The Americans coined 'boob' and left it to the British, I think, then now prefer 'tits', I think  Can you tell me which one is more acceptable in polite context or if they are equivalent, what is their connotation? Do you consider them vulgar? When I was in England boob seem to be an acceptable word
121171
What is the difference between “tits” and “boobs”?  P.S. I'm not sure if this question is appropriate but as English is not my native language I really would love to know the difference.
16029
The plural "guys" definitely is, at least here in San Francisco — I'm often hearing all-girl companies here being greeted with 'Hi guys, how are you doing?'.  How about the singular guy? Is it universally assumed that 'the guy who will be doing this' can be either guy or gal?
7826
Today I saw an idiomatic road sign: "Pretty Muddy". I found this lack of strict English on a road sign unusual (on par with my "Dead Slow" official speed limit sign in Leeds, pic below), but as it turned out it's a charity race and the signs were merely directions.  This got me thinking however, how do words like "pretty" and "dead" as   end up in English? Taking "pretty" as an example, when did this first appear?     I wonder how fast you have to be going before they stop you. How would this hold up in court?
65312
Reading different specifications and manuals I've noticed that more often and often pronouns she or her are being used when some unknown person's behavior is described.  For example: "when user opens the first screen, let she be notified about something" or "let user input her address". Actually, I've seen more versatile examples but cannot remember anything nice now.   Is it a last-years tendency? Or is it something only UK-specific? Are there any rules about it? Or, maybe, is it applicable only for written document/spoken language?  I'm not an informant (as you've already guessed) and it's very important to me how should I write in official correspondence with British/US customers and not to hurt their feelings?
3105
On the recommendation of some regulars here, I managed to watch the movie The Madness of King George  over the weekend, and found it excellent.  Anyway, one funny scene in the movie is when King George, who despite being contentedly married is quite flirtatious, remarks on the looks of one of the Queen Consort's ladies-in-waiting to the head of his attending guards:     That's Lady Penbrook. Handsome woman, what? Daughter of the Duke of Marlborough...husband's an utter rascal.    Is the usage of "handsome" here archaic, or just rarely used by those in the know? If the former, when did it become so?
354
I’m Spanish but sometimes see TV shows in English.  My question is whether the words horse and whores sound exactly the same, because in many English language TV shows it seems like they are, which really surprises me.   Are they homophones?  I cannot hear any voicing at the end of the word whores to distinguish the two words.
122450
Is it really wrong to say "How do we call something in English?" instead of "What do we call something in English?"? The former's not unusual in Philippine English at all (probably it's because of the influence of Spanish, which was the national language for almost 400 years). Indeed, it's quite interesting that in many European languages, they tend to say "how". Anyone who can explain this? Thanks a lot.
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!
119064
It seems "TV" is always preferred when used as an abbreviation for "television" in informal writing, but is "tv" ever acceptable? (The capitalization seems to me to place undue emphasis on it.)
36036
I noticed that British people sometimes use me instead of my. For example, Liam Gallagher does it quite often. Example:  The wind was strong I have nearly lost me pants  What is a story behind this alteration? Is it appropriate in formal language? Do people really speak like that? Or is this a dialect rather than a widely spread manner?
121998
So, my boss comes in, railing that "English is a stupid language!" Since this is pretty much a thrice-weekly occurrence 'round these parts, I barely raised an eyebrow, and waited for him to continue.   "Mary just wrote to tell us that she's back from maternity leave, and I want to congratulate her and ask whether she had a girl or a boy, but I can't do it without calling the child an 'it'!" I blinked, then confirmed that yes, he believes the it in "Is it a boy or a girl" is the impersonal pronoun, the same word you'd apply to an apple or a house.  Is it the 'thing' pronoun, really? Or is it just a placeholder of some sort? I used to believe the latter: I gave the boss a mini-lecture about  and the . He wasn't convinced, however, and now he's got me doubting too. (Harumph. I really should know better than to listen to the boss.)  I'm not asking about politeness, here; the former title was to be taken somewhat facetiously. I'm wondering about the grammar: what role is that "it" playing in that sentence? Is it a personal pronoun (and thus the infant has grounds for feeling offended) or a dummy pronoun (and thus those who perceive a politeness issue are just misunderstanding the grammar)?
