U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | ''Bog - standard.''

''Bog - standard.''



Don wrote.
John,
In plain American English can you explain what “bog standard” means? ☺
Don Bryant

Sure,
Don, one and All,
It was only last January ( believe or not ) that I first came accross the description, ''bog - standard,'' while negotiating an oil change for my new BMW ( well, fifteen years old ). My friend, the car mechanic and guitar player, assured me that bog - standard engine oil would be quite OK.....and he should know because his brother, the garage owner, had a similar BMW years back.
Now, looking at my Collin's dictionary ( 1992 ) it states
''Bog - standard , adjective. British and Irish slang = completely ordinary; run of the mill.''

But that really ain't the end of it , because, why ''Bog ?''
Further back in Collins:-
''Bog''.( 3 ) A slang word for lavatory ( 13 C from Gaelic, ''bogach''swamp, from ''bog'', soft ) .

Bog - standard print paper should not be confused with, ''bog roll '' which has quite a different use in photography, that of cleaning black sticky ink from the fingers when coating.
.
Strange, the links with mineral oil and laxatives which were mentioned in connection with making paper translucent.
See you later.

John - Photographist - London - UK
....................................................
----- Original Message ----- From: "Don Bryant" <dsbryant@bellsouth.net>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca>
Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2007 4:56 PM
Subject: RE: ''Oh Baby ! Paraffinum Liquidum. ( Mineral Oil ) says the bottle.


John,


The printer paper I have treated is the ''bog standard'' type, probably no more than
40 gsm

In plain American English can you explain what “bog standard” means? ☺


Don Bryant