English is weird! » American English http://englishisweird.com Clever tricks to conquer the quirks of English Sun, 26 Jul 2009 23:38:25 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Tricky twins 1 http://englishisweird.com/words-that-mean-the-exact-opposite-of-themselves/ http://englishisweird.com/words-that-mean-the-exact-opposite-of-themselves/#comments Tue, 19 May 2009 14:56:53 +0000 admin http://englishisweird.com/?p=58 Be careful. Some English words and phrases can mean the exact opposite of themselves!

anxious

  1. worried, nervous, full of dread for — I’m so anxious about the economy!
  2. eager, looking forward, full of excitement for — I’m so anxious for spring!

down with

  1. get rid of, reject — Down with the king!
  2. (slang) accepting of, in agreement with — Wanna go see a movie? I’m down with that.

liege

  1. a superior or lord — Look, my liege, Camelot!
  2. a vassal or loyal subject sworn to the service of a lord — You are all the king’s lieges.

stakeholder

  1. a person or organization with a vested interest in an issue or business
  2. a neutral person who holds the wagers in a contest and has no interest in the property held

table

  1. (British, Canadian and Australian) to submit for discussion, propose, suggest
  2. (American) to cancel discussion of, postpone, shelve

terrific

  1. excellent, superb
  2. terrifying, causing terror
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