Randall Young wrote:
> Just in case you are confused by the above, in British English, a 'fender'
> is something you put on the side of a boat, to keep it from hitting the
> dock. The piece of metal (or fiberglass) that goes over the top of the
Curiously enough, for buses, even in American English, fender is used in
the context above. For buses, which usually have more or less slab
sides, the edge of the wheelwell has a rubber molding which extends out
away from the panel, protecting it from light scrapes and bumps, just as
does a fender in the British sense.
I suspect that this is one of those words the meaning of which gradually
evolved. Likely, very early in auto manufacture, there were no fenders,
in any sense. Accidents likely broke wooden wheels, so "fenders" were
added to protect the wheels, then evolved into something to minimize
splash in bad weather, and gradually became an integral part of the
running boards, and eventually of the styling of the car itself.
Now, why the British insist on calling them "wings," I am not at all
sure. Was there, in wagon terminology, a wingboard? (!)
Cheers.
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