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Scottish Nitroglycerin and One Legged Stools (2014)

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Re: Scottish Nitroglycerin and One Legged Stools (2014)

#21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm suspecting a meaning of "marked by uncontrolled excitement". Given deliberate language of the article otherwise. Suggesting freshly-brewed, not-yet settled nitroglycerine.

It is "when made" in the original: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015030656139&vi...

Thanks. That settles it.

Re: Scottish Nitroglycerin and One Legged Stools (2014)

#22
post #10

Milking stools[1] (especially the strap-on variety) can also be one legged. > "[He'd] give a warning shout and run. So would everybody, you included." reminded me of MAXIM 3: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23503989 [1] another reason for single-legged stools: less likely to trip you up if you need to jump quickly away from a kicking cow. I wouldn't be surprised if nitro factory staff prized that reason, but tol…

The maxims are The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries ¹, the third of which is originally from the Schlock Mercenary webcomic strip of November 1, 2009². 1. https://www.ovalkwiki.com/index.php/The_Seventy_Maxims_of_Ma... 2. https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2009-11-01

I suspect "If you see the bomb squad running try to keep up" is a joke older than the internet.

Re: Scottish Nitroglycerin and One Legged Stools (2014)

#23
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm suspecting a meaning of "marked by uncontrolled excitement". Given deliberate language of the article otherwise. Suggesting freshly-brewed, not-yet settled nitroglycerine.

I think that “when made ” would make more sense in context.

Apparently yes: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24673928

Re: Scottish Nitroglycerin and One Legged Stools (2014)

#24

Milking stools[1] (especially the strap-on variety) can also be one legged. > "[He'd] give a warning shout and run. So would everybody, you included." reminded me of MAXIM 3: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23503989 [1] another reason for single-legged stools: less likely to trip you up if you need to jump quickly away from a kicking cow. I wouldn't be surprised if nitro factory staff prized that reason, but tol…

I saw some bricklayers lay paving stones recently. A few tons of them. They also had strap-on single-legged stools and I was really surprised to see such a specific tool!

Re: Scottish Nitroglycerin and One Legged Stools (2014)

#25
post #9
post #8

I liked this typo: “ A sample is taken of each lot of nitroglycerin when mad. ”

I assumed the "mad" part was just some archaic term. Curious whether it does actually mean something or if it is just a typo.

It’s listed as a form of made in the OED but without any examples close to the 19th century. Webster has this spelling.

Re: Scottish Nitroglycerin and One Legged Stools (2014)

#26
post #13
post #8

I liked this typo: “ A sample is taken of each lot of nitroglycerin when mad. ”

Maybe that’s where the erroneous “e” in “Ayreshire” was meant to be (note: should be Ayrshire)

A bit random, my Grandma went to school in Ayrshire, Iowa [1], which I have to imagine was named after Ayrshire, Scotland.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayrshire,_Iowa

Re: Scottish Nitroglycerin and One Legged Stools (2014)

#27
post #9
post #8

I liked this typo: “ A sample is taken of each lot of nitroglycerin when mad. ”

I assumed the "mad" part was just some archaic term. Curious whether it does actually mean something or if it is just a typo.

It's just a typo. The original has "made". I was expecting the text to be a bit more corrupt, but it looks clean and is probably not an OCR type, but a normal human one.

Re: Scottish Nitroglycerin and One Legged Stools (2014)

#29
This article was quite the interesting read for me! I grew up in Ayrshire, and knew well of the ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries) plant at Ardeer. My maternal grandfathed worked there until retirement, involved in some aspect of the acid mixing and nitroglycerine production (erroneously named by others in my family as 'nitrous'). During World War 2, he was denied release to join the British Army due to being designated "essential to the war effort" as part of the chain to create high explosives. Sadly, he died when I was too young to really be interested in the intricacies of his work. Thus, I was unable to ask him questions about it. I wished others had had the interest in it I have now, so many years later.

While of no relevance to this article or these comments... my memories of my Grandfather are all of a kind, mostly self-educated man, who was denied accepting a full university scholarship - despite pleading from the local Headmaster to his own father - due to his alcoholic father requiring him to go to work and earn money to be able to sustain his 8 younger siblings. He loved his Wife and Daughter, reading Omar Khayyam, watching horse-racing, had a legendary reluctance to accept gifts from anyone lest it put them at a financial disadvantage for having thus done so, and as my Mother told me - always took 2 sandwiches to work with him for over 30 years for his nightly "lunch"; one with cheese, and one with jam.

I mention about him in such manner, as there will likely never be another time that I will find reason to immortalize him online in some small measure of remembrance. And... it made me miss him.

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