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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3
stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3 |
Hello!
I'm desperate to find this out for a competition at work...
Has anyone ever heard of any fruit that is sometimes called a "black-coated worker"?
I've tried everywhere I can think of to come up with this but with no success.
I'm guessing it could be a blackcurrant, but who knows? It's probably UK idiom but not one I'm familiar with.
Anyone? :)
G
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
Never heard of it. Have you tried plugging it into a search box (google or other) and see what you find?
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692 |
That's a new term to me too, although it may well originate in the UK. I'm puzzled by the term "black-coated" - doesn't seem to fit the blackcurrent somehow, made me think of prunes (they have a reputation for working!), but I'm somewhat colour blind and someone just told me that prunes are purple, not black as I always thought. So I, at least, have learned something!
dxb.
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
dxb: Prunes do look black. I think you may be onto something, but probably googling will be the best bet.
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
I got no hits googling:
"black-coated worker" fruit
I also got no hits googling:
"black-coated fruit"
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3
stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3 |
I know - it's got me completely stumped.
I've tried about half-a-dozen search engines, online dictionaries, real-live paper dictionaries, but nothing even came close.
Weird...
I'm beginning to think they've completely made it up!
Perhaps the question was supposed to be "In *my house* what fruit are called blak-coated workers...?"
:)
If I ever find out the answer, I'll be sure to let y'all know!
G
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
Dear Ny:
Thanks for letting us know.
I think dxb's answer that a prune is a black-coated worker makes an awful lot of sense. Dried prunes really do look black and their skins can peel off like a coat, and, as dxb pointed out, there is "work" they do.
Best regards, WW
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
And great research, Faldage!
And, if wwh is reading this thread, check out Faldage's site! You'll enjoy reading the terms there.
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3
stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3 |
Fantastic! Thanks a million.
That's an amazing piece of detective work there - how did you come to end up on a site of naval slang? Was it just serendipity or an informed guess?
Thanks to everyone for their input, much appreciated.
G
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