Formica
psan...@hanmail.net
1. A miniature kitchen sat just in front of her, its blue Formica top
faded and chipped.
What does "top" mean here?
counter top??
Does Formica top have a smooth surface?
I'm not quite certain "Formica" is the same one that I know.
(I've searched the internet site only to find few useful info.)
2. She saw a chipped refrigerator, cupboards with peeling laminate
and unmade bed.
Is "laminate" could be interpreted as "Formica" here?
What does "unmade bed" exactly mean?
not folding up the beddings?
Thanks in advance.
Mark Brader
> 1. A miniature kitchen sat just in front of her, its blue Formica top
> faded and chipped.
>
> What does "top" mean here?
> counter top??
Yes.
> Does Formica top have a smooth surface?
Yes. Formica is the brand name of a hard plastic used for countertops.
> 2. She saw a chipped refrigerator, cupboards with peeling laminate
> and unmade bed.
>
> Is "laminate" could be interpreted as "Formica" here?
Some sort of plastic layer, anyway. Same idea as Formica, but possibly
a different plastic.
> What does "unmade bed" exactly mean? not folding up the beddings?
A bed is "made" when the covers (sheets, blankets, etc.) are laid flat
on top and tucked in underneath the mattress where appropriate, so it
all looks neat and tidy. "Unmade" means that this wasn't done, so the
covers are probably still where they were when the person who used the
bed got out of it, and it looks untidy.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto "Truth speak from any chair."
m...@vex.net -- Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum
My text in this article is in the public domain.
R J Valentine
] Hi, Can anyone help me out?
Yeah, sure.
] 1. A miniature kitchen sat just in front of her, its blue Formica top
] faded and chipped.
]
] What does "top" mean here?
] counter top??
Yes.
] Does Formica top have a smooth surface?
Yes.
] I'm not quite certain "Formica" is the same one that I know.
It probably is. It's a brand name. Maybe forty years ago I was helping
my father help my Uncle Fred renovate a house in Farmingdale, and my Uncle
Fred was doing some finishing touches, including cleaning the Formica
brand name off the counter tops. My father stopped him and said he should
leave it alone and let the buyers grumble about doing it, because the
house would sell a lot better with evidence that it was newly installed
genuine Formica on the counters.
] (I've searched the internet site only to find few useful info.)
Excellent.
] 2. She saw a chipped refrigerator, cupboards with peeling laminate
] and unmade bed.
]
] Is "laminate" could be interpreted as "Formica" here?
No. It'd be the much cheaper plastic or thin wood finish on the cupboard
doors, walls, or shelves.
] What does "unmade bed" exactly mean?
] not folding up the beddings?
Rumpled. Slept in.
] Thanks in advance.
Welcs in advance.
--
R. J. Valentine <mailto:r...@clark.net>
Stephen Toogood
>P Sankyun:
>
>> What does "unmade bed" exactly mean? not folding up the beddings?
>
>on top and tucked in underneath the mattress where appropriate, so it
>all looks neat and tidy. "Unmade" means that this wasn't done, so the
>covers are probably still where they were when the person who used the
>bed got out of it, and it looks untidy.
What may not be completely clear from Mark's post is that a cultural
difference is at work here.
Whereas in much of the far east, it is traditional to fold up and put
away bedding in the morning, in many English-speaking places the task is
immediately to make the bed ready for your next sleep. This is what
'making the bed' is, and to leave it undone was regarded as evidence of
slovenly attitude.
This morning I have left my bed unmade, to air after a very hot night.
--
Stephen Toogood
James Follett
psan...@hanmail.net wrote:
>Hi, Can anyone help me out?
>
>1. A miniature kitchen sat just in front of her, its blue Formica top
>faded and chipped.
>
>What does "top" mean here?
>counter top??
>
>Does Formica top have a smooth surface?
>I'm not quite certain "Formica" is the same one that I know.
>(I've searched the internet site only to find few useful info.)
IIR "Formica" was, or still is, a Bull trademark for SRBP --
Synthetic Resin-Bonded Paper. A decorative, hard-wearing
laminate, approximately 1mm thick, that is usually bonded
with impact adhesive to kitchen counter-top/worktop carcases
etc.
--
James Follett -- novelist http://www.davew.demon.co.uk
Robert E. Lewis
>
> Hi, Can anyone help me out?
>
> 1. A miniature kitchen sat just in front of her, its blue Formica top
> faded and chipped.
>
> What does "top" mean here?
> counter top??
>
> Does Formica top have a smooth surface?
> I'm not quite certain "Formica" is the same one that I know.
> (I've searched the internet site only to find few useful info.)
>
> and unmade bed.
>
> Is "laminate" could be interpreted as "Formica" here?
Yes, "Formica" is a brand name for a plastic countertop
material. It is a "laminate," a thin layer glued to the
base material of the countertop. The laminate on the
cupboards would probably be similar, but probably a thinner
material, commonly called "melamine."
> What does "unmade bed" exactly mean?
> not folding up the beddings?
Yes, an unmade bed is one in which the sheets have not been
neatly tucked in.
--Robert
Pat Meadows
<ste...@stenches.nospam.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>In article <8ik453$31q$1...@news.tht.net>, Mark Brader <m...@vex.net> writes
>>P Sankyun:
>>
>>> What does "unmade bed" exactly mean? not folding up the beddings?
>>
>>A bed is "made" when the covers (sheets, blankets, etc.) are laid flat
>>on top and tucked in underneath the mattress where appropriate, so it
>>all looks neat and tidy. "Unmade" means that this wasn't done, so the
>>covers are probably still where they were when the person who used the
>>bed got out of it, and it looks untidy.
>
>What may not be completely clear from Mark's post is that a cultural
>difference is at work here.
>
>Whereas in much of the far east, it is traditional to fold up and put
>away bedding in the morning, in many English-speaking places the task is
>immediately to make the bed ready for your next sleep. This is what
>'making the bed' is, and to leave it undone was regarded as evidence of
>slovenly attitude.
