Torch (pronounced tawrch)
(1) A
light to be carried in the hand, consisting of some combustible substance, as
resinous wood, or of twisted flax or the like soaked with tallow or other
flammable substance, ignited at the upper end.
(2) A portable
light-source (now almost universally electric and battery or solar powered);
use rare in the US where the preferred term is “flashlight”.
(3) Any
of various lamp-like devices that produce a hot flame and are used for
soldering, burning off paint etc (blowtorch, oxy-gas torch et al).
(4) Figuratively,
something considered as a source of illumination, enlightenment, guidance etc.
(5) In
slang, an arsonist (one who to set fires maliciously (ie “torches” stuff).
(6) To
burn or flare up like a torch.
(7) As
“torch singer”, one who sings “torch songs” (pieces lamenting an unrequited
love by one who still “carries a torch” for their object of desire).
(8) As
“pass the torch”, the idea (sometimes inter-generational) of a responsibility
or office being handed to a successor (synonymous with “pass the baton”).
(9) To
insult someone or something, to ruin the reputation of someone or something; to
release damaging claims about someone or something (a generalized term,
particular flavors of such “torchings” on the internet often now described with
specific terms).
1250–1300:
From the Middle English noun torch
& torche, from the Old French torche & torque (torch; bundle of straw), from the unattested Vulgar Latin torca (something twisted; coiled object)
from the Latin torqua, a variant of torquis, from torqueō (twist), from the primitive Indo-European root PIE root terkw- (to twist). In a very modern twist, it’s from this source
that the OnlyFans favourite “twerking” comes.
From the Latin is drawn the modern measure of specific energy (twisting
effort): “torque”), the original sense being a “torch formed of twisted tow
dipped in wax”. By at least the 1620s “torch”
was in figurative use describing “a source of inspiration or guidance”. Quite when the term “torch-bearer” (in the
literal sense) was first used isn’t known but it’s a very old job and likely
therefore also to be used as long as the word “torch” although use seems not to
have been documented before the early fifteenth century. The figurative sense of s “torch-bearer”
being the “leader of a cause” dates from the 1530s. The slang sense of “an arsonist” dates from
1938. In the way these things happen,
electrically powered portable light-sources usually are called “flashlights” in
US use while “torch” tended to predominate elsewhere in the English-speaking
world although, because so many products are now marketed internationally as
“flashlight”, the use has spread. The
verb torch dates from circa 1819 in the sense of “illuminate with a torch” and
was derived from the noun while as a regional or dialectal form by mid century
it was used to mean “flare up, rise like flame or smoke from a torch”. In US use, the meaning “set fire to” was in
use by 1931, this extended by 1938 to “arsonist”. Torch & torching are nouns & verbs,
torcher is a noun, torched is a verb and torchable, torchless & torchlike
(also as torch-like) are adjectives; the noun plural is torches.
In
Greek mythology, Θᾰ́νᾰτος (Thánatos)
was the personification of Death. Thánatos was from θνῄσκω (thnēskō) (I die, I am dying) and
although his name was transliterated in Latin as Thanatus, his counterpart in Roman mythology was Mors or Letum. In the
Iliad, Thánatos appears
as the brother of Sleep (Hypnos) and according to the 7-8th century
BC Ancient Greek poet Hesiod, these two spirits were the sons of Nyx (the personification of the night and its
goddess). The sister of Ertebus and daughter of Chaos, her realm was the far west far
beyond the land of Atlas and as well as Death & Sleep, she was the mother
of a number of abstract forces including Morus
(Destiny), Momus (Reproach),
Oizys (Distress), the Moirae (Nemesis), Apate (Deceit), Philotes
(Love), Geras (Old Age), Eris (Strife), and the Hesperides (the nymphs of the Setting
Sun). As a dramatic device, Thánatos sometimes
appeared as a character in Greek theatre but his presence was otherwise
rare. When he appeared in paintings or
sculpture, it was often with the torch he held in his hand being upside-down, signifying
death or the end-of-life.
A cooking torch being used to apply a finishing touch to a lemon meringue pie.
There
are all sorts of torches including “blow-torch” (a gas-powered tool used by
plumbers), “cooking torch” (a gas-powered tool used by chefs usually to induce
some sort of “burnt” effect on the surface of dishes), “cutting torch” (the
tool attached to cylinders of oxygen & acetylene (ie oxy-acetylene) which,
when combined and ignited, enable metal to be cut or joined, “fusion torch” (in
nuclear physics, a technique using the high-temperature plasma of a fusion
reactor to break apart other materials (especially waste materials) and convert
them into reusable elements, “weed torch” (A torch used to kill weeds by means
of a high-temperature propane flame, the attraction being precision (ie can be
used in close proximity to desirable plants one wishes not to kill) and avoiding the use chemicals or
disrupting the soil, “pen torch” (also as “pen-light”) small torches built into
functional pens.
