Sorry, I got behind. Too late for you to celebrate.
(1) I like pencils. I rejoice when I find one, among the heaps of dead
and dying ballpoint pens,
in the kitchen. I can use it to add something to the shopping list. If
the point's broken or dull, I have a little pencil sharpener that can
fix it. Old tech, still works. Pencil keeps on working until
it's...gone!
(2) First appears in English ca.1350 meaning a small fine-tipped paint
brush. (Its closest cognate is French pinceau, which still means 'paint brush'.) The device we now know as a "pencil" was invented in the 16th century, and the earliest attestations use expressions like "pencil of
black lead" -- the graphite came from Borrowdale (Cumbria), and was at
first mistaken for a lead ore.
(3) Etymology: Not related to "pen" (Latin penna 'feather').
But related to "penis" (Latin pe:nis 'tail', pe:nicillum 'paint brush').
On 2024-04-02 20:23:53 +0000, Ross Clark said:
[...] (1) I like pencils. I rejoice when I find one, among the heaps of dead and dying ballpoint pens,
I'm the reverse. We have masses of pencils that I never want to use, but if I want a ballpoint that works I can't find one. From time to time I buy a set of four at the supermarket and within a short time they all go wherever ballpoints go. I have a fountain pen that I used during the early days of Covid, but I haven't used it for a long time -- getting too old, 81 today.
I enthusiastically recommend gel pens. Less force needed to write than with the
usual ballpoint, less messy than fountain pens.
On 2024-04-02 20:23:53 +0000, Ross Clark said:
Sorry, I got behind. Too late for you to celebrate.
(1) I like pencils. I rejoice when I find one, among the heaps of dead
and dying ballpoint pens,
I'm the reverse. We have masses of pencils that I never want to use,
but if I want a ballpoint that works I can't find one. From time to
time I buy a set of four at the supermarket and within a short time
they all go wherever ballpoints go. I have a fountain pen that I used
during the early days of Covid, but I haven't used it for a long time
-- getting too old, 81 today.
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