# "lid" from Cheech and Chong movies. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 20, 2003, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146 "2003-12-20T08:13:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SeekingTruth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@SeekingTruth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeekingTruth)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/1 "2003-12-20T08:13:45Z")
If you understand the unit of measurement, we can do this without mentioning the substance. So how much is it? ---
**Author:** ![Nurobath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a88e57/32.png) [@Nurobath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nurobath)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/2 "2003-12-20T08:32:28Z")
1 ounce ---
**Author:** ![SeekingTruth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@SeekingTruth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeekingTruth)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/3 "2003-12-20T08:37:51Z")
thanks ---
**Author:** ![county](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/4 "2003-12-20T11:32:41Z")
Not necessarily, “lids” were sometimes measured in “fingers” i.e. 4 “fingers” high in a normal sandwich bag. It was a very casual measurement although generally suppose to be close to an ounce. In quantities that small most end-use consumers did not carry scales. ---
**Author:** ![joro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@joro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joro)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/5 "2003-12-20T11:55:46Z")
I could be wrong…but, I beleive it is “Lits” and it refers to the measurement of volume rather than weight…liters…ya know? Joe ---
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/6 "2003-12-20T12:17:42Z")
A lid was 3/4 of an ounce, at least in my town, back in a day. It went like this: eighth, quarter, half oz, lid, oz. But hey Nurobath, If you want to sell me an ounce for the price of a lid, I won’t argue with ya! 🙂 Jon ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/7 "2003-12-20T12:24:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by joro \* > **I could be wrong…** No doubt about it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/8 "2003-12-20T12:27:33Z")
Lid was close to, but less than an ounce. The story I heard was it was the amount that fit in the lid of a tobacco tin, but that may be apocryphal. It’s an old term that predates the 60s. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/9 "2003-12-20T12:29:51Z")
The origins of both “lid” and “pot” are both rather obscure, but [here’s one take on it](http://www.budlife420.com/pg3/v1e5index.html#palbert) (or should that be “one toke on it?”). See the article on the right side of the page. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/10 "2003-12-20T13:07:31Z")
With the trend of compressed product, it no longer made sense to trade by volume. Only small-batch, uncompressed stuff could be sold that way. A compressed lid could be as much as two ounces, so the lid became obsolete. ---
**Author:** ![joro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@joro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joro)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/11 "2003-12-20T13:15:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Early Out \* > \*\*No doubt about it. 😉 \*\* :smack: gee…I gotta get smarter here… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/12 "2003-12-20T13:24:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by joro \* > \*\*:smack: > > gee…I gotta get smarter here… 😃 \*\* Nah, you just need to learn not to provide set-up lines like, “I could be wrong!” Once you’ve been here for a while, you’ll learn how to deliver misinformation in an authoritative, “don’t you dare argue with me” tone. 😃 Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of the SDMB! ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/13 "2003-12-20T17:03:53Z")
They were approximately an ounce in my area (minus all the stuff that got ‘pinched’. Remember the $10.00 4 finger bag? Man was that a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![yawndave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/43a26b/32.png) [@yawndave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawndave)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/14 "2003-12-20T18:06:39Z")
One ounce. Of course, not everyone had scales. When people broke up a pound, though, there were usually so many sticks and stems, that the resulting 16 baggies never had a full ounce of combustible product. And “fingers” usually had more to do with how much the stuff was compressed than the actual weight. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/15 "2003-12-20T20:20:18Z")
According to the quiz on this [site](http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-435.html), its either: A An 1/8 oz bag of weed B About 28 grams, or one ounce C Enough to fill the lid of film can ---
**Author:** ![Ave\_Minerva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@Ave\_Minerva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ave_Minerva)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/16 "2003-12-20T20:36:46Z")
In SW VA in the 70’s a lid was 3/4 ounce or about 3 fingers worth. Also, in those days plenty of stems and seeds were always included. ---
**Author:** ![bigdfrombigd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@bigdfrombigd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bigdfrombigd)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/17 "2003-12-20T21:46:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ca3799 \* > \*\*They were approximately an ounce in my area (minus all the stuff that got ‘pinched’. Remember the $10.00 4 finger bag? Man was that a long time ago. \*\* We must of been from the same area/era Ca3799. It shore brought back some good memories. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![county](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/18 "2003-12-20T22:27:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ca3799 \* > \*\*They were approximately an ounce in my area (minus all the stuff that got ‘pinched’. Remember the $10.00 4 finger bag? Man was that a long time ago. \*\* It must have been a long time ago, I’m old and all I remember is $15. lids. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/19 "2003-12-20T22:29:00Z")
I’ve heard that it’s the amount you can fit evenly inside a frisbee. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146/20 "2003-12-20T23:42:26Z")
I’m getting the munchies from reading this thread. A pox on all yer houses! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lid-from-cheech-and-chong-movies/220146.md?page=2)