jnw (04/29/83)
Once again, I come to the defense of language users throughout the nation. In micomvax.140, we are told that '#' doesn't mean pounds weight, but pounds money. Come on! Be serious! This is the same kind of thing I've seen over and over in this newsgroup -- someone trying to limit the meaning of a word or symbol. This is usually (not always) done in a way that tends to increase the erudite appearance of the limiter and lend an air of stupidity to anyone who might use the word or symbol any differently. Words and symbols mean what we (all of us together) use them to mean. If '#' doesn't mean pounds weight, how come foodstores use it that way? Certainly they don't measure the weight of items in how much the item would cost in the UK. Every once in a while we see idiosyncratic uses that can reasonably be called incorrect, but this is not one of them. joe wilson Univ. of Virginia uucp: ...decvax!duke!mcnc!ncsu!uvacs!jnw CSnet: jnw@uvacs Arpa: jnw.uvacs@udel-relay