Chapter 07 Exercise 26, Page 133

Exercise 26

Page 133

Computer Bugs

When there is a problem with the computer, we often say we have a “computer bag.” Of course, it’s not a real insect. It refers to a technical difficulty. We are having the expression actually goes back to Thomas Edison, who was a famous inventor.

When he was working on his first phonograph, he had a lot of problems. He blamed the problems on an imaginary insect that had hidden inside the machine.

He was quoted in the newspaper as saying there was “a bug” in his phonograph. This was in 1889, and it is the first recorded use of the word in such a context.