Rubbertoe Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 I'm not sure how it came up, but some friends of mine were recently discussing things that despite of whatever brand name they might be - they are all referred to as one particular brand's product. Some more often than others, and some terms may be regional, so there may be a bit of debate about these. I'll list the ones we thought of... please add any others that you can come up with. Kool Aid Cheez Whiz Band Aids Q-Tips Post It Notes Kleenex Ziplock Baggies Tater Tots Magic Markers Tupperware View The ToeCam Quote Link to comment
Dinoprophet Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 Xerox Frisbee Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann, und ich hab' auch im Blut. Quote Link to comment
+georgeandmary Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 Coke. george Pedal until your legs cramp up and then pedal some more. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 Jello Gladware Frigidare (Fridge) Victroller (sp?) Eggs "You can't make a man by standing a sheep on its hind legs, but by standing a flock of sheep in that position, you can make a crowd of men" -Max Beerbohm Quote Link to comment
Agent_K Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 Play dough Rolodex Scotch tape Jeep Velcro Rollerbade Thermos "Ich erhielt zwei Drehscheiben und ein Mikrophon." Quote Link to comment
+bartman007uk Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 Hoover Walkman Filofax When they want rain, native Americans do a dance. When I go geocaching, it rains. Is there a link? Quote Link to comment
+TeamJiffy Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 Here are some I've heard people use to mean the category, vs. the specific product: In England, you'll hear "Hoover" for vacuum cleaner. In my grandmother's (RIP) house, you used to hear the "Frigidaire" for the refrigerator - even after hers had long been replaced. In some sense, you could say "Personal Computer" which IBM had at the start, I believe.(I may be wrong here) Caterpillar or "cat" (for construction equipment) Quote Link to comment
+bartman007uk Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 And team Jiffy reminds me of Durex for any make of condom. When they want rain, native Americans do a dance. When I go geocaching, it rains. Is there a link? Quote Link to comment
+Criminal Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 Originally posted by TeamJiffy:Here are some I've heard people use to mean the category, vs. the specific product: In England, you'll hear "Hoover" for vacuum cleaner. QUOTE] According to Frank Zappa, an "act of hooverism" has nothing to do with cleaning the carpet... Quote Link to comment
+Mr. Snazz Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 quote:Originally posted by BrianSnat: Frigidare (Fridge) Huh, neat. I never realized - I assumed that 'fridge' was short for 'refrigerator'. Or does refrigerator also come from Frigidare? Oh, my head! Quote Link to comment
+bartman007uk Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 There is a reason people call it a FRIDGE! Frigidaire is an American icon...a name people instantly recognize and associate with reliability and performance. We invented the first self-contained refrigerator and 100 years later, we are still pioneering the leading innovations in the major appliance industry. Frigidaire has always meant quality and dependability, but today it also means beauty, convenience, and efficiency. Frigidaire...Built for Generations! When they want rain, native Americans do a dance. When I go geocaching, it rains. Is there a link? Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 quote: Durex for any make of condom. Actually we called any condom a Trojan. "You can't make a man by standing a sheep on its hind legs, but by standing a flock of sheep in that position, you can make a crowd of men" -Max Beerbohm Quote Link to comment
+Binrat Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 DUCT TAPE Can't get any simpler than that. Binrat "Blood is thicker than water.......Unless the water is frozen!" Quote Link to comment
BassoonPilot Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 The tradenames Hoover and Frigidaire are in fact the words (pronunciation; not necessarily the spelling) for vacuum cleaner and refrigerator in serbocroation. Quote Link to comment
adrianjohn Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 If you ask for Durex in Austrailia you get scotch tape, or so I am informed. I haven't tried it though it does get cat and dog hairs of clothes Quote Link to comment
+pater47 Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 Jake Brakes Visit the Mississippi Geocaching Forum at http://pub98.ezboard.com/bgeocachingms Quote Link to comment
+GoldKey Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 I have heard a lot of people refer to PDA's as Palm Pilots regardless of if they were palms or pocket pc's. "We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile. We are the Borg." Quote Link to comment
