Who says "down cellar?"
Steve Ketcham
I grew up in northern Vermont. All my life, I heard people say, "down
cellar" when they were speaking of the basement, as in "Go down cellar and
get a hammer from the workbench."
My wife, who grew up in Ohio and Connecticut, thinks "down cellar" is
hilarious.
Is "down cellar" a family peculiarity? Old-fashioned? Or common some
places and not others?
--
Steve Ketcham Steve_...@stratus.com
Principal Performance Analyst Phone: (508) 460-2807
Stratus Computer, Inc
55 Fairbanks Blvd
Marlboro, MA 01757
Aaron J. Dinkin
In article <Steve_Ketcham...@ketcham.mktg.stratus.com>,
Steve_...@stratus.com (Steve Ketcham) wrote:
> I grew up in northern Vermont. All my life, I heard people say, "down
> cellar" when they were speaking of the basement, as in "Go down cellar and
> get a hammer from the workbench."
>
> My wife, who grew up in Ohio and Connecticut, thinks "down cellar" is
> hilarious.
>
> Is "down cellar" a family peculiarity? Old-fashioned? Or common some
> places and not others?
I find "down cellar" quite odd, but my own family (I don't know about
others in the same geographical region, since I rarely have contact with
their cellars) uses quite frequently "down the cellar", as in "Go down the
cellar and get a screwdriver from the shelf." I always assumed it was
originally "down in the cellar", but the "in" had been absorbed by the /n/
of "down": [d&Un In] -> [d&Un@n] -> [d&Unn-] -> [d&Un].
-Aaron J. Dinkin
Dr. Whom
Judith Puddy
Steve Ketcham (Steve_...@stratus.com) writes:
> I grew up in northern Vermont. All my life, I heard people say, "down
> cellar" when they were speaking of the basement, as in "Go down cellar and
> get a hammer from the workbench."
>
> My wife, who grew up in Ohio and Connecticut, thinks "down cellar" is
> hilarious.
>
> Is "down cellar" a family peculiarity? Old-fashioned? Or common some
> places and not others?
Dunno. But when we first moved to Vancouver Island, we were hugely amused
to hear people say "up-island" when they meant "north of where we are
right now".
After 27 years, it sounds fine.
Judy
--
=^.^= =^.^= =^.^= =^.^= =^.^= =^.^= =^.^= =^.^= =^.^=
Mouse potato: one who uses the computer obsessively,
frequently, or for prolonged periods.
Wendy Mueller
On Aug 07, 1996 09:28:41 in article <Who says "down cellar?">,
'Steve_...@stratus.com (Steve Ketcham)' wrote:
>I grew up in northern Vermont. All my life, I heard people say, "down
>cellar" when they were speaking of the basement, as in "Go down cellar and
>get a hammer from the workbench."
>
>My wife, who grew up in Ohio and Connecticut, thinks "down cellar" is
>hilarious.
>
>Is "down cellar" a family peculiarity? Old-fashioned? Or common some
>places and not others?
I grew up on a farm in rural New York, and we went down cellar all the
time, especially during the winter when the furnace needed to be stoked, or
we wanted some of Mom's homemade apple butter. But since I moved to Texas,
I don't hear the phrase at all. Of course, we don't even have basements
down here, let alone something as lovely as a cellar.
--
Wendy Mueller
Kay Freeman
"Down cellar" is still alive and well in Central New York. People here
also go down city.
Kay Freeman
David Read
Steve_...@stratus.com (Steve Ketcham) wrote:
>I grew up in northern Vermont. All my life, I heard people say, "down
>cellar" when they were speaking of the basement, as in "Go down cellar and
>get a hammer from the workbench."
>My wife, who grew up in Ohio and Connecticut, thinks "down cellar" is
>hilarious.
>Is "down cellar" a family peculiarity? Old-fashioned? Or common some
>places and not others?
ISTR in the film "Mutiny on the Red October", Squadron Leader
Queeg issuing the orders "up periscope", and then "down Rover".
David Read
..........
Pushing the berm
nancy g.
Kay Freeman wrote:
> Wendy Mueller wrote:
>> Steve Ketcham wrote:
>>> I grew up in northern Vermont. All my life, I heard people say, "down
>>> cellar" when they were speaking of the basement, as in "Go down cellar and
>>> get a hammer from the workbench."
>>> Is "down cellar" a family peculiarity? Old-fashioned? Or common some
>>> places and not others?
>> I grew up on a farm in rural New York, and we went down cellar all the
>> time, especially during the winter when the furnace needed to be stoked (snip)
Yep. Sounds familiar. We always went down cellar too, except when someone
wanted us to help shovel the coal or get the clinkers out of the furnace.
I'd always thought it was a local expression (Boston area) but my parents
did originally come from Vermont and Canada (Nova Scotia) so perhaps they
brought the phrase with them?
> "Down cellar" is still alive and well in Central New York. People here
> also go down city.
Why does "down town" sound right and "down city" sound wrong?
Nancy G.
or, for that matter, "down cellar" is fine but "up attic" sounds ...
well, dumb.
nancy g.
Judith Puddy wrote:
> Dunno. But when we first moved to Vancouver Island, we were hugely amused
> to hear people say "up-island" when they meant "north of where we are
> right now".
At least the phrase "up-island" makes SENSE if you consider that north is
"up" on most maps.
