Tolanator
Tolanator t1_j9ewrjr wrote
Reply to comment by st3akkn1fe in TIL of Macadam roads. These roads were convex, raised a few inches, and made of layered crushed rock; they were state-of-the-art for the 19th century. The rise of automobiles led to the dust issues that were solved by binding the roads with tar, leading to the invention of tarmac. by jamescookenotthatone
Aye but it’s more commonly known as being the short form of tarmacadam and used colloquially to refer to any type of blacktop road.
Tolanator t1_j9evujc wrote
Reply to comment by st3akkn1fe in TIL of Macadam roads. These roads were convex, raised a few inches, and made of layered crushed rock; they were state-of-the-art for the 19th century. The rise of automobiles led to the dust issues that were solved by binding the roads with tar, leading to the invention of tarmac. by jamescookenotthatone
Tarmac is short for tarmacadam.
Tolanator t1_j9euixh wrote
Reply to comment by st3akkn1fe in TIL of Macadam roads. These roads were convex, raised a few inches, and made of layered crushed rock; they were state-of-the-art for the 19th century. The rise of automobiles led to the dust issues that were solved by binding the roads with tar, leading to the invention of tarmac. by jamescookenotthatone
They’re talking about this tarmac.
Tolanator t1_j52wdkf wrote
Reply to comment by BoazCorey in TIL Pinky and the Brain was inspired by the peculiar personalities of two WB producers, Eddie Fitzgerald and Tom Minton with interesting mannerisms that were incorporated into the characters by QueenBee299
Maurice LaMarche’s performance as Brain was inspired by Orson Welles, but this article is about the initial inspiration for the characters of Pinky and the Brain.
Tolanator t1_j9eykfj wrote
Reply to comment by st3akkn1fe in TIL of Macadam roads. These roads were convex, raised a few inches, and made of layered crushed rock; they were state-of-the-art for the 19th century. The rise of automobiles led to the dust issues that were solved by binding the roads with tar, leading to the invention of tarmac. by jamescookenotthatone
Nope, neither are wrong, but for different reasons. With hoover, the brand became so dominant at one time that it's name was synonymous with the product. With tarmac, historically calling the road surface tarmac was correct and the name stuck, even though the process changed. That happens a lot with the English language, the name stays even if circumstances change. Another example is movie trailers, they were so-called because they were previews of coming attractions that were shown at the end of a film, or in other words they would "trail" a film. The name stuck even though today they are shown before a movie or even screened independently. Words endure even when meanings change.