Oh, yes, that’s right. I remember now.
A vacuum flask.
Not a Thermos.
Thermos is a trademark. More about Thermos later.
There are lots of brand names that have become genericized (is that a word?) to the point that we call the general item by a particular manufacturer’s appellation.
We say Kleenex™ when we want a tissue.
We say Saran Wrap™ when we mean clear plastic stuff that sticks more to itself than to the things it’s supposed to be covering.
We say Scotch tape™ when any old adhesive thingy would do (except maybe Saran Wrap™).
We say Pringles™ when we mean potato chips.
We Hoover™ the floor even if we’re using an Electro-Lux™.
Here in the southern U.S., the word “Coke™” is used by many to mean any carbonated cola drink, not just the ones produced by the Coca-Cola™ company, which is headquartered in Atlanta because its product was invented here. In Georgia, it’s an article of faith that only Coca-Cola™ is acceptable and that only Yankees drink Pepsi™. I worked with a fellow who once walked out of a restaurant in Pennsylvania when he couldn’t get a Coca-Cola™.
There are lots of examples of the misuse of trademarks, but let’s get back to Thermos.
You’ll notice I didn’t say Thermos™ (with the little trademark indicator).
There’s a reason for that. It’s because the general public won. Keep reading.
According to Wikipedia, the vacuum flask was invented by Scottish physicist and chemist Sir James Dewar in 1892 and is sometimes referred to as a Dewar flask, or Dewar bottle, after its inventor. The first vacuum flasks for commercial use were made in 1904 when a German company, Thermos GmbH, was formed. Thermos, their trademark for their flasks, remains a registered trademark in some countries but was declared a genericized trademark in the U.S. in 1963 as it is colloquially synonymous with vacuum flasks in general. (emphasis mine).
I’m looking forward to the day when I become colloquially synonymous with blogs in general.
