She was actually right about that. They aren't (properly) called hurricanes in the Southern Hemisphere. Hurricanes occur exclusively in the North Atlantic and eastern Pacific (north of the equator).
Yes, hurricane is simply another term for a tropical-cyclone based on where it occurs. The same is true for the term 'typhoon'. But the simple fact is that tropical-cyclones DO rotate clockwise, and to use such a silly argument should be beyond her education/knowledge.
She may be grammatically correct, but she's also misleading and thus it's a stupid point to make.
A distinction without a difference.
Give me a break!
Do the physics and science of natural phenomena change merely by using a different word to describe the same identical physical thing?