Questions tagged [closed-questions]

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22 votes
6 answers
1k views

Replacing our "research" close reason

Background We have a massive problem with close votes. There's no sense in placing blame — we've been on this path since before even I joined the site, and we all thought what we were doing was best ...
Laurel's user avatar
  • 65.4k
3 votes
1 answer
87 views

Should there be an increasing number of close votes required to re-close a question that has been reopened?

This question was closed with three votes for "insufficient research" - although I'm unclear why, because even after doing all the "research" suggested in the answers, the correct ...
tparker's user avatar
  • 1,175
4 votes
1 answer
141 views

Why was my question about word definitions and differences closed by mods and downvoted by readers?

I have a question about my English Language & Usage Stack Exchange post, What's the difference between backward(s) and backwardly? Why was my question closed and why are the mods refusing to ...
ARGYROU MINAS's user avatar
15 votes
4 answers
1k views

Should we update our site's policy against helping programmers choose names to use in their software?

There are only two hard things in Computer Science:cache invalidation and naming things. ―Phil Karlton Today we received yet another request for naming help: Is there a term which covers both bank ...
tchrist's user avatar
  • 134k
-5 votes
1 answer
49 views

Check to reopen a perhaps wrongly duplicate-closed question on the right indefinite article before a slash phrase (or before a parenthetical phrase)

I have already flagged it to a moderator who asked me to edit the question and ask to reopen it on meta. I ask the seniors here to think about reopening this: A or an before slash phrase? A or an ...
questionto42's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
108 views

Migrations are stuck

It looks to me like all ELU migrations elsewhither are stuck, and have been so for a day or so. This includes any migrations from ELU to ELL as well as here to our own Meta. What's happening is they ...
tchrist's user avatar
  • 134k
1 vote
0 answers
70 views

What is the reason that this question is considered as 'off-topic'?

I posted the below question, and there were a couple of helpful answers. Is 'dead on arrival' a slang? As of now, this question has been closed as an 'off-topic' question. https://english....
user67275's user avatar
  • 204
-2 votes
1 answer
145 views

Since frequency of the use of words or other linguistic phenomena are the measuring stick of defining what is and what isn’t part of a language

…hence indisputably, this question is on topic. I would like to know any reasons, if any, based on which that would not be deemed the case on this SE site, and the reason why. I am substantially ...
Zack Meggyessy's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
159 views

Question deleted in 2011 is on-topic in 2022

I suggest that the following question, which is deleted and invisible to users with less than 10K reputation, ought to be undeleted. What is the English equivalent to the Russian proverb ""...
Mari-Lou A's user avatar
  • 90.3k
2 votes
1 answer
66 views

Should this oxymoron question be reopened?

Oxymoron pronunciation This question is closed for not including research. Is this because the specific dictionaries are not cited? I think the question is fine, if that is the only problem. I think ...
Matt E. Эллен's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
91 views

Please help me improve my question on 'dishonest mistake' (re the term 'honest mistake')

The question: There's the term 'honest mistake', so what is 'dishonest mistake' synonymous to? I am not really sure I have anything to say in the body besides the link except that ...
BCLC's user avatar
  • 135
7 votes
1 answer
178 views

Why was the question "Why are English words are so hard to spell?" closed as POB, and how can it be fixed?

The recent question on Why are English words are so hard to spell? was initially closed as being opinion based, which is a little strange. Perhaps people seeing that it could not be answered simply ...
tchrist's user avatar
  • 134k
1 vote
1 answer
96 views

my Question about adjective-adverb "double duty" got closed

The post desriptor as simultaneously an adjective and an adverb, retaining truncated into one-ish. E.g.: "ornate, ornately furnished" ↦ “ornate, -ly furnished” got closed on the basis of ...
11qq00's user avatar
  • 150
0 votes
1 answer
60 views

Closing a question: tag specificity and the merits of viewing the question in a vacuum

I'm referring to this post I had from earlier: Collocations for litigation. Judging by the comments, which were helpful, let there be no mistake about that, I appreciate any and all such input. To get ...
Arash Howaida's user avatar
-9 votes
1 answer
122 views

My questions are wrongly closed and I am not allowed to ask questions, even before my questions were answered [duplicate]

I have a question about my English Language & Usage Stack Exchange post: If an apple is bad and there are 5 apples (of the same type of the apple mentioned before) that are bad, then which of the ...
 Joee's user avatar
24 votes
2 answers
513 views

Why is the culture here so broken?

My first question here, When and where did the new sense of "normalize" begin?, has been closed due to being "off-topic." TL;DR summary of the question: There is a recent sense of ...
GArthurBrown's user avatar
  • 2,532
1 vote
0 answers
43 views

Is this synonym request truly unanswerable with facts and citations? Does it need to be edited? If so, how?

