The Oxford English Dictionary dates 'clockwise' and its opposite, 'counter-clockwise', to approximately 1888. Before that time, other words were used to describe the movement of the hands of a clock, and before that, the movement of the sun itself - which varies based on where you stand on the earth. Northern hemisphere and the further north you go, the sun appears to move clockwise (it's the earth that is moving around the sun), and it's the opposite in the Southern hemisphere.
These concepts didn't seem to be all that important to the English. The were more important to the Celts and the Scots, who had the earlier words for the concept. According to OED, 'anti-clockwise' came along ten years later, and caught on in England over 'counter-clockwise', though the usage is about even between the two today.
We wanted to be different? There doesn't appear to be an obvious reason for the regionalism. Just one of those things. There is no real distinction between anti and counter as used here. Dates at least back into the 1800s.
As I reperceive it, Americans they do everything over a counter. So the word was right handy. Besides, anti-clockwise has no chic. Counter clockwise does, plus it alliterates.It sounds like you know something smart. Anti-clockwise is for losers with bad gums.
The same reason why other things get different names in different countries. There are dozens of things that have different names in the UK than they do in the US, and no one really knows why in most cases.
We're all daft I suppose. We should call it "the direction that is not the direction of the hands of a clock" Or because there are few real hands on clocks anymore..."the direction you turn to remove a screw" or because few people use screwdrivers..."the direction of your fingers when your right thumb is pointing at you"
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The Oxford English Dictionary dates 'clockwise' and its opposite, 'counter-clockwise', to approximately 1888. Before that time, other words were used to describe the movement of the hands of a clock, and before that, the movement of the sun itself - which varies based on where you stand on the earth. Northern hemisphere and the further north you go, the sun appears to move clockwise (it's the earth that is moving around the sun), and it's the opposite in the Southern hemisphere.
These concepts didn't seem to be all that important to the English. The were more important to the Celts and the Scots, who had the earlier words for the concept. According to OED, 'anti-clockwise' came along ten years later, and caught on in England over 'counter-clockwise', though the usage is about even between the two today.
counter-clockwise
(US) counterclockwise; (British) anticlockwise
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/counter-clockwise
https://wikidiff.com/counterclockwise/anticlockwis...
counterclockwise - North American
In the opposite direction to the way in which the hands of a clock move around.
British term anticlockwise
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/co...
We wanted to be different? There doesn't appear to be an obvious reason for the regionalism. Just one of those things. There is no real distinction between anti and counter as used here. Dates at least back into the 1800s.
As I reperceive it, Americans they do everything over a counter. So the word was right handy. Besides, anti-clockwise has no chic. Counter clockwise does, plus it alliterates.It sounds like you know something smart. Anti-clockwise is for losers with bad gums.
The same reason why other things get different names in different countries. There are dozens of things that have different names in the UK than they do in the US, and no one really knows why in most cases.
What is anti-clockwise? Sounds like your are opposed to clockwise.
We're all daft I suppose. We should call it "the direction that is not the direction of the hands of a clock" Or because there are few real hands on clocks anymore..."the direction you turn to remove a screw" or because few people use screwdrivers..."the direction of your fingers when your right thumb is pointing at you"
It means the same thing.
Most of the world does. We don't say "anti clockwise" in Canada.