Farm gate

[Beverly Flanigan]

We had these in Minnesota too, but I can't recall a particular name for
them besides 'gates'. They were usually short-term fixes, for farm
implement access, for example.  Steel or wooden gates were permanent.

The 'barb(ed)/bob wire' usage interests me.  We said 'barb wire', I believe
(along the lines of reduced 'ice tea'), but it was always printed 'barbed
wire'.  Is the 'bob' usage just a matter of r-lessness and respelling, or
is there a more complex history for the word?

--On Friday, October 11, 2002 11:08 PM -0600 Scott Swanson
<harview at MONTANA.COM> wrote:

> Here in Montana ranching country, these are called: gates. Most often,
> they are constructed from the same horizontal strands of barbed (or "bob")
> wire from which the fence is made, and also the same type of wooden posts.
> There is usually a post or two in the middle of the gate if it is of any
> width at all, and another post at the end which is fastened with the loops
> (or sometimes a chain) to the gate-post. Often there is a two-foot or so
> length of post fastened to the gate-post with a length of wire, which one
> uses as a lever to stretch the gate taut and enable the top loop to be
> slipped over. I've heard this termed a "granny" or "helper". I suppose
> there are more colorful words for it.
>
> Roly, I'd be interested in hearing some of the 20 A.E. names!
>
> Scott Swanson
>
>  >
>> > There is a type of cheap farm gate which consists of around 3
>> > horizontal strands of wire, and a vertical "dropper" which is
>> > attached to the far gate-post with two wire loops, one low and one
>> > high. What names are used for this kind of gate in the US? (I have
>> > around 20 in Australian English, and am curious to know whether these
>> > are mirrored in America.)
>> >
>> > Roly Sussex
>>