The Fatal Barberchair - Wordsmith.org

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I recently stumbled across a dictionary full of intriguing terms. Without googling, does anybody want to take a guess at why a "barberchair" would be dangerous?

How about Sweeney Todd, barber purveyor of meat pies with fingernails in them?

or from one of the other tasks often asigned to barbers-- "bleeding" or opening a vein as a medical treatment. (the red and white striped pole associated with barbers are said to represent a bleeding arm wrapped in gauze. )

barber's were an "alternative medical treatment"--when medical care seemed to be getting last right from the local priest.

Well, my first reaction is that they look somewhat like electric chairs, but. Does it have something to do with the old-time razors that could easily cut a throat?

Strictly speaking, in none of these examples is the barberchair itself fatal. I would suspect that the true answer would have something to do with the abilities of the chair to tip and rise.

It was Mrs. Lovett who purveyed the meat pies; Mr. Todd merely supplied her with the filling.

I immediately thought of MP's "lumberjack sketch", but then I was sorely disappointed when I didn't get the compleat 14-DVD set of Flying Circus for Christmas.

Dear Faldage: Had I not complied with the injunction not to google, I could have given Mrs. Lovett her due.
I read somewhere that Sweeney Todd had several real life counterparts.

You've walked along the wrong path. tsuwm has dropped a hint.

Dear Dr. Bill

I din't look up nuthin bout no barberchairs. Jus oney the name of the purveyress of the meat pies. I knew it wern't no Sweeney Todd him what oney supplied the meat.

Dear Faldage:Apparently you are not a Monty Python fan either.

not a Monty Python fan

Well, I am, but I don't remember anything about a barberchair.

Ain' seen all the shows tho.

http://www.pythonet.org/lumberjack.html

Ah, tsuwm, that was such a cute tale. I'll always remember:

Poofter! Bloody poofter!

I don't even know what a bloody poofter is, but it sounds like such a lovely bit of whimsy and fun!

Now, did barbers do medicine at one time?

And I've completely forgotten McTeague... He was a dentist? Wasn't he? Didn't he do some kind of surgery? Or maybe he was a barber. Was that why barbers' poles had red on 'em? Because of the blood?

Everything's becoming so mixed up in my brain. But I do like the sound of poofter.

Barber regards,
Wordwhirled

I think Sweeney Todd is funnier.

Dear WW: A man wanted a boy, his wife wanted a girl. They were both happy. Their offspring was a poofter. Meaning he had a marked problem with sexual identification.

One can always look up stuff, even bloody poofters.

You can find their websites and e-mail addresses if desired.And more.

Sometimes I'm driven to look up stuff.

Sometimes it's more fun to see how things unfold here in our little AWAD garden.

Sometimes books and websites call.

Sometimes the fun of hearing what's in others' minds calls.

I think one of the best things that happens here is when people take their time to look things up for posters who are in the dark. Acts of kindness--and generosity.

But I will look up poofters today to read what's there in some dictionary??? Thanks, Bill--I got it (truthfully) from the context in the skit tsuwm linked us to, by the way--but it was the sound of the word that struck my whimsy. Men strutting about in poofed-up skirts--very high heels--great wigs--false eyelashes. Some of 'em do it by far better than I ever could!

Best regards,
WW

Here's where you can hear The Lumberjack Song:
http://www.montypython.net/sketchsounds3.php
Scroll down to The Lumberjack Sketch. I like this version better, but am putting the following also, as there seem to be options for different sound players:
http://humor.about.com/library/sounds/blmp3.htm

And tsuwm, here's an alternative that should be of particular interest to you, my Dear

:
http://www.cs.stir.ac.uk/~scu/Humour/Computing/notlumberjack.html

Ah, but didn't Michael Palin look magnificent?

Didn't the Barber of Seville kill his patients or something? Or am I thinking of another musical work?

Rule 6 of MP's skit about Aussies was "NO POOFTERS". As I recall it was also rule number 7 or suchlike.

....I don't know.....anybody would think us Aussies were an uncultured and bigoted bunch of homophobic, sexist, beer swilling, Kiwi bashing, barbie loving, yobboish xenophobes. Check out the site Bean mentioned today in I&A and you'll find the truth!

sheesh

stales

Ah, Stales, but what about the Philosophy Department at the University of Woolloomalloo? Now there's an example of Aussie kulcha! Well, MP's take on it, anyway ...

W-O-O-L-L-O-O-M-O-O-L-O-O Cap K!

Where they sip upon "Chateau Wagga Wagga - a fruity little number with the bouquet of an Aboriginal's arm pit".

stales

Despite tsuwm's most gallant efforts, nobody has come close to discerning the meaning of "barberchair" in the context I posed.

The term is from the Treeman's Dictionary, http://www.arborists.com/dictionary/terms1.htm, a glossary of terms used by arborists.

Barberchair (Felling) This can occur when the tree leans heavily and wants to fall before the feller has cut enough wood, causing the trunk to split up the middle, with the back section rising rapidly. (keep your chin clear), This can be a Very dangerous situation, many deaths can be attributed to the Barberchair. There are many ways to minimize this, a couple of suggestions are: 1) Allways use a Sharp saw. 2) Use a Chain and binder above your cut. 3) Use a boring technique on the backcut, (experts only) 4) Call an expert.

In addition to the term "barberchair" itself, I thought that "feller" was great. This is the only context in which I've seen or heard "feller" and it hasn't been a colloquial pronunciation of "fellow." The suggestion to use a boring technique also gave me giggles. [visions-of-distracted-lumberman emoticon]

This is the only context in which I've seen or heard "feller" and it hasn't been a colloquial pronunciation of "fellow"

What about the Feller who pitches for the Cleveland Indans? (That would be about 1940 or so ?) (and has nothing to do with Who's on first, no, never, not)

Dear Sparteye: I looked up barberchair. Thank you. Never heard the term before. There is one other way loggers used to get killed. When some hardwood trees are felled with the butt cut with proper kerf, it falls on the branches, which bend and store a large amount of energy and then spring backl, driving the butt toward the logger foolish enough to be in line. Never heard a name for it though.

W-O-O-L-L-O-O-M-O-O-L-O-O Cap K!

Hey, give us a break! I knew it had a load of "o"s and "l"s. So I lost a few. Do you think they'll really be missed?

Wow, thanks, Sparteye. I've seen 'barberchairs' after the fact, and the name sure fits. I reckon their dictionary being written by arborists accounts for Allways.
And yep, that lumberjack there, he's quite a feller...

And poofters are fellatists.

Speaking of lumberjacks and fatal barberchairs and such, anybody ever hear of a ballhooter?

Me

> And poofters are fellatists.

Maybe so - but the terms are not interchangeable. Poofter simply translates to "gay guy".

stales

>anybody ever hear of a ballhooter?

oh brutter, where art thou?

And poofters are fellatists.

I knew one who was a philatelist.

Now, that's really kinky. We'll have to stamp that out forthwith!