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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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"This extremely artful suggestion Mr. Barkis accompanied with a nudge of his elbow that gave me quite a stitch in my side. After that, he slouched over his horse in his usual manner; and made no other reference to the subject except, half an hour afterwards, taking a piece of chalk from his pocket, and writing up, inside the tilt of the cart, 'Clara Peggotty' - apparently as a private memorandum."
All the horse-drawn waggons used to have a vertical barrier in front of the driver's feet to protect against horses' hooves splashing mud on the driver. Many had on top of the upright barrier, a six or eight inch addition tilted forward at about forty five degrees, for increased protection.
Incidentally, the instrument panel of an automobile is still commonly called the "dash board" as a carry-over from the horse and buggy days.
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
How sweet this sentimental journey, wwh! These are things that would be lost had it not been for writers such as Dickens. Just imagining riding about in a buggy with a tilt that could double as a chalkboard for random thoughts makes me feel connected with those long gone as I jot myself notes on Post-It notes at stop lights.
I don't understand the dash board connection. The board, of course, having been made of wood--but what of the 'dash'? Why called 'dash'? Simply for speed? (Which makes me think of the dasher in the ice cream maker, but I don't suppose that's connected, too....)
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
A Scots lass declined to let a young Scot carry her across
the river Dee, where the ford consisted just of stone steps
spaced a stride apart.
Said he:"Is it the gleam in me ee ye're afeerd o' ?"
She replied:"Nae, t'is the tilt o' yer kilt I'm afeerd o'!"
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Joined: Apr 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Presumably the dashboard was to stop mud and other undesirable substances being dashed against you.
Bingley
Bingley
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Joined: Sep 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Ah, that makes sense, Bingley. Thank you.
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