etymology - How did the words "petting" and "necking" come to mean ...
The sense of ' petting ' meaning "to stroke" is first found 1818. Slang sense of "kiss and caress" is from 1920 (implied in petting, in F. Scott Fitzgerald). The common-sense trajectory seems to be the use of …
What is the word/phrase for putting the hand on the head of other ...
Sep 21, 2017 · What you are describing is "petting." Although, petting is usually done to animals. It may be insulting in some cultures to do it to people. Some asian cultures might find it disrespectful as this …
Which of these meanings for the word "pet" came first?
The word "pet" has a few different definitions (my own paraphrase): n: An animal kept for companionship. v: To affectionately caress. My question is, which of these usages originated first? …
In sex talk, how many bases are there and what do they all mean?
Jun 17, 2011 · It also includes other forms of petting, touching and groping. Third base may include manual or oral sex for either partner. Home run Simply put, a home run is sexual intercourse Grand …
Struck vs Stricken - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
Jan 25, 2015 · Is struck or stricken correct in these sentences? The house was stricken / struck by lightning. The house had been stricken / struck by lightning. He was stricken / struck by grief, cancer, …
Why are promiscuous women known as "slappers"?
Dec 31, 2013 · Women who aren't interested in much more than sex are referred to as "slappers" in British English. British informal, derogatory a promiscuous or vulgar woman. Why is this? I can't find …
grammatical number - Does "staff" take a plural verb? - English ...
Sep 21, 2010 · In British English, one can say "our staff do", because they use plural verbal agreement to emphasize when an entity is made up of a group of people, whether this entity itself is marked as …
‘Where did you be born’ versus ‘Where were you born?’
Nov 8, 2017 · It is not correct. Although a fluent English speaker would understand what you were trying to say, the correct question is as you acknowledged, "Where were you born?". The only thing that …
"in the same vein as" vs. "in a similar vein to" vs. "along a similar vein"
May 2, 2014 · "In the same vein as" is the most common idiom by a long shot. The other options "in a similar vein to" and "along the same vein" sound a little odd to my ear. I guess you'd be better off …
When is "L" doubled? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
Aug 9, 2010 · Actually, to my understading, the form with double l (e.g. "travelling") is more common in British English, while in American English the spelling would be with single l ("traveling"). It seems …