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Bookmark or Share- What do you call the practice of using (overly) complex words specific ...Sesquipedalian can also be used to describe someone or something that overuses big words, like a philosophy professor or a chemistry textbook. If someone gives a sesquipedalian speech, people often assume it was smart, even if they don’t really know what it was about because they can’t understand the words.
- What does ‘Put one's big boy (girl) pants on’ mean?The inclusion of a modifier like "big boy/girl" is crucial to the meaning: stop behaving childishly. The expression alludes to literally telling a child to put on more mature clothes, "big boy/girl" being used in place of "mature" for ease of comprehension. One might literally tell a child to "put on their big boy/girl pants" before a formal event.
- phrases - Why does "big cheese" mean someone important? - English ...The Californians are famous for big mines, big trees, etc., and now have added a big cheese to their list of big brags. At the late Sanitary Fair in San Francisco, a cheese weighing 3,800 pounds net, manufactured by Steele & Brother, of Pescadora [probably Pescadero], was on exhibition in the Floral Temple.
- grammar - Is the saying "It's not that big of a deal" incorrect ...Even though "big a deal" is the more used, I am not sure I would say your kids are wrong in any absolute way. The 'of' is pretty much redundant, and on a personal level I see unnecessary words as a barrier to clarity, but it is used widely in some areas.
- Something is "yay" big - English Language & Usage Stack Exchangeyea big, yea high 1 This big, or this high, accompanied with the spreading of the hands to indicate the size; very large or high, overwhelmingly large or tall. 2 Not very big or high. A sophisticated fad phrase since c1955.
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