> -----Original Message----- > From: Pigeon [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 8:14 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Slang for money [was: Re: Backup Consensus?] > > I tend to use terms like "quid" or "pound" because I still expect > pound (£) signs to be turned into hash (#) signs by non-British > equipment. To make matters worse, Americans sometimes call hash signs > pound signs, so asking "did my pound signs come out OK" can get a > misleading answer. Puzzles me a bit - I thought # was an American > symbol anyway - does it just have two American names, one of which is > better at crossing oceans? (Because "pound" is heavy, and sinks?) > > Pigeon
"#" has several names but most will be lost on non-techies. I'm not even sure why we call it the pound symbol since we Americans usually abbreviate pounds (the unit of weight) with the equally cryptic "lbs." The many names of "#" that I know: The tic-tac-toe symbol The hash The pound The octothorpe (don't ask) The comment character All of these names are terrible. I like hash because then the omnipresent "#!" becomes the hash-bang, or shebang for short. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
