Former names you use without meaning to

[Ketchup99]

Now that this has been resurrected, let me introduce: Belgian Congo. Having two countries with the same shorthand name (Congo) right next to each other is quite confusing, so I use "plain" Congo for the smaller Republic of the Congo, and for the larger Democratic Republic of the Congo I use its former colonial name. Okay, I could have gone by its former name Zaire, but that doesn't include "Congo".

Wow. I've heard they don't actually like that. I've heard when that was its name slaves got their limbs cut off for not meeting rubber quotas for the king. I've even heard that in the 21st century we're beginning to move on from defining entire nations by which trigger-happy Europeans got there first, planted a flag, and exploited its citizens...

[US71]

My aunt in Chicago used to say Kresge's instead of K-Mart.

[Flint1979]

Around here for the longest time I've heard people refer to Kroger as Kessel. Kessel is an old name for a Flint based grocery store that is no longer in business they were bought out by Kroger. Kessel though in turn bought several old Kroger stores and carried Kroger products. Some of the old Kessel stores became Save A Lot as well.

[US 89]

There's a road on the University of Utah campus called Mario Capecchi Drive, renamed after the Nobel Price-winning genetics professor. I often find myself referring to that street by its old names, Wasatch Drive and Medical Drive.

Another local one is Vivint Smart Home Arena, home to the Utah Jazz. I still say Energy Solutions on occasion (partly out of habit, and partly because I can never remember Vivint), and you can find plenty of people who still say Delta Center.

[michravera]

How about John Cougar Mellencamp?   I think many people slip up and use the Cougar name still, not to be rude, but out of habit.

However speaking of Prince, many people have become sort of weary too, that John Mellencamp changed his name three times since his first album.  He was John Cougar at conception, then he added on his real last name to it, and the last time he just dropped the Cougar to be his real name.  So many may say the whole Cougar thing just out of spite.

John Fill-in-the-Blank.

I refer to him as John Cougar Mellencamp because I really don't feel like trying to remember what he changed it to, plus everyone knows who I'm talking about that way.  In fact, since reading the last several posts, a call came in at work and I promptly forgot the history of his name; I am not going to re-read it to find out; I'm going to keep referring to him as John Cougar Mellencamp.

I just call him "Mellencamp" without either of the other two words, though that's not unique to him because I refer to Springsteen, Buffett, and McCartney the same way (though the same principle doesn't apply to everyone; Billy Joel or Mark Knopfler would be two examples where I don't use just the last name).

William Martin Joel has probably been known as "Billy Joel" since kindergarten.

[US71]

How about John Cougar Mellencamp?   I think many people slip up and use the Cougar name still, not to be rude, but out of habit.

However speaking of Prince, many people have become sort of weary too, that John Mellencamp changed his name three times since his first album.  He was John Cougar at conception, then he added on his real last name to it, and the last time he just dropped the Cougar to be his real name.  So many may say the whole Cougar thing just out of spite.

John Fill-in-the-Blank.

I refer to him as John Cougar Mellencamp because I really don't feel like trying to remember what he changed it to, plus everyone knows who I'm talking about that way.  In fact, since reading the last several posts, a call came in at work and I promptly forgot the history of his name; I am not going to re-read it to find out; I'm going to keep referring to him as John Cougar Mellencamp.

I just call him "Mellencamp" without either of the other two words, though that's not unique to him because I refer to Springsteen, Buffett, and McCartney the same way (though the same principle doesn't apply to everyone; Billy Joel or Mark Knopfler would be two examples where I don't use just the last name).

William Martin Joel has probably been known as "Billy Joel" since kindergarten.

He's joked about that a few times on (I think) David Letterman.

[webny99]

Tappan Zee Bridge.

Except it's not "without meaning to". It's one of those ones that's so ingrained that I intentionally keep calling it that.
I believe the Sears Tower in Chicago is similar in this regard.

[jp the roadgeek]

My aunt in Chicago used to say Kresge's instead of K-Mart.

My grandmother continued to call Sears "Searoebuck"  for many years after the Roebuck fell out of the mainstream. 

[ftballfan]

The local Family Fare is sometimes referred to as Glen's (a fairly recent former name) or even Prevo's (what the name was before it became Glen's)

[Flint1979]

The local Family Fare is sometimes referred to as Glen's (a fairly recent former name) or even Prevo's (what the name was before it became Glen's)

I remember it as Glen's pretty well. I use to think that you aren't up north in Michigan until you see a Glen's store.

[Flint1979]

Tappan Zee Bridge.

Except it's not "without meaning to". It's one of those ones that's so ingrained that I intentionally keep calling it that.
I believe the Sears Tower in Chicago is similar in this regard.

I still to this day call it the Sears Tower so much in fact that I forget what the current name is, I know it's Willis Tower but I've never called it that. Same goes with Comiskey Park, I either call it Comiskey or Sox Park never US Cellular Field or Guaranteed Rate Field, the latter bring an utterly dumb name for a stadium.

[renegade]

The local Family Fare is sometimes referred to as Glen's (a fairly recent former name) or even Prevo's (what the name was before it became Glen's)

I remember Glen's when it was called the Red Owl.

[kkt]

Now that this has been resurrected, let me introduce: Belgian Congo. Having two countries with the same shorthand name (Congo) right next to each other is quite confusing, so I use "plain" Congo for the smaller Republic of the Congo, and for the larger Democratic Republic of the Congo I use its former colonial name. Okay, I could have gone by its former name Zaire, but that doesn't include "Congo".

Wow. I've heard they don't actually like that. I've heard when that was its name slaves got their limbs cut off for not meeting rubber quotas for the king. I've even heard that in the 21st century we're beginning to move on from defining entire nations by which trigger-happy Europeans got there first, planted a flag, and exploited its citizens...

Yes, the Belgians treated the people in their colony SO badly that even the other European colonial powers noticed!

[kkt]

I keep calling FedEx Office "Kinkos".  It's mostly an accident, and only partly because it's shorter.

[SEWIGuy]

I still call ATMs, "Tyme Machines."  That is how they were branded in parts of Wisconsin about 30 years ago.  Take Your Money Everywhere.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Another country I still know by its former name: Swaziland (what now has the funky name of eSwatini). Even though it sounds too close to Switzerland.

Wow. I've heard they don't actually like that. I've heard when that was its name slaves got their limbs cut off for not meeting rubber quotas for the king. I've even heard that in the 21st century we're beginning to move on from defining entire nations by which trigger-happy Europeans got there first, planted a flag, and exploited its citizens...

Yes, the Belgians treated the people in their colony SO badly that even the other European colonial powers noticed!

Wow, so I guess I'll have to start calling the DRC "Zaire" instead.

[GaryV]

The local Family Fare is sometimes referred to as Glen's (a fairly recent former name) or even Prevo's (what the name was before it became Glen's)

I remember Glen's when it was called the Red Owl.

Were all the Glen's called Red Owl?  I seem to remember Red Owl in the western part of the UP.

[renegade]

The local Family Fare is sometimes referred to as Glen's (a fairly recent former name) or even Prevo's (what the name was before it became Glen's)

I remember Glen's when it was called the Red Owl.

Were all the Glen's called Red Owl?  I seem to remember Red Owl in the western part of the UP.

I can only speak for the ones in the Soo and St Ignace.  Not sure about the others.

[US71]

Marvin's IGA, we usually called IGA, not Marvin's. When Marvin dropped the IGA franchise, we still called it IGA

7-11 was a generic term for convenience stores in the 1970's since many were open 7am to 11pm.

[thenetwork]

I keep calling FedEx Office "Kinkos".  It's mostly an accident, and only partly because it's shorter.

I always called and still call it Kinko's, as the namesake was born in my old stomping grounds, Kent, OH. 

And where the Cleveland Indians play, I will always call it Jacobs Field or The Jake.  Never Progressive Field!!!

[DTComposer]

I keep calling FedEx Office "Kinkos".  It's mostly an accident, and only partly because it's shorter.

I always called and still call it Kinko's, as the namesake was born in my old stomping grounds, Kent, OH.

Can you clarify? The founder of Kinko's was born and raised in Los Angeles, and the first Kinko's was opened next to the UC Santa Barbara campus.

That said, I still call it Kinko's as well - FedEx Office just doesn't flow off the tongue for me.

[Scott5114]

Another country I still know by its former name: Swaziland (what now has the funky name of eSwatini). Even though it sounds too close to Switzerland.

Wow. I've heard they don't actually like that. I've heard when that was its name slaves got their limbs cut off for not meeting rubber quotas for the king. I've even heard that in the 21st century we're beginning to move on from defining entire nations by which trigger-happy Europeans got there first, planted a flag, and exploited its citizens...

Yes, the Belgians treated the people in their colony SO badly that even the other European colonial powers noticed!

Wow, so I guess I'll have to start calling the DRC "Zaire" instead.

I've seen them referred to as Congo-Kinshasa and Congo-Brazzaville before. Probably the easiest way to disambiguate.

[GaryV]

The local Family Fare is sometimes referred to as Glen's (a fairly recent former name) or even Prevo's (what the name was before it became Glen's)

I remember Glen's when it was called the Red Owl.

Were all the Glen's called Red Owl?  I seem to remember Red Owl in the western part of the UP.

I can only speak for the ones in the Soo and St Ignace.  Not sure about the others.

Per Wikipedia on Glen's:

The chain expanded into the Upper Peninsula in 1986 by purchasing Red Owl locations in St. Ignace, Munising, Sault Ste. Marie, and Iron Mountain, along with a newly built store in Escanaba.

Glen's in the LP were not Red Owl.

[Flint1979]

The local Family Fare is sometimes referred to as Glen's (a fairly recent former name) or even Prevo's (what the name was before it became Glen's)

I remember Glen's when it was called the Red Owl.

Were all the Glen's called Red Owl?  I seem to remember Red Owl in the western part of the UP.

I can only speak for the ones in the Soo and St Ignace.  Not sure about the others.

Per Wikipedia on Glen's:

The chain expanded into the Upper Peninsula in 1986 by purchasing Red Owl locations in St. Ignace, Munising, Sault Ste. Marie, and Iron Mountain, along with a newly built store in Escanaba.

Glen's in the LP were not Red Owl.

I've never heard of Red Owl here.

[renegade]

The local Family Fare is sometimes referred to as Glen's (a fairly recent former name) or even Prevo's (what the name was before it became Glen's)

I remember Glen's when it was called the Red Owl.

Were all the Glen's called Red Owl?  I seem to remember Red Owl in the western part of the UP.

I can only speak for the ones in the Soo and St Ignace.  Not sure about the others.

Per Wikipedia on Glen's:

The chain expanded into the Upper Peninsula in 1986 by purchasing Red Owl locations in St. Ignace, Munising, Sault Ste. Marie, and Iron Mountain, along with a newly built store in Escanaba.

Glen's in the LP were not Red Owl.

Thanks for clarifying that.  I wasn't sure.

Sure do miss the Red Owl, though.