# Unique local/regional names for common things **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 16, 2021, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610 "2021-07-16T04:45:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/21 "2021-07-16T23:10:49Z")
I’m not sure how regional that one is… In my experience in the eastern US, “mountain lion” and “cougar” are both common, “puma” is rare, and “panther” (at least for that species) is almost unheard-of. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/22 "2021-07-16T23:11:21Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > The Wisconsin “bubbler” is a time-honored example Our next-door neighbors went to the New York World’s Fair and, in the middle of a hot afternoon, asked a guard where the nearest bubbler was. “Take a right at the end of this building and how are things in Milwaukee?” ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/23 "2021-07-16T23:54:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > and “panther” (at least for that species) is almost unheard-of. There is the Florida panther, which is technically a distinct subspecies, but still part of the same overall species as mountain lions. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/24 "2021-07-17T01:32:32Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Our next-door neighbors went to the New York World’s Fair and, in the middle of a hot afternoon, asked a guard where the nearest bubbler was. > > “Take a right at the end of this building and how are things in Milwaukee?” [Debunking the Bubbler myth](https://www.sheboyganpress.com/story/news/local/2014/10/31/sheboygan-history-bubblers/18254395/) In summary: Kohler company doesn’t claim to have coined the term Bubbler, nor invented it. In Wisconsin drinking fountains were called bubblers well back into the 19th century, long before Kohler Company existed. But use of the term Bubbler for drinking fountain is quite localized to SE Wisconsin and bits of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It’s often assumed that the name is derived from early models where the bubbles rose in the glass water container and made standard bubbling noises, when water was dispensed. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/25 "2021-07-17T01:43:01Z")
People in central Indiana are fond of calling bell peppers mangoes. Also, if someone says he wants a tenderloin, he probably means a pounded, breaded and fried pork sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/26 "2021-07-17T01:49:27Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > People in central Indiana are fond of calling bell peppers mangoes.- Why?? That could lead to confusion here in South Texas where we have a couple of different kinds of mangoes and **lots** of different kinds of peppers in the grocery store. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/27 "2021-07-17T01:59:34Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Why?? [British couldn’t get mangos to pickle so they used peppers instead](https://www.indystar.com/story/news/history/retroindy/2017/11/16/why-do-hoosiers-call-green-peppers-mangoes/871029001/) ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/28 "2021-07-17T02:08:54Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > [Hoagies, subs, grinders, heroes](https://www.thekitchn.com/hoagies-heroes-subs-and-grinders-whats-the-deal-with-these-sandwich-names-222944) - are all different names for the same damn thing as far as I’m concerned. You forgot [“spuckies.”](https://newengland.com/today/living/new-england-nostalgia/spukies-subs-grinders-sandwich-names/) ---
**Author:** ![Franklymydear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a6a055/32.png) [@Franklymydear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Franklymydear)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/29 "2021-07-17T03:25:14Z")
Potato bugs. There was a cool survey from Harvard that you used to be able to do. would identify where you learned American English. It nailed me. But i haven’t had much luck finding the original Harvard link. > **[I'm Gonna Ask You 40 Questions — Then I'll Guess Exactly Where You Live](https://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewziegler/dialect-quiz)** > > Have you ever told someone to "shut the lights"? ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/30 "2021-07-17T03:41:25Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > > [@QuickSilver](#): > > > > [Hoagies, subs, grinders, heroes](https://www.thekitchn.com/hoagies-heroes-subs-and-grinders-whats-the-deal-with-these-sandwich-names-222944) - are all different names for the same damn thing as far as I’m concerned. > > You forgot [“spuckies.”](https://newengland.com/today/living/new-england-nostalgia/spukies-subs-grinders-sandwich-names/) And Po-boys. Which are the first ones I encountered. With fried oysters. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/31 "2021-07-17T04:15:54Z")
