duck tape? gaffers/gaffer tape?

[Wilson Gray]

FWIW, The Movie Channel once showed brief infomercials between movies.
The one that featured gaffer's tape showed it looking a lot more like
what I know as "electrician's tape" - smooth, black, stretchy plastic -
and not at all like duck/duct tape - textured, silvery, non-stretchy
cloth.

Of course, that impression could have been merely an artifact of the
(lack of) effort put into filming a two-minute time-filler combined
with a non-hi-def CRT.

-Wilson

On Jul 25, 2005, at 9:58 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM>
> Subject:      Re: duck tape? gaffers/gaffer tape?
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> On Jul 25, 2005, at 6:58 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
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>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: duck tape? gaffers/gaffer tape?
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>>
>> No "pusser's tape" in OED.
>>
>> JL
>>
>
> _"Purser's_ tape," possibly? I once reconstructed the name "Fawstuh" as
> "Foster," only to find out that it was actually "Forster."
>
> -Wilson
>
>> Michael McKernan <mckernan at LOCALNET.COM> wrote:
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>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>> Poster: Michael McKernan
>> Subject: duck tape? gaffers/gaffer tape?
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>> -
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>>
>> Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>>
>>> OED has "gaffer tape," but only back to 1977. I think a search would
>>> be
>>> in order.
>>>
>>
>> there is also a military origin story for it, undated but very similar
>> to
>> duck/duct tape.
>>
>> http://jyw.tacorp.net/interviews/neal7.html
>>
>>> On the story of Gaffer Tape:
>>>
>>> Gaffer tape was originally conceived for a military contract as a
>>> joint requirement of the Royal and US navies, The requirement
>>> was a self adhesive tape with very high wet strength, very good
>>> contact adhesion, and very good physical strength. The Ministry
>>> designation is typical of government type things and it is designated
>>> by the MOD (Ministry Of Defence) as "Tape, self adhesive,
>>> emergency repair, 4 inch (this varies) Roll, black".
>>>
>>> Now this is a bit of a mouthful and consequently the forces have
>>> developed their own names for it. The Royal Navy call it
>>> Pusser's tape, (pusser as in "us" and NOT as in puss, like pussy cat)
>>> a Pusser being the slang name for a storeman or
>>> Quartermaster, who of course guards it with his life and never gives
>>> you any! (which is why they are called storeman and not
>>> suppliers) The Army call it Mine tape, because it is particularly
>>> good for waterproofing land mines and for insulating wiring on
>>> demolition charges (Also sometimes called demolition tape) The
>>> Airforce call it Bodge tape, because it is excellent at doing
>>> Bodge jobs or bodge ups. ( an english term for a jury rig)
>>>
>>> I have seen many an aircraft, including jets, flying with Bodge tape
>>> repairs to both inside and out. In bomb disposal we used it
>>> extensively and even bound the
>>> sleeves and ankles of our Chemical suits as extra protection. A lot
>>> of film people are ex servicemen and they carried it into the
>>> business and of course it is perfect for the scenery and set builders
>>> known as Gaffers, hence Gaffer tape.
>>>
>>> It is now available in all colours including cammo green, white and
>>> sand and silver for joining vent ducting, hence Duct tape.
>>> There is a lesser strength version in silver which is used for
>>> ducting, as it is cheaper, which is where the sticky tape name comes
>>> from. It is also available outside the forces now and is particularly
>>> good for temporarily repairing a broken radiator hose on your
>>> car, and I have heard a garage mechanic refer to it as Rad tape, is
>>> this a new name in the making?
>>
>> Michael McKernan
>>
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