# What do you call these things? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 5, 2010, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395 "2010-05-05T09:58:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/1 "2010-05-05T09:58:46Z")
[Samaras, seeds from a sycamore maple tree](http://i.imgur.com/8LdwK.jpg). Colloquially, they’re known as spinning jennies back home, but from what I gather, this is very localized. What do you call them? ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/2 "2010-05-05T09:59:11Z")
Helicopters. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/3 "2010-05-05T10:03:08Z")
Helicopters - Wisconsin ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/4 "2010-05-05T10:07:32Z")
> [@nikonikosuru](#): > > Helicopters. Dittoes (in Cincinnati, DC, Atlanta and Tampa) Never heard of “spinning Jennies”, but that would make a cool band name. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/5 "2010-05-05T10:21:02Z")
Helicopters. Spinning Jennies sounds like a porn troupe. Or genset manufacturer. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/6 "2010-05-05T10:31:57Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Helicopters - Wisconsin Same here, helicopters, and grew up in Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/7 "2010-05-05T10:39:36Z")
They’ve always been helicopters in my experience. **CRSP** must have been raised in a posh part of England. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/8 "2010-05-05T11:21:06Z")
helicopter seeds ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/9 "2010-05-05T12:02:44Z")
Sycamore keys. East of Scotland. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/10 "2010-05-05T12:12:20Z")
Helicopters (or just “spinny things”). Pennsylvania. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/11 "2010-05-05T12:14:35Z")
Strangely I don’t really know of any colloquial term here in Ontario, Canada, of all places. Maple “key” perhaps? ---
**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:** [May 5, 2010, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/12 "2010-05-05T12:23:32Z")
In the case of Ash (_Fraxinus spp_), I call it a key. I think I refer to maple and sycamore seeds either as maple or sycamore seeds, or generically as ‘winged seeds’ or ‘helicopters’ depending on who I’m talking to in what context. I’d never heard the term ‘samara’ before, but will use it now. ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/13 "2010-05-05T12:36:04Z")
> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#): > > [Samaras, seeds from a sycamore maple tree](http://i.imgur.com/8LdwK.jpg). Colloquially, they’re known as spinning jennies back home, but from what I gather, this is very localized. What do you call them? Awww, I have not seen them in a long time. We used to open the blunt end and lick it and stick them on our ears as earings and on our nose as kids. I don’t remember a name for them but they were fun. ---
**Author:** ![JoseArcadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc348/32.png) [@JoseArcadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseArcadio)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/14 "2010-05-05T12:39:24Z")
Helicopters (North-east of Scotland) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/15 "2010-05-05T12:40:51Z")
I grew up [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karitane) in coastal, rural New Zealand. We had a sycamore tree right in the middle of our playground. I think we called them “helicopters”, but we were also aware that that was just our name for them for want of something else. So we may have called them “helicopter seeds”. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/16 "2010-05-05T12:41:07Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > They’ve always been helicopters in my experience. **CRSP** must have been raised in a posh part of England. 😛 Wigan? No way! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/17 "2010-05-05T14:03:46Z")
We call it _lönnäsa_, maple nose in English. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/18 "2010-05-05T14:14:29Z")
Helicopters, or sometimes maple noses. You could sort of peel the seed end apart and stick it to your nose. New England. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/19 "2010-05-05T14:15:50Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > Helicopters, or sometimes maple noses. You could sort of peel the seed end apart and stick it to your nose. > > New England. We did this too, also New England (specifically, NH). My grandmother always called them “whirlybirds”. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395/20 "2010-05-05T14:39:30Z")
Goddamn Helicopters Getting On My Deck, In My Gutters And Taking Seed In My Flowerbed!! Or “helicopters” for short, northeast Ohio. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-things/538395.md?page=2)