NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.1
NUMERICAL PHRASES
David Singmaster
Copyright ©2003 Professor David Singmaster
contact via http://puzzlemuseum.com
INTRODUCTION
For some years, I have been accumulating these numerical phrases, like 26 L o t A ,
and my list of them had reached 35 pages when I received the following history from Mike
Sklar. It comes from the Usenet newsgroup rec.puzzles, under
language/english/meaning/equations.s , with Will Shortz's first 24 examples under
language/english/meaning/equations.p . Incorporating these extended this list to 47 pages.
Adding material from William Hartston's Book of Numbers extended this to 54 pages.
Adding other material, mostly from an email from Hartston extended this to 62pp. The
present version is 84 pages long, with 66 pages of examples.
CONTENTS
Introduction. Morgan Worthy's material 1
Sources 3
Main List 5
Appendices 71
The Almanac of Cards 71
The Evangelists Rhyme 71
A German Counting Rhyme 72
The Magpie Rhyme 73
The Months Rhyme 73
A Sneeze Rhyme 74
Cumulative Number Games/Songs 75
Miscellany 79
Alphabets 80
Will Shortz's original examples 81
Unsolved and Unclear Examples 82
Unsolved 82
Unclear 83
MORGAN WORTHY'S MATERIAL
Morgan Worthy (http://mworthy.home.mindspring.com/) originated the puzzle form
now called "linguistic equations." The first ones were published in his 1975 book, Aha: A
Puzzle Approach to Creative Thinking; Nelson Hall, Chicago, 1975 - now out of print.
Here are his comments on how he thought of the idea in the first place, and why they
have become such perennial favorites.
I got the idea for linguistic equations from graffiti someone had written in the
form of an obscene formula on a restroom wall at the University of Florida. When the
answer suddenly came to me, I realized the format was a good one for eliciting the "aha
effect". After that I used such items as exercise material when teaching workshops on
creative thinking.
My guess is that one reason a person enjoys linguistic equations is that the answer
hits him or her all at once rather than being solved in an incremental fashion. It is
similar to what happens when we suddenly see an embedded figure pop into focus; the
satisfaction is visceral rather than just intellectual. My experience was that people often
had the answer to an item come to them when they were not consciously thinking about
the puzzles, but relaxed, such as in the shower or about to fall asleep.
Another factor is that with well-written items, success does not hinge on obscure
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.2
information. Ideally, a person should never have to feel, "I could never have gotten that
one no matter how long I worked on it." There is something ego enhancing about
knowing you have the answer inside and just need to find it.
Morgan Worthy
Following are some of the original linguistic equations from this book. [I have spaced them
out a bit.]
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
8D. - 24H. = 1W.
4J. + 4Q. + 4K. = all the F.C.
T. = L.S.State
23Y. - 3Y. = 2D.
C. + 6D. = N.Y.E.
S.R. of N. = 3
1 + 6Z. = 1M.
B. or G. - F. - M. = O.
" R. = R. = R."
Y. + 2D. = T.
This puzzle form reappeared as 24 "equations" by Will Shortz, printed in the May-June
1981 issue of Games magazine, with an acknowledgement to Morgan Worthy [at the end of
the answers]. Games ran several followups in subsequent issues, and reported that people
kept resubmitting the puzzle to them, sometimes as original work! Many people have now
added to the list of equations. The 24 original ones are starred (*) below. [One * is omitted,
on 64 S o a C. I have indicated these by S1 in my listing.]
A few more comments are needed about the esthetics of this type of puzzle in addition
to those of Morgan Worthy above. A good letter equation emphasizes the uniqueness of the
number on the left-hand side of the equation, and is not merely one in a long series of
equations. For example, the equation 8 = AN of O = Atomic Number of Oxygen is excluded
from the following collection, along with equations involving atomic weights, levels on some
scale, years in which well-known events occurred, etc. Also, the left-hand side must be an
exact integer, thus 18.5 = ME from the WT = Minutes Erased from the Watergate Tapes is
excluded, along with fundamental constants, non-integral conversion factors between units of
measure, well-known dimensions, etc.
Finally, we finish with one matter of convention. If a number occurs on the right-hand
side of the equation, it is spelled out (as in 1 = B in the HWT in the B = Bird in the Hand
Worth Two in the Bush).
There follow 9 pages of examples. I have now incorporated them into my list below.
The format used in the Usenet list is shown in the examples given already and in
1 = D at a T = Day at a Time
but I find this awkward as the = signs cannot be read as 'equals', and so I have converted
them all into my format which is:
1DaaT
Day at a Time.
In Feb 2000, I acquired a copy of the Handy Books, edited by Lynn Rohrbough for
Cooperative Recreation Service, Delaware, Ohio. This contain 20 booklets, called Kits. In
Kit E: Mental Games Brain Teasers, Testers, Puzzles and Word Games; 1927, pp. 15-16 is
Numerical Nut Test which has 100 numerical phrases to be completed. E.g., no. 1 is The (3)
Musketeers. You can produce a version with the (3) replaced by a blank space and then
distribute copies as a party puzzle or read them aloud for people to state or write the answer.
Though not of our type, I found this a useful source of examples.
I have compiled my list from a number of different lists and I have extensively extended
it by looking in various appropriate reference books. In particular, I have included almost all
forms like 3 F i a Y (Feet in a Yard) that I have come across. Different sources provide these
in somewhat different formats _ I have generally standardised them. Morgan Worthy and the
rec.puzzles list editor have made pertinent comments about the aesthetics of these phrases,
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.3
but many setters have made examples which do not follow the rules and a number of the items
in the rec.puzzles list seem to violate the rules. So I have included everything which occurs
in any list that I have seen and anything similar that I have come across. NOTE that several of
the measures used in the past varied depending on locale and on what was being measured _
e.g. a firkin or a hogshead was quite different depending on what was being measured or
where it was being measured _ and some were never standarised and have varied with time, so
that some entries contradict one another! For examples, a hogshead of wine had seven sizes,
varying from 30 to 93 gallons, depending on the kind of wine! However, Chapman gives
hundreds of obscure units, so I have decided against trying to include all of them.
Thanks to Richard Armitage, Laurie Brokenshire, Jack Caunter, James Dalgety, Simon
Dickerson, Harriet Hall, Tom Henley, Eric Korn, Simon Nightingale, Tim Rowett, Mike Sklar
and Andrew Turnbull for lists. William Hartston has given me some answers for previously
unsolved examples and has proposed the name 'ditloid', deriving from the example 1 D i t L o
I D, qv. Thanks to David Beamish for solving a number of intractable examples.
The last pages contains unsolved examples _ the original formats are retained for
unsolved cases. I would be grateful for solutions to the unsolved examples and for other lists
or entries.
In Aug 2003, I thought to use Google, etc. to get information about a number of
examples whose solutions were unclear to me. This clarified about 60 entries and they are
now amended. I have indicated entries where Google gave no useful information by 'Nothing
on Google'. In some cases, Google only directed me to one of the lists of such phrases and I
have indicated this by 'Google goes in circles'. This searching also led to several websites
which seem to be related to U, one of which I have now entered as U2. Another is
http://freespace.virgin.net/mike.jacqueline/exx.htm/ where xx is the number desired, e.g. 01.
After about 20, the entries are combined. There are very few numbers over 100. These
pages do not show up on the site's contents page.
SOURCES
Christine Andrews (St Peter & St Paul R. C. Primary School, St Pauls Wood Hill, Orpington,
Kent, BR5 2SR). Unheaded Easter holiday quiz, 2pp, 51 examples. Supplied by Tom
Henley.
Richard Q. Armitage. Message posted to NOBNET on 7 Jan 1999. 23 unsolved examples
from a set of 150 which I've asked him to send. 23 solutions given in a posting on 27
Jan.
Colin R. Chapman. How Heavy, How Much and How Long? Weights, Money and Other
Measures Used by Our Ancestors. Lochin Publishing, Dursley, Gloucestershire,
(1995), slightly revised, 1996.
Chester World Scout Jamboree Fund-Raising Committee. 1994? 100 examples. I have
requested the answers.
Amy Daw. Numbers Quiz. To raise money for her trip to Iceland. 100 examples. Closing
date 1 May 1999. From James Dalgety.
Heather Dickson, ed. The Bumper Compendium of Mind-Bending Puzzles. Lagoon,
1998, chapter 8 (unpaginated). 19 examples with answers.
Clive Doig. Brainbox Puzzle Book 2. Numbers and letters, nos. 31-47, pp. 18-19.
Equations. Anonymous sheet with 21 examples.
GR.
Games Readers. Equation analysis tests. Repeats S1 and gives a new set of 24.
Answers on p. 126. However, my source, Tim Rowett, did not have the answers and the
copy provided does not indicate the issue and only shows p. 64 on it.
General Knowledge Quiz to sponsor a walk in 1999 by Verity Spencer from the Dead Sea to
the Red Sea in Aid of the Foundation for the Study into Infant Deaths. 1998.
50 examples. From Simon Nightingale via Tim Rowett. Solutions from Verity
Spencer.
H.
William Hartston. The Book of Numbers. Richard Cohen Books, London,
1997, 218pp. This is full of numerical information and trivia. Though not presented as
numerical phrases, many entries can easily be made into numerical phrases and I
recognise a number of examples used in other recent sources as being derived from this.
I will cite this as H _ since the entries are in numerical order, there's no need to cite the
page. I won't cite him for every item he mentions as he mentions about a third to a half
of what I have. Generally I cite him when a new entry is based on him and I sometimes
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.4
cite him when he gives further details or confirms an unusual fact.
William Hartston. Email message of 18 May 1999 with 296 examples (but 4
were repeated), many used in his Independent column. These are in simple form, like:
1 Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and I have adapted them to my form. I will cite
these as H2 with new examples cited as H2-new. 150 examples were new!
[William Hartston?]. Numbers. The Independent (2 Dec 1994).
How Long Will This Test Take You? Anonymous sheet with 23 examples.
KK.
Keith Kay's Word Riddles. Sheet with 22 examples, provided by Tim Rowett,
Dec 1999. Most of these are common, so I will only cite this for unusual examples. He
often precedes his examples with 'There are', but I have not considered this. He gives
the number of letters in the word after the initial, but several are incorrectly counted.
"Lemon, Don" [pseud. of Sheldon, Eli Lemon]. Everybody's Scrap Book of Curious Facts.
A Book for Odd Moments. Saxon & Co., London, 1890. Pp. 12-13 is a section on
Bible Statistics, which he says were compiled by the Prince of Granada, heir to the
Spanish throne, who was imprisoned for 33 years with no companion but his Bible.
P. 48 is a section on Ancient Alphabets. Pp. 213-215 is on Magic of Numbers.
NQ.
Numbers Quiz. From Tim Rowett, Mar 2001. 100 examples with answers, some
amended by Rowett. These sometimes have awkward grammar. The answers are
labelled Quiz Sheet 468.
P.
Graham Perry. The Numbers Game. Warner, 1993. This has 226 examples
which I have entered here. Perry presents them as. e.g. 24 = h. in a d. Pxx will denote
items in Perry on p. xx and Pxx-new will denote new items from Perry.
Leighton Rees. On Darts. Atheneum, NY, 1980. On pp. 18-22, he gives darts vocabulary
which includes many numerical phrases similar to bingo calls.
R.
Lynn Rohrbough, ed. Handy Books, Cooperative Recreation Service, Delaware,
Ohio: Kit E: Mental Games Brain Teasers, Testers, Puzzles and Word Games; 1927;
Numerical Nut Test, pp. 15-16. 100 numerical phrases to be completed.
S1.
Will Shortz. Equation analysis test. Games 5:3 (No. 23) (May-June 1981) 25.
24 examples, marked S1 in the list below. I've gathered them in their original format
at the end of the Appendix.
S1,S2.
Will Shortz. Equation Analysis Test # 1 and # 2. IN: Will Shortz's Best
Brain Busters; Times Books (Random House), 1991, pp. 34, 86, 118, 125. Two sets of
24 examples, the first set being the set just mentioned, marked S1 below. The second
set will be marked S2 below. I also have this on a photocopy with another set of 48
typed out, almost all taken from the Shortz examples, dated 1984 _ this came from Jerry
Slocum, via James Dalgety.
S3.
Will Shortz. Equation Analysis Test. From the New York Times. No other
details, but has a date of 6 May 2000 on it; sent as an email on 31 May to Eric Korn who
kindly gave me a copy. 22 examples, no solutions, but we have found 21 which seem
correct.
Teasers. Unidentified sheet with 57 examples, with hints sheet, but no answers. All examples
are standard, but sometimes slightly different than what I had before.
Templewood School. c1993? 100 examples. I have the answers. Provided by Tim Rowett.
The Ultimate Test (Revisited). Anonymous sheet, with ref: Ib/6.Ut date: 01 12 90 at the
bottom. 39 examples.
U.
Usenet newsgroup rec.puzzles. An 11 page document (when reformatted like the
present) with about 534 examples. I will denote these by U at the end of the solution.
Examples which are new will be denoted U-new.
U2.
website: http://rec-puzzles.org/sol.pl/language/english/ . A 5 page document
(when reformatted like the present) with about 245 examples in the form of U and
mostly included in U. 35 of these are either new or variations of the U entry. I will
enter these 35 and denote them by U2. I found this in Aug 2003, but it seems old.
H2.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.5
MAIN LIST
T R F's
H 'n' O D
The Roaring Forties
Hundred 'n' One Dalmatians
00 n I D C f n A
007 J B
new International Dialling Code from next April
James Bond
HaLiBt0
IGPo0
MAa0
0BiaET
0BLSB
0CiaGoW
0DCawWF
0DoLaG
0iLiT
0H
0M
0 M A a (W S)
Half a Loaf is Better than None
I Got Plenty o' Nothing (Gershwin). H.
Much Ado about Nothing (Shakespeare)
Bones in an Elephant's Trunk
Business Like Show Business. U-new.
Calories in a Glass of Water
Degrees Centigrade at which Water Freezes
Degrees of Longitude at Greenwich
is Love in Tennis
Zero Hour. H2-new.
Zero Mostel (the actor). U-new.
Much Ado about Nothing (William Shakespeare).
U-new. M A a 0 is better.
No Orchids for Miss Blandish (detective(?) novel).
U-new.
No Place Like Home. H2-new.
Pockets on a Billiards Table
Swim Bladders in a Shark. U-new.
Snowball's Chance in Hell. U-new. (Not really a
numerical phrase.)
Nothing Succeeds Like Success. H2-new.
Wheels on my Wagon (Line from Three Wheels on my
Wagon, qv.)
0OfMB
0PLH
0PoaBT
0SBiaS
0SCiH
0SLS
0WomW
HB½
His Better Half. R46-new.
BtS1
Hi1
TOMHP1
TW1
1, 2, B M S
1, 2, 3, 4, J a t C D
Back to Square 1
Hole in 1
This Old Man, He Play One, ...
The Wild One (film title)
Buckle My Shoe
Jenny at the Cottage Door. [Robert Ford; Children's
Rhymes Children's Games Children's Songs
Children's Stories. A Book for Bairns and Big
Folk; Alexander Gardner, Paisley, 2nd ed, nd
[1904[1903] _ BL], p. 53.]
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, A G C G t H
B I W 1 a 20
1aaT
1 A B Armed Bandit. H2.
1AiAFD
1ANoH
1aP2aPHCB
1AWoH
All Good Children Go to Heaven. [Robert Ford;
Children's Rhymes Children's Games
Children's Songs Children's Stories. A Book
for Bairns and Big Folk; Alexander Gardner,
Paisley, 2nd ed, nd [1904[1903] _ BL], p. 53.]
But I Was 1 and 20 (A Shropshire Lad)
at a Time
April is April Fool's Day. U-new. H2.
Atomic Number of Hydrogen. H2-new.
1 a Penny, 2 a Penny, Hot Cross Buns (If you have no
daughter, Give them to your sons, If you have
none Of these little elves, Why then you must
eat them All by yourselves)
Atomic Weight of Hydrogen
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.6
TG1B
1BBitL
1BitHWTitB
To Go 1 Better
Bonus Ball in the Lottery. H2-new.
Bird in the Hand Worth Two in the Bush. U-new. (I
think it is usually: A Bird in the Hand is Worth
Two in the Bush.)
1BoaA
Breast on an Amazon
1C2iD3iCSaC
1's Company, 2 is Dreary, 3 is Company, Safe and
Cheery (Stephen Sondheim: Company)
1CAiM
Carbon Atom in Methane. U-new.
MfDbn1CfT
Millions for Defense, but not One Cent for Tribute.
R97-new. (Said by some American leader when
the Barbary pirates demanded tribute money,
c1820.)
1 C i an A
Cell in an Amoeba. U-new.
1DaaT
Day at a Time. S2. U.
1DitLoID
Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch. [By Solzhenitsyn.]
P44-new. (H & H2 have Denisovich.)
1EDiaLY
Extra Day in a Leap Year. H2-new.
1EJ
Eyed Jack(s) (One Eyed Jacks was a film by Brando.)
ItKotBt1EMiK
In the Kingdom of the Blind the 1 Eyed Man is King
(H. G. Wells)
1EMiKitCotB
Eyed Man is King in the Country of the Blind. H2-new.
1E1HFPPE
One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater
(pop song, c1950s)
1EoaC
Eye on a Cyclops. P50. U.
1EoaMS
Edge on a Möbius Strip
1EoC
Eye on Cyclops
1EOHFPPE
One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater
(pop song, c1950s). U-new.
1fAaAf1
1 for All and All for 1
1Fb1HZiaG
Followed by 1 Hundred Zeroes is a Googol
1 F b 100 0s i a G
Followed by 100 0s is a Googol
1 F b 100 Z i a G
Followed by 100 Zeroes is a Googol
1FbOHZiaG
Followed by One Hundred Zeroes is a Googol. U-new.
1 F D Fine Day (translation of Un bel' di, in Madame Butterfly)
1FitG
Foot in the Grave. U. H2.
1FotCN
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. (novel by Ken
Kesey). U. H2.
1fS
for Sorrow (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
OR
Fell Swoop
1ftM2ftS
1 for the Money, 2 for the Show
1ftR
for the Road
TASf1G
The Ace Stands for 1 God. (The Card Almanac _ see
Appendix.)
1GLfM
Giant Leap for Mankind. U-new.
1GTDA
Good Turn Deserves Another. U. H2.
1HoaD
Hump on a Dromedary
1HoaU
Horn on a Unicorn. U. H2.
TW1HS
The Wonderful One Horse Shay. R25-new. (Poem by
Oliver Wendell Holmes(?).)
1 H T Horse Town. H2.
1iaLN
One is a Lonely Number (1972 drama based on a story
by Rebecca Morris). H
1ibLa2ibS
1 if by Land and 2 if by Sea (Paul Revere's Ride).
P38, U give the two parts separately.
1i1aAA
is 1 and All Alone (Green Grow the Rushes 0h _ see
Appendix)
1i1aAAaESBIS
is 1 and All Alone and Evermore Shall Be It So (Green
Grow the Rushes 0h _ see Appendix)
1iOaAA
is One and All Alone. H2-new. (Green Grow the
Rushes 0h _ see Appendix.)
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.7
1iOaAAaESBIS
1itLN
1 K E (B)
1KKotESB
1 L f t R, A f t P
1LiaM
1LoaCP
1LtL
1M1V
1MahD
1MahDWtMaM
1MB
1MiaSDJ
1MLotCF
OR
1MMiAMP
1MotE
1MRtC
1MWtM
1MWtMaM
1MWtMWHD
IH1N
1 N S Night Stand
1NuG
1OtE
1oOAiM
1 P = 1 KW
is One and All Alone and Evermore Shall Be It So
(Green Grow the Rushes 0h _ see Appendix)
One is The Loneliest Number. P19-new. U. (Opening
line of One, by Nillson.)
Kelly's Eye (Bingo). U-new. (Rees gives it as darts
slang.)
King Kong on the Empire State Building. P7-new. U.
(Not really a numerical phrase!)
Law for the Rich, Another for the Poor. H2.
Lens in a Monocle
Length of a Cricket Pitch (in Chains)
Life to Live. S3-new.
1 Man, 1 Vote
Man and his Dog
Man and his Dog Went to Mow a Meadow. H2-new.
Man Band. H2.
Mile is a Sabbath Day's Journey. Chapman, p. 24, citing
Acts 1:12.
Maple Leaf on the Canadian Flag. (There is a use of this
on Google.)
?? More Lap on the Chequered Flag. Nothing on
Google, though 'One more lap' is common.
Man's Meat is Another Man's Poison. H2-new.
Moon of the Earth
More River to Cross
Man Went to Mow. NQ89.
Man Went to Mow a Meadow
Man Went to Mow With His Dog. U-new.
It Happened One Night (film title)
Nation, under God (part of US Pledge of Allegiance)
Over the Eight. U-new.
One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1941 film). H.
1 Picture equals 1 Thousand Words
(1 Kiloword = 1000 Words)
G i 1 P C I a 99 P C P
Genius is 1 Per Cent Inspiration and 99 Per Cent
Perspiration (Thomas Edison)
1PiaPT
Partridge in a Pear Tree. H2.
1PoE
Pair of Eyes
1PWA
Paper Wedding Anniversary (Brewer says this is the
second anniversary.)
1QBiaH
Queen Bee in a Hive
1 R A in E B
Rotten Apple in Every Barrel GR-new. Solution from
mike.jacqueline website.
F1RC
Formula 1 Racing Car
1RiaFM
Referee in a Football Match
1RiaM
Referee in a Match. (The above version is better.)
1SCiDP
Single Calorie in Diet Pepsi
1SDMaS
Swallow Doesn't Make a Summer. U-new.
1SdnMaS
Swallow does not Make a Summer
1SF2SB
1 Step Forward, 2 Steps Back
1SoaMS
Side on a Möbius Strip. U.
1 S S Singular Sensation. P15-new. U. (Song from A Chorus Line)
OR
Stop Shopping. From mike.jacqueline website.
1SSfaM
Small Step for a Man (Neil Armstrong, on the Moon).
U. H2.
1StaMS
Side to a Möbius Strip
1StKTB
Stone to Kill Two Birds. H2-new.
1SUPiaB
Stroke Under Par is a Birdie. U-new.
1TaA
Thing after Another. H2-new.
1TBmS
Two, Buckle my Shoe. H2-new.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.8
1itLN
1TM
1ToaM
1TOK
1TRpY
OR
1TtOK
1tWa1tP
1UPfaBaG
1WoaU
1WoaWB
1WomW
1WS
1WT
1/T
1ZiaGoS
ABBf2
MYBf2
One is The Loneliest Number. P19-new. U. (Opening
line of One, by Nillson.)
Track Mind
Track on a Monorail
Time Opportunity Knocks. P12-new.
Tree Ring per Year. U.
Tax Return per Year
Time that Opportunity Knocks. U-new.
1 to Watch and 1 to Pray (Thomas Ady, 1655. See
Appendix.)
Under Par for a Birdie at Golf. H2-new.
Wheel on a Unicycle. S1. P cover, i, 14. U. H2.
NQ85.
Wheel on a Wheel Barrow
Wheel on my Wagon (Line from Three Wheels on my
Wagon, qv.)
Way Street
Way Ticket. H2.
Once upon a Time
Z in a Game of Scrabble. NQ99-new.
A Bicycle Built for 2
Make Your Bed for 2 (Translation of Greek song title
from Zorba the Greek.)
Tf2
Tea for 2. R75. (Also a song title.)
Tf2a2fT
Tea for 2 and 2 for Tea
2a2oaF
2 and 2 of all Flesh (Genesis 7:15)
P2a2T
Put 2 and 2 Together
TWi2a2uNitA
There Went in 2 and 2 unto Noah into the Ark (Genesis
7:9)
2 A-B P i a B M
All-Beef Patties in a Big Mac. U-new.
2AiaP
Angels in a Pound (Chapman, p. 64, says this value was
from 1550. Old English money.)
AHitMiW2aN
An Hour in the Morning is Worth 2 at Night (proverb)
2aPHCB
2 a Penny, Hot Cross Buns
2 a t F, 2 a t H
Two at the feet, two at the head (Prayer to the
Evangelists, see Appendix.)
AS2B
At Swim Two Birds (novel by Flann O'Brien)
Bw2B
Beast with 2 Backs
2b2
2 by 2
TACo2b2
The Animals Came on 2 by 2
2BatC
Bites at the Cherry
2 B G Brothers Grimm. P48-new. U.
2BiaH
Barrels in a Hogshead. Cf 2 B i a P.
2BiaM
Bottles in a Magnum (of champagne). H2.
2BiaP
Barrels in a Puncheon. Cf 2 B i a H.
2BiaQ
Bits in a Quarter
2BiaT
Butts in a Tun
2BoaCW
Bails on a Cricket Wicket
2BoaPoS
Blades on a Pair of Scissors
2BSfaDFaT
Bad Serves for a Double Fault at Tennis. H2-new.
K2Bw1S
Kill 2 Birds with 1 Stone. R84.
ATo2C
A Tale of Two Cities (by Charles Dickens). R71.
2's C, 3's a C
2's Company, 3's a Crowd
2's C, 3's N
2's Company, 3's None
2CAiE
Carbon Atoms in Ethane. U-new.
2CbaBaO
Can be as Bad as One. P19-new. U. Line in One, by
Nillson _ cf 1 i t L N.
2 C G Car Garage
2CiaM
Crotchets in a Minim (musical measure). H2-new.
2CiaP
Cups in a Pint
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.9
2 C i a S (W W)
2CiaY
2CitTbCD
Cloves in a Stone (Wool Weight)
Cubits in a Yard
Cities in the Tale by Charles Dickens. P27-new. U.
H2.
2CoaT
Cyclists on a Tandem. H2-new.
2 C o B C (R a W)
Colours of Blood Corpuscles (Red and White). U-new.
2 C o B C (R & W)
Colours of Blood Cells (Red & White)
2CPatG
Can Play at that Game
2Da1BWNA
2 Dogs and 1 Bone Will Never Agree (proverb, but this
comes from an Australian book)
2DiB
Digits in Binary
2DiaT
Dessertspoons in a Tablespoon (UK). Cf 2 T i a D.
2EAiaIT
Equal Angles in an Isosceles Triangle
2EKoAoNA
Each Kind of Animal on Noah's Ark. P5-new. ['Of
Each' would be better.]
2EoaPoS
Ends of a Piece of String
2EoE
Elizabeths of England. P37-new. U.
2EQNE
English Queens Named Elizabeth. H2-new.
AKf2F
A Kid for 2 Farthings (Matthew 10:29)
SoOO2F
Stand on One's Own 2 Feet
U 2 F Under 2 Flags. R76-new. (Novel by Ouida, made into a film.)
2 F F (R a J)
Feuding Families (Romeo and Juliet). U-new.
2FiaK
Firkins in a Kilderkin (beer measure)
2FiaPoS
Feet in a Pair of Shoes. H2-new.
2FiaRG
Fingers in a Rude Gesture. H2-new.
2FiaS
Fins in a Sawbuck. U-new.
YCH2FitSD
You Can't Have 2 Forenoons in the Same Day
2fJ
for Joy (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
2 f M for Mirth (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
2FoJ
Faces of Janus. U-new.
2FPCiaP
Fifty Pence Coins in a Pound
2FPPMaP
Fifty Pence Pieces Make in a Pound. H2-new.
2 f T (a T f T)
for Tea (and Tea for Two). H2-new.
2ftPo1
for the Price of One
2ftR
Two for the Road (film title, from a story by Frederic
Raphael). H.
2 f t S Two for the Seesaw (film (and play?) title). H.
2 G f E B (S C)
Girls for Every Boy (Surf City). U-new. (Jan and Dean,
1963)
2GiaP
Gallons in a Peck. U. (dry measure)
2GoaR
Goalies on a Rink. U-new.
OR: Two Grooves on a Record (One on each
side!)
2GoV
Two Gentlemen of Verona. (Shakespeare). U. H2.
GR.
2 G P o a E (Y)
Gestation Period of an Elephant (Years)
2GPoaHP
Goal Posts on a Hockey Pitch. NQ79-new.
2HaBTO
Heads are Better Than One. U. H2.
OR 2 H a B T 1
2HiaB
Hogsheads in a Butt (beer measure)
2HiaC
Hounds in a Couple
2HiaFM
Halves in a Football Match. H2-new.
2HiaP
Hogsheads in a Pipe (wine measure)
2HiaW
Halves in a Whole. U-new.
2HoaAR
Horns on an African Rhinoceros (Asian species have
one or two horns.)
2HoaBC
Humps on a Bactrian Camel. U.
2HoaC
Hands on a Clock (Often, but not always.)
OR
Hulls on a Catamaran
OR
Humps on a Camel (This should really be a
Bactrian Camel, see above.)
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.10
2HoC
2HoP
2HoPiE
2HTBAO
IYRa2HYWCN
2 i C, 3's a C
2IiaCM
ABitHiW2itB
2JiaP
2KiaB
2LBE
2 L B (f)
2 L B (R H)
2LDB
2LiaPoS
OR
OR
2LiaPoT
2LitHB
2LoaB
2LoaDC
2 L o t A H 90 D R S
22LWBCAiGO
NMCS2M
2MaaW
2MCStB
2MfSS
2MiaWN
2MoM
2NiaD
2NiaM
2oaT
2oEAoNA
2oESSTBitA
2OEPM
2OiaDP
2OiaY
PPa2PC
2PiaAC
2PiaB
OR
2PiaD
2PiaF
Houses of Congress. P40-new. U. [USA.]
Houses of Parliament.
Houses of Parliament in England. P52-new.
Hearts That Beat As One.
If You Run after 2 Horses, You Will Catch Neither
(proverb)2 i b S
if by Sea (Paul Revere's
Ride) _ see 1 I b L .... P38, U give the two parts
separately.
2 is Company, 3's a Crowd. R37-new.
Innings in a Cricket Match
A Bird in the Hand is Worth 2 in the Bush
Jokers in a Pack. NQ39-new. (I have seen examples
with just one an with three jokers.)
Kilderkins in a Barrel
Two Lovely Black Eyes (song title). H2.
Two Lane Blacktop (film)
Two Little Boys (Rolf Harris)
Little Dickie Birds. U-new.
Lenses in a Pair of Spectacles. H2.
Legs in a Pair of Shorts
Laces in a Pair of Shoes
Legs in a Pair of Trousers
Lungs in the Human Body. P51-new. U.
Legs on a Biped. H2 has 'of'.
Lanes on a Dual Carriageway
Letters of the Alphabet Have 90 Degree Rotational
Symmetry (OX)
2, 2 Little White Boys, Clothed All in Green Oh (Green
Grow the Rushes 0h _ see Appendix)
No Man Can Serve 2 Masters (Luke 16; Matthew
6:24.)
