Deciphering Ciphering

I first heard the term “ciphering” in 2005 when we were renovating the Lapine House. Context offered some clarity: “ciphering” was used to describe job site problematizing, brainstorming, tweaking and tuning a step-by-step action plan, and generally massaging blueprints and construction schema into completable carpentry.

From a linguistic perspective, describing the process of analyzing plans, troubleshooting an action plan, and navigating inevitable impediments as “ciphering” fascinated me. Not deciphering. Not decrypting.

Inquiring about this reference may well have been the first time I perplexed our contractors with my semantic inquisitiveness. Not the last. (Revised from “Ciphering on Icehouse Coving“, February 21, 2023.)

Over the years, construction terminology and regional vernacular blended into an enchanting jargon. I never ceased to ask questions and never ceased to absorb and emulate these expressive, often poetic turns of phrase.

“Ciphering” — both the process and the term — have served me well over the years, so I’m long overdue for a proper tribute. Today the time has come for 1) a quick look at instances in which “ciphering” has surfaced in my blog posts, 2) a semantic touch-and-go, and 3) a suspension bridge to “deciphering” with a few in-post appearances.

Ciphering In Situ

I adopted this enigmatic turn of phrase from the get-go. Whether it’s a foreshortened abbreviation of deciphering or a clever conscription of “cryptic decoder” into construction parlance, I like it. And it works again and again. Witness the wordsmithery…

As we “ciphered” through Tiho’s drawings, the as-built conditions, and the underlying goals, we needed to finalize a… plan.

(Source: Flashing Flashback)

Of course, “deciphered” would likely work better, but there’s something sleuth-y about dropping the prefix.

Likewise in this sentence frothy with figuring:

I had inherited decisions that didn’t make 100% sense to me, and — with only one small run of loft guardrail already installed (and imperfectly at that), the lion’s share of the “ciphering” would fall to me.

(Source: Loft Guardrail)

And again here for a little arboreal algorithm-ing.

Pam has counted growth rings in a representative section of the tree trunk spanning 5-1/2” and the overall stump averages 48” across. A little back-of-the-napkin ciphering suggests that the maple was approximately 161 years old!

(Source: Fallen Maple Secret)

And this most recent broaching of the word in my post about the fencing being devised to conceal mechanicals behind the carriage barn while bordering the partial courtyard being finalized to the west of the icehouse.

Still “ciphering” on the particulars of the enclosure screening south of the icehouse terrace… the subtleties of decision making…

(Source: Screening)

So, yes, I’ve been an unabashed slang slinger ever since getting up to speed with the use of “ciphering”.

Ciphers & Ciphering

A moment of humility now. I’ve assumed that “ciphering” is simply a truncated placeholder for “deciphering”. The irony implicit in this swap on usage (despite implying the opposite?) is part of the pleasure I find in using the term. But I may be judging ignorantly.

Perhaps the idea is closer to the notion of employing a cipher to decrypt data? A key that unlocks?

Ciphers, also called encryption algorithms, are systems for encrypting and decrypting data. A cipher converts the original message, called plaintext, into ciphertext using a key to determine how it is done.

(Source: Security Encyclopedia)

Makes sense, I suppose. If slightly confusing…

Deciphering

The long-short of it is that I’m not 100% on the etymological backstory. I actually suspect that “ciphering” is meant to convey “deciphering” despite the fact that “ciphering on it”, one of the ways the word gets used, should actually suggest encrypting something, not figuring it out.

This kinship between the two usages likely underpins my intrigue. From day one Susan and I have been endeavoring to decipher Rosslyn’s many mysteries. For this reason the idea of decoding and demystifying Rosslyn’s desires and needs, her fabled history and her enduring charm, has been braided into many of my ruminations.

Imagine being able to eavesdrop in the mind of an essayist sifting memories and sorting experiences; distilling spirits from the fruits of life; alchemizing diverse inputs in the hopes of discerning a cohesive structure; deciphering data to reveal a design; disentangling a narrative from the muddled mess.

(Source: Essaying: A Mind at Work)

Sounds a lot like what we attempt when spreading a construction plan out on a piece of plywood between a couple of sawhorses, right? Or marking up field sketches until we’ve worn through the paper.

Successful repair of the boathouse posts and railings started with dissecting and documenting the existing conditions, deciphering the *how* and *why* of the existing conditions, and executing a meticulous rebuild with discreetly integrated improvements to function, structure, and endurance ensuring safety and longevity despite the challenging location and harsh environment.

(Source: Fabricating Post Wraps)

The how and the why. Inquiring. Iterating. Decrypting. Demystifying.

I’m always struck by the narrative that living beings — and, in some cases, no longer living beings — recount with our feet. This is especially true in nature (i.e. identifying the culprits who have munched through the Swiss chard in our garden or deciphering wing prints and often a few drops of blood in Rosslyn’s snowy meadows while cross-country skiing.)

(Source: Morning Dew)

A catalogue of my uses of “ciphering” and “deciphering” with nary a pretense to resolve this curiosity, but perhaps a collective clarity might emerge?