Chad (paper)

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Chad refers to paper fragments created when holes are made in a paper, card or similar synthetic materials, typically computer punched tape or punch cards. Sometimes chad has been used as a mass noun (see below). Sometimes chad has been used as a countable noun, in which case it usually has had a regular plural chads. Recently, it sometimes has been asserted that the correct plural is chad, probably based on a misunderstanding of the mass use.

Chad were made infamous in the highly contentious 2000 United States presidential election where a majority of Florida votes used punch card ballots. Incompletely-punched holes resulted in partially-punched chad, where one or more corners were still attached, a hanging chad, dimpled chad or pregnant chad - where all corners were still attached, but an indentation appears to have been made. These votes were not counted by the tabulating machines.

Chad are more commonly seen in mundane, everyday settings. When a hole punch of the functional or decorative type is used, it removes a small amount of paper - a chad. Chad are also common in stores, where holes are punched so that merchandise can be hung on pegs or clips.

Chad are also the small strips, pieces of paper or shred waste that remain of the documents fed through a paper shredder.[1]

Chad can also be the result of punching holes in any sort of thin material, such as cloth, plastic, or even sheet metal.

The term chad is sometimes used as a mass noun, similar to sand: "a pile of chad" means "a pile of paper debris", and the individual paper piece might be called either "a piece of chad" or "a chad".

CHAD is sometimes suggested as a humorous backronym for "Card Hole Aggregate Debris".

Chad is sometimes used as confetti. This is generally harmless when using thin circular paper chad. The rectangular chad from punch cards is unsuitable due to the sharp corners and the toughness of the card stock risking eye injury.

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[edit] Etymology

The origin of the term chad is uncertain. Patent documents from the 1930s and 1940s show the word chad, often in reference to telegraphy tape. The plural chads is attested from about 1940, along with chadless, meaning without [loose] chad. The metal tube that collects the chad is called the chad chute, and the chad is (or the chad are) collected in a chad box (chad box is attested from about 1930). The term chad predates the chadless punch, which makes a U-shaped hole rather than punching it out entirely. Chad is likely derived from the Scottish name for river gravel, chad, or the British slang for louse, chat. An old (untrue) joke says that Saint Chad is the patron saint of disputed elections.

[edit] Partially-punched chad

When a chad is not fully detached from the ballot it is described by various terms corresponding to the level of indentation. The following terms generally apply when describing a four-cornered chad:

  • Hanging chad are attached to the ballot at only one corner.
  • Swinging chad are attached to the ballot at two corners.
  • Tri-chad are attached to the ballot at three corners.
  • Pregnant or dimpled chad are attached to the ballot at all four corners, but bear an indentation indicating the voter may have intended to mark the ballot. (Sometimes pregnant is used to indicate a greater mark than dimpled.)

[edit] Chad in popular culture

  • The 2006 film Bobby makes light of the term chad by making it a backronym of Card Hole Aggregate Debris.
  • In the TV show How I Met Your Mother, Ted Mosby dresses up as a "hanging chad" every year for Halloween.
  • In the TV show The Simpsons, the episode entitled The Lastest Gun in the West, the following exchange occurs (ironic because Krusty did not want his show to seem dated):
Woman: Here's your hanging chad sketch, Krusty!
Krusty: Ooh, you worked in Judge Ito!
  • In the TV show Entourage, Jeremy Piven's character, Ari Gold mentions a hanging chad when the box office numbers get affected due to the blackouts.
  • The made-for-TV movie Recount describes the problems revolving around the chad of the various marginal Florida ballots in the 2000 United States presidential election.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.factory-express.com/blog/2006_04_01_archive_shredders.html

[edit] External links

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