Two Men and a Wardrobe (film by Roman Polanski).
H dates it as 1985, but 1955 is more likely?
[Too] Many Cooks Spoil the Broth. H2-new.
Two Mules for Sister Sarah. U-new. H gives Sara.
(Film title.)
Minims in a Whole Note. U-new.
(Whole Note = Semibreve.)
Moons of Mars
Nickels in a Dime. P9-new. U.
Nobles in a Mark (Old English money, a noble was 1/3
of a pound _ Chapman, p. 64, says this held from
1344. However, there never was a mark coin.
Both were obsolete before the 19C.)
Two on a Tower (by Thomas Hardy)
of Each Animal on Noah's Ark. U-new.
of Every Sort Shalt Thou Bring into the Ark (Genesis
6:19). However, Genesis 7:2-3 says to take seven
of every clean beast and fowl and two of every
unclean beast.
??
Outs in a Double Play. P57-new. U. [American
baseball.]
Oxen in a Yoke
Penny Plain and 2 Pence Coloured (Old advertising
phrase for Pollock's toy theatres.)
??
Pheasants in a Brace
Pieces in a Bikini. P13-new. U.
Parts in a Duet. U-new. (or Players)
Pins in a Firkin
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.11
2PiaG
2PiaP
AAa2PiaP
2PiaQ
2PiaSS
2PiaT
2PJP
2PoaBM
2PSS
2PtaB
2QiaC
2 Q i a H-D
2QiaP
2QtaC
2 R (b a C)
2RiaB
2RitWH
2S
FB2S
Kot2S
2 S a a A (S t B o W)
2SiaC
2SiaF
2SiaQ
2 S i a T (W W)
2SoaLT
Ta2SP
2SPiaS
2SPitN
2StEA
2StEQ
Ta2StEQ
2StES
2SthB
2SUPfaEaG
2SUPiaE
A2tBmSA
2 T D (a a P i a P T)
2TiaD
2TiaP
2TitWTC
2TLWBCAiGO
IT2tMaQ
2 T T Ton Tessie
IT2tT
2TtPAR
2UoaMB
2USoC
2ViaD
2VSP
N2WaI
2WDMaR
Pottles in a Gallon (dry measure)
Peas in a Pod. P34-new. U. (The following is better.)
As Alike as 2 Peas in a Pod.
Pints in a Quart. P45. U.
Pancakes in a Short Stack
Pipes in a Tun (wine measure)
Pope John Pauls. P41-new. U. [Popes John Paul ??]
Poles on a Bar Magnet
Piece Swim Suit
Pieces (or Parts) to a Bikini
Quavers in a Crotchet
Quarters in a Half-Dollar. P9-new. U.
Quarts in a Pottle (dry measure)
Quavers to a Crotchet
Ronnies (Barker and Corbett). H2-new.
Reams in a Bundle (of paper)
Roosevelts in the White House. P26-new.
Sexes
Fall Between 2 Stools
Kingdom of the 2 Sicilies
2 Sticks and an Apple (Say the Bells of Whitechapel)
Spans in a Cubit
Shillings in a Florin (Old English money.)
Stones in a Quarter
Stones in a Tod (Wool Weight)
Shakes of a Lamb's Tail. P24. U.
Thick as 2 Short Planks
Six Pences in a Shilling (Old English money.)
Ships Passing in the Night. U-new.
Sides to Every Argument. H2-new.
Sides to Every Question. S3-new?
There are 2 Sides to Every Question. H attributes this to
Protagoras, -5C.
Sides to Every Story. U-new.
Strings to his Bow
Shots Under Par for an Eagle at Golf. H2-new.
Strokes Under Par is an Eagle. U-new.
And 2 to Bear my Soul Away (Thomas Ady, 1655. See
Appendix.)
Turtle Doves (and a Partridge in a Pear Tree). S2. U.
Teaspoons in a Dessertspoon (UK). H notes that a US
teaspoon is a third of a tablespoon while a UK
teaspoon is a fourth of a tablespoon, with both
tablespoons being 14.5 ml.
Tierces in a Puncheon
Towers in the World Trade Center (New York).
P11-new. U.
2, Two Little White Boys, Clothed All in Green Oh
(Green Grow the Rushes 0h _ see Appendix)
It Takes 2 to Make a Quarrel
OR Twice Told Tales. R26-new. By Nathaniel
Hawthorne.
It Takes 2 to Tango
Times the Postman Always Rings. P42-new. U.
Utilities on a Monopoly Board
Ugly Sisters of Cinderella. H2-new.
Vowels in a Diphthong. NQ30-new.
Voyager Space Probes
No 2 Ways about It
Wrongs Don't Make a Right. U. H2.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.12
2WiaF
2 W i a S (W W)
2WoaB
OR
OR
2WoaM
2WomW
2YiaF
Weeks in a Fortnight. P46-new. H2.
Weys in a Sack (Wool Weight)
Wings on a Bird
Wheels on a Bicycle. H2.
Wings on a Biplane
Wheels on a Motorcycle. U-new.
Wheels on my Wagon (Line from Three Wheels on my
Wagon, qv.)
Wings on the White House. P55-new. [USA.]
Wicked Stepsisters in Cinderella. P11-new. U.
Wrongs That Don't Make a Right. P22-new.
World Wars. P34-new.
Two Years Before the Mast (by Richard Henry Dana).
R64. U2.
Yards in a Fathom
2.4 N o C i a A F
Number of Children in an Average Family
2WotWH
2 W S in C
2WTDMaR
2WW
2YBtM
AHCfhF3
And He Called for his Fiddlers 3
BLCi3
Bad Luck Comes in 3s
GTCi3
Good Things Come in 3s
R o 3 Rule of 3 (common name for the use of proportion in mathematics, until early 20C)
3, 4, K a t D
Knock at the Door
3, 4, O t D
Open the Door
3, 4, S t D
Shut the Door
Gat3B
Goldilocks and the 3 Bears. R51 just has T 3 B.
3BCiaI
Barley Corns in an Inch. Cf 3 B i a I.
3 B F Bags Full
3BFtBSH
Bags Full the Black Sheep Had. H2-new.
3BGG
Billy Goats Gruff. U.
3BiaB
Barrels in a Butt
3BiaBiWT
Beats in a Bar in Waltz Time
3BiaI
Barleycorns in an Inch. Cf 3 B C i a I.
3 B i a S (o C)
3BiB
3BiG
3BiLotR
3BitGF
3BitHE
3BM
3 B M, 3 B M
3 B M (S H T R!)
3 B M S H T R!
3BoaPBS
3BoPGA
3BotUSG
3 B S (C, E, A)
3BttBiWT
3C
3CAiP
3CBiS
3 C G (F H a C)
3 C H Cornered Hat
3 C (H H H)
3CiaF
3CitF
3CotFF
3CoTL
Bushels in a Sack (of Coal)
Balls in Billiards
Bears in Goldilocks. P29-new.
Books in Lord of the Rings (by Tolkien). P4-new. U.
Bears in the Goldilocks Fairytale. U-new.
Bones in the Human Ear. P19-new. U. [Hammer,
Anvil and Stirrup.]
Blind Mice. P47. NQ81.
3 Blind Mice, 3 Blind Mice
Blind Mice (See How They Run!). S1. H2.
Blind Mice, See How They Run! U. R55.
Balls on a Pawn Broker's Sign (or Shop)
Bowls of Porridge Goldilocks Ate. H2-new.
Branches of the US Government. P40-new. U.
Brontë Sisters (Charlotte, Emily, Anne). U-new.
Beats to the Bar in Waltz Time. H2-new.
Cheers. R4-new.
Carbon Atoms in Propane. U-new.
Coffee Beans in Sambucca
Christian Graces (Faith, Hope and Charity)
Cheers (Hip, Hip, Hooray). H2-new.
Coins in a Fountain. U. (Should be as next entry.)
Three Coins in the Fountain (1954 movie and song
title). P52. H. H2.
Colours on the French Flag
Colours of Traffic Lights (red, amber, green). H2-new.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.13
3CRoTS
3 C T Card Trick
GLFBtSA3D
3 D E Day Event
3DfJitBotW
Ot3DHRA
3DiaR
3 D N Dog Night
3DoCbP
3DotC
3 E o t R (L S, L T & C)
3 E S (B)
3F
3faW
3 F H French Hens
3FHMTLGtM
3FiaY
3FoE
3FOKCCf
3G
OR
3 G A o t S (D A)
3GiaHT
3 G (M, S & E)
Cube Root of Twenty Seven
Guests, Like Fish, Begin to Smell After 3 Days
(Benjamin Franklin?)
Days for Jonah in the Belly of the Whale. P53-new. U.
On the 3rd Day He Rose Again
Darts in a Round (Check)
Denials of Christ by Peter
Three Days of the Condor. U-new. H. (1975 film
title, based on the novel Six Days of the Condor,
qv.
Estates of the Realm (Lords Spiritual, Lords Temporal &
Commons)
Eroica Symphony (Beethoven). U.
Fates (Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos). R19.
for a Wedding (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
French Hens My True Love Gave to Me. H2-new.
Feet in a Yard. P18. U. H2.
Three Faces of Eve (1957 film title). P43. U. H.
Fiddlers Old King Cole Called for. H2-new.
Graces (Aglaia, Thalia, Euphrosyne)
Goons (Milligan, Sellers & Secombe)
Golden Apples of the Sun (Defeated Atalanta)
Goals in a Hat Trick. U-new. (Ice hockey.)
Gorgons (Medusa, Stheno & Euryale). U (with and
instead of &).
3 G (M, S & S)
Goons (Milligan, Sellers & Secombe)
3GSbFitWCF
Goals Scored by France in the World Cup Final.
H2-new.
T 3 H The Three Hostages by John Buchan. Jonathan Always; Puzzles for Puzzlers;
Tandem, 1971, prob. 8(h). Also in a children's
puzzle book.
3HoaCCH
Humps on a Camel Called Humphrey (English
children's story??) Nothing on Google.
3HoaT
Horns on a Triceratops
OR
Hulls on a Trimaran
3IiaP
Inches in a Palm
IML3iCa2N
In Married Life 3 is Company and 2 None (Oscar
Wilde)
3IotRS
Inscriptions on the Rosetta Stone. U. (They are
actually the same text in three languages.)
3i1O
Three in One Oil. R30-new.
T 3 i 1, t 1 i 3
The Three in One, the One in Three
3I2WG
Three Into Two Won't Go (1969 film title). H.
3KiaH
Kilderkins in a Hogshead
3 K L D (R, G a C)
King Lear's Daughters (Regan, Goneril and Cordelia).
U-new.
Ta3KoL
There are 3 Kinds of Lies (Lies, damned lies and
statistics)
W3KoOa
We 3 Kings of Orient are
3LDMaR
Lefts Do Make a Right
3LFiaIBP
Little Fishes in an Itty Bitty Pool. U-new.
3 L i "W W t B a M"
Lifelines in "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire". S3-new.
3 L K, T L T M
Little Kittens, They Lost Their Mittens. U & GR
without the comma.
3LMaR
Lefts Make a Right
3LMfS
Little Maids from School (The Mikado). H2-new.
3LMfSAW
Little Maids from School Are We (The Mikado)
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.14
3LoM
3LoaS
3LoaT
N3LoM
3 L P Little Pigs. P47. U.
3LPatBBW
3 L R Legged Race
(T) 3 M
WSW3MA
3MaaB
3MbAD
T 3 M B, G H a C
3ME
3MfaOF
3 M I Mile Island
3MiaB
3 M i a B (J K J)
3MiaB TSNotD
3MiaL
3MiaR
3MiaT
OR
3MiaTRaDD
3 M I (N P S)
3MKaSI2oTaD
3 M R (B)
3 M T o R (M, I & S)
3 N i a A C (U S)
3NiaP
TLf3O
3o4BK
3oaM
3OECiaDoC
3OKCF
AGiDi3P
EH3PBMaE
3 P C Primary Colours. P54. U.
OR
3PfaDGiRF
3PfaFGiF
3 P f a W, 1 f a D
3PfaWiSHP
3PfaWitFL
3PfPtGiS
3 P H Part Harmony
3PiaBS
3PiaHG
3PiaIHM
3PiaS
3PiaT
Legs of Man (The symbol of the Isle of Man is three
legs from a centre.)
Leaves on a Shamrock
Legs on a tripod. P55. U. H2. NQ84.
Newton's 3 Laws of Motion
Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf. H2-new.
(The) Three Musketeers. P26. R1. (Novel by
Alexandre Dumas.) NQ35 has March with
Musketeers written in. Perhaps the idea is that
March is the third month??
When Shall We 3 Meet Again (Macbeth)
Three Men and a Baby. P13-new. U. (Film title)
(The) Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.
H2-new.
The 3 Marx Brothers, Groucho Harpo and Chico
Minute Egg. U-new.
Medals for an Olympic Final (Gold, Silver, Bronze).
H2-new.
Three Men in a Boat. H2-new.
Three Men in a Boat (Jerome K. Jerome). U-new.
Three Men in a Boat To Say Nothing of the Dog
(book by Jerome K. Jerome)
Miles in a League
Minutes in a Round
Men in a Tub
Men in a Triumvirate
Men in a Tub Rub a Dub Dub. U-new.
Mile Island (Nuclear Power Station). U-new.
3 May Keep a Secret, If 2 of Them are Dead
(B. Franklin)
Minute Rounds (Boxing)
Main Types of Rock (Metamorphic, Igneous &
Sedimentary)
Numbers in an Area Code (United States). U-new. (For
telephones.)
Nobles in a Pound (Old English money _ the noble was
obsolete before the 19C.)
The Love for 3 Oranges (Prokofiev)
3 or 4 Brothers Karamazov. P25-new.
On a Match. P31-new. U.
One Eyed Cards in a Deck of Cards (KD, JS, JH)
Old King Cole's Fiddlers. P28-new. U.
All Gaul is Divided into 3 Parts (Julius Caesar)
Everything Has 3 Parts, Beginning, Middle and End
Phase Current
Points for a Dropped Goal in Rugby Football
Points for a Field Goal in Football. S2. (American)
3 Points for a Win, 1 for a Draw
Points for a Win in Shove Ha'Penny
Points for a Win in the Football League. H2-new.
Points for Potting the Green in Snooker. H2-new.
Pieces in a Business Suit. P12-new. U.
Periods in a Hockey Game. (Ice hockey.) P4-new. U.
Periods in an Ice Hockey Match
Pancakes in a Stack
Panels in a Triptych
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.15
OR
Persons in a Triumvirate
OR
Puncheons in a Tun
3PiNE
Three Places in New England (by Charles Ives)
3PitHT
Persons in the Holy Trinity
3PiwAGwD
Parts into which All Gaul was Divided. U-new. GR.
3 P O Three Penny Opera (by John Gay)
3PoaI
Parts of an Insect. P49-new. U.
3 P P Pipe Problem (Sherlock Holmes)
3 P S Piece Suit (or Suite)
3 P T Point Turn
3QiaFE
Quarters in a Flemish Ell (cloth measure)
T 3 R The 3 R's (Readin', 'ritin' 'n' 'rithmetic.) R33.
3 R C Ring Circus
3RiaC
Rings in a Circus. P32-new. U2.
3RiaTRC
Rings in a Three Ring Circus. U-new.
3RRWitGN
Red Rum's Wins in the Grand National
3SaO
Strikes and Out. R22-new.
3SaYO
Strikes and You're Out. P30. U. [American baseball.]
3SaYOatOBG
Strikes and You're Out at the Old Ball Game
T3SbAC
The 3 Sisters, by Anton Chekhov
3 S (C)
Three Sisters (Chekhov). U-new.
IS3SCSb
I Saw 3 Ships Come Sailing by
IS3SCSi
I Saw 3 Ships Come Sailing in
3 S G Synoptic Gospels
3SiaCW
Stumps in a Cricket Wicket. H2-new.
3SiaD
Scruples in a Dram. U. (Should be Drachm, which is in
apothecaries' measure, while Dram is in
avoirdupois measure, though this distinction is
not always made.)
3SiaT
Sides in a Triangle. P48-new. U.
3SiCFV
Ships in Columbus's First Voyage. P41-new.
3SiCP
Sisters in Chekhov's Play. P48-new.
3SiOB
Stars in Orion's Belt
3SitW
Sheets in the Wind
3 S (L, M, a C)
Stooges (Larry, Moe and Curly). U-new.
3SMaD
Square Meals a Day
3SoaT
Sides of a Triangle. H2.
3SotBoaI
Segments on the Body of an Insect
3SoCC
Ships of Christopher Columbus. U-new.
3SoCFV
Ships on Columbus's First Voyage. U2-new.
3SRoN
Square Root of Nine
3 S t H (S)
Three Steps to Heaven (pop song by Showaddywaddy).
U.
3SttW
Sheets to the Wind. P24-new. U.
3SUPiaA
Strokes Under Par is an Albatross (at golf). H.
3SYOatOBG
Strikes You're Out at the Old Ball Game. U-new. GR.
(Should be 3 S a Y O ...)
3 T (J C P D a L P)
Tenors (Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano
Pavarotti). H2-new.
3 T a L (L R)
Times a Lady (Lionel Richie). U-new. (Song title)
3TiaB
Tierces in a Butt
3TiaP
Tierces in a Pipe
3TiaT
Teaspoons in a Tablespoon (US). Cf 2 T i a D.
3TiaY
Terms in a Year (Often, but not always.)
WITY3TiT
What I Tell You 3 Times is True (Lewis Carroll: The
Hunting of the Snark)
3rd T L
3rd Time Lucky
33tR
3, 3, the Rivals (Green Grow the Rushes 0h _ see
Appendix)
3TtR
3, Three, the Rivals (Green Grow the Rushes 0h _ see
Appendix)
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.16
3TVMaAF
3VoaT
OR
3VoCC
3W
ALt3W
3WiaHT
3WiM
3 W i M (WS)
3WM
3WMaB
3WoaRR
3WoaT
OR
3WomW
3YaaCoD
3.26 L Y i a P
C a 4 Coach and 4
G o 4 Gang of 4
TSo4
4AiaMoD
A4AO
TV Movies about Amy Fisher. P53-new. (In 1991, the
Long Island teenager Amy Fisher shot her lover's
wife and became a cause celebre.)
Valves on a Trumpet (or most other brass instruments).
U.
Vertices on a Triangle
Voyages of Captain Cook
Weeks. R69-new. (Presumably the Three Weeks of
mourning for the destruction of the Temples in
Jerusalem.)
A Letter to Three Wives (film title). H.
Wickets in a Hat Trick. (Cricket.)
Witches in Macbeth. P5-new. U. H2.
Witches in Macbeth (William Shakespeare). NQ5-new.
Wise Men. R63.
Wise Men at Bethlehem. P14-new. U.
Wheels on a Reliant Robin
Wheels on a Tricycle. P14. U. H2.
Wings on a Triplane
Three Wheels on my Wagon. U-new. (Song by New
Christy Minstrels.)
Yards and a Cloud of Dust. U-new. (Coined by Ohio
State football coach Woody Hayes to describe his
ground attack, c1968.)
Light Years in a Parsec
The Sign of Four (Conan Doyle story)
Atoms in a Molecule of Deuterium
And four angels overspread (Prayer to the Evangelists,
see Appendix.)
4 a T B B (B i a π)
4 and Twenty Black Birds (Baked in a Pie)
4 a 20 B B i a P
4 and 20 Blackbirds Baked in a Pie. R43-new.
4AtmB4ArmH
4 Angels to my Bed, 4 Angels round my Head
(Thomas Ady, 1655. See Appendix.)
4BiaBiMT
Beats in a Bar in March Time
4BiaCS
Balls in a Croquet Set. H.
OR: Bishops in a Chess Set. NQ27.
4BiaJ
Bottles in a Jeroboam (of champagne)
4 B i a (32 B) W
Bytes in a (32 Bit) Word
4BiaW
Balls in a Walk. P30-new. U. [American baseball]
4BitGC
Bases in the Genetic Code. (Adenosine, cytosine,
guanine, thymine.)
4 B (J P G a R)
Beatles (John, Paul, George and Ringo). H2-new.
T 4 B o A (b A P)
The Four Books of Architecture (by Andrea Palladio).
(16C)
4BoaRP
?? Bases on a Rounders Pitch ??
4CAiB
Carbon Atoms in Butane. U-new.
4 C B Colly Birds. Sometimes Calling Birds.
T4CCint4CT
The 4 Colour Conjecture is now the 4 Colour Theorem
4CiaQ
Cups in a Quart. U-new.
4CiaS
Corners in a Square. U-new.
OR
Crotchets in a Semibreve. U-new.
4CiaTLS
??
4CitFF
Children in the Famous Five. U-new. (Stories by Enid
Blyton; the fifth was the dog.)
4CitHH
Chambers in the Human Heart. P33-new. U.
4CoaS
Corners of a Square. H2-new.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.17
4CoE
4CoQE2
4CotE
4CotG
4CotW
Ta4CtmB
WiDa4DC
4 D t t N S (i L Y)
T 4 E The 4-th Estate
4EEAFaW
Corners of (the) Earth. NQ13.
Children of Queen Elizabeth II
Corners of the Earth
Corners of the Globe. R67-new.
Corners of the World
There are 4 Corners to my Bed (Prayer to the
Evangelists, see Appendix.)
Water is Densest at 4 Degrees Celsius
Distance to the Nearest Star (in Light Years)
4 Elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water (Greek
philosophy)
4EMMLaJ
Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
4EotPU
Elements of the Physical Universe. P52-new.
Cf 4 E E A F a W.
4EotR
Estates of the Realm
4F
Flusher. R31-new.
T 4 F The Four Feathers. (Jonathan Always; Puzzles for Puzzlers; Tandem, 1971, prob.
8(a). Novel by A. E. W. Mason, 1902, filmed 7
times.)
OR
The Four Freedoms
4faB
for a Birth (or Boy) (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
4FiaB
Firkins in a Barrel
4 F i a G (U S)
Fluidounces in a Gill (United States). U-new. Should
be Fluid Ounces ??
4FiaOP
Farthings in an Old Penny. H2. (Old English money.)
4FoaQ
Feet on a Quadruped
4FOiaG
Fluid Ounces in a Gill. (US.)
4 F O i a G (U S)
Fluid Ounces in a Gill (United States)
4FoMMH
Fingers on Mickey Mouse's Hands. H.
4FoMR
Faces on Mount Rushmore. U-new. (Washington,
Jefferson, Lincoln, T. Roosevelt.)
4ftGM
for the Gospel Makers (Green Grow the Rushes 0h _
see Appendix)
4G
Gospels
4GiaCC
?? Misprint for Quadrants in a Complete Circle ??
4GiaP
Gills in a Pint. U.
4GiC
Gang in China. P38-new. [G o 4 is better.]
4GitB
Gospels in the Bible
4GitNT
Gospels in the New Testament
4GMiC
Gang Members in China. U-new. [G o 4 is better.]
4 G (M M L a J)
Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). H2-new.
4GtWtWS
Games to Win the World Series. P57-new. [American
baseball.]
4HaJGF
[For] He's a Jolly Good Fellow. H2-new.
4HiaT
Hogsheads in a Tun
4HoND
Horsemen of Notre Dame. U-new. [Reference to a
famous football team with four great runners.]
4HotA
Horsemen of the Apocalypse. S2. P36. U. H2. R39.
(Revelation 6:2-8 only describes the first three
and says the fourth is Death. From the
descriptions, one could call the first three:
Conquest, War or Slaughter, Famine. I seem to
recall the names: War, Famine, Pestilence and
Death.)
4iH
In Hand. R3-new. This is a kind of carriage??
4IiaH
Inches in a Hand. U.
4IiaSQ
Instruments in a String Quartet. P33-new.
4IiM
I's in Mississippi. P13-new. U, with Is.
4IoC
Inns of Court. (London legal training institutions.)
T 4 (M) I o J
The 4 (Main) Islands of Japan
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.18
4JAID
T 4 J M (b E W)
4KiaP
4LaNC
4 L C Leaf Clover. H2.
4LCtILO
4LG2LB
July, American Independence Day. H2-new.
The Four Just Men (by Edgar Wallace). H2 omits
'The'.
Kilderkins in a Puncheon
Lions around Nelson's Column
Leaf Clover that I'm Looking Over. U-new.
4 Legs Good, 2 Legs Bad (Animal Farm, by George
Orwell, 1945)
4LiaB
Lines in a Barleycorn
4LiaDW
Letters in a Dirty Word. P31-new. U.
4LiaRR
Legs in a Relay Race. H2-new.
4LiaRW
Letters in a Rude Word. H2-new.
4LoaLC
Leaves on a Lucky Clover. U-new.
4LotAHHaVS
Letters of the Alphabet Have Horizontal and Vertical
Symmetry (HIOX)
4 L S Law Sittings (Hilary, Easter, Trinity, Michaelmas)
4LW
Letter Word
4MHC
Mozart Horn Concertoes
4MiaQ
Musicians in a Quartet
4MiaS
Movements in a Symphony. P32-new. U. NQ16. [Not
always!]
T4MM
Minute Mile
4MMBbRB
Minute Mile Broken by Roger Bannister. H2-new.
4MotB
Members of the Beatles. P47-new. U.
4MwTD
Months with Thirty Days. U-new.
4NiaQ
Nails in a Quarter (medieval cloth measure, still given
in 19C books!)
4NTG
New Testament Gospels
4oCt
O'Clock Tea. R8-new.
4OiTRotN
Operas in The Ring of the Nibelungs. [By Wagner]
P35-new, omitting second 'the'.
4 O in a M Q P* (*B C)
Ounces in a MacDonald's Quarter-Pounder* (*Before
Cooking) S3-new.
TG4oJ
The Glorious 4th of July
T4oJ
The 4th of July. R24-new.
T4oJiIDiA
The 4th of July is Independence Day in America
4OtF
Overtures to Fidelio. (By Beethoven. The first three are
called Leonora Overtures, 1, 2, 3.)
4 P B Poster Bed
4PfaT
Points for a Try
4PiaB
Pecks in a Bushel. U. (Dry measure)
4PiaF
Players in a Foursome
4PiaG
Pennies in a Groat (Old English money.)
4PiaP
Pints in a Pottle
4PiaDTM
Players in a Doubles Tennis Match. NQ94-new.
4PoaPT
Players on a Polo Team. H.
4PotC
Points of the Compass. H2-new. NQ14.
4PotM
Phases of the Moon
4 Q (b T S E)
Quartets (by T. S. Eliot)
4 Q D Quarter Days (Christmas, Lady Day, Midsummer, Michaelmas)
4QiaC
Quadrants in a Circumference (or Circle)
4QiaFG
Quarters in a Football Game (US). P3-new. U.
4QiaG
Quarts in a Gallon. S1. P cover, 45. U. H2.
4QiaH
Quarters in a Hundredweight
4QiaY
Quarters in a Yard (medieval cloth measure, still given
in 19C books!)
4QotM
Quarters of the Moon
TB4R
The Big 4 Railroads. R62-new. (I assumed this referred
to 1920s USA, but Robert Reid believes it is
British and hence would be The Big 4 Railways,
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.19
4RfaB
4RfaBiC
4RiaA
4RiaC
4RiaRR
4RoaMB
4RoH
4RoP
4RSotMB
4S
AYh4S
4Sa7YA
4SaSYA
4Sa7YA
4SbV
4SiaBQ
4SiaDoC
4SiaFoB
4SiaR
4SiaS
4SiaY
4SiM
4Si3A
4SMaD
4SoaMB
4SoaQ
4SoaS
4SoaV
4SotY
4SQiaC
4 S (S S A W)
4StaS
4SW
4SWTBL
4TFDREP
4ToaC
4ToaF
4ToaRFoaC
4USPoMR
4USSwtWN
4W
4WaaF
4WB
4WD
and this is confirmed in W. H. Mason; The
Gilbert Harding Question Book; Benn, 1956,
pp. 78 & 122, which says the term applied until
nationalization in 1948. The railways were: LMS
(London, Midland & Scottish) LGNER (London
& North-Eastern Railway), GWR (Great Western
Railway (sometimes called God's Wonderful
Railway)), SR (Southern Railway))
Runs for a Boundary
Runs for a Boundary in Cricket. H2-new.
Roods in an Acre
Rods in a Chain
Runners in a Relay Race
Railways on a Monopoly Board. U. (In the US.)
Rivers of Hell (Dante: Inferno 14 lists: Acheron, Styx,
Phlegethon, Cocytus. Lethe is also often listed,
giving 5 R o H, qv, but Dante says it is in
Paradise. Cf 7 R o H, 9 R o H.)
Rivers of Paradise
Railway Stations on the Monopoly Board. H2-new.
Seasons
A Year has 4 Seasons. KK-new.
4 Score and 7 Years Ago
Score and Seven Years Ago. U-new.
Score and Seven Years Ago. R100-new.
Seasons by Vivaldi. H2-new.
Singers in a Barbershop Quartet. P33-new.
Suits in a Deck of Cards. P11. U.
Stones in a Firkin of Butter
Sides in a Rectangle. P49-new. U.
Sides in a Square. P49-new. U.
Seasons in a Year. U-new.
S's in Mississippi. P13-new. U, with Ss.
4 Saints in 3 Acts (Opera by Virgil Thomson, words by
Gertrude Stein.)
Square Meals a Day
Stations on a Monopoly Board (In England. In the US,
they are railways. I don't know about other
countries.)
Sides on (of) a Quadrilateral. H2-new.
Sides on (of) a Square
Strings on a violin. U. H2. GR. (or viola, cello, double
bass, banjo, etc.)
Seasons of the Year. P23. NQ36.
Semi Quavers in a Crotchet
Seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn (Fall), Winter)
Sides to a Square
Four Strong Winds (song title by Ian Tyson)
Four Strong Winds That Blow Lonely (opening line of
the song)
Terms FDR Elected President. P37-new. U. ['was
elected' would be better.]
Teats on a Cow
Tines on a Fork (usually).
Toes on a Rear Foot of a Cat
U. S. Presidents on Mount Rushmore. P35-new.
U. S. States with the Word New. P52-new.
Winds. H.
Four Weddings and a Funeral (film title). H2.
Wheel Brakes. R52-new.
Wheel Drive
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.20
B4WmBH
4WoaC
4YBLY
4YBOG
4YBPE
4YiaO
4YiOPT
4 + 20 B B i a P
H W W T, M R a 5
GM5
HMBM5
Beneath four wings my body hide (Prayer to the
Evangelists, see Appendix.)
Wheels on a Car. P7-new. U.
Years Between Leap Years
Years between Olympic Games
Years between Presidential Elections etc.
Years in an Olympiad. P46-new. U.
Years in One Presidential Term. U-new.
4 and 20 Blackbirds Baked in a Pie. GR-new.
