Someting to ponder from the plucky Brits!

[Dodge]

How about Portable Illumination Source Throwing Out Light, or PISTOL for short.

That should save any confusion.

Everyone in the UK knows what a flashlight is. It's part of the cultural imperialism foisted on us by Hollywood. Even though all the best actors are Brits they're still forced to use American vocabulary.

I suspect that in a couple of decades use of the word "flashlight" will overtake "torch" here, as has happened with other words. Who actually spells "programme" properly these days? I even struggle with "centre" sometimes.

 

[TorchBoy]

Everyone in the UK knows what a flashlight is. It's part of the cultural imperialism foisted on us by Hollywood.

+1.

I suspect that in a couple of decades use of the word "flashlight" will overtake "torch" here, as has happened with other words.

The big one moving in here is "gas" meaning liquid petrol. That Americanism is plain stupid. When someone announces he's all gassed up my advice is to cut down on the beans. :ironic:

 

[DM51]

The big one moving in here is "gas" meaning liquid petrol. That Americanism is plain stupid. When someone announces he's all gassed up my advice is to cut down on the beans. :ironic:

Pay attention, TorchBoy. You seem to have neglected to read posts #26 and #27 above. Gotcha. LOL

 

[KingGlamis]

While 99.99% of the USA uses the term Flashlight, I still think "Torch" is a much better, much cooler term.

 

[TorchBoy]

Pay attention, TorchBoy. You seem to have neglected to read posts #26 and #27 above. Gotcha. LOL

Yeah, I take a while to respond, eh. Maybe I should emphasize "here", meaning down under in New Zealand.

 

[Grummond]

Being British I always called them torches but after living in Denmark every time I said torch no one knew what I meant so I said flashlight and everyone knew what I meant (they just weren't sure why I wanted to talk about them)

Yes I think Hollywood has a lot to do with how language evolves through out the world, so I am going to make a concerted effort to get back to my roots and start calling them torches again.

Ya'll take care now ya hear.

 

[TorchBoy]

Grummond, you could just try calling them the Danish word for torch. I'm sure they'd understand you then. Unless you accent is really bad, and you mispronounce it so it sounds like something rude...

 

[gadgetnerd]

So, what do people in the UK, NZ, and Australia call those flame-emitting devices used by plumbers to solder copper pipe?

Oxy welders. If an Aussie plumber asked for a torch and you handed him a welder you'd be laughed off the worksite!

 

[LuxLuthor]

Many things in language don't make sense. It makes more sense to call it a portable or hand light than it does a torch which implies flames, or a flashlight which implies brief flashes.

Many of the differences between UK and its former colonies, especially USA, stem from resentment that created the war for our independence which we are celebrating now.

It's no accident that America drinks coffee after the symbolic Boston Tea Party....so there's no way we could ever call flashlights torches, even though it is kind of a cool term!

Britain had the largest geographical & population domination of any empire or group throughout history...and that makes American influence pale in comparison. The history of the British Empire is actually quite impressive, and explains why English in all it's iterations is still the dominant world language....and why there are so many differences among its former colonies.

Before long, China will take over the position of the dominant world power, but until then, we remain in an inexorable struggle over words to best capture our various hand lights.

 

[Tempest UK]

Mostly used "torch" in conversations, although I've started thinking "flashlight" in my head now, having spent so much time reading CPF :duh2: Also sometimes use "light" instead of either...

 

[soffiler]

Oxy welders. If an Aussie plumber asked for a torch and you handed him a welder you'd be laughed off the worksite!

gadgetnerd:

Obviously, different parts of the English-speaking world have evolved their own local versions, and, I can appreciate that it isn't necessarily logical, for example: calling a handheld portable light source a "flashlight" simply because you could only use them in brief flashes 100 years ago.

With that said, I am going to point out that "oxy welder" is either a serious misnomer (yeah, like flashlight) or you didn't understand my question. There are three levels of metal-joining processes, in order of increasing strength, sophistication, and heat requirement:

- solder
- braze
- weld

Soldering is the simplest, lowest heat, and lowest strength of the three. Neglecting electronics soldering, the majority of soldering work is done by plumbers. In my experience, the heat sources used by plumbers in the USA are most commonly fueled by propane gas or acetylene gas. However, the temperatures are low enough that bottled oxygen is not necessary and is actually detrimental - too much heat can damage the plumbing components being soldered.

Brazing is a metal-joining process where the filler metal (usually based on a brass alloy) melts at a lower temperature than the parent metals, but it is a much higher-strength process that requires substantially more heat than soldering. Brazing processes typically use heat sources fueled by a combination of acetylene and bottled oxygen.

Welding is defined as a metal-joining process where the parent metals are brought to their melting point. This requires the greatest amount of heat. Oxy-acetylene can be used but far higher temperatures can be generated by electric arcs, which is how the majority of welding is done.

SO.... Aussie plumbers call their soldering heat source "oxy-welder", really? I seriously doubt they're using bottled oxygen and I know for a fact that they are not welding. Ah, just like "flashlight" I suppose. It doesn't have to make sense.

Likewise in the USA, if a plumber asked you for a torch and you handed him a flashlight, you'd be laughed off the worksite equally fast.

