Buzz
Building on the initial list of 25 things that aren't as they seem, we now offer 20 additional items with names that either don't fit or are completely misleading. Feel free to add any more you can think of in the comments below.
3. Items 1 through 5
1. The Hundred Years’ War didn’t last 100 years, but 116. It was actually a collection of distinct campaigns and battles that spanned 116 years (from 1337 to 1453).
2. The Blitz wasn't a blitzkrieg; rather, it was an example of strategic bombing. A blitzkrieg is 'a headline word applied retrospectively to describe a military doctrine of an all-mechanized force concentrating its attack on a small section of the enemy front, then, once the latter is broken, proceeding without regard to its flank.'
3. In golf, the clubs known as 'woods' are typically made from metal. The club heads for 'woods' were originally constructed mainly from wood.
4. An egg cream is actually a chocolate-flavored syrup mixed with seltzer and milk. It contains neither eggs nor cream. [Pictured above]
5. Head cheese is, in fact, a meat product.
4. Items 16 – 20
16. White chocolate is not officially recognized as chocolate by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States and other regulatory bodies, despite containing cocoa butter.
17. The phrase 'tidal wave' is often used to describe tsunamis, although they are not caused by tidal movements.
18. Sugar soap contains neither sugar nor soap.
19. An egg roll is a dish typically made by wrapping a mixture of chopped vegetables, rather than eggs.
20. Chinese checkers did not actually originate in China (or anywhere in Asia). It was created in Germany in 1893 under the name 'Stern-Halma', as a variation of the older American game Halma.
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1. Items 11 – 15
11. Despite its name, the Jerusalem artichoke is unrelated to Jerusalem and only distantly related to artichokes. The name Jerusalem comes from 'Girasole', the Italian word for sunflower, via folk etymology. The taste of the Jerusalem artichoke tuber is similar to that of the leaves of a Globe Artichoke.
12. Arabic numerals originated in India, though they came to be associated with the Arab world.
13. Panama hats are made in Ecuador, but are associated with Panama as they were widely worn during construction of the Panama Canal.
14. French fries did not originate in France. There are some doubts about their origin, but they most likely were invented in Belgium. They’re called “French” because vegetables sliced in that manner are called “julienned”, which sounds French. [Pictured above]
15. Mongolian barbecue is neither Mongolian in origin nor barbecue. It has its origins in Taiwan and actually derives from Japanese-style teppanyaki which was popular there at the time.
2. Items 6 – 10
6. While anti-Semitism is commonly understood as hatred toward Jews, the term 'Semites' actually refers to all Semitic peoples, including Arabs. Therefore, the more accurate term for what is typically labeled anti-Semitism would be anti-Jewish.
7. An inchworm is neither an inch in length nor a worm.
8. Tear gas is not a gas but a crystalline solid substance.
9. The East River is not actually a river; it is a tidal strait.
10. The titmouse is actually a bird, not a mouse. [Pictured above]
