I don't know where the word "dollar" comes from (wait, yes I do, Main Entry: dol·lar Pronunciation: 'dä-l&r Function: noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Dutch or Low German daler, from German Taler, short for Joachimstaler, from Sankt Joachimsthal, Bohemia, where talers were first made Date: 1553 1 : TALER 2 : any of numerous coins patterned after the taler (as a Spanish peso) 3 a : any of various basic monetary units (as in the U.S. and Canada) -- ), but the typographic symbol is reputed to come from laying a U over a S and getting the $ sign (only it should have two vertical bars, not one).
Simon: I swear when it's appropriate. Kaylee: Simon, the whole point of swearing is that it ain't appropriate.
'Jaynestown'
All Ogle, No Cash -- It's Not Just Annoying, It's Un-American
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Nutty - Jul 09, 2003 5:42:25 am PDT #5552 of 9843
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."
Angus G - Jul 09, 2003 5:42:55 am PDT #5553 of 9843
Roguish Laird
My psychic powers are telling me that Billytea knows the answer to all these questions.
meara - Jul 09, 2003 5:57:39 am PDT #5554 of 9843
Ah! The U over S thing, that I think I'd heard before. Cool.
And yay for the etymology too. But I'm still wondering how it got popular. Am also still amused by the old non-decimal or whatever British system in old books. Confusing as hell, but interesting and bizarre.
Nilly - Jul 09, 2003 5:58:55 am PDT #5555 of 9843
Swouncing
meara! Welcome back! How was your trip?
I've got nothing on topic to say. But meara was away from the USA, so it's somehow UnAmerican.
[Edit: And I'm looking for someone to share this post # with me]
Nutty - Jul 09, 2003 6:12:13 am PDT #5556 of 9843
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."
meara, I was reading the money chart in Merriam-Webster, and wondered that myself. I still don't have mastery of pounds/shillings/bob/whatever as the money system was back in Jane Austen's, or Dickens's, day. Actually, I kept getting the sense that there was more than one overlapping money system, since shillings always seemed to divide up with a remainder left over.
Any kind soul care to explicate?
Betsy HP - Jul 09, 2003 6:17:09 am PDT #5557 of 9843
If I only had a brain...
A pound was twenty shillings (a guinea twenty-one), a shilling twelve pence. So you had to do two divisions (L/20 remainder S, S/12 r D) in order to convert a number to pounds, shillings, and pence.
[L = Pounds (librum), S = Shillings, D = Pence (Denarius).]
Jim - Jul 09, 2003 6:18:26 am PDT #5558 of 9843
Ficht nicht mit Der Raketemensch!
And for conversion to decimal, a shilling is 20 pence.
Theodosia - Jul 09, 2003 6:18:42 am PDT #5559 of 9843
'we all walk this earth feeling we are frauds. The trick is to be grateful and hope the caper doesn't end any time soon"
IIRC, there was a major movement in the post-Revolution America to adopt anything-but-pounds as a monetary system. (Spanish silver dollars were very popular, as were francs -- but both empires were in major straits at the time. 'Dollars' was settled on as a monetary designation that upset the fewest people.)
Angus G - Jul 09, 2003 6:22:04 am PDT #5560 of 9843
Roguish Laird
Also there are other weird oddities you have to learn. A bob is a shilling, a crown is five shillings (I think?), so half a crown is 2s 6d. A farthing is 1/4 of a penny, and a ha'penny is self-explanatory.
The guinea is the weirdest of the lot though.
Betsy HP - Jul 09, 2003 6:22:15 am PDT #5561 of 9843
If I only had a brain...
And for conversion to decimal, a shilling is 20 pence.
Aaah! My brain!
t explodes