by Maureen F.
Member since:
June 27, 2007

Name Changes Really Peev Me

July 24, 2007 11:31 AM EDT
views: 65 | comments: 29

I was just looking at a box of doughnuts this morning and it bothered me. Growing up, doughnuts were spelled just like that -- now they are spelled Donuts. No more silent GH.

Maxi Pads are Sanitary Napkins. Adult Diapers are protective underwear. Toilet paper is bathroom tissue. Mailmen and Women are now Postal Workers.  

I'm glad that coffee is still coffee or I'd be MAD. If they change it to "warm bean beverage" I am going to have to write a letter to someone.

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Comments: 29

I agree with you. However, I think sanitary napkins was the original name -- maxi pads is a brand name.
I don't mind natural shifts. Language changes. What annoys me is marketing driven name changes. Companies change their names from something that describes what they do to a neologism that sounds impressive, soothing, or whatever they're looking for. "Pants" lost its "s."

Euphemism isn't fun either. Sometime fairly recently employees became "associates."

For a while "graduate" as in "graduate from kindergarten," became a transitive verb.

I'll stop now.
Samantha H. Jul 24, 2007, 3:22pm EDT
lol, reminds me of linguistics class. UGH.

I get bothered when different regions use different terms. Like soda. Some places it's soda, some it's pop, sometimes it's soda pop, sometimes cola, and sometimes coke. Drives me NUTS.
andrew c. Jul 24, 2007, 4:17pm EDT
cool
Selene N. Jul 26, 2007, 10:47am EDT
I agree with you about the donut. That's not the proper spelling. I think people just get tired of typing the extra letters. Some people don't even know doughnut is the proper spelling. That's like spelling "would've" with "would of". But, how can we blame people? There's "Dunkin Donut".
Parul S. Jul 26, 2007, 6:41pm EDT
i agree with u...10 on 10
Jude Cowell Jul 26, 2007, 7:07pm EDT
lol--i've been calling tissues Puffs for years because that's all my snoot likes me to use (non-lotion only) guess i'd better watch my Ps'n'Qs! ;o)

(if that's you in your icon pic, Maureen, you're a beauty!)
Have you ever heard any George Carlin?
It shows that we are more intelligent than
the previous generations......I still spell
doughnuts,it's implanted in my head
(dough[ff)nuts)
Sara :-) Jul 27, 2007, 1:17pm EDT
No wonder I am always confused!
Michelle P. Jul 27, 2007, 4:49pm EDT
I wonder about things like that too...
Heather W. Jul 28, 2007, 10:51pm EDT
I agree.
euphemisms can be very misleading. We have something at work called t-time (but when they announce it, it sounds like tea time) and i thought WOW this place is awesome to work for they have tea breaks! How wrong i was. . . i later found out it meant Trash Time :(
Ken W. Jul 29, 2007, 12:14am EDT
I do not mind name changes with certain things but other things I do have a problem with. Working in the banking industry years ago we kept changing our company name so we would get confused what name to tell the customers to refer us by. LOL It definitely would be odd if they changed coffee to something else.
Dianne G. Jul 29, 2007, 10:15am EDT
I chuckled at the absurbity recently while standing in line to make a purchase. the cashier (that is probably no longer the preferred term) would say "next guest please/" Guest? I thought I was a customer. If I'm a guest, why am I standing in line? I should be sitting on a sofa with a cup of tea. Perhaps a cookie.
I don't have anything coherent to add but you get a 10 from me.
michelle kane Aug 8, 2007, 7:21pm EDT
But usually can't just order a "coffee." You must specify non-fat, triplemocha, extra shot, no whip! lol
M C. Aug 23, 2007, 2:08pm EDT
I think it extends to geographical locations too..Take a look at what people call a can of "soda" (pop, coke, soda) or a "subway sandwich" (sub, grinder, hoagie..etc) in different parts of the US...interesting stuff..
Stephen Prosapio Aug 30, 2007, 4:35pm EDT
maybe ten years from now coffee will just be called "Starbucks"
LOL
Layla T. Sep 14, 2007, 3:57am EDT
Very funny, and so true; it just never stops with the more cleverly inoffensive neologisms.
Mariana T. Nov 17, 2007, 12:31pm EST
That's so funny and true although I call coffee "kopi" now since my friend got back from Bali and always calls it that. lol. Salud.
Kathy D. Nov 17, 2007, 1:55pm EST
I hate when things are spelled incorrectly.

For example, I'm not going to send my kid to a local preschool called "Kiddie Kollege."
necee t. Nov 17, 2007, 2:56pm EST
i know what you mean... it's just not right...
it confuses people who are trying to spell things the right way...
Sheila Deeth Nov 19, 2007, 5:41pm EST
Even more confusing when you come here from England.
Tom d. Nov 19, 2007, 8:37pm EST
Names aren't the only things that change.

Think about all the things that are different now.

Just look at what women wear.
Rick C. Nov 20, 2007, 10:53am EST
I hate it when people mispronounce the names of places so much that the original name is forgotten. There are two cities with the name Miami. One in Florida and one in Ohio. Both are named for a Native American word. And they were pronounced differently. The Ohio one was My AM EE the Florida one was My Am ah. Today everyone except long time Floridians pronounce it as My Am EE also.
oh I'm glad i saw this!
I'd be pretty mad if they changed coffee too!
Coffee had better stay coffee or many of us will rise up and protest!
Sherine W. Nov 22, 2007, 11:59am EST
LOL! You are so right. My peeve right now is that they keep changing the names of streets in the city across the river from us. They were in numerical order. Now it goes Ave 1, Ave 2, Ave 3, some person's name (can't remember what name they changed Ave 4 to), Ave 5, how much sense does that make? And it costs so much money for the state, and for business owners who have to change all their business papers to reflect the new name of the street!
J W. Dec 23, 2007, 7:29am EST
I don't like name changes either
Matt O. Mar 31, 2008, 5:18pm EDT
What a good laugh (or is it laff?) thanks for sharing. I'm with you on this!
Phil G. May 8, 2008, 12:47pm EDT
Cute so is a hot dog "random parts of various animals"?

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