Machine Languages-The language of the CPU (The central processing unit of the computer, which does the "thinking"). The lowest level language, this is composed of 0's and 1's.
Assembly Languages-Abbreviations for machine language
High-Level Languages-Use program statements, words and algebra-type expressions. Developed in the 50's and 60's.
After a program is written in one of the high-level languages, it must be either compiled or interpreted.
A compiler program rewrites the program into language that the CPU can understand. A compiled program is generally considerably larger than the original.
An interpreter program translates the program statements into machine language one line at a time when the program runs. An interpreted program will be smaller than a compiled one, but will take longer to execute.
Fourth Generation Language (4GL)-Very high-level language. These are results oriented and include database query languages. There are fewer options for programmers, but the programs are much easier to write than in lower level languages. These too must be compiled or interpreted.
Natural Languages-5th Generation Languages-Not yet. Experts believe that in such a language statements look like normal sentences.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
My list of idioms
This list does not explain common idioms.
Face the axe
An axe to grind
Achilles heel
Apple of somebody’s eye – A person or thing that is loved more than others.
Apple-pie (order)
To make amends
Up in arms – Ready to fight
Back to back – In succession
On the back burner
Bad blood between (A) and (B)
Blood and thunder – Violent and melodramatic acting in films…
Blood, sweat and tears – Extremely hard work
Draw blood
Bank on something/somebody – Rely on
Bear the brunt of –
Bear fruit – to bring out a result, usually a successful one
Bear on sb/something-
Beat
Tighten one’s belt
20. Tighten up on sth-to become more careful or strict
21. Walk a tightrope –
22. Blow one’s own trumpet –
23. To break the ice –
24. To bury the hatchet
25. To build castles in the air –
26. To take the bull by the horns –
27. Burn one’s fingers -
28. Cheek by jowl
29. Cock-and-bull story
30. To shed crocodile tears
31. To cry wolf
32. Cut short
33. Cut out for
34. Daggers drawn – Strained relations
35. Dead letter – a law or practice that is generally ignored
36. Turn a deaf ear
37. Die out
38. Dovetail – To combine together neatly
39. To eat humble pie
40. To take effect
41. Elbow room
42. Ex parte
43. Take exception to something
44. The exception proves the rule
45. Eyewash
46. To face the music
47. Full flat
48. To fall short of
49. The fat is in the fire
50. To play second fiddle
51. To fish in troubled waters
52. Flesh and blood – Human nature
53. To follow suit
54. Food for thought
55. Foul play
56. From hand-to-mouth
57. Hand-in-hand
58. To throw down the gauntlet
59. To get the better of
60. Gift of the gab – talent for speaking
61. To give in
62. To give a slip
63. To give full vent to
64. To cast a gloom over
65. Hand in glove
66. Ground
67. Grist to one’s/somebody’s mill
68. Hatch a plot
69. With a heavy hand
70. To wash one’s hands off
71. To haul over the coals
72. Herculean task
73. To hit the nail on the head
74. Hobson’s choice
75. Hocus pocus
76. In Hot waters – In trouble
77. To cut no ice
78. In a nut shell
79. In lieu of
80. Gordian knot
81. Once in a blue moon
82. Caught napping
83. To pay through the nose
84. Piece of cake
85. Pull the plug on sb/sth
86. A quirk of fate
87. Rankle with sth/sb – to cause bitter or angry feelings
88. Break the mould of sth –
89. Stick it out
90. Cleft stick
91. Big stick
92. Carrot and stick
93. Back the wrong horse
94. Take a stick
95. Give sb stck
96. a stick to beat somebody/something
97. The world is one’s oyster
98. Come to a bad/sticky end
99. Thin end of the wedge
100. Blind alley
101. Blind spot
102. Sheer away from something
103. Send somebody/something up
104. go through the pace
105. over the fence – unreasonable or unacceptable
106. Sixes and sevens
107. tooth and nail – Very fiercely, with all power
108. Splitting hairs – Disputing over petty issues
109. Strom in a tea cup
110. Sour grapes
111. Via media – middle way
112. Pin-head – a stupid person
113. Shoot your mouth off
114. …to the letter
115. keep to/follow the letter of the law
116. cry-baby
117. tittle-tattle
118. Chew the fat
119. goo-goo
120. grid-lock
121. hot-button
122. Smoking gun – indisputable evidence or proof as of a crime or misdeed.
123. down-shift
124. right-size
125. on-side
126. at someone’s beck and call
127. plug-and-play
128. open-collar job
129. mumbo-jumbo
130. pickled
131. put to the sword
132. Sword of Damocles
133. Neck of the woods
134. Bite the dust –
135. Bite sb’s head off
136. Bite off more than one can chew
137. In the pink of health/condition
138. Pink-eye
139. Shrinking violet
140. A yellow streak
141. The fat is in the fire
142. Fat of the land
143. Don’t get a wink of sleep
144. One-horse town
145. pick-out
146. run-down
147. snap-up
148. Bon-mot
149. Pull someone’s legs
150. Fill/fit the bill
151. Iron out something
152. Keep sb/so on tenterhooks
153. wishy-washy (pap, treacle)
154. slap-dash
155. chapter-and-verse
156. Hocus-pocus
157. poppy-cock (nonsense)
158. jim-jams – feeling of extreme nervousness
159. a throw
160. tick-off
161. get somebody’s goat – greatly irritate or annoy someone
162. whistle-blower
163. whistle-stop tour
164. hog the roads
165. cleave to
166. hard as nails
167. hard-boiled
168. hard-headed
169. hard-luck story
170. hard-nosed
171. butt in
172. quick on the uptake
173. harum-scarum
174. hot-potato
175. hot ticket
176. tack on
177. hatchet-faced
178. Read the riot act - Reprimand rowdy characters and warn them to stop behaving badly.
179. Know your onions - To be experienced in or knowledgeable about a subject
180. Stool pigeon - A decoy bird, or a police informer, or criminal's look-out or decoy.
181. True blue - Loyal and unwavering in one's opinions or support for a cause
182. Tuckered out – Exhausted
183. A sledgehammer to crack a nut -'Using a sledge-hammer to crack a nut' is using disproportionate force or expense to overcome a minor problem.
184. On the wagon - abstaining from alcohol. 'Off the wagon' - returned to drinking after an attempt to give it up.
185.
Face the axe
An axe to grind
Achilles heel
Apple of somebody’s eye – A person or thing that is loved more than others.
Apple-pie (order)
To make amends
Up in arms – Ready to fight
Back to back – In succession
On the back burner
Bad blood between (A) and (B)
