So! I'm originally from Long Island, NY. I live in Columbus, Ohio with my Floridian boyfriend whom I met in Tennessee. He bristled when he heard me say "on line," a New York regionalism featured on this program. Our friend Cary (from North Carolina), also in an uproar said, "I'll bet you say 'shut the lights' too!"
Well, this was even worse than "on line." Hysterics ensued. I don't see why. You "fermer" stuff in French, and that "off" in "shut off" is so dang perfunctory.

Do YOU say "shut the lights?" Where are you from?

No, I don't say, "open the lights," and I certainly don't say "close the lights." Anathema. Blegh.

Post edited 1:23PM – Mar-14-10 by Jackie

I grew up in western Pennsylvania. I use both shut off and turn off, when it comes to the lights. I had a friend who grew up in Pennsylvania Dutch country who would say, "Outen the lights."

PrettyToney, I'm not sure I know what you mean by "jawn." Philly and Pittsburgh are miles apart in lingo.

Interesting. I've got friends in Philly. I'll ask around and let you know if I come up with anything.

My relatives in North Carolina said, "Mash the lights."

PrettyToney, I was just chatting with an old friend from Philly. He's lived there all his life and has never heard of jawn. Maybe it's a Penn thing?

We say "shut off the lights" and "turn off the lights", but my ex-wife, a non-native speaker (from Puerto Rico) used to say "close the lights". I always thought that was odd.

Also, usually with stern impatience, "Put that light out!"

Post edited 1:42PM – Feb-10-11 by tromboniator

TheChamberlain said:

As far as "cut the lights" I've only heard this phrase used during my days in live performance theater. For whatever reason instead of turn off the stage lights and turn on the work lights, they would always say "cut the stage lights and turn on the work lights."

For stage lighting, "cut the lights" seems to be in contrast to "fade the lights" or "bring down the lights," and it seems generally to be used not so much as a stage direction for part of the performance, but as part of the back-to-reality functioning of the theater, as "Cut the lights and hit the work lights; lets fix that door stage right." As a rehearsal stage direction the command would likely be "Blackout." That's my experience, at any rate.

Peter

And welcome!

Heimhenge said:

I should have literally "brought down the light," but that would've taken more than just a BB gun.

I love it! Perhaps a chainsaw with lots of insulation. Nothing is too radical when you're facilitating astronomical observation. I have a neighbor who…but that can wait.

Peter

Jackie, truth be told, some of the astronomers in my area have succeeded with a "wrist rocket" slingshot. Apparently the practice is quite common in the astronomy community. The pros at the major observatories in AZ have enough political clout (pro astronomy brings millions of $ into the state) and they can get nearby towns to enforce more strict lighting codes. Amateurs need to resort to less civilized solutions.

Interestingly, the local electric utility must have gotten the word somehow, and will install, on request, special streetlight shields that direct the light onto the street, where it belongs, and not toward adjacent residences. Now there's an (un)enlightened policy for you.

Since this is WWW, and not an astronomy forum, I figured I had to throw in at least a pun.

Who was it that said (and I'm probably paraphrasing) "A pun is the lowest form of humor, unless you thought of it first."?