"Wine" gallon vs. "imperial" gallon

[Doug Harris]

So, am I correct in thinking that for what's in an imperial pint mug
to weigh a pound, there'd have to be a WOTY -- a bailout?
dh

Prepared and sent with Chaos Software's Intellect mail client.
Intellect's contacts and appointments managers also are cool.

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Wilson Gray" <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Received: 1/11/2009 3:24:31 PM
Subject: "Wine" gallon vs. "imperial" gallon


>As most of us know, the gallon measure used in the U.S. is of a
>smaller capacity than the gallon measure used elsewhere in the former
>realms of the British Empire. It's been read that the reason for this
>is that the rest of the former empire uses the standard imperial
>gallon, whereas the U.S., having left home earlier than the
>otherchildren, uses an older measure, now known as the "wine" gallon.

>However, there exists a saying,

>"A pint's a pound _the world around_."

>But it's the case that a pint of water weighs a pound only if the wine
>gallon, used only in the States, is the standard and not the imperial
>gallon. What up wit' dat? Is the saying older than the establishment
>of the imperial gallon? Or am I simply in a ball of confusion?

>-Wilson
>–––
>All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
>come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>-----
>-Mark Twain

>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org