At 11/11/2002, 06:24 PM, Bill Potts wrote:
Matthew:Responses interspersed:> There are a few abbreviations in some of your letters that I do not know. What is "FFU" or "IFP"? A web search yields too many results. FFU = Fred Flintstone Units IFP, or ifp = inch/foot/pound Another one we use is WOMBAT, which is either Waste of Money, Brains and Time or Way of Measuring Badly in America Today.
Welcome to the USMA list!
Now that Bill has explained FFU, IFP and WOMBAT, allow me to put in my two cents. I don't like any of these, since they are "insider" terms, and (as your email shows) they prevent others from understanding our dialog.
Other options include "English" or "American" units. These are not technically accurate for numerous reasons, but may communicate the actual meaning (i.e., the traditional units of measure used in America) to "outsiders" better.
Personally, I usually call them "colloquial units." It is a real word, and is vaguely derisive (as are FFU and WOMBAT if you know what they stand for). However, the phrase "colloquial units" suffers at least a bit from the same "insider" problem: if you say it to the average American, they will not necessarily know what you are referring to. However, it is less obscure than WOMBAT or FFU.
So, I guess we can say there is no widely-accepted term for "traditional units of measure used in America."
Jim Elwell, CAMS
Electrical Engineer
Industrial manufacturing manager
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
www.qsicorp.com
