What's a #?

[crono_logical]

  

[Cz]

Octothorpe, yo.

I don't entirely trust this question, though. There might be some kind of hidden motive here. You're not going to murder the Octothorpe group, are you? :shifty:

[Loony BoB]

£ = pound
# = hash

£ of # = illegal in most countries

[Doomgaze]

or sharp.

[krissy]

sometimes using sharps is pretty illegal too

[edczxcvbnm]

Sharp.

[escobert]

I already told you # = pound :p

[DMKA]

Other.
















No,nothing else...just other.

[Logan]

Pound. What's an octothorpe?

[Cz]

#, obviously. :p

[Chris]

#1 number hit single?

Why do they confuse us so much :mad2:

[Flying Mullet]

Its a wound in cartoons on the face.

[bennator]

pound

[Yamaneko]

It's the secret poll option, "Yes".

[Psychotic]

£ = pound
# = hash
...I never thought I'd find myself agreeing with THIS guy. http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/icons/icon11.gif

[rubah]

you didn't have a choice for 'number sign' ;_;

although now that I think about it, it *is* a sharp:/

don't b <i>b</i>, don't b #, just b b.

so lame, and without proper musical notation it sucks even worse:D

[Kirobaito]

Other. It's a number sign.

[nik0tine]

# is a number! DUH!!

[Xander]

Yeah it's a number sign. I remember watching a Dreamweaver tutorial video and the guy kept calling it a pound sign. I didn't know OTHER people did too! £ = pound!! That's it! How can it be a pound??

[Agent Proto]

On the phone it is a pound sign, on the computer, it's a number sign.

[crazymcjoe]

I always thought it was hash...but that line of thinking can get you in trouble x(

[one_winged_angel]

It's a fence..... Or the unlock keys button...

But seriously what's all this pound business? In what context would you use it as pound? £ or lb = pound where does a hash get used for pound? And secondly, what the hell is an Octothorpe?! -_-"

[Denmark]

#include < whateva >

it's a pound sign on the telephone, a number sign most other places, but a sharp in music.

where the heck does "hash" come from?

then again, where does "pound" come from? ^_^

I understand "octothorpe", though.

[one_winged_angel]

What would you use pound for on a phone????? What is it supposed to do when you press? When would you press it?

[Craig]

It's a Hash, and it's also the grid used to play noughts and crosses

[Loony BoB]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/07/04/why_microsoft_makes_a_complete/

[theundeadhero]

I'm gonna say octothorpe cause it makes a funny sound in my head!

[Loony BoB]

Keith Gordon Irwin in, The Romance of Writing, p. 125 says: "The Italian libbra (from the old Latin word libra, 'balance') represented a weight almost exactly equal to the avoirdupois pound of England. The Italian abbreviation of lb with a line drawn across the letters was used for both weights. The business clerk's hurried way of writing the abbreviation appears to have been responsible for the # sign used for pound."
As found in wikipedia, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_sign

Still trying to figure out where hash came from, but it looks to be the 'original'.

dictionary.com didn't give me the origin of hash, but advised that "The pronunciation of "#" as "pound" is common in the US but a
bad idea".

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=hash%20character

[Samuraid]

# = pound sign, sharp, number

[Meat Puppet]

I was wondering why the phone operator kept talking about hash. I was trying to buy some from her, I never knew it was a symbol.

And answering the question, I always though that # was a naught's and crosses board.

[Del Murder]

Other. It's a number sign.
Ding ding ding!

[Raistlin]

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pound%20sign

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=number%20sign

According to the infallible dictionary.com, # is both a pound and an number sign. Anyone is said otherwise is wrong.

EDIT:

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=hash%20mark
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=hash

Both of those entries make no mention of # as a "hash." So anyone who suggested that is also wrong.

[theundeadhero]

If thats not a hash, then what's a hashmark?

[Shlup]

Around here we generally call it pound.

[*ETERNAL FANTASY*]

the phone machine says its a hash when i check messages, so i'll just say hash! :)

[theundeadhero]

It kinda looks like a pile of hashbrowns too!

[Raistlin]

Do none of you pay attention to the dictionary? *shakes head sadly*

EDIT: Oh yeah

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Octothorpe

So basically, all answers besides hash(number sign, pound sign, and octothorpe) are correct.

[Shlup]

Since when does anyone care what some "dictionary" says, you spoon?

[Loony BoB]

Yes, Raist, they are both officially correct, but 'hash' is the correct original while 'pound' is actually just the result of your post office not doing something right. :smash: Octothorpe only came around as recently as the 70's... I think.

As for anyone who says it is 'Sharp' - you're wrong.

♯(sharp) and # are two different symbols. ♯#♯#♯#.

[one_winged_angel]

lb does not = # so neh (I couldn't work out how to get a = with a / through :( )

And some one just explain what an octothorpe is before I have to go look it up

[Raistlin]

Yes, Raist, they are both officially correct, but 'hash' is the correct original while 'pound' is actually just the result of your post office not doing something right. :smash:
Are you arguing with the might of dictionary.com? =o

[Shlup]

♯(sharp) and # are two different symbols. ♯#♯#♯#.
Oo, someone's a smoothie.

[crono_logical]

I don't care about American dictionaries, they're for American, not English :p

[Cz]

I don't care about American dictionaries, they're for American, not English :p:thumb:

[one_winged_angel]

I don't care about American dictionaries, they're for American, not English

Right on :D

[Loony BoB]

Are you arguing with the might of dictionary.com? =o
The pronunciation of "#" as "pound" is common in the US but a bad idea
In yo' American dictionary.com. :D

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=hash%20character

Like I said, just because it's official doesn't mean it's right. =]

[Raistlin]

Ok, therefor "hash character" is also correct, but will be proclaimed wrong as "hash character" just sounds dumb.

[one_winged_angel]

I proclaim the proclaimation of "hash character" as wrong wrong because Raistlin said it

[Loony BoB]

I proclaim the proclaimation of "hash character" as wrong wrong because Raistlin said it
:love: