Wierd sayings

Cyclefrance · 10-31-2005, 10:42 AM

Imperial weights and measures - know some of them but not all:

pound - something to do with the size of stones used to pound the wheatears to remove the grain prior to milling, I think

stone - the largest stone in the process - 14 pounders were roughly the equivalent in weight of the larger stone

Funny how so many of these have something to do with agriculture, like...

yard - something to do with the length of the step ('foot' is the average foot size and a step or yard is three of those) - not sure more than that - there's a yardstick, being a standard measure of the step, but not sure why it's called that - then there are 22 yards (steps) to a chain...

chain - the length of the chain from the plough to the horse's 'collar' or yoke, and there are 10 chains to a furlong (links to the yard when one imagines the ploughman walking behind...)

furlong - literally a 'furrow long' - the length of the furrow in a ploughed field, obviously 220 yards, and then there are 8 furlongs to a mile (1760 yards)...

All quite logical in a rural sort of way....

10-31-2005, 10:42 AM	#1
Cyclefrance Pump my ride! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Deep countryside of Surrey , England Posts: 1,890	Imperial weights and measures - know some of them but not all: pound - something to do with the size of stones used to pound the wheatears to remove the grain prior to milling, I think stone - the largest stone in the process - 14 pounders were roughly the equivalent in weight of the larger stone Funny how so many of these have something to do with agriculture, like... yard - something to do with the length of the step ('foot' is the average foot size and a step or yard is three of those) - not sure more than that - there's a yardstick, being a standard measure of the step, but not sure why it's called that - then there are 22 yards (steps) to a chain... chain - the length of the chain from the plough to the horse's 'collar' or yoke, and there are 10 chains to a furlong (links to the yard when one imagines the ploughman walking behind...) furlong - literally a 'furrow long' - the length of the furrow in a ploughed field, obviously 220 yards, and then there are 8 furlongs to a mile (1760 yards)... All quite logical in a rural sort of way.... __________________ Always sufficient hills - never sufficient gears Last edited by Cyclefrance; 10-31-2005 at 11:00 AM.

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