Tissues/Kleenex

Terry   Wed Dec 07, 2005 2:43 pm GMT
<<And even more interesting, Wisconsin and southeastern New England (i.e., eastern Massachusetts plus Rhode Island) are the only regions in the entire country that use "bubbler" instead of "water fountain" or "drinking fountain".>>

I didn't realize we were the only ones. I wonder why Wisconsin and SE New England. I better check the link.
Terry   Wed Dec 07, 2005 2:47 pm GMT
<<Terry - Band-aid (plastic bandage for cuts)>>

Oh yes, Band-aids, we use that too. The others you mention are totally foreign to me.
Terry   Wed Dec 07, 2005 2:52 pm GMT
<<Oreos are meant to be the most popular American (chocolate) "cookie", and if they are, you have my sincerest pity.) >>

I thought it was Chips Ahoy but I may be wrong. I'm a Pepperidge Farm girl myself.

And yes, we use xerox as in, xeroxing copies.

Thanks for all the interesting info, Felix. I love the doonas.
Felix the Cassowary   Wed Dec 07, 2005 3:56 pm GMT
Terry, I don't suppose it matters much to my point if Chips Ahoy, Pepperidge Farm or Oreos are the most popular American chocolate "cookie", because they are not Tim Tams, and Tim Tams are immensely better in every way imaginable, based on the pictures. The other bikkies, they look nice I'm sure, but they're choc-chip biscuits and they have nothing on Tim Tams. Also, you can't drink a hot chocolate (or coffee) with an Oreo/Chips Ahoy/Pepperidge Farm biscuit, but you *can* with a Tim Tam! (And when I say "with", I don't mean "together", I mean "using".)
Felix the Cassowary   Wed Dec 07, 2005 4:00 pm GMT
Actually, my last post was kinda wrong. You can't really drink a hot chocolate with a Tim Tam, unless you are either **really** fast or you have a **really** small drink. But you can drink hot chocolate with a Tim Tam—there, that's better.
Terry   Wed Dec 07, 2005 4:41 pm GMT
<<But you can drink hot chocolate with a Tim Tam>>

Do you mean you dunk them in your drink? When we were kids we did that with graham crackers until they got all soft and gooey and eventually pieces fell to the bottom of our glasses of milk. Rather disgusting really, but still good.

I see I missed your original point (sorry) so I re-read your post. Now I wish I could get a Tim Tam here. They sound delicious.
Travis   Wed Dec 07, 2005 4:45 pm GMT
>><<And even more interesting, Wisconsin and southeastern New England (i.e., eastern Massachusetts plus Rhode Island) are the only regions in the entire country that use "bubbler" instead of "water fountain" or "drinking fountain".>>

I didn't realize we were the only ones. I wonder why Wisconsin and SE New England. I better check the link.<<

I myself can verify that "bubbler" is the form natively used in most everyday speech in at least the Milwaukee area (in southeastern Wisconsin), and forms like "water fountain" or "drinking fountain" sound rather formal and literary to me, being from there.
Terry   Wed Dec 07, 2005 6:37 pm GMT
<<I myself can verify that "bubbler" is the form natively used in most everyday speech in at least the Milwaukee area (in southeastern Wisconsin), and forms like "water fountain" or "drinking fountain" sound rather formal and literary to me, being from there. >>

It sounds a bit formal to me too, Travis. I grew up saying "bubbler" but since I moved around a bit and work with people from all over the country, I've started using "water fountain" as well, since when I say "bubbler" people tend to look at me like I have two heads.

Do you know if the British use bubbler?
Candy   Wed Dec 07, 2005 6:43 pm GMT
<<Do you know if the British use bubbler? >>

I've never heard it. "Drinking fountain' perhaps, although to be honest I don't know what the heck I'd call it! :)
Damian in Edinburgh   Wed Dec 07, 2005 6:50 pm GMT
Our office seems to be split 50/50......two teams: The Water Fountains in the red strip and the Bubblers in the blue. I'm a blues boy.

Marmite is great thinly spread on a slice of buttered hot toast made from wholemeal or granary bread. The toast has to be hot so do the spreading bits at full throttle.
Lazar   Wed Dec 07, 2005 9:06 pm GMT
<<<<I myself can verify that "bubbler" is the form natively used in most everyday speech in at least the Milwaukee area (in southeastern Wisconsin), and forms like "water fountain" or "drinking fountain" sound rather formal and literary to me, being from there. >>

It sounds a bit formal to me too, Travis. I grew up saying "bubbler" but since I moved around a bit and work with people from all over the country, I've started using "water fountain" as well, since when I say "bubbler" people tend to look at me like I have two heads.>>

And likewise I can personally verify that "bubbler" is the predominant term used here in the Worcester area. And ditto Terry's remark about people from other regions finding "bubbler" a bit strange - especially if it's pronounced in the traditional non-rhotic New England accent ([bVbl=@]). ;-)
Lazar   Wed Dec 07, 2005 9:08 pm GMT
<<Our office seems to be split 50/50......two teams: The Water Fountains in the red strip and the Bubblers in the blue. I'm a blues boy.>>

Welcome to the club! According to this survey: http://cfprod01.imt.uwm.edu/Dept/FLL/linguistics/dialect/staticmaps/q_103.html we constitute less than 4% of the U.S. population, so we need all the help we can get. ;-)
Terry   Thu Dec 08, 2005 4:51 pm GMT
And likewise I can personally verify that "bubbler" is the predominant term used here in the Worcester area. And ditto Terry's remark about people from other regions finding "bubbler" a bit strange - especially if it's pronounced in the traditional non-rhotic New England accent ([bVbl=@]). ;-)

LOL Lazar. Some accents in the Boston area are hard for even me to understand and I grew up there.
Terry   Thu Dec 08, 2005 4:53 pm GMT
<<I've never heard it. "Drinking fountain' perhaps, although to be honest I don't know what the heck I'd call it! :) >>

You must call it something, Candy.
Terry   Thu Dec 08, 2005 4:59 pm GMT
<<Our office seems to be split 50/50......two teams: The Water Fountains in the red strip and the Bubblers in the blue. I'm a blues boy.>>

Good for you, Damian, stick up for the old bubbler. Maybe the expression is a Scottish import. BTH, I used to call the Scottish, "Scotch," until you wised me up. :)