# Mnemonic devices you remember, except you forgot the thing they're supposed to help you remember **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 5, 2022, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041 "2022-05-05T22:11:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2022, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/21 "2022-05-07T02:41:25Z")
We used to have a lot of mnemonics to remember groups in the periodic table when I was in school. But the mnemonics were in Urdu. While I still remember some of the mnemonics, I can’t remember what elements they are supposed to remind me of. Example برما کا سربرا is the “President [Leader] of Burma” and is romanized more or less as as “Beh-Ma-Ka-Sur-Bur-Ra” It’s supposed to remind you of the Group II elements. They are Beryllium, Magnesium, Calcium, Strontium, Barium and Radium. But I had to look them up now. I couldn’t remember them 38 years after my last Chemistry class. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2022, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/22 "2022-05-08T08:34:32Z")
> [@digs](#): > > **J** esus _(Jefferson, James)_ > **C** hrist _(Cherry, Columbia)_ > **M** ade _(Marion, Madison)_ > **S** eattle _(Spring, Seneca)_ > **U** nder _(University, Union)_ > **P** ressure _(Pike, Pine)_ I prefer the “under protest” version of the mnemonic, because, if you’ve spent any amount of time in downtown Seattle, you will know all too well that no loving God had any willing part in creating that place. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2022, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/23 "2022-05-08T10:05:18Z")
The Quick Brown Fox 🦊 Jumped Over The Lazy Dog 🐕 I’m guessing that’s the shortest sentence that uses all 26 letters that’s also grammatically correct? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2022, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/24 "2022-05-08T10:07:04Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > I’m guessing that’s the shortest sentence that uses all 26 letters that’s also grammatically correct? “Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow!” is shorter and also a thousand times more metal. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2022, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/25 "2022-05-08T11:08:19Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Actually, I think I know the meanings of all the mnemonics I have memorized. One I learned just a few years ago: kings play chess on fine gray sand (kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species). One I actually use from time to time: Now, I have a rhyme assisting my feeble brain its tasks resisting (look at the number of letters). Mine is similar: Kings play chess on Fridays, generally speaking. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2022, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/26 "2022-05-08T11:57:04Z")
Take your pick between these roll-off-the-tongue blood clotting factor cascade mnemonics: _“Fit Pants, Tight Collars, Loose American Shirts Are Cool Says Pretty Heroine Farah”, “Foolish People Try Climbing Long Slopes After Christmas, Some People Have Fallen” or “Freshman Party Tonight Come Lets Sing And Call Seniors. Please Have Fun.”_ Only needed for taking tests, never clinically. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2022, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/27 "2022-05-08T13:40:59Z")
I remember a mnemonic and also its meaning, but it has become rather useless since Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet: Mein Vater erklärt mir jeden Sonntag unsere neun Planeten. (Every Sunday, my father explains our nine planets to me) ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/28 "2022-05-09T23:17:28Z")
How about its companion mnemonic, “Some Say Marry Money, But My Brother Says Bad Boys Marry Money.”? ---
**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:** [May 10, 2022, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/29 "2022-05-10T02:05:37Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > Guitarists know the strings on the instrument from **E** ddie **A** te **D** ynamite **G** oodbye **E** ddie. But most guitars have 5 strings? Seriously, though – do you need a mnemonic to remember 6 strings? I just know it as EADGBE and I’m not even a real guitarist! ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/30 "2022-05-10T02:12:55Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > On my ukelele, I made up my own: **G** ood **C** ats **E** at **A** nything. (I have two cats.) Better two cats than a dog with fleas… ---
**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:** [May 10, 2022, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/31 "2022-05-10T02:43:34Z")
Ah … I see that there should be a bolded and capitalized B in “GoodBye”. But, still … it’s just six strings. And the first and last are the same. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/32 "2022-05-10T06:09:42Z")
Your sentence has no “s” in it. I learned the sentence as “The quick red fox jumps over the lazy brown dog” in my typing class many ages ago. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/33 "2022-05-10T14:13:50Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Seriously, though – do you need a mnemonic to remember 6 strings? Maybe I’m on the slow side, but yes. 😊 I’ve played long enough where I don’t now need it, but it still runs through my head often. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/34 "2022-05-10T14:46:12Z")
_Seriously, though – do you need a mnemonic to remember 6 strings?_ Oops! Good catch. I knew something didn’t look right about that. Yes, I forgot to **BOLD the B.** The answer is YES, I do. I have ADD. Anything with more than three steps must be written down. Uhh…Where was I going with this? ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/35 "2022-05-10T14:53:05Z")
I remember treble clef music, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge is the lines of a bar of music, and FACE are the spaces. But, if you were to put sheet music in front of me, I’d just stare at it blankly. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/36 "2022-05-10T15:41:35Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > The answer is YES, I do. I have ADD. Yes, and I don’t have ADD. But when I tune my guitar, I always recite “Eat Apples Daily, Guitar Becomes Easy.” So sue me. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/37 "2022-05-10T15:42:38Z")
> [@Yodalicious](#): > > Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge Ah, that’s a new one for me, I only knew it as the title of a Mudhoney album. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/38 "2022-05-10T15:53:47Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > My guitar teacher asked his students to make up their own. A classmate came up with: > **E** at **A** pples **D** aily **G** uitar **B** ecomes **E** asy My guitar teacher taught me a mnemonic, only in the reverse order (high to low): **E** lvis **B** uys **G** uitars **D** own **A** t **E** d’s. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/39 "2022-05-10T16:11:26Z")
Was he from Australia? Hehe. 🤭 ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041/40 "2022-05-10T16:43:15Z")
Or (slightly altered) the title of a Moody Blues album. > **[Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (album)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Every_Good_Boy_Deserves_Favour_(album))** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > Every Good Boy Deserves Favour is the seventh album by The Moody Blues, released in 1971. > This album featured the only track to be written by all five members of the band. The opening "Procession" was a piece that was intended to describe the history of music from the beginning of time up until the album's recording. The only three words heard in this track—"desolation," "creation," and "communication"—were similarly used (along with many oth... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mnemonic-devices-you-remember-except-you-forgot-the-thing-theyre-supposed-to-help-you-remember/964041.md?page=3)