Obscure dictionary trivia
 

Nick Cooper wrote:
On Sun, 3 Oct 2004 08:51:44 +0000 (UTC), "Troy Steadman"
wrote:

"Mark Brader" wrote in message


Which disaster that took place in what is now (and maybe was then,
I won't be specific) a part of the London Underground system is
mentioned in the Oxford English Dictionary?

Google suggests the London Underground has been mercifully spared
too many disasters - not sure where "accident" finishes and
"disaster" starts mind you...

The crush at Bethnal Green and the wartime bombing of the other "B"
stations...

Bamden Town? Bambeth North??? Barble Arch???? Brafalgar square?????

Bank and Balham, I assume, though I wouldn't have thought these
warranted a mention in the OED. I don't think that any disaster of this
sort has coined a new word in the language, so I assume that there is a
reference to the disaster in an entry for the part of London where it
happened. The disaster would therefore have to be very significant in
the history of either the location or London's railways in general.

Moorgate can be ruled out, as the location of the disaster is no longer
in the LU system. Harrow (1952) is a possibility but here too the
mainline tracks on which it occurred aren't part of the LU system.
King's Cross seems the most likely, as the disaster had a huge effect
thereafter on the physical and procedural aspects of the Underground
system. There's no entry for King's Cross in my 1-volume New Oxford
Dictionary of English, but maybe in the OED itself ...?
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

Obscure dictionary trivia
 

Nick Cooper wrote to uk.transport.london on Sun, 3 Oct 2004:

The crush at Bethnal Green and the wartime bombing of the other "B"
stations...

Bamden Town? Bambeth North??? Barble Arch???? Brafalgar square?????

Bank, ITYF
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 26 September 2004

Obscure dictionary trivia
 

"Richard J." wrote in message
. ..
Nick Cooper wrote:
On Sun, 3 Oct 2004 08:51:44 +0000 (UTC), "Troy Steadman"
wrote:

The crush at Bethnal Green and the wartime bombing
of the other "B" stations...

Bamden Town? Bambeth North??? Barble Arch???? Brafalgar square?????

Bank and Balham, I assume

And Bounds Green.

Did no-one get my message about the blowout during the contruction of the
Thames Tunnel which
nearly killed IK Brunel?

--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro...69/tpftla.html
A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood.
That's why my vehicle's the Piccadilly Line -
It's the size of a county and it comes every two and a half minutes

Obscure dictionary trivia
 

"John Rowland" wrote in message


Did no-one get my message about the blowout during the contruction of the
Thames Tunnel which
nearly killed IK Brunel?

Nearly killing someone is a pretty feeble disaster.






--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

Obscure dictionary trivia
 

"Richard J." wrote in message ...
Moorgate can be ruled out, as the location of the disaster is no longer
in the LU system. Harrow (1952) is a possibility but here too the
mainline tracks on which it occurred aren't part of the LU system.

Maybe you've struck the answer without realising it.

Harrow, as in "a harrowing experience". Would that be it, or is this
some strange coincidence?

I look forward to the right answer!

PhilD

--

Obscure dictionary trivia
 

"Richard J." wrote in message
. ..
Nick Cooper wrote:
On Sun, 3 Oct 2004 08:51:44 +0000 (UTC), "Troy Steadman"
wrote:

"Mark Brader" wrote in message


Which disaster that took place in what is now (and maybe was then,
I won't be specific) a part of the London Underground system is
mentioned in the Oxford English Dictionary?

Google suggests the London Underground has been mercifully spared
too many disasters - not sure where "accident" finishes and
"disaster" starts mind you...

The crush at Bethnal Green and the wartime bombing of the other "B"
stations...

Bamden Town? Bambeth North??? Barble Arch???? Brafalgar square?????

Bank and Balham, I assume, though I wouldn't have thought these
warranted a mention in the OED. I don't think that any disaster of this
sort has coined a new word in the language, so I assume that there is a
reference to the disaster in an entry for the part of London where it
happened. The disaster would therefore have to be very significant in
the history of either the location or London's railways in general.

Moorgate can be ruled out, as the location of the disaster is no longer
in the LU system. Harrow (1952) is a possibility but here too the
mainline tracks on which it occurred aren't part of the LU system.

I thought of Harrow last night, and it is pretty far out on the edge of the
underground, so is unlikely to have been part of the underground as long as
the central parts. However, people were using harrows well before 1952 I
believe, so it is unlikely to be mentioned in the context of a disaster.
Although I don't have an OED to check.

Marcus

Obscure dictionary trivia
 

"Troy Steadman" wrote in message
news:229e869a0de5ed313d9e4aded13accff.125090@mygat e.mailgate.org...
"John Rowland" wrote in message


Did no-one get my message about the blowout
during the contruction of the Thames Tunnel which
nearly killed IK Brunel?

Nearly killing someone is a pretty feeble disaster.

ISTR six non-famous people died.

--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro...69/tpftla.html
A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood.
That's why my vehicle's the Piccadilly Line -
It's the size of a county and it comes every two and a half minutes

Obscure dictionary trivia
 

On Sun, 3 Oct 2004, Mark Brader wrote:

Which disaster that took place in what is now (and maybe was then, I
won't be specific) a part of the London Underground system is mentioned
in the Oxford English Dictionary?

I'll guess Moorgate; the term 'Moorgate control' is now used in describing
some sort of fail-safe signalling thingummajig, so you might expect it to
be in the dictionary. When Moorgate happened, it was a LU-operated line;
it's now NR. You could still argue that Moorgate station is 'part of the
London Underground system', though.

Also, do you know for certain that there are no other mentions of tube
disasters in the OED?

tom

--
NOW ALL ASS-KICKING UNTIL THE END

Obscure dictionary trivia
 

On Mon, 4 Oct 2004, John Rowland wrote:

Did no-one get my message about the blowout during the contruction of
the Thames Tunnel which nearly killed IK Brunel?

Liked his food, did Brunel.

tom

--
NOW ALL ASS-KICKING UNTIL THE END

Obscure dictionary trivia
 

"John Rowland" wrote in message

"Troy Steadman" wrote in message
news:229e869a0de5ed313d9e4aded13accff.125090@mygat e.mailgate.org...
"John Rowland" wrote in message


Nearly killing someone is a pretty feeble disaster.

ISTR six non-famous people died.

I still think a proper disaster would have got him.


--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG