It’s always fun to catch moviemakers’ blunders. Say you’re watching an epic about ancient Rome and spot a toga-clad extra who forgot to remove his wristwatch. That’s an anachronism. But what do you call something that’s geographically incorrect. Take, for example, an exterior shot of what’s supposed to be Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton office, but includes a fleeting glimpse of a palm tree? That’s called an anatopism (accent on the second syllable), from the Greek topos, meaning “place.” For an excellent timewaster along these lines, Grant recommends moviemistakes.com. (Yo, “The Nativity Story”! Everyone knows maize wasn’t grown in Nazareth during the time of Christ. Anatopic FAIL!) This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Anachronism and Anatopisms”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi, this is Andrea. I’m calling from San Diego.
Hi, Andrea.
Well, my question has to do with anachronisms. And I find, particularly in movies and TV, I find these little inconsistencies to be fascinating. Like, for example, if you’re watching a movie about Julius Caesar and they show a group of senators and one of the actors, by mistake, is wearing sneakers or a wristwatch or something like that. You know, obviously they weren’t invented, so it’s, you know. I’m talking on a cell phone.
Yeah.
You know, or something like a slang term maybe that wasn’t invented at the time. You know, give me a ring and telephone wasn’t invented.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, right.
But my question is, well, it’s a little different. My question is, is there a similar word that describes something that’s out of place because of location or context rather than time? Like I was watching a movie recently that it took place in California, but the character was drinking Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, which we don’t have out here. So I was just wondering if, you know, and I just I asked everyone I knew and I couldn’t come up with a word for it. And I thought you two might know.
There are no Dunkin’ Donuts anywhere in California?
Not as far as I know.
And you want a word for that. So it’s not a problem of time like anachronism. It’s a problem of place. Is that right?
I just was remembering an episode of The Office, which is set in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and yet there was an outdoor scene one season with palm trees.
What?
Yeah. Kind of really obviously there at the top of the frame, some palm trees. I’m like, well, the climate has changed. It is getting warmer.
Oh, that’s funny.
Well, I think that the word that you’re looking for, Andrea, is anatopism.
Ooh.
That’s A-N-A-T-O-P-I-S-M.
The Greek word tapos means place.
And so, for example, an ectopic pregnancy is one that’s out of place.
And anatopism is defined as a putting of a thing out of its proper place. And that includes geographical blunders.
So I would call it an anatopism.
Anatopism. Very good.
But in general, it’s a kind of continuity error in the business, right?
Yes.
Right.
Yes.
Those are great examples.
I’m trying to think of any others.
Well, there’s a website for that.
There’s a website for everything.
Yes.
Frankly, if humans have thought of it, there’s a website for it.
This one is moviemistakes.com. It is a thorough cataloging of the errors of filmmakers, right?
If there was a radiomistakes.com, we’d be in big trouble.
There is. It’s waywordradio.org.
But moviemistakes.com has even recent stuff, just a great cataloging.
Some of them you can kind of quibble with because maybe the movie makers wanted to kind of stir you up a little bit.
But it’s a little striking stuff on there.
Moviemistakes.com.
I bet they don’t know the word anatipism.
But you do.
You do, Andrea.
Now I do.
Thank you so much.
All right.
Our pleasure.
Thanks for calling.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.
Take care.
Bye.
Bye-bye.
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