Jump to content
 

The non-railway and non-modelling social zone. Please ensure forum rules are adhered to in this area too!

English Language Usage

Hilux5972

By Hilux5972,
in Wheeltappers

 Share

Recommended Posts

6959

6959

Posted
Posted

From the workshop:

 

- Using 'G-cramps' to 'cramp' things together, rather then clamp them.

- Cutting a 'slither' rather than a sliver.

- Using a 'fillet' of solder in a joint rather than fill it with solder.

 

David

 

G-cramp is used for woodwork

 

G-clamp is used in engineering

 

source Uncle Tom Godfrey, CEGB training school, East yelland, 1960.

Link to post
Share on other sites
spikey

spikey

Posted
Posted

Talking of doors ...

 

Spotted last week on a side door of an office block in Tunbridge Wells which is surrounded by scaffolding, a notice reading "TEMPORARY ACCESSIBLE ACCESS"

Link to post
Share on other sites
jcm@gwr

jcm@gwr

Posted
Posted

My boss has recently started using the phrase "from the get go" (...and I really don't care if it should be hyphenated or not), in otherwise normal conversations.

 

Does anyone know how this can be stopped with minimal damage to:

a) My work environment

b) My boss

c) My career

d) My health (if I try to maintain outward calm)

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Say to him,(in the style used on foreign holidays, while

attempting to converse with the locals).......................

 

"Do you speak English!"

 

:jester:

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
pauliebanger

pauliebanger

Posted
Posted

Anyone else noticed the proliferation the so called 'Multi-Purpose Bridge'? How many purposes can any particular bridge have?

 

And what about that old magazine favourite 'Free Gift'? It has the distinction of being both a tautology and a falsehood.

 

Best regards,

 

Paul

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites
62613

62613

Posted
Posted

Anyone else noticed the proliferation the so called 'Multi-Purpose Bridge'? How many purposes can any particular bridge have?

 

And what about that old magazine favourite 'Free Gift'? It has the distinction of being both a tautology and a falsehood.

 

Best regards,

 

Paul

We had a box of J-cloths in the E.R. of a ship I sailed on too many years ago to remember. The box proclaimed that its contents had '1001 uses'; the other E/C with me pointed out that in fact they only had two; wiping up and cleaning stuff; although they made great headbands for keeping sweat out of your eyes!

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • RMweb Premium
jjb1970

jjb1970

Posted
  • RMweb Premium
Posted

I is confused now and can't not figure oot whether we agreeded that the meaning of words changes so we shouldn't not nah mock idiots or weather we should laugh at the sort of half wits who dive'knackered wot words mean. Know wot I mean, like?

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
pauliebanger

pauliebanger

Posted
Posted

I is confused now and can't not figure oot whether we agreeded that the meaning of words changes so we shouldn't not nah mock idiots or weather we should laugh at the sort of half wits who dive'knackered wot words mean. Know wot I mean, like?

 

I know what you mean, but I do not like.

 

Beat regards

Paul

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
John_Hughes

John_Hughes

Posted
Posted

 There used to be a postard available featuring a beautiful tropical island, emblazoned 'From Thegetgo'. On the reverse it had the usual sort of explanatory caption to the effect of 'On Thegetgo we make Manana look like express delivery'.

 

An Irish Government Minister a few years back is supposed to have remarked that the Irish language had no word which conveyed the same sense of urgency as mañana.

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites
E3109

E3109

Posted
Posted

The US habit of altering verbs to nouns, such as 'Foul Point' rather than 'Fouling Point'.

Gets my goat that, mind you the term 'sparking plug' sounds rather quaint, even to my ears.

 

Still, it could be worse.

And it is.

'Da Yoof' seem to be replacing the word 'feelings' with 'feels'.

FEELS, ffs!

 

Thanks a lot, Katy Perry and any number of talentless, caterwauling no-marks who got lucky.

 

PS.... '#1' in lieu of 'No1'.

 

I fear we're fighting a losing battle here.

Or maybe that should be 'a lose battle'.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
Ozexpatriate

Ozexpatriate

Posted
Posted (edited)

The US habit of altering verbs to nouns, such as 'Foul Point' rather than 'Fouling Point'.

Wot's a 'Foul Point'? This is not in the US Lexicon, at least as far as I know, nor is 'Fouling Point'.

 

But in British Railway usage "trap point" is OK?

 

"Foul" itself is an interesting word. I've seen it as an adjective, verb and noun.

 

Adjective: "The weather was foul yesterday." "That's a foul smell."

Noun: "The referee decided the aggressive tackle was a foul and held up the yellow card."

Verb: "The loose gear wheel fouled the pinion and the mechanism seized."

