Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2016 March 24

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March 24

a spin on Singapore Sling

I don't quite understand "spin" and "nod" in the stentence: "He paired it with white rum, pineapple juice, peach liqueur, lime juice and basil seeds to create Firewater Walk With Me, a spin on a Singapore Sling and a nod to the 'Twin Peaks' theme that pervades the restaurant." Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 221.221.155.221 (talk) 02:32, 24 March 2016 (UTC)

'Spin' can have the colloquial meaning 'variant' or 'type of'. 'Nod' can have the meaning 'acknowledgement'. So the sentence could, in more formal English, be written, "a variant of a Singapore Sling and an acknowledgement to the 'Twin Peaks' theme...". Akld guy (talk) 02:39, 24 March 2016 (UTC)

(edit conflict) The word "spin" means "a variation of". A Singapore Sling is a cocktail, this restaurant has their own version a Singapore Sling they call "Firewater Walk With Me". A "nod" is a "subtle reference to" something, in this case the title of their cocktail is a reference to Fire Walk With Me, a feature-length film based on the Twin Peaks TV-series, which is the theme of the restaurant. To explain more fully:

• There was a TV show named Twin Peaks
• This restaurant honors that TV show by naming menu items after things from the show
• They have a cocktail called "Firewater Walk With Me" named after a movie which followed the show
• That cocktail is based on a well known cocktail called a "Singapore Sling".

I hope that translation makes sense. Again, in this case "spin" means "variation of" and "nod" means "a reference to". --Jayron32 02:40, 24 March 2016 (UTC)

I believe that the use of the word "spin" in this way has its origin in baseball; hopefully one of our US editors can elucidate. Alansplodge (talk) 08:45, 24 March 2016 (UTC)

In baseball, a pitched ball will spin in different ways depending on the type of pitch thrown (e.g. fastball, curveball, slider, etc.), creating a different trajectory. "Putting a different spin on the ball" means throwing a different type of pitch (e.g. one that will break sharply in one direction or another instead of going straight). That's how "spin" can be another way of saying "variant". --Xuxl (talk) 10:03, 24 March 2016 (UTC)

In Britain, "spin" can mean a contrived interpretation of some political issue. Is that from cricket or baseball? The people who do this are referred to as "spin doctors". This suggests to me that the metaphor is cricket based, because I have seen reports of bowlers engaged in "ball tampering", which I believe is wiping it in some way which will affect the way it spins. 78.149.118.97 (talk) 10:11, 24 March 2016 (UTC)

The concepts of "spin doctor" and "political spin" entered U.S. political language in the early to mid-1980s. I'm not sure if they came from across the pond or were a local concoction. The idea is that the "doctor" gives an issue the right spinning motion so that it will move in a direction favorable to your side. "Doctoring the ball" [1] is an old baseball expression as well, but I don't know if it is linked to a "spin doctor". --Xuxl (talk) 13:11, 24 March 2016 (UTC)

The phrase "Spin Doctor" predates Tony Blair by some time. See this ngram report. It seems to really take off during 1984-1985. If it existed in Britain during that period, it would have been during the Margaret Thatcher government. In the U.S. this was the heart of the Ronald Reagan administration. The phrase was common enough in the U.S. lexicon that the band The Spin Doctors chose it as their name in the late 1980s. Spin (public relations) discusses the use of the term a bit, but does not explain its etymology. Maybe the full OED? --Jayron32 15:51, 24 March 2016 (UTC)

The poster above said "In UK the term became familiar". They did not say that is was unknown in the US before. I'm puzzled why your response is necessary? Fgf10 (talk) 17:21, 24 March 2016 (UTC)

To provide links to references. That's what we do here. Perhaps you are unfamiliar with what a reference is, or what the Reference desk does... --Jayron32 00:53, 25 March 2016 (UTC)

According to this discussion, "the phrase was first used in print in October 1984 in an editorial in the New York Times about the aftermath of the televised debate between US presidential candidates Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale". Etymology Online also gives a 1984 US presidential election origin. I had thought that a "spin doctor" was a specialist coach who taught baseball pitchers how to spin the ball; after all, we have these people in cricket [2]. However, I'm beginning to think that I was mistaken, as I can't find a reference to support this. Alansplodge (talk) 17:41, 24 March 2016 (UTC)

These people do exist in baseball, but they're called a pitching coach, never a "spin doctor". --Xuxl (talk) 09:27, 25 March 2016 (UTC)

A bit more digging reveals Word Histories which has a 1988 quote from the Toronto Globe & Mail: "Some of the spin doctors (whose nickname is believed to come from baseball where pitchers put a spin on a ball to control its direction) will be using cellular phones to call in policy specialists". Alansplodge (talk) 17:53, 24 March 2016 (UTC)

That sounds like someone's attempt to coin a new slang term for a pitching coach, especially with the term "spin doctor" becoming well known in politics. Slang comes and goes. There was a time, for quite a few years, when pitchers were frequently called "twirlers". Not from tricky spinning of the ball, but from the "windmill" windup that old-time pitchers used in their deliveries. I'd've thought that "spin doctor" would be more likely connected with cricket, which includes "spin bowler" in its vocabulary. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:22, 25 March 2016 (UTC)

Did you know the word "wrapper" can mean a paint job?

This is actually a follow on from a discussion at the Miscellaneous desk, now protected. Although the troll is a nuisance, I find the account names he thinks up quite amusing, a bit like the headings to readers' questions in the Daily Telegraph motoring supplement.

Some of these buses are only coloured from one viewpoint - for example only the back of the bus advertising TfL is painted blue. In advertising jargon, the all - over advertisement is a "wrapper", while an ad which covers part of the bus is a "banner".

There being a tube (subway) strike today, the old RT and RM (Routemaster) buses (the ones with the open platform) are out. These have the old style destination blinds with white, rather than yellow, lettering. I was chatting with the conductor of one of them - a lot of these buses, now privately owned, are preserved and they are used for weddings or when TfL calls for them, in the same way as old Green Goddess fire engines are used during firemens' strikes.

Anybody who wants to experience them will find them on route 29, but a word of warning - they don't show up on the "Countdown" indicator boards at selected bus stops. Countdown actually covers every stop in the TfL network - each bus stop displays an ID number which can be texted or input into the website and the arrival time of the next bus is returned. Do any other transport undertakings have such a system? This seems to be a copy of the system on the railway - every station has a unique three - letter identification code. If input into the train operating company's website a live departure board for that station comes up. The TfL website also has a feature whereby you can input two locations and it will explain how you can travel between them by various means of transport, with detailed timings and changes.

A happy Easter/Purim to all. 78.149.118.97 (talk) 10:42, 24 March 2016 (UTC)

As to the question in the title: there are two ways to convert a bus or similar vehicle (or other surfaces, such as walls and floors) for an overall advertisement or promotion. One way is a special paint job; the other way is plastic wrap. The appearance is similar but paint is more durable if the ad is to run for a long time, while the plastic wrap is more easily removed if it is to run for a shorter time. The plastic method also allows for the windows to be partially covered, using a grid of small dots whose color forms part of the overall ad; passengers can still see out of between the dots. See wrap advertising. --69.159.61.172 (talk) 02:13, 25 March 2016 (UTC)