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Autotune is a verb that has recently been added to the Oxford English dictionary, it means to change the pitch of a recording with a computer program. Usually, an out-of-tune vocal recording is manipulated to render the performance in tune. The past form of autotune is autotuned, the indicative is …
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Strictly speaking, can is an auxiliary verb that is used to express mental and physical capability. May is an auxiliary verb that is used to express permission. However, the sharp dividing line between the use of can and may has eroded, due to the English language’s seeming evolution toward informality. Today, …
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Mean may be used as a verb to (1) indicate, signify or refer to a certain thing (2) indicate genuine intention (3) refer to the consequence of a certain thing or action (4) show the importance or value of a certain item or happening. Mean may be used as an …
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Once in a lifetime is a phrase that means an event or opportunity that is not likely to be repeated. The phrase once in a lifetime was first recorded in 1854, and can mean an event or opportunity that literally will not be repeated within one’s lifetime, or more usually, …
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To know of something firsthand means the information is obtained from the original source or from personal experience. Firsthand may be used as an adjective to explain the type of information that has been acquired or as an adverb, explaining how the information was acquired. Firsthand is the preferred spelling …
A pram is a bed for an infant on four wheels, often with a hood that retracts. It is used to push the baby from room to room or on walks. Once a child can sit up, it has outgrown a pram. Pram, the preferred word for those in the United …
Fur is a noun that means the hairy coat of an animal. Fur is also the skin of an animal which is covered with this fine hair, as well as a garment made out of fur. The adjective form appears before a noun, such as fur coat or fur trapper. …
Coon’s age means a very long time. It is an Americanism that isn’t used as much these days because of its association with the racist history of the single-word term coon. Coon is supposed to be slang for raccoon, coined in the mid-1700s, but has been used as a racial …
An aerie is a nest of a bird of prey such as a hawk or an eagle, or any large bird. It is situated at great height in a tall tree or on a cliff. Aerie has also come to mean a large house or fortress situated up high on …
Sign up is a verbal phrase. It means to commit or agree to participate in an endeavor such as a class, the military, or a business deal. It is the act of putting one’s name to a contract or list. The past tense of sign up is signed up, the …