Generate the answer for a given question. The question requires common knowledge of English. Make sure that the answer is in detail, long, consistent with the context, and requires general knowledge of English. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question. Give a proper explanation to answer, and if necessary, provide the definition of various terms. And conclude your answer if it's long. If you have used other resources (e.g., Merriam Webster's.) to answer the question, include citations in your answer. You don't need to paraphrase the context of your resources, but make sure that your answer is consistent and complete.
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Question: In technical literature as well as aircraft user interfaces where there is not enough space to write the whole word, the prefix 'trans' is shortened to 'x'. Transmit -> Xmit Transfer -> Xfer I am interested to know what is the origin of this. I am curious because 'Ex' and 'Trans' do not have a similar sound.

Answer: X is commonly used to refer to cross because of its shape of two lines crossing. Trans- means cross/across. Trans- and cross- are interchangeable in many cases. From Wikipedia (emphasis mine): In abbreviations, it can represent trans- (e.g. XMIT for 'transmit', XFER for 'transfer'), cross- (e.g. X-ing for 'crossing', XREF for 'cross-reference'), Christ- as shorthand for the labarum (e.g. Xmas for 'Christmas', Xian for 'Christian'), the crys- in 'crystal' (XTAL), or various words starting with ex- (e.g. XL for 'extra large', XOR for 'exclusive-or'). Example: a transatlantic flight is one that crosses the Atlantic, and something that is transdermal crosses through the skin. The trans- in transmit and transfer is analogous to transatlantic. Crossing a mit or a fer makes perfect sense. -Mit is from the Latin mittere which means to send. -Fer is from the Latin ferre which means to bear or carry. 'Transmit' often means to send across something or over a specific medium and 'transfer' can be to carry across from one to another. Therefore trans- is often replaced with X- in certain words.


Question: Possible Duplicate: How to use 'tens of' and 'hundreds of'? Take this example: Hundreds of pieces were used to create it. What if the amount were something like 20 or 30? What would the equivalent sentence be that would sound natural?.

Answer: I confess, my first thought was 'dozens'. While 'tens' is probably more accurate, it doesn't feel as comfortable to say (to me, anyway).


Question: Is there a specific name for the thick glove worn (or may be any cloth used) to touch hot dishes in the oven? For example, we wear a glove and take the dish containing baked food from the oven. It's use is to save our hand from being burnt by touching the hot dish.

Answer:
In order to identify the object the OP is describing, I posted this answer with the term I use. At first I didn't think about alternative expressions based on geographical location. Other users did that after mine. I think the OP can enjoy a lively and useful discussion on the theme. Oven glove: BRITISH ENGLISH - a thick covering for the hand, used for taking hot things out of an oven (Cambridge Dictionary)