# Real-world examples of 'Ummm, acktually, It's X, not Y' nitpicks, and discussion about them **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 8, 2025, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326 "2025-06-08T12:47:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/381 "2025-06-20T20:34:23Z")
“Panda” was the _only_ name for the red panda for about 100 years. There were no other critters called “panda,” and it was never qualified as “red” or “lesser” panda. . . because there were no others. They were the OG panda! ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/382 "2025-06-20T23:04:38Z")
Sometimes, I see people who report UTC time, but their _local_ date, because they forgot that part. Annoying ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/383 "2025-06-21T03:50:45Z")
The kiwi commonly available in stores isn’t actually pickled bird flesh, but is instead a fresh fruit only distantly related to _Apteryx australis_. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/384 "2025-06-21T09:32:37Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Clouded and snow leopards aren’t members of the leopard family Eh? Clouded yes, you’re right, but snow? I think you’re wrong. Same genus as the leopard. ---
**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:** [June 21, 2025, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/385 "2025-06-21T10:47:49Z")
Doesn’t matter.Linnaean classification predates phylogenetic classification. Phylogenetically, closest relative is the tiger. ---
**Author:** ![DETXL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/detxl/32/19366_2.png) [@DETXL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DETXL)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/386 "2025-06-21T11:15:11Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > They were the OG panda! And the one most people were likely to experience (at least in the first half of the 20th century), if they saw any, since they showed up in zoos earlier (and are presumably somewhat hardier and easier to breed in captivity) and “panda” did not require any qualification or adjective when mentioning them in old newspapers and books. Then the panda bear seems to have displaced them very quickly—I definitely didn’t hear about red pandas growing up in the 90s or have any reason to think “panda” was anything other than the roly-poly stuffed-animal-looking bear thing. Maybe that will be different now, since the Internet seems to have discovered the red panda a few years ago\* and they’ve gotten an anime and a Disney movie out of it (yes, yes, _Kung Fu Panda_ exists also; I know). Mozilla leans into that from time to time, too, even if Firefox’s logo is actually a fox that’s on fire. \* And they are quite frankly more charismatic. Maybe that comes from being closer to otters and raccoons (the procyonids being their closest neighbors in Musteloidea) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/387 "2025-06-21T11:48:24Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Phylogenetically, closest relative is the tiger. _Also_ same genus, though. So I’d still consider them the same family. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/388 "2025-06-21T15:47:42Z")
“Family” is usually regarded as the next level up from genus. So anything in the same genus is, by definition, in the same family. Though of course you can still track the degree of relatedness even within a genus. ---
**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:** [June 21, 2025, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/389 "2025-06-21T20:32:11Z")
Yes, that is the Linnaean family, the sense of which I indicated I was _not_ using. I was using in the sense of 'having descended from the same common ancestor, so, yes, ‘clade’ would have been the proper term, but I didn’t realize at the time it would bring all the Linnaeophiles out of the woodwork. But. . . That is indeed the theme of this thread! So, to rephrase: Snow and clouded leopards aren’t members of the ‘true leopard’ clade, but are more distantly related. Tough crowd! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/390 "2025-06-21T20:47:47Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > “Panda” was the _only_ name for the red panda for about 100 years. There were no other critters called “panda,” and it was never qualified as “red” or “lesser” panda. . . because there were no others. They were the OG panda! Johnny Carson “I did not know that”. > [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Snow and clouded leopards aren’t members of the ‘true leopard’ clade, > [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Snow and clouded leopards aren’t members of the ‘true leopard’ clade, but are more distantly related. Both part of the same genus however. With Tigers and Lions. I mean, yes, Snow leopards are not _ **Panthera pardus** _. true. Depends heavily on definition and interpretation. Clouded leopards are not members of that Genus. They are in _Neofelis_. _You were totally correct there._ ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/391 "2025-06-21T20:58:54Z")
No, the vanguard is the leading edge of an army. The avant garde is a french cultural term somewhat equivalent to “edgy” – experimental, new, irritating … ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/392 "2025-06-21T21:04:35Z")
The original meaning of “Avante garde” was the same as “vanguard” in the military sense - using it in the cultural sense (for artists who think of themselves as “on the forefront”) is building on the initial military usage. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/393 "2025-06-21T21:47:03Z")
There are a few places in The Lord of the Rings where someone in an army is described as riding “in the van”, and I always picture an Econoline leading the group. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/394 "2025-06-21T22:35:02Z")
Well, vanguard has gone the same way. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/395 "2025-06-21T22:36:15Z")
True - I see it in the original sense in military fiction, but the word shows up in many non-military places. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/396 "2025-06-21T23:13:28Z")
I always think of this [song](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Abulbul_Amir) > When they wanted a man to encourage the van, > Or harass the foe from the rear, > Storm fort or redoubt, they were sure to call out > For Abdullah Bulbul Amir. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/397 "2025-06-21T23:33:45Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > So, to rephrase: > > Snow and clouded leopards aren’t members of the ‘true leopard’ clade, but are more distantly related. Sure, but by the time you get down to a particular genus, everything’s pretty closely related to everything else. ---
**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:** [June 22, 2025, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/398 "2025-06-22T00:58:07Z")
Colibri considered snow and clouded leopards as different cats from unqualified leopards, and that’s good enough for me. Fact is that snow leopards are still a closer relative to the tiger. Heck, jaguars are more closely related to true leopards than snow leopards are. ---
**Author:** ![Chelonaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@Chelonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chelonaut)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/399 "2025-06-22T14:22:39Z")
A pity the discussion has moved on from whether it is okay to call a whale a fish. I came across an article on the 50 year anniversary of “Jaws”. It had this little tidbit. > Spielberg wasn’t the studio’s first choice for director; initially they hired Dick Richards, but Richards kept referring to the shark as a whale. Eventually, he was fired Sounds like he was sacked for sloppy terminology. > **[A shark scientist reflects on Jaws at 50](https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/06/a-shark-scientist-reflects-on-jaws-at-50/)** > > Ars chats with marine biologist David Shiffman about the film’s legacy—both good and bad. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326/400 "2025-06-22T14:37:04Z")
Which raises a question from film-illiterate me: Has anyone made a similar horror / disaster movie about Orca’s / “killer whales” terrorizing a human population? A quick wiki search suggests this one, but their might be more: > **[Orca (1977 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orca_(1977_film))** > > Orca (also known as Orca: The Killer Whale) is a 1977 thriller film directed by Michael Anderson, from a screenplay by Luciano Vincenzoni and Sergio Donati based on a novel by Arthur Herzog, and starring Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling, Will Sampson, Bo Derek, Keenan Wynn and Robert Carradine. The film follows a male orca tracking down and getting revenge on a fishing boat and its captain for intentionally killing the whale's pregnant mate and their unborn calf. > Executive producer Dino De ... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-world-examples-of-ummm-acktually-its-x-not-y-nitpicks-and-discussion-about-them/1019326.md?page=21)