Monday, March 15, 2010

Waiting for Good Weather

Today's weather is miserable. It is super-rainy and there is flooding. On the news, there was an image of a car, supposedly in my town, submerged in water up to the window-shield. Or "windshield" if you prefer. Apparently I've always said the word wrong, and my argument of "But if it is 'windshield' why would they be called 'window-shield wipers'?" hasn't convinced anyone. Doesn't it make sense as a word? It is a window, and you look through it as you drive, but also a shield. It shields you from more than just the wind, so windshield sounds under-descriptive to me. Bah!

Anyway, since I can't read under a tree now, here are some pictures of those who can. Trees are picturesque, pretty dresses are picturesque, and reading is picturesque. Clearly reading under a tree in a pretty dress is a fantastic activity, then.

1 comment:

  1. Actually, they're called "windshield wipers". ;-) Lovely dresses! Very pastoral.

    I suspect the etymology of "windshield" is from the days when cars didn't go very fast. The very earliest models didn't have windshields at all, and drivers would wear long coats, gloves, and goggles to protect themselves from the dust, flying bugs, and wind. Eventually someone realized that with the addition of a see-through barrier, one could travel much more comfortably, and the windshield was born.

    Of course it does more these days, at the speeds we drive at, than only shield us from the wind, but that is still probably its biggest use. Imagine driving down the highway with your head out the window, and you can see instantly how important a shield from the wind is! :-)

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