Term for wavelength-restricted or filtered light having a fairly pure color besides "colored light"? has been closed with the advice to Update the question so it can be answered with facts ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 877
1 vote
1 answer
187 views

Why was the question “By the end of today” or “By the end of the day” closed as opinion-based?

The question “By the end of today” or “By the end of the day”: which expression is is correct? was closed as opinion-based. However I don't see any opinion there: the OP is just asking for which ...
Franck Dernoncourt's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
191 views

Should this question about the meaning of "a friend to all is a friend to none" be reopened?

The question "A friend to all is a friend to none" - Aristotle. What does this exactly mean? was closed five years ago, roughly a week after it was posted. The argument in favor of closing ...
Sven Yargs's user avatar
  • 162k
-3 votes
1 answer
86 views

Can my question be re-opened now that it's edited?

I've updated my question Is there a better word for "boss” in this sentence? as requested, explaining why “boss” is not suitable. Please check and vote to re-open.
Rachayita's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
39 views

What makes a question about historical usage of a word off-topic?

The question about the historical usage of men to refer to human beings generally was closed as off-topic. It seems to fall under usage and perhaps even etymology, two of the listed acceptable topics....
cpit's user avatar
  • 504
5 votes
1 answer
130 views

Why was this question about a single word's pronunciation ("whinge") closed as off-topic?

I noticed that How is "whinge" pronounced? was closed as being off-topic. I once noticed somebody spelled "whine" as "whinge" and thought it was an egregious and ...
M. Justin's user avatar
  • 924
0 votes
1 answer
84 views

Why did this question showing research was closed with the reason "Please include the research you’ve done"?

The question Where does the use of "deck" to mean "set of slides" come from? shows research. However, it was closed with the reason "Please include the research you’ve done&...
Franck Dernoncourt's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
138 views

Why can edits to a closed question be rejected as "should have been written as a comment or an answer"?

Although a long-time reader of various SE sites, I'm new to active participation and still learning the rules and conventions. My question here is about the possible stock reasons for rejecting edits ...
cpit's user avatar
  • 504
2 votes
1 answer
42 views

Linked question is absent in "This question already has answers here" banner [duplicate]

I came across this question: Should personal pronouns always be placed at the end of a list? This question was closed eight years ago as duplicate of some other question. That question is not visible. ...
Severus Snape's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
146 views

Why was a question about the origin and meaning of a phrase closed because the origin is known?

Note: The question in question has been reopened. The question 'What’s the origin/meaning of “from belt buckle to shoe sole”?' was closed because Mr Biden consistently gives the origin - his uncle. ...
JEL's user avatar
  • 32.7k
2 votes
1 answer
100 views

question ban not lifted even after 6 months

Last year I asked a few questions related to proofreading. I was a newbie and did not know about this question ban related thing. I have been wanting to ask one question from last one month but cannot ...
Sudhir Sharma's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
184 views

Coming soon: improvements to close-voting

For those of you who have been following or peripherally aware of the drama around the network the last few quarters, a new chapter has opened, and it seems a brighter one. The company hired a new ...
Dan Bron's user avatar
  • 28.7k
-3 votes
1 answer
103 views

Close reason. Unclear

My meta-question is about this question Please pardon me for any mistake and kindly correct me. I believe Unclear is synonymous with Vague. I do not understand how is my question vague. Am I not ...
George Ntoulos's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
117 views

What is the appropriate state of this question regarding feminizing girls?

Is there any verb for making a girl more girly? is closed, but I am having difficulty placing my finger on just why that is. I am not suggesting that it is a great question, but it does seem to meet ...
Tonepoet's user avatar
  • 4,541
2 votes
2 answers
84 views

About closed questions

I am a new member. Can I answer an unanswered closed question? If so, how? I have an answer for a closed unanswered question
Ray Knowles's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
79 views

Is my question regarding all of the different meanings of 'as' fixed?

I asked the question What do all the different meanings of 'as' share in common?, which originally finished with the three following questions: How did "all so" or "so" (alswa) proliferate to ...
user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
459 views

Hell is hot, but is it funny?

