Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#101119 04/17/03 12:55 PM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 161
V
vika Offline OP
member
OP Offline
member
V
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 161
have you ever heard of it?

http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z3B525F34

the paper does not give a definition and google is finding pages about methaphor downshifting...


#101120 04/17/03 01:02 PM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
(take off the first http:// in your address; and better yet, take that address to http://www.makeashorterlink.com)

I believe it comes from cars, downshifting to a lower, slower gear.
sounds good to me, though I notice that most the folks doing it are financially able to. for too many people it is a forced way of life... which may be a good thing in the long run...



formerly known as etaoin...
#101121 04/17/03 01:18 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Let Grandpa tell you. Back in the twenties most cars lacked power enough to climb
steep hills in third gear. No automatic shifts then. And if you didn't downshift
into second gear about halfway up the hill, your engine was very likely to stall.

Sometimes going down very steep hills, it was also desirable to downshift into second
gear to have engine act as brake and avoid going too fast. I heard of trucks having
brakes fail, and with a hairpin turn at bottom of hill, going off road right through a house.



#101122 04/17/03 02:44 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Even manual transmission cars these days have what is known as synchromesh, which facilitates the engaging of the gears in a downshift. The problem is that one end of the transmission is connected directly to the car's engine and the other end is connected directly to the drive shaft, which is moving at a speed directly proportional to the speed of the drive wheels. The gears in between aren't necessarily going to want to mesh with each other when those speeds are mismatched as they will be when you change gears. Before the days of synchromesh, there was a technique called double clutching that was used, mostly in downshifts, to match the speed of the gears to each other when making the shift. It involved depressing the clutch pedal, shifting into neutral, lifting your foot off the clutch pedal, revving the engine to the speed it would be going at the speed you are travelling in the gear you are shifting down to, depressing the clutch pedal, and completing the shift into the new, lower gear. It sounds terribly complicated from the description but it becomes second nature once you get the feel for it. My first vehicle was a 1950 Ford F-1 pickup truck with no synchromesh. I loved driving it. But I learned to double clutch on a 1939 GMC wrecker at my job at the sawmill. To this day, I will double clutch when downshifting on a manual transmission car.


#101123 04/17/03 04:34 PM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624
But, Vika, carefully note that "downshifting" is an Americanism of the first water. I've never heard it used in Brit-speak territory. We call it "changing down".


#101124 04/17/03 05:07 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Downshifting is a very common term here, Vika. The overall, general meaning is to slow down, which fits the theme of your article.


#101125 04/17/03 05:26 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
W
wow Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
Is this what we used to call "dropping out?"
Or am I hopelessly out of date?


#101126 04/17/03 05:40 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Sounds more like Dropping Out Lite™.


#101127 04/17/03 06:00 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
W
wow Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
Dear Faldage Your comments are just too good and always on point Psssst : I owe you a big hug collectable on demand. Just don't tell AnnaS! But then maybe I've finally reached the age when I no longer inspire jealousy by younger and lovlier ladies. Ah, well. Sigh.


#101128 04/17/03 11:22 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
B
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
B
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
In reply to:

But, Vika, carefully note that "downshifting" is an Americanism of the first water. I've never heard it used in Brit-speak territory.


The Telegraph using Americanisms! [Thuds from fainting brigadiers emoticon]

Bingley



Bingley
Page 1 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 435 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5