Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1879-07-29
Things thai are Misnamed.


The Philadelphia Trade journal pre-
faces a list of misnomers applied to arti-
Giles well known in trade by saying
Why should trade not have a Johnson
or Webster to classify and correct the
mass of Inconsistencies that go to make
up its nomenclature? We not only tax
our brains to invent fantastic names
for every new fabric, varied perhaps on
ly by thread or a shade from what our
grandparents wore century ago, but
there are in use positive misnomers for
many staple articles Of merchandise.
The following imperfect list, culled
from sources ready at hand will give n
faint idea of them:
Acid (sour), applied in chemistry to Il
class of bodies to which sourncss is only
accidental, and by no means universal
characteristic. Thus rock, crystal, quartz
flint, etc., are chemical acids, though no
particle of acidity belongs to them.
Black lead does not contain n single
particle Of lead, being composed Of car
bon and iron.
Brazilian grass does not come from
Brazil, or even grow there; nor is it
grass at all. 1t consists Of strips of n
palm leaf (chdmaeropS dyeatca) and is
imported chiefly srom Cuba.
Burgundy pitch is not pitch, nor is it
manufactured in or exported from Bur-
gundy. The best is resinous substance
prepared from frankincense and brought
from Hamburg; but by far the greater
quantity is mixture of resin and palm
OIL
China, as a name for porcelain, gives
rise to the contradictory expressions,
British china, Dutch china, Chelsea chi
ma, etc., like wooden milcstoncs, iron
milestones, brass shoe-horns, iron pens,
sceel pens.
Cutie bone is not bone at all, but u
structure of pure chalk, once embodied
loosely in the substance Of certain eX-
tinct species ofcuttle fish. 1t Is enclos-
ed in membranous sac, within the body
Of the fish, and drops ont when opened,
but it has no connection whatever with
the sac or the cutie fish.
Galvanized iron is not galvanized. 1t
is simply iron coated with zinc; and
his is done by dipping il IN a zinc bath
containing muriatic acid.
German silver is not silver at all, nor
was The metallic alloy called by that
name invented by German, but has
been in use in China time out Of mind.
Honey soap contains no honey, nor Is
honey in any way employed in its man
uiac,urc. 1t miXtWc Of palm oil
soap, aud olive oil soap, each one part,
with three parts Of cmda0ar or yc.!o"
soap, scented.
Japan lacquer contains no lac at all,
but is made from Il kind Of nut tree call
Kid gloves are not made from kid
skins, but Of lamb or sheep skins. At
present many Of ,hcm are made Of rat
skins.
Mccrschaum is not pctridel "scafoam,'
MS H. name implies, but Is u composition
Of silica, mogncsia md water
Mosaic gold has no connection with
Moses or the metal gold, ltis I'M alloy
Of copper and zinc, used Ia the ancient
or tesselated work
Mother Of pearl is the inner layer of
several sorts of shells. It is not the
mother of pearl, us It's name indicates,
but in some cases thcmatrix ofthc pearl.
q Pen means II feather (Latin penad, n
wing. A steel pen Is not a very choice
expression.
Prusslan blue does not come from
Prussia, but Is the preciptate of the salt
of protoxlde of iron with prussiatc Of po-
tassa.
Salad oil Is not oil for salad, but oil
for cleaning sallcdes, I. C., helmets.
Salt Is not salt at all, aud has long
been excluded from the class Of bodies
"sats,"
Sealing wax Is not wax at all, nor
does II contain single particle of wax,
II IA made of shcllac, Venice turpcntlne
aud clnnabar. Clnnabar gives 1t n deep,
red color, and the turpcntnercndcrs The
shellnc soft and less brittle.
Sperm oil properly means "sced OIL"
(Latln, spcimd, seed, from the notion
that II was srormdccH (the sperm or melt
ofu whale). The sperm whale IL the
whale Is the whale which gives the
"sccd oil" which Is taken chiefly, but
not wholly, from the head.
Whnlcbnnc Is not bone ut ALL nor does
II possess any OF the properties Of bone.
lt Il n substance attached to the upper
jaw Of the whale, aud serves TO strain
the water which the creature takes up
In large moutllfuls.