Terminology

[seattle smitty]

I should know this, have heard the term, for enough years, but my deal was outboard racing, and the newest bike I've owned was a '78, so some of the new terms like "motard" have to be explained to me.

I hear of motorcycle side-cars, something I used to occasionally see attached to big Harleys in the Fifties, being referred to as "side-HACKS." If my dim awareness is right for once, the term "side-hack" refers only to the highly specialized race-only machines, not to anything used on the street. But where did the "-hack" part come from? (Or is this a Yank term?

[Big Dog]

I don't know if it's related but in a lot of old literature a hack was a home made hand pulled cart.
In modern literature it often refers to a car that is hacked out bodged together or barely running.

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[Moi]

Hack could mean...
* a hackney, as in horse-drawn hackney carriage - London taxis are still called hackneys **
* a horse that is available for hire, often quite docile
* a journalist who is past their prime or one who does all the odd job reporting

Need to go and check what Fowler has to say...

** can tell a true Londoner if they speak of using the 'tube' or the 'underground' as two separate entities...

[flashg]

What about the old hack (horse) I used when mustering sheep and cattle back in my youth.

[AllanB]

I used a hack-saw on my db killers last night ...........