Gorpcore and puffer

[Jerry Friedman]

I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the kind of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't perfect. Can this be a reference to anything other than "gorp" meaning trail mix? The word
shows up in Google, though I haven't seen it for many years (and I do
sometimes buy trail mix or at least look at what's available). One site says
"gorp" is an anagram for "good old raisins and peanuts", which seems more
likely than most of the alleged anagram etymologies.

Such clothes include "puffers", the insulated coats that make you look like
the Michelin man. Is that word more than a year or two old?

I take it the suffix -core, referring to a style, has come a long way from
"hardcore".

Um, is "trail mix" well known? A mixture of nuts, dried fruits, seeds, small
candies (especially kinds that don't melt easily), and maybe other non-
perishable snack foods, suitable for eating on a hike.

--
Jerry Friedman

[Bebercito]

Le dimanche 23 octobre 2022 à 18:26:10 UTC+2, Jerry Friedman a écrit :
> I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the kind of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't perfect. Can this be a reference to anything other than "gorp" meaning trail mix? The word
> shows up in Google, though I haven't seen it for many years (and I do
> sometimes buy trail mix or at least look at what's available). One site says
> "gorp" is an anagram for "good old raisins and peanuts",

? Did they mean "an acronym"? (It could be an anagram of "prog",
OTOH.)

[Ken Blake]

On Sun, 23 Oct 2022 09:26:08 -0700 (PDT), Jerry Friedman
<jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the kind of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't perfect. Can this be a reference to anything other than "gorp" meaning trail mix? The word
>shows up in Google, though I haven't seen it for many years (and I do
>sometimes buy trail mix or at least look at what's available). One site says
>"gorp" is an anagram for "good old raisins and peanuts", which seems more
>likely than most of the alleged anagram etymologies.

"Anagram"? Did you mean "acronym"?

I've long thought that it was "good old raisins and peanuts."

[Andy Leighton]

On Sun, 23 Oct 2022 09:26:08 -0700 (PDT),
Jerry Friedman <jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Such clothes include "puffers", the insulated coats that make you look like
> the Michelin man. Is that word more than a year or two old?

Puffer jackets go back ages. They were popularised in the late 80s / early
90s and I remember the name from then.

--
Andy Leighton => an...@azaal.plus.com
"We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!"
- Douglas Adams

[Jerry Friedman]

On Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 10:43:11 AM UTC-6, Bebercito wrote:
> Le dimanche 23 octobre 2022 à 18:26:10 UTC+2, Jerry Friedman a écrit :
> > I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the kind of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't perfect. Can this be a reference to anything other than "gorp" meaning trail mix? The word
> > shows up in Google, though I haven't seen it for many years (and I do
> > sometimes buy trail mix or at least look at what's available). One site says
> > "gorp" is an anagram for "good old raisins and peanuts",

> ? Did they mean "an acronym"? (It could be an anagram of "prog",
> OTOH.)

I meant "acronym"!

--
Jerry Friedman

[Jerry Friedman]

On Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 10:52:23 AM UTC-6, Andy Leighton wrote:
> On Sun, 23 Oct 2022 09:26:08 -0700 (PDT),
> Jerry Friedman <jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > Such clothes include "puffers", the insulated coats that make you look like
> > the Michelin man. Is that word more than a year or two old?

> Puffer jackets go back ages. They were popularised in the late 80s / early
> 90s and I remember the name from then.

Thanks. In the U.S. they were popularized in the mid '70s or so. I guess
we've imported the word from Britain.

--
Jerry Friedman

[charles]

In article <slrntlas9v....@azaal.plus.com>,

Andy Leighton <an...@azaal.plus.com> wrote:
> On Sun, 23 Oct 2022 09:26:08 -0700 (PDT),
> Jerry Friedman <jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > Such clothes include "puffers", the insulated coats that make you look like
> > the Michelin man. Is that word more than a year or two old?

> Puffer jackets go back ages. They were popularised in the late 80s / early
> 90s and I remember the name from then.

The one of thatb vintage wned by SWMBO is named "Puffa".

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England - sent from my RISC OS 4té
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

[Tony Cooper]

On Sun, 23 Oct 2022 09:43:08 -0700 (PDT), Bebercito
<bebe...@aol.com> wrote:

>Le dimanche 23 octobre 2022 à 18:26:10 UTC+2, Jerry Friedman a écrit :
>> I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the kind of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't perfect. Can this be a reference to anything other than "gorp" meaning trail mix? The word
>> shows up in Google, though I haven't seen it for many years (and I do
>> sometimes buy trail mix or at least look at what's available). One site says
>> "gorp" is an anagram for "good old raisins and peanuts",
>
>? Did they mean "an acronym"? (It could be an anagram of "prog",
>OTOH.)
>

There are several web references to "gorpcore" that state that it's a
term named after trail mix. It would be an acronym, not an anagram,
though.

>> which seems more
>> likely than most of the alleged anagram etymologies.
>>
>> Such clothes include "puffers", the insulated coats that make you look like
>> the Michelin man. Is that word more than a year or two old?
>>
>> I take it the suffix -core, referring to a style, has come a long way from
>> "hardcore".
>>
>> Um, is "trail mix" well known? A mixture of nuts, dried fruits, seeds, small
>> candies (especially kinds that don't melt easily), and maybe other non-
>> perishable snack foods, suitable for eating on a hike.
>>
>> --
>> Jerry Friedman

--

Tony Cooper - Orlando Florida

I read and post to this group as a form of entertainment.

[Ross Clark]

On 24/10/2022 5:26 a.m., Jerry Friedman wrote:
> I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the kind of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't perfect. Can this be a reference to anything other than "gorp" meaning trail mix? The word
> shows up in Google, though I haven't seen it for many years (and I do
> sometimes buy trail mix or at least look at what's available). One site says
> "gorp" is an anagram for "good old raisins and peanuts", which seems more
> likely than most of the alleged anagram etymologies.

Hm. OED and M-W agree that it goes back to c1970. OED mentions an
earlier US slang term gorp 'to eat greedily'.

In 1970 I was living in a house with several other students in La Jolla.
We had a cooking roster for the evening meal, and for those with very
limited culinary skills, the default main dish was "gorp". A typewritten
recipe was available. The only ingredients I recall with certainty were
rice and canned tomatoes, but there were several others, thrown together
in a large pot, stirred and heated.

I understood "gorp" to be a general term for any relatively viscous
unclassifiable stuff. (In fact among linguistics students there was some
discussion of the semantic differentia among "gorp", "goop", "glop" and
"gunk".)

>
> Such clothes include "puffers", the insulated coats that make you look like
> the Michelin man. Is that word more than a year or two old?
>
> I take it the suffix -core, referring to a style, has come a long way from
> "hardcore".
>
> Um, is "trail mix" well known? A mixture of nuts, dried fruits, seeds, small
> candies (especially kinds that don't melt easily), and maybe other non-
> perishable snack foods, suitable for eating on a hike.

My mother just called it "nuts & raisins", and we made it at home.
I've encountered "trail mix" in recent years on packaged versions, but
I'm pretty sure it's an Americanism. (For one thing, we say "track"
rather than "trail" in NZ.)
I believe "scroggin" is an old NZ word for the same thing.

[Jerry Friedman]

On Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 12:28:24 PM UTC-6, Tony Cooper wrote:
> On Sun, 23 Oct 2022 09:43:08 -0700 (PDT), Bebercito
> <bebe...@aol.com> wrote:
>
> >Le dimanche 23 octobre 2022 à 18:26:10 UTC+2, Jerry Friedman a écrit :
> >> I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the kind of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't perfect. Can this be a reference to anything other than "gorp" meaning trail mix? The word
> >> shows up in Google, though I haven't seen it for many years (and I do
> >> sometimes buy trail mix or at least look at what's available). One site says
> >> "gorp" is an anagram for "good old raisins and peanuts",
> >
> >? Did they mean "an acronym"? (It could be an anagram of "prog",
> >OTOH.)
> >
> There are several web references to "gorpcore" that state that it's a
> term named after trail mix.

...

Thanks, so there are. One page says it was coined in 2017, the previous
time outdoorsy styles were in fashion (or outdoorsy fashions were in
style). Peter Moylan might like this definition: "the athletic, daggy dad,
layer-heavy aesthetic".

https://www.russh.com/gorpcore-trend/

Here in northern N.M., hiking or hunting clothes made of space-age
polymers are pretty timeless and suitable for almost all occasions.

--
Jerry Friedman

[Jerry Friedman]

On Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 2:24:46 PM UTC-6, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> On Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 12:28:24 PM UTC-6, Tony Cooper wrote:
> > On Sun, 23 Oct 2022 09:43:08 -0700 (PDT), Bebercito
> > <bebe...@aol.com> wrote:
> >
> > >Le dimanche 23 octobre 2022 à 18:26:10 UTC+2, Jerry Friedman a écrit :
> > >> I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the kind of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't perfect. Can this be a reference to anything other than "gorp" meaning trail mix? The word
> > >> shows up in Google, though I haven't seen it for many years (and I do
> > >> sometimes buy trail mix or at least look at what's available). One site says
> > >> "gorp" is an anagram for "good old raisins and peanuts",
> > >
> > >? Did they mean "an acronym"? (It could be an anagram of "prog",
> > >OTOH.)
> > >
> > There are several web references to "gorpcore" that state that it's a
> > term named after trail mix.
> ...
>
> Thanks, so there are. One page says it was coined in 2017, the previous
> time outdoorsy styles were in fashion (or outdoorsy fashions were in
> style).

...

And I'm a bit surprised that "gorp" was still sufficiently well known among
the mostly young people who casual-fashion marketing is aimed at.

--
Jerry Friedman

[Quinn C]

* Jerry Friedman:

> I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the kind of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't perfect. Can this be a reference to anything other than "gorp" meaning trail mix? The word
> shows up in Google, though I haven't seen it for many years (and I do
> sometimes buy trail mix or at least look at what's available). One site says
> "gorp" is an anagram for "good old raisins and peanuts", which seems more
> likely than most of the alleged anagram etymologies.
>
> Such clothes include "puffers", the insulated coats that make you look like
> the Michelin man. Is that word more than a year or two old?

As "puffer jacket", I believe so. That it has been shortened to "a
puffer" I've only noticed rather recently.

