Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,sci.lang,alt.usage.english
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!bb3.andrew.cmu.edu!newsfeed.pitt.edu!gatech!usenet.eel.ufl.edu!warwick!yama.mcc.ac.uk!liv!nce
From: nce@liverpool.ac.uk (Mr N.C. Eastmond)
Subject: Re: Is '#' a "pound sign" or what?
Message-ID: <Dn4BIz.FwB@liverpool.ac.uk>
Followup-To: alt.folklore.urban,sci.lang,alt.usage.english
Sender: news@liverpool.ac.uk (News System)
Nntp-Posting-Host: uxa.liv.ac.uk
Organization: The University of Liverpool
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
References: <DL4spy.2rD@boss.cs.ohiou.edu> <4g81qj$p6l@lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 1996 08:56:58 GMT
Lines: 18


: It doesn't come anywhere vaguely near my question, which was why # is
: called a hash in the UK and Australia.

: Incidentally the standard (BSD) ftp client calls it hash, so some 
: Americans at least use the term.

Come on! Can't you see that the thing is called a hatch because is looks
like one and that hash is a derivative of hatch? Hatch at in a means of
shading an area using lines. You know, cross-hatching. Hash is just the
common usage. Just like the origin of the American "buddy". Apparently
this comes from the Irish "butty" which is a workmate you share your
lunch with. When the Americans saw fit to sneakily reinvent English,
this became "buddy". Same must go for "hash".

nce@liv.ac.uk


