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/) 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
≡ 77⁄32 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 popular culture

There are occasional references to a gill in popular culture, such as in the cumulative song "The Barley Mow".[6] 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.

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) [7] and "Heart of Archness: Part Three" (Season 3, Episode 3).[8]

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. ↑ "Good Luck to the Barley Mow, lyrics and audio". Chivalry.com. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  7. ↑ Archer: "Blood Test" · TV Club · The A.V. Club
  8. ↑ Archer: “Heart Of Archness, Part Three” · TV Club · The A.V. Club


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