Derivation of talus

Brownes3 · 19 May 1998, 13:28 · from whorl-v0008.mbox · original

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From: Brownes3 <Brownes3 at aol.com>
Subject: (whorl) Derivation of talus
Date: Tue, 19 May 1998 09:28:59 EDT
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I don't recall anyone posting a possible derivation of the term of talus on
this, list,although I remember at one point several posts saying "talus" was
still a mystery.

Here's my try:

I'm re-reading Nightside and came to the passage that describes the painting
of Pas creating the Whorl. The message mentions two taluses of a particular=
ly
lovely shade of butter yellow. Obviously, they are bulldozers, but a certain
kind -- yellow is the brand color of Caterpillar Tractors. So I went looking
for associations with caterpillars or butterliesa and such.

I needn't have been so devious.  According to Webster's, a talus is:

"a slope formed by an accumulation  of rock debris."

So a talus is named after the thing it makes:  the slope the bulldozer blade
leaves in the rubbled after it pulls back.

What do y'all think?

Rich Browne

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