Wordie: Pinchbeck: Comments

Comment by yarb, 19 days ago

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:52:49 +0000

The Russian Countess gave talks on the prisons of Siberia, wearing the headdress and pinchbeck ornaments of a Slav bride...

- Frank Norris, The Octopus, bk 2, ch. 1

Comment by chained_bear, 6 months ago

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:12:38 +0000

"To be sure there was a golden haze over those times and some of the gold was no doubt false, mere pinchbeck at the best; but even so they had an irreplaceable quality of their own..."
--Patrick O'Brian, The Ionian Mission, 169

Comment by jeffazi, 9 months ago

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:46:41 +0000

adjective: counterfeit or spurious.

Comment by John, 9 months ago

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:17:59 +0000

"After watchmaker Christopher Pinchbeck (1670-1732), who invented it.
It's ironic that today his name is a synonym for something counterfeit
but in his time his fame was worldwide, not only as the inventor of
this curious alloy but also as a maker of musical clocks and orreries*.
The composition of this gold-like alloy was a closely-guarded secret
but it didn't prevent others from passing off articles as if made from
this alloy... faking fake gold!"

'Blackpool is more than a tower of lights and a rhinestone mile of slots and seasonal variety acts. It is Lancashire's pinchbeck LA.'
Adam Edwards; Keeping Up And Away From the Neighbours; Daily Telegraph (London, UK); Jul 24, 2004."
- A.W.A.D, November 19, 2007

Comment by brtom, about 1 year ago

Sat, 06 Jan 2007 16:45:46 +0000

Late lieabed under a quilt of old overcoats, fingering a pinchbeck bracelet, Dan Kelly's token.
Joyce, Ulysses, 10