hello
Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do with
cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
I m english.. left to live in marseille france
35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
#
What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???

Thanks a million

Bon week end à tous
janet


Laughter is the best medicine

janet wrote:
> hello
> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do
> with cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
> I m english.. left to live in marseille france
> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
> #

it is a hash and is often used to indicate a number

Welcome to rec.food.cooking


> What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???
>
> Thanks a million
>
> Bon week end à tous
> janet
>
>
> Laughter is the best medicine

"janet" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
>
> hello
> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do with
> cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
> I m english.. left to live in marseille france
> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
> #
> What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???
>
> Thanks a million
>
> Bon week end à tous
> janet

Out of context I cannot be sure, but it can mean one pound in weight or
stand in for the word "number."


--
Food and fashion
http://www.judithgreenwood.com

janet wrote:
> hello
> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do
> with cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
> I m english.. left to live in marseille france
> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
> #
> What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???
>
> Thanks a million
>
> Bon week end à tous
> janet
>
>
> Laughter is the best medicine

It's the pound sign, indicating (in the case of recipes) a pound of whatever
ingredient.

Jill

jmcquown wrote:
> janet wrote:
>> hello
>> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do
>> with cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
>> I m english.. left to live in marseille france
>> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
>> #
>> What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???
>>
>> Thanks a million
>>
>> Bon week end à tous
>> janet
>>
>>
>> Laughter is the best medicine
>
> It's the pound sign, indicating (in the case of recipes) a pound of
> whatever ingredient.

I never knew that!!! we always write lb as in 5lb

"janet" wrote:
>
> #
> What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???
>
> Laughter is the best medicine


Sometimes used as a pound sign to indicate weight as in 5#.

Sometimes used to indicate a "number" as in #5.

Often used on the Internet to indicate an alphabet letter as in #uck
u.

Sheldon

Ophelia wrote on Sat, 1 Sep 2007 12:23:54 +0100:

O> jmcquown wrote:
??>> janet wrote:
??>>> hello
??>>> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing
??>>> at all to do with cooking...although i often look at your
??>>> recipes... I m english.. left to live in marseille france
??>>> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
??>>> #
??>>> What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???
??>>>
??>>> Thanks a million
??>>>
??>>> Bon week end à tous
??>>> janet
??>>>
??>>> Laughter is the best medicine
??>>
??>> It's the pound sign, indicating (in the case of recipes) a
??>> pound of whatever ingredient.

Hash, number, pound as has been said and also sometimes a result
of sending with a different character set from that of the
receiver :-)

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

wow!!!!
it seems to mean a helluver lot of things....but nothing really precise....
well BIG thanks for your kind replies.
languages and things change sooooooooooo ..

bon appetit
janet

In article >,
"janet" > wrote:

> hello
> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do with
> cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
> I m english.. left to live in marseille france
> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
> #
> What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???
>
> Thanks a million
>
> Bon week end à tous
> janet


It does have to do with cooking -- more than much posted here.
Janet, on our telephones it is referred to as "the pound sign." In
recipes it indicates pounds (weight) as does lb. or lbs. So, 1 kilo of
beef is equal to 2.2# of beef in the USA.

It's also recognized as a sign to indicate a number follows. E.g., #1,
#9, etc.

HTH.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
For your listening pleasu http://www.am1500.com/pcast/80509.mp3 --
from the MN State Fair, 8-29-07

In article >, "Ophelia" >
wrote:

> jmcquown wrote:

> > It's the pound sign, indicating (in the case of recipes) a pound of
> > whatever ingredient.
>
> I never knew that!!! we always write lb as in 5lb

Same thing. I know the origin of lb, but I don't know the origin of the
# sign.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
For your listening pleasu http://www.am1500.com/pcast/80509.mp3 --
from the MN State Fair, 8-29-07

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> In article >, "Ophelia"
> > wrote:
>
>> jmcquown wrote:
>
>>> It's the pound sign, indicating (in the case of recipes) a pound of
>>> whatever ingredient.
>>
>> I never knew that!!! we always write lb as in 5lb
>
> Same thing. I know the origin of lb, but I don't know the origin of
> the # sign.

I just know my grandmother wrote her recipes with #1 flour, etc. I always
re-wrote them to say lb. or pound, but I knew what she meant

Jill

janet > wrote:

> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do with
> cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
> I m english.. left to live in marseille france
> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
> #
> What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???

