Post Av7SVDyoU3wr2V05GS by darkling@mstdn.social
(DIR) More posts by darkling@mstdn.social
(DIR) Post #Av7NReAGgj0zJwphtQ by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-06-14T10:18:09Z
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I love how Brits call parking lots "car parks" it makes it sound so fun and playful for the cars. Like there is this little oasis with roads and fun little activities for vehicles. Parking lot is more honest, thought "urban space use failure" would be even better. (at least in dense cities)
(DIR) Post #Av7O7gW0L4qEm12rZo by alicemcalicepants@ohai.social
2025-06-14T10:25:35Z
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@futurebird when I was very little, I used to say it as 'par carks' 😁
(DIR) Post #Av7OQcbb6Esy9KguHo by Beedazzled@mastodon.green
2025-06-14T10:29:08Z
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@futurebird as we don't use the word lot to mean a space parking lots sounds a bit odd to us
(DIR) Post #Av7Pmz20V7aM1lGqYa by cstross@wandering.shop
2025-06-14T10:44:16Z
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@futurebird In British English, "lot" is a quantity, not a piece of land—that'd be a plot, but the implication is agricultural, so a car plot would be either an automotive conspiracy of a farm that grows SUVs, maybe?
(DIR) Post #Av7SVDyoU3wr2V05GS by darkling@mstdn.social
2025-06-14T11:14:46Z
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@futurebird Having car parks does allow us this joke, though:"Noah!""Yes, Lord?""Remember that boat you made last time?""Yes, Lord.""I want you to make me another one, only this time, build many decks, and fill it with fish.""Of course, Lord. But why?""I've always wanted a multi-storey carp ark."
(DIR) Post #Av7UBRVUgG6R6qyuiO by SteveClough@metalhead.club
2025-06-14T11:33:32Z
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@futurebird I think there is a linguistic difference here. a car park is where cars are parked. Stuck.I mean, a playground is also a "rec" - which is not very encouraging.
(DIR) Post #Av7cAMILNB4eHvpBrc by arisummerland@beige.party
2025-06-14T13:03:04Z
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@futurebird And then there is "parking garage" as a multi-story place where cars sit, and "parking spot" as where one car sits. Yet, doesn't "garage" imply parking a car in it? 🤔 I guess that word has been used to denote auto service places also, but it's not in fashion here. We don't say, "I'm taking my car to the garage to be repaired" unless we, perhaps, are doing our own repair work. Now I've just confused myself all the more!
(DIR) Post #Av7dN6VhTFCR3HiI2i by rlstone4dems@mastodon.social
2025-06-14T13:16:33Z
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@futurebird I didn't know they called it a car park. The Brits really make it sound like it's drive in movie theater, LOL.
(DIR) Post #Av7hrcPjoim2VJjM9I by marcfranz8@mstdn.social
2025-06-14T14:06:49Z
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@futurebird Every time I hear or read that term, I get visions of little anthropomorphic cars on see-saws, swing sets, slippy slides, and merry-go-rounds. Whee!
(DIR) Post #Av836alwImiqnE61tQ by KanaMauna@sauropods.win
2025-06-14T18:04:58Z
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@futurebird Looking at this thread, it is interesting how the different corners of English went in utterly different directions in only a hundred years.
(DIR) Post #AvA003ESBApnUDXiMq by llewelly@sauropods.win
2025-06-15T16:39:32Z
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@futurebird It is notable that people who are way too into military crap use "parking lot" as a euphemism for the end result of bombing a region until nothing can live there. As in "we'll send the B-2s to turn nation X into a parking lot", where nation X is usually some majority non-white nation they probably can't find on a map, and yet are very sure needs bombing. Everyone knows cars need death zones.