When Giving Directions...
 

...do you say, 'Make a left at the:

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

here in the US (or at least everyone I've lived) we say light, even though there are usually at least 3 of them. Canadians are crazy though.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

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here in the US (or at least everyone I've lived) we say light, even though there are usually at least 3 of them. Canadians can count over 1.

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FYP

Lights.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

I say lights because there are three of them. HTH.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

I think its called just 'light' because its actually short for stoplight. And stoplights certainly wouldn't make sense there.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

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I think its called just 'light' because its actually short for stoplight. And stoplights certainly wouldn't make sense there.

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This is the correct answer obv.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

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[ QUOTE ]
I think its called just 'light' because its actually short for stoplight. And stoplights certainly wouldn't make sense there.

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This is the correct answer obv.

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Re: When Giving Directions...
 

An der nächsten Ampel links abbiegen

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

i picked option 3, but i say light

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

OK,

Why is it in California, when giving directions people say:

Take the 405 south to the Aliso exit

where everywhere else in the US, people say:

Take 405 south to the Aliso exit...

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

Mark,

Its the same in Phoenix- and I think its more Southern California than Northern.

IY?

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

Thank you all for confirming my sanity. WTF is 'lights'?

I mean really, do you call a street corner 'the street corners' because there's 4 of them at every intersection? Hmmmm...maybe it's an intersections.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

This is undoubtedly light. If someone said lights I would laugh at them.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

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This is undoubtedly light. If someone said lights I would laugh at them.

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Don't come to Canada.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

how about a Pittsburg left?

I've never heard of the term before, but I've seen people do it. I however have never done it before- probably because all of my cars have sucked- has anybody here?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Left

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

Maybe the Pittsburgh Left is what caused New Jersey to do away with left turns altogether.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

"Turn left at the light"

Seriously, though, people who ever need directions these days, when you can go to mapquest and do the aerial view and ACTUALLY SEE THE ENTIRE ROUTE YOU'LL BE TAKING, drives me nuts.

Also, anyone giving directions based on landmarks ("Turn left at the house with the red roof, then right at the restaurant with the big crab-shaped sign, then go straight past the car wash and the library before murdering the maid with the lead pipe in the conservatory") can die in a grease fire.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

I say "lights"....but then we usually have more than one light at the intersection and well, NH does border Canada.... [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

There's lots of "borders" up there. (more than one crossing, obv.)

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

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This is undoubtedly light. If someone said lights I would laugh at them.

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Re: When Giving Directions...
 

[ QUOTE ]
how about a Pittsburg left?
I've never heard of the term before, but I've seen people do it. I however have never done it before- probably because all of my cars have sucked- has anybody here?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Left

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OMG!

I grew up there... When I first came to Southern Calif, I just assumed everyone did it and almost got run over and fingered by the opposing traffic.

Even now, when I'm back visiting in Pittsburgh, I still sometimes forget and almost run over the left turning car....

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

wtf, why would that ever make sense?

Straight should always have right of way.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

Pulp has a song, Joyriders with that line in it.
being a British band, it is lights, but it is also Leisure Centre.

I hear light and center.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

If anyone tries a "Pittsburgh left" in front of me, I'm hitting them, then suing them. [censored] that [censored]. That's totally ridiculous.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

It's [censored] like that that makes me hate hate hate hate driving.

"Driving is like sex ... everyone thinks they're the best at it, but only a few really are."

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

Don't make me go to Google Image search and find pictures of intersection with stoplights and count them all for you. There's more than one. In fact, each dangling light box contains three lights and there are multiple dangling lightboxes

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

I'd love to see somebody try the Pittsburgh left in Toronto. Odds are good the person who rams them off the road either doesn't stop, or somebody buys them a double-double.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

Zurvan,

Common usage FTW.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

Besides, since when did the English language, spoken or written, make any damn sense?

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

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somebody buys them a double-double.

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I'm pretty sure Tim Horton's has the right of way in Toronto no matter which street you're on.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

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Zurvan,

Common usage FTW.

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It is common usage. Just because Webster started removing u's from the language 150 years ago, doesn't give you American's the right to remove whatever letters you choose. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

Centre, theatre, litre, metre, WTFtre.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

Colour, flavour.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

Seriously, if someone told me "Turn left at the lights" I'd be like, "Wait, more than one? Which ones? What are you talking about?"

Language often does not equal communication.

(Oooh, that's good, I need to write that down.)

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

[ QUOTE ]
OK,

Why is it in California, when giving directions people say:

Take the 405 south to the Aliso exit

where everywhere else in the US, people say:

Take 405 south to the Aliso exit...

[/ QUOTE ]

when I was in LA I noticed everyone referred to them as freeways, as in "the 5 freeway" whereas I would just call it I-5, which is a highway.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

some roads in California are 'toll-roads'- you have to pay. Since you don't on the interstate, its free- I think.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

Most people around my area just say "81" (for Interstate 81) or "70" (for I-70) for the two interstates. "Take 81 South to 70 East to ..."

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

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Most people around my area just say "81" (for Interstate 81) or "70" (for I-70) for the two interstates. "Take 81 South to 70 East to ..."

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This is very standard.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Most people around my area just say "81" (for Interstate 81) or "70" (for I-70) for the two interstates. "Take 81 South to 70 East to ..."

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This is very standard.

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I thought so, too. But I thought "Turn at the light" was universal, too.

Re: When Giving Directions...
 

apparently truckers say mile instead of miles

i.e. 'its 20 mile down the road'

also- truckers refer to all streets that aren't the highway as 'surface streets'. Have people heard that term before?