Questions tagged [meaning-in-context]
This tag is for questions about the meaning of a word or a phrase in a specific context, which a dictionary cannot answer. Please give as much context as possible.
10,377 questions
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What does "udder buddy" mean? [closed]
In One Battle After Another (2025), Pat confronts Perfidia about where she is going, reminding her that they
are a family now and have a baby. Perfidia asserts her independence, stating
that she puts ...
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-2
votes
1
answer
43
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What does "as well" refer to?
In On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), James Bond saved Tracy from her debt in the card game, after which she invited
him to her room. Upon arriving, he discovered and defeated a thug. Later, she
...
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votes
1
answer
64
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Is there any sarcasm in this line?
By using violence in the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Marco's goons brought James Bond near to him:
Marco: My apologies for the way you were brought here today. Please
sit down. I was ...
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5
votes
4
answers
1k
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"her daughter had been by"
Can you explain to me what by means in the following sentence? The text in Dogwood by Chris Fabry is:
On my first day, when they returned from the retirement party for Chief Buret, Eddie was already ...
- 617
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1
answer
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What's the purpose of "too" here? [closed]
In You Only Live Twice (1967), following his faked burial at sea, James Bond was secretly recovered by divers and brought aboard a waiting submarine. He reported to the Sub Captain, joked with ...
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-2
votes
1
answer
61
views
What does "it" in "to it" refer to? [closed]
In Jurassic World Dominion (2022), see Alan and Ellie outside a nearby pond as Ellie prepares Alan for the testimony. Alan wears a suit:
Ellie: You look trustworthy.
[The two smile as Alan looks to ...
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3
votes
3
answers
262
views
Does "right" refer to Maisie's suggestion that Blue won't hurt them?
In Jurassic World Dominion (2022), Maisie meets baby dinosaur Beta outside and offers her toast. Adult dinosaur Blue arrives and growls to protect her baby while Beta hides behind her. Owen tells ...
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1
vote
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63
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"Would've + V3" to talk about the future: I didn’t think you guys would’ve p*ssied out on that one
Source: Buying My Wife a $500,000 Diamond Necklace!, here, 20:20
Producer Michael wants to buy a necklace for his wife. He’s got to the point where he has to negotiate the price with two sellers:
...
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2
answers
40
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little farther along [closed]
Can you explain to me what "along" means. The text in book Dogwood by Chris Fabry is:
"How do you know Karin?" I said as even and measured as I could.
"She comes to visit me. ...
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0
votes
1
answer
91
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"I ducked under trenches" what does that mean?
I was reading the new Ali Hazelwood novel "Hot for slayer" and I came across this phrase: "I ducked under trenches", to me that sounds pretty irrational to me, since a trench it's ...
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How does "future working lives" affect the meaning of the sentence?
This is an IELTS writing task:
Some believe that young people should choose the jobs they want for their future working lives. However, others argue that young people should be realistic and choose ...
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0
votes
1
answer
75
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How could you open it? I tried for about ten minutes, but I couldn't [closed]
John is a new employee at a company called XXX, and it's his first day at work there. After he's finished work, he walks down a corridor until he reaches a door that leads outside the office. He tries ...
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0
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2
answers
76
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Busting out all over
Can you explain to me what "bust out" means. The text in Dogwood book by Chris Fabry is:
The phone just rang, and I pictured Richard at the store with Tarin, buying diapers and applesauce. ...
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1
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93
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What does "a good year" mean?
In Casino Royale (1967), Miss Goodthighs is politely welcoming Evelyn Tremble
to the Hotel Tropical on behalf of the hotel’s management, expressing
that they hope he has an enjoyable stay:
Evelyn ...
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-1
votes
1
answer
70
views
What does "Down" refer to? [closed]
In Casino Royale (1967), a taxi driver and agent of the British secret service, "MI5" prevents Mata Bond from using a manhole to escape:
Driver: No, no! Down. No.
Then he takes her away to ...
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votes
2
answers
75
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What does "Oh, it's crazy" refer to?
In Casino Royale (1967), Mata Bond confronts James Bond about abandoning her at age three, expressing the trauma of being the illegitimate daughter of Mata Hari and James Bond. James claims his career ...
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2
answers
99
views
Does "best work at night" refer to "sex"? [closed]
In Casino Royale (1967), Miss Moneypenny's daughter informs James Bond that all their
desirable agents have vanished, and the plan is to take one
man all women want, then train him not to want women:
...