He Who Would Thrive, Must Rise at 5 [Proverb] Cf
H W H T. M L t 7
Give Me 5
How Many Beans Make Five? Jonathan Always;
Puzzles for Puzzlers; Tandem, 1971, prob. 8(b).
(Early 17C English proverb, given in Brewer,
who says it refers to use of beans on a counting
board (i.e. an abacus). Often used in versions of
Jack and the Beanstalk, where the answer is
"Two in each hand and one in your mouth".
C N 5 Chanel No. 5
S5
Slaughterhouse Five (by Kurt Vonnegut). H.
T5
Take 5
T F 5 The Famous 5 (Enid Blyton characters)
5, 6, P u S
Pick up Sticks
5, 6, P u t S
Pick up the Sticks
5aaHYiaRPoP
5 and a Half Yards in a Rod, Pole or Perch
5AoaS
Arms on a starfish (Usually)
NY5AS
New York's 5th Avenue Shops. R85-new.
5 B G Barred Gate
5BiaB
Bundles in a Bale (of paper)
5BitT
Books in the Torah. P27-new. U.
5BoM
Books of Moses (= the Pentateuch)
5CAiP
Carbon Atoms in Pentane. U-new.
5CHRiE
Classic Horse Races in England
5CiaN
Cents in a Nickel
5CiBHR
Classics in British Horse Racing
5CiCA
Countries in Central America. U-new.
5 C P Cinque Ports. U-new. (A group of originally five ports along the SE coast of
England.)
5CRM
Camptown Racetrack Miles. U-new.
5 C S Card Stud
5DiaWW
Days in a Working Week. H2-new.
5DiaZC
Digits in a Zip Code. S1. U.
5DiY
Dice in Yahtzee. U-new.
5 D Q Dione Quintuplets
5EiaP
Events in a Pentathlon
5 E P Five Easy Pieces. U-new. S3. (1970 film title.)
5faC
for a Christening (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
5 F E Finger Exercise
5 F i a G (UK)
Fluidounces in a Gill (United Kingdom). U-new.
(Should be Fluid Ounces ...)
5FiaP
Feet in a Pace
5FoaH
Fingers on a Hand. P54. U. H2.
5FotH
Fingers on the Hand. S2.
5FOiaG
Fluid Ounces in a Gill. (UK. The a was omitted in the
version posed.)
5FoNP
Fields of Nobel Prizes
5F2EoB
Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue. U-new. (Song title.)
5ftCaYD
for the Cymbals at Your Door (Green Grow the
Rushes Oh _ see Appendix. Both Cymbals and
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.21
Symbols occur several times on Google.)
Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue. U-new. (Song title.)
for the Symbols at Your Door (Green Grow the
Rushes Oh _ see Appendix. Both Cymbals and
Symbols occur several times on Google. John
Timpson [Timpson's England; Jarrold, 1987, pp.
7 & 100] says this may derive from five marks at
the entrance to Benthall Hall and other 16C
houses that indicated Catholic sympathies and
sanctuary for priests.)
5FTTOZ
Four Three Two One Zero. H2-new.
5ftR
For the Rich (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
5 F V Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25:2, cf 5 W V)
YOM5FStBoSM
You Owe Me 5 Farthings, Say the Bells of St. Martin's
T5GL
The 5 Great Lakes. P10. U. (Superior, Michigan,
Huron, Erie, Ontario.)
5GLoNA
Great Lakes of North America. H2-new.
5GNM
Guys Named Mo
5 G R Gold Rings
5GRMTLGtM
Gold Rings My True Love Gave To Me. H2-new.
5HotWoB
Husbands of the Wife of Bath (Chaucer)
IStF5iG
I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (Painting by Charles
Demuth, 1928, in the Metropolitan Museum of
Art, NY. Apparently inspired by a William
Carlos Williams poem??)
VD5iRN
V Denotes 5 in Roman Numerals
TSH5L
The Sheep Has Five Legs (1954 French film). H.
5La2F
5 Loaves and 2 Fishes (Matthew 14:17, etc.)
5LiaL
Lines in a Limerick
5LiaMS
Lines in a Musical Stave
5 L P ?? Little Piggies
OR
Little Peppers _ see next entry. R59.
5LPaHTG
Five Little Peppers (and How They Grew) (Title of a
popular US children's book from a story by
Margaret Sidney). H.
TAot5M
The Arrest of the Five Members (attempted by Charles I
on 4 Jan 1641 in the House of Commons against
five protesting MPs - the event that started the
Civil War)
5MBiJatB
Magic Beans in Jack and the Beanstalk. P8-new. U.
5MiaCR
Miles in a Camptown Racetrack. U2-new.
5MiCR
Miles in Camptown Racetrack. P32-new. 5 M i t C R
would be better.
CR5ML
Camptown Racetrack 5 Miles Long [Do-dah].
GM5MM
Give Me 5 Minutes More (Song title and line, by Jule
Styne & Sammy Cahn, 1946.)
5MotC
Members of the Cabal
5 M S ?? Main Senses
5 N (G F N)
November (Guy Fawkes Night). H2-new.
5NitPS
Notes in the Pentatonic Scale
5NotI
Nations of the Iroquois (Indian tribes in New York
state.)
5NPiaOS
New Pence in an Old Shilling. H2-new.
H 5 0 Hawaii Five-O (American TV series). I'm not sure if the
OR H 5 O
O is supposed to be a 0, though it's pronounced
'oh'.
5 O'C i Q T
O'Clock is Quitting Time. U-new.
RRt5oN
Remember, Remember, the 5th of November (Popular
rhyme for Guy Fawkes Night.)
5OoMiES
Ounces of Milk in Every Slice (Kraft cheese slogan)
5OotW
Oceans of the World
5FTEoB
5ftSaYD
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.22
T5OP
5 O R Olympic Rings
OR
5 O S O'clock Shadow
5OoW
5PfaTiRU
5PiaBT
5PiaN
5 P N Pound Note. H2-new.
Wuia5Pn
5PoaDP
5PoaP
5PoaSiB
5PoaTR
5PotFiI
T5PS
5QiaL
5QiaE
5QiaEE
5RfD
5RitOS
5RoH
5RotOF
5 R P (C A E W a H)
5RWSD
Ta5RWSD
5 S G Star General
5SiaC
5SiaP
5SitSC
5SoaP
5StaP
AN5SSf2F
Aot5T
FF5TFL
5TitP
The Five Orange Pips (Sherlock Holmes story.)
O'clock Rush(hour)
Oceans of (the) World [sic!]. NQ64.
Points for a Try in Rugby Union
Players in a Basketball Team
Pennies in a Nickel. P9-new. U. (US money)
Wrapped up in a 5 Pound Note. (The Owl and the
Pussycat.)
Pads on a Dog's Paw
Points on a Pentangle
Players on a Side in Basketball
Petals on a Tudor Rose
Pillars of the Faith in Islam (Belief in one God; prayer
five times a day toward Mecca; giving of alms;
observance of Ramadan; making the Hadj.)
Platonic Solids
Quarters in a Load
Quarters in an Ell (medieval cloth measure, still given
in 19C books!)
Quarters in an English Ell (cloth measure)
Reasons for Drinking (Henry Aldrich, 17C)
Rings in the Olympic Symbol
Rivers of Hell (or Hades). (Brewer says five: Acheron,
Cocytus, Styx, Phlegethon, Lethe, but Dante says
Lethe is in Paradise _ cf 4 R o H. Cf 7 R o H;
9 R o H.)
Rings on the Olympic Flag. U-new. NQ5.
Royal Princes (Charles, Andrew, Edward, William and
Harry). H2-new.
Reasons We Should Drink (Henry Aldrich, cf above)
There are 5 Reasons We Should Drink (Henry Aldrich,
cf above)
Shillings in a Crown (Old English money.)
Sides in a Pentagon. P41-new. U. ['of' or 'on' might be
better.]
Stars in the Southern Cross
Sides on a Pentagon
Sides to a Pentagon. KK-new.
Are Not 5 Sparrows Sold for 2 Farthings (Luke 12).
U-new.
Anna of the Five Towns (Arnold Bennett novel)
Full Fathom 5 Thy Father Lies (The Tempest)
Towns in the Potteries (Stoke, Tunstall, Burslem,
Hanley, Longton, used in Arnold Bennett's
novels.)
5 T on a C (including the S in the T)
5ToaF
5ToaHF
5 T S (2 H, E, M & E)
5ViRN
5VitA
5 V i t A (E Y)
5 V i t E A (S Y a W)
?? Toes on a Chicken (including the Spur in the Toes)
?? GR-new. Nothing on Google.
Toes on a Foot. F54-new. H2. NQ96.
Toes on a Human Foot. U-new.
Tudor Sovereigns (2 Henrys, Edward, Mary &
Elizabeth)
V in Roman Numerals. H2-new.
Vowels in the Alphabet. NQ98.
Vowels in the Alphabet (Excluding Y). H2-new.
Vowels in the English Alphabet (Sometimes Y and W).
U-new.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.23
5VOitHB
AUaa5W
5WitA
5WoOL
5WotR
5WV
5 Y P Year Plan
Vital Organs in the Human Body. P45-new. U2.
As Useless as a Fifth Wheel. R35-new.
Words in the Answer. U-new.
Wounds of Our Lord
Wounds of the Redeemer
Wise Virgins (Matthew 25:2, cf 5 F V)
H f 6 Hit for 6 (In cricket, this is a maximum score.)
NWa6
Now We are 6 (A. A. Milne)
P65T
Pennsylvania 6 5-Thousand (Glenn Miller song title,
using the telephone number of the Statler (or
Pennsylvania) Hotel in New York where his band
was playing.)
BnIa6aCaC
But now I am 6 and Clever as Clever (A. A. Milne)
6AoR
Articles of Religion. (Apparently there were 6 before
there were 39 (cf 39 A o R); Bishop Hugh
Latimer was unable to accept the Six Articles and
resigned in 1539.
6AotA
Avenue of the Americas. U2-new. P14, omitting 'the'.
A 6s a 7s
At Sixes and Sevens
E i a 6s a 7s
Everything is at Sixes and Sevens. R87-new.
6 B C Brandenburg Concertos. P32-new. U. [By Bach]
6BiaO
Balls in an Over. H2-new.
6 B i a O (i C)
Balls in an Over (in Cricket). U.
6BiaR
Bottles in a Rehoboam (of champagne)
6BtaO
Balls to an Over. NQ54.
6CAiH
Carbon Atoms in Hexane. U-new.
6CBiS
Coloured Balls in Snooker
6C
Chopsticks. (Cockney rhyming slang.)
6CiSoaA
Six Characters in Search of an Author (play or book
title). H2.
6CoU
Counties of Ulster (Antrim, Armagh, Down,
Fermanagh, Londonderry, Tyrone, which
comprise Northern Ireland. Actually Cavan,
Donegal and Monaghan are historically also part
of Ulster, but became part of the Irish Republic in
1921, and later Irish nationalism has concentrated
on the 'missing' six counties.
TEWMi6D
The Earth Was Made in 6 Days. R70-new.
6Da7N
6 Days and 7 Nights (of Creation)
6Dit7DW
Days in the 7 Day War.
6DitGFoL
Deaths in the Great Fire of London (1666). H.
6 D i t S-D W
Days in the Seven-Day War. P38-new.
6DoC
Days of Creation. P41. U.
6DotC
Days of the Condor. U-new. (Novel by James Grady,
1974, made into a movie as Three Days of the
Condor, 1975.)
6DSTL
Days Shalt Thou Labour (Book of Common Prayer).
H2.
6DW
Day War
6EiaI
Ems in an Inch. (Printers' measure.) Chapman, p. 22.
6EiH aD
Eggs in Half a Dozen
6faD
for a Dearth (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
ITIb6fEaE
I Think I'll be 6 for Ever and Ever (A. A. Milne)
6FiaF
Feet in a Fathom. U. H2.
6FiaH
Firkins in a Hogshead
6FoaI
Feet on an Insect
6FoT
Flags over Texas. U-new. (Spain, France, Mexico,
Republic of Texas, USA, CSA.)
6FotC
Faces of the Cube
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.24
6 f t P For the Poor (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
6ftSPW
for the Six Proud Walkers (Green Grow the Rushes
0h _ see Appendix)
6 F U Feet Underground. U-new. OR just Under.
6 G A Geese A-laying. U-new.
6GaL
Geese a-Laying
6GfaSaT
Games for a Set at Tennis
6GtWaSiT
Games to Win a Set in Tennis. H2-new.
6HaD
Half a Dozen
6HDoOfRC
Holy Days of Obligation for Roman Catholics.
P17-new. U.
6iHaD
is Half a Dozen
6 I T B B (L C)
Impossible Things Before Breakfast (Lewis Carroll).
U-new.
WSIBaMa6ITBB
Why, Sometimes I've Believed as Many as 6 Impossible
Things Before Breakfast (Through the
Looking-Glass)
6itFPN
is the First Perfect Number
6itMMiFS
is the Maximum Mark in Figure Skating
6KiaB
Kilderkins in a Butt
6LoaI
Legs on an Insect. U. H2 has 'of'.
6MG
?? Mitford Girls
6MGtWaTS
?? Minimum Games to Win a Tennis Set
6NiaM
Noughts in a Million
6oOaaHDotO
of One and a Half Dozen of the Other. U-new.
6oOaHaDotO
of One and Half a Dozen of the Other
6oOa½DotO
of One and a Half Dozen of the Other. R44-new.
6oOHaDotO
of One, Half a Dozen of the Other i. H2-new.
6otB
of the Best. H2.
SaSo6P
Sing a Song of 6 Pence
6PfaTDiAF
Points for a Touch Down in American Football
6PfPtPiS
Points for Potting the Pink in Snooker.
6PiaP
Pigs in a Poke. U-new. (I don't know this phrase and
Google only gives it with two or three ??)
6PiaPT
Pockets in a Pool Table. P56-new.
6PitGTS
Pips in the Greenwich Time Signal. H2-new.
6PoaIHT
Players on an Ice Hockey Team
6PoaPT
Pockets on a Pool Table. U-new. GR.
6PoaST
Pockets on a Snooker Table. H2.
6PoaVBT
Players on a Volley Ball Team
6PW
Proud Walkers (Green Grow the Rushes 0h _ see
Appendix)
6QiaFE
Quarters in a French Ell (cloth measure)
6S
Shooter. R50.
OR Sixth Sense. R53-new.
6SiaH
Sides in a Hexagon. P50-new. U.
6SiC
Suspects in Cluedo
6SiFSM
Sharps in F Sharp Major. NQ34-new.
6SoaC
Sides on (of) a Cube. U-new.
6SoaD
Sides on a Dice. KK-new. This is really incorrect and
the following is correct.
6SoaD
Sides on (of) a Die. U-new.
6SoaG
Strings on a Guitar. H2.
6SoaH
Sides of a Hexagon. H2. (or Hexahedron).
6SoH
Sides of a Hexagon [sic!]. NQ56
6TiaT
Tierces in a Tun
6ToaPH
Toes on a Panda's Hand [not quite true, the 'sixth' toe is
a kind of a spur.]
6TZitUS
Time Zones in the United States. U-new.
6VitEL
Vowels in the English Language. U-new. (This must be
including Y.)
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.25
6WitUSS
6WoHE
OR 6 W o H VIII
6WoHt8
OR 6 W o H t E
6ZiaM
D 0 7 (J B)
H W H T. M L t 7
Women in the U. S. Senate. P16-new.
Wives of Henry Eight. NQ70 has 'Henry Eighth'.
" P22. U2.
Wives of Henry the Eighth
" S2. U. H2.
Zeroes in a Million. H2-new.
007 (James Bond)
He Who Hath Thriven, May Lie til 7 [Proverb] Cf
H W W T, M R a 5
S7
Shed Seven (a Leeds band)
TM7
The Magnificent Seven (Hollywood film based on
Kurosawa's Seven Samurai)
T S 7 The Secret 7 (Enid Blyton characters)
7, 8, L T S
Lay Them Straight. R88.
7 A o a M [sic!]
Ages of Man. NQ2.
7AoM
Acts of Mercy _ see 7 W o M
7AoM
Ages of Man (As You Like It). P26. U. H2. [The
Greeks had 3, 4 or 7 ages of man!]
7aTbA
Seven Against Thebes, by Aeschylus
7atRT
Seven and the Ragged Tiger (Record title by Duran
Duran)
7Bf7B
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954 musical film)
7BfSB
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. P58-new. U. H2.
NQ92.
7BitA
Bones in the Ankle
7 C i (o) a M
Candles in (on) a Menorah. H. P34-new says 8 and my
Jewish neighbours have shown me an example
which has 8, but there is an extra candle used for
lighting the others.
7CiaR
Colors in a Rainbow. P54-new. U. Cf 7 C o t R.
7CitS
Colours in the Spectrum. Cf 7 C o t R.
7CitW
Continents in the World
7CoA
Churches of Asia (Revelation 1:11)
7CoC
Champions of Christendom (George, James, Anthony,
Denys, David, Patrick, Andrew)
7CoR
Churches of Rome. (S. Giovanni Laterano, S. Pietro,
S. Paolo fuori le Mura, S. Lorenzo,
Sta. Maria Maggiore, Sta. Croce in Gerusalemme,
S. Sebastiano.)
7CotE
Continents on the Earth. U-new.
7CotR
Coins of the Realm (1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 p (UK), but
the new £2 has changed this.)
7CotR
Colours of the Rainbow. H says it is thought that
Newton invented indigo in order to get seven
colours and another source says this was in
analogy with the seven notes of the musical scale.
This source says Virgil stated the rainbow had a
thousand colours. H2.
7CotS
Colours of the Spectrum
7 C 11
7 Come 11 (exhortation to dice in craps). R60-new.
7 C V Cardinal Virtues (Faith, Hope, Charity, Justice, Fortitude, Prudence, Temperance _ the
first 3 are sometimes called the Christian virtues
or graces, the latter four being the Cardinal or
natural virtues.)
SWat7D
Snow White and the 7 Dwarves
7D
Dials (London intersection)
SWh7D
Snow White had 7 Dwarves. KK-new.7 D A
7th
Day Adventists
7 D A Seventh Day Adventist. R65-new.
R b 7 D b 11
Rain before 7, Dry by 11. R83-new.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.26
Ot7DHR
7 D i a T N (US)
7DiaW
7 D (i S W)
7DoMM
7DONoJB
7DoSW
7DotW
7 D S (P, W, E, L, G, A, S)
On the 7th Day He Rested
Digits in a Telephone Number (US). U-new.
Days in a Week. H2.
Dwarves (in Snow White). U.
Devils of Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2)
Double O Number of James Bond. H2-new.
Dwarves of Snow White. P22, with 'in'.
Days of the Week
Deadly Sins (Pride, Wrath, Envy, Lust, Gluttony,
Avarice, Sloth). P35. U. H2. NQ51,
7DW
Day War.
A7DW
A 7 Day's Wonder. R32-new.
7DwSW
Dwarves with Snow White. H2-new. GR.
7faB
For a Bitch (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
R a 7 F a 11
Rain at 7, Fair at 11 (proverb)
R b 7 F b 11
Rain before 7, Fine by 11
7FLaRBM
Family Lamentations at Ridyah Bar Mitzvah. U-new.
7ftSSitS
for the Seven Stars in the Sky (Green Grow the
Rushes 0h _ see Appendix)
7FYa7LY
7 Fat Years and 7 Lean Years
THot7G
The House of the 7 Gables (by Nathaniel Hawthorne).
R6 has T H o 7 G.
7GitWS
Games in the World Series [American baseball]
7GoL
Gods of Luck (In Japanese mythology, these are called
Shichi Fukujin (Seven Happiness Beings).)
7GotHG
Gifts of the Holy Ghost _ see below.
7GotS
Gifts of the Spirit (Wisdom, understanding, counsel,
fortitude, knowledge, righteousness, fear of the
Lord)
I 7 H In 7th Heaven (H says there are seven heavens in Islamic belief and names them.
Another source says 7th heaven is silver.) R48new has 7 H.
7 H a 10 H
7 Heads and 10 Horns (on the Beast of the Apocalypse)
7HaNYGiaaPtR
Hours a Night, You Get it at a Price that's Right (Ad for
off-peak electricity)
7HoR
Hills of Rome. S2. P22. U. H2. NQ10. (Palatine,
Capitoline, Aventine, Cælian, Esquiline, Viminal,
Quirinal.)
7iaH
is a Heaven (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
7IAS
Seventh Inning, All Stretch [American baseball.]
R21-new.
7IS
7th Inning Stretch [American baseball]
7itpHoW
is the pH of Water. H.
7KoFiHP
Kinds of Fruit in Hawaiian Punch. U-new. (An
American fruit drink.)
7KtB
Seven Keys to Baldpate. R68-new. (Novel by Earl
Derr Biggers, 1913, made into a successful play,
1913.)
7La5F
7 Loaves and 5 Fishes. (This is not correct, but occurs
several times on Google. Matthew 14:17, etc.
gives 5 Loaves and 2 Fishes. Mark 8:20
describes another miraculous feeding: "And when
the seven among four thousand, ...", but there is
no mention of fishes here and this is the only
gospel to describe this feeding. Other sources
refer to this as 7 loaves and a few fishes.)
7 L A Liberal Arts. The trivium (grammar, rhetoric, dialectic) and the quadrivium (arithmetic,
geometry, astronomy, music).
7 L B League Boots. R80.
7LGSitBS
Seven Little Girls Sitting in the Back Seat. U-new.
(Song title and line, by Paul Evans and the Curls,
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.27
1959.)
The Seven Lamps of Architecture (John Ruskin)
Levels of Hell (Dante)
Letters of the Alphabet Have 180 Degree Rotational
Symmetry (HINOSXZ)
7LotT
Lamps of the Tabernacle
7LWoCotC
Last Words of Christ on the Cross (Matthew 27: 46;
Luke 23: 24, 43, 46; John 19: 26, 28, 30.)
7M
Seven Men (by Max Beerbohm)
7MCB
Seven Men Came Back (by Warwick Deeping)
7MiaPC
Minutes in a Polo Chukkah. H.
7MoM
Men of Moidart (W. H. Mason; The Gilbert Harding
Question Book; Benn, 1956, pp. 90 & 127. They
were the seven who accompanied Bonnie Prince
Charlie in the 1745 uprising.)
7MSSMitMOG
Mark Spitz's Swimming Medals in the Munich Olympic
Games
I7Mw7mSifHaY
If 7 Maids with 7 Mops Swept it for Half a Year
(Through the Looking Glass)
7OWbSiL
Oscars Won by Shakespeare in Love. H2-new.
WhBhHShHoh7P
Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her
seven pillars. (Proverbs 9:1) In the middle ages,
this was held to refer to the seven liberal arts, see
7 L A.
7 P (D of A)
Pleiades (Daughters of Atlas). U.
7PfaTD
Points for a Touch Down. U-new. (Unless the rules
have changed or this is not referring to American
football, this is incorrect. A touchdown scores 6
points, but it gives an opportunity to score an
extra point which is usually made.)
7PfBiS
Points for Black in Snooker. U-new.
7PiaC
Pounds in a Clove (wool weight)
7PiaNT
Players in a Netball Team. H also says 11.
7PiaWPT
Players in a Water Polo Team. U-new.
7PoaSaWP
Players on a Side at Water Polo
7PoE
Plagues of Egypt. P21-new. U2. Cf 10 P o E _ ??
7 P o t O S of a D
Points on the Opposite Sides of a Die
T7PoW
Pillars of Wisdom (Proverbs 9:1: "Wisdom hath
builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven
pillars", = Gifts of the Spirit; also the name of a
geographic formation in Wadi Rum and the title
of a book by T. E. Lawrence.) P26. U. H2 &
NQ62 omit 'The'.
7RoH
Rivers of Hell. ?? But cf 4 R o H; 5 R o H; 9 R o H.
T 7 S The Seven Samurai (film by Kurosawa)
OR
The 7 Seas. R17.
OR
The 7 Sisters (in the Pleiades or in North London
or cliffs in Sussex.)
OR
The Seventh Seal (in Revelations or the title of a
Bergmann film)
OR
The 7 Sleepers. Cf 7 S o E.
7SaS
Swans a-Swimming
7SiaH
Skeins in a Hank. H.
7SitBD
Stars in the Big Dipper. S3-new.
7SitP
Stars in the Plough
OR
Sisters in the Pleiades (sometimes counted as 6)
7SitS
Stars in the Sky (Green Grow the Rushes 0h _ see
Appendix)
7 S o a 50 o 20 P C
Sides on a 50 or 20 Pence Coin
7 S o a 20 P P
Sides on a 20 Pence Piece
7 S o a 50 P P
Sides on a 50 Pence Piece
T7LoA
7LoH
7 L o t A H 180 D R S
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.28
7SoaFPC
7SoaFPP
7SoaSS
7SoE
7SoG
7 S o R (Q)
7SoStS
7SotC
7SotW
7SStF
JM7TAJ
7 T (b t G D B)
7TSP
7U
7V
Dot7V
7ViSD
7VoS
OR
IMaMw7W
AIWGtSIIMaMw7W
7WoM
7WotAW
7WotW
7YBL
7YiaIRPoP
7YoBLfBaM
AJS7YfR
T7YI
7YoP7YoF
P o 8 Pieces of 8. R10.
8 (and a bit) = S by S
Sides on a Fifty Pence Coin. H2-new.
Sides on a Fifty Pence Piece. U.
7th Son of a Seventh Son
Sleepers of Ephesus
Spirits of God (Revelations 4:5.)
Seven Seas of Rhye (Queen). U. (Song title and line
from a song by Queen. Sometimes incorrectly
spelled Rye.)
Seas of Sinbad the Sailor. P12-new. U2.
Sacraments of the Church.
Seas of the World
Shepherds Spoil the Flock (proverb, but this comes
from an Australian book)
Joshua Marched 7 Times Around Jericho (Joshua 6:4.)
Seven Tears (by the Goombay Dance Band)
?? The Seven Pleiades OR The Seven Planets (of the
ancients: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter,
Venus, Saturn) ??
Up (soda pop)
Virtues _ see 7 C V
Dance of the 7 Veils
Veils in Salome's Dance. H2-new.
Voyages of Sinbad
Veils of Salome
I Met a Man with 7 Wives. U-new.
As I Was Going to St. Ives, I Met a Man with 7 Wives.
R92-new.
Works of Mercy (Tending the sick, feeding the hungry,
giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked,
harbouring the stranger, ministering to prisoners,
burying the dead. Matthew 25: 35-45.)
Wonders of the Ancient World. S1. P37. U.
Wonders of the World (Pyramids, Hanging Gardens,
Olympian Zeus, Temple of Artemis, Mausoleum,
Colossus of Rhodes, Pharos of Alexandria.) R82.
NQ55,
Years Bad Luck
Yards in a Irish Rod, Pole or Perch
Years of Bad Luck for Breaking a Mirror. U-new. GR.
And Jacob Served 7 Years for Rachel (Genesis 29:20)
The Seven Year Itch (play by George Axelrod, then a
1955 film). H. _2 omits 'The'.
7 Years of Plenty, 7 Years of Famine
Symphonies by Schubert (8 completed and 1
Unfinished)
8aaH
8 ½ (Fellini movie title, 1963). H. H2.
8 A N of O
Atomic Number of Oxygen
8AoaO
Arms on an Octopus. U.
8 A R April Rainers (Green Grow the Rushes 0h _ see Appendix)
8B
Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-11) (However, one source
says there are 9.)
Bt8B
Behind the 8 Ball
8BiaAO
Balls in an Australian Over. NQ100-new.
8BiaB
Bits in a Byte. U.
OR
Bits in a Buck. U-new.
8BiaD
Bits in a Dollar
8BiaM
Bottles in a Methusaleh (of champagne)
8BiaQ
Bushels in a Quarter (dry measure)
8BiaW
Bells in a Watch
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.29
8BitSotM
Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew
5:3-11). H.
8BitW
Bones in the Wrist
W8BT
Where Eight Bells Toll (Alastair MacLean thriller). H.
8CAiO
Carbon Atoms in Octane. H.
8 C (b L M A)
Eight Cousins (by Louisa May Alcott)
8 C H Canonical Hours (Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, Compline)
8CiaGoP
Chukkas in a Game of Polo
8 C i (o) a M
Candles in (on) a Menorah. P34-new. U2, with 'in'. H
says 7, but my Jewish neighbours have shown me
an example which has 8, though there is an extra
candle used for lighting the others.
8CotR
Coins of the Realm (1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 p
(UK).)
8CTVB
Council Tax Valuation Bands
8DaW
Eight Days a Week. U. (Beatles' song title)
8 D a W (i t B S)
Eight Days a Week (in the Beatles' Song). GR-new.
8DiaO
Drams in an Ounce. U. (Should be Drachms _ cf
3 S i a D.) (Apothecaries weight.)
8DiH
Days in Hanukkah. P34-new.
8DoH
Days of Hanukkah. U-new.
8EKCH
English Kings Called Henry. U.
8EKNH
English Kings Named Henry. H2.
8faW
for a Witch (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
8FiaF
Fluidrams in a Fluidounce. U-new. (Should be Fluid
Drachms in a Fluid Ounce ?? Cf 3 C i a D.)
8FiaM
Furlongs in a Mile. H2.
8FiaP
Firkins in a Puncheon
8FoaO
Faces on an Octahedron
T8FPoE
The 8 Fold Path of Enlightenment (in Buddhism). H,
listing the 8 parts.
8ftAR
for the April Rainers (Green Grow the Rushes 0h _
see Appendix)
8GiaB
Gallons in a Bushel
8GTitIBC
Great Tomatoes in that Itty Bitty Can. U-new. (Ad for
Contadina tomato paste, 1956, suggested by Stan
Freeberg.)
8 H D Hour Day
Et8Ia
'Enery the 8th I am _ cf I H 8 O M C E
8iaH
is a Hell (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
8iE
is Enough (American TV show, 1980s)
8KHoE
King Henrys of England. P23-new. U.
ASh8L
A Spider has 8 Legs. KK-new.
8LoaO
Legs of an Octopus. H2-new. U2. (They aren't
commonly called legs _ limbs would be better.
Cf 8 T o a O.)
8LoaS
Legs on (of) a Spider. P49. U. H2.
8 M a a S, 4 S a a P
8 Men are a Squad, 4 Squads are a Platoon
8MaM
Maids a-Milking
8MiaO
Musicians in an Octet. NQ8-new.
8MiaRC
Men in a Rowing Crew
8NiaO
Notes in an Octave (really should be 7)
8NoaO
Notes of an Octave (really should be 7). NQ8-new.
8OiaRC
Oarsmen in a Rowing Crew. H2-new.
IH8OMCE
I'm Her 8th Old Man Called 'Enery _ cf E t 8 I a
8PiaG
Pints in a Gallon. H2.
8PoBiaAA
Pints of Blood in an Average Adult. (Some say 9, H
says 12.)
