smoot

smoot
 /smoot/, n.

   [MIT] A unit of length equal five feet seven inches. The length of the
   Harvard Bridge in Boston is famously 364.4 smoots plus an ear (the ear
   is allegedly the width of the earhole in the side of the football
   helmet the victim was wearing when he was rolled over the bridge).
   This legend began with a fraternity prank in 1958 during which the
   body length of Oliver Smoot (class of '62) was actually used to
   measure out that distance. It is commemorated by smoot marks that MIT
   students repaint every few years; the tradition even survived the
   demolition and rebuilding of the bridge in the late 1980s. The Boston
   police have been known to use smoot markers to indicate accident
   locations on the bridge. Apparently Smoot's experience as a unit of
   measurement led to a life-long career; he eventually became Chairman
   of the Board of the American National Standards Institute.
    

Smoot, WV
  Zip code(s): 24977
Smoot, WY
  Zip code(s): 83126
    

Smoot, WY -- U.S. Census Designated Place in Wyoming
   Population (2000):    182
   Housing Units (2000): 63
   Land area (2000):     1.710751 sq. miles (4.430824 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    1.710751 sq. miles (4.430824 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            71440
   Located within:       Wyoming (WY), FIPS 56
   Location:             42.620784 N, 110.912454 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     83126
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Smoot, WY
    Smoot