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Ooh I had this wonder a while back and jotted it down just in case anyone else ever wondered about it: Comes from the ye olde paper-based blogs they call newsp

by corobo 2y ago

Ooh I had this wonder a while back and jotted it down just in case anyone else ever wondered about it: Comes from the ye olde paper-based blogs they call newspapers. When an article is being put together it’s given a short name, sort of like a project name. This name would remain the same throughout the article’s life - from reporter through to editor - it left its trail through the process. Like a slug.

meindnoch 2y ago
That's not what Wikipedia says about its etymology though. >The origin of the term slug derives from the days of hot-metal printing, when printers set type by hand in a small form called a stick. Later huge Linotype machines turned molten lead into casts of letters, lines, sentences and paragraphs. A line of lead in both eras was known as a slug.
- corobo 2y ago
  Ooh interesting. It looks like I have either misinterpreted or found a source that misinterpreted (it was a few years back, unsure if I came to the conclusion or found it). I'll have to update my notes, cheers! Apologies for the wetbrain hallucination, HN!
  - 8372049 2y ago
    I'm not sure you're hallucinating. The dictionary I checked lists the printing and journalism terms separately. It's quite possible they have diverging etymologies, meaning both can be correct: 5. Print. a. a thick strip of type metal less than type-high. b. such a strip containing a type-high number or other character for temporary use. c. a line of type in one piece, as produced by a Linotype. 8. Journalism. a. a short phrase or title used to indicate the story content of a piece of copy. b. the line of type carrying this information.
    - hprotagonist 2y ago
      or the journalism term itself diverged from the typographic one.
      - corobo 2y ago
        Aye this is what it seems to be having double checked the reply's claim Got to the Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slug_(publishing) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slug_(publishing) which could possibly support the slimy conclusion of "it's a trail through the process" but that article has an etymology section that refers to the metal slug I guess it could mean both depending on whether you're looking for the meaning of the word or the meaning of the concept but I didn't find any other slimy grub references (via an admittedly limited double check)
        hprotagonist 2y ago
        another fun etymological rabbit hole for you: stereotype and cliché both probably originated as typographer jargon.

by corobo 2y ago

meindnoch 2y ago

That's not what Wikipedia says about its etymology though. >The origin of the term slug derives from the days of hot-metal printing, when printers set type by hand in a small form called a stick. Later huge Linotype machines turned molten lead into casts of letters, lines, sentences and paragraphs. A line of lead in both eras was known as a slug.

corobo 2y ago
Ooh interesting. It looks like I have either misinterpreted or found a source that misinterpreted (it was a few years back, unsure if I came to the conclusion or found it). I'll have to update my notes, cheers! Apologies for the wetbrain hallucination, HN!
- 8372049 2y ago
  I'm not sure you're hallucinating. The dictionary I checked lists the printing and journalism terms separately. It's quite possible they have diverging etymologies, meaning both can be correct: 5. Print. a. a thick strip of type metal less than type-high. b. such a strip containing a type-high number or other character for temporary use. c. a line of type in one piece, as produced by a Linotype. 8. Journalism. a. a short phrase or title used to indicate the story content of a piece of copy. b. the line of type carrying this information.
  - hprotagonist 2y ago
    or the journalism term itself diverged from the typographic one.
    - corobo 2y ago
      Aye this is what it seems to be having double checked the reply's claim Got to the Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slug_(publishing) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slug_(publishing) which could possibly support the slimy conclusion of "it's a trail through the process" but that article has an etymology section that refers to the metal slug I guess it could mean both depending on whether you're looking for the meaning of the word or the meaning of the concept but I didn't find any other slimy grub references (via an admittedly limited double check)
      - hprotagonist 2y ago
        another fun etymological rabbit hole for you: stereotype and cliché both probably originated as typographer jargon.