What's the meaning of "Unnecessary labor" in this context? During the temperance movement of the 19th century, new life was breathed into the idea of blue laws, and many communities and states enacted laws banning the sale of both tobacco and alcohol, as well as “unnecessary labor,” on Sundays. Some areas even prohibited certain forms of entertainment, including performances. Subject of article: blue laws

What is the difference between a "Sit-in" and a "Protest camp"? What is the difference between a "Sit-in" and a "Protest camp"?

What's the meaning of "There's no great pretension" in this context? "There is no great pretension in the work as a musical composition other than that which aims at the representation of a national peculiarity and the reproduction, in a quasi-classical form, of things that are in their origin popular" What does this phrase mean: "There is no great pretension"? Does it mean there's nothing better than? I find this sentence rather complicated :(

"But let us revenue to our lamb chops", what does this phrase mean? Here's the context: With the eye of faith, you could have seen the Little Hunchback, Sinbad the Sailor, Fitbad the Tailor, the Beautiful Persian, the one-eyed Calenders, Ali Baba and Forty Robbers on every block, and the Barber and his Six Brothers, and all the old Arabian gang easily. But let us revenue to our lamb chops. Old Tom Crowley was a caliph. He had $42,000,000 in preferred stocks and bonds with solid gold edges. Source: What You Want by O.Henry

Is there a better paraphrasing for this sentence? Holding early presidential elections,with the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court managing the affairs of the country during the transitional period, until a new president is elected

Idiomatic expressions used when being surprised by some sad or shocking event In Egyptian Arabic we have a number of idiomatic expressions to express shock when hearing sad or shocking news * Yalahwy, Ya mosebty = What a disaster or catastrophe * ya nhar eswed = what a black day (literal translation) So, my question is what idiomatic expressions do native English speakers use when hearing sad or shocking news? Thanks in advance

Is this sentence punctuated and phrased properly? In 2007, as a student, I moved to Imbaba; a poor and repellent district of Cairo sheltering hawkers, homeless people and criminals. An area long-forgotten by the government.

What's the meaning of "Took a fit" in this context? "It's cruel to lock people up and then freeze them", I said. They replied she had on as much as any of the rest, and she would get no more. Just then Miss Mayard took a fit and every patient looked frightened. Miss Neville caught her in her arms and held her, although the nurses roughly said: "Let her fall on the floor and it will teach her a lesson." Source: 10 days in a mad-house

Relationships and Marriage in the US. I have a question about relationships and marriage in the US. I've never been to the US before, so all the info. I get about cultural issues is largely based on what I see in movies. In movies we always see teenagers having boyfriends \ girlfriends, and when they grow up some even move in with their partners before getting married to see how things work, and sometimes they even have children before tying the knot. So what I'm asking, is this the norm in the US, or as usual movies always exaggerate? I'm not criticizing nor trying to be offensive towards other cultures. I just want to know how things go there. Thanks in advance :)