Gill (unit)

For other uses of "Gill", see Gill (disambiguation).
Look up gill in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Copper gill measuring jugs

The gill (pronounced[1] i/ˈdʒɪl/) or teacup is a unit of measurement for volume equal to a quarter of a pint.[2] It is no longer in common use, except in regard to the volume of alcoholic spirits measures.

In imperial units
1 imperial gill ≡ 5 imperial fluid ounces
≡  1⁄32 imperial gallon
≡  1⁄4 imperial pint
≡ 142.0653125 ml[3]
≈ 142 ml
≈ 1.2 US gills
In United States customary units
1 US gill ≡ 4 US fl oz
≡  1⁄32 US gallon
≡  1⁄4 US pint
≡  1⁄2 US cup
≡ 8 tablespoons
≡ 24 teaspoons
≡ 32 US fluid drams
≡ 7 7⁄32 in3
≡ 118.29411825 ml[4]
≈ 118 ml
≈  5⁄6 imperial gills

In Great Britain, the standard single measure of spirits in a pub was  1⁄6 gill (23.7 ml) in England, and  1⁄5 gill (28.4 ml) in Scotland; after metrication this was replaced by either 25 or 35 ml (0.176- or 0.246-gill) measures (landlords can choose which one to serve). The  1⁄4 gill was previously the most common measure in Scotland, and still remains as the standard measure in pubs in Ireland. In southern England, it is also called a noggin. In northern England, however, the large noggin is used, which is two gills. In some areas, a gill came to mean half a pint for both beer and milk.[5]

In Ireland, the standard spirit measure was historically  1⁄4 gill. In the Republic of Ireland, it still retains this value, though it is now legally specified in metric units as 35.5 ml.

In Scotland, there were additional sizes:[6]

In popular culture

There are occasional references to a gill in popular culture, such as in the cumulative song "The Barley Mow".[7] The in popular song "The Crystal Ship" recorded by The Doors, the line "the crystal ship is being filled a thousand girls," some people report that "girls" should be "gills." In L. Frank Baum's "The Patchwork Girl of Oz" one of the ingredients required for a magic spell is a gill of water from a dark well. In chapter 19 the obscure unit is used for humor including a pun with Jack and Jill, which also involved a well. A gill is also referenced in season 2 episode 3 "Blood Test" Archer when Barry explains to Archer that a liter is, "about 8 gills". In George Orwell's Animal Farm, Moses the Raven is allotted a gill of beer a day after he returns, with the implication that this is part of his payment for supporting the farm leaders, the pigs.

Mispronunciation

Because of its more widely used homograph, gill is often mispronounced with a hard 'g' sound.

FX's animated cartoon "Archer", mispronounced gill in both Episodes "Blood Test" (Season 2, Episode 3) [8] and "Heart of Archness: Part Three" (Season 3, Episode 3).[9]

Show host Stephen Fry mispronounced gill in a 2013 edition of the BBC TV programme QI.

Notes

  1. ↑ Not i/ˈɡɪl/ as in a fish's gill
  2. ↑ This was the legal definition although in some areas a gill of milk or beer is referred to as a half-pint; elsewhere a gill was the  1⁄3 pint of milk given free to school children.
  3. ↑ after 1985 in the UK, c. 1964 in Canada
  4. ↑ after 1964 redefinition of litre and 1959 redefinition of inch
  5. ↑ International Dictionary of Food and Cooking by Charles Gordon Sinclair, ISBN 1-57958-057-2, published by Taylor & Francis, 1998
  6. ↑ "The Scottish Licensing Laws". Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  7. ↑ "Good Luck to the Barley Mow, lyrics and audio". Chivalry.com. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  8. ↑ Archer: "Blood Test" · TV Club · The A.V. Club
  9. ↑ Archer: “Heart Of Archness, Part Three” · TV Club · The A.V. Club
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