A misnomer is a term which suggests an interpretation that is known to be untrue. Here are a few examples:
- An inchworm is neither an inch long, nor a worm.
- Greenland is icy and Iceland is greener)
- Panama hats are not made in Panama, but Ecuador
- The “lead” in pencils is made of graphite and clay, not lead
- Northwestern University is in northeastern Illinois, a midwestern state.
- “Tin foil” is almost always actually aluminum.
- Catgut is made from sheep intestines.
- The Hundred Years’ War did not last for 100 years but 116.
- Head cheese is actually a meat product.
- “Horny toads” or “horned frogs” are actually lizards.
- Though a starfish is star-shaped, as the name suggests, it is not a fish.
- The titmouse is a bird, not a mouse.
- Jellyfish are not fish.
- The Washington Redskins play in Landover, Maryland.
- The New York Jets and New York Giants play in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
- Scotland Yard is located in England.
- The “funny bone” is not a bone — the phrase instead refers to the ulnar nerve.
- During its peak, rush hour often lasts more than an hour, with very little, if any, movement.
- A parkway is a type of street or road where parking is generally prohibited.
- A residential driveway is intended for parking.
