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You might have heard the phrase "What's in a name?" But when it comes to everyday things, names can play a surprisingly significant role in shaping our perceptions. Can you imagine picking up a product only to discover that its name has led you completely astray? For instance, take "head cheese." You might think it’s some gourmet delicacy, but it’s a meat jelly made from the head of a pig.

So, when someone online asked, "What’s something that has a dangerously misleading name?" People quickly chimed in with some intriguing examples. Keep reading to discover more surprising names that might just leave you scratching your head, Pandas!

#2

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed Flushable wipes


Ask elbow-deep-in-sewage fixing-the-pump self how I know they aren't flushable...

lowcrawler , Cottonelle/Youtube (not the actual photo) Report

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Glen Ellyn
Community Member
17 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They have become a real problem in many places. Cities are having to spend our tax dollars removing "fatbergs" from their sewer systems. Too many people are pitching all kinds of things down the drain. Apparently the worst culprits are wipes, disposable diapers (!), and grease, that then congeal together making a fatberg that plugs up the system. People, please just toss you trash in the bin! Toilet tissue is the ONLY THING specifically made to dissolve so it doesn't cause problems.

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When you look around, you might be surprised how many things have names that can really mislead you. Take guinea pigs, for example. Those adorable little creatures have nothing to do with pigs, and they’re not from Guinea either! They’re actually small rodents from South America.

Here’s the thing: names have a way of shaping our expectations. So, when we hear a particular name, we create a clear picture in our minds of what that thing should be.

For instance, when you hear "French fries," you might instantly think of a tasty side dish from France. But surprise—they’re not actually French! They likely originated in Belgium. This goes on to show names can mislead us, painting a picture that doesn’t quite match reality.

#4

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed I recently learned by speaking with my 5-YO nephew that it can be incredibly distressing to little kids that we use the same phrase (“put to sleep”) for both “human general anesthesia” and “family pet euthanasia.” Buddy boy only knew the dog context and then someone mentioned the doctors would “put grandma to sleep so she wouldn’t feel them cutting her for surgery.” 💀💀💀.

666ironmaiden666 , Cheryl Cox/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report

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Riley Quinn
Community Member
18 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Growing up on a farm, life held no secrets. When we dispatched an animal, we referred to the act as putting the animal down. But even as kids, we knew it meant death. I think suburban kids lag behind rural and city kids who see various shades of life on the daily.

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#5

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed Air fryer.

Not a fryer. Has no oil.

It is a convection oven.

FightMilk55 , HS You/Flickr Report

#6

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed Ringworm. It's actually a fungus.

No_Possible4469 , StiahailoAnastasiia/Envato Report

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Debby Keir
Community Member
10 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, that looks like ringworm, so I don't understand the furore *https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ringworm/ *

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Whether it’s a product name that sounds fancy but turns out to be something completely ordinary, or a term that seems straightforward but leaves you scratching your head, names can definitely play tricks on us.

Like the flight recorder in airplanes—it’s called a "black box," but it’s not even black. It’s actually bright orange, so it’s easier to find after a crash. Makes you wonder, why isn’t it just called the “orange box”?

#8

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed Inflammable does not mean not flammable. It means it is flammable.

mezasu123 , Colin Knowles/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report

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Forrest Hobbs
Community Member
20 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Inflammable" came first and makes sense, and I quote: 'we get inflammable from the Latin verb inflammare, which combines flammare ("to catch fire") with a Latin prefix in- (more commonly seen as en- in English, as in enfold) meaning "to cause to be." ' More here: https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/flammable-or-inflammable

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#9

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed Waterboarding in Guantanamo Bay sounds like a fun time!!

realcanadianguy21 , William John Gauthier/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report

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Glen Ellyn
Community Member
17 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To me, a waterboard should be what we used to call a kickboard, used during beginner swimming lessons. Or any kind of board used in water - surfboard, boogie board, etc.

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If you've ever ordered Chilean sea bass, you might’ve thought it was some fancy fish from the waters of Chile, right? Well, not exactly; it’s actually a rebranded name for Patagonian toothfish. They gave it a makeover to make it sound more appealing on menus!

#11

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed Long Island Iced Tea does not contain any tea at all. And can be very dangerous as it is very easy to drink.

Dvc_California , Melvin Loi/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report

#12

I’ve been waiting for a question like this!! My answer: the phrase “the jury was hung” meaning they all couldn’t decide on one verdict together. The first thing my mind goes to is “wow! They hung the whole jury by their necks!!”

EDIT: YES I’m aware the correct terminology is HANGED I live down the street from Salem where the witches got HANGED I just immediately think HUNG when people say HUNG JURY I know it’s incorrect it’s just what comes to mind thanks reddit folk.

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You might have heard someone say they have tennis elbow, and it sounds like an injury you'd get from playing too much tennis. But it actually has nothing to do with the sport at all. Tennis elbow refers to a painful condition caused by overuse of the forearm muscles, which can happen to anyone, whether they play tennis or not.

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#14

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed Bear spray. I worked in the tourist industry and every year we hear stories of some idiot who think it’s like mosquito spray and spray it on their children and selves.

kiathelesbian , PABLO GÓMEZ/Pexels Report

When you "hit your funny bone," you might expect a chuckle or a lighthearted moment. However, it’s neither a bone nor a joke when you bump it. What you're actually striking is the ulnar nerve, which runs along the inside of your elbow.

When this nerve gets knocked, it sends a jolt of sharp discomfort through your arm, and it’s definitely no laughing matter!

#17

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed A water moccasin isn't a comfortable aquatic shoe.

FaberGrad , Michael McCarthy/Flickr Report

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DudeFortitude (He/Him)
Community Member
21 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Yeah I'll be there in a sec, gotta put on my moccasins to go to the beach - OW F**K OW WHAT THE HELL HOW THE HELL DID THAT GET THERE OW OW OW also how did I not see that it was a snake OW OW S**T OW OW OW" - Someone, probably

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#18

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed I once met a girl named, I kid you not, Sweet Princess Smith (last name changed for privacy). She was a huge b***h. Nothing sweet or princess-like about her.

Tough_Stretch , Михаил Крамор/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#19

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed Ectopic pregnancy. Tissue growing outside the uterus in an almost malignant fashion that has no chance of viability and will probably k*ll the afflicted person is not in any sense a “pregnancy”. The name needs to be changed to reflect the medical condition that it is.

FeetPics_or_Pizza , ROCKETMANN TEAM/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Dorothea Stovall
Community Member
19 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a "pregnancy" because it's a fertilized ovum. It's ectopic because it's "out of place."

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#20

The Patriot Act.

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Justin Tyme
Community Member
18 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Total Government Control Over Every Part of Your Life and Denial of Constitutional Rights Act

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#21

Perusing Door Dash earlier, trying to figure out what I wanted. Came across a place called Hello Cake. Thinking we had a new bakery in town, I clicked. They do not, in fact, sell cake. They sell butt plugs and other assorted sex toys. 😐.

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Even koalas aren’t quite what they seem at first glance. We often affectionately refer to them as "koala bears," but they’re not bears at all. Instead, koalas are marsupials, belonging to the same unique family as kangaroos and opossums.

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This means that, like their larger relatives, female koalas carry their young in pouches, nurturing them until they’re ready to face the world.

#22

“Right to Work” is one. “Pro-life” is another one.

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Freya the Wanderer
Community Member
8 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Right to work" means "right of employers to bust unions and pay their employees starvation wages."

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#24

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed Citizens United.

schaefer , historica Report

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Riley Quinn
Community Member
18 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Their mission almost sounds reasonable until you realize it a bunch of Conservative jackoffs who want to indoctrinate people towards their skewed way of visualizing the US.

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Now, here’s one for the peanut lovers. If you think you’re avoiding legumes, think again. Peanuts aren't nuts; they're actually legumes, like beans and lentils.

Also, have you ever wondered about "dry cleaning"? It sounds like a process that doesn’t involve water, but in reality, your clothes do get wet—just not with water. Instead, they’re cleaned with special chemicals.

#26

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed **Rocky Mountain Oysters**—they're not oysters at all! They're actually bull testicles, and the name can really throw people off.

LeonZhugh , Vincent Diamante/Flick (not the actual photo) Report

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Names can be pretty misleading sometimes, right? These posts remind us that it’s always good to pay attention! What do you think? Do you know of any interesting names that completely mean something else?

#28

Golytely

If you've had a colonoscopy, you know.

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Justin Tyme
Community Member
18 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used to work in a hospital. We somewhat-jokingly called it Goheavily.

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#29

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed Nutty Putty Cave sounds like such a joyous good time.

KarmicPotato , ABSTRACT/Youtube Report

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Beak Hookage
Community Member
15 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These days you could just as well call it Nutty Putty Tomb. Because that's what it is.

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#33

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed The English Horn:

Not English.

Not a horn.

Obvious-Bag73 , Vivien Kong/Youtube Report

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Forrest Hobbs
Community Member
19 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In the UK, it's called the "cor anglais", ultimately coming from Middle High German "engellisches Horn" meaning "angelic horn". All very odd, really. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cor_anglais#History_and_etymology

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#34

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed Yellowcake.

BathshebaJones , Tungsten Report

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Show Thyself
Community Member
14 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Here's the wikipedia-explanation to help understanding: "Yellowcake (also called urania) is a type of powdered uranium concentrate obtained from leach solutions, in an intermediate step in the processing of uranium ores. It is a step in the processing of uranium after it has been mined but before fuel fabrication or uranium enrichment."

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#37

Sex wax sounds like something used to make certain body parts slippery. In reality, it is used to make a surfboard not so slippery.

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#38

Cornhole.

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Cally2001
Community Member
13 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I went to a work event in the USA (from the UK) and they arranged to play it in the evening... I was really concerned until it was explained 😁

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#41

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed Spinach artichoke dip SOUNDS healthy. It's got two vegetables right there in the name, but it ain't healthy at all.

TheRealOcsiban , Heather Kennedy/Flickr Report

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Daniel Atkins
Community Member
19 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah the cheese, cream cheese mayo and sour cream kinda cancel the healthy part out but it tastes good. Not what is pictured though.

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#43

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed Butterflies are not actually made of butter and you SHOULD NOT COOK WITH THEM.

Lootboxboy , Aka Hige Report

#44

"Flushable Wipes": 50 Things That Need To Be Renamed Airsoft is one, suprised I forgot about that

Different-Citron-984 , Dana Loyzaga/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report

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UKDeek
Community Member
16 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The original name came from the propellent used in the replica weapons used, which was less powerful than CO2, "soft air". Due to translation differences this became "air soft" or airsoft as we know it today.

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#46

“Unloosen” , as in shoe laces - means the exact same thing as “loosen”. Grammatically correct but logically ridiculous. Absurd even. I might write a letter to my senator.

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ZuriLovesYou
Community Member
18 hours ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Who the heII says "unloosen" anyway? Unloosen should mean the same thing as "tighten".

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#49

Baby aspirin.

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Dorothea Stovall
Community Member
18 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They were invented a long time ago and was used for children until the correlation with Reye's syndrome was found.

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#50

Mineral spirits is not healthy liquor.

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Note: this post originally had 52 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.