Wed, 12 November

gear, n. /ɡɪr/ 1. A toothed wheel that transmits torque by meshing with another toothed wheel of different diameter. See also: marriage; commute; quarterly review. 2. The particular ratio at which a life engages with its day. First gear: 6:47 AM, the cereal box tipping. Second gear: the merge onto 101. Third gear: the meeting that should have been an email. Fourth gear: bedtime stories read too fast. Fifth gear: does not exist. Neutral: 11:42 PM, standing in the kitchen eating cheese from the bag, the dishwasher mid-cycle, the house finally ticking at its own speed. 3. (archaic) Equipment or apparatus. As in: I haven't got the gear for this. As in: none of us do. 4. (mechanical) The point at which two surfaces touch is called the pitch point. At the pitch point there is no sliding — only rolling. This is the single instant of pure agreement between two moving bodies. Everything else is friction. 5. (informal) To gear up: to prepare. To gear down: to prepare differently. Note that both directions require preparation. Note that the wheel does not choose its ratio.