8PoBiaHB
Pints of Blood in a Human Body. (Some say 9, H says
12.)
8PoSitEL
Parts of Speech in the English Language. S2. U.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.30
[Noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb,
preposition, conjunction, interjection.]
8PotA
Persons on the Ark
8QiaP
Quarts in a Peck. U. (dry measure)
8QiaWN
Quavers in a Whole Note. U-new.
8RoCS
Reindeer of Santa Claus (Dasher, Dancer, Prancer,
Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen). H.
8 R P Righteous Persons (on the Ark: Noah, his three sons and their wives)
8SFACW
Spurs' F.A. Cup Wins
8SiaH
Stones in a Hundredweight
8SiaO
Sides in an Octagon. P50-new. U.
8SoaSS
Sides on a Stop Sign. S1. U. (In the US.)
8 S R Santa's Reindeer. P28-new. U.
8SRoSF
Square Root of Sixty Four
8ToA
Territories of Australia
8ToaO
Tentacles on a Octopus. U. H2 has 'of'.
8TtEThbM
Times that Elizabeth Taylor has been Married. S3-new.
8WoaPoS
Wheels on a Pair of Skates
8WPiaCS
White Pawns in a Chess Set. H2-new.
AHSWN9
And Her Shoes Were Number 9
ASiTS9
A Stitch in Time Saves 9
D t t 9s
Dressed to the 9s
O C 9 On Cloud 9
9, 10, B F H
Big Fat Hen
9, 10, a G F H
A Good Fat Hen
9B
Beatitudes (according to one source, but see 8 B)
9 B S Bright Shiners (Green Grow the Rushes 0h _ see Appendix)
9CiaGoF
Calories in a Gram of Fat. U-new.
9 C L Cat's Lives
9CoHitDC
Circles of Hell in the Divine Comedy. P 59-new. U.
[Dante. Cf 9 L o H.]
LJGwQf9D
Lady Jane Grey was Queen for 9 Days. H has 14.
9 D D Drummers Drumming
9 D F Doctor's Favourite. (Darts slang.)
9 D i a Z C w t S C (US)
Digits in a Zip Code with the Street Code (US). U-new.
9DLJGWQ
Days Lady Jane Grey Was Queen. H2-new.
9 D O Days Old
9 D Q Days Queen (Lady Jane Grey, 10 - 19 Jul 1553.)
9DTF
Days They Fell (Paradise Lost, II, 645.)
9DW
Days' Wonder. H2. NQ60. Lemon, p. 215.
9E
Earths (in medieval cosmogony). Lemon, p. 215.
9faB
for a Burying (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
9ftNBS
for the Nine Bright Shiners (Green Grow the Rushes
0h _ see Appendix)
Bt9GHS
By the 9 Gods He Swore (Lays of Ancient Rome, by
Macaulay). H lists the Gods.
9GiaF
Gallons in a Firkin (beer measure)
9GM
Greek Muses. P48-new. U.
9H
Heavens. Lemon, p. 215.
9HoH
Heads of Hydra
9IiaBG
Innings in a Baseball Game. S2. P3. U. [American
baseball]
9IiaS
Inches in a Span
9itHCiaY
is the Highest Card in a Yarborough (at Whist or
Bridge)
9itDhAS
is the Devil his Ain Sel' (Magpie rhyme, see
Appendix.)
9JotSC
Justices on (of) the Supreme Court. GR.
9 J o t S C (US)
Justices of the Supreme Court (US). U-new.
9JotUSSC
Justices on the US Supreme Court. P39-new. U2.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.31
ACh9L
9LaC
9LCbOS
9LoaC
9LoC
9LoH
9LotAHHS
9M
9MiaHBGP
9MiaHGP
9MiGM
9MM
T9MMiFwM
9MoP
It9MthaB
9OCN
T9oDitCoS
Nt9ON
9OoA
9 P B Pin Bowling
9PiaSG
9PitSS
9PoaBT
9PoaRT
A Cat has 9 Lives. R23. Lemon, p. 215.
Lessons and Carols
Lepers Cleansed by Our Saviour (There were ten, but
nine never returned God thanks. Luke 17.)
Lives of a Cat. P10. H2.
Lives of (a) Cat. NQ67.
Levels of Hell (Dante) Cf 9 C o H.
Letters of the Alphabet Have Horizontal Symmetry
(BCDEHIKOX)
Muses. R18-new.
Months in a Human Baby's Gestation Period. P44-new.
U2.
Months in a Human's Gestation Period. U-new.
Muses in Greek Mythology. H lists them.
Men's Morris
The 9 Men's Morris is Filled with Mud (Midsummer
Night's Dream)
Muses of Parnassus
It takes 9 Months to have a Baby. KK-new.
9 O'Clock News
The 9 of Diamonds is the Curse of Scotland
Not the 9 O'clock News
Orders of Angels. Lemon, p. 215.
Points in a Squash Game
Planets in the Solar System. S1. P3. U. H2. NQ76.
Players on a Baseball Team [American baseball]
Players on a Rounders Team. [Jonathan Always;
Puzzles for Puzzlers; Tandem, 1971, prob. 24.]
9PotL
Points of the Law. H quotes these from Brewer.
Pi9PotL
Possession is 9 Points of the Law. R36.
9RoHiGM
Rivers of Hell in Greek Mythology. Lemon, p. 215
gives this, but cf 4 R o H; 5 R o H; 7 R o H.
9SbaSiT
Saved by a Stitch in Time
9SbB
Symphonies by Beethoven. P31-new. U. (Or
Bruckner.)
9SbJDS
Stories by J. D. Salinger. P58-new.
9SFiaSY
Square Feet in a Square Yard. H2.
9SiBFiS
9 September is Black Friday in Scotland (day of the
Battle of Flodden Field)
9 S i T-T-T
Squares in Tic-Tac-Toe. U-new. GR.
9SoaNaCB
Squares on a Noughts and Crosses Board.
9SoB
Symphonies of Beethoven (or Bruckner).
9SSbaSiT
Stitches Saved by a Stitch in Time. H2-new.
9SWbB
Symphonies written by Beethoven. S3-new.
Co9T
Cat of 9 Tails. R66 is Cat o' 9 Tails.
T 9 T The 9 Tailors (by Dorothy L. Sayers)
9TMaM
Tailors Make a Man. (This is explained in the Sayers
book. A 'tailor' is a particular ring on church bells
and nine of them are used to announce the death
of a man.) Lemon, p. 215.
9 T o o 10
Times out of Ten. H2.
10 A i a S C
10 A i t B o R
10 A o a S
10 B B
10 C
Acres in a Square Chain. H. WRONG, there are 10
square chains in an acre.
Amendments in the Bill of Rights. S2. P5. U. (In the
US Constitution.)
Arms on a Squid. (The a was omitted in the version
posed.)
Big Ben. (Darts slang.)
Commandments. U. H2. R72. (Green Grow the
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.32
T 10 C
T B 10 C
10 C a H
10 C G t M
10 C i a F
10 C i a M
10 C L i a N M
W a F a S 10 D
10 D f R H to Y K
10 D i a C
10 D i a R o Q
10 D i a T N (i t A C)
10 D o a T
10 D S
T P M l a 10 D S
10 D S (P M R)
10 D T S t W
10 E i a D
10 E i t D
10 f a D
10 F i a P
10 F i B
10 F i H o a B R
10 F P
I W T I w a 10 F P
10 f t T C
10 F w D M a B D
10 G B
10 G B H o a W
10 G B (H o a W)
10 G B H o t W
10 G H
10 G i a A
10 H i a H R
10 I I ?? GR-new.
T W 10 i t B a t L 1 S R O
Rushes 0h _ see Appendix)
The 10 Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-17.)
The Big 10 Conference (of US college football teams).
R90-new.
Cock and Hen. (Cockney rhyming slang.)
Commandments Given to Moses. P21-new. U2.
Chains in a Furlong
Centuries in a Millennium. H2.
Cable Lengths in a Nautical Mile. (I have also seen
7 1/3, corresponding to a cable of 240 ft.
Chapman, p. 21, says this is an International
Nautical Mile.)
Walk a Flight and Save 10 Dollars. R45-new. ??
Nothing on Google.
Days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur
Decades in a century. H2-new.
Dollars in a Roll of Quarters. U-new. (US coins.)
Digits in a Telephone Number (including the Area
Code). GR-new. S3.
Digits on a Telephone (Dial) ??
Downing Street
The Prime Minister lives at 10 Downing Street.
KK-new.
Downing Street (Prime Minister's Residence). U.
Ten Days That Shook the World (by John Reed, later
an Eisenstein film). P58. H.
Events in a Decathlon. U. H lists them. H2.
Events in the Decathlon
For a Dance (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
Florins in a Pound (Old English money.)
Frames in Bowling. P3-new. U.
Feet in Height of a Basketball Rim. P55-new.
Foot Pole
I Wouldn't Touch It with a 10 Foot Pole
for the Ten Commandments (Green Grow the Rushes
0h _ see Appendix)
10, Film with Dudley Moore and Bo Derek. H2-new.
Green Bottles
Green Bottles Hanging on a Wall
Green Bottles (Hanging on a Wall)
Green Bottles Hanging on the Wall. H2-new. NQ61.
Gallon Hat
Gallons in an Anker (wine measure)
Hurdles in a Hurdle Race
There Were 10 in the Bed and the Little 1 Said 'Roll
Over'
10 L I Ten Little Indians (film title for Agatha Christie play)
10 L I B
Little Indian Boys
10 L N
Ten Little Niggers (play by Agatha Christie)
10 L N B
Little Nigger Boys
10 L T o I
Lost Tribes of Israel
10 L W o C
Landing Wheels on Concorde
10 M f a M
Men (or Males) for a Minyan (Jewish prayer ceremony)
10 N i a B R
Ten Nights in a Bar-Room (film title). H. R15.
A D a D a 10 O S
A Diller, a Dollar, a 10 O'clock Scholar
A G o W W 10 P
A Gallon of Water Weighs 10 Pounds (UK)
10 P a G o W w
Pounds a Gallon of Water Weighs. H2-new.
10 P B
Pin Bowling. H2.
10 P i a S i B
Pins in a Strike in Bowling. U-new.
10 P i (o) C
Provinces in (of) Canada. P18-new. U. (There are 10
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.33
10 P o E
10 P o M S o H
10 P P
10 R i a F
10 R P
10 S C in a A
10 S i a C
10 T N o t P
10 T o a S
10 T o B F
10 U B
10 W i a I o C
10 W o 1 G of W (p)
10 W o O G of W (p)
10 Y i a D
L 11
11, 12, B i W
11, 12, D a D
G U B O 11 D
11 D L i 1752
11 D S (W t C o t E L)
provinces and 2 (recently expanded to 3)
territories. Cf 12 P o C.)
Plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7-12). U. H lists them. Cf
7 P o E _ ??
Points on Moh's Scale of Hardness. H lists the standard
substances for these points.
Pipers Piping
Rounds in a Fight
Rillington Place. U. (Site of a notorious murder case in
London and then a movie. The street name has
been changed.)
Square Chains in an Acre
Seconds in a Countdown. U-new.
Top Notch on the Parallels. U-new. (Apparently the
highest score in this gymnastic event.)
Tentacles on a Squid. U. (Or other decapod)
Toes on Both Feet. H2.
Uncle Ben. (Darts slang.)
Wickets in an Inning of Cricket. U-new.
Weight of 1 Gallon of Water (pounds)
Weight of One Gallon of Water (pounds)
Years in a Decade. P8. U. H2.
Legs 11. (Bingo call and darts slang.)
Bake it Well
Dig and Delve
Give Us Back Our 11 Days (See below.)
Days Lost in 1752
Downing Street (Where the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Lives). H2-new.
11 f E for England (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
11 F i a C
Fathoms in a Chain. P6-new. U. H has 10??
11 f t E W W t H
for the Eleven Who Went to Heaven (Green Grow the
Rushes 0h _ see Appendix)
A t 11 H
At the 11th Hour (See: Matthew 20.) R54.
11 H a S i K F C
Herbs and Spices in Kentucky Fried Chicken. U-new.
11 I M a 14 E M
11 Irish Miles are 14 English Miles.
11 L
Legs. U. (as in Legs 11, qv).
11 L D
Ladies Dancing
11 L o t A H V S
Letters of the Alphabet Have Vertical Symmetry
(AHIMOTUVWXY)
11 M o a S a S
Men on a Side at Stoolball
11 N i A D
11 November is Armistice Day
11 N R D
November Remembrance Day. H2-new.
11 O W b T
Oscars Won by Titanic. H2-new.
11 P
Eleven Plus (An old English exam for children at age
11+.)
11 P i a C T
Players in a Cricket Team
11 P i a F T
Players in a Football Team (American football or
Association football = Soccer)
11 P i a H T
Players in a Hockey Team
11 P o a C T
Players on a Cricket Team. U-new.
11 P o a F B T
Players on a Foot Ball Team. (I think the following is
more correct.)
11 P o a F T
Players on a Football Team. S1. U. H2. (American
football or Association football = Soccer)
11 P o a F H T
Players on a Field Hockey Team
11 S i t C
States in the Confederacy. P39-new. U. [US Civil
War.]
11 S o a C D C
Sides on a Canadian Dollar Coin
R o t 11 T
Ruyton of the 11 Towns (A village in Shropshire,
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.34
A 11 w t F S o t M
11 W W t H
11 Y C of S S
11 Y W
12 A
between Shrewsbury and Oswestry.)
Apollo 11 was the First Spaceship on the Moon
Who Went to Heaven (Green Grow the Rushes 0h _
see Appendix)
Year Cycle of Sun Spots
Years War (1641-1652, apparently the Irish version of
the war between Charles I and Parliament)
Apostles [This is a matter of dispute _ some say they
were 12 Disciples and 14 Apostles, counting
Matthias (the replacement of Judas) and Paul.
But I have also seen 70 disciples asserted.]
(Green Grow the Rushes 0h _ see Appendix)
12 A a t L S
Apostles at the Last Supper. P20-new or H2-new. U.
12 A M
Twelve Angry Men. (film title, 1957). P43. H. H2.
12 A M (f)
Twelve Angry Men (film).
B 12 a 2 Y S W t D W D
Between 12 and 2, You'll See What the Day Will Do
(proverb)
12 B i a S
Bottles in a Salmanazar (of champagne)
12 B o C
Bens of Connemara (Bens are hills; I have seen it
spelled Pins.)
12 B o a T
Buttons on a Telephone. U-new.
12 C
Caesars (described by Suetonius). P36 has 'of Ancient
Rome'.
12 C at M
?? Chimes at Midnight ?? Nothing on Google.
12 C C i a D
Court Cards in a Deck
12 C o A R
Caesars of Ancient Rome. U-new.
12 D
Dozen
OR Disciples. R77.
12 D i a G
Dozens in a Gross. P45-new. H2.
12 D o C
Days of Christmas. P19. U. H2. NQ72.
OR: Disciples of Christ
12 D o J
Disciples of Jesus. U-new. (Cf 12 A.)
12 D o t B S
Degrees on the Beaufort Scale (of wind speeds). H
calls them points and says this was on the
original scale. Actually I think mariners call them
forces.
12 D P
?? Possibly intended to be Draughts per Player.
mike.jacqueline website.
12 E i a D
Eggs in a Dozen
12 E o a C
Edges on a Cube. U. H2 has 'of'.
12 f F for France (Magpie rhyme, see Appendix.)
12 F i a B
Firkins in a Butt
12 F o a D
Faces on a Dodecahedron
12 f t T A
for the Twelve Apostles (Green Grow the Rushes 0h _
see Appendix)
12 G M a T
Good Men and True. R14.
12 G t t C
Gates to the City
12 H B i a P
Hairs Breadths in a Poppyseed. Chapman, p. 18.
12 H i C
Hoops in Croquet. H.
12 i a D
in (is) a Dozen. H2-new.
12 I i a F
Inches in a Foot. U. H2.
12 i t F A N
is the first Abundant Number (i.e.
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 6 > 12)
12 J o a J
Jurors on a Jury. U-new.
12 K o t R T
Knights of the Round Table
12 L a L
Lords a-Leaping
12 L i a I
Lines in an Inch
12 L i t H A
Letters in the Hawaiian Alphabet. [A, E, H, I, K, L, M,
N, 0, P, U, W.] H.
12 L o H
Labours of Hercules. P46. U. H lists them.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.35
12 M H S F o t M
12 M i t Y
12 M o a J
12 M o a S i D
12 M o J
12 M o t Y
12 M (o W) i a J
12 N
12 N i a O
12 N o a C
12 N o a C F
A 12 N t N S a N F W i D
12 o F i L B
12 O i a P T W
12 o O i C D
12 O P i a S
12 P c P
T 12 P L
12 P o a L T
12 P o a M C
12 P o a J
12 P o C
OR
12 P o R i t HB
12 S i a 300 G
12 S i a C (o C)
12 S i a L (W W)
12 S o a D
12 S o a T P P (or B)
12 S o t Z
12 T f a L S a B
12 T o I
12 T S
12 U i a D
12 W B t a C
12 Z S
12 Men Have Set Foot on the Moon. H.
Months in the Year
Men on (of) a Jury. NQ3 uses Members of a Jury.
Men on a Side in Draughts
Moons of Jupiter ([Sholl, p. 93] and a later entry say
there are 16. In Jul 2000, the 17th moon of
Jupiter was announced.)
Months of the Year. P23. H2.
Men (or Women) in a Jury. U-new.
12th Night. R49.
Notes in an Octave
Numbers on a Clock. U-new.
Numbers on a Clock Face. H2-new.
At 12 Noon, the Natives Swoon, and No Further Work
is Done (Mad Dogs and Englishmen by Noel
Coward). H.
12th of February is Lincoln's Birthday
Ounces in a Pound, Troy Weight
12th of October is Columbus Day
Old Pence in a Shilling. H2. (Old English money.)
Popes called Pius. U.
The 12 Pound Look (by James Barrie)
Players on a Lacrosse Team. [Jonathan Always; Puzzles
for Puzzlers; Tandem, 1971, prob. 24.]
Points on a Maltese Cross
People on a Jury. H2-new.
Provinces of Canada. ?? _ cf 10 P o C. (There are 10
provinces and 2 (recently expanded to 3)
territories.)
Pins of Connemara, cf 12 B o C.
Pairs of Ribs in the Human Body. U-new.
Strikes in a 300 Game. U-new. (A perfect game in
bowling.)
Sacks in a Chaldron (of Coal)
Sacks in a Last (Wool Weight)
Sides on a Dodecagon
Sides on a Three Penny Piece (or Bit) (Old English
money.)
Signs of the Zodiac. S1. P51. U.
Tricks for a Little Slam at Bridge
Tribes of Israel. P25. U. [Sons of Leah: Reuben,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun; sons of
Rachel: Joseph (or Ephraim & Manasseh),
Benjamin; sons of Bilhah: Dan, Naphtali; sons
of Zilpah: Gad, Asher.]
Tone Scale
Units in a Dozen. P16-new.
Wine Bottles to a Case
Zodiac Signs. H2-new.
F t 13 Friday the 13th. R11. (American film title, 1980s.)
N L i a H N 13
Never Live in a House Numbered 13
T C W S 13
The Clocks Were Striking 13 (Opening of Orwell's
1984)
13, 14, M a-C
Maids a-Courting
13 A B
Apprentice Boys (who locked the gates of
(London)Derry against James II in 1688-1689)
13 a B D
a Baker's Dozen. P47-new.
13 a D i B L
at Dinner is Bad Luck
13 a t L S
at the Last Supper. H2.
13 B D
Baker's Dozen. U. NQ77.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.36
T 13 C
13 C i a S
13 i a B D
13 L i a B D
13 L i a R
13 L M i a Y
13 L M i Y
13 O C
13 P C i a S
13 P f t Q o S i H
13 P i a R L T
13 P o a R L T
13 S i a W (W W)
13 S o t A F
13 S o t S a S
13 T f a G S a B
13 T o G
13 U D t F o a F
13 U f S
13 W i a C
13 W i a S
J W 13 Y O
14 B i t A
14 B i t F o 1 H
14 B i t T o 1 F
14 C t a S i a T D
14 D i a F
14 D o t B S
L t 14 F
14 F S V D
C S t O B i 14 H a 92
14 i a B D
F 14 i S V D
14 J B D i f
14 L i a S
OR
14 L o A P
B D i t 14 o J
W 14 P
14 P i a S
14 P i W P
14 P i W W P
14 S o t C
H t t M o B 15
15, 16, M a-K
15, 16, M i t K
T 15 D B o t W
15 F P i a G o T
15 i t C o a 3 b 3 M S
15 L A O P i T
E W b F f 15 M
The 13 Colonies. R73-new.
Cards in a Suit. S2. U.
in a Baker's Dozen. H2. Cf 14 i a B D.
Loaves in a Baker's Dozen
Lines in a Rondeau. H.
Lunar Months in a Year. NQ91. [Actually 13.37, but
who's counting?]
Lunar Months in Year [Actually 13.37, but who's
counting?]
Original Colonies. P21-new. U. (Of the USA.)
Playing Cards in a Suit. H2-new.
Points for the Queen of Spades in Hearts. U-new.
Players in a Rugby League Team. U-new.
Players on a Rugby League Team
Stones in a Wey (Wool Weight)
Stripes on the American Flag. S1. P cover, 17. U. H2.
Stripes on the Stars and Stripes
Tricks for a Grand Slam at Bridge. H2.
Tribes of Galway
Unlucky Day to Fall on a Friday. H2-new.
Unlucky for Some. H2.
Witches in a Coven
Weeks in a Season
Juliet Was 13 Years Old
Books in the Apocrypha. [The Catholic Bible includes
11 of these.]
Bones in the Fingers of 1 Hand
Bones in the Toes of 1 Foot
Cards to a Suit in a Tarot Deck
Days in a Fortnight. U. H2.
Degrees on the Beaufort Scale (of wind speeds)
Louis the 14th Furniture. R79-new.
February Saint Valentine's Day. H2-new.
Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue in 14 Hundred and 92.
R93-new.
in a Baker's Dozen. [Eric Partridge; Words, Words,
Words; Methuen, 1933, p. 127. Cf 13 in a B D.
February 14 is St. Valentine's Day
July Bastille Day in France. H2-new.
Lines in a Sonnet. P31. U. H2. S3. NQ22.
Lbs in a Stone. Eric Korn _ new. NQ22.
Lines of Acupuncture Points
Bastille Day is the 14th of July
Wilson's 14 Points. R74-new. [After World War I.]
Pounds in a Stone. H2.
Points in Wilson's Plan. P39-new. [After World War I.]
Points in Woodrow Wilson's Plan. U-new. [After
World War I.]
Stations of the Cross. U.
Here's to the Maiden of Bashful 15 (The Rivals, by
Sheridan). H.
Maid a-Kissing
Maids in the Kitchen
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World (by Edward
S. Creasy, 1851). H lists them.
First Point in a Game of Tennis. NQ41-new.
15 is the Constant of a 3 by 3 Magic Square
Love After One Point in Tennis. H2-new.
Everyone Will be Famous for 15 Minutes (Andy
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.37
15 M E W b F (A t A W)
15 M i a Q o a H
15 M o a D M C
Warhol)
Minutes Everybody Will Be Famous (According to
Andy Warhol). H2-new.
Minutes in a Quarter of an Hour. H2-new.
Men on a Dead Man's Chest. U. GR. R38. NQ44.
See 15 M o T D M C.
15 M o a D M C (Y H H a a B o R)
15 M o a S i B
15 M o F p P (A W)
15 M o F p P A t A W
15 M o T D M C
15 M o t L o M
15 N B o a P T
15 O o G a S
15 O P T P T P F P F
15 P b 1 a 50
15 P i a H T
15 P i a R T
15 P i a R U T
15 P o a R U T
15 P W a V G
15 Q i F
15 R B i S
15 R W T i L
15 R i a C F
S L 16
16 A i a R
16 a n b K
S 16 a N B K
16 A o C
16 B i a B
16 C
16 D i a O
I a 16 g o 17
16 i t A o C
16 L o a C
16 M o J
16 N i a Y
16 O b G a S
16 O i a P
OR
16 O i t P
16 O o M
16 P i a C S
Men on a Dead Man's Chest (Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of
Rum). [From Serhiy Grabarchuk.]
Men on a Side in Backgammon. H.
Minutes of Fame per Person (Andy Warhol). U-new.
Minutes of Fame per Person According to Andy Warhol.
P10-new. U2.
Men on The Dead Man's Chest (Treasure Island;
Stevenson got the name 'The Dead Man's Chest'
from Kingsley's At Last of 1871 where it is the
name of a Virgin Island.) P27. H. H2.
Mysteries of the Life of Mary. H notes this leads to 15
sets of beads on a Rosary, each comprising 11
small beads and one large bead, but at 165, he
says there are 10 small beads in a set which seems
more likely.
Numbered Balls on a Pool Table. S3-new.
Operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan
One Plus Two Plus Three Plus Four Plus Five. H2-new.
15 Primes between 1 and 50
Players in a Hurling Team
Players in a Rugby Team. NQ47-new.
Players in a Rugby Union Team. H2-new.
Players on a Rugby Union Team
Points Win a Volleyball Game
Quinze in French. H2-new.
Red Balls in Snooker. H2.
Rail Way Termini in London
Rounds in a Championship Fight
Sweet Little Sixteen (song title by Chuck Berry). H.
Annas in a Rupee (now changed). H.
and never been Kissed
Sweet 16 and Never Been Kissed. H2. R40.
Age of Consent. H2-new.
Bottles in a Balthazar (of champagne)
Candles (American film title, 1980s.)
Drams in an Ounce (Avoirdupois)
I am 16, going on 17
is the Age of Consent
Legs on a Caterpillar (typically)
Moons of Jupiter (An earlier entry says there are 12. In
Jul 2000, the 17th moon of Jupiter was
announced and this mentions that the 16th moon
was discovered in 1974.)
Nails in a Yard. (Medieval cloth measure, still given in
19C books! Chapman, p. 17, notes that a nail
came to be used for a sixteenth of other units as
well.)
Operettas by Gilbert and Sullivan
Ounces in a Pound. S2. U. H2.
Ounces in a Pint. U. (In US.)
Ounces in the Pound
Orders of Mammals. P50-new. U. H.
Pawns in a Chess Set. H2-new.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.38
16 P o a C B
16 P o a S i C
16 Q i a B
16 R i t U S S R
Pawns on a Chess Board
Pieces on a side in Chess
Quavers in a Breve
Republics in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(formerly!)
16 S a N B K
Sweet 16 and Never Been Kissed. U-new. (I don't
think this is correctly stated _ see S 16 a n b K.)
16 S i a S
Semiquavers in a Semibreve
16 S J String Jack (notorious 18C highwayman). H.
16 S S S a S
Standing Sarsen Stones at Stonehenge. H, at 30.
16 T a W D Y G?
Tons and What Do You Get? U-new. (Song line.)
16 T i a C
Tablespoons in a Cup
16 T i E J
Teeth in Each Jaw
16 W M i a C S
White Men in a Chess Set. H2-new.
17, 18, M a-W
17, 18, M i W
S 17 a n b K
M i n 17 B S i T a S
I 17 C S
17 M i S P D
17 M o J
17 M S P D
17 P B N a S V
17 P t D N a S V
17 S i a H
17 S i a P
17 Y f a P D L
18 F K C L
18 G i a K
18 G i a R
18 H o a G C
Maids a-Waiting
Maids in Waiting
Sweet 17 and never been Kissed
Maud is not 17 But She is Tall and Stately (Maud, by
Tennyson). H.
I'm 17 Come Sunday
March is St. Patrick's Day
Moons of Jupiter [Announced in Jul 2000. The 16th
moon was found in 1974. Earlier sources say 12
M o J.]
March St. Patrick's Day. H2-new.
Parallel Between North and South Vietnam. U-new. H.
Parallel that Divides North and South Vietnam. U2new.
Syllables in a Haiku. U.
Shillings in a Pistole (Old English money, except the
pistole was not a English coin. Problems with
pistoles occur in 18C books and possibly into the
19C.)
Years for a Provisional Driving Licence
18 V A
18 V A i t U S
18 W o a J
18 W o a T T T
18 Y O t V (U S)
French Kings Called Louis. H2-new.
Gallons in a Kilderkin
Gallons in a Rundlet (or Runlet) (wine measure)
Holes on (of) a Golf Course. S1. P cover, 28. U. H2.
NQ69.
Inches in a Cubit. P7-new. U.
is Voting Age
'Twas the 18th of April 75 (Beginning of Paul Revere's
Ride by Longfellow.) R89-new.
Poets Laureate (to 1995)
Players on a side in Australian Football
Quarts in a Pin
I've Had 18 Straight Whiskies _ I Think That's the
Record (supposed last words of Dylan Thomas,
1953). H.
Voting Age. NQ52-new.
Voting Age in the U S. P36-new.
Wheels on a Juggernaut
Wheels on a Tractor Trailer Truck. U-new.
Years Old to Vote (United States). U-new.
18½ M E from the W T
?? GR-new.
19, 20, M P E
19, 20, M S E
My Plate's Empty!
My Stomach's Empty!
18 I i a C
18 i V A
T t 18 o A 75
18 P L
18 P o a S i A F
18 Q i a P
I H 18 S W I T T t R
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.39
T 19 A G S t W
19 E F b G O
19 E F (G O)
19 G o H
19 G o P
19 G S f t V P
19 H (o a G C)
19 H R o L
19 K i a S (i t H P B)
19 N B
19 N o C D
19 P p t C 2
T 19 t t D
19 U S i C
20 a 30 a 40 Y o
20 B i a N
20 C B i a N
20 C i a P
T 20 C L
20 D o n a M
20 F i a R
20 F o a I
20 F O i a P
20 G i a S
20 H i a T
20 H N o a D B
20 i a S
20 I i a S
20 L i t I A
20 M P i a H G
20 M T
20 N i S
20 N o a D B
20 P f a M S T i B
20 P i a O
20 P i a T O
20 P o O i A
J w S f 20 P o S
20 Q
20 Q A, V, o M
20 Q (A, V, o M)
20 Q i a P g
20 Q i a R
20 S i a F
20 S i a P
20 S i a S o F
20 S o a D B
20 T i a H C
20 T i t C P
20 20 V
20 W N C A
20 Y A
The 19th Amendment Gave Suffrage to Women (USA).
R99-new.
Eighty Four by George Orwell
Eighty Four (George Orwell). H2-new.
Guardians of Hell. H.
Grades of Pencil (from 9H to 9B). H.
Gun Salute for the Vice President. U. (In the USA.)
19th Hole (on a Golf Course)
Hungarian Rhapsodies of Liszt. H.
