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veteran
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veteran
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I have a copy (reprinted) of a famous mid-17th century schoolbook, J.A.Comenius' Orbis Sensualium Pictus, written in English and Latin (it was used to teach Latin). It has a lot about tradesmen. Some selections:
The plowman yoketh oxen to a plough and holdeth the plow-stilt in his left hand and the plow-staff in his right hand ... The reaper sheareth the ripe corn with a sickle, gathereth up the handfuls, and bindeth the sheaves. The thrasher thrasheth corn on the barn floor with a flayl, tosseth it in a winnowing-basket ... The mower maketh hay in a meadow, cutting down grass with a sithe and raketh it together with a rake, he maketh up cocks with a fork & carrieth it on cariages into the hay-barn.
The neat-heard calleth out the heards out of the beasthouses with a horn and driveth them to feed.
The fowler maketh a bed, spreadeth a bird-net, throweth bait upon it, and hiding himself in a hut he allureth birds by the chirping of bird-lures ...
Flax is tied to a distaff by the spinster, which with her left hand pulleth out the thred, and with her right hand turneth a wheel or a spindle upon which is a wharl.
The webster undoeth the clewes into warp, and wrappeth it about the beam, and as he sitteth in his loom, he treadeth upon the treddles with his feet.
Linnen-webs are bleached in the sun with water poured on them till they be white. Of them the sempster seweth shirts, hand-kirchers, bands and caps.
The box-maker ... maketh tables, boards, chests etc.
The turner, sitting over the treddle turneth with a throw, upon a turners bench, bowls, tops, puppets and such like turners work.
The roper twisteth cords of tow, or hemp (which he wrappeth about himself) by the turning of a wheel. Thus there are made, first cords, then ropes, and at last cables. The cordwainer cutteth great thongs, bridles, girdles, sword-belts, pouches, port-mantles etc. out of a beast-hide.
The printer hath copper letters in a great number put into boxes. The compositor taketh them out one by one and (according to the copy, which he hath fastened before him in a visorium) composeth words in a composing-stick, till a line be made, he putteth these in a galley, till a page be made, and these again in a form, and he locketh them up in iron chases, with coyns, lest they should drop out, and putteth them under the press. Then the pressman beateth it over wih printers-ink by means of balls, spreadeth upon it the papers, put in the frisket, which being put under the spindle, on the coffin, and pressed down with the bar he maketh to take impressions.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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old hand
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old hand
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On the last day I was descending Loveland
Pass, exhilarating in the thrill of doing 56 mph (the fastest I've ever gotten my bike) when I heard a
high-pitched scream behind me. Then I felt a whoosh as a tandem roared past me at a bit over 70. The
scream I heard was from the stoker, a female, who repeated over and over as they rode out of sight, "I'm
seeing a lawyer tomorrow. Tomorrow, do you understand me? TOMORROW!"
Ah, the poor lass wasn't aware that a disc brake can be fitted to the rear hub and CONTROLLED BY THE STOKER! I don't have such a brake on mine, however. [evil grin e] And, of course, Dracula rode a tandem with Bram Stoker.
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enthusiast
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enthusiast
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From byb's long selection: Flax is tied to a distaff by the spinster
Is there something more here, connecting with the modern usage of those terms?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Oooh, Byb, what a wonderful thing to share--thank you!!
the plow-stilt in his left hand and the plow-staff in his right hand 'Stilt' and 'staff'? Were these just the left and right handles of the plow, or did one or both have a specific function? My uncle's plow was very simple: just the frame, the turning fork, and handles; no brake, or anything like that.
Capital Kiwi, does any of this sound familiar to you?
The printer hath copper letters in a great number put into boxes. The compositor taketh them out one by one and (according to the copy, which he hath fastened before him in a visorium) composeth words in a composing-stick, till a line be made, he putteth these in a galley, till a page be made, and these again in a form, and he locketh them up in iron chases, with coyns, lest they should drop out, and putteth them under the press. Then the pressman beateth it over wih printers-ink by means of balls, spreadeth upon it the papers, put in the frisket, which being put under the spindle, on the coffin, and pressed down with the bar he maketh to take impressions.
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enthusiast
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enthusiast
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Among the "rude mechanicals" Shakespeare introduces in A Midsummer Night's Dream are: Quince, a carpenter; Snug, a joiner; Bottom, a weaver; Flute, a bellows-mender; Snout, a tinker; and Starveling, a tailor. Can't imagine making a living mending bellows. As I recall, the itinerant travelers in Ireland are also known as tinkers. M-W defines a joiner as a person who constructs articles by joining pieces of wood.
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
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Dear slithy: just as there are obsolete occupations, there are obsolete occupational injuries. There used to be a medical diagnosis "Weavers bottom" in which long hours of sitting on a hard bench caused pathologic changes in ligaments and tendons, scarring and calcification, ultmately iincapacitating.
There was an analooous "Coachman's knee" from many hours sitting on carriage seat bracing posterior of knee against the front part of the seat.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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distaff
SYLLABICATION: dis·taff
PRONUNCIATION: dstf
NOUN: 1a. A staff that holds on its cleft end the unspun flax, wool, or tow from which thread is drawn in spinning by hand. b. An attachment for a spinning wheel that serves this purpose. 2. Work and concerns traditionally considered important to women. 3. Women considered as a group.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English distaf, from Old English distæf : dis-, bunch of flax + stæf, staff.
Flax is harder to spin than wool the distaff helps to manage the work. (it hold the tow (raw material)
Wool get rolled into little fluffy sausages.. but flax is is long fibers, more like hair than anything else.. and evenly pulling down strand to work them in, is difficult.
(the site that is linked to above also shows a niddy noddy.. i have one of those!)
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Capital Kiwi, does any of this sound familiar to you?
... Then the pressman beateth it over wih printers-ink by means of balls,
Apparently, CapK left out a few details in last year's travelog.
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