Date:  Tue, 15 Jul 1997 21:23:39 -0600
From:  "Donald M. Lance" <engdl[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]SHOWME.MISSOURI.EDU>
Subject: Re: Ground for Floor

>"Margaret G. Lee -English" <mlee[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CS.HAMPTONU.EDU> asks

>Has anyone noticed within the last several years that many people refer to the
> "ground" when they really mean the
>"floor"?

Mark Mandel replied:
>A long time ago, at least in some localities. I remember being irritated with
> my grandmother when she said it, and she
>died maybe fifteen years ago.

I doubt that it's new. I've caught myself saying "It fell to the ground"
upon dropping something inside a house and "It fell to the floor" upon
dropping something outside. What if it fell to the lawn and someone said
it fell to the ground? Would you seriously chide the speaker by asking if
it fell all the way through the grass?

In military parlance, "Hit the deck" can refer to ground, lawn, floor, or
perhaps even rafters in some weird circumstancs. If a parent wants the
kids to get up, s/he might say "Hit the deck" even if the house doesn't
have a deck.