Is it soda or pop?

[Tiggeroshii]

What do you call the fizzy, sugary diabetes beverage?

38 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Pop
	16 (42%)
	Soda
	16 (42%)
	Soda-pop
	2 (5%)
	Coke
	4 (11%)
	Something else
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[LisaM]

1. I voted for pop...

but my feeling is that you should call it whatever you called it growing up - don't move from a state that says, "pop" and come home to visit and start saying "soda"!!

[underpants]

2. RC COLA!!!

Actually we tend to say "Coke" in the south

[Laffy Kat]

24. Yep, coke. nt

[House of Roberts]

32. Co-coler.

That's how it's said in the south.

[True Dough]

3. As a Canadian,

I use "pop." But when I write here on the discussion forum, POPulated mostly by Americans, I use soda.

I also adapt my spellings such as center instead of centre, color instead of colour, and so on. And I'll use imperial measure instead of metric. The trouble us Canucks go through with our double lives!

[Staph]

13. I remember a driving vacation through Canada

with my family when I was in college (at university?!?).

While behind the wheel, I was constantly translating.

"Oh, the speed limit is 100 kph-- that's actually about 60 mph."

"The price of gas is 1.35 Canadian dollars per liter. That's about $5.70 Canadian per gallon, which is about 4 US dollars per gallon."

"This next town has a population of 22,000 Canadians. That would be about ... about 22,000 Americans."

[True Dough]

14. Ha ha!

Yeah, we count people pretty much the same on both sides of the border, although it may be done in French in some areas of Canada, or in Hispanic in some parts of the U.S., I suppose.

[left-of-center2012]

41. I recall seeing a can of "Raisin Crush" soda alongside the road

As a hippie in the early 1970's I hitched from Toronto to Vancouver.
One day I saw a can of "Raisin Crush" soda alongside the road.

Being curious, I picked it up and saw the "English language side" read Grape Crush.
(I like Orange Crush)

[True Dough]

42. Coincidentally

my wife and I were in a similar situation just a couple of weeks ago. I've been drinking Zevia soda (or pop, as we call it) for several months. She showed no interest in it until recently, sampling some cream soda. Then she went to the store to look at the other flavors available. She said, "That's strange. They have raisin!" I told her to turn the can around...

[Tiggeroshii]

4. My question is where are the people who call it soda-pop from?

My grandma calls it that and she grew up in new mexico but is that representative of what they call it?

[TomSlick]

15. Not just New Mexico

I was raised to call such things "Soda-Pop" in South Arkansas. Only later did I learn that simply "Pop" sometimes means an "adult beverage" while "Soda-Pop" only means Soda-Pop. Speaking of which, it's about time for a Pop - maybe Soda-Pop and rum.

[Tiggeroshii]

18. Haha so maybe a southern thing?

[TomSlick]

19. Perhaps

Our expressions are colorful if obscure.

Instead of "he did a really good job" - "he got a good scald on that."

Instead of "she knows what she's doing" - "she knows her okra."

Instead of "he's not as impressive as he thinks" - "he ain't that much of a much."

[left-of-center2012]

44. I live in New Mexico

I've only heard it referred to as soda.

[left-of-center2012]

45. where are the people who call it soda-pop from?

Nine people so far voted for soda-pop.
This is what their profiles revealed:

Georgia
Michigan
Arkansas
Oregon
no location on profile
no location on profile
no location on profile
no location on profile
no location on profile

[Tiggeroshii]

46. Huh. Doesn't seem like you can narrow it down by region.

[northoftheborder]

53. Texas

[LeftInTX]

58. I used to see commercials calling it soda-pop in 60s

Although many ads called it: "soft drink"

[unblock]

5. "nectar of the gods"

[unblock]

6. actually a lot of people call them "colas"

over the protests of the people who market 7-up.

[Polly Hennessey]

7. Soft drink

As in, "would you like a soft drink?"

[frogmarch]

8. pop - western Nebraska nt

[SamKnause]

9. Pop.

I think it is a regional thing.

In Ohio it is pop.

When I lived in Florida they called it soda.

[bobbieinok]

10. A regional thing?

Similar questions:
--paper bag or paper sack
--water bucket or water pail
--seesaw or teetertotter
Today, after decades of mass media and a mobile population,
there are said to be far fewer regional vocabulary distinctives.

[bobbieinok]

12. More similar questions

--glove compartment or glove box
--fry pan, skillet, or spider (have read this is
local to Maine area)
--boondocks, boonies, or tuillies (sp?)
--sofa, couch, or davenport (I think some of these
differences are generational)
--robe, housecoat or duster (ditto)

[TomSlick]

16. Old folks at home

in my part of the south have two more than I use simply because I love them:

The illumination devices on the front of automobiles - head lamps.

The four round things that cars run on - caissons.

[mr_lebowski]

52. My gramps was the only person I ever had admonish me to 'wash my teeth before bed' ...

He was born in 1910 iirc ... I'm guessing before 'toothbrushes' and 'toothpaste' became commonplace, there was some other process that was more akin to 'washing' than 'brushing' ... that people did to clean their toofs ...

[LeftInTX]

59. My mother in law "drinks" her medicine and also calls insecticide, "medicine"

Spanish is her first language.

