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Subject: Re: I'm looking for a word	Date: 4/19/2012 12:15 PM
Author: Goofyhoofy	Number: 12267 of 13185
windshield. Think of what that front window in your car was originally designed to do. It still does that. Try driving your car without one and see how you like it ;) However over in the automotive meme, "glove compartment" was for gloves, back when you had to hand crank the engine to get it started. Messy, of course, and "gloves" were a necessity, and you needed someplace to put them for the next time. Also the "trunk" of a car. Originally cars didn't have any storage, but some people took an actual steamer trunk, bolted it on the back, and it became the "trunk" of a car. So two good examples of words that have outlived the original meaning, yet retain the original meaning. But I thought there was a word for such things, like "pallindrome" is for something else, or "anachronism" is for other things. (No, I don't think "anachronism" works for this definition, it's more of a "mistake" as when something is "out of time", such as a digital watch appearing in a Sherlock Holmes movie.) Speaking of which, how about "a quarter to three". A digital watch has no "quarter", but an analog clock does, so "a quarter to three" made sense, as did "half past two." I guess you could make the case that they're still relevant since time is measured in "hours" and "half past" would be "half way through the hour." Dunno. Still searching for that definitive word, but maybe there isn't one. Maybe we should make one up?
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