explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3075: Anachronym Challenge

2025-04-14T02:41:54Z

Edda: /* Minor copy edit */

{{comic
| number = 3075
| date = April 11, 2025
| title = Anachronym Challenge
| image = anachronym_challenge_2x.png
| imagesize = 265x404px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I have to pay with paper money.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The table is incomplete.}}

[[Cueball]] is reading from a shopping list while shopping for groceries. The items on the list are all [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/anachronym anachronyms]. The names of the items indicate their material, but they are no longer made from that material.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:0px"
|-
! Item !! Original material !! Original still generally available?!! Actually made with !! Explanation
|-
| {{w|Aluminium foil|Tin foil}} || {{w|Tin}} || {{Yes|[https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/044154.RG Yes]}}|| Aluminum || Formerly "tin foil" was made of the metal tin, but aluminum supplanted tin in the early-to-mid 20th century, as aluminum is cheaper and more durable.
|-
| {{w|Sponge (tool)|Sponges}}|| {{w|Sponge|Sea sponges}}, i.e., marine invertebrates in the phylum Porifera ||{{Yes|Yes}}|| Polyester, polyurethane, cellulose || An item commonly used in the kitchen to soak up water. Or bathrooms to wash yourself.
|-
| {{w|Silverware}} || {{w|Silver}} ||{{Yes|Yes, though at greater expense than silverplated or silver-like}}|| Stainless steel || Covers eating utensils, plates and dishes, candlesticks and trophies, which may all these days be electroplated, cupro-nickel alloys or stainless steel.
Possibly intended to only refer to knives, forks and spoons, which are marginally more likely everyday household purchases than the other candidates, though still less so than more disposable versions made of plastic or wood which cannot even be casually mistaken for silver.
|-
| {{w|Linens}} || {{w|Flax}} ||{{Yes|Yes}} || Cotton, hemp, polyester || Commonly in the form of sheets and blankets.
|-
| {{w|Clothes iron|Clothes iron}} || {{w|Iron}} ||{{No|No}}|| Aluminum, stainless steel & plastics || Used as a tool to remove wrinkles in clothing by heating it up. Modern irons are powered, but traditional irons needed to be heated.
|-
| {{w|Ironing board|Ironing board}} || Wooden board ||{{Yes|Yes}}|| Metal, fabric cover || Flat surface for ironing clothes. It could also refer to how an ironing board is not made from iron.
|-
| {{w|Corrective_lens#Reading_glasses|Reading glasses}} || {{w|Glass}} ||{{Yes|Yes}}|| Optical plastics || Used to assist farsighted people with focusing on things up close. Also traditionally made with glass, but nowadays made with CR-39 plastic due to glass's danger of shattering and higher weight.
|-
| {{w|Iron (golf)#Short irons|9 iron}} || Iron ||{{Yes|Yes}}|| Cast {{w|stainless steel}}, {{w|carbon steel}} || A type of golf club.
|-
| {{w|Wood (golf)|3 wood}}|| Wood ||{{Yes|Yes}}|| Titanium, carbon fiber || A type of golf club.
|-
| {{w|Sidewalk chalk|Sidewalk chalk}}|| {{w|Calcite}} chalk ||{{No|No}}|| Calcium sulfate ({{w|gypsum}}) || Used for making marks on pavement or rocks. (e.g., for entertainment, for temporary signs or indicators).
|-
| {{w|Rubber duck|Rubber duck}} || {{w|Rubber}} || {{No|No}} || Vinyl plastics || A children's bath toy. Also used in {{w|Friendly Floatees spill| science}} and {{w|Rubber duck debugging| programming}}.
|-
| {{w|Paper money|Paper money}} (title text) || Paper ||{{Yes|Yes, but usually {{w|cotton paper}}}}|| Cotton, linen fibers (U.S. note), polypropylene. ||
|}

Many of the objects listed on Cueball's shopping list can still be made with the materials that they are named after. Silverware can be made of sterling silver, especially in the cutlery of high-end establishments{{acn}}, but, unlike steel, traditional pure silver requires continued polishing to retain its finish. Cleaning sponges made of sea sponges are expensive, but can be [https://tofinosoapcompany.com/products/natural-sea-sponge-sustainably-harvested purchased]. Linens made from flax are still common; some people even consider [https://www.roughlinen.com/en-ca/blogs/newsletters/linen-vs-flax whether flax is the better material]. Some wood clubs are still made from wood, specifically {{w|persimmon}}. {{w|Banknotes of the Japanese yen}} are [https://www.npb.go.jp/en/products/intro/tokutyou.html still made] from wood fiber from ''E. chrysantha'' and abaca pulp. Most of the traditional items can be found in antique sales at least occasionally, and some people still use them such as in communities that have separated from modern industry.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Cueball is looking at a phone, or perhaps a piece of paper, in his hand while holding his other hand on the handle of a shopping cart. Above the shopping cart, an underlined header and a bullet list are shown:]
:<u>Shopping List</u>
:* Tin Foil
:* Sponges
:* Silverware
:* Linens
:* Iron & Ironing Board
:* Reading Glasses
:* 9 Iron & 3 Wood
:* Sidewalk Chalk
:* Rubber Duck

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I'm trying to do a shopping trip where I only buy stuff that's no longer made from the material it's named after.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Language]]

Talk:2638: Extended NFPA Hazard Diamond

2022-06-29T00:04:12Z

Edda: Added theory about what the described substance is.

