[Ads-l] prom; lodge

[Dennis During]

In the communities involved 'prom' and 'lodge' are treated the way.we treat
'work', 'school', 'prison', 'jail', 'university'. I wouldn't have expected
that, but it makes.sense.

On Sat, Jun 22, 2024, 4:50 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> In my day, when the earth's crust had recently cooled, we teens spoke of
> going to "the prom."  Years later, I heard a new crop of teens talk about
> going to "prom," suddenly a mass noun.
>
> In the July, 1960, issue of _Walt Disney's Comics and Stories_, one of
> Donald Duck's nephews says "But tonight's Lodge Night at the Junior
> Woodchucks!" And the next one says "We can't skip lodge!"
>
> Another mass noun that even now strikes me as odd. (I'd say "We can't skip
> Lodge Night!")   Both "prom" and "lodge" designate familiar, recurring
> events.  Are there other exx. of this grammatical quirk?
>
> JL
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org