Tape

Tape (pronounced teyp)

(1) A long, narrow strip of linen, cotton, or the like, used for tying garments, binding seams or carpets etc.

(2) A long, narrow strip of paper, metal etc.

(3) A strip of cloth, paper, or plastic with an adhesive surface, used for sealing, binding, or attaching items together; adhesive tape or masking tape; the trade-name “Scotch Tape” is often used as a generic descriptor.

(4) As tape measure, a flexible type of ruler, especially useful for measuring curved shapes.

(5) As finishing tape, the string stretched across the finishing line in a race and broken by the winning contestant on crossing the line; also sometimes incorrectly referred to as “finishing line” which technically is the line marked on the ground.

(6) In financial trading or news dissemination, a paper tape on which a stock ticker, news ticker or similar device would print incoming information (obsolete although the concept is still used in digital form).

(7) As magnetic tape, a usually re-usable media used to record, store and retrieve information and mounted in devices such as tape recorders, tape decks, tape arrays and tape drives, the physical tape on spools or in cassettes; in more precise forms as audio tape, data tape, videotape etc.

(8) To furnish with a tape or tapes.

(9) To tie up, bind, or attach with tape.

(10) To measure with or as if with a tape measure.

(11) To record on magnetic tape (although the phrase “to tape” is used also to refer to recording and similar activities even when no physical tape is used.

(12) As red tape, a slang term referencing bureaucratic inefficiency and delay, named after the literal red (actually often a shade of mauve) for centuries used in the British civil service to secure un-bound files.

(13) In mechanical printing, a strong flexible band rotating on pulleys for directing the sheets in a printing machine (mostly obsolete).

Pre 1000: From the Middle English tape (an unexplained variant of tappe), from the Old English tæppa & tæppe (ribbon, strip (of cloth), literally “part torn off”), akin to the Middle Low German tappen & tāpen (to grab, pull, rip, tear, snatch, pluck) and related to the Old Frisian tapia (to pull, rip, tear), the Middle High German zāfen & zāven (to pull, tear) and the Middle Dutch tapen (to tear).  The source of the Old English tæppa & tæppe is uncertain but etymologists suggest they may be back-formations from the Latin tapete (cloth, carpet).  The original short vowel became long in Middle English.  Tape & taping are nouns & verbs and taped is a verb; the noun plural is tapes.

Many other languages picked up tape or localized variations including Danish (tape), Dutch (tape), Hausa (têf), Hindi (टेप (ṭep)), Irish (téip), Japanese テープ (tēpu), Korean (테이프 (teipeu)), Norwegian (both Nynorsk & Bokmål) (tape & teip), Swahili (tepe), Swedish (tape & tejp), Thai (เทป (téep)), Tibetan (ཊེབ (ṭeb)), Turkish (teyp), Phalura (ṭeép) and Welsh (tâp) although, since tape began to be used in the context recording & storage media, the English “tape” is often used even if a local form exists in the sense of “to bind” or “a strip of fabric” etc.  The word is widely used as an element (tapeworm, magnetic-tape, tape-drive, tape-machine, tape-gun, tape-loader, tape-recorder, ticker tape, tape-measure, cassette tape et al) and there are a wide variety of adhesive tapes (electrical tape, duct tape, gaffer tape (originally gaffer's tape) sticky tape, Scotch tape & Sellotape (both registered trademarks), masking tape, packing (or packaging or parcel) tape, insulating (or insulation) tape et al), each with a slightly different specification dictated by their intended purpose or spot in the market. 

Tape scene: Lindsay Lohan as Tess Conway in Freaky Friday (2003).

Adhesive tape dates from 1885 and until the form prevailed, the product was known also as friction tape and two of the best-known, Gaffer tape and duct tape are often confused but, being designed for different purposes, are not interchangeable; distinct in construction and intended application, there can be unfortunate consequences if one is used for tasks where the other would be more appropriate.  The first tape recorders in the modern sense of a "device for recording sound on magnetic tape" were available for sale in 1932 and were then “reel-to-reel” machines, a re-use of the 1892 application describing a "device for recording data on ticker tape", that tape in the sense of "paper strip of a printer", dating from 1884.  Strangely, the verb form “tape-record” seems not to have be used prior to 1950 although the technology had for first been used in 1928; audio-tape is said to from 1957 whereas, counter-intuitively, videotape is attested as a noun from 1953 and a verb from 1958, the explanation being that tape was more widely used earlier in film & television production than in the recording industry which needed less storage space until technologies like LP (long-playing) records and stereo were adopted.  The tape-measure is attested from 1873 and the technical phrase “tape-delay” is from 1968 although the associated techniques had been in use for some time.  The disgusting tapeworm was first named in 1705, so called for its ribbon-like shape.

