Newsletter and Grammar Coach

Most Americans know that if they’re traveling in England and want to find a nearby subway station they should inquire about the “underground,” if they want a baked potato at a restaurant they should request a “jacket potato,” and if they’re out of toilet paper they should ask for another “loo roll.”

Regional differences in terminology also occur within the United States. Americans have responded with varying degrees of success (or disdain) to introduction of roundabouts — circular road intersections. Some people dispute whether or not they’re beneficial. Others dispute what to call them. The term “rotary” is common in the Northeast, while they’re known as either “roundabouts” or “traffic circles” elsewhere in the nation. Massachusetts transportation officials even make a distinction between two terms: in comparison to a roundabout, a rotary is much larger and permits travel at higher speeds.

In most parts of the country, medical patients while hospitalized suffer the indignity of wearing a hospital gown. New England compounds the embarrassment by referring to those garments as “johnnies” (singular: “johnny”).

If you’re longing for one of those oblong sandwiches packed with cold cuts, cheese, sliced tomatoes and other produce, you may refer to it by different names depending upon where you are. What Pennsylvanians call a “hoagie” or New Yorkers call a “hero” may be termed “poor boy” in Louisiana, a “grinder” or even a “spuckie” in New England — or a submarine sandwich or simply a “sub” in most other part of the country.

If the sandwich makes you thirsty, you’re likely to ask for a soda in the Northeast or the West Coast; “pop” in the upper Midwest and northern Plains states; a “coke” in the South (not necessarily in reference to Coca-Cola); a “tonic” in New England; or a “soft drink” in scattered parts of the nation.

In the West, people hoping to unload — er, sell —unwanted items may hold a “yard sale” or a “garage sale” — but New Englanders may more likely use the term “tag sale,” and folks in the northern Plains states may more likely hold a “rummage sale.”

Neighborhood stores that sell alcoholic beverages and packaged goods are known by a variety of names: “convenience stores” or “quickie marts” on the West coast,” but “packies” (shorthand for “packaged goods”) in the Northeast. In Michigan, they’re called “party stores.”

Many people disagree about whether a crayfish is a delicacy, and they also disagree about what to call the spiny freshwater crustacean. What Northerners typically call “crayfish” are most commonly called “crawfish” in Louisiana, while in other Southern states and in the Plains states they may be called “mud bugs,” and in the West they’re frequently called “crawdads.”

Although most people are likely to say they bring groceries home in a shopping “bag,” other folks in scattered parts of the country may prefer the term “sack.”

If you’re fixin’ to wash your clothes in Texas, you might have better luck asking for directions to a nearby “washateria” instead of a laundromat.

Don’t bother asking about water fountains or drinking fountains in Massachusetts, Rhode Island or Wisconsin. You want to find a “bubbler.”

Names for types of highways vary among regions of the United States. The term “freeway” is commonly used in the West and Southwest for a limited-access high-speed highway for which tolls are not charged, while “turnpikes” usually are toll roads. Other road designations, including “expressway,” “parkway” and “throughway” (or “thruway”) are more commonly used in the Northeast, not necessarily with uniform definitions.

In most parts of the country, a dinner to which each of the guests brought a dish they made is called a “potluck.” However, folks in the Plains states, particularly in northern Illinois, may refer to such an event as a “scramble dinner.” In parts of the Midwest, such a meal is sometimes known as a “carry-in dinner,” and in Indiana it may be described as a “pitch-in dinner.” In the mid-Atlantic states, folks may gather for a “tureen dinner.”

The ground squirrel that’s known as a “prairie dog” in the Texas panhandle is likely to be called a “whistle pig” in parts of the South and the upper Rocky Mountain states because of the faint whistling sound it makes. For the same reason, some people use the term “whistle pig” (as well as “woodchuck”) in reference to the groundhog, a type of marmot.

Children’s playgrounds throughout the country have see-saws, which some folks call teeter-totters. In Kentucky, though, such a piece of equipment may be called a “ridy-bob.”

The level of a home that is below ground level is called a “basement” in most parts of the country, but the preferred term is “cellar” in pockets of the Northeast.

We hope you enjoyed this exploration of regional terms. We’re just about done with our grinder and tonic, and we have to pick up a couple of items at the packie. It’s down the parkway, just beyond the rotary.

If you’re looking for an entertaining or educational holiday gift that a child will enjoy and cherish for years to come, we have some suggestions for you — three, to be precise. EditPros’ Book Prep service has helped authors publish three colorful books for young and preteen children.

The Magic Pen: Cindy’s Castle Adventure, written by Erin Childs and illustrated by René Hartman Domino, takes young readers on a fantasy adventure to a beautiful castle, far, far from home. Readers tag along with the main character, Cindy, as she embarks on her adventure after using her box of magic pens to become part of the illustrations in her coloring book. Cindy loves exploring the castle until she starts to miss home.

When Erin Childs was a toddler, she loved the traditional fairy tales that her mom read to her, and that inspired her to begin writing and illustrating her own stories. In this charming book, her first published children's fairy tale, Erin creates a fantasy journey for other children to take.

Dr. Ridiculopickulopot and the Shot, written by Doc Zavod and illustrated by Orsolya Orbán, is the first in an intended series of entertaining but instructional children’s books, with the main character Dr. Ridiculopickulopot guiding the way. Author Doc Zavod — in reality Matthew B. Zavod, M.D. — is a practicing otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat doctor) and facial plastic surgeon who, as a child, dreaded getting shots. He believes the best medicine is preventive and he has strong convictions about maintaining public health. That’s why he decided to write this book.

Dr. Ridiculopickulopot is a kindly fellow who bumbles through his day, stumbling over shoes, lunchboxes, and other obstacles while treating his patients. In the story, the clumsy but lovable doctor helps a boy who is a patient of his overcome his dread of injections. The boy learns that doctors and shots should not be feared, and that vaccination is important.

Doc Zavod, whose warm sense of humor permeates the book, lives with his family in Northern California. Orsolya “Orshee” Orbán is a highly talented children's book illustrator who was born, raised and is living in Transylvania, Romania.

A Dog’s Tale — A Furry Farm Fantasy, written by Susan Curry, with ideas and illustrations by Isla B, is a whimsical story about a farm family’s adventures as told from the perspective of their Australian Shepherd dog, who has a secret ability, and uses it well. Facts mingle with fantasy in ways that young readers will find both engaging and exciting. The story grew out of a request from 11-year-old Isla, one of Susan’s granddaughters, to write a book for her during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place restrictions. “For once, I had time, as did she,” Susan said.

Isla, an animal-loving fifth-grader with a vivid imagination, had in mind whom and what the plot should include. Her list of people included a family — a mom, dad and four children — and she envisioned details of their activities and character traits. She suggested building the story around an Australian shepherd dog named Sheila, who understands human language.

Susan Curry, who lives with her husband in Davis, California, is a licensed marriage and family therapist, mostly retired, and the mother of three adult children.

“I’ve had so much fun writing this story,” Susan said. “From the beginning I had two goals: to produce a book that Isla will enjoy and treasure, and as a suggestion for a project that other parents or grandparents might like to try during our weeks of confinement at home.”

The Book Prep service made all of these titles available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other sellers. As part of the Book Prep package, EditPros professionally formatted the interior pages of each all three books, designed the cover for each, and readied them for print publication. With Book Prep, authors retain all rights to their books, and collect 100 percent of sales royalties.

LEARN MORE about the EditPros Book Prep service, and how to order these books.

Dave W. wrote:

The grammar coach replies:

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