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.
10134
Is either of these considered better/more readable/more "proper"/more conventional than the other for making text bold? If so, what is the reason?  I like my text \textbf{bold}   versus:  I like my text {\bf bold}
64881
The usage in the question title seems , though it may be more common in Britain.  But I can't exactly see what "part of speech" the word friends is here, and I can't come up with any related forms. You'd never hear, for example, John is enemies with Jack. What is going on?
111533
I have read the post . It was illuminating, but I am unsure which version to use. I am an American, but am writing to a woman in England. It is a formal business letter, and the context is: "I am writing to enquire..." Is this appropriate, as I believe it fits the criteria mentioned in the other post, or should I use inquire?
87650
Was drafting an email and my senior wanted to type "Planting saplings is our way of saying we care for our Nature". I felt that's wrong English. Shouldn't it be "we care for Nature"? (it makes it a bit impersonal to remove the 'our', but if 'our nature' isn't right, can the cuteness factor of mentioning 'our nature' be preserved?. Which is correct?)
27289
I was wondering if any American writers could give me some advice as to whether the following expressions/vocab are used and understood in the US:  (words in bold are the ones I'm asking about. Some words are also in inverted commas)   The living room of a house -- is this expression ok? Do you ever say "front room" or "sitting room"? If it's a massive house with a huge entertainment area, can you say "living area"? I was tickled -- is this expression ok? It means happy. "My college mate wants to hang out at my digs" - meaning my place, or college dorm. Would digs be used? Is college mate an ok expression for someone you go to college with? In the real world, do people stop on the shoulder or the hard shoulder of a highway or is either fine? Is median strip used for the partition between 2 lanes of a highway going in different directions? "He takes the piss out of every banker he meets" -- meaning he mocks them. Is this used? Can you say "I'm pissed off at him" (angry) or does it have to be: "I'm pissed at him." "I called my parents' landline (fixed home phone)." Is landline ok? "I tried on the jeans in the changing room." Is this ok or does it have to be fitting room or something else? Is the word "thingamajig" used in American English? "I can't walk on my ropey leg" -- meaning damaged or injured or tired. Can ropey be used? Security guards are surveilling the place. This verb is showing up as misspelt but I see it sometimes. Is there another spelling or verb?   13.In the real world, do people in the US use MPH or KPH as the unit of speed when driving?   Is the expression "Calm my jitters" acceptable? (calm my nerves) If you pull up to a mansion surrounded by a fence with very thick metal bars all around it, is the word "fence" appropriate or is there a better word. I think that gate would only be for a door in a fence or something? Is the expression "It cost a pretty penny" ever used in the US? Is the expression "It took every ounce of strength" used in the US? Can the word "skiff" be used in the US for a sort of flat-bottomed row boat?   Thank you so much to anyone willing to give advice about these points. Though I appreciate any input, I think it would be most useful to hear from actual American writers to avoid possible confusion.   Many thanks!  Follow up questions:  Thanks to all those who gave their very useful opinions. I have a couple more questions for anyone willing to give advice:   What do you call the area (let's say on the 10th floor) in front of an elevator door? Is there a specific word like "the landing"? When you enter a house (without a mud room), there is a space just past the front door which is not really a room, but it's like the entrance way/hallway between the front door and other rooms like the living room, study. Is this called a "hallway"? It's not a lobby, obviously as that would be for a hotel or something. Can it be the "entrance hall"? If you are using WASP-y as an adjective, do you have to write it like "WASP-y" or "WASPy". I'm guessing "waspy" hasn't become a thing yet?   Thank you!