"Do you do Taco Hell?" / "bus" as non-count n.

[hpst@earthlink.net]

JL,

Years ago there was a talk show host in Cleveland who used to do restaurant
reviews.

I still remember the one which was a journey through Taco Hell.

Page Stephens

> [Original Message]
> From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Date: 12/7/2006 8:22:16 PM
> Subject: [ADS-L] "Do you do Taco Hell?" / "bus" as non-count n.
>
> I was sitting just in front of a pair of college kids on a bus on Nov.
21.  One was from a California college. She asked her friend,  "Do you do
Taco Hell ?"  Of course this meant "Do you patronize Taco Bell restaurants
?"  Tens of thousands of RG's for "Taco Hell."
>
>   Perhaps of greater interest was the question, "So am I going to spend
$100 this weekend riding bus ?"
>
>   "Bus" as a non-count n.?  This is strange to me.  And yet my neighbor
in grad school one year (1977-78)  used to reminisce about "driving truck"
in Ohio, and in Tennessee I was once asked, "Do you ever ride bike ?"
>
>   In all three cases the speakers (white) showed no other indication of
"final cluster reduction."  So I believe tsomething is going on with
certain vehicular idioms, something that, fortunately, has passed me by.
>
>   JL
>
>
>
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