Problem
I just watched a news video from the USA about a woman leaving Florida, Sept 10 2017, on government advice before hurricane Irma, whilst her mother and aunt and other relatives stayed behind.
The people who choose to stay have been warned, don't bother ringing 911 because nobody will answer. (In the UK you ring 999. For non emergency medical advice you can call the NHS direct advice line on 111.)
In the old days you used to be able to find the emergency number in the front of the printed phone directory. Now more and more companies are starting to say they won't be printing any more directories. Everything will be on line.
In the video, when asked why her mother would not leave, the young woman replied, "Because she's a conch".
I know that a conch is a shell. But she was using the word to describe people. I guessed it was a dismissive or slightly derogatory term.
I searched all over to find out what that meant. I thought it was a type of personality or attitude.
Answer
It turns out a Conch, spelled with a capital letter, means somebody born in or living in the Florida Keys (or the Bahamas).
Story
I've been to Florida and down to the Keys. Not for long. Drove straight back.
I remember staying further up the coast at The Breakers and hearing the pounding of the Atlantic. I thought, I'll have trouble sleeping.
I'd wanted a sea view room but the sound of waves at night worried me. I was afraid I'd dream about tsunamis. I was listening all the time to hear if the waves were getting higher or closer. That was in clear weather.
I think it must be even harder to sleep when there's a gale. I'm sure you stay up the first night. Then the second night you are so tired you sleep through anything.
The news reports say that those staying include the people looking after Ernest Hemingway's House, because of more than 20 cats, kept because he had many cats. (Obviously not the same cats. They may have supposedly nine lives but they are not immortal.)
The latest advice is that it is too late to try to cross the roads to the mainland because the sea is rising either side and is about to flood the road. You just look at the pictures of the low road and the sea either side. It's horrific.
One just hopes that the storm passes out at sea, and quickly, and the people who stay have found the safest possible place.
If you are a tourist it would be a good idea to write the emergency numbers up by the phone. At some point, we hope, the emergency service people will be coming back and will be answering.
More Information
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/conch
Article headed Staying Behind On Florida Islands Is Almost Like Suicide
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41211955
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and other languages.
I have several posts on Americanisms and Britishisms and learning and understanding other languages. See next post on Key West. Please share your favourite posts.
I just watched a news video from the USA about a woman leaving Florida, Sept 10 2017, on government advice before hurricane Irma, whilst her mother and aunt and other relatives stayed behind.
The people who choose to stay have been warned, don't bother ringing 911 because nobody will answer. (In the UK you ring 999. For non emergency medical advice you can call the NHS direct advice line on 111.)
In the old days you used to be able to find the emergency number in the front of the printed phone directory. Now more and more companies are starting to say they won't be printing any more directories. Everything will be on line.
In the video, when asked why her mother would not leave, the young woman replied, "Because she's a conch".
I know that a conch is a shell. But she was using the word to describe people. I guessed it was a dismissive or slightly derogatory term.
I searched all over to find out what that meant. I thought it was a type of personality or attitude.
Answer
It turns out a Conch, spelled with a capital letter, means somebody born in or living in the Florida Keys (or the Bahamas).
Story
I've been to Florida and down to the Keys. Not for long. Drove straight back.
I remember staying further up the coast at The Breakers and hearing the pounding of the Atlantic. I thought, I'll have trouble sleeping.
I'd wanted a sea view room but the sound of waves at night worried me. I was afraid I'd dream about tsunamis. I was listening all the time to hear if the waves were getting higher or closer. That was in clear weather.
I think it must be even harder to sleep when there's a gale. I'm sure you stay up the first night. Then the second night you are so tired you sleep through anything.
The news reports say that those staying include the people looking after Ernest Hemingway's House, because of more than 20 cats, kept because he had many cats. (Obviously not the same cats. They may have supposedly nine lives but they are not immortal.)
The latest advice is that it is too late to try to cross the roads to the mainland because the sea is rising either side and is about to flood the road. You just look at the pictures of the low road and the sea either side. It's horrific.
One just hopes that the storm passes out at sea, and quickly, and the people who stay have found the safest possible place.
If you are a tourist it would be a good idea to write the emergency numbers up by the phone. At some point, we hope, the emergency service people will be coming back and will be answering.
More Information
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/conch
Article headed Staying Behind On Florida Islands Is Almost Like Suicide
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41211955
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and other languages.
I have several posts on Americanisms and Britishisms and learning and understanding other languages. See next post on Key West. Please share your favourite posts.
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