beyond the pail

[Duane Campbell]

On Fri, 7 Mar 2003 16:25:12 -0500 Laurence Horn

> Are you sure you use them as exact synonyms?  I have both words in
> my
> active lexicon (NY), but if I'm going to build sand castles on the
> beach (LI), I will bring my (plastic) pail (with or without
> shovel),
> but not a bucket.

Before posting I ran through a number of usages, and though there are
instances where I might commonly use one or the other, in no case would
my ear be offended by substitution. Even though we are forced by the
lyric to refer to "the old oaken bucket," I would have no problem calling
a container made from any wood other than oak a pail.

Strangely the one iron-clad example of differentiation offered in several
posts is "lunch pail". But here I hear "lunch bucket" as often as "lunch
pail".

In the discussion of all this, though, I have yet to see my question
answered. Is there something non-standard about either "pail" or
"bucket"?

D