Have journalists really established what a demon is?

On Mon, 11 Sep 2023, at 07:29:24, bruce bowser posted:
>Have journalists really established what a demon is?

There is, or at least was, a pub just off Fleet Street in London near
the Evening Standard building which was called The Printer's Devil.
Coincidence?
--
Paul W

On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 10:03:14 PM UTC+1, Paul Wolff wrote:
> On Mon, 11 Sep 2023, at 07:29:24, bruce bowser posted:
> >Have journalists really established what a demon is?
> There is, or at least was, a pub just off Fleet Street in London near
> the Evening Standard building which was called The Printer's Devil.
> Coincidence?

The most serious American author of them all wrote about the
printer's devil.

"As it is well known that the 'wise men' came 'from the East,' and as
Mr. Touch-and-go Bullet-head came from the East, it follows that
Mr.Bullet-head was a wise man...

"Meantime the devil, to whom the copy was entrusted, ran up stairs to
his 'case,' in an unutterable hurry."

https://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/POE/paragrab.html

On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 10:27:27 PM UTC+1, Lionel Edwards wrote:
> On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 10:03:14 PM UTC+1, Paul Wolff wrote:
> > On Mon, 11 Sep 2023, at 07:29:24, bruce bowser posted:
> > >Have journalists really established what a demon is?
> > There is, or at least was, a pub just off Fleet Street in London near
> > the Evening Standard building which was called The Printer's Devil.
> > Coincidence?
> The most serious American author of them all wrote about the
> printer's devil.
>
> "As it is well known that the 'wise men' came 'from the East,' and as
> Mr. Touch-and-go Bullet-head came from the East, it follows that
> Mr.Bullet-head was a wise man...
>
> "Meantime the devil, to whom the copy was entrusted, ran up stairs to
> his 'case,' in an unutterable hurry."
>
> https://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/POE/paragrab.html

A useful bit of English usage in the first paragraph:

"...the obstinacy of which men accused him was anything but his foible,
since he justly considered it his forte."

On Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:32:21 -0700 (PDT), Lionel Edwards
<lioneledwards61@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 10:27:27?PM UTC+1, Lionel Edwards wrote:
>> On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 10:03:14?PM UTC+1, Paul Wolff wrote:
>> > On Mon, 11 Sep 2023, at 07:29:24, bruce bowser posted:
>> > >Have journalists really established what a demon is?
>> > There is, or at least was, a pub just off Fleet Street in London near
>> > the Evening Standard building which was called The Printer's Devil.
>> > Coincidence?
>> The most serious American author of them all wrote about the
>> printer's devil.
>>
>> "As it is well known that the 'wise men' came 'from the East,' and as
>> Mr. Touch-and-go Bullet-head came from the East, it follows that
>> Mr.Bullet-head was a wise man...
>>
>> "Meantime the devil, to whom the copy was entrusted, ran up stairs to
>> his 'case,' in an unutterable hurry."
>>
>> https://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/POE/paragrab.html
>
>A useful bit of English usage in the first paragraph:
>
>"...the obstinacy of which men accused him was anything but his foible,
>since he justly considered it his forte."

Why is 'case' enclosed in single quote marks?

A "case" is the compartmented tray in which moveable type is stored.

It is sometimes referred to as a "job case". Americans have called it
a "California Job Case" since the 1880s, but no one knows where or
when the "California" part of the term originated.

They are in great demand today as display cases for small items.

--

Tony Cooper - Orlando,Florida

On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 4:02:58 PM UTC-6, TonyCooper wrote:
> On Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:32:21 -0700 (PDT), Lionel Edwards
> <lionele...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 10:27:27?PM UTC+1, Lionel Edwards wrote:
> >> On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 10:03:14?PM UTC+1, Paul Wolff wrote:
> >> > On Mon, 11 Sep 2023, at 07:29:24, bruce bowser posted:
> >> > >Have journalists really established what a demon is?
> >> > There is, or at least was, a pub just off Fleet Street in London near
> >> > the Evening Standard building which was called The Printer's Devil.
> >> > Coincidence?
> >> The most serious American author of them all wrote about the
> >> printer's devil.
> >>
> >> "As it is well known that the 'wise men' came 'from the East,' and as
> >> Mr. Touch-and-go Bullet-head came from the East, it follows that
> >> Mr.Bullet-head was a wise man...
> >>
> >> "Meantime the devil, to whom the copy was entrusted, ran up stairs to
> >> his 'case,' in an unutterable hurry."
> >>
> >> https://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/POE/paragrab.html
> >
> >A useful bit of English usage in the first paragraph:
> >
> >"...the obstinacy of which men accused him was anything but his foible,
> >since he justly considered it his forte."
> Why is 'case' enclosed in single quote marks?
>
> A "case" is the compartmented tray in which moveable type is stored.
....

