< Previous
Next >
Hand Me an 8-Denarius Nail, Please
Ever wonder where the "d" in an 8d nail comes from when referring to an 8-penny
nail -- or for that matter where the "penny" comes from? Well, the penny part is
easy; it referred to old England when 8 pennies would purchase a fixed number (probably
100) of that size nails, 10 pennies would purchased the same quantity of 10-penny
nails, and so on for 4-penny, 6-penny, etc. The "d" goes way back to the time when
the Romans occupied England and the penny equivalent was the "denarius." Now you
know.
|