Nickname for CMP cwt trucks

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

I bet he wouldn't have a clue about the cwt.

I bet they don't teach Latin in schools anymore, that's why nobody knows anything older than the Y2K Bug.

The ancient Roman basic unit of mass was the "Weight", the Latin word for which was "Libra". This was divided into 12 units called "Twelfths", the word being "Uncia" (in English, this became Ounce). The basic unit of length was the Pes (or "Foot", plural Pedes:Feet). A Twelfth of a Foot was also called an Uncia, but this translated to Inch.

The Roman numeral for One Hundred was the letter "C". So a Hundred Weight is C Wt, or Cwt. How this became 112lbs is another story.

Oh, and "Libra" is also the source of the abbreviation Lb for pound, and also for "‎£" for Pound Sterling. In fact " ‎£, s and d" in old English currency all derive from Roman currency "Libra (of Gold), Solidus (1/64 of a Lb), and Denarius (1/96 of a Lb)". Naturally, a Pound weight of Gold was a massive amount of money rarely seen by the average Roman. Don't think there were many "Poundshops" back in the day.

This system lasted nearly 2000 years in Britain, how quickly we forget for the simplicity of Decimal Currency and Weights and Measures.

And more Pub-Trivia winning useless information. The Thompson Sub Machine Gun originally had 3 options for ammunition magazines, officially called the XX, L and C Mags. Anyone know why?