Jan 19, 2019 19:49
5 yrs ago
2 viewers *
English term
Lower the lamp
Homework / test
English
Art/Literary
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Victorian era
"The next light we lowered the lamp, and sat smoking cigarettes without making the least sound."
From Hound of the Baskervilles.
This is presumably an oil lamp. What did he mean by "lowering the lamp"? In context I assume it was something that reduced the amount of light coming from the lamp, but I'm not sure if it refers to a more specific action or not.
From Hound of the Baskervilles.
This is presumably an oil lamp. What did he mean by "lowering the lamp"? In context I assume it was something that reduced the amount of light coming from the lamp, but I'm not sure if it refers to a more specific action or not.
Responses
4 +7 | turn down the lamp | Tony M |
Responses
+7
18 mins
Selected
turn down the lamp
While in some situations 'lower' might mean in terms of its physical position, I feel sure that here it means simply 'turn down' the lamp, i.e. reduce the amount of light.
On an oil lamp, the light output can be adjusted by turning a knob that raises or lowers the wick, cuasing it to burn with a larger or smaller flame, and hence give more / less light.
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Note added at 20 mins (2019-01-19 20:10:05 GMT)
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In more recent times, we might still say 'turn up / down' for a gas light, due to a similar mechanism... and even in today's world of electric light, and despite the fact that modern light switches are rarely if ever rotary, we still say 'turn on / off the light'
On an oil lamp, the light output can be adjusted by turning a knob that raises or lowers the wick, cuasing it to burn with a larger or smaller flame, and hence give more / less light.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 20 mins (2019-01-19 20:10:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
In more recent times, we might still say 'turn up / down' for a gas light, due to a similar mechanism... and even in today's world of electric light, and despite the fact that modern light switches are rarely if ever rotary, we still say 'turn on / off the light'
Note from asker:
Thank you. Essentially the dimmer knob, then? |
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Hilary McGrath
: Agree. With an oil lamp you can reduce the size of the flame. Tony M, don't forget "dimmer switches", although I think they came and went without really catching on.
11 mins
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Thanks, Hilary! Yes, new low-consumption lamps are generally incompatible with dimmers.
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agree |
Jack Doughty
2 hrs
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Thanks, Jack!
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agree |
Charlotte Fleming
3 hrs
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Thanks, Charlotte!
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neutral |
Daryo
: very plausible but not the only possibility.
10 hrs
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Thanks, Daryo! Knowing the writing of Conan Doyle, I'm pretty convinced this is the right answer here.
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agree |
JohnMcDove
: There might be many possibilities, but the only plausible is what you note. No need to reinvent the... lamp...
10 hrs
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Thanks, John!
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agree |
Charles Davis
: They're sitting up to catch whoever is signalling to the convict on the moor (turns out to be Barrymore), so they want it dark so as not to be seen. Paraffin and gas lamps could also be dimmed (though I doubt they'd have had gas at Baskerville Hall).
15 hrs
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Thanks, Charles!
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agree |
Klara Duka
: agree
1 day 19 hrs
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Thanks, Klara!
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agree |
Piyush Ojha
: I remember kerosene lamps well from my childhood in a small town in India.
1 day 20 hrs
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Thanks, Piyush! Me too: we lived on a boat, and didn't have electricity until 1959. I still have the lamp that was our only source of light!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Discussion
By this time, houses in urban areas had gaslight, though Baskerville Hall, where the action is set, probably didn't, since it was in an isolated rural area. And it wouldn't yet have had electric light at this time. However, paraffin lamps, which were much more efficient than traditional oil lamps, had been available since the 1860s, and an aristocratic house like this would almost certainly have had them. It could well have had the new incandescent paraffin lamps with the mantle patented in 1885. These could certainly be dimmed.
Here's a fun page on the subject:
http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/lighting/lighti...