test-drive (the noun)

Victor Steinbok aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM
Sun Mar 6 18:07:46 UTC 2011


FWIW I read it as the latter as well, i.e. test==probe.

     VS-)

On 3/6/2011 10:32 AM, George Thompson wrote:
> Joel writes:
> "(7)  1917 for the extended sense, as an attributive:
>
> This latter material is a very fine grained and densely compacted
> material that resists, like rock, the penetration of a test drive
> rod, but when exposed to the action of running water, immediately washes away.
>
> Professional Memoirs / Corps of Engineers, United States Army and
> Engineer Department at Large, Vol. 9, Number 45, May-June 1917, page
> 266.  GBooks Full view."
>
> Is this to be read as "test-drive rod" or "test drive-rod"?
>
> GAT

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