Everybody Loves Duct Tape

[dr_pretentious]

I argue with my protagonist.

RIA:
I'll attach it with duct tape. It'll be a great punch line.

ME:
Duct tape is a cliche. It's a cheap shot. We're not doing that.

RIA:
But everybody loves duct tape! Besides, you've never seen anyone do this with duct tape, have you?

ME:
Wow. Um. No. Okay. I guess everybody loves duct tape.

Comments

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

And now I've spent way too long googling around trying to pin down the etymology of the name. Snopes.com could not help me, perhaps because actual experts disagree about whether duct tape was originally called duck tape. Snopes.com did, however, want to tell me about some pretty impressive duct tape related urban legends. Apparently it really does work for treating warts. It appears in numerous urban legends as a signifier of evil intent, as in, "...and when the police searched his trunk, they found duct tape and knives."