User:Enginear
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Apologies for my long absence
The real world intervened excessively...and although I am now back, I will still not editing much, though I shall be mentoring User ddking123, a relative who will often be sharing my internet connection.
Etymology 1
I lived in Birmingham, West Midlands from 1979-82. It is an old city, with a history of many artisans, the "city of 1000 trades". Notable specialities included manufacture of guns and jewellery. When I was there, in the late 20th century, it generated much of its wealth from a wide range of relatively small light and heavy engineering companies. In some areas, it felt as if one vehicle in 100 on the roads was a small mobile crane driving from one works to another to load or unload a heavy item (the works being too small to afford their own cranes). Of course engineering companies make many things other than engines, but Birmingham certainly did produce a lot of engines, some of them rather beautiful. And other trades, eg jewellery, still prospered.
Nonetheless, I was somewhat in awe when I enquired the purpose of a large building the edge of the traditional Jewellery Quarter and was told it was a large-engine earring works -- if the earrings needed a works that big, how large must the engines be! Next, I became somewhat puzzled -- where did the engines wear their earrings -- I hadn't realised engines had ears. But to parody the proponents of the proto-Indo-European language, if many different engine earrings exist, then there must have been common engine *ears to attach them to.
At that point my own proto-linguistic abilities were pressed into use. I knew most engines, particularly large ones, were fitted with lugs, which I had previously assumed were designed for lifting. But then my experience as a Londoner came into play; I realised two things: firstly that many of us referred to ears as lug'oles, and secondly that a particularly cruel teacher had tried to lift a young troublemaker by his ears. Then I remembered, due to my family's NW England connections, that in the Cumbrian language/dialect, ears are indeed called lugs. Several important minerals important to Birmingham manufacturing, including iron and gold, were previously mined in Cumbria. It would seem that the usage of lugs meaning ears travelled with the minerals.
My usage of the name Enginear is intended to publicise this exciting discovery. As Anne Elk said re the Brontosaurus Theory: That is the theory that I have and which is mine.
Etymology 2
An architect friend of mine uses the name Archietekt. The idea of using an analogue in this digital medium pleased me.
Pronunciation
Answers to most names, but has an aversion to being pronounced /dead/.
Noun
Enginear (plural uncited)
- A Christian.
- A husband and father.
- An engineer (previously primary definition, but since persuaded to moderate lifestyle).
- A would-be linguist, fascinated by how languages mutate, hoping to spend time to find out more when I no longer need to work for a living.
- A verbivore (or some would say a verbibore).
- Born in Lancashire, brought up in London, of Cumbrian/Irish/London/French extraction.
- Lives in London, but has also lived in Cambridge and Birmingham; has travelled to most areas of the UK, several areas of Europe, and embarrassingly few further afield.
Objective
Enginear (comparison all too frequent (see Pronunciation), not yet cited as superlative)
- To add words (and phrases) that interest me.
- Including pip emma, vic eddy, pip pip, cut a dash, roller toboggan, personal hygeine, in the trade, pisspot, bread and water, Raj, Brute, front end, sport one's oak, lyke, lich-gate, in return, monkey's
- To improve existing entries that interest me.
- Including [some of these may already have been done] point, pointless, disruption, on the fly, domestic, porta-potty, temple, Easter, Passover, conjunction, boost, take French leave, postscript, loony left, nanny state, Ancien Regime, encyclopaedic, chainring, runner, wot, stiffener (drink), black, nought, chat, entextualisation, join (in sense of insist another party fights an action with you), Parisienne (English), oversight (in sense of panel of overseers), chuff, afield, noli illegitimi carborundum, Tube, bullfinch, titty, worn't, transparently, pet door, doggie door, alright, 4-4-2 etc, momentarily, to pressure, pressurise, at home, tit, apple-pie bed, toxology, defusion, sheet meaning rope, telephone box, verbal, level, rest on one's laurels, agape#Noun, 4x2, foodie, 'arf, nem con etc, bier, gurn, lese majesty, lose one's rag, toe in or out (description ambiguous), rack and ruin, rack rent (etymology)
- To add/improve words relating to engineering and construction.
- Including boiler, geyser, DHW, furnace, hydronic, space heating, heat, plant room, newel post, piston rod, site (verb), curtain, curtain wall, spandrel, spandrel beam, spandrel panel, single-family dwelling, coolth, Calorie, Cal
- To consider adding British English dialect words and pronunciation.
- Including bootiful, "w:Yan Tan Tethera" numbers
- To ensure pronunciations are given for each word in English is Tough Stuff
Proposition and Conjunction
Enginear
- Following a successful proposition, I am conjoined with someone I hope to persuade onto this site in the future (see Noun sense 2).
Proverb
(Enginear's)
- Just give me bread and water, and a slide rule in my hand, and I'll make it work precisely with a great big rubber band. (Apologies to Albert Hammond).
- Noli illegitimi carborundum.
Verb
{{en-verb}}
- To massage text into excruciating puns.