OK - it seems the sign did once have a meaning over here. Nowadays, a pound
weight is written lb if you dare to mention it at all. And we have this
symbol on the keyboard that we never use.
Best wishes
Matthew
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 11 July 2000 19:36
Subject: Re: ampersands
>Begging your pardon, Matthew, but it's what was once called the
>"pound avoirdupois" sign in your part of the world and what's
>still called the "pound sign" over here, and we're often invited
>to "press" it in recorded telephone messages, for example.
>
>It's also still frequently used here in the sense of numeral
>and, among printers and typesetters (at least the ones with whom
>I work) as a sign for letter-space. It's all these different
>meanings, in times and places, that make the orthograph so
>fascinating to me, as I said. I didn't know that the hash mark
>(aka "service stripe" or "inbounds line"?) was the same graph,
>at least in some contexts apparently, so thanks for adding to
>my octothorpic lore--
>
>Candice
>
>
>At 12:36 AM 7/11/00 +0100, you wrote:
>>That isn't a pound sign - it's what we used to call in my programming days
a
>>hash. I think this is a British name for it - the sign isn't widely used
>>over here, and hardly ever in its US sense of 'number'
>>
>>Best wishes
>>
>>Matthew
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>>Date: 10 July 2000 22:25
>>Subject: Re: ampersands
>>
>>
>>>Anyone else like the orthograph (aka, "pound sign"): #? I'm fascinated
>>>by its long history of shifting meanings, beginning with what I think
>>>was its original usage on early (English?) maps to mark a village (8
>>>fields around a town square)--Candice
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
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