Torpedo - Revision history

PeterWilson at 22:00, 18 August 2013

2013-08-18T22:00:13Z

PeterWilson at 08:22, 27 February 2011

2011-02-27T08:22:00Z

PeterWilson at 16:27, 25 February 2011

2011-02-25T16:27:55Z

PeterWilson at 16:00, 25 February 2011

2011-02-25T16:00:56Z

PeterWilson at 15:54, 25 February 2011

2011-02-25T15:54:30Z

PeterWilson at 11:35, 25 February 2011

2011-02-25T11:35:37Z

PeterWilson at 17:39, 24 February 2011

2011-02-24T17:39:38Z

PeterWilson at 18:27, 22 February 2011

2011-02-22T18:27:47Z

PeterWilson at 17:07, 22 February 2011

2011-02-22T17:07:24Z

PeterWilson at 14:26, 22 February 2011

2011-02-22T14:26:07Z

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 *'an underwater weapon'. The first weapon to be given this [[metaphor]]ical name was originally close to the modern 'depth charge':
 ::it was a waterproof case containing an explosive charge which could be detonated by a timer. This had a 'stunning' effect on nearby vessels, or on people (and fish) swimming in the vicinity. Hence the name (see below for the older meaning). The first mobile contact weapon, which floated, was designed to be towed by a submarine which would pass under the target ship and bring the 'torpedo' into contact on the side from which the original approach had been made. This was later known as a 'towing torpedo'. (The technology developed into the 'moored torpedo', nowadays known as the moored 'mine'.) Surface vessels could carry such a device on a spar, the 'boom-torpedo', 'out-rigger-torpedo' or 'spar-torpedo'. Some - '[[otter]]s' - were towed at an angle from the parent vessel, taking up a divergent course. The divergence was caused by a vane or fin, similar to that used in the mine-sweeping device, a '''paravane'''.)
-**The name 'torpedo' became more appropriate when the newer weapon was developed, a self-propelled missile that travelled virtually unseen under the surface of the water, and detonated on contact with the target. These are now often 'homing torpedoes', mostly used from submarines, that mow steer themselves onto their targets. Many words and phrases have developed from the older times when they were predominantly launched from surface vessels:
+**The name 'torpedo' became more appropriate when the newer weapon was developed, a self-propelled missile that travelled virtually unseen under the surface of the water, and detonated on contact with the target. These are now often 'homing torpedoes', mostly used from submarines, that now steer themselves onto their targets. Many words and phrases have developed from the older times when they were predominantly launched from surface vessels:
 ***'''Torpedo boats''' (or '''M.T.Bs''', '''Motor Torpedo Boats''') were fast light vessels designed to be used in swarms to fire torpedoes at much heavier vessels, seen as vulnerable from their lack of manoeuvrability. To defend against them, a class of escort vessels was developed called '''torpedo boat destroyers''', larger, even faster, and more heavily armed. These became valuable in escorting convoys and almost any vessels, against many threats, and are now usually known as '''destroyers'''.
 ****Torpedo boats used by the German navy from 1932 and to the 1945 were known to the Allies as '''E-boat''' ('enemy boat'), though the Germans knew them as '''S-boot''', for ''Schnellboot'' ('fast boat').
 ***An '''aerial torpedo''' is an underwater missile dropped from an aircraft, such as a '''torpedo bomber'''. This type of aircraft, extensively used in the Second World War, is no longer used.
-***A '''torpedo lieutenant''' was a naval officer in larger ships in charge of the torpedoes and the '''torpedo tubes''' from which they were launched. In the [[Royal Navy]], his title was conventionally abbrviated to '''Torps'''
+***A '''torpedo lieutenant''' was a naval officer in larger ships in charge of the torpedoes and the '''torpedo tubes''' from which they were launched. In the [[Royal Navy]], his title was conventionally abbreviated to '''Torps'''
 ***In forms of [[football]] played with pointed balls, a '''torpedo kick''' is one where the motive force is applied to the point and along the long axis, so that the ball flies through the air 'like a torpedo' - without tumbling end-over-end.
 ***The [[verb]] 'to '''torpedo'''' (torpedoed, torpedoes, torpedoing) has a [[literal]] meaning, 'to sink, or damage,  by means of an underwater missile strike' - or, in older English, by any of the mines etc that were previously called 'torpedoes'; or even 'to stun' or 'to paralyse', by the action of the fish.  [[Figurative]]ly, it means 'to cause great damage to' something, often an argument, by an unforeseen deployment of a hitherto secret point: a speaker might, for example, '''torpedo''' a proposal seen as likely to succeed by pointing out that it is actually against the law to do as proposed. Ben Goldacre wrote in ''The Guardian'': "'''torpedoing''' cherished ideas is a very good way to make a name for yourself in academia" (26/02/11[[http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/26/bad-science-sniffer-dog-theory?INTCMP=SRCH|<sup>1</sup>]])

