Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[leslie]

Hi,

I don't quite understand the following sentence. Could you please help me out? What does 'down' mean here?

I had a service tech down last week who is very familiar with this equipment.

Thanks!

Leslie
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Less Is Blessed

[CP]

It just means, "I had the service technician who is familiar with this equipment come to my office."

Maybe the service technician works on a floor higher than the speaker, so the tech has to literally come down to see him or her. The speaker could also have said "had the service tech up" or "had the service tech over" or "had the service tech in," and still meant the same thing.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[leslie]

Thanks! CP!!

In fact, it was a correspondence from a friend of mine. He didn't quite get what was said in the letter. Some of it are still not clear to me, either. Could you help me out?

[redset]

That seems quite technical, like you'd have to know the machine to really understand what he means. I've looked on the internet and it seems to mean the cut is skewed - instead of cutting straight in all directions, sometimes you get an angle. Since the author constrasts 'it appears to cut square reasonably well' with problems relating to cutting other shapes, I'd assume that the machine can cut actual square shapes (or maybe shapes with straight edges) quite well, but it's skewing when trying to cut rounded and more complex shapes.

The red part, to me, sounds like the blade is moving a little when it starts to cut (causing a crooked edge), and then starts to produce a straight, level cut as it moves deeper into the material. This is how it sounds to me, I don't actually have any background in this industry and I was always pretty bad at this kind of thing in school!

[leslie]

Thank you so much for your help, CP!!!

I don't have any background of that, either, even if it was all written down in Chinese, my mother tongue. It seems that understanding a language is not from language itself only. It also involves so many other background knowledge from different aspects--cutural, economic, social, interdiscplinary. etc.

I do appreciate your help!! I can learn something that is not in the dictionary from native English speakers like you who are kind enough to be willing to help. Thank you!!!

Leslie
_________________
Less Is Blessed

[lotus]

Hi,

In draftmen and construction terms, when something is said to be square, it means that the adjoining edges are exactly perpendicular (90 degrees) to each other. The main tool used for checking perpendicularity is a T-square. http://www.bartleby.com/61/71/T0397100.html

A draftsman uses a T-square to produce parallel lines. He achieves this by sliding the T-square (sideways) along another rule (straight-edge ruler) and drawing lines across the leg of the T. In doing that, he produces exact parallel lines which are perpendicular to the original straight-edge rule.

A construction worker or carpenter will use the T-square in a more practical manner. He will lay the T-square right at the edge of a table. Even the slightest deviation from 90 degrees, or any irregularity in either of the two edges, will be noticeable by feeling where the T-square meets the furniture.

This principle is used throughout many technical fields. In manufacturing, precision cutting machines need to cut objects cleanly (with few aberrations) with regularity to maintain form and quality. When a machine cuts squarely, it means that it cuts objects cleanly and perpendicularly with precision (sometimes the specified angle is something other than 90 degrees). Wear-and-tear or mis-alignment can cause it not to cut square. Other causes are hardness of cutting tool, linearity of leading edge, material pliability and speed of cut.

Imagine a simple lever-arm paper cutter. You will find that a cheap one will mis-align or not cut well within a few months. You'll also find in using it, that the initial part of the cut will be skewed. But, when the cutter gets going, the edge is straighter. That is because on initial contact, the paper moves. Usually, the faster you cut it, the cleaner the edge. But, you can't go too fast because it will shock the blade upon meeting the paper.

There are many reasons for bad cuts or cuts that are not square (or out of square). Precision instruments need to be aligned and calibrated regularly for maximum performance.

"Being squared" is also idiomatic. It means right on target or exactly where or how it should be. You can hit a nail squarely on the head. Or, a soldier will stand with his shoulder squared. Or, things may not be square between two friends. Or, his alibi does not square with the evidence.


--lotus

[CP]

Leslie,

You thanked me for what Redset wrote. I'll fill out the papers to transfer the thanks to Redset.

To answer question 2, it sounds like a contradiction, unless the writer means that the machine is cutting out of square (per Lotus's excellent explanation) but only slightly.

More on square: When your things are all in proper order, they are all squared away. When a deal is fair and square, it is all correct. Sometimes you will hear, "I beat you fair and square," meaning don't whine about losing, as I won fairly. Sometimes lawyers talk about the square holding of a case, the exact decision arrived at by the court. And from the 1950s, a square (or L7) is a person who is proper at all times, not hip. "Don't you be no square" is part of the lyrics of Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock." Of course, square people (e.g., Bill Gates) are as likely to rule their worlds as are hip people (e.g., Jack Nicholson).
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[leslie]

Oops! I just found that I had made a mistake. I'm so sorry for being so careless, redset. However, I have always appreciated for what you have done for me. Thank you!! CP, redset, and lotus!! Your kindest help and detailed explanations are very helpful. I cannot thank you enough.

Leslie
_________________
Less Is Blessed

[redset]

Haha, no problem lotus had a better explanation anyway, a lot of mine was guesswork. And you're right about different kinds of language - it's all about communication, and some types of communication rely on both people having specific knowledge. Even watching a weather report on TV can require you to understand various meteorological terms! I think most of us learned something in this thread.