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Subject:Re: Names for symbols From:SuePStewrt -at- AOL -dot- COM Date:Fri, 12 May 1995 10:34:28 -0400
>>According to "Mark My Words: Instruction and Practice in
Proofreading," by Peggy Smith of Editorial Experts, the symbol # is
called an octothorp, space sign, or grating.
So here's the question: how did the octothorp become more commonly
known as the pound sign?<<
Although I struggled mightily, I finally gave up calling # a "sharp", which
is what it is in music notation. It seems that "pound sign" is the most
common name today, but don't forget its use as a substitute for the word
"number" (as in #2).
