Comments on: In the Floor for Discussion

By: Dwaine Byrd

Dwaine Byrd — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 01:47:04 +0000

Wow! After this was originally published, I never came back to look at it until this evening when I was talking about this with a friend of mine. So I showed her this page–and after 4 years, I finally saw the comments! I do appreciate what Andrew S. said, but I still find great comfort in knowing that I’m not the only oddball and that I’m not unique. (Well, not in this way, anyway….). Thank you for your comments; they are greatly appreciated as well as affirming!

By: Andrew S.

Andrew S. — Tue, 22 May 2012 06:56:59 +0000

To me this reads as “I know this is not correct, but a lot of people here do it so it’s fine.” Laying in a bed is acceptable because the blankets on the bed are treated as layers of the bed. When a person is under the blankets, they are underneath the surface layer and are thus in the bed. If they were just laying on the surface of the bed, then in the bed would be incorrect. If a solid object is on the floor, then the only correct way to say it is that it is on the floor.

By: pfirsch

pfirsch — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:13:34 +0000

I, too, am from rural North Carolina and “in the floor” is extremely common. We also say that someone is “in the bed” instead of “in bed.” It’s actually mentioned in the book “Mother Tongue” that Tarheels use that expression.

Having lived elsewhere and now working in my old high school, many of the expressions that were also met with giggles when I left Eastern NC, are alive and well at my school. The odd thing is that some of the things I’ve always heard, but never said, because they were the language of “old” folks have made a comeback. I’ve actually heard students talk about “eating places” instead of restaurants.

It’s reassuring to know that there are still some things that keep us unique.

By: waisgubbima

waisgubbima — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:38:17 +0000

Sweet blog. I never know what I am going to come across next. I think you should do more posting as you have some pretty intelligent stuff to say.

I’ll be watching you .

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:29:26 +0000

While I hadn’t thought of this particular construction in quite some time, as a native West Tennessean, “in the floor” was quite common where I grew up. Most often heard in expressions like, “Don’t leave your clothes/toys/dolls in the floor.”

By: Gary in Durham, NC

Gary in Durham, NC — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:45:54 +0000

An apt contrast to mention here would be the British “in the street” vs. the American “on the street” (where one lives).