Are we going to try identifying what material this is? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.82.179|172.70.82.179]] 01:50, 28 June 2022 (UTC)
:first one off the top of my head, aqua regia? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.38.69|172.70.38.69]] 02:46, 28 June 2022 (UTC)Bumpf
::Doesn't aqua regia score a 0 in reactivity? [[User:N-eh|N-eh]] ([[User talk:N-eh|talk]]) 03:23, 28 June 2022 (UTC)
::Or maybe Aqua Velva? That would explain the orange square, although maybe it would be a number larger than 1. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.34.171|172.70.34.171]] 22:49, 28 June 2022 (UTC)
:My guess would be something radioactive, like uranium or plutonium. [[User:Clam|Clam]] ([[User talk:Clam|talk]]) 03:29, 28 June 2022 (UTC)
::There are very, very few Health 4 / Fire 0 / Instability 2 compounds. The NIH database lists 4: nitrous oxide, phosphorus oxychloride, phosphorous trichloride, and thionyl chloride (although it's important to note these values aren't always standardized; some authorities consider phosphorus oxychloride to be Health 3, for example). Based on the street value and the number of US agencies who would be concerned about it, my guess is thionyl chloride, a useful industrial chemical which is also used in at least one meth lab synthesis pathway... AND highly regulated as a chemical weapon precursor (to both sulfur mustard and G-series nerve agents). Oh, and it is absolutely a Disposal Pain 4 candidate, too. [[User:Qalyar|Qalyar]] ([[User talk:Qalyar|talk]]) 04:52, 28 June 2022 (UTC)
: It could be the drop ceiling - if it's even moderately unstable that would certainly make it a hazard; it would be a pain in the arse to dispose of; there are probably a few agencies with an interest building regs, etc. that would want to know about it. I'm not sure what kind of street price it would command, though. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.211|172.70.85.211]] 16:20, 28 June 2022 (UTC)
:It could be something that wouldn't normally be classified as a material, like a velociraptor. I'd think more government agencies would want to know about their existence in reality, but it's possible in this universe their existence is less atypical. [[User:Edda|Edda]] ([[User talk:Edda|talk]]) 00:03 29 June 2022 (UTC)

The center square is a free space, but if you win without it you get a special bonus prize. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.42.129|172.70.42.129]] 04:18, 28 June 2022 (UTC)

Given Randall's fixation with velociraptors, is anyone else thinking the "dropped ceiling" may be a reference to the labs in Jurassic Park?
:Possible. The first thing I had to think of was HalfLife (ie Black Mesa). [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:34, 28 June 2022 (UTC)
:Since as a German I never heard of a dropped ceiling before, I automatically assumed it's a ceiling that drops on you. Ouch. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.102.117|172.71.102.117]] 19:28, 28 June 2022 (UTC)

Does Randall watch Warsaw local news? Yesterday [https://tvn24.pl/tvnwarszawa/mokotow/warszawa-wilanow-ul-branickiego-straz-miejska-interweniowala-w-sprawie-walacego-sie-budynku-5766504 there was an article about an accident with dropped ceiling]. Accident with dropped ceiling next day on xkcd gave me uncanny feeling. [[User:Tkopec|Tkopec]] ([[User talk:Tkopec|talk]]) 09:31, 28 June 2022 (UTC)
:I was wondering whether the whole thing was inspired by the {{w|2022 Aqaba toxic gas leak}}, that it was published well within a day of. Probably not (because 'too soon', especially with deciding what humour to add, assuming he started from scratch) but he might well have heard of it even as he was already mid-way through the drawing/publishing process and felt it ok to press ahead (perhaps modified to make it ''less'' likely to be directly associated in some way).
:Not worth an in-explanation (or Trivia) mention, but saying it here as a dismissable aside. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.5|172.70.162.5]] 13:58, 28 June 2022 (UTC)

The "''Number of times it's caused one of those terrifying lab accidents that chemists tell scary stories about late at night -> 2''" reminds me of the [https://www.science.org/topic/blog-category/things-i-wont-work-with Things I Won't Work With] category on Derek's Lowe blog, including famous [https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/sand-won-t-save-you-time Sand Won't Save You This Time] article about dangers of chlorine trifluoride, with a few ''scary stories'' included. --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 11:04, 28 June 2022 (UTC)
:The "smelling weird" one made me remember the one about [https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/things-i-won-t-work-thioacetone thioacetone]--[[Special:Contributions/172.71.114.63|172.71.114.63]] 12:53, 28 June 2022 (UTC)