I never do surveys, but I think this one is fun because it gives you an idea of the way we talk around here. I stole it from Dana-Elayne.
What do you call:
A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks.
stream
What the thing you push around the grocery store is called.
a shopping cart
A metal container to carry a meal in.
Lunchbox
The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in.
Frying Pan
The piece of furniture that seats three people.
loveseat
The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof.
gutter
The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening.
porch
Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages.
pop
A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup.
pancakes
A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself.
sub
The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach.
shorts
Shoes worn for sports.
tennis shoes
Putting a room in order.
cleaning
A flying insect that glows in the dark.
lightning bug
The little insect that curls up into a ball.
potato bug
The children's playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down.
teeter-totter
How do you eat your pizza?
Point to crust.
What's it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff?
Garage Sale
What's the evening meal?
Dinner
The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are?
Basement
What word(s) do you use to address a group of two or more people?
You guys
Would you say "Are you coming with?" as a full sentence, to mean "Are you coming with us?"
No.
Would you say "where are you at?" to mean "where are you?"
I have.
Modals are words like "can," "could," "might," "ought to," and so on. Can you use more than one modal at a time? (e.g., "I might could do that" to mean "I might be able to do that"; or "I used to could do that" to mean "I used to be able to do that")
No.
What do you call the area of grass between the sidewalk and the road?
grass or lawn
What do you call the area of grass that occurs in the middle of some streets?
I don't have a word for that
What do you call the long narrow place in the middle of a divided highway?
The divider?
What do you call the drink made with milk and ice cream?
Milkshake
What do you call the miniature lobster that one finds in lakes and streams for example (a crustacean of the family Astacidae)?
I don't call them anything.
What do you call the kind of spider (or spider-like creature) that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
Daddy Longlegs
What nicknames do/did you use for your maternal grandmother?
Grandma
What about your paternal grandmother (is there a distinction?)
None, no.
What do/did you call your maternal grandfather?
Grandpa
Paternal grandfather?
None.
What do you call the big clumps of dust that gather under furniture and in corners?
Dust
What term do you use to refer to something that is across both streets from you at an intersection (or diagonally across from you in general)?
Diagonally across
What do you call the activity of driving around in circles in a car?
Cruising or getting lost
What do you call paper that has already been used for something or is otherwise imperfect?
scratch paper or scrap paper
What is your *general* term for a big road that you drive relatively fast on?
freeway
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
I don't call it anything.
When you are cold, and little points of skin begin to come on your arms and legs, you have:
Goosebumps
What do you call the gooey or dry matter that collects in the corners of your eyes, especially while you are sleeping?
I hate all terms for this, so I avoid talking about it.
What do you call an easy course?
an easy A
What do you call a traffic situation in which several roads meet in a circle and you have to get off at a certain point?
A traffic circle
What is the thing that women use to tie their hair?
ponytail holder or rubber band
Do you use the word cruller?
No. I have always wondered what it is, too.
Do you use the term "bear claw" for a kind of pastry? yes
What do you call someone who is the opposite of pigeon-toed (i.e. when they walk their feet point outwards)?
bow-legged
Can you call coleslaw "slaw"?
You can, but no one I know does.
What do you call the box you bury a dead person in?
Casket
Do you say "vinegar and oil" or "oil and vinegar" for the type of salad dressing?
oil and vinegar
What do you call it when a driver changes over one or more lanes way too quickly?
I don't have a word for this. Oh, if someone does this in front of me I say that they are "cutting me off."
When you stand outside with a long line of people waiting to get in somewhere, are you standing "in line" or "on line" (as in, "I stood ___ in the cold for two hours before they opened the doors")?
In line
Do you say "frosting" or "icing" for the sweet spread one puts on a cake?
frosting
What is "the City"?
The city is San Francisco, but only when I am in Oakland, CA. We don't refer to any city as "the city" in Oregon.
What is the distinction between dinner and supper?
No one uses the term supper here ( sometimes old people maybe).
Do you cut or mow the lawn or grass?
I mow the lawn, but Justin cuts the grass
Do you pass in homework or hand in homework?
I turn in my homework
What do you call the insect that looks like a large thin spider and skitters along the top of water?
A waterbug
What do you call the thing from which you might drink water in a school?
drinking fountain
What do you call a public railway system (normally underground)?
