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A friend recently used this term, which I had never heard before. Is this familiar to everyone but me (wouldn't be the first time)?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Here's something interesting, Jackie, on water glass: From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) :
Water glass \Water glass\
1. A clepsydra.
2. An instrument consisting of an open box or tube with a
glass bottom, used for examining objects in the water, as
upon the sea bottom in shallow places.
3. A water gauge for a steam boiler.
http://freedictionary.org/cgi-bin/DictionaryHappy, happy, happy day today: You're back! Best regards, Wordwind
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Carpal Tunnel
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which water glass did they mean?
there is a chemical liquid--viscous, clear, and used as fireproofing.. some sort of silicon compound
Some one here with more chemistry will say exactly what what the compound is...
and there are waterglasses, a specific size/type glass that comes as part of a crystal set, and/or a specific glass made for water.--singular would be a waterglass.
i have the most exquisit italian glasses, in a cool translucent green, the glass is filled with very fine bubbles, so it looks effervenscent-- which are water glasses (and came as set with a pitcher.) there are one of the few family heirlooms i got.. from my great grandmother-- my great grand father brought them back from italy..in the 1870's. he was, as we like to say a stock broker, he traveled to the continent to buy the newest breeds of sheep, cattle and other stock!
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Joined: Sep 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Well, first we better get the spelling right. It's generally two words, not one, in referring to any kind of water glass.
This is a guess), but I would wager that Jackie didn't mean the water glass that's part of a formal place setting. Too easy.
I'll bet she's referring to either the water glass that measured time or the one for underwater observations.
Guess we'll have to wait till she returns, huh, of troy?
Bathymetric regards,
WaterWords
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear Jackie: Waterglass used to be used to keep eggs from spoiling in old days. It is a sodium silicate solution, very viscous but very transparent. I supose it worked by preventing eggs from absorbing any oxygen. URL: http://www.pqcorp.com/productlines/sodiumsilicatehome.aspPresent uses include Adhesives and Binders Agriculture Cements and Construction Materials Detergent Drilling Geotechnical & Mineral Processing Manufacture of Other Chemicals Pulp and Paper Textile Water Treatment Other Electronic Industry Metal Finishing Paints and Coatings Health and Beauty Industry Metal Processing Waste Treatment
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Carpal Tunnel
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A waterglass holds 8oz and is served with every meal to every one sitting here in Chi-towne restaurants before even ordering your meal... except for those huge glasses a group of us recently had at a "beer tasting symposium"... those were just to make up (however, falling short) for the then forthcoming dehydration.
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old hand
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old hand
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I've never used a water glass before but I'm sure they're lots of fun. I didn't know that was what their name was either, it is obvious though, huh. The idea of the water clock really interests me (we're all budding horologists, huh?). I like the name clepsydra too (Gr: 'steal water'). I assume they were popular in Greece at some point, but clearly in China too. Apparently there are only very few working ones left. According to one link it was possibly the first means of time measurement to exist besides the very primitive and modestly accurate sun dial. I tried to find an illustration or photo, but found no pictures just this... http://www.horology.com/htt-clep.html
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Carpal Tunnel
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Water glass is a distinct nomenclature in the restaurant business (in which I spent too many years) as pointed out by several folks here. A table setting always included a water glass (breakfast, lunch, or dinner). And in formal dinner settings there would be a water glass and a wine glass (turned upside-down, of course, so as not to collect dust, and they better be spotless, and don't ice them too soon or two late, and...too many years, like I said  [sigh-e]).
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Carpal Tunnel
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WO'N:
Things are so dry here in Denver area that many restaurants will not provide you with a glass of water until you ask for it. There's apparently some talk of actually charging for a glass of water.
I'm reminded of the story of the two Jewish fellows who went into a retaurant. (The only reason they were Jewish for the purposes of this story was because the story was in one of Rosten's books (NO NOT THAT ROSTEN!!!))
Anyway, the waier asked them what they wanted. The first fellow said he'd start with a glass of water. The other one specified, "I'd like a glass of water in a clean glass." The waiter returned with a tray a couple of minutes later. "All right, gentlemen, which one of you wanted the clean glass?"
TEd
TEd
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Carpal Tunnel
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I'm trying to imagine how come Jackie never hear of a water glass before.
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