> I take it the suffix -core, referring to a style, has come a long way from
> "hardcore".

Indeed. <https://www.dictionary.com/e/core-words-cottagecore/>

> Um, is "trail mix" well known?

Yes. Commonly seen on pre-packaged items here. "Gorp" OTOH I've never
encountered IRL.

--
...an explanatory principle - like "gravity" or "instinct" -
really explains nothing. It's a sort of conventional agreement
between scientists to stop trying to explain things at a
certain point. -- Gregory Bateson

[Garrett Wollman]

In article <bce4c82f-63c3-4bb7...@googlegroups.com>,

Jerry Friedman <jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>I take it the suffix -core, referring to a style, has come a long way from
>"hardcore".

Better than "-punk", referring to angry young musicians who don't know
how to play their instruments very well, which took an odd turn
through "cyberpunk" and "steampunk" to give us distinctively un-punk
things like "hopepunk" and "solarpunk".

-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)

[Mark Brader]

Jerry Friedman:

> > Such clothes include "puffers", the insulated coats that make you look like
> > the Michelin man. Is that word more than a year or two old?

Andy Leighton:

> Puffer jackets go back ages. They were popularised in the late 80s / early
> 90s and I remember the name from then.

"Back to the Future" (1985), wording as quoted in the IMDB:

Stella: So, tell me, Marty, how long have you been in port?

Marty: Excuse me?

Stella: Ah, I guessed you're a sailor. Aren't you? I think
that's why you wear that life preserver.

As to the name, I can't say.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto "This quote is very memorable."
m...@vex.net --Randall Munroe

[Sam Plusnet]

On 23-Oct-22 23:48, Mark Brader wrote:
> Jerry Friedman:
>>> Such clothes include "puffers", the insulated coats that make you look like
>>> the Michelin man. Is that word more than a year or two old?
>
> Andy Leighton:
>> Puffer jackets go back ages. They were popularised in the late 80s / early
>> 90s and I remember the name from then.
>
> "Back to the Future" (1985), wording as quoted in the IMDB:
>
> Stella: So, tell me, Marty, how long have you been in port?
>
> Marty: Excuse me?
>
> Stella: Ah, I guessed you're a sailor. Aren't you? I think
> that's why you wear that life preserver.
>
> As to the name, I can't say.

Which reminds me of Alistair MacLean's first novel HMS Ulysses in which
the ship's navigator was known as "The Kapok Kid", because he wore an
entire bodysuit insulated with kapok - in case he went into the arctic
waters.

--
Sam Plusnet

[Jerry Friedman]

On Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 2:08:42 PM UTC-6, benl...@ihug.co.nz wrote:
> On 24/10/2022 5:26 a.m., Jerry Friedman wrote:
> > I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the kind of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't perfect. Can this be a reference to anything other than "gorp" meaning trail mix? The word
> > shows up in Google, though I haven't seen it for many years (and I do
> > sometimes buy trail mix or at least look at what's available). One site says
> > "gorp" is an anagram for "good old raisins and peanuts", which seems more
> > likely than most of the alleged anagram etymologies.
> Hm. OED and M-W agree that it goes back to c1970. OED mentions an
> earlier US slang term gorp 'to eat greedily'.
>
> In 1970 I was living in a house with several other students in La Jolla.
> We had a cooking roster for the evening meal, and for those with very
> limited culinary skills, the default main dish was "gorp". A typewritten
> recipe was available. The only ingredients I recall with certainty were
> rice and canned tomatoes, but there were several others, thrown together
> in a large pot, stirred and heated.

Ground beer?

> I understood "gorp" to be a general term for any relatively viscous
> unclassifiable stuff. (In fact among linguistics students there was some
> discussion of the semantic differentia among "gorp", "goop", "glop" and
> "gunk".)

...

When I first heard "gorp" (summer camp in Ontario in the late-ish '70s),
I thought "unclassifiable stuff" was the general idea.

> > Um, is "trail mix" well known? A mixture of nuts, dried fruits, seeds, small
> > candies (especially kinds that don't melt easily), and maybe other non-
> > perishable snack foods, suitable for eating on a hike.

> My mother just called it "nuts & raisins", and we made it at home.

Now that you mention it, my great-grandmothers may have called something
similar "rozhinkes mit mandlen", for all I know.

Warning: The following contains schmaltz.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w633M08hsaU

> I've encountered "trail mix" in recent years on packaged versions, but
> I'm pretty sure it's an Americanism. (For one thing, we say "track"
> rather than "trail" in NZ.)

> I believe "scroggin" is an old NZ word for the same thing.

The Web thinks so, and Wikipedia adds "schmogle" and says "scroggin"
is Australian too. It also provides acronym etymologies with deserved
skepticism: "sultanas, carob, raisins, orange peel, grains, glucose, and nuts"
or "sultanas, chocolate, raisins and other goody-goodies including nuts".

--
Jerry Friedman

[Peter Moylan]

On 24/10/22 03:26, Jerry Friedman wrote:

> I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the kind
> of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't perfect. Can
> this be a reference to anything other than "gorp" meaning trail mix?
> The word shows up in Google, though I haven't seen it for many years
> (and I do sometimes buy trail mix or at least look at what's
> available). One site says "gorp" is an anagram for "good old raisins
> and peanuts", which seems more likely than most of the alleged
> anagram etymologies.

My mind immediately leapt to gore-tex. In view of other comments in this
thread, though, that's probably just a coincidence.

> Such clothes include "puffers", the insulated coats that make you
> look like the Michelin man. Is that word more than a year or two
> old?

We don't seem to need such a word. I have such a coat, but I've only
worn it in Europe. Oh, and once on Mount Wellington in Tasmania, a
notably cold and windy place.

> I take it the suffix -core, referring to a style, has come a long way
> from "hardcore".
>
> Um, is "trail mix" well known? A mixture of nuts, dried fruits,
> seeds, small candies (especially kinds that don't melt easily), and
> maybe other non- perishable snack foods, suitable for eating on a
> hike.

The term is used here. As it happens, I have trouble buying nuts in the
supermarket, because the majority of the packets contain mixed nuts, and
you have to search hard if you want one specific kind of nut.

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

[David Kleinecke]

In my world it wasn't trail mix unless it had M&M's in it.

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 8:58:45 PM UTC-4, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> On Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 2:08:42 PM UTC-6, benl...@ihug.co.nz wrote:

> > My mother just called it "nuts & raisins", and we made it at home.
>
> Now that you mention it, my great-grandmothers may have called something
> similar "rozhinkes mit mandlen", for all I know.
>
> Warning: The following contains schmaltz.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w633M08hsaU

Aw, gee, I was expecting a sentimental anecdote from someone
along the lines of Sam Levenson.

I heard Jan Peerce live once. Ithaca College had an annual graduation
concert -- it has a notable music school -- emceed by Milton Cross,
formerly the Met Opera's play-by-play guy for the Saturday broadcast,
and they always featured a soloist of Peerce's caliber (i.e. used to be
well known and admired, but pretty much retired). No recollection of
what he sang, but presumably songs like this one rather than a taxing
aria like "Una furtiva lagrima" or "E lucevan le stelle."

Also Richard Tucker, on stage, in *Tosca*, but that's less impressive
because he didn't live long enough to retire.

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 12:26:10 PM UTC-4, Jerry Friedman wrote:

> I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the kind of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't perfect.

Clothes and gear for the sort of person who consumes gorp.

> Can this be a reference to anything other than "gorp" meaning trail mix? The word
> shows up in Google, though I haven't seen it for many years (and I do
> sometimes buy trail mix or at least look at what's available). One site says
> "gorp" is an anagram for "good old raisins and peanuts", which seems more
> likely than most of the alleged anagram etymologies.

The "good ol'/old" seems a bit suspect.

> Such clothes include "puffers", the insulated coats that make you look like
> the Michelin man. Is that word more than a year or two old?

"puffy coat" (not to be confused with Seinfeld's puffy shirt)

> I take it the suffix -core, referring to a style, has come a long way from
> "hardcore".
>
> Um, is "trail mix" well known? A mixture of nuts, dried fruits, seeds, small
> candies (especially kinds that don't melt easily), and maybe other non-
> perishable snack foods, suitable for eating on a hike.

Yes.

[CDB]

On 10/23/2022 12:26 PM, Jerry Friedman wrote:

> I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the kind
> of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't perfect. Can
> this be a reference to anything other than "gorp" meaning trail mix?
> The word shows up in Google, though I haven't seen it for many years
> (and I do sometimes buy trail mix or at least look at what's
> available). One site says "gorp" is an anagram for "good old raisins
> and peanuts", which seems more likely than most of the alleged
> anagram etymologies.

> Such clothes include "puffers", the insulated coats that make you
> look like the Michelin man. Is that word more than a year or two
> old?

> I take it the suffix -core, referring to a style, has come a long way
> from "hardcore".

Made me think "welcome to the Gorecorps". Weatherproof clothes worn
outdoors when the truth becomes less than convenient.

> Um, is "trail mix" well known? A mixture of nuts, dried fruits,
> seeds, small candies (especially kinds that don't melt easily), and
> maybe other non- perishable snack foods, suitable for eating on a
> hike.

Or any camping trip. I think of it as "gorp", maybe because trails were
not a big feature of my outings.

[CDB]

On 10/23/2022 12:59 PM, Jerry Friedman wrote:

> Bebercito wrote:
>> Jerry Friedman a écrit :

>>> I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the
>>> kind of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't
>>> perfect. Can this be a reference to anything other than "gorp"
>>> meaning trail mix? The word shows up in Google, though I haven't
>>> seen it for many years (and I do sometimes buy trail mix or at
>>> least look at what's available). One site says "gorp" is an
>>> anagram for "good old raisins and peanuts",

>> ? Did they mean "an acronym"? (It could be an anagram of "prog",
>> OTOH.)

> I meant "acronym"!

You put your hand into the bag and grop around.

[CDB]

On 10/23/2022 12:26 PM, Jerry Friedman wrote:

Further to my first response, which hasn't appeared in my list, "Puffer"
could lend a bit more weight to the Gore conjecture. 'Er outdoors.

[Ken Blake]

Some more Yiddish words I had forgotten I knew!

[Ken Blake]

Did you see that being done on a TV prog-ram.

