plugs and opposites

Thu Apr 7 09:09:13 UTC 2011

plug v. I. 1.c. 1874 --> 1829
plug n. [test of cheese]   Not in OED --> 1790 (still in use WRT cheese-making)

While looking for something else, predictably, I came across an
expression that gave me pause. Well, it was not the particular
expression I found per se.

http://goo.gl/PuR99
The Mansfield [OH] Herald. Aug 17, 1876. p. 6/1
> A man should not plug watermelons unless he wants to buy. Mere curiosity to see the inside of a thing doesn't satisfy the dealer.

It doesn't antedate the OED entry (plug v. I. 1.c.), which has a 1874
citation. But it has a meaning "cut out and remove a plug", while
other subentries (1.a., e.) mean "insert a plug". That's the same form
corresponding to two nearly exactly opposite meanings.

That's not all. Two other entries also appear to be near-opposites.

> 6. trans. U.S. To prevent (a person) from doing something as planned; to block a plan or action. Obs.
> 7. colloq. a. intr. U.S. To act in support of; to promote, recommend. With for.
> b. trans. orig. U.S. To popularize (a song, idea, product, etc.) by repeated presentation or recommendation; to give (esp. free) publicity to; to draw attention to.

So one means to "obstruct something", while the other (two) mean to
"unobstruct". Not entirely antonyms, but some relation there.

I do, however, have an update on plug v. I.1.c., which is the original
word that prompted all this. And it's a nice one.

http://goo.gl/OGQB2
Yankee Notions, or, Whittlings of Jonathan's Jack-Knife, Volume 1. January 1852
Watermelon Extraordinary. p. 10
> "How much do you ask for that melon?" said a cute, dapper looking chap to a sturdy darkey, who was mounted upon a cart before one of the principal hotels in Philadelphia, a day or two since.
> "For dis big 'un? why, massa, I reckon he's wuf tree levies, I does."
> "Is it ripe?"
> "O yes, massa, he ripe, shu. I dun plugs um drough, if you sas so."
> With that the old darkey took out his old jackknife, and was making the first incision in the melon, when it gave a long, deep, piercing 'oh !'
> "Gosh a mighty, what's dat?" exclaimed Cuff, dropping his knife.
> "What do you stop for?" asked the gentleman.
> "Bress God! I tot him holler, I did."
> "Come, cut away, and see if it is ripe."

Where to begin? I was only looking for the verb "plug", which is in
the 4th dialog line. But I wanted to include more because it actually
shows the whole picture. For one, "plug" here does not appear to
correspond to cutting out a cylindrical hole, although it clearly
corresponds to cutting through (and out) to check for ripeness.

Modifying the search pattern gives yet another antedating.

http://goo.gl/lvOrx
The English Gardner. By William Cobbett. London: 1829
Chapter 6. #275. Melon (3d page of the article)
>  In America, there is only here and there a man skilful enough to ascertain, by rapping his knuckles upon the fruit, whether the fruit be ripe. Unskilful people plug them; that is to say, take out a piece, as you do out of a cheese, to taste it, and then replace the plug.

This last piece is interesting because it mentions cheese /and/
because it mentions the derivative noun "plug" that is not listed in
the OED. "Plug" n. 2.l. (horticulture) and 2.m. (hair restoration)
come closest to this meaning, but I have a cheese citation for "plug"
going back to 1790!

The method for testing the ripeness of cheese has not changed in at
least three centuries. The cheese-maker (or tester) drills out a
cylindrical "plug" from a large head of cheese by means of a small
cork-screw bore. The bore is depressed into the cheese with a rotating
motion, then pulled directly back to extract a long piece of cheese
(3-4 in. long and about 1/4 in. in diameter) that demonstrates
multiple layers of ripeness. For hard and aged cheeses, the entire
plug is expected to be ripe. For other cheeses (e.g., Edam), a plug
would show layers with different colors, textures and, in some
instances, viscosity. But it's still a "plug" and the OED has no
corresponding entry. Similarly, "plugging" a melon or watermelon
involves pulling out a plug that is expected to show a ripe layer
beneath the thick rind. The verb is listed, the noun is not.

The method is very similar to that used more recently for geological
soil samples, including in those taken off other planets (e.g., on
Moon, Venus and Mars). A geological drill with a hollow
center--whether attached to oil-drilling mechanism or to an
interplanetary vehicle--envelopes a sample vertical column of soil and
rock as it descends into the ground. I don't know if anyone refers to
geological samples of this kind as "plugs", but I've seen a number of
rocks tested with similar devices on a small scale (about 5-7 mm in
diameter), so it is quite possible that the language is the same.

http://goo.gl/ibYCo
1790
[Review of] she Rural Economy os Gloucestershire; including itt Hairy;
together with the Dairy Management of North Wiltshire; and the
Management of Orchards and Fruit Liquor in Herefordshire. By Mr.
Marshall. In Two Volumes, (Concluded from Vol. LXVIII. p. 454). p. 249
> 'Cheese of the first quality; --that which comes as near perfection as the nature of it admits of, or as art can probably approach--is of a close even contexture; of a firm but unctuous consistency; of a mild flavour, while young; acquiring, by age, an agreeable fragrance. If a cheese of this quality be /ironed/, it has somewhat the appearance of firm butter; or of wax moderately warmed. If the plug be gently rubbed, the substance of the cheese seems to melt under the finger, which, wears it down, as it would fine clay duly moistened. If the, end of the plug be pinched, it yields to the pressure without crumbling; grinding down between the fingers to an impalpable matter--Cheese of this description, like wine of a good vintage, improves, by age, in mellowness and flavour.
> ...
> '/Dryness/. The contexture of cheese, under this defect, is loose and incohesive. If a plug be drawn it is hard and dry to the touch; and crumbles under pressure. It wants unctuousness and flavour; being insipid to the tasle, and inodorous to the smell.

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