I am confused!!! Definitions please - Page 2

Stiney · 07-09-2007, 10:33 AM

We use pocketbook on the East Coast as a general "women's bag filled with wallet and other stuff" term. You can specify what kind of bag it is with words like "tote" or "purse" or "clutch" or whatever.

I'm from NJ and I never heard hamburger called "chopped meat." It's a hamburger. Before it's a hamburger, it's ground beef.

suzeeq · 07-09-2007, 03:35 PM

Coulda been what my friend's family just called it then.... I thought it was a NJ thing.

ArtLady1981 · 07-10-2007, 07:59 AM

Semantics. Semantics. Dontcha just love English?

What is that thing my husband lies on...
a) couch?
b) sofa?
c) davenport?
d) daveno?

Your answer gives away where you live, and your age.

Same goes for many things...such as the terms you brought up: purse, handbag, bag.

Tote falls into another category of carryall. Is it a tote, carryall, or shopper?

Your answers give away where you live and your age!

There are no wrong answers!

Feef · 07-10-2007, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by Stiney

I'm from NJ and I never heard hamburger called "chopped meat." It's a hamburger. Before it's a hamburger, it's ground beef.

I'm in CT, and people here call hamburger chopped meat as well. However, there are hamburgers that one buys at fast food chains or cook on the grill. One is the ingredient, one is the finished product.

And, purses here are called pocket books. I'm from CA, and never dealt with these terms prior to moving here. Had to learn the lay of the land, the weather, what on earth a 'nor'easter' is, the difference between ice and sleet, and then pocket book vs purse! LOL

ArtLady1981 · 07-10-2007, 08:50 PM

As soon as I read the term "pocketbook" on this thread...I immediately thought of Judge Judy. She calls a handbag/purse/bag a "pocketbook"!

Out here in the Pacific Northwest, "pocketbook" is unheard of! If someone used the term at Nordstrom..."Say, can you tell me...where are your pocketbooks?"...the sales associate would probably direct you to Barnes and Noble!

Dontcha just love English??

suzeeq · 07-11-2007, 04:06 AM

Yep, pocketbooks were what paperbacks were first called, because you could slip them into a pocket. The first publisher of them used a kangaroo as a logo...