31 Dec
2001
31 Dec
'01
9:13 p.m.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris" <mythtech(a)Mac.com>
To: "Classic Computers" <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2002 4:45 PM
Subject: Re: Nomenclature (was: NEXT Color Printer find
FWIW, in OZ it's called a shifting spanner or just a "shifter", thought
adjustable spanner or just adjustable would probably be recognised, but it's
not the common term.
Crescent wrench will get you a "what the #$%^ is a crescent wrench".
In fact the term "wrench" is normally only used for the "Monkey
Wrench"
favoured by plumbers.
What you call a 'Wrench" we call a "Spanner" generally.
Except for a "socket" which I think is the same in both countries.
>If WE use the wrong term
>amongst ourselves, we'll certainly never show others that there's benefit
in
calling it a
crescent wrench when, to some folks, "the silver-colored
thingie," would do.
But, given the arguments that have been going on, you shouldn't call it a
Crescent wrench either. That is the name of the manufacturer of a
particular kind of wrench, and although generally accepted as meaning an
"adjustable wrench" is not any more technically correct than the
"Centronics" connector's name. If you ask some mechanics for a crescent wrench, you
might get locking
pliers... ones that are commonly called a "Vise Grip", which is ALSO
technically incorrect for the same reason Crescent is wrong.
They get called "Multigrips" here generally, though "Visegrip" would
probably be recognised.
But then, for the question of the century... if you
strictly adhere to
calling an item by its name, and NOT by the commonly used term, which in
many cases is the manufacturer's or common usage name...
In the USA perhaps. Not necessarily so around here.
what should you
call a Yo-Yo? (just seeing how many people know the answer to this one)
Who knows? It's a YoYo here too.
Cheers
Geoff in Oz