The Horologicon: A Day's Jaunt through the Lost Words of the English Language by Forsyth Mark

Author:Forsyth, Mark [Forsyth, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: etymology, Humour, english language, words
Publisher: Icon Books
Published: 2012-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

Skeuomorphs

The handle of the common or garden teacup is a classic example of a skeuomorph. In the nineteenth century, when photography was still in nappies, exposure times were so long that people who were walking would be blurred. They would have ghosts flowing out behind them. It was this that introduced the idea in paintings and drawings that movement could be indicated by lines flying out behind a moving object. Photography changed our visual ideas and that changed representations in other mediums. The viewer looks at a blurred drawing and thinks: ‘Ah, the chap’s running. I know that because of the technological failings of photography.’ Think about it: have you ever actually seen a runner with lines coming out of their back?

There’s a technical term for this: it’s skeuomorphic. A skeuomorph is a technological limitation that is deliberately imitated even when it’s no longer necessary. My digital camera has a little loudspeaker that emits a clicking noise when I take a photograph, just like an old mechanical camera.

Once upon a time there were teacups whose handles you might reasonably fit your fingers through. They were handles that you could, well, handle. But now they remain purely as skeuomorphic decoration, a mere memory of usefulness.

Now that the tea is ready and piping hot, it’s time to summon your fellow thermopotes (or drinkers of hot drinks). You could do this with the rather dull shout of ‘Tea’s up’, but for a bit of tropical allure there’s nothing like this entry in an eighteenth-century dictionary:

CONGO. Will you lap your congo with me? Will you drink tea with me?

You may add some moo juice, but as Fielding said: ‘Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea.’

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