³Pieces of eight, pieces of eight.² Didn¹t Cap¹n Flint, the parrot, say that? 100/8 = 12.5.
From: John Frewen-Lord <[email protected]> Reply-To: <[email protected]> Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:58:08 +0100 To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Subject: [USMA:45353] Re: Dandyprat 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 <mailto:[email protected]> > > To: U.S. Metric Association <mailto:[email protected]> > > 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 <mailto:[email protected]> >> >> To: U.S. Metric Association <mailto:[email protected]> >> >> 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 >> <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 >>