In the history of World War II (1939-1945), the word “torch” is most associated with “Operation Torch”, the Allied invasion of French North Africa, conducted between 8–16 November 1942. One of those “compromises” thrashed out between the British and Americans in the mechanism of the Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS), it was a vital component in the rhythm of the conflict because (1) it allowed a final “mopping up” of the Axis forces in North Africa, (2) introduced US forces to the European theatre (albeit in Africa) and (3) removed any threat to the Allied control of the Mediterranean, (4) secured Middle East oil supplies and (5) made possible later military action in Italy & southern France. There was though also a “torch” footnote in the history of the war. Before things turned against him, Adolf Hitler (1889-1945; Führer (leader) and German head of government 1933-1945 & head of state 1934-1945) would sometimes make (usually inept) attempts at humor and, early in 1941 when the invasion of the Soviet Union was going well, the Führerhauptquartiere (Leader’s Headquarters) was the Wolfsschanze (Wolf's Lair) near the East Prussian town of Rastenburg (now Kętrzyn in present-day Poland). There one night, he found one of his secretaries (Christa Schroeder (1908–1984)) wandering in the darkness saying she couldn’t find her torch. He claimed innocence, arguing: “I’m a country thief (Ländledieb) thief, not a lamp (Lämpledieb) thief”. That was about as good as Anführerhumor got.
Passing
the Torch
In use since the late nineteenth century, the idiomatic phrase “pass the torch” is a metaphor drawn from Antiquity: the λαμπαδηδρομία (lampadēdromía) (torch-races), a feature at many festivals in Ancient Greece. These were relay events, run over a variety of distances, each team member carrying a burning torch, the prize awarded to the team whose runner crossed the finish line first with the torch still burning. That is of course the long accepted myth but many modern historians regard the "torch relay" from Antiquity as a "manufactured myth", one of many emerged in the centuries long after the purported events were said to have transpired. The idea entered modern athletics in relay events where each runner carries a baton which they hand to the competitor about to run the next leg (thus “pass the baton” being synonymous with “pass the torch”). The torch relay idea was revived for 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin and has since been a feature of all games (winter & summer), the design of the devices now part of Olympic history.
So much publicity did the torch run from Olympia in Greece to Berlin
attract as a prelude to the 1936 Olympic games that it has since been a feature
of every subsequent summer & winter games (and within five years the Nazis
would occupy Greece although not willingly).
The 1936 run was a genuine relay which involved over 3,000 in a route
which included Greece (which within five years the Nazis would occupy although
not willingly, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia (invaded by the Nazis in 1941), Hungary
(invaded by the Nazis in 1944), Austria (annexed by the Nazis in 1938),
Czechoslovakia (annexed by the Nazis in 1938-1939) & Germany.
Rendered
in steel and fueled by a flammable paste inside a magnesium tube, each load had
a burning time for some 10 minutes, ideal for the relay schedule but there were
quality control problems with one batch of torches so the Nazis cheated, some
of the torchbearers in more rural regions being driven by car. The decision to use a torch was a deliberate
attempt to link the Third Reich with the classical civilizations of
Antiquity. Although symbolic fires had
been kept alight during the games at Amsterdam (1928) and Los Angeles (1932),
neither had been lit with flame carried from Olympia in a torch relay. The first intention of the Berlin organizing committee
had been to remain true to the old ways, creating torches of hardwood topped
with bundles of narthex stalks, taken from a Mediterranean tree known for its
slow combustion but tests soon revealed this to be impractical and so metal
torches were fabricated.
One of the more pleasing designs was that used for the 1968 summer
games in Mexico City. In a then novel
touch, the torch was produced in four versions: (1) An all-steel construction
with vertical grooves present on the whole body of the torch, (2) A similar
design to the first type except for the bottom part of the body which featured
a black leather handle, (3) A design which included a handle made partly from
wood and a motif featuring a dove was repeated on the upper part and (4) A
silver ring with repeated dove motifs was added to decorate the top of the
torch while the caption “Mexico” was reproduced twice at the base of the handle. Depending on which method of construction was
used, the fuel load varied, the solid mix including nitrates, sulphurs,
alkaline metal carbonates, resins and silicones.
