Footlong? Or just 'a little' short?

[JackLuis]

He offered 'a foot long'. But he could only produce 11".

Subway 'crisis': Is footlong sub really 11 inches?

Proving that size does matter!

[lovecraft68]

Bottom line is you tell someone you're going to feed them 12" you best be able to back it up.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

When she told me she wanted a foot, and make it hurt, I fucked her 4 times and slugged her.

[Handley_Page]

Originally Posted by JackLuis

He offered 'a foot long'. But he could only produce 11".

Proving that size does matter!

But it's not described as "a foot long". Notice the separate words.
the 'footlong' could be anything (including 11 inches), but it's only in the mind of the listener that there's an implication of it being 12 inches.

We've have cases like this in the UK several times (I think it was one of the reasons we got "trading standards" departments), but in Law, I suspect a complaint would be thrown out.

[jomar]

Originally Posted by Handley_Page

But it's not described as "a foot long". Notice the separate words.
the 'footlong' could be anything (including 11 inches), but it's only in the mind of the listener that there's an implication of it being 12 inches.

We've have cases like this in the UK several times (I think it was one of the reasons we got "trading standards" departments), but in Law, I suspect a complaint would be thrown out.

They have footlongs and 6" subs. Because they have 6" subs the footlong is therefore 12". How else can footlong be interpreted. Even the company agrees.

[Weird Harold]

Originally Posted by Handley_Page

the 'footlong' could be anything (including 11 inches), but it's only in the mind of the listener that there's an implication of it being 12 inches.

I suspect that the "footlong" bears the same relationship to "a foot long" as a "Quarterpounder" bears to "A Quarter Pound" of ground beef -- that is that the measurement is taken "before cooking; i.e. it is probably 12 inches of raw dough which shrinks a bit during baking.

[TxRad]

Doesn't everyone's footlong shrink a bit during baking?

Mine definitely does.

[SandraMustard]

I don't think a full 12 inches can fit into most 'ovens' - jus' sayin'

[oggbashan]

The origin of the term 'A Baker's Dozen', i.e. thirteen loaves, was to protect Bakers from selling underweight bread. The weight could vary between making up the dough and coming out of the oven. By supplying thirteen loaves to meet a request for 'a dozen', the baker was complying with the trading laws.

Subway could have offered a refund to the customer whose 'footlong' was not a foot long. That is an acceptable response to a complaint that is justified once.

But 100% compliance with a measure isn't always possible except at a high cost.

How many people complained if they received 13 inches?

[soflabbwlvr]

I suspect they were talking about "internet inches, which everyone knows bear no relationship to English standard inches.

[Handley_Page]

Originally Posted by soflabbwlvr

I suspect they were talking about "internet inches, which everyone knows bear no relationship to English standard inches.

Or, worse, converted metric measure.
It never comes out right (as the scrap metal rods in my shed [each of which was to be an aerial] can attest.

[JackLuis]

Originally Posted by Handley_Page

It never comes out right

Did it go in that way?

[Boxlicker101]

Originally Posted by Weird Harold

I suspect that the "footlong" bears the same relationship to "a foot long" as a "Quarterpounder" bears to "A Quarter Pound" of ground beef -- that is that the measurement is taken "before cooking; i.e. it is probably 12 inches of raw dough which shrinks a bit during baking.

But bread swells when it's baked. That's what the yeast or other leavening does.