Multicultural measuring!

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levad

Veteran
This is a quote from Christian Horner of the Red Bull F1 team when Mark Webbers engin blew up.

"I think it stopped about 50 kilometres short of its target miles"

What other mixed metaphore measurements are there?
 
00 gauge model railways. 4mm to the foot. What's all that about then?:biggrin:
 
OP
OP
levad

levad

Veteran
ah yes, I forgot about model railways 2mm, 4mm, 7mm all to the foot etc.

Not quite measuring but the advice my dad gave me about British precision engineering was this ...

Measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk, cut with an axe :biggrin:
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
levad said:
ah yes, I forgot about model railways 2mm, 4mm, 7mm all to the foot etc.

Not quite measuring but the advice my dad gave me about British precision engineering was this ...

Measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk, cut with an axe :smile:


:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 

threebikesmcginty

Corn Fed Hick...
Location
...on the slake
Timber is now sold in metric sizes ie 47 x 97mm (4" x 2" in old money). However it's still sold in cheating metric lengths, increments of a foot - 300mm and not 500mm which would be logical.

And if I remember correctly plasterboard used to be a metric length and an imperial width or the other way around.

And Sam Smith's beer is sold in bottles of 550ml which, in round numbers, is as damn near to a pint as you'll ever get.
 
Going back to the railways for a second, 4ft 8.5 inches, what sort of cocked-up measurement is that to have as you track gauge? ANd the worst part is a lot of the rest of the globe adopted it too!!! Yes, I know, it's supposed to be the width between a roman chariots' wheels which was adopted by the early wooden wagon railed ways and then on to the steam rails, but why stick with such a patently daft measurement! Round it up to 5ft at the very least.
Or better, it should have been lobbed out when Brunel proposed his 7ft broad gauge, just think how big yer trains could be! :smile:
 

tyred

Legendary Member
Location
Ireland
Browser said:
Going back to the railways for a second, 4ft 8.5 inches, what sort of cocked-up measurement is that to have as you track gauge? ANd the worst part is a lot of the rest of the globe adopted it too!!! Yes, I know, it's supposed to be the width between a roman chariots' wheels which was adopted by the early wooden wagon railed ways and then on to the steam rails, but why stick with such a patently daft measurement! Round it up to 5ft at the very least.
Or better, it should have been lobbed out when Brunel proposed his 7ft broad gauge, just think how big yer trains could be! :smile:

We use 5'3" for some reason. I believe that guage may also be used in Australia.
 
Rhythm Thief said:
You can buy Stella - and some bottled real beers - in 568ml containers, which is exactly a pint. They even boast "One Pint Can/Bottle" on the labels. It's just not legal to sell it in imperial measurements.

Ditto milk, for us teetotal tea drinkers out there.
 
OP
OP
levad

levad

Veteran
Browser said:
Going back to the railways for a second, 4ft 8.5 inches, what sort of cocked-up measurement is that to have as you track gauge? ANd the worst part is a lot of the rest of the globe adopted it too!!! Yes, I know, it's supposed to be the width between a roman chariots' wheels which was adopted by the early wooden wagon railed ways and then on to the steam rails, but why stick with such a patently daft measurement! Round it up to 5ft at the very least.
Or better, it should have been lobbed out when Brunel proposed his 7ft broad gauge, just think how big yer trains could be! :laugh:

Brunels broad gauge was actually 7 ft 0+1⁄4 in (2,140 mm), was he actually thinking metric as one of his parents was french?
 
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