> Gary Shannon wrote:
> [snip]
> >
> > Ah, those Brits are an odd bunch, eh? It's obvious to
> > any mathemetician that "half ten" is five. I suppose
> > their cake recipes call for "a half and a cup of
> > flour".
>
> Nah! We don't measure flour in cups (they ain't all the same size!) -
> Brit recipes have traditionally measured flour in pounds and ounces; in
> more recent years books also include weight in kilos (for big cakes!)
> and grammes.
>
> I know it's very quaint actually weighing flour, but there it is :)
>
> Nor do we say *"a half and a pound of flour" - 'tis "a pound and a half
> of..." or "one and a half pounds of..."
>
> In the good ol' days of predecimalized money, 1.5 denarii were "a penny
> ha'penny" or "three ha'pence" ;)
>
> --
> Ray
> ==================================
> ray@carolandray.plus.com
>
http://www.carolandray.plus.com
> ==================================
> "A mind which thinks at its own expense will always
> interfere with language." J.G. Hamann, 1760
>