According to the organizing committee, the design and choice of materials used for the torch for the XIII Olympic Winter Games held at New York’s Lake Placid in 1980 was intended to symbolize the blending of modern technology and the traditions of Ancient Greece. Accordingly, it was constructed of metal with a bronze finish, a handle wrapped in leather and as fuel it used liquid propane, each torch able to remain alight for an impressive 40 minutes. The sole decorative element was a silver ring where metal met leather, the inscription reading: “XIII Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid 1980”. Although it pre-dated both the personal computer (PC) revolution and the internet, apparently there was some use of computers in the design. The committee described the shape of the bowl as a tribute to classical Greek architecture but many couldn’t help but notice some resemblance to a certain plumbing tool.
President
Biden passes the torch
Opinion seems divided on whether the
remarkable “Pass
the torch Joe” advertisement a Democratic Party Super Political
Action Committee (PAC) paid to run on what is known to be one of Joe Biden’s (b
1942; US president since 2021) favorite television shows had much to do with
his decision to withdraw from seeking his party’s nomination for a second
term. Even if not decisive however, for
a Super PAC publicly (and expensively) to advocate something which is usually
an internal party matter must have had some sort of “shock effect” on the
president because it was unprecedented; to him it must have been something like seeing "something nasty in the woodshed".
While the Super PAC structure is not exclusive to US politics, the
American devices (created essentially as a work-around of tiresome campaign
finance laws) work on a grand scale compared with those in other countries but
previously they have exclusively been devoted to promoting a candidate, not
airing the dirty laundry.
The Super PAC’s message (best translated
as “Joe, you’re too old and senile to do
this”) wasn’t new because it had (in sanitized form) since the first
presidential debate in June been either stated or selectively leaked by any number
of party grandees including a former president, a former speaker and leading
Democrats in both houses of Congress.
That might have been manageable by the Biden faction but what was not
was the flow of funds from party donors drying up, another candidate being the
only conduction of resumption. The Super
PAC’s choice of “pass
the torch” as a metaphor was clever because (1) it’s well understood
and (2) with its classical origin it lends an air of nobility, the idea being
the old warrior, standing undefeated, handing the torch to someone who was
after all his chosen deputy. Of course,
what was left unspoken was that in Ancient Greece the point of the exercise was
the torch has to be passed while still aflame, the question being whether it
has in Mr Biden’s increasingly unsteady grip, blown out, leaving only smoking
embers.
On the way out; on the way in: Time magazine covers after the debate (left) and after the tweet (right). What the latter cover lacked was a word to replace "panic". The editorial board would have discussed the matter, pondering possibly "faith", "hope" or "desperation" before deciding to leave it to the readers. The choice of red for the background was interesting.
By Sunday 21 July it seems the cold
hard numbers had been assembled and presented to Mr Biden, explaining that not
only could he not win the presidency but that with him as a candidate, The
Democrats would likely lose control of the Senate and the Republicans would
increase their majority in the House of Representatives. Senile or not, Mr Biden can still comprehend
basic electoral arithmetic and understand the implication for his “legacy” were
he to cling to something his very presence was making a losing cause. His statement on X (formerly known as Twitter)
was essentially the same as that of Lyndon Johnson (LBJ, 1908–1973; US
president 1963-1969) who realized the war in Vietnam had destroyed his
presidency:
President Biden, 2024 (edited): “My Fellow
Americans, over the past three-and-a-half years, we have made great progress as
a nation. Today, America has the
strongest economy in the world. America
has never been better positioned to lead than we are today. I know none of this could have been done
without you, the American people. Together,
we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since
the Great Depression. We've protected
and preserved
our democracy. And we've revitalised and strengthened our alliances around the
world.”
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as
your President. And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I
believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand
down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder
of my term. For now, let me express my
deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me re-elected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris
for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my
heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have
placed in me.”
The Washington Post, 1 April 1968.
President Johnson, 1968 (edited): “With America's
sons in the fields far away, with America's future under challenge right here
at home, with our hopes and the world's hopes for peace in the balance every
day, I do not believe that I should devote an hour or a day of my time to any
personal partisan causes or to any duties other than the awesome duties of this
office — the presidency of this country.
Accordingly, I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of
my party for another term as your president.”
LBJ’s legacy is now better
regarded than would have been thought likely in 1968 but it’s not possible to
predict what will be the fate of Mr Biden’s except to say it will at least be
influenced by the outcome of the 2024 election and perception of what part his
long delayed withdrawal from the contest played. The comparisons with 1968 are inevitable for
a number of reasons, not least because both presidents were products of and
operatives in the Democratic Party machine and both achieved the highest office
in unlikely circumstances, having earlier failed while attempting a more
conventional path. The other echo of
1968 is the prospect of an open party convention in Chicago, something the political
junkies would welcome for the same reasons the party leadership will wish to avoid
one; on both sides, the conventions have for decades been stage-managed affairs,
something in no small part encouraged by the scenes of violence and chaos in
Chicago in 1968. Thus, what’s planned is
to have Kamala Harris (b 1964; US vice president since 2021) position on the
ticket stitched up by a “virtual vote” of the delegates, well in advance of the
mid-August convention which can then be allowed to function as a combination of
coronation and formal campaign launch.
