Yep, another comics thread.
First, this isn’t a thread about whether people like Andy Capp or not. (I do, but that’s not the point.)
This morning, Flo weighed herself on a public scale and commented that her diet must really be working. Andy replied, “Wasn’t that thing metric? … So you have no idea what it says?”
Obviously, the joke is that Flo couldn’t figure out how kilos relate to pounds. My question is, isn’t England (where the comic takes place) basically metric? Is it even possible for an Englishman (or woman) to not understand metric? Or, put another way, are there still people in England (older people, maybe) who prefer to use the old “English system”?
People in England usually measure there weight in stones, where one stone = 14 pounds. Most people would be unable to relate to a weight in kilos, though our bathroom scales are usually marked with both metric and imperial systems . England is only semi-metric, we still measure distance by miles, our height in feet and inches and drink our beer in pints, but our food has to be sold using metric measures (Of course older people do prefer pounds in this respect and this is a major bone of contention. see the ‘metric matyrs’) though most foods also have their weight in pounds marked on the packet too. Anyone under about 30 would of been taught using the metric and will be reasonably proficent in both.
You guys use the metric alphabet, too, don’t you?