Pulling a Granite Seam

Hey there, you have A Way with Words.

Hey, how’s it going? My name is Kentrell, and I am from West Memphis, Arkansas.

What are you thinking about today in terms of language?

Yeah, so I was calling to ask a question. I used to work for a granite company, and one of the things we talked about was some of the older guys, they would say, hey, I’m going to pull a seam. And what they were saying was that they were going to basically put two pieces of granite together, but they called it pulling the seam.

So I was just wondering where did that come from or if you have any idea of where that idea of pulling the seam really came from.

So granite, the stone, G-R-A-N-I-T-E, right?

Right. The only other way I’ve heard them say it is, yeah, we’re going to go put these two pieces of granite together. That’s kind of the only other way I’ve heard them really talk about it.

So you put them together so they can be fastened or epoxied down, right? Maybe hold them in place with a seam setter?

That’s exactly what it was for.

So whenever they said they were going to pull the seam, they were going to put together a mixture of epoxy in order to actually seam these two pieces of granite together so that they wouldn’t come apart.

Yeah, and you just said the magic word there, which is together. And so I think what’s happening is that that adverb together is kind of being dropped in like everyday use. So when they say they’re going to pull a seam, I think they mean they’re going to pull a seam together, but they’re just not using that word together.

There is, interestingly, and it could just be a coincidence, in sewing, you know, with fabric, making clothes or garments, they also have pulling a seam, and it’s not pulling them apart. It’s when you loosely stitch two edges together so that when you pull your thread at the end to tighten all those loose loops, the stitches are hidden. So again, you’re pulling the seams of the fabric together.

So again, I think it’s all about that missing adverb here. But it’s interesting to me that it’s so understood in the field, in the work that you do.

Do you still do masonry or marble work?

No, I am a firefighter and paramedic.

Oh, well, thank you very much for helping your community.

I’m happy to do it.

Yeah, so that’s really interesting. So with that thought in mind, one of the things that we talk about when they said pulling the seam was actually kind of trying to hide that connection too. So that probably had something to do with it as well. So that’s pretty interesting.

Oh, yeah. So you’re thinking there might be even more in common with the sewing use than I thought.

Yeah, so that’s actually fascinating.

Yeah. All right. Well, thank you, Kendrell, for your call. We really appreciate it. And take care of yourself out there. All right.

All right. Thank you so much. Y’all have a good one.

Thanks for calling.

Bye-bye.

You too.

All right. Bye-bye.

Well, you’ve probably noticed some language in your workplace that has you thinking. We’d love to think about it with you.

Give us a call, 877-929-9673, or send us the whole story in email, words@waywordradio.org.