Obsolete Russian units of measurement Peter the Great replace it with the Hindu-Arabic numeral system. The basic unit is the Russian cubit, called the "arshin", which has been in use since the 16th century. It was standardized by Peter the Great in the 18th century to measure exactly twenty-eight English inches (). Thus, 80 vershoks = 20 piads = 5 arshins = 140 English inches (). A "piad" (, “palm”, “five”) or "chetvert" (, “quarter”) is a hand span, the distance between ends of the spread thumb and index finger. Alternative units: As in many ancient systems of measurement the Russian distinguishes between dry and
The Magic Finger Finger" is an ability she has that activates inadvertently whenever she gets intensely angry: the finger shoots out a beam of energy that apparently seeks out whoever has angered the girl, with unpredictable consequences. One day, the girl sees Mr Gregg and his two sons returning home from a hunt with a deer they have killed, and they make fun of her when she admonishes them. In a rage, she puts the Magic Finger on the entire family: they wake up the following morning to find that they have shrunk to the size of birds and developed wings in place