Hacker News Reader

HNHacker News

Top New Best Ask Show Jobs

Comment by taneq | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

taneq·

Better Hoover it up!

View on HN

All jokes aside, I've never heard anyone call vacuuming hoover. I wonder if that was a older statement?

Everyone I know from the UK says "hoovering" 100% of the time instead of vacuuming.

It was the fashion at the time, even if the hoover did keep bumping the onion.

(This is actually really interesting, I had no idea that 'hoover' was specifically a U.K. thing that didn't make it to the U.S.)

I have, but only as an idiom, never literally. E.g. "Microsoft just keeps hoovering up companies", but the literal act of vacuuming is only called vacuuming.

In the UK it's very common

It might just be a regionalism, it's not uncommon that such genericization only applies to specific dialects (Like calling all sodas coke)

I've also never heard anyone call photocopying "xeroxing". I'm guessing maybe it's an age thing.

growing up in India over past 4 decades .. 'Xerox' was/is the default and most common word used for photocopying ... only recently have I started using/hearing the term 'photocopy'.

every town and every street had "XEROX shops" where people went to get various documents photocopied for INR 1 per page for example

Most photocopy centers are still called XEROX Shops -- and their boards say that in big bold text: https://www.google.com/search?q=xerox+shop+india&udm=2

It doesnt matter if they use Canon, HP, or other brands of machines

It depends on the region. In certain countries Gillette is used for any shaving razor.

More common in the UK

I got hurt doing it so applied some Bandaids.

Don't say Velcro!

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=don't+say+velcr...

(Content warning: profanity. This search page is SFW, but the videos it links to may not be.)

Reply on news.ycombinator.com