Something big, heavy, and bulky used to hold papers down. Heavy UNIX manuals are great for this purpose, as are rocks and sometimes even really heavy things like motor vehicles and boats, although they're better used for driving and boating. A great use for that box full of AOL CD-ROMs!

Or all those old sub-100 meg ESDI hard disks from yesteryear. Or 1X external cd-rom drives with proprietary interfaces. Or a Sun 3/80. Hmm, nah, those make better doorstops. I think you get the idea.

Go to Zerns, in Gilberstville, PA. Go to the back flea market. See the man selling swords and knives? Look under the glass. See those things that look like brass knuckles? Yeah, he calls 'em "paperweights." He says that sometimes people buy two or three at a time. "They do a lot of paperwork," he told me. I shuffled away, still wanting a sword.

BTW--this is a true story.

Pa"per*weight` (?), n.

See under Paper, n.

 

© Webster 1913.