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From: keesan@bbncca.ARPA (Morris Keesan)
Newsgroups: net.cooks,net.nlang
Subject: Re: local words ("tonic and frappe")
Message-ID: <635@bbncca.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 21-Mar-84 13:01:57 EST
Article-I.D.: bbncca.635
Posted: Wed Mar 21 13:01:57 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 22-Mar-84 00:18:49 EST
References: <788@dciem.UUCP>
Organization: Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, Ma.
Lines: 24

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    "Tonic" is not "tonic water", although "tonic water" is "tonic".  "Tonic"
is a generic term for a carbonated beverage (what is called "soda", "pop", 
"soda pop", etc. in various parts of the world).  For example, Coke, root
beer, ginger ale, and orange soda are all types of "tonic".  Quinine water
is sold as "quinine water" or "tonic water", and is what you get in your drink
when you order a gin and tonic in New England, just as anywhere else.  Although
I grew up hearing "tonic" as a synonym for "soda", it's not a word I ever used
that way, and I think its use has declined, at least around the Boston area.

    A "frappe" is not an "extra-thick milkshake".  A "frappe" is what is known
in most of the U.S. as a "milkshake".  In Massachusetts, a "milkshake" is milk 
and syrup shaken up together.  Note that it has no ice cream in it.  A "frappe"
is the same thing with ice cream beaten into it.  In some places, you can even
get a "frappe float", which is a frappe with a scoop of ice cream floating in
it.  I believe that in some part of New England (Rhode Island?) one of the
above is know as a "cabinet".  And of course none of these is to be confused
with the concoctions sold by fast-food chains and known as "shakes" (note the
omission of any implication that a cow was involved).
-- 
					Morris M. Keesan
					{decvax,linus,wjh12,ima}!bbncca!keesan
					keesan @ BBN-UNIX.ARPA