# L.E.D. Lights...gawd **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 2, 2012, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744 "2012-12-02T06:28:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/21 "2012-12-03T15:01:16Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I agree. A LED is a diode. A LED light is a configuration of several diodes. Let’s take this on just as soon as we clear up the confusion about what constitutes a “battery.” ---
**Author:** ![romadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@romadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romadea)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/22 "2012-12-03T16:42:04Z")
I don’t think it has to do with stupidity. Everyone knows that a tuna is a fish, but a lot of people call it tuna fish. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/23 "2012-12-03T16:50:02Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Besides, ATM machines, PIN numbers; yes we all know what the acronym stands for. Nobody gives a shit, except for people who are really uptight in life. And not only are they uptight, they’re wrong too! Really stop and think about how many times you’ve heard the phrase “ATM machine.” How many of them were people complaining about “ATM machine” and how many of them were real uses of the phrase in conversation? Because I’ve never heard anyone say “ATM machine” who wasn’t bitching about how stupid it sounds. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/24 "2012-12-03T16:52:04Z")
> [@romadea](#): > > I don’t think it has to do with stupidity. Everyone knows that a tuna is a fish, but a lot of people call it tuna fish. Cans of tuna will usually say “Contains fish” though as an allergy warning, which is silly, same for a jar of peanuts: “Contains nuts/peanuts” (at least you know it really is tuna or peanuts). ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/25 "2012-12-03T16:52:29Z")
> [@dzeiger](#): > > I was going to go buy some LED lights, but the ATM machine wouldn’t take my PIN number. \ ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/26 "2012-12-03T17:35:24Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > And not only are they uptight, they’re wrong too! Really stop and think about how many times you’ve heard the phrase “ATM machine.” How many of them were people complaining about “ATM machine” and how many of them were real uses of the phrase in conversation? I don’t know about ATM machine, but I can tell you PIN number and VIN number are constantly used. Hell, the only time I just say PIN is when I’m consciously trying to avoid saying PIN number, which isn’t often. But you know what really chaps my stick? L.E.D. Come on, people, TLAs are not that new any more, and conversation is filled with them these days. Putting the periods in is an archaic affectation that complicates sentence punctuation, adds extra typing, and just looks stodgy and old. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/27 "2012-12-03T17:38:44Z")
I can kind of forgive people for the PIN number redundancy, because in certain contexts, it may actually remove ambiguity, since pin and pen are actual English words. ATM machine is always a waste of breath and people who say it should be euthanized promptly. ---
**Author:** ![romadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@romadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romadea)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/28 "2012-12-03T17:51:49Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > Cans of tuna will usually say “Contains fish” though as an allergy warning, which is silly, same for a jar of peanuts: “Contains nuts/peanuts” (at least you know it really is tuna or peanuts). Amen. Imitation peanuts are the worst. ---
**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:** [December 3, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/29 "2012-12-03T18:12:36Z")
> [@Pitter\_Patter](#): > > I constantly hear the term in common use "l.e.d. Light. Of course it is a light. Do you think the public is that stupid? If so, when will the majority of us get it? They have been around quite a while now. It’s actually people who object to the usage who are stupid, since there’s nothing wrong with the usage. Language is often redundant, and complaining about this usage only means that you’re trying to show off how smart you are (without knowing anything a bout the subject involved). The fact is, that everyone understand the term “LED light,” so there’s no logical basis to say it’s wrong or stupid, other than to be pointlessly pedantic. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/30 "2012-12-03T18:15:27Z")
> [@romadea](#): > > Amen. Imitation peanuts are the worst. But some people still eat [them](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcrm2rFpY91rwq85xo1_400.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/31 "2012-12-04T20:24:01Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > My default is this: [A ‘light’ is a fixture](http://static.bhphoto.com/images/images200x200/31872.jpg). [A ‘lamp’ is what goes into a ‘light’](http://static.bhphoto.com/images/images150x150/243509.jpg), and is the thing that produces the light. Thank you. I work in the Lighting Industry, most specifically with lamps, and people look at me like I’m brain dead because I use “lamp” instead of “lightbulb” now ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/32 "2012-12-04T20:38:17Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > To me, [this](http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/led-rev-1.jpg) is an LED, whereas [this](http://media.toolking.com/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/y/sylvania_36008.jpg) is an LED light. > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I agree. A LED is a diode. A LED light is a configuration of several diodes. “A light” (as opposed to “light”) is anything that serves chiefly to provide illumination. A light-emitting diode is a diode that emits light, whatever you intend to use it (the light or the diode) for. ---
**Author:** ![KermitTheFrig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/47e85d/32.png) [@KermitTheFrig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KermitTheFrig)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/33 "2012-12-04T21:12:00Z")
> [@Mauvaise](#): > > Thank you. I work in the Lighting Industry, most specifically with lamps, and people look at me like I’m brain dead because I use “lamp” instead of “lightbulb” now Do you say, “I need to replace the lamp in my lamp”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744.md?page=1)