What does this mean?????????

Question

What does this phrase mean:

With outstreched arm, from nose to fingertip is a yard.

Answer 1

In the old days, before standard measurements, a yard was estimated by measuring the distance from your nose to the end of your middle finger. Just stick your arm out to the side and have someone take a piece of string and 'measure' the distance from nose to fingertip. Then check the distance with a yard stick.

There are other 'human' measurements you can find. For example, Cubits (elbow to fingertip), Foot, Hand, Mile (Milia Passuum, 1000 double pases)

Answer 2

What is the METRIC SYSTEM?

The metric system is a decimal system, posed in France in 1670 by Gabriel Mouton. However, not until the French Revolution in 1790 did the French Academy of Sciences work to develop the system. They chose 1/10,000,000 of the distance from the equator to the North Pole, on the meridian through Paris, as the base unit of length and called it the meter (m).

The four fundamental quantities of measure are length, mass, capacity and time. Early attempts at measure lacked a standard unit object and they used hands, arms and feet as units of measure.

The scientific definiton of meter may not be very meaningful in everyday life, but if you turn your head away from your outstreched arm, the distance from your nose to your fingertip is about 1 meter. Also, 1 meter is about the distance from a doorknob to the floor and 1 meter is about 39 inches, slightly longer than 1 yard.

Answer 3

It means what it says..when you outstrech your arm, it is supposed to measure 1 yard from your nose to your fingertip.

Answer 4

What it is saying is that if you stretch your arm out in front of you like you are pointing at something, the measurement from your nose to your fingertip is a yard. Phrases like that are used for measurements when you don't have a yard stick or measuring tape.

Answer 5

It means that, as an estimate, if you extend your arm fully, the tip of your thumb is about a yard (three feet) from your nose. Clearly, it's not exactly a yard for everyone, or even for a majority of the population, and this is part of why non-standard measurements are so inexact. Often, the yard would be defined as this measurement on the body of the king, along with other measurements like the hand, span, cubit, or foot (note that many of them are named after body parts for this exact reason). The particular definition of yard you've quoted here is attributed to Henry 1 of England. Eventually, they were standardized, and no longer depend on any person's body aprts.

Answer 6

Original Imperial measure standard was based upon body measures (of who I am unsure).
A yard was the distance between their nose and the end of their fingertip outstretched.

Answer 7

it's an approximation, at best. for someone around six feet tall (two yards), the measure will be close on three feet. for every two inches shorter or taller that you happen to be, your nose-to-finger measure should be off by one inch from that yard

a more precise measure of proportion: stand with your arms outstretched and horizontal. the measure from fingertip to fingertip should match your height

Answer 8

David is right. Also a Cubit is from the elbow to the end of your fingers and an inch was about the distance from a man's thumb (first knuckle to end) A foot - well that is obvious!

It was an easy approximation of distance that everyone could use without tools - Oh yes and horses are measured in 'hands'

Answer 9

when you hold your arm out, the distance from your nose to the tip of your fingers equals 1 yard...

and also, just FYI, the distance from the tip of your fingers of one outstretched arm to the other tip of your other outstretched arm equals your height...

and the distance between the crease of your elbow and the base of your palm (wrist) is how big your foot is...

Answer 10

Means you are drunk, stopped by Barney Fife