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prettygoodwordhogshead (HAWGZ-hed, HOGZ-hed) - n., a unit of liquid measure used for alcoholic beverages, typically equal to between 50 and 140 US gallons.
Okay, one more odd old unit. And this one is very odd, in that not only has the definition varied over time, but it varies depending on what liquid is being measured -- for example, a hogshead of wine in US customary units is 63 US gallons (equal to 52.5 imperial gallons or 238.5 liters) while a hogshead of beer or ale is 63.8 US gal = 54 imp gal = 245 L. (I'm not even touching the complication that are the English definitions.) In the past, different types of wine, such as sherry, claret, and madeira, had different gallon measures and different hogsheads. The unit is named after a more-or-less standard size of barrel, but no one knows how a hog/pig's head came to be applied to it.
---L.
Okay, one more odd old unit. And this one is very odd, in that not only has the definition varied over time, but it varies depending on what liquid is being measured -- for example, a hogshead of wine in US customary units is 63 US gallons (equal to 52.5 imperial gallons or 238.5 liters) while a hogshead of beer or ale is 63.8 US gal = 54 imp gal = 245 L. (I'm not even touching the complication that are the English definitions.) In the past, different types of wine, such as sherry, claret, and madeira, had different gallon measures and different hogsheads. The unit is named after a more-or-less standard size of barrel, but no one knows how a hog/pig's head came to be applied to it.
---L.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-16 05:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-01-16 05:39 pm (UTC)Unfortunately, that applies to all sizes of barrels -- so why that one?
no subject
Date: 2023-01-16 06:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-01-17 02:45 pm (UTC)