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ***A '''torpedo lieutenant''' was a naval officer in larger ships in charge of the torpedoes and the '''torpedo tubes''' from which they were launched. In the [[Royal Navy]], his title was conventionally abbrviated to '''Torps'''
 ***In forms of [[football]] played with pointed balls, a '''torpedo kick''' is one where the motive force is applied to the point and along the long axis, so that the ball flies through the air 'like a torpedo' - without tumbling end-over-end.
-***The [[verb]] 'to '''torpedo'''' (torpedoed, torpedoes, torpedoing) has a [[literal]] meaning, 'to sink, or damage,  by means of an underwater missile strike' - or, in older English, by any of the mines etc that were previously called 'torpedoes'; or even 'to stun' or 'to paralyse', by the action of the fish.  [[Figurative]]ly, it means 'to cause great damage to' something, often an argument, by an unforeseen deployment of a hitherto secret point: a speaker might, for example, '''torpedo''' a proposal seen as likely to succeed by pointing out that it is actually against the law to do as proposed.
+***The [[verb]] 'to '''torpedo'''' (torpedoed, torpedoes, torpedoing) has a [[literal]] meaning, 'to sink, or damage,  by means of an underwater missile strike' - or, in older English, by any of the mines etc that were previously called 'torpedoes'; or even 'to stun' or 'to paralyse', by the action of the fish.  [[Figurative]]ly, it means 'to cause great damage to' something, often an argument, by an unforeseen deployment of a hitherto secret point: a speaker might, for example, '''torpedo''' a proposal seen as likely to succeed by pointing out that it is actually against the law to do as proposed. Ben Goldacre wrote in ''The Guardian'': "'''torpedoing''' cherished ideas is a very good way to make a name for yourself in academia" (26/02/11[[http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/26/bad-science-sniffer-dog-theory?INTCMP=SRCH|<sup>1</sup>]])
 *'''Torpedo''' was originally the [[Latin]] name for a fish - the '''electric ray'''. There are several species of rays that go under this name: they can be found in temperate seas all over the world. They are all rays (cartilaginous fish, related to sharks). They live in shallow water, living in and feeding on the species in coastal sediments, and are liable to be stood upon by land dwellers, or disturbed by sea dwellers. Consequently, they have evolved the power of producing electric shocks, as a defensive weapon. They are related to the so-called '''electric eel''' (''Electrophorus electricus''), a freshwater fish (not a true eel, but from South America which can also produce an electric shock - but has evolved it as a hunting weapon as well as for defensive purposes. It too has been called 'the torpedo' since its discovery by Europeans, who related it to their experience of the ray found in the Mediterranean.