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0
votes
2
answers
99
views
“…a climb in population from 1800's 60,515 to…” Is it clear that 1800 and 60,515 refer to the year and its population?
I want to express this:
Manhattan saw a substantial climb in population from 60,515 in 1800 to 1,538,096 in 2000.
But I want to use 1800's 60,515 instead of 60,515 in 1800 because I sometimes see ...
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1
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72
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What does "died as he lived" mean?
In Casino Royale (1967), the 1st Piper reports Plan B is active and McTarry Castle is
fully occupied with Agent Mimi now M's widow. A Command Center
woman asks if Mimi is impersonating Lady Fiona and ...
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0
votes
2
answers
88
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I would wind up hating her
Dogwood by Chris Fabry begins with these two sentences:
Ruthie Bowles once said I would wind up hating her. She was right.
Can you explain to me in simple words what "wind up" means?
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3
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543
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Ambiguity in "register a case … against": does it target the accused or the victim?
I came across this sentence in a newspaper, and I wanted to know if this sentence has two meanings. The sentence is :
We have registered a case of trespassing, unlawful assembly, and mischief against ...
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104
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When should I use "at first" vs "at the start"?
When I want to say that someone had one behavior at the beginning of a relationship but later revealed a different personality, which of the two options should I use? Or could both be used, but each ...
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8
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2
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2k
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What does "blue-eyed boys" mean in this context?
In Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), towards the end of World War II, Nazis capture Indiana Jones and put a noose around his neck:
German Soldier: Tell us your story, or die.
Indiana ...
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2
votes
2
answers
256
views
What does "this one" refer to?
In Thunderball (1965), Fiona was killed at the Kiss Kiss Club. Bond puts her body in the
empty chair and tells the nearby couple, who are sitting in theirs:
Bond: Mind if my friend sits this one out? ...
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2
votes
4
answers
146
views
Are "into the game "or "in the game" interchangeble?
Can "into the game" be substitued for "in the game" in this context? Do they have the same meaning?
An hour played, and the team are searching for a way back into the
game.
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4
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Is "know-how color" a common expression or the author's stylistic device?
I was reading an article about soft skills and came across this sentence: "While your experience and know-how color the quality of your work, your personality makes you a desirable team member. ...
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1
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What does "I know me" mean?
In Thunderball (1965), Francois Derval is interrupted by a duty call while
having a private moment with Fiona.:
Francois Derval: You'll be here when I come back?
Fiona: Mm hmm.
Francois Derval: But I ...
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0
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1
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60
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What does "...damned if this decidedly unromantic pairing has become almost blissfully sweet..." mean?
I was reading an article about Philip Seymour Hoffman on The River Cities' reader's website (It's a newspaper based in Davenport, Iowa) and I found the word "damn" used in a way that I've ...
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1
answer
85
views
What does “it’s” in “it’s not” refer to?
Inside the Hawk Cruiser from Black Adam (2022), Maxine Hunkel reports Karim’s stable condition after nanobots
repaired his injuries, while Al Rothstein, amazed, calls it a miracle. Maxine credits
the ...
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1
vote
1
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views
. . . we did not wait to swap knives .
Sometimes, in the big river, when we would be feeling our way
cautiously along through a fog, the deep hush would suddenly be broken
by yells and a clamor of tin pans, and all in an instant a log raft
...
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0
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1
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Ended up a mess / Ended up in a mess [duplicate]
In the sentence below, do the expressions "ended up a mess" and "ended up in a mess" have the same meaning?
She's upset because last night she tried to make that apple pie her ...
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2
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120
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What does "blew a fuse" mean? [closed]
Inside the vault from Goldfinger (1964), Bond struggles to stop the bomb’s gears as the timer
counts down, but the scientist flips a switch to stop it at "007."
Felix then arrives with ...
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2
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. . . and if he failed to be there, . .
During this big rise these small-fry craft were an intolerable nuisance. We were running chute after chute,-a new world to me,-and if there was a particularly cramped place in a chute, we would be ...
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114
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What does "fast falls" mean?
In Goldfinger (1964), TILT DOWN to Bond's feet. Suddenly a pair of hands grab his ankles and yank on them. He falls face-down onto the
platform. The hands pull him back and hurl him against a wall. He ...
