Entertainments and Celebrations

FF1 Do you have around here a kind of group meeting called a ‘social’ or ‘sociable’? What kinds are there? (What goes on?)

FF2 What kinds of parties do people favor around here? (Open question)

FF3 Do people give ‘showers’ or ‘gift parties’ around here? What kinds?

FF4 Names and joking names for different kinds of dancing parties:

FF5a Names for different steps and figures in dancing—in past years:

FF5b More recent dance steps:

FF6 Expressions used around here meaning ‘to be asked to go to a party’: “Did you get a ________ to the party?”

FF7 A small musical instrument that you blow on, and move from side to side in your mouth:

FF8 Another small instrument that you hold between the teeth and pluck on:

FF9 A Christmas gathering, at church or at someone’s home, where there are songs and presents: “Are you going to the ________?”

FF10 What do people around here say to greet each other on Christmas morning?

FF11 What do you call the night of December 31st?

FF12a What do you call the first day of May around here?

FF12b What do you call the night of May first? (Do children give May baskets? Is there a Maypole? When?)

FF13 What other words do you have around here to mean ‘firecrackers’? [Asked in early Questionnaires only]

FF14 What different kinds of firecrackers do you have around here?

FF15 When a firecracker doesn’t go off, and you break it in the middle and light the powder, you call it a ________.

FF16 What other local contests or celebrations do you have? What goes on? (Open question) [Early QRs: What other local celebrations or holidays do you have?]

FF17 Words meaning that people had a very good or enjoyable time: “We all had a ________ last night.”

FF18 Joking words or expressions about a noisy or boisterous celebration or party: “They certainly ________ last night.”

FF19 Words used about a very dull or unenjoyable time: “The party was ________.”

FF20 Short humorous stories that people tell to make others laugh: “He’s always telling ________.” [Asked in early Questionnaires only]

FF21a A joke that is so old it doesn’t seem funny any more: “His jokes are all ________.”

FF21b Or about old jokes people say: “The first time I heard that one I ________.”

FF22a Names for clubs and societies around here—for women: (Open question)

FF22b Names for clubs and societies around here—for men: (Open question)

FF23 What joking names do people have for any of these clubs or lodges?

FF24 The place or building where people go to see motion pictures:

FF25 Joking names for motion pictures:

FF26 Words meaning a large group of people at a public gathering—for example, an auction: “There was quite a ________ at the auction.”

FF27 Joking names and nicknames for television:

FF28 What other kinds of fireworks do you have? (Open question) [Not asked in all early Questionnaires]

DARE Data Summary by Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.