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El Pinguino · 25-03-2017, 03:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by carstenb

yes, but

"There will always be an England" falls better on the ear than

"There will always be a Great Britain"

carsten

It may fall better on the ear of the english.. the people who gave us 'Wogs begin at Calais' and who believe that nothing civilized exists north of Watford Gap.

**StuM** · 25-03-2017, 04:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by carstenb

well that's makes two of us whose memories are shot (what were we talking about?)

I have also forgotten how big peck is - how big is it?

EDIT - having looked, we can now discuss a "kenning" or a "firlot"

for those who can't get enough of these types of things

IIRC, there was a discussion here not so long ago about the kenning and some disagreement about whether it was related to low or high land. Was that ever resolved?

I've mentioned it before, I like the FFF system of units (Furlong, Firkin, Fortnight). N.B. a firkin(mass) is defined as the mass of a firkin of water.

(Approximate conversion factors to SI metres, kilograms and seconds are:
0.005, 0.0244 and 1 210 000)

dlymn · 25-03-2017, 04:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by StuM

IIRC, there was a discussion here not so long ago about the kenning and some disagreement about whether it was related to low or high land. Was that ever resolved?

I've mentioned it before, I like the FFF system of units (Furlong, Firkin, Fortnight). N.B. a firkin(mass) is defined as the mass of a firkin of water.

(Approximate conversion factors to SI metres, kilograms and seconds are:
0.005, 0.0244 and 1 210 000)

Anyone worked with visual looming as an aid to navigation?

**StuM** · 25-03-2017, 04:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by carstenb

EDIT - having looked, we can now discuss a "kenning" or a "firlot"

for those who can't get enough of these types of things

Firlot was a new one to me. I love this:

"contained 21 pints and a mutchkin of the water of Leith:

Do the 21 pints have to be "of the water of Leith" or just the mutchkin?
Enquiring minds want to know!

Jason Flare · 25-03-2017, 06:09

Without looking it up it's either 2 or 4 pecks to a bushel. I think 4.

**Wotname** · 25-03-2017, 15:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Dunno 'bout that but upon my return to the land of my birth - after many years absence - in 1963 I used 'Europe' and was taken severely to task and told to mend me ways... never from that day to this have I heard a Pom say 'Europe' when they meant ' the Continent'.

The 'strayan and 'merkin use of 'England' when they mean 'Britain' is, however, very common.

Quote:

Originally Posted by carstenb

yes, but

"There will always be an England" falls better on the ear than

"There will always be a Great Britain"

carsten

Are you gentlemen referring to the island called Great Britain which is one of the European Continental islands and the largest island in the group known as the British Isles or are you referring to United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

IME, when we 'strayans say England, we mean the UK as no true blu' would ever say United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Dunno what them Kiwis say...

One of the many beauties of using the metric system is that it reduces misunderstanding

**JPA Cate** · 25-03-2017, 17:17

"I love you a bushel and a peck,

A bushel and a peck,

And a hug around the neck!"

I bet not too many of y'all remember that.

I also mis-read firkin as merkin. I'm quite sure a firkin is no measure whatsoever of a merkin!

Cheers, guys,

Ann

**JPA Cate** · 25-03-2017, 17:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Flare

Without looking it up it's either 2 or 4 pecks to a bushel. I think 4.

I'll give you credit for the 4.

Capt Phil · 25-03-2017, 17:35

I lived through the changeover fiasco in Canada when the yanks assured their Canadian friends that they would launch on a date specific. During an all night session in the US, it was shot down in Congress but the Americans forgot to tell the Canucks!
The Canadian political class was very pissed but launched and moved on and Canada is pretty much metric while the US remained SAE.
The US is the only country in the world that remains on the SAE standard of measurement.
All my kids and grandkids use metric but I emigrated to the US while SAE was still imbedded in my head. Phil

Jason Flare · 25-03-2017, 17:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

I'll give you credit for the 4.

After I posted that I remembered that we had bushel, 1/2 bushel and peck baskets, so I was pretty sure 4 pecks to the bushel.

The 1/2 bushel baskets should have tipped me of before I posted.

El Pinguino · 25-03-2017, 18:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wotname

Are you gentlemen referring to the island called Great Britain which is one of the European Continental islands and the largest island in the group known as the British Isles or are you referring to United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

IME, when we 'strayans say England, we mean the UK as no true blu' would ever say United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Dunno what them Kiwis say...

One of the many beauties of using the metric system is that it reduces misunderstanding

Yes, all of the above.....

Oh , kiwis still call it 'home'.

And then there is 'the standard British handful'...

buzzstar · 25-03-2017, 19:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

"I love you a bushel and a peck,

A bushel and a peck,

And a hug around the neck!"

I bet not too many of y'all remember that.

I also mis-read firkin as merkin. I'm quite sure a firkin is no measure whatsoever of a merkin!

Cheers, guys,

Ann

Thank you Ann! My mother sad a rhyme about a bushel and peck, but I could not, and cannot remember it, You, though, are close. BUT, a merkin, to my adult understanding was not a measure of any sort. Nuff said.

deblen · 25-03-2017, 19:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Yes, all of the above.....

Oh , kiwis still call it 'home'.

And then there is 'the standard British handful'...

The standard British handful is a grist isn't it?-as in "pass me a grist of those...."

We still sell herring by the hogshead

Len

buzzstar · 25-03-2017, 19:53

I am responding because someone mentioned a hogshead of herring. While mot wanting to demean herring or cod, I would be mildly surprised if a full hogshead were to be had from the traditional fishing grounds that we typically think of as the source.