Soda. Pop. Coke.

[HexMachina]

11 hours ago, Stannis Eats No Peaches said:

In the UK, coke only means coca-cola (or cocaine, it depends on the context). If you ask for coke in a restaurant, they will only bring you coca-cola (or cocaine, depending on the restaurant I suppose), or some other cola if they don’t have coke (“Is Pepsi ok?”).

 

The generic name for them is “fizzy drinks”. People will understand you if you say “soda” or “pop” (gross), but you will be treated with suspicion.

Not my experience from working in pubs, although to be fair the meaning is different. People will say soda (or orange/blackcurrant/lime and soda) although meaning is different to the U.S (i.e. soda water). In a pub people will ask for stuff by its name and/or brand as a general rule as you say - coke, pepsi, fanta, lemonade etc. 

I guess its regional too, because generic name around here would be pop or fizzy pop. (See BFCs post below too).

And this should go without saying but its dilute juice (pronounced di-loot-ee) not squash.

10 hours ago, BigFatCoward said:

fizzy pop.

 

4 hours ago, Fury Resurrected said:

I use soda or pop when referring to it in general but I mostly call what I am drinking by its specific name

Despite what i posted above this is generally how i would refer to fizzy pop too. In my case I only ever drink lemonade or soda (soda water) anyway.

[Jaxom 1974]

2 hours ago, Tears of Lys said:

"Fizzy pop"??  Fizzy Pop?!

Sounds like something that would come out of a kid wearing a pinafore.  "Daddy, can I have a fizzy pop, pleeze?"  

 

More specifically, it sounds like the kind of thing that'll give you a fizzy lift if you drink too much...watch out for the giant industrial fans on the ceiling!

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

2 hours ago, Hereward said:

How you’re not a Trump supporter is a constant source of amazement to me. 

Now that's a first. Anyways, this is the joke, jackass:

 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 hour ago, DMC said:

More than any other instance, or at least prolonged conflict, the Battle of Britain saved the free world.  But the UK were also the greatest - by far - recipients of the Lend-Lease Act then the Marshall Plan.  I think the US did a pretty good job making it up to you - at least more so than any other country.  Blaming the UK's chronic debt problems post WWII on the US is almost as juvenile as Ty.

Hey!!!!!

Not my fault ya'll can't handle some jokes. 

[mcbigski]

I can't speak for the English speaking world as a whole, but as someone who grew up in central Connecticut, which is to say I have just about the most mainstream US accent possible, I shall lay down the final definitive truth.  (Granted we talk occasionally of package stores and grinders, but that's almost certainly due to cretinous infiltrator Massholes and Rhode Islanders.  Heck, we're so neutral that shots and jimmies are each perfectly well understood).  Which I suppose is to say:  I shall lay down the final definitive truth.

Coke is Coca-Cola.  If the establishment you are in only has Pepsi distribution, that's what you get if you order a Coke, though they may apologize for it.  Soda is a catch all term for carbonated sugared (or at least sweetened with some sort of additive) beverages (Coke, Pepsi, RC, root beers, ginger ales, Sprite, 7UP, Mountain Dew etc).  However, if you are ordering a cocktail, a "blank" and soda will be carbonated water without sweetener.  If you want a rum and cola, you order a "rum and Coke" and be glad to drink whatever they condescend to serve you. 

Pop is a thing that people understand.  They understand that Abe Simpson says it.

This isn't fucking rocket science.

[Stannis Eats No Peaches]

7 hours ago, HelenaExMachina said:

Not my experience from working in pubs, although to be fair the meaning is different. People will say soda (or orange/blackcurrant/lime and soda) although meaning is different to the U.S (i.e. soda water). In a pub people will ask for stuff by its name and/or brand as a general rule as you say - coke, pepsi, fanta, lemonade etc. 

I guess its regional too, because generic name around here would be pop or fizzy pop. (See BFCs post below too).

And this should go without saying but its dilute juice (pronounced di-loot-ee) not squash.

 

Despite what i posted above this is generally how i would refer to fizzy pop too. In my case I only ever drink lemonade or soda (soda water) anyway.

I’ve asked my girlfriend about this (she’s from a different part of England) and she definitely says “fizzy drink”, though she did admit to thinking of “pop” but choosing not to say it, so I don’t know what kind of 4 dimensional chess she’s playing. She wouldn’t be caught dead saying “fizzy pop”.
 

It’s interesting because I had no idea that “pop” was widely used here. I expect it’s both a regional and a generational variation.

 

What the hell is di-loot-ee? It’s definitely squash.

 

[Soylent Brown]

20 hours ago, BigFatCoward said:

fizzy pop.

Yeah, I say that too. Although I suppose it is a little redundant- isn't all pop fizzy?

[Gareth]

I grew up in Iowa and we always called it pop.  When I I first moved to San Antonio, it was a little confusing to hear a wait staff asked, "what kind of coke would you like?".  After 20 years in Wisconsin, its soda to me now.  I guess I got tired of people making fun of me calling it pop while they refer the water fountain as the bubbler or the ATM as the tyme machine.  