Back to bed-making in Western countries (anyway, in the
ones I'm familiar with, those being USA, Canada, and the
UK): we straighten out the sheets and blankets, and tuck
them in at the bottom of the bed. Then we put the pillows
neatly at the top. Then we (usually) cover the whole thing
with either a quilt (thick padded blanket) or a bedspread.
A bedspread is a piece of material specifically made to
cover the bed. They are often colorful or decorative in
some way.
Quite often, people will also have a ruffled bedskirt
(also called dustruffle) - an elasticized fabric thing which
fits on the bottom of the bed to cover the gap between the
bed and floor.
The bedspread, dust ruffle, and the curtains at the
windows may all be part of a set or at least of colors or
patterns which are pleasing together.
Pat
Alex Chernavsky
>Quite often, people will also have a ruffled bedskirt
>(also called dustruffle) - an elasticized fabric thing
>which fits on the bottom of the bed to cover the
>gap between the bed and floor.
Is this something new? Technology marches onward.
>The bedspread, dust ruffle, and the curtains at the
>windows may all be part of a set or at least of colors
>or patterns which are pleasing together.
Pat, thanks for the informative post on sleepware. I'll have to file it
away in the unlikely event that I should ever get married and might actually
need something other than a mattress and a comforter.
--
Alex Chernavsky
al...@astrocyte-design.com
Murray Arnow
> IIR "Formica" was, or still is, a Bull trademark for SRBP --
> Synthetic Resin-Bonded Paper. A decorative, hard-wearing
> laminate, approximately 1mm thick, that is usually bonded
> with impact adhesive to kitchen counter-top/worktop carcases
> etc.
Formica is the product of the Formica Corporation. They manufacture their
trademarked product in Cincinnati, Ohio--the stench of their effluvia was
(is?) an ever-present reminder of their presence.
Pat Meadows
<al...@astrocyte-design.com> wrote:
>Pat Meadows wrote, in part:
>
>>Quite often, people will also have a ruffled bedskirt
>>(also called dustruffle) - an elasticized fabric thing
>>which fits on the bottom of the bed to cover the
>>gap between the bed and floor.
>
>Is this something new? Technology marches onward.
No, just something by which manufacturers can make a
little more profit. We don't have one. I believe the
theory is that it keeps dust from accumulating under the bed
- therefore, the name "dustruffle." Maybe it does keep dust
from accumulating under the bed. Since we don't have one, I
don't actually know.
I don't worry about dust under the bed. What I can't see
(in regards to housekeeping) doesn't generally worry me
much.
>>The bedspread, dust ruffle, and the curtains at the
>>windows may all be part of a set or at least of colors
>>or patterns which are pleasing together.
>
>Pat, thanks for the informative post on sleepware. I'll have to file it
>away in the unlikely event that I should ever get married and might actually
>need something other than a mattress and a comforter.
Well, some people are married (or otherwise) and have
these things. No sheets, even? (No sheet, Sherlock!)
Pat
Evan Kirshenbaum
> Pat Meadows wrote, in part:
>
> >Quite often, people will also have a ruffled bedskirt (also called
> >dustruffle) - an elasticized fabric thing which fits on the bottom
> >of the bed to cover the gap between the bed and floor.
>
> Is this something new? Technology marches onward.
My parents had one when I was little, 30-odd years ago. It was called
a "dustruffle" in Chicago. It's elasticized at the top to fit around
the base of the box spring and dangles down to the floor. It's
typically pleated.
> >The bedspread, dust ruffle, and the curtains at the windows may all
> >be part of a set or at least of colors or patterns which are
> >pleasing together.
>
> Pat, thanks for the informative post on sleepware.
I like the term "sleepware", but I've never come across it.
"Sleepwear", of course, is pajamas and nightgowns and such worn to
bed. The things pat described are typically "bedclothes" or
"bedding", although I don't think I'd typically count a dustruffle as
bedding, more as part of the bed.
> I'll have to file it away in the unlikely event that I should ever
> get married and might actually need something other than a mattress
> and a comforter.
No sheet or pillows?
--
Evan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------
HP Laboratories |It is one thing to be mistaken; it is
1501 Page Mill Road, Building 1U |quite another to be willfully
Palo Alto, CA 94304 |ignorant
| Cecil Adams
kirsh...@hpl.hp.com
(650)857-7572
Evan Kirshenbaum
According to the USPTO, "Formica" was registered in the US as a
trademark by the Formica Insulation Company, Cincinnati, OH, in 1946.
It is currently owned by the Formica Corporation, Wayne (or possibly
West Wayne--I don't know if the West is part of the address), NJ.
I found no marks that mentioned Bull. Perhaps things are different in
the UK. (Is there an on-line trademark search capability for British
trademarks?)
--
Evan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------
HP Laboratories |Never attempt to teach a pig to
1501 Page Mill Road, Building 1U |sing; it wastes your time and
Palo Alto, CA 94304 |annoys the pig.
| Robert Heinlein
kirsh...@hpl.hp.com
(650)857-7572
Alex Chernavsky
>No sheet or pillows?
Well, yes -- ever since the Health Department paid me a visit.
--
Alex Chernavsky
al...@astrocyte-design.com
Alex Chernavsky
>I don't worry about dust under the bed. What I
>can't see (in regards to housekeeping) doesn't
>generally worry me much.
A sound philosophy, in my opinion. On the other hand...
www.ifas.ufl.edu/~insect/urban/house_dust_mite_fig1.htm
C'mon over sometime -- I'll let you borrow my scanning electron microscope
if you ever decide you *do* want to know what's under your bed.
