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Discussion Groups / English Usage / November 2006BrE "Way Out" vs "Exit"
In the UK one sees signs in public places that say "WAY OUT" where the US observer would expect "EXIT". Yet I think one also sees signs that say "EXIT" in the UK too, does not one? In which case, is there some difference between "way out" and "exit" in BrE? Does the occurrence of "way out" at all reflect simply the conscious preference, on the part of the UK public (or their sign purchasers), for an Anglo-Saxonism over a Latinism? At any rate I don't think I've ever seen a sign in the US that said "WAY OUT", but maybe they have them down in Orlando. Is the Sartre drama _Huis Clos_ known as _No Way Out_ in BrE? (That is to say, is there also a preference in the UK for "no way out" instead of "no exit", the latter also being standard signage in the US?)  SignatureBuckwheat Soba > In the UK one sees signs in public places that say "WAY OUT" where the US > observer would expect "EXIT". Yet I think one also sees signs that say [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > the UK public (or their sign purchasers), for an Anglo-Saxonism over a > Latinism? I'd expect a sign saying "WAY OUT" to indicate a direction for orderly egress, while "EXIT" would be the door onto the street. But I've never really thought about it in any depth. Will. >> In the UK one sees signs in public places that say "WAY OUT" where the US >> observer would expect "EXIT". Yet I think one also sees signs that say [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >egress, while "EXIT" would be the door onto the street. But I've never >really thought about it in any depth. I think you're on the right lines. "WAY OUT" and plain "EXIT" signs would show the normal, non-emergency, routes and doors by which to leave the building. "FIRE EXIT" and "EMERGENCY EXIT" signs mark routes and exits for emergency use that are not necessarily in normal use. Emergency direction signs use white text on a green background. Other signs use different colour schemes. Examples of "fire and emergency signs" and "information signs" can be seen at: http://www.raymac.co.uk/ That site also sells "door and gate signs". For example: BEWARE OF THE DOG REPS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY and NEVER MIND THE DOG BEWARE OF THE WIFE SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) > Examples of "fire and emergency signs" and "information signs" can > be seen at: [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > NEVER MIND THE DOG > BEWARE OF THE WIFE Have the "Don't even THINK of parking here" signs, which originated in New York (LCIA) in, I believe, the early 1970s or so, made it to other countries? Here's an official one: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/gif/signs/6a.jpg SignatureBuckwheat Soba > Have the "Don't even THINK of parking here" signs, which originated > in New York (LCIA) in, I believe, the early 1970s or so, First showing up in the New York suburb of Alrington, Kentucky. ARLINGTON, Ky. (UPI) -- Apparently believing that the normal "No Parking" sign has lost its meaning, police here are erecting signs which read: "Don't Even Think of Parking Here." [_LA Times_, 1/20/1973] More telling about the polite tone of the town [Quincy, MA] is a sign at the foot of the hill: "Thou Shalt Not Even Think of Parking Here." [_NY Times_, 7/6/1980] Mayor Koch announced yesterday the creation of a system of 10 "red zone" lanes for buses in Manhatten ... Along the pavement at eavh of the 10 thoroughfares in the program, a bright red eight-inch thermoplastic strip will remind motorists of heavy fines if they park, stand or travel in the bus lane. "Don't Even Think of Parking Here," a sign along the routes will read. [_NY Times_, 6/15/1982] SignatureEvan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------ HP Laboratories |To express oneself 1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |In seventeen syllables Palo Alto, CA 94304 |Is very diffic | Tony Finch kirshenbaum@hpl.hp.com (650)857-7572 http://www.kirshenbaum.net/ >> Have the "Don't even THINK of parking here" signs, which originated >> in New York (LCIA) in, I believe, the early 1970s or so, [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > Parking Here," a sign along the routes will read. [_NY Times_, > 6/15/1982] The other side of the pond never loses its capacity to surprise. Such signs have become fairly common over here, but they are invariably totally unofficial, used by private individuals. No public authority would consider erecting notices prohibiting something without a law to back them up, and, if any did, the full weight of outraged public opinion would descend on them, and any attempt to defend themselves along the lines of "it obviously isn't intended to be taken seriously" would not be well received. But maybe you can be prosecuted for thinking about it, which would be equally surprising, but in a different way. SignatureDon Aitken Mail to the From: address is not read. To email me, substitute "clara.co.uk" for "freeuk.com" >>> Have the "Don't even THINK of parking here" signs, which originated >>> in New York (LCIA) in, I believe, the early 1970s or so, [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] >would consider erecting notices prohibiting something without a law to >back them up, There are national laws and regulations specifying the design of road signs. The agencies that erect road signs are not permitted to deviate from the national standard. These designs tend to approximate to the designs established by international standard (agreement or treaty). The aim is that the road user should be able to recognise and understand the meaning of a sign immediately, and not to be confused by deviant signs. Deviant signs are dangerous, m'kay? SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >> In the UK one sees signs in public places that say "WAY OUT" where >> the US observer would expect "EXIT". Yet I think one also sees [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > egress, while "EXIT" would be the door onto the street. But I've > never really thought about it in any depth. That seems correct. I'd expect to see WAY OUT on an arrow pointing (along.a