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 Replies: 9 / Views: 1,545 |
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Pillar of the Community
3352 Posts |
Interesting, eh? ... my Dad always called a quarter => "two bits" The designation for money dates from the colonial period, when a common unit of currency was the Spanish milled dollar worth 8 Spanish reales. As a way of making change, these dollars were cut into eight pie-slice shaped pieces, which were called "bits". (For this reason, the whole coin was known as a "piece of eight".) Each eighth-dollar bit was then worth 12.5 cents, "two bits" was a quarter of a dollar (25 cents) ... Sorry, there's no response needed ... I just thought it was merely a really cool reminder/fact.  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
 3352 Posts |
awesome ... ummm, are you my real Dad?
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Rest in Peace
United States
7075 Posts |
 TheNickelGuy The first thing I thought of was the cheer -- heard it a lot in high school. But I forgot about the little tune for 'shave and a haircut'. What a blast from the past! My dad used to say 2 bits and 4 bits, etc. Gosh, I remember selling popcorn at the movies and saying that the large was 6 bits and everybody knew what I meant. (Oh my, I am old!) |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
Seems Clint Eastwood or John Wayne would use the term in any old western movie. Even then I think those guys were being a little old fashioned using the term. Like they were talking like their parents and grandparents. Now they would have actually used the term. I think I heard it a number of times in the movies. My grandmother used it frequently. I never actually asked for change for a dollar and got any bits. I wouldn't mind getting one bit in change cause I would be sure to get a Half Cent then and any combination of another twelve cents. The term must be pretty old since they cut those Spanish reales up in pieces of eight. I think that's where it really comes from. |
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Pillar of the Community
3352 Posts |
Well, all I know is, my Dad is currently 88 years old and I am currently 48 years old => and in 1968 (I was 5 years old, for those who aren't really sharp at math stuff) my Dad would give my 2-bits to mow our lawn ... so use your inflation/whatever skills to figure out what today's wages would be ... (I'm thinking that I got 25 cents per hour and a spanking if I did it poorly) ... ahhh, memories ...
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
I think there was a post some time ago about all the things we call our money. Such things as 2 bits is really common. So in monitary terms:
Remember what a fin is? So what is a saw buck? Anyone still say scratch? And we call our currency Bills too. And so many other terms we all accept such as 5 cent coin is a Nickel. A 10 cent coin is a Dime. 100 Bill is a C note.
And so many other terms we all use or used to use for Money.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
The bit relationship is also why up until a few years ago stocks were priced in 1/8ths. XYZ 24 1/4 up an 1/8th.
The stock market is older than the mint by quite a lot and the prices were quoted in Spanish milled dollars and their fractions. The 1/8th or reale was the most commonly available fraction. In rare cases they would quote 1/16ths or half reales.
Edited by Conder101
11/11/2011 12:51 am
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
"Ah paid mah four bits to see tha hagh divin' act, and ah'm gonna see tha hagh divin' act!"
(Yosemite Sam - Bugs Bunny Show)
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Rest in Peace
United States
7075 Posts |
This is a real doozy of a thread -- or do you spell it duesy?
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Replies: 9 / Views: 1,545 |
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Posted 11/09/2011 10:25 pm
