Quarters or Forths?

1684 Views 19 Replies 17 Participants Last post by CO762, Aug 31, 2013

Brutus

Discussion Starter · Aug 31, 2013

I have always been wondering, how do different regions say it?

I know when I was in school in the US, the fraction "1/4" would be read as "one forth".

Here in Nova Scotia, I have only ever heard of it read as "one quarter"

Odd question, that I have been thinking about lately. What do you guys say? Are there any other regional vernacular that you have been wondering about?

side note: Isn't it odd how the word vernacular isn't vernacular? :blink:

Maybe I've had a few too many coffees today and my brain is going a mile a minute right now.

1 - 20 of 20 Posts

griz

· #2 · Aug 31, 2013

When referring to a measurement we call it quarter or quarts....

If I'm asking for a piece of pie I want one fourth of it...:thumbsup:

If my wife is handing out money I want half....:laughing:

Reactions: 5

Texas Wax

· #3 · Aug 31, 2013

Brutus said:
side note: Isn't it odd how the word vernacular isn't vernacular? :blink:

Maybe I've had a few too many coffees today and my brain is going a mile a minute right now.

Too much coffee LOL It would be vernacular if you ran in a crowd where vernacular was vernacular.

1/4 - Prefer to use 32/128ths as much as possible :laughing: it's a hoot everytime.

quarter is most common here. "2" is quite common among rockers and .25 works for those who are fractionally challenged - Cad Monkeys and engineers.

concretemasonry

· #4 · Aug 31, 2013

Old time surveyors , when running levels, would say "up 1" to raise and elevation. - 1/100th of a foot is about 1/8" (1/12th of a foot). - Similar to rough land surveying or location except it is laterally 1/8".

Sophisticated items now use only many zeros (decimal points) even for framing and interiors, so the old ways are gone. - You just set the system to metric or feet and inches. Then there only one guy on the "dumb" end.

Randy Bush

· #5 · Aug 31, 2013

griz said:
When referring to a measurement we call it quarter or quarts....

If I'm asking for a piece of pie I want one fourth of it...:thumbsup:

If my wife is handing out money I want half....:laughing:

Hows that one working out for you Griz? wife giving you half. :laughing:

Inner10

· #6 · Aug 31, 2013

No body calls it a fourth....it's a quarter always has been always will be.

griz

· #7 · Aug 31, 2013

Inner10 said:
No body calls it a fourth....it's a quarter always has been always will be.

What about the fourth quarter....:whistling:laughing:

Metro M & L

· #8 · Aug 31, 2013

Give a guy an inch...

Eric K

· #9 · Aug 31, 2013

People from baaaaston say quawta and ruff
Haha

Morning Wood

· #10 · Aug 31, 2013

Quarter when measuring something. I do say fourths but I can't think of when I do it. I know I use it though. Maybe doing school math or something. But that was a long time ago

thehockeydman

· #11 · Aug 31, 2013

It's a quarter around here. Unless you're talking to the new guy:

Me: "What's the length of that cut-off?"

New Guy: "27 and the forth line."

kiteman

· #12 · Aug 31, 2013

Seems I'm always saying "un quatro" any more.:whistling

Leo G

· #13 · Aug 31, 2013

0ne quarter. But usually point 25

Kniggit

· #14 · Aug 31, 2013

Is "forth" another one of those funky Canadian spellings like colour and cheque? :blink:

dom-mas

· #15 · Aug 31, 2013

The former boss of a guy I used to work with apparently used eighths exclusively up to 6" "Can you cut that at 53.5 eighths please" What a jerk

thehockeydman

· #16 · Aug 31, 2013

Kniggit said:
Is "forth" another one of those funky Canadian spellings like colour and cheque? :blink:

Nope. It's spelled "fourth" up here too. It appears both myself and my fellow Canadian need to go back to grade school to sharpen our English skills.

CarpenterSFO

· #17 · Aug 31, 2013

Texas Wax said:
... It would be vernacular if you ran in a crowd where vernacular was vernacular...

People for whom "vernacular" is vernacular don't run in crowds; they travel in circles.

Brutus

Discussion Starter · #18 · Aug 31, 2013

thehockeydman said:
Nope. It's spelled "fourth" up here too. It appears both myself and my fellow Canadian need to go back to grade school to sharpen our English skills.

Eh, I knew it looked wrong. Doesn't matter, not changing it.

maninthesea

· #19 · Aug 31, 2013

I use quarter primarily. I was wondering yesterday if there were any places where vehicles still had "jockey boxes". it is what my dad always called them but I gradually changed to "glove box" to avoid explaining.
cheers, Jim

CO762

· #20 · Aug 31, 2013

Inner10 said:
No body calls it a fourth....

No more than "a third"

Come to think of that, where is it on my tape....

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