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)
Nearby terms:
Harvest C « hash « hash bucket « hash character
» hash coding » hash collision » hash function
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