Re: "write him" was Re: More questions

Costentin Cornomorus wrote at 2003-11-27 14:47:50 (-0800)
 > --- "Mark J. Reed" <markjreed@...> wrote:
 > > On Thu, Nov 27, 2003 at 09:51:54PM +0000,
 > > Stephen Mulraney wrote:
 > > > Let me get a quick poll of another (to my
 > > mind) oddity.
 > > >
 > > > Does anyone employ phrases like "The water
 > > > will stop immediately the stop-cock is
 > > > turned"?
 >
 > Rarely. I understand it to be British.

It may be, as everyone so far seems to think it is, but it doesn't
occur in my own speech.  I'd probably have guessed it to be an
Americanism.

 > > First of all, I never hear the word
 > > "stop-cock" over here; it's a "faucet".
 >
 > I wasn't aware that a fawcet, spigot or tap in
 > British is "stop-cock"? In the US, a stopcock is
 > little doololly you find in chemistry labs that
 > allow liquids to flow into or out of tubing,
 > flasks, etc.
 >

Well, it isn't, exactly.  We don't call taps stopcocks, except for the
one that controls the main water supply to a house (or something
similar).

My dictionary (New Oxford) says "an externally operated valve
regulating the flow of a liquid or gas through a pipe, in particular
one on the water main supplying a house".

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