dutchmen

[Jonathan Lighter]

When the English and Dutch were trade and military rivals in the 17th and 18th Centuries, the English liked to think of the Dutch as mere blocks or pieces of wood.  Hence the common noun "dutchman."

  Well, maybe.  They did call them "butterboxes," though. Too bad the "dutchman" printed evidence icomes so late.

  JL
James Smith <jsmithjamessmith at YAHOO.COM> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: James Smith
Subject: Re: dutchmen
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dutchmen are also used to fill or replace damaged
areas in wood, although I'm not certain the "eye"
shaped pieces in plywood are considered dutchmen.

> >[a block of marble, needed to patch and repair the
> stone facade of the
> >Met Life building near Madison Square, was found at
> an abandoned
> >quarry]
> >. . . it ultimately yielded 250 of the
> custom-fitted repair pieces that
> >stone restorers call "dutchmen."
> >NY Times, Jun4 4, 2006, section 14 [the City
> section].p. 1 col. 4



James D. SMITH |If history teaches anything
South SLC, UT |it is that we will be sued
jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com |whether we act quickly and decisively
|or slowly and cautiously.

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