[Consigliere]

In South Africa we call it cool-drinks or cold-drinks. If you ask for soda, you'll most likely be served soda water. If you ask for pop, you'd be met by a very confused look. Coke has always meant Coca-Cola. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

3 hours ago, Gareth said:

I grew up in Iowa and we always called it pop.  When I I first moved to San Antonio, it was a little confusing to hear a wait staff asked, "what kind of coke would you like?".  After 20 years in Wisconsin, its soda to me now.  I guess I got tired of people making fun of me calling it pop while they refer the water fountain as the bubbler or the ATM as the tyme machine.  

That's a small bong pipe, my friend. 

[williamjm]

13 hours ago, HelenaExMachina said:

Not my experience from working in pubs, although to be fair the meaning is different. People will say soda (or orange/blackcurrant/lime and soda) although meaning is different to the U.S (i.e. soda water). In a pub people will ask for stuff by its name and/or brand as a general rule as you say - coke, pepsi, fanta, lemonade etc. 

I guess its regional too, because generic name around here would be pop or fizzy pop. (See BFCs post below too).

And this should go without saying but its dilute juice (pronounced di-loot-ee) not squash.

In Scotland squash would be 'diluting orange' (or whatever the appropriate fruit was). I don't think referring to 'pop' or 'fizzy pop' would be common in Scotland, the generic name would be usually be 'fizzy drink', I don't think pop or fizzy pop would be common.

 

[Freshwater Spartan]

George Washington may be the father of our country but Vernors is the pop.

[Inkdaub]

I say soda now but I said coke for much of my life.  In fairness, I usually was talking about coca cola.  Not always.

I don't say pop.

[Fragile Bird]

1 hour ago, Inkdaub said:

I say soda now but I said coke for much of my life.  In fairness, I usually was talking about coca cola.  Not always.

I don't say pop.

Yes, but where do you live?

[Gaston de Foix]

The Indian version is "soft drinks" which is a generic alternative to "fizzy drinks" (and also the preferable alternative of "hard drinks" i.e. alcohol). 

For a long time Coca-Cola wasn't available in India because of a dispute with the Indian government over providing the "secret formula" if I remember correctly.  We had various homegrown alternatives, the most popular of which Thumsup was acquired by Coke and still continues to be my tipple of choice when I go back for reasons of nostalgia. 

So I generally order Thumsup by name in India, specify coke zero (or diet coke) in the US and the UK.  To me this is a pretty specialized debate because only in the US is "pop" or "soda" understood as a reference to fizzy drinks (let alone a specific fizzy drink).  If you want a coke order a coke.  If you want a pepsi order a pepsi.  Only if I am a guest in an American home and am offered refreshments or drinks would I request a soda to avoid asking my host for a specific brand they might not have.   

[Tyria]

Like the other Canucks have said, here it's pop. Except Quebec, because of course. 

That's just the overall name for soft drinks though. You wouldn't go to a restaurant or bar and ask for a pop. You order the kind you want: Pepsi, Sprite, Rootbeer, etc. 

I was a server in a resort here back in the 90s. The guests are mostly American, and one of my first tables was an American couple. The guy ordered some kind of beer, and the woman asked for a soda, so I brought her a soda water. She was so confused, and said she wanted a Coke. I remember thinking why the shit didn't you just ask for a Coke then? We both laughed though and learned something that day. They were there for a few days, and she was always more specific when ordering, and I learned to prompt "soda water?" when asked for soda in case they actually wanted something else.

Coke as an overall term? That's just weird. It's just like asking for a soda. Why not just ask for the kind you want? 

[john]

They often call it ginger round my way. Or just juice (fizzy juice). Also diluting juice (dilutee juice sounds like something baby Helena would say when she was having trouble with big words ).

I’m surprised and appalled that pop is apparently the word of choice in some parts of the UK. Shouldn’t be allowed, except for the sadly now defunct Panda Pop (blue raspberry flavour) which was one of my favourites ages 7 to 9.

[HexMachina]

11 minutes ago, john said:

They often call it ginger round my way. Or just juice (fizzy juice). Also diluting juice (dilutee juice sounds like something baby Helena would say when she was having trouble with big words ).

I’m surprised and appalled that pop is apparently the word of choice in some parts of the UK. Shouldn’t be allowed, except for the sadly now defunct Panda Pop (blue raspberry flavour) which was one of my favourites ages 7 to 9.

I will admit i thought i was alone in dilutee juice but then I went to uni and the friend i live with also said it. There are literally a couple of us!

Wow, panda pop, doesn’t that dredge up memories of soft play kids parties. Also a childhood favourite even if in hindsight it tasted like drinking a sponge

[Fragile Bird]

13 minutes ago, HelenaExMachina said:

I will admit i thought i was alone in dilutee juice but then I went to uni and the friend i live with also said it. There are literally a couple of us!

Wow, panda pop, doesn’t that dredge up memories of soft play kids parties. Also a childhood favourite even if in hindsight it tasted like drinking a sponge

How often do you drink a sponge? The mind bogges!

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

29 minutes ago, john said:

They often call it ginger round my way. Or just juice (fizzy juice). Also diluting juice (dilutee juice sounds like something baby Helena would say when she was having trouble with big words ).

I’m surprised and appalled that pop is apparently the word of choice in some parts of the UK. Shouldn’t be allowed, except for the sadly now defunct Panda Pop (blue raspberry flavour) which was one of my favourites ages 7 to 9.

Everything about this is wrong and evil. You should be ashamed of yourself, and you've brought dishonor to your family.