Rubber Jar Opener Thingy

You’re listening to A Way with Words, a show about language and how we use it.

I’m Grant Barrett.

And I’m Martha Barnette.

Say you’re making a sandwich and you’re trying to open a jar of pickles, but that top is screwed on really, really tight.

So what is the name of the item that you reach to get it open, the item that’s round and flat and thin and rubbery?

What do you call that thing?

A gripper.

A gripper. You call it a gripper.

I know there are other words for it, but I call it a gripper.

Lots of other words, according to folks on our Facebook group.

Madeline Morrow from Gulfport, Mississippi wrote, y’all know those usually rubber round things that are used to help open jar lids?

What does everyone call them?

And she always heard her mom call them a rubber husband.

This is not a thing that you get a stag party, is it?

Or a bachelorette party?

I don’t know.

And Amy Rourke said she always called it her second husband.

Second husband.

This is my second husband here.

Because the men usually have bigger hands with a stronger grip and maybe are more likely to open the jars.

Or you can get them to do stuff.

Oh, I see, right.

Directing them.

-huh, -huh.

But it got me to thinking because I’ve had those things before and been so glad when I could reach for them.

Some people call them that rubber gripper thingy or just that gripper thingy.

And, of course, there’s always the popular Tuit, you know, T-U-I-T.

I don’t know that one.

It says printed on one of those things, Tuit.

And it’s like you get around to it.

You get around to it.

Yeah.

Maybe you had to be there.

Kind of, but I get it.

Well, what do you call it?

We’d love to hear about that or any other question or comment you have about language.

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Or send your stories about language to words@waywordradio.org.