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What does ‘Without a Shadow of a Doubt’ mean?  “Without a shadow of a doubt” means that there is absolute certainty in the mind of the speaker or author about something. There is no possibility of ambiguity in the statement or sentiment expressed. It is not quantifiable yet is used to express a strong opinion …

Read More about “Without a shadow of a doubt” — Meaning & Usage

When was the last time you intensely thought about whether a comma should come before the word “without”?  If you are reading this post, it probably means that punctuation rules have gotten on your nerves, and you just badly want to tick this mystery off of your list. So, without further ado, let us explore …

Read More about Comma before “without” — Punctuation Guidelines

As you may already know, transition words and phrases like “with this in mind” make our ideas more cohesive in writing and speaking. These expressions become way more important in the world of texts. This is because they are used in connecting ideas and defining their relationships. Human as we are, our thoughts are naturally …

Read More about 17 Great Alternatives for “With this in mind”

Picture this: You are watching an old-timey, black-and-white film from the mid-20th century. The setting is an elaborately decorated hotel lobby.  A man in a suit with neatly combed hair and wearing a freshly pressed suit approaches the reception desk. The receptionist looks up, smiles, and says, “Good evening Mr. Carlson, are you here for …

Read More about Traveling for Business vs. Traveling on Business — Explained

By the time most of us reach adulthood, we have forgotten all about the excitement that a new, blank page in a coloring book used to inspire in us. Black line drawings of people, animals, dinosaurs––or whatever they may have been of––had the power to conjure up such eagerness and animation in most of us …

Read More about Color me surprised — Meaning, Context & Examples

Over the past two decades, as people increasingly communicate by email, text and other means involving the internet, a number of different writing conventions have sprung up. For example, it’s very common to use emojis to emphasize how we feel about something, and most people by now are aware that “LOL” means “laughing out loud,” …

Read More about The Meaning of /j mean in Emails — Uncovered

There is perhaps no more frustrating feeling than trying to accomplish something and getting nowhere.  Many of us are familiar with the ancient Greek legend of Sisyphus. The story goes that Sisyphus, the King of Corinth, was punished by the god Zeus for defying the laws of nature by cheating death twice.  Sisyphus was given …

Read More about “Pushing rope” — Meaning, Context & Examples

There is perhaps no more famous literary expression in the world than “star-cross’d lovers,” from the prologue of William Shakespeare’s quintessential love story Romeo and Juliet.  This line implies that the tragic fate of the two young lovers, who both commit suicide, was pre-destined. Their stars were crossed, not aligned, and therefore their love was …

Read More about The Spiritual Meaning of Stars — Very interesting, indeed!

There are very few words in the English language that feature three consecutive vowels.  Lieu is an exception in this regard and stands out quite starkly on the page because of it. “Ieu,” is not a commonly occurring sequence of letters, and many people struggle to pronounce the word “lieu” as a result.  So why …

Read More about “In lieu of” — Meaning, Context & Examples