Scrabble question

[tygryph]

Proper nouns are disallowed in most Scrabble games, so brand names such as... Clorox... are right out.

But what about brand names that have become the common term? Example: Kleenex.

Discuss.

Comments

[iankeith]

I say disallowed. That's coming from someone who played Scrabble for -yeeears-. I might hafta look it up just to be sure, but I'm fairly sure it's disallowed. The proper term still technically is 'tissue', soooo...

[akitrom]

For myself, the determination would be if the word is still capitalized.

[sal_e_peters]

Kleenex is still the name of a company which sells "facial tissue."

Words like aspirin have crept into our language as meaning the drug rather than the brand, would be allowed. Aspirin was originally a brand name.

If you read one of the how-tos for writers, there is usally at least a chapter on all of the companies who wish you wouldn't use their name in your book. Kleenex is one of them.

Google has also crept, but is still a brand because our lanaguage is like that in this time and place.