Re: [CR]terminology

(Example: Events:Cirque du Cyclisme:2004)

In-Reply-To: <36ebc2f70511160909i6c2c0ba0xf3298816dc606700@mail.gmail.com>
References: <36ebc2f70511160909i6c2c0ba0xf3298816dc606700@mail.gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 12:35:34 -0500
To: Kristopher Green <kristopher.green@gmail.com>, tperry1@verizon.net, Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "Sheldon Brown" <CaptBike@sheldonbrown.com>
Subject: Re: [CR]terminology


Kristopher Green wrote:
>
>And I add, in a moment of off-topic confusion, what about the terms
>"nearside" and "offside", which are regularly used by British car
>magazines and repair manuals? It appears to me that "nearside" is not
>the side nearest the British curb, when driving, but the right. But
>why?

Au contraire,

"Nearside" is left. I think this may actually relate to horseback riding--it is customary to mount horses from the left side, and some horses get hinky if you try to do it the other way.

Now, the French have their own confusion..."gauche" is left, "droit" is right...but "toute droit" ("all right") is straight ahead!

Sheldon "Perdu" Brown +-------------------------------------------+ | Ah, but I was so much older then, | | I'm younger than that now. | | -Bob Dylan | +-------------------------------------------+ --
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