A static

[TonyCooper]

Once in a while I read something that I understand immediately, but
feel that it contains a word or words that are not natural to the
statement.

This was the case when I read an article in _The Guardian_ that starts
out "Jake Lee moved into a caravan two years ago and has never been
happier. Before buying his static in Moray, Scotland, Lee was a
Londoner."

I understand that a "caravan" in the UK can be either a holiday
accommodation and towed behind a vehicle or a fixed abode, and Jake
Lee is living in a fixed abode.

I also know that "static" can mean non-moving, but it doesn't seem
natural to me to refer to the caravan as a "static" as in "his
static".

In the US, the unit that is towed on vacation is a "trailer"*. The
unit that remains in a fixed location used to be called a "trailer",
but is now generally referred to as a "mobile home"**. (Which is a
bit strange because it is not at all mobile.)


*There are other terms we use depending on the size. Some tow a
"camper" and some tow a "RV" (Recreational Vehicle). The classic
trailer is an Airstream:

https://camperreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/airstream-1024x768.jpg


**The mobile home industry - the makers of mobile homes - have spent
millions in getting this term accepted and discouraging the use of
"trailers" and "trailor parks".

Just my observations...no particular point or question.


--

Tony Cooper - Orlando,Florida

[Hibou]

Le 14/04/2023 à 04:51, TonyCooper a écrit :
>
> Once in a while I read something that I understand immediately, but
> feel that it contains a word or words that are not natural to the
> statement.
>
> This was the case when I read an article in _The Guardian_ that starts
> out "Jake Lee moved into a caravan two years ago and has never been
> happier. Before buying his static in Moray, Scotland, Lee was a
> Londoner."
>
> I understand that a "caravan" in the UK can be either a holiday
> accommodation and towed behind a vehicle or a fixed abode, and Jake
> Lee is living in a fixed abode.
>
> I also know that "static" can mean non-moving, but it doesn't seem
> natural to me to refer to the caravan as a "static" as in "his

> static". [...]

It may be a specialist usage in the world of caravanning, or it could be
the simple omission of a word, a form that has at least one honourable
precedent (which did puzzle me when I first met it as a lad):

Brutus:
It must be by his death: and for my part,
I know no personal cause to spurn at him,
But for the /general/. He would be crown’d... -
'Julius Caesar', WS.

My emphasis.

Anyway, this use seems natural enough (perhaps I've heard it before). It
doesn't surprise or bother me.

[Sam Plusnet]

In caravanning terms, a "static" is the term for a 'Caravan' which _has_
wheels, but is usually delivered to a site on the back of a lorry, and
is intended to be permanently sited there.

Quite often the wheels are removed, once it is in place, this lowers the
whole thing, making it easier for people to get in and out.
'Statics' are usually much bigger than a 'Touring Caravan'.

There's a UK based website[1] which acts as a forum for people
interested in:
"Tents, caravans, motorhomes, trailer tents, you name it"

Their forum "Caravans and Caravanning" has three sub-forums for
"Towing" "Repairs" and "Statics" respectively.

[1] https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk

--
Sam Plusnet

[Garrett Wollman]

In article <io6h3i1h590ehredu...@4ax.com>,

TonyCooper <tonyco...@gmail.com> wrote:

>**The mobile home industry - the makers of mobile homes - have spent
>millions in getting this term accepted and discouraging the use of
>"trailers" and "trailor parks".

Ahem. You're decades behind the times. It's "manufactured housing"
now.

-GAWollman

--
Garrett A. Wollman | "Act to avoid constraining the future; if you can,
wol...@bimajority.org| act to remove constraint from the future. This is
Opinions not shared by| a thing you can do, are able to do, to do together."
my employers. | - Graydon Saunders, _A Succession of Bad Days_ (2015)

[J. J. Lodder]

TonyCooper <tonyco...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Once in a while I read something that I understand immediately, but
> feel that it contains a word or words that are not natural to the
> statement.
>
> This was the case when I read an article in _The Guardian_ that starts
> out "Jake Lee moved into a caravan two years ago and has never been
> happier. Before buying his static in Moray, Scotland, Lee was a
> Londoner."
>
> I understand that a "caravan" in the UK can be either a holiday
> accommodation and towed behind a vehicle or a fixed abode, and Jake
> Lee is living in a fixed abode.
>
> I also know that "static" can mean non-moving, but it doesn't seem
> natural to me to refer to the caravan as a "static" as in "his
> static".

The same kind of thing exists in these parts.
In Dutch it is called a 'stacaravan', for obvious reasons.
The legal definition is that it is a thing than can be moved by road,
but doesn't meet the requirements for being allowed on a public road.

