Wordplay/ What's fun about the HPs? -- "hogshead"

[She Who Must Be Obeyed]

No: HPFGUIDX 152705

Geoff:
> It refers, I suspect, to a "hogshead" which is a large cask of wine 
> or beer and also used to describe a measure of wine or beer of just 
> over 50 Imperial gallons.


It was actually only officially a measurement for wine and the original 
liquid measure was 63 old wine gallons (by a statute of 1423); later 
anywhere from 100 to 140 gallons.

I wonder if translations of the books into other Germanic based 
languages change the name of the town to Oxhead because that's what it 
was called in other countries.  Hogshead came first though - late 
fourteenth century if I remember correctly.

smiles,
Clare
(Etymology obsessed English teacher who worked in the Hogshead in 
Bolton to get through Uni!)