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  1. Formal equivalent / synonym for the phrase/idiom "winging it"

    Jan 4, 2018 · One team member on the project was, for lack of a better word, winging it. They did not understand what their role required and did not follow any established theories, …

  2. Does anyone use both "whinge" and "whine?"

    Dec 7, 2015 · The words "whinge" and "whine" have separate (albeit very similar) definitions in the OED, and they have distinct pronunciations. "Whinge" seems completely restricted to …

  3. Past tense of "to wing"? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    Is there a past tense of the verb "to wing," meaning to make up on the fly? Inspired by a blog post of Wil Wheaton, quoted partially below. "Is it from a recipe, or are you winging it?" "...

  4. Are the origins of the idioms "on the fly" and "just wing it" related?

    3 I was recently trying to think of another way to say "on the fly", in the context of a performance, speech, or action. I thought of the idiom "winging it". I then wondered if the origins of these two …

  5. What is the origin of the Australian slang “pommers” to refer to ...

    Sep 25, 2023 · Wikipedia has a list of Australian slang words for people, and says: pom or *pommie - an Australian nickname given to English people. Somewhat derogatory in nature …

  6. What does Homer mean when he says, "her words had wings"?

    Nobody knows for sure. The Greek phrase is “ἔπεα πτερόεντα”, and “winged words” is a literal translation. The idiomatic meaning of this expression is not known, and it has spurred …

  7. A word that defines shy, but in a positive context

    Observant, not fumbling winging-it fool! All these people that responded to your question acknowledge the many wonderful and valuable attributes that parallel being shy and reserved.

  8. Origin of the term 'Pom' - English Language & Usage Stack …

    Mar 8, 2019 · I am fishing for an explanation. The term 'Pom' for an Englishman is used in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The common explanation is that it is derived from …

  9. etymology - Why is “Saturday” Romanic? - English Language

    The names of the week were originally Roman according to the Oxford English Dictionary: The Latin days of the week in imperial Rome were named after the planets, which in turn were …

  10. Politely asking "Why is this taking so long??"

    Jul 11, 2011 · I am trying to write a business email and, as English is not my first language, I'm having a bit of trouble coming up with a really polite way of saying the following: Hi, It's been a …