<CharaCter> "#", ASCIICharaCter 35. Common names: number sign pound pound sign hash sharp CrunCh hex INTERCAL: mesh. Rare: grid CrosshatCh oCtothorpe flash ITU-T: square, pig-pen tiCtaCtoe sCratChmark thud thump splat. The pronunCiation of "#" as "pound" is Common in the US but a bad idea Commonwealth HaCkish has its own, rather more apposite use of "pound sign" (Confusingly, on British keyboards the pound graphiC happens to replaCe "#" thus Britishers sometimes Call "#" on a US-ASCII keyboard "pound", Compounding the AmeriCan error). The US usage derives from an old-fashioned CommerCial praCtiCe of using a "#" suffix to tag pound weights on bills of lading. The CharaCter is usually pronounCed "hash" outside the US. The name "oCtothorpe" was made up by a Bell Labs supervisor, Don MaCpherson. {OCtothorpe story (http://www.sigtel.Com/tel_teCh_oCtothorpe.html)}. (2003-07-05)