--
Alex Chernavsky
al...@astrocyte-design.com
Alan Jones
"Pat Meadows" <p...@meadows.pair.com> wrote in message
news:0qbskssfag9fds9qi...@4ax.com...
|
| Back to bed-making in Western countries (anyway, in the
| ones I'm familiar with, those being USA, Canada, and the
| UK): we straighten out the sheets and blankets, and tuck
| them in at the bottom of the bed. Then we put the pillows
| neatly at the top. Then we (usually) cover the whole thing
| with either a quilt (thick padded blanket) or a bedspread.
|
| A bedspread is a piece of material specifically made to
| cover the bed. They are often colorful or decorative in
| some way.
|
| (also called dustruffle) - an elasticized fabric thing which
| fits on the bottom of the bed to cover the gap between the
| bed and floor.
|
| windows may all be part of a set or at least of colors or
| patterns which are pleasing together.
Another system is common in UK, if one has a divan bed with a low frame
holding a mattress base upon which lies the mattress proper.
On the mattress base may be spread a "valance" - that is, a sheet with a
ruffled bedskirt attached. The mattress proper will be covered by an
underblanket or two, one of them perhaps fleecy, and will then have either a
fully fitted sheet covering its top and sides, or a conventional sheet
tucked in. The pillows are arranged on this and a duvet (which used to be
called a "Continental quilt") covers the sleeper. I believe some people like
a sheet between themselves and the duvet, which is in any case enclosed in a
decorative bag made of sheeting and known as the duvet cover. A variant of
this arrangement is for the valance to be much deeper and attached to the
semi-fitted sheet covering the mattress proper - this is known as a
"valanced sheet". Matching sets are sold of pillow cases, valanced sheet and
duvet cover. The whole thing renders daily bed-making a matter of seconds,
and I for one much prefer a duvet to sheets and blankets (thin for summer,
thick for chilly weather, the two stuck together with Velcro (TM, I
suppose!) for winter). The only snag is the regular task of getting the
duvet into its laundered cover, a task requiring a practical understanding
of topology rarely found in men but apparently innate in women.
This thread has disturbingly reminded me of bed-making, or rather un-making,
in the Services, where as a trainee one's first task in the morning is (or
was) to strip the bed and fold and roll sheets, blankets and pillow into a
perfectly rectangular bundle of dimensions exactly prescribed by the
sergeant, who would measure any slightly doubtful offering and sentence the
offender to some unpleasant punishment for disobeying orders. I thought I'd
forgotten that, but the whole horror has just reared up and engulfed me.
Alan Jones
Mark Brader
> Quite often, people will also have a ruffled bedskirt
> (also called dustruffle) - an elasticized fabric thing which
> fits on the bottom of the bed to cover the gap between the
> bed and floor.
We've got one of those. Its function seems to be to make it harder to
find the cats when they have to go to the vet or something.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto cat>/dev/null got your tongue?
m...@vex.net -- Jutta Degener
Geoff Butler
>
>Whereas in much of the far east, it is traditional to fold up and put
>away bedding in the morning, in many English-speaking places the task is
>immediately to make the bed ready for your next sleep. This is what
>'making the bed' is, and to leave it undone was regarded as evidence of
>slovenly attitude.
To misquote Willy Rushton on the subject, "When you got up this morning,
your bed was the most comfortable place imaginable, so why spoil it?"
-ler
John O'Flaherty
> Evan Kirshenbaum wrote, in part:
>
> >No sheet or pillows?
>
> Well, yes -- ever since the Health Department paid me a visit.
>
They made you start using them, or they made you remove the old ones?
john
Stephen Toogood
<p...@meadows.pair.com> writes
>On Mon, 19 Jun 2000 09:51:17 +0100, Stephen Toogood
><ste...@stenches.nospam.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>In article <8ik453$31q$1...@news.tht.net>, Mark Brader <m...@vex.net> writes
>>>P Sankyun:
>>>
>>>> What does "unmade bed" exactly mean? not folding up the beddings?
>>>
>>
>>Whereas in much of the far east, it is traditional to fold up and put
>>away bedding in the morning, in many English-speaking places the task is
>>immediately to make the bed ready for your next sleep. This is what
>>'making the bed' is, and to leave it undone was regarded as evidence of
>>slovenly attitude.
>
>ones I'm familiar with, those being USA, Canada, and the
>UK): we straighten out the sheets and blankets, and tuck
>them in at the bottom of the bed. Then we put the pillows
>neatly at the top. Then we (usually) cover the whole thing
>with either a quilt (thick padded blanket) or a bedspread.
>
> A bedspread is a piece of material specifically made to
>cover the bed. They are often colorful or decorative in
>some way.
Does anybody use the words 'eiderdown' or 'counterpane' these days?
>
> Quite often, people will also have a ruffled bedskirt
>(also called dustruffle) - an elasticized fabric thing which
>fits on the bottom of the bed to cover the gap between the
>bed and floor.
Invented for the people that marketing men call 'homemakers' I'll be
bound. A consequence of the rise of the quilt (=US comforter I seem to
remember) and the decline of the bedspread.
>
> The bedspread, dust ruffle, and the curtains at the
>windows may all be part of a set or at least of colors or
>patterns which are pleasing together.
Now that really is for 'homemakers'.
--
Stephen Toogood
Alex Chernavsky
>> Pat, thanks for the informative post on sleepware.
Evan Kirshenbaum responded:
>I like the term "sleepware", but I've never come across it.
I made it up, inadvertently. I originally meant to type "sleepwear", but
wrote "sleepware" instead. When the spelling checker flagged it, I decided
that "sleepwear" didn't really fit the intended meaning anyway, so I kept it
as is.
Now, where's that guy who gets words into the OED, and what's his price?
--
Alex Chernavsky
al...@astrocyte-design.com
N.Mitchum
-------
> Does anybody use the words 'eiderdown' or 'counterpane' these days?
I'd use "eiderdown" by itself for a quilt stuffed with eiderdown.
Otherwise it's an adjective, as in "eiderdown vest." I'd never
use "counterpane," which sounds too eighteenth-century and too
British for me.
----NM
John O'Flaherty
That's me. For you only, $100. Send cash, please. Allow 4-6 years for shipping &
handling.
john
John O'Flaherty
> Quite often, people will also have a ruffled bedskirt
> (also called dustruffle) - an elasticized fabric thing which
> fits on the bottom of the bed to cover the gap between the
> bed and floor.
