We have of course heard of many people talk of and ask for Floor Clocks and Grandfather Clocks, but we are noticing a new trend with individuals using the term Grandfather Floor Clocks. Have you heard that term before? Perhaps it has appeared in some advertising or Home Improvement or architectural digest or house beautiful or home and garden type of publication or media of late.

Grandfather clocks are by definition floor clocks, or free standing clocks with that familiar rectangular shape with the mechanical kind housing a pendulum and being weight-driven by 1-3 weights, depending upon whether it is time only, time and strike, or time and strike and chiming. Most of us know this very general definition of grandfather clocks or floor clocks.

Howard Miller Clocks in particular have popularized the term Floor Clocks. Hermle Clocks too with their grandfather clocks frequently being referred to as Floor Clocks. It kind of reminds us of radio controlled clocks being used interchangeably with atomic clocks by many manufacturers. But we have yet to hear of an atomic radio controlled clock, or radio-controlled atomic clocks for that matter.

It seems the terms have simply blended together — floor clocks and grandfather clocks being referred to as grandfather floor clocks. Not exactly a parallel with mantel clocks and mantle clocks, nor with grandfather clocks and tallcase clocks and longcase clocks, but nonetheless interesting horological linguistic distinction brought about by differences and changes in time and within and between cultures.

Anyone out there heard of a Grandmother Floor Clock? We expect we will be asked about one some time very soon.

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