I imagine that back then, Poe thought it was a jargon word that needed to be
highlighted, though I don't know whether he thought there was a more standard
way to refer to the object--maybe "the compartmented tray in which the type
was stored".

--
Jerry Friedman

On Mon, 11 Sep 2023 22:00:48 +0100
Paul Wolff <bounceme@thiswontwork.wolff.co.uk> wrote:

> On Mon, 11 Sep 2023, at 07:29:24, bruce bowser posted:
> >Have journalists really established what a demon is?
>
> There is, or at least was, a pub just off Fleet Street in London near
> the Evening Standard building which was called The Printer's Devil.
> Coincidence?

The one in Bristol is no more.

So's the London one:

https://whatpub.com/search?q=Printers+Devil

(none found, change criteria on RHS to "Closed Pubs")

--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 6:51:20 PM UTC-4, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 4:02:58 PM UTC-6, TonyCooper wrote:
> > >On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 10:27:27?PM UTC+1, Lionel Edwards wrote:

> > >> The most serious American author of them all wrote about the
> > >> printer's devil.

Upon seeing that, one assumed the referent was Mark Twain, who
had personal experience with setting type and perhaps with making
mistakes therein.

> > >> "As it is well known that the 'wise men' came 'from the East,' and as
> > >> Mr. Touch-and-go Bullet-head came from the East, it follows that
> > >> Mr.Bullet-head was a wise man...
> > >> "Meantime the devil, to whom the copy was entrusted, ran up stairs to
> > >> his 'case,' in an unutterable hurry."
> > >> https://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/POE/paragrab.html
> > Why is 'case' enclosed in single quote marks?
> > A "case" is the compartmented tray in which moveable type is stored.
>
> I imagine that back then, Poe thought it was a jargon word that needed to be
> highlighted, though I don't know whether he thought there was a more standard
> way to refer to the object--maybe "the compartmented tray in which the type
> was stored".

M-W11C dates "lowercase" and "uppercase" to 1683.

On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 3:51:20 PM UTC-7, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 4:02:58 PM UTC-6, TonyCooper wrote:
> > On Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:32:21 -0700 (PDT), Lionel Edwards
> > <lionele...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > >On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 10:27:27?PM UTC+1, Lionel Edwards wrote:
> > >> On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 10:03:14?PM UTC+1, Paul Wolff wrote:
> > >> > On Mon, 11 Sep 2023, at 07:29:24, bruce bowser posted:
> > >> > >Have journalists really established what a demon is?
> > >> > There is, or at least was, a pub just off Fleet Street in London near
> > >> > the Evening Standard building which was called The Printer's Devil..
> > >> > Coincidence?
> > >> The most serious American author of them all wrote about the
> > >> printer's devil.
> > >>
> > >> "As it is well known that the 'wise men' came 'from the East,' and as
> > >> Mr. Touch-and-go Bullet-head came from the East, it follows that
> > >> Mr.Bullet-head was a wise man...
> > >>
> > >> "Meantime the devil, to whom the copy was entrusted, ran up stairs to
> > >> his 'case,' in an unutterable hurry."
> > >>
> > >> https://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/POE/paragrab.html
> > >
> > >A useful bit of English usage in the first paragraph:
> > >
> > >"...the obstinacy of which men accused him was anything but his foible,
> > >since he justly considered it his forte."
> > Why is 'case' enclosed in single quote marks?
> >
> > A "case" is the compartmented tray in which moveable type is stored.
> ...
> I imagine that back then, Poe thought it was a jargon word that needed to be
> highlighted, though I don't know whether he thought there was a more standard
> way to refer to the object--maybe "the compartmented tray in which the type
> was stored".
>
I lived -- worked, actually -- through the last few years of hot-lead typesetting for
newspapers. I learned -- and have long since forgotten -- how to read type upside
down and mirror-imaged, and to direct someone with the right union credentials
to make last-second revisions "on the stone".

The technology -- and the terminology -- kept changing, almost month to month, until
I retired 12 years or so ago.

I'm sure it's still changing, but I no longer need to keep up with it.

bill