Knuts in a Sickle (in the Harry Potter Books)
19th Nervous Breakdown (song by the Rolling Stones,
1966)
Novels of Charles Dickens
19 Propositions put to Charles II (by Parliament in
1642, leading to the Civil War.)
Talk 19 to the Dozen. H2 omits 'Talk'.
Unobtainable Score in Cribbage. (Presumably the
lowest unobtainable score.)
20, and 30, and 40 Years on (Verse 4 of the Harrow
football song - cf at 40)
Bottles in a Nebuchadnezzar (of champagne)
Champagne Bottles in a Nebuchadnezzar. U-new.
Cigarettes in a Pack. U-new. GR.
The 20th Century Limited (US train). R2-new.
Digits on a Man
Feet in a Rope
Faces on an Icosahedron
Fluid Ounces in a Pint. H2.
Grains in a Scruple. U. (Apothecaries weight)
Hundredweight in a Ton. U.
Highest Number on a Darts Board. H2-new.
is (in) a Score. H2-new.
Items in a Score
Letters in the Italian Alphabet. Lemon, p. 48.
Minute Periods in a Hockey Game. U-new. (Ice
hockey.)
Mule Team (brand of borax in the US and a film title).
H.
Number in a Score
Numbers on a Dart Board. H. H2.
Points for a Minor Suit Trick in Bridge. H.
Pennyweight in an Ounce. U-new. (Troy weight.)
Pennyweights in a Troy Ounce
?? Percentage of Oxygen in the Air
Joseph was Sold for 20 Pieces of Silver (Genesis 37:28)
Twenty Questions
Questions Animal, Vegetable or Mineral. U-new.
Questions (Animal, Vegetable or Mineral). GR-new.
Questions in a Panel Game. H2-new.
Quires in a Ream
Sous in a Franc
Shillings in a Pound. H2. (Old English money.)
Stones in a Sack of Flour
Sectors on a Darts Board
Teeth in a Human Child
Teams in the Carling Premiership. H2-new.
20/20 Vision
Will Not Come Again (A Shropshire Lad)
Twenty Years After (Dumas' sequel to The Three
Musketeers). R47.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.40
T C K M S a 20 Y a S W N E
20 Y i a S
20 Y S b R V W
20 Y t R V W S
Then Come Kiss Me, Sweet and Twenty, Youth's a Stuff
Will Not Endure (Twelfth Night). H.
Years in a Score. U-new.
Years Slept by Rip Van Winkle. U-new.
Years that Rip Van Winkle Slept. S2.
21 B J
Black Jack
21 C i a S
Chaldrons in a Score (coal measure)
21 C I O L S
?? Characters In Old Latin Script _ cf 21 L i t O L A
21 C i t A
Consonants in the Alphabet
21 D
Twenty-one Days (by John Galsworthy)
21 D o a D
Dots on a Die. NQ25 has 'on a Dice'.
21 G S
Gun Salute. U. H2.
21 G S f t P
Gun Salute for the President. U2-new.
21 i t A o M
Is the Age of Majority
21 J S Jump Street. U-new. Title of a US TV program, c1990.
21 K o t D
Key of the Door. U. H2. (Darts slang. Also a bingo
call??)
21 K t t D
Key to the Door. (Darts slang. Also a bingo call??)
mike.jacqueline website.
21 L i t O L A
Letters in the Old Latin Alphabet (I and J were the
same, U, V, W were the same, Y, Z were not
used until contact with Greece)
21 P i a G o P P
Points in a Game of Ping Pong
21 P i a G o T T
Points in a Game of Table Tennis
21 P of W
Princes of Wales. (According to Debrett's website.
There are also 3 unofficial Princes.)
21 P t W a G o T T
Points to Win a Game of Table Tennis. H2-new.
21 R i t C I S
Republics in the Confederation of Independent States
(at present). H.
21 S i a G
Shillings in a Guinea. U. NQ82. Old English money.
Chapman, p. 84, says this held from 1718, and
was fixed by Newton, who was Master of the
Mint.
21 S o a D
Spots on a Die. U.
C 22
22 B i a S G
22 B o a S T
22 C
22 C i t G A o a T D
22 D D
22 F F
22 F S
22 J H C
G C W 22 K G
22 L i t L A
22 L o t H A
W t T o t 22 M F U
22 M o C
22 M T i a T P
22 N o J H C
22 o F i W B
22 P i a C M
Catch 22 (by Joseph Heller)
Balls in a Snooker Game. H2-new.
Balls on a Snooker Table. NQ68.
Catch. U-new. (I prefer C 22.)
Cards in the Greater Arcana of a Tarot Deck. Cf 22 M
T .... H confuses this with the numbers of cards
in the pack. Cf 56, 78.
Dinky Doo. (Darts slang. Adrian Room gives "Dinky
doo. All the Twos." as the bingo call for 22.)
Fried Fish. (Darts slang.)
Fish Shop. (Darts slang.)
Joseph Heller's Catch. P58-new.
Gold Coins Were 22 Karat Gold (At least in Britain.)
Letters in the Latin Alphabet. Lemon, p. 48.
Letters of the Hebrew Alphabet
With the Tramp of the 22 Men, Follow Up! (Forty
Years On, the Harrow school song.)
?? H says Isidore of Seville (7C) counted 22 things
made by God in the six days of creation. So
could these be Marvels of Creation ?? Nothing
on Google.
Major Trumps in a Tarot Pack, Cf 22 C i t ....
Number of Joseph Heller's Catch. H2-new.
22nd of February is Washington's Birthday
Players in a Cricket Match. H2-new.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.41
22 P o a F P
22 S o t L
22 T L D
22 Y b t W i C
22 Y b W o a C P
22 Y i a C
22 Y (L o a C P)
S W M C C a 23
H M w W i 23 D
23 L i t F A
23 N T
23 P o a G J
23 P o C i a H C
23 P (T L i m S)
23 S
24 B B B i a P
24 B B i a P
OR
24 B B t a C
24 B i a P
24 B i t I (H)
24 C M G
24 C o a F C S (p)
24 D f M I
24 D i A
24 D P t t I f M I
24 F i a L
24 F p S i M
24 G i a P
24 H f T
24 H i a D
24 H o a 9 M M B
24 K G
24 K i P G
24 L i t A A A
24 L i t G A
24 M o t O o M
24 O i a G P
24 O M o t A
24 R i a H
24 S i a O
24 S i a Q
24 S Q o M
24 S Z o I T
24 T D
24 T Z o E
Players on a Football Pitch
Swans on the Lake. (Darts slang.)
Two Little Ducks (UK bingo call). This had the hint
"Bingo Call (or Dreadful Pun)".
Yards between the Wickets in Cricket. H2-new.
Yards between Wickets on a Cricket Pitch
Yards in a Chain. H2.
Yards (Length of a Cricket Pitch)
She Was Married, Charming, Chaste and 23 (Don
Juan, by Byron). H.
Handel's Messiah was Written in 23 Days
Letters in the French Alphabet. Lemon, p. 48.
New Towns (in the UK)
People on a Grand Jury. U-new. (In the US, an
indictment for a major offense has to be approved
by a grand jury.)
Pairs of Chromosomes in a Human Cell. U-new.
Psalm (The Lord is my Shepherd)
Skidoo. R58.
Black Birds Baked in a Pie.
Black Birds in a Pie
Blackbirds Baked in a Pie. P29-new. U. H2.
Beer Bottles to a Case. U-new.
Blackbirds in a Pie. U-new. NQ95.
Books in the Iliad (Homer). U-new.
Carats Means Gold. (Technically this is incorrect _ a
carat is a measure of weight for gems; a karat is a
measure of pureness of gold, with 24K being pure
gold.)
Cost of a First Class Stamp (pence). Some years ago!!
Dollars for Manhattan Island (in 1626)
Days in Advent
Dollars Paid to the Indians for Manhattan Island.
P56-new. U.
Furlongs in a League
Frames per Second in Movies
Grains in a Pennyweight. U.
Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa. H2. (song title,
Gene Pitney, 1964)
Hours in a Day. S1. P cover, vii, 21. U. H2.
Holes on a 9 Men's Morris Board
Karat Gold (Not carat _ carats are a measure of weight
used for gems)
Karats is (or in) Pure Gold. S3-new.
Letters in the Ancient Arabic Alphabet. Lemon, p. 48,
saying four have been added to make the modern
Arabic alphabet.
Letters in the Greek Alphabet. U.
Members of the Order of Merit
Ounces in a Great Pound (sometimes used to measure
silk)
Old Men of the Apocalypse
Ribs in a Human. (Some sources say 26,)
Scruples in an Ounce
Sheets in a Quire
String Quartets of Mozart. H.
Standard Zones of International Time. P17-new. U2.
Two Dozen. H2-new.
Time Zones on Earth
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.42
25 C i a Q
25 F p S i T
25 L i a P
25 L i t F A
25 o D i C D
25 P f a O B a D
25 P i a P
25 P i a Q
25 P o a F C S
25 T O o W i a Q
25 Y f a S W A
25 Y M f a S W
25 Y o M f a S A
Cents in a Quarter
Frames per Second in Television
Links in a Pole
Letters in the French Alphabet
25th of December is Christmas Day
Points for an Outer Bull at Darts. H2-new.
Pounds in a Pony (i.e. £25)
Pennies in a Quarter. U-new. (US money.)
??
Troy Ounces of Wheat in a Quart
Years for a Silver Wedding Anniversary
Years' Marriage for a Silver Wedding. H2-new.
Years of Marriage for a Silver Anniversary
26 A t t C
26 B i t V C
Amendments to the Constitution (US). P5-new.
Bones in the Vertebral Column. U-new. H. But cf
33 V i a H.
Countries have no Coastline
Counties in Eire. H lists them.
Countries in Europe (?? The number is
changeable.)
Cards in the Major Suits or Minor Suits
Cards of Each Color in a Deck. U-new.
Counties of Ireland. H lists them.
Dialogues of Plato
Half a Crown. (Darts slang, deriving from 2s 6d,
pronounced 'two and six' being a half-crown in
old English money.)
Letters of (the) Alphabet [sic!]. NQ57.
Letters of the Alphabet. S1. U. See the appendix on
Alphabets.
Letters of the Roman Alphabet. P23-new. (Actually the
Romans had only 24 or 23?)
Miles in a Marathon (approx.)
Pence for a First Class Stamp. H2-new.
Vertebrae in the Human Body. H. But cf 33 V i a H.
26 C h n C
26 C i E
OR
26 C i t M S o M S
26 C o E C i a D
26 C o I
26 D o P
26 H a C
26 L o A
26 L o t A
26 L o t R A
26 M i a M
26 P f a F C S
26 V i t H B
27 A t t C
27 A t t U S C
27 B i N T
27 B i t N T
27 C F i a C Y
27 C i a R C
27 D W W b G G
27 E T T T T T
27 F (W o a S T C)
27 L i t S A
27 L P C o M
27 S i a G (i t H P B)
27 S i a M
28 D i a C
28 D i a H M C
Amendments to the Constitution. (US.) S3-new.
Amendments to the United States Constitution. U-new.
Books in (the) New Testament. NQ50. Lemon, p. 12.
Books in the New Testament
Cubic Feet in a Cubic Yard. U. H2.
Cube(let)s in a Rubik Cube
Different Wigs Worn by Gregory Giggs. U-new.
(Should be Griggs. A nursery rhyme. Google has
one entry with 47.)
Equals Three Times Three Times Three. H2-new.
Feet (Width of a Singles Tennis Court)
Letters in the Spanish Alphabet. Lemon, p. 48.
Last Piano Concerto of Mozart. H says only 21 are by
Mozart, with many early works being
transcriptions of other's works.
Sickles in a Galleon (in the Harry Potter Books)
Shillings in a Moidore (Old English money, except the
moidore was not a English coin. Problems with
moidores occur in 18C books and possibly into
the 19C.)
Digits in a Cubit
Days in a Human Menstrual Cycle
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.43
28 D i a S
28 D i F
28 D i F E i L Y
28 i t 2 P N
28 L i t A A
28 L i t W "A"
OR
28 L o a R U B (i C)
28 P i a D S
28 P i a Q
28 P i a T
28 P o a M B
29 B i t H S
29 D i (o) F i a L Y
29 D i L F
29 F C O E F Y
29 P i a P C H
29 P i C C T
T S o t 30
B 30 H I H D
30 B i t H A
30 C i a F (a)
30 D h S
30 D h S A J a N
30 D H S A J a N
30 D H S (A J a N)
30 D i a S o Z
30 D i J
30 D i O
30 M i H a H
30 (N o) T o a S o T
30 P f a T i a M S o N T A t F i B
30 P i C C T
30 P o S
30 P o S G t J
30 P W A
Dominoes in a Set
Days in February. U-new. H2.
Days in February except in Leap Years. P15, as D i F.
is the 2nd Perfect Number
Letters in the Arabic Alphabet. H. Lemon, p. 48 _ but
cf 24 L i t A A A
Letters in the Welsh "Alphabet". My solution _ but Eric
Korn says the current Welsh primers omit 'rh'
leaving 27 letters. S3-new.
Letters in the Word "Antidisestablishmentarianism".
Eric Korn's solution, which seems better. S3new.
Length of a Rugby Union Ball (in Centimetres)
Pieces in a Domino Set
Pounds in a Quarter
Pounds in a Todd (wool weight)
Properties on a Monopoly Board. H.
Bones in the Human Skull. H says some sources
exclude the six bones of the ear and the hyoid
bone to get 22.
Days in (of) February in a Leap Year. S1. P16. U. H2.
Days in Leap February. H.
29 February Comes Once Every Four Years
Points in a Perfect Cribbage Hand. U-new. (If I
remember correctly this has four 5s and the J of
the turned suit.)
Pilgrims in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. This excludes
Chaucer.
The Sect of the Thirty (by Jorge Luis Borges).
By Thirty Hills I Hurry Down (The Brook by
Tennyson, first line of second verse.)
Bones in the Human Arm (including the hand: 14 in the
fingers, 5 in the palm, 8 in the wrist, 3 armbones).
H says some count 32, presumably counting two
shoulder bones.
Centimetres in a Foot (approximately)
Days hath September. R27-new. U2.
Days has September, April, June and November. U.
P29 ends at September. H says this is due to
William Harrison, 1577. See Appendix for some
versions of the whole rhyme and other
attributions.
Days Hath September, April, June and November. S2.
Days Hath September (April, June and November).
H2-new.
Degrees in a Sign of the Zodiac
Days in June. P9. U2.
Days in October. U2-new.
Minutes in Half an Hour
(Number of) Toes on a Set of Triplets
Points for a Trick in a Major Suit or No Trump, After
the First, in Bridge. H.
Pilgrims in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. This counts
Chaucer himself.
Pieces of Silver (Matthew 26:15) NQ97.
Pieces of Silver Given to Judas. U-new. H2.
(Matthew 26:15.)
Pearl Wedding Anniversary. NQ32.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.44
30 S
30 S f F J
30 S o T
30 S S a S
30 S R o N H
30 V i B G V
30 Y W
A t R H 31
31 B i t H L
31 D i t M o O
31 F o B R I C
31 f T i a G o C
31 I C F a B-R
31 L i t C A
31 L o t C T i M
32 D F a W F P
32 D F a w I M
32 D F a w W F
32 D F (F P o W)
32 F o a B B
32 F o a F
32 L i t M R C A
32 O F i t B A o S L (T)
32 P o a C B
32 P o a M C
32 P t a C
32 P T i a A
32 Q i a B
32 T c W T
32 T in a F A S
32 T i a A H
32 T i a N A H J
32 T i t M
32 W S o a C B
33 C Q f t I F H
33 C o S
33 F
33 G L
33 H o a S B
33 L i t T A
Something (UK TV series)
Seconds for Final Jeopardy. U-new. (Novel, movie
and TV program.)
Thirty Seconds over Tokyo. U-new. GR. (Book?
and 1944 movie title.)
Sarsen Stones at Stonehenge (16 are still standing). H.
Square Root of Nine Hundred
Variations in Bach's Goldberg Variations. H.
Year's War (1618-1648)
All the Rest Have 31
Bones in the Human Leg. H. (Another source gives 30:
14 in the toes, 5 in the ball of the foot, 7 in the
ankle, three leg bones and the kneecap. Counting
the hip bone would make 31.)
Days in the Month of October. KK-new.
Flavors of Baskin Robins Ice Cream. U-new.
For Two in a Game of Cribbage
Ice Cream Flavours at Baskin-Robbins. S2.
Letters in the Cyrillic Alphabet. But cf 32 L .... [Sholl
says there were originally 43 but modern Russian
has 30.]
Length of the Channel Tunnel, in miles. H.
Degrees Fahrenheit at Water's Freezing Point. P36-new.
Degrees Fahrenheit at which Ice Melts
Degrees Fahrenheit at which Water Freezes. S1. P
cover, i - new. U. H2. NQ75, garbled.
Degrees Fahrenheit (Freezing Point of Water)
Faces on a Bucky Ball (A truncated icosahedron.)
Faces on a Football (= soccer ball, which is a truncated
icosahedron.)
Letters in the Modern Russian Cyrillic Alphabet. H.
(33 are generally listed, but _ is sometimes not
counted as a separate letter. [Sholl, p. 50] says
30. Perhaps some of the symbols commonly
listed are not counted as letters.)
Odile's Fouettes(unclear) in the Black Act of Swan Lake
(Tchaikovsky). U.
Pieces on a Chess Board, NQ20.
Points on a Mariner's Compass
Points to a Compass
Permanent Teeth in an Adult
Quarts in a Bushel
Teeth counting Wisdom Teeth. U-new.
Teeth in a Full Adult Set
Teeth in an Adult Human
Teeth in a Normal Adult Human Jaw
Teeth in the Mouth. NQ19-new.
White Squares on a Chess Board. H2-new.
Cars Qualify for the Indianapolis Five Hundred. U-new.
(Famous US car race.)
Counties of Scotland (until 1975, when they were
amalgamated into 9 regions until 1996 when they
were devolved into 32 authorities). H.
Feathers. (Rees says this comes from 33,000 F o a T
T.)
Gertie Lee. (Cockney rhyming slang.)
Holes on a Solitaire Board. (The French board has 37.)
Letters in the Turkish Alphabet. Lemon, p. 48.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.45
33 V i a H
33 V i t S
33 Y o C L
33 Y o D R
Vertebrae in a Human. But cf 26 B i t V C.
Vertebrae in the Spine
Years of Christ's Life
Years of David's Reign. H.
34 i t M C o a F b F M S
34 S o t U F i t A C W
is the Magic Constant of a Four by Four Magic Square
Stars on the Union Flag in the American Civil War.
U-new.
Shakespeare Plays?? (37 is the usual number, of which
36 appeared in the First Folio). H gives 37.
34 S P
35 M A o a U S P
35 M M F
35 Y o M f t C A
Minimum Age of the United States President. U-new.
Millimetre Film
Years of Marriage for the Coral Anniversary
A P 36
A Perfect 36. R5-new. (This is the highest score on the
ACT (American College Test).)
Barley Corns in an Inch
Bushels in a Chaldron (of coals)
Black Keys on a Piano. KK-new.
Feet (Width of a Doubles Tennis Court)
Gallons in a Barrel
Inches in a Yard. S2. H2.
Inches on a Yard Stick. U-new.
Just Men (In the Talmud, there is a story that at any
time, there are exactly 36 ethically just men in the
world, for whose sake God desists from
destroying the world.)
Letters in the Armenian Alphabet (devised by St.
Mesrob Mashtots in 405)
Numbers on a Roulette Wheel. U-new. (There are
actually 36 or 37 when the zeroes are counted.)
Plays of William Shakespeare
Righteous Men. U-new. (Probably the 36 J M.)
Square Miles in a Township
Shakespeare Plays in the First Folio
36 B C i a I
36 B i a C
36 B K o a P
36 F (W o a D T C)
36 G i a B
36 I i a Y
36 I o a Y S
36 J M
36 L i t A A
36 N o a R W
36 P o W S
36 R M
36 S M i a T
36 S P i t F F
37 H o a F S B
37 N B T (i D C)
37 N o a R W (i E)
37 P o W S
37 S P
Holes on a French Solitaire Board
Normal Body Temperature (in Degrees Centigrade or
Celsius)
Numbers on a Roulette Wheel (in Europe)
Plays of William Shakespeare. NQ74. Cf next entry.
Shakespeare Plays (37 is the usual number, of which 36
appeared in the First Folio). H gives 37. But cf
34 S P; 36 P o W S, 36 S P i t F F.
38 i t C o t o M H
38 N o a R W
38 N o a R W (i A)
38 P b N K a S K
38 P K
Is the Constant of the only Magic Hexagon
Numbers on a Roulette Wheel. U-new.
Numbers on a Roulette Wheel (in America)
38th Parallel between North Korea and South Korea
?? probably a misprint of 88 P K, qv
39 A N o Y
39 A o R (i t B o C P)
Atomic Number of Yttrium
Articles of Religion (in the Book of Common Prayer).
H states these were set out in 1563 and approved
by Parliament in 1571.
Articles of the Doctrine of the Church of England W. H.
Mason; The Gilbert Harding Question Book;
Benn, 1956, pp. 90 & 127)
Books of (in) the Old Testament (46 in the Catholic
version (or 50 according to another source).
39 A o t D o t C o E
39 B o (i) t O T
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.46
39 C o E
39 J B's A
39 L i M L
39 L i t R A
T 39 S
39 S (i t A H F)
39 S (J B)
39 S o J B
F F a 40
L B a 40
T 40
T R 40s
40 A a w L B
40 A f D a T
40 C F i a L o R T
40 C F i a S T (US)
40 C o a M B
A t R w u t E 40 D and 40 N
40 D a 40 N J F i t W
40 D a N o t G F
40 D i L
40 D i t W f J C
40 D M S o M S
40 D o L
40 H i a W W
40 H W
40 I o t F A
40 L i M L
40 M i t F
I P a G R t E i 40 M
40 P i a F
40 P i a R
40 P f t F T i N T i B
40 R i a F
40 R W A
40 S o a M B
40 S R i a R
40 S S 1
A B a t 40 T
40 T in a A B
40 T w A B
40 T (w A B)
40 W Winks. U. R34.
L B T a A a G h M 40 W
40 W L B G H M
40 Y f a R W A
40 Y i t D f I
40 Y i t D f t I
Lemon gives 39 + 11 = 50.)
Counties of England
Jack Benny's Age. U-new. (The American comedian
was always 39.)
Lashes in Moses's Law. U2-new. Cf 40 L i M L;
40 S S 1.
Letters in the Russian Alphabet (as of 1890). Lemon,
p. 48.
The Thirty-Nine Steps (by John Buchan)
(The) Thirty-Nine Steps (in the Alfred Hitchcock
Film). S3-new.
(The) Thirty-Nine Steps (John Buchan)
(The) Thirty-Nine Steps of John Buchan. H2-new.
Fair, Fat and 40. R20-new.
Life Begins at 40
Top 40
The Roaring 40s. R13.
Age at which Life Begins. H2-new.
All for Deuce at Tennis. H2-new.
Cubic Feet in a Load of Rough Timber (cf 50 C F ...)
Cubic Feet in a Shipping Ton (US) (cf 42 C F ...)
Cells on a Monopoly Board
And the Rain was upon the Earth 40 Days and 40
Nights. R94-new.
40 Days and 40 Nights Jesus Fasted in the Wilderness
(Matthew 4:2)
Days and Nights of the Great Flood. S1. P cover, i. U.
Days in Lent. P25-new. U. H2.
Days in the Wilderness for Jesus Christ. P53-new.
Cf 40 D a 40 N J F i t W.
Days Moses Spent on Mt. Sinai
Days of Lent.
Hours in a Work Week. U-new. (Or Working.)
Hour Week
Immortals of the French Academy
Lashes in Moses' Law. U-new. (Deuteronomy 25: 3.
Cf 40 S S 1; 39 L i M L.)
Muscles in the Face
I'll Put a Girdle Round the Earth in 40 Minutes
(Midsummer Night's Dream)
Poles (or Perches) in a Furlong. U.
Perches (or Perches) in a Rood
Points for the First Trick in No Trumps in Bridge. H.
Rods in a Furlong
Ruby Wedding Anniversary
Squares on a Monopoly Board
Square Rods in a Rood
Forty Stripes Save One. (II Corinthians 11: 24. Cf
40 L i M L; 39 L i M L.)
Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves. R86.
?? Misprint for 40 Thieves in Ali Baba ??
Thieves with Ali Baba. H2-new.
Thieves (with Ali Baba). S2.
Lizzie Borden Took an Axe and Gave her Mother 40
Whacks (see at 41 for two continuations)
Whacks Lizzie Borden Gave Her Mother. U-new.
Years for a Ruby Wedding Anniversary
Years in the Desert for Israelites. U-new.
Years in the Desert for the Israelites. P42-new.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.47
40 Y o G O a O
Years on, Growing Older and Older (Beginning of the
Harrow Football Song, by Edward Ernest Bowen)
A W t J W N D S G H F 41
And When the Job was Neatly Done, She Gave Her
Father 41 (She = Lizzie Borden, see at 40). This
is the form I recall from my youth. H gives the
following.
When She Saw What She Had Done She Gave Her
Father 41 (She = Lizzie Borden, see at 40)
Moons in the Solar System (Earth has 1 moon; Mars, 2;
Jupiter, 16; Saturn, 14; Uranus, 5; Neptune, 2;
Pluto, 1). But H says Saturn has 18 known
satellites. It is likely that these numbers may
increase further.
Symphonies of Mozart. H notes that not all the
numbered symphonies are by Mozart, not all of
them are really symphonies and some of his other
works deserve to be called symphonies.
Symphonies of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. U-new.
Whacks Lizzie Borden Gave Her Father. U-new.
W S S W S H D S G H F 41
41 M i t S S
41 S o M
41 S o W A M
41 W L B G H F
R 42 A P M T a M H t L t C
42 A t O
42 A t t U Q (D A)
H H 42 B A C P
42 C F i a S T (UK)
I a F w 42 D I L b T
42 E i a D o C
42 G i a T
42 L o t B W i K
42 L t U a E
42 M o P o t B o t A
42 O M o t L o N
T 42 P
42 S
OR B a 42 S
42 W Y G I Y M S B N (D A)
43 B i E C o N
Rule 42: All Persons More Than a Mile High to Leave
the Court (Alice in Wonderland). H.
Assistants to Osiris. U-new. (In Egyptian mythology,
there are 42 demons who assist Osiris in judging
the dead.)
Answer to the Ultimate Question (Douglas Adams).
U-new.
He Had 42 boxes, All Carefully Packed (The Hunting
of the Snark). H.
Cubic Feet in a Shipping Ton (UK) (cf 40 C F ...)
I am Familiar with 42 Different Impressions Left by
Tyres (Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the
Priory School). Thanks to H for the story title.
Eyes in a Deck of Cards. H. The one-eyed cards are the
KD, JS, JH.
Gallons in a Tierce (wine measure)
Length of the Berlin Wall in Kilometres. H.
Life, the Universe and Everything
Months of Power of the Beast of the Apocalypse
Original Members of the League of Nations (in 1918).
U-new. H.
The 42nd Parallel (by John Dos Passos)
42nd Street
Broadway and (at) 42nd Street
What You Get If You Multiply Six By Nine (Douglas
Adams). U-new.
Beans in Each Cup of Nescafe. U-new. H.
(Presumably a US ad slogan.)
S M V W P f 43 i t D w a L b H
She May Very Well Pass for 43 in the Dusk with a Light behind Her
(Trial by Jury)
43 L i t O C A
Letters in the Old Cyrillic Alphabet (As formulated by
Cyril and Methodius in the 9C, but it has been
reduced to 30, 31 or 32, depending on who's
counting.) Cf 39.
43 P o a T in A F
Players on a Team in American Football (Only 11 can
play at a time.)
44 D i t C o E
Dioceses in the Church of England.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.48
44 H C
44 I D C f B
44 I D C f t U K
44 L o B C i F
B B T 44 S t S 12
44 W o S P A i Y
Hanukkah Candles. U-new.
International Dialling Code for Britain
International Dialling Code for the United Kingdom
Length of Badminton Court in Feet. U-new.
Big Ben Takes 44 Seconds to Strike 12
Width of Soccer Penalty Area in Yards. U-new.
C 45
T 45
45 B o'N
45 D i a O
45 G
45 I i a E
45 R P M
Colt .45. H.
The 45 (The Jacobite Rebellion of 1745.)
Bag o'Nuts. (Darts slang.)
Degrees in an Octant. U-new.
Forty-five Guardsmen. (Novel by Dumas. Jonathan
Always; Puzzles for Puzzlers; Tandem, 1971,
prob. 18.)
Inches in an Ell
Revolutions Per Minute. U-new. (7" record speed.)
46 C i a H C
46 C o E
46 G i a H
46 H C
Chromosomes in a Human Cell. P20. U.
Counties of England
Gallons in a Hogshead (of claret). Cf 52.5.
Human Chromosomes. S3-new.
E I 47 i t T o P
47 P P i E E
Euclid I:47 is the Theorem of Pythagoras.
Pythagorean Propositions in Euclid's Elements. U-new.
(This is confused. What is intended is that
Euclid I:47 is the Theorem of Pythagoras _ see
above.)
Strings on a Harp. H.
47 S o a H
48 C i a P D
48 H i a W
48 H t t I
48 M i a P B G
48 P a F i B W T C
Cards in a Pinochle Deck. U-new. H. (If I remember
correctly, these are A, K, ..., 9 of two decks.)
Hours in a Weekend. H2-new.
Hairsbreadths to the Inch
Minutes in a Professional Basketball Game. P57-new.
[USA.]
Preludes and Fugues in Bach's Well Tempered Clavier
49 B i a N L D
49 B i t N L
49 B i t N L (U K)
49 C i E a W
49 I D C f G
49 N o a L T
49 P b t U S a C
49 R A i a R
Balls in a National Lottery Draw. H2-new.
Balls in the National Lottery
Balls in the National Lottery (United Kingdom). U-new.
Cathedrals in England and Wales (43 & 6)
International Dialling Code for Germany
Numbers on a Lottery Ticket
49th Parallel between the United States and Canada
Reasons All in a Row. P15-new. U, from a Crosby,
Stills, Nash & Young song.
50 A o P C
50 B a 50 G B b t Q o S
Age of Prince Charles (in 1998)
50 Boys and 50 Girls Brought by the Queen of Sheba
(to Solomon. They were dressed alike and
Solomon was challenged to distinguish them.)
Cubic Feet in a Load of Squared Timber (cf 40 C F ...)
Cents in a Half Dollar. S2.
Cycles per Second in Electricity Supply in Europe
Pentecost is 50 Days after Passover
Frequency of Mains Electricity (Household) (In
Europe)
The 50 Minute Hour (Book title)
Days from Easter to Pentecost.
