Words that are actually company brands

[Deleted User 114]

Some brands have advertised themselves so well, that the company name is sometimes used as the product.

I find this very interesting and fun to think about.

For instance, Kleenex. Many people use the word Kleenex for tissues, even though the correct word is tissues.

Another example are Band-aids:

And more:

Occasionally if I’m bored, I’ll think about more examples. Does anyone else have other examples they know of?

[MoniqueMaRie]

In Germany we have that too, but not necessarily with the same brands. What "Kleenex" is for you is "Tempo" for us. The first time I heard someone ask for a Kleenex, it was almost incomprehensible to me.

[LICA98]

apparently "to google" is used by many people who use a different search engine

also in Russian many people say чупа-чупс for any brand of lollipop even tho that's just one specific brand

[Chrisinom]

"to google" has even been turned into a German verb "googlen": Ich hab' das gegoogelt". Another English example is "to hoover" (not used in German).

[Enzfj2]

In post-Soviet countries, "ксерокс" - "xerox" is used to any copy machine, even the word often means just "a copy", and with appropriate verbal suffixes as a verb.
Also "pampers" for any kind of disposable diapers.

In Polish, "rower" means "bicycle", from the British company "Rover", also in Western Ukraine they say "ровер".

Any disposable shaving blade of this kind

is called "żyletka" in Polish and some other Slavic languages.

[PtolemysXX]

Russian word for a railway station (вокзал) is a transliteration of Vauxhall - a locomotive maker

[John Little]

Screenshot_20230102-110324.jpg (343.17 KiB) Viewed 1768 times

"Fridge" is short for "Frigidaire" a brand of refrigerator and Blue Peter fans will know that "sticky back plastic" is a generic form of "sellotape" which, interestingly enough, is "durex" in Brasil.

Edit: actually, I think the tape in that advert would be "Scotch" tape in the UK. I recognise the tartan.

[LICA98]

"to google" has even been turned into a German verb "googlen": Ich hab' das gegoogelt". Another English example is "to Hoover" (not used in German).

it exists in pretty much any language

[Deleted User 114]

Another English example is "to Hoover"

Oh yes, the “I have to go Hoover the living room”. It is used less in the US now, but still definitely said. I believe it’s still commonly used in the UK, but I could be wrong.

[John Little]

Another English example is "to Hoover"

Oh yes, the “I have to go Hoover the living room”. It is used less in the US now, but still definitely said. I believe it’s still commonly used in the UK, but I could be wrong.

You are not wrong. I often "hoover" the carpet with a Dyson vacuum cleaner

[Enzfj2]

Blue Peter fans will know that "sticky back plastic" is a generic form of "sellotape" which, interestingly enough, is "durex" in Brasil.

Edit: actually, I think the tape in that advert would be "Scotch" tape in the UK. I recognise the tartan.

Transliterated into "скотч" in Russian, it applies even to the brown packing tape.
However, TM "Scotch" belongs to 3M, not Durex.

[Davey944676]

There is a "biro" for a ballpoint pen, mainly in English-speaking countries - known as un "bic" in France (BIC being the name of the actual company which made the "biro" brand of pens). Interestingly though, in Quebec "bic" is apparently used to mean any disposable cigarette lighter, because BIC also make such lighters.

And then there are rawlplugs, and stanley knives...

[John Little]

And then there are rawlplugs, and stanley knives...

I did not know about rawlplugs!

[Corinnebelle]

Saran wrap, Glad wrap


[Davey944676]

And frisbee? That name seems to have been bought up as a newer company brand for the toy - a good while ago, but still after it was previously used colloquially (apparently derived from the cake/pie tin of an earlier U.S. brand).

I get that there are probably big competitions etc where it might now cause legal problems to describe the things as frisbees, but I'd bet the vast majority of people still generically call them frisbees, rather than "flying discs".

