Re: Lye?
'Lye' doesn't specifically mean sodium hydroxide - it can also refer to potassium hydroxide. These days, though it usually is NaOH it is used for. It used to be used in soap-making, and it didn't matter whether it was NaOH or KOH (or a mixture, given how it used to be made).
It's an old-fashioned word in British English. It isn't obsolete, but it is uncommon.
Incidentally, kudos to the operator who spotted the problem (taking the story at face value, of course). Whatever the shortcomings of the system, at least he caught it.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
