LANGUAGE OF MOTORING

Taranaki Daily News, 12 May 1934, Page 15 (Supplement)

LANGUAGE OF MOTORING

A valve lifter can be made from a double strap steel hinge by bending the ends to be parallel when parted sufficiently to slip above and below the partly compressed valve spring. Each end should have a slot cut into it, to pass the valve stem. A square slot in one arm of the hinge will take the squared shank of a coach bolt, while a round hole in the other arm allows the threaded end of the bolt to pass through. The spring may be compressed by tightening the nut, which is more easily operated if it is of the wing-nut type. * * # » In view of the large number of older model cats now in use, an analysis of mechanical defects made by the Automobile Club of New York is of interest. The club examined thousands of cars, and a tabulated report shows that only 04.5 per cent, of the number were in perfect condition. Of the remainder 32.7 per cent, had defective brakes and 24.8 per cent, faulty headlights. The percentages of other defects were wheel alignment 13.1, stop light 13.2, horn, windscreen wiper, and rear vision mirror 4.8, tail and parking lights 4.8, steering 3.6. The American club uses its figures to illustrate the need for some regular inspection of cars in the interests of road safety.

NEW NOMENCLATURE ADOPTED. ADDITIONS TO THE DICTIONARY. (From Our Own Correspondent.) London, March 22. I have been sent a list of words which demonstrates interestingly how the motoring movement tends to enrich the English language. But perhaps “enrich” is scarcely the appropriate word, for much of the motoring vocabulary is inclined to have a slangy flavour. Today nearly everything that is built up on a frame is said to have been built on its “chassis,” yet not so many years ago the word was practically unknown except to those who had some connection with motoring.

Then there are terms which were once applied only to driving actions or difficulties. “Speeding,” to “step on it,” “flat out,” “cutting in,” and perhaps the greatest difficulty of all, “parking,” are now words which have a universal application. The great oil companies are continually giving us new words of their own to denote some special quality in their products. A new one on me—as an eminent judge recently put it—is “startability,” which etymological purists will probably boggle at but which certainly expresses succinctly one of the most important assets of a motor fuel. The term “arterial” as applied to roads is a comparatively new addition to the English vocabulary, as is also of course “by-pass.” The genius of the English language is even operating in a way that tends to improve certain words which are themselves comparative newcomers to our tongue. Not so long ago, we Usually talked about “garages” when we had in mind the replenishment of our fuel tanks. But nowadays to denote a place in which to park one’s car. So the term “filling station” is gaining ever wider currency, as well as “service station” when we think of repairs and adjustments.

Among slang words relating to motoring we have, of course, “jay-walkers” and “road hogs,” together with “speed cops,” and “backseat-drivers.” Finally, mention must be made of words which have' sprung from descriptions of various types of cars. The advent of the “supercharged” car added a word to the English language which is now applied to anything of high power. Then there is the word ‘“bus,” which was formerly used as an affectionate diminutive for one’s ageing car. But I find that nowadays it is usually the owners of new, high-speed models that talk of their “bus.”

Sometimes the publicity departments qf the makers of various commodities endeavour to popularise words denoting a proprietary product by the simple expedient of dropping the capital letter. It may be some form of safety glass or some new oil. This is a legitimate device, but those guardians of the English tongue, the sub-editors of newspapers, usually see to it that the missing capital is replaced by another. s * * « Before installing a new cylinder-head gasket on your car, soak it in water for a few minutes. This treatment softens the asbestos centre so that it can be compressed when the head is pulled down tightly on the motor block, thus making an effective seal between the two parts.