floor 'ground'

[Jonathan Lighter]

Larry, my recollection is precisely the opposite. I would occasionally say
"fell on the floor" for "...ground."

I never recall being corrected, however. Scary, huh?

Moreover, I believe that "fell on the floor" was the only construction that
invited the mix-up.

Now it's supposedly a trend.

Inglish arises from humble beginnings.

JL



On Fri, Sep 26, 2014 at 10:25 AM, Christopher Philippo <toff at mac.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Christopher Philippo <toff at MAC.COM>
> Subject:      Re: floor 'ground'
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Sep 26, 2014, at 10:15 AM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> =
> wrote:
> > I remember people, including I think me as a child, being corrected =
> for saying "(fall on) the ground" for "the floor" when inside
> >=20
> > "Don't eat that--it fell on the ground"
> > "You mean the floor"
>
> Imagine children being told that if they kept using those words =
> incorrectly then they=92d be grounded.  They=92d probably be floored =
> that the difference could matter so much!
>
> Chris Philippo=
>
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