| Author |
Message |
Pavel314
Guest
|
| Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2005 7:34 pm
Post subject: Clockwise Before Clocks |
|
|
In the years before clocks were invented, I'm sure there were times when
people needed to indicate a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation, e.g.,
turning a windlass to raise or lower an anchor. I've heard the term
"widdershins" was used to indicate counterclockwise. What did they say to
indicate clockwise, "counterwiddershins"?
Paul
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
James Silverton
Guest
|
| Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2005 9:01 pm
Post subject: Re: Clockwise Before Clocks |
|
|
Pavel314 wrote on Sat, 1 Oct 2005 09:34:56 -0400:
P> In the years before clocks were invented, I'm sure there
P> were times when people needed to indicate a clockwise or
P> counterclockwise rotation, e.g., turning a windlass to raise
P> or lower an anchor. I've heard the term "widdershins" was
P> used to indicate counterclockwise. What did they say to
P> indicate clockwise, "counterwiddershins"?
I don't know if it was used in England (precisely) but in
Scotland "deasil" means "sunwise" or clockwise. It comes from
the Gaelic "deiseil". I find myself wryly amused when I hear
the Diesel brand of watches *talked* about: to a Scot it seems a
bit redundant :-)
James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Weatherlawyer
Guest
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2005 1:40 pm
Post subject: Re: Clockwise Before Clocks |
|
|
Pavel314 wrote:
| Quote: | In the years before clocks were invented, I'm sure there were times when
people needed to indicate a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation, e.g.,
turning a windlass to raise or lower an anchor. I've heard the term
"widdershins" was used to indicate counterclockwise. What did they say to
indicate clockwise, "counterwiddershins"?
|
Under the sun?
But you are asking about the days befor the mass production of nuts and
bolts and the need for the description of rotation. What manuals would
require the terms?
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
John Dean
Guest
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2005 4:46 pm
Post subject: Re: Clockwise Before Clocks |
|
|
Weatherlawyer wrote:
| Quote: | Pavel314 wrote:
In the years before clocks were invented, I'm sure there were times
when people needed to indicate a clockwise or counterclockwise
rotation, e.g., turning a windlass to raise or lower an anchor. I've
heard the term "widdershins" was used to indicate counterclockwise.
What did they say to indicate clockwise, "counterwiddershins"?
Under the sun?
But you are asking about the days befor the mass production of nuts
and bolts and the need for the description of rotation. What manuals
would require the terms?
|
Well, the Druids who were using Stonehenge 3.0 or Stonehenge 4.1 or
later would have needed manuals. And drawing your pentagram the wrong
way round would have dire consequences.
--
John Dean
Oxford |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Gary Eickmeier
Guest
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2005 7:02 pm
Post subject: Re: Clockwise Before Clocks |
|
|
John Dean wrote:
| Quote: | Weatherlawyer wrote:
Under the sun?
But you are asking about the days befor the mass production of nuts
and bolts and the need for the description of rotation. What manuals
would require the terms?
Well, the Druids who were using Stonehenge 3.0 or Stonehenge 4.1 or
later would have needed manuals. And drawing your pentagram the wrong
way round would have dire consequences.
|
AHA! Provided you are in the northern hemisphere above the declination
of the sun, your sundial will go clockwise. There ya go.
Gary Eickmeier |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Odysseus
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2005 12:30 pm
Post subject: Re: Clockwise Before Clocks |
|
|
Pavel314 wrote:
| Quote: |
In the years before clocks were invented, I'm sure there were times when
people needed to indicate a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation, e.g.,
turning a windlass to raise or lower an anchor. I've heard the term
"widdershins" was used to indicate counterclockwise. What did they say to
indicate clockwise, "counterwiddershins"?
|
The opposite of "widdershins" is "deasil", as someone else has
already mentioned. "Sunwise" would also be available, and would be
much more easily understood by anyone who hadn't encountered the word before.
--
Odysseus |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mike Lyle
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2005 5:39 pm
Post subject: Re: Clockwise Before Clocks |
|
|
Odysseus wrote:
| Quote: | Pavel314 wrote:
In the years before clocks were invented, I'm sure there were
times
when people needed to indicate a clockwise or counterclockwise
rotation, e.g., turning a windlass to raise or lower an anchor.
I've
heard the term "widdershins" was used to indicate
counterclockwise.
What did they say to indicate clockwise, "counterwiddershins"?
The opposite of "widdershins" is "deasil", as someone else has
already mentioned. "Sunwise" would also be available, and would be
much more easily understood by anyone who hadn't encountered the
word
before.
|
"Left foot, straw foot." For those not facing south at the time, I'd
have thought "from left to right" would usually have been good
enough: wouldn't we most naturally interpret that as "left to right
over", not "left to right under"?
--
Mike. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Gary Eickmeier
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2005 6:37 pm
Post subject: Re: Clockwise Before Clocks |
|
|
Odysseus wrote:
| Quote: | The opposite of "widdershins" is "deasil", as someone else has
already mentioned. "Sunwise" would also be available, and would be
much more easily understood by anyone who hadn't encountered the word before.
|
What would "sunwise" mean to the average person?
Gary Eickmeier |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Pavel314
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 3:51 am
Post subject: Re: Clockwise Before Clocks |
|
|
"Gary Eickmeier" <geickmei@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
news:bC90f.165221$p_1.129004@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
| Quote: |
Odysseus wrote:
The opposite of "widdershins" is "deasil", as someone else has
already mentioned. "Sunwise" would also be available, and would be
much more easily understood by anyone who hadn't encountered the word
before.
What would "sunwise" mean to the average person?
|
In the Northern Hemisphere, looking South to watch the sun, it seems to go
clockwise through the sky. Although the Moon goes clockwise through the sky
in a given night, its progress against the fixed stars (and the Sun's
position) through the month is counterclockwise.
Paul |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Gary Eickmeier
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 6:41 pm
Post subject: Re: Clockwise Before Clocks |
|
|
Pavel314 wrote:
| Quote: | In the Northern Hemisphere, looking South to watch the sun, it seems to go
clockwise through the sky. Although the Moon goes clockwise through the sky
in a given night, its progress against the fixed stars (and the Sun's
position) through the month is counterclockwise.
|
Thanks. Seems like a stretch to me - not a circular motion that you can
really grab onto. Also, if you aren't much higher than 30 north, it
would just rise, go overhead, then set straight down again. In the summer.
Fine.
Gary Eickmeier |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| |
FAQ
Memberlist
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in