What does it mean for "for lack of a better way of putting it"?
Here is the context:
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If you want to learn Formal Arabic (like I do)...good luck. Although most Arabic speakers will know it, they will constantly revert to their dialect without meaning to. The person I'm learning Arabic for (for lack of a better way of putting it) is Iraqi, but my instructor is Lebanese. So I get on the phone with "Guess what I learned?!" and I hear "That's not exactly right..."
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So what is the meaning of "for lack of a better way of putting it" here? Does "putting" mean to deal with / to formulate?

By the way, is it correct to use "What does it mean for" and "what is the meaning of" when I ask the meaning of a sentense?

Many thanks!

Question

What does it mean for "for lack of a better way of putting it"?
Here is the context:
---
If you want to learn Formal Arabic (like I do)...good luck. Although most Arabic speakers will know it, they will constantly revert to their dialect without meaning to. The person I'm learning Arabic for (for lack of a better way of putting it) is Iraqi, but my instructor is Lebanese. So I get on the phone with "Guess what I learned?!" and I hear "That's not exactly right..."
---

So what is the meaning of "for lack of a better way of putting it" here? Does "putting" mean to deal with / to formulate?

By the way, is it correct to use "What does it mean for" and "what is the meaning of" when I ask the meaning of a sentense?

Many thanks!

Answer

"for lack of a better way of putting it" means "I said it this way because I could not think of a better way of saying it"

You are right - put here means say, formulate your words

"What does [word/phrase mean?" or
"What is the meaning of [word/phrase]?

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