World Wide Words is copyright © Michael Quinion, 1996–2004.
[Q] From Paul Gretton in The Netherlands; similar questions came from Bernie Booth and Pete Shaw in Sheffield: “Any thoughts on the origin of bog-standard, as in bog-standard comprehensive?”
[A] First some background for readers not close to British affairs. The comment about “bog-standard comprehensives” was produced at a briefing in February 2001 by the Prime Minister’s press spokesman, Alastair Campbell. A comprehensive school in Britain is one for children from 11 to 16 that caters for both sexes and all ranges of abilities.
Bog-standard is a well-known informal term, which originated in Britain; it means something ordinary or basic, but often in a dismissive or derogatory way. Mr Campbell used it like that and offended those who support the comprehensive system. (It had sufficient impact, though probably only temporarily, that I’ve seen one writer refer to a young man “just out of the local bog standard”, expecting to be understood.)
Bog-standard is a puzzling phrase and nobody knows where it came from. It first appeared in writing in the 1980s, seemingly out of the air. Several subscribers have told me that they remember it from the late 1960s and early 1970s in Rolls Royce and Ford factories and from other engineering environments.
The most obvious suggestion is that it has a link with bog. This has long been a British slang term for a lavatory or toilet. It’s a shortened form of the older bog-house for a latrine, privy, or place of ease, which is seventeenth century and is a variation on an even older term, boggard. (This doesn’t seem to have any connection with the other sense of boggard or boggart for a goblin or sprite.) The slangy bog definitely has a negative edge to it, so it might just be the origin, though how it came about is far from clear.
Despite the obvious association of ideas, the set of words for privy places doesn’t seem to link directly with bog for a marshy area (though the association no doubt helped it along). There are derogatory terms associated with bogs, such as bog-trotter, an eighteenth-century term of abuse for an Irish person. But words like these hardly seem like a source for bog-standard.
There is a common story that bog here is really an acronym from “British or German”, on the grounds that standards in manufacturing were set in Victorian times by British and German engineering. That’s hardly likely, but it’s an interesting example of the tendency among amateur word sleuths to explain any puzzling word as an acronym.
The only other suggestion I’ve seen for the origin of the term is that it’s a corruption or variant form of box-standard, for something that is just the way it comes out of the box, with no customisation or improvements. There’s a big problem with this, in that there’s almost no written evidence for anybody using box-standard in this way.
The exception is a comment by the British computer inventor and all-round genius Sir Clive Sinclair. In February 1983, he said in an interview with the magazine Computerworld: “Luckily, we cannot foresee the day when a computer becomes just a standard box. There will be box-standard machines along the road, but we do not simply have to make those”.
In the same way that one swallow doesn’t make a summer, one sight of the phrase is hardly conclusive evidence, but it does suggest that there just conceivably might have been a jargon phrase in the electronics business at the time, which has since been appropriated and generalised. Or Sir Clive may just have made it up on the spur of the moment as a pun on bog-standard, and the true history of the phrase lies elsewhere.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
DDOHH: A beautiful Sound (You're not a monk.)
A man's car broke down as he was driving past a beautiful, old monastery. He walked up the drive and knocked on the front door of the monastery. A monk answered, listened to the man's story and graciously invited him to spend the night. The monks fed the man and led him to a tiny chamber in which to sleep. The man thanked the monks and slept serenely until he was awakened by a strange, beautiful sound.
The next morning, as the monks repaired his car, he asked about the sound that woke him. The monks said, We're sorry. We can't tell you about the sound. You're not a monk. The man was disappointed, but eager to be gone, so he thanked the monks for their kindness and went on his way. During quiet moments afterward, the man pondered the source of the alluring sound.
Several years later, the man was driving in the same area. He stopped at the monastery on a whim and asked admittance. He explained to the monks that he had so enjoyed his previous stay, he wondered if he might be permitted to spend another night under their peaceful roof. The monks agreed and the man stayed. Late that night, he heard the sound again. The next morning, he begged the monks to explain the sound. The monks said, "We're sorry. We can't tell you about the sound. You're not a monk. "
By now, the man's curiosity had turned to obsession. He decided to
give up everything and become a monk if that was the only way to learn about the sound. He informed the monks of his decision and began the long and arduous task of becoming a monk.