+KYtrex Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 all tongue & groove pliars........Channellocks all adjustable wrenchs............Crescent Wrench KYtrex ----------------- A "Buckeye" is just a "Hillbilly" that ran out of money on the way to Michigan Quote Link to comment
Rubbertoe Posted November 27, 2002 Author Share Posted November 27, 2002 Lots of good replies... ones that I hadn't thought of, and some that I was like "DOH! Of course!" when I read it. I mean... Jello, duh... has anyone anywhere ever called it flavored gel dessert product? I can't believe neither me or my friends thought of that one. *laugh* Although... I'm not aware of "chicken" "eggs" and "duct tape" as being trademarked or copyrighted or whatever by a specific company. I'm guessing those were jokes, but "eggs" was mentioned twice. Any further info on those are appreciated. View The ToeCam Quote Link to comment
+GoldKey Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 My Mom uses the word Yahoo to mean the Internet. "We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile. We are the Borg." Quote Link to comment
+GoldKey Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 Started searching the web. These things are called proprietary eponyms. An eponym is a general term used to describe from what or whom something derived its name. Therefore, a proprietary eponym could be considered a brand name (product or service mark) which has fallen into general use. Here are a bunch more as well as a list of proprietary terms that lost their trademark status from being used generically too long. Active Trademarks Often Used Generically Alka Seltzer AstroTurf Band Aid Beer Nuts Benzedrine Boogie Board Breathalyzer Brillo Pad BVDs Chapstick (Chap Stick) Cheerios Coke (Coca Cola) Cola (Coca Cola) Cool-Aid (Kool-Aid) Cuisinart Demerol Ditto Machine Dixie Cups Dumpster Erector Set Fiberglass (Fiberglas) Fig Newtons Freon Frisbee Green Stamp Hacky Sack Hi-lighter (Hi-Liter) Hoover Hula-Hoop Jacuzzi Jeep Jello (Jell-O) Jockey Shorts Kitty Litter Kleenex Laundromat Levi's Life Savers Mace Magic Marker Novocain Parcheesi (replacing the generic word "Pachisi") Ping Pong (replacing the generic term "Table Tennis") Play-Doh Plexiglas Polaroid Pop Tart Popsicle Post-It Note Q-Tip Rollerblade Roller Derby Scotch Tape Scrabble Sellotape Sheetrock Skivvies Styrofoam Super Glue Teflon Teleprompter (TelePrompTer) Teletype Teva Thermos TV Dinner Tylenol UNIX Valium Vaseline Velcro Walkman Welcome Wagon White Out (Wite-Out) Wiffle Ball Windbreaker X-Acto Knife Xerox Defunct Trademarks Used Generically Aspirin Brassiere Cellophane Celluloid Corselet (Corselette) Escalator Granola Gunk Heroin Jungle Gym (Junglegym) Kerosene Linoleum Mimeograph Pogo Stick (Pogo) Saran Wrap Shredded Wheat Tabloid Yo-yo Zipper "We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile. We are the Borg." Quote Link to comment
+ABXGuy Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 Crescent Wrench Quote Link to comment
+ABXGuy Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 Opps... I guess I scrolled to far, already posted. Quote Link to comment
Rubbertoe Posted November 27, 2002 Author Share Posted November 27, 2002 CHEATER!!! Actually, thanks for finding that out... I figured that someone, somewhere must have done the same thing we are doing here - and made a web page out of it. I just wasn't sure how to go about finding it. View The ToeCam Quote Link to comment
+GoldKey Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Rubbertoe:CHEATER!!! Actually, thanks for finding that out... I figured that someone, somewhere must have done the same thing we are doing here - and made a web page out of it. I just wasn't sure how to go about finding it. http://home.columbus.rr.com/rubbertoe/flag.gif http://home.columbus.rr.com/rubbertoe/webcam/index.html Did a Yahoo search on "kleenex xerox jello" figuring that any page that was about the topic would have those three examples. From there, I found what they were called and then did a new search on that. "We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile. We are the Borg." Quote Link to comment
+leatherman Posted November 27, 2002 Share Posted November 27, 2002 quote:Originally posted by GoldKey:I have heard a lot of people refer to PDA's as PDA Personal Digital assistant was originally an apple product. If you do not extend your expectations unto others, you will not be disappointed by the stupid things they do. Mokita! Quote Link to comment
+dthigpen Posted November 28, 2002 Share Posted November 28, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Criminal:Garmin I hate to ask this, but you actually call a GPS that isn't a Garmin a Garmin? On that note, you call your GPS a Garmin? I usually just call them all GPS'... Maybe I'm just odd... Doug Quote Link to comment
+Runaround Posted November 28, 2002 Share Posted November 28, 2002 Vise Grips Now where did I park my car??????? Quote Link to comment
Eeyore and Shadow Posted November 28, 2002 Share Posted November 28, 2002 leave it to the borg to define everything and take all the fun out of living. LOL Eeyore It took a GPS to get me away from technology. Quote Link to comment
