I have found the relevant email, and no, you don't say 'grope for the nipple', but you do mention groping the bottom of the remote, and feeling for the emmiter.

For everyone's amusement I hope you don't mind me including this extract from an email to the alpha team from 4th April 2000:

"You guys are right about the battery hatch/IR window being one way to
recognize the direction of the remote, but it's unnatural to have to
do that. My point is that many (most?) remotes deliberately use a
button layout that is asymmetrical along at least one axis, and they
do it for good reason. It's natural to recognize the button layout by
feel because it has a direct correlation to the visual button layout-
it's a hard link to the human visual cortex. It's not natural to have
to grope the bottom of the remote or feel for the emitter. You have to
actually THINK about it when you're groping for the battery hatch,
whereas an asymmetrical button layout would work naturally without any
thinking."