Seventeen years later, the man was finally established as a true member of the order. When the celebration ended, he humbly went to the leader of the order and asked to be told the source of the sound. Silently, the old monk led the new monk to a huge wooden door. He opened the door with a golden key. That door swung open to reveal a second door of silver, then a third of gold and so on until they had passed through twelve doors, each more magnificent than the last. The new monk's face was awash with tears of joy as he finally beheld the wondrous source of the mysterious sound he had heard so many years before....
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...but I can't tell you what it was. You're not a monk.
The next morning, as the monks repaired his car, he asked about the sound that woke him. The monks said, We're sorry. We can't tell you about the sound. You're not a monk. The man was disappointed, but eager to be gone, so he thanked the monks for their kindness and went on his way. During quiet moments afterward, the man pondered the source of the alluring sound.
Several years later, the man was driving in the same area. He stopped at the monastery on a whim and asked admittance. He explained to the monks that he had so enjoyed his previous stay, he wondered if he might be permitted to spend another night under their peaceful roof. The monks agreed and the man stayed. Late that night, he heard the sound again. The next morning, he begged the monks to explain the sound. The monks said, "We're sorry. We can't tell you about the sound. You're not a monk. "
By now, the man's curiosity had turned to obsession. He decided to
give up everything and become a monk if that was the only way to learn about the sound. He informed the monks of his decision and began the long and arduous task of becoming a monk.
Seventeen years later, the man was finally established as a true member of the order. When the celebration ended, he humbly went to the leader of the order and asked to be told the source of the sound. Silently, the old monk led the new monk to a huge wooden door. He opened the door with a golden key. That door swung open to reveal a second door of silver, then a third of gold and so on until they had passed through twelve doors, each more magnificent than the last. The new monk's face was awash with tears of joy as he finally beheld the wondrous source of the mysterious sound he had heard so many years before....
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...but I can't tell you what it was. You're not a monk.
Monday, July 26, 2004
DDOHH: The Miracle of Toilet Paper
Fresh from my shower, I stand in front of the mirror, complaining tomy husband that my breasts are too small. Instead of characteristicallytelling me it's not so, he uncharacteristically comes up with asuggestion.
"If you want your breasts to grow, then every day take a piece oftoilet paper and rub it between your breasts for a few seconds."
Puzzled but willing to try anything, I fetch a piece of toilet paperand stand in front of the mirror, rubbing it between my breasts. "How long will this take?" I ask.
"They will grow larger over a period of years," he replies.I stop. "Do you really think rubbing a piece of toilet paper betweenmy breasts every day will make my breasts larger over the years?"
Without missing a beat he says, "Worked for your arse, didn't it?"
"If you want your breasts to grow, then every day take a piece oftoilet paper and rub it between your breasts for a few seconds."
Puzzled but willing to try anything, I fetch a piece of toilet paperand stand in front of the mirror, rubbing it between my breasts. "How long will this take?" I ask.
"They will grow larger over a period of years," he replies.I stop. "Do you really think rubbing a piece of toilet paper betweenmy breasts every day will make my breasts larger over the years?"
Without missing a beat he says, "Worked for your arse, didn't it?"
Friday, July 23, 2004
Totally GridBag
Today I was doing research on GridBagLayout and found out that it was my turn to find this link not funny.
http://madbean.com/blog/2004/17/totallygridbag.html
http://madbean.com/blog/2004/17/totallygridbag.html
Monday, July 19, 2004
FSL: The Bee Gees: I've Gotta Get a Message to You
I've Gotta Get a Message to You
The Bee Gees
The preacher talked to me and he smiled,
Said, "Come and walk with me, come and walk one more mile.
Now for once in your life you're alone,
but you ain't got a dime, there's no time for the phone."
I've just got to get a message to you, hold on, hold on.
One more hour and my life will be through, hold on, hold on.
I told him I'm in no hurry,
but if I broke her heart, won't you tell her I'm sorry.
And for once in my life I'm alone,
and I've got to let her know just in time before I go.
I've just go to get a message to you, hold on, hold on.
One more hour and my life will be through, hold on, hold on.
Well I laughed but that didn't hurt,
and it's only her love that keeps me wearing this dirt.
Now I'm crying but deep down inside,
well I did it to him, now it's my turn to die.
I've just got to get a message to you, hold on, hold on.
One more hour and my life will be through, hold on, hold on.
The Bee Gees
The preacher talked to me and he smiled,
Said, "Come and walk with me, come and walk one more mile.
