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Gutter

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Patrick (talk | contribs) at 11:41, 23 August 2005 ((if there is a sidewalk, the gutter is often between the road and the sidewalk)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

  • A gutter is a long, thin trough, usually one that runs straight.
  • A gutter (sometimes referred to as a ditch) runs along a street or road (if there is a sidewalk, the gutter is often between the road and the sidewalk) and carries water away from the thoroughfare into a sewer.
  • The popular image of a drunk or bum lying in such a trench gave rise to the adjective "gutter", meaning vulgar. Related to this popular usage are the idioms "to be in the gutter", meaning "to be down on one's luck" and "having one's mind in the gutter", meaning "having vulgar thoughts".
  • A gutter (sometimes referred to as an eavestrough or rain gutter), is a narrow channel which runs along the eaves of a building and serves to collect rain water and direct it down away from the roof to prevent drips off the roof edges.
  • In bowling, the gutters are long grooves on either side of a lane which are slightly wider than a bowling ball, and into which a ball can easily roll. If it does, the ball cannot strike any pins, and the player receives no points for that throw.
  • In typography a gutter is the space between columns of printed text. This has been adapted into comics jargon to describe the narrow spaces between panels.
  • In comics, the gutter is the space between the panels, and, according to Scott McCloud, is where all of the real action happens in a comic.