# America/US/USA/etc. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 17, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690 "2015-12-17T14:06:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/1 "2015-12-17T14:06:44Z")
One for Americans; if a foreigner wanted to ask a question about your country, what would you prefer they refer to it as? So in context, “How do they celebrate Thanksgiving in [country name]”, or something like that, what do you put between the brackets? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/2 "2015-12-17T15:01:07Z")
“America” would flow the best or be most colloquial. But there isn’t an option from your list that would upset or offend me. If someone is one of those “But what about the REST of America?” types, feel free to use any of the above suggestions. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/3 "2015-12-17T15:14:49Z")
Any of your suggestions are fine except for “Usa.” Then I’d figure the person doing the asking is a moron and/or can’t type. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/4 "2015-12-17T15:15:52Z")
I don’t care what they say, but I find I always say “the States”. It just rolls off my tongue better and I don’t really use “America” except in sarcasm. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/5 "2015-12-17T15:20:04Z")
If I’m overseas, I usually say “The States”. If I’m in the US I usually say “America”. I’d have no problem with a foreigner using either term. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/6 "2015-12-17T16:01:50Z")
When I was in New Zealand, virtually every Kiwi referred my country as America. Even the TV news used America. The one exception was a guy that called me a Usasian. He was originally from Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/7 "2015-12-17T16:15:12Z")
All the choices are fine except “Usa.” I’d have no choice but to bitch slap the foreigner who used that. I feel certain Immigration would back me up. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/8 "2015-12-17T16:38:18Z")
I don’t care all that much one way or the other. I almost always use “the US” myself, but if someone outside the US wants to call it America or The States or whatever, OK. I would think someone saying “Usa” as a word (pronounced yuu-sa?) would be a bit of a doofus, but I don’t think I’d give it a lot of thought. I work for a big multinational company, and I’m often on projects with people from around the world. Most people I interact with say/write “the US”. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/9 "2015-12-17T17:51:20Z")
“Usa” is weird, but whatever. Some variation of “seppos” is the only term I can think of that I would find objectionable, and extremely so. (Though I realize that refers to the people, not the country.) ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/10 "2015-12-17T18:00:50Z")
Usa is the name of two towns in Japan, not of a country. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/11 "2015-12-17T18:03:40Z")
I’d use “The US”. Seppos is a new one to me, probably the only one I’d find objectionable. But like most slurs - eh, I’ve identified the idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/12 "2015-12-17T19:18:19Z")
Eh? It’s not a slur, or at least no more insulting than “limey” or “Canuck.” It’s rhyming slang. Septic tank - Yank. Then from septic tank you get “seppo.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/13 "2015-12-17T19:27:25Z")
Thanks for the replies, I took “Usa” (and the others) off Wikipedia’s list of alternate names of countries, which also included ‘Freedonia’ and ‘Usono’. As for seppo, well I can see why an American might reasonably take exception to being directly compared to a container full of feces. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/14 "2015-12-17T19:29:40Z")
If that was how rhyming slang worked, I would agree with you. But it isn’t. Unless you think Cockneys actually compare a telephone to a dog and bone. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/15 "2015-12-17T19:40:17Z")
Well that’s not going to annoy any phones, but of all the rhymes for ‘yank’ they go for the tank full of crap? I call shenanigans. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/16 "2015-12-17T19:57:27Z")
Well, it’s better than “wank.” ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/17 "2015-12-17T20:22:12Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Eh? It’s not a slur, or at least no more insulting than “limey” or “Canuck.” It’s rhyming slang. Septic tank - Yank. Then from septic tank you get “seppo.” Look, anyone can explain all they want why certain terms aren’t meant as offensive, but I, for one, take great umbrage at being compared to a tank of shit and being told that it isn’t a big deal. Even the OED describes it as often derogatory. Which, in turn, is pretty much the definition of a slur. ETA: and for that matter, the OED warns readers about both “limey” and “Canuck” as being derogatory. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/18 "2015-12-17T20:33:19Z")
Fair enough. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/19 "2015-12-17T21:24:48Z")
As an American myself, that’s my first choice in phrasing. The only option I’d think to be wrong is Usa because it’s an acronym and that’s not the convention for acronyms. If I talked about the Ram in your computer, you’d be pretty confused, right? Since acronyms make the “.” optional, U.S.A. and U.S. are correct, but hard to type quickly. US/United States/The States all work fine for me too, but I’m not sure they are unique enough. For example “Estados Unidos Mexicanos” is the official name of that country south of us, so anyone who complains about us calling ourselves “American” should be doubly opposed to calling us simply United States. Spelling or speaking the whole United States of America phrase is certainly correct, but it would seem weird in a casual conversation. I’d save that for academic papers, but you’re welcome to use it. I don’t even have that much problem with slurs. Gringo and Yankee/Yank/yanqui are the only ones I’ve been called in real life. That’s fine. I’m a big boy. Call me whatever you like; just remember that I’m allowed to own a gun. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690/20 "2015-12-17T23:10:59Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > I’d use “The US”. Seppos is a new one to me, probably the only one I’d find objectionable. But like most slurs - eh, I’ve identified the idiot. Yes, it should be “The US” or “The U.S.” because otherwise it’s asking “how do they do that in United States?” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-us-usa-etc/740690.md?page=2)