April 07, 2006, 16:47
shufitzWordspotting: clinker
In a few days we will hit the centennial of the great San Francisco earthquake, which touched off the worst urban fire in U.S. history. This is from an article in today's WSJ, about the rebuilding after the fire.
Mr. Lee reopened the family store in 1907 in a building made of clinker, or salvaged bricks fused together by the fire.
April 08, 2006, 04:59
CaterwaullerAre clunkers made of clinker?
April 08, 2006, 12:54
<Asa Lovejoy>I'd only thought of a clinker as a hot coal. Maybe I wasn't considering that it was the comparative case, i.e. clink, clinker, clinkest. I'd think the fused stuff would be the clinkest.
April 09, 2006, 02:57
pearcequote:
Originally posted by shufitz:
An interesting word, which leads to many diversions. I seem to remember it was originally from the Netherlands
klinckaerd which became modified to
klinker and meant various types of bricks, made by fusion by the heat of the sun, or a kiln. The contents could include iron salts or lime or carbon impurities which combined to form a hard lump or
clinker . It has been modified to
clinch and
clincher which have taken on different meanings.
Certain small boats are in this part of the world described as
clinker-built; their outer planks overlap each other below, and are fastened together with clinched copper nails. And the Victorians used
clinch nails to make their boots.
The related Dutch verb
klinken meant to ring or tinkle or 'clink'. You can now use it as 'jingle' and apply it to a rhyme or verse.
Now there's a
clincher to make you
clench your teeth. And so on…
April 09, 2006, 04:34
CaterwaullerSounds like this might also be related to the word "cinch" . . . the meanings seem similar.
April 09, 2006, 10:08
<wordnerd>As Pearce said, "An interesting word, which leads to many diversions." Two here are prompted by Pearce's post
Pearce, what's the
clinch nail you mention?
I'd never heard of a ship being
clinker-built, with overlapping planks, but then I'm not nautical. Reading about it revealed that the opposite is
carval-built, with non-overlapping planks.
April 09, 2006, 10:16
<Asa Lovejoy>If my feeble mind remembers correctly, clinker is also known as lap-strake.
April 09, 2006, 10:40
pearcequote:
Pearce, what's the clinch nail you mention?
There are so many variant uses, that I was careful to end with 'And so on…
Here goes (cf. examples quoted in OED):
Clinch is a variant of CLENCH n.: cf. CLINCH v.1]
1. A fastening in which the end of a nail is turned over and driven back into the substance through which it has passed, or in which the end of a bolt is beaten down and flattened upon a metal ring or washer put round it for the purpose; the clinched point of a nail; a clinched nail or bolt. Sometimes CLENCH.
2. Naut. ‘A method of fastening large ropes by a half-hitch, with the end stopped back to its own part by seizings’ (Adm. Smyth): that part of a rope which is clinched.
3. a. A thing which clutches, grips or fixes fast.
b. The grip or hold (of plaster on a wall).
4. A clinching or riveting together; the clinching of an argument, opinion, etc. Also CLENCH.
b. spec. in Boxing. Grappling at close quarters or holding after an exchange of blows.
c. An embrace. colloq. (orig. U.S.).
6. A sharp repartee that twists or turns about the meaning of a word; a word-play, a pun. Also CLENCH.
8. Comb. [In some cases this is the verb-stem.]
clinch-bolt, a bolt that is clinched; clinch-built a. = CLINKER-built; clinch-fist, a grasping fellow, a miser; clinch-hammer, a hammer used for clinching; clinch-joint, the kind of joint used in clinch-work; clinch-nail, a nail of a kind adapted for clinching; clinch plate, a plate on the inside of clinch-work; clinch-ring, ‘a lap-ring or open ring, in which the parts on the sides of the opening overlap each other’ (Knight Dict. Mech.); clinch-work, = CLINKER-WORK.
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I'd never heard of a ship being clinker-built, with overlapping planks, but then I'm not nautical. Reading about it revealed that the opposite is carval-built, with non-overlapping planks.
That is right, though I have no nautical knowledge.
April 09, 2006, 17:20
saranitaThe only usage I recall for the word "clinker" is musical: to hit a sour note, to "hit a clinker."
April 10, 2006, 00:42
Richard Englishquote:
I'd never heard of a ship being clinker-built
Possibly no - but there are many boats built in this way.
April 10, 2006, 16:11
Duncan HowellI seem to recall hearing that the advantage of clinker built boats is that they are slightly flexible. Don't quote me.