From owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Dec 22 14:45:27 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E02B616A4CE for ; Mon, 22 Dec 2003 14:45:27 -0800 (PST) Received: from shaft.techsupport.co.uk (shaft.techsupport.co.uk [212.250.77.214]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 45B0443D3F for ; Mon, 22 Dec 2003 14:45:26 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from setantae@submonkey.net) Received: from cpc2-cdif3-6-0-cust204.cdif.cable.ntl.com ([81.103.67.204] helo=shrike.submonkey.net ident=mailnull) by shaft.techsupport.co.uk with esmtp (TLSv1:DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA:256) (Exim 4.24; FreeBSD) id 1AYYnk-0000JW-Kd; Mon, 22 Dec 2003 22:45:24 +0000 Received: from setantae by shrike.submonkey.net with local (Exim 4.24; FreeBSD) id 1AYYng-0004WV-I9; Mon, 22 Dec 2003 22:45:20 +0000 Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2003 22:45:20 +0000 From: Ceri Davies To: "Gary W. Swearingen" Message-ID: <20031222224520.GK652@submonkey.net> Mail-Followup-To: Ceri Davies , "Gary W. Swearingen" , Andrew Boothman , chat@freebsd.org References: <3FE500F4.3060108@potentialtech.com> <3FE63E95.2020201@potentialtech.com> <3FE646A3.6080907@cream.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg=pgp-sha1; protocol="application/pgp-signature"; boundary="AJu7IxIPovG6hMTN" Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: X-PGP: finger ceri@FreeBSD.org User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.4i Sender: Ceri Davies cc: chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: More trivia: origin of the wheel group X-BeenThere: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Non technical items related to the community List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2003 22:45:28 -0000 --AJu7IxIPovG6hMTN Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On Mon, Dec 22, 2003 at 10:12:39AM -0800, Gary W. Swearingen wrote: > Andrew Boothman writes: >=20 > > The only place I can remember hearing the term, "big wheel", before is > > in a Simpson's episode where Milhouse describes his dad as a, "big > > wheel down at the cracker factory", or something like that! >=20 > I wonder if that shouldn't have been "big wheel down at the cheese > factory". >=20 > But that's exactly how the term is most often used -- referring to > a high-level executive. >=20 > I very much doubt if the term started with, or was even popularized > by, the Big Wheel tricycle which came out in the mid '60s, but I don't > know for sure. It'd sure be nice to have an OED or other etymological > reference book. My Cassell's Dictionary of Slang says that "big wheel" originates from the 1930s: big wheel n. [1930s+] an important, influential person, esp. in business. [the image of a smooth-running, powerful machine] I seem to remember a reference somewhere stating that the term was due to the fact that only important people could afford horse-drawn carriages, but I can't cite (or find) it at the moment. Ceri --=20 --AJu7IxIPovG6hMTN Content-Type: application/pgp-signature Content-Disposition: inline -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.3 (FreeBSD) iD8DBQE/53QAocfcwTS3JF8RAnJRAJ0eGQbJBH8iDYftA5/T/08+kkgiMwCghIjL Tlo9F+1xkXw0ZVa41/uoXGE= =Rtqt -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --AJu7IxIPovG6hMTN--