In the context of this newsgroup, the sign is still used in only one
ex-colonial location in the whole wide English-speaking world. It is a
pound (as in weight) sign, so does have to do with cooking quite a bit.

Victor

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> In article >,
> "janet" > wrote:
>
>> hello
>> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do with
>> cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
>> I m english.. left to live in marseille france
>> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
>> #
>> What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???
>>
>> Thanks a million
>>
>> Bon week end à tous
>> janet
>
>
> It does have to do with cooking -- more than much posted here.
> Janet, on our telephones it is referred to as "the pound sign."

Its really the "octothorp"...

In
> recipes it indicates pounds (weight) as does lb. or lbs. So, 1 kilo of
> beef is equal to 2.2# of beef in the USA.
>
> It's also recognized as a sign to indicate a number follows. E.g., #1,
> #9, etc.
>
> HTH.

James Silverton wrote:
> Ophelia wrote on Sat, 1 Sep 2007 12:23:54 +0100:
>
>> jmcquown wrote:
>>> janet wrote:
>>>> hello
>>>> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing
>>>> at all to do with cooking...although i often look at your
>>>> recipes... I m english.. left to live in marseille france
>>>> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
>>>> #
>>>> What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???
>>>>
>>>> Thanks a million
>>>>
>>>> Bon week end à tous
>>>> janet
>>>>
>>>> Laughter is the best medicine
>>>
>>> It's the pound sign, indicating (in the case of recipes) a
>>> pound of whatever ingredient.
>
> Hash, number, pound as has been said and also sometimes a result
> of sending with a different character set from that of the
> receiver :-)
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>
> E-mail, with obvious alterations:
> not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

My grandmother certainly never had a computer (given she died in 1983). She
wrote recipes with 1# flour (or sugar, etc.) Had nothing to do with a
computer, a receiver, etc. It was to indicate a measurement, in this case a
pound.

Jill

> My grandmother certainly never had a computer (given she died in
> 1983). She wrote recipes with 1# flour (or sugar, etc.) Had nothing
> to do with a computer, a receiver, etc. It was to indicate a
> measurement, in this case a pound.
>
<<
was this sign "made in the USA " ???? and maybe used later in GB ???
i learnt pounds were either £ or lbs. but that was back before the
dinosaurs... ;-) and i never had that sign on my typewriting days.
(I left GB in 1968.)

(It's interesting the changes in languages ... when I left.. sh*t was a very
rude word, now it s used continually .)

just to stay in the 'charte"

GRATIN DAUPHINOIS

A very nice dish with potatoes It's a speciality from the Dauphiné region
in the South East of France around Grenoble. But eaten every week by my kids
here in Marseille it's their favourite dish!

For 4 people
Ingredients:
750 grammes of potatoes,
25 centilitres of milk, 30 centilitres of cream,
nutmeg,
1 tablespoon of butter,
3 clove of garlic,
salt pepper.

Préparation:
Clean, peel and cut the potatoes in slices of about 3 millimetres .( 0,12
inches ).
Place the potatoes in a pan and add the milk, a teaspoon of butter, salt,
pepper and the nutmeg.
Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat and keep cooking for about 8 to 10
minutes . Stir it from time to time.
Add 30 centilitres of cream and let it cook slowly for about 5 minutes. Take
if off the burner and add the garlic.
In a delicate manner, place it all nicely in an oven dish. Level the surface
and let it cool off.
Preheat your oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Once the oven is hot, put the dish
in it and let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
It's ready.

Bon appétit!

janet wrote:
>> My grandmother certainly never had a computer (given she died in
>> 1983). She wrote recipes with 1# flour (or sugar, etc.) Had nothing
>> to do with a computer, a receiver, etc. It was to indicate a
>> measurement, in this case a pound.
>>
> <<
> was this sign "made in the USA " ???? and maybe used later in GB ???
> i learnt pounds were either £ or lbs. but that was back before the
> dinosaurs... ;-) and i never had that sign on my typewriting days.
> (I left GB in 1968.)
>
(laughing) I remember when a typewriter/keyboard had a cents symbol to
indicate pennies. It vanished, for some reason. As to the # sign, I have
no clue. My grandmother (the one who used this # sign to indicate pounds in
her hand written recipes) was of German descent. Born around the turn of
the last century and raised in Pennsylvania. So it's probably a USian thing
but I really couldn't say for sure.