[Jerry Friedman]

On Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 7:11:47 PM UTC-6, Peter Moylan wrote:
> On 24/10/22 03:26, Jerry Friedman wrote:
>
> > I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the kind
> > of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't perfect. Can
> > this be a reference to anything other than "gorp" meaning trail mix?
> > The word shows up in Google, though I haven't seen it for many years
> > (and I do sometimes buy trail mix or at least look at what's
> > available). One site says "gorp" is an anagram for "good old raisins
> > and peanuts", which seems more likely than most of the alleged
> > anagram etymologies.

> My mind immediately leapt to gore-tex. In view of other comments in this
> thread, though, that's probably just a coincidence.

...

Like CDB, I'm not so sure. The existence of Gore-Tex may have helped make
the connection for people who didn't know what gorp was. Or maybe
everybody knew, or the people who didn't were reminded by the articles that
introduced "gorpcore".

--
Jerry Friedman

[Jerry Friedman]

On Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 11:06:06 PM UTC-6, dklei...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 5:58:45 PM UTC-7, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> > On Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 2:08:42 PM UTC-6, benl...@ihug.co.nz wrote:

...

> > > I've encountered "trail mix" in recent years on packaged versions, but
> > > I'm pretty sure it's an Americanism. (For one thing, we say "track"
> > > rather than "trail" in NZ.)
> >
> > > I believe "scroggin" is an old NZ word for the same thing.

> > The Web thinks so, and Wikipedia adds "schmogle" and says "scroggin"
> > is Australian too. It also provides acronym etymologies with deserved
> > skepticism: "sultanas, carob, raisins, orange peel, grains, glucose, and nuts"
> > or "sultanas, chocolate, raisins and other goody-goodies including nuts".
> >
> In my world it wasn't trail mix unless it had M&M's in it.

They were in the gorp I first had.

--
Jerry Friedman

[Mark Brader]

Mark Brader:

> "Back to the Future" (1985), wording as quoted in the IMDB:

Er, no, actually I didn't use their version of the wording.
Then I forgot to fix the attribution line.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto "More importantly, Mark is just plain wrong."
m...@vex.net -- John Hollingsworth

[Tony Cooper]

Drifting a bit...Most people aren't aware that it's possible to have a
Gore-Tex item on their outside and a Gore-Tex item on their inside.

One of the products my company sold was Gore-Tex grafts used for
vascular prosthesis when a section of a blood vessel is replaced.

A person could leave the hospital with a Gore-Tex graft inside and
wearing a Gore-Tex jacket on the outside.

[Garrett Wollman]

In article <r1fdlh1gqao0ho56s...@4ax.com>,

Tony Cooper <tonyco...@gmail.com> wrote:

>Drifting a bit...Most people aren't aware that it's possible to have a
>Gore-Tex item on their outside and a Gore-Tex item on their inside.

W.L. Gore & Associates was a very popular business-school case study
(and pop-business-book subject) a while ago, due to the company's flat
management structure and their policy of selling off any business line
that grew "too large" for it.

[Quinn C]

* Peter Moylan:

> On 24/10/22 03:26, Jerry Friedman wrote:
>
>> Such clothes include "puffers", the insulated coats that make you
>> look like the Michelin man. Is that word more than a year or two
>> old?
>
> We don't seem to need such a word. I have such a coat, but I've only
> worn it in Europe. Oh, and once on Mount Wellington in Tasmania, a
> notably cold and windy place.

The down jacket I bought in Japan may have seemed overkill, but down
doesn't get overly hot in just cool weather. And it served me well when
I visited South Korea in winter - Seoul is quite a bit colder than
Tokyo. Plus, all the locals were amazed when I showed them the jacket
was "Made in North Korea".

--
Just because we had a thing for 150 years, don't presume that
you know me.
-- Darla, Angel S02E09

[Quinn C]

* Jerry Friedman:

I've never encountered such things in Studentenfutter ("student fodder",
the German equivalent of trail mix.)

I try to avoid any candy in there. Chocolate is rarely found in
ready-made trail mix, but they often contain tiny marshmallows or
something of the kind.

--
What Phrenzy in my Bosom rag'd,
And by what Care to be asswag'd?
-- Sappho, transl. Addison (1711)
What was it that my distracted heart most wanted?
-- transl. Barnard (1958)

[CDB]

On 10/24/2022 10:18 AM, Ken Blake wrote:
> Jerry Friedman <jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:

I don't know that many Yiddish words, so I listened to the Peerce
performance (where'ditgo?) whie looking at this:

http://hebrewsongs.com/?song=rozinkesmitmandlen

[CDB]

On 10/24/2022 12:33 PM, Tony Cooper wrote:
> Jerry Friedman <jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>> Peter Moylan wrote:
>>> Jerry Friedman wrote:

>>>> I've just been shown an ad for "gorpcore" clothes, meaning the
>>>> kind of clothes that are worn outdoors in weather that isn't
>>>> perfect. Can this be a reference to anything other than "gorp"
>>>> meaning trail mix? The word shows up in Google, though I
>>>> haven't seen it for many years (and I do sometimes buy trail
>>>> mix or at least look at what's available). One site says "gorp"
>>>> is an anagram for "good old raisins and peanuts", which seems
>>>> more likely than most of the alleged anagram etymologies.

>>> My mind immediately leapt to gore-tex. In view of other comments
>>> in this thread, though, that's probably just a coincidence.
>> ...

>> Like CDB, I'm not so sure. The existence of Gore-Tex may have
>> helped make the connection for people who didn't know what gorp
>> was. Or maybe everybody knew, or the people who didn't were
>> reminded by the articles that introduced "gorpcore".

> Drifting a bit...Most people aren't aware that it's possible to have
> a Gore-Tex item on their outside and a Gore-Tex item on their
> inside.

> One of the products my company sold was Gore-Tex grafts used for
> vascular prosthesis when a section of a blood vessel is replaced.

> A person could leave the hospital with a Gore-Tex graft inside and
> wearing a Gore-Tex jacket on the outside.

And eat gorp while streaming _An Inconvenient Truth_ on their
smartphone. Or any Coen Brothers movie. Lots of gore in those.

[Sam Plusnet]

People associated with the blood transfusion service might be called
gore techs.

--
Sam Plusnet

[CDB]

On 10/25/2022 2:03 PM, Sam Plusnet wrote:

Some wives are said to be goers. But enough said.

[Kerr-Mudd, John]

A nod is as good as wink, eh?


obaue: why is 'eh?' pronounced 'A', eh?

--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

[Bertel Lund Hansen]

Den 27.10.2022 kl. 15.05 skrev Kerr-Mudd, John:

> obaue: why is 'eh?' pronounced 'A', eh?

I pronounce it "æ", the first vowel in "make", in my mind that is. I
have never uttered the word and probably never will. The Danish
corresponding sound is an h with closed mouth and rising tone.

--
Bertel

[Peter Moylan]

For what it's worth, the AusE spelling is "ay". I have never understood
why some people spell it "eh".

[Jerry Friedman]

On Thursday, October 27, 2022 at 8:27:15 AM UTC-6, Peter Moylan wrote:
> On 28/10/22 00:05, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:
> > On Thu, 27 Oct 2022 08:21:46 -0400 CDB <belle...@gmail.com>
> > wrote:
>
> > A nod is as good as wink, eh?
> >
> > obaue: why is 'eh?' pronounced 'A', eh?
> For what it's worth, the AusE spelling is "ay". I have never understood
> why some people spell it "eh".

"Some people" being 95% of English speakers? (I've seen it here.) I
suspect that part of the reason is to distinguish it from a word that means
"yes" and even one that means "always".

--
Jerry Friedman

[Tak To]

On 10/23/2022 4:40 PM, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> [...]
>
> And I'm a bit surprised that "gorp" was still sufficiently well known among
> the mostly young people who casual-fashion marketing is aimed at.

+1

I am also surprised that my daughters (born 199x) do not know
what "EDC"[*] accessory/clothing is. A bit of a gender gap?

[*] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyday_carry

--
Tak
----------------------------------------------------------------+-----
Tak To ta...@alum.mit.eduxx
--------------------------------------------------------------------^^
[taode takto ~{LU5B~}] NB: trim the xx to get my real email addr

[Jerry Friedman]

On Thursday, October 27, 2022 at 3:52:43 PM UTC-6, Tak To wrote:
> On 10/23/2022 4:40 PM, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> > [...]
> >
> > And I'm a bit surprised that "gorp" was still sufficiently well known among
> > the mostly young people who casual-fashion marketing is aimed at.
>
> +1
>
> I am also surprised that my daughters (born 199x) do not know
> what "EDC"[*] accessory/clothing is. A bit of a gender gap?
>
> [*] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyday_carry

I've never heard of it. Generation gap?

--
Jerry Friedman

[Garrett Wollman]

In article <1b290535-05ac-42d5...@googlegroups.com>,

Nor have I. (But I did know "gorp", although I used "trail mix"
myself.)

[Ross Clark]

Me neither. When I saw the phrase, I thought it might be something like
"open carry", which only Americans would be concerned with. But
apparently weapons are not (necessarily) involved. And lo!:

"The optimization of everyday carry (kit/layouts and carry modes) has
become an internet subculture, but the basic concepts are useful to
everyone. Designing and revising one's EDC does not have to be a hobby
in itself, although it can become one for EDC enthusiasts."

Sigh. Another pastime for obsessives.

[Peter Moylan]

On 28/10/22 09:28, Garrett Wollman wrote:
> In article <1b290535-05ac-42d5...@googlegroups.com>,
> Jerry Friedman <jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> On Thursday, October 27, 2022 at 3:52:43 PM UTC-6, Tak To wrote:

>>> I am also surprised that my daughters (born 199x) do not know
>>> what "EDC"[*] accessory/clothing is. A bit of a gender gap?
>>>
>>> [*] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyday_carry
>>
>> I've never heard of it. Generation gap?
>
> Nor have I. (But I did know "gorp", although I used "trail mix"
> myself.)

After looking up EDC, I concluded that it wasn't worth looking up.

I hadn't heard of gorp either, but I know how Garp got his name.

[Snidely]

Thus spake Ross Clark:

I think my first contact with the EDC usage was in reviewing a shoulder
bag. Which carried some of the EDC.

