Subject: heeltap results

From: Jean-Joseph Cote <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 28 Dec 2002 21:04:18 -0500

I personally thought that this was an excellent crop of definitions,
though I note that the votes seem to have largely piled up on two of
them.  In the end, it came down to a close race, with Aussie edging out
Pierre (who didn't cast his one-point vote, by the way).  And I finally
got the satisfaction of having picked a word for which nobody believed
the real definition.

Lead on, Aussie!

Jean-Joseph
_______________________________________
> heeltap - n. - (Irish-American slang) a short time; a moment.
by Judith.  No points.
Joe: This is too believable.  My skepticism says that it can't be right,
because it seems so right, so, alas, I cannot award it any points.
Linda: Nice use of the ever-popular Irish dancers.

> heeltap - n. - a device for making holes for countersunk screws.
by Pierre.  Ranjit 2, Aussie 2, Judith 1, Hutch 2 = 7 points
Aussie: It SOUNDS right. 
Hutch: As soon as I saw this, I thought, "That's IT!" Which, of course,
means that it's not: 2 points.
Linda: I've seen a lot of tools advertised on tv lately, and could not
decide which to get for my husband, but this is a new use for one tool.
[I bought one a couple of weeks ago.  It was called a "countersink". --
J-J]

> heeltap - n. - a bolt which locks a door in place against a floor or
ceiling.
by Joe.  Linda 2, Elliott 1 = 3 points
Linda: I'm going to go with this def, because it seems the most
useful--and the most aggravating when you are trying to use it.
Elliott: Plausible.
[I'm going to have to remember to look next time I'm at Home Depot to see
what this is really called. -- J-J]

> heeltap - n. - (Texas slang) 1. a divining rod sensitive to oil.  2. a
geological map.
by David.  No points.
Linda: My dad and one of my sons could find buried water pipes using 
L-shaped pieces of coat hanger swinging freely inside cardboard tubes
from the same hangers.  When they moved and crossed, there was your
pipe's location.  Not sure a rod could be used to divine oil--don't they
use sonar for that now?  Another old man used a needle on a thread to get
yes and no answers quite successfully.

> heeltap - n. - the drain valve used for water heater maintenance
> or point-of-supply use. 
by Aussie.  Ranjit 2, Judith 2, Elliott 2, Pierre 2 = 8 points
Hutch: Somebody else thinking along the same lines as me (less so than
the liquor at the bottom of the glass, but close)
Linda: I'm supposed to maintain my water heater?  I thought you just
threw the
defective ones into the woods--at least the old timers did.
Elliott: Plausible.
Pierre: This sounds the most plausible.

> heeltap - n. - a small amount of liquor remaining at the bottom
> of a glass after drinking.
The Truth.  No points for the truth.
Hutch: Somebody else thinking along the same lines as me. But this is
called "backwash" *L*
Linda:  this is probably it--but isn't it often called the dregs?  or
does it have to have particles in it?
[And no, I don't know the etymology, or why there's a word for this, for
that matter.  And I think what Hutch is referring to is slightly
different; in college we used to call it "spooj". -- J-J]

> heeltap - adj. - [orig. two words] of a barrel or keg that is tapped
> at the end rather than the side.
by Hutch.  David 1 = 1 point.
Joe: Aren't most kegs tapped that way?
Linda: Kinda deceptively obvious.

> heeltap - n. - a light kick under the table used as a signal to bid
> higher (bridge) or keep quiet (spouse).
by Linda.  No points.
Joe: Funny, but I'm afraid I can't actually give it any points.
Hutch: And two more great minds who think alike (the risky hint and the
kick under the table).

> heeltap - n. -  One of the small curved lines, in proximity to a
character
> or object, intended to indicate vibration in cartoon narrative.
by Eric.  Aussie 1, Hutch 1 = 2 points
Aussie: It's not true - I think I've studied cartooning enough to know -
but it's very good.  Although, come to think, heeltaps would be straight,
no curved.
Hutch: I'm SURE this isn't it. But it's so good it needs points: 1 point
Linda: A few years ago I went back to the libe to try to find a
cartooning book from my childhood with the names for cartooning marks,
with no luck. All I remember are "crottles"  (a plus sign in the eyes to
indicate unconsciousness) and "spurl", that spiral over a drunken
person's head.
PS I was going to use crottles as a fictionary word, but no longer--my
dictionary lists it/them as some sort of lichen, if I recall.
Elliott: A real dictionary would say "near", not "in proximity to", and
would omit "narrative".
Pierre: I've seen this called a "moovle".

> heeltap - n. - 1. a hint from a subordinate intended to avert an
> imminent blunder by a superior without tipping off others present.
> 2. any especially risky undertaking.
by Elliott.  Joe 2 = 2 points
Joe: 2 points for the "If there isn't a word for this, there should be"
award, although def 2 doesn't really mesh as well as I would've liked.
Hutch: And two more great minds who think alike (the risky hint and the
kick under the table).
Linda: Like a kick under the table?

> heeltap - n - the emergency stop pedal or "dead man's brake"
> on a motorized carnival ride, which will cause the ride to stop
> if not kept depressed at all times by the operator.
by Ranjit.  David 2, Joe 1, Linda 1 = 4 points
Joe: 1 point for the "I know this exists, but I don't know what it's
called" award.
Linda: I have been afraid to ride on these rides since having seen a few
minor accidents caused by sloppy operators--years ago.  I can't recall
the rides being manipulated by anything but hand levers.  I know some
operators are conscience, but many appear to have crottles and spurls in
abundance.  One point if this pedal will be installed and in wide use,
unless it leaves
me on top of the ferris wheel.
Elliott: Clever!  Honorable mention, but I'm out of points.