# Slang terms for a very small unit of measurement **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 6, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239 "2016-07-06T17:31:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/1 "2016-07-06T17:31:32Z")
When I was a kid growing up in NE Ohio, we’d refer to a “skinch” of something: “Move over a skinch,” “Gimme a skinch more juice,” “I think he likes her a skinch.” What did you say when you were a kid? Do you say anything different now? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/2 "2016-07-06T17:35:59Z")
Smidgen. A skosh more. Just a touch more. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/3 "2016-07-06T17:48:52Z")
An **“RCH”** …“Red C\*nt Hair” As a kid? Shucks, I _still_ say it. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/4 "2016-07-06T18:17:28Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Smidgen. > A skosh more. These, plus “nubbin.” ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/5 "2016-07-06T18:23:19Z")
“Gry:” 1/100 of an inch (A unit proposed by John Locke --OED) (Nevermind. It’s not in the spirit of the OP, as it was never slang, and not something I’ve ever heard used.) ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/6 "2016-07-06T19:05:22Z")
‘Titch’…probably an alteration of ‘touch’, but definitely meant as ‘titch’. But that’s mostly deliberately cutesy. More often ‘a bit’. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/7 "2016-07-06T19:31:48Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > A skosh more. We lived in Japan when I was little, so ‘skosh’ was in common usage in our household when I was growing up. ‘Skosh’ is a close phonetic approximation of the Japanese ‘_sukoshi_’, which means ‘a little bit’. **Mite:** A little. _It’s a mite nippy out._ ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/8 "2016-07-06T19:33:50Z")
A hair. A wee bit. A titch. A small volume of some substance is “a thing.” “I just need a thing of icing sugar.” ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/9 "2016-07-06T19:41:33Z")
Smidge. Now that I’m an adult, I prefer “ee bit.” ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/10 "2016-07-06T19:48:46Z")
In sailing, we measure in cunt-hairs. As in: “We’re luffing. Sheet in that jib just a cunt-hair.” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/11 "2016-07-06T19:49:45Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > A titch. Closely related: a tidge. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/12 "2016-07-06T19:50:03Z")
> [@MindsEye\_Watering](#): > > An **“RCH”** …“Red C\*nt Hair” > > As a kid? Shucks, I _still_ say it. Yep. Learned this from my dad. Smallest and rarest unit of measure. And I still use it, too. I’ll be passing this on to my kid. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/13 "2016-07-06T19:54:38Z")
> [@MindsEye\_Watering](#): > > An **“RCH”** …“Red C\*nt Hair” > > As a kid? Shucks, I _still_ say it. :smack: Ahoy there! ---
**Author:** ![Stana\_Claus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stana_claus/32/13874_2.png) [@Stana\_Claus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stana_Claus)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/14 "2016-07-06T20:00:13Z")
There are actually differing degrees of fineness for cunt hairs. A brown cunt hair is slightly larger than a red cunt hair, but the smallest of them all is a blond cunt hair. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/15 "2016-07-06T21:17:52Z")
Nobody uses prefixes with words like this? Milli, micro, nano, pico- … ? But it doesn’t take much to see that the problems of one little poster doesn’t amount to a femto-hill of beans in this crazy world. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/16 "2016-07-06T22:33:23Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Nobody uses prefixes with words like this? Milli, micro, nano, pico- … ? I use metric for larger amounts, such as kilobucks. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/17 "2016-07-06T22:50:47Z")
I can’t think of anything interesting I say, but my mother always said a sconch. I think she misheard skosh as a kid and stuck with it. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/18 "2016-07-06T23:16:04Z")
When a girl holds up her hand, and her thumb and index finger are close together, with no words at all she’s describing something that’s pretty small. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/19 "2016-07-06T23:23:06Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I use metric for larger amounts, such as kilobucks. If you say so, DiGriz. ---
**Author:** ![Nefario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239/20 "2016-07-06T23:25:44Z")
“Scant”; which IS correct usage as in “just a scant amount of sugar”. . . . . . . And an RCH is about .002", ask a machinist! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-terms-for-a-very-small-unit-of-measurement/759239.md?page=2)