Ah, names. They help us identify things, converse about them, and understand them. They’re great — most of the time. There are more than a few names out there that do NOT mean what you’d expect, and that can mean some real trouble.
In r/AskReddit, u/Different-Citron-984 recently asked people to chime in with things they think have “dangerously misleading names.” They’re funny, weird, and, at times, mildly horrifying. Here they are:
1.Flushable Wipes
Expectation:
Reality:
2.Rocky Mountain Oysters
Expectation:
Reality:
3.Inflammable
Expectation:
Reality:
4.Water Moccasin
Expectation:
Reality:
5.Spotted Dick
Expectation:
Reality:
6.Ringworm
Expectation:
Reality:
7.Low Head Dam
Expectation:
Reality:
8.Sex Wax
Expectation:
Reality:
9.Sweetbread
Expectation:
Reality:
10.Yellowcake
Expectation:
Reality:
11.Long Island Iced Tea
Expectation:
Reality:
12.Baby Aspirin
Expectation:
Reality:
13.Bear Spray
Expectation:
Reality:
Have you ever been shocked to find out that the name of something you thought meant one thing meant quite another? (I don’t think I’ll ever recover from that “sweetbread” revelation.) Let’s commiserate in the comments.