Number of Days Easter to Pentecost. (50 D f E t P is
better.)
50 C F i a L o S T
50 C i a H D
50 C p S i E S i E
P i 50 D a P
50 F o M E (H)
T 50 M H
50 D f E t P
50 N o D E t P
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.49
50 P f a B i D
50 P f a I B i D
50 P R o M i M
50 S i A
50 S i C W
50 S i t U
50 S o A
50 S o O G
50 S o t A F
50 S o t U S F
50 W t L Y L
50 W t L Y L (P S)
50 Y i a J
50 Y M f a G W
50 Y o M f t G A
51 A i w t R I O
51 O M o t U N
51 S N i t B C
52 C i a D
52 C i a P
52 C i t D
52 C i t P
52 F P E i M
Points for a Bullseye in Darts. H2-new.
Points for an Inner Bull's-Eye in Darts
Pounds Rent on Mayfair in Monopoly. H2-new.
States in America
Stories in Canary Wharf
States in the Union (i.e. USA). P18-new. U. H states
that Hawaii was the 50th state, in 1959.
States of America. H2.
Stars on Old Glory
Stars on the American Flag. P16-new.
Stars on the United States Flag. NQ88-new.
Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover (Paul Simon song,
1976). P7. H2. U2.
Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover (Paul Simon).
U-new.
Years in a Jubilee. U-new.
Years' Marriage for a Golden Wedding. H2-new.
Years of Marriage for the Golden Anniversary. U-new.
Area in which the Roswell Incident Occurred. U-new.
(A UFO/alien sighting.)
Original Members of the United Nations (in 1945). H.
Sovereign Nations in the British Commonwealth.
U-new.
52 P C i a D
52 P C i a P
52 P o t W a W
52 W i a Y
Cards in a Deck. U.
Cards in a Pack
Cards in the Deck
Cards in the Pack
'Fundamental Playing Errors' in Monopoly (Parker
Brothers report in 1934). H.
Playing Cards in a Deck. P8-new.
Playing Cards in a Pack
Percent of the World are Women
Weeks in a Year. U.
52.5 I G i a H
Imperial Gallons in a Hogshead. See also: 46, 54, 63.
53 O S o t D o I
Original Signers of the Declaration of Independence.
U-new. (In the USA.) (But see 56 S o t D of I;
57 S o t D o I.)
?? misprint of 50 S on O G ?? Or perhaps the 53 is a
misprint of 13??
53 S o O G
54 40 o F
54 C i a D (w J)
54 C i a D w t J
54 C i a D (w t Js)
54 C i a P (I t Js)
54 C i a P (w t Js)
54 C i t D (w t Js)
54 C i t P (w t Js)
54 F o a R C
54 F or F
54 G i a H (o B)
54 S o a R C
or Fight (American nationalist slogan of 1840s,
demanding the US extend north of Oregon to
54o40'. The border was settled at 49o.) R9.
Cards in a Deck (with Jokers)
Cards in a Deck with the Jokers. U-new.
Cards in a Deck (with the Jokers). S1.
Cards in a Pack (Including the Jokers). H2-new.
Cards in a Pack (with the Jokers)
Cards in the Deck (with the Jokers)
Cards in the Pack (with the Jokers)
Face(let)s on a Rubik Cube
Forty or Fight. U-new.
Gallons in a Hogshead (of Beer) Cf 52.5.
Squares on a Rubik's Cube. U-new.
55 B o a R
55 D a P
Beads on a Rosary
Fifty-Five Days at Peking (1963 film title). H.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.50
55 D i a D 9 S
55 G D
55 S o F T N N
55 S o t N f O t T
55 Y o M f t E A
56 C i t H o S T
56 C i t L A o a T D
56 P i a F o B
56 S i C W
56 S o t D o I
57 A t V
57 H T M
57 H V
57 S o t D o I
57 V
H h 57 V
57 V o H
58 F i B C o E C D
58 L i L
Dominoes in a Double 9 Set
Gallon Drum (standard drum for oil and the source of
steel drum bands). H.
Sum of the First Ten Natural Numbers
Sum of the Numbers from One to Ten. H2-new.
Years of Marriage for the Emerald Anniversary. U-new.
Curls in the Hair of Shirley Temple. U-new. (Google
gives an entry with 52.)
Cards in the Lesser Arcana of a Tarot Deck
Pounds in a Firkin of Butter
Storeys in Canary Wharf. H.
Signers of the Declaration of Independence. S2.
[USA]. (But see 53 O S o t D o I; 57 S o t D o
I.)
All the Varieties (bingo call?)
Heinz Trade Mark
Heinz Varieties. S1. U. H notes there were already
over 60 when the phrase was adopted. H2.
NQ86.
Signers of the Declaration of Independence. U-new.
(But see 53 O S o t D o I; 56 S o t D o I.)
Varieties. R29-new.
Heinz have 57 Varieties. KK-new.
Varieties of Heinz. P10-new.
Facets in Brilliant Cut or Emerald Cut Diamonds.
U-new. H.
Letters in
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
59 L o V C i F
Length of Volleyball Court in Feet . U-new.
60 B o B M
60 C A i B
60 C p S i E S i A
60 D A i a E t
60 D i E A o a E T
Base of Babylonian Mathematics. U-new.
Carbon Atoms in Buckminsterfullerene. U-new.
Cycles per Second in Electricity Supply in America
Degree Angles in an Equilateral Triangle. H2-new.
Degrees in Each Angle of an Equilateral Triangle.
U-new.
Grains in a Drachm
Minutes in a Degree. U.
Minims in a Fluidram. U-new. (Should be Fluid
Drachm ?? Cf 3 C i a D.)
Minutes in an Hour. U. H2.
Nautical Miles in 1 Degree of Longitude at the Equator.
(Chapman, p. 21, says a Geographical Mile is
defined as 1/60 of the mean degree of latitude and
is 2025.6 yd = 6076.8 ft, while the British
Nautical Mile is 6080 ft. He also says the
International Nautical Mile was supposed to be
1/60 of a degree of longitude at the equator,
which is actually 2023.23 yd = 6069.69 ft, but
6000 ft was used in practice.)
Phonemes in English
Seconds in a Minute. S2. P20. U. H2.
Thirds in a Second (of time or angle)
Vertices on a Bucky Ball (A truncated icosahedron.)
Vertices on a Football (= soccer ball, which is a
truncated icosahedron.)
Years of Marriage for the Diamond Anniversary.
60 G i a D
60 M i a D
60 M i a F
60 M i a H
60 N M i 1 D o L a t E
60 P i E
60 S i a M
60 T i a S
60 V o a B B
60 V o a F
60 Y o M f t D A
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.51
U-new.
61 G f A t J
61 H R H b R M i O S
Generations from Adam to Jesus
Home Runs Hit by Roger Maris in One Season.
P55-new. U. [American baseball.]
62 S P b R
62 T i t V o t K a L
62 W W S (A o W a G)
Self Portraits by Rembrandt. H.
Tombs in the Valley of the Kings at Luxor. H.
West Wallaby Street (Address of Wallace and
Grommit). U-new.
63 A i t M C
63 G i a H (o W)
63 O W G i a H
63 P C i B
Articles in the Magna Carta. H.
Gallons in a Hogshead (of Wine). Cf 52.5
Old Wine Gallons in a Hogshead. Cf 52.5.
Possible Characters in Braille (it uses six positions, so
there are 26 - 1 possible non-blank
combinations). H.
Sections of the Talmud. H, noting that the sections are
also called tractates..
63 S o t T
W I 64
W Y S N M W Y S F M W I 64
64 A o L i t K S
64 C o D N A
64 D Q
64 G i a Q
64 H o t I C
64 L o Q V R (y)
64 P i a B
64 S o a C
64 S o a C B
64 Y o Q V R
64 Y O W I H Y W S N M
64 Y Q V R
G y K o R 66
66 B i t (P) B
66 B i t K J B
66 B o t B (i t K J V)
66 C C
66 F i a C
66 F (L o a C P)
66 W i t L P
When I'm 64 (Beatles song, 1967)
Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me, When
I'm 64 (from above song). H.
Arts of Loving in the Kama Sutra. H.
Codons on DNA
Dollar Question
Gallons in a Quarter
Hexagrams of the I Ching
Length of Queen Victoria's Reign (years). U. H says 63.
Pints in a Bushel
Squares on (or of) a Chessboard (or Checkerboard). S1.
H, with of. P cover, i gives Checkerboard. U2.
Cf 204 S o a C.
Squares on a Chess Board. U. (Or Checker Board or
Chequer Board).
Years of Queen Victoria's Reign
Years Old When I Hope You Will Still Need Me
(Beatles song). P11-new. U.
Years Queen Victoria Reigned
Get your Kicks on Route 66 (US pop song by Bob
Troup, 1946). H.
Books in the (Protestant) Bible
Books in the King James Bible. P5-new. U.
Books of the Bible (in the King James Version).
GR-new.
Clickety Click. (Bingo call.)
Feet in a Chain. H2.
Feet (Length of a Cricket Pitch)
Words in the Lord's Prayer
67 N b A C
Novels by Agatha Christie. H, noting she wrote another
16 books of short stories and 16 plays.
69 A o W D C i S M
69 W o C T L
Area of Washington, DC, in Square Miles. H. Cf 179.
Ways of Constructing Tribal Lays (Barrack-Room
Ballads, Kipling). H.
70 C i a B o W
70 D o C
Centilitres in a Bottle of Whiskey. NQ58-new.
Disciples of Christ. U. (In some traditions, cf Luke
10:1)
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.52
70 L o t B T (m)
70 H R H b M M i O S
70 M S o a B M
70 M t B
70 S o G
70 T i t F L
70 T S Y a T
Length of the Bayeaux Tapestry (meters)
Home Runs Hit by Mike McGwire in One Season.
U-new. (American baseball.)
Maximum Speed on a British Motorway
Miles to Babylon. NQ80-new. (From the nursery
rhyme: How Many Miles to Babylon?.)
Sons of Gideon (Judges 8:30.)
Teams in the Football League
Three Score Years and Ten. H2. NQ49. (Human
lifespan, Book of Common Prayer: The days of
our age are threescore years and ten.)
71 H o a C S i C
Height of a Cricket Stump in Centimetres. U-new.
72 B p M i N P R
72 G i a P
72 H i t O G C
72 P i a I
72 Y L E f M i E
72 Y o L 14 R
Beats per Minute is Normal Pulse Rate
Gallons in a Puncheon (Beer measure)
Holes in the Open Golf Championship. U-new. H notes
72 holes is the number for most golf tournaments.
72 Muscles to Frown, 14 to Smile. (But I have seen 43
& 17 and 43 & 15 given.)
Points in an Inch. U-new. H. (Printing measure.)
Years Life Expectancy for Men in England
Years of Louis XIV's Reign
73 P b e e c
73 Poems by e e cummings. U-new.
74 M o S o a C D
Minutes of Sound on a CD. H.
T E S M 75 D
S S 75 K A t E S
To Every Several Man, 75 Drachmas (Julius Caesar)
Space Starts 75 Kilometres Above the earth's Surface.
H.
Stopping Distance at Thirty Miles Per Hour (in Feet)
Years is the Period of Halley's Comet (approx. _ cf
76 Y i t P o H C)
Years of Marriage for the Diamond Anniversary.
U-new.
72 M t F, 14 to S
75 S D a T M P H (i F)
75 Y i t P o H C
75 Y o M f t D A
S o 76
76 T i t B P
76 T L t B P
76 T L t B P (M M)
76 T t L t B P
76 Y i t P o H C
Spirit of '76 (American patriotic phrase.) R7 has T S o
76.
Trombones in the Big Parade. NQ71. (The following is
correct.)
Trombones Led the Big Parade. H2-new. U2. (From
The Music Man.)
Trombones Led the Big Parade (Music Man)
Trombones that Led the Big Parade. GR-new.
Years is the Period of Halley's Comet (approx). H gives
the period as 76 years and 37 days, but effects of
the planets can change this by several years.
Another source gives 75 years.
77 S S
77 U
Sunset Strip. U. H2. NQ17.
Umbrellas. (Darts slang.)
78 C i a T D
78 C i t T P
78 F (L o a T C)
78 R P M O R S
Cards in a Tarot Deck. U-new.
Cards in the Tarot Pack
Feet (Length of a Tennis Court)
RPM, Old Record Speed. [Record speeds used to vary
between 74 and 82 rpm, so 78 was chosen as
standard. Since synchronous motors turn at 60
rps = 3600 rpm, the actual speed was produced by
a 46 to 1 reduction gear, giving 3600/46 =
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.53
78 Y L E f W i E
80 A N o M
80 C i a M
A t W i 80 D
80 D a t W
80 D a t W i J V N
80 D t G a t W
80 P i a N
80 S C o a D D B
81 C i t T T C
81 S E
81 S o a S B
78.26087 rpm.]
Years Life Expectancy for Women in England
Atomic Number of Mercury
Chains in a Mile. P6, C.
Around the World in Eighty Days (Jules Verne).
R16.
Days around the World. U.
Days around the World in Jules Verne's Novel. H2-new.
Days to Go around the World. P24-new. U2, with
Around.
Pence in a Noble (Old English money. The noble was
obsolete before the 19C.)
Seating Capacity of a Double Decker Bus
Chapters in the Tao Te Ching. U-new.
Stable Elements. H says they are numbers 1 - 83,
except 43 and 61.
Squares on a Shogi Board (Shogi is the Japanese form
of Chess). H.
82 S o a D
Segments on a Dartboard (Each number has four
segments and there are the bull and double bull in
the centre.)
84 C C R
84 G i a P
84 L C i L
84 Charing Cross Road. U. H2. (By Helen Hanff.)
Gallons in a Puncheon (wine measure)
Livery Companies in London. H.
85 D of the B of B
87 U N i C
?? _ Days of the Battle of Britain. (From Simon
Dickerson.)
Four Score and Seven Years. U2-new.
Four Score and Seven Years Ago (Opening of Lincoln's
Gettysburg Address). P29 omits 'ago'. H2.
Unlucky Number in Cricket
88 C i t S
88 C R
88 F p M i 1 M p H
88 G G
88 K o a P
88 P K
88 T F L
88 T F L i B
Constellations in the Sky. U-new.
Connaught Rangers. (Darts slang.)
Feet per Minute is 1 Mile per Hour. H.
Golden Gates. (Darts slang.)
Keys on a Piano. H2 has 'pianoforte'.
Piano Keys. S1. U. (52 white & 36 black.)
Two Fat Ladies (Bingo slang). U-new.
Two Fat Ladies in Bingo. H2-new.
89 C i t F G
Chapters in the Four Gospels. U-new.
T G 90s
M t o 90 a 9 J P
T w 90 a 9 T S L i t S o t F
The Gay 90s. R56-new.
More than over 90 and 9 Just Persons (Luke 15:7)
There were 90 and 9 That Lay Safely in the Shelter of
the Fold. R96-new.
Degree Angles at the Corners of a Rectangle. H2-new.
Degrees in a Right Angle. S1. P cover, i, 43. U. H2.
NQ53.
Edges on a Bucky Ball (a truncated icosahedron)
East on a Compass (degrees)
Edges on a Football (= soccer ball, which is a truncated
icosahedron)
Feet Between Bases in Baseball. H.
Minutes in a Football Game (UK). H.
90 Percent of Everything is Hydrogen (in the universe
87 F S a S Y
87 F S a S Y A
90 D A a t C o a R
90 D i a R A
90 E o a B B
90 E o a C (d)
90 E o a F
90 F B B i B
90 M i a F G
90 P o E i H
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.54
90 P o E i R
as a whole)
90 Percent of Everything is Rubbish (Sturgeon's Law _
due to Theodore Sturgeon.)
91 D i a D 12 S
Dominoes in a Double 12 Set
92 i t A N o U
Is the Atomic Number of Uranium
93 M M t t S
Million Miles to the Sun. NQ31-new.
94 L i F o a P B C
Length in Feet of a Professional Basketball Court.
U-new.
Surprise Symphony by Haydn. U-new.
94 S S b H
W 95 Windows 95 (by Microsoft). H.
95 M L T
Martin Luther's Theses. P42-new. U.
95 T o M L
Theses of Martin Luther (1517)
96 D i a P
96 D o F
96 T b ?
97 L o t H o L (f)
I W a 97 P W
Drachms in a Pound (Troy)
Départements of France. H. These are numbered 1 95, with 20 (Corsica) divided into 2A and 2B.
There are also 6 overseas départements,
numbered 97-1 to 97-6.
Ninety Six Tears by ?. U-new. (By Question Mark
and the Mysterians, 1966.)
97 P W
Length of the House of Lords (feet). U-new.
I Was a 97 Pound Weakling. (Ad phrase for Charles
Atlas' body building course.)
Pound Weakling. U-new. Cf above.
98 T i S
98 Y o t K G R
Tiles in Scrabble. But cf 100 T i a S G.
Year of the Klondike Gold Rush.
99 a 44 H P P
99 and 44 Hundredths Percent Pure (Ivory soap slogan.)
R28 has 99 and 94 100 P C P.
Age of Abraham When He was Circumcised (Genesis
17:24). H.
Bottles of Beer on the Wall. P15-new. U. S3.
What Goes 99 Clomp, 99 Clomp? (A Centipede with a
Wooden Leg.)
Cantos in Dante's Divine Comedy (Actually there is
also an introductory Canto)
Flake (a bar of flaky chocolate inserted into ice cream
cones in England)
Ice Cream Cornet (or Cone) with a Chocolate Flake (see
above)
is Top of the House in Bingo
Names of God (Moslem)
99 Per Cent Perspiration (Thomas Edison _ cf G i 1 P
C I a 99 P C P). H.
Times out of a Hundred. H2.
Year Lease
99 A o A W H w C
99 B o B o t W
W G 99 C 99 C (A C w a W L)
99 C i D D C
99 F
99 I C C w a C F
99 i T o t H i B
99 N o G
99 P C P
99 T o o a H
99 Y L
H has several pages of currencies in which there are 100 A in a B. I won't give all of
them here.
O 100Old Hundredth (favourite hymn tune)
T S o t C 100s
The Stewardship of the Chiltern 100s (British office
whose holder is not eligible to be an MP, hence
used as a way for an MP to resign)
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.55
100s a 1000s
100 Y S B S
100 Y W
T 100 Y W L 116 y
Hundreds and Thousands. (Small bits of candy for
sprinkling on cakes, ice cream, etc. UK)
Acres in a Hide
Age of Queen Mother. NQ63-new.
Aker Wood (Winnie the Pooh). U-new.
Bill Harvey. (American darts slang.)
Your 100 Best Tunes
I Have Seen Him in the Watch-Fires of a 100 Circling
Camps (The Battle Hymn of the Republic)
Cubic Feet in a Ton (for Ships)
Cents in a Dollar. P40. U.
Centimetres in a Meter
C in Roman Numerals. H2-new.
One Hundred Dollar Misunderstanding (novel title)
Days (of Napoleon's Return)
100 Days of Sodom by the Marquis de Sade. H.
Eyes of Argus
Let 100 Flowers Bloom (Chinese slogan, summer
1957.)
Grades in a Quadrant. Chapman, p. 24. The grade was
an attempt to metricate angle measure and is used
in some engineering situations, so that most
scientific calculators have it.
The Logarithm of 100 is 2 (to base 10)
Items in a Ton. Usually money or miles per hour.
Links in a Chain
Legs on a Centipede (centipedes usually have several
dozen legs)
A 100 Per Cent American. R12-new.
Pennies in a Dollar. P Cover - new. (US money.)
Pounds in a Hundredweight. U-new. (In the US.)
Pence in a Pound
Pounds in a Ton (i.e. £100)
Pence in the Pound
Runs in a Century (in Cricket)
Temperature at Which Water Boils (in Centigrade or
Celsius)
Tiles in a Scrabble Game. H says 98.
Tales in the Decameron of Boccaccio
No, No, a 100 Times No, Said the Centipede, Crossing
her Legs
Tiles in the Game of Scrabble
United States Senators. U-new.
The First 100 Years Are the Hardest. R42-new.
Yard Dash
Years in a Century. P8. NQ21.
Yards in an American Football Field. U-new.
Yards in a Football Field (US). P4-new.
One Hundred Years of Solitude. [By Gabriel García
Márquez.] P51-new.
Years Sleeping Beauty Slept. H. H2.
Years' War (1337-1453)
The Hundred Years' War Lasted 116 Years
100.40 F o J F M
Frequency of Jazz F M (apparently at Chester!)
100 A i a H
100 A o Q M
100 A W (W t P)
100 B H
Y 100 B T
I H S H i t W-F o a 100 C C
100 C F i a T (f S)
100 C i a D
100 C i a M
100 C i R N
100 D M
100 D (o N R)
100 D o S b t M d S
100 E o A
L 100 F B
100 G i a Q
T L o 100 i 2
100 I i a T
100 L i a C
100 L o a C
A 100 P C A
100 P i a D
100 P i a H
100 P i a P
100 P i a T
100 P i t P
100 R i a C
100 T a W W B (i C)
100 T i a S G
100 T i t D o B
N N a 100 T N S t C C h L
100 T i t G o S
100 U S S
T F 100 Y A t H
100 Y D
100 Y i a C
100 Y i a A F F
100 Y i a F F
100 Y o S
101 a S M L
a Silly Millimeter Longer. U-new. (Ad for Chesterfield
cigarettes, poking fun at Benson & Hedges
100mm ad.)
101 D101 Dalmatians. S2. P33. H2. (Book and movie title).
101 D i t D M
Dalmatians in the Disney Movie. U-new.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.56
101 D (W D)
102 F i t E S B
102 K o a P C K B
102 S i t E S B
103 E i t P T
104 M i t M L o a E o t M
105 P o t M
104 S o H
105 E i t P T
105 N P i a G
108 B i a B R
108 G i a B
108 U i t T U C
109 E i t P T
109 J K P T B
110 C C B
110 F i t W T C
110 M H
110 S i t S T i C
110 Y i a C F F
111 A i t U N C
111 L N
112 P i a H
112 P i a L H
114 C i t K
115 L o H W i M
116 Y i t 100 Y W
116 Y i t H Y W
117 V i S i A
120 i a L H
120 I i a L H
120 Y i a F F
121 C o a H B
122 M o t M T F
T T o P 123
123 A o A
125 H S T
125 I T
Y H D S b 125 Y
126 C S b W G G i F C C
126 G i a B
126 G i a P
127 A o S
128 C F i a C
101 Dalmatians (Walt Disney). NQ33.
Floors in the Empire State Building. P57-new. U.
Keys on a PC Key Board (The is a common value, but
not all key boards are the same.)
Stories in the Empire State Building. S3.
Elements in the Periodic Table (as of 1961)
Minutes is the Maximum Length of an Eclipse of the
Moon
Pilgrims on the Mayflower (in 1620). H.
Symphonies of Haydn (or perhaps 107??)
Elements in the Periodic Table (though 106 and 107
have been claimed.) P44 gives 106. H says the
Russians and the Americans claim its first
production and want to call it Nielsbohrium and
Hahnium respectively. Cf 109.
New Pence in a Guinea
Beads in a Buddhist 'Rosary'
Gallons in a Butt (of Sherry). Cf 126. H says in a butt
of ale _ cf 54 G i a H
Unions in the Trades Union Congress
Elements in the Periodic Table. Cf 105.
John Kennedy's PT Boat. U-new.
Cornets Came Behind. U-new. (Cf 76 T L t B P.)
Floors in the World Trade Center (New York). U-new.
Metres Hurdles. H2-new.
Stories in the Sears Tower in Chicago
Yards in a Continental Football Field. U-new.
(Presumably a soccer pitch.)
Articles in the United Nations Charter. H.
Lord Nelson. (Darts slang.)
Pounds in a Hundredweight (in the UK)
Pounds in a Long Hundredweight. U-new.
Chapters in the Koran
Length of Hadrian's Wall in Miles. H.
Years in the 100 Years' War.
Years in the Hundred Year's War. P37-new. U with
Years. [Years' ?? Above version is better?]
Volts is Standard in America
is a Long Hundred
Items in a Long Hundred
Yards in a Football Field. (The field proper is only 100
yards, but there are 10 yard end zones at each
end.) S3-new.
Cells on a Hex Board (11 x 11, but there are also
12 x 12 versions)
Miles of the M25. (The M25 is the motorway around
London.)
The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974 film title). H.
Age of Aaron. H.
High Speed Train
Intercity Train
Yet His Days Shall be 125 Years (Genesis 6:3)
Centuries Scored by W. G. Grace in First Class Cricket.
H.
Gallons in a Butt (of wine). Cf 108.
Gallons in a Pipe (Wine measure). See above.
Age of Sarah (Genesis 23:1)
Cubic Feet in a Cord (firewood measure). H.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.57
128 C F i a C o W
131 S i N Y
132 H i a 100
132 I o H
132 R i t W H
133 C C o t C o t C o L
133 i t O N of B G F
136 T i a M J S
140 S i a B
140 T o T A t S H C R
144 D i a G G
144 GGross. U-new.
144 i a G
144 I i a G
144 S I i a S F
144 T i a M J S
144 U i a G
146 B i t B H o C
147 H B i S
147 i t M B in S
147 M B a S
147 M B i S
148 M L b B Y t U
150 D t W o t G F P
150 K o t R T
150 P i t B
150 P i t B o P
151 P i t R O B
153 F C b S P
154 S b W S
156 F T b H C A
156 I i a L G
156 N o T a C S i a D
159 L i a B o O
160 S R i a A
163 i t S I S w 3 D
165 B o a R
165 H of N F in F
166 M o t D E
168 H i a W
Chapman, p. 36, says it was sometimes 120 cubic
feet.
Cubic Feet in a Cord of Wood
Skyscrapers in New York. H _ presumably this has
already changed.
132 Herring in a Hundred
Islands of Hawaii. H.
Rooms in the White House. H.
Common Councilmen of the Corporation of the City of
London. H.
is the Opus Number of Beethoven's Grosse Fugue
Tiles in a Mah Jong Set. H.
Skeins in a Bundle. H.
Types of Tobacco Ash that Sherlock Holmes Could
Recognize (The Sign of Four)
Dozen in a Great Gross
in (is) a Gross
Items in a Gross
Square Inches in a Square Foot
Tiles in a Mah Jong Set
Units in a Gross. U2-new.
Britons in the Black Hole of Calcutta. H.
Highest Break in Snooker. H2.
is the Maximum Break in Snooker [This can be
exceeded if the one player makes a foul shot
leaving the other with a free ball before any balls
have been potted. I'm not quite sure what the
maximum can be in this case _ one source says
155.]
Maximum Break at Snooker
Maximum Break in Snooker. U-new.
Mormons Led by Brigham Young to Utah (1847). H.
Days the Waters of the Great Flood Prevailed (Genesis
7:24: And the waters prevailed upon the earth an
hundred and fifty days). H.
Knights of the Round Table
Psalms in the Bible. P46-new. U. NQ65. Lemon,
p. 13, says Psalm 151 is cited several places in the
Bible _ cf 151.
Psalms in the Book of Psalms
Psalms In the Russian Orthodox Bible. U-new. H says
Psalm 151 is in the Greek Orthodox Bible.
Fish Caught by Simon Peter (John 21:11)
Sonnets by William Shakespeare (though the last two
are doubtful). H. (Another source says 150.)
Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson. H.
Items in a Long Gross [= 12 Baker's Dozens!]
Number of Times a Clock Strikes in a Day
Litres in a Barrel of Oil. H.
Square Rods in an Acre
is the Smallest Impossible Score with 3 Darts
Beads on a Rosary. H. (But under 15 M o t L o M, he
implies 180.)
Height of Niagara Falls in Feet
Members of the Dail Eireann (the Irish Parliament). H.
Hours in a Week
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.58
168 S on a S of D (D-6)
Spots on a Set of Dominoes (Double-6)
170 L o t S C i K
Length of the Suez Canal in Kilometres. H gives 169
and 171, so I've taken 170.
Age of Abraham. H.
Abraham Lived 175 Years
Verses in the Longest Psalm (No. 119). U-new.
Area of Washington, DC, in Square Kilometres. H.
Cf 69.
Height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa (in Feet)
Words in the Ten Commandments
175 A o A
A L 175 Y
176 V i t L P
179 A o W D C i S K
179 H o t L T o P (i F)
179 W i t T C
180 D b F a B
180 D i a T
180 D i t S o t A o a T
180 D t R D
180 H S i D
180 i t H P S w 3 D
180 M S a D
180 T a G V
180 T G V
180 T S i D
180 T S w T D
182 P i a W
183 C i t A
185 M o t U N
187 D o t A
189 L i a B o A
192 D E
192 I C i t W
193 L S o M a A
193 L o L I N Y i K
200 D f P G i M
200 M i a C
200 P f P G i M
200 P t P G i M
204 S o a C
206 B i t H B
210 L o R T i M
210 W o A 4 P i M
212 B P o W (i D F)
212 B P o W (i F)
212 D a w W B
212 D F a W B P
213 B i t H B
Degrees between Freezing and Boiling [in Fahrenheit]
Degrees in a Triangle. U-new.
Degrees is the Sum of the Angles of a Triangle
Degrees to Reverse Direction. U-new.
Highest Score in Darts
is the Highest Possible Score with 3 Darts
Maximum Score at Darts
Train à Grande Vitesse (speed in miles per hour)
Train à Grande Vitesse. (Speed in miles per hour. The
standard abbreviation is TGV.)
Top Score in Darts.
Top Score with Three Darts. H2-new.
Pounds in a Wey (wool weight)
Chapters in the Apocrypha (of 14 books). Lemon, p. 12.
Members of the United Nations. H, so presumably
c1997.
Defenders of the Alamo (in 1836). H.
Litres in a Barrel of Alcohol. H.
Directory Enquires (= telephone information in the UK)
Independent Countries in the World (as of 1995). H.
Living Species of Monkeys and Apes (The Naked Ape,
1967, by Desmond Morris). H.
Length of Long Island, New York, in Kilometres. H.
Dollars for Passing "Go" in Monopoly. S1. P56. U.
(US)
Milligrams in a Carat. P18-new. U.
Pounds for Passing Go in Monopoly (UK). H2.
Pounds to Pass Go in Monopoly (UK)
Squares on (or of) a Chessboard (or Checkerboard)
(when you count squares of all sizes, so there are:
64 unit squares, 49 2x2 squares, 36 3x3
squares, ..., 1 8x8 square.
Bones in the Human Body (A baby has over 300 (or
about 350), but many fuse with age _ though this
can be more or less complete, so many adults
have more or fewer than 206 bones. Cf 213.) P4.
U.
Length of River Thames in Miles (from Thames Head
to the Nore)
Width of A4 Paper in Millimetres. H.
Boiling Point of Water (in Degrees Fahrenheit).
