What's in a Name? The Traverses.
Monte Davis
montedavis49 at gmail.com
Thu Aug 11 08:46:09 CDT 2016
Given that TRP's father was an industrial surveyor, and the possibility (cf
Benny P's experience and the expertise evidenced in M&D) that he put in
some summer-job time as I once did on a road and/or survey crew, this
seems the most likely primary source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traverse_(surveying)
On Thu, Aug 11, 2016 at 7:23 AM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
> "Relax now, be nice and comfy, it's not a drill movement, it's a firing
> position, oh yes, we've done
> *this *before! Now traverse the gun, point it but never aim. Right!".
> p. 147, The Looking Glass War, by John LeCarre, 1965
>
> (1) Adjustment of the gun in traverse is normally made by pressure of the
> right shoulder and arm on the shoulder traversing bar. In order to traverse
> the gun by this method, the traversing release handle must be locked to
> the rear so that the ...
>
> I do not know if this resonance of 'traverse' , this phrase with travers,
> has ever come up on the Plist. It is not on the wiki.
>
> I vote for the meaning as a direct possible source of the family name.
>
> Who knows but TRP how he learned of it, although we know he has read and
> liked LeCarre. it is in earlier war manuals and other places, of course....
>
>
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