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both groin and quoin are wedges...quoins are corner
blocks-- wedges of different sort
(also "coign")
Additional meaning: in the Good Old Days, when type was set by hand out of the California Job Case, the block of carefully-ordered type was placed into a form (the "chase"), the rest of the space filled out with blocks, and then the whole page was firmly fixed in place by tightening wedge-shaped pieces against each other, one set horizontal and another vertical, to use up any remaining space. The wedges were called - you guessed it - quoins, and the gadget used to do the final tightening was a "quoin key."
(And if you were so unfortunate as to drop the form before it was rigid, everything fell apart - the type was now "pied" - and you had to start all over again, and you were QUITE unhappy about all that wasted effort.)
If I can find a URL for the quoin, I'll add it on.
edit: Durn. Lots of places with words to describe the process, but I couldn't find one with a picture.
Entire Thread Subject Posted By Posted my money is on the corner piece of troy 04/19/02 12:01 AM Re: my money is on the corner piece wwh 04/19/02 12:28 AM Re: my money is on the corner piece WhitmanO'Neill 04/19/02 12:40 AM Re: my money is on the corner piece Flatlander 04/19/02 01:22 PM Re: groin vault<barrel vault Wordwind 04/19/02 01:35 PM Re: my money is on the corner piece of troy 04/19/02 02:00 PM Re: my money is on the corner piece maverick 04/19/02 02:17 PM Re: my money is on the corner piece of troy 04/19/02 02:23 PM flip that quoin! wofahulicodoc 04/19/02 11:06 PM Re: flip that quoin! Capital Kiwi 04/21/02 12:39 AM Re: flip that quoin! Jackie 04/21/02 01:22 AM Re: flip that quoin! Sparteye 04/21/02 02:19 PM Re: flip that quoin! wofahulicodoc 04/25/02 10:30 PM Re: my money is on the corner piece rkay 04/19/02 02:02 PM Re: my money is on the corner piece of troy 04/19/02 02:11 PM
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