why they called?

[naughtyboy]

can any one help my 5yr old boy?
sent him into workshop for m8 nut ( keep nuts bolts etc in drawers labellled cos my youngest two love workshop time with daddy).

he came back and asked why its called a nut, as you cant eat it.
couldnt answer him but said id found out.

cheers

[Fat Bastard]

Damn fine question.

I'll be following this thread to hear the answer my self.

[larphead]

Because saying "The Hex shape thing that goes on the other end of a bolt" takes WAY too much time.

[morgaj1]

Apparently Google and Wikipedia don't know either, I just tried to look it up. Great question from the little man.

[lotechman]

The nut that goes onto a bolt is first recorded 1610s (used of other small mechanical pieces since early 15c.). Amer.Eng. slang sense of "amount of money required for something" is first recorded 1912.

The meaning "to secure by means of a bolt" is from 1580s.

thread (n.) Look up thread at Dictionary.com
O.E. þræd "fine cord, especially when twisted" (related to þrawan "to twist"), from P.Gmc. *thrædus (cf. M.Du. draet, Du. draad, O.H.G. drat, Ger. Draht, O.N. þraðr), from suffixed form of root *thræ- "twist" (see throw). Meaning "spiral ridge of a screw" is from 1670s.

Taken from etymology dictionary.
I guess the simplest explanation would be that small little mechanical pieces were called nuts because they were small like nuts and people of the time had to have a way of describing them in terms of something they were familiar with which was nuts that you eat.

[claymans13]

kids ask the most obvious questions. They really do make you think.

[yakdung]

I believe it was because of the shape of one of the first nuts developed that resembled an acorn.
http://www.boltscience.com/pages/glossary.htm

[JeffKiper]

My little man enter to know why I was "rigding" that machine with chains. I explained it was" rigging". He asked"Why?" I couldn't answer that.
I changed the subject and had him run a hoist for me.
School teacher asked him what he did over the weekend. He replied a ran a crane in daddy's shop. Of course the teacher explained daddy didn't have any crane in his garage. My stubborn son said mommy has a garage and daddy has a shop. She asked me if I had a crane in my shop. I explained that I had 2 and couldn't run both at the same time and needed a hand so my 5 year old was the perfect choice.

[lotechman]

Originally Posted by JeffKiper

My little man enter to know why I was "rigding" that machine with chains. I explained it was" rigging". He asked"Why?" I couldn't answer that.
I changed the subject and had him run a hoist for me.
School teacher asked him what he did over the weekend. He replied a ran a crane in daddy's shop. Of course the teacher explained daddy didn't have any crane in his garage. My stubborn son said mommy has a garage and daddy has a shop. She asked me if I had a crane in my shop. I explained that I had 2 and couldn't run both at the same time and needed a hand so my 5 year old was the perfect choice.

Just shows how far academics are away from real life. I can remember being reprimanded for not being able to say where I went/what i did on holidays. "Was working with my Dad" Just did not make any sense with teacher. Obviously I was lying to get out of the assignment.

[naughtyboy]

thanks yakdung showed my boy your post and explained it to him, he is now very happy.
jeffkiper/lotechman know exactly what you mean my12 yr old regulary as to explain what working with dad is all about.
last time he did report on how he spent weekend got told 14 pages was a bit excessive, all he did was explain in detail re-chassissing a landrover we were working on.
thing is if its something he is into he will put last detail into it.

[duaneb55]

Years ago when our oldest daughter was about 4yo, out of the blue she asked Judy "Mommy, why do we have to do before we did?" It's amazing what they come up with as their minds get to working doubletime.

[welds4d]

OK, so why is it called a BOLT?

[mcostello]

Or washer?

[NVW]

Around here some of the oldtimers called a nut, a burr.

[weldbead]

Originally Posted by mcostello

Or washer?

exactly..you cant wash with a washer...

[clive]

Originally Posted by JeffKiper

My little man enter to know why I was "rigding" that machine with chains. I explained it was" rigging". He asked"Why?" I couldn't answer that.
I changed the subject and had him run a hoist for me.
School teacher asked him what he did over the weekend. He replied a ran a crane in daddy's shop. Of course the teacher explained daddy didn't have any crane in his garage. My stubborn son said mommy has a garage and daddy has a shop. She asked me if I had a crane in my shop. I explained that I had 2 and couldn't run both at the same time and needed a hand so my 5 year old was the perfect choice.

I think rigging goes back to ropes,slings and rope blocks, all used in ships rigging and lifting spars up the mast, hence "rigger"

[JeffKiper]

I agree with you. Probably was from the ship days, but where did they get the word from? What cane first the Damn loud chicken or the egg? This is one of those old things that will probably always just be because some old timer said that is what it was and the apprentice took his word for it.

My apprentice 7 or 8 years ago called me a liar. I explained to him that he just used up his one and only I get to call the boss a name to his face. I continued to explain to him that next time I send him after paste on metal shrink he better go get it. I don't want that spray on stuff. he argued that there was no such thing a metal shrink paste. I grabbed a jar of never seize. I had him try to put the a 0.9995" pin in a 1.0000" hole it just wouldn't fit. Then I use the magic metal shrink paste and the pin went right in. his jaw almost hit the floor. I explained that it bonded with the base metal and allowed it to shrink 0.0001" per inch of circumference. So a 1.0000" inch pin would shrink 0.000314".


He still calls it metal shrink and the guys can't believe that I never set him straight.

Yea I know I shouldn't have been that way.