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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
World
Ariane Sohrabi-Shiraz & Kate Lally

People are only just realising what WD-40 stands for

You'll find WD-40 in many homes and garages, as it comes in handy for a number of things.

DIYers use it from time to time to prevent rust and displace moisture, but few people have any idea where the name of the product actually comes from.

After years of using WD-40, some people are just now realising what it stands for, and any assumptions they had were likely not even close, the Mirror reports.

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First created in 1953, WD-40 has more than 2,000 uses. The product was made available across the US in 1958, and today it's available in 187 countries around the world.

Although many keen DIYers will have a can of WD-40 in their cupboard, few actually know what the acronym stands for.

In a recent tweet, American journalist David Muir asked his nearly 800k followers: "What does WD-40 stand for?"

Several people gave David the answer, but many had to Google it for themselves. However, many were surprised to learn it stands for Water Displacement, 40th formula.

The name simply comes from the fact it was the 40th attempt at making the formula. One person shared: "It stands for 'Water Displacement,' which the inventor finally got right on his 40th try."

However, some people had their own ideas of what they thought it stood for. One person suggested: "Whistling doohicky 40" and another said: "Something degreaser". "World Domination 40 is what it should be named!" joked a third.

Another person was quite close with their suggestion: "WD-40 means wrong decision 40 times to make the correct formula."

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