[Explorer]

In Portugal Durex is a brand of condoms

[MoniqueMaRie]

In Portugal Durex is a brand of condoms

Now I know why it sounded familiar. Here we have are all kinds of Durex products, for the same purpose of use...

from Latin "durare"

[MoniqueMaRie]

The German synonym for adhesive tape (sellotape) is "Tesa".

[Sidor]

Well, some that I can think of right now from Thailand are:

'Fab' for powder detergent.

'Mama' for instant ramen - Mama is the most succesful Thai brand of instant ramen, and funny thing is this trend of '×2 random word' for instant ramen brand is prevalent here. Besides Mama there are also Yum Yum, Wai Wai, F F and back in the 80-90 there was even Zow Zow. ¯⁠\⁠⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠⁠/⁠¯

This one is already obsolete by now but I was old enough when it was still a thing. There is a shampoo brand 'Feather', which somehow got wonky Thai transliteration into something pronounced as 'Fae-za'. So yeah, for a period around late 80s to early 90s, shampoo was instead called Fae-za. I think the Feather brand still survives nowadays or at least I still saw it in recent years but now everyone finally calls shampoo for what it is.

[Davey944676]

Meat Loaf...alright, maybe not a brandname, haven't eeven checked..just been listening to it...

Most UK people would have never heard of meatloaf until (apart from a later general idea from The Simpsons or something that it meant something like corned beef hash) the absolute legend that is Meatloaf..

[Davey944676]

...from Latin "durare"..

Get you with your Latin! Every UK schoolboy (and probably schoolgirl) would have been sniggering at the mere mention of the word Durex. Just the name of a Superman character sounding a bit like it was enough to induce sniggering in classrooms and cinemas across the UK

[MatOzone]

Yum Yum instant ramen

I remember them when I was living in Poland in 1993. The "Yum yum" were an awesome imported novelty, and there was no other name but "yum-yum!" They were also VERY (VERY!) cheap!

[Deleted User 114]

'Mama' for instant ramen - Mama is the most succesful Thai brand of instant ramen, and funny thing is this trend of '×2 random word' for instant ramen brand is prevalent here. Besides Mama there are also Yum Yum, Wai Wai, F F and back in the 80-90 there was even Zow Zow. ¯⁠\⁠⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠⁠/⁠¯

I gotten Wai Wai from an Asian market near me. I actually like it a lot more than ramen!

[Davey944676]

For the instant convenience stuff we used to basically only have "Super Noodles™" in Britain, until at some point some supermarket started selling a generic thing for a tenth of the price, and then we suddenly had all of those quick, cheap and delicious brands of instant noodles.

I love them. Sometimes you just want something simple.

[Enzfj2]

The generic name for instant noodles (ramen) is доширак (doshirak) in Russia and мівіна (mivina) in Ukraine, both being actually the most popular brands of the product in each coutnry.

[Dana_Dany Danuta]

My favorite fruit is the apple, which reminds me of the American computer company Apple Inc., formerly Apple Computer Company.
This company has a very characteristic logo, namely a "bitten apple" - I think you know what it looks like.

History of the Apple Logo

New York reminds me of the "Big Apple"

Why is New York City Called the Big Apple? Does it even have anything to do with apples?

[John Little]

... New York reminds me of the "Big Apple"

Why is New York City Called the Big Apple? Does it even have anything to do with apples?

the Big Apple moniker first gained popularity in connection with horseracing. Around 1920, New York City newspaper reporter John Fitz Gerald, whose beat was the track, heard African-American stable hands in New Orleans say they were going to “the big apple,” a reference to New York City, whose race tracks were considered big-time venues. Fitz Gerald soon began making mention of the Big Apple in his newspaper columns. In the 1930s, jazz musicians adopted the term to indicate New York City was home to big-league music clubs.

[ultimatequestion]

Our Soviet grandmothers called sewing machines "zinger"

[ultimatequestion]

And our Soviet grandfathers called knives "finka"

learn more

[01tmJ8kb]

I seem to remember that the Russian word for a pencil is карандаш.

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