100 off an item for sale?!

[Commander Kinsey]

Why do people say 100 OFF screws when they're selling 100 OF them? It's of, not off:

[Commander Kinsey]

Why do people say 100 OFF screws when they're selling 100 OF them? It's of, not off:

[Commander Kinsey]

Why do people say 100 OFF screws when they're selling 100 OF them? It's of, not off:

[T i m]

We heard you the first time (and are you bored)?

One reason is so that it couldn't bee confused with a truncated statement, where '100 off' is definitive whereas '100 of' could have meant to read 100 of 300'.

Cheers, T i m

[Commander Kinsey]

Have I asked before? My memory clearly isn't as good as yours.

So f*ck up your grammar incase you forgot to finish typing?

The only reason I've heard that makes the slightest bit of sense is that (particularly in the Army), stocktaking meant you were handing out 100 items, and reducing your stock by 100, so 100 off the stock.

[Commander Kinsey]

I've heard of this misspelling or mispronounciation before, but never known anyone to actually use it. Do I have to visit da hood?

[Commander Kinsey]

Parrots are sold as breeding pairs, so why not screws and nuts?

[T i m]

Not that I know of but I got 3 copies of your question here for some reason?

Sort of ... and specifically in certain fields why it such things are referred to frequently and are specifically important. Like lots of words that have been bastardised over the years.

Just like the use of the Phonetic Alphabet or 'pilot English' (tree, fife, niner) makes what you are trying to communicate more distinguishable.

So the second one now ...

Yup, you are getting the idea now. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[PeterC]

Could it be something like 100 off (the inventory) or count off 100? I first heard this at work around 50 years ago.

[Commander Kinsey]

Trouble is, when you're selling me 100 items, I don't care what your inventory is.

[Commander Kinsey]

Something went up with the connection to the newsserver. It sat in the outbox, but I noticed it was busy downloading new messages so I waited (I have the cheaper option which only allows 2 connections at once). I think (f*ck me, I can't remember) I might have then had to resend it, or maybe not. Anyway, I guess it had and didn't think it had. Strange, since my newsserver doesn't usually let me post duplicates (which I've also remembered wrongly as I just sent a duplicate to alt.test).

You mean sort off. You may tell me to f*ck of for that pun :-)

I can understand it being used for letters, and do so on the phone when reading a car reg number or a postcode, but numbers are all clearly different. Although some people seem to confuse 2 and 3, which are entirely different vowel sounds, even if you mishear t and th, how can you confuse oo and ee?

No, it doesn't make sense. I would never write 100 of or 100 off. I'd write "100 of the large desks" or "100 of 300 have been used". "100 of" is clearly missing something. I also don't say "my bad".

Yeah but I don't expect backwards way first language in civilian areas.

[Max Demian]

Maybe it's like saying "100 number" as opposed to "100 lbs"; i.e. a unit designation.

[Commander Kinsey]

I would never say "100 number", that's illogical, did you mean "100 in number"? I'd say "100 units", or "100 pieces", or "100 of them". Or advertise it as "100 pk" (as in pack of 100).

[Commander Kinsey]

's of, not off:

mber-of-or-quantity-of

How is that any better than using the correct word "of"?

[T i m]

Nope, 'of', wrong context.

I may well. ;-)

Clearly ... ?

And exactly why some say 'tree' (for 'three').

To you ... to me the 'convention' makes perfect sense because I am familiar with it and use it myself.

Ok?

M6 x 1.5 x 25 hex stainless machine screw, 25 off

Erm, and?

But they aren't, it's generally in materials supply between people who understand the language, the fact that you don't simply means you aren't in that category. ;-(

Cheers, T i m

[Commander Kinsey]

Yes, no number sounds similar to another. But P and D do.

What? I just told you they sound different, so you don't need phonetics. What you're thinking of is the Irish.

Being familiar with something doesn't mean it makes sense.

Huh?

I'd say either:

M6 x 1.5 x 25 hex stainless machine screw, 25 of M6 x 1.5 x 25 hex stainless machine screw, 25 of them

Or if I hadn't forgotten the number at the start:

25 of M6 x 1.5 x 25 hex stainless machine screw

Putting it your way round is like the French. The car red.

That's clear, mine isn't.

I'm in the category that speak English.

What you drinking?

[T i m]

Because then it can't be confused with of, as in 7 of 9.

And the good thing about it is that it works perfectly well for all those who *do* understand it, even if you don't. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Commander Kinsey]

It's of, not off:

number-of-or-quantity-of

That's the same meaning, so cannot be called "confused".

But it's wrong. It's misusing the word.

[Commander Kinsey]

Actually if it has a nut, isn't it a bolt?

[Commander Kinsey]

It's of, not off:

Off is misleading since it sounds like you're reducing the price.