# What will you call your afghan now? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 24, 2001, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-you-call-your-afghan-now/83519 "2001-09-24T17:34:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-you-call-your-afghan-now/83519/1 "2001-09-24T17:34:19Z")
For years it’s lain on the arm of your couch or easy chair, offering comfort, warmth and security. Will it still be your “afghan” or will you come up with a new name for it, especially if things get ugly over there? ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-you-call-your-afghan-now/83519/2 "2001-09-24T17:36:05Z")
“Liberty Blanket” of course! ::snort:: God, people are ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-you-call-your-afghan-now/83519/3 "2001-09-24T17:47:30Z")
You’re looking for something maybe more absorbent, perhaps? Chill and be creative. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2001, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-you-call-your-afghan-now/83519/4 "2001-09-24T17:56:40Z")
Not so ridiculous, Hello Again. During the various world wars of the 20th century, many things with German names (including people and organizations) got re-named. Damned if I can think of an example right now, though. Currently, I’m knitting an afghan (doing the beard and turban is very complicated:p). I get asked a lot, “what are you knitting?” If anybody objects to the word “afghan,” I’ll be sure to report in. But you can always call an afghan a “throw.” But what would you call an Afghan Hound? ---
**Author:** ![atypicalcarl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@atypicalcarl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/atypicalcarl)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-you-call-your-afghan-now/83519/5 "2001-09-24T18:01:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Green Bean \* > \*\*Not so ridiculous, Hello Again. During the various world wars of the 20th century, many things with German names (including people and organizations) got re-named. Damned if I can think of an example right now, though. > \*\* Sauerkraut was renamed “liberty cabbage,” hence the sarcasm in **Hello Again** ’s response. The reason for the renaming - in a nutshell - is that people are ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-you-call-your-afghan-now/83519/6 "2001-09-24T18:03:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Green Bean \* > \*\*But what would you call an Afghan Hound? \*\* Fido? I call my afghans big blue afghan, dad’s afghan, Sarah’s afghan, Sarah’s other afghan, multi-colored afghan… creative, huh? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-you-call-your-afghan-now/83519/7 "2001-09-24T18:29:35Z")
Yeah and weren’t German Shepherds named Alsatians for this purpose? (According to the dictionary, the word “Alsatian” popped up around 1917…Suspicously near WWI.) As for me, I say call it an afghan. I mean, while the Taliban itself sucks, I don’t have anything against the average Afghanistan citizen. ---
**Author:** ![Ferggie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@Ferggie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferggie)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-you-call-your-afghan-now/83519/8 "2001-09-24T18:29:52Z")
Being the simplistic lower-middle-class person I am, I’ll call my two handmade-by-Grandma afghans what I’ve always called them: blankets. I don’t have an Afghan hound, but I do have a Cuban gooseherd. You see, the reason you’ve never seen a dog that looks like Tobias K. Ferguson is because he’s a Cuban breed. And we don’t trade with Cuba! Tobias is descended from a small pack of CGs Desi Arnaz brought for Lucille Ball from his homeland. (Okay, fine. So Toby’s a shelter mutt. Sheesh…) For the record, our VonSonntags dropped the “Von” and took to pronouncing it “Sun-tag” to avoid anti-German sentiment during The War. I don’t know what our Dietrichs did. ---
**Author:** ![caircair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@caircair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caircair)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-you-call-your-afghan-now/83519/9 "2001-09-24T21:26:15Z")
For many years, our family has had its own name for afghans, throws, quilts, etc. – especially of the homemade variety. We call them “cuddy-ups.” Because you cuddle up in them. ---
**Author:** ![tisiphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tisiphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tisiphone)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-you-call-your-afghan-now/83519/10 "2001-09-24T21:34:13Z")
A Persian, naturally. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_The\_Bold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dale\_The\_Bold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_The_Bold)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-you-call-your-afghan-now/83519/11 "2001-09-24T22:38:36Z")
I have always called them “afghanistans.” I don’t intend to change my ways. That would be letting the terrorists win. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-you-call-your-afghan-now/83519/12 "2001-09-24T22:43:19Z")
The couch-blanket-throw-thingy. “Huh?” Y’know, the couch-blanket-throw-thingy. The thing on the couch, y’know, it’s like a blanket. And it’s soft, and blanket-like, and on the couch… yeah?