Technical terms that become 'words'

[chunkolini]

I love unravelling our weird language, ie how technical terms become everyday words fascinates me. Interesting how they are often used to describe people.
a few examples.
Dross, the leftovers from oxyfuel cutting processes, an undesirable leftover.
I remember hearing my Mum, an ex english teacher using this term to describe a mate of mine, an ex student of hers. She may have have been right.
Slag, a mix of oxide deposits from the smelting process.
Can also be used as a pejorative term.
Going 'Ropey' things have gone wrong.
I think I have discovered the roots of this one by accident. A while back my cider maker chum had a batch of Perry (not pear cider, no such thing) that he said had had gone 'Ropey', pour it and it was like a bottle of strings being poured, looked revolting, some weird reaction in the fermentation had made it go all 'ropey'.
There are loads of others, cant remember them.
Heaps of them.

 

[TechnicAl]

Isnt CRAP a reference to THOMAS CRAPPER inventor of the toilet

or is that a urban myth

 

[Wedg1e]

I've heard or read that too, Al.

Chunko, if you're bored, see how many words and phrases have naval origins! From calling the toilet the 'head' to swinging the lead, there's loads of examples. I bet there's a webpage somewhere devoted to them...

You did miss out 'scum' though...

 

[hotrodder]

Snopes reckon that's a myth. Weird how all the ones that come to mind for describing people are (or became) derogatory, spastic/spaz for example. Everything else i can think of is about body parts rather than people... gusset, flange, shaft (i did use 'em in a sentance but i doubt Malcolm would've liked it)

 

[Norm]

"****ed" springs to mind, that's a technical term that I use quite a lot when trying to make stuff,

 

[Engineer1964]

Isnt CRAP a reference to THOMAS CRAPPER inventor of the toilet

or is that a urban myth

He invented the Ballcock, not the toilet

Thomas Crapper (baptised 28 September 1836; died 27 January 1910) was a plumber who founded Thomas Crapper & Co in London. Contrary to widespread misconceptions, Crapper did not invent the flush toilet. He did, however, do much to increase the popularity of the toilet, and developed some important related inventions, such as the ballcock. He was noted for the quality of his products and received several royal warrants.

 

[Shox Dr]

Not so much single words, but phases

http://www.phrases.org.uk/

 

[rtcosic]

Chalk River Unidentified Deposit. Urban Myth or acronym given to fouling in the cooling system of a experimental Canadian Nuclear Power Station?

 

[bigegg]

"shoddy" is waste from a textile mill(?)

"warped" - possibly also from weaving - the "warp" is woven between the "weft", which is held in tension, so the "warp" bends, but the "weft" is straight.

I used to know quite a few from coal mining, but not sure if that's just local dialect, rather than "English"

 

[rtbcomp]

Shoddy