Hydrocarbon Nomenclature: A Short and Nasty Primer
There's simply no excuse for folks living in the Permian Basin to be so casual with their terminology as to use "gas" interchangeably with "gasoline."
I saw it in a headline in today's oil and gas (not gasoline) section of the paper, and I just heard a local anchorman use the word "gas" to refer to "gasoline."
It's OK if Yankees don't know any better; we make allowances in such cases. But the rest of you yahoos need to shape up. So here's a simple rule to help you remember: if it's a liquid that you're referring to, then use the word with the "L" (gasoLine...get it?).
Next lesson: Why it's perfectly acceptable to refer to someone as a "toolpusher" in mixed company.
Wallace, I'm just sure she was referring to casinghead gas. ;-)
The natural gas business just isn't glamorous enough for TV...no moving parts. Heck, if it weren't for the occasional explosion, gas wouldn't get any coverage at all!
Posted by: Eric at August 30, 2004 10:44 PMI fancy the term "petrol" except that it puts me in mind of an ancient mariner expiring under the harsh Mediterranean sun, with some damn seabird cackling nearby. How can you put your faith in people that call a lamp that burns Kerosene a "parafin lamp?" Next we'll be expected to start using METRIC measures.
Anyhow, if the stinking progressives are allowed to have their way, it'll be dung patties for the cook fires for certain.
Posted by: David March, animator & fiddler at August 31, 2004 03:23 AMI've always liked the slang "go-juice" for gasoline.
Movie triva: Which film popularized the slang "go-juice"?
"Why it's perfectly acceptable to refer to someone as a 'toolpusher' in mixed company."
Well, you've gotta call 'em something.
Unless I'm mistaken, gents like John Holmes and Peter North are in that line of work.
David, I like your proposal to use petrol, but then, I still own stock in BP. But, if we do revert to dung fuel, that will at least clear up this nomenclature problem.
Freen, you've got me on the go-juice. It sounds so familiar, but...I'm going to guess "American Graffiti," but completely without confidence.
Of course, you're completely off base on toolpusher, but you knew that.
Posted by: Eric at August 31, 2004 09:47 AMIt was Kevin Costner's Waterworld made "go-juice" a lot more common.
...and, yeah, like any other good Yankee I learned about "tool pushers" from the film " The Abyss".
Posted by: Mr. Freen at August 31, 2004 05:08 PMWaterworld. No wonder I didn't grok the reference. I haven't seen it in years, and we even have the movie on VHS. Hardly Costner's finest achievement...but not his worst, either, by a long shot.
Posted by: Eric at August 31, 2004 05:39 PMAbout the publisher
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Even worse...and caught by several people I know was this. Last week ABCDEFBig2News did a story on rising gas [natural] prices and their implications for the area.
During the entire piece, and as they talked to experts, they kept showing background images of pumping units.....pump jacks. The kicker was the young reporters final comment. "If gas prices [natural] keep rising you're going to see more and more of these"......as she points to a pump jack.
Give me a break.
Posted by: Wallace-Midland, Texas at August 30, 2004 10:32 PM