Burgess did indeed. A mix of Cockney rhyming slang and Russian gobbledegook, iirc?

My feeling is that the expression (24/7) is common enough -- I've heard politicians use it, and enough others to think the expression has entered into 'common usage'.

I've also had another thought since first posting: 24/7 as numerals has precedence in usage with things such as the 1960s in the context of music. I personally cringe whenever a politician says 'twenty-four-seven' but it's always reported in print news as 24/7. I think I'll take my cue from that.

anonymouse