duct tape

You know the jokes that are made about duct tape and how often people use the similarity of the sound of "duct" to "duck" to construct puns. I watched an episode of Mythbusters recently (I love that show) in which they were working with ducks, and duct tape was naturally suggested, amid chuckles. And there is this cute picture to the right, at the Truth and Humor website.

Well, thanks to jrosestar I got to read this item from http://ask.yahoo.com/20051019.html on how duct tape got its name.

Duct tape was originally manufactured for the U.S. military during World War II by the Johnson & Johnson Permacel division, to prevent water from seeping into ammunition boxes. Because "water rolled off it like a duck" (it was waterproof) and because it was made using "cotton duck" (similar to the material in cloth medical tapes), the new invention was originally called "duck tape." In the booming postwar era, its versatility made it a standard component of any handyman's toolkit; however, its most high-profile use was connecting heating and air conditioning ducts. Thus, "duck tape" became "duct tape." Ironically, the tape is now considered ineffective for ductwork and banned by most building codes.

But the "duck tape" moniker still lives on as a registered trademark of the Duck® brand company. So if you love duck tape, join the club.

I am used to English changing all the time so that what is a mistake becomes correct usage a short time later, but this completely surprised me.

Robert Munafo

Wow! This guy makes me feel like I'm incredibly slack. Just look at all the cool stuff he does.
http://home.earthlink.net/~mrob/pub/

What have I achieved? A few passable pictures and a few half-assed stories.
I should get my head down and do some really good stuff before my time is up.
We only get one chance -- one eye-blink in the vastness of the universe.
We have to make it count... leave things better than they were before we came.
[sigh]