Nellie's Chamber

Posted by Baceseras on March 27, 2010 at 14:07

In Reply to: Nellie's Chambe posted by David on March 26, 2010 at 10:50:

: What is the origin of "Nellie's Chamber"? In the 1940's carpenters in Wisconsin would say, "That one went Nellie's Chamber" when a nail pounded endwise into a board would, because of twisted wood grain, veer off its intended path and come out the side of the board - thus blemishing the board's surface.

["Camber" in carpentry means arched or bent, "askew." How Nellie comes into it I couldn't say. There may have been some influence from "miscanter," meaning a mishap. -B.]