OT: -ify and -ification (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Mullins, Bill AMRDEC]

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

LH was correct, the cockroach's name is "archy".  And he was the
creation of Don Marquis (George Harriman illustrated the poems when they
were collected into book form).

Old manual typewriters (at least, those of the type I learned to type on
35 years ago) shifted to capital letters by depressing the whole key
assembly downwards, with a satisfying "clunk" (although it meant that
considerable effort was required of the little fingers of the typist).
"Shift Lock" depressed the assembly, and caught it in a ratchet, which
stayed engaged until depressed again.

archy was able to take advantage of this feature one night when
Marquis's typewriter was left engaged in the shift lock position:

http://www.donmarquis.com/readingroom/archybooks/capitals.html


> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
Behalf Of
> Joel S. Berson
> Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2011 9:52 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: OT: -ify and -ification
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
----------------------
> -
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: OT:  -ify and -ification
>
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------
> -
>
> I suspect Bill is right.  (Although it's not Shift but Shift Lock
> that Archie would have needed to be heavy enough for.)  I don't
> remember typewriters well enough to say whether shift lock worked
> without needing one to also hold down the shift key, and I have set
> my computer keyboard to require both (Caps Lock and Shift) to be
> pressed simultaneously in order to get all caps.*  My forelegs -- er,
> fingers -- are far enough apart for that.
>
> Certainly on today's computer keyboards Archie would have no problem.
>
> * A neat little app called CapsUnlock that eliminates accidents
> caused by fat left pinkies.
>
> Joel
>
> At 9/1/2011 09:57 AM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC wrote:
> >Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> >Caveats: NONE
> >
> >I thought the deal with Archie (the cockroach in George Herriman's
> >"Archie and Mehitabel") was not that his legs were so close together,
> >but that he didn't weigh enough to push down the shift key on the old
> >manual typewriters of the era.  If he'd been heavier, he could have
used
> >the Shift Lock and made capital letters.
> >
> >
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> >Behalf Of
> > > Joel S. Berson
> > > Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 9:49 AM
> > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > > Subject: Re: OT: -ify and -ification
> > >
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >----------------------
> > > -
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > > Subject:      Re: OT:  -ify and -ification
> > >
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
> >------
> > > -
> > >
> > > I see Arnold, unlike Archie, has two front legs that are far
enough
> > > apart that he can hold down the Shift key at the same time as he
> > > strikes a letter key.  Evidence below, in signed message.
> > >
> > > Joel
> > >
> > > At 8/28/2011 11:45 PM, Arnold Zwicky wrote:
> > > ...
> > > >fascinating.  i did mention "Californication" (the Red Hot Chili
> > > >Peppers and the tv show) in
> > > >   http://arnoldzwicky.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/creepitude/
> > > >but i didn't trace it back any further than these two vectors.
> > > >
> > > >arnold
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
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> >Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> >Caveats: NONE
> >
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Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

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