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=                        Approximate_measures                        =
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                            Introduction
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Approximate measures are units of volumetric measurement which are not
defined by a government or government-sanctioned organization, or
which were previously defined and are now repealed, yet which remain
in use.

It may be that all English-unit derived capacity measurements are
derived from one original approximate measurement: the mouthful,
consisting of about  ounce, called the ro in ancient Egypt (their
smallest recognized unit of capacity). The mouthful was still a unit
of liquid measure during Elizabethan times. (The principal Egyptian
standards from small to large were the ro, hin, hekat, and khar.)

Because of the lack of official definitions, many of these units will
not have a consistent value.


                           United Kingdom
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*glass-tumbler
*breakfast-cup
*tea-cup
*wine-glass
*table-spoon
*dessert-spoon
*tea-spoon
*black-jack
*demijohn (dame-jeanne)
*goblet
*pitcher
*gyllot (about equal to 1/2 gill)
*noggin (1/4 pint)
*nipperkin (measure for liquor, containing no more than 1/2 pint)
*tumblerful (10 fl oz or 2 gills or 2 teacupsful)
*apothecaries' approximate measures
**teacupful = about 4 fl oz
**wineglassful = about 2 fl oz
**tablespoonful = about 1/2 fl oz
**dessertspoonful = about 2 fl dr
**teaspoonful = about 1 fl dr
**drop = about minim
*teacupful (5 fl oz, or 1 gill ibid)
*wineglassful (2-1/2 fl oz or 1/2 gill or 1/2 teacupful or 1/4
tumblerful)
*dessertspoonful (1/4 fl oz or 2 fl dr and equal to 2 teaspoonful or
1/2 tablespoonful)
*teaspoonful (1/8 fl oz or 1 fl dr and also equal to 1/2
dessertspoonful or 1/4 tablespoonful)


                           United States
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The vagueness of how these measures have been defined, redefined, and
undefined over the years, both through written and oral history, is
best exemplified by the large number of sources that need to be read
and cross-referenced in order to paint even a reasonably accurate
picture. So far, the list includes the 'United States Pharmacopoeia',
U.S. FDA, NIST, 'A Manual of Weights, Measures, and Specific Gravity',
State Board Questions and Answers,  MediCalc, 'MacKenzie's Ten
Thousand Receipts', Approximate Practical Equivalents,  'When is a Cup
not a Cup?', Cook's Info, knitting-and.com., and 'Modern American
Drinks'.

Dashes, pinches, and smidgens are all traditionally very small amounts
well under a teaspoon, but not more uniformly defined.  In the early
2000s some companies began selling measuring spoons that defined a
dash as  teaspoon, a pinch as  teaspoon, and a smidgen as  teaspoon.
Based on these spoons, there are two smidgens in a pinch and two
pinches in a dash. However, the 1954 Angostura “'Professional Mixing
Guide'” states that “a dash” is 1/6th of a teaspoon, or 1/48 of an
ounce, and Victor Bergeron (a.k.a. Trader Vic, famous saloonkeeper),
said that for bitters it was  teaspoon, but  fl oz for all other
liquids.

Fluid Measures
Unit    Abbrev. Definition 1 (c. 1885)  Definition 2 (c. 1905)  Definition
3 (c. 1975)     Definition 4 (c. 2015)  Traditional Binary Submultiple Fl.
Oz.     Binary Submultiples
hint    |align=left |  tsp      |align=right |          |align=left |2 hints = 1
drop
drop    dr., gt., gtt.  |align=left | to 1 minim or 5 centigrams
|align=left |  tsp      |align=right |          |align=left |2 drops = 1 smidgen
smidgen smdg., smi.     |align=left | tsp       |align=right |          |align=left |
2 smidgens = 1 pinch
pinch   pn.     |align=left | tsp       |align=left | tsp       |align=right |
|align=left |  2 pinches = 1 dash
dash    ds.     |align=left | tsp       |align=right |          |align=left |  2 dashes =
1 saltspoon
saltspoon (scruple-spoon, tad)  ssp., sp., scrsp.       |align=left | tsp
|align=right |          |align=left |  2 saltspoons = 1 coffeespoon
coffeespoon (barspoon)  |bsp.   |align=left | tsp       |align=right |
|align=left |  2 coffeespoons = 1 teaspoon
teaspoon (kitchen spoon, splash)        tsp. or t.      |1 fluid dram or 5 mL
most common size: 80 minims or 3 mL     |1 fluidrachm or 4 mL, or 3.75 mL
(actual range: 4.6-5.5 mL )     | tablespoon or  fl oz  |1 fl dram or 5 mL,
fl oz, 1 fl dr  |align=right |          |align=left |  2 teaspoons = 1
dessertspoon
dessertspoon    dsp., dssp. or dstspn.  |2 fluid drams or 10 mL most
common size: 2  fl dr or 10 mL  |2 fluidrachm or 8 mL, or 7.5 mL
(actual range: 8.4-10.4 mL )    |2 fl dram or 8 mL      |align=right |
|align=left | 2 dessertspoons = 1 tablespoon
tablespoon (mouthful)   tbsp. or T., rarely tbls.       | fluid ounce or 20
mL most common size: 5 fl dr or 20 mL   |4 fluidrachm or 16 mL, or 15
mL (actual range: 12.8-15.6 mL )        |1/2 fl oz or 15 mL     |align=right |
|align=left | 2 tablespoons = 1 handful
handful (fluid ounce, finger)   m. (for manipulus)      |1 fl oz
|align=right | 1        |align=left | 2 handfuls = 1 wineglass
wineglass (glassful)    |wgf.,  |2 fluid ounces or 60 mL, w-gl.
|align=right | 2        |align=left | 2 wineglasses = 1 teacup
teacup  |tcf.   |4 fluid ounces |align=right | 4        |align=left |2
teacups = 1 coffeecup
coffeecup (tumbler, kitchencup) |8 fluid ounces |align=right | 8
|align=left | 2 coffeecups = 1 jug
jug (pint)      |align=right | 16       |align=left | 2 jugfuls = 1 pitcher
pitcher (quart) ptch.   |align=right | 32       |align=left | 2 pitchers = 1
pottle


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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approximate_measures