English as she is spoke or writ

[Strine]

Quite often, I'm questioned here as to whether it is in fact English that we Australians speak. We do really. It's the isolation; our language has evolved differently.... a bit like how come our indigeneous rabbits evolved into animals with really long tails and bound around on there back legs :wink: What we might consider to be common usage has a lot of other English speakers scratching their heads. The 'ocky strap' instance immediately springs to mind.

Anyway, what I thought might be of interest is a collection of common terms, phrases or cliches (I hate that word it's such an annoying cliche) that trace their roots to Blacksmithing. Forging ahead or Forging a link are obvious.

This is common ground I reckon and sidesteps the language barriers. So how about it, strike while the iron's hot and make an addition :)

[Swamp Fox]

Don't fly off the handle or loose your temper mate (temper-mate = temperment?), someone will chime in (ring the anvil for a striker).

[Don A]

Too many irons in the fire.

[yesteryearforge]

hit it fair and square

[elkdoc]

"strike while the iron is hot"

edited: Oops... Missed this one already, Strine. Somebody get me some coffee.

[JimG]

Edit: one of the two entries under consideration and removed for now.

Post deleted by Jim.

[HWooldridge]

Slack tub used to be "slake" so that is where you could 'slake your thirst'. I'd also heard somewhere that "face down" came from the smithy - probably when the smith drank some of that good old honey mead.

[Strine]

I'd have to be pretty thirsty to drink out of my slake tub but I get the drift H

[mike-hr]

After forging a long piece that ended up crooked and bent, lay on the anvil, look for spaces, and "Beat the daylights out of it". Eventually it ends up straight.

[anvillain]

This one may or may not have come from blacksmithing, so if it came from some other source I trust no one will get "all bent out of shape over it" :mrgreen:

anvillain

[Ralph]

How about
" Going at it hammer and tongs"

[Strine]

Not to put too fine a point on it Anvillian, and without hammering out the details it's a fair bet if 'it' was all bent it'd end up at the smith for repair.

[elkdoc]

Have really enjoyed this thread... :lol:

[6013]

Back in the days of the Roman Empire, the famous Emperor Nero instituted a new game. The players would take those little disks you set your glass on in order to protect the furniture, and see who could get the most distance rolling them across the floor. Back in those days, the disks were made of iron, and they would bet on whose disk would roll the farthest. They called them ferrous wheels. They are first roller coasters.


Ferrous wheel for the iron rim wearing surface on the outside of the wooden wheel.

[HWooldridge]

That's interesting because I thought a fellow named George Ferris designed/invented one for the Chicago World's Fair (the big one - with seats - so people could ride it)...

However, I like "ferrous wheel" better.

[Ed Thomas]

Okay, now we're going to have to ask Glenn to open up yet another section: "Extra Silly"

rolling coasters, ferrous wheels, Mary: go round...

[Strine]

Fair Go H no point spoiling a good yarn with some well founded research. I like it heaps and the explanation wasn't too drawn out either.

[anvillain]

It just shows what a wonderful medium the English language is! I doubt that any other language has so many opportunities for humorously misconstruing what was originally said nor so many ways of saying the same thing. It can be so personalized that its almost as if each person has his own dialect. I have been "smitten" by the clever replies.

Anvillain

[anvillain]

I found an old grindstone in the dirt floor of my grandads old shed the other day. It was worn down to about 13" diameter. I guess a lot of neighbors that came by must have had an "axe to grind"

Anvillain

According to the "born loser" the future isn't what it used to be!

[frogvalley]

I have been told that "Get the blues" is from the smithy. Never hammer iron into the blue for sure. Spawned a whole lot of blues related culture if true. Anyone know the etymology of that phrase?

[Ten Hammers]

Some folks think a Forgery is a fake but we of course know different. Forged (especially hand forged ) makes for strong, elegant , superior merchandise.

[Strine]

Froggy. Maybe "the blues" comes from how sad you get when you grind a favourite tool to blue...stuffing the temper in the process. I wonder if it's related to upset

[anvillain]

I was caused to remember another saying that was no doubt attributed to smithing: "A chain is no stronger than its weakest link." As I had an elderly log chain come apart between tractor and mulberry stump.

Anvillain

[Dan Crabtree]

this one is so often over looked as a blacksmithing term used in every day life. Im suprised that since I chimed in so late no one got it but I thought of it today at a demonstration.... Red Hot

[Strine]

Here that'd be a RHG... He gave it a red hot go. Usually used to describe a valiant but unsuccessful attempt at something. As you've probably noticed, down here it could mean a couple of things. As is often the case the context is paramount in understanding strine. Red hot could describe an exclaimation that's just a bit too unbelievable. He was 8' tall....that's a bit red hot. Or it could be used to describe something good, She was red hot....a prime example of the female form

I wonder why none of the above has any reference to something either red or hot.

She might be a little too red hot...too hot to handle