Welcome to the rolling wave of civilization. Did we really used to call the numb... | Hacker News

Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit

		fit2rule on March 17, 2015 \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: The Book of Shaders Welcome to the rolling wave of civilization. Did we really used to call the number sign a "hash character"?

pmjordan on March 17, 2015 | [–]

UK & Ireland: Yes, and still do, although it's apparently a corruption of "hatch" (as in cross-hatch).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_sign#Usage_in_the_United...

e12e on March 17, 2015 | [–]

Vaguely related:

From The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906) [devil]:

    HASH, x.  There is no definition for this word -- 
    nobody knows what hash is.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact