# Trademark product names that became VERBS **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 13, 2008, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157 "2008-05-13T12:51:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/43 "2008-05-14T00:23:17Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] “To spackle” as a verb is based on a product name. Most people may think it’s the other way around, but “Spackle” was trademarked in 1927, while the verb form dates from 1940. [/QUOTE] But before you Spackle, you’ll have to [Sheetrock®](http://www.usg.com/navigate.do?resource=/USG_Marketing_Content/usg.com/web_files/products/brand_overview/Sheetrock_Brand-BO.htm) the walls… ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/44 "2008-05-14T00:50:18Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] To avoid legal complications, the publication I work on uses the ugly and nonsensical term “wetbike” (as a noun and a verb) in place of “jet-ski”. :dubious: [/QUOTE] :smack: You havd better start using a different term. A [Wetbike](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.deckjetwatercraft.com/ultranautics/art/wetbike3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.deckjetwatercraft.com/ultranautics/wetbike.asp&h=383&w=550&sz=34&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=SVkylssh-1BKvM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwetbike%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN) is a particular type of personal watercraft. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/45 "2008-05-18T02:23:13Z")
WiteOut & SnoPake (the correction fluids) Roomba (the robotic “Hoover”) ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/46 "2008-05-18T03:33:09Z")
Off Topic: [QUOTE=Otto] There are other brands of hook-and-loop fasteners besides Velcro. [/QUOTE] 2 minutes later… [QUOTE=Sigmagirl] There are other brands of hook-and-loop fasteners besides Velcro, though. Duragrip is another brand. So it appears that you can velcro other things. [/QUOTE] Simulpost and simulthought? On topic: I am curious about the “to google” verb thing. Maybe this question warrents an IMHO thread: Does the Verb _to google_ mean “to search the web” or “to search the web **using google** ”… I think it means the latter, and I have never heard anyone use the verb in the other form. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/47 "2008-05-18T03:49:29Z")
How about “to tase,” derived from TASER, as used in a memorable [incident](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Florida_Taser_incident) at the University of Florida? (“Don’t tase me, bro, don’t tase me!”) ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/48 "2008-05-18T07:16:30Z")
[QUOTE=dedsetmad] Since then, some companies have tried through advertising to “make” their product a verb or noun or whatever, but I have noticed that their campaign never runs for long. [/QUOTE] That’s usually because their trademark lawyer sees the ads and puts the kibosh on it. Bad idea from a protect-one’s-trademark perspective to encourage people to use it generically. ---
**Author:** ![bcullman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bcullman/32/8207_2.png) [@bcullman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bcullman)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/49 "2008-05-18T07:25:12Z")
Jello Legos Tivo Kleenex Coke QTips … are often as verbs. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/50 "2008-05-18T08:00:45Z")
They… are? I don’t think I’ve ever heard “Coke” as a verb; at least, not in reference to Coca-Cola. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/51 "2008-05-18T11:31:47Z")
[QUOTE=bcullman] Jello Legos Tivo Kleenex Coke QTips … are often as verbs. [/QUOTE] Tivo is the only one I’ve heard of as a verb. How do you QTip something? (And it is “[Lego](http://www.lego.com)”, not “[Legos](http://www.legos.com)”) ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/52 "2008-05-18T12:21:02Z")
Well, “Beer me,” is a common phrase, I suppose you could get away with “Coke me.” But I just don’t know how I would “Jell-O something,” or what I would do if someone was “Jell-Oing me.” ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/53 "2008-05-18T12:46:01Z")
[QUOTE=CoG888] Does the Verb _to google_ mean “to search the web” or “to search the web **using google** ”… I think it means the latter, and I have never heard anyone use the verb in the other form. [/QUOTE] It means to search the web. It happens that Google is the most commonly used search engine, so that’s what most people imagine you’re going to be looking at, but what difference is there between “search the web for X” and “google X” to the person giving the directions? Is there a reason one would direct another to use a specific search engine? Are you expecting different results? Would you ever tell someone to “AltaVista” or “Yahoo” something? Google has come into play as a verb because it sounds catchy and because at one time it had a single and specific function, just like Xerox. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/54 "2008-05-18T13:15:54Z")
