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What is the most confusing misnomer you've seen? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 2 weeks ago by castiellon@lemmy.zip to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

63 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Mine is "guinea pig" originating in andes (not guinea) and them being not-a-pig type, whole thing is just wrong.

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[–] shweddy@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Geoduck

Its pronounced "gooey-duck"
Its not gooey
Its not a duck
Its a clam

[–] dantheclamman@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Clam expert here. It comes from the Salish word gʷidəq, a word whose exact etymology is not well understood. Why that became anglicized as "geo-", I am not linguistically experienced enough to know!

[–] eldavi@lemmy.ml 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Clam expert here

how many times have you had to explain when people expressed surprise that clam experts exist? lol

[–] dantheclamman@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

Oh, all the time! Tobias saying there are dozens of us, dozens!

[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The Salish languages mostly use a phonetic alphabet, and if I recall correctly, only one has standardized an alphabet which only happened in the 1970s. So the written word got obliterated compared to the pronunciation. The 'ge' is meant to sound like 'get'. But since 'geo' exists, we hear and read 'Jee-oh' before ever thinking 'Geh-oo'.

/former geoduck farmer and language student where geoducks were the mascot.

[–] dantheclamman@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

Best mascot ever, tied with the banana slugs!

[–] its_prolly_fine@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You should go tanning.

Then you would be Dan, the tan clam man.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

He should drive a van.

[–] dantheclamman@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Eh maybe not that, careful about the tan clam man with the van

[–] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 7 points 2 weeks ago

I had to google this, legitimately thought you were referring to a Pokemon or something. Some weird combination of Geodude and Psyduck, maybe.