Thursday, August 16, 2012

Colloquialisms

Every profession seems to have it's own jargon and we continue to laugh as we hear new expressions.  We started our careers in the Aerospace industry and have always used the term 'close enough for government work' when we're measuring things (keep in mind, it wasn't unusual to hold tolerances to .003" in that industry - go figure!).

Another one that crops up pretty frequently is 'dead nuts' when something comes out exactly right - although I'm not sure where that one comes from.  I googled it and found definitions ranging from nautical terms to the origins of measurement.  And there was one entry that said it means extra crazy!  So it's been around a long time.

One that's new to us is 'caulk and paint makes us what we ain't'.  That rang true the other day when we pulled out a piece of molding from a window that had more caulk than wood.  I guess some folks add duct tape to that expression as well.  We've certainly seen lots of that in these old houses.

And a new favorite of Richard's is 'nothing new after 2'.....which means you can't start a new project late in the day.  He uses that about once a week now!

So what expressions have you heard tied to renovating homes?

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4 comments:

  1. Haha - "close enough for government work" was my biochemistry professor's favorite expression as well. It was used in nearly every lab situation...

    Love reading about your progress!

    Your reader in Cape Elizabeth

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  2. I worry what could happen in a lab if you weren't measuring carefully!!! LOL

    Thanks so much for reading our blog. Much appreciated!

    Laurel

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  3. I'm also from Maine (and run a blog too) and we're in the middle of renovating our house. More like beginning but you get my point. We use the term "nuts on" when something is just right. In our house "nothing new after two" doesn't hold up, because we always start projects throughout the day. Just last week or so we ripped out a wall and reframed it up for a new window. We started at about 6:30pm and were done by the time it was dark. Things go on until the bugs start biting hard around our place!

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    Replies
    1. You start at 6:30 pm??? Wow, I'm about to collapse by that time of day! And the bugs have been so ferocious this year, I'm not sure I'd last long anyway.

      What's your blog address? Would love to see it!

      Laurel

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