I'd be very nervous about that. Due to the more limited visibility, you'd
have to jump into bed from a couple feet further away, to be safe.
john
Alex Chernavsky
>> Now, where's that guy who gets words into
>> the OED, and what's his price?
John O'Flaherty answered:
>That's me. For you only, $100.
Is that price negotiable? Specifically, I have in mind a volume discount,
of sorts. Rumor has it that one particularly persistent chap wants to get
the word "sans" removed. Perhaps he and I could combine forces.
--
Alex Chernavsky
al...@astrocyte-design.com
Robert Lieblich
>
> Padraig Breathnach <padr...@iol.ie> wrote:
> > As nobody mentioned it yet, I thought that I might give you a more
> > conventional name for the item in question: valence. Its main purpose is
> the
> > concealment of shoes.
>
> Valance. Apparently its name is not elementary knowledge.
Are we at liberty to discuss "valance"?
M-W defines it better than I can:
1 : a drapery hung along the edge of a bed, table,
altar, canopy, or shelf
2 : a short drapery or wood or metal frame used as a
decorative heading to conceal the top of curtains and
fixtures
Padraig Breathnach
As nobody mentioned it yet, I thought that I might give you a more
conventional name for the item in question: valence. Its main purpose is the
concealment of shoes.
PB
Skitt
Padraig Breathnach <padr...@iol.ie> wrote in message
news:aDx35.3037$QT5....@news.iol.ie...
Valance. Apparently its name is not elementary knowledge.
--
Skitt (in SF Bay Area) http://i.am/skitt/
I speak English well -- I learn it from a book!
Evan Kirshenbaum
> Invented for the people that marketing men call 'homemakers' I'll be
> bound. A consequence of the rise of the quilt (=US comforter I seem
> to remember)
Probably, although MW says that a "quilt" is
1 : a bed coverlet of two layers of cloth filled with padding (as
down or batting) held in place by ties or stitched designs
while a comforter is
2b : a thick bed covering made of two layers of cloth containing a
filling (as down)
This sense of "quilt", however, isn't mine. For me, a quilt is what
they call a "patchwork quilt", that is a cover/bedspread/tapestry/
whatever constructed of (typically unmatched) squares of material sewn
together.
--
Evan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------
HP Laboratories |The vast majority of humans have
1501 Page Mill Road, Building 1U |more than the average number of
Palo Alto, CA 94304 |legs.
Evan Kirshenbaum
> Skitt wrote:
> >
> > Padraig Breathnach <padr...@iol.ie> wrote:
>
> > > As nobody mentioned it yet, I thought that I might give you a
> > > more conventional name for the item in question: valence. Its
> > > main purpose is the concealment of shoes.
> >
> > Valance. Apparently its name is not elementary knowledge.
>
> Are we at liberty to discuss "valance"?
>
> M-W defines it better than I can:
>
> 1 : a drapery hung along the edge of a bed, table,
> altar, canopy, or shelf
> 2 : a short drapery or wood or metal frame used as
> a decorative heading to conceal the top of
> curtains and fixtures
I only have it in the second sense. It's the drapey thing that hides
the curtain rod or shade.
--
Evan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------
HP Laboratories |The great thing about Microsoft
1501 Page Mill Road, Building 1U |dominating the world is that
Palo Alto, CA 94304 |there's no shortage of support
|opportunities.
kirsh...@hpl.hp.com | Sam Alvis
(650)857-7572
John O'Flaherty
> Alex Chernavsky wrote:
>
> >> Now, where's that guy who gets words into
> >> the OED, and what's his price?
>
> John O'Flaherty answered:
>
> >That's me. For you only, $100.
>
> Is that price negotiable? Specifically, I have in mind a volume discount,
> of sorts. Rumor has it that one particularly persistent chap wants to get
> the word "sans" removed. Perhaps he and I could combine forces.
Well, we have a discount path, especially suitable for deletions, where for
only 59.99 we send you a magic marker. First you have to sign our license
agreement, agreeing to make only a single deletion per magic marker, unless
the word is subsequently restored, in which case you may delete a single
additional word.
john
John O'Flaherty
> John O'Flaherty wrote:
> >Pat Meadows wrote:
> >
> >> Quite often, people will also have a ruffled bedskirt
> >> (also called dustruffle) - an elasticized fabric thing which
> >> fits on the bottom of the bed to cover the gap between the
> >> bed and floor.
> >
> >I'd be very nervous about that. Due to the more limited visibility, you'd
> >have to jump into bed from a couple feet further away, to be safe.
> >
> What lives under your bed?
Why, the bogeyman!
john
>
> As nobody mentioned it yet, I thought that I might give you a more
> conventional name for the item in question: valence. Its main purpose is the
> concealment of shoes.
>
> PB
John O'Flaherty
> Skitt wrote:
> >
> > Padraig Breathnach <padr...@iol.ie> wrote:
>
> > > As nobody mentioned it yet, I thought that I might give you a more
> > > conventional name for the item in question: valence. Its main purpose is
> > the
> > > concealment of shoes.
> >
> > Valance. Apparently its name is not elementary knowledge.
>
> Are we at liberty to discuss "valance"?
>
> M-W defines it better than I can:
>
> 1 : a drapery hung along the edge of a bed, table,
> altar, canopy, or shelf
> 2 : a short drapery or wood or metal frame used as a
> decorative heading to conceal the top of curtains and
> fixtures
That's the greatest answer of them all.
john
Frances Kemmish
> the curtain rod or shade.
>
I'd call that a pelmet. (That is also the word my dad used to
describe my skirts back in the late 1960s.)
fran
Robert E. Lewis
> >
> > Quite often, people will also have a ruffled bedskirt
> >(also called dustruffle) - an elasticized fabric thing which
> >fits on the bottom of the bed to cover the gap between the
> >bed and floor.
