Re: the term "pound sign" (was: help: character to integer)

Re: the term "pound sign" (was: help: character to integer)

[W. Wesley Groleau (Wes)]

:> Well I must say that at first it seemed quite credible that this was indeed
:> an old term, but the failure of anyone to come up with other than the most
:> dubious scraps of anecdotal evidence is puzzling ...

So: Feldman's claim that physics teachers used '#' for "pounds" around 1960
is a dubious scrap of anecdotal evidence.

And: Webster's claim made in 1957 that '#' was used for "pounds" in commerce
and business is a dubious scrap of anecdotal evidence.

And: my claim that at least one non-computer-literate secretary used '#'
for "pounds" before 1950 is a dubious scrap of anecdotal evidence.

Now: How do we describe the claim the started this silly argument, to wit:

 >. . . But for example, the symbol for 16#23# which is # in
 >the US version, is the pound stirling symbol in the UK (this is why # on
 >a US touch tone phone is called the pound key).

I suspect "this is why" was merely a case of inadvertent inaccuracy.
(Let he who is without sin...)
But even if he meant it, is it worth a big fight?

I predict that if someone with a better newsreader than I :-) were to put
this question on alt.english.usage the result would be
a hundred dubious scraps of anecdotal evidence, two hundred useless
opinions, and at least ten conclusive quotes from hundred-year-old
dictionaries.

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Re: the term "pound sign" (was: help: character to integer)

[Robert Dewar]

"So: Feldman's claim that physics teachers used '#' for "pounds" around 1960
is a dubious scrap of anecdotal evidence.

And: Webster's claim made in 1957 that '#' was used for "pounds" in commerce
and business is a dubious scrap of anecdotal evidence.
"

Well 1960 and 1957 is really too late to prove early use, since the
character sets including # and the stirling sign were already in use
at that time. We need something clearly pre-computer era to nail this
down.

Gosh, I hope everyone out thre in CLA-land knows how to kill threads in
their newsreader (this is not exactly CLA anymore, shall we wander the
thread elsewhere :-)

Re: the term "pound sign" (was: help: character to integer)

[Robert Dewar]

Wes said

"I predict that if someone with a better newsreader than I :-) were to put
this question on alt.english.usage the result would be
a hundred dubious scraps of anecdotal evidence, two hundred useless
opinions, and at least ten conclusive quotes from hundred-year-old
dictionaries."

Well I would settle for just one conclusive quote. I have lots of
reference materials including several ancient dictionaries, but I have
not yet tracked down anything conclusive.

Re: the term "pound sign" (was: help: character to integer)

[Sandy McPherson]

In the UK some people say 'hash sign'. Don't ask me where this comes
from though, it was probably invented by a hippy programmer in the
sixties.

I think the # on US touch tone telephones is called the pound sign,
because one 'pounds' it in desperation when one gets sent in circles by
a computerised answering service!.

-- 
Sandy McPherson	MBCS CEng.	tel: 	+31 71 565 4288 (w)
ESTEC/WAS
P.O. Box 299
NL-2200AG Noordwijk

Re: the term "pound sign" (was: help: char

[David Kristola]

In article 845692408@merv, dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar) writes:
>Wes said
>
>"I predict that if someone with a better newsreader than I :-) were to put
>this question on alt.english.usage the result would be
>a hundred dubious scraps of anecdotal evidence, two hundred useless
>opinions, and at least ten conclusive quotes from hundred-year-old
>dictionaries."
>
>Well I would settle for just one conclusive quote. I have lots of
>reference materials including several ancient dictionaries, but I have
>not yet tracked down anything conclusive.
>


Well, this is off-topic, inconclusive, and worsens the SNR, but...

I found a skewed "pound" symbol in an old dictionary, in the symbols
section, under the "Correction of the Press" section (page 1868):

"A space, or more space between words, letters, or lines"

This is from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary published in 1886.


david kristola