 

[Argon]

Australia Ahhh....Australia. The Great Southern Land, Down Under, The Sunburnt Country, Terra Australis, Oz, The Better Version of New Zealand...(Terra australaeionesia cowardiana), quite the happy continent, is a Commonwealth country known mostly by foreigners as Great Britain with a less fruity accent and sun in the sky you can actually see. It is also called "Oz" for short, or "down under", after the most popular position. The name "Australia" originates from the Aboriginal word "Wallaborongamala" meaning "where the bloody hell am I?" (Though an alternative theory claims that the name comes from Igpay Atinlay and is a *******isation of 'Austria'). Potential tourists should note that Australia is populated by vicious, venomous creatures (both native and feral) that can kill a full-grown man in seconds.

http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Australia

 

[270winchester]

why don't you Brits be less concerned about what it's called in other parts of the world and start making some good FLASHLIGHTS beyond what Orb is doing?

It's funny how a majority of of British CPFers are pro-occupied with buying lights from a former colony.

 

[270winchester]

While 99.99% of the USA uses the term Flashlight, I still think "Torch" is a much better, much cooler term.

go ahead, go to your local sheriff's office and tell them how you lit up your neighbor's house with a torch. It'll be really cool. I promise. :nana:

 

[DM51]

go ahead, go to your local sheriff's office and tell them how you lit up your neighbor's house with a torch. It'll be really cool. I promise. :nana:

LOL !! I can picture Sheriff J.W.Pepper's face...

 

[270winchester]

LOL !! I can picture Sheriff J.W.Pepper's face...

"Sheriff's office."

"Hi, I just wanted to tell you that I lit up my neighbor's house the other day."

"Excuse me?"

"I lit my my next door neighbor's house iwth a torch the other day."

"You are kidding right Sir?"

"No, I'm not. the whole house was lit, it was glowing real bright. Man I love my torch. I think I'll go lit up the city hall tonight."

"Sir, would you please stay on the line while a unit is dispatched to your house?"

"Certainly, I would love a ride to the city hall to light it up."

 

[DM51]

Do you remember Sheriff J.W.Pepper? He was in a James Bond movie, and arrested Bond for causing total chaos and destruction with a speedboat, IIRC. "Spin around, boy," said J.W. as he arrested him, "Ten fingers on the fender!" LOL

But the CIA told the Sheriff to release Bond because he was a British Secret Agent. "Secret Agent?" yelled the Sheriff, "Secret Agent?? On whose side?!?!?" LOL !!

I can't remember the actor's name, but he was extremely funny. I can just picture him in the exchange here with the "torch", lol.

 

[270winchester]

Do you remember Sheriff J.W.Pepper? He was in a James Bond movie, and arrested Bond for causing total chaos and destruction with a speedboat, IIRC. "Spin around, boy," said J.W. as he arrested him, "Ten fingers on the fender!" LOL

But the CIA told the Sheriff to release Bond because he was a British Secret Agent. "Secret Agent?" yelled the Sheriff, "Secret Agent?? On whose side?!?!?" LOL !!

I can't remember the actor's name, but he was extremely funny. I can just picture him in the exchange here with the "torch", lol.

was he the one that got dumped into the river in Thailand? He was a character, the typical British stereotypical redition of the average American.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton_James

I think that's who you are talking about.

 

[DM51]

That's him! Great character. Always looked like he had a mouthful of chewing tobacco.

But I see there's a lot more to him than just great comic acting - reading through that wiki entry about him, at the bottom I see this about his military service in WW2:

Aside from acting, James is a decorated World War II veteran, U.S. Army Combat Infantry Platoon Sergeant CO."A" 163rd INF. 41st DIV. He served forty two months in the South Pacific, from January 1942 until August 1945. He spent time in Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines. His decorations include: Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Presidential Citation, Combat Infantry Badge and Six Battle Stars...

Wow! That is a very fine record.

 

[gadgetnerd]

Thanks for the heads up soffiler. Just goes to show why I'll never get a job as a plumber in the US or here

gadgetnerd:

Obviously, different parts of the English-speaking world have evolved their own local versions, and, I can appreciate that it isn't necessarily logical, for example: calling a handheld portable light source a "flashlight" simply because you could only use them in brief flashes 100 years ago.

With that said, I am going to point out that "oxy welder" is either a serious misnomer (yeah, like flashlight) or you didn't understand my question. There are three levels of metal-joining processes, in order of increasing strength, sophistication, and heat requirement:

- solder
- braze
- weld

Soldering is the simplest, lowest heat, and lowest strength of the three. Neglecting electronics soldering, the majority of soldering work is done by plumbers. In my experience, the heat sources used by plumbers in the USA are most commonly fueled by propane gas or acetylene gas. However, the temperatures are low enough that bottled oxygen is not necessary and is actually detrimental - too much heat can damage the plumbing components being soldered.

Brazing is a metal-joining process where the filler metal (usually based on a brass alloy) melts at a lower temperature than the parent metals, but it is a much higher-strength process that requires substantially more heat than soldering. Brazing processes typically use heat sources fueled by a combination of acetylene and bottled oxygen.

Welding is defined as a metal-joining process where the parent metals are brought to their melting point. This requires the greatest amount of heat. Oxy-acetylene can be used but far higher temperatures can be generated by electric arcs, which is how the majority of welding is done.

SO.... Aussie plumbers call their soldering heat source "oxy-welder", really? I seriously doubt they're using bottled oxygen and I know for a fact that they are not welding. Ah, just like "flashlight" I suppose. It doesn't have to make sense.

Likewise in the USA, if a plumber asked you for a torch and you handed him a flashlight, you'd be laughed off the worksite equally fast.