# What does "forecourt" mean in UK? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 28, 2018, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307 "2018-03-28T00:19:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/21 "2018-03-28T13:28:38Z")
How about a ‘traffic of cars’. A ‘park of cars’. A ‘drive of cars’. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AlonzoSWhitebeard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71c47a/32.png) [@AlonzoSWhitebeard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlonzoSWhitebeard)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/22 "2018-03-28T13:30:37Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > In my experience, ‘fleet’ is only every used to refer to cars by the sort of people who happily use all sorts of other management bullshit. . Yeah. People who need to talk about owning (or in some way managing) lots of cars, are normally doing so in a professional role. It’s a weird kind of luddism to describe anything said in a management context as “bullshit”. Large organisations, with logistics operations, and fleets, are a real thing. It’s reasonable for there to be words to describe what they do. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/23 "2018-03-28T13:36:33Z")
> [@AlonzoSWhitebeard](#): > > Yeah. People who need to talk about owning (or in some way managing) lots of cars, are normally doing so in a professional role. It’s a weird kind of luddism to describe anything said in a management context as “bullshit”. I don’t describe ‘anything’ said in a management context as ‘bullshit’, I describe some things said in a management context as ‘bullshit’. In any case the clue is in the word ‘subjective’. It’s relevant in this context to also say, ‘YMMV’ - your mileage may vary. You may have a point about people managing many cars all owned by the same company. But I have more than once heard **all** the cars in the UK described as the ‘UK fleet’, which is absurd. ---
**Author:** ![AlonzoSWhitebeard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71c47a/32.png) [@AlonzoSWhitebeard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlonzoSWhitebeard)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/24 "2018-03-28T13:39:31Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > But I have more than once heard **all** the cars in the UK described as the ‘UK fleet’, which is absurd. If it wasn’t for that handy word, we’d have to use the all-purpose management and public policy term for distributed assets and call it the UK automotive “estate”. Which would be particularly confusing. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/25 "2018-03-28T14:37:11Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I’ve aways considered one of the joys of the English language is that we have more words than strictly necessary to function, not less… fewer. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/26 "2018-03-28T14:55:49Z")
Wow. If you want the maximum number of terms for a “gas station” in one article I think you’d find this one from **Forecourt Trader** hard to beat: > [@](#): > > [Women attacked in **forecourt** store robbery taken to hospital](https://forecourttrader.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/14805/Women_attacked_in_forecourt_store_robbery_taken_to_hospital.html) > > A woman was injured when robbers stormed a **petrol station** in Norton, County Durham. > > A “substantial amount” of money and cigarettes were taken in the robbery at the Jet garage on Norton Road. It happened shortly before 8.30pm on Sunday March 25. > > The woman, 27, suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment. > > A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said: “Police received a report of a robbery at the Jet **garage** on Norton Road in Norton at around 8.20pm yesterday evening, Sunday March 25. > > “Two male suspects entered the garage and stole a substantial amount of cash and cigarettes. > > “The suspects were violent towards a 27-year-old woman in the garage, leaving her with minor injuries. > > “She was taken to the University Hospital of North Tees for treatment before being released.” > > No arrests have been made. Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or who may have information is asked to call 101. Although we are talking about a publication that struggles with the difference between _woman_ and _women_. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/27 "2018-03-28T16:14:21Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > I don’t know why we have it in British English. I’ve always found it an irritating, pretentious word that could invariably be replaced by ‘petrol station’ or ‘filling station’. If it was used specifically for the area where the pumps are there might be some tenuous need for it, but it isn’t, it generally refers to the whole location and enterprise. I’ve not seen it used that way in common language - The industry might internally use the term in a broader sense, in perhaps the same way as telephone suppliers call themselves ‘the communications industry’, but that doesn’t matter. ‘A forecourt’, in the context of petrol stations, is the physical paved yard containing the pumps, the car wash, the air, water and vacuum machines (and in the context of the OP’s quote, now, charging equipment for electric vehicles). ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/28 "2018-03-28T16:57:26Z")
It can be useful sometimes for disambiguation. Petrol stations aren’t actually just petrol stations, usually, because they include diesel and now electricity charging points. And just saying station is ambiguous. Also some petrol stations already have a different kind of electricity charging point - people can top up the keys for their electricity meters (if they have a key meter rather than being billed) in some of the larger petrol station shops. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/29 "2018-03-29T06:47:47Z")
