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The human body was generally available to those making measurements, and (by the standards of the time) roughly sufficient for most purposes. An inch (of bronz
by dredmorbius 2y ago
The human body was generally available to those making measurements, and (by the standards of the time) roughly sufficient for most purposes. An inch (of bronze or steel), a yard (of cloth), or fathom (of depth, measured by a sounding line) would have been immediately accessible to a tinker, a tailor, or sailor. (Units of measures applicable to spies are left as an exercise to the reader.)
Metric measurements are standard but not convenient, particularly in a world without rapid cheap communication or standardised industry. Virtually everything built was a one-off and fit-to-fashion on site.
- cjohnson318 2y ago> Units of measures applicable to spies are left as an exercise to the reader. A garrote, about a foot, a key, about two inches, and a razor's edge, less than a millimeter.
- dredmorbius 2y agoExcellent! Thank you, reader!
- Terr_ 2y ago> (Units of measures applicable to spies are left as an exercise to the reader.) Well, if they were spying while employed as a tinker, a tailor, or a sailor... Wouldn't it simply be whatever was readily available to someone in their cover identity?
- dredmorbius 2y agoWell, that would leave the issue of conversion factors, from cover to spy units ;-)