my very educated mother just served us nine pumpkins

English

Etymology

From the initial letters of the names of the eight planets, plus Pluto, formerly considered a planet.

Phrase

my very educated mother just served us nine pumpkins

1. (astronomy, slightly dated, mnemonic) Used to remember the order and names of the (then) nine planets of the solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.

Usage notes

• Pluto was relegated to status of dwarf planet by the IAU in 2006.

Synonyms

• my very educated mother just served us nine pizzas

 

Coordinate terms

8 planets

• my very educated mother just served us nachos
• my very educated mother just served us noodles

 

Translations

dated form of mnemonic

• German: mein Vater erklärt mir jeden Sonntag unsere neun Planeten