Friday, January 10, 2014

And a resolution

I found a little New Year's Resolution. I like it, because it's not really a Be More Better resolution, it's not a self-denial resolution, and it amuses me:

I am going to begin calling this symbol: # by its original name, rather than the name it has been given in social media ("Hashtag"). Instead, I am going to call it "octothorpe," which is apparently the typographical term for it.

And I'm going to relish explaining to people what an octothorpe is.

I like the idea because it's silly and quixotic and really, far more FUN than saying I will eat less fat or exercise more.

(Even better: The Wikipedia claims it originated as a mapmaking term; "octothorpe" meaning "eight fields. As a map geek, that pleases me)

3 comments:

purlewe said...

And I had always heard it called "pound" which was different than "lb" pound. :D

Nicole said...

What a great term!

soubriquet said...

Old Norse 'þorp', a small settlement,a farm, Fields in mediaeval england were commonly laid out in that simple pattern, with the farm in the central, ninth square.

where I come from, Yorkshire, northern england, 'thorpe is a common ending to a place name,
Foggathorpe is one of my favourites, (A village not far from Wetwang....).

The german word for a village is 'dorp' or 'dorf'.