How can one distinguish, in a fatwa, between that which is "makruh" (disliked) meaning "haram" (forbidden) and that which is "makruh" (disliked) yet does not mean "haram" (forbidden)?

If the questioner is referring to the fatwas on this website, the term karaha (disliked) is not used to denote haram (forbidden) unless it is qualified by " karahat tahrimiyyah " (prohibitively disliked). Reading the books of the scholars requires knowledge of their terminology to correctly understand their words, especially the books of the earlier scholars among them.