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 *'an underwater weapon'. The first weapon to be given this [[metaphor]]ical name was originally close to the modern 'depth charge':
 ::it was a waterproof case containing an explosive charge which could be detonated by a timer. This had a 'stunning' effect on nearby vessels, or on people (and fish) swimming in the vicinity. Hence the name (see below for the older meaning). The first mobile contact weapon, which floated, was designed to be towed by a submarine which would pass under the target ship and bring the 'torpedo' into contact on the side from which the original approach had been made. This was later known as a 'towing torpedo'. (The technology developed into the 'moored torpedo', nowadays known as the moored 'mine'.) Surface vessels could carry such a device on a spar, the 'boom-torpedo', 'out-rigger-torpedo' or 'spar-torpedo'. Some - '[[otter]]s' - were towed at an angle from the parent vessel, taking up a divergent course. The divergence was caused by a vane or fin, similar to that used in the mine-sweeping device, a '''paravane'''.)
-**The name 'torpedo' became more appropriate when the newer weapon was developed, a self-propelled missile that travelled virtually unseen under the surface of the water, and detonated on contact with the target. These are now often 'homing torpedoes' that steer themselves onto the target. Many words and phrases have developed from this:
+**The name 'torpedo' became more appropriate when the newer weapon was developed, a self-propelled missile that travelled virtually unseen under the surface of the water, and detonated on contact with the target. These are now often 'homing torpedoes', mostly used from submarines, that mow steer themselves onto their targets. Many words and phrases have developed from the older times when they were predominantly launched from surface vessels:
 ***'''Torpedo boats''' (or '''M.T.Bs''', '''Motor Torpedo Boats''') were fast light vessels designed to be used in swarms to fire torpedoes at much heavier vessels, seen as vulnerable from their lack of manoeuvrability. To defend against them, a class of escort vessels was developed called '''torpedo boat destroyers''', larger, even faster, and more heavily armed. These became valuable in escorting convoys and almost any vessels, against many threats, and are now usually known as '''destroyers'''.
 ****Torpedo boats used by the German navy from 1932 and to the 1945 were known to the Allies as '''E-boat''' ('enemy boat'), though the Germans knew them as '''S-boot''', for ''Schnellboot'' ('fast boat').
 ***An '''aerial torpedo''' is an underwater missile dropped from an aircraft, such as a '''torpedo bomber'''. This type of aircraft, extensively used in the Second World War, is no longer used.
 ***In forms of [[football]] played with pointed balls, a '''torpedo kick''' is one where the motive force is applied to the point and along the long axis, so that the ball flies through the air 'like a torpedo' - without tumbling end-over-end.
-***The [[verb]] 'to '''torpedo'''' (torpedoed, torpedoes, torpedoing) has a [[literal]] meaning, 'to sink, or damage,  by means of an underwater missile strike' - or, in older English, by any of the mines etc that were previously called 'torpedoes'; or even 'to stun' or 'to paralyse', by the action of the fish.  [[Figurative]]ly,
+***The [[verb]] 'to '''torpedo'''' (torpedoed, torpedoes, torpedoing) has a [[literal]] meaning, 'to sink, or damage,  by means of an underwater missile strike' - or, in older English, by any of the mines etc that were previously called 'torpedoes'; or even 'to stun' or 'to paralyse', by the action of the fish.  [[Figurative]]ly, it means 'to cause great damage to' something, often an argument, by an unforeseen deployment of a hitherto secret point: a speaker might, for example, '''torpedo''' a proposal seen as likely to succeed by pointing out that it is actually against the law to do as proposed.
 *'''Torpedo''' was originally the [[Latin]] name for a fish - the '''electric ray'''. There are several species of rays that go under this name: they can be found in temperate seas all over the world. They are all rays (cartilaginous fish, related to sharks). They live in shallow water, living in and feeding on the species in coastal sediments, and are liable to be stood upon by land dwellers, or disturbed by sea dwellers. Consequently, they have evolved the power of producing electric shocks, as a defensive weapon. They are related to the so-called '''electric eel''' (''Electrophorus electricus''), a freshwater fish (not a true eel, but from South America which can also produce an electric shock - but has evolved it as a hunting weapon as well as for defensive purposes. It too has been called 'the torpedo' since its discovery by Europeans, who related it to their experience of the ray found in the Mediterranean.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 '''Torpedo''' can be ambiguous. Students of literature or history may come across the word in a very different sense from the standard current meaning, of
 *'an underwater weapon'. The first weapon to be given this [[metaphor]]ical name was originally close to the modern 'depth charge':
-::it was a waterproof case containing an explosive charge which could be detonated by a timer. This had a 'stunning' effect on nearby vessels, or on people (and fish) swimming in the vicinity. Hence the name (see below for the older meaning). The first, which floated, was designed to be towed by a submarine which would pass under the target ship and bring the torpedo into contact on the side from which the original approach had been made. This was later known as a 'towing torpedo'. (The technology developed into the 'moored torpedo', nowadays known as the moored 'mine'. Surface vessels could carry such a device on a spar, the 'boom-torpedo', 'out-rigger-torpedo' or 'spar-torpedo'. Some - '[[otter]]s' - were towed at an angle from the parent vessel, taking up a divergent course. The divergence was caused by a vane or fin, similar to that used in the mine-sweeping device, a '''paravane'''.)
+::it was a waterproof case containing an explosive charge which could be detonated by a timer. This had a 'stunning' effect on nearby vessels, or on people (and fish) swimming in the vicinity. Hence the name (see below for the older meaning). The first mobile contact weapon, which floated, was designed to be towed by a submarine which would pass under the target ship and bring the 'torpedo' into contact on the side from which the original approach had been made. This was later known as a 'towing torpedo'. (The technology developed into the 'moored torpedo', nowadays known as the moored 'mine'.) Surface vessels could carry such a device on a spar, the 'boom-torpedo', 'out-rigger-torpedo' or 'spar-torpedo'. Some - '[[otter]]s' - were towed at an angle from the parent vessel, taking up a divergent course. The divergence was caused by a vane or fin, similar to that used in the mine-sweeping device, a '''paravane'''.)
 **The name 'torpedo' became more appropriate when the newer weapon was developed, a self-propelled missile that travelled virtually unseen under the surface of the water, and detonated on contact with the target. These are now often 'homing torpedoes' that steer themselves onto the target. Many words and phrases have developed from this:
 ***'''Torpedo boats''' (or '''M.T.Bs''', '''Motor Torpedo Boats''') were fast light vessels designed to be used in swarms to fire torpedoes at much heavier vessels, seen as vulnerable from their lack of manoeuvrability. To defend against them, a class of escort vessels was developed called '''torpedo boat destroyers''', larger, even faster, and more heavily armed. These became valuable in escorting convoys and almost any vessels, against many threats, and are now usually known as '''destroyers'''.

