# Names for common things we see every day that people may not know the name to. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 21, 2005, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648 "2005-09-21T02:52:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/1 "2005-09-21T02:52:29Z")
The dot above the lowercase i and j? They’re called tittles. The pound sign (#) is an Octothorpe. The little plastic bands on the ends of shoelaces are aglets. The left over ash in a pipe that also helps you relight it is called dottle I used to know the name of the little metal band on the end of a pencil that separates it from the eraser, but I forgot. But I doubt this topic will go on very long without someone reminding me. Same with that little indentation that’s below your nose and above your upper lip. What are some common, every day things people run across that they may not know the names to…or that had a name in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/2 "2005-09-21T02:54:44Z")
> [@Idle Thoughts](#): > > Same with that little indentation that’s below your nose and above your upper lip. The philtrum. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/3 "2005-09-21T03:20:29Z")
The indentation in the bottle of a wine bottle is the punt. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/4 "2005-09-21T03:22:34Z")
> [@Idle Thoughts](#): > > I used to know the name of the little metal band on the end of a pencil that separates it from the eraser, but I forgot. But I doubt this topic will go on very long without someone reminding me. It’s called a ferrule. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/5 "2005-09-21T03:24:26Z")
Ah ha…thank you both. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/6 "2005-09-21T03:28:45Z")
I came in here to mention aglets, but I forgot what they were called, as I always do when I want to remember that. Shit. Good work on your part, **Idle Thoughts**. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/7 "2005-09-21T03:30:48Z")
> [@](#): > > Same with that little indentation that’s below your nose and above your upper lip. > [@](#): > > The philtrum. And the skin between your nostrils is your columella. The space between your eyebrows is your ophyron. The creases on the inside of your wrist is your rasceta. The skin between your thumb and your palm is your purlicue. And on a non-bodily note, nittles are the puncuation marks used in place of profanity. ---
**Author:** ![Kiminy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Kiminy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiminy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/8 "2005-09-21T03:50:32Z")
One of my favorite words is “dongle”. It refers to a wire used to connect an ethernet cable to a PC card in a laptop computer. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/9 "2005-09-21T03:55:02Z")
Those two things that connect the yolk and membrane of an egg: _chalaza_. (Biologist know that.) ---
**Author:** ![Xixox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/13edae/32.png) [@Xixox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xixox)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/10 "2005-09-21T04:06:37Z")
One of my favorite anagrams that most people use without knowing what it means: TWAIN (the interface used to capture image data from a scanner or other input device) is… Technology Without An Interesting Name I wanna hi-5 whoever thought that one up. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/11 "2005-09-21T04:19:59Z")
Your frenulum is the piece of skin that attaches your tongue to the bottom of your mouth. ---
**Author:** ![N.Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@N.Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N.Sane)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/12 "2005-09-21T04:27:22Z")
Your uvula is that hangy-thing in the back of your mouth toward your throat. ---
**Author:** ![wilpri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b3f665/32.png) [@wilpri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wilpri)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/13 "2005-09-21T04:30:42Z")
> [@lavenderlemon](#): > > Your frenulum is the piece of skin that attaches your tongue to the bottom of your mouth. A frenulum also attaches the foreskin to the penis (with equal at the clitoris), the upper and lower lips to the gums, and anyplace else in the body where a movable part is secured to a nonmovable part. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/14 "2005-09-21T04:32:56Z")
> [@wilpri](#): > > A frenulum also attaches the foreskin to the penis (with equal at the clitoris), the upper and lower lips to the gums, and anyplace else in the body where a movable part is secured to a nonmovable part. Part of my ignorance has been fought! YEAH! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/15 "2005-09-21T04:37:07Z")
Transparencies for overhead projectors are occasionally known as “foils”. However, this use of the term “foil” is actually an acronym–for “foil over incandescent lamp”. Fun with recursion, eh? (In the phrase, the word “foil” is referring to the _type of material_, whereas the acronym “foil” is referring to the _object_ made out of the material.) ---
**Author:** ![TygerDralion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19adc/32.png) [@TygerDralion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TygerDralion)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/16 "2005-09-21T04:40:15Z")
Your nose holes are your “nares”. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/17 "2005-09-21T04:52:35Z")
The space between your eyebrows is called the glabella. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/18 "2005-09-21T04:54:10Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > The space between your eyebrows is your ophyron. > [@Harimad-sol](#): > > The space between your eyebrows is called the glabella. Somebody call Cecil. This could be a major crisis. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/19 "2005-09-21T04:54:37Z")
When two separate windows in a wall are really close together, so they look almost like one big window with a thin vertical support in the middle–that support is a _mullion_. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648/20 "2005-09-21T05:00:52Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Somebody call Cecil. This could be a major crisis. _Ophryon_ (as I found it spelled) wasn’t in Big Red (my hardback Merriam-Webster’s) but both the Oxford English Dictionary online and [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) say it’s the space right above the glabella. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-common-things-we-see-every-day-that-people-may-not-know-the-name-to/322648.md?page=2)