It’s still called a “pint”

Pint of GuinnessIn a move that will prevent a lot of tongue-tied stuttering at Irish pubs around the country, the European Commission decided on September 11 to allow traders in Ireland and the UK to continue using pint measures for milk, draught beer and cider as well as miles on road signs.

For those who are scratching their heads over this you should know that there is a UK movement called the “metric martys” who steadfastly refused to use the metric system in their business dealings.

The metric martys were actually prosecuted for the practice (though they’ve just been given a royal pardon – quite important to the widow of Steve Thoburn, one of the leaders of the group).

in any case, the words, “Give us a pint of . . . “ are so ingrained into the Irish vernacular that changing the measurement of their serving of alcohol could easily lead to confusion. That being said, if we went all continental on it and started serving litres at the tap (as they do in Germany) I doubt there would be much complaining.

The question, I suppose will never be answered: would a pint by any other name taste as sweet?