Date: Sat, 5 Nov 1994 05:54:30 -0800 From: James Beniger Subject: Re: Relics "Hangup" has survived even to computers. It is, for example, the actual command equivalent of exit, quit, logoff, etc., in Comserv. -- Jim Beniger ******* On Wed, 2 Nov 1994, Warren A. Brewer wrote: > My favorite "relic" is telephone terminology. We still say, "Your > phone's off the hook," "Hang up and redial." I've never even seen > an old-fashioned telephone where the receiver had to be hung up on a > hook, except on tv or in movies. Haven't used a dial since I can't > remember when. Suppose this is semantic shift with loss of original > referent. > > Cf. to ship goods by plane/truck/train, as well as by boat still. > To (set) sail <-- ? affix sails on a boat? > > ---Wab. >