Talk:cal

Isn't it short for calibre in English? I've heard it a number of times in the movie Pearl Harbor. I haven't heard of other references. Ferike333 20:15, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

Yes, it is the abbreviation of calibre, calorie, calendar, and computer-aided learning, but only as a written abbreviation. I have never heard anyone say out loud "50 cal machine-gun". It is conceivable that somebody could pronounce the abbreviation as cal rather than expanding it to its full form, but most people would not do it. —Stephen 22:18, 28 July 2010 (UTC)

I think it's (military) slang, similar to Dutch "punt vijftig" being ".50" (calibre). Soldiers understand it and use it instead of the full name. 81.68.255.36 10:29, 6 August 2010 (UTC)