ADS-L Digest - 24 Jul 2005 to 25 Jul 2005 (#2005-207)

[James A. Landau]

of no particular importance, but they strike my curiosity

In a message dated Mon, 25 Jul 2005 18:16:16 -0500,  "Mullins, Bill"
_Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL_ (mailto:Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL)    cites:

>THE ARGOT OF THE STUDIO WORKERS By GLENDON ALLVINE.
>New  York Times; Feb 3, 1935; pg. X4 col 4.
>    <snip>
>  OFF TO BUFFALO -- Hurry up, or exit with all possible  speed."

is this perhaps related to the expression "shuffle off to Buffalo"?

>   <snip>
>  "PIG -- Current  transformer."


"pig" for "transformer" is electrical power jargon since at least the
mid-60's, when I heard it from an electrical engineer roommate in college.   Most
commonly found as "pole pig", a transformer up on a telephone  pole.

A wild guess at the etymology is that a transformer resembles an ingot of
iron in shape and perhaps in size, and cast iron ingots have been referred to as
 "pig iron" since, according to one account, Catalan ironworkers invented
cast  iron back in the Middle Ages.  The reason for the term "pig iron" is that
the ingots in their molds reminded the ironworkers of a mother pig feeding her
 piglets.

Wilson Gray writes :"Remember when "uptight" was "up
tight" and also  had a positive meaning that was once more widespread
than the negative  one?"

This may not be very relevant, but when I was in Basic Training in 1969 a
sergeant when he wanted to compliment you said "your shit is up tight".   I've
never been able to hear the term "uptight" since without thinking of a  DI.

Wilson Gray writes "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"

A problem here is that, back in the 1950's when my father was teaching me
carpentry and wiring, there was no such thing as "electrician's tape".   Instead
an electrician had to use two different pieces of tape to seal a join in  an
electrical wire.  First he used a rough-surfaced non-stretchy black tape
which may have been cloth---certainly it did not feel like plastic.  This  layer
provided the elecrical insulation but had poor adhesive  qualities---it stuck
just enough to stay in place while waiting for the second  layer.. Then over
the first layer he used a tape that was either rubber or  plastic (I don't
remember which) and may have been stretchy..  This tape  provided good adhesion and
kept the inner layer in place, as well as providing a  protective covering
over the inner layer..  One of these two tapes (I don't  remember which) was
called "friction tape".

    - James A. Landau