Posted by Armand on September 25, 1999 at 19:53:17:
In Reply to: Graveyard shift posted by Linnette on September 25, 1999 at 19:03:26:
I don´t even know if "cable tree" is the proper english word for it (I believe it was a german speaking guy mentioning it first), it may be a "wrong" translation of the german idiom "Kabelbaum", at least I couldn´t find cable tree in my Harrap´s or Webster´s.
Anyway, you will find a "cable tree" in every car and motorcycle (and as part of many other technical installations). It is just a bunch of electrical cables wrapped together so you can hide them in a car for instance and find them again one by one. Sounds easy, but if there´s something wrong with the electric of your car or bike, try to find out which of the cables doesn´t work anymore...
What puzzles me from time to time ist how British and American English are drifting apart even in technical terms. Brits call it mudguards, you call it fenders. Americans talk about highway pegs, Brits call them forward controls...