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Sun 17 Oct, 2004 02:34 pm
Last Updated Tuesday Oct 26, 2004
Wow!
How many approximate measurement terms does English, and it's various cousins American, Australian, Canadian, Bermudan, have?
time: weights and liquids
a jot of
a pile of
a stack of
a sack of
a pack of
a sock of
a store of
a larder full of
a bag of
a purse full of
a room full of
a barrel full of
a truckload of
a syringe full
a nose
hair
dash
dollop
pinch
bunch
dab
eench
couple-a
couple of shakes
couple of dabs
just enough
pantload
ratsass
smidgen
smidgeon
smidge
snootful
tad
drizzle
splash
dust with flour
pat of butter
twist of lime
sprinkle
gob
scoop
Schmear
squirt
sift
strain
thread
Special Australian Beer Section
A 'Tinny' is a 375ml can of beer.
A 'Throwdown' is a 250ml bottle of beer.
A 'Stubby' is a 375ml bottle of beer.
A 'Longneck' is a 750ml bottle of beer.
'Slabs'
pots
pints
middies
schooners
ponies
distance
gnat's ass
nugde
hair
nose
C****Hair
Black C****Hair
Red C***Hair
Blond C***Hair
Smoot
2nd star to the right, straight on til morning.
Number
gazillion
Eleventeen
Temperature
Room Temperature
Chili Specific
One Alarm
Two Alarm
Three Alarm
cripesomighty
General non-specific
Friggen *
helifino
you judge
I know there's lot's more so as you reply I will edit them onto this post.
Note: Oct 25, : I'm going to further divide these into words vs phrases because although I like the idomatic strings I think individual words have more impact and a certain elegance. JN
Joe
* I'm thinking that the friggen may need its own special category because of its universality of use. As Adrian pointed out, something can be heavy or friggen heavy, it can be late or early, or friggen late or friggen early, it can be friggen hot or just a warmer day than usual. The question arises: is there a word that friggen cannot easily modify? I think not.
Consider this: The man said that the measurement was off by a smidgen, a friggen smidgen, that's what stopped the project in it's tracks.
(thanks to Adrian, Aftermath16ComputerWhiz, Acquink, Bi Polar Bear , Cinnesthesia, colorbook, ehbeth, George, Jespah, Lash, Merry Andrew, OristarA, Ossobuco, Panzade, Region Philis TryAgain. and Wy )
time:
in a new york minute...
Doesn't matter D, as long as it's a way of describing measurement, but I'd rather not have the official ones, yards, meters, etc, I want the one that describes how big a bloop of vinegar goes into the salad dressing.
Joe
"gnat's ass" is a precise engineering measure...
weights and liquids:
drizzle
splash of seasoning
dust with flour
pat of butter
twist of lime
time:
In a few
frequently
often
Re: Which is smaller, a skosh or a smidgeon?
Joe Nation wrote:Which is smaller, a skosh or a smidgeon?
Joe
Of course "skosh"! With 5 letters while smidgeon 8 it wins no doubt!
it is a good brainteaser, Joe!
A "gazillion" is good for precise measuring.
A tad, I think, is smaller than either a skosh or a smidgeon. But perhaps not.
Thanks all, and especially OristarA for clearing up the question.
Check out the edited list....... it get longer by the minute.
J
Eleventeen is a good number, and you judge is a precise cooking measurement.
In law, we used to use helfino to describe anything unknown. "How long was it before you noticed the red light?" Helfino.
"Who's the judge assigned to this case?" "Helfino." "Okay, Judge Helfino."
* True story: I told a colleague that Helfino was assigned to a case and had to sprint later that day to keep him from sending a motion to the Honorable Justice Helfino.
Measure of political punditry:
pantload
Football minute. Those are an eternity.
Measure of empathy, or lack of:
rat's ass
speck
thimble (thimbles vary... but this may be too precise)
for distance don't forget the ever popular c*#t hair
there's the black c*#t hair...pretty small distance
the red c*#t hair...even smaller
the blonde c*#t hair so small as to practically be indistinguishable
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