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Joined: Aug 2000
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My impression of |UK usage is that "oh" is the most common form. Some older people still use "naught". "Zero" is the least common usage, although there are some signs that it is becoming more fashionable.


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Yes, in Zild the use of zero is, oh, all for naught. I'm a bit lazy verbally, and I can often mix "zero" and "O" up when reading out my credit card number.



The idiot also known as Capfka ...
#40928 09/10/01 02:02 PM
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Certainly in the case of a credit card number, it's assumed that what you will be reading off is all numerals so there's no ambiguity nor is there any other digit for which the oh might be confused. In that context I would worry more about five and nine being confused.

I did once fluster one of these new voice recognition programs that was helping me order a telephone book by pronouncing 3 as thu-ree. By the time it had found itself back to some sort of order it had decided that my request for one phonebook was really a request for 236 phonebooks. It took me a bit to doing to disabuse it.

Still waiting for the phone police to come knocking at my door at 3 in the morning to arrest me for telephone disabuse


#40929 09/10/01 04:29 PM
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> Still waiting for the phone police to come knocking at my door at 3 in the morning to arrest me for telephone disabuse

If you were on your wireless, this might count as cell(f) abuse.



TEd
#40930 09/10/01 05:18 PM
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old hand
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>...in most areas, the telephone charged extra for touch tone service, even though it saved them a ton of money...

This reminds me of the stories I still occasionally hear of (typically) elderly people who have been renting their phones for *years* at the rate of $50 or $60 annually, when they could have purchased one at Target for $15. My parents still had a rented rotary phone in the late 80s! Sheesh Mom & Dad - catch up with the times! You're making me look like a square!


#40931 09/12/01 01:03 PM
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addict
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all numerals so there's no ambiguity nor is there any other digit for which the oh might be confused.

Back when I was learning German, I was taught that when giving someone a phone number or other series of numbers, one should pronounce "zwei" (2) as "zwo" to avoid confusion with "drei" (3). Is this really done, or is it some old-fashioned relic, or some overly-specific affectation (like spelling cat Charlie-Alpha-Tango)?


#40932 09/12/01 07:48 PM
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wow Offline OP
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Who among you use it?
What specific, if any, context?
When did it start?
Where did you get that usage?
Why?


#40933 09/12/01 07:53 PM
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Zed << Greek zeta

Where you get zee from?


#40934 09/12/01 08:41 PM
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Saying zed differentiates quite nicely from c, now that I think about it.

zed ted



TEd
#40935 09/12/01 08:53 PM
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When first heard it, thought it was "A to Dead'and it took seeing title on the Street Guide the hotel deskman was consulting.


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