These 21 wrong words that children have accidentally used are better than the originals

When artist Moose Allain noticed that there’d been a lot of negativity on Twitter, he began posting a thread of those small things that bring a little joy into the world. People have been responding to his tweets along the way, including when the topic turned to odd and made-up words that families invent or adopt.

It stemmed from this simple pleasure

Dumb waiters

— MꙬse Allain (@MooseAllain) December 9, 2018

…which inspired this reply.

My mum once called speed bumps "dumb waiters" and ever since that's what I've called them. (She was thinking of 'sleeping policemen')

— Mo McF (@Mcfarlmo) December 9, 2018

It seems many other people had similar stories, mostly stemming from children’s misunderstandings.

1.

My eldest, when about 4, came up with the term "alarm chickens" for cockerels, and I will now be using that for the rest of my life

— Cathal Reilly (@Cathalr_99) December 10, 2018

2.

When he was tiny my son coined the term 'rubbishaways' for dustcarts, which we still use. He loved watching them. The other day I saw two together and though "Two rubbishaways! I should tell Jack." And then remembered that he's 23.

— Simon Blackwell (@simonblackwell) December 9, 2018

3.

My 4 year old calls bunting "Hooray flags". That one's never changing.

Also, hand dryers in public loos are "hand hoovers", obviously for the noise they make. He won't use them.

— Rob Scott (@robscottsays) December 9, 2018

4.

The logical names are the best, because they are, in fact perfect. My son called candles happy birthday fires. That will always be their name here 😊

— Laura (@shmukins) December 9, 2018

5.

My 2yo called those fluffy dandelion seed head things "flower bubbles" because of the way you blow on them.

Even if I knew the correct name for those things I would never now use it.

— Snark Pudding (@maqusan) December 9, 2018

6.

My daughter, now 18, was petrified of daddy-long-legs or, as she called them, dandy-legs-scares-legs. They’re forever known as that now.

— L_KelmanAFC (@nonentity1) December 10, 2018

7.

My daughter used to mistakenly call misty weather “mouldy”, and that’s what we still call it now.

— XMASiMiAN (@kaosimian) December 10, 2018

8.

We've been sitting on a 'fosa'* since my 16 y/o coined it aged 2

— DoubtfulOptimist (@PEllis0202) December 9, 2018

9.

My best friend’s little boy calls all snails ‘Neil’. Took her a while to work out who Neil was and why he was saying ‘HI NEIL!’ out the window. I stood on one by accident taking the bins out the other day, and said ‘Oh no, sorry Neil.’ It’s stuck.

— Katie (@abflabbulous) December 9, 2018

10.

My daughter used to call our garden trampoline a 'bounce-a-line' when she was younger. We still do.

Much better description.

— Stephen Kerr (@kidcobbler) December 9, 2018

11.

My daughter used to call eye brows eye bails… Loved it because it works, like on cricket stumps.. Still call them that, much to her embarrassment when I called the local beautician to to make her an appointment for eye bail waxing.. 😲

— EmTaylor_TheatreDirector (@onceanelf) December 10, 2018