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Non-trademarked alternatives for "muggle"

Jozii

By Jozii,
in General geocaching topics

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MartyBartfast

+MartyBartfast

Posted
Posted
I'm looking for alternatives to use :) "Non-geocachers" just doesn't sound as appealing :P

There are a lot of threads asking about other terms. That's plenty of reading, but you still may not find a definitive list.

 

Are you trying to make T-shirts or stickers or something, and the printer (especially Cafepress!) refuses to allow what they've decided is "copyrighted material"? If so, change the phrase. One option is to use the term "people", as in "I tried to hunt that Geocache, but there were too may people!"

 

It's a card game. Though Warner Bros don't "own" the term as such, they do have the rights in print. I was going to use "Muggle-cards" and "Muggle-tokens".

 

Ah, so we come up with a new term for "non cachers", get it into common use, you create a card game using it, then trademark the term to protect your intellectual property, and we're back to square one :blink:

 

Hahahaha, well that's not what I was thinking, but I guess if the game became super successful and I turned greedy, sure :P

 

Though worth noting it's not JK Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, who has trademarked the term.

 

Well JK Rowling made a few $$, so good luck with it!

 

It doesn't sound like there's a simple answer for your case, and I suspect making up cards with Muggle on them would make you a target for the lawyers.

 

I wonder if you might get away with GeoMuggle?

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TeamRabbitRun

+TeamRabbitRun

Posted
Posted
I'm looking for alternatives to use :) "Non-geocachers" just doesn't sound as appealing :P

There are a lot of threads asking about other terms. That's plenty of reading, but you still may not find a definitive list.

 

Are you trying to make T-shirts or stickers or something, and the printer (especially Cafepress!) refuses to allow what they've decided is "copyrighted material"? If so, change the phrase. One option is to use the term "people", as in "I tried to hunt that Geocache, but there were too may people!"

 

It's a card game. Though Warner Bros don't "own" the term as such, they do have the rights in print. I was going to use "Muggle-cards" and "Muggle-tokens".

 

Ah, so we come up with a new term for "non cachers", get it into common use, you create a card game using it, then trademark the term to protect your intellectual property, and we're back to square one :blink:

 

Hahahaha, well that's not what I was thinking, but I guess if the game became super successful and I turned greedy, sure :P

 

Though worth noting it's not JK Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, who has trademarked the term.

 

Well JK Rowling made a few $$, so good luck with it!

 

It doesn't sound like there's a simple answer for your case, and I suspect making up cards with Muggle on them would make you a target for the lawyers.

 

I wonder if you might get away with GeoMuggle?

 

Obvious derivatives might be subject to trademark law, as well.

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thebruce0

+thebruce0

Posted
Posted

I would call them walkers since they are like zombies to which we should not get their attention. That if, I hope AMC does not have the copyright of the word: p

I like this one!

 

And The Unacquainted suggested earlier sounds right out of Steven King... laughing.gif

 

But I'd bet the OP doesn't use word "pedestrian" to mean non-cachers, on the T-Shirt quote. :anicute:

Although pedestrian could be a synonym for muggle:

[puh-des-tree-uh n] adjective

4. lacking in vitality, imagination, distinction, etc.; commonplace; prosaic or dull:

laughing.gif

 

 

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TeamRabbitRun

+TeamRabbitRun

Posted
Posted

 

I wonder if you might get away with GeoMuggle?

 

Obvious derivatives might be subject to trademark law, as well.

 

I suppose so, but I think I have the answer:-

 

Zhttyr

 

Has the advantage that only a true Geocacher will understand it :lol: .

 

That's PERFECT!

 

Like the nose-swipe gesture in "The Sting".

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kunarion

+kunarion

Posted
Posted (edited)
is there a less known alternative that could be used instead, which would still make sense to geocachers?

You can scour the many, many threads around here on this exact topic. Or you can brainstorm your own new term. "Geocachers are called 'Cachers', non-cachers are '[term here]'". If it's cool enough, maybe it'll catch on! Whatever you use, many Geocachers will be confused by it. "[Term here]? What's that?!" Even when it's "muggles", you have to explain it often anyway.

 

So here's a list of "non-cacher" terms I just now thought of, as a starting point:

 

normals

colony

charm

swarm

savages

the feral

rabble

undefiled

pod person (pod people)

Edited by kunarion
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niraD

+niraD

Posted
Posted
I suppose so, but I think I have the answer:-

 

Zhttyr

 

Has the advantage that only a true Geocacher will understand it :lol: .

Is there a pronunciation guide for that? :laughing:
Here's my vote:

 

zhttyr /ˈmə ɡəl/ noun: a person who is not conversant with geocaching

 

It's like the way the word "ghoti" is pronounced /fish/ even if that isn't how people would pronounce it when the first see it.

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TeamRabbitRun

+TeamRabbitRun

Posted
Posted
I suppose so, but I think I have the answer:-

 

Zhttyr

 

Has the advantage that only a true Geocacher will understand it :lol: .