Subway
What do you call the act of covering a house or area in front of a house with toilet paper?
toilet papering or TPing
What do you call a traffic jam caused by drivers slowing down to look at an accident or other diversion on the side of the road?
I don't call this anything. I say the full sentence.
What vowel do you use in bag?
I pronounce it "beg" and other people make fun of me.
What do you call the paper container in which you might bring home items you bought at the store?
Grocery bags
What do you call the night before Halloween?
The night before Halloween.
What do you call the end of a loaf of bread?
The heel
What do you call a point that is purely academic, or that cannot be settled and isn't worth discussing further?
Moot
How do you pronounce the -sp- sequence in "thespian" (the word meaning "actor")?
Thes-pee-an
What do you call a drive-through liquor store?
We don't have those here. They also don't sell hard alcohol in the grocery store, but in California they do!
What do you call food that you buy at a restaurant but then eat at home?
Take out
What do you say when you want to lay claim to the front seat of a car?
Shotgun, often followed by an excerpt from an old Salt-n-peppa song, i.e. "Shotgun, bang...etc."
What word do you use for gawking at someone in a lustful way?
"He was totally checking me out."
Do you say "expecially", or "especially"?
especially
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That was pretty fun. I was pretty shocked to hear about how some people in southern states call any kind of pop "Coke." I ordered a pop in Louisiana and I was met with a blank stare.
I had to supervise a concert at school tonight, which meant I was at school from 7:30 AM to 8:15 PM. No good. It makes me extra grumpy to supervise kids that I don't know. Overall, I have been having a good week, but it just feels like, "ARE YOU SERIOUS THAT IT IS STILL ONLY TUESDAY?!?!" Tomorrow is our team meeting day, though, so it's all good. Wednesday is my favorite day because I do enjoy talking with my team and I also enjoy having shorter class periods.
I have a game planned for Friday, but I have to buy candy. Blah.
We've been making snowflakes in homeroom and hanging them from the ceiling--special 3-d ones that this kid wanted to teach the other kid to make. It seems like we've been making them for ages, but they are finally done, and they really do look cool, and it makes my room look like a winter wonderland. I'll have to have him show me again so I can do it again next year.
Nothing exciting going on. The Christmas party is coming up. This weekend Justin's friend Mark came down and they had a few drinks and we went to this really lame party. I took it upon myself to try out my new role: designated driver. It wasn't bad, but it made the party a whole lot lamer. Basically, it was a bunch of lawyers acting like frat guys. Now, I personally have never hung out with a bunch of young lawyers. They weren't horrible, but their fashion statements left something to be desired. They were all dressed up like they were trying too hard, but nothing looked particularly good. Even so, I felt out of place with my red puffy ski jacket, jeans and sketchers. Mark and Justin didn't help matters by pointing out that I looked out of place. Boys are so good at doing that. I tried my hardest not to appear snobbish and aloof as everyone encouraged everyone else to do it old school style by beer bonging it up. Yeah. I know, I'm a snob.
I really am one of the most judgmental people alive. I am okay at giving people a second chance, but I judge and I judge harshly. I usually think of myself as a nice person, but maybe I'm really not. Hmmm.
I forgot to mention that I saw Elf a while back, and I loved it. That's the only movie I've seen recently.
I'm reading The Devil Wears Prada and it's such a fun, quick read. The picture of the author is funny because it is one of those GIANT ones that take up the whole back of the book. It's black and white, but it still looks like she has a fake tan going on. She does, however, fit my criteria in that I like an attractive/fun looking person to write my books. I have to remember what magazine she worked for. Was it Vogue?
I'd better get off of this thing because I still have to print pictures off for the kids' elective. I felt really bad because I was giving this girl a hard time today about how she didn't get cleaned up very well yesterday and she put this expensive marker from a set in some random place. She was grumbling and giving me a hard time back, and it was pissing me off. I knew she had been the last to use it, so I made her find it and put it in its proper place. Anyway, I was meaner than I ever am to kids (not that I was THAT mean). At the end of the period I find a card on my desk that she made for me, even after I was mean. It said "Happy Christmas to my homeroom, English and more teacher Ms. Boombastic." I guess it was her way of saying sorry to me. I felt majorly guilty, and it was such a sweet gesture.
Okay, I'm really getting off. I'm going to try not to torture any more kids this week. ;) Yes, I did just do the winky smiley at you.
