Topic: I fucking hate it when people say...

Erik !AltRitexT6 started this discussion 5 years ago #101,168

Hoover instead of vacuum. Someone told me about vacuum bags they use on their boat to store clothes to stop them getting damp. He said "you just hoover them through this valve" No, you use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the air.

jodie !foster2PAQ joined in and replied with this 5 years ago, 19 minutes later[^] [v] #1,142,195

yeah I don't like that

jodie !foster2PAQ double-posted this 5 years ago, 17 seconds later, 20 minutes after the original post[^] [v] #1,142,196

except for when it's used euphemistically wrt eating food

tteh !MemesToDNA joined in and replied with this 5 years ago, 2 minutes later, 23 minutes after the original post[^] [v] #1,142,199

We are Brits. We hoover. Thanks.

Anonymous D joined in and replied with this 5 years ago, 8 minutes later, 31 minutes after the original post[^] [v] #1,142,208

@previous (tteh !MemesToDNA)

Sounds like it's time to get that Paki, Svet, out of England.

chill dog !!81dzJNNYL joined in and replied with this 5 years ago, 6 hours later, 7 hours after the original post[^] [v] #1,142,431

It's called trademark genericisation and brands actually don't like it because it can result in them losing control over the usage of their name/brand. It generally seems more common in North American English but of course British English has some examples as well.

(Edited 31 seconds later.)

Anonymous F joined in and replied with this 5 years ago, 6 hours later, 13 hours after the original post[^] [v] #1,142,553

@previous (chill dog !!81dzJNNYL)
Something else that is also interesting is the brands that are often used in a generic way, but which still enjoy trademark protection.

Rollerblade, Frisbee, Gillette, Google.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_generic_and_genericized_trademarks has more of them as well, under the heading “List of protected trademarks frequently used as generic terms”. It even says that Hoover is actually still a protected trademark!

(Edited 53 seconds later.)

Anonymous G joined in and replied with this 5 years ago, 2 minutes later, 13 hours after the original post[^] [v] #1,142,554

@1,142,431 (chill dog !!81dzJNNYL)
OMG that's so punk rock!!!1

chill dog !!81dzJNNYL replied with this 5 years ago, 7 hours later, 21 hours after the original post[^] [v] #1,142,615

@previous (G)
Basic knowledge makes one un-punk now?

@1,142,553 (F)
Interesting! I believe there is usually a bitter court battle about the trademark rights.

Minichan