Now for once in your life you're alone,
but you ain't got a dime, there's no time for the phone."
I've just got to get a message to you, hold on, hold on.
One more hour and my life will be through, hold on, hold on.
I told him I'm in no hurry,
but if I broke her heart, won't you tell her I'm sorry.
And for once in my life I'm alone,
and I've got to let her know just in time before I go.
I've just go to get a message to you, hold on, hold on.
One more hour and my life will be through, hold on, hold on.
Well I laughed but that didn't hurt,
and it's only her love that keeps me wearing this dirt.
Now I'm crying but deep down inside,
well I did it to him, now it's my turn to die.
I've just got to get a message to you, hold on, hold on.
One more hour and my life will be through, hold on, hold on.
Thursday, July 15, 2004
BC4J Discussion with a number of useful points
New Struts-based Toy Store Sample App from Oracle
Got there via Steve Muench's blog and found it mostly useful as some questions has generated quite enlightening and insightful answers with further leads to follow.
Got there via Steve Muench's blog and found it mostly useful as some questions has generated quite enlightening and insightful answers with further leads to follow.
DDOHH: Actors/actresses...
Actresses/Actrius
Spain 1996/Dir Ventura Pons
Review
...old adage that actors are something less than men and actresses are
something more than women.
Spain 1996/Dir Ventura Pons
Review
...old adage that actors are something less than men and actresses are
something more than women.
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
DDOHH: Eric Douglas
From Popbitch
Eric (son of Kirk) Douglas, who died this week, tried his hand at stand-up comedy back in the 80s. He had some success in Las Vegas and brought his, frankly dreadful, act to London. On the first night Eric gets about two jokes in before the heckling begins. Used to respect from audiences because he was the son of one of America's best loved actors Eric was surprised at the hostile reaction. Eventually he snapped and screamed "You can't treat me like this... I'm the son of Kirk Douglas!"
After a very brief pause, a wag at the back of the audience stood up and shouted "No! I'm the son of Kirk Douglas"...then someone else stood up and shouted "No! I'm the son of Kirk Douglas" and so on.
Eric left the stage in tears.
Eric (son of Kirk) Douglas, who died this week, tried his hand at stand-up comedy back in the 80s. He had some success in Las Vegas and brought his, frankly dreadful, act to London. On the first night Eric gets about two jokes in before the heckling begins. Used to respect from audiences because he was the son of one of America's best loved actors Eric was surprised at the hostile reaction. Eventually he snapped and screamed "You can't treat me like this... I'm the son of Kirk Douglas!"
After a very brief pause, a wag at the back of the audience stood up and shouted "No! I'm the son of Kirk Douglas"...then someone else stood up and shouted "No! I'm the son of Kirk Douglas" and so on.
Eric left the stage in tears.
Monday, July 12, 2004
IRL: Samurai Techniques for Your Work and Life
Yet another gem from my Japanese shelf that is out-of-print nowadays.
Alas.
Fighting to Win: Samurai Techniques for Your Work and Life
by David J. Rogers
The Teaman and the Ronin
In feudal Japan, a poor practitioner of chado, the Way of tea, unwittingly insulted a ronin, a masterless samurai. Outraged, the ronin challenged the servant to a duel.
"I'm not a warrior," the teaman said, "and I'm very sorry if I offended you. I certainly didn't mean to. Please accept my apology."
But the ronin would have none of it. "We meet at dawn tomorrow," he said, and as was customary he handed the terrified teaman a sword. "Go practice," said the ronin.
The servant ran to the home of a famous sword master and told him the terrible thing that had happened.
"A unique situation," the sword master said. "For you will surely die. The thing I might be able to help you with is isagi-yoku, the art of dying well."
While they talked, the teaman prepared and poured tea. The masterful way he did it caught the eye of the sword master. He slapped his knee and said, "Forget what I just told you. Put yourself into the state of mind you were in as you prepared the tea and you can win this fight."
The teaman was shocked. The sword the ronin had given him was the first he had ever held. "What state of mind?"
"Were you thinking 'I'm a teaman?' " asked the master. "No. I wasn't thinking at all."
"That's it!" The sword master laughed. "Tomorrow draw your sword and hold it high over your head, ready to cut your opponent down. Don't think you're a teaman or that you're a swordsman. Just listen. When you hear him shout, strike him down."
The next morning the ronin appeared on the field and the teaman immediately raised his sword overhead, his eyes on the ronin, his ears waiting for the battle cry.
