Semper Ubi Sub Ubi
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SampleAndy:
March 9th, 2011 at 10:09 pm
So the thing with the condiments in the middle of the dining room table and mini elevator used to bring foods up from the kitchen to the dining room are called the same thing? (except for the possibility of a hyphen of course) Evan, are they ever going to come up with a revision of English that makes sense? Do you know anything about Esperanto? (sigh)
David:
March 21st, 2012 at 12:09 am
Like your analogies. Dolly is a very American term I believe as my time in Australia and NZ no one knew what I meant when I said ‘dolly’. Hand Truck seemed to work most times.
I am now in a French colonial country and they don’t recognise ‘dolly’ either, so most likely not a continental term.
As far the lifting by servants, that makes perfect sense to me… for what ever that is worth.
Wilson Laidlaw:
September 10th, 2016 at 4:26 pm
I first came across the term when working as the assistant engineer in my father’s textile mill in the north of Scotland in the 1950’s. When we were moving or installing heavy pieces of machinery, weighing many tons, we would use a series of “dollies”. These were low steel platforms about 20 x 30cm, with two or more hardened steel rollers on roller bearings underneath. They commonly had a turntable on the top. We would jack up the machinery with heavy duty 10 ton hydraulic jacks and then position up to 10 of these dollies under the feet of the machinery. It was then possible to roll the machinery into place using a chain winch. You could put a long steel tommy bar into each dolly and rotate it on the turntable to move the machinery in a different direction.
M Lambe:
October 7th, 2017 at 3:07 am
Helpful yet one longs to know the contribution of the portable blacksmith wheeled anvil Dolly. Or is an easy catch in Cricket termed a “Dolly?” because it is connected to an easy woman (sigh)? Any link between cricket & the shape of a Dolly rivet tool? Yeah, seems unlikely to me too. From whence derives the expression, “Full up to “Dolly’s wax” announcing a content, extremely full state sated tummy? Is all of this related to a laundry Dolly, seems possible. I have no idea if a corn doll (corn mother? is related to a child’s doll or each is independent of the other. Quite curious!
Jeanie:
May 20th, 2019 at 6:23 am
The small “resembling a human” dolly probably has its beginnings in the word idol.
Stefanie:
June 22nd, 2020 at 10:37 am
Like M. Lambe, I also wonder if the word “dolly”, meaning a tool to easily move furniture or other heavy items, has in its origins something related to an “easy” or “loose” woman? If so, in light of current World events, I think it should be abolished from use in the English language! As a woman who is neither loose or easy, I am offended! If all of these other words/terms/names are going to be removed (i.e. “eskimo”), wouldn’t it stand to reason that “dolly” should be removed as a name for moving anything “easily” as well? Food for thought at the very least, I think!
Lisa Alkoraishi:
December 26th, 2020 at 3:43 am
Dollies are essential tools for warehouses or factories to move or transport heavy loads. Dollies are easy to use for both new or old employees, or even tech-minded employees, and those who simply prefer the simplicity of manual labor. Further, dollies are made for long-lasting and perfect for heavy-duty. A dolly can last several consecutive decades without any major repairing.