XPost: alt.folklore.computers   
   From: commodorejohn@gmail.com   
      
   On 6 Jan 2026 06:24:00 GMT   
   rbowman  wrote:   
      
   > >> In days of yore, "#" was often used by dealers in bulk products as   
   > >> an abbreviation for pounds weight. For instance, a sack of chicken   
   > >> feed might consist of "50# laying mash".     
   > >    
   > > Most of us used “lb”.     
   >    
   > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_sign#Usage   
   >    
   > "When ⟨#⟩ is after a number, it is read as "pound" or "pounds",   
   > meaning the unit of weight.[54][55] The text "5# bag of flour" would   
   > mean "five- pound bag of flour". This is rare outside North America."   
   >    
   > Most of us don't live in New Zealand.   
      
   That's been obscure even in the US for many a year, frankly - but the   
   legacy pronunciation of # survives to this day.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)