For long moments the ronin stared at the raised sword, and the determination in his opponent's eyes. Finally the ronin said, "I cannot beat you." He bowed to his opponent and then left the field.
Alas.
Fighting to Win: Samurai Techniques for Your Work and Life
by David J. Rogers
The Teaman and the Ronin
In feudal Japan, a poor practitioner of chado, the Way of tea, unwittingly insulted a ronin, a masterless samurai. Outraged, the ronin challenged the servant to a duel.
"I'm not a warrior," the teaman said, "and I'm very sorry if I offended you. I certainly didn't mean to. Please accept my apology."
But the ronin would have none of it. "We meet at dawn tomorrow," he said, and as was customary he handed the terrified teaman a sword. "Go practice," said the ronin.
The servant ran to the home of a famous sword master and told him the terrible thing that had happened.
"A unique situation," the sword master said. "For you will surely die. The thing I might be able to help you with is isagi-yoku, the art of dying well."
While they talked, the teaman prepared and poured tea. The masterful way he did it caught the eye of the sword master. He slapped his knee and said, "Forget what I just told you. Put yourself into the state of mind you were in as you prepared the tea and you can win this fight."
The teaman was shocked. The sword the ronin had given him was the first he had ever held. "What state of mind?"
"Were you thinking 'I'm a teaman?' " asked the master. "No. I wasn't thinking at all."
"That's it!" The sword master laughed. "Tomorrow draw your sword and hold it high over your head, ready to cut your opponent down. Don't think you're a teaman or that you're a swordsman. Just listen. When you hear him shout, strike him down."
The next morning the ronin appeared on the field and the teaman immediately raised his sword overhead, his eyes on the ronin, his ears waiting for the battle cry.
For long moments the ronin stared at the raised sword, and the determination in his opponent's eyes. Finally the ronin said, "I cannot beat you." He bowed to his opponent and then left the field.
Monday, July 05, 2004
Java 1.5.0 Now Officially Java 5.0
slashdot.org
Hm.... But most credible explanation:
Re:Other Famous Version Number Skips (Score:5, Interesting)
by Kourino (206616) on Sunday July 04, @06:45PM (#9608903)
(http://slashdot.org/)
Emacs.
Some time ago, the developers realized that GNU Emacs would probably never change its major version number (which is 1). So, after some point, instead of "GNU Emacs 1.x.y", they started dropping the 1 (since it was constant information and therefore redundant). So the current release of GNU Emacs is actually 1.21.3, but it's called "GNU Emacs 21.3".
This actually appears to be what Sun is doing now. They've done it before with Solaris/SunOS ... twice, in fact.
Version *strip* not skip. (Score:4, Informative)
by Turadg (13362) on Sunday July 04, @07:48PM (#9609324)
(http://aleahmad.net/turadg/)
Exactly. This isn't a version number "skip"; it's a version number "strip".
The second digit becomes the first and the third the second. This is perfectly in line with accepted norms when you consider the improvements of 1.4.2 over 1.4.1. For minor increments, Sun had to resort to seriously odd numbers like 1.4.2_04.
Makes sense to me. The "2" in J2SE is unfortunate, but at this point the numericity of that character is dead. J2SE, J2EE and J2ME are just brands, not versions.
Hm.... But most credible explanation:
Re:Other Famous Version Number Skips (Score:5, Interesting)
by Kourino (206616) on Sunday July 04, @06:45PM (#9608903)
(http://slashdot.org/)
Emacs.
Some time ago, the developers realized that GNU Emacs would probably never change its major version number (which is 1). So, after some point, instead of "GNU Emacs 1.x.y", they started dropping the 1 (since it was constant information and therefore redundant). So the current release of GNU Emacs is actually 1.21.3, but it's called "GNU Emacs 21.3".
This actually appears to be what Sun is doing now. They've done it before with Solaris/SunOS ... twice, in fact.
Version *strip* not skip. (Score:4, Informative)
by Turadg (13362)
(http://aleahmad.net/turadg/)
Exactly. This isn't a version number "skip"; it's a version number "strip".
The second digit becomes the first and the third the second. This is perfectly in line with accepted norms when you consider the improvements of 1.4.2 over 1.4.1. For minor increments, Sun had to resort to seriously odd numbers like 1.4.2_04.
