This discussion of localisms and how England and America are two countries divided by a common language leads me to one of my favorite lines from a song, q.v., "Monday Morning," by Cyril Tawney:

Where has the weekend gone?
Where is the wine and beer I tasted?
Gone the same way as the pay I wasted [i.e., pissed away]
On a Monday morning.

Such a subtle use of a colloquialism, and one that probably slips through the consciousness of most listeners. I love it!



BTW, in Appalachia and parts of the midwest, "crick" is used in place of "creek," at least when spoken. My family used it regularly, in Des Moines, but then they came by way of Tennessee, 'way back. And there were three pronunciations of "root, as well.

Someone asked about "runs," which is most common in Virginia and West-By-God, though I don't know about neighboring states like N.C. and Tennessee.

Pronunciations:
The part of a tree is root -- think "ruit," OR "rute";
The highway is a route -- think "rowt" OR "rute";
And the pigs would root -- think "rute" -- in the ground. So there was overlap in some pronunciations, particularly for roads, but the verb was always "rute." I never heard of pigs "ruiting" or "rowting."

Bob