The Cairn
printer bourbon
Anything that does the job and carries no provenance — including an explanation nobody believes.
In full
Spirits off a printer perform the function and have no history, which on a station where function is free and history is the only scarce thing makes the phrase do a great deal of work. Said of goods first, then of stories: the real article, not printer bourbon. Ordinary, mildly contemptuous, affectionate in the right mouth — and with time it ages into a general term for a plausible lie.
Key facts
- From the station's own material culture — printed goods.
- Performs the function, carries no provenance.
- By extension: an explanation nobody believes.
- Affectionate or contemptuous depending entirely on the mouth.