A couple more, although I’m not sure about the first. I think when the fabric treatment was more widely used, Scotchgard was used as a verb. And there’s “Would you like to supersize your fries?” (Supersize does not appear to be a trademark, but Super Size is and is owned by McDonald’s.) ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/55 "2008-05-18T19:20:30Z")
In the UK to _tannoy_ means to make an announcement over a public-address system. That particular company’s loud-speakers and amplifiers were widely used in such places as railway stations, factories and army camps. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/56 "2008-05-18T19:44:36Z")
[QUOTE=NajaNivea] Would you ever tell someone to “AltaVista” or “Yahoo” something? [/QUOTE] Actually, at one point they did advertising with the tagline “Do You Yahoo!?” ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/57 "2008-05-18T21:45:40Z")
For those of us old enough to recall its distinctive odor in school hallways, mimeograph. > **[Mimeograph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimeograph)** > > A mimeograph machine (often abbreviated to mimeo, sometimes called a stencil duplicator) is a low-cost duplicating machine that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. The process is called mimeography, and a copy made by the process is a mimeograph. > Mimeographs, along with spirit duplicators and hectographs, were common technologies for printing small quantities of a document, as in office work, classroom materials, and church bulletins. Early fanzines were printed by mimeograph beca... ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/58 "2008-05-18T21:58:05Z")
Are any of the original trademark products themselves defunct while the verb goes on? EDIT: Does anyone else DHL a package? Or Fed Ex it? We never “Royal Mail” something when we post it. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/59 "2008-05-19T10:37:19Z")
I’m not sure if snowboard was a trademarked name when it first came out. It’s predecessor, the Snurfer, was. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/60 "2008-05-19T15:57:39Z")
[QUOTE=Pushkin] EDIT: Does anyone else DHL a package? Or Fed Ex it? We never “Royal Mail” something when we post it. [/QUOTE] You would generally UPS a package, even if you were sending it via Fedex ground. You would Fedex it if you wanted it there overnight, even if you were using the USPS’s Express Mail. Though to be fair, these generic terms aren’t always used, because it is often important to specify which exact service is being used. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/61 "2008-05-19T16:01:23Z")
Around these parts, people use “google” to mean “look it up.” It doesn’t even necessarily mean on the computer. When a guy on House was having trouble in the stall of the men’s room, House told him to quit the junk food and get more fiber. When the guy asked “What’s fiber?” House replied “GOOGLE IT.” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157/62 "2008-05-19T16:48:51Z")
[QUOTE=Celyn] When not Sellotaping things, I often Blutak them. Oh, and Tippex out mistakes, although I bet that one has been done. [/QUOTE] Actually, you Blu-Tack them. Wite-Out has achieved the same status in the US as Tipp-Ex has in Britain (although I bet not 1 in 100 people know how to spell it). [QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] Around these parts, people use “google” to mean “look it up.” It doesn’t even necessarily mean on the computer. When a guy on House was having trouble in the stall of the men’s room, House told him to quit the junk food and get more fiber. When the guy asked “What’s fiber?” House replied “GOOGLE IT.” [/QUOTE] I suspect he actually _meant_ “Google” in the sense that someone who doesn’t know what fiber is probably won’t know what a library is either. [QUOTE=amarinth] As much as the company tries to keep the trademark from becoming a verb, I do Xerox things. [/QUOTE] That battle is already over. [QUOTE=Concise OED] Xerox /zeeroks/ • noun trademark 1 a xerographic copying process. 2 a copy made using such a process. • verb (xerox) copy (a document) by such a process. [/QUOTE] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademark-product-names-that-became-verbs/449157.md?page=4)