Saturday, 6 November 2021

Right up there with the Kermers

Long term readers may remember the occasion when I was ordering the gown for my Ph D graduation ceremony and was momentarily stymied by being told that the girl on the phone needed my height in kermers. (Full account here )

This morning in the post office I asked for 'a dozen second class Christmas stamps, and the youth behind the counter looked at me and said 'A dozen? Is that six or twelve?'

Oh. My. 

There again, I suppose it's not so surprising because if everything is taught in base ten at school why would words like a dozen be needed? 

1 comment:

  1. I was taught entirely in metric at school, but I still know what a dozen is….

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