 

None of these are Americanisms.

Edited by Ozexpatriate
Link to post
Share on other sites
Bill

Bill

Posted
Posted

My boss has recently started using the phrase "from the get go" (...and I really don't care if it should be hyphenated or not), in otherwise normal conversations.

 

Does anyone know how this can be stopped with minimal damage to:

a) My work environment

b) My boss

c) My career

d) My health (if I try to maintain outward calm)

 

Any help would be appreciated.

Fight fire with fire, get hold of a text on incomprehensible Yankee slang and start using it wherever and whenever opportunity presents itself...

This should put you in a position to make a deal with your boss..

On the other hand...:)

Link to post
Share on other sites
E3109

E3109

Posted
Posted

Wot's a 'Foul Point'? This is not in the US Lexicon, at least as far as I know, nor is 'Fouling Point'.

 

But in British Railway usage "trap point" is OK?

 

"Foul" itself is an interesting word. I've seen it as an adjective, verb and noun.

 

Adjective: "The weather was foul yesterday." "That's a foul smell."

Noun: "The referee decided the aggressive tackle was a foul and held up the yellow card."

Verb: "The loose gear wheel fouled the pinion and the mechanism seized."

 

None of these are Americanisms.

The clipped form of grammar is the Americanism I was referring to, nothing to do with traps as such, the word 'point' in this phrase means 'position' rather than 'turnout'.

As in, the fouling point is the point at which a train would be foul of an adjacent line.

 

Or would it be fouling?

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
rockershovel

rockershovel

Posted
Posted (edited)

From the workshop:

- Using 'G-cramps' to 'cramp' things together, rather then clamp them.

- Cutting a 'slither' rather than a sliver.

- Using a 'fillet' of solder in a joint rather than fill it with solder.

David

A fillet of solder, in context, is a technical term relating to the practice of applying solder (or weld) in a controlled, regular line or infill of defined dimensions. You might well apply a fillet of solder in making up a brass loco kit, but in welding specifications the “fillet” is the capping layer which gives a regular finish to the weld, and aids in shedding water or other contaminants Edited by rockershovel
Link to post
Share on other sites
Pacific231G

Pacific231G

Posted
Posted (edited)

Talking of doors ...

 

Spotted last week on a side door of an office block in Tunbridge Wells which is surrounded by scaffolding, a notice reading "TEMPORARY ACCESSIBLE ACCESS"

 

Though this seems like a nonsensical tautology, accessible in this context probably means "accessible to wheelchair users and others unable to use steps".  Accessible has simply become a more concise way of saying that just as "accessible toilet" doesn't mean that the architect has finally discovered the importance of providing doors.

 

The alternative "disabled access" is less sensitive to those who require it, wouldn't include pushchairs and in any case could imply that access is blocked. I could well see an overseas visitor assuming that a "disabled toilet" is out of use.

 

In this case "Temporary accessible entrance" might have been more elegant but appropriate abbreviation on signs is hardly new. "All tickets must be shewn" (or shown on lesser railways) clearly didn't mean that passengers had to produce their theatre, tram, and any dry cleaning tickets as well as their railway tickets  and "passengers must not cross the tracks" doesn't imply a lifetime to be spent on the wrong side of them. 

 

One apparently growing usage that does irritate me is the dropping of the gerund as in "The British Swim Team", or "Go Sky Dive" (seen recently at Old Sarum Aerodrome along with "Go Fly" for the flying school there) 

Edited by Pacific231G
  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
Bernard Lamb

Bernard Lamb

Posted
Posted

A fillet of solder, in context, is a technical term relating to the practice of applying solder (or weld) in a controlled, regular line or infill of defined dimensions. You might well apply a fillet of solder in making up a brass loco kit, but in welding specifications the “fillet” is the capping layer which gives a regular finish to the weld, and aids in shedding water or other contaminants

 

Not quite going by the way the word was used amongst welders that I knew.

A fillet weld was a term applied to the whole weld of a particular type and not just to the capping layer.

It was usually used when two pieces of metal were welded together at around the 90 degree angle and would be further defined by leg length and throat thickness.

A butt weld was the term used for welding two pieces of metal side by side. This would normally entail them having a v ground out where the weld was to go and would be completed with a capping weld.

Bernard

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • RMweb Premium
jjb1970

jjb1970

Posted
  • RMweb Premium
Posted

I used to write class rules and the society I worked for had a house style which was almost like a Victorian dialect and which loved double negatives. One day I was asked to review a rule change proposal which used a triple negative, it was almost unreadable. I am not a fan of double negatives but a triple negative was absurd. Sent it back with an instruction to have another go.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...