>
> Invented for the people that marketing men call 'homemakers' I'll be
> bound. A consequence of the rise of the quilt (=US comforter I seem to
> remember) and the decline of the bedspread.
I always assumed it was invented to permit people to hide
large amounts of junk under the bed (that's why I use one,
anyway - safety device: the slats on my bed broke once, and
the bed did not settle appreciably).
-- Robert
James Follett
ev...@garrett.hpl.hp.com "Evan Kirshenbaum" wrote:
>According to the USPTO, "Formica" was registered in the US as a
>trademark by the Formica Insulation Company, Cincinnati, OH, in 1946.
>It is currently owned by the Formica Corporation, Wayne (or possibly
>West Wayne--I don't know if the West is part of the address), NJ.
>
>I found no marks that mentioned Bull. Perhaps things are different in
>the UK. (Is there an on-line trademark search capability for British
>trademarks?)
Thanks for that, Evan. All I can add is that the original name
was For Mica because the two gentlemen who invented the stuff,
Bert Faber and (?) O'Conor, were looking for a substitute insulation
material for mica.
Formica is the Latin noun for formic acid. I'm surprised that it
was possible to register such a word as a trade name without munging
the spelling i.e. Formika.
--
James Follett -- novelist http://www.davew.demon.co.uk
James Pluck
Robert Lieblich wrote in message <394EA9...@erols.com>...
>Are we at liberty to discuss "valance"?
Liberty Valence? Wasn't he shot? The man who shot Liberty
Valence was the bravest of them all ISTR.
Cheers
PapaBear
Ray Heindl
<20000619.2...@marage.demon.co.uk>:
>Formica is the Latin noun for formic acid. I'm surprised that it
>was possible to register such a word as a trade name without munging
>the spelling i.e. Formika.
Maybe the USPTO was more liberal (or less classically-educated) in the
'40s.
I seem to recall that Formica lost its trademark status, and can now be
used as a generic term for plastic laminates. I'll probably get a
nasty letter from the Formica Corp's legal eagles about this.
--
Ray Heindl
Aaron J. Dinkin
ja...@james-follett.com wrote:
> Formica is the Latin noun for formic acid. I'm surprised that it
> was possible to register such a word as a trade name without munging
> the spelling i.e. Formika.
Actually, it's the Latin noun for an ant.
-Aaron J. Dinkin
Dr. Whom
Mike Page
>
>Padraig Breathnach <padr...@iol.ie> wrote in message
>> As nobody mentioned it yet, I thought that I might give you a more
>> conventional name for the item in question: valence. Its main purpose is
>the
>> concealment of shoes.
>
>Valance. Apparently its name is not elementary knowledge.
NSOED allows 'valence' as a variant.
Mike Page
Let the ape escape for e-mail
Skitt
Mike Page <mi...@pagehq.orang.fsnet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3952eeac...@news.freeserve.net...
MWCD10 is somewhat more discriminating.
L'esprit de l'escalier
>On 19 Jun, in article <v9haegh...@garrett.hpl.hp.com>
> ev...@garrett.hpl.hp.com "Evan Kirshenbaum" wrote:
>
>>According to the USPTO, "Formica" was registered in the US as a
>>trademark by the Formica Insulation Company, Cincinnati, OH, in 1946.
>>It is currently owned by the Formica Corporation, Wayne (or possibly
>>West Wayne--I don't know if the West is part of the address), NJ.
>>
>>I found no marks that mentioned Bull. Perhaps things are different in
>>the UK. (Is there an on-line trademark search capability for British
>>trademarks?)
The UK Patent Office allows limited searching. I regret I don't have
the exact URL. It's something like http://www.patents.gov.uk but try
variations on the 'patents' segment.
>
>Thanks for that, Evan. All I can add is that the original name
>was For Mica because the two gentlemen who invented the stuff,
>Bert Faber and (?) O'Conor, were looking for a substitute insulation
>material for mica.
>
>Formica is the Latin noun for formic acid. I'm surprised that it
>was possible to register such a word as a trade name without munging
>the spelling i.e. Formika.
>
If the product had been acids or ants, it would have been difficult.
--
L'esprit
Catherine McGrath
<al...@astrocyte-design.com> wrote:
[snip]
>Rumor has it that one particularly persistent chap wants to get
>the word "sans" removed.
I am responding for my son Daniel,who sometimes has difficulty
expressing what he means, due to his disability of autism. Daniel
would like to clarify his feelings about the word "sans". He does not
want it removed from use. He would actually like it to be used more
frequently than it is being used presently. Daniel feels that if a
word is borrowed from another language (as "sans" is borrowed from
French) and it is used as an alternate word for something we already
have (such as "without"), it should be used frequently or a word is
being wasted.
Catherine McGrath
(Daniel McGrath's mother)
Mark Brader
> > As nobody mentioned it yet, I thought that I might give you a more
"Skitt" writes:
> Valance. Apparently its name is not elementary knowledge.
I feel a bond forming with Skitt... :-)
--
Mark Brader, Toronto | "To the vector go the spoils."
m...@vex.net | -- Norton Juster, "The Dot and the Line"
James Follett
mcg...@liii.com "Catherine McGrath" wrote:
I hope that one day Daniel will accquire a feeling for language
or women, or both.
Think of the charged atmosphere of the Casino at Le Torquet on a
balmy summer evening. The vaulting splendour of the Baroque
ceiling, and the glinting chandelier suspended over the roulette
table, filtering crystal rainbows through wraiths of cigar smoke
onto flawless shoulders of wide-eyed girls in tiny black evening
dresses. The soft clatter of a dancing ball chasing fortune and
misfortune around the wheel. The sudden still of conversation
when the ball finds a partner and the croupier presses a manicured
finger on the wheel's hub. He calls and the girl beside you squeals
in delight. She twists her body on her chair towards you and brings
her knees to her chin so that she can hug herself in orgasmic
ectasy. In so doing she shares her pleasure because it is realised
that she is sans lingerie.
