I've encountered the phrases "lying through his teeth" and "lying". Both have been used in similar contexts to (at least what I understand) as similar definitions. What is the meaning of the idiom of "to lie through one's teeth" and how is this different from just regular lying? Does lying through your teeth mean you lie while smiling?   , but not a duplicate. The answer there only tells the difference between "lying through his teeth vs lying in his teeth". My question is unique because I am asking about the difference in the usage of lying through his teeth vs lying in similar context, while the related question only addresses the origin of the phrase.
120584
I read the origins of this saying are quite old:      "...traceable to the early 1300's as in THE ROMANCES OF SIR GUY OF WARWICK,"    According to this:   Did this apparently obscure reference serve as the source of the saying, or was it defined earlier and then used in this text?  Bonus question: Does lying through the teeth imply with a smile?
116689
It would make sense if both of these sentences were grammatically correct; but is anything different between them meaning-wise?  He acted very strange when I told him about the missing amulet. He acted strangely about the whole deal.  What difference is there between using an adverb here and using an adjective?
644
He will understand that I was not joking.   He will understand I was not joking.  Which of the sentences is correct? Are there any specific rules about the use of &quot;that&quot; in the sentences I reported as example?
76664
There is a novel titled 'Ball Don't Lie', and a film also based on the novel with the same name (visit: ). Then the sentence becomes more famous in sports world after Rasheed Wallace used it in one of NBA games (watch YouTube video ).  So I'm just curious, isn't there clearly a grammar mistake in this term? Shouldn't it be "Balls Don't Lie", or "Ball Doesn't Lie"?
113127
What's the name for a part of speech which is not quite rhetorical, but not expected to be answered directly, either? I know the word exists, it refers to greetings such as "How are you" and similar. There's a very specific term for those greetings and I cannot recall it.  It's not perfunctory or pro forma; it very specifically refers to a common query that isn't really a question but a conversation opener. Might be from a specialized field like linguistics.  Frustrating!
106396
I have question about using this phrase. For example my doctor told me to take 1 pill every day. Then after 3 days he asked me: how long have you been taking these meds?  I was taking them the 1st day, 2nd, 3rd and today 4th day I took them too in the morning and doctor asked me on 4th day how long have you been taking them. I said     I have been taking them for 3 days    but I am not sure since I took the pill today too so shouldnt have I said 4 days?  Should I count the on-going day or still not until its fully finished?
91765
I understand the phrases made of and made from from the questions and answers provided  and .  Yet I came across three more phrases: made out of, made of, and made with which I think are related to the subject in question.  Would you please help me understand how to differentiate these phrases too? And how is their usage?
39244
I know that I came from a country where inventing words or phrase for something is common. I always hear this phrase when they say it:     you're so feeling close   to denote that someone pretends to be your close friend or vice versa. I'm not just that confident that the usage of this phrase is valid. I believe that we're the only one who used this.  A singled word or phrase will do.
21477
Should I say     Some people use the word "flat" to describe their phone when its battery is dead.   or     Some people use the word "flat" to describe their phones when their batteries are dead. (I wanted to use "their" here to refer to the phone's instead of the people's)   or      Some people use the word "flat" to describe their phones when their battery is dead. (I wanted to use "their" here to refer to the phone's instead of the people's)   Which one is grammatically correct and why?
37880
I have seen them both in my reference book, which is written by a native speaker. I wonder why there are two different phrases to describe the same meaning and am looking forward to some reasonable details to explain why this is so.
65097
a. His two previous books  b. His previous two books   .............   His 2 latest previous books His 2 previous latest books His previous latest 2 books His latest previous 2 books His previous 2 latest books His latest 2 previous books  I am wondering what is the difference could be between these in meaning?  Which one do you use? which one you don't use?  I think just especially native speakers or learned ones in English can provide the most proper answer.  Thanks
24811
I'm describing a situation that happened in the past. To explain it, I want to use a description that is both true now and true when the situation happened.  Specifically, I want something like:     She touched me where my neck met my collarbone.   Since my neck is still attached to my collarbone (thankfully), I'm wondering if I shouldn't use the present tense here instead:     She touched me where my neck meets my collarbone.   Which is preferable, and why?
108809
Today I heard a speaker use the phrase "this person", referring to the subject-person of the story they were telling, and I heard it as (that person). Between the words “this” or “that” in context with the phrase and story-tense, which should you use.
33373
How do we refer to the act of resembling the truth, regardless if it is indeed the truth?  Some context: suppose you are watching a film and the story bears a striking resemblance to "real life". Perhaps you remember similar events from your own background or the story has a strong internal coherence. So you feel that the story could be true, even though you know it is fictional. Or, as the legend has it, when Michelangelo finished his "Pietà" and the sculpture seemed so "real" and "natural" to him, that he was amazed that the sculpture couldn't talk. One last example: you hear the promises of a politician in election campaign and he seems to be telling the truth, but of course you have no way to figure out, beforehand, if he is being honest or not.  The word "likelihood" comes to mind, but this word suggests some kind of numerical (even statistical) evaluation, which is akin to "probability". The word I am looking for describes the feeling you get, which leads to a subjective "binary" judgement (either it resembles the truth or not).  In Portuguese, such word is "verossimilhança" (from Latin verum, truth + similis, similar).
28490
I was reading a book and encountered this sentence (emphasis added by me):        I know it without his telling me.      Despite being grammatically correct, it seemed a little strange to me. What came to my mind was this sentence instead:        I know it without him telling me.      Another case was this:        I can’t control the fact of temptation, but there’s no chance of my giving in to it.      QUESTION: Is using "me" here in #3 (or "him" as done in the previous one) correct? If so, what's the difference between the two?
106019
I came across a line in a movie:     You told me your dad was some fighter. You didn't say he was the most famous fighter to ever live.   This is a line spoken by a girl to a guy, and the guy's father is dead. Shouldn't it be:     You didn't say he was the most famous fighter to have ever lived.   Or     You didn't say he was the most famous fighter who ever lived.   What about     You didn't say he was the most famous fighter who has ever lived.
44784
Have you ever seen anyone walk the streets like that? Have you ever seen anyone walking the streets like that?  Are both the above sentences grammatically correct? Do they mean the same?  I saw him kiss her the other day. I saw him kissing her the other day.  Are both the above sentences grammatically correct? Do they mean the same? And I'm sorry, if the latter two sentences come off immature .-. I couldn't come up with better sentences.