Blood and thunder – Violent and melodramatic acting in films…
Blood, sweat and tears – Extremely hard work
Draw blood
Bank on something/somebody – Rely on
Bear the brunt of –
Bear fruit – to bring out a result, usually a successful one
Bear on sb/something-
Beat
Tighten one’s belt
20. Tighten up on sth-to become more careful or strict
21. Walk a tightrope –
22. Blow one’s own trumpet –
23. To break the ice –
24. To bury the hatchet
25. To build castles in the air –
26. To take the bull by the horns –
27. Burn one’s fingers -
28. Cheek by jowl
29. Cock-and-bull story
30. To shed crocodile tears
31. To cry wolf
32. Cut short
33. Cut out for
34. Daggers drawn – Strained relations
35. Dead letter – a law or practice that is generally ignored
36. Turn a deaf ear
37. Die out
38. Dovetail – To combine together neatly
39. To eat humble pie
40. To take effect
41. Elbow room
42. Ex parte
43. Take exception to something
44. The exception proves the rule
45. Eyewash
46. To face the music
47. Full flat
48. To fall short of
49. The fat is in the fire
50. To play second fiddle
51. To fish in troubled waters
52. Flesh and blood – Human nature
53. To follow suit
54. Food for thought
55. Foul play
56. From hand-to-mouth
57. Hand-in-hand
58. To throw down the gauntlet
59. To get the better of
60. Gift of the gab – talent for speaking
61. To give in
62. To give a slip
63. To give full vent to
64. To cast a gloom over
65. Hand in glove
66. Ground
67. Grist to one’s/somebody’s mill
68. Hatch a plot
69. With a heavy hand
70. To wash one’s hands off
71. To haul over the coals
72. Herculean task
73. To hit the nail on the head
74. Hobson’s choice
75. Hocus pocus
76. In Hot waters – In trouble
77. To cut no ice
78. In a nut shell
79. In lieu of
80. Gordian knot
81. Once in a blue moon
82. Caught napping
83. To pay through the nose
84. Piece of cake
85. Pull the plug on sb/sth
86. A quirk of fate
87. Rankle with sth/sb – to cause bitter or angry feelings
88. Break the mould of sth –
89. Stick it out
90. Cleft stick
91. Big stick
92. Carrot and stick
93. Back the wrong horse
94. Take a stick
95. Give sb stck
96. a stick to beat somebody/something
97. The world is one’s oyster
98. Come to a bad/sticky end
99. Thin end of the wedge
100. Blind alley
101. Blind spot
102. Sheer away from something
103. Send somebody/something up
104. go through the pace
105. over the fence – unreasonable or unacceptable
106. Sixes and sevens
107. tooth and nail – Very fiercely, with all power
108. Splitting hairs – Disputing over petty issues
109. Strom in a tea cup
110. Sour grapes
111. Via media – middle way
112. Pin-head – a stupid person
113. Shoot your mouth off
114. …to the letter
115. keep to/follow the letter of the law
116. cry-baby
117. tittle-tattle
118. Chew the fat
119. goo-goo
120. grid-lock
121. hot-button
122. Smoking gun – indisputable evidence or proof as of a crime or misdeed.
123. down-shift
124. right-size
125. on-side
126. at someone’s beck and call
127. plug-and-play
128. open-collar job
129. mumbo-jumbo
130. pickled
131. put to the sword
132. Sword of Damocles
133. Neck of the woods
134. Bite the dust –
135. Bite sb’s head off
136. Bite off more than one can chew
137. In the pink of health/condition
138. Pink-eye
139. Shrinking violet
140. A yellow streak
141. The fat is in the fire
