Imperial Measures

I’m with Allison Pearson when she says
For some of us they never went away. I mean, who ever got an excited phone call from a son-in-law crying, “She weighs 3.62874 kilograms!”
British babies are measured in pounds and ounces and I reckon they always will be. So are cake ingredients. Well, they are for those of us who were taught to make Victoria sponge by mum or grandmother using a ready shorthand: one slightly heaped tablespoon equals one ounce of flour. Same with butter. A pack will always be half a pound to me, not 225g. If I am following a recipe that uses grams, mentally I translate the ingredients into what feels familiar and comfortable.
When Princess Elizabeth ascended the throne, she was the average height for British women: 5ft 2in. Seventy years into her reign, the average height for women has grown to 5ft 4in. . What does 1.6256 metres say to most of us ?

'Toe the line' is a racing expression. Competitors all had to have a toe to the starting line for a fair start.

Is that true Maisie? Gosh. I'd always thought it was from the Navy - putting your toe on the lines of deck ing boards (when you were just an ordinary seaman with no shoes). As in the underling lining up for inspection.

Most of these expressions I thought came from either the sea or the textile industry!

MawtheMerrier

I’m with Allison Pearson when she says
For some of us they never went away. I mean, who ever got an excited phone call from a son-in-law crying, “She weighs 3.62874 kilograms!”
British babies are measured in pounds and ounces and I reckon they always will be. So are cake ingredients. Well, they are for those of us who were taught to make Victoria sponge by mum or grandmother using a ready shorthand: one slightly heaped tablespoon equals one ounce of flour. Same with butter. A pack will always be half a pound to me, not 225g. If I am following a recipe that uses grams, mentally I translate the ingredients into what feels familiar and comfortable.
When Princess Elizabeth ascended the throne, she was the average height for British women: 5ft 2in. Seventy years into her reign, the average height for women has grown to 5ft 4in. . What does 1.6256 metres say to most of us ?

I don't know when you or Allison Pearce last had a baby, but my last one was born in 1997 and I was told he was 4.8kg. I don't even know how heavy that is in lbs.

PS. I'm 1.79 metres, according to the hospital which measured me last week.

NotSpaghetti

Is that true Maisie? Gosh. I'd always thought it was from the Navy - putting your toe on the lines of deck ing boards (when you were just an ordinary seaman with no shoes). As in the underling lining up for inspection.

That's just as plausible as my explanation

The essential point is that there's no 'towing' involved..

I don't know when you or Allison Pearce last had a baby, but my last one was born in 1997 and I was told he was 4.8kg. I don't even know how heavy that is in lbs
1981
She was 7lb 6 oz

GC born in 2029, midwife told DD weight in lbs and ozs, as were all U.K. born GC.

*2020

Probably not a good idea to change back now. Having said that I always go by imperial measurements as taught in school and never felt the need to learn metric. Have a converter on kitchen wall when needed.

Have you heard this amusing recording on YouTube?

A Guide to Imperial Measurements with Matt Parker

I don't know when you or Allison Pearce last had a baby, but my last one was born in 1997 and I was told he was 4.8kg. I don't even know how heavy that is in lbs.

Quite heavy growstuff!!
About 10lbs 6 ozs in imperial weight so well above average.
DGS was a bit heavier still and straight into age 3 month clothes.

Yes, I knew he was big - double the weight of the baby in the next bed to me in hospital and the newborn clothes went straight to the charity shop. I still have the booklet they gave me in hospital and his weight isn't recorded anywhere using Imperial measurements.

GrannyGravy13

GC born in 2029, midwife told DD weight in lbs and ozs, as were all U.K. born GC.

Well, mine wasn't - and he was born in Chelmsford.

I've just checked my daughter's "birth book". She was also born in Chelmsford (in 1992) and her birthweight is recorded as 3.75kg.

who is Allison Pearson?

or Alison Pearce?
Mine were born in the 00s and 90s and we were told kg and Lbs fwiw

JaneJudge

who is Allison Pearson?

Just goes to show that the EU didn't forbid anything.

JaneJudge

who is Allison Pearson?

She's a gobby journalist, who writes for the Telegraph.

My last word (wish I’d thought of it myself) ????

JaneJudge

who is Allison Pearson?

Author of “I Don’t Know How She Does It.”

MawtheMerrier

My last word (wish I’d thought of it myself) ????

I love this Maw!

The chairman of Asda thinks it's a silly idea, which will lead to even higher prices.

"Plans to bring back imperial measurements have been branded 'complete and utter nonsense' by Asda chairman Lord Rose of Monewden, as he accused the government of appealing to a 'small minority who hark for the past'.

The Conservative peer's comments come as the Government is launching a consultation on the extent to which Britain should adopt imperial measurements - such as pounds and ounces - after leaving the EU.

The plans, which coincide with the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, will also see pub landlords told they can serve pints in glasses adorned with a Crown.

The move back towards imperial measurements, which the UK moved away from under EU rules, has been welcomed by Brexiteers.

But industry groups have warned that new laws to change how the UK measures food and drink could cause already rocketing prices to increase further.

They expressed fears this could worsen the cost-of-living crisis, due to the expense of having to relabel products.

Speaking of the move, Lord Rose, a former chairman of Marks & Spencer, told Times Radio: 'I've never heard such nonsense in my life. I mean, we have got serious problems in the world and we're now saying let's go backwards."

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10880547/Boris-Johnsons-drive-return-imperial-measurements-branded-nonsense-Asda-chairman.html

I've just come across the following on an American health site:

"The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

This amounts to 54 grams per day for an 150 pound sedentary person or 65 grams per day for an 180 pound sedentary person."



How the heck is anybody supposed to work that out without conversion and a calculator?