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What is the most popular word used for calling: "Remote control" in British families?

How do the people call it? How the children call it?

Thanks!

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  • Just some clarifications, if you will: are you looking for some sort of statistical data indicating what is the most popular word used for a TV remote control, or are you simply looking for a very common term that would be accepted without a raised eyebrow by the average British listener?
    – Avner Shahar-Kashtan
    May 20, 2015 at 5:47
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    "Clicker" is incredibly common, everywhere, all English-speaking regions..
    – Fattie
    May 20, 2015 at 8:34
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    Yep, "clicker", though possibly only in older people who remember when they clicked.
    – Hot Licks
    May 20, 2015 at 12:04
  • @Avner Shahar The sec option
    – John
    May 21, 2015 at 20:25

1 Answer 1

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Just remote: (both BrE and AmE)

  • A remote control device.

Clicker but mainly in AmE:

  • A remote control, as for a television or DVD player. (AHD)

The Free Dictionary

  • Here is a list of slang words for the remote control:

  • What do you call your remote control remote control?

  • Linguists have studied hundreds of newly invented slang words which are now in every day use - and have found 57 words for a remote control. And the experts put the prevalence of slang down to what they call 'the global domination of the English language'.

  • Experts have found that slang is flourishing across all social groups, including words for a remote control such as blabber, zapper, melly and dawicki.

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    For what it's worth, I think remote is also the most common in the U.S. (I haven't heard clicker used very often in real life, though there may be regional differences or something.)
    – ruakh
    May 20, 2015 at 6:08
  • I didn't mean to say that in U.S. remote is not used,
    – user66974
    May 20, 2015 at 6:12
  • Don't worry, I didn't think you did. :-)
    – ruakh
    May 20, 2015 at 6:13
  • Clicker is rare. These days it's more likely to refer to a remote control for giving power point presentations. Zapper used to be common but remote is probably more common now. (Southern England)
    – Chris H
    May 20, 2015 at 7:52
  • Remote, as I said, is the term commonly used. Other options are less common. TV remote vs TV clicker vs TV zapper: (AmE) books.google.com/ngrams/…
    – user66974
    May 20, 2015 at 8:01

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