142. Fat of the land
143. Don’t get a wink of sleep
144. One-horse town
145. pick-out
146. run-down
147. snap-up
148. Bon-mot
149. Pull someone’s legs
150. Fill/fit the bill
151. Iron out something
152. Keep sb/so on tenterhooks
153. wishy-washy (pap, treacle)
154. slap-dash
155. chapter-and-verse
156. Hocus-pocus
157. poppy-cock (nonsense)
158. jim-jams – feeling of extreme nervousness
159. a throw
160. tick-off
161. get somebody’s goat – greatly irritate or annoy someone
162. whistle-blower
163. whistle-stop tour
164. hog the roads
165. cleave to
166. hard as nails
167. hard-boiled
168. hard-headed
169. hard-luck story
170. hard-nosed
171. butt in
172. quick on the uptake
173. harum-scarum
174. hot-potato
175. hot ticket
176. tack on
177. hatchet-faced
178. Read the riot act - Reprimand rowdy characters and warn them to stop behaving badly.
179. Know your onions - To be experienced in or knowledgeable about a subject
180. Stool pigeon - A decoy bird, or a police informer, or criminal's look-out or decoy.
181. True blue - Loyal and unwavering in one's opinions or support for a cause
182. Tuckered out – Exhausted
183. A sledgehammer to crack a nut -'Using a sledge-hammer to crack a nut' is using disproportionate force or expense to overcome a minor problem.
184. On the wagon - abstaining from alcohol. 'Off the wagon' - returned to drinking after an attempt to give it up.
185.
Friday, June 13, 2008
When to use commas to separate adjectives
Today, I had an interesting discussion with my colleague about the use of comma to separate adjectives. Finally, we decided to search the Internet for answers. This is what we got:
""When a noun is preceded by two or more adjectives that could, without affecting the meaning, be joined by and, the adjectives are normally separated by commas. But if the noun and the adjective immediately preceding it are conceived as a unit, such as little girl,' 'political science,' or 'glass ceiling,' no comma should be used." (The Chicago Manual of Style).
That settled everything.
""When a noun is preceded by two or more adjectives that could, without affecting the meaning, be joined by and, the adjectives are normally separated by commas. But if the noun and the adjective immediately preceding it are conceived as a unit, such as little girl,' 'political science,' or 'glass ceiling,' no comma should be used." (The Chicago Manual of Style).
That settled everything.
Specific absorption rate
The term "specific absorption rate" is not from Physics or Chemistry. FCC defines it as the "amount of radio frequency energy absorbed by the body when using a mobile phone." Got it?
CNET has reviewed the SARs of all the leading mobile phone manufacturers and has presented a list of top 10 phones with the least SARs. Check it out.
CNET has reviewed the SARs of all the leading mobile phone manufacturers and has presented a list of top 10 phones with the least SARs. Check it out.
Capitalization after colon
Should the first letter after a colon be capitalized or not? Is it an American usage or British usage?
LanguageLog replies to the accusation that the American usage is wrong by quoting examples.
LanguageLog replies to the accusation that the American usage is wrong by quoting examples.
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