Many of the terms we use when referring to time may seem silly, but believe it or not many of them are actual measurements of time! Seriously! I wouldn't kid you about this!
Time
Has someone ever told you that they will only take ‘a jiffy’ or ‘a shake of a lamb’s tail’? Jiffies and shakes are real units of time measurement. A jiffy is 0.1 seconds and a shake is 10 nanoseconds. These are used for convenience in computing and nuclear engineering respectively. A moment, on the other hand, is 90 seconds long. In Medieval Europe, the Latin ‘atomus’ was often used, defined today as 160 milliseconds.
Other time measurements are dog years, which are based on the myth that 7 dog years are equivalent to 1 human year. Dogs actually do not experience time faster, they age differently based on breed, and inventing dog years to measure their age is as meaningless as inventing snail years for said mollusks. Nevertheless, the myth has become so popular that now a dog year is said to be one seventh of a standard year, making it 52 days long.
I know it seems a little strange, but that's the way it goes! Just like the old saying goes "truth is stranger than fiction!"
Coffee on the patio this morning while it's still cool! Gonna be hot again today!
11 comments:
now i know,thanks.
I know time spent at a boring task and time spent with a lovely lady pass at way different rates.
OK, but how long is a "New York minute" ? Or "awhile". I have heard all my life that some one will do some thing when they get a "round toit" Is a toit a measure of time or an object ? Are there any square ones ?
Bob, a toit is round. A "New York minute" is faster than a "California minute". Or so I've heard. Thanks for the info, Jim. With you we learn something new every day.
I'll be there "faster than you can shake a stick!"
Grand Pa always said he was going to do something "Right now in a minute"
LOL This post sure has opened a can of worms. Of course we learned things and some have brought out more.
Be there is a JoJo minute for coffee.
I had no idea a lamb could shake its tail that fast.
Hey JB...
Always glad to fill in the blanks!
Thanks for the visit today!
Hey Sixbears...
Now that I can certainly agree with!
Thanks for coming by today, my friend!
Hey Bob...
Having never been to New York, I don't know just how long their minutes are.
Never seen a "toit", but there must be a lot of them around 'cause I hear about them all the time!
Thanks for the visit and for the company today!
Hey Momlady...
Thank you for the info on the New York and California minutes!
Thanks for dropping by today, lady!
Hey John...
That's another one I have heard a lot. Must be certain size sticks that are used!
I sure appreciate you dropping in today!
Hey Ben...
Now that's another one I've heard quite a bit!
Funny how many of the same expressions are used all over the country!
Thanks, buddy, for coming over today!
Hey JoJo...
Curious how everyone seems to have their own version of a minute.
Guess it all depends on the circumstances! Late for class isn't as bad as late for coffee!
Thanks,sweetie, for the visit this morning!
Hey Dizzy...
Two shakes of a lamb's tail must be pretty quick!
I'm gonna have to go find a lamb and measure it, I reckon!
Thanks for dropping by, Dizzy!
All I know about time expressions? Is that my husband is forbidden to use the phrase, "This won't take long." Not about ANYthing, because as soon as those wild, wanton Eris-invoking words pass his lips, EVERYthing takes ten times longer than anyone could imagine.
Even longer in dog years...converse to logic!
Hey Labrys...
I've made the mistake of using that expression myself! Always seems to backfire!
Thanks so much for coming by today!
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