# Is there a word for using actions that no longer exist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 10, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709 "2015-03-10T17:48:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![funky\_little\_lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@funky\_little\_lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funky_little_lee)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/1 "2015-03-10T17:48:52Z")
I know that title isn’t too clear, but I couldn’t think how else to word it. On the whiteboard at work is a message: IF YOU NEED TO CALL IN SICK, DIAL 222 TO ACCESS BOB’S VOICEMAIL. So, nowadays (unless you’re my parents) nobody has a dial phone anymore. Yet we still persist in saying “dial” a number. Same thing in my job, where we talk about “dialing in” values that are now entered with a keypad. Is there a name for this kind of word, that refers to a procedure that is no longer in use? ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/2 "2015-03-10T18:38:55Z")
I would call that an “anachronism” ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/3 "2015-03-10T18:43:50Z")
It’s similar to deprecated, which is used for a number of circumstances: this task has been replaced (dialing a phone, winding your watch), this task causes problems and shouldn’t be used any more (such as using hand signals while driving a car), this is due to be replaced and you should get used to it not being around any more (many types of discrimination). ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/4 "2015-03-10T18:45:45Z")
Outmoded? ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/5 "2015-03-10T18:51:01Z")
Other examples would be, “video tape that with your iphone” even though there’s no video tape being used any more or we “carbon copy bob on that email” even though we’re not using carbon copy paper. There’s also “skeuomorph” which is when we do things like have the note-taking app look like a notepad even though we’re obviously not writing on an actual notepad, or click an icon that looks like a 3.5" floppy disk to save even though those are long obsolete. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/6 "2015-03-10T19:10:42Z")
Groups are never “decimated” anymore in the Roman army sense. Yet people still use the word. And they use it mathematically incorrectly. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/7 "2015-03-10T19:24:31Z")
> [@Macca26](#): > > …or click an icon that looks like a 3.5" floppy disk to save even though those are long obsolete. Even the 3.5 “floppy” disk was itself an anachronism, since it wasn’t actually that floppy to most people. Yes, the internal disk was floppy, but the entire product wasn’t, unlike most previous floppies. More anachronisms: Some people still call a TV a “tube”. TV’s haven’t come with actual cathode-ray picture tubes for a while. It used to be that connecting computers required that physical connections be made with some sort of wire line. So the act of connecting a computer to a network was called bringing the computer “online”. Nowadays, you can be “online” on your smartphone at the beach. The “line” is now metaphorical or abstract. CD “albums” are a single disc, unlike the true phonograph record albums that actually came with 4 or 5 physical 78 RPM records. If a package comes with multiple CD’s, it’s a “box set” or “multi-volume set”. One can speak of “filming” or “taping” a drama or presentation, but oftentimes there is neither physical film nor tape involved. You can still put “your two cents” in, even though postage stamps have cost more than that for decades. You still can speak of taking care of “lock, stock, and barrel”, even though you probably aren’t carrying a flintlock firearm. People still “wait to see what develops”, even though most of them aren’t developing chemical-medium photographs in a darkroom. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/8 "2015-03-10T19:38:17Z")
My favorite: on a sailing ship, a scuttled butt was a barrel containing fresh water, with a hole punched in it. Sailors traded ship gossip while getting a drink of water. We still call this gossip scuttlebutt today as we trade it by the water cooler. Outmoded, throwback terms, anachronisms … all these seem like good words for describing the idea. There’s also eggcorn, for when the original term has become mutated, often because its origin has been forgotten. For example, on tenterhooks, meaning tense or nervous, is in the process of mutating into on tenderhooks. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/9 "2015-03-10T19:47:13Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > My favorite: on a sailing ship, a scuttled butt was a barrel containing fresh water, with a hole punched in it. Sailors traded ship gossip while getting a drink of water. We still call this gossip scuttlebutt today as we trade it by the water cooler. It’s probably been a long time since anyone has been hauled along a keel, too. But we still speak of being _keelhauled_. Do they rake people over coals anymore, anywhere? ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/10 "2015-03-10T19:55:46Z")
anachronism - a word out of time ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/11 "2015-03-10T20:03:41Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > You can still put “your two cents” in, even though postage stamps have cost more than that for decades. Along these lines, you can still “drop a dime” on someone although, even if you could find a phone booth, the call would cost more than a dime. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/12 "2015-03-10T20:32:04Z")
The term “dial” as a verb certainly exists. It means, “to make a phone call.” The fact that no one has a dial on their phone any more is not important. The meaning has moved apart from the original meaning. You can orient yourself toward the west, too. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/13 "2015-03-10T20:44:08Z")
Brief hijack: Whenever technological changes force us to find a NEW term for something that already existed, you’ve got a retronym. A century ago, nobody would have known what an “acoustic guitar” was. ALL guitars were acoustic! The invention of the electric guitar required a new term for non-electric instruments. Same with hardcover books And Mainframe computers And Rotary phones My grandmother had electric refrigerators for the last 40 years of her life, but to the end, she always called her fridge “the icebox.” ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/14 "2015-03-10T20:44:36Z")
I’d say that _outmoded_ would be the best choice, since it means “old-fashioned” or “obsolete.” _Anachronism_ is normally used as a literary term, to refer to something in a movie/book/tv show that is depicted at the wrong time. That’s not the same thing as using a term with origins that are kinda funny if you stop to think about it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/15 "2015-03-10T20:47:42Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Groups are never “decimated” anymore in the Roman army sense. Yet people still use the word. And they use it mathematically incorrectly. Word meanings change-\* get over it. \* ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/16 "2015-03-10T20:51:22Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > You can still put “your two cents” in, even though postage stamps have cost more than that for decades. Doubtful “put your two cents in” has anything to do with stamps. > **[My two cents](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_two_cents)** > > "My two cents" ("my 2¢") and its longer version "put my two cents in" is an American and Australian idiomatic expression, taken from the original English idiom "to put in my two-penny worth" or "put my tuppence in". > The earliest reference to an analogue of "two cents/pence" appears in the lesson of the widow's mite from both the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Luke. In the biblical episode, several wealthy temple patrons donate large sums of money, while a poor widow places just two small coins... ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/17 "2015-03-10T20:55:45Z")
Hang up that phone! ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/18 "2015-03-10T21:01:16Z")
The term the OP is looking for might be “[archaism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaism)”, which has a usage more specific to dated language. For what it’s worth, William Safire [cited](http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/19/magazine/the-way-we-live-now-3-19-00-on-language-m-commerce.html) “dial” as a specific example of an archaism in his _On Language_ column back in 2000. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/19 "2015-03-10T21:29:13Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Hang up that phone! Phones are full of 'em. “Get two lines for the price of one” where of course there are no actual physical phone lines. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709/20 "2015-03-10T22:20:55Z")
Those young whippersnappers seem to know what “roll up the (car) window” means, but I can’t imagine where they would have seen a window crank in a car. The whole “cut - copy - paste” is from the days where you cut your type-written page apart to move a paragraph by taping it on a different page. Yes, we did that at work for a while. I teach beginning computer classes, so the terms for the clipboard, carbon copy, and diskette get a thorough “ha-ha” from me at Microsoft’s expense. Please find the word to describe these! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-using-actions-that-no-longer-exist/714709.md?page=2)