/dps

--
We’ve learned way more than we wanted to know about the early history
of American professional basketball, like that you could have once
watched a game between teams named the Indianapolis Kautskys and the
Akron Firestone Non-Skids. -- fivethirtyeight.com

[Kerr-Mudd, John]

I don^w didn't. There was a garp in my knowledge. </Hurriedly leaves stage>

[CDB]

On 10/27/2022 9:05 AM, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:

'Cause it's fuckin' A, eh.

[Tak To]

That is a given. :-) The subculture is only tenuously linked to
"those who remember what GORP is" via "outdoor gearheads".

I bumped into it accidentally through the pocket knife subculture
in the Youtube (videdo magazine-lette[*]) eco-system.

I do not own a pocket knife, but I am thinking of getting one due
to the increasing need of cutting up shipping (paper) boxes.
Also, for some reason, the crisp sound of the precise motion of a
well made semi-automatic knife flipping out and clicking into
place brings out a glee in me.

[*] ObAUE: is there a better word for it?

[Peter Moylan]

On 31/10/22 05:34, Tak To wrote:

> I do not own a pocket knife, but I am thinking of getting one due to
> the increasing need of cutting up shipping (paper) boxes. Also, for
> some reason, the crisp sound of the precise motion of a well made
> semi-automatic knife flipping out and clicking into place brings out
> a glee in me.

I use a Stanley knife to open those boxes. I don't know what a Stanley
knife is called in other countries, but here's a typical example.

<https://www.seton.net.au/spring-loaded-auto-return-knife.html?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwfiaBhC7ARIsAGvcPe4LRilVSRIMilzkOYKbaLEZ07gYlvXXNaYTGOncQnw_HR6VaZbwF6YaAiwfEALw_wcB>

(Mine is not spring-loaded.)

Pocket knives seem to have disappeared here. At least, I don't think
I've seen one in the last fifty years. The people who hold up petrol
stations seem to use kitchen knives.

[Jerry Friedman]

On Sunday, October 30, 2022 at 7:57:41 PM UTC-6, Peter Moylan wrote:
> On 31/10/22 05:34, Tak To wrote:
>
> > I do not own a pocket knife, but I am thinking of getting one due to
> > the increasing need of cutting up shipping (paper) boxes. Also, for
> > some reason, the crisp sound of the precise motion of a well made
> > semi-automatic knife flipping out and clicking into place brings out
> > a glee in me.
> I use a Stanley knife to open those boxes. I don't know what a Stanley
> knife is called in other countries, but here's a typical example.
>
> <https://www.seton.net.au/spring-loaded-auto-return-knife.html?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwfiaBhC7ARIsAGvcPe4LRilVSRIMilzkOYKbaLEZ07gYlvXXNaYTGOncQnw_HR6VaZbwF6YaAiwfEALw_wcB>

Box cutter, utility knife.

> (Mine is not spring-loaded.)

What, you have to do some of the work yourself?

> Pocket knives seem to have disappeared here. At least, I don't think
> I've seen one in the last fifty years.

Still around in these parts. I've lost three or four.

> The people who hold up petrol stations seem to use kitchen knives.

Around here they use... I'd better not say it.

--
Jerry Friedman

[Jerry Friedman]

On Sunday, October 30, 2022 at 12:34:49 PM UTC-6, Tak To wrote:
> On 10/27/2022 6:14 PM, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> > On Thursday, October 27, 2022 at 3:52:43 PM UTC-6, Tak To wrote:
> >> On 10/23/2022 4:40 PM, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> >>> [...]
> >>>
> >>> And I'm a bit surprised that "gorp" was still sufficiently well known among
> >>> the mostly young people who casual-fashion marketing is aimed at.
> >>
> >> +1
> >>
> >> I am also surprised that my daughters (born 199x) do not know
> >> what "EDC"[*] accessory/clothing is. A bit of a gender gap?
> >>
> >> [*] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyday_carry
> >
> > I've never heard of it. Generation gap?
> That is a given. :-) The subculture is only tenuously linked to
> "those who remember what GORP is" via "outdoor gearheads".
>
> I bumped into it accidentally through the pocket knife subculture
> in the Youtube (videdo magazine-lette[*]) eco-system.
>
> I do not own a pocket knife, but I am thinking of getting one due
> to the increasing need of cutting up shipping (paper) boxes.
> Also, for some reason, the crisp sound of the precise motion of a
> well made semi-automatic knife flipping out and clicking into
> place brings out a glee in me.

...

Those sound like good reasons. However, my English doesn't contain
"a glee" in that sense.

--
Jerry Friedman

[Sam Plusnet]

On 31-Oct-22 1:57, Peter Moylan wrote:
> On 31/10/22 05:34, Tak To wrote:
>
>> I do not own a pocket knife, but I am thinking of getting one due to
>> the increasing need of cutting up shipping (paper) boxes. Also, for
>> some reason, the crisp sound of the precise motion of a well made
>> semi-automatic knife flipping out and clicking into place brings out
>> a glee in me.
>
> I use a Stanley knife to open those boxes. I don't know what a Stanley
> knife is called in other countries, but here's a typical example.
>
> <https://www.seton.net.au/spring-loaded-auto-return-knife.html?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwfiaBhC7ARIsAGvcPe4LRilVSRIMilzkOYKbaLEZ07gYlvXXNaYTGOncQnw_HR6VaZbwF6YaAiwfEALw_wcB>
>
> (Mine is not spring-loaded.)

Some bright spark decided to call those "Safety knives" - and of course
people want something that's safe. In my experience of being forced to
use that type, they are more dangerous, not less.

--
Sam Plusnet

[Tony Cooper]

On Mon, 31 Oct 2022 12:57:32 +1100, Peter Moylan
<pe...@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:

>On 31/10/22 05:34, Tak To wrote:
>
>> I do not own a pocket knife, but I am thinking of getting one due to
>> the increasing need of cutting up shipping (paper) boxes. Also, for
>> some reason, the crisp sound of the precise motion of a well made
>> semi-automatic knife flipping out and clicking into place brings out
>> a glee in me.
>
>I use a Stanley knife to open those boxes. I don't know what a Stanley
>knife is called in other countries, but here's a typical example.
>
><https://www.seton.net.au/spring-loaded-auto-return-knife.html?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwfiaBhC7ARIsAGvcPe4LRilVSRIMilzkOYKbaLEZ07gYlvXXNaYTGOncQnw_HR6VaZbwF6YaAiwfEALw_wcB>
>

Stanley knives are sold in the US, and I have a couple on the
workbench. There are several other brands in the same style.
The advantage of a Stanley knife is that it uses a replaceable blade
so a razor-keen blade is always available.

I also have a pocket knife that I carry in the watch pocket of my
jeans, a key knife
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/90YAAOSwoPJeJCS~/s-l500.jpg on my
keychain, and a few of cutters like this:
https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/390d13e9-9cb9-46b7-9daf-d7eae78b872a.20406e3ec8a81f5330f035fa1332c79d.jpeg?odnHeight=2000&odnWidth=2000&odnBg=FFFFFF
in various drawers in the house.

My pocket knife is a Valor Pony 2 knife that my father carried:
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/gS8AAOSw~pxjInlA/s-l500.jpg

Also I have two pair of scissors that firefighter/paramedics use to
cut open clothes when treating an accident victim.
https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-tumf4kk1l4/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/3849/7094/paramedic-shears-7-25-8__23913.1640717142.jpg?c=1?imbypass=on


Having a knife or special scissors accessible at all times is
necessary nowdays. Everything comes in that sealed clear packaging
that requires a knife, chainsaw, or axe to open. Try getting a
package of batteries open, for example, without some sort of tool.

I had to use a knife this morning to open the packaging for two sinus
headache capsules. The peel-back and pop out package wouldn't peel
back.

>(Mine is not spring-loaded.)
>
>Pocket knives seem to have disappeared here. At least, I don't think
>I've seen one in the last fifty years. The people who hold up petrol
>stations seem to use kitchen knives.

--

[Quinn C]

* Peter Moylan:

> On 31/10/22 05:34, Tak To wrote:
>
>> I do not own a pocket knife, but I am thinking of getting one due to
>> the increasing need of cutting up shipping (paper) boxes. Also, for
>> some reason, the crisp sound of the precise motion of a well made
>> semi-automatic knife flipping out and clicking into place brings out
>> a glee in me.
>
> I use a Stanley knife to open those boxes. I don't know what a Stanley
> knife is called in other countries,

Quite topically, I know these as box cutters, but there are a few other
names. The Wikipedia entry is "utility knife".

Even though "Stanley" is from the name of a US company, "Stanley knife"
doesn't seem to be common in the US.

> Pocket knives seem to have disappeared here. At least, I don't think
> I've seen one in the last fifty years. The people who hold up petrol
> stations seem to use kitchen knives.

I've seen pocket knives again since I interact more with lesbians.

Personally, I use scissors to open boxes. Mostly by opening the scissors
and using the point of one blade, but occasionally, there are zip ties
to cut first.

--
If women could save heterosexuality and make it healthy on their own,
they would have done it by now, 'cause they are trying.
-- Moira Donegan on The Feminist Present

[Jerry Friedman]

On Sunday, October 30, 2022 at 8:18:03 PM UTC-6, Tony Cooper wrote:
> On Mon, 31 Oct 2022 12:57:32 +1100, Peter Moylan
> <pe...@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:
>
> >On 31/10/22 05:34, Tak To wrote:
> >
> >> I do not own a pocket knife, but I am thinking of getting one due to
> >> the increasing need of cutting up shipping (paper) boxes. Also, for
> >> some reason, the crisp sound of the precise motion of a well made
> >> semi-automatic knife flipping out and clicking into place brings out
> >> a glee in me.
> >
> >I use a Stanley knife to open those boxes. I don't know what a Stanley
> >knife is called in other countries, but here's a typical example.
> >
> ><https://www.seton.net.au/spring-loaded-auto-return-knife.html?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwfiaBhC7ARIsAGvcPe4LRilVSRIMilzkOYKbaLEZ07gYlvXXNaYTGOncQnw_HR6VaZbwF6YaAiwfEALw_wcB>
> >
> Stanley knives are sold in the US, and I have a couple on the
> workbench. There are several other brands in the same style.
> The advantage of a Stanley knife is that it uses a replaceable blade
> so a razor-keen blade is always available.
>
> I also have a pocket knife that I carry in the watch pocket of my
> jeans, a key knife
> https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/90YAAOSwoPJeJCS~/s-l500.jpg on my
> keychain, and a few of cutters like this:
> https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/390d13e9-9cb9-46b7-9daf-d7eae78b872a.20406e3ec8a81f5330f035fa1332c79d.jpeg?odnHeight=2000&odnWidth=2000&odnBg=FFFFFF
> in various drawers in the house.
>
> My pocket knife is a Valor Pony 2 knife that my father carried:
> https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/gS8AAOSw~pxjInlA/s-l500.jpg

Wow. As I said, I don't even have any of the pocketknives I carried.
I know what pond one of them is in, though.

