# Stuff known as "The \[blank\]" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 12, 2011, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208 "2011-06-12T08:35:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/1 "2011-06-12T08:35:57Z")
The Central Intelligence Agency is commonly known as “The Agency.” The movie/television industry is referred to by people in show business as “The Industry.” What other organizations, locations, & other stuff are known as “The [whatever]” even if they’re not unique? ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/2 "2011-06-12T08:53:18Z")
I think this may be a very long list, but here’s one: The British royal family apparently refer to themselves as “The Firm”. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/3 "2011-06-12T11:06:47Z")
The CIA training facility known as [“The Farm”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Peary#The_Farm) ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/4 "2011-06-12T11:42:03Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > I think this may be a very long list, but here’s one: The British royal family apparently refer to themselves as “The Firm”. What I’m gunning for are things that are officially known as Such-and-Such [Thing] but are colloquially referred to as “The [Thing]” – for example, L.A.'s San Fernando Valley (one of multiple named valleys, but commonly called “The Valley”) would count, whereas [The Band](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Band) would not. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/5 "2011-06-12T11:49:40Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > The CIA training facility known as [“The Farm”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Peary#The_Farm) The farm known as “[the Farm](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Farm_(Tennessee)).” Didn’t the CIA use to be nicknamed “the Company”? Has that been dropped? And can we please stop capitalizing the _the_ in the middle of a sentence? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/6 "2011-06-12T11:55:58Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > The farm known as “[the Farm](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Farm_(Tennessee)).” Same for Stanford University. Also, The Donald. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/7 "2011-06-12T13:06:35Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > The CIA training facility known as [“The Farm”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Peary#The_Farm) > [@buddha\_david](#): > > The Central Intelligence Agency is commonly known as “The Agency.” > The movie/television industry is referred to by people in show business as “The Industry.” > [@Johanna](#): > > The farm known as “[the Farm](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Farm_(Tennessee)).” > > Didn’t the CIA use to be nicknamed “the Company”? Has that been dropped? I thought CIA was not “The CIA” for the same reason you don’t say “THE God”. At least according to the film The Good Shepherd. Although they are inconsistent in the use of THE on their own [web site](https://www.cia.gov/). Anyhow, Wall Street is often called “The Street”. Law, accounting and consulting firms frequently refer to themselves as “the firm”, which thanks to The Firm by John Grisham now sounds more sinister and pretentous than simply saying “the company”. ---
**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 12, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/8 "2011-06-12T15:01:34Z")
The City of London, and metonymically the banking and commerce located in it, are referred to as “the City.” ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/9 "2011-06-12T15:05:38Z")
The Hoff? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/10 "2011-06-12T18:20:47Z")
A lot of people I know here in Chicago call the John Hancock Tower “The Cock.” ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/11 "2011-06-12T18:34:57Z")
Speaking of Chicago, we have The Bean. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/12 "2011-06-12T18:44:49Z")
Similar to “the Agency”: “The Mossad” is simply Hebrew for “the Institute”; the organization’s full name is “the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations.” ---
**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:** [June 12, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/13 "2011-06-12T18:51:29Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Didn’t the CIA use to be nicknamed “the Company”? Has that been dropped? I once read that the Company actually was a nickname bestowed by outsiders. The people inside the CIA didn’t like it and used the Agency instead. By the same token, I don’t think the British intelligence agency MI-6 was called the Circus until it was given that nickname in fiction. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/14 "2011-06-12T19:04:39Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Similar to “the Agency”: > > “The Mossad” is simply Hebrew for “the Institute”; the organization’s full name is “the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations.” In English is it typically referred to as “The Mossad”? I think, other than your post, I’ve only ever seen it as “Mossad”. ---
**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 12, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/15 "2011-06-12T19:07:28Z")
In most union contracts, the formally defined terms of art for the two parties are “The Company” and “The Association”, “The Organization”, or some similar generic. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/16 "2011-06-12T19:17:28Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > In English is it typically referred to as “The Mossad”? I think, other than your post, I’ve only ever seen it as “Mossad”. Heh, I think that’s one of **Alessan** ’s peeves. But I’ve been reading (and writing) “_the_ Mossad” for a long time. > [@buddha\_david](#): > > The movie/television industry is referred to by people in show business as “The Industry.” This, of course, is true of many industries. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/17 "2011-06-12T20:03:51Z")
I’ve heard journalists rather pretentiously refer to their newspapers as “the Paper,” whereas everyone else say “the Courier.” Not sure what’s up with that. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/18 "2011-06-12T20:04:49Z")
Moving thread from IMHO to MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/19 "2011-06-12T20:38:47Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > The City of London, and metonymically the banking and commerce located in it, are referred to as “the City.” People in the bay area refer to San Francisco as “the City” also. When in college, anytime some one said they were going into the city, I’d comment that it was a long drive to LA. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208/20 "2011-06-12T20:38:58Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > The City of London, and metonymically the banking and commerce located in it, are referred to as “the City.” As is San Francisco. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-known-as-the-blank/585208.md?page=2)