terry_mitchell•2mo agoProlific Poster

Caught a client's kid explaining my floor pattern to his mom all wrong

I was finishing up a herringbone install in a kitchen in Tacoma when I heard the homeowner's son, maybe 8 years old, confidently tell her the pattern was called 'fish bones'. I didn't correct him, but it got me thinking about the terms we use that might confuse people. Do you guys ever simplify the trade lingo for clients, or do you stick with the proper terms?

3 comments

3 Comments

wyatt1072mo ago

My uncle was a history teacher and said the word herring comes from an army formation. So the kid is right, it's a fish thing, but the real story is about soldiers walking in a zigzag to avoid arrows. Makes you wonder how many trade names have a weird war story behind them.

hart.zara1mo ago

My grandpa ran a tile crew for 30 years and he'd say 'herringbone' every single time, never questioned it. But honestly, after reading this and thinking about it, fish bones is way more descriptive and makes immediate sense to anyone. I used to think clients just needed to learn the right terms to sound professional, but now I think that's just gatekeeping nonsense. If an 8 year old can look at my work and call it fish bones and everyone knows exactly what they mean, that's a win. Sometimes the old slang is just old, not better.

danielm152mo agoMost Upvoted

Ever wonder if the kid's name for it is actually better? Like, herringbone is just some old word, but fish bones makes total sense.