Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Word of the Day -- Gill (unit)

So I spent a lot of the holiday re-watching a lot of Archer episodes.  You find a lot of interesting words in that show.  Here's one I had not come across before the show...

The gill is a unit of measurement for volume equal to a quarter of a pint. It is no longer in common use, except in regard to the volume of alcoholic spirits measures. In imperial units
1 imperial gill

≡ 5 imperial fluid ounces

≡ 1⁄32 imperial gallon

≡ 1⁄4 imperial pint

≡ 142.0653125 ml

≈ 142 ml

≈ 1.2 US gills

In United States customary units
1 US gill

≡ 4 US fl oz

≡ 1⁄32 US gallon

≡ 1⁄4 US pint

≡ 1⁄2 US cup

≡ 8 tablespoons

≡ 24 teaspoons

≡ 32 US fluid drams

≡ 77⁄32 in3

≡ 118.29411825 ml

≈ 118 ml

≈ 5⁄6 imperial gills


In Great Britain, the standard single measure of spirits in a pub was 1⁄6 gill (23.7 ml) in England, and 1⁄5 gill (28.4 ml) in Scotland; after metrication this was replaced by either 25 or 35 ml (0.176- or 0.246-gill) measures (landlords can choose which one to serve). The 1⁄4 gill was previously the most common measure in Scotland, and still remains as the standard measure in pubs in Ireland. In southern England, it is also called a noggin. In northern England, however, the large noggin is used, which is two gills. In some areas, a gill came to mean half a pint for both beer and milk.

In Ireland, the standard spirit measure was historically 1⁄4 gill. In the Republic of Ireland, it still retains this value, though it is now legally specified in metric units as 35.5 ml.

There are occasional references to a gill in popular culture, such as in the cumulative song "The Barley Mow". In L. Frank Baum's "The Patchwork Girl of Oz" one of the ingredients required for a magic spell is a gill of water from a dark well. In chapter 19 the obscure unit is used for humor including a pun with Jack and Jill, which also involved a well. It is also referenced in FX's animated cartoon "Archer", in both Episodes "Blood Test" (Season 2, Episode 3).  and "Heart of Archness: Part Three" (Season 3, Episode 3).  The word also appeared in a 2013 edition of the BBC TV programme QI, when it was mispronounced by show host Stephen Fry with a hard 'g' sound.

No comments:

Plywood Memories from Gencon to Vegas

  Out trip to Gencon took us up through the Arkansas Delta country, and into the boot of Missouri, across the Big Muddy and on into the spra...