question for the brits here

[bedlamsbard]

Okay, for a median strip, would it just be known as that? Or Wikipedia says "central reservation" for British English, would the use be the same? I ask because clearly Peter and Susan aren't going to call it the neutral ground, which, although at this point a Narnian term, is in our world strictly used in New Orleans. It's a regional thing in the U.S., so...

Comments

[kit-ana.livejournal.com]

Brits do call it the central reservation, if we call it anything at all. It's not something that comes up in conversation often enough to have slang associated with it, to be honest. They look more like this (http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/roads/images/20061229m1j9.jpg) than a grassy plot of land though, and only really came into use with the introduction of motorways and duel-carriageways. Our older roads don't have anything of the sort.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

So I suppose the question would be, "Would Peter and Susan know the word, or should I just go with 'grassy plot of land'?"

[kit-ana.livejournal.com]

It depends exactly what you're talking about, really. If you're referring to a large strip that separates territories, No Mans Land has been popular for a long time. If it's just a small strip between roads or something that just borders neighboring farms then it's just a grassy border.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Here's the specific instance in Dust 12:

They’re standing in the middle of a narrow expanse of pale green grass like a central reservation. cobblestone streets on either side of it. There’s a clutch of trees not far away from where Susan’s standing, and another few statues off in the distance. Peter’s pointing at a squat, brightly lit building a ways down the strip of lawn, music spilling out of it along with the sound of laughter. There’s an ironwork balcony on the second floor, where a white-haired swan-maid dressed in slightly more clothing than Susan is having her breasts fondled by a satyr.

It's the same bit of land that's described in Dust 11, that separates two different neighborhoods.

[kit-ana.livejournal.com]

I'd go with something like:

They're standing in the middle of a narrow expanse of pale green; a grassy strip bordered by cobblestone streets on either side.

Central reservation wouldn't really be known back then, but it's not really defined enough for a no man's land.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

All right, thank you! It's hard to guess what it might be; "neutral ground" is used in New Orleans because it's the space between the Creole district and the American district, and because it's where the streetcar runs now.

[kit-ana.livejournal.com]

No man's land is much the same; it's used by kids in rival sets as well as war zones. Anywhere that separates two different areas where people from both areas can set foot without reprisal is no man's land. Or, conversely any area where neither group can set foot without punishment is also a no man's land.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Ah. But Peter and Susan wouldn't know that about this specific neighborhood, so confusion about wherever they may be is justified.

[kit-ana.livejournal.com]

Well common ground *points below at snacky's suggestion* may work if it looks used, or no man's land if it looks like everyone else is avoiding the grass. Otherwise you could try falling back to grassy border. :p

[snacky]

Not a Brit, but they might know it as a common.

[kit-ana.livejournal.com]

It might work, but a common is really somewhere relatively large. The term common land may work quite well, but it would be somewhere that people could bring their animals to graze or hang out their washing. It's not really borderish so much as a giant community garden.

[snacky]

Oh okay!

I was just going by the description and thinking that those are often called commons or parkways in New England, and thinking of another option. :)

[katakokk.livejournal.com]

Not a Brit (obviously), but I've got the feeling that it may not even exist during Peter and Susan's time. At least, it may not even have a formalized name yet, if it did exist in the 1940's.

[ineptshieldmaid.livejournal.com]

Not a Brit, but what about 'traffic island'?

To find out if any of these terms are in use in the 40s... www.oed.com is your friend.