On some LBCs I can quite understand why they are called wings - when
the dreaded rust has got a hold they quite often 'flap' as you drive
along - my TR2 did this before I fixed the rear wings properly (in its
former life) !
Brian Johnson
"Michael D. Porter" wrote:
>
> Randall Young wrote:
>
> > Just in case you are confused by the above, in British English, a 'fender'
> > is something you put on the side of a boat, to keep it from hitting the
> > dock. The piece of metal (or fiberglass) that goes over the top of the
>
> Curiously enough, for buses, even in American English, fender is used in
> the context above. For buses, which usually have more or less slab
> sides, the edge of the wheelwell has a rubber molding which extends out
> away from the panel, protecting it from light scrapes and bumps, just as
> does a fender in the British sense.
>
> I suspect that this is one of those words the meaning of which gradually
> evolved. Likely, very early in auto manufacture, there were no fenders,
> in any sense. Accidents likely broke wooden wheels, so "fenders" were
> added to protect the wheels, then evolved into something to minimize
> splash in bad weather, and gradually became an integral part of the
> running boards, and eventually of the styling of the car itself.
>
> Now, why the British insist on calling them "wings," I am not at all
> sure. Was there, in wagon terminology, a wingboard? (!)
>
> Cheers.
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