> (It's interesting the changes in languages ... when I left.. sh*t was
> a very rude word, now it s used continually .)
>
Heh, lots of words are used now that used to be rude.

> just to stay in the 'charte"
>
> GRATIN DAUPHINOIS
>
Snipped lovely recipe. Yes, I love those potatoes!

Jill

In article .com>,
Sheldon > wrote:

> "janet" wrote:
> >
> > #
> > What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???
> >
> > Laughter is the best medicine
>
>
> Sometimes used as a pound sign to indicate weight as in 5#.
>
> Sometimes used to indicate a "number" as in #5.
>
> Often used on the Internet to indicate an alphabet letter as in #uck
> u.
>
> Sheldon

Normal people use an * Assterisk for that.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article >,
George > wrote:

> Melba's Jammin' wrote:

> > It does have to do with cooking -- more than much posted here.
> > Janet, on our telephones it is referred to as "the pound sign."
>
> Its really the "octothorp"...

Thank you.

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
For your listening pleasu http://www.am1500.com/pcast/80509.mp3 --
from the MN State Fair, 8-29-07

"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote

> It does have to do with cooking -- more than much posted here.
> Janet, on our telephones it is referred to as "the pound sign." In
> recipes it indicates pounds (weight) as does lb. or lbs. So, 1 kilo of
> beef is equal to 2.2# of beef in the USA.
>
> It's also recognized as a sign to indicate a number follows. E.g., #1,
> #9, etc.

Many people over the years have been confused when
told to hit the pound key on their phone. I would think that
now with all the phone menus, enter this then the pound key,
most people are familiar with it.

nancy

On Sep 1, 8:46?am, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
> In article >,
>
> "janet" > wrote:
> > hello
> > Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do with
> > cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
> > I m english.. left to live in marseille france
> > 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
> > #
> > What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???
>
> > Thanks a million
>
> > Bon week end tous
> > janet
>
> It does have to do with cooking.

Cooking is probably the venue where the [#] sign is used least.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_sign

Sheldon

Janet

I don't think I ever came across this sign outside of music lessons
until I went to the States for the first time. Don't think it was a
standard key on a UK typewriter. Not sure what it was used for
originally in the UK.

I know it as the hash sign and know that our friends across the pond
call it a pound sign.

Steve
(Ex-pat Brit in Lyon)

janet wrote:
>
> hello
> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do
> with cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
> I m english.. left to live in marseille france
> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
> #
> What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???
>
> Thanks a million
>
> Bon week end à tous
> janet
>
>
> Laughter is the best medicine
>

Melba's Jammin' > wrote in news:barbschaller-
:

> In article >,
> George > wrote:
>
>> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>
>> > It does have to do with cooking -- more than much posted here.
>> > Janet, on our telephones it is referred to as "the pound sign."
>>
>> Its really the "octothorp"...
>
> Thank you.
>

It was called the pound sign because in britian the ocothorpe doesn't
appear...the £ key is shift-3 instead...at least in the old days.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

janet wrote:

>
> hello
> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do
> with cooking...although i often look at your recipes... I m
> english.. left to live in marseille france 35 years ago when this
> sign didn t exist #
> What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???

It did exist 35 years ago. It's used to denote numbers, and so is
sometimes called the number sign. It's also used to denote pounds as a
unit of weight, and in the US is sometimes called the pound sign.

Its name varies. Google on "hash mark" and restrict your search to
http://wikipedia.com.

--
Dan Goodman
"You, each of you, have some special wild cards. Play with them.
Find out what makes you different and better. Because it is there,
if only you can find it." Vernor Vinge, _Rainbows End_
Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com
Futures http://dangoodman.livejournal.com
mirror: http://dsgood.insanejoural.com
Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood

In article >,
hahabogus > wrote:

> Melba's Jammin' > wrote in news:barbschaller-
> :
>
> > In article >,
> > George > wrote:
> >
> >> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> >
> >> > It does have to do with cooking -- more than much posted here.
> >> > Janet, on our telephones it is referred to as "the pound sign."
> >>
> >> Its really the "octothorp"...
> >
> > Thank you.
> >
>
> It was called the pound sign because in britian the ocothorpe doesn't
> appear...the £ key is shift-3 instead...at least in the old days.

It's still like that on my keyboard, sorta.

