# Name for plastic things at the end of shoelaces? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 22, 2000, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-plastic-things-at-the-end-of-shoelaces/20207 "2000-05-22T18:17:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sininen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@Sininen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sininen)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2000, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-plastic-things-at-the-end-of-shoelaces/20207/1 "2000-05-22T18:17:22Z")
Does anyone know what are those called? Do they even have a name? I wonder how many other weird little things like that have names that I don’t know. -Sininen ---
**Author:** ![earendel1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c68b51/32.png) [@earendel1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/earendel1)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2000, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-plastic-things-at-the-end-of-shoelaces/20207/2 "2000-05-22T18:20:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > Does anyone know what are those called? Do they even have a name? I wonder how many other weird little things like that have names that I don’t know. > > -Sininen > \*\* They’re called aglets. ---
**Author:** ![SoapBoxMessiah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58f4c7/32.png) [@SoapBoxMessiah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoapBoxMessiah)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2000, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-plastic-things-at-the-end-of-shoelaces/20207/3 "2000-05-22T18:38:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > They’re called aglets. > \*\* Aglets, eh? So I’ve been decieved all this time… Damn you, Tom Cruise! DAMN YOU TO HELL! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2000, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-plastic-things-at-the-end-of-shoelaces/20207/4 "2000-05-22T18:57:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > I wonder how many other wierd little things like that have names that I don’t know. > \*\* I learned “aglet” from “The Book of Lists” by David Wallechinsky, et al. Also, “punt”, the indentation in the bottom of wine bottles, “chad” the little round or square paper piece you punch out with a hole-puncher, and others lost in the fog of memory. ---
**Author:** ![Timothy\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Timothy\_Campbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timothy_Campbell)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2000, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-plastic-things-at-the-end-of-shoelaces/20207/5 "2000-05-22T19:42:13Z")
You can hardly get through life without knowing that the indentation under the nose is called the “filtrum”. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2000, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-plastic-things-at-the-end-of-shoelaces/20207/6 "2000-05-22T19:46:21Z")
I believe the aglet is a Snigglet. A Snigglet is a made-up definition by some guy who got a book published. I wouldn’t put too much credence in it, but hey, we all need to call them things SOMETHING. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2000, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-plastic-things-at-the-end-of-shoelaces/20207/7 "2000-05-22T19:57:54Z")
> [@](#): > > **I believe the aglet is a Snigglet** Ah, no, sorry, that’s really the name. [M-W definition](http://work.ucsd.edu:5141/cgi-bin/http_webster?aglet&method=exact) * * * Have I mentioned how much I LOVE preview? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Alphagene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Alphagene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphagene)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2000, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-plastic-things-at-the-end-of-shoelaces/20207/8 "2000-05-22T20:00:27Z")
Not unless Sniglets date back to the middle ages, Connor. Mirriam-Webster dates “aglet” back to the 15th Century. It doesn’t come from Rich Hall, it comes from the late Latin word _acus_ meaning needle or pin. ---
**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:** [May 22, 2000, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-plastic-things-at-the-end-of-shoelaces/20207/9 "2000-05-22T20:02:35Z")
> [@](#): > > You can hardly get through life without knowing that the indentation under the nose is called the “filtrum”. It’s “philtrum.” ---
**Author:** ![Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2000, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-plastic-things-at-the-end-of-shoelaces/20207/10 "2000-05-23T16:49:04Z")
And “Sniglet” ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2000, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-plastic-things-at-the-end-of-shoelaces/20207/11 "2000-05-23T17:09:06Z")
Does anyone remember “Leonard Moon, who don’t have the brains of a ice cube?” Occupation: former boxer, currently a shoelace recapper. He was one of the characters on Rick Dees’ Top 40 program. I wonder if he was the same “Leonard Moon” as Jeff Altman on “Solid Gold.” ---
**Author:** ![Sininen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@Sininen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sininen)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2000, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-plastic-things-at-the-end-of-shoelaces/20207/12 "2000-05-26T23:05:56Z")
Thank you, everyone. -Sininen who didn’t know that the dent on the bottom of a wine bottle needed a name.