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Now--there is quite a difference, in my mind, between "fog" and "smog". I think of LA as being "smoggy", while Seattle is "foggy".

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smog [smoke+fog], dense, visible air pollution. Smog is commonly of two types. The gray smog of older industrial cities like London and New York derives from the massive combustion of coal and fuel oil in or near the city, releasing tons of ashes, soot, and sulfur compounds into the air. The brown smog characteristic of Los Angeles and Denver in the late 20th cent. is caused by automobiles.

from The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.

Right--smog is related to air pollution, while fog is related to the amount of water in the air. I have always been told that the England has more fog than normal because it is surrounded by water. However, I don't live there, & since Arnie and Richard do, I bow to their reports.

Perhaps London's fog is much like Chicago's wind. While Chicago has been called the windy city, Chicago isn't particularly windy. Most Chicago history books say that the windy city description developed because of Chicago's "long-winded" politicians.

[This message was edited by Kalleh on Sun Jan 5th, 2003 at 10:44.]

I imagine that England is probably foggier than the US as a whole because so much of the US is away from the sea, which is a prime source of fogs. In England there is nowhere more than about 100 miles away from the sea. However, for most of England a foggy day is rare, although perhaps misty starts to the day are fairly common.

The infamous London smogs were stopped fifty years ago by the Clean Air Acts, as has already been mentioned by Richard.

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
I think of LA as being "smoggy", while Seattle is "foggy".

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Seattle, alas, has plenty of smog.

Tinman

In trying to figure out the names of the colors on a 1930 Model A Ford, we came across the following names of colors, which we had no idea whatsoever, what they were!

Copra Drab, Chicle Drab

Copra, NOUN: The dried white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted.

Drab, NOUN: 1. A dull grayish to yellowish or light olive brown. 2. Cloth of this color or of an unbleached natural color.

Chicle, NOUN: The coagulated milky juice of the sapodilla, used as the principal ingredient of chewing gum.

YUM!

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Originally posted by Morgan:
Chicle, NOUN: The coagulated milky juice of the sapodilla, used as the principal ingredient of chewing gum.

YUM!

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Actually, the principal use of chicle may be as an ingredient of chewing gum, as was true back when chewing gum first became popular (hence the name "Chiclets") but for many years now the principal ingredient of modern chewing gum has been a form of synthetic rubber.

YUM, indeed!

Reviving an old thread....
Why do red lights mean "stop"? She thinks that, since red means passion, the red light should mean "go". She says that blue or green are cooler colors, meaning calmness, and would better mean "stop". Is it because red is such a bright color? Does anyone know?

I remembered our discussion above about this question. Interestingly, when I was in Hawaii, I saw green stop signs! All the stop signs weren't green....but some were. How confusing! Has anyone seen this before? Does it mean anything different, besides "stop?"

I can't verify that this is true but according to several books that I've read about revolutionary China, traffic lights in Shanghai were indeed changed to red for "go" and green for "stop" to allign with their revolutionary ideas. I imagine that if it is true it must have caused chaos.

Reviving an old thread to prove myself wrong...

Most Chicago history books say that the windy city description developed because of Chicago's "long-winded" politicians.

Never say that I don't step up to the plate when I am wrong (though, I wish I were proving jheem wrong!)

In today's Chicago Tribune there was an excellent article about the etymology of the phrase "Windy City" for Chicago. They convinced me that it wasn't associated with a politician's hot air, as many sources (including the Chicago Public Library) say. In fact etymologist Barry Popik, who is also a traffic judge in NY, found the earliest reference to it on May 9, 1876, in the Cincinnati Enquirer in a report about a May 6th tornado. The article was entitled "The Windy City," and Popik says that the headline really had a double meaning. Evidently during those times, civic name-calling was popular. Popik says that cities used to build themselves up by tearing others down. The headline clearly was double-edged, Popik says, both referring to the storm and "windy speakers." The Enquirer also quipped that the twister failed to damage the buildings in Chicago because they were "so heavily weighed down with mortgages." They apparently also printed several jokes accusing Chicago women of having large feet, though Popik says that if you don't find that hilarious, "maybe you had to be there." I wonder what the "big feet" referred to. Just unattractive (big) women?

