A primer of Mines talk

''Hey, diamond beak, this guy's cold-spiking.''

If you should ever hear this, don't panic. It might actually mean something.

Last year visiting professor Roger W. Wescott, a linguist, compiled a handbook of slang from the Colorado School of Mines. Putting his ear to the ground and tapping students for their pet colloquialisms, he came up with a list of expressions reflecting local folklore. Some excerpts:

Diamond beak - a professor who gives no A's (an intensification of the common expression ''hard-nosed'').

Duck-squeezer - an environmentalist (perhaps a variant of ''duck-hugger,'' ''duck-lover,'' or the like).

Engineering estimate - a wild guess.

The Great Terrain Robbery - the so-called ''sagebrush rebellion'' against federal control of public resources in Western states.

Rock-licker - a geologist or geology student.

Snow-snake - a fictitious serpent that wraps itself around skis, making the skier fall.

Cold spike - to copy another student's homework directly, without any effort to assimilate or understand the material.

You've read 3 of 3 free articles. Subscribe to continue.
QR Code to A primer of Mines talk
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/1982/0216/021656.html
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe
CSM logo

Why is Christian Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we’ve aimed “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you’ll find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences – a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Explore values journalism About us