When we don’t know the name for an everyday things we tend to give them obvious names – like the white tips on your nails become white nail tips.
But did you know there are real names for these everyday things? Why not learn them all and become the smartest of all your friends!
Lunules – the white tips on your fingernails
Named from “lunar” due to the crescent-shape of your nail tips. We just thought they were your white fingertips.
Nurdle – the dollop of toothpaste you put on your toothbrush
Of all the everyday things we expected to have a name, toothpaste blobs certainly wasn’t one of them. Remember that you only need a small nurdle for every brush.
Tines – the prongs on a fork
Fork prongs have always been fork prongs to us, but we were wrong. They’re actually called tines.
Zarf – the cardboard sleeve on your takeaway coffee
Now that you know this everyday thing has a name you still probably shouldn’t use zarf in a sentence. Can you imagine asking a poor barista for a zarf?
Aglets – the small bits of plastic on shoe laces
They may keep the ends of your laces nice and tidy, but who knew these little bits of plastic had a name!
Feat – a small bit of dangling hair
Yes, that little bit of hair that Superman made famous has its own name!
Petrichor – that rain smell people love
Petrichor is the name given to nature after rain. Most people just call it the rain smell though.
Phosphenes – the bright lights you see when you close your eyes
Did anyone else think this was fairy dust as a child?
Griffonage – awful handwriting
It’s every doctor’s talent and every teacher’s nightmare, but did you know that illegible handwriting has its very own name? So the next time you see some awful handwriting be sure to comment on that person’s griffonage.
Lemniscate – the infinity symbol
Infinity tattoos are all the rage right now. We don’t recommend you rock into a tattoo shop and ask for a lemniscate though… You might end up with a Lemming tattoo by accident.