Details about which white, male governor of which battleground state
will be named as running mate have yet to be confirmed. It’s impossible to say how good Ms Harris
will be as a candidate (or for that matter as president) because until they’re
in the arena (having “the blowtorch applied to the belly” as Neville
Wran (1926–2014; premier of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW)
1976-1986) put it), it won’t be known and political history is littered with examples
of those of whom much was expected yet failed and of those expected to fail yet
who prospered for a decade or more and not un-noticed in both parties is her unprecedented
electoral advantage in being (1) not white and (2) not male, thus making
available at any time accusations of racism or misogyny. Already, some Republicans are complaining she’ll
be “bubble-wrapped”
by the liberal media (the outfits Mr Trump calls “the fake new media”) and they’re
suggesting that any time a difficult question is asked (presumably by Fox News)
it’ll be answered by “that’s sexist”
or “that’s racist”. Played selectively, they can be good cards.
So the 2024 election will be a very modern campaign. One who must be mulling over the wisdom of doing such a good job in making Mr Biden’s candidature untenable is Donald Trump (b 1946; US president 2017-2021) and it was notable that in the hours after Mr Biden’s tweet, he couldn’t resist continuing his attacks of the person no longer his opponent. It was flogging a dead horse but presumably his team had no more appropriate material available for his use. The Trump campaign team certainly has a problem in that all the resources they have for months devoted to honing the attacks for a Trump-Biden re-match and it’s unlikely much can be re-purposed for a Trump-Harris bout. Tellingly, perhaps because of concerns about the “racism, sexism thing”, not much thought seems to have been given to Ms Harris and even the occasionally used “laffin’ Kamala” has nothing like the ring of “crooked Hillary”, “sleepy Joe”, “the Biden crime family”, “low energy Jeb”, “crazy Bernie” “lyin’ Ted”, “Mini Mike” or any of the other monikers he used to so effectively import into political campaigning the techniques he’d perfected on reality television. He does deliberately mispronounce “Kamala” (which, like “lafin’”, some have suggested is a coded racial slur) and, apparently impromptu, recently said “she’s nuts” but none of that suggests anything which had been well-workshopped. The team will be aware that when dealing with a PoC (person of color) there must be caution so it'll be interesting to see what they come up with. That caution meant Mr Trump must have regretted he couldn't use the gay slur "mayor Buttplug" of Pete Buttigieg (b 1982 US secretary of transportation since 2021), an allusion to him being (as it's still put in sections of the Republican Party) "a confessed homosexual" because "Alfred E Newman" didn't catch on, Mad Magazine now too remote for most of the population; "must be a generational thing" Mr Buttigieg said, explaining it baffled him although the resemblance certainly was striking.
It is a whole new dynamic for the campaign but what hasn’t changed is that just as there was no great pro-Biden feeling, nor is there yet much of a pro-Harris feeling (although there may be a pro-woman & pro-PoC factor) and the 2024 poll remains pro-Trump vs anti-Trump. Unlike a week ago, a Democrat victory is now something many are contemplating. The critical factors are abortion which in recent months has proved an electoral asset for the Democrats and the potential a PoC has to entice to vote the habitually politically disconnected. To win the election a party needs a surprisingly small number of these recalcitrant souls to turn out and it’s worth remembering that both Mr Biden and crooked Hillary Clinton (b 1947; US secretary of state 2009-2013) in 2020 & 2016 respectively anyway received substantially more votes than Mr Trump. The 2024 election can go either way and is now interesting in a way it wasn’t a week ago.
Torch
Songs
The
notion of “keeping the torch burning” refers to those who remain faithful to
causes often thought doomed. Benedict
XVI (1927–2022; pope 2005-2013, pope emeritus 2013-2022) for example never gave
up the idea the Orthodox Church might one day return to communion with Rome and
thus always “kept burning on the ramparts a torch to guide home the wandering
daughter who ran off to Constantinople.”
It’s used also of those who never abandon the idea they might yet be
reconciled with a long-lost lover and it’s those feelings which inspire the
writers of “torch songs” although they are often tales of unrequited love. Most “torch singers” seem these days to be
women but the original pieces described as “torch songs” during the 1920s were
performed by men although when “torch singer” came into wider use the next
decades, it seems mostly to be used of women.
Over, a Lindsay Lohan torch song (official music video).
Over by John Shanks, Kara Dioguardi & Lindsay Lohan, © BMG Rights Management, Sony-ATV Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, released in 2004 on the album Speak.
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