The phrase red tape (official bureaucratic routine or formula especially the excessive rigmarole), dates from 1736 and refers to the red tape (often also a shade of mauve), formerly used in the British civil service (and many of the colonies including the Raj) for binding up legal and other official documents, the item (requisitioned by the roll) mentioned in the civil service supply lists fist in the 1690s.  The familiar Sellotape was first sold in the UK in 1949 and is a proprietary name of a popular brand of cellulose or plastic adhesive tape.  The noun cassette, much associated with magnetic tape is from the 1793 French cassette (a little box), from a diminutive of the Old North French casse (box) and the first cassettes in the sense of "magnetic tape cartridge" is from 1960.  The ticker tape dates from 1891 and was the actual physical paper tape on which was printed the information (stock prices, news et al) and was derive from the 1883 ticker (telegraphic device for recording stock market quotations), so made because the printing was by means of impact and thus made a ticking sound when in operation.

Marilyn Monroe's dress

Kim Kardashian (b 1980) wore to the 2022 Met Gala the marquisette dress made famous by Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) when she appeared to sing happy birthday Mr President to President Kennedy (1917-1963; US president 1961-1963) during a Democratic Party fundraiser at Madison Square Garden on 19 May 1962, ten days before the actual birthday.  Within three months, she would be dead.

It couldn’t be expected to cause quite the same stir as sixty years earlier because, cut from a sheer, silk marquisette that almost exactly matched Ms Monroe’s skin-tone, the 2500 hand-sewn rhinestones were intricately positioned to respond to the particular gait she chose for that evening and, under the limelight in the darkened amphitheater, as she moved, the crystals sparkled and the dress came alive.  It was quite a design.  In the hard, white light of the Met Gala’s red carpet, it couldn’t be expected to work the magic it did all those years ago and, not shimmering in the darkness, it seemed lifeless and perhaps it would have benefited from the contrast her lustrous natural hair would have lent but Ms Kardashian wore it well, attracting admiration (and criticism from the usual suspects) too for the reasonable achievement of shedding some 16 lbs (7¼ KG) in three weeks to ensure a comfortable fit.  Digesting the implications of that, keen-eyed fashionistas noted the vintage white coat which Ms Kardashian kept strategically positioned below the small of her back for the ritual walk to and up the staircase, some taking to Twitter to wonder if it was there to conceal that things were quite fully done-up.

The theory is plausible; it’s always been known that in 1962, Ms Monroe had to be “sewn-into” the dress just before the performance.  The day after the Met Gala, photographs circulated purporting to show Ms Kardashian with a generously sized, pear-shaped lacuna between the seams, accompanied with the accusation that the images showing things done up had been digitally modified and the haters were certainly out, one distressed soul lamenting that for Ms Kardashian to wear the dress "...was an absolute disgrace, a tacky photo opportunity" and that "...one of the most important items of clothing in history, is now tainted with the stain of the Kardashians."  There are people who do take pop-culture very seriously.  The green dress she changed into after her ascent had similar lines (and perhaps slightly more generous dimensions) but was certainly done-up and anyway, in either, she looked gorgeous. 

Kim Kardashian demonstrating gaffer tape used in a way not included in the manufacturer's instructions, February 2016.

On that night in 1962, Ms Munroe eschewed underwear but, despite the absent 16 pounds, in 2022 there was still a little more to accommodate than that for which the original structural engineering was designed to cope.  Fortunately, through long practice and extensive product development, Ms Kardashian has some expertise in invisible support, in February 2016 publishing her findings:

“I’ve used everything from duct tape to packing tape to masking tape and I think that the best I’ve found is gaffer's tape,” she said.  "It sticks the best. Make sure you don't have any lotion or oils on when you're lifting your boobs up with the tape.  Just brace yourself for when it's time to take it off, LOL."

That was of course the problem, gaffer tape intended to stick to a range of dry surfaces including timber, metal and carpet but certainly not human skin, the consequences including irritation, reddening and even losing layers of skin.  In response, Ms Kardashian developed a tape which combined the functionality of gaffer tape with the strength and durability to support the weight yet able to be removed with the effortlessness of surgical tape, leaving the skin un-damaged.  Such tapes have been sold for a while, the industry jargon being “tit tape” but the Kardashian version is claimed to be better and, significantly, available in three tones which should suit most skin colors.  Simply called “Body Tape”, it comes in rolls and can be cut to suit, preparation otherwise limited to peeling off the paper backing before applying to achieve the desired effect.  Borrowing from the concept of gaffer tape, Body Tape is reinforced with a flexible stretch cotton, designed to be not too flexible because it needs to stretch only to accommodate human movement while retaining a natural look; it must therefore exist in a “goldilocks zone”, that sweet spot between elasticity and rigidity.

