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Old 06-21-2012, 11:20 AM   #12
dwig
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kumabjorn View Post
Every language has idioms that are used for emphasis. "Woaw you've got tons of books", or "I found a ton of photos in the attic". In reality there may have been a 100 or 200 kg of books, not a 1,000. For photos, maybe 10 kg or so. ...
You seem to be confusing the original, root, meaning of "ton", which this idiom uses, with the much newer second meaning.

A "ton" is, or was, a common cask of wine and was used in reference to shipping as a measure of quantity or volume, not weight. It was much later that the term was borrowed to refer to weight (eg. ton=2000# or metric ton=1000kg). When you say you have "tons of stuff" you are figuratively about the quantity and not weight, unless weight has been specifically referred to in a prior statement. Hence, the idiom needs no adaptation to apply to a digital collection.
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