hash character

character "#", ASCII character 35.

Common names: number sign; pound; pound sign; hash; sharp;

crunch; hex; INTERCAL: mesh. Rare: grid; crosshatch;

octothorpe; flash; ITU-T: square, pig-pen; tictactoe;

scratchmark; thud; thump; splat.

The pronunciation of "#" as "pound" is common in the US but a

bad idea; Commonwealth Hackish has its own, rather more

apposite use of "pound sign" (confusingly, on British

keyboards the pound graphic happens to replace "#"; thus

Britishers sometimes call "#" on a US-ASCII keyboard "pound",

compounding the American error). The US usage derives from an

old-fashioned commercial practice of using a "#" suffix to tag

pound weights on bills of lading. The character is usually

pronounced "hash" outside the US.

The name "octothorpe" was made up by a Bell Labs supervisor,

Don Macpherson.

Octothorpe story.

(2003-07-05)