They are actually referred to as "customary units in use in the U.S." or U.S. customary. This is the way NIST and most laws refer to them. It allows for the difference between Imperial and U.S.
I prefer to call them "non-metric units" or DMA (dumb-ass units) Phil -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Bob Price Sent: Friday, August 27, 2004 7:30 PM To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:30874] Re: "English" Units (was Re: Re: Arnie) I prefer to call "English" units U.S. Imperial. They are the U.S. version of Imperial units, which differ somewhat from British Imperial. Jim Elwell wrote: > At 27 08 04, 04:46 PM, David King wrote: > >> May I ask why so many Americans refer to imperial units as "English >> units"? They did not originate with the English, they are not all the >> same as the imperial units used in England and as the UK is >> officially metric I would think that the inch-pound-foot etc. units >> used in the USA would be better described as US units. They are never >> referred to as English units in England, only as imperial units, >> because a lot of them originated with the Roman Empire. > > > I think it is just habit -- we've called them "English units" for so > long that everyone in America pretty much knows the term, and no one > is going to call them "American Versions of Imperial Units." > > I call them "colloquial" units, which is usually (but not always) > understood, and is slightly derogatory. > > More technical Americans sometimes use "inch-pound units." > > Members of this list sometimes use: > > WOMBAT -- way of measuring badly all the time > FFU -- fred flinstone units > > I don't use these last two because few people know what they mean. > > Jim > > > > Jim Elwell, CAMS > Electrical Engineer > Industrial manufacturing manager > Salt Lake City, Utah, USA > www.qsicorp.com > >