Makes sense to me. The "2" in J2SE is unfortunate, but at this point the numericity of that character is dead. J2SE, J2EE and J2ME are just brands, not versions.
Thursday, July 01, 2004
DDOHH: England jokes
Q: Why aren't the England football team allowed to own a dog?
A: Because they can't hold on to a lead.
Q: What's the difference between the England team and a tea-bag?
A: The tea-bag stays in the cup longer.
OXO were going to bring out a Euro 2004 Commemorative cube painted red,
white and blue in honour of the England squad. But it was a laughing
stock and crumbled in the box.
Q: Why do English make better lovers than Portuguese/Germans?
A: Because English are the only one's who can stay on top for 90
Minutes and still come second!
Q: What is common between a 3 pin plug and the England football team?
A: They are both useless in Europe!
Q: What's the difference between O J Simpson and England?
A: OJ Simpson had a more credible defence
Rumours that David Beckham was seen successfully seducing a young woman
in a Portuguese nightclub with a one-liner have been completely refuted
by the English FA. Adam Crozier, chief publicity officer stated: "I
find it totally preposterous to suggest that one of our players could make
a successful pass to or at anyone."
Q. What's the difference between the English and a jet engine?
A. A jet engine eventually stops whining.
Q. What's the difference between a dead dog on the road and a dead
English football fan on the road?
A. There are skid marks in front of the dog.
Q. What do English football fans and sperm have in common?
A. One in 3,000,000 has a chance of becoming a human being.
Q. If you see an English football fan on a bicycle, why should you
never swerve to hit him?
A. It could be your bicycle.
Four surgeons are taking a coffee break.
The first one says, "Accountants are the best to operate on because
when you open them up everything inside them is numbered." The second
surgeon says, "Nah, librarians are the best; everything inside them is in
alphabetical order." Third surgeon says, "Try electricians. Everything
inside them is colour-coded." The fourth one says, "I prefer English
football fans. They're heartless, spineless, gutless and their heads and
arses are interchangeable."
Did you hear about the UK politician who was found dead in an English
football jersey?
The police had to dress him up in women's underwear in order to save
his family from the embarrassment.
Did you hear that the UK Post Office has had to recall their latest
stamps with pictures of English football players on them. People couldn't
figure out which side to spit on.
Q. What do you have when 100 English football fans are buried up to
their necks in sand?
A. Not enough sand.
A: Because they can't hold on to a lead.
Q: What's the difference between the England team and a tea-bag?
A: The tea-bag stays in the cup longer.
OXO were going to bring out a Euro 2004 Commemorative cube painted red,
white and blue in honour of the England squad. But it was a laughing
stock and crumbled in the box.
Q: Why do English make better lovers than Portuguese/Germans?
A: Because English are the only one's who can stay on top for 90
Minutes and still come second!
Q: What is common between a 3 pin plug and the England football team?
A: They are both useless in Europe!
Q: What's the difference between O J Simpson and England?
A: OJ Simpson had a more credible defence
Rumours that David Beckham was seen successfully seducing a young woman
in a Portuguese nightclub with a one-liner have been completely refuted
by the English FA. Adam Crozier, chief publicity officer stated: "I
find it totally preposterous to suggest that one of our players could make
a successful pass to or at anyone."
Q. What's the difference between the English and a jet engine?
A. A jet engine eventually stops whining.
Q. What's the difference between a dead dog on the road and a dead
English football fan on the road?
A. There are skid marks in front of the dog.
Q. What do English football fans and sperm have in common?
A. One in 3,000,000 has a chance of becoming a human being.
Q. If you see an English football fan on a bicycle, why should you
never swerve to hit him?
A. It could be your bicycle.
Four surgeons are taking a coffee break.
The first one says, "Accountants are the best to operate on because
when you open them up everything inside them is numbered." The second
surgeon says, "Nah, librarians are the best; everything inside them is in
alphabetical order." Third surgeon says, "Try electricians. Everything
inside them is colour-coded." The fourth one says, "I prefer English
football fans. They're heartless, spineless, gutless and their heads and
arses are interchangeable."
Did you hear about the UK politician who was found dead in an English
football jersey?
The police had to dress him up in women's underwear in order to save
his family from the embarrassment.
Did you hear that the UK Post Office has had to recall their latest
stamps with pictures of English football players on them. People couldn't
figure out which side to spit on.
Q. What do you have when 100 English football fans are buried up to
their necks in sand?
A. Not enough sand.
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