And your arms. You might be aware that one arm is longer than the other, and causing the thumb to hang down lower on one side when you straighten your arms out.
This becomes apparent to men when they're being fitted for a sport coat, suit jacket or outerwear. When you stand up on one of those little platforms in front of the three-way mirror the tailor takes out his little ruler, asks you to relax your arms, and measures how long your thumb is from where the cuff is expected to start.
How many times have I heard..."eench, eench and a quarter" in an Italian accent. In my mind I always imagine the tailor telling someone, "des fucker, heeza lopsided." Of course he doesn't say that, at least not out loud.
I never knew until reading yesterday's NYT Science section that there are actually two standards for the length of a foot. There is the U.S. Foot, and the International Foot. Different measuring jurisdictions stand on different feet—at least until January 1, 2023, when everyone is expected to use the International Foot.
And who is everyone? Basically land surveyors. And what's the difference between the two standards. Infinitesimal.
In a story with graphics that make buying yesterday's paper well worth its $3.00 newsstand price, the article clearly shows what infinitesimal means. In this case, the difference between the two standards is that the U.S. Foot is longer, to the extent of two feet if you stretch out your measurement to a million feet. This doesn't seem like a difference you can eyeball.
I remember reading of story umpteen years ago that when The Donald was active in New York real estate and building buildings, he swore a hole through a pot that there was something wrong with the measurement of the height of a terrace.
Looking through his binoculars he went on a tirade (sound familiar?) that the construction of the building has gotten something seriously wrong. I don't remember any reference to a different standard of a foot, or how it was resolved, or if he was even right, only that the person he was yelling at probably didn't stay around long enough with his company for a 5-year Award.
Then there's the long ago, oft-repeated story of Bill Bradley warming up for the Knicks one night in the late '60s or early '70s who, as he was taking his practice shots from a favorite spot on the floor, insisted that the basket was not at the right height.
Since Bill was a graduate of Princeton he was taken seriously, and they brought the tall ladder out and measured. Sure enough, Bill was right. The basket's height was set incorrectly by a quarter of an inch. Bill knew.
One of my son-in-laws in a land surveyor, and I've yet to talk to him about what has been his experience with the two feet. Which foot does he stand on? Or, which foot is he required to stand on?
Apparently, there can be a difference so pronounced there is the story of the construction of a high-rise building near an international airport, in an unnamed city, that was delayed because the vertical measurement exceeded the approved plans. A redesign became necessary.
I always knew the standards used for measurement were quaint, and came from Europe and were introduced to the States as it was expanding. I didn't know some of the odd names however.
Apparently there is the British and Dutch ell, an ell being a measuring rod varying greatly depending on the country doing the measuring: England 45"; Scotland 37.2"; Low countries, such as Holland, 27". Buyer beware.
So, given the absolutely tiny difference between he U.S. Foot and the International Foot, getting off on the wrong foot might really not be so bad.
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