Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 06:59:29 -0400

From: "M. Lynne Murphy" 104LYN[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MUSE.ARTS.WITS.AC.ZA

Subject: candy bars and measurements



a couple of questions for those with the inclination to respond:



candy bars

i was a bit surprised to find that "candy bar" is not in any of my

american english dictionaries, since, for me, this is not entirely

compositional in meaning. candy bars are chocolate bars (or bars

involving chocolate at least on the outside, like a mars bar or a kit

kat). it would be weird (for me) to refer to a bar of licorice or

nougat or peanut brittle as a "candy bar." do others share this

intuition? or is a chocolate bar a prototypical candy bar, but

the others are still candy bars? (maybe my intuitions are fading.)

and is there any part of the u.s. in which "candy bar" is not used?



measurement

what do you call the system of measurement that americans use (i.e.,

the non-metric system). it seems to me i've heard "english", but

this isn't in my dictionaries. i think "imperial" refers to another

system altogether (isn't an imperial gallon different than a u.s.

gallon?). does the system even have a name?



thanks in advance,

lynne



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