(How do I explain to my fingers that "knoves" is not English?)

> Also I have two pair of scissors that firefighter/paramedics use to
> cut open clothes when treating an accident victim.
> https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-tumf4kk1l4/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/3849/7094/paramedic-shears-7-25-8__23913.1640717142.jpg?c=1?imbypass=on
>
>
> Having a knife or special scissors accessible at all times is
> necessary nowdays. Everything comes in that sealed clear packaging
> that requires a knife, chainsaw, or axe to open. Try getting a
> package of batteries open, for example, without some sort of tool.
>
> I had to use a knife this morning to open the packaging for two sinus
> headache capsules. The peel-back and pop out package wouldn't peel
> back.

...

Wow. I have two pairs of scissors, which I think I got a drug store, for
opening packages and cutting things in my little flowerbed. I also have
two kitchen knives. It's possible there's a utility knife in the closet,
unless I "lent" it to somebody. And could there be an "exacto" knife here
somewhere?

--
Jerry Friedman

[Peter Moylan]

On 31/10/22 13:17, Tony Cooper wrote:

> Also I have two pair of scissors that firefighter/paramedics use to
> cut open clothes when treating an accident victim.
> https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-tumf4kk1l4/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/3849/7094/paramedic-shears-7-25-8__23913.1640717142.jpg?c=1?imbypass=on

That looks just like my chicken shears.

The paramedics here seem to use something a bit stronger. When you need
to resuscitate someone in a hurry, you need a good tool to cut through
an underwired bra.

[Garrett Wollman]

In article <a7a8b003-e45e-4f6c...@googlegroups.com>,

Jerry Friedman <jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>Wow. I have two pairs of scissors, which I think I got a drug store, for
>opening packages and cutting things in my little flowerbed. I also have
>two kitchen knives. It's possible there's a utility knife in the closet,
>unless I "lent" it to somebody. And could there be an "exacto" knife here
>somewhere?

I have one pair of scissors, two pairs of kitchen shears, and one box
cutter at home, and another pair of scissors and a different brand of
box cutter at the office. The box cutter is something of a necessity
as our cardboard recycling requires boxes be broken down for
collection. Oh, and I have a little pair of nail scissors that I
actually use for cutting the tags off clothing, and two rather dull
pocket knives both of which were received as trade-show premiums. And
in the office I have an IKEA SLITBAR paring knife that I use
occasionally to peel fruit, and an X-Acto knife that I use largely for
inappropriate (non-cutting) tasks.

I'm left-handed but all of my scissors are right-handed (because those
are so much easier to find) but I'm used to cutting right-handed so
that's not a huge issue for me.

[Tony Cooper]

On Sun, 30 Oct 2022 22:27:44 -0400, Quinn C
<lispa...@crommatograph.info> wrote:

>* Peter Moylan:
>
>> On 31/10/22 05:34, Tak To wrote:
>>
>>> I do not own a pocket knife, but I am thinking of getting one due to
>>> the increasing need of cutting up shipping (paper) boxes. Also, for
>>> some reason, the crisp sound of the precise motion of a well made
>>> semi-automatic knife flipping out and clicking into place brings out
>>> a glee in me.
>>
>> I use a Stanley knife to open those boxes. I don't know what a Stanley
>> knife is called in other countries,
>
>Quite topically, I know these as box cutters, but there are a few other
>names. The Wikipedia entry is "utility knife".
>
>Even though "Stanley" is from the name of a US company, "Stanley knife"
>doesn't seem to be common in the US.

I don't know where you get that idea. Stanley knives are sold in many
stores, including Home Depot and Lowe's. The are a pretty standard
item in any hardware store.

If you mean they are not mentioned by brand name and are, instead,
referred to as "utility knife", "box cutter", etc, I do wonder if you
have much interaction with people in the US who buy such an item.

I just don't see you in the aisles of Home Depot noting what people
call them.

>> Pocket knives seem to have disappeared here. At least, I don't think
>> I've seen one in the last fifty years. The people who hold up petrol
>> stations seem to use kitchen knives.
>
>I've seen pocket knives again since I interact more with lesbians.

OK. I'll accept that because you have more experience with lesbians
than I have, but I do hope you understand it does seem a bit of a non
sequitur in this context.

It does seem a bit of a "You want to talk about bladed devices, but I
want to steer the conversation to the lesbian personal safety issue."

>Personally, I use scissors to open boxes. Mostly by opening the scissors
>and using the point of one blade, but occasionally, there are zip ties
>to cut first.
--

[Tony Cooper]

You can cut a penny in half with very little extra effort with that
type of scissors. I've done it. The ad I saw when they first came
out claimed they would, so I tried it.

[Tony Cooper]

I recently purchased a pair of Fiskars pruning shears. They came
packaged with some near-indestructible clear plastic that had to be
cut open to get the shears out. The plastic was so thick that it was
difficult to cut with a Stanley knife.

The shears will be handy if I have to buy another pair of shears, but
they might be able to cut through the packaging of the new set.

There's a window box under my bedroom office window and the bedroom
next to it in which I've created a "butterfly garden". I have several
butterfly-attracting flowers in it, and dozens of milkweed plants.

I'm on my third generation of Monarchs, with the caterpillars just
going into chrysalis last week.

The milkweeds have all been stripped down to stalks, and I've cut them
into sections to re-start them as new milkweed plants. One stalk can
produce three new milkweed plants.

Monarchs are the homing pigeons of the butterfly world. The fly away
after coming out of the chrylasis, but return to the same place to lay
eggs.

[Tony Cooper]

On Mon, 31 Oct 2022 03:33:42 -0000 (UTC), wol...@bimajority.org
(Garrett Wollman) wrote:

>In article <a7a8b003-e45e-4f6c...@googlegroups.com>,
>Jerry Friedman <jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>Wow. I have two pairs of scissors, which I think I got a drug store, for
>>opening packages and cutting things in my little flowerbed. I also have
>>two kitchen knives. It's possible there's a utility knife in the closet,
>>unless I "lent" it to somebody. And could there be an "exacto" knife here
>>somewhere?
>
>I have one pair of scissors, two pairs of kitchen shears, and one box
>cutter at home, and another pair of scissors and a different brand of
>box cutter at the office. The box cutter is something of a necessity
>as our cardboard recycling requires boxes be broken down for
>collection. Oh, and I have a little pair of nail scissors that I
>actually use for cutting the tags off clothing, and two rather dull
>pocket knives both of which were received as trade-show premiums. And
>in the office I have an IKEA SLITBAR paring knife that I use
>occasionally to peel fruit, and an X-Acto knife that I use largely for
>inappropriate (non-cutting) tasks.
>
>I'm left-handed but all of my scissors are right-handed (because those
>are so much easier to find) but I'm used to cutting right-handed so
>that's not a huge issue for me.

I'm a lefty and I use scissors in my left hand. A few years ago my
wife bought me a pair of scissors for left-handers, and I found them
difficult to use. I'm used to using regular scissors in my left hand
and exerting inward pressure with my thumb and outward pressure with
my middle finger to make them work.

[Bertel Lund Hansen]

Den 31.10.2022 kl. 02.57 skrev Peter Moylan:

> I use a Stanley knife to open those boxes. I don't know what a Stanley
> knife is called in other countries, but here's a typical example.

We call them "stanleyknive" in Danish or "hobbyknive".

--
Bertel

[Bertel Lund Hansen]

Den 31.10.2022 kl. 05.39 skrev Tony Cooper:

> I'm a lefty and I use scissors in my left hand. A few years ago my
> wife bought me a pair of scissors for left-handers, and I found them
> difficult to use. I'm used to using regular scissors in my left hand
> and exerting inward pressure with my thumb and outward pressure with
> my middle finger to make them work.

My younger daughter is lefthanded too. I once bought a potato peeler for
lefthanders, but she told me that she was used to a righthanded one, and
she never used the one I had bought. This made me however realise that
some kitchen work is easier to do with a lefthand peeler which you then
just push forward instead of drawing it towards you.

So I have two, a regular one with the best grip and another one that has
knives for either side.

--
Bertel

[Peter Moylan]

On 31/10/22 15:33, Tony Cooper wrote:

> I recently purchased a pair of Fiskars pruning shears. They came
> packaged with some near-indestructible clear plastic that had to be
> cut open to get the shears out. The plastic was so thick that it
> was difficult to cut with a Stanley knife.

The last time I bought scissors - because we had lost our last pair - I
had that problem. Scissors were required to remove the plastic, and we
didn't have any.

[Kerr-Mudd, John]

Ditto to this point; I'm a convert. It made me realise how easy cutting
could be.

> difficult to use. I'm used to using regular scissors in my left hand
> and exerting inward pressure with my thumb and outward pressure with
> my middle finger to make them work.
>
> --
>
> Tony Cooper - Orlando Florida
>
> I read and post to this group as a form of entertainment.

[charles]

In article <tjna2g$aoim$1...@dont-email.me>,

Peter Moylan <pe...@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:
> On 31/10/22 05:34, Tak To wrote:

> > I do not own a pocket knife, but I am thinking of getting one due to
> > the increasing need of cutting up shipping (paper) boxes. Also, for
> > some reason, the crisp sound of the precise motion of a well made
> > semi-automatic knife flipping out and clicking into place brings out
> > a glee in me.

> I use a Stanley knife to open those boxes. I don't know what a Stanley
> knife is called in other countries, but here's a typical example.

we certain;y use Stanley knives in the UK. Stanley was/is a tool maker

> <https://www.seton.net.au/spring-loaded-auto-return-knife.html?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwfiaBhC7ARIsAGvcPe4LRilVSRIMilzkOYKbaLEZ07gYlvXXNaYTGOncQnw_HR6VaZbwF6YaAiwfEALw_wcB>

> (Mine is not spring-loaded.)

