# Silly mnemonics to remember things you ought to know anyway **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 15, 2000, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463 "2000-06-15T11:20:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/1 "2000-06-15T11:20:29Z")
I have difficulty with parallels, meridians, latitude, and longitude… I just remember: Parallels are parallel to one another; Meridian is from meridies, “noon”, so it’s where the sun passes over at noon (yes, for me this IS easier); Longitudinal lines are longer than latitudinal ones. ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/2 "2000-06-15T12:09:23Z")
SB HCl…(smithkline beecham/hydrochloric acid)…helps me remember the Schmidt/Beckmann/Hoffman/Curtius/Lossen rearrangements. I doubt anybody else ever has or ever will use this. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/3 "2000-06-15T12:54:24Z")
To remember the alphabet: Alpha/ Bravo/ Charlie/ Delta/ Echo/ Foxtrot/ Golf/ Hotel/ India/ Juliet/ Kilo/ Lima/ Mike/ November/ Oscar/ Papa/ Quebec/ Romeo/ Sierra/ Tango/ Uniform/ Victor/ Whiskey/ X-ray/ Yankee/ Zulu :D:D ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/4 "2000-06-15T12:59:41Z")
I still have to use “Never Eat Shredded Wheat” to remember which way round compass points go. ROY G. BIV - Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet The worst of all, which only Brit dopers will truly appreciate the awfulness of, is that in order to remember the order of colours in snooker, I have to sing the chorus to Chas & Dave’s “Snooker Loopy” - “Pot the red then / screw back / for the yellow green brown blue pink and black / snooker loopy nuts are we / we’re all snooker / loopy”. ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/5 "2000-06-15T13:08:48Z")
WashAdJeMadMonAdJackVanHarrTyPoTay FillPierceBuLincJohnGrantHayes GarArtCleveHarrCleveMacRoo TaftWilHardCoolHoovRooTrue IkeKenJohnNixFordCarReaBushClint My maternal great-grandmother passed it down. “Every Good Boy Does Fine” - a music person will know what this is for. I took piano lessons 20 years ago and this was to remember… something. As you can tell, it worked. 😃 And there’s a planet one… Something to do with mother making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/6 "2000-06-15T13:26:47Z")
Aaaagh! It’s the mnemonic plague! * * * “Tell Zeno I’m willing to meet him halfway.” ---
**Author:** ![robinh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@robinh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinh)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/7 "2000-06-15T13:32:28Z")
My kids learn the compass as “Never Eat Soggy Waffles.” The planets can be “My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas.” It’s funny how powerful these are. I do a lot of tie-dyeing and often make rainbow spirals. You’d think I could line up the colors without thinking about it by now, but I _must_ say “Roy G Biv” to do it. Just as I cannot write/type the word “friend” without hearing the Mr Rogers song, because that’s how I taught myself to remember how to spell it. (F-R-I-E-N-D special; you’re special to me…) ---
**Author:** ![DVous\_Means](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@DVous\_Means](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DVous_Means)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/8 "2000-06-15T13:35:41Z")
They are not all silly. For example, my chemistry teacher at high school had a neat way of remembering the first 20 elements of the Periodic Table: two Russian ladies - H HeLiBeBCNOF and NeNa MgAlSiPSClArKA (I think I got that right). ---
**Author:** ![jesuslynch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e99b99/32.png) [@jesuslynch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jesuslynch)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/9 "2000-06-15T13:49:44Z")
Virgin - Stands Up - Vertical Whore - Lays down - Horizontal ---
**Author:** ![Kay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kay)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/10 "2000-06-15T16:46:06Z")
The five lines of a treble cleff (reading up from the bottom) are: E-G-B-D-F _or_ Every Good Boy Does Fine. The four spaces in between are F-A-C-E 🙂 I can still remember my piano teacher drawing smiley faces to remind me (this was before all smilies were sideways) The five lines on the bass clef: Great Big Dogs Fight Animals The four spaces: All Cows Eat Grass ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/11 "2000-06-15T17:19:09Z")
Oddly, the only mnemonic I can recall is the one from “Cheers” wherein Woody was studying for his GED or somesuch, and was learning geography. He had that ridiculous song that went something like: Albania! Albania! You border on the Adriatic. Your chief exports Are coal, steel and bauxite… I still hum it whenever I hear the word Albania. Fortunately, it doesn’t come up often. ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/12 "2000-06-15T17:22:49Z")
I’m surprised no one did this one yet. stalaGmite - on the Ground stalaCtite - on the Ceiling ---
**Author:** ![Brunetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@Brunetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brunetter)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/13 "2000-06-15T17:49:43Z")
Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge (lines on treble clef) Charles Father Goes Down, Ends Battle and Battle Ends, Down Goes Father Charles I don’t remember what these are for - something to do with music - but it always made me sad as a kid!! ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/14 "2000-06-15T18:05:21Z")
Okay, it’s not a mnemnomic, but it’s stupid. To tell my right from my left, I used to either have to make the sign of the cross or the Pledge of Allegiance. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/15 "2000-06-15T18:14:22Z")
**Odd fellows fly east** I may have made this one up, but I’m not sure. It’s so I can remember: > [@](#): > > each person operating an aircraft under VFR in level cruising flight more than 3,000 feet above the surface shall maintain… **On a magnetic course of zero degrees through 179 degrees, any odd thousand foot MSL altitude** +500 feet Of course, knowing that “odd fellows fly east”, I can remember that I need to fly at an even altitude on a westerly heading. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/16 "2000-06-15T18:24:48Z")
For the order of operations in math: Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally Parentheses exponents multiplication division addition subtraction My sister, 12 at the time, once butchered this on purpose to say, “Dear Aunt Sally, Excuse me, Please” ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/17 "2000-06-15T20:12:57Z")
HOMES = Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior (Great Lakes) WASPLEG = Wrath, Avarice, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy, Gluttony (7 deadly sins) Prince Victoria Overate Today = PV/AT = Ideal Gas Law (pressure \* volume)/(amount \* temperature). More commonly stated as PV = nRT, but it works. Eh! You stole my gold (AU = gold). Hey Garfield! Art Cats are Hairy Cats. I made this one up for the AP American History test in high school. It is to remember the presidents between Grant and McKinley (which I had trouble remembering). It is stupid, I know, but I still remember it 8 years later. Hayes Garfield Arthur Cleveland Harrison Cleveland ---
**Author:** ![Kay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kay)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/18 "2000-06-15T20:20:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > Charles Father Goes Down, Ends Battle > and > Battle Ends, Down Goes Father Charles > I don’t remember what these are for - something to do with music - but it always made me sad as a kid!! > \*\* They are the order of sharps and order of flats, respectively. Except it should be FCGDAEB - Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle. (Reverse that for the flats) Dunno why I still remember this one, either. ---
**Author:** ![jayron\_32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jayron\_32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayron_32)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/19 "2000-06-15T20:35:57Z")
Linean Classification: Knights play chess on flat glass surfaces or King Phillip came over for great sex Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species Resistor color band code: B.B. ROY from Great Britain had a Very Good Wife Black = 0 Brown = 1 Red = 2 Orange = 3 Yellow = 4 Green = 5 Blue = 6 Violet = 7 Grey = 8 White = 9 Line on musical scale: Every Girl Bites Dead Frogs ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463/20 "2000-06-15T20:38:39Z")
From 10th Grade Biology: King Philip Came Over From Geneva Switzerland = Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus (? I think…) Species. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-mnemonics-to-remember-things-you-ought-to-know-anyway/22463.md?page=2)