: No one knows when it will rain. Wrong: Anyone can guess when it will rain.)
It is anybody's guess what's inside the box. (Right: No one knows what's inside the box. Wrong: Anyone can guess what's inside the box.)

Who or Whom - Which is correct in "Who are you talking to"?

A lot of people, myself included, struggle with the usage of “who” and “whom” in their language. Part of the reason for the struggle is that it has become common to use the words interchangeably. I have seen many people who have completely abandoned the word “whom” and always use “who” instead. I am also guilty of this to an extent.

Consider the below sentences –

Who do you think is suitable for the job?
Who should the job be given to?
Who are you talking about?
Who were you talking to last night?
Who will pay the price?

If you are like most people you don’t find anything wrong with any of the above sentences. But sentence 2, 3 & 4 are grammatically incorrect. The correct word to use in those sentences is “whom” and not “who”.

So how do you decide which one is the correct word of the two? It is fairly simple. Without going into the complexity of grammar I will give you a simple thumb rule:

Who is for He/She/They
Whom is for Him/Her/Them

Now have a look at the five questions again.

Who do you think is suitable for the job? (He/She is suitable for the job.)
Whom should the job be given to? (The job should be given to Him/Her.)
Whom are you talking about? (I am talking about Him/Her.)
Whom were you talking to last night? (I was talking to Him/Her.)
Who will pay the price? (He/She will pay the price.)

After applying this thumb rule sometimes you will find a sentence with the word “whom” weird, but that is because you are not used to seeing the correct grammar in this regard. Sometimes the sentence may look too formal, which may prevent you from using the correct word. So I would say it depends on what context and setting you are about to use it in. If the context or setting is formal, use the correct grammar. Otherwise, go with what you feel comfortable with.

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What is the difference between dating someone and seeing someone?

Dating

When you are dating someone, you are casually meeting them with anticipation of sex and/or romantic relationship in the future if all went well for a while. Dating is the process of modern humans shopping for mates. They meet a lot of people and eliminate a of people until they find someone who they would want to start a physical and/or romantic relationship with. Hence the term dating market.

Seeing

When you are having physical intimacy (meaning having sex) with someone, you are seeing them. Think of it this way: When X says she is seeing Y, what she is saying is that she is seeing Y naked. Sounds funny, but that is not only the easy way to remember the difference between dating and seeing but also makes sense logically. Literally, everyone sees everyone else. Why then do we use the word "seeing" in the context of intersexual relationships? Hence, "seeing" in this sense means seeing each other naked. Meaning, two people who are in physical relationship are seeing each other (naked). They may be having just a sexual relationship or it may be a full blown serious romantic relationship, so far as they are having sex, they are seeing each other.

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Does Homesick mean sick of home or sick for home?

A lot of people are confused about the meaning of the word Homesick.

The confusion exists because of the similar words like Seasick, Carsick etc. Seasickness means sickness or nausea caused by the motion of travelling in ship at sea. Carsickness, likewise, is sickness or nausea caused by the motion of travelling in a car. Sickness in these words is of sea and car. Unlike this, homesickness is NOT caused by being at home. It is not sickness of home, but sickness for home.

When one is homesick, one is missing one's home. It is longing to be home.

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What is the difference between "few" and "a few"?

We know that few means little, small amount. This can be a positive thing, or a negative thing depending on how you view it. If you are wishing for more, little is negative. If you are not wishing for anything, say, then little is positive.

This is the difference between "few" and "a few"! "Few" has negative connotation, whereas "a few" has positive connotation.

Examples:

Few - I don't feel happy here because I have few friends.
A few - I feel quite happy here because I have a few friends.

Few - Few people know about injustice of the state.
A few - There are a few people who know about the injustice.

Few - He is not knowledgeable because he has read few books in his life.
A few - I have some knowledge because I have read a few books on the subject.

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What does "around" mean in the phrase "next time around"?

It suggests that "next time" refers to some kinda cyclical event. For example, a salesman visits his client and when leaving, says "I'll see ya next time around" meaning, on his next visit.

Another example: After the sports event you might say to your team mates, "Goodbye mates, I'll see ya next time around" to mean that you guys will get together again in the next sports event.

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