---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Phil Chernack <[email protected]> Date: Mon, Jul 13, 2009 at 10:31 AM Subject: Re: [USMA:45353] Re: Dandyprat To: [email protected]
Actually, the term refers to pieces of eight. The dollar was based on the old Spanish pieces of eight, thus 2 bits = a quarter. Phil On Mon, Jul 13, 2009 at 9:58 AM, John Frewen-Lord <[email protected]>wrote: > 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 <[email protected]> > *To:* U.S. Metric Association <[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 <[email protected]> > *To:* U.S. Metric Association <[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 > > >
