tree lawns; was Re: Off and on

[Jonathan Lighter]

I never heard a term for it in NYC. In fact, I'd still call it "you know,
that grassy area between the sidewalk and the curb?"

JL

JL

On Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 4:56 PM, Dan Goodman <dsgood at iphouse.com> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Dan Goodman <dsgood at IPHOUSE.COM>
> Subject:      Re: tree lawns; was Re: Off and on
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On 09/22/2011 10:59 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
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> > Sender:       American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Jonathan Lighter<wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: tree lawns; was Re: Off and on
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Ohio, with its unique "devil's strip," went for Obama.
> >
> > Alert the Tea Party.
> >
> > JL
> >
> > On Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 10:01 AM, Laurence Horn<laurence.horn at yale.edu
> >wrote:
> >
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> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Laurence Horn<laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> >> Subject:      Re: tree lawns; was Re: Off and on
> >>
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> On Sep 22, 2011, at 9:54 AM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
> >>
> >>> At 9/22/2011 01:33 AM, Paul Johnston wrote:
> >>>> ... As I say, in New Jersey, there was no term, though my
> >>>> neighborhood had sidewalks, and so, there was a tree
> lawn/parkway/berm.
> >>>
> >>> Nor do I, grown in NYC and living in New England, have a term.
> >>
> >> Right; I have a similar background and was disconcerted to see that Bert
> >> Vaux's otherwise very useful survey page doesn't have an entry for *my*
> >> favored term, i.e. "the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the
> curb".
> >>   I will concede that "tree lawn", "berm", et al. are a bit more
> concise.
> >>
> >> LH, recalling an abortive attempt to popularize the label "dog-turd
> strip"
> >> in the old pre-pooper-scooper era
>
> In the Twin Cities area, the term is "boulevard."  My amateur guess:
> originally "boulevard strip."
>
> To the best of my knowledge, New York City has no term.
>
> Berm:  For parts of my childhood, I lived on the Berme Road in Ulster
> County, NY.  It ran near the route of the Delaware and Hudson Canal.
>
> --
> Dan Goodman dsgood at iphouse.com
> Whatever you wish for me, may you have twice as much.
>
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