You don't need to change anything. You just don't have to use them and in their place come up with new sayings that is measurement neutral. For example, "inch by inch" can be replaced with "bit by bit" or "a little at a time". "Not an inch" can be replaced with "not one iota" or "not at all" or "not one bit".
Doesn't the word "Duimstok" literally mean "thumb stick"? A thumb and an inch are not really they same thing, even if they are close. The thumb may have historically been used as a small measure in some countries, but in England the inch was never defined from thumbs but from barley corns. If I gave you and an Englishman a drawing in inches and had both of you make the part and you made it with your duimstok and the Englishman made it with his inches, then we compared them, the two parts would have noticeable differences. Thus the duim and inch are not the same and can not be equated. I'm sure the name Inchicore had nothing to do with inches, just as the Seoul Korea suburb of Inchon has nothing to do with it either. I'm sure the name is derived from an old Gaelic word that had nothing to do with inches of measurement. How is it pronounced? Inch-i-core or In-chi-core? The pronunciation also makes a difference. Do you know the origin of the name? Is there really a bridge that is 6 miles long? That is what the name would imply. Or was the town suppose to be 6 miles from the bridge? What is the history of the name? Nor should the people in metricating countries give one bit of support for old units. Make the change complete and quick. What measurements do you use when visiting Ireland? Jerry ________________________________ From: Han Maenen <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, April 5, 2009 5:54:11 AM Subject: [USMA:44369] RE: Reasoable Language (was Metrication US) I agree with Bll Potts. Leave expressions like 'inch by inch' or 'not an inch' alone. Those opposed to metric would love it if we wanted to change such things. In the Netherlands a folding measuring stick is called a 'duimstok', which is 'inch stick' in English. I have a wooden duimstok or inch stick with centimetres only on it. I just avoid measuring instruments with dual units like the plague. Just west of of Dublin is the suburb Inchicore, how lunatic it would be to change that to 2.54cmcore, or Sixmilebridge near Limerick to '9.6 km-Bridge'. Of course, the distance to Sixmilebridge is always given in km on road signs: 'Sixmilebridge 10 km'. There is a small place in Ireland called Inch. And people in metric countries should never give an inch to Imperial and/or U.S. Customary in their own environment. That would be very beneficial to metrication. Han ----- Original Message ----- From: Bill Potts To: U.S. Metric Association Sent: Monday, 2009, March 30 22:30 Subject: [USMA:44234] RE: Reasonable Language (was Metrication US) Pat and John: For years, some of us on this list have tried to be reassuring to the metrication-averse and to also counter some of the stranger statements made by the more virulent opponents of metrication. <snip>
