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Pedants' corner

Why do people call the ground the floor?

(34 Posts)
Baggs Sun 14-Mar-21 08:49:09

Why do people get het up about other people using what they regard as the 'wrong' word, even when the meaning of what they are saying is perfectly clear?

I speak as someone who has used the word floor when I meant ground, when I would normally have used the word ground but floor is the word that came out.

M0nica Sun 14-Mar-21 08:39:48

I think they grew up watching too many American cop series.

Riverwalk Sun 14-Mar-21 07:49:45

Not always indoors, for example forest floor, ocean floor, canyon floor.

suziewoozie Sun 14-Mar-21 07:23:43

Ro60

Agree, but if a police officer shouted that at me I'd certainly hit the deck ?

???
As you’re a women ( I assume) you are certainly more likely to be shouted at by a police officer to hit the deck and especially if not wearing a football scarf. Oh damn- this is Pedants Corner <slinks off promising not to mention MM and PH>

nanna8 Sun 14-Mar-21 03:25:54

Maybe they are a bunch of drunks who don’t knows their @rses from their elbows?

Ro60 Sun 14-Mar-21 02:49:02

Agree, but if a police officer shouted that at me I'd certainly hit the deck ?

crazyH Sun 14-Mar-21 00:55:01

I fully agree - floor is inside, ground is outside

maddyone Sun 14-Mar-21 00:51:17

That’s certainly what I understood, the ground is outside, the floor is inside.

KateS Sat 13-Mar-21 23:12:52

Getting annoyed that this very common mis-use of language is creeping into TV programmes. Police shows especially tell people to "get on the floor" when they are outside. Surely a floor is an indoor feature? If it's outside it's the ground, or the road, or the grass. Anything but the floor really.