Quick answer: They name the same place and the same cuisine, so there is no real difference in meaning. Sichuan is the modern standard spelling, from the pinyin romanization system. Szechuan is an older romanization that is still common in restaurant names, menus and food products. Both are understood, but most modern writing prefers Sichuan. … Read more
Quick answer: A veranda is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch attached to the outside of a house, usually at ground level and often running along the front and sides. A balcony is an elevated platform that projects from the wall of an upper floor and is enclosed by a railing. In short: a veranda … Read more
Quick answer: Breadth is how wide a range of topics, skills or ideas you cover. Depth is how thoroughly you understand or explore one topic. Breadth is about going wide, and depth is about going deep. Time and attention are limited, so there is a trade-off, but you can combine both, as in the “T-shaped” … Read more
Quick answer: A glossary is an alphabetical list of specialized or unfamiliar terms with their definitions, like a mini dictionary. An index is an alphabetical list of topics, names and terms with the page numbers where they appear, like a roadmap. A glossary tells you what a word means, and an index tells you where … Read more
Quick answer: A cocktail is a mixed drink that usually contains alcohol, such as a spirit combined with juice, soda, syrup or bitters. A mocktail is an alcohol-free mixed drink, often modeled on a cocktail, with the name built from “mock” plus “cocktail.” Mocktails are also called virgin cocktails or zero-proof cocktails. Labeling rules vary … Read more
Quick answer: Both words mean increasing by successive additions, and they largely overlap. Cumulative is the standard word and is far more common: “the cumulative effect of small savings.” Accumulative is a real but much rarer adjective meaning “tending to accumulate.” When in doubt, choose cumulative. (The correct spellings are “cumulative” and “accumulative,” not “cummulative” … Read more
Quick answer: A meteoroid is a small rocky or metallic object moving through space. A meteor is the streak of light you see when one burns up in the atmosphere, the “shooting star.” A meteorite is a piece that survives the trip and lands on the ground. In short: meteoroid in space, meteor in the … Read more
Quick answer: Kitty-corner is the most common form, and catty-corner is a close second. Both mean “diagonally across from.” The older form is cater-corner, which some formal style guides prefer. Katty-corner is a rare respelling that is not a standard dictionary form, so it is safest to write kitty-corner or catty-corner. Kitty Corner vs Katty … Read more
Quick answer: They are not opposites, because they describe different things. Champagne is a sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France. Brut is a sweetness level meaning dry, with less than 12 grams of sugar per liter. A bottle can be both, as in “brut Champagne,” and other sparkling wines can also be labeled … Read more
Quick answer: “Today’s” with an apostrophe is almost always correct, since it shows that something belongs to today, as in “today’s weather.” “Todays” without an apostrophe is not a standard word in regular sentences; “today” has no true plural form. Quiz: Todays vs Today’s today’s Possessive of today. “Today’s news was surprising.” todays Not standard. … Read more