3 Shifted is # and using the option key, I get £.
Probably the alt key on PC keyboards. I drive a Mac.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

On an AZERTY keyboard, it is the 3 key along with the "Alt-Gr"key but I
don't have an English keyboard to see what the "Alt-Gr" corresponds to
or how it is labelled.

Steve

PS For Info, in French it is called "dieze" (sp ? ), no idea why.

>
> 3 Shifted is # and using the option key, I get £.
> Probably the alt key on PC keyboards. I drive a Mac.

In article >,
"jmcquown" > wrote:

> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> > In article >, "Ophelia"
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> jmcquown wrote:
> >
> >>> It's the pound sign, indicating (in the case of recipes) a pound of
> >>> whatever ingredient.
> >>
> >> I never knew that!!! we always write lb as in 5lb
> >
> > Same thing. I know the origin of lb, but I don't know the origin of
> > the # sign.
>
> I just know my grandmother wrote her recipes with #1 flour, etc. I always
> re-wrote them to say lb. or pound, but I knew what she meant
>
> Jill

Out of curiosity, did she write the pound sign first? It seems odd
because in my head, I'm "hearing" pound one flour instead of one pound
flour. OTOH, when I see $5, I "hear" five dollars. Huh. Interesting.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
For your listening pleasu http://www.am1500.com/pcast/80509.mp3 --
from the MN State Fair, 8-29-07

Ophelia wrote:
> janet wrote:
>> hello
>> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do
>> with cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
>> I m english.. left to live in marseille france
>> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
>> #
>
> it is a hash and is often used to indicate a number

It's also an octothorpe, and has other names as well.


--
Blinky RLU 297263
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
http://improve-usenet.org <----------- New Site Aug 28

Dan Goodman wrote:
> janet wrote:
>
>>
>> hello
>> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do
>> with cooking...although i often look at your recipes... I m
>> english.. left to live in marseille france 35 years ago when this
>> sign didn t exist #
>> What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???
>
> It did exist 35 years ago. It's used to denote numbers, and so is
> sometimes called the number sign. It's also used to denote pounds as a
> unit of weight, and in the US is sometimes called the pound sign.
>
> Its name varies. Google on "hash mark" and restrict your search to
> http://wikipedia.com.

And since it has more than one *application*, it's probably best called
"octothorpe" or "hash", which aren't context specific, when speaking of
it generally -- and the OP did say "nothing at all to do with cooking",
so in the context of her question those would probably be better than
"pound sign". Especially when there's a monetary symbol with the same
common name and there aren't any other octothorpes or hashes.

--
Blinky RLU 297263
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
http://improve-usenet.org <----------- New Site Aug 28

Blinky the Shark wrote:
> Ophelia wrote:
>> janet wrote:
>>> hello
>>> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to
>>> do with cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
>>> I m english.. left to live in marseille france
>>> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
>>> #
>>
>> it is a hash and is often used to indicate a number
>
> It's also an octothorpe, and has other names as well.

Thank you

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> In article >,
> "jmcquown" > wrote:
>
>> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>>> In article >, "Ophelia"
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>> jmcquown wrote:
>>>
>>>>> It's the pound sign, indicating (in the case of recipes) a pound
>>>>> of whatever ingredient.
>>>>
>>>> I never knew that!!! we always write lb as in 5lb
>>>
>>> Same thing. I know the origin of lb, but I don't know the origin of
>>> the # sign.
>>
>> I just know my grandmother wrote her recipes with #1 flour, etc. I
>> always re-wrote them to say lb. or pound, but I knew what she meant
>>
>>
>> Jill
>
> Out of curiosity, did she write the pound sign first? It seems odd
> because in my head, I'm "hearing" pound one flour instead of one pound
> flour. OTOH, when I see $5, I "hear" five dollars. Huh.
> Interesting.

I don't have her original written recipes anymore (mores the pity!) but I
recall she wrote the # sign before the ingredient listed. I think my mother
(Scottish!) did the same thing.

Jill

On Sat, 1 Sep 2007 11:58:46 +0100, "Ophelia" > wrote:

>janet wrote:
>> hello
>> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do
>> with cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
>> I m english.. left to live in marseille france
>> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
>> #
>
>it is a hash and is often used to indicate a number
>
Yes, it's called a "hash mark", but is commonly called a "pound" sign
here in the USA.


--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for the chicken, a lifetime commitment for the pig.