> In the US, the unit that is towed on vacation is a "trailer"*. The
> unit that remains in a fixed location used to be called a "trailer",
> but is now generally referred to as a "mobile home"**. (Which is a
> bit strange because it is not at all mobile.)
>
>
> *There are other terms we use depending on the size. Some tow a
> "camper" and some tow a "RV" (Recreational Vehicle). The classic
> trailer is an Airstream:
>
> https://camperreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/airstream-1024x768.jpg

Airstreams (the smaller ones) are not entirely unknown in Europe,
but most of them don't meet European vehicle requirements.
For some they are cult objects.

Jan

[Peter Moylan]

On 15/04/23 01:16, Sam Plusnet wrote:

> In caravanning terms, a "static" is the term for a 'Caravan' which
> _has_ wheels, but is usually delivered to a site on the back of a
> lorry, and is intended to be permanently sited there.
>
> Quite often the wheels are removed, once it is in place, this lowers
> the whole thing, making it easier for people to get in and out.
> 'Statics' are usually much bigger than a 'Touring Caravan'.

At least in Australia, there are people who have been burnt by this.
They intend to settle permanently at, for example, a beachside caravan
park. Then the site owner changes the rules, or raises the rent, and
they discover that it's too difficult to get their caravan out.

--
Peter Moylan Newcastle, NSW http://www.pmoylan.org

[Sam Plusnet]

Many years ago a close friend lived in a static van on a residential
site in South London. All was well for several years, until a new owner
took over the site.
The site rental and utility charges shot up, and were subject to yearly
increases thereafter.
Owners of vans older than x years were told that they were no longer
acceptable and must be removed from the site.
A replacement van must be purchased - from the site owner - at whatever
price they chose to set.

Later on, legislation was introduced to limit at least some of the worst
excesses.

--
Sam Plusnet

[Sam Plusnet]

By the time they have been imported into the UK (with the modifications
required to operate here), Airstream prices are astronomical.

--
Sam Plusnet

[Kerr-Mudd, John]

Pshurely you mean "stratospheric"?


--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

[Sam Plusnet]

Should I have assumed a spherical caravan?

--
Sam Plusnet

[Peter Moylan]

On the terminology question, I was shocked a couple of days ago by a
news item saying that a "satellite" was being launched to explore
Jupiter's moons.

I suppose the blooper would have stood out even more if they had said
that a satellite was going to explore Jupiter's satellites.

[Snidely]

Peter Moylan suggested that ...

Oh, it's going to be a satellite of Jupiter for a while. It's going to
be kinda far from the barycenter for a couple of years, though.

/dps

--
"That’s where I end with this kind of conversation: Language is
crucial, and yet not the answer."
Jonathan Rosa, sociocultural and linguistic anthropologist,
Stanford.,2020

[Snidely]

Snidely suggested that ...

> Peter Moylan suggested that ...
>> On 16/04/23 05:50, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:
>>> On Sat, 15 Apr 2023 20:22:52 +0100 Sam Plusnet <n...@home.com> wrote:
>>>> On 14-Apr-23 22:17, J. J. Lodder wrote:
>>
>>>>> Airstreams (the smaller ones) are not entirely unknown in
>>>>> Europe, but most of them don't meet European vehicle
>>>>> requirements. For some they are cult objects.
>>>>
>>>> By the time they have been imported into the UK (with the
>>>> modifications required to operate here), Airstream prices are
>>>> astronomical.
>>>>
>>> Pshurely you mean "stratospheric"?
>>
>> On the terminology question, I was shocked a couple of days ago by a
>> news item saying that a "satellite" was being launched to explore
>> Jupiter's moons.
>>
>> I suppose the blooper would have stood out even more if they had said
>> that a satellite was going to explore Jupiter's satellites.
>
> Oh, it's going to be a satellite of Jupiter for a while. It's going to be
> kinda far from the barycenter for a couple of years, though.
>
> /dps

A baker's "couple" or 8-ish.

