Brands that became common words we use
By Lena Kovadlo
@lovebuglena (52144)
Staten Island, New York
May 27, 2021 5:31pm CST
Xerox, Kleenex, Q-Tips, and Google are brands but they have become common words as well.
When we want to make a photocopy of something we say, "xerox this."
When we want a tissue we say, "Can I have a kleenex?"
When we want a cotton swab we ask for a q-tip.
When we want to search for something online we say we will google it.
Do you know any other brands that have become common words?
12 people like this
9 responses
@much2say (57760)
• Los Angeles, California
27 May 21
@lovebuglena I don't know why I can't think of any more.
Oh wait . . . how about Ziploc (the bags with the zip closures) . . . and Band-Aid (bandage).
3 people like this
@lovebuglena (52144)
• Staten Island, New York
28 May 21
@much2say Oh yeah. The Band-Aid one is definitely a popular one. Ziploc is a good one too.
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (52144)
• Staten Island, New York
27 May 21
Oh yeah. Forget about this one.
3 people like this
@RasmaSandra (97912)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
28 May 21
I cannot think of any now except for have some Campbells when referring to soup. Oh, yes, and I have heard people refer to cameras by brands like I have a Pentax and so my friends would say take you Pentax with you not take your camera,
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (52144)
• Staten Island, New York
28 May 21
For some reason the brand Cannon is stuck in my head right now.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (230334)
• Chile
27 May 21
In my country there are brands of cookies that mean cookies now.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (52144)
• Staten Island, New York
28 May 21
@marguicha They are popular here. Not a huge fan of them.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222288)
• United States
28 May 21
You've covered a lot of the ones I can think of. Much2Say said Scotch tape. That's definitely another one.
2 people like this
@porwest (112717)
• United States
28 May 21
Lots of words like this. I remember a few years back, and I think this is still in practice, writers were constantly reminded to call a Kleenex a tissue, a Q-Tip a cotton swab, a Xerox a copy and so on and so forth. And none of these brand uses would ever get past an editor's eye, and would absolutely be corrected before publishing.
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@lovebuglena (52144)
• Staten Island, New York
28 May 21
Interesting. I did not know this.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (52144)
• Staten Island, New York
29 May 21
@porwest Writers have more control when they publish themselves. On the other hand, because people do not need a publisher to bring a book into the world that means there can be (and probably are) plenty of published books that are full of errors or are just poorly written.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112717)
• United States
29 May 21
@lovebuglena Yep. Back in the day many writers were part of groups and subscribed to magazines like Writer's Digest. It was a very different community back then before self publishing.
A lot has changed in the writing industry in recent years. In some ways I think not necessarily for the better. But that's just me talking about the good ole days when you actually had to write something publishable to actually see it in print.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (52144)
• Staten Island, New York
28 May 21
Did not hear about this one. That's in reference to toothpaste right?
2 people like this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
28 May 21
@lovebuglena yes, for a long time this is the only brand we had.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (52144)
• Staten Island, New York
28 May 21
I've definitely missed obvious things based on comments from a few people. And I know them. They didn't come to mind at the time of writing the discussion.
1 person likes this