> Pocket knives seem to have disappeared here. At least, I don't think
> I've seen one in the last fifty years. The people who hold up petrol
> stations seem to use kitchen knives.

I still carry a pocket knife - a small Swiss Army one. But it won't get boy
scouts out of horse's hooves.

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England - sent from my RISC OS 4té
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

[CDB]

On 10/30/2022 10:05 PM, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> Tak To wrote:
>> Jerry Friedman wrote:

>>> Tak To wrote:
>>>> Jerry Friedman wrote:

>>>>> [...]

>>>>> And I'm a bit surprised that "gorp" was still sufficiently
>>>>> well known among the mostly young people who casual-fashion
>>>>> marketing is aimed at.

>>>> +1

>>>> I am also surprised that my daughters (born 199x) do not know
>>>> what "EDC"[*] accessory/clothing is. A bit of a gender gap?

>>>> [*] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyday_carry

>>> I've never heard of it. Generation gap?
>> That is a given. :-) The subculture is only tenuously linked to
>> "those who remember what GORP is" via "outdoor gearheads".

>> I bumped into it accidentally through the pocket knife subculture
>> in the Youtube (videdo magazine-lette[*]) eco-system.

>> I do not own a pocket knife, but I am thinking of getting one due
>> to the increasing need of cutting up shipping (paper) boxes. Also,
>> for some reason, the crisp sound of the precise motion of a well
>> made semi-automatic knife flipping out and clicking into place
>> brings out a glee in me.
> ...

> Those sound like good reasons. However, my English doesn't contain
> "a glee" in that sense.

A legitimate use with a mass-noun "X" to denote "a kind of X", no?

[Garrett Wollman]

In article <5a3fea9b...@candehope.me.uk>,

charles <cha...@candehope.me.uk> wrote:

>we certain;y use Stanley knives in the UK. Stanley was/is a tool maker

The Stanley Works was one of the major employers in New Britain,
Connecticut,[1] for most of my life; a number of my relatives worked for
them, and the local minor-league baseball time was called the
"Hardware City Rock Cats".

Then they started offshoring most of the manufacturing and merged with
Black & Decker.

-GAWollman

[1] Also home to a thriving precision-machining industry that
supported Pratt & Whitney, where a number of my relatives also worked.
Only 600 Stanley Black & Decker employees remain, at the corporate
headquarters.

[Ken Blake]

On Mon, 31 Oct 2022 12:57:32 +1100, Peter Moylan
<pe...@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:

>On 31/10/22 05:34, Tak To wrote:
>
>> I do not own a pocket knife, but I am thinking of getting one due to
>> the increasing need of cutting up shipping (paper) boxes. Also, for
>> some reason, the crisp sound of the precise motion of a well made
>> semi-automatic knife flipping out and clicking into place brings out
>> a glee in me.
>
>I use a Stanley knife to open those boxes. I don't know what a Stanley
>knife is called in other countries, but here's a typical example.
>
><https://www.seton.net.au/spring-loaded-auto-return-knife.html?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwfiaBhC7ARIsAGvcPe4LRilVSRIMilzkOYKbaLEZ07gYlvXXNaYTGOncQnw_HR6VaZbwF6YaAiwfEALw_wcB>

Its also called a Stanley knife in the USA. A search on Amazon.com
turns up many different ones for sale.--some with the brand name
"Stanley," others without it.

I also use one to open boxes, at least for large boxes. There's one
hanging on the wall with other tools in my garage.

For smaller boxes which I typically open in the house, I usually use
the single-edged razor blade that I have sitting here on my desk.

>(Mine is not spring-loaded.)
>
>Pocket knives seem to have disappeared here. At least, I don't think
>I've seen one in the last fifty years. The people who hold up petrol
>stations seem to use kitchen knives.

I can't remember the last time I saw one. I used to carry a small one,
but I think that I stopped after 2001 when they couldn't be carried
onto airplanes.

[Peter T. Daniels]

Check out last night's *The Rookie*. They usually start (before
the titles) with a bit of a comic scene, and in this episode Officer
Nolan (Nathan Fillion) is disarming a sketchy sort of fellow who
insists he doesn't have any firearms (nor in the car, neither), and
Nolan pats him down and finds blade after blade of all shapes
and sizes, and lays them down, at first in a neat column, on the
car's trunk, but then has to make a pile of them. And then a growl
comes from the car -- but Nolan and the rookie he's training get
called to the scene of one of the episode's main plots, and we
never do find out why the car was growling. (Yes, the Hallowe'en
episode.)

I don't know where the series gets streamed after broadcast.
It's on ABC, so it may be on disney+ or hulu, either way probably
requiring payment.

[Ken Blake]

Around here, petrol stations are never held up.

Even holdups of gas stations seem to be rare. Holdups of banks are
more common.

And I don't think I've ever heard of a bank holdup being done with any
kind of knife.

[Ken Blake]

On Sun, 30 Oct 2022 22:17:56 -0400, Tony Cooper
<tonyco...@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Mon, 31 Oct 2022 12:57:32 +1100, Peter Moylan
><pe...@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:
>
>>On 31/10/22 05:34, Tak To wrote:
>>
>>> I do not own a pocket knife, but I am thinking of getting one due to
>>> the increasing need of cutting up shipping (paper) boxes. Also, for
>>> some reason, the crisp sound of the precise motion of a well made
>>> semi-automatic knife flipping out and clicking into place brings out
>>> a glee in me.
>>
>>I use a Stanley knife to open those boxes. I don't know what a Stanley
>>knife is called in other countries, but here's a typical example.
>>
>><https://www.seton.net.au/spring-loaded-auto-return-knife.html?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwfiaBhC7ARIsAGvcPe4LRilVSRIMilzkOYKbaLEZ07gYlvXXNaYTGOncQnw_HR6VaZbwF6YaAiwfEALw_wcB>
>>
>
>Stanley knives are sold in the US, and I have a couple on the
>workbench. There are several other brands in the same style.
>The advantage of a Stanley knife is that it uses a replaceable blade
>so a razor-keen blade is always available.

True, but since I almost never use mine for anything other than
cutting the tape sealing a box, being razor sharp isn't important to
me. If I ever changed the blade, the last time was many years ago, and
the old blade is fine for what I do with it.

>I also have a pocket knife that I carry in the watch pocket of my
>jeans, a key knife
>https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/90YAAOSwoPJeJCS~/s-l500.jpg on my
>keychain, and a few of cutters like this:
>https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/390d13e9-9cb9-46b7-9daf-d7eae78b872a.20406e3ec8a81f5330f035fa1332c79d.jpeg?odnHeight=2000&odnWidth=2000&odnBg=FFFFFF
>in various drawers in the house.
>
>My pocket knife is a Valor Pony 2 knife that my father carried:
>https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/gS8AAOSw~pxjInlA/s-l500.jpg
>
>Also I have two pair of scissors that firefighter/paramedics use to
>cut open clothes when treating an accident victim.
>https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-tumf4kk1l4/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/3849/7094/paramedic-shears-7-25-8__23913.1640717142.jpg?c=1?imbypass=on
>
>
>Having a knife or special scissors accessible at all times is
>necessary nowdays. Everything comes in that sealed clear packaging
>that requires a knife, chainsaw, or axe to open.

Yes, and even if you have an appropriate tool, open it can be very
dangerous when it's sealed in hard plastic. The cut open plastic
become something like a knife, and I've more than once cut myself on
it.

> Try getting a
>package of batteries open, for example, without some sort of tool.

But battery packages can often easily be opened without a tool, by
breaking open the cardboard backing.

[Ken Blake]

X-acto. I think I still have a box of them somewhere in the garage,
but it's been years since I've used one.

[Jerry Friedman]

On Monday, October 31, 2022 at 10:25:08 AM UTC-6, Ken Blake wrote:
> On Sun, 30 Oct 2022 19:38:27 -0700 (PDT), Jerry Friedman
> <jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:

...

> I have two pairs of scissors, which I think I got a drug store, for
> >opening packages and cutting things in my little flowerbed. I also have
> >two kitchen knives. It's possible there's a utility knife in the closet,
> >unless I "lent" it to somebody. And could there be an "exacto" knife here
> >somewhere?

> X-acto. I think I still have a box of them somewhere in the garage,
> but it's been years since I've used one.

I meant it's the kind of knife X-Acto makes, but I don't know whether it's
that brand. Wikipedia says those are also called utility knives, precision
knives, and hobby knives. (A pen-like knife with a removable blade, for
anyone who's wondering.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Acto

--
Jerry Friedman

[Rich Ulrich]

On Mon, 31 Oct 2022 17:00:17 +1100, Peter Moylan
<pe...@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:

>On 31/10/22 15:33, Tony Cooper wrote:
>
>> I recently purchased a pair of Fiskars pruning shears. They came
>> packaged with some near-indestructible clear plastic that had to be
>> cut open to get the shears out. The plastic was so thick that it
>> was difficult to cut with a Stanley knife.
>
>The last time I bought scissors - because we had lost our last pair - I
>had that problem. Scissors were required to remove the plastic, and we
>didn't have any.

I followed the advice, years ago, of someone here in aue --
Keep a pair of scissors and a flashlight in every room.
I haven't regretted that.

I do have only one good pair of tiny scissors for fingernails and
one pair of heavy-duty scissors, but they don't wander around
like the medium pair used to.

Pocketknives? Maybe it was the airline ban that killed them off.
I remember giving a Swiss Army Knife to a niece, 40 years ago.

Taking apart cardboard boxes almost never requires cutting
cardboard. In my experience, cutting the tape (X-acto) allows
the larger boxes to be flattened. If some flaps are glued, they
can be ripped apart by hand.

--
Rich Ulrich

[Sam Plusnet]

On 31-Oct-22 3:33, Garrett Wollman wrote:
<snipped>

> and two rather dull
> pocket knives both of which were received as trade-show premiums.

I haven't come across this use of the word "premiums" before.
Is this a general term for any "give-away" or is it more specific?

