Pizza "cut" for "slice"

[Hillary Brown]

FWIW, the "cuts" at the place that was in Athens were square, not
triangular. Could that be the difference?

hb

On 5/29/07, Douglas G. Wilson <douglas at nb.net> wrote:
>
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Pizza "cut" for "slice"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> >It's probably regional, but by no means confned to Ocean City, New
> Jersey.
> >I never heard anyone in Pittsburgh use any word besides "cut" to refer to
> >a slice of pizza.
>
> One's personal experience ... even mine (^_^) ... may not always be
> representative.
>
> I have never, as I recall, heard the noun "cut [of pizza]" (can't
> guarantee
> I haven't ignored it once or twice) until just now on this list. I've
> lived
> in Pittsburgh (suburbs) for 18 years.
>
> Maybe I don't get out enough, though, so I asked a recent university
> graduate who grew up in Pittsburgh (suburbs) and spent several years at U.
> Pittsburgh (Oakland campus, Pittsburgh city). I suppose the subject of
> pizza must come up among the students from time to time, but my informant
> does not recall ever encountering "cut" meaning "slice [of pizza]", EXCEPT
> sometimes on a pizzeria menu where one might read, say, <<18" pizza (12
> cuts)>>. Now that I think of it, I may have seen this too ... but I would
> have taken the word "cut" to mean exactly the radial incision rather than
> a
> piece of the pizza.
>
> A native informant who is a current local high school student denies ever
> hearing this "cut [of pizza]" in any context.
>
> Of two older local natives, one recognizes "cut of pizza", the other does
> not. Both give "slice" as the more usual word.
>
> Quick Google for <<"pizza by the cut" pittsburgh>> turns up 6 hits, one of
> which is at the Web-site of a restaurant near my home. OTOH, <<"pizza by
> the slice" pittsburgh>> turns up 579 hits. A few other analogous searches
> get similar results.
>
> In short: this "cut" is used around these parts, but it appears to be very
> much less prevalent than "slice". Perhaps it's different in certain
> neighborhoods or among certain groups.
>
> -- Doug Wilson
>
>
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