[net.nlang] what's a "pantoffel-computer"

thomas@konech.UUCP (12/16/85)

What's a "pantoffel-computer" ?


I'm looking for an english (or american) phrase for the german
word "pantoffel-computer".
('pantoffel' literally means slipper, mule).

In german there is a phrase "pantoffel-kino" which means home-made
movies or TV. In general "pantoffel-..." is a devaluating phrase in the
sense of worthy, home-made, not very professional, for everybody's use, ...

How do you english or american guys call such things ?

Thanx for help,

thomas kloeber


at UUCP:     <rest of the world>!mcvax!unido!konech!thomas

martinl@molihp.UUCP (Martin M Lacey) (12/24/85)

In article <4300001@konech.UUCP> thomas@konech.UUCP writes:
>What's a "pantoffel-computer" ?
>
>
>I'm looking for an english (or american) phrase for the german
>word "pantoffel-computer".
>('pantoffel' literally means slipper, mule).
>
>In german there is a phrase "pantoffel-kino" which means home-made
>movies or TV. In general "pantoffel-..." is a devaluating phrase in the
>sense of worthy, home-made, not very professional, for everybody's use, ...
>
>How do you english or american guys call such things ?
>

Sound kinda - like "Radio Shack"; could I be right or is there some
form of quality implied in the prefix 'pantoffel' :-)  :->  :-|  :-<


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lamy@utai.UUCP (Jean-Francois Lamy) (12/25/85)

I guess "homebrew computer" would be appropriate.  See Byte's 10th
anniversary issue.
-- 

Jean-Francois Lamy
Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto,
Departement d'informatique et de recherche operationnelle, U. de Montreal.

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jeff@rtech.UUCP (Jeff Lichtman) (12/29/85)

> 
> I'm looking for an english (or american) phrase for the german
> word "pantoffel-computer".
> 
> In german there is a phrase "pantoffel-kino" which means home-made
> movies or TV. In general "pantoffel-..." is a devaluating phrase in the
> sense of worthy, home-made, not very professional, for everybody's use, ...
> 
> thomas kloeber

How about "Mickey Mouse"?  When used as an adjective, it means "cheap",
"shoddy", "unprofessional".  Sometimes it is applied to objects ("a Mickey
Mouse computer"), but more often it is used to describe the work that went
into an object or it's design ("a Mickey Mouse job of rebuilding an engine").
I'm not sure of the origin of this usage; maybe it came from Mickey Mouse
watches, which are not well built.
-- 
Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)
"Saints should always be judged guilty until they are proved innocent..."

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al@mot.UUCP (Al Filipski) (12/30/85)

<>
In article <4300001@konech.UUCP> thomas@konech.UUCP writes:
>What's a "pantoffel-computer" ?
>
>
>I'm looking for an english (or american) phrase for the german
>word "pantoffel-computer".
>('pantoffel' literally means slipper, mule).
>
>In german there is a phrase "pantoffel-kino" which means home-made
>movies or TV. In general "pantoffel-..." is a devaluating phrase in the
>sense of worthy, home-made, not very professional, for everybody's use, ...
>
>How do you english or american guys call such things ?
>


There is a word "jerry-built" which is not too commonly heard any more,
but is used to describe shoddy, "chewing gun and baling wire" construction.
I believe the "jerry" is a corruption of latin "dies"="day", hence
something "jerry-built" (or, a variant "jury-rigged") is something
whose lifetime is on the order of magnitude of a day.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alan Filipski,  UNIX group,  Motorola Microsystems, Tempe, AZ  U.S.A 85282
seismo!ut-sally!oakhill!mot!al, ihnp4!mot!al, ucbvax!arizona!asuvax!mot!al
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

kay@warwick.UUCP (Kay Dekker) (01/05/86)

In article <483@mot.UUCP> al@mot.UUCP (Al Filipski) writes:

>There is a word "jerry-built" which is not too commonly heard any more,
>but is used to describe shoddy, "chewing gun and baling wire" construction.
>I believe the "jerry" is a corruption of latin "dies"="day", hence
>something "jerry-built" (or, a variant "jury-rigged") is something
>whose lifetime is on the order of magnitude of a day.

I believe "jury-rigged" and "jerry-built" have different origins;
"jury" in this context from Old French "ajurie": aid ["aju": pres. stem of
"aidier" + "rie"] ; thus a (temporary) solution.  I'm not so sure about
"jerry" from "dies", though it looks plausible...

I note the phrase "chewing gun [presumably "gum"?] and baling wire".  I was
brought up (Yorkshire, England, 1960s) with the equivalent "string and brown
paper".  My younger sister (born 1966) states that among her friends, the
equivalent is "bog roll and sticky-back plastic" [after a method of
construction popular on a BBC television children's programme "Blue Peter",
which involved the use of (among other things) the cardboard inners of
toilet paper rolls and adhesive plastic film].  But I digress...

						Kay.



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gdmr@cstvax.UUCP (George D M Ross) (01/06/86)

>> I'm looking for an english (or american) phrase for the german
>> word "pantoffel-computer".
>> 
>> thomas kloeber

In article <804@rtech.UUCP> jeff@rtech.UUCP (Jeff Lichtman) writes:
>How about "Mickey Mouse"?  ....

Or "Noddy" ?

-- 
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msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader) (01/08/86)

> >There is a word "jerry-built" which is not too commonly heard any more,
> >but is used to describe shoddy, "chewing gun and baling wire" construction.
> >I believe the "jerry" is a corruption of latin "dies"="day", hence
> >something "jerry-built" (or, a variant "jury-rigged") is something
> >whose lifetime is on the order of magnitude of a day.
> 
> I believe "jury-rigged" and "jerry-built" have different origins;
> "jury" in this context from Old French "ajurie": aid ["aju": pres. stem of
> "aidier" + "rie"] ; thus a (temporary) solution.  I'm not so sure about
> "jerry" from "dies", though it looks plausible...

Random House Unabridged gives "jerry" as an old word for chamber pot,
and thus derived from "jeroboam".  OED gives it as unknown.  Both RHU
and OED give "jury-rigged" as unknown; OED mentions a conjectural
derivation from "injury-rigged" but says there's no evidence.

Mark Brader