# False friends: familiar names which mean something very different elsewhere **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 24, 2018, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121 "2018-03-24T18:07:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/301 "2018-04-02T14:19:11Z")
Well, ya learn something new every day around here! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/302 "2018-04-02T14:51:17Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > It’s not especially odd, it’s a common bit of [fishing](https://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/carp-fishing-tackle/catapults) equipment. It’s listed under ‘[sports equipment](https://www.gov.uk/hand-luggage-restrictions/sports-equipment)’, and is permitted in the hold, just not in hand luggage. Huh! I’d’ve thought they were more for hunting birds and other small game. Can a pellet penetrate water with enough strength to stun or kill a fish? 😕 The ones in the link look more like Dennis the Menace–types than the ones I was thinking of: [https://thingsyouneedtosurvive.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Professional-Slingshot-Hunting-Powerful-Catapult-Stainless-Steel-Hunter-Aluminium-Alloy-Sling-Shot-Caza-with-Stretching-Wrist-600x600.jpg](https://thingsyouneedtosurvive.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Professional-Slingshot-Hunting-Powerful-Catapult-Stainless-Steel-Hunter-Aluminium-Alloy-Sling-Shot-Caza-with-Stretching-Wrist-600x600.jpg) This is one mean-looking weapon! :eek: I see too there are other models that can fire lethal darts as well as pellets. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/303 "2018-04-02T15:07:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Huh! I’d’ve thought they were more for hunting birds and other small game. Can a pellet penetrate water with enough strength to stun or kill a fish? 😕 They’re for scattering bait on the water, not for shooting fish. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/304 "2018-04-02T15:18:40Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > They’re for scattering bait on the water, not for shooting fish. Aw, man, I much preferred believing it was for picking the carp off with rocks in the water. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/305 "2018-04-02T16:23:45Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > They’re for scattering bait on the water, not for shooting fish. Aha. That makes sense. Sort of. Still, I bet you could use one of the dart-capable slingshots for spear fishing. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/306 "2018-04-02T17:31:41Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > [Moderating] While the discussion about assumed genders and pronouns is interesting, it isn’t really a good fit either for this thread or for this forum. Speaking of which, I’m not sure this whole thread belongs in Cafe Society in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/307 "2018-04-02T19:27:02Z")
Well, it started with discussion of food items, and has largely featured them, but I’m not sure if that’s really the natural scope of the thread or not. Not being sure, I’ve let inertia be my guide so far, and left it here, but if you guys want to keep discussing the non-food things, I can go ahead and move it. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/308 "2018-04-02T19:47:46Z")
Well, it’s a discussion about language and language use, based on things we’ve read or heard through radio, television, and the movies, and through travel, cooking, and other personal experience. Doesn’t that make it appropriate for the Cafe? Granted, we sometimes go off on tangents, but that happens in a lot of threads, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/309 "2018-04-02T20:05:45Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Second, I doubt they meant the type of slingshots Dennis the Menace carries in his back pocket. I think they were probably referring to today’s metal ones you brace on your forearm. You know, the ones with the super-strong elastic cords that can fling a projectile hard enough to do some serious injury? The U.S. term for those, at least when I was younger, was “[wrist rocket](http://www.thespecialistsltd.com/sites/default/files/Slingshot%202.jpg)” (I now see that “Wrist-Rocket” is a registered trademark.) And, apparently, there are no small number of fairly sophisticated (and, I’d guess, fairly powerful) “hunting slingshots” out there. Here’s one (on a web site for preppers) [with a light, a laser sight, and a pistol-style grip](https://www.preppersdiscount.com/store/p94/Termination_Series_HIGH_POWER_Tactical_Wrist_Rocket_with_Light_and_Laser_Sight.html). 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/310 "2018-04-02T20:50:28Z")
You forgot to mention that it’s TACTICAL. That’s worth a good additional $50 to the price, right there. Don’t waste your money on a slingshot with sights and a targeting laser if it’s not TACTICAL. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/311 "2018-04-03T09:35:46Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > They’re for scattering bait on the water, not for shooting fish. And also for maggot catty fights when the fish aren’t biting. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/312 "2018-04-03T11:09:50Z")
As a kid I used to gaze wistfully at the really expensive fancy slingshots for sale at Sky City\*, but it has been a lifetime since that has even crossed my mind before these posts. (I had only a very simple model, possibly a Daisy.) (\*anyone else remember [Sky City](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_City_(store))?) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/313 "2018-04-03T13:59:24Z")
> [@Teuton](#): > > And also for maggot catty fights when the fish aren’t biting. You shoot cats with maggots? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/314 "2018-04-03T19:52:11Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > You shoot cats with maggots? 😕 You shoot each other with maggots, with your catty (catapult) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/315 "2018-04-04T23:14:05Z")
> [@Teuton](#): > > You shoot each other with maggots, with your catty (catapult) And the maggots are your bait? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2018, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/316 "2018-04-05T06:50:53Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > And the maggots are your bait? 😕 Yes. You bring a large amount of maggots with you, and you scatter them over the surface of the water to get the fish interested. However, if you get bored (and i was 15 when last I did this, and easily bored), you can use your catapult to fire them at your mates. It stings when you get hit, too. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2018, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/317 "2018-04-05T08:04:33Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Huh! I’d’ve thought they were more for hunting birds and other small game. Can a pellet penetrate water with enough strength to stun or kill a fish? :confused. > [@terentii](#): > > You shoot cats with maggots? 😕 > [@terentii](#): > > And the maggots are your bait? 😕 You’re pulling our legs, right? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2018, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/318 "2018-04-05T17:30:29Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > You’re pulling our legs, right? Nope, just never heard of such things. I haven’t been fishing since I was in grade [primary/elementary] school. One last question: Do they sell maggots at bait shops, like worms? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2018, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/319 "2018-04-05T18:10:15Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > One last question: Do they sell maggots at bait shops, like worms? 😕 I didn’t know about the slingshotting bait thing but, yes, you can buy maggots at bait and tackle shops. Worms, maggots, fathead, roaches … that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/320 "2018-04-06T00:18:46Z")
Red wigglers, the Cadillac of worms… What does that make maggots? Yugos? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121.md?page=17)