Grammar Pedants Only: Plumb vs. Plum line...

What do the nitpickers and grammar Nazis of Mountain Project think?

When one is out exploring a new area, does one go looking for a plum line? Or a plumb line?

It's a tough call. The plumb line is commonly used to determine true vertical, but a plum anything is highly desirable.

I lean towards the latter, but I'm curious what other people think.

David Barbour wrote:pedants

I proofread the post, and missed the post title. Doh!

Well the ultimate plum line would be a plumb line......

If I was climbing it, plump line may be more appropriate.

My plumber senses are tingling

Plumb, from the Latin for "plumbus", or lead, as in a lead weight hanging at the end of a string. That's why the symbol for lead on the periodic table is Pb. It's also where the word "plumber" comes from, since they used to make pipes out of lead.

That concludes our lesson of the day.

"Plumb" is not synonymous with excellent, fantastic, desirable, or any other superlative.

"Plum" is a poor substitute for any of the above superlatives.

Find a new word, it will make your life much easier. Might I suggest:

"A choice line"
"A beautiful line"
"Rad new sicky sicky gnar gnar line"

"Plum" is Brit. for excellent: plum pudding doesn't contain plums (fruit), but is a excellent pudding (if you like that sort of thing-and it is a fantastic high-energy bivi food). Plumb means a straight line down from the objective: "The line a drop of water follows down from the summit, that is the line I shall follow" Cesare Maestri I think?, about routes in the Dolomites. (Infamous creator of the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre).

"The line a drop of water follows down from the summit, that is the line I shall follow" came from Emilio Comici. But you're right about plumb being dead vertical. Plum is a quality designation.
--Your Local Pedant

A lot is TWO WORDS.There, now I've said it.

Plumb, as in plumb line, derives from the lead (L plumbum) weight used in a plumb bob ... and so is a terrible - or perhaps ironic? - term to use for a climb ...

Jon H wrote:"Rad new sicky sicky gnar gnar line"

+9001 would buy any guidebook with this description of a route.

I like to stick to the more traditional and scholarly descriptors of excellence regarding routes of ascent, such as: gnar, gnar-gnar, icky-icky gnar gnar, tits, splitty titty, splitty titty city, righteous, or epic.

One searches for a plum line but ultimately hopes that one is not at the end of a plumb line...

flynn wrote:"The line a drop of water follows down from the summit, that is the line I shall follow" came from Emilio Comici. But you're right about plumb being dead vertical. Plum is a quality designation. --Your Local Pedant

In other words, it could be a plumb line, a plum line, or even a plum plumb line

It depends on context. I've seen both used correctly.

For example:

"D1 takes the plumb line up the impressive East Face of Longs Peak"

Or

"When I arrived at the Creek in '88, we were picking plums left and right"

Elliott Crooks wrote:"Plum" is Brit. for excellent: plum pudding doesn't contain plums (fruit), but is a excellent pudding (if you like that sort of thing-and it is a fantastic high-energy bivi food). Plumb means a straight line down from the objective: "The line a drop of water follows down from the summit, that is the line I shall follow" Cesare Maestri I think?, about routes in the Dolomites. (Infamous creator of the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre).

Plum pudding is not plum because it is excellent (which it isn't). Plum pudding contains raisins, and plums (at least in the 1600s) meant, or at least included, raisins.