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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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New to me, from the Dryden translation of Plutarch's Life of Pyrrhus (of Pyrrhic victory fame): It was next resolved to draw a trench in a line directly over against the enemy's camp, and, here and there in it, to sink wagons in the ground, as deep as the naves of the wheels, that, so being firmly fixed, they might obstruct the passage of the elephants.http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_text_plutarch_pyrrhus.htmApparently the naves are the hubs. Bingley
Bingley
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear Bingley: I never heard "nave" used as "hub" before, but my dictionary gives it a second word with that meaning.
I wonder if it is in any way related to "navel".
A better way of fighting elephants was described in life of Metellus, a couple hundred years after Pyrrhus. He had advancing elephants attacked with spears, causing them to turn and trample the Carthaginian infantry, leading to Roman victory.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Oh, this sinking of the wagons mentioned here is a timely one. Someone else mentioned yesterday a news report about the sinking of the German boats in the Danube to stop the advancing of some fleet. And now the boats are visible because of the drought's having affected the water level of the D.
I wonder how large these wagons were so that an elephant couldn't just walk right over or through them?
And, wwh, your observation about the nave/navel connection sounds on target--at least on the surface. It will be interesting to see what others might find out about that theory today.
Where's tsuwm?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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how large these wagons were
I wonder if the sight of the wagons sunk in the ground caused the elephants to believe that the ground was too soggy to support them.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Nave (?), n. [AS. nafu; akin to D. naaf, G. nabe, OHG. naba, Icel. nöf, Dan. nav, Sw. naf, Skr. nābhi nave and navel: cf. L. umbo boss of a shield. √260. Cf. Navel.]
1. The block in the center of a wheel, from which the spokes radiate, and through which the axle passes; -- called also hub or hob.
2. The navel. [Obs.] hak.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I wonder if the sight of the wagons sunk in the ground caused the elephants to believe that the ground was too soggy to support them.Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! 
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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related to navel
sudden memory of doing cartwheels as a kid. [dizzy-e]
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Oh, Zed! That is one of the cleverest parallels I've read here all year! Wonderful! I'll never look at a wheel again the same--it will be all belly to me.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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 aw shucks
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journeyman
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journeyman
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He had advancing elephants attacked with spears, causing them to turn and trample the Carthaginian infantry
Sounds like the joke about the tanks manned by one of the armies overrun by Hitler's Panzers at the beginning of WWII.
The tanks had 3 gears, two "Reverse" and one "Forward" in case they were attacked from behind.
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