semi-skim

[Laurence Horn]

At 2:22 PM -0500 2/28/11, Alice Faber wrote:
>On 2/28/11 2:01 PM, Victor Steinbok wrote:
>>In my mind, Chris's country labels were reversed, which is why I did not
>>even notice it. Folk history has it that "supermarket" originated in the US.
>>
>>As for "spa", AHD4 doesn't have it either, but it does have a "regional
>>note" suggestion that in "Eastern New England" it means "soda fountain".
>>In the 28 years that I've been living here (minus 6 years spent
>>elsewhere), I've never heard the expression. Maybe I haven't been paying
>>attention. I have heard spa==grocery store/corner store in Vermont, but
>>expressed by non-natives. Speaking of which, "corner
>>store"==grocery/general store is not in OED, although it's in Wiki,
>>Encarta and Macmillan. I've heard it used in reference to small local
>>stores that are NOT at a corner, but never for chain convenience/-t stores.
>
>
>When I first moved to New Haven in the late 80s, there was a downtown
>"greasy spoon" lunch counter called The College Spa.
>
>--
Named not after Yale, I assume, but its location on College St.

LH

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