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  1. etymology - What is the origin of "rings a bell"? - English Language ...

    Mar 14, 2012 · For example, he struck a bell when the dogs were fed. If the bell was sounded in close association with their meal, the dogs learnt to associate the sound of the bell with food. After a while, …

  2. idioms - For whom the bell tolls - origin of "ask not" instead of ...

    Jun 15, 2016 · "Ask not for whom the bell tolls" is a popular cliche. My understanding is that it comes from John Donne's Meditation XVII (1623). But in Donne's poem, the line is any man's death …

  3. What does "hell's bells" refer to? - English Language & Usage Stack ...

    Aug 24, 2020 · The expression "hell's bells" conveys anger, irritation, or surprise, according to CED, MW etc, but they do not explain the origin. Were there bells in hell? What is this in reference …

  4. single word requests - Is there a term for the sound of a bicycle bell ...

    Sep 5, 2013 · A bicycle bell is a percussive signaling instrument mounted on a bicycle for warning pedestrians and other cyclists. Wikipedia says that a bicycle bell produces a "ding-ding" sound, and …

  5. orthography - Bell crank, bell-crank or bellcrank? - English Language ...

    May 28, 2024 · The first form, " bell crank " tells me that we are talking about a crank which turns/actuates a bell. The second form " bell-crank " tells me that we are talking about bell-shaped …

  6. What do you call the sound of a bell? - English Language & Usage …

    Sep 11, 2011 · If you wanted to describe the sound of a small brass bell that you can hold in your hand (this is an example image of what I mean - what word would you use? Brrring? Bling?

  7. etymology - What caused bell peppers to be called capsicums in some ...

    Aug 24, 2016 · A person working in an Indian supermarket was shocked when I told her it's called Bell Pepper in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland. I had to pull out Wikipedia to convince her it was true. …

  8. Interjection for the sound of a bell - English Language & Usage Stack ...

    Apr 13, 2017 · The sound of Big Ben over the radio was traditionally rendered "Bong" (and sometimes referred to as the bongs, though I wouldn't recommend that in a normal context). Church bells are …

  9. nouns - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    Sep 7, 2018 · Tolling usually refers to one bell being sounded at intervals. The carillon referred to by Theresa is something different, where a machine makes the bells play a tune. Some church towers …

  10. Use of hardly...when - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    Feb 6, 2017 · Pl. see the sentence below [1]. Hardly had the bell rung when Matthew started running out of his classroom. I guess the construction is correct. If I change this to [2]. Hardly the bell had r...