A pot, a bottle, a box, a tub, a jar, a container?

[Tait-ka]

What do you call this? A pot, a bottle, a box, a tub, a jar, a container of vaseline?

 

[emsr2d2]

In the UK, it's pretty much universally referred to as a tub or a pot of Vaseline. Remember to capitalise proper nouns. Vaseline is a brand name so it must be capitalised.

Regardless of the contents, something that shape would never be called a bottle or a box.

 

[Tait-ka]

Can I ask why it wouldn't be referred to as a jar? @emsr2d2

 

[probus]

In AmE that's a jar.

 

[SoothingDave]

Yes, a "jar" in AmE.

 

[5jj]

Can I ask why it wouldn't be referred to as a jar?

It could be, if the container were made of glass.

 

[jutfrank]

We Brits have no concept of plastic jars. To us, jars are made of glass. That's a tub of Vaseline.

 

[Skrej]

AmE tends to reserve 'tub' for larger containers, although we do use 'tub' for almost any size container of butter/margarine not in stick form.

We Brits have no concept of plastic jars. To us, jars are made of glass. That's a tub of Vaseline.

What would you call something like this then? I'm not sure if I've ever seen peanut butter in glass. (Note the proper choice of crunchy (aka chunky) vs. smooth.)

 

[SoothingDave]

I looked it up. Major manufacturers of peanut butter switched from glass to plastic in 1988.

Makes it unsuitable for storing bacon grease.

 

[emsr2d2]

Where I work, all the peanut butter is in glass jars except the 1kg "buckets".

 

[Tait-ka]

@emsr2d2 @jutfrank @5jj please look at the item in the post#1 more closely. It's written 13oz. (368g) there. Do you still think that you'd call it a tub or a pot?

 

[emsr2d2]

The weight makes no difference to me. It's still a tub or a pot, depending on your preference.

 

[Tait-ka]

The weight makes no difference to me. It's still a tub or a pot, depending on your preference.

Right. Thanks. What would you call the item in post#8?

 

[emsr2d2]

In post #8, I'd probably call it a jar even though it's made of plastic. I'm sure some people would call it a tub too. A jar pretty much always has a screw-top. A tub can have a screw-top or one you just prise off and push back on.

 

[emsr2d2]

Out of curiosity, I went to the Vaseline website to see if they mention what they call the container in post #1 but they don't use any term at all.

 

[jutfrank]

What would you call something like this then? I'm not sure if I've ever seen peanut butter in glass. (Note the proper choice of crunchy (aka chunky) vs. smooth.)

View attachment 6484

Even though it's plastic I'd probably call that a jar due to the design. I'm guessing that those peanut butter companies who made the switch from glass to plastic decided to keep the containers as similar as possible to before.

 

[probus]

It has just come back to me that there was a TV commercial that was shown intensively in America fifty years or so ago with a musical jingle that went:

Vaseline petroleum jelly
Your first aid kit in a jar.

So the makers themselves (then called Lever Brothers, now Unilever) considered the container a jar.

 

[Rover_KE]

That's possibly because they were made of glass back then.

 

[probus]

I actually have one that I've had since 1979 or 80. It's plastic.

 

[emsr2d2]

Vaseline transitioned from glass to plastic in 1965.