Blinky the Shark > wrote:
> "octothorpe" or "hash", which aren't context specific, when speaking of
> it generally -- and the OP did say "nothing at all to do with cooking",
> so in the context of her question those would probably be better than
> "pound sign". Especially when there's a monetary symbol with the same
> common name and there aren't any other octothorpes or hashes.

I have heard it called a "commercial pound." I believe that was to distinguish
it from the monetary pound. It used to be used for bulk items sold by weight
instead of volume like flour, for example. I think you can still see this use
on manifests of large bulk shipments. That usage goes back at least in to the
early twentieth century, but how much further back I don't know. The other names
and meanings all seem to be newer.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

sf wrote:
> On Sat, 1 Sep 2007 11:58:46 +0100, "Ophelia" > wrote:
>
>> janet wrote:
>>> hello
>>> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to
>>> do with cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
>>> I m english.. left to live in marseille france
>>> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
>>> #
>>
>> it is a hash and is often used to indicate a number
>>
> Yes, it's called a "hash mark", but is commonly called a "pound" sign
> here in the USA.

Thanks sf

jmcquown wrote:
> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>> In article >,
>> "jmcquown" > wrote:
>>
>>> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>>>> In article >, "Ophelia"
>>>> > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> jmcquown wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>> It's the pound sign, indicating (in the case of recipes) a pound
>>>>>> of whatever ingredient.
>>>>>
>>>>> I never knew that!!! we always write lb as in 5lb
>>>>
>>>> Same thing. I know the origin of lb, but I don't know the origin of
>>>> the # sign.
>>>
>>> I just know my grandmother wrote her recipes with #1 flour, etc. I
>>> always re-wrote them to say lb. or pound, but I knew what she meant
>>>
>>>
>>> Jill
>>
>> Out of curiosity, did she write the pound sign first? It seems odd
>> because in my head, I'm "hearing" pound one flour instead of one pound
>> flour. OTOH, when I see $5, I "hear" five dollars. Huh.
>> Interesting.
>
> I don't have her original written recipes anymore (mores the pity!) but I
> recall she wrote the # sign before the ingredient listed. I think my mother
> (Scottish!) did the same thing.

Another meaning related to cooking is can size and thus quantity. At least
in the US, there's long been a numbering sytstem for can sizes.

http://homecooking.about.com/library...ve/blhelp7.htm

as in

#10 can of beets


--
Blinky RLU 297263
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
http://improve-usenet.org <----------- New Site Aug 28

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
>
> Many people over the years have been confused when
> told to hit the pound key on their phone. I would think that
> now with all the phone menus, enter this then the pound key,
> most people are familiar with it.
>
> nancy

Can you imagine the confusion if told to hit the octothorp key?
>

"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote

> "Nancy Young" > wrote in message
>>
>> Many people over the years have been confused when
>> told to hit the pound key on their phone. I would think that
>> now with all the phone menus, enter this then the pound key,
>> most people are familiar with it.

> Can you imagine the confusion if told to hit the octothorp key?

Heh, talk about phone rage. What the #### is the octothorp key???

nancy

janet > wrote:

> GRATIN DAUPHINOIS

Thank you for posting a true, cheeseless recipe!

Victor

Nancy Young wrote:
> "Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote
>
>> "Nancy Young" > wrote in message
>>> Many people over the years have been confused when
>>> told to hit the pound key on their phone. I would think that
>>> now with all the phone menus, enter this then the pound key,
>>> most people are familiar with it.
>
>> Can you imagine the confusion if told to hit the octothorp key?
>
> Heh, talk about phone rage. What the #### is the octothorp key???
>
> nancy
>
>
Its next to the "any" key of course...

"janet" > wrote in message
...
>
> hello
> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do with
> cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
> I m english.. left to live in marseille france
> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
> #
> What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???
>
> Thanks a million
>

Companies' recordings have used a recording message saying, "press the pound
sign." It was reported that not enough people could distinguish between the
pound sign and the asterisk (or star sign) that they had to stop those
instructions.

True or not, I don't know.

# = pound in weight (lb.)
Dee Dee

"janet" > wrote in message
...
>
> hello
> Sorry to bother you .. Just a question which has nothing at all to do with
> cooking...although i often look at your recipes...
> I m english.. left to live in marseille france
> 35 years ago when this sign didn t exist
> #
> What the "Dickens" does it mean and what is it's name???
>
> Thanks a million
>
> Bon week end à tous
> janet
>
>
#5 is number 5
5# is 5 pounds