H2-new.
Boiling Point of Water (in Fahrenheit)
Degrees at Which Water Boils. S2.
Degrees Fahrenheit at Water's Boiling Point. P35-new.
Bones in the Human Body (Usually stated as 206, qv.)
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.59
220 S o a D o C
220 Y i a F
221 B B S
221 B B S A o S H
225 S o a S B
226 P i t B
P 231 b A H
231 C I i a W G
235 I o U i t A B
235 o 238 i t A W o U
240 C i a L
240 O P i a P
240 P i a P
240 P i a P
240 P i a P (O M)
240 V i D P S
240 Y i a C
244 L o t M D L i M
245 B R L (A o t E)
249 L o t N Y S S i M
251 L o t L U S i M
256 A i a H
256 D i a P
256 N V o M C
264 F o M C (C P)
264 P t D
266 S o t L U
267 D o H P
268 C I i a W G
268 W i L G A
270 C i t N T
270 E V N t W a P E
M 273 D C i A Z
Spots on a Deck of Cards
(= 4 x (1 + ... + 10), which ignores the small
corner spots and the Joker. Cf 324, 364.)
Yards in a Furlong
221 B Baker Street (Sherlock Holmes's address)
B Baker Street Address of Sherlock Holmes. U-new.
Squares on a Scrabble Board
Puzzles in this Book. P59-new.
Pacific 231 by Arthur Honegger (a symphonic
movement, 1923). H.
Cubic Inches in a Wine Gallon
Isotope of Uranium in the Atomic Bomb. U-new.
235 or 238 is the Atomic Weight of Uranium
Chains in a League
Old Pence in a Pound
Pennyweight in a Pound. U-new.
Pounds in a Pack (wool weight)
Pence in a Pound (Old Money) (Old English money.)
Volts in Domestic Power Supply
Yards in a Cable (This corresponds to 7 1/3 cables per
mi and is not consistent with other data.)
Length of the Mason-Dixon Line in Miles (between
Pennsylvania and Maryland, 1763). H.
Blackfriars Road, London (Address of the Express).
H2-new (Hartston is now with the Express).
Length of the New York Subway System, in Miles. H.
Length of the London Underground System, in Miles.
H.
Acres in a Hide (a medieval land measure, used in the
Domesday Book, etc.). H.
Drams in a Pound (Avoirdupois)
Nominal Value of Middle C. H. This is used in
scientific or just pitch, in which A is 426.67. Cf
264.
Frequency of Middle C (Concert Pitch). Not quite right
_ if A is 440 (qv), then middle C is 261.63, and if
middle C is 264, then A is 444.0. A = 435 is also
used, which gives C = 258.65.
Popes to Date (This is the official count _ there is
considerable confusion in the counting.)
Stations on the London Underground. H. My Dec 1998
Tube Map lists 315 stations. 18 of these are only
on the Silverlink Metro (the old North London
Line); 24 are only on the Docklands Light
Railway; 2 more are only on both of these; 2 are
only on British Rail and 1 is only on Thameslink,
which leaves 268.
Days of Human Pregnancy (Tradition gives 280;
another source claims 273 (10 sidereal months).)
Cubic Inches in a Winchester Gallon
Words in Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. H.
Chapters in the New Testament. Lemon, p. 12.
Electoral Votes Needed to win a Presidential Election.
(US). S3-new.
Minus 273 Degrees Celsius is Absolute Zero
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.60
273 i t F P o W i D K
273 i t L o J C Z
273 (M) A Z
277 C I i a I G
280 D o H P
280 H o t G P (i C)
Is the Freezing Point of Water in Degrees Kelvin
Is the Length of John Cage's Zero. (This composition
consists entirely of silence.) H calls it
4 min 33 sec and another source gives 4 minutes
33 seconds.
(Minus) Absolute Zero
Cubic Inches in an Imperial Gallon
286 W i t G A
288 G i a C
288 i T G t M
Days of Human Pregnancy (by tradition, cf 267.)
Height of the Great Pyramid (in Cubits) [More or less _
this is a middling value.]
Words in the Gettysburg Address
Gallons in a Chaldron. H.
is Too Gross to Mention.
297 L o A 4 P i M
Length of A4 Paper in Millimetres. H.
300 B i t T o C
Bees in the Tomb of Childeric. U-new. H says they
were golden bees and Childeric was an 8C
Merovingian king. [John Timbs; Things Not
Generally Known, Familiarly Explained. A
Book for Old and Young (spine says First
Series and a note by a bookdealer on the flyleaf
says 2 vol.); Kent & Co., London, (1857?), 8th
ed., 1859, p.193] describes this. The tomb of
Childeric, father of Clovis, was opened at
Tournay in 1653 and there were found more than
300 models of what the French heralds took to be
bees, of gold with wings inlaid with a red stone.
They were sent to Louis XIV and placed on a
green cloth at Versailles. Napoleon later adopted
these bees, on a green ground, as an imperial
symbol and they are sprinkled on the Imperial
robes. However, it is now generally believed that
they were decorative 'fleurons' attached to the war
horse interred with Childeric. So the number 300
is not very exact.
Concubines of Solomon (I Kings 11:3. But a source
gives 900.)
Cubits Was the Length of the Ark (Genesis 6:15)
Maximum Game in Bowling (ten pin)
Perfect Game in Bowling
Points in a Game of Darts
Points in a Perfect Game at Bowling. S3-new.
1 Out of 312 Americans is a bore (John Updike). H.
Rods in a Mile
Spots on a Deck of Cards
(= 4 x (1 + ... + 10) + 104, which counts the
small corner spots, but ignores the Joker. Cf 220,
364.)
Velocity of Sound, Dry Conditions. (Or Velocity of
Sound, Dry, CO2-free. The value is actually
about 331 m/sec.)
Dimples on a Golf Ball
Hours in a Fortnight
Hours of Music Written by Haydn (the most prolific of
major composers). H.
Total Value of a Deck of Cards in Cribbage. (All the
face cards count as 10, so the total value is given
by 4 x (1 + 2 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10). Cf 364.
Days in a Moslem Year
300 C o S
300 C W t L o t A
300 M G i B
300 P G i B
301 P i a G o D
300 P i a P G o B
1 O o 312 A i a B
320 R i a M
324 S o a D o C
330 V o S D C
336 D o a G B
336 H i a F
340 H o M W b H
340 T V o a D o C i C
354 D i a M Y
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.61
360 D i a C
360 D i a S
360 D o C
361 P o a G B
364 P from M T L
364 S o a D o C
365 A o E
365 D i a Y
365 H o S P i F
366 D i a L Y
366 D o t Y i a L Y
370 D C i F
375 R S b B L
N Y 400
T 400 B
404 H o S C i f
432 P i a H
434 T W T b K D
435 M o t H o R
435 M o t H o R (US)
435 S i t H o R
440 C A
F 451 (b R B)
451 D F a w B B
454 G P P
P J P i t F N-I P i 456 Y
469 S o t N Y S
480 G i a O
480 o 500 S i a R
484 S Y i a S C
495 S on a S of D (D-9)
500 F C
Degrees in a Circle. P43. H2.
Degrees in a Square. KK-new.
Degrees of Compass. NQ18-new.
Positions on a Go Board
Presents from My True Love. U-new. H. In the Twelve
Days of Christmas, = 1x12 + 2x11 + ... + 12x1.
A student of mine once worked out the cost of all
these!
Spots on a Deck of Cards (= 4 x (1 + ... + 13). I saw
365 cited, which must count one spot on one
joker, but the values of 11, 12, 13 are unfair as
there are only two corner spots on the J, Q, K.
Other versions call this the total value of the deck,
though some games count the face cards as 10,
which reduces the total value to 340. Cf 220,
324, 340.)
Age of Enoch. H.
Days in a Year. P24. U.
Height of St. Paul's in Feet
Days in a Leap Year. P25. U
Days of the Year in a Leap Year
Different Cheeses in France (cited by de Gaulle when
complaining about the difficulty of governing
France). H.
Runs Scored by Brian Lara (in 1993-94, the highest
single innings score in a test match). H.
New York's 400 (people worth knowing, c1900).
R61-new.
The 400 Blows (film by Truffaut, 1959). H.
Height of Salisbury Cathedral, in Feet (Tallest spire in
England).
Pints in a Hogshead. U. H. (Of beer, but cf 54 G i a H
(o B); 52.5 I G i a H;
Test Wickets Taken by Kapil Dev (the most by any
bowler in cricket). H.
Members of the House of Representatives. S2. [USA]
Members of the House of Representatives (US). U-new.
Seats in the House of Representatives. P40-new. U2.
[USA]
Concert A. H says this was set by International
agreement in 1939. But my reference says this is
US pitch and that International pitch has A = 435.
Cf 256, 264.
Fahrenheit 451 (by Ray Bradbury). Cf below.
Degrees Fahrenheit at which Books Burn. U-new.
Grams Per Pound
Pope John Paul is the First Non-Italian Pope in 456
Years
Stations on the New York Subway. H.
Grains in an Ounce (Troy)
480 or 500 Sheets in a Ream ([Chapman] says 480
sheets to a ream of writing paper, 516 (sometimes
500) sheets to a ream of printing paper. This is
probably to allow for misfeeds, etc.)
Square Yards in a Square Chain
Spots on a Set of Dominoes (Double-9)
Fortune Companies. P42. U. [The US magazine
Fortune lists the 500 biggest companies each
year.]
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.62
500 H o B C
500 M (f m H)
500 M i t I F H
500 M R a I
500 P i a M
500 S i a R
500 S o P i a R
501 L J
501 L-S J
501 S f a L a D
516 S in a R
516 S of P in a P R
540 D i a P
550 F P p S i 1 H P
568 M i a P
576 H i a F
A i t V o D R t 600
Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (Dr. Seuss). P28-new.
Miles (from my Home) (American folk song.)
Miles in the Indianapolis Five Hundred. U2-new.
Mile Race at Indianapolis. U.
Pounds in a Monkey (i.e. £500)
Sheets in a Ream. U-new. (Sometimes 480 or 516,
qv.)
Sheets of Paper in a Ream. (Sometimes 480 or 516,
qv.) S3.
Levi Jeans
Levi-Strauss Jeans. U-new.
Score for a Leg at Darts. H.
Sheets in a Ream. (Cf 480, 500)
Sheets of Paper in a Printer's Ream (Cf 480, 500)
Degrees in a Pentagon.
Foot Pounds per Second is 1 Horse Power
Millilitres in a Pint (UK, approx. The actual number is
568.25 ml.) A US pint is 473.17 ml.)
Hairsbreadths in a Foot
All in the Valley of Death / Rode the 600. (Alfred Lord
Tennyson, The Charge of the Light Brigade,
I:3-4.
A T W L o T L o t 600
All That Was Left of Them, / Left of the 600. (Ibid,
V:10-11.)
H t L B N 600
Honour the Light Brigade, / Noble 600. (Ibid, V:5-6.)
I t J o D I t M o H R t 600
Into the Jaws of Death, / Into the Mouth of Hell / Rode
the 600. (Ibid, III:7-9.)
I t M o H R t 600
Into the Mouth of Hell / Rode the 600. (Ibid, III:8-9.)
I t V o D R t 600
Into the Valley of Death / Rode the 600. (Ibid, I:7-8 =
II:8-9.) R41-new.
T T R B b n N t 600
Then They Rode Back, but not / Not the 600. (Ibid,
IV:11-12.)
600 C i t L B
Charged in the Light Brigade. U-new. H says there
were actually 673, qv.
600 C o t L B
Charge of the Light Brigade (poem title).
600 F i a C
Feet in a Cable. (This is not consistent with there being
10 cables in a nautical mile of 6080 ft, because 10
cables (= 6000 ft) is an International Nautical
Mile, while the British Nautical Mile is 6080 ft.
Chapman, p. 21.)
600 M i a R C
Men in a Roman Cohort
600 W t M L A t t M d S
Ways to Make Love, According to the Marquis de Sade.
H.
N w 600 Y O a t T o t G F
Noah was 600 Years Old at the Time of the Great Flood
(Genesis 7:11)
613 C i t O T
Commandments in the Old Testament (This counts all
commandments from God, e.g. the dietary laws.)
622 H o M
Hegira of Mohammed
625 L o a T S
Lines on a Television Screen
625 L o a T V S
Lines on a T V Screen
625 L o T S
Lines on a Tele Vision Set [sic!]. NQ24.
626 K, M R, h L W
626 K, Mozart's Requiem, his Last Work
627 S u S P
Steps up St. Paul's
639 M in the H B
Muscles in the Human Body. H says named muscles.
640 A i a S M
Acres in a Square Mile. U.
A 650 M i t H B
About 650 Muscles in the Human Body
650 M o t H o C
Members of the House of Commons. H says 659.
O 666Officer 666. R78-new. (Broadway play by Augustin MacHugh, 1912.)
666 N o t B i t A
Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse (Revelation
13:18. 666 = DCLXVI in Roman Numerals,
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.63
666 N o t B i t B o R
673 M i t L B
675 P o M W b M
688 F t 13 E 400 Y
700 W o S
707 Y o C
714 B N o S J F
720 D i a H
732 S o t T
738 S o S i M p H
744 H i M
746 W i a H P
747 B J J
747 J J
750 H i a C
755 H R H b H A
760 A P i M o M
777 A o L
800 H S o t SAT
800 T O o W i a B
800 W i V
818 S S o a B i M p H
871 C M b W G G
880 N o M S o O F
888 C S
900 D i a H
M L 900 Y
911 E S i t U S
929 C i t O T
930 A o A
A L 930 Y
930 Y A L
950 A o N
960 R i a L
962 A o J
apparently a common way to write an indefinite
large number. Another source claims it derives
from the reverse of the 'chi-rho' symbol which
could be interpreted as 600 + 10 + 6 = 616 which
was the first form of the number.)
Number of the Beast in the Book of Revelation. U-new.
Men in the Light Brigade. H. Cf 600.
Pieces of Music Written by Mozart. H.
Friday the 13ths Every 400 Years (the 13th falls more
often on a Friday than any other weekday). H.
Wives of Solomon (I Kings 11: 3, but other sources
give 600, 999 and 3000.)
Year of Confusion. U2-new. (This is the Roman year of
46 BC, when Julius Caesar reformed the calendar,
giving this year 445 (or 460) days. Some sources
say this was 'the last year of confusion'. The
Roman year numbers are not too dependable as
the date of foundation of Rome is variously given
as 751, 752, 753 or 754 BC.)
Badge Number of Sgt Joe Friday. U-new. (1950s
American TV series, Dragnet, featured Friday.)
Degrees in a hexagon
Survivors of the Titanic (in 1912). H.
Speed of Sound in Miles per Hour.
Hours in March (or any other 31-day month)
Watts in a Horse Power
Boeing Jumbo Jet. H2-new.
Jumbo Jet
Herrings in a Cran (approx). H.
Home runs Hit by Hank Aaron. P39-new. U2.
[American Baseball.]
Atmospheric Pressure in Millimetres of Mercury
Age of Lamech
Highest Score on the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test
[now Scholastic Assessment Test]) [The SAT
has two parts, mathematical and verbal, and each
has a maximum score of 800.]
Troy Ounces of Wheat in a Bushel
Warriors in Valhalla. U-new. H. (The edda says there
are 540 doors in Valhalla and 800 warriors will
issue from each door, making 432,000 warriors,
qv.)
Supposed Speed of a Botfly in Miles per Hour
Catches Made by W. G. Grace. H.
Number of Magic Squares of Order Four. U2-new.
Ceefax Subtitles (on UK TV)
Degrees in a Heptagon.
Methusaleh Lived 900 Years (Line in It Ain't
Necessarily So, in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.
CHECK
Emergency Services in the U S. H.
Chapters in the Old Testament. Lemon, p. 12.
Age of Adam. H. (Genesis 5:3-5)
Adam Lived 930 Years
930 Years Adam Lived. H2-new.
Age of Noah. H. (Genesis 9:29)
Rods in a League
Age of Jared. H.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.64
969 A o M
999 E S i t U K
999 E T N
999 Y L
Age of Methusaleh (Genesis 5:27)
Emergency Services in the United Kingdom
Emergency Telephone Number (UK)
Year Lease. Lemon, p. 215, says these are obsolete.
T 1000 a 1 T o t A N
A 1000 C
1000 C in a M
1000 D o A B M
T 1000 D of J F K P
T N h a 1000 E
T N H a 1000 E A t D B 1
The 1000 and 1 Tales of the Arabian Nights. R98-new.
A Thousand Clowns (film title, 1965). H.
?? Possibly a misprint for 100 C i a M, qv.
Days of Anne Boleyn's Marriage
The 1000 Days of John Fitzgerald Kennedy's Presidency
The Night has a Thousand Eyes (film title, 1948)
The Night has a Thousand Eyes, And the Day but One.
(Opening lines of Light by Francis William
Bourdillon.)
The Night has a Thousand Eyes, the Day but One.
(??song line. R91-new, giving it in quotes, but
see above.)
Eyes has the Night. U-new. See above.
The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (film by Fritz
Lang, 1960). H.
Man of a Thousand Faces (film biography of Lon
Chaney Jr, 1957). H.
Guineas at Newmarket (English horse race)
Grams in a Kilogram
Islands (in the St. Lawrence River on the US-Canadian
border). R57 has T 1000 I.
Island Dressing (said to have been developed at a hotel
in Alexandria Bay, NY, on the St. Lawrence).
H2.
Islands in New York. U-new.
Kilograms in a Metric Ton
Metres in a Kilometre. U.
Paces in a Mile
Points of Light. P30-new, P. (Phrase used by George
Bush in his inaugural address in 1988, which has
become a TV show and a foundation, etc.)
The Face that Launched a 1000 Ships
T N h a 1000 E t D b 1
1000 E h t N
T 1000 E o D M
M o a 1000 F
1000 G a N
1000 G i a K
1000 I
1000 I D
1000 I i N Y
1000 K i a M T
1000 M i a K
1000 P i a M
1000 P o L
T F t L a 1000 S
A 1000 S F a T S a 10,000 a T R H
1000 S L b H o T's F
1000 S L b t F o H o T
1000 T i a M
N N a 1000 T N
1000 W i a K
1000 W t a P i W
1000 Y i a M
T 1000 Y R
1001 A N
1001 C a B B C
1003 D G M i S
1040 U S I T F
1052 H o t E T (i F)
1066 A A T
1066 B o H
1080 D i a O
A 1000 Shall Fall at Thy Side and 10,000 at Thy Right
Hand. (Psalm 91). R95-new.
Ships Launched by Helen of Troy's Father
Ships Launched by the Face of Helen of Troy. P27-new.
U.
Thousands in a Million
No, No, a 1000 Times No
Watts in a Kilowatt. P20-new.
Words that a Picture is Worth. S1. U.
Years in a Millennium. P12-new. U.
The 1000 Year Reich
Arabian Nights. S1. P30. U. H2. R98 has T 1000 a 1
T o t A N.
Cleans a Big Big Carpet. U-new. (Slogan for a UK
carpet cleaner.) H continues it as 'for less than
half-a-crown'.
Don Giovanni's Mistresses in Spain
US Income Tax Form
Height of the Eiffel Tower (in Feet)
And All That
Battle of Hastings
Degrees in an Octagon
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.65
1080 R o t M (i M)
1087 S o S i F p S
1092 S on a S of D (D-12)
1093 P b T A E
Radius of the Moon (in Miles)
Speed of Sound in Feet per Second.
Spots on a Set of Dominoes (Double-12)
Patents by Thomas Alva Edison. H.
1189 C i t B
Chapters in the Bible. H. Lemon, p. 12, says 1199.
1215 D o M C
1260 D i a N
1293 F B S L (T D S)
1296 S I i a S Y
Date of Magna Carta. NQ12-new.
Degrees in a Nonagon.
Feet Below Sea Level (The Dead Sea)
Square Inches in a Square Yard. U-new.
1342 M (H o B N)
Meters (Height of Ben Nevis) (Highest mountain in
Scotland and Britain). Cf 4406.
1440 D i a d
1440 M i a D
1453 F o C
1472 H o E S B (i F)
1478 D of C D in a B of M
1482 H o t P T K L i F
Degrees in a Decagon
Minutes in a Day. P53-new. U.
Fall of Constantinople
Height of Empire State Building (in Feet)
Duke of Clarence Drowned in a Butt of Malmsey
Height of the Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, in Feet
(the world's tallest habitable building). H.
Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue in 14 hundred and 92.
R93-new.
Christopher Columbus Discovered the West Indies
Columbus Discovers the New World
In 1492, Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue
C S t O B i 1492
1492 C C D t W I
1492 C D t N W
I 1492 C S t O B
1513 D W t T S
1521 D o W
1545 T M R S
1558 Q E t F C t T
1588 D o S A
1588 S A
F W C 1589
Died When the Titanic Sank (in 1912). H.
Diet of Worms
The Mary Rose Sank
Queen Elizabeth the First Came to Throne
Defeat of Spanish Armada. NQ66-new.
Spanish Armada
First Water Closet (Several dates are given for this:
Harrington's first publication was 1597 and most
sources say he invented it in 1596, but [Sholl]
gives 1589.)
1600 H T S o t SAT
1666 G F o L
1671 S u t E T
Highest Total Score on the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude
Test) [The SAT has two parts, mathematical and
verbal, and each has a maximum score of 800.]
Pennsylvania Avenue is the Address of The White
House
Pennsylvania Avenue the White House. U-new. Above
version is better. H erroneously has 160.
King James' Bible (completed)
Date of Sailing of Mayflower. NQ7-new. the
Mayflower sounds better.
Steps in the Eiffel Tower Cf 1665.
Length of the Forth Rail Bridge in Metres. H.
Great Plague of London
Steps up the Eiffel Tower - from an Eiffel Tower
website, but other sites give 1652, 1671, 1710,
1789, 1792 ??
Great Fire of London
Steps up the Eiffel Tower. Cf 1665.
1710 S u t E T
1728 i a G G
1728 C I i a C F
Steps up the Eiffel Tower. Cf 1665.
is a Great Gross
Cubic Inches in a Cubic Foot. U.
1600 P A i t A o T W H
1600 P A t W H
1610 K J B
1620 D o S o M
1652 S i t E T
1658 L o t F R B i M
1665 G P o L
1665 S u t E T
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.66
1729 i t S N E a t S o 2 C i 2 D W
1760 Y i a M
1766 L o t D i M
1776 A D o I
1780 F E D
1789 F o t B
1789 S u t E T
1789 Y o t F R
1792 n o S i E T
1792 S u t E T
1800 D i a D
1805 B o T
1806 E o t H R E
1807 A o S T
W o 1812
1812 O (b T)
1812 O (T)
1815 B o W
1821 H o t C N T i T
1843 P o A C C (C D)
1851 T G E
1869 S C O
1872 R V W w B
1883 K E
1887 P T I
1896 F M O G
1901 F N P A
1901 Y o D o Q V
1912 T S
1914 T Y t L W O A O E
1926 Y Q E B
1936 F S H F
1943 F E C B
1945 E o W W T
1947 F S F
1953 C Y
1953 E II C
1954 T Y o L S W O
1961 F M i S
1963 P K A
1966 E W W C
1968 P S
is the Smallest Number Expressible as the Sum of 2
Cubes in 2 Different Ways
(= 13 + 123 = 93 + 103; the great Indian
mathematician responded with this when he was
visited by Hardy who had arrived in a cab
numbered 1729. H.
Yards in a Mile. P6. U. H2.
Length of the Danube in Miles. H.
American Declaration of Independence. NQ29-new.
First Epsom (or English) Derby
Fall of the Bastille. NQ42-new.
Steps up the Eiffel Tower. Cf 1665.
Year of the French Revolution
Number of Steps in Eiffel Tower
Steps up the Eiffel Tower Cf 1652.
Degrees in a Dodecagon
Battle of Trafalgar
End of the Holy Roman Empire
Abolition of Slave Trade. NQ73.
War of 1812 (US name)
1812 Overture (by Tchaikovsky)
1812 Overture (Tchaikovsky)
Battle of Waterloo
Height of the CN Tower in Toronto (the tallest selfsupporting construction). H.
Publication of A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)
The Great Exhibition
Suez Canal Opened
Ralph Vaughan Williams was Born
Krakatoa Erupted
Pneumatic Tyre Invented (The idea was already
patented by Robert William Thomson in 1845,
but John Boyd Dunlop developed it into a
commercial product in 1887-1888.)
First Modern Olympic Games
First Nobel Prizes Awarded
Year of Death of Queen Victoria
Titanic Sank
The Year the Lamps Went Out All Over Europe
Year Queen Elizabeth Born
First Successful Helicopter Flight
First Electronic Computer Built (Very uncertain. This
may refer to the ASCC or Harvard Mark I, which
was really a programmable calculator of relays
and cams without conditionals, completed in
1943, or to ENIAC being started or to the
COLOSSUS. Most people think the Manchester
Baby of 1948 is the first modern computer to
run.)
End of World War Two
First Supersonic Flight
Coronation Year. NQ87-new.
Elizabeth II Crowned
??
First Man in Space
President Kennedy Assassinated
England Won World Cup
Prague Spring
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.67
OR
1969 M F L o t M
1974 F H o P
1977 F S W F
1982 H C
1984 b G O
1991 J M R
2000 P i a T
2000 P i a T T B
2000 Y i a N M
2000 Y O M
2001 A S O
2001 S O
2240 P i a (L) T
2400 L o t G W o C (k)
2468 W D W A
2876 W T b W G G
3210 H o S i F
3212 H o A F V i F
3560 H o S i F
3600 S i a H
3640 N on a R W
3780 H o M F (m)
3901 L i H
4000 R o t E (i M)
Paris Strike
(Profumo Scandal _ check??)
Man First Landed on the Moon
First Hallmark on Platinum
First Star Wars Film.
Halley's Comet (most recent appearance)
Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell
John McCarthy (or Jacky Mann) Released
Pounds in a Ton. U. GR. (US or short ton.)
??
Yards in a Nautical Mile. NQ93. (This is an
International Nautical Mile. A British Nautical
Mile is 6080 ft. Chapman, p. 21.)
2,000 Year Old Man (comedy character by Mel Brooks
and Carl Reiner, made into a cartoon film, 1982).
H.
2001: A Space Odyssey. U. H. NQ48. (Film by
Arthur C. Clarke & Stanley Kubrick, 1968).
Space Odyssey _ see above
Pounds in a (Long) Ton. U, H, without the ().
Length of the Great Wall of China (kilometres)
Who Do We Appreciate
Wickets Taken by W. G. Grace. H.
Height of Scafell in Feet (highest mountain in England)
Height of Angel Falls, Venezuela, in Feet (world's
highest waterfall). H.
Height of Snowdon in Feet (Highest mountain in
Wales)
Seconds in an Hour
?? Someone said there was a mistyping here and I think
it is meant to be 36 N on a R W, qv.
Height of Mount Fujiyama (meters)
Lines in Hamlet
4711 E d C
4840 S Y i a A
Radius of the Earth (in Miles). The exact value is
3963.34 mi at the equator and 3949.99 mi at the
poles.
Length of the River Nile in Miles. H.
Height of Ben Nevis in Feet (Highest mountain in
Scotland and Britain). Cf 1342.
Length of the Humber Bridge in Feet (the world's
longest suspension bridge, though this may have
changed by now). H.
Eau de Cologne
Square Yards in an Acre
5000 S D o t G G
5280 F i a M
5760 G i a P (T)
5920 F i a S M
Sat Down on the Green Grass (Mark 6:39-44)
Feet in a Mile. P6. U. Cf 5920, 6720.
Grains in a Pound (Troy). U, without the (T).
Feet in a Scottish Mile. Chapman, p. 20.
6000 F i a I N M
Feet in an International Nautical Mile. Chapman, p. 21.
This was supposed to be 1/60 of a degree of
longitude at the equator, which is 6069.69 ft, but
6000 was used in practice. A Geographical Mile
is 1/60 of a mean degree of latitude and is 6076.8
ft.
Men in a Roman Legion
Feet in an Admiralty Mile. U-new.
4145 L o t R N i M
4406 H o B N i F
4616 L o t H B i F
6000 M i a R L
6080 F i a A M
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.68
6080 F i a N M
6448 L o t A R (k)
6720 F i a I M
Feet in a Nautical Mile. (Technically this is 1/360 x
1/60 of the earth's circumference which would be
6066.72 ft. Actually this depends on which
circumference you take _ cf 6000. This is a
British Nautical Mile.)
Length of the Amazon River (kilometres)
Feet in an Irish Mile. Chapman, p. 20.
7000 G i a P A
7926 M i t E D
7927 D o E i M
7967 V i t N T
8081 T N o t S C
Grains in a Pound (Avoirdupois)
Miles in the Earth's Diameter. P44-new.
Diameter of Earth in Miles
Verses in the New Testament. Lemon, p. 12.
The Number of the Speaking Clock
9000 S Y i a F P
Square Yards in a Football Pitch
10,000 D o Y M
L o 10000 L
Duke of York's Men. U-new.
Land of 10000 Lakes. (Minnesota, though it has over
12000. Also Finland?)
The Grand Old Duke of York, he had 10000 Men.
(English children's song.)
Minutes in a Week
Virgins of St. Ursula
Verses in the Apocrypha (of 14 books). Lemon, p. 12.
T G O D o Y h h 10,000 M
10,080 M i a W
11,000 V o S U
15,081 V i t A
20,000 L U t S
20,000 V o t B P (P)
23,214 V i t O T
25,000 C o t E (i M)
29,028 H o E
29,141 H o M E i F
31,181 V i t B
33,000 F o a T T
33,000 F P p M i 1 H P
35,797 D o t M T i F
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. S2. P51. U. H2. (By
Jules Verne). R81 has 40 L U t S _ some
mistake, surely. NQ38 has 'under'.
Value of the Booker Prize (Pounds)
Verses in the Old Testament. Lemon, p. 12.24,902 C o
E
Circumference of Earth (in miles).
NQ9-new.
Circumference of the Earth (in Miles). (24,900 is
better.)
Height of Everest (in feet). NQ78-new. Cf next entry.
Height of Mount Everest in Feet. H gives 29,022; NQ78
gives 29,028. I have also seen 29,003.
Verses in the Bible (of 66 books) Lemon, p. 12 gives
this, but another source gives 31,173.
Feathers on a Thrush's Throat. (Rees cites an 'old
cockney saying about "firty-free fousand fevvers
on a frush's froat"'. ?? I have seen this with
30,000 and 40,000 and described as being a
tongue twister.)
Foot-Pounds per Minute is 1 Horse Power
Depth of the Marianas Trench in Feet (the deepest point
in the ocean). H.
40,000 F o a T T
42,195 M i a M
43,560 S F i a A
46,656 C I i a C Y
Feathers on a Thrush's Throat. Cf 33,000 ??