--
Sam Plusnet

[Jerry Friedman]

On Monday, October 31, 2022 at 11:27:35 AM UTC-6, Rich Ulrich wrote:
> On Mon, 31 Oct 2022 17:00:17 +1100, Peter Moylan
> <pe...@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:
>
> >On 31/10/22 15:33, Tony Cooper wrote:
> >
> >> I recently purchased a pair of Fiskars pruning shears. They came
> >> packaged with some near-indestructible clear plastic that had to be
> >> cut open to get the shears out. The plastic was so thick that it
> >> was difficult to cut with a Stanley knife.
> >
> >The last time I bought scissors - because we had lost our last pair - I
> >had that problem. Scissors were required to remove the plastic, and we
> >didn't have any.

> I followed the advice, years ago, of someone here in aue --
> Keep a pair of scissors and a flashlight in every room.
> I haven't regretted that.

...

That was advice I passed along from a friend. I don't actually follow it,
but I'm glad it's worked out for you.

--
Jerry Friedman

[Sam Plusnet]

On 31-Oct-22 6:00, Peter Moylan wrote:
> On 31/10/22 15:33, Tony Cooper wrote:
>
>> I recently purchased a pair of Fiskars pruning shears.  They came
>> packaged with some near-indestructible clear plastic that had to be
>> cut open to get the shears out.   The plastic was so thick that it
>> was difficult to cut with a Stanley knife.
>
> The last time I bought scissors - because we had lost our last pair - I
> had that problem. Scissors were required to remove the plastic, and we
> didn't have any.

It always reminds me of the scene in Three Men in a Boat, where they
attempt to open the tinned pineapple.
If only Jerome K. Jerome were still around, I think he could do justice
to the situation.

--
Sam Plusnet

[bil...@shaw.ca]

They're usually called box-cutters around here. At my house, we have a couple in
a kitchen drawer, and they are usually used precisely for that: cutting up cardboard
boxes. They need to be cut up because if they're not, the cardboard recycling
container at the back the building fills up in about half a day, and the recycling
truck empties it only once a week.

[Sam Plusnet]

On 31-Oct-22 17:26, Rich Ulrich wrote:
> Taking apart cardboard boxes almost never requires cutting
> cardboard. In my experience, cutting the tape (X-acto) allows
> the larger boxes to be flattened. If some flaps are glued, they
> can be ripped apart by hand.

We use a small bit of plastic which has a tiny (less that 1mm) ceramic
blade embedded in it. If it _is_ possible to cut flesh with it, you
would have to try really really hard.

--
Sam Plusnet

[Jerry Friedman]

The wise clerks of Oxenford say

"7. /Business/ (originally /U.S./). An item given away or sold cheaply to
persuade people to buy, sample, or subscribe to something."

--
Jerry Friedman

[Sam Plusnet]

On 31-Oct-22 8:32, charles wrote:

> I still carry a pocket knife - a small Swiss Army one. But it won't get boy
> scouts out of horse's hooves.

Unless I had a clear understanding of the relationship between the horse
and the boy scout, I would hesitate to intervene.

--
Sam Plusnet

[Tak To]

On 10/30/2022 11:33 PM, Garrett Wollman wrote:
> In article <a7a8b003-e45e-4f6c...@googlegroups.com>,
> Jerry Friedman <jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>

>> Wow. I have two pairs of scissors, which I think I got a drug store, for

>> opening packages and cutting things in my little flowerbed. I also have
>> two kitchen knives. It's possible there's a utility knife in the closet,
>> unless I "lent" it to somebody. And could there be an "exacto" knife here
>> somewhere?
>

> I have one pair of scissors, two pairs of kitchen shears, and one box
> cutter at home, and another pair of scissors and a different brand of
> box cutter at the office.

Stationery scissors tend to accumulate in our household. I think
we have over ten of them, but I have stopped counting. And that
is probably far fewer than the number of "safety" scissors for
children that are stored in boxes together with heaps of pretty
pencils and crayons.

Two kitchen shears and a very small one for trimming my mustache
(and eyebrows and nostril hair).

> The box cutter is something of a necessity
> as our cardboard recycling requires boxes be broken down for
> collection.

A utility knife is good for cutting things that are lay flat. In
cutting up cardboard boxes and cartons (like those from Costco)
one often have to cut a piece of cardboard that is in a vertical
position. For this one needs a knife with a finger choil[*] with
which one can hold the knife in such a way that the sharp edge is
right next to one's index finger (and be safe).
https://knifenews.com/choil-or-no-choil/

[*] Yey, a word not recognized by the spell checker!

> Oh, and I have a little pair of nail scissors that I
> actually use for cutting the tags off clothing,

I use a large nail clipper for that and for cutting the plastic
ties that fasten the items to the paper backing.

> and two rather dull

> pocket knives both of which were received as trade-show premiums. And
> in the office I have an IKEA SLITBAR paring knife that I use
> occasionally to peel fruit,

I use peelers.

> and an X-Acto knife that I use largely for
> inappropriate (non-cutting) tasks.

I have several of those and about 20 rectangular utility blades
(used to be in utility knives, now only in scrapers)
https://static.grainger.com/rp/s/is/image/Grainger/26X080_AS02

that I keep in a glass jar. I bought 30 of them in the 70's ($3 for
a box of 30; $0.25 for one) but somehow manage to use only about 10
of them over the years. I switched them to a glass jar when the
original paper box broke down. And to keep them dry.

> I'm left-handed but all of my scissors are right-handed (because those
> are so much easier to find) but I'm used to cutting right-handed so
> that's not a huge issue for me.

I sympathize. When I first moved to the US I was not used to the
kind of finger-thumb holes found in the US scissors. I was used
the Chinese scissors like this
https://pica.zhimg.com/v2-743dad8717834945c6f44aea5230a044_720w.jpg

and it took me a while to adjust. (Now I can't use Chinese
style scissors.)

--
Tak
----------------------------------------------------------------+-----
Tak To ta...@alum.mit.eduxx
--------------------------------------------------------------------^^
[taode takto ~{LU5B~}] NB: trim the xx to get my real email addr

[Tak To]

On 10/30/2022 10:17 PM, Tony Cooper wrote:

> On Mon, 31 Oct 2022 12:57:32 +1100, Peter Moylan
> <pe...@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 31/10/22 05:34, Tak To wrote:
>>
>>> I do not own a pocket knife, but I am thinking of getting one due to
>>> the increasing need of cutting up shipping (paper) boxes. Also, for
>>> some reason, the crisp sound of the precise motion of a well made
>>> semi-automatic knife flipping out and clicking into place brings out
>>> a glee in me.
>>

>> I use a Stanley knife to open those boxes. I don't know what a Stanley
>> knife is called in other countries, but here's a typical example.
>>

>> <https://www.seton.net.au/spring-loaded-auto-return-knife.html?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwfiaBhC7ARIsAGvcPe4LRilVSRIMilzkOYKbaLEZ07gYlvXXNaYTGOncQnw_HR6VaZbwF6YaAiwfEALw_wcB>
>>
>
> Stanley knives are sold in the US, and I have a couple on the
> workbench. There are several other brands in the same style.
> The advantage of a Stanley knife is that it uses a replaceable blade
> so a razor-keen blade is always available.
>

> I also have a pocket knife that I carry in the watch pocket of my
> jeans, a key knife
> https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/90YAAOSwoPJeJCS~/s-l500.jpg on my
> keychain,

I don't have a key chain knife. They are typically too small to be
useful and I already have a lot of keys to carry.

and a few of cutters like this:
> https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/390d13e9-9cb9-46b7-9daf-d7eae78b872a.20406e3ec8a81f5330f035fa1332c79d.jpeg?odnHeight=2000&odnWidth=2000&odnBg=FFFFFF
> in various drawers in the house.

I have these as well. One used to be able to get several of them for
a buck from dollar stores. They are probably made by the same Chinese
factories that made Stanley knives.

> My pocket knife is a Valor Pony 2 knife that my father carried:
> https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/gS8AAOSw~pxjInlA/s-l500.jpg
>
> Also I have two pair of scissors that firefighter/paramedics use to
> cut open clothes when treating an accident victim.
> https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-tumf4kk1l4/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/3849/7094/paramedic-shears-7-25-8__23913.1640717142.jpg?c=1?imbypass=on

I don't have this kind of scissors at home, and can't think of a
situation that I will need them.

There is a tool called a seat-belt cutter that is often part of a
multi-tool that llso has a blade and/or a glass breaker. This is a
standalone one.
https://www.penncare.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/EMI4000.jpg

Incidentally my favorite type of letter opener is similarly
constructed. They are typically free.

https://img66.anypromo.com/product2/large/plastic-stainless-steel-blades-letter-opener-p655712_color-reflex-blue.jpg

A larger version is often incorporated into a "package opener"
https://images.globalindustrial.com/images/pdp/412407.jpg

> Having a knife or special scissors accessible at all times is
> necessary nowdays. Everything comes in that sealed clear packaging

> that requires a knife, chainsaw, or axe to open. Try getting a

> package of batteries open, for example, without some sort of tool.

Quite true, but what prompted me to look into folding knives is
the need to cut up boxes for recycling.

> I had to use a knife this morning to open the packaging for two sinus
> headache capsules. The peel-back and pop out package wouldn't peel
> back.

Sometimes it is easier to cut the cardboard at the back rather than
the plastic in the front. Either way I use an X-Acto knife for
small packages. A pen grib provides the necessary precision.
https://img.uline.com/is/image/uline/H-998

>> (Mine is not spring-loaded.)
>>
>> Pocket knives seem to have disappeared here. At least, I don't think
>> I've seen one in the last fifty years. The people who hold up petrol
>> stations seem to use kitchen knives.

I know a few people who carry key chain knives, typically Swiss Army
(genuine or generic) knives.

[Tak To]

On 10/31/2022 1:43 AM, Bertel Lund Hansen wrote:
> Den 31.10.2022 kl. 05.39 skrev Tony Cooper:
>
>> I'm a lefty and I use scissors in my left hand. A few years ago my
>> wife bought me a pair of scissors for left-handers, and I found them
>> difficult to use. I'm used to using regular scissors in my left hand
>> and exerting inward pressure with my thumb and outward pressure with
>> my middle finger to make them work.
>
> My younger daughter is lefthanded too. I once bought a potato peeler for
> lefthanders, but she told me that she was used to a righthanded one, and
> she never used the one I had bought. This made me however realise that
> some kitchen work is easier to do with a lefthand peeler which you then
> just push forward instead of drawing it towards you.

