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Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!cbatt!ihnp4!ptsfa!lll-lcc!styx!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!decvax!decwrl!pyramid!prls!philabs!hhb!kosman!install
From: install@kosman.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d,misc.misc
Subject: Re: smail pronounciation
Message-ID: <151@kosman.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 27-Feb-87 08:36:54 EST
Article-I.D.: kosman.151
Posted: Fri Feb 27 08:36:54 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 2-Mar-87 20:51:06 EST
References: <667@rtech.UUCP> <1074@ulowell.cs.ulowell.edu> <486@sw1e.UUCP> <356@spar.SPAR.SLB.COM>
Organization: Anarm Software Systems, Hillsdale, NJ
Lines: 21
Xref: utgpu comp.sources.d:393 misc.misc:636
Summary: Provenance of 'pound sign'

In article <356@spar.SPAR.SLB.COM>, singer@spar.SPAR.SLB.COM (David Singer) writes:
> In article <517@cod.UUCP> rupp@cod.nosc.mil.UUCP (William L. Rupp) writes:
> >In article <1277@beta.UUCP> hp@beta.UUCP (Akkana) writes:
> >>is '#' a number sign,
> >
> >How about 'pound sign'?
> >
> I've heard this referred to as 'number sign', 'sharp', and 'octothorpe'.
> Does the 'pound sign' come from the fact that in UK ASCII this position
> is/was printed as a British poubd sterling currency marker?

Nope, it's because in some commercial usages, it is used to indicate pounds
of weight, as in 145# is 145 pounds, somewhat as ' and " are for feet and
inches as well as minutes and seconds of arc.


-- 
                         Kevin O'Gorman
                         ...{decvax,allegra}!philabs!hhb!kosman!kevin
			 BIX:KOSMANOR GENIE:tko Compuserve:73267,317
Beam me up, Scotty; it ate my phaser!