> [@Franklymydear](#): > > [This Dialect Quiz Will Guess Where You Live](https://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewziegler/dialect-quiz) They got Oregon. I’m in New York State. Been in the Northeast most of my life. I’ve been to Oregon for maybe a month, more than 40 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/32 "2021-07-17T04:25:21Z")
In San Diego, “rolled taco” is the most common name you’ll hear for what would be called a taquito or a flauta elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/33 "2021-07-17T04:31:52Z")
Dropping the past tense is probably because most Asian languages don’t have past tense terms. Hawaiian pidgin English has a heavy Chinese and Japanese influence because of the immigrants who came to work on the plantations. If I asked someone in Hawaiian pidgin, “You shave?”, it would be understood as “Have you shaved?”. Ironically, I’m sure I’ve seen signs advertising _shaved ice_ in Hawaii. I think in Asian restaurants. Possibly to avoid confusion from non-English speakers to whom _shave ice_ wouldn’t make sense in their limited understanding of English. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/34 "2021-07-17T13:27:38Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > the TYME automated teller machine network was big in Wisconsin and a few other states (apparently, it was also in parts of Illinois, I assume near Wisconsin.) Yes indeedy, we always referred to the ATM’s as TYME machines when I was growing up in Madison. The closest one to home was on Monroe St. at the First Wisconsin bank. It had a nice, glassed-in outer lobby where you could access the ATM without going into the building proper, as far back as the early 1980’s. From this spot you could walk 1 block to a grocery store, a pharmacy, a couple of gift shops, a clothing store, a hardware store and even a place that sold Apple computers. IIRC TYME stood for “Take Your Money Everywhere” which seems a bit goofy thinking about it now. > [@Didi44](#): > > Dropping the past tense is probably because most Asian languages don’t have past tense terms. This must be why so many Chinese restaurants offer “steam rice.” ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/35 "2021-07-17T13:50:43Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > They got Oregon. > > I’m in New York State. Been in the Northeast most of my life. I’ve been to Oregon for maybe a month, more than 40 years ago. I got California and I’m from Seattle, so not so bad. They didn’t have the answer for “Tennie Runners”, which skews towards the Pacific Northwest. [The language of sneakers](https://blog.wordnik.com/the-language-of-sneakers) They also didn’t have the “caught/cot” question, which is another well-known divider, but that’s more for the accent, rather than the name of things. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/36 "2021-07-17T14:11:17Z")
> [@Franklymydear](#): > > Have you ever told someone to “shut the lights”? My mother grew up in Johnstown PA. Her family said “outen the lights.” ---
**Author:** ![Franklymydear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a6a055/32.png) [@Franklymydear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Franklymydear)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/37 "2021-07-17T14:24:04Z")
The BuzzFeed link i gave is probably not the best dialect test because, well its a BuzzFeed test. [http://dialect.redlog.net](http://dialect.redlog.net) seems to be no longer active. but it was much longer as i recall. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/38 "2021-07-17T14:26:40Z")
I wonder whether “shut the lights” was part of the problem. I answered yes to that, because the question said “ever” and I might occasionally have said “shut the lights off”; but what I’d usually say is “turn off the lights” which IIRC wasn’t one of the options. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/39 "2021-07-17T14:26:53Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > Yes indeedy, we always referred to the ATM’s as TYME machines when I was growing up in Madison… When I first got to Madison I’d have a friend say “Oh, can we stop by the tyme machine?” I was so tempted to answer “Sure, I could use twenty bucks, and some ducats from the Renaissance.” ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610/40 "2021-07-17T14:29:23Z")
Some variations must be due to age rather than geography. My grandma used to say… hassock instead of footstool/ottoman davenport instead of couch pocketbook instead of purse She also warshed her clothes and called the capital of the US Warshington DC. My mom picked up on that, passed it on to us, I used the pronunciation once in front of normal people and took a real flaming for it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-local-regional-names-for-common-things/946610.md?page=3)