PSA: Heard a client in Boise call a hoof pick a 'horse nail cleaner' last week.

Made me realize how much of our everyday language just sounds like gibberish to folks outside the trade. What's the weirdest name you've heard for a tool?

4 comments

4 Comments

tarahall28d ago

Oh my gosh, that's hilarious! A friend once called my putty knife a "wall spatula" when I was doing some home repairs. It totally makes sense if you don't know the real name, but it sounds so funny. Makes you wonder what normal stuff we say that sounds like complete nonsense to other people. The trades are full of that kind of thing!

derek_lee28d ago

Actually @tarahall, I think those made up names are way more helpful than the real terms. If someone calls it a wall spatula, you instantly know what it does, unlike "putty knife" which sounds weird. The official jargon just makes simple stuff seem more confusing than it needs to be.

-1

derekhunt28d agoMost Upvoted

Totally. It's like how every office has its own weird slang for the printer or the coffee machine. The made up names usually make way more sense.

brooket431d ago

But is it really that big of a deal? People make up names for things they don't know all the time. It's just how language works. The weird names usually come from trying to describe what the thing does, which is pretty smart. Getting hung up on the "right" word seems like missing the point if everyone understands what you mean. It's not like calling a hoof pick a horse nail cleaner stops the job from getting done.