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Discussion Groups / English Usage / February 2004Detectorist
What an abomination. I've just heard it in connection with the local discovery of a rare Roman coin by a 'metal detectorist' ie the person who swings the 'metal detector'. Couldn't call them both 'metal detectors' apparently even though they are. It's in OED and well established on-line. < shudder >  SignatureJohn Dean Oxford > What an abomination. I've just heard it in connection with the local > discovery of a rare Roman coin by a 'metal detectorist' ie the person who > swings the 'metal detector'. Couldn't call them both 'metal detectors' > apparently even though they are. > It's in OED and well established on-line. > < shudder > I get the same twitch when I see "sound recordist" -- used on credits at the end of movies/tv shows. I suppose it's used because "recorder" implies the equipment. Chers, Sage >What an abomination. I've just heard it in connection with the local >discovery of a rare Roman coin by a 'metal detectorist' ie the person who >swings the 'metal detector'. Couldn't call them both 'metal detectors' >apparently even though they are. >It's in OED and well established on-line. >< shudder > I consider myself a good expectorist. Hawking it up. >>What an abomination. I've just heard it in connection with the local >>discovery of a rare Roman coin by a 'metal detectorist' ie the person who [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >>< shudder > >I consider myself a good expectorist. Surprising that "ejaculist" gets not a single hit on Google. >Hawking it up. Being groomed to become a dogmatician. Best regards, Spehro Pefhany Signature"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" speff@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com > >What an abomination. I've just heard it in connection with the local > >discovery of a rare Roman coin by a 'metal detectorist' ie the person who [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I consider myself a good expectorist. > Hawking it up. ...but there is some history here - the person who operates a typewriter used to be "a typewriter", now of course they are a typist (except they probably aren't using typewriters anymore). ------ GC. > > >What an abomination. I've just heard it in connection with the local > > >discovery of a rare Roman coin by a 'metal detectorist' ie the person who [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > be "a typewriter", now of course they are a typist (except they probably aren't > using typewriters anymore). I think it was just a month ago when we were discussing "The Shootist". Gwilym Calon: > ...but there is some history here - the person who operates a > typewriter used to be "a typewriter", now of course they are > a typist (except they probably aren't using typewriters anymore). Similarly, a "computer" used to be a person who computed. Based on some things I've read that were written around 1949, there was a short period about then when a reasonable person might have guessed that the standard term for what we now call computers was going to be "electronic brains". SignatureMark Brader, Toronto "Email isn't worth the paper it's msb@vex.net printed on" -- Brian T. Schellenberger > Gwilym Calon: >> ...but there is some history here - the person who operates a [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > that the standard term for what we now call computers was going to > be "electronic brains". 'computer' was a job description in UK Social Security. It certainly existed as far back as the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance in the 60s and probably went back further than that. Entitlement to Sickness benefit was determined by a 'rater' who established the basic weekly rate of entitlement and the 'computer' calculated what was owing each week. By hand, of course - no computers, no hand-held calculators and the hand-cranked adding machine never left the Cashier's office. SignatureJohn Dean Oxford > > Gwilym Calon: > >> ...but there is some history here - the person who operates a [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > of course - no computers, no hand-held calculators and the hand-cranked > adding machine never left the Cashier's office. Was the "hand-cranked adding machine"" the same as a comptometer? Operators of these machines were much in demand in the late 50s. Cheers, Sage >>> Gwilym Calon: >>>> ...but there is some history here - the person who operates a [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > Was the "hand-cranked adding machine"" the same as a comptometer? > Operators of these machines were much in demand in the late 50s. No. My Mother was a comptometer operator (her term) in the 1930s. She returned to part time employment in the 60s and had to use a non-electric adding machine and had a hell of a time sorting it out. A comptometer keyboard typically looks like this :- http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/operating_a_comptometer.html which is why it required special training and was a skilled operation. The early adding machines had the kind of keyboard we're now used to on hand-held calculators and had separate function keys. But you still had to crank a handle to tell it you were ready for the answer. Similar to this: http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/imperial_office_master_add-lis.html SignatureJohn Dean Oxford >>>> Gwilym Calon: >>>>> ...but there is some history here - the person who operates a [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] >crank a handle to tell it you were ready for the answer. Similar to this: >http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/imperial_office_master_add-lis.html Before joining the army in WW2 I worked at the Ford plant in Eccles, they were mass producing the Rolls Royce Merlin engines for Spitfires and Lancaster bombers, The number crunching in the engineering department was done by banks of comptometer operators, to me. as a young tenager, it seemed amazing how they could operate so fast without even looking at the machines. >>> What an abomination. I've just heard it in connection with the local >>> discovery of a rare Roman coin by a 'metal detectorist' ie the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > typewriter used to be "a typewriter", now of course they are a typist > (except they probably aren't using typewriters anymore). Pity they didn't become typewriterists. I remember the Brit Civil Service switching from typewriters to word processors and PCs in the 80s. We still called the operators typists and for several years that was their official grade. SignatureJohn Dean Oxford [ ... ] > I consider myself a good expectorist. > Hawking it up. Kinda makes you wonder what sort of superpowers Hawkman[1] really had. [1] <http://www.cvalley.net/~canote/hawkman.html> SignatureBob Lieblich Nucular loogies, perhaps |
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