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2
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86
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What does "that's not" refer to?
In the film Goldfinger (1964), Smithers briefing about Goldfinger:
SMITHERS: Apart from being a legitimate bullion dealer, Mister Goldfinger
poses eh, no, that's not quite fair... is, among his many ...
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2
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64
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What does "two of us" refer to? [closed]
In Goldfinger (1954), CLOSE SHOT on the remains of a meal. PAN OVER to the bed.
First we just see Bond's and Jill's feet rubbing against each
other. Then, PANNING FURTHER, we see them embracing and
...
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0
votes
1
answer
60
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What do these numbers mean? [closed]
In a hotel pool scene from Goldfinger (1964), Goldfinger and Simmons play a rummy game while Bond approaches, pausing to watch, then moves closer as Goldfinger suddenly lays his cards down:
https://...
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0
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2
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222
views
How recognizable is "dailying a smartphone"? And is it a portmanteau?
I didn't know that daily could be a verb (US, automotive, colloquial), as in "to drive an automobile frequently, on a daily basis, for regular and mundane tasks" (Wiktionary). I note MW ...
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“shack of a place”
"Ingrid had her arm around her. 'You are the saucepan warrior. And I think we need to mark your fearlessness, and our potentially groundbreaking findings, with a meal. A nice meal. And some vodka....
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1
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What does "had her kicks" mean? [closed]
In the film of From Russia with Love (1963), Bond pins Klebb against the wall with a chair while her knifed foot keeps kicking, as Tania rolls on the floor, grabs Bond's gun, aims, and fires. Kleb ...
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0
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2
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64
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What does "Don't make it tougher on yourself." mean?
In From Russia with Love (1963), Grant reveals the fake set up plan after killing Bond and Tania for Spectre:
BOND: Must be a pretty sick collection of minds to dream up a plan
like that.
GRANT: Can'...
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2
votes
4
answers
261
views
"Getting On" vs "Relating" with Someone
Today I wanted to test my English abilities and at the question:
They never argue and they enjoy spending time together. = They _________.
I answered "relate very well" instead of the ...
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0
votes
1
answer
120
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What does "size" mean? [closed]
In From Russia with Love (1963), Bond and Kerim lurk in foreground as the two policemen approach the apartment house in background.
IN THE ALCOVE
Bond raises the rifle to look through it but it ...
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2
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75
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What does "things" mean? [closed]
In From Russia with Love (1963), Kerim takes Bond into the cistern and beneath the Russian Consulate,
where he reveals a navy-gifted periscope, spots officials in a
conference room, and lets Bond look ...
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1
vote
2
answers
144
views
What does "between them" refer to? [closed]
In From Russia with Love (1963), Kerim speaks to Bond:
You'll like my gypsy friends. I use them like the Russians use the
Bulgars. I'm afraid it's created a blood feud between them.
What does "...
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0
votes
1
answer
65
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Does it mean Kerim is still selling rugs?
In From Russia with Love (1963), Kerim leads Bond through a hidden door into the cistern, rows him by boat past pillars,
then brings him beneath the Russian Consulate, where he uncovers a navy-gifted ...
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1
vote
1
answer
103
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What does "situation" refer to?
In Emma (2020), George Knightley, a close friend of the family and owner of
nearby Donwell Abbey, speaks to Emma, a wealthy and beautiful twenty-year-old,
about her insult toward Miss Bates at the Box ...
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2
votes
6
answers
443
views
. . . , we should have eaten up a Posey County family, fruit, furniture, and all, but that they happened to be fiddling down below,
Then for an instant, as we whistled by, the red glare from our
furnaces would reveal the scow and the form of the gesticulating
orator as if under a lightning-flash, and in that instant our firemen
...
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0
votes
2
answers
74
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Does “ride to London” here mean Elton is going there specifically for framing the painting?
In Emma (2020), Emma has painted a portrait of Harriet, and Mr. Elton excessively praises her work in front of Mr. Woodhouse:
Knightley: You've made her too tall, Emma.
Elton: No. No, certainly not ...
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votes
1
answer
72
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What does "above my notice" mean?
In Emma (2020), Emma Woodhouse speaks to Miss Smith:
The Martins are of precisely the order of people with whom I feel I can have nothing to do.
A degree or two lower might interest me. If they were ...
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