[bobbieinok]

11. 1961--OK/TX vs Boston

I first became aware of such regional differences in the summer of 1961.
I was attending summer language school after graduation from college in TX.
I became friends with a girl from Boston. I was stunned by the vocabulary differences.
The only ones I remember are words for pop and milk shake

[hay rick]

17. Soda. Grew up in New Jersey. nt

[Hassin Bin Sober]

20. Both

Geez. You people need a refresher course

[Fla Dem]

21. Growing up in the Boston area, it was always "tonic".

[amuse bouche]

28. Yup ..tonic.

And never ask where the bubbler is anywhere but MA. In Florida they look at you like you have 2 heads

[Warpy]

30. Hey, that's "bublah."

and you picked up your 6 pack of tonic at the corner spa.

Boston is weird, uh, wee-ahd.

[CentralMass]

34. Yes, calling it"tonic" was popular in MA when i was a kid..

Although my famy typically called it "soda". We moved from western MA to central MA when i was yoing. I seem to remember soda being more commonly used in the western part if the state..

I just googled the topic. Here is a pretty interesting article on it.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/03/24/boston-word-tonic-gives-way-soda/QpbSyMXlJvvESSVERxb6iP/story.html

It appears my memory was basically correct. The article mentions the use of tonic was mainly used from Boston to parts of central MA down into Rhode Island. I lived in a small town near Worcester, a bit outside of the "tonic zone" but the use of tonic was common among people there. Although my family always said soda. Tonic dates back to when the drinks were supposed to have medicinal properties. There was a bitter soft drink called Moxie that looked like coke that is still available

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moxie

https://www.drinkmoxie.com

[yellowdogintexas]

49. Oh yeah, I forgot about Moxie! Nasty stuff

I am convinced it is the source of the phrase "she /he has a lot of moxie" since anyone who could stomach the stuff had to be tough!

[CentralMass]

57. +1

[bobbieinok]

35. 'Tonic" is what I learned

from the girl in Boston in 61

[yewberry]

43. New Englander here also-- these other words have very different meanings.

Tonic is a generic term for carbonated beverages.

Soda is a beverage made with syrup, cream, and fizzy water. I worked at Deering (a defunct northeast ice cream chain) for years as a kid and made these for tourists.

Quinine or quinine water is an important component of an adult beverage made with gin and a squeeze of lime.

Pop is something you might do to a balloon.

[Leith]

22. Pop

From Michigan. "Soda" meant an ice cream soda.

[Laffy Kat]

23. I'm from the south and it's all coke (little "c").

When you tell the waitress or waiter Down South that you'd like a coke, they'll ask what kind. Then you order a Dr. Pepper, 7-Up, etc. At least that's how it was when I was growing up. It was either "coke" or Tab, but Tab was literally Tab. Grandparents always ordered Tab, I don't know why, maybe because it was sugar free?

[3catwoman3]

25. So if you want a large C...

..."Coke," what do you have to ask for?

[Sophiegirl]

31. Coka-cola

I grew up in Texas.

If you asked a waiter for a Coke, he/she would ask you, "What kind?"

[Salviati]

26. Dialect maps are fun

http://www.businessinsider.com/22-maps-that-show-the-deepest-linguistic-conflicts-in-america-2013-6/#okay-this-one-is-crazy-everyone-pronounces-pecan-pie-differently-10

[demosincebirth]

27. Soda water

[LeftInTX]

60. My FIL used to say that...are you from Texas?

[demosincebirth]

62. Oakland, Ca., born and raised

[Warpy]

29. It's mostly "pop" out west, but "soda" is understood

At least I didn't cling to the Bostonian habit of calling it "tonic."

[yellowdogintexas]

48. yep Boston has some weird names for stuff....

Like milkshakes without ice cream, because if you want that you have to order a frappe!

[democratisphere]

33. Diet Mountain Dew to keep your engine reeving.

Onward...........!

[ailsagirl]

36. Both my parents were Canadian

Last edited Fri Jun 2, 2017, 04:16 PM - Edit history (1)

and, whether or not that has anything to do with it, I've always called them "soft drinks."

[sakabatou]

37. It's soda here

But I always follow up with, "Okay, which brand?"

[Doug the Dem]

38. PEPSI! You Didn't Include PEPSI!

[Special Prosciuto]

39. When I wore bell bottoms we called it 'Bottle a Bud'

[Solly Mack]

40. Getranke

[yellowdogintexas]

47. Coke, dammit!

Although I have heard the phrase "What kind of Co-cola do you want"
also "I'll have an orange Co-cola" (or Coke)

I'm from Kentucky. That is just how it is

[Major Nikon]

50. Liquid candy

[samnsara]

51. i call it pop. im from the pacific northwest and my parents are from the south...

...my friends in RI make fun of me and laugh. I say SODA is that white stuff you bake with. Coke is Coke. Pop is short for soda pop...an it covers all carbonated beverages. so there! neener neener

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

54. Pop. (MI)

Soda is a bubbly clear liquid sometimes mixed with scotch. It ruins the taste of good scotch.

[csziggy]

55. Cola!

I grew up drinking RC Cola. When I was in elementary school the local bottler had a deal with the movie theater and if you saved enough bottle caps, you could get into the Saturday matinee for free. I would have done better to not drink the colas and just pay for the tickets, but that's not as good as FREE!

Later the RC bottler closed (so did the movie theater) and I mostly drank Pepsi Cola but they didn't give us free stuff.

So for me, carbonated, caffeine and sugar loaded soft drinks were always "cola."

[California_Republic]

56. In Texas it was a 'coke'. The generic name for a drink

[CottonBear]

61. Coke.

In the Southeast, it's Coke.

[FSogol]

63. My folks from Pittsburgh called it pop. My sister and I (growing up in Virginia) called it coke.

Small "c" coke was anything from grape soda to root beer.