British system
1
4.8
- noun
- UK
:
sistema británico
- There seem to be advantages to this British system in that leaks are instantly observed, and repairs and modifications can be made without extensive disturbance to the wall.
Examples
-
Unlike the Tanzanian Catholic school, the British system had more technology and, according to Lucky, was less stressful in terms of studying.
Blog text (15) -
Nevertheless, although legally permitted, this prescribing option is little used: in practice, in today's British system, most practitioners do not prescribe injectable drugs despite this clinical freedom.
Academic text (2005) -
In the British system, right turns across traffic would, presumably, create the same risks described in the present article.
Academic text (2001) -
After World War II, the British system became gradually more widespread.
Blog text (5) -
So what does the British system comprise today?
Academic text (2005) -
The educational system in the English-speaking Caribbean islands was modeled largely on the British system, and it has been found to reflect the social order of most of these countries (Miller, 1976).
Academic text (1992) -
The latter part of the paper focuses on new challenges, including the hepatitis C problem and the current state of drug treatment, and concludes with an appraisal of the options with regard to steering the British system in today's increasingly international context.
Academic text (2005) -
Against this backdrop, new ways of working within the British system were developed following the recommendations of the Treatment and Rehabilitation report from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) in 1982.
Academic text (2005) -
As I found out, in the British system, one substitutes commas for periods (e.g., the price, in U.S. dollars, of a Toyota pick-up truck in Botswana might be $23,456.95).
Academic text (2005) -
The British system measures distance in miles and weight in pounds.
Synonyms
A system of measuring distance, weight, and liquid once used in Britain using feet, pounds, and pints
Surface Forms
Morphology
The combination of 'British' (relating to Britain) and 'system' (a set of rules or units) transparently signals 'a system associated with Britain', so learners will infer a British-owned or -used system. However, identifying that this specifically means the traditional weights-and-measures (imperial) system requires cultural/encyclopedic knowledge beyond the literal words, making the precise meaning not fully predictable.
Etymology
British system may come from old everyday measures used in Britain, where people measured by the body and common objects, for example a foot meaning the length of your foot, a pint meaning a small beer glass, and a stone meaning a rock used to weigh goods. That's why the term now means the traditional system of weights and measures used in Britain, not the 'metric' system.