# Hands Free Devices, Bluetooth & Douches. Get your damn vocabularly correct! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 14, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137 "2010-06-14T14:41:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/41 "2010-06-16T14:36:31Z")
> [@OneChance](#): > > Funny that you’re anal about the word Bluetooth but you use “cell phone” when you should probably use “mobile phone.” Why should he _probably_ use “mobile phone”? Are you saying his mobile phone most likely doesn’t use cellular technology? > [@EvilTOJ](#): > > Actually you should use the term “wireless phone”. That’s been the proper term since the phones were the size of a Thermos! What’s improper about the term “mobile phone”? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/42 "2010-06-16T16:35:47Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > I fear the Great Educationally Unwashed have outpaced your vocabulary preferences. > Google\* “bluetooth” and see for yourself how often it’s used for that hands-free cell phone thingy. Or enter “bluetooth” on Amazon and see how many of the hits are for the “hands-free device.” > > See, here’s a tip, Grandpa: words can mean more than one thing, language evolves, and the incompetent, undereducated polloi are the ones that force it to evolve, pedants notwithstanding. One can make an argument the polloi are ahead of us all, from the standpoint of language evolution. > > \*Google, e.g., is rapidly becoming a verb as well as a company. I’ve given up on PIN number and ATM machine and VIN numbers. I’m not Canute trying to hold back the sea; just a moderately-grouchy middle-aged woman who thinks that Personal Identification Number Number sounds stupid, but it’s a battle I won’t win. I’m still fighting for fewer and less, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/43 "2010-06-16T16:51:23Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > **fusoya** : > > 1. You’re right. > 2. Who gives a fuck? Ha! How delightfully succinct. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/44 "2010-06-16T17:00:56Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > Yeah, they do. Customers ask for them by a huge variety of names, and it’s not uncommon to hear “Where do you keep the USBs?” I call it a thumb drive or a flash drive. I have a co-worker who insists on calling it a key. Before reading this, if someone had asked me for a USB, I’d think he wanted a cable. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/45 "2010-06-16T17:42:22Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’ve given up on PIN number and ATM machine and VIN numbers. I’m not Canute trying to hold back the sea; just a moderately-grouchy middle-aged woman who thinks that Personal Identification Number Number sounds stupid, but it’s a battle I won’t win. > > I’m still fighting for fewer and less, though. 🙂 Yeah, but PI Number, while correct, sounds even stupider! ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/46 "2010-06-16T17:53:40Z")
What doesn’t sound stupid at all is simply PIN. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/47 "2010-06-16T19:47:55Z")
“Please enter your PIN” - yeah, technically correct, but it seems chopped, somehow. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/48 "2010-06-16T20:01:32Z")
Huh. To my mind PIN Number sounds stupid, PI Number sounds even stupider, even though it’s more accurate. The only thing that doesn’t sound stupid to me is PIN. There’s a theory floating around that people are different; I don’t quite buy it yet, though evidence for the case is mounting. Seriously now, don’t say PIN Number or I’ll kill you. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/49 "2010-06-16T20:02:16Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Before reading this, if someone had asked me for a USB, I’d think he wanted a cable. Me, too. A user once, referring to the USB device that communicated with her wireless mouse called it “The thumb drive for my mouse.” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/50 "2010-06-16T22:02:13Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Me, too. > > A user once, referring to the USB device that communicated with her wireless mouse called it “The thumb drive for my mouse.” > :rolleyes: That brings up a good question I hadn’t thought of. What _do_ you call the USB device that communicates with a wireless mouse? “USB device that communicates with a wireless mouse” is an awful mouthful. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/51 "2010-06-16T22:20:10Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > That brings up a good question I hadn’t thought of. What _do_ you call the USB device that communicates with a wireless mouse? “USB device that communicates with a wireless mouse” is an awful mouthful. Dongle? ---
**Author:** ![Mbossa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/52 "2010-06-17T00:34:19Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’ve given up on PIN number and ATM machine and VIN numbers. I’m not Canute trying to hold back the sea; just a moderately-grouchy middle-aged woman who thinks that Personal Identification Number Number sounds stupid, but it’s a battle I won’t win. How do you feel about “scuba gear”? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/53 "2010-06-17T01:04:59Z")
Eh. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/54 "2010-06-17T01:21:34Z")
> [@lost4life](#): > > It’s a mute point because the first one broke when I dropped it on the Formica, and the other fell into the Jacuzzi. I see what you did [there](http://cdn0.knowyourmeme.com/i/13479/original/fry-see-what-you-did-there1.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/55 "2010-06-17T02:02:10Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I can’t hear you. I’m busy Hoovering. And I wish you’d cut it out, I can’t hear my Hi-FI. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/56 "2010-06-17T03:26:53Z")
> [@Mbossa](#): > > How do you feel about “scuba gear”? Hey, good enough for Lloyd Bridges. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/57 "2010-06-18T16:43:32Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Hands free Bluetooth enabled device. Why is it any more or less douchy to shorten that to “bluetooth” as opposed to “hands free device?” > … Here’s why: “I want to listen to the all-news channel on my AM transistor radio”. shortened to “I want to listen to the all-news channel on my AM”. AM is the format of transmission; like Bluetooth is the protocol. It sounds stupid. But the masses (who are usually stupid) have spoken. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137/58 "2010-06-21T03:48:40Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > I call it a thumb drive or a flash drive. I have a co-worker who insists on calling it a key. Before reading this, if someone had asked me for a USB, I’d think he wanted a cable. Thumb drive, flash drive, memory stick, USB, USB stick, USB key, USB drive, “one of those stick thingies… you know?”, memory card, portable USB, USB dongle, flash card, flash USB, memory key… in fact, just take any of the words “flash”, “USB”, “memory”, “thumb” and randomly mix them with “drive”, “key”, “stick” or “card” and that’ll do. Extra points if, like memory card, it’s the name of another different product that we also sell - you can get huffy that we showed you to the wrong section. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hands-free-devices-bluetooth-douches-get-your-damn-vocabularly-correct/543137.md?page=2)