Re: [OT] 'Dialogue' As a Verb - OED Citations

From: Chuck Stevens (charles.stevens_at_unisys.com)
Date: 03/04/05 

Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2005 16:11:30 -0800

"James J. Gavan" <jgavandeletethis@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:HpNVd.567728$6l.307848@pd7tw2no...

> Interesting Richard. Help me out. Daniel just quizzed me on 'wing'. What
> the hell was I referring to in 'Americanese' - for the life of me can't
> think of the word, or even back then what a bloody wing was :-)
>
> Give you a clue though - the wing was something to do with the 'side' of
> the car not the door paneling, but perhaps the covering over the wheels
> when the 'front' wasn't a solid piece. Help me !

Think what the Yanks call a "fender" on just about anything British from
before WWII. It's like a bird's wing on the side of the car. Think MG
TC/TD/TF. Think Model A Ford.

The one I could never get straight was "nearside" and "offside", since the
former seems to be the one *further* from the driver ("the side of a vehicle
nearest the kerb").

A friend had a very rare Morgan +4 (50 copies of this model) that was
seriously damaged in an accident. Took many months of correspondence to get
all the terminology translated ("right-side headlight trim ring" => "offside
headlamp door" being one example -- note that it was "offside" even though
it was the side *nearest* the curb on this side of the pond!). Repair took
over a year and a half all told.

    -Chuck Stevens

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