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Why Number ?

Why in our industry do we say 2 No or 2 number rather than just two?


2 No Sockets , 2 No Luminaires etc etc.


what`s wrong with just plain 2 or 4 or 99 or whatever?


I have worked in a couple of light engineering shops.

When making components they used the term "off".

2 off blue widgets, 5 off red widgets etc etc.


Firm A always recorded on their inspection history card the quantity in finished components.

Therefore example, a ring of metal was produced and at some stage it was cut into 12 components.

The entire history qty at each stage of operation was "12 off".

So 3 rings at start was 36 off for the entire process.


Firm B, however, recorded the quantity as 3 off until the split into segments then it became 36 off.


I witnessed a confusion and a great big polarised row when an inspection who worked for firm A left and then worked at firm B.

He followed the practice he had been taught (36 off at each stage from start to finish) .

In fact, as the Firm B in this particular job was producing components on behalf of Firm A then it also became a bit of a row between firms too.


Anyway, why 2 No or 2 off and not just plain old 2 ?


Parents
  • Probably "off" was originally "of", but got corrupted into "off" in conversation on a noisy machine shop floor. "I need one hundred of no:7 bearings."


    "What did you say?"


    "One hundred off".


    It is similar to the phonetic alphabet. For "five" we say "fife." (To ensure clarity).


    There are many corruptions in the English language. "Cut the muster" (divide the troops)  has wrongly been corrupted into "cut the mustard" for example.


    Z.
Reply
  • Probably "off" was originally "of", but got corrupted into "off" in conversation on a noisy machine shop floor. "I need one hundred of no:7 bearings."


    "What did you say?"


    "One hundred off".


    It is similar to the phonetic alphabet. For "five" we say "fife." (To ensure clarity).


    There are many corruptions in the English language. "Cut the muster" (divide the troops)  has wrongly been corrupted into "cut the mustard" for example.


    Z.
Children
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