You probably grew up in the era of digital clocks and watches. If you used an analog watch you would know why it was easier to say a quarter to 10. 😁
Just speak normally
Submitted 11 months ago by The_Picard_Maneuver@startrek.website to [deleted]
https://startrek.website/pictrs/image/32d5df91-d9f4-4ef2-9217-12f2c8d0a3bc.jpeg
Comments
Greyghoster@aussie.zone 11 months ago
BirdyBoogleBop@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 months ago
To make me show up 30 minutes late because I misheard it as quarter past 10?
Way easier to just say and understand 9:45 with whatever clock you use.
schmidtster@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Because that means the person is old and can’t count from 10 to 9 and change 1/4 to 3/4?
Greyghoster@aussie.zone 11 months ago
No it means that they grew up using a 12 hour, 60 minute circular time system. Habits form when you learn stuff and can last a lifetime.
BackOnMyBS@lemmy.world 11 months ago
For me, it’s because when I look at an analog clock, it’s easier to see that there’s a quarter of the cycle left on the minute hand than to convert 9 to 45 mins. So if someone asks me for the time and I looked at an analog clock, I would be more likely to respond with the relative position of the minute hand than with the exact minutes. If I am looking at a digital clock, then I will read exactly what the clock says.
snooggums@kbin.social 11 months ago
9.75
0x4E4F@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Commented just to say that this is the way it should be written, if it was a quarter to ten.
Wilibus@lemmy.world 11 months ago
You joke, but some people are actually that dumb.
I used to work in the oilfield, first day on a new rig with a new company. We were swabbing (pulling fluid samples, super laid back work) and had 2 guys on, 2 guys off.
Sitting in the doghouse our driller yells over to the rig asking what time it is, I check the clock and yell back “About twenty to four” dude puts his hands on his hips like Karen would and starts to glare at me. My push leans out the window and yelled “Two Four Zero” blew my fucking mind.
Few days later he was dropping people off and we were at a new site so he changed pick up time to quarter to six. But in his mind that meant 25 minutes before 6, or 5:35. Needless to say he got there and I wasn’t ready, which as a new roughneck on a crew is a cardinal sin.
Got in the truck and we drove about a block and I apologized and said I wasn’t expecting him so soon. Dude pulled over looked over his shoulder at me and said “How quarters in a dollar, retard?”. I replied “Four?” “Wrong twenty five!”
Needless to say that job didn’t last long for me.
The_Picard_Maneuver@startrek.website 11 months ago
It’s hard to imagine. I guess some people just don’t picture a clockface or proportional time.
Wilibus@lemmy.world 11 months ago
This dude was just a crack head whose father happened to own a rig company.
He couldn’t write his own name, basic math skills was a luxury he didn’t enjoy, but he was a genius when it came to fixing diesel engines and hydraulics.
Truly an enigma amoung men.
smeg@feddit.uk 11 months ago
I’m not sure if this meme is doubly trolling me here, but please tell me nobody says “a quarter til ten” instead of “quarter to ten”!
crimroy@sopuli.xyz 11 months ago
I would say “quarter of” 10. So there.
The_Picard_Maneuver@startrek.website 11 months ago
Isn’t ‘quarter of’ 10:15?
(I always use “quarter to” or “quarter til”, but never “quarter of”)
smeg@feddit.uk 11 months ago
You’re just fucking with me now!
MedicPigBabySaver@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Yep
Mongostein@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
“Quarter on ten” checking in :p
meliaesc@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Quarter “until” makes more sense than quarter to.
smeg@feddit.uk 11 months ago
Well it’s language, it’s pretty arbitrary, you say what you learned rather than what makes the most sense
FlickOfTheBean@lemmy.world 11 months ago
What’s the difference?
Maybe it’s having been raised in the south, but I’m used to hearing both. Maybe it’s a regional difference?
Though if I go for til these days, I’m more likely to say until rather than just til lol
smeg@feddit.uk 11 months ago
The difference is I’ve never heard anyone say “quarter til ten” before so it sounds very strange. As for it being a regional difference I guess it depends what region of the world you were raised in the south of!
guriinii@lemmy.world 11 months ago
First time I’m hearing of it also. Like “cowboy time” doesn’t work if its “til”
SpiceyDejarik@lemm.ee 11 months ago
When I was a child, I lived in walking distance of my elementary school. One time my mom had to work early so she couldn’t be there to see me off to school. I was old enough to walk by myself at that point, but I relied on her to tell me when to go. Since she wasn’t going to be there, she told me to leave at “quarter after 7” so I could be there on time.
I left at 7:25 because a quarter is 25, right?
I got in trouble for being late to school. Instructions unclear, Mom!
Kase@lemmy.world 11 months ago
“how much does a ticket cost?”
“A quarter til 3”
wolfpack86@lemmy.world 11 months ago
In danish this is basically how it’s done on increments of a half.
One and one half is said as half (til) two
But it’s only on small numbers. It goes Half, one, half til two, two, half til three (or optionally two and a half!), three, three and a half…
Dont even get me started on the rest of the numbers
Painintheass@lemmings.world 11 months ago
So, half past 9 is 9:50. I’ll be damned.
anarchyrabbit@lemmy.world 11 months ago
It 645 mins since the start of the day
Agent641@lemmy.world 11 months ago
The current time is 1702477545
AnarchistsForDemocracy@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I was scrolling to find this answer, ty for your service 🫡
Magnetar@feddit.de 11 months ago
585 mins, you mean. That’s 35.1 kiloseconds.
Frozzie@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Real.
smallaubergine@kbin.social 11 months ago
They should intentionally make it smell real bad to discourage people to do that, like how Nintendo made ds/3ds cartridges taste bad so little kids wouldn't try and put them in their mouths
csfirecracker@lemmyf.uk 11 months ago
I am so confused by your comment. Did you comment on the right post? What would you make smell bad in this context
smallaubergine@kbin.social 11 months ago
definitely meant to comment on another post, super weird! I was reading a nottheonion post about how Steam was telling people not to huff the air coming out of the Steamdeck. Wonder if i hit a bug on the kbin mobile website?
ExLisper@linux.community 11 months ago
No, he’s saying that when someone says ‘quoter till 10’ you have to fart. This way you will train them not to do it. I think he’s right.
kewwwi@lemmy.world 11 months ago
we already did that to the us measuring system but it just gave them bad taste
Hope@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I agree, it would be cool if it smelled bad when people told time wrong.
AnarchistsForDemocracy@lemmy.world 11 months ago
nine-colon-seventyfive
allroy@lemmy.world 11 months ago
my parents always say it’s “quarter of”. I can’t make it make sense.
tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 11 months ago
I knew a mathy type who would occasionally jokingly say “a third past”
lugal@sopuli.xyz 11 months ago
I think Kafka used stuff like “two and a third” sometimes
hydrospanner@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Right?!
Quarter til, quarter after…those are easy to understand. Same goes for half past.
But quarter of? I have no idea how that relates to the passage of time.
Johanno@feddit.de 11 months ago
It’s 3/4 10
JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
How about just half past or quarter till?
JoShmoe@ani.social 11 months ago
It is easier to say 975
fury@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Ah, yes, good old metric time.
stjobe@lemmy.world 11 months ago
They tried it in France after the revolution IIRC. Didn’t work all that well :)
ExLisper@linux.community 11 months ago
I think it was 10 day week with only one day weekend. So 9 days of work instead of 6. Not sure why people didn’t like it.