Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

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

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
#119546 01/11/04 01:40 AM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
" I have found a wing of his house turned into a hospital for sick men, and there I once spent a week in the company of two dismal nurses and a specialist in "Sprue."

I haven't seen this word in a long time, and don't remember much about it. I'll go look it up.

So I looked it up. No board member would care to read the
long paragraphs I found But I found one that gives an idea of the collection of symptoms and problems involved.

"Celiac sprue is a chronic digestive disorder in which damage to the lining of the small intestine leads to the malabsorption of minerals and nutrients."

It must have been very mysterious when Kipling learned the name.

When I worked in a foundry summers to get money for college,
a sprue was the place in mould where the molten metal was
poured in. And after the casting had cooled, and the mould
taken apart, the casting had protrusions formed when the molten metal cooled in the channel of the sprue in the mould. These had to be removed carefully to avoid damaging
the casting.

\Sprue\, n. [Etymol. uncertain.]
1. (Founding)
(a) Strictly, the hole through which melted metal is
poured into the gate, and thence into the mold.
(b) The waste piece of metal cast in this hole; hence,
dross.

2. (Med.) Same as {Sprew}.



#119547 01/11/04 01:47 AM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
sprue to me means the piece that held all the parts together in the plastic models that I used to build.



formerly known as etaoin...
#119548 01/11/04 02:01 AM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Dear etaoin: that of course was an extension from the
sprue in metal casting moulds. When pig iron is cast, the little channels which connect the pigs would be similar to the plastic rod to which you plastic parts were attached.



Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,322
Members9,182
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Ineffable, ddrinnan, TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV
9,182 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 519 guests, and 4 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 10,535
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