You know what they say, a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing.
ATC: ABC confirm aircraft type
Pilot: ABC Dash8D
A pilot will refer to the ICAO code not the actual type
Duh - Of course the pilot will respond that way to that question.
I am talking about using acft type to give info to a lightie.
"Follow the AT45". What does the low time C172 pilot look for: low/high wing, number of engines etc. If you say "follow the ATR42", they will probably have a much better idea
My comment made with 35 years ATC experience, hopefully there is a little bit of knowledge there.