Green ferret Following last week’s Weird Word, Stephen Britt-Hazard updated the story: “During my service for solicitors as an articled clerk, and then a managing clerk/litigation executive during the 70s [ferret] was still a vital article in the clerk’s inventory. Made of cotton dyed bright green, it was universally known as grass tape or green tape. It was used to ensure that the pages of deeds and other important documents were secured together in the correct order, and most importantly that any plan referred to was securely inserted.” I have now found that grass tape, so named, is listed for sale on the website of the British legal stationers Oyez.
Correction Apologies to Geoff Pullum for spelling his name wrong in the last issue.
Published on June 16, 2012 01:00