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Why?
Feb 4, 2015 11:20:05 GMT
Post by Albert on Feb 4, 2015 11:20:05 GMT
Why is, 'A one night's stand', so called because the night is spent laying down?
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Why?
Feb 5, 2015 9:37:25 GMT
Post by Chris on Feb 5, 2015 9:37:25 GMT
Albert -
The Appleby Googler here ........
"One night stand" is evidentially an old theatrical term usually for a guest appearance for one night only - with no commitment to a second night. So sort of easy to see how that got a changed interpretation.
And "black box" - this has become the common name for the flight recorder, with no one actually knowing exactly why it is called black (when it is orange). The nearest I could find was this article that covered some of the more common theories.
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As such, there are a number of theories about how the term “black box” came about. One theory states that the name came from the fact that the boxes were often blackened and charred from fires occurring after the crash. Given the first known instance of someone calling it this was about the time Warren was invited to England to further his work on the devices (before they were widely installed on planes, other than for testing purposes), this seems unlikely. Another, much more plausible, theory is that it’s a holdover from WWII where the Royal Air Force used to refer to various experimental devices put on planes, such as the Oboe targeting system, as a “black-box.” Another very plausible explanation is that it is originally from the engineering practice of calling a system that takes input, does something to it, then gives some output, without specifically referencing the internal workings of the device- how it actually accomplishes the thing it’s meant to do- a “black box.” Either way, the nickname was (and still is) particularly popular with members of the media, while aviation experts almost always refer to them as flight data recorders.
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Another theory I saw was that some of the very first boxes were actually black, but very difficult to find in the event of a crash. So international orange became the mandated standard.
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Why?
Feb 5, 2015 18:37:55 GMT
Post by Albert on Feb 5, 2015 18:37:55 GMT
Thanks Chris, that's sorted out the black box and laying down !
Nice to talk to you for the first time at the PO. BTW, the PO computer went down the other day and one couldn't even by a single stamp without it.
Quite frightening really how techy is taking over our lives.
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Why?
Feb 16, 2015 7:46:20 GMT
Post by Albert on Feb 16, 2015 7:46:20 GMT
Chris, A man had mistakenly eaten a daffodil bulb thinking it was an onion. He ended up in hospital and will be coming out in the spring.
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Why?
Feb 16, 2015 9:28:39 GMT
Post by Chris on Feb 16, 2015 9:28:39 GMT
Blooming funny !
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Why?
Feb 16, 2015 13:40:22 GMT
Post by Albert on Feb 16, 2015 13:40:22 GMT
One could say that I have my Wordsworth there.
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