This is weird. I always push, never pull.

(This reminds me of left- and right-handed hand circular saws
that were discussed here a while back.)

Around here, there are far more dual-bladed peelers than single
bladed ones. And the cheap one tends to be dual-bladed.

> So I have two, a regular one with the best grip and another one that has
> knives for either side.

--

[Tony Cooper]

On Mon, 31 Oct 2022 09:13:44 -0700, Ken Blake <K...@invalid.news.com>
wrote:

The term "gas station" is still used in the US, but what is described
is usually a mini-grocery-mart that also sells gasoline.

While using the word "most" is dangerous, I'd venture to say that most
gasoline purchases are paid for by credit card at the pump. Grocery,
snack, and drink purchases are often paid for in cash, so it's the
grocery aspect that provides the motive for robbery. And, those
places are very commonly robbed in this area.

[lar3ryca]

On 2022-10-30 23:43, Bertel Lund Hansen wrote:
> Den 31.10.2022 kl. 05.39 skrev Tony Cooper:
>
>> I'm a lefty and I use scissors in my left hand.  A few years ago my
>> wife bought me a pair of scissors for left-handers, and I found them
>> difficult to use.  I'm used to using regular scissors in my left hand
>> and exerting inward pressure with my thumb and outward pressure with
>> my middle finger to make them work.
>
> My younger daughter is lefthanded too. I once bought a potato peeler for
> lefthanders, but she told me that she was used to a righthanded one, and
> she never used the one I had bought. This made me however realise that
> some kitchen work is easier to do with a lefthand peeler which you then
> just push forward instead of drawing it towards you.

This must be some kind of peeler that only has one blade, yes?
Personally, I would not buy that kind of peeler.
Can you find a link to the one you mean?

> So I have two, a regular one with the best grip and another one that has
> knives for either side.

Here's the only type I buy...
<https://www.amazon.ca/Aniso-Vegetable-Peeler-Stainless-Ergonomic-Handle-Dishwasher/dp/B083R72WCB/ref=sr_1_16?crid=1FGEJ6DCIEJT7&keywords=vegetable+peeler&qid=1667243144&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI2LjAwIiwicXNhIjoiNS4zOCIsInFzcCI6IjUuMDUifQ%3D%3D&s=kitchen&sprefix=vegetable+peeler%2Ckitchen%2C96&sr=1-16>

--
You're 100 percent correct -- it's been scientifically proven that
microwaving changes the molecular structure of food.
THIS IS CALLED COOKING!

[Tony Cooper]

On Mon, 31 Oct 2022 14:37:33 -0400, Tak To <ta...@alum.mit.eduxx>
wrote:

>>, a key knife
>> https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/90YAAOSwoPJeJCS~/s-l500.jpg on my
>> keychain,
>
>I don't have a key chain knife. They are typically too small to be
>useful and I already have a lot of keys to carry.
>

My key chain knife is not used very often, but it's with me when I'm
away from the house and other cutting tools are not available.

My key ring includes just my car key (a flip-out key in a fob), a
mailbox key, a key to our son's house, and the key knife.

I installed a lock on the house (condo) door that uses a four-number
button code to unlock, so I don't carry a house key.

[Tak To]

On 10/31/2022 1:26 PM, Rich Ulrich wrote:
> [...]

> Pocketknives? Maybe it was the airline ban that killed them off.
> I remember giving a Swiss Army Knife to a niece, 40 years ago.

Yes I know. I don't carry them anyways.

By pocket knife, what I mean is a folding knife the blade of which
is shorter than 3" or 3.5". I don't intend to carry it around.

> Taking apart cardboard boxes almost never requires cutting
> cardboard. In my experience, cutting the tape (X-acto) allows
> the larger boxes to be flattened.

You must come across only very small boxes. The blade length
of a No.1 X-Acto knife is just barely longer than some of the
Costco cartons are thick (esp. at the corners). The diagonal
blade tend to push a vertically placed cardboard away and the
grip is too for holding it tightly.

I think a knife with a choil is more optimal (see another post
of mine). But you are right, it is not a need.

> If some flaps are glued, they
> can be ripped apart by hand.

...and ending up with irregular shapes and less compact bundling
(required for recycling). YMMV.

[Tony Cooper]

On Mon, 31 Oct 2022 13:08:43 -0600, lar3ryca <la...@invalid.ca> wrote:

>On 2022-10-30 23:43, Bertel Lund Hansen wrote:
>> Den 31.10.2022 kl. 05.39 skrev Tony Cooper:
>>
>>> I'm a lefty and I use scissors in my left hand.  A few years ago my
>>> wife bought me a pair of scissors for left-handers, and I found them
>>> difficult to use.  I'm used to using regular scissors in my left hand
>>> and exerting inward pressure with my thumb and outward pressure with
>>> my middle finger to make them work.
>>
>> My younger daughter is lefthanded too. I once bought a potato peeler for
>> lefthanders, but she told me that she was used to a righthanded one, and
>> she never used the one I had bought. This made me however realise that
>> some kitchen work is easier to do with a lefthand peeler which you then
>> just push forward instead of drawing it towards you.
>
>This must be some kind of peeler that only has one blade, yes?
>Personally, I would not buy that kind of peeler.
>Can you find a link to the one you mean?
>
>

The discussion about knives and peelers reminds me that I have my
grandfather's pocket knife in a drawer.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-B8ZzT4W/0/eb1e9ba8/X2/i-B8ZzT4W-X2.jpg

I photographed it with an apple because I always associate it with my
grandfather using it to carefully peel an apple - retaining a single,
continuous strip of apple skin - and then cutting off a piece for me.

It's a "switch-blade" because pushing the button flip opens the knife.
The sliding mechanism below the button locks it closed. The smaller
blade opens from the other side with a push button.

[Tak To]

I think premiums are predicated on sales, or lengthy client
relationships, etc.

[lar3ryca]

I have two of them in the kitchen, one in the master bedroom, three in
the garage, three in the basement, and one in the car. They do duty as
actual boxcutters, plastic packaging cutters, ans in general, anything
that requires a good sharp edge.

--
I use the smoke alarm as my cooking timer.

[Tak To]

On 10/31/2022 1:26 PM, Rich Ulrich wrote:
>

> I followed the advice, years ago, of someone here in aue --
> Keep a pair of scissors and a flashlight in every room.
> I haven't regretted that.

Everyone has a cellphone that has a flashlight function, no?

I have many flashlights around the house, all of give-aways
from Harbor Freight Tools.
https://www.harborfreight.com

[Tony Cooper]

On Mon, 31 Oct 2022 15:39:40 -0400, Tak To <ta...@alum.mit.eduxx>
wrote:

>On 10/31/2022 1:26 PM, Rich Ulrich wrote:
>>
>> I followed the advice, years ago, of someone here in aue --
>> Keep a pair of scissors and a flashlight in every room.
>> I haven't regretted that.
>
>Everyone has a cellphone that has a flashlight function, no?
>
>I have many flashlights around the house, all of give-aways
>from Harbor Freight Tools.
> https://www.harborfreight.com

In this area, Harbor Freight has stopped offering those flashlights
free with a purchase. I have six or eight around the house from
Harbor Freight. The batteries in them can be replaced.

Drifting a bit...When my brother comes from Denmark to visit, a Harbor
Freight store is always on the agenda. He builds little projects at
home, and can always find things at Harbor Freight that are either not
available where he lives in Denmark or would be considerably more
expensive.

I drop him off in a Harbor Freight and go somewhere nearby for a
coffee or soft drink and read a book. I'll return in an hour, and he
sometimes hasn't checked out all the aisles in that hour.

[Kerr-Mudd, John]

On Mon, 31 Oct 2022 17:49:45 +0000
Sam Plusnet <n...@home.com> wrote:

> On 31-Oct-22 6:00, Peter Moylan wrote:
> > On 31/10/22 15:33, Tony Cooper wrote:
> >
> >> I recently purchased a pair of Fiskars pruning shears.  They came
> >> packaged with some near-indestructible clear plastic that had to be
> >> cut open to get the shears out.   The plastic was so thick that it
> >> was difficult to cut with a Stanley knife.
> >
> > The last time I bought scissors - because we had lost our last pair - I
> > had that problem. Scissors were required to remove the plastic, and we
> > didn't have any.
>
> It always reminds me of the scene in Three Men in a Boat, where they
> attempt to open the tinned pineapple.

I don't recall the specifics, but once they'd had the pineapple, I hope
they were very grapefruit.

> If only Jerome K. Jerome were still around, I think he could do justice
> to the situation.
>
> --
> Sam Plusnet
>

--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

[Bertel Lund Hansen]

Den 31.10.2022 kl. 19.55 skrev Tak To:

> This is weird. I always push, never pull.

I pull when I peel potatoes like I've always done, and I pull when I do
celery. I push when it's carrots. With red beets I do both.

--
Bertel

[Sam Plusnet]

On 31-Oct-22 19:39, Tak To wrote:
> On 10/31/2022 1:26 PM, Rich Ulrich wrote:
>>
>> I followed the advice, years ago, of someone here in aue --
>> Keep a pair of scissors and a flashlight in every room.
>> I haven't regretted that.
>
> Everyone has a cellphone that has a flashlight function, no?

My previous mobile could have the 'flashlight' function enabled by
waving the phone in a specific manner.
You could fire up the camera function by some other phone-waving gesture.
I could never recall what type of gesture should produce which sort of
result. The phone would start doing unexpected things with little or no
encouragement from me.

--
Sam Plusnet

[Bertel Lund Hansen]

Den 31.10.2022 kl. 20.08 skrev lar3ryca:

> This must be some kind of peeler that only has one blade, yes?
> Personally, I would not buy that kind of peeler.
> Can you find a link to the one you mean?

I can do better. Here is a picture of them both:

http://temp.lundhansen.dk/Peelers.jpg

--
Bertel

[Bertel Lund Hansen]

Den 31.10.2022 kl. 18.54 skrev bil...@shaw.ca:

>> We call them "stanleyknive" in Danish or "hobbyknive".

> They're usually called box-cutters around here. At my house, we have a couple in
> a kitchen drawer, and they are usually used precisely for that: cutting up cardboard
> boxes.

That is the most common use in my house as well - for precisely the same
reason, except that my container is emptied every two weeks which is no
problem since I live alone.

--
Bertel