Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
It looks like there is endless debate on the naming convention for the
range operations.
head/toe > front/back >> all the other suggestions >> car.
FWIW, I'd say start and end is the only pairing which is natural for
English speakers. Once you reject them, I think you've committed to a
pairing which is going to sound peculiar part of the time.
English idiom is interesting -- we talk about the "head of the queue"
but never the "tail of the queue", rather the "end of the queue".
"start/end of the queue", "start/end of the list", "start/end of the
range" (though "beginning" is more natural than start).
"head/end of the queue", "head/end of the list"
"front/back of the queue" (doesn't work for lists. Only solid objects
have a front and a back).
