Recently, I was given a prescription for Retin-A to keep my complexion
glowing,(we gals here at Google Answers are both brilliant of mind and
visage.)
The nurse told me to apply a pea sized amount of the cream to my face
every other night, but I find that  pea size is too small. Often, we are
given the "pea-sized" direction for things.
A walnut or small plum would be too large and a dime size would imply
what the amount is when flattened. My solution is that a soy nut
amount should be directed, but too many people are not familiar with
soy nuts and their size. What size do you feel is a smidgen above pea
sized that could aid the medical community when directing people on
amounts of creams and ointments to be applied?
Thank you in advance of your brilliant and knowing Google ways and Answers,
Yesmam

Howdy again, YesMam!

How about "marble-sized?"

Almost everybody has, at some point in his or her life, played with
marbles (although some of us have lost 'em).

I've noticed that meteorologists often refer to different sizes of
hailstones as "pea-sized," "marble-sized," and "golfball-sized," so
I'm not the first to think of this.

These guidelines for hailstone-sizing could be applied to any small,
roundish objects:

"HAIL - Use the following guide when reporting hail: pea sized (¼-inch
diameter), marble sized (½-inch diameter), golf-ball sized (1½-inch
diameter), baseball sized (2-3-inch diameter), softball sized (4-inch
diameter)."

SkyWarn: General Emergency Response Definition of Terms
http://www.qsl.net/ky4ky/skywarn.htm

Google search strategy:

Google Web Search: "pea sized" "marble sized" "golf ball sized"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22pea+sized%22+%22marble+sized%22+%22golf+ball+sized%22

I hope my suggestion seems apt. If not, I'll be glad to give it
another go, but I think the hailstone connection gives a bit of weight
to "marble-sized," and I would guess that most people are probably
more familiar with marbles than with soy nuts.

It's true, of course, that marbles come in a variety of sizes. But so
do peas. I doubt that, when most folks think "marble-sized," they
envision a marble such as Michelangelo's "David." ;-)

Thanks for another genuinely interesting question. It's always nice to
be able to research something that uses one's imagination! Gets the
clogs out of the smarteries.

Best,
Pink

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 11 Jan 2004 20:58 PST

Aha. I just couldn't let this go, and I just noticed that
"marble-sized" is already being used in describing tumors, so there's
an existing medical reference:

Google Web Search: "marble-sized tumor"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22marble-sized+tumor

Pink, your nobility and courage shines through in having the utter
gaul to answer this one. Clarify one word for me, even though I am
pretty sure what you mean by it: smarteries.
As always, my appreciation and thanks for the off-center curiousity
that my and your little off kilter sense of what is worth burning a
few brain cells for.
Mucho thnaks,
Yesmam

Hi Yesmam (one of my personal all-time favorite GA customers . . .
that's the truth!)!

How apropos that one of my all-time favorite GA colleagues and friends
should answer your question. ;) So, I've been thinking . . . garbanzo
bean?

Sincerely,
Boquinha-ga

"Marble Sized" or "Grape Sized"

boquinha-Do you know that when I read responses to weirdo inquires
such as the above, I sleep well at night, because with you and pink, I
really feel as if I have two sisters in solidarity. Often, people
refer to twins seperated at birth, but with us, could it be "triplets"
seperated at birth?
You fellow PISSER. I love it!!!!
Thanks, 
Yesmam

"Marble Sized" or "Grape Sized"

Hi sasharama-We could split hairs about grapes, ya' know. Small red
seedless grapes or the plumper green ones?
Nice to see another member of the Googling community.
Pull up a chair, and eat a bunch of grapes with us, and then with pink
and boquinha, we'll discuss the nature of the soul and beauty secrets.
If this group is not ecclectic, then there's no place else to go.

Yesmam

Yesmam,

Thankya for the five stars and the tip!

Regarding the nonword "smarteries," it's just a silly pun that I like
to use. People talk all the time about "hardening of the arteries,"
and it occurred to me that my problems involving wonky thinkification
might be described as "hardening of the smarteries."

~Pink

...[Ellen?...Is that you??]...

Seriously, Yesmam, I was in stitches reading your marvelously phrased
query.  If you're *not* Ellen Degeneres in disguise, then you could
make a fortune writing for her.

Thank you so much for your delightful questions!  Ellen or not, you
are definitely a beloved celebrity of Researchers everywhere.  :)