[yesenadam]

Fascinating - I don't remember ever seeing that usage, didn't know it's used for pounds/weight, although I knew "pound sign" is one name for #. Seems the sign evolved from "lb" with a horizontal line through it.

"When # is after a number, it is read as "pound" or "pounds", meaning the unit of weight. ...rare outside North America."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_sign#Names

Reading that page, I learnt the word "octothorpe" was likely invented at Bell Labs in 1968! haha. Gee I thought it was a centuries-old name.

[anderspitman]

Sorry to go even more OT, but were you familiar with the "soaking wet" part? Your profile says Australia and I'm curious if that's an idiom there as well.

[yesenadam]

:-) A very fair question. No, I'd also never heard that expression.