# Argh! An udder is a part of a cow, the word you want is utter! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 14, 2008, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567 "2008-02-14T05:12:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/1 "2008-02-14T05:12:22Z")
Rawr! I just saw this word abused in a topic today, (not naming names, but will link the topic if pressed) and it really grated on me! They used it in this way “my udder revulsion” and they didn’t mean cow teats squicked them out! I realize, they are phonetically spelling it. But, why do they even say it that way in the first place?! [Utter](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/utter), and [udder](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/udder) are two _completely_ different words, pronounced differently, and with different meanings. Please, re-learn to type the word you mean, _ **you know who you are** _! kthxbai 😉 ETA: I’ve noticed this on another message board, and other places on the net too. Just today really struck me and I decided to speak up. ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/2 "2008-02-14T05:17:04Z")
My dad put this bumper sticker on our car when I was a kid. > [@bumpersticker](#): > > AMPI > All we have we owe to udders. To be fair, I did live on a dairy farm. \*American Milk Producers Inc. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/3 "2008-02-14T06:09:55Z")
Yes, this sounds like udder nonsense all right. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/4 "2008-02-14T06:21:43Z")
I’m udderly appalled at such an egregious bovine confuscation. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/5 "2008-02-14T15:51:41Z")
Well, get me some heavy cream, put it in a clean jar, and shake it up so’s I can have some fresh butter for my toast then, since there are so many udders around? 😉 Of course, that’s assuming they are at full output too, hmmm… ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/6 "2008-02-14T15:55:41Z")
Such poor spelling makes me shutter. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/7 "2008-02-14T16:02:24Z")
Here! Here! Actually, that’s quite painful to type incorrectly. Blech. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/8 "2008-02-14T16:06:08Z")
Teats? Get your mind out of the gudder. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/9 "2008-02-14T16:07:17Z")
and I know, “gudder” isn’t a real word so it doesn’t really count… but I’m bored at work! ---
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/10 "2008-02-14T17:30:36Z")
If they keep this up and are deaf to your pleas, take them to mute court. Moot court is also frequently abused. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/11 "2008-02-14T17:32:15Z")
[QUOTE=Fir na tine] If they keep this up and are deaf to your pleas, take them to mute court. [/QUOTE] That’s just dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/12 "2008-02-14T19:13:22Z")
Once at this farm there was biggest cow I ever saw. You can only imagine the enormity of it’s teats. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/13 "2008-02-14T20:50:29Z")
What’s the symbology behind udders? ---
**Author:** ![Solfy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Solfy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Solfy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/14 "2008-02-14T20:52:29Z")
They’re not udders. According to my 4yr old, the thing hanging off the bottom of a cow is the “milk pee-pee.” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/15 "2008-02-14T21:13:46Z")
[QUOTE=Solfy] They’re not udders. According to my 4yr old, the thing hanging off the bottom of a cow is the “milk pee-pee.” [/QUOTE] That just makes a past experience all the more creepy. Years ago I worked as a consultant for a small company. The owners urged everyone to wear a costume on Halloween. One of the owners wore a cow costume, complete with plastic udder. It looked like he had four erections. _shutter_ ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/16 "2008-02-14T22:00:04Z")
[QUOTE=Southern Yankee] and I know, “gudder” isn’t a real word so it doesn’t really count.. but I’m bored at work! [/QUOTE] Obviously you don’t work in the [University of Denver’s mathematics department.](http://www.math.du.edu/~sgudder/) ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/17 "2008-02-15T01:17:42Z")
I think this is appropriate: [![](https://pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF147-Utter_Pig.jpg) ](https://pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF147-Utter_Pig.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/18 "2008-02-15T01:20:33Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] Yes, this sounds like udder nonsense all right. [/QUOTE] Oh, goodie, people are just going to milk this for all its worth. And I’m betting the poor pun displays we’ve seen are still the cream of the crop! What are the odds things get worse before they get better? I’d say half-and-half. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/19 "2008-02-15T08:51:59Z")
[QUOTE=Zabali\_Clawbane] I realize, they are phonetically spelling it. [/QUOTE] Now getting back to the subject at hand – Get it? At hand. Udders. Milking – I actually pronounce the Ts in “utter” as Ts myself. I say “utter” and not “udder.” ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567/20 "2008-02-15T09:17:21Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] Now getting back to the subject at hand – Get it? At hand. Udders. Milking – I actually pronounce the Ts in “utter” as Ts myself. I say “utter” and not “udder.” [/QUOTE] Same here, but I hear a lot of people saying them as "D"s, so that’s what I figure happened. They said the word, they typed what they heard. All I ask, is that now they know they make this error, they be on the watch for it, and type "T"s in the word instead. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-an-udder-is-a-part-of-a-cow-the-word-you-want-is-utter/437567.md?page=2)