The scene moves to a vomit-splattered back alley beside a nightclub
in Bognor Regis on a drizzling Saturday night with the wind coming
off the sea like a thousand breadknives. A tacky tangle of bleached
seaweed bottle blonde hair wrapped around a tattooed, shaven head.
The girl's chilled legs like two sticks of celery, her bra yanked
roughly under her chin while her partner chews on an unresponsive
ring-pull nipple with all the frantic finesse of the last piranha
at a feast. The yob yanks up her skirt and sends a fistful of
potato-packing station calloused fingers clutching and plunging
while a tiny corner of the girl's alcohol-saturated mind wonders
if it was such a good idea to go without knickers.
Read the above to Daniel and maybe it'll give him a little insight
into the riches of the English language even in the hands of an old
hack like me.
John O'Flaherty
> Padraig Breathnach:
> > > As nobody mentioned it yet, I thought that I might give you a more
> > > conventional name for the item in question: valence. ...
>
> "Skitt" writes:
> > Valance. Apparently its name is not elementary knowledge.
>
> I feel a bond forming with Skitt... :-)
That seems a bit radical.
john
Garry J. Vass
news:20000621.0...@marage.demon.co.uk...
>
>
> I hope that one day Daniel will accquire a feeling for language
> or women, or both.
>
> Think of the charged atmosphere of the Casino at Le Torquet on a
> balmy summer evening. The vaulting splendour of the Baroque
> ceiling, and the glinting chandelier suspended over the roulette
> table, filtering crystal rainbows through wraiths of cigar smoke
> onto flawless shoulders of wide-eyed girls in tiny black evening
> dresses. The soft clatter of a dancing ball chasing fortune and
> misfortune around the wheel. The sudden still of conversation
> when the ball finds a partner and the croupier presses a manicured
> finger on the wheel's hub. He calls and the girl beside you squeals
> in delight. She twists her body on her chair towards you and brings
> her knees to her chin so that she can hug herself in orgasmic
> ectasy. In so doing she shares her pleasure because it is realised
> that she is sans lingerie.
>
Charmed! May I continue?
...and at the next table, international bon-vivant and gad-about Le Garry
turns and catches her eye. He grins broadly and gives her a rakish wink
from the fast-track suggesting orgasmic ectasies in realms far beyond those
of the red and the black. Bemused by this sudden attention and the
possibilities it offers, she returns his smile.
With a jaunty cock of his head, and a devil-may-care flick of his eyebrows,
he gestures towards the lifts. She catches his meaning instantly and winks
in acceptance. It is a wink of decadence, a wink of black-silk stockings
and late-night taxis, a wink of "sans souci", a wink of stately pleasure
domes, a wink of the purest evil.
He offers his arm in escort, and she takes it as they move towards the
lifts. The crowd parts before them. With a curt nod over his shoulder to
the croupier, he says in a low, commanding voice (with a faint trace of an
Austrian accent), "I'll be back..."
--
"A menu... it is most adorable poême; It is the most delicate head of
work; it is the flower who, only, links
with his perfume enchanter Ideal savour
and the supreme beauty"
--Flavio's menu (Le Touquet, Normandy)
Clau
Garry J. Vass <g...@totally-official.com> a écrit dans le message :
8iq91q$gko$1...@apple.news.easynet.net...
>
> Charmed! May I continue?
> [snip]
> With a jaunty cock of his head, and a devil-may-care flick of his
eyebrows,
> he gestures towards the lifts. She catches his meaning instantly and
winks
> in acceptance. It is a wink of decadence, a wink of black-silk stockings
> and late-night taxis, a wink of "sans souci", a wink of stately pleasure
> domes, a wink of the purest evil.
Bravo! Charmed we are...
CLAU
James Follett
<8iq91q$gko$1...@apple.news.easynet.net>
g...@totally-official.com "Garry J. Vass" wrote:
>He offers his arm in escort, and she takes it as they move towards the
>lifts. The crowd parts before them. With a curt nod over his shoulder to
>the croupier, he says in a low, commanding voice (with a faint trace of an
>Austrian accent), "I'll be back..."
And the girl adds, with a faint trace of irony because she's heard
all the gossip about Arnie's non-lethal weapon: "And I'll be lucky."
'Ere! What WTF *am* I doing? Encouraging him! Oy -- Vass! Bugger off
and set your own scenarios. Bleedin' cheek!
Alan J. Flavell
> On Mon, 19 Jun 2000 23:06:42 GMT, "Skitt" <sk...@i.am> wrote:
>
> >Valance. Apparently its name is not elementary knowledge.
> NSOED allows 'valence' as a variant.
"Valence" is a specialist term from chemistry. Google suggests
e.g www.shef.ac.uk/chemistry/vsepr/
Unfortunately the HTML there is bogus, but that's another story,
and off topic for a.u.e.
all the best
Skitt
Alan J. Flavell <fla...@a5.ph.gla.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:Pine.OSF.4.21-pb.0006...@a5.ph.gla.ac.uk...
> On Tue, 20 Jun 2000, Mike Page wrote:
>
> > On Mon, 19 Jun 2000 23:06:42 GMT, "Skitt" <sk...@i.am> wrote:
> >
> > >Valance. Apparently its name is not elementary knowledge.
> > NSOED allows 'valence' as a variant.
>
> "Valence" is a specialist term from chemistry. Google suggests
> e.g www.shef.ac.uk/chemistry/vsepr/
Yes, and my using the word "elementary" was a clue.
Andrew Pearson
>
<snip much ulra_brilliant prose>
>
> With a jaunty cock of his head, and a devil-may-care flick of his eyebrows,
> he gestures towards the lifts. She catches his meaning instantly and winks
> in acceptance. It is a wink of decadence, a wink of black-silk stockings
> and late-night taxis, a wink of "sans souci", a wink of stately pleasure
> domes, a wink of the purest evil.
