polypin

[Mark A. Mandel]

Followup discussion from the list I copied the first note from. (Note from
Chris Malme)

>>>

Dave Weingart wrote <regarding derivation of "polypin".

>  18 pints?  So little?

Colin had it almost right. A "pin" is actually 4.5 imperial gallones, which
is 36 pints. The original "polypin" was, as he says, a poly pin, and had the
same capacity.

However, over the years, the name has become attached to any such container,
no matter what the volume. 18 pint polypins have become popular, as it is a
smaller minumum order, and they are easier to handle. Which is probably why
many folk, including Colin, think first of this size when they hear the
word.

For anyone who enjoyed the beer at the Worldcon, they may be interested to
know that the brewery who supplied it, Kelburn Brewery, will deliver in 17
or 34 pint polypins anywhere in the UK. Just the thing, if you can't wait
until we return to Glasgow next Easter. http://www.kelburnbrewery.com

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-- Mark A. Mandel
    Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvania