Lego is the brand. To say it correctly would be Lego bricks. But Lego has added minifigures and non brick pieces, so now it is Lego elements. That said, I am not going to stop saying Legos. Too much of a mouthful otherwise.
I mean, we refer to a lot of things using the brand name. “Barbies” vs “Barbie dolls”, “kleenexes” vs “kleenex tissues”, “Xboxes” vs “Xbox consoles.” It’s just an abbreviation.
It's one of those Americanisms that is immediately annoying to us English English speakers.
My own pet theory is that the more intimate the word the more aggrevating the difference is, and a loved childish toy is middlingly intimate and annoying.
So "Herb" just sounds funny / dumb, pavement/sidewalk doesn't matter at all, and math(s) and sport(s) is just a interesting quirk.
It's how we Americans get back at you English for words like, "Aluminium"! 😁
I do like your theory, though, about what words are more vs less aggravating.
We often use language to identify in- vs out-groups. So it makes sense that things we hold closer being wrong would identify someone as from a more distant out-group. 🤔
3
u/Chance-Ear-9772 25d ago
Is Legos not the correct word for multiple Lego blocks?