Talk:Caltrop
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A discussion from User talk:CyborgTosser:
Hello, CyborgTosser. Noticed your inclusion of "jack rock" as a synonym for caltrop. This puzzled me at first, as I haven't heard this term before, and couldn't find it in any of my dictionatires. Further, I was initially unable to find any Google references that didn't derive from the article. However, I did eventually find CODE OF ORDINANCES CITY OF WASHINGTON, ILLINOIS (http://ci.washington.il.us/HTML/CHAPTER%20130.htm). These are cirty ordinances for a small town in Illinois. Thus, the term is possibly a local Illinois usage? At present the description makes it appear as if "jack rock" is a common or widely known synonym, which I don't believe is correct. I wondered if you had any additional information on the distribution of this usage so we could clarify the point? Securiger 01:36, 12 May 2004 (UTC)
- Well, I found something here: [1] (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jack+rocks) Not excatly the same thing, but along the same lines. I know it's not just a local Illinois thing. I didn't grow up in Illinois and it's the only word I've heard to describe such an item in modern usage. I don't know where I first heard it, but when I mention it to other people, they seem to know what I'm talking about. As a side note, I've always thought of "caltrop" having a military (and usually somewhat archaic) connotation, whereas "jack rock" describes something a criminal might put in the road to slow down police. CyborgTosser 06:35, 18 May 2004 (UTC)
A related term seems to be "star nails", although it doesn't seem to be exactly the same thing. Anyone know? CyborgTosser 06:42, 18 May 2004 (UTC)
- "Star nails" are smaller caltrops intended to puncture a vehicle's tires. --Carnildo 07:31, 8 Aug 2004 (UTC)