Shave and a Haircut

Post by kayodelycaon » Thu, Feb 29, 2024, 9:36 PM UTC

harimau777 wrote: post #36

neom wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

2 bit is still used in Canada as an indicator of something less than good, otherwise unused.

In the US it would still be fairly common for someone to know that "two bits" can mean a quarter, but it's not used much in common conversation. I don't know if this is just me, but I particularly associate it with a purposely colloquial or "old timey" register of speech. In my head I can envision a carny with a Foghorn Leghorn accent selling me a ticket to the Ferris wheel, "That'll be two bits, son".

Post by rsaz » Thu, Feb 29, 2024, 9:45 PM UTC

xxr wrote: post #45

rsaz wrote: post #37

Wow, so this is the where Nardwuar's "Doot doola doot do..." comes from! I always wondered how it was so ubiquitous that even people unfamiliar with his interviews knew how to respond. Very interesting.

I’m interested in learning where you’re from—I’d assume outside of North America/Western Europe? I take familiarity with it so much for granted that it’s fascinating that someone’s familiarity with it comes from Narduwar.

Post by InitialLastName » Thu, Feb 29, 2024, 9:47 PM UTC

mchaver wrote: post #47

pavel_lishin wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I imagine they would have to be hyper-local at this point. You could authenticate someone from a major metropolis, maybe, but not likely the whole of the US.

The whole of the US would be hard since national level news and culture is what is getting exported, but local knowledge by state/region is a possible source. Like pronunciation of location names pronunciation (like pronunciation of Tilamuk Oregon, Miami Oklahoma, etc.), songs and chants for university sports teams, and jingles and phrases from local commercials. Rock Chalk...

Post by bee_rider » Thu, Feb 29, 2024, 9:51 PM UTC

krallja wrote: post #4

dustincoates wrote: post #2

> "Two bits" is a term in the United States and Canada for 25 cents I don't know about Canada, but the "is" should be a "was" unless there are contexts I don't know about. It did lead me down a little deeper the Wikipedia rabbit hole, and apparently: > The New York Stock Exchange continued to list stock prices in $1⁄8 until June 24, 1997, at which time it started listing in $1⁄16. It did not fully implement decimal l…

Eight bits in a (modern) byte, eight bits in a buck. I wonder if there was a conscious or subconscious correction by the team designing the IBM 360 to align with the existing “standard.”

Post by samatman » Thu, Feb 29, 2024, 9:57 PM UTC

mkmk wrote: post #7

> The former prisoner of war and U.S. Navy seaman Doug Hegdahl reports fellow U.S. captives in the Vietnam War would authenticate a new prisoner's U.S. identity by using "Shave and a Haircut" as a shibboleth, tapping the first five notes against a cell wall and waiting for the appropriate response. With the mass export of western culture, I wonder if there are any songs, tunes, or patterns like this that would still…