Post #3701216

2026-07-09 18:59 UTC

Hey I have a linguistics question. What do you call the strip of greenery between the sidewalk and the street? TIL there are many English words for this, maybe none of them has primacy in USA, & I don't think I have a word for it from childhood. (ETA: I'm really struggling to understand why there are so many words for this in USA). Please respond with your country/region. Non-English responses welcome. Boosts—and I can't stress this enough—encouraged :boost_ok: #linguistics

Replies (9)

@teledyn@mstdn.ca 2026-07-09 19:40

@amcooper@toot.cat back in Manitoba, my father called it "the Appeasement" but I think he was being sarcastic 🙄

Open ##3701492
@Sharksonaplane@mastodon.sandwich.net 2026-07-09 22:28

@amcooper@toot.cat gonna make the situation worse by calling it "sidewalk pubes" henceforth

Open ##3704070
@VE2UWY@mastodon.radio 2026-07-09 19:05

@amcooper@toot.cat I think it was “the parkway” when we lived in #Chicagoland.

Open ##3706102
@Oldfartrant@mstdn.ca 2026-07-10 02:57

@amcooper@toot.cat It's called a Boulevard. There's one in front of my house.

Open ##3707547
@ducky@mstdn.ca 2026-07-09 22:42

@amcooper@toot.cat I grew up with mostly central Illinois and central Indiana linguistic influences, and my mother called it a "park strip". I'm not sure if I've ever heard anyone else use the term.

Open ##3708718
@ducky@mstdn.ca 2026-07-10 04:32

@amcooper@toot.cat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_verge

Open ##3708770
@stuartyeates@cloudisland.nz 2026-07-10 22:40

@amcooper@toot.cat in .nz it's called the "berm"

Open ##3726689
@amcooper@toot.cat 2026-07-09 19:19

Why do people... gardeners ... call it "hellstrip"? @redcrew@mstdn.social @ClimateJenny@biodiversity.social @meganL@mas.to

Open ##3728814
@amcooper@toot.cat 2026-07-09 19:05

I should answer my own question. I grew up in Philadelphia, and don't have a word for this. The one in front of our house was interesting, as it had been paved over with asphalt around its three majestic trees by previous owners. I have been calling it "verge" since moving to the Midwest, but that's a British word I probably got from a tv show, er, telly programme.

Open ##3831913