Yes Mike, it is a fair representation, but every time somebody in the U.S. writes "back yard" I have a vision of rubbish bins and log piles! I was after getting people to think about their words meaning different things in other parts of the world. "Bloom" was the word which started the discussion. My use of it is much more specific than the general American. "Back yard" was a more provocative example. As an aside, I have a feeling that the word "garden" has something to do with "guard house", in the days of castles and fortified houses. It would, perhaps,have been the area between the inner and outer defended walls of a dwelling? In British English, the American term "yard" would probably translate as "curtilage". The word is more often used in legal circumstances though. Peter (UK) On 10 February 2014 18:28, Michael Mace <michaelcmace@gmail.com> wrote: > > But, please, what is the U.S.A. English term for the British back > yard???? > > It occurs to me that in all of our essays on this subject (including mine), > we haven't decided what term should be used when trying to describe this > sort of space to an American. > > So, since there is no specific term in American English, what I recommend > is > that you use the generic phrase "work space." As in, "that's my work > space, > where I chop wood and wash the car." >