/dps

--
"I'm glad unicorns don't ever need upgrades."
"We are as up as it is possible to get graded!"
_Phoebe and Her Unicorn_, 2016.05.15

[Kerr-Mudd, John]

On Sun, 16 Apr 2023 01:03:13 +0100

Sam Plusnet <n...@home.com> wrote:

> On 15-Apr-23 20:50, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:
> > On Sat, 15 Apr 2023 20:22:52 +0100
> > Sam Plusnet <n...@home.com> wrote:
> >
> >> On 14-Apr-23 22:17, J. J. Lodder wrote:
> >>> TonyCooper <tonyco...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>

[] [I think that's right]

> >>>>
> >>>> *There are other terms we use depending on the size. Some tow a
> >>>> "camper" and some tow a "RV" (Recreational Vehicle). The classic
> >>>> trailer is an Airstream:
> >>>>
> >>>> https://camperreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/airstream-1024x768.jpg
> >>>
> >>> Airstreams (the smaller ones) are not entirely unknown in Europe,
> >>> but most of them don't meet European vehicle requirements.
> >>> For some they are cult objects.
> >>
> >> By the time they have been imported into the UK (with the modifications
> >> required to operate here), Airstream prices are astronomical.
> >>
> > Pshurely you mean "stratospheric"?
>
> Should I have assumed a spherical caravan?
>

"It's not a balloon!, It's a Zeppelin!" </Obref MP>

[J. J. Lodder]

Well, the thing -is- going to orbit some of those moons,
and will even crash on one.

It is going to be an ex-satellite,

Jan

[Ken Blake]

Might it be that this whatever-you-want-to call-it is being launched
into an orbit around Jupiter?

[Paul Wolff]

On Sat, 15 Apr 2023, at 23:20:05, Snidely posted:

>Snidely suggested that ...
>> Peter Moylan suggested that ...
>>>

>>> On the terminology question, I was shocked a couple of days ago by a
>>> news item saying that a "satellite" was being launched to explore
>>> Jupiter's moons.
>>>
>>> I suppose the blooper would have stood out even more if they had said
>>> that a satellite was going to explore Jupiter's satellites.
>>
>> Oh, it's going to be a satellite of Jupiter for a while. It's going
>>to be kinda far from the barycenter for a couple of years, though.
>

>A baker's "couple" or 8-ish.
>

Earth years, Jupiter years, or donkey's years?
--
Paul W

[Sam Plusnet]

I agreed with you, but then started to think what term 'they' should
have used instead.
I suppose "probe" is possible, but that seems unsatisfactory to me.

--
Sam Plusnet

[J. J. Lodder]

Both. First in orbit around the Sun,
next around Jupiter, next around Ganymede,
and finally crash there,

Jan

[Snidely]

Lo, on the 4/16/2023, Paul Wolff did proclaim ...

Earth years, of course, because who carries around a Donkey Almanac?

/dps "2/3 of a Jupiter year"

--
Maybe C282Y is simply one of the hangers-on, a groupie following a
future guitar god of the human genome: an allele with undiscovered
virtuosity, currently soloing in obscurity in Mom's garage.
Bradley Wertheim, theAtlantic.com, Jan 10 2013

[Peter Duncanson [BrE]]

My understanding is that static caravans are used, for legal reasons, in
locations where the relevant local goverment entity has not given
permission to built houses, etc. If for some reason the local authority
decides that the area should be cleared this can be done by towing away
the statics.

--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

[Hibou]

'Probe' seems all right to me - or 'spacecraft'.

On the other hand, Juice's engines will be off almost all the time, so
it will almost always be describing an orbit about something - the sun,
Jupiter, or Jupiter's satellites. This would seem to fit the definition
of 'satellite'. All the same, I think 'probe' better describes its function.

A GIF from Wikipedia:
<https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Animation_of_JUICE_around_Sun.gif>

[Sam Plusnet]

There are a few oddities around 'unconventional housing'.

There are some 'holiday home' sites where permanent occupation is
strictly forbidden.

e.g.
"All properties on Riviere Towans Chalet Site are for seasonal use and
are not for permanent residence. Properties may be occupied by night
from 1st April or the Friday before Good Friday (whichever is earlier)
to the 31st October, and from 10 days before to 10 days after Christmas
Day in accordance with the rules issued by the Riviere Towans Chalet
Camp Management Company Ltd. Daytime occupation outside of the above
shall between the hours of 8.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m


--
Sam Plusnet

[Sam Plusnet]

Given a mixture of remote guidance and (I assume) a good deal on
on-board AI control, maybe we should start calling these things "Drones"?

--
Sam Plusnet

[Peter Moylan]

On 18/04/23 03:59, Sam Plusnet wrote:

> There are some 'holiday home' sites where permanent occupation is
> strictly forbidden.

Mar-a-Lago, for example.

[Sam Plusnet]

On 18-Apr-23 1:59, Peter Moylan wrote:
> On 18/04/23 03:59, Sam Plusnet wrote:
>
>> There are some 'holiday home' sites where permanent occupation is
>> strictly forbidden.
>
> Mar-a-Lago, for example.

Rules are for little people.

If forced to choose, I'd take Riviere Towans (it's in Cornwall) any time.

I doubt if there's a single gold tap in the whole place.


--
Sam Plusnet