# "If you need assistance, press 'hash'" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 26, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436 "2003-06-26T02:46:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/21 "2003-06-26T11:20:33Z")
It could also be the _sharp_ sign as in F# in music terms. ---
**Author:** ![earthpuppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8c91f0/32.png) [@earthpuppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/earthpuppy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/22 "2003-06-26T11:26:24Z")
has the Great and Powerful Cecil ever answered this question? ---
**Author:** ![earthpuppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8c91f0/32.png) [@earthpuppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/earthpuppy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/23 "2003-06-26T11:34:24Z")
[http://www.sigtel.com/tel\_tech\_octothorpe.html](http://www.sigtel.com/tel_tech_octothorpe.html) ---
**Author:** ![acrossthesea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@acrossthesea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acrossthesea)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/24 "2003-06-26T15:24:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chief Crunch \* > \*\*I think its technical term is _octothorp_ \*\* Hmm, cool word. Just to be a smartass I think I’m going to start referring to it as that. “Please press the octothorp”…then when people are confused I can laugh in a superior way. hahaha! just kidding. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/25 "2003-06-26T15:29:42Z")
“Hit the pound key” always did sound a bit repetitious. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/26 "2003-06-26T15:31:42Z")
I distinctly remember “#” being used to signify “pound”, as in weight measurement in the 60s and 70s. Something along the lines of: “Purchasing: Please order 30# of meat for the company picnic.” That’s probably where it came from, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![UnwrittenNocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6de8d8/32.png) [@UnwrittenNocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwrittenNocturne)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/27 "2003-06-26T15:32:54Z")
OK, lets clear this up once and for all for our US dopers. **£** is pound, and sigifies currency **lb** is pound and signifies weight **#** is hash, or signifies ‘number’ Simple really ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/28 "2003-06-26T15:37:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rico \* > \*\*I distinctly remember “#” being used to signify “pound”, as in weight measurement in the 60s and 70s. > > Something along the lines of: > > “Purchasing: Please order 30# of meat for the company picnic.” > > That’s probably where it came from, IMO. \*\* It’s still used in that vein today, in the paper industry. Look at a package of Xerox paper, and you’ll see something like “20# Bond, White” – which inidicates the weight of one ream (500 sheets) of 17" x 22" stock. Those dimensions are the standard for paper stock. Notice they are exactly double the dimensions of the more well-known 8 1/2 " x 11" size. ---
**Author:** ![earthpuppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8c91f0/32.png) [@earthpuppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/earthpuppy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/29 "2003-06-26T15:44:03Z")
If **£** is where the **#** is on a British keyboard, where is the **#**? ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/30 "2003-06-26T15:47:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by acrossthesea \* > \*\*Hmm, cool word. Just to be a smartass I think I’m going to start referring to it as that. “Please press the octothorp”…then when people are confused I can laugh in a superior way. hahaha! \*\* I’m sure [this Doper](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?action=getinfo&userid=16260) could have told you all about it. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/31 "2003-06-26T15:47:47Z")
Did someone say hash? Where? ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/32 "2003-06-26T15:49:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by earthpuppy \* > If **£** is where the **#** is on a British keyboard, where is the **#**? It shares a key with the tilde, just above the right-hand shift key (on my keyboard it does anyhow). ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/33 "2003-06-26T15:58:33Z")
I worked in the telecom industry in the US, and we referred to it usually as ‘pound’, but sometimes ‘hash’. I think I called it ‘number’ before I got into telecom. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/34 "2003-06-26T16:09:14Z")
Well I sure am happy I can now say “octothorpe” instead of “pound”, but what the hell is a “tilde?” And if you Brits have your money pound sign where we have an octothorpe, what do you have on the “4” key where we have a dollar sign? ---
**Author:** ![UnwrittenNocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6de8d8/32.png) [@UnwrittenNocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwrittenNocturne)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/35 "2003-06-26T16:14:30Z")
A tilde is a **~** ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/36 "2003-06-26T16:18:45Z")
We have a dollar sign $ above the 4 and also the Euro symbol €, which is invoked by pressing Alt-Gr+4. A tilde looks like ~. There was a thread about it recently in GQ. The first time I heard reference to the key we’re discussing here was in the film [_Three Days of the Condor_](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0073802). Robert Redford was talking to a telephone operator asking for information about the line he was using (I think) and he described it as “symbol for number”. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/37 "2003-06-26T16:24:12Z")
For those wondering why Brits have a $ on their keyboards, it’s almost certainly because that symbol is used in MANY programming languages, most often as a data-type indicator. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/38 "2003-06-26T16:42:31Z")
If you’re really interested, the left-hand side of my keyboard has this selection (bear in mind that they might not show up correctly in your browser). Keys with three symbols use Shift and Alt Gr… _Top row_ – Esc and Function keys, _Second row_ – `¬¦ 1! 2" 3£ 4$€ 5% 6^ 7& 8\* 9( 0) -\_ =+ Backsp _Third row_ – Tabs QWERTY etc. [{]} Return _Fourth row_ – Caps Lock ASDF etc ;: '@ #~ Return _Fifth row_ – Shift | ZXCV etc. ,\< .\> /? Shift _Sixth row_ – Ctrl Win Alt Space Alt Gr Win Menu Ctrl ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/39 "2003-06-26T17:28:03Z")
Ahhhh, so those are “window” and “menu” keys there on the bottom, eh? Never had any reason to press’em. What’s with the “Alt Gr” business? Do you have to type out G and r? How do you do that while holding the other buttons? ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436/40 "2003-06-26T18:42:43Z")
“Alt Gr” is often (but not always) the label given on the right-hand Alt key. I believe it stands for Alternate Graphic, and that key is interpreted differently from the left-hand Alt key. If your keyboard contains characters than can be invoked by that key, they will be shown to the right of the lower character on relavent keys. I’ve seen more of those on German keyboards than on British ones – they have keys for superscript 2 and 3, for the Greek mu character and for some German language characters. Windows interprets Alt Gr as Alt+Ctrl, so you could achieve the same effect by pressing the left-hand Alt key and Ctrl together or just the right hand Alt key. The Windows keys invoke the Start menu and the Menu key invokes a context-sensitive popup menu for the task in hand, just as if you’d right-clicked. If you want to test it, press it in this window – you should get a menu in the top left corner of your browser. Now highlight some text and press it again – you should get a cut-and-paste menu. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-need-assistance-press-hash/184436.md?page=3)