I imagine we’ll still be calling them petrol stations long after we’ve burnt the last drop of oil - just like the way we call it ‘dialling’ when we call someone on the phone. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/30 "2018-03-29T07:59:41Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’ve not seen it used that way in common language - > > The industry might internally use the term in a broader sense Which, I made clear, was what I was talking about. But it’s not just internally; it’s the term they use in press releases and such like. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/31 "2018-03-29T10:42:29Z")
I have had ‘fleet’ manager as part of a job title in two different organisations. I am not sure at which point a number of vehicles become a fleet, but a company would need quite a lot to justify a manager. In both cases, I was responsible for well over 250, which surely qualifies. I too get irritated by newspaper speak, but they often have to write in a kind of shorthand and, like it or not, we all understand what they mean when they talk about ‘the national fleet of cars’. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/32 "2018-03-29T18:10:36Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I imagine we’ll still be calling them petrol stations long after we’ve burnt the last drop of oil - just like the way we call it ‘dialling’ when we call someone on the phone. Probably. But it’s sometimes also useful to have a word that disambiguates the matter. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/33 "2018-03-29T19:09:46Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > Which, I made clear, was what I was talking about. But it’s not just internally; it’s the term they use in press releases and such like. You’ve said that, and you said the quote in the OP is an example of it,. but I don’t see how it is an example of what you say - as far as I can see, it’s talking about installing charging facilities in the outdoor yards of fuel stations. Do you have a clear example of the thing you’re talking about? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/34 "2018-03-29T20:16:16Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > You’ve said that, and you said the quote in the OP is an example of it,. but I don’t see how it is an example of what you say - as far as I can see, it’s talking about installing charging facilities in the outdoor yards of fuel stations. > > Do you have a clear example of the thing you’re talking about? Yes, the one I gave in post 14. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/35 "2018-03-29T21:01:37Z")
One frequent difference between the US and the UK regarding forecourts: In the US the forecourt often leads to an entrance to the 1st floor. In the UK the forecourt often leads to an entrance to the floor below the 1st floor. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/36 "2018-03-29T21:14:38Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > Yes, the one I gave in post 14. I’m still not sure that demonstrates the thing you say it does. Essar has a bunch of forecourts. The retail units associated with the Essar branded forecourts are an assortment of franchises including Spar, Premier, etc - or are attached to a car dealership. The term ‘forecourt’ here still appears to be describing the fuel-dispensing yard. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/37 "2018-03-29T23:06:52Z")
There aren’t actually that many types of business in which outdoor vs indoor transactions carries such a significant distinction in the seller’s mind. I wonder if that’s often why the word is used. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2018, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/38 "2018-03-31T05:48:03Z")
> [@AlonzoSWhitebeard](#): > > “Forecourt” is a synecdoche for the whole petrol retailing environment, so any discussion of the forecourt sector would include Wild Bean Cafes and the like. Ok but not for me in New Zealand. To extend your example, would “Reception” encompass a whole office space? A forecourt is a specific area of a petrol station which is exclusively outdoors. The front hardstanding area which includes the pumps, air hoses, trailers, and parking. The garage building which includes the mechanics workshop plus retail and toilets etc is never within the meaning of forecourt. To be specific, we have planning laws controlling forecourts regarding fire control, water hoses, drains etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2018, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/39 "2018-03-31T05:55:59Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > One frequent difference between the US and the UK regarding forecourts: > > In the US the forecourt often leads to an entrance to the 1st floor. > > In the UK the forecourt often leads to an entrance to the floor below the 1st floor. 😉 Lol yes. In most of the world, the Ground Floor is at ground level and indeed, some buildings have an outside entrance area - often with a canopy or raised entry way. If set back from the road even a few feet, this is a forecourt. In the US you mistakenly refer to the Ground Floor as the !st Floor which causes smiles but is trifling. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2018, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307/40 "2018-03-31T13:58:07Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > Lol yes. In most of the world, the Ground Floor is at ground level and indeed, some buildings have an outside entrance area - often with a canopy or raised entry way. If set back from the road even a few feet, this is a forecourt. > > In the US you mistakenly refer to the Ground Floor as the !st Floor which causes smiles but is trifling. 🙂 You might be correct that a majority in the world numbers storeys with a “count from zero” floor system, but the US is far from alone in acknowledging that the first storey usually has a floor these days. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-forecourt-mean-in-uk/811307.md?page=3)