Decimalization makes maths easier
But it's deprived our mother tongue
Of many vivid expressions
That over time have sprung ...
From Imperial measurements -
Decimals and metres aren't the same;
Perhaps their soulless repetition
And unvarying terms are to blame.
"A miss is as good as a mile"
Has an apt and punchy appeal,
But as good as 0.6 km?
That's no literary big deal.
"Getting a quart into a pint pot"
Was another picturesque old phrase
That everyone appreciated
In our parents' days.
When young a 24" waist
Was our goal and ideal
But a 61 cm waist
Doesn't have the same appeal.
Men have always admired
Marilyn's 40" bust
But if it was merely one metre -
What would that do for male lust?
We can visualise yards, feet and inches
With accuracy - and ease.
We carry the standards with us
And can check them whenever we please.
Without decimal measures
Science would be left in the lurch,
But leave us our pounds, feet and inches -
Our mediaeval rod, pole and perch.
July 2000
To RB
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