I received a couple of computers today at work. They each contained a double retronymed device. Anyone care to guess what the device was?

Nope.

Disks - hard disks - floppy disks
Drives - hard drives- cd drives

Nope. It was one device that was named "retronymic-adjective* retronymic-adjective device-name"

*Actually the first retronymic adjective was a noun acting as an adjective.

web cam corder
This is pure imagination, but if you can imagine it, it probably already exists.

*my head is spinning*

web cam corder

This doesn't exactly fit the standard definition of retronym: a name which includes adjectives when none were needed because there were no alternatives. Examples would be acoustic guitar or analog watch. The web camcorder example would be more like electric guitar or digital watch. A possible double retronym might be analog pocket watch.

wireless optical mouse

!ogniB

You still don't have the concept of retronym down, but.

Hmm--what the heck is an "optical" mouse, then, please?

Flatscreen Color Monitor.

Flatscreen Color Monitor.

Still got the concept backwards. "Analog watch" is an example because you used to be able to call it a "watch," there being no other kind. Then digital watches came about and we couldn't just say "watch" anymore for the old kind we had to say "analog watch." "Analog watch" is a retronym, "digital watch" isn't.

Would these be devices that the _company_ referred to in double retronymic terms, or that you realized could be referred to as such?

They were labeled as such on the packaging.

Hmm... I'm not exactly sure I understand this term yet, but let me give it another try.

Using my pervious incorrect example as a template would the correct double retronym be 'monochrome CRT display (monitor)'.


"rollerball serial mouse"

'monochrome CRT display (monitor)'.

Yes, that would be a retronym.

"rollerball serial mouse"

You're pretty close. The actual designation on the packaging was "ball corded mouse." Thinking back on it, I believe it was a USB mouse, thus denying it the potential of being triply retronymic.

>"Analog watch" is a retronym, "digital watch" isn't.
Oh. Okay.

what the heck is an "optical" mouse, then, please?

Jackie, an optical mouse has a little red light in it that does the driving instead of a ball on the bottom. [/technical jargon]

I hate it when my mouse cords are balled...

aren't there bald mice?

welcome, rainmaker!

I hate it when my mouse cords are balled...

If your mouse cords start balling, Rainmaker, you should separate them before they procreate on your keyboard. Then we won't understand a thing you post. :)

Do I get a prize?

>arn't there bald mice?

Absolutely? And perhaps a triple retronym would be "living four-legged furry mouse.

Roger that!

> prize

we'll have to wait for Faldage on that one...

welcome, Chris!


> Roger that!

heh.

And perhaps a triple retronym would be "living four-legged furry mouse.

The sense of that being anything "retro" is missing, whereas:

web cam corder

Has the retro *thing (camcorder) but not necessarily a redundancy... although most all web cams are/can be used as (a) recording device(s).

Yes! Welcome rainmaker. Dance much?