Throw Mr. Sand on the Fire

Quote:  “Would Ticket Inspector Sand report to the Control Room.” Announcement heard on the London subway system.

 

Figure of Speech:  schematismus (skee-ma-TIS-mus), the figure of code words. From the Greek, meaning “configuration.”

Mr. Sand gets around. Building managers traditionally invoke his name when there’s a fire, and he seems to serve the London Underground as well. This type of circumlocution, called schematismus in rhetoric, can help prevent a stampede of panicky patrons. Instead of yelling “Fire!” over the P.A. system, the manager calmly asks for Mr. Sand.

The schematismus makes for one of the more enjoyable figures. There’s an old legend about schematisms in Pidgin, a potpourri of dialects spoken in the English colonies. The pidgin for elevator was “room go up belly down.” For piano it was “big black box hit him in teeth he cries.” Or so Figaro heard.

We just pity anyone actually named Sand who wishes to become a ticket inspector.

Snappy Answer: “And would everyone else please run screaming from the building.”

Comments

[Emily]

Does "Code Adam" for a lost child count as a schematismus?

[Eric]

At my wife's hospital, the code for a fire alarm is "Doctor Blaze."

[Marco]

In middle school, every two weeks the vice principle would announce, "the eagle has landed." We, us children, all knew that was code for our paychecks are here, which were well deserved.

[jmack]

My high school used "there is a red Plymouth parked in the fire lane" to mean that there is reason to go into lock down mode--at least until Chrysler dropped the Plymouth line of cars.

[madammina]

if someone came on the speaker and said "Mrs. ____ you're coffee is ready" or something like that, it meant that we had to go into lockdown. Fortunately it was only used to practice.

[Figaro]

What a pleasant way to announce an emergency, Madam! Emily, Code Adam would work only if the majority of the audience didn't know what it meant.

Fig.

[n. selvaggi]

many years ago (MANY...) when i was in training for my now career, the hospital i worked in would have the operator calmly ask on the overhead for, "mr. red? mr. red?, of course meaning the same as mr. sand.