this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2026
151 points (94.7% liked)

Linguistics Humor

1710 readers
7 users here now

Do you like languages and linguistics ? Here is for having fun about it


For serious linguistics content: !linguistics@mander.xyz


Rules:

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
 

This bothers me more than it should.

It should be called the decoupler pedal because that’s what it actually does.

all 40 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Decouple deez nuts!

Wait, noooooooo!

[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 21 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Accelerator isn’t accurate because it still works, but won’t accelerate in neutral.

[–] Telodzrum@lemmy.world 24 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The brakes cause acceleration, too.

[–] GraniteM@lemmy.world 23 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Take your pick lol

or

[–] Telodzrum@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

lol

Love it, thanks.

[–] MattBlackAlien@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It still accelerates the engine.

[–] saltesc@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

No, that's the throttle. The accelerator is just an input control linked to the many things that make the engine go BRRR.

If anything, the flywheel is the most acceleratey bit since it can make things increase in speed even if the engine is at sustained rpm because the driver died of boredom reading this.

[–] MalikMuaddibSoong@startrek.website 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Respect. You’re right. It should be called gas/fuel/energy pedal because you always get more of it when you press it while actual acceleration has more dependencies.

[–] stevestevesteve@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago

In most gasoline vehicles it's the throttle pedal. Pressing it reduces how much you're throttling the engines air supply

[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 10 points 2 days ago (2 children)

It feels weird because it’s a pedal, but I guess it counts as a throttle.

[–] mkwt@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The throttle is the actual valve, a piece of metal sitting inside the air intake that rotates to allow various amounts of air to pass into the engine.

That thing, the valve, is still properly called a throttle on all IC engines. And even the very modern computerized gas engines have one.

In older direct fuel injection, the accelerator pedal was still directly connected to the throttle valve. A separate fuel injection control system increased and decreased the amount of fuel going in to maintain a steady fuel-air ratio.

On modern automobiles, the pedal is usually fully "fly-by-wire". The computer reads the pedal position like a joystick and decides how to move the throttle and fuel injection to achieve the commander input.

Electric cars are built around brushless DC motors. The "DC" there is a bit of a misnomer. These motors rely on a microprocessor to generate the variable-frequency AC waveforms to drive the stators in real time. This allows higher efficiency than older motor control technology, but it means that there's basically no way to operate the motor without the motor control software. So in these cars the pedal is always just a joystick input.

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Not all IC engines, but all gasoline ones.

Diesel engines are really more like colloquial term gas pedal, the more you push, the more the injector pumps dispense. That’s what m makes diesels more efficient (no pumping losses like a gasoline engine.

Unfortunately they are dirty as hell.

[–] mkwt@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Unfortunately they are dirty as hell.

But not when the isTest flag is set. Then they're clean as a whistle.

[–] untorquer@quokk.au 4 points 2 days ago

Classics are neat but nowadays we have the human interface power setting sensor.

[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The brake pedal also accelerates

[–] Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If we're talking physics here, technically the steering wheel accelerates, too.

[–] Yaky@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 day ago

Now look up when an electronic circuit is "open" and when it is "closed"; conventional current flow vs actual electron flow; negative voltage.

(These are not that confusing, just unexpected for someone new)

[–] Atherel@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 day ago

Well it would be pretty uncomfortable to always press it to drive.

[–] AI_toothbrush@lemmy.zip 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I think its logical, thats why it isnt called the clutcher. It just controls the clutch mechanism so clutch pedal is a completely valid name.

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Ok, now I'm gonna start using "clutcher"...

[–] Sibbo@sopuli.xyz 10 points 2 days ago (2 children)

"unclutcher", to be accurate

[–] untorquer@quokk.au 5 points 2 days ago
[–] sik0fewl@piefed.ca 1 points 1 day ago

Declutcher, but ya.

What if we compromise and name it the clutch decoupler pedal, and then everybody calls it the clutch for short?

[–] SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 2 days ago

Wait until you hear people say "depress the clutch to engage the clutch pedal"

[–] executivechimp@discuss.tchncs.de 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It's gas, breaks, clutch. They control the gas, the brakes and the clutch.

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 16 points 2 days ago (2 children)

"Breaks"

I like how autoincorrect fucked you the first time, but got it right the second time. Haja

Haha yes autocomplete, that's what did it 😅

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Hahaha, ok, I'll give ya this one because of the community in which you posted it (and "grinds my gears")

[–] nanometer1625@thelemmy.club 3 points 1 day ago

Clutch deez nuts.

(Please)

[–] BallShapedMan@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

"Foot feat, break, clutch" - My mother in law

Now this cancer lives in you. 😈

[–] Eheran@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] BallShapedMan@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

She doesn't call it an accelerator or gas pedal. She calls it a foot feet. No typo.

And I understand, I hear it come out of her mouth in person and I still don't get it.

[–] TachyonTele@piefed.social 2 points 2 days ago

Ok, so its Left foot, right foot.... Profit?

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 1 day ago

i never got the hang of a clutch. clutchless manual was fine.

[–] Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com -3 points 2 days ago

Americans cannot comprehend.