The word of interest this week is “dishing.” If one were to
suppose that the term means to produce a dished shape, that would but a part of
the story. Johnson gives this definition, “Concave; a cant term among
artificers.” There are certainly two words in the definition that are not
likely to be in the common vocabulary of most people. “Cant” and “artificer”
are words likely strange to most contemporary ears but certainly less so in Johnson’s
day. Considering the possible usages for “cant” given by Johnson, and the
context of the entry for “dish,” the meaning is language specific to a
particular profession or trade. “Artificers” means, again according to Johnson
and in the given context, those who make things – especially tradesmen or artists.
“A cant term among artificers” then is a term specific to a given trade and
used by its workers.
Interestingly, Johnson’s example for “dishing” comes from
Mortimer’s 1708 practical treatise, The Whole Art of Husbandry; Or, The Way
of Managing and Improving of Land, page 280. Here Mortimer describes the advantages
of having a wagon or cart wheel concave from the rim to the hub on the outside
of the wheel. This, of course causes the inside of the wheel to be convex from
the hub to the rim. Mortimer suggests that the concave cross-section of the
wheel (toward the outside) is helpful in strengthening the wheel when it invariably
falls into uneven areas or holes as it turns. The movement on such occasions,
according to the author, is toward the outside of the wheel. This pushes the
hub toward the outside, in turn pushing the spokes against the fellies which
are restrained by the iron rim encircling the outside of the wheel. This directional
movement to the outside tends to tighten the components of the wheel rather
than loosen them because it has the effect of increasing the diameter of the
wooden wheel against the inside of the iron rim.
The drawing above is from James Burgess’ 1881 book, A Practical
Treatise On Coach-Building Historical and Descriptive, page 37. The “dishing” of the
wheels is seen if one observes the angle of the spokes relative to the hub when
looking at the cross-section.
The shape and working properties of wagon, carriage, and
cart wheels would have been rather ubiquitous in the eighteenth century, as are
car wheels and their working properties are rather ho-hum today. Wagons,
carriages, carts, and similar conveyances were the only forms of wheeled
transportation in Johnson’s day. Far from being crude and poorly designed, the
art of the wheelwright (an artificer of wheels) was highly and subtly
engineered to marry the greatest strengths of wood and iron to produce objects graceful,
strong, long-lasting, and terrifically utilitarian.
Johnson’s little entry for “dishing” bespeaks of the some of
the best eighteenth-century design and craftsmanship. The word “artificers” nicely
captures the “art” of the wheelwright – whose work seems a mystery to the
ignorant but radiates its genius in useful simplicity.
Below is another drawing from Burgess, page 57, that shows the parts
of a wheel. The term “nave” identifies the same part which is called a “hub” in
the text of the post.
I am providing links on the right to both books mentioned, for those who wish to consult the original sources.
Until next week.
John
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