Re: OT More pens (was Re: Phoneme winnowing continues)

Barry Garcia wrote:
> Constructed Languages List <CONLANG@...> writes:
>
>>Why they're called lead is beyond me.
>
>
>
>
> I call them "pencil refills" because I use a .7 MM graphite rod refil in
> my mechanical pencil. You never have to sharpen these and the tips don't
> break off leaving a useless stump. Plus the line is always the same.
>
> But, i digress, some of my friends call them graphites, since well, that's
> what they are, graphite.
>
> And as john said, it's cultural lag. I mean pencils were still being
> called "lead pencils" when i was a little kid and they were already made
> of graphite then (and i assume even 30 years prior). I think some tests
> i've taken have specified a "Graphite pencil" as a required implement.
I remember being scared, as a little kid, that I was going to die of
lead poisoning aftr I accidentally stabbed my finger with a "lead" pencil.