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Bmblbzzz
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« on: September 06, 2017, 11:13:32 » |
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...I understood that, in this case only, "PILOT" is an acronym for "Person In Lieu Of Token".
A backronym, or I'm a Dutch squirrel's uncle. There is a clear sense of a pilot as a guide, and that surely is what this is. Back in the unenlightened days when this method of working was devised, people hadn't been invented - there were only 'men' (e.g. fireman, signalman etc). So it would have to have been 'Man In Lieu Of Token', or MILOT. This is rather confirmed by the fact that all the armbands I've ever seen say 'PILOT MAN' (with or without the space). And MILOTMAN is tautological as well as a bit silly-sounding. So: No. Firemen have become fire fighters but what is the current, non-gendered term for signalman? I can think of some possibilities, such as: Signal operator Signalist Signalling & Track Allocation Rail Technician Signalling & Train Operation Permissions etc... But in reality? |
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Waiting at Pilning for the midnight sleeper to Prague.
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ChrisB
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« Reply #1 on: September 06, 2017, 11:16:03 » |
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Signaller?
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Red Squirrel
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There are some who call me... Tim
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« Reply #2 on: September 06, 2017, 11:17:34 » |
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Things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then they happen faster than you thought they could.
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Bmblbzzz
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« Reply #3 on: September 06, 2017, 12:46:58 » |
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I prefer signallist! (Next question: what about milkman?  ) |
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Waiting at Pilning for the midnight sleeper to Prague.
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Red Squirrel
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There are some who call me... Tim
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« Reply #4 on: September 06, 2017, 13:04:26 » |
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I prefer signallist! (Next question: what about milkman? ) Roundsperson. Next? https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/roundspersonAt least we don't suffer the absurdity of assigning gender to nouns: in France, le médecin is a doctor, whilst la médecine is medicine. A female doctor is un (note: masculine, to agree with the noun!) femme médecin. Suddenly roundsperson doesn't seem so clunky... |
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Things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then they happen faster than you thought they could.
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Bmblbzzz
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« Reply #5 on: September 06, 2017, 13:37:55 » |
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Whereas German, IIRC▸ , uses suffixes to create male or female nouns in job situations.* And Polish gives you both options: a female doctor can be lekarka or pani lekarz, and if you use the latter it would be natural to use feminine verbs and adjectives despite lekarz being a masculine noun (pani = femme, more or less).
*And of course neuter girls, cos of the suffix -chen. I think that's actually a Latin hangover.
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Waiting at Pilning for the midnight sleeper to Prague.
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4064ReadingAbbey
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« Reply #6 on: September 07, 2017, 18:52:23 » |
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I prefer signallist! (Next question: what about milkman? ) My deceased father was a master butcher and ran his own retail business. Many years ago when supervisors first started to become 'managers' and 'Personnel Departments' became 'Human Resources' he wondered whether he could reclassify himself as a Carcase Director... |
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TonyK
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The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!
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« Reply #7 on: September 11, 2017, 19:13:41 » |
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Suddenly roundsperson doesn't seem so clunky...
I still remember the first time I saw a Lady Policeman in Oldham... |
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Now, please!
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Oxonhutch
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« Reply #8 on: September 11, 2017, 20:21:10 » |
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I still remember the first time I saw a Lady Policeman in Oldham...
You have travelled widely. Was it not Bangkok ?  |
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TonyK
Global Moderator
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The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!
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« Reply #9 on: September 11, 2017, 22:49:42 » |
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I have not (yet) been further east than the border between Israel and Jordan (or with Syria if that is further east). But I did once tell Mrs FT, N! that I would have taken her to North Korea had I not heard that the bed springs in the hotels were of a poor quality and made an odd noise.
"Pyongyang?" she asked. "Exactly that" I answered.
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Now, please!
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Red Squirrel
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There are some who call me... Tim
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« Reply #10 on: September 12, 2017, 08:58:19 » |
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He's here all week!
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Things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then they happen faster than you thought they could.
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TonyK
Global Moderator
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Posts: 6642
The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!
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« Reply #11 on: September 12, 2017, 17:05:38 » |
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He's here all week!
As she didn't fancy a fortnight's self-catering in the land of Kim Wrong 'Un, I suggested instead a visit to Périgueux, although I had heard that the region's bed springs also made a strange noise. "Dordogne?" she asked. "That's the one," I replied, whilst reaching for my coat. |
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Now, please!
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Tim
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« Reply #12 on: September 26, 2017, 13:12:46 » |
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Person 1: Me and my wife went on Holiday to Wales.
Person 2: Bangor?
Person 1: Mind your own business.
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chuffed
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« Reply #13 on: September 26, 2017, 13:34:41 » |
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I already have my coat on with this very oldie but goodie
" My wife's gone to the Carribbean!"
"Jamaica ?"
"No, she went of her own accord"
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JayMac
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« Reply #14 on: September 26, 2017, 13:34:55 » |
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I've just seen a very cheap deal for a trip to Thailand.
So I thought, Phuket, I'll go.
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"Good news for regular users of Euston Station in London! One day they will die. Then they won't have to go to Euston Station ever again." - David Mitchell
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