The term 'bit', as in "...a two-bit son of a b****...." is, I believe, an old
Canadian term meaning half a quarter, or 12.5 cents. Hence the term two-bit,
meaning one quarter. Can anyone confirm this?
John F-L
----- Original Message -----
From: STANLEY DOORE
To: U.S. Metric Association
Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 2:42 PM
Subject: [USMA:45352] Re: Dandyprat
Halving is nothing new since it's based on the binary system.
One early king, who had many wives, used the binary system to indicate
which number wife was now queen by showing his fingers on his staff during
court.
Stan Doore
----- Original Message -----
From: Pat Naughtin
To: U.S. Metric Association
Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2009 6:21 AM
Subject: [USMA:45348] Dandyprat
Dear Harry,
There have always been forces to retrofit decimal numbers with halves,
quarters, and eighths. Think of the retrofitting of the decimal currency in
the USA with half-dollars and quarter-dollars. This old halving method of
dividing things cropped up from time to time throughout history.
My favourite is the dandyprat. This coin was invented to divide English
threepences into halves.
In the early sixteenth century a coin was issued in England that was one
half of three pence, making it equal to a penny ha'penny or an eighth of a
shilling. This coin came to be called a dandiprat although nobody seems to know
where this word came from.
Soon after the appearance of the dandiprat coin it was associated with
being small and insignificant and in particular a small childlike person.
Consider this quote from a 2002 book, Forward the Mage, by Eric Flint and
Richard Roach:
Who is so wise as to distinguish, with unerring precision, between a little
man, a dwarf, a gnome, a midget, a shrimp, a runt, a pygmy, a Lilliputian, a
chit, a fingerling, a pigwidgeon, a mite, a dandiprat, a micromorph, an
homunculus, a dapperling, a small fry — or someone with bad posture, weighted
down with the cares of the world?
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
Author of the forthcoming book, Metrication Leaders Guide.
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216,
Geelong, Australia
Phone: 61 3 5241 2008
Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has helped
thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the modern metric
system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they now save thousands each
year when buying, processing, or selling for their businesses. Pat provides
services and resources for many different trades, crafts, and professions for
commercial, industrial and government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and
in the USA. Pat's clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA,
NIST, and the metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA. See
http://www.metricationmatters.com for more metrication information, contact Pat
at [email protected] or to get the free 'Metrication matters'
newsletter go to: http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter to subscribe.
On 2009/07/12, at 7:55 PM, Harry Wyeth wrote:
Another example of this "half a yard" nonsense! (Eighth paragraph, I
think).
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20090712/D99COISO0.html
HARRY WYETH
