Pound as in weight.:)

you mean that you mistake
# for lb. :confused:

No, it's because with "lb" the first letter could be interpreted as a lower case L (l) a capital I or the number 1. Using # eliminates any confusion.

I always thought the yanks used "#" as short-hand for "Number".

Oh we do that too. Confusing ain't it??

All your questions answered.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_sign

Is it true Americans don't know what Christmas crackers are? I saw Graham Norton and Jamie Oliver, the chef was explaining about how he hacks his crackers for the prizes in them. Incase you don't know what one is, it is a basically a cardboard tube into which is slipped some sort of toy or useless object(although I once got a small pair of folding scissors in a case) and then it is wrapped in colourful paper-and a small explosive charge is added, in this case a harmless snap which goes off when one person pulls it with another grasping the other end. Also inside is a small coloured paper hat and usually some terrible jokes such as:
How does Good King Wenceslas like his pizza: Deep pan, crisp and even! :D yeah well they can be even worse.

"Christmas crackers are a British tradition dating back to Victorian times when in the early 1850s, London confectioner Tom Smith started adding a motto to his sugared almond bon-bons which he sold wrapped in a twisted paper package."

Generally we don't. We don't have them . . . some folks will know them from British friends or British television, but its not an American thing at all. We don't have the other British Christmas favorite, the Christmas ghost story either. . .

You're missing some rather good literature then....the crackers I can take or leave-but MR James and his ilk are a worthy read...

Surely you have A christmas Carol, as in Scrooge (non Disney)
God bless us every one :Tiny Tim
Shut the fuck up : Harlan Ellison