beyond the pail

[Joan Hall]

DARE labels bucket "formerly chiefly Sth and Midl, now more
widespread."  The label at pail is "formerly chiefly Nth, now more widespread."

At 09:25 AM 3/8/2003 -0800, you wrote:
>Duane:
>
> > I have been watching this thread with hope of enlightenment, in vain so
> > far. Are you people saying that there is something non-standard about
> > "pail"? I have always used "pail" and "bucket"  (PA and NY) as exact
> > synonyms and never considered that there was anything regional about it.
> >
> > I live in a mixed crick/creek area, though crick is used more (but not
> > exclusively) by older people. But even a creek speaker would never say,
> > "Lord willin' and the CREEK don't rise."
>
>*I* don't think there's anything "nonstandard" about the usage in your part
>of the world.  I understand "pail" (garbage pail; you'd never say "garbage
>bucket" around here)and bucket to be more or less synonomous, but "bucket"
>for such a vessel is more "usual", that's all.  As for "creek/crick", my
>"usual" experience is that "crick" is used mostly by older "natives" and
>people(a lot of them)who come from somewhere else.  But "nonstandard"??????
>I've learned too much on this list to ever fall into that hole.
>Anne g