Things have names

Certain pieces of information must always be provided exactly to receive points because things have names. In quizbowl, it is taken for granted that published works must be referred to by their exact titles, with both NAQT and ACF reflecting this standard in their rules regarding acceptability of answers. The largest set of things in this category are works of literature as well as of non-fiction, but it is often used to refer to concepts which have accepted names in their respective fields as well.

Player: "Ah, I know this! It's the, uh, thing where put compounds in a liquid and they put a voltage and they shoot out! And it forms a cone, and it makes things have charge, what is it-" Moderator: "And that's time. Alas, things have names - the answer is electrospray ionization."

This phrase is often used facetiously to describe situations when a player is able to provide only a description of what is being asked for. In most cases this is due to a lack of sufficient knowledge by the player, but it is occasionally an indication that a specific title has been given too much prominence and should not have been necessary to receive points.

This principle is sometimes waived by "Description acceptable" warnings.

Things

The word "reified" or "reification" is often used to describe phrases which "have a name". This is something of a misuse, as the word literally means "the consideration of an abstract thing as if it were concrete".