On March 31 I summarized my quest for English words and phrases representing items unique to the US. I need this vocabulary to create effective warmups: Vowel Charts and Dialogs that would switch students' brains into English.
So far I have the following terms: drive thru, doggie bag, to go, on the go, tailgate party, super-size, baseball, popcorn, cheeseburger, hot dog, baby shower, small talk, miles, inches, yards, feet, quarts, gallons, free refill, trick or treat, cheerleader, ice water, peanut butter, garbage disposal, mailbox, root beer, pretzels, maple syrup, same-day delivery, Ziploc bags, jukebox, speak up, trade-off, awkward.
The problem is, this represents only 11 of the 16 color vowels. I still need something representing PURPLE SHIRT, TURQUOISE TOY, a CUP of MUSTARD, BROWN COW and WOODEN HOOK.
I'm thinking of "Boy Scout" for TURQUOISE TOY and "Girl Scout" for PURPLE SHIRT. Similar organizations exist in other countries but I think the "scout" term and the connotation of "explorer" is unique to the US.
Sundae could be used for a CUP of MUSTARD, although other countries do have something similar, such as the parfait in France.
For BROWN COW I may use "pow wow" (noun) or "pow-wow" verb. This is supposed to be a Native American term for a get-together and ceremony, though I don't know if that's historically accurate. In any case, it's used in the US to describe an informal, though often important, discussion meeting.
That leaves WOODEN HOOK, a vowel used in relatively few words. However, when those words are modal verbs, they're important. I may use the popular expression "Coulda, woulda, shoulda!"
There must be more.
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