Metres in a Marathon
Square Feet in an Acre. U-new.
Cubic Inches in a Cubic Yard. U-new.
54,896 R M b W G G
Runs Made by W. G. Grace. H.
63,240 A U i a L Y
63,360 I i a M
Astronomical Units in a Light Year
Inches in a Mile. H2. (1/63,360 was a common map
scale.)
Dollar Question
Deaths in the Great Plague of London (Official Figures).
64,000 D Q
68,578 D i t G P o L (O F)
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.69
H. These may have been as low as half or even a
third of the actual deaths.
86,400 S i a D
Seconds in a Day
100,000 O i a P
Pounds in a Plum. (I.e. £100,000. Said to derive from
the story of Sir John (= Jack) Horner.)
Square Rods in a Square Mile. U-new.
Words in the New Testament. Lemon, p. 12.
Words in the Apocrypha (14 books). Lemon, p. 12.
Speed of Light (in Miles per Second) (Now
186,282.3971.. mi/sec
102,400 S R i a S M
132,253 W i t N T
153,185 W i t A
186,000 S o L (i M p S)
414,825 E i t 1933 O E D
432,000 Y i a K Y
432,000 W i V
450,000 V o N A i C C
Entries in the 1933 Oxford English Dictionary. H.
Years in a Kali Yuga.
Warriors in Valhalla. (The edda says there are 540
doors in Valhalla and 800 warriors will issue
from each door, making 432,000 warriors. Cf
800 W i V.)
Volume of Noah's Ark in Cubic Cubits (it was 300 long
by 50 wide by 30 high _ Genesis 6:15). H.
525,600 M i a Y
527,040 M i a L Y
593,493 W i t O T
Minutes in a Year (365 days)
Minutes in a Leap Year (366 days)
Words in the Old Testament. Lemon, p. 12, gives
592,439.
603,550 C o I
604,800 S i a W
Children of Israel (Numbers 1:1, 1:46)
Seconds in a Week. H2-new.
724,692 W i t B
744,792 W i t B
773,696 W i t B
Words in the Bible (of 66 books). Lemon, p. 12, gives
this, but cf the next two entries.
Words in the Bible.
Words in the Bible. H-new.
(Another source gives 810,697.)
860,000 D o t S (i M)
Diameter of the Sun (in Miles)
933,380 L i t N T
Letters in the New Testament. Lemon, p. 12.
H t S a 1,000,000
1,000,000 C C i a C M
O Y 1,000,000 D B
How to Steal a Million (1966 film title). H.
Cubic Centimetres in a Cubic Metre
Oh, You Million Dollar Baby (song title, 1934;
Million Dollar Baby was a 1941 film with
Ronald Reagan). H.
Millions for Defense, but not One Cent for Tribute.
R97-new. (Said by some American leader when
the Barbary pirates demanded tribute money,
c1820.)
Pounds in a Marigold (i.e. £1,000,000). Chapman,
p. 93.
The Million Pound Note (by Mark Twain)
1,000,000s f D b n 1 C f T
1,000,000 P i a M
T 1,000,000 P N
2,738,100 L i t O T
3,671,480 L i t B
Letters in the Old Testament. Lemon, p. 12.
Letters in the Bible (of 66 books). Lemon, p. 12, gives
this, but H gives 3,586,489 and another source
gives 3,566,480.
31,536,000 S i a Y
31,556,926 S i a M S Y
Seconds in a Year (365 days)
Seconds in a Mean Solar Year
(365 days 5 hr 48 min 46 sec)
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.70
31,622,400 S i a L Y
50,000,000 F c b W
93,000,000 D t t S (i M)
93,000,000 M i a A U
133,306,668 A F w L
133,306,668 F A
298,000,000 S o L (i M P S)
399,920,004 A i t U
1,000,000,000 D B
T 9,000,000,000 N o G (b A C C)
9,192,631,770 C p S i t F o C 133
149,600,000,000 A U
5,878,625,373,000 M i a L Y
25,000,000,000,000 D t t N S (i M)
60,000,000,000,000 C i t H B
9,460,528,412,464,108 M i a L Y
Seconds in a Leap Year (366 days)
Frenchmen can't be Wrong. H says there is a Cole
Porter musical called Fifty Million Frenchman.
Distance to the Sun (in Miles)
Miles in an Astronomical Unit. P17-new.
Angels Fell with Lucifer
Fallen Angels
Speed of Light (in Metres Per Second) [Currently
defined as 299,792,458 so 300,000,000 is a
better value.]
Angels in the Universe (9 choirs of 6666 legions of
6666 angels, according to medieval theologians;
one third of these, 133,306,668 fell with
Lucifer). H.
Billion Dollar Brain (Len Deighton story and 1967
film). H.
The Nine Billion Names of God (by Arthur C. Clarke)
Cycles per Second is the Frequency of Caesium 133
(Actually of the oscillation between the hyperfine
levels of the ground state.)
Astronomical Unit (= Distance from the Sun to the
Earth in metres)
Miles in a Light Year
Distance to the Nearest Star (in Miles)
Cells in the Human Body (approx.)
Metres in a Light Year. [This is exact if we use the
defined value of the speed of light and the mean
solar year.]
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.71
APPENDICES
THE ALMANAC OF CARDS
[Bill Severn; Packs of Fun 101 Unusual Things to Do with Playing Cards and To
Know about Them; David McKay, NY, 1967, pp. 80-81] says this dates back to the 17C. He
gives a version from the 18C The Perpetual Almanack of Gentleman-Soldier's Prayer
Book.
A soldier is arrested for playing cards in church. He explained that the cards were his
almanac, Bible and prayer book.
The Ace stands for one God, the Two for the Father and Son, the Three for the Trinity,
the Four for the evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Five was for the Five
Virgins, the Six for the number of days in which the world was made, the Seven for the day of
rest, the Eight for the number of good people saved from the Flood, the Nine for the nine
cleansed lepers of the Bible, and the Ten for the Ten Commandments. The Queen was the
Queen of Sheba and the King was the King of All. When asked about the Jack, he said "That
was the Knave, the sergeant who arrested me, for I wasn't playing cards in church. I was
saying my prayers."
We also have: 52 cards and weeks of the year; 4 suits and seasons; 13 ranks and
weeks in a season; 12 court cards and months in a year; red for day and black for night; the
total of all the values, counting one for the Joker, is 365.
THE EVANGELISTS RHYME
[Dennis Ball; Lancashire Pastimes; published by the author, 1987, p. 16] gives the
following prayer to the Evangelists.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Bless the bed that I lie on
There are four corners to my bed
And four angels overspread
Two at the feet, two at the head
If any ill thing me betide
Beneath four wings my body hide
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Bless the bed that I lie on
[Adrian Room; The Guinness Book of Numbers; Guinness Books, Enfield, 1989,
p. 105] gives the following from Thomas Ady, A Candle in the Dark, 1655.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
The bed be blest that I lie on.
Four angels to my bed,
Four angels round my head,
One to watch, and one to pray,
And two to bear my soul away.
[James T. R. Ritchie; The Singing Street Scottish Children's Games, Rhymes and
Sayings; (O&B, 1964); Mercat Press, Edinburgh, 2000, p. 57] says a few children say the
following.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Bless the bed that I lie on:
Four corners to my bed,
Five little angels there be spread:
Two at my head, two at my feet.
One at my heart my soul to keep.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.72
[Robert Ford; Children's Rhymes Children's Games Children's Songs Children's
Stories. A Book for Bairns and Big Folk; Alexander Gardner, Paisley, 2nd ed, nd
[1904[1903] _ BL], pp. 31-32] gives several forms.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
Bless the bed that I lie on;
Four posties to my bed,
Six angels are outspread:
Two to bottom, two to head.
One to watch me while I pray,
One to bear my soul away.
Ford says it sometimes goes:
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
Bless the bed that I lie on;
Four corners to my bed,
Four angels round my head;
One to read and one to write,
Two to guard my bed at night.
Ford says the last two lines often are:
One to watch and two to pray,
One to keep all fears away.
He cites a MS by Aubrey in the BM and Ody's Candle in the Dark (1636).
A GERMAN COUNTING RHYME
[Walt Kelly; The Pogo Papers; Simon & Schuster, 1953, p. 146] gives the following
up to ten (zehn) and I wasn't quite sure if it was authentic. But it also occurs in [Robert Ford;
Children's Rhymes Children's Games Children's Songs Children's Stories. A Book
for Bairns and Big Folk; Alexander Gardner, Paisley, 2nd ed, nd [1904[1903] _ BL], p. 42]
up to twenty (zwanzig). Kelly spells out the numbers, but Ford only gives the numerals, but I
have spelled out the numbers. Kelly breaks each of the following lines into two, but I have
used Ford's layout to save space.
Eins, zwei, Polizei,
Drei, vier, Offizier,
Funf, sechs, Alte Hex,
Sieben, acht, Gute Nacht,
Neun, zehn, Auf Wiedersehn,
Elf, zwölf, Junge Wölf,
Dreizehn, vierzehn, Blaue Schürzen,
Fünfzehn, sechszehn, Alte Hexen,
Siebzehn, achtzehn, Mädle Wachsen,
Neunzehn, zwanzig, Gott Verdanzig.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.73
THE MAGPIE RHYME
The Magpie Rhyme is given in [John Dunn & Colin Martin; John Dunn's Answers
Please; (BBC, 1994); revised and expanded, Penguin, 1995, p. 125] as follows.
One for sorrow,
Two for mirth,
Three for a wedding,
Four for a birth,
Five for a christening,
Six for a dearth,
Seven is a heaven,
Eight is a hell,
Nine is the devil his ain sel'.
I learned this with Two for joy and Four for a boy.
[Dennis Ball; Lancashire Pastimes; published by the author, 1987, p. 62] gives the
following version.
One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a wedding
Four for a birth
Five for the rich
Six for the poor
Seven for a bitch
Eight for a witch
Nine for a burying
Ten for a dance
Eleven for England
Twelve for France
THE MONTHS RHYME
A version of the months rhyme. [J. E. Thompson; Arithmetic in a Nutshell; A.
Wheaton & Co., Exeter, 1957, p. 29].
Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November;
February hath twenty-eight alone
All the rest have thirty-one,
Except in leap year, one in four,
February's days are one day more.
The version I recall, had lines 1, 2, 4 and then
Except when leap year doth assign
February twenty-nine.
[Commissioners of National Education in Ireland; First Book of Arithmetic for the
Use of Schools; Revised and Corrected; Alexander Thom, Dublin, 1868, p. 11] has lines 1, 2,
4, then
February twenty-eight alone,
But in Leap-Year twenty-nine.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.74
The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations has two entries, under Richard Grafton ( -1572)
and under Nursery Rhymes [Stevins MS, c1555]. The Grafton version is the first four lines of
the above, but with September and November interchanged and variant punctuation and is
dated 1570. The second has lines 1, 2, 4, then
Excepting February alone,
And that has twenty-eight days clear
And twenty-nine in each leap year.
H says this is due to William Harrison, 1577.
John Hind [The Principles and Practice of Arithmetic, 6th ed., 1849, p. xix] has:
Thirty days have September,
April, June and November:
February twenty-eight alone:
And all the rest have thirty-one:
Except in Leap-year, and then is the time,
When February's days are twenty-nine.
Carolyn Wells, ed. A Whimsey Anthology; Scribner's, 1906; Dover, 1963, has the
following. This is also given in Games and Sports for Young Boys; Routledge, nd [1859 BLC], p. 71, with slightly varying punctuation, notably omitting the dash in line 5.
Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November,
February has twenty-eight alone;
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting leap-year, - that's the time,
When February's days are twenty-nine.
Joseph Guy [Guy's Tutor's Assistant; or. Complete Arithmetic, 10th ed., 1836,
p. 207] has:
Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November;
February hath twenty-eight alone,
And all the rest have thirty-one,
Except in Leap-year; at which time,
February's days are twenty-nine.
Michael Walsh [A New System of Mercantile Arithmetic Adapted to the
Commerce of the United States ..., 3rd ed., 1804, p. 22] gives just the first four lines as in
Guy, followed by a prose explanation of the case for leap year.
A SNEEZE RHYME
A sneeze rhyme given me by Sasha Lubetkin Gillett, which she says comes from
Gloucestershire. I have since heard it from a lady named Marie who learned it as a girl in
Belfast, but her version omitted all the 'for's.
Once for a wish
Twice for a kiss
Three times for a letter
Four times for something better
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.75
CUMULATIVE NUMBER GAMES
These are party games where the next person has to remember the next line and recite or
sing the whole set of lines back down to one, as in The Twelve Days of Christmas or Green
Grow the Rushes-O (= I'll Sing You One-O). There are many non-numerical versions like
This is the House that Jack Built or Old Macdonald had a Farm, but here I am only
looking at numerical examples. I imagine there are quite a number of these, e.g. in the works
of the Opies, but I am just recording examples as I come across them. Quite a few of these
give all 10 or 12 stanzas, but I will only give the last, total, stanza unless one needs to see the
first episode or two to see the form.
The Gaping, Wide-mouthed, Waddling Frog
Lydia Maria Francis Child; The Girl's Own Book; 10th ed, Thomas Tegg, London,
1839, pp. 80-85. All 12 stanzas given.
Twelve huntsmen with horns and hounds,
Hunting over other men's grounds;
Eleven ships sailing on the main,
Some bound for France, and some for Spain,
I wish them all safe home again;
Ten comets in the sky,
Some low and some high;
Nine peacocks in the air,
I wonder how they all came there,
I don't know, and I don't care;
Eight joiners in a joiners' stall,
Working with their tools and all;
Seven lobsters in a dish,
As fresh as any heart could wish;
Six beetles against the wall,
Close by an old woman's apple stall;
Five puppies buy a rounded ball,
Which daily for their breakfast call;
Four horses stuck in a bog;
Three monkeys tied to a clog;
Two pudding ends would choke a dog;
With a gaping, wide-mouthed, waddling frog.
An 1833 ed. by Clark Austin, NY, has this on pp. 93-95, but it is abbreviated, omitting
several stanzas and the final stanza should be the tenth, but it starts 'Eleven comets in the sky'.
Otherwise it is identical to the above, omitting the material for 12, 11, 8 and 5.
Fireside Amusements. Chambers's Library for Young People. William and Robert
Chambers, Edinburgh, 1850, pp. 75-80. Gives all 12 stanzas, identical to the above, but with
a comma after low in line 7.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.76
David Holbrook; Children's Games; Gordon Fraser Gallery, Bedford, 1957, p. 119.
Gives "Twelve Huntsmen" with slight variations.
Twelve huntsmen with horns and hounds
Hunting over other men's grounds!
Eleven ships sailing the main,
Some bound for France and some for Spain;
I wish them all safe home again.
Ten comets in the sky,
Some low and some high;
Nine peacocks in the air,
I wonder how they all came there
I do not know, and I do not care.
Eight joiners in a joiners' hall,
Working with the tools and all;
Seven lobsters in a dish,
As fresh as any heart could wish;
Six beetles against the wall,
Close by an old woman's apple stall;
Five puppies of our dog Ball,
Who daily for their breakfast call;
Four horses stuck in a bog,
Three monkeys tied to a clog;
Two pudding ends would choke a dog,
With a gaping wide-mouthed waddling frog.
Mark Cohen; The Puffin Book of Tongue Twisters to Tangle the Tonsil and Jerk
the Jaw; Ill. by Colin West. (As: Cohen's Cornucopia, Patrick Hardy Books, 1983); Puffin,
(1984), 3rd ptg, 1986, pp. 36-45. Gives all 12 stanzas.
Twelve huntsmen with horns and hounds,
Hunting over other men's grounds;
Eleven ships sailing on the main,
Some bound for France, and some for Spain,
I wish them all safe back again;
Ten comets in the sky,
Some low and some high;
Nine peacocks in the air,
I wonder how they all got there,
You don't know, and I don't care;
Eight joiners in Joiners' Hall,
Working with their tools and all;
Seven lobsters in a dish,
As good as any heart can wish;
Six beetles against a wall,
Close to an old woman's apple stall;
Five puppies by our dog Ball,
Who daily for their breakfast call;
Four horses stuck in a bog,
Three monkeys tied to a log,
Two pudding ends that won't choke a dog,
Nor a gaping, wide-mouthed, waddling frog.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.77
Green Grow the Rushes Oh
Eric Korn has recently pointed out the solution to the unknown 8 A R must be the line
from this song, so I am adding the following, based on memory, assisted by friends' memories.
Robert Burns did a version of this about the 'lasses oh'.
I'll sing you one oh.
Green grow the rushes oh.
What is your one oh?
Green grow the rushes oh.
One is one and all alone and evermore shall be it so.
...
I'll sing you twelve oh.
...
Twelve for the twelve Apostles;
Eleven for the eleven who went to heaven;
Ten for the Ten Commandments;
Nine for the nine bright shiners;
Eight for the April rainers;
Seven for the seven stars in the sky;
Six for the six proud walkers;
Five for the symbols [cymbals??] at your door;
Four for the Gospel makers;
Three, three, the rivals;
Two, two little white boys, clothed all in green oh;
One is one and all alone and evermore shall be it so.
See: Red Wave the Banners O! below for a modern version.
The Passover Riddle
The Passover Riddle, recited on Passover Eve. Mark Bryant; Dictionary of Riddles;
Routledge, 1990, no. 1038, pp. 246-247. (Based on his Riddles Ancient and Modern;
Hutchinson, 1983.)
Who knoweth one? I (saith Israel) know One:
One is God, who is over heaven and earth.
Who knoweth two? I (saith Israel) know two:
Two tables of the covenant; but One is our God
Who is over the heavens and the earth.
.. .
Who knoweth thirteen? I (saith Israel) know thirteen: Thirteen divine attributes,
twelve tribes, eleven stars, ten commandments, nine months preceding childbirth,
eight days preceding circumcision, seven days of the week, six books of the
Mishnah, five books of the Law, four matrons, three patriarchs, two tables of the
covenant; but One is our God who is over the heavens and the earth.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.78
Red Wave the Banners O!
James T. R. Ritchie. The Singing Street Scottish Children's Games, Rhymes and
Sayings. (O&B, 1964); Mercat Press, Edinburgh, 2000, pp. 102-103. A modern version of
Green Grow the Rushes O!
I'll sing you one-O
Red wave the banners O!
What is your one-O?
One is Workers' Unity and ever more shall be it so!
...
I'll sing you ten-O!
...
Ten for the Works of Lenin;
Nine for the Days of the Nine Days Strike;
Eight for the Eight Red Armies;
Seven for the Days of the Working Week;
Six for the Six Great Teachers;
Five for the Years of the Five Year Plan;
Four for the Four Great Writers;
Three, three the Rights of Man;
Two, two the Workers' Hands working for a living O!
One is Workers' Unity and ever more shall be it so!
Carolyn Wells, ed. A Whimsey Anthology. Scribner's, 1906; Dover, 1963, p. 93,
gives the following as an anonymous nursery rhyme.
One old Oxford ox opening oysters;
Two teetotums totally tired trying to trot to Tadbury;
Three tall tigers tippling tenpenny tea;
Four fat friars fanning fainting flies;
Five frippy Frenchmen foolishly fishing for flies;
Six sportsmen shooting snipes;
Seven Severn salmons swallowing shrimps;
Eight Englishmen eagerly examining Europe;
Nine nimble noblemen nibbling nonpareils;
Ten tinkers tinkling upon ten tin tinder-boxes with ten tenpenny tacks;
Eleven elephants elegantly equipt;
Twelve typographical typographers typically translating types.
Ten Fine Birds
Fireside Amusements. Chambers's Library for Young People. William and Robert
Chambers, Edinburgh, 1850, pp. 72-73. Gives all 10 stanzas.
Ten bald eagles,
Nine ugly turkey-buzzards,
Eight screeching owls,
Seven green parrots,
Six long-legged cranes,
Five pouting pigeons,
Four plump partridges,
Three squawking wild geese,
Two ducks,
And a good fat hen.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.79
The Twelve Days of Christmas
According to Mykal Shaw [Notes & Queries, The Guardian, part 2, 23 Dec 1998, p.
16], the origin of The Twelve Days of Christmas is as follows.
Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829 were prohibited by law from any
practice of their faith, public or private. The Twelve Days Of Christmas was written as
a "catechism song" to help young Catholics memorise the tenets of their faith and avoid
being caught with anything in writing. The "true love" refers to God Himself; the "me"
to every baptised person. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury
to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, an expression of Christ's sadness over
the fate of Jerusalem. The two turtle doves are the Old and New Testaments; the three
French Hens _ faith, hope and charity, the theological virtues; four calling birds _ the
four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists; five golden rings _ the first five books of the
Old Testament, which give the history of man's fall from grace; six geese a-laying _ the
six days of creation; seven swans a-swimming _ the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the
seven sacraments; eight maids a-milking _ the eight beatitudes; nine ladies dancing _
the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit; 10 lords a-leaping _ the 10 commandments; 11 pipers
piping _ the 11 faithful apostles; 12 drummers drumming _ the 12 points of doctrine in
the Apostles' creed.
Mykal Shaw, Whitechapel, London E1.
MISCELLANY
[Gyles Brandreth; The Big Book of Superstitions; Carousel, 1985, p. 31.]
One leaf for fame, one leaf for wealth,
One leaf for a faithful lover,
And one leaf to bring glorious health _
All are in the four-leafed clover.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.80
ALPHABETS
The number of letters in several alphabets is unclear, so I have put all the entries here
for easy reference.
12 L i t H A
Letters in the Hawaiian Alphabet. [A, E, H, I, K, L, M,
N, 0, P, U, W.] H.
20 L i t I A
Letters in the Italian Alphabet. Lemon, p. 48.
21 L i t O L A
Letters in the Old Latin Alphabet (I and J were the
same, U, V, W were the same, Y, Z were not used until contact with Greece)
22 L i t L A
Letters in the Latin Alphabet. Lemon, p. 48.
22 L o t H A
Letters of the Hebrew Alphabet
23 L i t F A
Letters in the French Alphabet. Lemon, p. 48.
24 L i t A A A
Letters in the Ancient Arabic Alphabet. Lemon, p. 48,
saying four have been added to make the modern Arabic alphabet.
24 L i t G A
Letters in the Greek Alphabet. U.
25 L i t F A
Letters in the French Alphabet
26 L o A
Letters of (the) Alphabet [sic!]. NQ57.
26 L o t A
Letters of the Alphabet. S1. U. See the appendix on
Alphabets.
26 L o t R A
Letters of the Roman Alphabet. P23-new. (Actually the
Romans had only 24 or 23?)
27 L i t S A
Letters in the Spanish Alphabet. Lemon, p. 48.
28 L i t A A
Letters in the Arabic Alphabet. H. Lemon, p. 48 _ but
cf 24 L i t A A A
28 L i t W "A"
Letters in the Welsh "Alphabet". My solution _ but Eric
Korn says the current Welsh primers omit 'rh' leaving 27 letters. S3-new.
OR
Letters in the Word "Antidisestablishmentarianism".
Eric Korn's solution, which seems better. S3-new.
31 L i t C A
Letters in the Cyrillic Alphabet. But cf 32 L .... [Sholl
says there were originally 43 but modern Russian has 30.]
32 L i t M R C A
Letters in the Modern Russian Cyrillic Alphabet. H.
(33 are generally listed, but _ is sometimes not counted as a separate letter. [Sholl, p. 50]
says 30. Perhaps some of the symbols commonly listed are not counted as letters.)
33 L i t T A
Letters in the Turkish Alphabet. Lemon, p. 48.
36 L i t A A
Letters in the Armenian Alphabet (devised by St.
Mesrob Mashtots in 405)
39 L i t R A
Letters in the Russian Alphabet (as of 1890). Lemon,
p. 48.
43 L i t O C A
Letters in the Old Cyrillic Alphabet (As formulated by
Cyril and Methodius in the 9C, but it has been reduced to 30, 31 or 32, depending on who's
counting.) Cf 39.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.81
Will Shortz's original examples are the following.
1 = W. on a U.
3 = B.M. (S.H.T.R.!)
4 = Q. in a G.
5 = D. in a Z.C.
7 = W. of the A.W.
8 = S. on a S.S.
9 = P. in the S.S.
11 = P. on a F.T.
12 = S. of the Z.
13 = S. on the A.F.
18 = H. on a G.C.
24 = H. in a D.
26 = L. of the A.
29 = D. in F. in a L.Y.
32 = D.F. at which W.F.
40 = D. and N. of the G.F.
54 = C. in a D. (with the J.)
57 = H.V.
64 = S. on a C.
88 = P.K.
90 = D. in a R.A.
200 = D. for P.G. in M.
1,000 = W. that a P. is W.
1,001 = A.N.
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.82
UNSOLVED AND UNCLEAR NUMERICAL PHRASES
David Singmaster
.
Last amended on 13 February 2016.
Different sources provide these in slightly different formats and I have retained the
original formats here. Thanks to Richard Armitage, Laurie Brokenshire, Jack Caunter, James
Dalgety, Simon Dickerson, Harriet Hall, Tom Henley, Eric Korn, Simon Nightingale, Tim
Rowett and Andrew Turnbull for lists. Following the list of genuinely unsolved examples is a
list of examples where solutions were given, but I don't understand them! I would be grateful
for solutions or explanations for the following examples and for other lists or entries. David
Beamish has kindly given solutions for a number of these, though other answers might be
possible for some of these. The number of letters in several alphabets is a matter of dispute _
I have put all of these in an Appendix above. I recently used Google which clarified about 40
entries. But in a few cases, the only reference for the phrase is the source I got it from or a
relative of it. I indicate phrases where Google gave no useful site by 'Nothing on Google' and
phrases where Google only sends me to a list of this sort by 'Google goes in circles'.
UNSOLVED
1MLotCF
OR
2OEPM
2PiaAC
4BoaRP
OR
4CiaTLS
4GiaCC
4 O in a M Q P* (*B C)
Maple Leaf on the Canadian Flag. (There is a use of this
on Google.)
?? More Lap on the Chequered Flag. Nothing on
Google, though 'One more lap' is common.
?? of each ??
?? Players or Pieces or Parts or Points in an ???
?? Boundaries on a Rugby Pitch ??
?? Bases on a Rounders Pitch ?? (More likely??)
??
?? Misprint for Quadrants in a Complete Circle ??
?? S3-new.
5 L P ?? Little Piggies OR Little Peppers (and How They Grew) - qv.
5 M S ?? Main Senses
5 T on a C (including the S in the T)
?? Toes on a Chicken (including the Spur in the Toes)
?? GR-new. Nothing on Google.
6MG
?? Mitford Girls
6MGtWaTS
?? Minimum Games to Win a Tennis Set
7TSP
?? The Seven Pleiades OR The Seven Planets (of the
ancients: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter,
Venus, Saturn) ??
10 D o a T
?? Digits on a Telephone ??
10 I I ?? GR-new.
12 C at M
?? Chimes at Midnight ?? Nothing on Google.
12 D P
?? Possibly intended to be Draughts per Player.
18½ M E from the W T
?? GR-new.
20 P o O i A
?? Percentage of Oxygen in Air
20 P o O i A
?? ??? in America/Australia There are 20 Pennyweights
in a Troy Ounce and 8 Drachms in an
Apothecary's Ounce.
21 C I O L S
?? Characters In Old Latin Script _ cf 21 L i t O L A
??
?? Cannons In One Loyal Salute ?? Nothing on Google.
?? There are 22 cards in the Greater Arcana of a Tarot
deck. These are numbered 1-21 with the Fool
often being unnumbered or numbered 0. Is there
any connection??
22 M o C
?? H says Isidore of Seville (7C) counted 22 things
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.83
25 P o a F C S
38 P K
40 T in a A B
53 S on O G
1000 C in a M
1954 T Y o L S W O
2000 P i a T T B
3640 N on a R W
made by God in the six days of creation. So
could these be Marvels of Creation ?? Nothing
on Google.
?? Players or Pieces or Points or Parts or Pence on (of) a
First Class Side or Stamp ??? (This may date
back to when a First Class Stamp cost 25p and be
slightly mistyped.)
?? probably a misprint of 88 P K, qv
?? Misprint for 40 Thieves in Ali Baba ??
?? misprint of 50 S on O G ?? Or perhaps the 53 is a
misprint of 13, for stripes ??
?? Possibly a misprint for 100 C i a M Centimetres in
a Meter ??
?? The Year our Last Side Won One ?? The Year our
Long Strike was Over ??
This was the year: that Roger Bannister ran the four
minute mile; that rationing ended in the UK; that
London's first comprehensive school opened; but
I don't see that any of these helps. The Olympics
were in 1952 & 1956. However, the end of
rationing might have led to: The Year our Long
Struggle Was Over.
?? Pence in a Twenty ??? Pounds in a Ton ??? People
in a ??? Battalion. There are 2000 pounds in a
short ton and short tons are used in metalliferous
mining in the UK.
?? Someone said there was a mistyping here and I think
it is meant to be 36 N on a R W (Numbers on a
Roulette Wheel).
UNCLEAR
3HoaCCH
4iH
6PiaP
7RoH
9RoHiGM
W a F a S 10 D
21 K o t D
21 K t t D
34 S P
1665 S u t E T
33,000 F o a T T
Humps on a Camel Called Humphrey (English
children's story?) Nothing on Google.
In Hand. R3-new. This is a kind of carriage??
Pigs in a Poke. U-new. (I don't know this phrase and
Google only gives it with two or three ??)
Rivers of Hell. ?? But cf 4 R o H; 5 R o H; 9 R o H.
Rivers of Hell in Greek Mythology. Lemon, p. 215
gives this, but cf 4 R o H; 5 R o H; 7 R o H.
Google doesn't help on these.
Walk a Flight and Save 10 Dollars. R45-new. ??
Nothing on Google.
Key of the Door. U. H2. (Darts slang. Also a bingo
call??)
Key to the Door. (Darts slang. Also a bingo call??)
Shakespeare Plays?? (37 is the usual number, of which
36 appeared in the First Folio). H gives 37.
Steps up the Eiffel Tower - from an Eiffel Tower
website, but other sites give 1652, 1671, 1710,
1789, 1792 ??
Feathers on a Thrush's Throat. (Rees cites an 'old
cockney saying about "firty-free fousand fevvers
on a frush's froat"'. ?? I have seen this with
30,000 and 40,000 and described as being a
tongue twister.)
NUMERICAL PHRASES - p.84
40,000 F o a T T
Feathers on a Thrush's Throat. Cf 33,000 ??
Jerome S. Meyer's The Big Fun Book, p. 197, lists some Famous Numbers, including
"40 and 8". This probably referred to the then 48 States, but I'm not entirely convinced. Eric
Korn says early 20C French railway carriages had a notice: 40 hommes, 8 chevaux, and I have
seen a reference to an English version of this.