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Why do we abbreviate Barrel as BBL?

MercuryMercury Member Posts: 7,840 ✭✭✭
edited September 2002 in General Discussion
There is only one "b" in Barrel!

Makes no sense to me!

And while we are at it, why is "abbreviate" such a long word?

Merc



NO! You may not have my guns! Now go crawl back into your hole!

****************************************

"Tolerating things you may not necessarily like is part of being free" - Larry Flynt
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Comments

  • nunnnunn Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,085 ******
    edited November -1
    I don't know. Maybe because "Bl." was too easy to mistake for "Blued." "Brl." might have worked, though. Somebody a long time ago decided on "bbl." and it stuck.

    How many know what "Mrs." is an abbreviation for? (Mistress, from when it had a totally different meaning than we think of today.)

    "Ms." isn't an abbreviation for anything.



    SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com, the best gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net
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  • allen griggsallen griggs Member Posts: 35,693 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I think it is an old English abbreviation. You see a box of nails labeled 16d. The d stands for penny. It is old English stuff but I would like to know where it comes from, too.
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  • .280 freak.280 freak Member Posts: 1,942 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Um, ......Saxon?

    "llb" = pound? Don't think so.

    I believe most folks just use "lb" to mean one pound, don't know where you got the idea that there are two "l"s in the abbreviation.
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  • nunnnunn Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,085 ******
    edited November -1
    LLB = Law Degree.

    SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com, the best gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net
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  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427 ✭
    edited November -1
    Mr., Mrs., Ms.

    Mr - abbreviation for Mister (Aust., UK)

    Mr. - abbreviation for Mister (Can., US)

    Mrs - abbreviation for Mistress (Aust., UK)

    Mrs. - abbreviation for Mistress (Can., US)

    Ms - abbreviation for Mistress/Miss (Aust., UK)

    Ms. - abbreviation for Mistress/Miss (Can., US)



    association - abbreviate as assoc. (pl assocs [without period])

    barrel - From the latin bibere meaning to drink

    From Andrea: "Why are pounds, when used as a weight, abbreviated lbs?"

    The origin is in the Latin word libra, which could mean both balance scales (hence the symbol for the astrological sign Libra, which was named after a constellation that was thought to resemble scales) and also a pound weight, for which the full expression was libra pondo, the second word being the origin of our pound.


    LLD - Doctor of Laws
    LLB - Bachelor of Laws
    LLM - Master of Laws




    Lil' Stinker's Opinion

    Edited by - BlackRoses on 09/19/2002 09:56:28

    Edited by - BlackRoses on 09/19/2002 10:01:37
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  • allen griggsallen griggs Member Posts: 35,693 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Black roses- what about "d" for penny?
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  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Allen,

    The 'd' is the British symbol for a pence (penny) in their pre-decimal monetary system. It's application to nails was, I believe, the price per some unit of nails, so that as the size increased the price did also.

    Now how they derived 'd' for the coinage, don't know.

    Beth, interesting & informative; thanks.
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  • boeboeboeboe Member Posts: 3,331
    edited November -1
    The "d" originated as the Roman denarius, which was a silver coin about the size of a dime. It was the standard silver coin throughout the empire for years, and was the coin described when Christ asked for a coin, and queried "whose name and inscription is on this denarius". He followed with, "Give to Ceasar what is Ceasar's, and give to God what is God's".

    While the denarius died out as a coin for several centuries, Charlamaine (forgive spelling errors) re-introduced a coin known as the "new denarius" in the 8th century. This new denarius became the standard silver coin of medieval Europe, known as "denier" in France (actually pronounced denyea, I believe), denaro in Italy, denero in Spain, pfennig in the German states, and penny in the English isles. There were a few other derivatives of the name as well. Interesting that the French derivative pronounced "denyea" was really quite close to "penny".

    At any rate, at the King James translation of the Bible, it was, of course, the denarius that was translated directly as penny. And the usage with nails is, as said, how many could be bought for a penny.

    Of, the denarius was one day's pay for the average field laborer, and so was the penny in England years later.

    To err is human, to moo is bovine.
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  • boeboeboeboe Member Posts: 3,331
    edited November -1
    Actually, come to think of it, I think it was Charlamaine's father, Peppin the Short, who introduced the "new denarius" to Europe.

    Spelling error in last line above, "of" should be "Oh".

    To err is human, to moo is bovine.
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  • boeboeboeboe Member Posts: 3,331
    edited November -1
    A couple of links on the denarius, and I misspelled Charlemagne's name badly. Oh, another interesting point about coins, as related to military stuff. Do you know where the term "soldier" comes from? It is actually derived from the Roman gold coin, the solidus. Have you ever wondered why there is a "j" sound in "soldier"? It is because the Latin "i" was pronounced as a "j". The solidus was a months's pay for a soldier, or mercenary, during the Roman Empire. Again, a coin about the size of a dime, but in this case, gold.

    http://www.ancient-coin-forum.com/ancient_coin_articles/Denarius.htm

    http://www.economics.toronto.edu/munro5/MONEYLEC.htm

    To err is human, to moo is bovine.
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  • boeboeboeboe Member Posts: 3,331
    edited November -1
    Typing too fast, forgive spelling.

    To err is human, to moo is bovine.
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  • allen griggsallen griggs Member Posts: 35,693 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Boeboe-Thanks for the info on the "d". But as related to nails I'm not sure how it can mean how many nails can be bought for a penny. The 16d nail is much bigger than the 8d nail. So you could buy fewer of the big nails for a given amount of money. With shotgun bores the English gauge is how many balls of that size weigh a pound. So the smaller the gauge the larger the size of the ball, again the opposite of the way they measure nails. Anyway thanks for the info on the origin of the "d", I have been wondering about that since I was a 15 year old construction laborer.
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  • boeboeboeboe Member Posts: 3,331
    edited November -1
    The nail thing was explained to me long ago, and as I recall it, too, related to the number of nails in a pound vs the price per pound. I'll have to do some checking and see what the formula is, but it isn't a direct ratio of the number of nails you could buy for a penny. I think the pound enters into the formula there, as well.

    To err is human, to moo is bovine.
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  • DancesWithSheepDancesWithSheep Member Posts: 12,938 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I believe Mel Tillis was first to coin the abbreviation for barrel.

    Often the mind believes it is thinking, when it is only passing from one metaphor to the next.
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  • boeboeboeboe Member Posts: 3,331
    edited November -1
    Allen,

    I found a couple of explanations. First is about half way down on the page.

    http://www.netlabs.net/hp/tmain/yesduh.htm

    http://www.sizes.com/units/penny.htm

    To err is human, to moo is bovine.
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  • .280 freak.280 freak Member Posts: 1,942 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    DancesWithSheep -

    LMFAO!! Good one!
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  • allen griggsallen griggs Member Posts: 35,693 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The number of pennies, or denarus, it takes to buy a hundred nails. Thanks, boeboe.
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  • Judge DreadJudge Dread Member Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Big Broad Large BBL

    A small mans dream reflected psicologicaly in its more powerful physical substitute (exept for thoose rubber made things they sell at
    thoose Adult Toys stores)

    BBL

    JD

    400 million cows can't be wrong ( EAT GRASS !!! )
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