>
"Sans souci" - I hope you'll forgive me for wilful thread-drift -
this is occasionally encountered as a hotel name. It is perhaps
on the fringes of English and translates to "Carefree" as far as
I know.
Anyroad, there is a hotel near my Mum's house called the "Sans
Clu". What would that translate to en anglais? I need it because
I'm far too lazy and stupid to find out for myself - errh I mean
"for a homework assignment".
--
Andrew Pearson: "exactly what the web needs less of".
Andrew Pearson
>
>
> 'Ere! What WTF *am* I doing? Encouraging him! Oy -- Vass! Bugger off
> and set your own scenarios. Bleedin' cheek!
Mr. Follet Sir! Are we to take this as meaning that you speak
with the exact cadences of the late Mr. Kenneth Williams?
Martin Ambuhl
Andrew Pearson wrote:
> Anyroad, there is a hotel near my Mum's house called the "Sans
> Clu". What would that translate to en anglais? I need it because
> I'm far too lazy and stupid to find out for myself - errh I mean
> "for a homework assignment".
Thank you for the upscale replacement for "klewless.
--
Martin Ambuhl mam...@earthlink.net
What one knows is, in youth, of little moment; they know enough who
know how to learn. - Henry Adams
A thick skin is a gift from God. - Konrad Adenauer
Reinhold (Rey) Aman
> Think of the charged atmosphere of the Casino at Le Torquet on a
> balmy summer evening. [...]
> She twists her body on her chair towards you and brings
> her knees to her chin so that she can hug herself in orgasmic
> ectasy. In so doing she shares her pleasure because it is realised
> that she is sans lingerie. [...]
Stop it! Stop it, James!
You are talking about the woman I used to love and loved to use, Mlle
Claudette Sansculotte.
Yes, 'tis true, after I left her for my heavenly Lisette, brokenhearted
Claudette ended up walking the piers, still sans knickers, in Bognor
Regis, renting her body for a few quid to anyone, even to old novelists.
--
Reinhold (Rey) Aman
D. Spencer Hines
Did she have pencil-thin legs and a bra up around her chin when last you
saw her?
"daniel's" Mother, "Charlotte", is no doubt reading all this to her
"son".
Smashing.
--
D. Spencer Hines
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
"Cave ab homine unius libri." ---- Anonymous
All replies to the newsgroup please. Thank you kindly.
All original material contained herein is copyright and property of the
author. It may be quoted only in discussions on this forum and with an
attribution to the author, unless permission is otherwise expressly
given, in writing.
Vires et Honor.
"Reinhold (Rey) Aman" <am...@sonic.net> wrote in message
news:395181...@sonic.net...
Jitze Couperus
(James Follett) wrote:
<snip>
>... In so doing she shares her pleasure because it is realised
>that she is sans lingerie.
>
<snip>
>... the girl's alcohol-saturated mind wonders
>if it was such a good idea to go without knickers.
>
Nice bit of writing that - displays admirably the ineffable
difference between "knickerless" and "sans culottes".
The former lacks a certain je ne sais quoi, don't you think?
(And don't tell your prospective ma-in-law that her
daughter is ineffable. She might not understand.)
Jitze
Garry J. Vass
news:395181...@sonic.net...
> James Follett wrote, in part:
>
> > Think of the charged atmosphere of the Casino at Le Torquet on a
> > balmy summer evening. [...]
>
> > She twists her body on her chair towards you and brings
> > her knees to her chin so that she can hug herself in orgasmic
> > ectasy. In so doing she shares her pleasure because it is realised
> > that she is sans lingerie. [...]
>
> Stop it! Stop it, James!
>
> You are talking about the woman I used to love and loved to use, Mlle
> Claudette Sansculotte.
>
> Yes, 'tis true, after I left her for my heavenly Lisette, brokenhearted
> Claudette ended up walking the piers, still sans knickers, in Bognor
> Regis, renting her body for a few quid to anyone, even to old novelists.
>
A dismal, grey afternoon of the sort only the rugged cliffs of Southern
England can provide looked into my abyss. And I looked back out from it as
I walked the tired and weather-beaten quays of Bognor Hognor. She
approached me in silence, a mishappened beacon in the fog, and I can still
recall her musky voice as she spoke... "Veux-tu avec? Ou veux-tu sans?"
Normally, I'm an "avec" man, but as I gazed in reverent awe into the abyss
of her sapphire-coloured eyes, her swirling pools of blue mystery, something
compelled me to reply, "Sans"...
-- to be continued...
Stephen Toogood
writes
>"Garry J. Vass" wrote:
>>
><snip much ulra_brilliant prose>
>>
>> With a jaunty cock of his head, and a devil-may-care flick of his eyebrows,
>> he gestures towards the lifts. She catches his meaning instantly and winks
>> in acceptance. It is a wink of decadence, a wink of black-silk stockings
>> and late-night taxis, a wink of "sans souci", a wink of stately pleasure
>> domes, a wink of the purest evil.
>>
>
>"Sans souci" - I hope you'll forgive me for wilful thread-drift -
>this is occasionally encountered as a hotel name. It is perhaps
>on the fringes of English and translates to "Carefree" as far as
>I know.
>
>Clu".
I think they were aiming at the McGrath market...
--
Stephen Toogood
D. Spencer Hines
"Sans Souci."
Potsdam.
--
D. Spencer Hines
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
"Cave ab homine unius libri." ---- Anonymous
All replies to the newsgroup please. Thank you kindly.
All original material contained herein is copyright and property of the
author. It may be quoted only in discussions on this forum and with an
attribution to the author, unless permission is otherwise expressly
given, in writing.
Vires et Honor.
"Stephen Toogood" <ste...@stenches.nospam.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:rcWm2mBk...@stenches.demon.co.uk...
Evan Kirshenbaum
> >On 19 Jun, in article <v9haegh...@garrett.hpl.hp.com>
> > ev...@garrett.hpl.hp.com "Evan Kirshenbaum" wrote:
> >
> >>I found no marks that mentioned Bull. Perhaps things are
> >>different in the UK. (Is there an on-line trademark search
> >>capability for British trademarks?)
