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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 273
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 273 |
I was watching David Letterman interviewing Denzel Washington. Mr Washington said that one reason he was in such good physical shape was that he drinks a lot of water, to which Mr Letterman replied with something like "line up at the tap, everybody". This surprised me, as I had never previously heard any speaker of US English use the word "tap" in that way. Prior to this, I had only ever heard US English speakers say "faucet". Is it some regional quirk that brings Mr Letterman's usage nearer that of British (and related) English?
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I speck he was trying to connect it with beer.
But, yes, you will hear 'tap water' from time to time.
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 273
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2001
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Thank you Faldage. wwh sent me a private message saying much the same thing. The reason for my question was that he did not use the phrase "tap water", he actually said "the tap", rather than "the faucet". I was trying to find out if this was a common usage in some part of the US, as it is here in NZ.
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
while tap a keg, is, i think more common that tap water is what we in NYC drink--the tap is about even with faucet--and easily out wins spigot--(an outdoor tap is a spigot)
taps drip, too.
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Joined: Apr 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
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tap is also pretty common in the upper midwest, like when you're in a rush: turn off that tap 'fore you flood the kitchen!
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 273
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2001
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In reply to:
Upper Midwest.
Thanks, tsuwm. Could that region be stretched to include Indiana, Mr Letterman's home state?
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Joined: Jul 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
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The concept has been around for millenia; a solid gold threaded tap or faucet was found in King Tut's tomb. In fact, I knew a guy who devoted his college career to studying these things. He was a pharaoh faucet major.
TEd
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Joined: Aug 2004
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stranger
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stranger
Joined: Aug 2004
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I was raised in Detroit, Michigan, during the 1980s; we drank water from the tap.
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Posts: 500
addict
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addict
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 500 |
I can't stand all this tap, tap, tapping!! Can't someone faucet to stop!!?
We call it a tap, too, usually.
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