On August 27 of last year, a poster on the main site asked "What does the idiom “funny as hell” mean?" Four days later, the question was closed for a familiar reason: Please include the research ...
Sven Yargs's user avatar
  • 162k
3 votes
1 answer
251 views

Should "What Does Mansplaining Mean?" be reopened or migrated? (Reopened)

The question was originally closed for the lack of research closure reason. Hotlicks voted to close with the claim that the answer could easily be found with a google search, and Dan Bron voiced ...
Tonepoet's user avatar
  • 4,541
7 votes
1 answer
164 views

Unlock "Why use singular they?" then reopen

You may be able to read the question I'm referring to at Why does English use singular they instead of making up a new word for this? (currently re-reopened). Sometime a while ago there was a ...
Laurel's user avatar
  • 65.4k
7 votes
1 answer
502 views

"Masters degree" vs. "Master's degree" is not the same question as "Master's degrees" vs. "Masters' degrees"

I would like to request more reopen votes for the following question: Does a person have two “masters’ degrees” or two “master’s degrees”? As described clearly in the question post, it is not ...
herisson's user avatar
  • 80.4k
18 votes
2 answers
373 views

Why are etymology questions that show research getting/staying closed?

I noticed that the community doesn't really agree with itself on the subject of what's on topic and off topic when it comes to the amount of research needed. I'm seeing this on questions that would ...
Laurel's user avatar
  • 65.4k
1 vote
2 answers
163 views

Why is my question locked?

I asked the question: Is Post Script (P.S.) still relevant in the age of email? on ELU few days back which resulted into closing and locking of the question. My version: Why it happened? Closing ...
Ubi.B's user avatar
  • 1
3 votes
1 answer
34 views

Why can't I up-tick comments on a certain closed question?

A question was migrated from Writer.SE to our main site. There it was placed on hold for unclear. I agreed with a comment placed there from Lawrence (from our own community), but when I tried to up-...
Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_'s user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
77 views

Not all "whom" questions are interchangeable duplicates

I can understand the impulse to vote to close any new question about the use of whom as a duplicate, since most of them are. However, I don't think that any two questions about whom are necessarily ...
herisson's user avatar
  • 80.4k
6 votes
0 answers
117 views

"...the person or body who/which..." is not only a question about whether to refer to companies with "who" or "which"

"...the person or body who..." vs. "...the person or body which..." As far as I can see, this question does not ask only about whether to refer to companies with "who" or "which". ...
herisson's user avatar
  • 80.4k
0 votes
2 answers
147 views

Is the question asking about the "AmEng meaning" of two phrasal verbs a duplicate?

The question: Is there a difference in meaning between "fill {something} in" and “fill {something} out” in American English? was closed as a duplicate of "Fill out a form" or &...
Mari-Lou A's user avatar
  • 90.3k
2 votes
2 answers
231 views

("on hold" again) Why is this question closed, when the reason listed does not seem to be correct?

My question is listed below. I have made necessary changes and I do not think it should be put on hold. Non-vulgar alternative to “Don't care a ____” [today placed "on hold" for the 2nd time] As for ...
Taryn Lambert's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
296 views

What should be done with the emoticon/emoji comparison question?

So this regards the question What is the Difference Between Emoji and Emoticon? This question was closed as gen. ref., because it lacked research. I do not necessarily feel as this was appropriate at ...
Tonepoet's user avatar
  • 4,541
-3 votes
1 answer
107 views

Holds, duplicates

Right now, thirty of the fifty questions visible on the first page have been marked as holds or duplicates, with two or more others apparently awaiting final judgment from whatever local Fates have ...
KarlG's user avatar
  • 28k
4 votes
2 answers
146 views

Can moderators change a close reason from 'Please show your research...' to 'Duplicate of...'?

Last week, I asked this question: Can moderators redirect links from badly chosen duplicates to actual duplicates? The answer (from moderator MetaEd) was Moderators have the ability to edit the ...
Sven Yargs's user avatar
  • 162k
8 votes
1 answer
118 views

Can moderators redirect links from badly chosen duplicates to actual duplicates?

The question Subject-verb agreement when using singular they? recently popped up in the Reopen Votes queue because the poster returned and edited it in hopes of getting it reopened. It had been closed ...
Sven Yargs's user avatar
  • 162k
13 votes
2 answers
414 views

Why is my alliteration question off topic and put on hold?

I have a question about my English Language & Usage Stack Exchange post: Is alliteration adjacent words and/or close together words starting with the same letter? If words between are permitted ...
user avatar
14 votes
0 answers
357 views

By "gosh", the etymological hydra's immortal head unburied

Revisiting the "Request to reopen “Literal Meaning of 'Gosh'", I observe that a few minutes of dedicated research for that question ("Literal Meaning of 'Gosh'") antedated the earliest OED attestation ...
JEL's user avatar
  • 32.7k
6 votes
0 answers
151 views

Request to reopen a dubious dupe

The question First, … Secondly, … &c, posted two years ago, asks whether there is any basis besides tradition for preferring first to firstly. Five days after it was posted, the question was ...
Sven Yargs's user avatar
  • 162k