>
> The UK Patent Office allows limited searching. I regret I don't
> have the exact URL. It's something like http://www.patents.gov.uk
> but try variations on the 'patents' segment.
Seems to be <URL:http://www.patent.gov.uk>. Thanks. I had to poke
around a bit to find out how to use it to search trademarks, but
eventually I found
http://webdb4.patent.gov.uk/tm/text/
According to them, "Formica" appears to be have been owned by the
Formica Corporation, initially of Cincinnati, OH, US, and later of
Wayne, NJ, US since 1923. I don't see anything that implies that it
was transferred to Bull.
--
Evan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------
HP Laboratories |All tax revenue is the result of
1501 Page Mill Road, Building 1U |holding a gun to somebody's head.
Palo Alto, CA 94304 |Not paying taxes is against the law.
|If you don't pay your taxes, you'll
kirsh...@hpl.hp.com |be fined. If you don't pay the fine,
(650)857-7572 |you'll be jailed. If you try to
|escape from jail, you'll be shot.
| P.J. O'Rourke
D. Spencer Hines
1747 ---- before any of those hotels. Vide infra postea.
--
D. Spencer Hines
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
"Cave ab homine unius libri." ---- Anonymous
All replies to the newsgroup please. Thank you kindly.
All original material contained herein is copyright and property of the
author. It may be quoted only in discussions on this forum and with an
attribution to the author, unless permission is otherwise expressly
given, in writing.
Vires et Honor.
"D. Spencer Hines" <D._Spence...@aya.yale.edu> wrote in message
news:...
James Follett
am...@sonic.net "Reinhold (Rey) Aman" wrote:
>Yes, 'tis true, after I left her for my heavenly Lisette, brokenhearted
>Claudette ended up walking the piers, still sans knickers, in Bognor
>Regis, renting her body for a few quid to anyone, even to old novelists.
When I mentioned your name, she flew into a rage and spluttered
about unpaid bills. Not so loving billet doux emails from the
good lady coming your way.
Aaron J Dinkin
> Nice bit of writing that - displays admirably the ineffable
> difference between "knickerless" and "sans culottes".
>
> The former lacks a certain je ne sais quoi, don't you think?
I don't know. What?
Reinhold (Rey) Aman
> Frederick The Great.
RECTUM: Frederick the Great.
> "Sans Souci."
RECTUM: "Sanssouci."
> Potsdam.
--
Reinhold (Rey) Aman
Rector
Skitt
Tim Coleman <t...@epenguin.org> wrote in message
news:slrn8l42f...@beastor.epenguin.org...
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> In article <8isccv$rsl$1...@apple.news.easynet.net>, Garry J. Vass wrote:
> >
> >A dismal, grey afternoon of the sort only the rugged cliffs of Southern
> >England can provide looked into my abyss. And I looked back out from it
as
> >I walked the tired and weather-beaten quays of Bognor Hognor. She
> >approached me in silence, a mishappened beacon in the fog, and I can
still
> >recall her musky voice as she spoke... "Veux-tu avec? Ou veux-tu sans?"
>
Is there such a word? I thought there was, but I can't find it in MWCD10.
It has "misshapen", but that would mean that the beacon was bent, or
something.
David McMurray
[regarding "mishappened"]
> Is there such a word? I thought there was, but I can't find it in MWCD10.
I infer from this that you are finally conceding the possibility that a
word can exist and yet not be found in MWCD10.
Do try to remember that.
(The answer to your question is "Yes", by the way.)
--
David
Skitt
David McMurray <ik0...@kingston.net> wrote in message
news:1ecq0g7.1lqm9291piymqyN%ik0...@kingston.net...
Well, I thought so too, but wasn't sure. I only looked in that one
dictionary, thus my search was mishappen.
Shit happens. About that remembering part -- well, what with my old age and
all, I make no promises. Feel free to remind me periodically, OK? I need
all the help I can get from those who are concerned. Thanks for caring.
Mike Page
>
>David McMurray <ik0...@kingston.net> wrote in message
>news:1ecq0g7.1lqm9291piymqyN%ik0...@kingston.net...
>> Skitt <sk...@i.am> wrote:
>>
>> [regarding "mishappened"]
>>
>> > Is there such a word? I thought there was, but I can't find it in
>MWCD10.
>>
>> I infer from this that you are finally conceding the possibility that a
>> word can exist and yet not be found in MWCD10.
>>
>> Do try to remember that.
>>
>> (The answer to your question is "Yes", by the way.)
>
>Well, I thought so too, but wasn't sure. I only looked in that one
>dictionary, thus my search was mishappen.
From NSOED
mishappen /mIs"hap(<schwa>)n/ v.i. Now rare.ME. [f. MIS-1 1 +
HAPPEN v.] (Of a person) meet with mishap or misfortune; (of an
event etc.) happen unfortunately.
Mike Page
Let the ape escape for e-mail
Andy Minter
<ev...@garrett.hpl.hp.com> wrote:
>Seems to be <URL:http://www.patent.gov.uk>. Thanks. I had to poke
>around a bit to find out how to use it to search trademarks, but
>eventually I found
>
> http://webdb4.patent.gov.uk/tm/text/
>
>According to them, "Formica" appears to be have been owned by the
>Formica Corporation, initially of Cincinnati, OH, US, and later of
>Wayne, NJ, US since 1923. I don't see anything that implies that it
>was transferred to Bull.
>
But there is a remote sort of connection:-
In the UK Formica was owned by De la Rue Ltd
Who also had. with Machines Bull S.A. a share in a computer company
named De La Rue Bull Machines Ltd.
Which was taken over by General Electric (USA)
But De Gaulle kept a bit of Machines Bull S.A.
General Electric sold its computer intersts to Honeywell
Which sold out to Bull - by then rejuvenated
So to Bull, Formica is a sort of second cousin three times removed
Regards
Andy Minter