Message text written by "Jim Muller"
>> Check out
> http://www.quinion.com/words/qa/qa-chu2.htm
I respectfully disagree with, or at least question, the origin of
"churchkey" (or "church key") as given in that website. I wouldn't
have been paying much attention in 1951 but from my limited
experience the term was applied because of the prevalence for opening
beer or Coke (a.k.a. "Cocola") bottles at church picnics. Beer cans
were possible then too, but the predominant use of the pointy end was
to open oil cans.
I remember back when softdrinks didn't come in cans, but I don't
recall non-poptab softdrink cans. Seems to me that the invention of
the poptab was what made the softdrink companies think they could
sell the idea of cans to the public.
<
Well, I had heard (who knows where) that "Church Key" referred to the harp
shaped bent wire device for removing the crown-caps from bottles and that
it doesn't apply to the flat metal bar also used for this as well as
piercing non-pop-top cans. But my limited research has not verified this
rumor.
So, since this is not a terribly important issue I'll leave it rest.
Besides, Im at the Champaign British Car Festival on a rare, non-rainiy
weekend.
Cheers all.
Dave
/// triumphs@autox.team.net mailing list
/// or try http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool
/// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive
|