Does "but one" mean "only one" or "except one"?  This phrase shows up in the song "Love is an Open Door" from the movie "Frozen". The relevant line is "Our mental synchronization can have but one explanation".  EDIT: Shouldn't it be "Our mental synchronization can't have but one explanation"?
43350
Here's two ways I've seen the "all, but" idiom used:  "Close all tabs but this one" (Any modern application with a number of tabs might have this as an option.) It means "close all the tabs, but not this one".  "With that goal, the championship is all but decided". This seems to mean "you can say/do whatever (all) you want, (but) it won't change who wins the championship."  Is one of these usages more correct than the other?
81454
I've been searching about the ability to use "one" and "someone" interchangeably but found almost nothing. So what's the difference between them and can they be used interchangeably, for example, in these sentences:   There are numerous things (one, someone) could notice There is a hidden place (one, someone) might find  If (one, someone) comes up to you and asks....
113110
: Old English butan, buton &quot;unless, except; without, outside,&quot; [...]  I don't know Old English. From the étymons overhead, how did but  to mean    |adverb| = 1. No more than; only  ? What can explain the semantic shift? I didn't understand , because English is not my first language  :   In sense: Only. An elliptic development of the conjunction: see .  a. By the omission of the negative accompanying the preceding verb (see ), but passes into the adverbial sense of: Nought but, no more than, only, merely.    I understand Shakespeare's use in . Thank you all.
118088
I hear this phrase from time to time, and I really don't know what it means.  Two people are debating, and one says "the difference between your position and mine is just a matter of semantics."   This would seem to me to be quite an important difference.  That is, if one person means one thing, and the other person means something else, then they really do have different positions.  If they said "it is just a matter of terminology" or "just a matter of phrasing" I would get it.  But if someone says "we differ only what we mean" ... it kinda makes me chuckle because it seems to be saying that their meaning is not important, as if the argument was primary and the positions they take a secondary consideration.  So I started looking around for examples of this. I guess it seems that there is a popular notion that semantics is about very fine distinctions, such as:   Another interpretation seems to be that semantics is the difference between two ways of saying the same thing:   Maybe it is just a way of stopping an annoying conversation:   And then there is some usage that I simply don't understand:    And also:   Still, to me it is just a meaningless phrase.  Am I missing an important meaning here?
93549
The  book has a line which reads as follows:     ... If you had but touched me, my friend, you ...   I've seen the word 'but' used this way a couple of times, but I'm not sure I understand the meaning of this phrase correctly. What is the general rule for using 'but' this way?
73062
I've just come across a film review by an American author where he says:  "I can assure you that both are not typical in any part of this state".  In negative sentences like that, my inclination would be to use "neither one of them is..." instead (or, depending, none of them is/are...).   Is it right to say "both are not..." ?
12227
When the phrase is used as an object, why so many native speakers are saying "you and I" instead of "you and me"? I'm not a native speaker but I thought "you and me" is correct. Not sure if this falls into the same category, but "Just between you and me" sounds more natural than "Just between you and I".
40190
Yesterday, I've listened to a song called "Fear not this night". I find the syntax unusual (as a foreigner, I have never encountered it). Is it the same meaning as "Don't fear this night" ? What's the slight difference between these 2 ?  Thank you for your time.
98871
I have seen the word 'only' placed both before and after a noun. Where should the word 'only' go in this sentence? Is it the writer's choice?   If you have attended every lesson, only the songs need to be rehearsed at home. If you have attended every lesson, the songs only need to be rehearsed at home.
16318
In Polish, and I believe in a number of other European languages, there is an idiomatic expression which translates to "to force a door which is already open". It is used to describe a situation when much effort is spent on solving a problem which has already been solved, or did not exist in the first place. For example, if someone was doing research to answer a question which has already been answered, one would be said to be "forcing an open door". The same would apply to a person who is arguing a point that everyone already agrees with.  As far as I am aware, this phrase does not carry similar meaning in English. (Or does it?). Hence, I would like to know if there is an idiom with similar meaning? If not, is there a succinct way to describe such situations?
66437
I have seen people using "This one is Daddy's" with the word "one" before a form of the verb be. I am confused about which is more accurate, to use:     This is Daddy's.   or     This one is Daddy's.   Hope you can address my concerns, thank you.
91751
All my life, I have been confused with choosing plural or singular form to represent one-one correspondence notion.     Only those who qualify will be awarded a certificate.   or      Only those who qualify will be awarded certificates.   ?  Another example, let us consider the following:  "Each student gets one pencil". But it becomes ambiguous if I rewrite in plural form as "Students get pencils".  I hope someone can give me a general rule to overcome my confusion. :-)
108814
In a programming site, someone just wrote:     I cannot seem to get them both to find their relevant objects.   It seems I've heard something similar before, say:     I cannot seem to find it.   With my simple-minded mind, I would think that what they really mean is:      It seems I cannot find it.   ... because what they really want is not to seem to find X but really find it.   My question is: is it common to say "I can't seem to do it" when one really means "It seems I can't do it", and is it "correct" (in whatever sense that makes sense)?  [edit] There is another question on ; however, my interest is a bit different. I would like to know how native English speakers perceive the "I can't seem..." expression: for example, if someone is looking for something for quite some time, would they rather say (1) "I can't seem to find it" or (2) "It seems I can't find it"? Would (1) seem (even slightly) illogical or is it just a natural way to say it?
26528
Is the following correct?     Can I get some chocolate for myself? Yes, you can but not much.   Is two bars OK?   Is there any rule to explain the sentence above?  The dialogue's taken from Grammar Textbook Round-Up Level #3.
54433
In mathematics, "A or B" includes "A and B". Does "either" mean "A or B but not (A and B)" or does it include the possibility of "A and B"? The context might be mathematics, formal logic or ordinary language.
33795
What does “a couple” mean to you, and what does “a few” mean to you?  Is there a proper way to use these words?  It was striking to hear that “a couple” meant two (2) to someone.  My reaction was, “how/why do you make a short word longer by adding an extra syllable to just say ‘two?’”  I think Few: 2-3, Couple 4-6, Several 7+.  What are your thoughts?
44664
I keep hearing people say everything is not… which frustrating because it is ambiguous. It could mean either     Nothing is… (for the set of all things, no thing is…)   or      Not everything is… (for the set of all things, some things are not…/not all things are…)   I have been hearing it more and more in the past few years. In fact, when you , you get Selena Gomez’s rendition of the Wizards of Waverly Place theme song which only further popularizes it with the youth.  Is this phrase grammatically correct/legitimate (ie, would an English teacher complain?), and if so, which is the correct meaning (if any)?