Here is Barry Popik's Web site. The 'windy city' reference is on the bottom, but there are many New York phrases here, too, that he has researched. He is apparently a consultant for the OED, as well as a judge.

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Originally posted by C J Strolin:
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, my forehead scrapes the floor. (and, come to think of it, no one ever got back to me with where the hell that phrase came from!)

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I came across this quote while looking for something else. I think the expression comes from the practice of bowing to show respect or out of fear.

Here's what I found on M-W Online:

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scrape verb
to draw back the foot along the ground in making a bow.
scrape a leg : to make a low bow
noun
a bow made with a drawing back of the foot along the ground

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and from the OED Online:

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scrape, v.
intr. To make obeisance, to bow drawing the foot back, ‘to make an awkward bow’ (J.).
Often to bow and scrape, with contemptuous reference to over-ceremonious politeness or reverence.

1645 GIPPS Serm. 12 Who will scrape to a keeper for a piece of Venison, who may have free accesse to the master of the game to aske and have? 1646 J. WHITAKER Uzziah 24 Have you not known some in a low condition, to bow and scrape? 1761 CHURCHILL Rosciad 396 By turns transform'd into all kinds of shapes, Constant to none, Foote laughs, cries, struts, and scrapes. 1818 SCOTT Hrt. Midl. xxviii, He ducked with his head and shoulders, scraped with his more advanced hoof, and withdrew to his own domains. 1867 TROLLOPE Chron. Barset xxxv. I. 301 Bowing and scraping and rubbing his hands together.

scrape, n.
An awkward bow or salutation in which the foot is drawn backwards on the ground. Often coupled with bow or leg.

1628 EARLE Microcosm., Scholler (Arb.) 41 But his scrape is homely, and his nod worse. [/i][b]1660 WOOD Life (O.H.S.) I. 366 That they might make long legs and scrapes to them. 1721 AMHERST [i]Terræ-Filius[/i] No. 39 (1726) II. 50 A formal fellow..going to see an acquaintance of his..made a thousand scrapes and cringes. 1722 DE FOE Col. Jack vi, I..made him abundance of bows and scrapes. 1787 J. P. ANDREWS Anecd. (1790) 146 He drew from his purse a guinea, and with a scrape, made an uncouth offer of it. 1842 S. LOVER Handy Andy i, To every one of these assurances..Andy made a bow and a scrape. 1869 BLACKMORE Lorna D. xv, Uncle Reuben made his very best scrape and then walked up to the table.

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Bowing has long been practiced by various cultures throughout the world, to show respect or fear, or perhaps a little of both.
Bowing to show reverence has long been a cultural and religious practice in Asia. Some trace it to the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama (Shakyamuni Buddha), the founder of Buddhism, around 530 BC:

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But when the Buddha approached them, it is reported that these five monks were so struck by the transformation of their former friend, by his serenity and the radiance of his personality, that they spontaneously placed their palms together and greeted him with deep bows. Perhaps it is a little misleading to say that they greeted him. More accurately, it should be said that they were bowing not to their old friend Gautama, but rather to the Buddha--the Enlightened One.

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There are different kinds of bow, one of which is prostration, "saikeirei (最敬礼), literally 'most respectful bow.'" In this type of bow the head literally "scrapes the floor."

Bowing takes all forms. As little kids we are taught to bow our heads in prayer. We bow respectfully to our dance partners. We nod our heads in greeting or agreement. We hang our heads in shame. We grovel out of fear or respect.

Bowing is taught at an early age in Japan

Tinman

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tinman,

Now, that did take a long time to find, didn't it, Tinman? CJ asked the question November 12, 2002! (Where the heck has CJ been these days?? )

Thanks! That was quite enlightening!