In our own time we see the way words or parts of words (and in this one case an abbreviation) survive when the original meaning has been lost. Currently we write cc as a supposed abbreviation for ‘copies’ but it may be only one copy because ‘cc’ stands for ‘carbon copy’, a practice of placing a carbon paper between sheets so the impress on the top sheet would go through onto the bottom sheet. I remember making as many as 5 carbon copies, requiring me to press very hard with the pen or hit the typewriter keys very hard.
And the stenographers are gone but the special little pad used by them to take notes is still known as a ‘stenopad.’
Pat’s Polemics
On-going brilliance