On the other hand, how does anyone explain the traditional New England
(Massachusetts, at least) expression about going "down Maine" (for those
without a map handy ... Maine is very definitely *UP* from Massachusetts).
Nancy G.
assuming it was a lot of transplanted Canadians who
started this expression ...
Gerry Cechony
NG> or, for that matter, "down cellar" is fine but "up attic" sounds ...
NG> well, dumb.
When I was growing up in the New York City tenements, we often
went "up the roof" in the summertime. Sounds dumb to me now.
* RM 1.31 3115 * Tulsa nightlife: filth, gin, a slut.
Richard L. Brown
>On the other hand, how does anyone explain the traditional New England
>(Massachusetts, at least) expression about going "down Maine" (for those
>without a map handy ... Maine is very definitely *UP* from Massachusetts).
It's "down Maine" and "down east" because its downwind. These coastal
folks were sailors, after all.
Rich
--
Richard L. Brown Office of Information Services
rbr...@ccmail.uwsa.edu University of Wisconsin System Administration
rlbr...@facstaff.wisc.edu 780 Regent St., Rm. 246 / Madison, WI 53715
Aaron J. Dinkin
> Judith Puddy wrote:
>
> > Dunno. But when we first moved to Vancouver Island, we were hugely amused
> > to hear people say "up-island" when they meant "north of where we are
> > right now".
>
> At least the phrase "up-island" makes SENSE if you consider that north is
> "up" on most maps.
>
> On the other hand, how does anyone explain the traditional New England
> (Massachusetts, at least) expression about going "down Maine" (for those
> without a map handy ... Maine is very definitely *UP* from Massachusetts).
I've lived in traditional New England all my life and have never heard
"down Maine".
David Johns
r...@usa1.com (Aaron J. Dinkin) wrote:
# In article <320F72...@tiac.net>, "nancy g." <nan...@tiac.net> wrote:
#
# > Judith Puddy wrote:
# >
# > > Dunno. But when we first moved to Vancouver Island, we were hugely
amused
# > > to hear people say "up-island" when they meant "north of where we are
# > > right now".
# >
# > At least the phrase "up-island" makes SENSE if you consider that north
is
# > "up" on most maps.
# >
# > On the other hand, how does anyone explain the traditional New England
# > (Massachusetts, at least) expression about going "down Maine" (for
those
# > without a map handy ... Maine is very definitely *UP* from
Massachusetts).
#
# I've lived in traditional New England all my life and have never heard
# "down Maine".
But what about "downeasters"?
David Johns
IO2...@maine.maine.edu
"nancy g." <nan...@tiac.net> wrote:
>On the other hand, how does anyone explain the traditional New England
Here's a hint, the phrase "down Maine" is a shortened from of what was
probably something like "down-wind to Maine." Which is how the relation
would have been understood in an era when sea travel (with sails) was
prominent. If you look at how the winds blow, Maine and the Martimes (Down
East) is very definitely *DOWN* from Massachusetts.
-Kevin
------------------------------------------------------------
Kevin A. Foss -------------------- io2...@maine.maine.edu
------------------------------------------------------------
Rick Denison
In article <320F72...@tiac.net>
"nancy g." <nan...@tiac.net> writes:
> On the other hand, how does anyone explain the traditional New England
> (Massachusetts, at least) expression about going "down Maine" (for those
> without a map handy ... Maine is very definitely *UP* from Massachusetts).
It refers to sailing downwind to travel easterly along the coast, as in
"Down East." You'll still hear folks talk about going, say, from
Portland "down" to Bar Harbor, which is actually northeast of Portland.
And they'll say this whether they're sailing or driving, so ingrained
is the idiom. It's a coastal thing.
Rick "Can's get there from here" Denison (rden...@abacus.bates.edu)
Rick Denison
Esther Vail
On (12 Aug 96) "nancy g." wrote to All...
"g> On the other hand, how does anyone explain the traditional New
"g> England (Massachusetts, at least) expression about going "down
"g> Maine" (for those without a map handy ... Maine is very
"g> definitely *UP* from Massachusetts).
One sails "down" the prevailing winds to travel "down east" on the
coast of New England and Maritime Canada; the phrase hangs on from
the days of sail. The "east" part derives from the fact that that
coast does indeed slant to the northeast from southern New England.
Esther H. Vail, Rochester NY USA
(est...@rochgte.fidonet.org)
Donnah Dunthorn
Richard L. Brown (rbr...@ccmail.uwsa.edu) wrote:
: It's "down Maine" and "down east" because its downwind. These coastal
: folks were sailors, after all.
Ah, so that's the reason. I had thought "down Maine" was
perhaps a reference to its being rural and a bit peculiar.
I think Stephen King had something to do with that.
d.
Robert M. Wilson
In article <4usn6a$h...@mother.bates.edu>,
rden...@abacus.bates.edu (Rick Denison) wrote:
>It refers to sailing downwind to travel easterly along the coast, as in
>"Down East." You'll still hear folks talk about going, say, from
>Portland "down" to Bar Harbor, which is actually northeast of Portland.
>And they'll say this whether they're sailing or driving, so ingrained
>is the idiom. It's a coastal thing.
Compare with: Upper Canada (now Ontario) and Lower Canada (now Quebec). The
former is further south, but *up* the St. Lawrence River.