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 **The name 'torpedo' became more appropriate when the newer weapon was developed, a self-propelled missile that travelled virtually unseen under the surface of the water, and detonated on contact with the target. These are now often 'homing torpedoes' that steer themselves onto the target. Many words and phrases have developed from this:
 ***'''Torpedo boats''' (or '''M.T.Bs''', '''Motor Torpedo Boats''') were fast light vessels designed to be used in swarms to fire torpedoes at much heavier vessels, seen as vulnerable from their lack of manoeuvrability. To defend against them, a class of escort vessels was developed called '''torpedo boat destroyers''', larger, even faster, and more heavily armed. These became valuable in escorting convoys and almost any vessels, against many threats, and are now usually known as '''destroyers'''.
-****Torpedo boats used by the German navy from 1932 and to the 1945 were known to the Allies as '''E-boat''' ('enemy boat'), though the Germans knew them as ''Schnellboot'' ('fast boat').
+****Torpedo boats used by the German navy from 1932 and to the 1945 were known to the Allies as '''E-boat''' ('enemy boat'), though the Germans knew them as '''S-boot''', for ''Schnellboot'' ('fast boat').
 ***An '''aerial torpedo''' is an underwater missile dropped from an aircraft, such as a '''torpedo bomber'''. This type of aircraft, extensively used in the Second World War, is no longer used.
 ***In forms of [[football]] played with pointed balls, a '''torpedo kick''' is one where the motive force is applied to the point and along the long axis, so that the ball flies through the air 'like a torpedo' - without tumbling end-over-end.
-***The [[verb]] 'to '''torpedo'''' (torpedoed, torpedoes, torpedoing)
+***The [[verb]] 'to '''torpedo'''' (torpedoed, torpedoes, torpedoing) has a [[literal]] meaning, 'to sink, or damage,  by means of an underwater missile strike' - or, in older English, by any of the mines etc that were previously called 'torpedoes'; or even 'to stun' or 'to paralyse', by the action of the fish.  [[Figurative]]ly,
 *'''Torpedo''' was originally the [[Latin]] name for a fish - the '''electric ray'''. There are several species of rays that go under this name: they can be found in temperate seas all over the world. They are all rays (cartilaginous fish, related to sharks). They live in shallow water, living in and feeding on the species in coastal sediments, and are liable to be stood upon by land dwellers, or disturbed by sea dwellers. Consequently, they have evolved the power of producing electric shocks, as a defensive weapon. They are related to the so-called '''electric eel''' (''Electrophorus electricus''), a freshwater fish (not a true eel, but from South America which can also produce an electric shock - but has evolved it as a hunting weapon as well as for defensive purposes. It too has been called 'the torpedo' since its discovery by Europeans, who related it to their experience of the ray found in the Mediterranean.
-::This '''electric ray''' (''torpedo torpedo'') has been known since ancient times. The Romans named it 'the '''torpedo'''<nowiki>'</nowiki> from the [[verb]] ''torpere'', 'to be stiff or numb', because the shock from the ray is enough to stun or numb a human victim. It (and other electric rays, discovered more recently and called after it) is also known as the 'numbfish' or 'crampfish' in English. (''Torpere'' is also the [[etymological root|root]] of the [[adjective]] '''torpid'''.)
+::This '''electric ray''' (''torpedo torpedo'') has been known since ancient times. The Romans named it 'the '''torpedo'''<nowiki>'</nowiki> from the [[verb]] ''torpere'', 'to be stiff or numb', because the shock from the ray is enough to stun or numb a human victim. It (and other electric rays, discovered more recently and called after it) is also known as the 'numbfish' or 'crampfish' in English. (''Torpere'' is also the [[etymological root|root]] of the [[adjective]] '''[[torpid]]'''.)
-{{Wip}}
+::::'''''[[etymology|Etymological]] note & curiosity''''': as [[Cresswell (2009)|Julia Cresswell]] points out, it is a strange anomaly in the history of the word '''torpedo'''. It now refers to a weapon capable of speeds up to 80 [[knot]]s, and ranges over 20 miles, but it began as a name for a sluggish fish (Cresswell relates ''torpere'' to the electric ray's bottom-dwelling habits, rather than its effect on its prey). And the weapon is far from '''torpid''' (= sluggish) in its character.
 [[category:Changing meanings]]