+Planet Posted November 28, 2002 Share Posted November 28, 2002 quote:Originally posted by BrianSnat: quote: Durex for any make of condom. Actually we called any condom a Trojan. _"You can't make a man by standing a sheep on its hind legs, but by standing a flock of sheep in that position, you can make a crowd of men" -Max Beerbohm_ what about rubbers? Cache you later, Planet Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right, But Three Lefts Do. Quote Link to comment
Chameleon Circuit Posted November 28, 2002 Share Posted November 28, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Planet: what about rubbers? If I am not mistaken, that is the vernacular for "overshoes." Quote Link to comment
ArchieDH Posted November 28, 2002 Share Posted November 28, 2002 Bubba! <<<<<<<<<< We've all got some Bubba's! Quote Link to comment
+GoldKey Posted November 28, 2002 Share Posted November 28, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Eeyore/Shadow:leave it to the borg to define everything and take all the fun out of living. LOL Eeyore It took a GPS to get me away from technology. That's what they all say BEFORE they are assimilated! "We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile. We are the Borg." [This message was edited by GoldKey on November 28, 2002 at 10:37 AM.] Quote Link to comment
dave and jaime Posted November 28, 2002 Share Posted November 28, 2002 javex for cl based bleaches shop-vac for wet/dry vacs ski-doo for types of snowmobiles camcorders crock pot for slow cookers dirt buster for the small hand held vacs corona for cereveza style beers chees-whiz for cheese spreads i guess one of the interesting things here is that regional differences will show up as well. Quote Link to comment
+Treasure Hunters Inc. Posted November 29, 2002 Share Posted November 29, 2002 Jello, duh... has anyone anywhere ever called it flavored gel dessert product?Maybe the Coneheads??? What about 'gas' or gasoline? $1000 Bill Quote Link to comment
+Huga Posted November 29, 2002 Share Posted November 29, 2002 GPS. People use 'GPS' a lot to refer to their little hand held receiver. It's pedantic I know, but GPS means Global Positioning System. That little thingie in your hand is not a whole system, just a receiver, so GPSr is a better name. Also petrol over here in the UK (Gas in the states). The stuff we put in our cars is petroleum distillate. Petrol is a trademark of (IIRC) Shell back in the 30's. -- **Mother is the name of God on the lips of all children** Quote Link to comment
+Newenglandah Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 MAck Trucks Quote Link to comment
+Newenglandah Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Mack Trucks Match Box Cars Quote Link to comment
codetalker Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Ping-Pong (a trademark of Parker Bros.) (From an former competitive Table Tennis player) Quote Link to comment
+brdad Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 I used to know a Cathy "Hooker". If you knew her, you'd have no doubt how that would fit in Also, in the electical field, flexible metal conduit is often called "Greenfield", named either after the original or most popular producer. It's also called "spaghetti" by some people. Some people are like Slinkies . . . not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs. Quote Link to comment
+Bill D (wwh) Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Bit obscure, this one, but in theatre in the UK multi-way adapters (for putting more than one plug in a socket) are called Grelcos after the one-time biggest maker of them. Quote Link to comment
azog Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 TO be completely pedantic, we use the term "PC" to refer to any Intel (or compatible, like AMD) based computer. The term PC is/was actually a specific IBM model, the IBM Personal Computer. Which later grew up into the Personal Computer XT (for eXtra Technology, like the addition of hard drives, I think), and AT (Advanced Technology). ---------- Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be also be like him. Quote Link to comment
+Ma Bell Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Barbies or barbie dolls? Quote Link to comment
+TheGertridgeExplorers Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Many Canadians (my Mom included) refer to their couch/sofa as a Chesterfield. Apparently this was a brand at one time. On that note - how many of you refer to your recliners as Lazy-boys? Quite a few I'll bet. Even more obscure - I referred to my drafting templates as a "Leroy" set even though they were K&E. All draftspeople refer to the lettering as 'Leroy lettering'. (It's a dying art) -Donna G Quote Link to comment
+Goodguys Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Any builders out there? Skilsaw Arborite And what about brand names that become verbs? "Hilti that 2x4 to the concrete" Quote Link to comment
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