Prior tometrication in theUnited Kingdom, the standard single measure of spirits in apub was1⁄6 gill (23.7 mL) inEngland and Wales,[1] either1⁄5 gill (28.4 mL) or1⁄4 gill (35.5 mL) inScotland, and1⁄4 gill (35.5 mL) inNorthern Ireland. After metrication, this was replaced by measures of either 25 or 35 millilitres (0.176 or 0.246 gi), at the discretion of the proprietor.
Half of a gill is a jack, or one-eighth of a pint.[2]
But in northern England, a quarter pint could also be called a jack or a noggin, rather than a gill, and in some areas a half-pint could be called a gill, particularly for beer and milk.[3][4][5]
In therepublic of Ireland, the standard spirit measure was historically1⁄4 gill. It still retains this value, though it is now legally specified in metric units as35.5 mL.
InL. Frank Baum'sThe Patchwork Girl of Oz, one of the ingredients required for a magic spell is a gill of water from a dark well. In chapter 19, the obscure unit is used for humor including a pun with the nursery rhyme "Jack and Jill", which also involved a well.
InGeorge Orwell'sAnimal Farm, Moses the Raven is allotted a gill of beer a day after he returns, with the implication that this is part of his payment for supporting the farm leaders, the pigs.
InRobert Louis Stevenson'sTreasure Island, there are uses of the measure gill, with Israel Hands drinking a gill of brandy in the chapter "I Strike the Jolly Roger". In Stevenson'sKidnapped the protagonist, David Balfour, is "forced" "to drink about a gill" of brandy.
InMelvyn Bragg's memoirBack in the Day, he recalls his grandfather in the pub with "a gill of bitter" in front of him.
A gill is also referenced inArcher season 2, episode 3 ("Blood Test") when Barry explains to Archer that a liter of blood is, "about 8 gills". (Eight gills would be 32 US fl oz, or 0.95 L.) A call back reference, also discussing units of blood, is further made in season 3, episode 3 ("Heart of Archness, Part 3"). In both instances, the word is pronounced with a hard ⟨g⟩.
In 1990's "Bart the Genius," the second episode ofThe Simpsons, a child tricks Bart by offering, "I'll trade you 1,000 picoliters of my milk for four gills of yours." (Apicoliter is a trillionth of a liter, so Bart is losing almost a pint of milk in this exchange.)
Because of its more widely used homograph,gill has sometimes been mispronounced with a hardg sound. In English, the sound of soft⟨g⟩ is theaffricate/dʒ/, as ingeneral,giant, andgym.
FX's animated cartoonArcher mispronouncedgill in the episodes "Blood Test" (Season 2, Episode 3)[10] and "Heart of Archness: Part Three" (Season 3, Episode 3).[11]
