Aug 21, 2010 · Summary: The confusion may come from 'forte' as used in music for strong or loud, which is definitely pronounced 'for tay' = /ˈfɔr teɪ/. In French, the same letters are pronounced 'fort' = …

Jun 20, 2015 · I agree the original should be 'hold the fort' and 'hold down…' looks like an aberration. Is it too much to speculate that 'hold down…' could have come from a land-lubbers variation on …

Aug 3, 2012 · "Back and forth" is the more correct idiom, because, well, that's the idiom. There's nothing to stop you from saying "forth and back" — a little voice is repeating the subtitle to The Hobbit, which …

William Kitchiner M.D. (1775–1827) was an optician, inventor of telescopes, amateur musician and exceptional cook. His name was a household word during the 19th century, and his Cook’s Oracle …

Nov 28, 2017 · It will be put up to you time after time that the soldier men's forte is fighting, and that a different class of brains is required for parliamentary work. That's the sort of guff and griffle the old …

Feb 15, 2018 · The last sentence is OK; the other two are overnegated. The not in the first clause scopes the second one too, so you don't need to repeat the negative in it. The first ones are OK …

Aug 31, 2014 · I'd like to know the etymology of the word "ginger" in reference to red-headed people. In particular, if "ginger" in this context is related to the plant root used in cooking, I'd like to know how...

Apr 12, 2019 · I'm nowhere close to answering this (etymology questions aren't my forte), but it might be helpful if you provided your Spanish-version source in the question. (Either an actual link, or just a …

Feb 12, 2015 · When did the term "my thing" as in " that is my thing " come into usage? Merriam-Webster offers very little help and limits itself to saying thing 7 a : something (such as an activity) that …

Aug 20, 2010 · What is the correct way to pronounce niche? I've always said and heard nitch, but now I hear neesh, but it always sounds trendy to me. Thoughts?