Is there a pronunciation guide for that? :laughing:
Here's my vote:

 

zhttyr /ˈmə ɡəl/ noun: a person who is not conversant with geocaching

 

It's like the way the word "ghoti" is pronounced /fish/ even if that isn't how people would pronounce it when the first see it.

 

"gh" from "laugh"

"o" from "women"

"ti" from "nation"

 

------

 

"fish"

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hzoi

+hzoi

Posted
Posted

It's a card game. Though Warner Bros don't "own" the term as such, they do have the rights in print. I was going to use "Muggle-cards" and "Muggle-tokens".

 

So you do want to make a buck off of this. In that case, I'll repeat my earlier statement:

 

If you have a commercial purpose in mind for finding an alternate term, then go hire a lawyer and a market researcher.

 

You'll find that Warner Brothers isn't the only entity around that would have trademarks involved. I'd be more concerned about getting Groundspeak's blessing.

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Great Scott!

+Great Scott!

Posted
Posted
I suppose so, but I think I have the answer:-

 

Zhttyr

 

Has the advantage that only a true Geocacher will understand it :lol: .

Is there a pronunciation guide for that? :laughing:
Here's my vote:

 

zhttyr /ˈmə ɡəl/ noun: a person who is not conversant with geocaching

 

It's like the way the word "ghoti" is pronounced /fish/ even if that isn't how people would pronounce it when the first see it.

 

"gh" from "laugh"

"o" from "women"

"ti" from "nation"

 

------

 

"fish"

 

the "o" from "women" would make ghoti pronounced more like foosh.

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Team Microdot

+Team Microdot

Posted
Posted
I suppose so, but I think I have the answer:-

 

Zhttyr

 

Has the advantage that only a true Geocacher will understand it :lol: .

Is there a pronunciation guide for that? :laughing:
Here's my vote:

 

zhttyr /ˈmə ɡəl/ noun: a person who is not conversant with geocaching

 

It's like the way the word "ghoti" is pronounced /fish/ even if that isn't how people would pronounce it when the first see it.

 

"gh" from "laugh"

"o" from "women"

"ti" from "nation"

 

------

 

"fish"

 

the "o" from "women" would make ghoti pronounced more like foosh.

 

Only if women were pronounced woomen - which it isn't.

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TeamRabbitRun

+TeamRabbitRun

Posted
Posted
I suppose so, but I think I have the answer:-

 

Zhttyr

 

Has the advantage that only a true Geocacher will understand it :lol: .

Is there a pronunciation guide for that? :laughing:
Here's my vote:

 

zhttyr /ˈmə ɡəl/ noun: a person who is not conversant with geocaching

 

It's like the way the word "ghoti" is pronounced /fish/ even if that isn't how people would pronounce it when the first see it.

 

"gh" from "laugh"

"o" from "women"

"ti" from "nation"

 

------

 

"fish"

 

the "o" from "women" would make ghoti pronounced more like foosh.

 

Difference between 'women' (plural) and 'woman'(singular).

 

A singular woman would 'foosh', but several of them would fish. Hopefully, catch some.

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thebruce0

+thebruce0

Posted
Posted

steaufolleieigpn

 

st as in listen

eau as in bureaucrat

f as in of

o as in women

lle as in gazelle

i as in onion

eig as in foreign

pn as in pneumonia

 

pronounced /səˈvilyən/ :lol:

*standing ovation*

One could make another "language" like that - have a grammar reference for possible letter representations, and form entire phrases with it. Someone's got to have put this together already... the internet cannot fail us now.

Could be a good puzzle cache code :D

 

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hzoi

+hzoi

Posted
Posted

Lest we forget, the OP on this two year old thread originally posed this question not out of intellectual curiosity or for general discussion, but specifically because they wanted to make a buck on geocaching with their own card game and didn't want to get sued by Warner Brothers.  They had a personal financial incentive for wanting to change the term.

 

The rest of us don't, and I absolutely concur with @K13 on this one - the horse is gone, waaaay gone on this one.  Doesn't matter if you're a Potter fan or not.  In fact, you can be a Frozen fan and just..."let it go, let it goooooo..."

  • Upvote 3
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niraD

+niraD

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, hzoi said:

In fact, you can be a Frozen fan and just..."let it go, let it goooooo..."

Or, if you're a Zootopia fan, you might realize that life isn't some cartoon musical where you sing a little song (or post to a forum) and all your insipid dreams magically come true. So you let it go.

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VRTrooper84

+VRTrooper84

Posted
Posted

Wow there's so many buzzkills on this thread!  Haha who seriously cares!

This is a good idea to think of alternative terms because why not?
Personally... I think "muggles" sounds stupid.  Childish.
Also, I never got into Harry Potter, not sorry.
Just not my thing.

My fav suggestions so far are:
walkers

pedestrians

heathens

NCGs (non-geocachers)

Or make your own "code word" with your friends and partners!
Personally, my partner asked me to stop using the word muggle cuz they find it lame and  cant take it seriously while we're caching.  Hahaha.
But that's someone who hates Harry Potter more than me.

  • Funny 2
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