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I've been surprised to discover that the internet (or, I should say, the web) seems to lack good information about false generics — terms or phrases that are actually specific but are used generally for a whole class.
In an effort to fill the gap, I'll start a list here. Obviously,
many of these will be brand names — so I'll be keeping
my eye out particularly for ones that aren't.
Also of interest are what I might call "false specifics" (listed
below), which are the mirror image of their over-reaching cousins.
That is, if a
false generic makes the mistake of "small used for big," then
a false specific is "big for small." I'm guessing
many of these are euphemisms, so I'll be less interested
in
those.
Can you think of an interesting false generic or specific
that I don't have here? Or do you need to dispute my judgment?
Please let me know by
email, and if I publish your contribution you'll get full
props. The newest additions are shown at the top of each list.
False Generics
Last update: June 27, 2008
| false
generic |
notes and references |
| novocaine |
for Novocain, in reference to procaine
or any oral anaesthetic [2] |
| Freon |
|
| Crock-Pot |
when it refers to any slow cooker |
| listserv |
|
| Drano |
[2] |
| Roto-Rooter |
[2] |
| Dixie cup |
|
| Super Ball |
|
| X-Acto knife |
|
| Velcro |
|
| mace |
when it refers to any pepper
spray (or as formerly, aerosolized tear gas) |
| Scantron |
|
| Victrola |
|
| overhead |
when it refers to any projector
for meetings |
| Champagne |
when it refers to any sparkling
white wine |
| nylons |
when it refers to sheer
stockings made of any material [8] |
| Tums |
[8] |
| Halls |
when it means any menthol
cough drop |
| Pam |
when it means
any spray-on cooking oil [10] |
| tennis shoes |
[9] |
| Play-Doh |
[9] |
| Ramen |
[9] |
| Slurpee |
|
| butter |
when it means any spread [8] |
| Crisco |
[7] |
| Blizzard |
when it means any "mix-in"
ice cream dessert [7] |
| cable |
when it means any non-broadcast
television transmission method [7] |
| Styrofoam |
|
| rain check |
|
| iPod |
when it means Walkman <er,
I mean> any portable music player [2] |
| tin |
when it refers to a container
made of any metal (and then it's also a false
specific) |
| terrain |
when it refers to extraterrestrial
topography (example) |
| Sterno |
[6] |
| Cuisinart |
|
| dairy |
when it includes eggs |
| Ex-Lax |
|
| ScotchGard |
|
| TiVo |
|
| Shop-Vac |
|
| Harlequin romance |
|
| The Club |
when it means any steering-wheel
lock |
| Astroturf |
|
| Plexiglas |
[1] |
| Cyclone fence |
|
| chicken wire |
|
| Teflon |
when it means any non-stick
surface |
| Weed Whacker |
in two ways: cuts more than
weeds, includes more than the single trademark |
| JumboTron |
|
| PowerPoint |
when it means any video slideshow [1] |
| Tupperware |
|
| Dustbuster |
[4] |
| Q-tip |
[5] |
| Saranwrap |
[5] |
| Latino |
when it refers to Latin Americans
(see Ilan Stavans, Latino U.S.A.) [4] |
| Pyrex |
|
| linoleum |
|
| Speedo |
when it means a men's bikini
swimsuit |
| Vaseline |
when it means petroleum jelly |
| Weber |
when it means any charcoal
grill [1] |
| Winnebago |
when it means any RV [1] |
| Windex |
[1] |
| Eskimo pie |
|
| Frisbee |
[3] |
| Softsoap |
|
| Ruffles |
when it means any ridged potato
chip |
| Rollerblades |
|
| Chapstick |
[1] |
| Magic Marker |
|
| Walkman |
|
| Popsicle |
also Fudgesicle, etc. |
| Jello (that is,
Jell-O) |
[1] |
| Jacuzzi |
|
| Nalgene |
|
| Post-It |
|
cell phone
and car phone |
[1] |
| Band-Aid |
[1] |
| Polo shirt |
[1] |
| Ziploc |
[1] |
| Scotch tape |
[2] |
| classical music |
when it means non-folk or
-pop music |
| stomach |
when it means any internal
organ |
| Acrobat |
when it means PDF |
| PC |
|
| fascist |
when it doesn't mean the historic
Italian political party |
| Coke |
|
| Kleenex |
|
| La-Z-Boy |
|
| man |
|
| Thermos |
|
| Xerox |
|
 |
|
False Specifics
Last update: June 27, 2008
| false specific |
notes and references |
| egg |
when it means a hen's egg |
| the service |
when it means military service |
| milk |
when it means cow's milk |
| black box |
when it refers to an aircraft's
cockpit-voice or flight-data recorder |
| underwear |
when it means underpants [8] |
| tin |
when it refers to a "tin"
can (and then it's also a false generic) |
| cards |
when it refers to playing
cards [2] |
| radio |
when it means audio broadcasts |
| Latino |
since it doesn't include speakers
of any Romance language [4] |
| natural gas |
|
| day |
when it means working hours |
| Apple |
when it means Macintosh |
| American |
|
| school |
when it means college |
| PC |
when it means a computer running
Windows |
| record or album |
when they mean LP |
| Internet |
when it means Web |
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Contributors
- Brad Farris
- Mark Moskovitz
- Emmett Tomai
- Adrian Perez
- Chelsea Guest Perez
- Toni Rosa
- Linda Becker
- Ann Boyd
- Kirra Pope
- Eric Brummitt
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