On her Skims website, there’s a helpful promotional video demonstrating Body Tape being applied to a model, the commentary emphasizing it needs to be placed at an angle which will suit the clothing with which it’s to be worn and that typically will mean describing a diagonal angle which will vary according to the neckline being accommodated.  It’s a process which might be better done by two so it’s something couples can enjoy together although, with practice, presumably one would become adept at taping one’s self.  When clothed, the results were impressive though obviously results will vary according to technique and the raw material involved.  The final test was of course was the removal, the reason Body Tape was developed and, without any obvious discomfort, the model peeled off the tape.  "That wasn't painful at all", cheerfully she confirmed.

Skims Body Tape (edited highlights).

The Watergate tapes and the erased 18½ minutes

Looking over his shoulder: Richard Nixon (1913-1994; US president 1969-1974, right) and HR Haldeman (1926–1993; White House chief of staff 1969-1973, left) in the White House.

Tapes, audio and video, have played a part in many political downfalls but none is more famous than the “smoking gun” tape which compelled the resignation of Richard Nixon after it revealed he was involved in the attempt to cover-up the involvement in the Watergate break-in of some connected to his administration.  Recording conversations in the White House had been going on for years and Nixon initially had the equipment removed, the apparatus re-installed two years later after it was found there was no other way to ensure an accurate record of discussions was maintained.  Few outside a handful of the president’s inner circle knew of the tapes and they became public knowledge only in mid-1973 when, under oath before a congressional hearing, a White House official confirmed their existence.  That was the point at which Nixon should have destroyed the tapes and for the rest of his life he must sometimes have reflected that but for that mistake, his presidency might have survived because, although by then the Watergate scandal had been a destabilizing distraction, there was at that point no “smoking gun”, nothing which linked Nixon himself to any wrongdoing.  As it was, he didn’t and within days subpoenas were served on the White House demanding the tapes and that made them evidence; the moment for destruction had passed.  Nixon resisted the subpoenas, claiming executive privilege and thus ensued the tussle between the White House and Watergate affair prosecutors which would see the “Saturday Night Massacre” during which two attorneys-general were fired, the matter ultimately brought before the US Supreme Court which ruled against the president.  Finally, the subpoenaed tapes were surrendered on 5 August 1973, the “smoking gun” tape revealing Nixon HR Haldeman, 1926–1993 (White House chief of staff 1969-1973) discussing a cover-up plan and at that point, political support in the congress began to evaporate and the president was advised that impeachment was certain and even Republican senators would vote to convict.  On 8 August, Nixon announced his resignation, leaving office the next day.

Uher 5000 reel-to-reel tape recorder used by a White House secretary to create the tape (20 June 1972) with the infamous 18½ minute gap (government exhibit #60: Records of District Courts of the United States, Record Group 21, (National Archives Identifier): 595593).

To this day, mystery surrounds one tape in particular, a recording of a discussion between Nixon and Halderman on 20 June 1972, three days after the Watergate break-in.  Of obviously great interest, when reviewed, there was found to be a gap of 18½ minutes, the explanations offered of how, why or by whom the erasure was effected ranging from the humorously accidental to the darkly conspiratorial but half a century on, it remains a mystery.  Taking advantage of new data-recovery technology, the US government did in subsequent decades make several attempts to “un-delete” the gap but without success and it may be, given the nature of magnetic tape, literally there is nothing left to find.  However, the tape is stored in a secure, climate-controlled facility in case technical means emerge and while it’s unlikely the contents would reveal anything not already known or assumed, it would be of great interest to historians.

What might be more interesting still is the identity of who it was that erased those infamous 18½ minutes but that will likely never be known; after fifty years, it’s thought that were there to be any death-bed confessions, they should by now have been utterd.  Some have their lists of names of those who might have "pressed the erase button" and while mostly sub-sets of Watergate's "usual suspects", one who tends not to appear is Nixon himself, the usual consensus being his well-known ineptitude in handling modern technology would rendered him a most unlikely editor though it's at least possible he ordered someone to do the deed.  However it happened, the suspects most often mentioned as having had their "finger on the button" (which may have been a foot-pedal) are Nixon's secretary and his chief of staff.  The long-serving secretary (Rose Mary Woods, 1917–2005) actually admitted to “inadvertently” erasing some 4-5 minutes of the recording by way of the “terrible mistake” of putting her foot on the “wrong pedal” while stretching to answer the desk telephone.  In explanation, she demonstrated how it happened (a reasonable piece of office gymnastics which reporters dubbed the “Rose Mary Stretch”) but always maintained there was no way she was responsible for a longer gap.  Halderman always denied any involvement in the mystery and Nixon always maintained he was shocked and disappointed when told of the silence.