# The NYTimes 25-question American Language Guess-Where-You're-From map/algorithm **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 24, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104 "2013-12-24T21:10:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/141 "2013-12-26T20:18:41Z")
I’d like to see the geographic distribution of answers to this question: What do you call the headlight setting used on dark roads with no oncoming traffic? 1. Brights 2. High beams 3. Other The correct answer is, of course, “high beams”. I grew up in suburban Connecticut and NYC / Long Island. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/142 "2013-12-26T20:21:53Z")
High Beams here (NE Ohio). ---
**Author:** ![mage-girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@mage-girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mage-girl)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/143 "2013-12-26T20:27:53Z")
For me it guessed Phoenix, AZ, and two cities near there. I live in Nebraska and have for 30-plus years now. So that is kinda weird. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/144 "2013-12-26T20:28:42Z")
High beams in Arkansas as well. Strange to agree with Long Island, I was married to one and we occasionally could not understand each other. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Celidin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Celidin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celidin)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/145 "2013-12-26T20:39:04Z")
Nailed me as a combination of New York and Philadelphia. Go Central Jersey! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/146 "2013-12-26T20:44:08Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > I’d like to see the geographic distribution of answers to this question: > > What do you call the headlight setting used on dark roads with no oncoming traffic? > > 1. Brights > 2. High beams > 3. Other > > The correct answer is, of course, “high beams”. I grew up in suburban Connecticut and NYC / Long Island. I use both terms. Chicago, IL. I couldn’t tell you if one is more popular than the other. I think “brights” is perhaps the more common one, as the phrase “flash your brights” sounds slightly more natural to me than “flash your high beans,” although I can’t say for sure. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2013, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/147 "2013-12-26T21:07:38Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > I’d like to see the geographic distribution of answers to this question: > > What do you call the headlight setting used on dark roads with no oncoming traffic? > > 1. Brights > 2. High beams > 3. Other > > The correct answer is, of course, “high beams”. I grew up in suburban Connecticut and NYC / Long Island. Both sound equally fine, the first is more colloquial. Like something a mechanic or tuner might use. But I was just thinking of this distinction a day or two ago! ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2013, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/148 "2013-12-26T21:24:28Z")
It nailed me perfectly: Omaha, Overland Park, KS, and Aurora, CO. I’m a little surprised it was so accurate since I say “soda” instead of “pop,” which is idiosyncratic for Nebraska, but there you go. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/149 "2013-12-26T21:27:11Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > High Beams here (NE Ohio). And over in the other corner of the state, we also favor this (though it’s not unusual to say “brights” also). ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/150 "2013-12-26T21:49:05Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Interesting. I am from Calgary of course and the thing pinged Seattle, Spokane and Portland/Vancouver for me. If the map extended into Canada, Calgary would have been in the red area the test placed me in. > [@Sunspace](#): > > Weird. I too am trim Southern Ontario, but the closest matches were western Colorado and southern Florida. Bwuh? Never been to either of them. > [@Leaffan](#): > > Tacoma, Washington. > > and > > Orlando and Pembroke Pines, Florida! > [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > My likely zone is yellow or red everywhere in the U.S. except for a bluish streak from Michigan to Texas. > Perhaps me being in Montreal yields nonspecific results. The results for the Canadians taking the test are interesting - maybe we have too many “others,” so we get virtually random results. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Also, “What do you call an easy high school or college class?” has an “other” option, but no “none” option. I would call it “an easy class.” “Crip course” sounds _familiar_, but I thought I heard the term as “cri **b** course.” > > Rolly poly is the most common term I heard as a kid for those guys, but the term bothered me and I never used it. I would call that a Mickey Mouse course. > [@Absolute](#): > > I’d like to see the geographic distribution of answers to this question: > > What do you call the headlight setting used on dark roads with no oncoming traffic? > > 1. Brights > 2. High beams > 3. Other > > The correct answer is, of course, “high beams”. I grew up in suburban Connecticut and NYC / Long Island. They’d be “brights” here > [@MonkeyMensch](#): > > \ > > Though it was interesting to see where they think use of “coke” for a soft drink is concentrated. Yes, it’s a COKE dammit! I had trouble ordering in a Burger King in Pennsylvania years ago - I wanted a Sprite with my meal, and the cashier kept saying Coke. No, not a Coke, a small Sprite! Yes, that’s what I said - a small Coke. Gah! ---
**Author:** ![dasmili](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@dasmili](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmili)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/151 "2013-12-26T22:03:06Z")
Washington, DC and Arlington are the area I grew up in, so pretty good. Durham, NC though? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/152 "2013-12-26T22:15:00Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I would call that a Mickey Mouse course. My dad might too, but I’ve never heard anyone else say that. ---
**Author:** ![Arabella\_Flynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@Arabella\_Flynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arabella_Flynn)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/153 "2013-12-27T06:44:42Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Actually, it’s a spanish word. It’s used in California, referring to Mom and Pop stores in the [barrios](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrio) of east LA. > I’ve only heard it in the LA area and I’ve lived and visited much of the US. It’s used in NYC. I’m fairly sure I figured out what it meant what might more formally be called a ‘newsagent’ from watching countless hours of _Law & Order_. I’ve also heard it in heavily Hispanic neighborhoods in and around Boston, but it may be a transplant from New York. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/154 "2013-12-27T15:01:13Z")
It pegged me as being from Boston, though I think you only need the “what do you call a round traffic thingy?” question to do that. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/155 "2013-12-27T15:48:26Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I had trouble ordering in a Burger King in Pennsylvania years ago - I wanted a Sprite with my meal, and the cashier kept saying Coke. No, not a Coke, a small Sprite! Yes, that’s what I said - a small Coke. Gah! That’s strange. Calling sweetened carbonated beverages Cokes is more of a Southern thing. In PA, it’s either soda or pop. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/156 "2013-12-27T16:04:49Z")
Newark / Paterson, New York and Baltimore. It didn’t stand a chance, since I’m from South Africa. But I have been living in the US for over 9 years now (mostly in Georgia and California). ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/157 "2013-12-27T16:30:07Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I had trouble ordering in a Burger King in Pennsylvania years ago - I wanted a Sprite with my meal, and the cashier kept saying Coke. No, not a Coke, a small Sprite! Yes, that’s what I said - a small Coke. Gah! At a gas station in Pa, I could not understand a damn thing the cash register guy said. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/158 "2013-12-27T16:33:59Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > The results for the Canadians taking the test are interesting - maybe we have too many “others,” so we get virtually random results. > > I would call that a Mickey Mouse course. Well, I took it again and had a few different questions to answer. I’m now from Minneapolis / St. Paul. It was the “kitty-corner” answer that placed me there apparently. Oh, and BTW, it’s a “bird course!” ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/159 "2013-12-27T16:44:57Z")
I had never heard the term _tree lawn_ until I lived in NE. In southern MN we called it a boulevard. And the strip of grass and trees in the middle of a street we call a parkway. For me I see I’ve been strongly influenced by my mother’s side of the family from IA. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104/160 "2013-12-27T18:46:02Z")
> [@MegaBee](#): > > That’s strange. Calling sweetened carbonated beverages Cokes is more of a Southern thing. In PA, it’s either soda or pop. Maybe she was a transplant. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nytimes-25-question-american-language-guess-where-youre-from-map-algorithm/677104.md?page=9)