[Boatanchors] Elmer

[Richard Knoppow]

> Anybody remember what a Wouff Hong is?  A Rettysnitch?
> Any idea what they
> look like or what they are used for?  No fair looking it
> up on the web.
>
> Rick WA1RKT

     Yes, as it happens I know what they are and how they
came to be.  However, these are much better documented than
the slang term "elmer".  What you give (with a sigh) is
anecdotal and based on memory. The idea of research is to
find a citeable reference to something.  The earliest
reference for Elmer seems to be Rod Newkirk's article. It
may well NOT be the origin but how are we to know.  If
_enough_ people come forward and state they also
remember the term being used previously to 1971 then we have
something, otherwise not so.
     It is always difficult to be precise about history;
look at the number of controversies there are about WW-2,
which is still within living memory, let alone trying to
find the truth about Richard III or Cleopatra or Jesus or 
who exactly fired the first shot of the American civil war.

     BTW, if you want to find lots of factual errors have a
look at the "trivia"  questions on QRZ.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk at ix.netcom.com