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Conference thebay::joyoflex

Title:The Joy of Lex
Notice:A Notes File even your grammar could love
Moderator:THEBAY::SYSTEM
Created:Fri Feb 28 1986
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1192
Total number of notes:42769

351.0. "Misnoners" by INK::KALLIS (Hallowe'en should be legal holiday) Tue May 05 1987 11:27

    One thing that's bothered me is misterminology.  I'm opening this
    note to duiscuss same.
    
    First example: "crystal."
    
    "Crystal" is applied to a type of glass.  Glass is differentiated
    from such things as quartz because glass has _no_ crystalline
    structure, and hence is _not_ a crystal.
    
    In addition to being made out of ground and polished quartz (giving
    correct terminology), many "crystal balls" are made out of glass.
    Some are even being manufactured of clear plastic.  
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
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351.1GENRAL::JHUGHESNOTE, learn, and inwardly digestTue May 05 1987 12:158
    Nothing to do with the topic, but .0 struck me as having an interesting
    potential for being wrongly hyphenated:
    
>    		One thing that's bothered me is mister-
>    		-minology.   I'm  opening this note  to 
>    		discuss same.

351.2MR. or MRS. or MS.SAHQ::LILLYTue May 05 1987 12:423
    As in MR. Minology or
    MRS. Sippi or
    MS. Nomers?
351.3ERASER::KALLISHallowe'en should be legal holidayTue May 05 1987 15:015
    Or Mr. Ree,
    Mrs. Goodasa Mile, or
    Ms. Tic.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
351.4'Crystal' glassVIDEO::KOVNEREverything you know is wrong!Thu Apr 07 1988 20:5215
    Since nobody bothered to explain the mis-naming of "crystal" glass,
    here is my explanation.
    
    Circa the Middle Ages, quartz crystal was used to make many objects
    we now make from glass. Those made from crystal were higher quality
    than those made from the glass of the time. 
    
    As the supply of large crystals ran out, glassmaking improved, so
    many items were made of the improved glass, but the name stuck.
    
    (Well, the history is correct; I am guessing that the name "crystal"
    was applied to the higher-quality glassware.)
    
    Steve Kovner
    
351.5crystal clearVIA::RANDALLback in the notes life againMon Apr 11 1988 22:4614
    I wouldn't call this so much a mis-naming as an extension of
    the meaning -- and an old extension, at that.  
    
    One of the outstanding characteristics of crystal quartz is
    its clarity.  
    
    Things made out of crystal quartz are clear.
    
    Things made out of very high quality glass are clear.
    
    Therefore, you can call such glass 'crystal glass' or just
    crystal, for shorthand.

    --bonnie
351.6Combination Lock...DECSIM::MERLETTEMon Aug 01 1988 18:474
    One of my favorite misnomers is the term "combination lock". According
    to the mathematical definition (where the order of the numbers is
    important) the proper term should be "permutation lock".
    			-Darryle
351.7TKOV52::DIAMONDThu Mar 01 1990 03:442
    Seems to me the title of this topic is a misnomer.
    (By one character.)