# New names for things **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 21, 2018, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952 "2018-03-21T07:06:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/1 "2018-03-21T07:06:36Z")
I have been off-planet for a while. On returning I found the following hacks had taken place. When did an APB become a BOLO? (police work) When did bolts become fasteners? (car work) When did disgusting become ewww? curious ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/2 "2018-03-21T07:56:31Z")
Bolts became fasteners on the day when not all of them were (literal) bolts. The other words, I’m with you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/3 "2018-03-21T08:00:22Z")
My workplace, a 911 centre, was using BOLO from before I started there 12 years ago. Oddly when making a note in a report that we aired a BOLO on the radio we invariably note “APB aired”. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/4 "2018-03-21T08:26:44Z")
Bolts have been fasteners for a long time. ‘Fastener’ is a category term that includes bolts, machine screws, wood screws, rivets, pins, clips, nails and probably a lot of other things too. The change that happened is the usage of the category term for items within the category. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/5 "2018-03-21T11:47:40Z")
> [@bardos](#): > > I have been off-planet for a while. On returning I found the following hacks had taken place. > > When did an APB become a BOLO? (police work) > **[All-points bulletin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-points_bulletin)** > > An all-points bulletin (APB) is an electronic information broadcast sent from one sender to a group of recipients, to rapidly communicate an important message. The technology used to send this broadcast has varied throughout time, and includes teletype, radio, computerized bulletin board systems (CBBS), and the Internet. > The earliest known record of the all-points bulletin is when used by United States police, which dates the term to 1947. Although used in the field of policing at the time, th... Don’t know when the change happened, but BOLO (“Be On the Look Out”) is somewhat more descriptive than APB > [@bardos](#): > > When did disgusting become ewww? That’s reserved for people who eschew adjectives in favor of [interjections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interjection). ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/6 "2018-03-21T13:47:34Z")
BOLO seems easier to say than ABP, imho… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/7 "2018-03-21T14:28:55Z")
Ewww is fairly new, starting about 1985 according to [ngrams](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=ewww&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cewww%3B%2Cc0). Ewwww is even [newer](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=ewwww&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cewwww%3B%2Cc0). BOLO is not replacing APB. APB is [gaining on it](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=APB%2CBOLO&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CAPB%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CBOLO%3B%2Cc0). Fastener has increased slightly, but bolt is still by far the [more common word.](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=bolt%2Cfastener&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cbolt%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cfastener%3B%2Cc0) Caveat: Ngrams doesn’t pick up spoken uses, message boards, social media, or lots of other casual usages so those may bias what you hear in daily life. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/8 "2018-03-21T17:20:56Z")
I think “spoken” vs. “typed in a formal document” vs. “typed in quick communication” are often much more different from each other than we realize. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/9 "2018-03-21T19:54:25Z")
> [@bardos](#): > > I have been off-planet for a while. On returning I found the following hacks had taken place. > > When did an APB become a BOLO? (police work) In my mind, BOLO became more popular with the TV show NCIS. The acronym LEO also became more common, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/10 "2018-03-21T20:25:48Z")
> [@AWB](#): > > In my mind, BOLO became more popular with the TV show NCIS. The acronym LEO also became more common, IMO. Yes, obviously popular in films and TV, but this must be mirroring actual police usage, no? When did the police do this switch over? might be my real question. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/11 "2018-03-21T23:06:06Z")
> [@bardos](#): > > When did bolts become fasteners? (car work) Bolts have always been fasteners, the same way oaks have always been trees. I read a lot of automotive repair info, and I haven’t seen the change you mention. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/12 "2018-03-22T07:16:29Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > BOLO (“Be On the Look Out”) is somewhat more descriptive than APB Oh, my word. Had no idea it was an acronym. I think - if I thought about it at all - I probably thought it was “Bullo”, short for bulletin, short for All-Points Bulletin: cop slang, basically. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2018, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/13 "2018-03-26T15:36:25Z")
“Ew!” I first heard on _ **Big Bang Theory** _, when Ramona Nowitzki was introduced to Howard Wolowitz. **Howard:** Howard Wolowitz, Department of Engineering, co-designer of the International Space Station’s Liquid Waste Disposal System. **Ramona:** Ew. **Howard:** You know, the Pishkin–Wolowitz liquid waste disposal system is turning a few heads as well. **Ramona:** Again, ew. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/14 "2018-03-26T17:16:02Z")
While we’e at it, when did vd\* (venereal disease) become std (sexually transmitted disease)? I mean, it’s not actually new - I first heard it about 30 years ago when I was at a free clinic getting birth control and I unknowingly sat with the STD sufferers. I had no idea until one of the women in the waiting room told me - but it seems like the term changed overnight and everyone heard about it but me :o Maybe a better question would be why it changed. - Dopers of a certain age may remember the old films from Sex Ed. where a guy learns he has gonorrhea and has to call all his partners, whereby we see all these girls pick up the phone, listen for a moment, and scream “You have WHAT!!!” ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2018, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/15 "2018-03-26T19:28:22Z")
It’s most commonly STI, for “sexually transmitted infection” these days. Because “venereal” isn’t all that intuitive a word so “sexually transmitted” most accurately describes how you get it. And “disease” has connotations of severity that aren’t always appropriate. STI is the most accurate usage and therefore preferable. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2018, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/16 "2018-03-26T21:32:56Z")
Somewhere along the way, computer programmers stopped “writing programs” and started “creating applications”. Negro —\> Colored Person —\> Afro-American —\>Black —\> African-American When I was in college, “colored” was forbidden, unless you were specifically referring to the NAACP. Today, I see “person of color” seems to be acceptable in some contexts. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/17 "2018-04-02T22:31:46Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Somewhere along the way, computer programmers stopped “writing programs” and started “creating applications”. This is, simply, wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/18 "2018-04-04T03:54:59Z")
Sweat shirts became hoodies. Thongs used to be shoes, now they are underwear. DWI became DUI I’m still trying to figure out the right thing to call my internet/TV provider, since I’ve used cable, satellite and DSL, all within the last 10 years. But we still dial a phone. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/19 "2018-04-04T04:01:10Z")
Word of the decade for the 2010s might be [‘super’](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=super+happy%2Csuper+excited%2Csuper+friendly&year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Csuper%20happy%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Csuper%20excited%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Csuper%20friendly%3B%2Cc0) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952/20 "2018-04-04T13:04:43Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > Sweat shirts became hoodies. > Thongs used to be shoes, now they are underwear. > DWI became DUI > I’m still trying to figure out the right thing to call my internet/TV provider, since I’ve used cable, satellite and DSL, all within the last 10 years. > > But we still dial a phone. > Go figure. 1.) Only if it has a hood. A sweatshirt with no hood is still a sweatshirt. 2.) Shoes. Huh? (You mean flip flops?) 3.) Nope, different legal meaning that varies by state. Driving under the influence vs. driving while intoxicated. One is alcohol, the other is drugs - I can never keep straight which is which - and some states only use 1 and don’t legally recognize the “other” charge. 4.) ISP. Internet Service Provider. (I never differentiate satellite or whatever, for T.V. services, now that I ponder it. I just say the company name, and I think that’s what I hear others say as well. No need to specify if it’s cable or not, just say, "I saw this show on Netflix and … ") [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-names-for-things/810952.md?page=2)