US English terms

[Kes]

Some UK terms and descriptions are not used in US English.


So, US English speakers, is the term "pothole", when used of an underground hole formed by water erosion, common, or is it only used to describe holes in the surface of a road?


Thanks.

 

[Ms Littlefish]

Pothole is usually used to describe many types of holes in the road. Sinkhole is commonly used to describe the other.

 

[Kes]

I thought sink holes were holes which appeared rather suddenly, and usually on the surface.  Potholes in this context are usually found in the floors of cave and have been created over long periods of time.

 

[Sharm]

I don't know the term for that, and my vocabulary is fairly extensive.  PIt cave maybe?  That's what came up on my google search.

 

[Ms Littlefish]

Ahh, gotcha.


But, yeah sinkhole usually refers to when the surface collapses in due to water erosion beneath, but I'm not too positive about an underground hole. Pothole in US English is almost always about a road though. 

 

[Kes]

@Sharm Pitcave seems to be it.  When I looked it up, Wikipedia informed me that it's pit in the US and pot in the UK, and the images were what I would expect to see.


Thanks to both of you.


Oh, the perils of international game making!!


Closing