this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2025
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I grew up in California near the bay area calling them weed whackers.

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[–] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 34 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I grew up in California near the bay area calling them weed whackers.

Same.

[–] user_name@lemmy.world 22 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

New England, weed whackers here too.

[–] GuyFawkes@midwest.social 3 points 2 weeks ago

Midwest, weed whacker here as well.

[–] ada@piefed.blahaj.zone 25 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Whipper Snipper here in Aus

[–] Obi@sopuli.xyz 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Can't tell if you're taking the piss haha.

[–] Robust_Mirror@aussie.zone 6 points 2 weeks ago

It's legit.

[–] makingStuffForFun@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 weeks ago

Now you listen here young whipper snipper! Why, in my day....

Yup. Australian here. Is what we call em.

[–] morbidcactus@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 weeks ago

That's the predominant one in Canada too, at least in my experience.

Goes with a Chipper Shredder (Woodchipper), sure there's probably other things named the same way.

[–] lemming741@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

I'm trying to spread that term here in the SE US. Everyone looks confused so I say "string trimmer". "you mean weed eater?"

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 23 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Weedeater, weed whacker, or trimmer. In that order of descending use.

I almost always use the first one, weedeater.

My dad liked to use Weedeater as a sort of verb. To Weedeap. So he'd love to say he was going outside to weedeap the knee deep weeds.

[–] EbenezerScrew@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Same here, but almost never use trimmer. Edit: Pittsburgh here.

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago

Hey! Pittsburgh! The only city I actually enjoyed visiting!

[–] theskyisfalling@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

From the UK and in my region they are called Strimmers.

[–] sxan@midwest.social 1 points 2 weeks ago

Oh, I like this.

[–] TheIvoryTower@lemmy.world 16 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Whipper-Snipper (Australia)

[–] nomecks@lemmy.wtf 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Canada too. Also weed eater, even though that's a brand name

[–] 200ok@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

That's what we call our ankle-biters in the part of Canada I grew up in ^/s

[–] rbos@lemmy.ca 15 points 2 weeks ago

If this were Facebook I would say this is a bot harvesting user locations for advertising profiles...

Alabama here. Battery and mains powered ones are generally called weed eaters.

The gas powered ones are called a string of curses that would get me banned. Usually while trying to get them to crank. There’s a reason I went electric.

[–] WhiteOakBayou@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago

American south, weed eaters

[–] Matt@lemdro.id 10 points 2 weeks ago

Oregon. I have only ever heard them called weed eaters.

[–] BlueEther@no.lastname.nz 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Weedeater or strimmer in NZ

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't think I've ever heard strimmer, though it does seem to be a thing when I search it up. I would say Weed eater, weed whacker, or line trimmer.

[–] med@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago

Strimmer out here in Bermuda too

[–] zakobjoa@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Germany, Rasentrimmer – grass trimmer.

[–] ChrissieWF@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Or "Motorsense" - motor(ized) scythe

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[–] Mostly_Gristle@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

Weed whackers and weed eaters were used fairly interchangeably where I grew up in the US southwest and mountain west.

[–] dharmacurious@slrpnk.net 7 points 2 weeks ago

US south. Weed eater or weed whacker, but the second is much less common. It's also the name of the thing you're doing. You use the weed eater to go out weed eat the yard

[–] WaffleStomper@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

SW PA, weed whacker

[–] toomanypancakes@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I'm pretty sure I call them weed whackers, but I've heard weed eater not irregularly. I'm up in the Washington area.

[–] normalexit@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I feel like weed Whacker/Eater are brands like Kleenex. In my head it is a string trimmer.

I usually say "I'm going to trim the yard".

[–] Bongles@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 weeks ago

Northeast US - weed whacker

[–] Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 2 weeks ago

Weed whacker, unless I need parts or a new one, then it's a string trimmer until I need to whack more weeds

[–] otp@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 weeks ago

Up in Canada, I've only ever heard weed whacker

[–] Alaik@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 weeks ago

Southern US. Weed whacker.

[–] scytale@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

On a related note, are the reloadable plastic strings on electric trimmers intentionally designed to unravel within a few uses so you have to keep buying replacements?

They usually only dispense when you tap them on the ground.

Just don’t do that

[–] Tarquinn2049@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Some of them are automatic, in that they use the deceleration from letting off the trigger to let out more string. So if you have one of those ones and are constantly turning it on and off in short spurts, it would eat up string pretty fast. Best to do a swath and only let off when you want more string or are completely done. The automatic ones tend to be more intended for heavy duty use, rather than single yard use.

[–] Cracks_InTheWalls@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Canada, various provinces - either weed whacker or whipper-snipper.

Scott calls it a trimmer sometimes, but Scott's a dick and we hate him.

Edit: Fuck you too, Scott.

[–] chobeat@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 weeks ago

decespugliatore (debusher) or tosaerba (grass shearing)

[–] FreakinSteve@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Weedeaters, as I believe that was the trade name of the first ones

[–] masto@lemmy.masto.community 2 points 2 weeks ago

This plays in my head every time I hear the phrase β€œweed whacker”. It’s called a whacker, for weeds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMghq58gvFo&t=106

[–] Codandchips@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Strimmers here in the UK

[–] jenesaisquoi@feddit.org 2 points 2 weeks ago

Ours are mostly electric now and thus not annoying

[–] Blisterexe@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

New brunswick (canadian province near maine) here, it's also called a weed whacker (and sometimes weed eater)

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 2 weeks ago

Western Canada. Weed whacker.

[–] Diddlydee@feddit.uk 2 points 2 weeks ago

ye olde whippersnapper

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