New words learned!

I'm always excited when I spot a new word I don't know. yes, I'm a nerd. Here are a few I've learned recently--you got any?

swarf: metal chips or shavings. Context: changing the oil in a brand new car because new machined parts shed swarf

louche: of questionable taste or morality. Context: while looking up origins and usage of Mrs. and Mr. and Ms. -- "mistress" is out of favor in the 20th century because of louche connotations

Jelging: some kind of penis enlargement exercises (didn't want to get into that too closely!) Context: all those guys on my body mod boards obsessed with their dicks

not sure if these will permanently enter my voacabulary, I came across these two this last week:

equerry - personal assistant, aide-de-camp

opsimath - someone who learns/studies late in life

One that recently crossed my path:

imbricate - Verb: Arrange (scales, sepals, plates, etc.) so that they overlap like roof tiles.
Adjective: (of scales, sepals, plates, etc.) Having adjacent edges overlapping.

I saw it used to describe a complex set of historical relationships. Thought it really worked.

Cloud;690333 wrote:

swarf: metal chips or shavings. Context: changing the oil in a brand new car because new machined parts shed swarf

Wow. In all my years working in machine shops and factories, I've never head that term. :eek:

I've heard that term. In fact it's a word I hate, because when we got a bad batch of pipes from the engineers we had to arse around removing little bits of swarf from places it really shouldn't be.

If people are going to be inhaling smoke through it, you really don't want little semi-detached coils or slivers of metal hiding in the oxygen feed of the pipe. Once you've found one on a QC check - the entire batch has to be thoroughly checked. Once you've seen it happen in more than one batch, you find yourself just checking every fucking pipe to make sure. I remember one lot of baby Blue pipes that had a tight coil of swarf about halfway down about 20% of the outlet pipes. Tiny pipe, tiny coil, made entirely of steel.

The afternoons I have spent just checking outlet pipes or oxygen feeds for swarf: then realising that this particular engineer's equipment has left a sheer little disc of swarf flush to the body, over the oxygen feed and the only way to know for sure is to apply a pipe cleaner to every one....or that this batch has a more attached bit of swarf that hasn't been brushing free with the pipe cleaner, and I'm gonna have to recheck the ones I've done already...etc.

Eventually every pipe that came through the business had to be checked: every component checked, every outlet or inlet, every threaded connection. Not an efficient use of manhours :P

Don't talk to me about swarf. Bleh.

Maybe a Brit thing?

Possibly. It's used by every engineer I ever met. I seem to recall my dad talking about swarf at some point...most likely in relation to a machine he'd been fixing.

Swarfega

I knew what swarf meant, too.

...and I remember swarfega -had to use it after messing with the chain on my bike (played hell with the eczema).

Today I learned a new word/phrase:

Toe Cleavage

We have swarf.

Dana, what the heck job was that? Bhong shop?

J (at the time my partner) and my brother had a small company, which designed and sold a range of smoking pipes for the counter culture scene. We used local engineering firms to make them and then we assembled them ourselves.

They did well for a while. Had customers all over the world, and a fairly high profile within the euro cannabusiness scene. The company lasted about 10 years or so. I worked for them on and off.

Our best known pipe was the 'Agent Blue' covert pipe. That got copied out of existence by rivals who altered the design slightly to make it cheaper and had them made for a pittance in India. These days there are lots of pipes woth a similar design, but ours was the first (not counting the 'credit card' or Silver Leaf as it was called) pipe which was the main inspiration for Agent, though visually very different).

Annoyingly I read a blog post of a guy who bought an agent blue years ago and still had it (as of 2011). He raved it as a brilliant pipe, thens aid he wasn't sure if it or the 'BudBomb' had come out first, but thought it was probably Bud Bomb, thus making Agent Blue a 'clone', though better than 'the original'. In fact BudBomb was the clone.

Ha! god this is a trip down memory lane for me :p

here's another of the range: 'Street Daddy Blue' with it's cooling fins.



And 'Superfly Blue':



Alas there aren't any decent pics of 'Baby Blue', our first design and most expensive pipe. Made from brushed steel, and with lovely smooth classic lines. Reminded me a little of a zippo in that regard.

They were all my bro's designs.

Awesome stuff.

I love that sort of practical engineering. Kind of steampunk (smokepunk?) thing.

steamhippie?

Each of the pipes had a distinct persona. We used to anthropomorphise them in all the sales literature and packaging, and each one had a very different style and tone.

So, Agent Blue, the covert pipe had a James Bond type spy persona. Superfly was drawn very much from the old blaxploitation movies. Street Daddy, I can't quite recall, but I think may have been imagined as a kind of Tarantino film character. And Kinky Blue was ... well, kinky.

Baby Blue, the first of the range was sexy and classy and dangerous.

I remember so many years ago when you were telling us about the business venture as a current thing, and at the time I was picturing these little rustic hand-formed fimo clay pipes, dirty hippie aesthetic all the way.

I'd have never had a use for one myself, but those pictures look very svelte.

Oh they were very stylish. Our Martin is a very talented artist and designer. he has an inventor's mind.

I wish I had photos of the stand he designed and built for the glastonbury festival. It was awesome.

Huh. I don't remember that.

That's a cool job, Dana, and I really like those pipes your brother designed. I'd have no use for one, but I appreciate the work that goes into designing them.

It was a cool job. Had a lot of fun. Also a lot of stress too when the business was sinking.

Overall a pretty good experience.

Popdigr has a small lathe. I might try to pop out a Street Daddy. Looks like I might can handle the work.

I may even have the material to do it.

I'm guessing 3-4 pieces, counting the swiveling lid/end cover, and the brass bowl/liner?

The word I learned today is 'bandeau'.

Ladies, you all prolly know what a bandeau is...

...Gentlemen, Please Click Here.

You're welcome.

Today's new word learned is "apocrine". Interestingly, I learned of it when reading an article in the Washington Post about a reporter who, as an (ill advised) thought experiment attempted to argue Akin's side of the his recent dumb-fuckery. But when I looked it up, I found that it was used poetically, if improperly. It was meant to convey a sweaty mess, but sweat glands are not apocrine glands except in name only for historical purposes.

The story.

The definition.

Apocrine, holocrine, merocrine ... I'd say Akin's mess was holocrine - destructive of the cell wherein it originated. Hopefully, at any rate ...

ha

he wishes/thinks/has been misinformed that it's holocrine.

the article actually talked about the reporter who tweeted in rhetorical defense of Akin. After being reprimanded by the Washington Post editorial staff, they say he'll be an apocrine mess when he has to face his co workers knowing what an ass he's made of himself and the embarrassment of the organization.