anachronism

Everyday

1. Something put in the wrong time, especially in a story or picture, like a wristwatch on a Roman soldier. tree →
2. A person, custom or thing that seems old-fashioned and belongs to an earlier time. tree →

In the lessons

In history and reading lessons, spotting an anachronism means noticing that something could not have existed then; it tells the reader a writer or film-maker made a mistake or is playing a joke. Phrases: «a glaring anachronism», «a bit of an anachronism», «spot the anachronism».

Examples

• The film showed a knight with a mobile phone, which is a funny anachronism. tree →
• Can you spot the anachronism in this picture of ancient Egypt? tree →
• A clock striking in Julius Caesar's Rome is an anachronism, because such clocks did not exist yet. tree →
• Some people think writing cheques is an anachronism now that we pay by phone. tree →
• Grandad says the old red phone box is a lovely anachronism. tree →
• Our teacher hid three anachronisms in the story about the Vikings. tree →
• A dinosaur next to cavemen is a famous anachronism in cartoons. tree →
• The steam train in the medieval story was an anachronism. tree →
• My battery captain called me a Pachydermatous Anachronism the other day.” tree →

Note

Countable noun; plural «anachronisms». Adjective «anachronistic». Pronounced a-NAK-ro-nism. Do not confuse with «acronym» (a word made from first letters, like NASA). Dinosaurs and people never lived at the same time, so cartoons showing them together are anachronisms, not history.