corridor, perhaps) towards the EXIT door. Alan Jones Buckwheat Soba filted: >In the UK one sees signs in public places that say "WAY OUT" where the US >observer would expect "EXIT". Yet I think one also sees signs that say [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >the UK public (or their sign purchasers), for an Anglo-Saxonism over a >Latinism? Strictly speaking, "exit" is singular, so you could only use it for a door or other passage that allows one person at a time to pass....r Signature"Keep your eye on the Bishop. I want to know when he makes his move", said the Inspector, obliquely. > Buckwheat Soba filted: > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Strictly speaking, "exit" is singular, so you could only use it for a door or > other passage that allows one person at a time to pass....r And where have you seen an "exodus" or "exeunt" sign? --Jeff SignatureOften war is waged only in order to show valor; thus an inner dignity is ascribed to war itself, and even some philosophers have praised it as an ennoblement of humanity, forgetting the pronouncement of the Greek who said, "War is an evil in as much as it produces more wicked men than it takes away." --Immanuel Kant >> Strictly speaking, "exit" is singular, so you could only use it for a door or >> other passage that allows one person at a time to pass....r > >And where have you seen an "exodus" or "exeunt" sign? The last time I saw the former was in a book, where it appeared to mean "you have now reached Chapter Two". The last time I saw the latter was in a list of stage directions. SignatureGraeme Thomas >>> Strictly speaking, "exit" is singular, so you could only use it for a door or >>> other passage that allows one person at a time to pass....r >> And where have you seen an "exodus" or "exeunt" sign? > The last time I saw the former was in a book, where it appeared to mean > "you have now reached Chapter Two". "Book Two" rather than "Chapter Two", since each of those Books contains many Chapters already. (But now we have to distinguish between "book" and "Book.") Perce Jeffrey Turner <jturner@localnet.com> schrieb/wrote: >> Strictly speaking, "exit" is singular, so you could only use it for a door or >> other passage that allows one person at a time to pass....r > And where have you seen an "exodus" or "exeunt" sign? On motorways in Cyprus there are signs reading "Εχοδος/Exit". Well, the English "exit" seems to be derived from Latin "exitus". Of course, that's also singular. However, the numerus here relates to the number of way-out facilities and not to the number of their users. Claus Jeffrey Turner filted: >> Strictly speaking, "exit" is singular, so you could only use it for a door or >> other passage that allows one person at a time to pass....r > >And where have you seen an "exodus" or "exeunt" sign? College drama department building...the "humanities" are full of smartasses....r Signature"Keep your eye on the Bishop. I want to know when he makes his move", said the Inspector, obliquely. >>> Strictly speaking, "exit" is singular, so you could only use it for a door or >>> other passage that allows one person at a time to pass....r >> And where have you seen an "exodus" or "exeunt" sign? > College drama department building...the "humanities" are full of smartasses....r Whereas the other departments are full of dumbasses? Perce Richard Fontana: > In the UK one sees signs in public places that say "WAY OUT" where the US > observer would expect "EXIT". ... On the other hand, NO EXIT remains NO EXIT even in Britain. NO WAY OUT would presumably have the same interpretation as here -- that no way exists to get out. When I visited Australia in the 1980s, I saw at least one sign reading NO WAY. The one I remember, because I photographed it, was at a Sydney subway ("City Railway") station and was on the structure between the tracks, telling you not to cross them. Here, assuming that the sign was in English rather than rebuses, I would expect either DO NOT ENTER (which would read better if there was a door or something for you to not enter) or simply DO NOT CROSS TRACKS; in Britain, either something similar to those or else something like PASSENGERS* MUST USE THE SUBWAY TO CROSS THE TRACKS. NO WAY? No way. *Although British passenger-train operators now seem to prefer the word "customers", I don't think I've yet seen it there on this sort of sign. SignatureMark Brader | Caution msb@vex.net | Do not run on the stairs Toronto | Use the hand rail -- notice at British train station My text in this article is in the public domain. > Richard Fontana: > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > subway ("City Railway") station and was on the structure between the > tracks, telling you not to cross them. Interesting one. I have never been on NSW railways, so I've never seen anything like that, but one that amuses many visitors is the one found on our West Australian freeway exits: GO BACK WRONG WAY. To be fair, they are on separate lines, but the instruction to return in an incorrect manner is still striking. SignatureRob Bannister > ... one that amuses many visitors is the one found > on our West Australian freeway exits: GO BACK WRONG WAY. To be fair, > they are on separate lines, but ... Well, that's because you have it the wrong way. On American freeways it's WRONG WAY GO BACK. (Yeah, also really in two parts.) SignatureMark Brader, Toronto Premature generalization is msb@vex.net the square root of all evil. >Well, that's because you have it the wrong way. On American freeways >it's WRONG WAY GO BACK. (Yeah, also really in two parts.) Actually, it's "DO NOT ENTER" and then about ten yards later "WRONG WAY", except in California where they unaccountably put them on the same post. The Federal MUTCD prescribes separate locations as described, but as with so much else, California freeway signage is goofy. -GAWollman SignatureGarrett A. Wollman | The real tragedy of human existence is not that we are wollman@csail.mit.edu| nasty by nature, but that a cruel structural asymmetry Opinions not those | grants to rare events of meanness such power to shape of MIT or CSAIL. | our history. - S.J. Gould, Ten Thousand Acts of Kindness Mark Brader: >> Well, that's because you have it the wrong way. On American freeways >> it's WRONG WAY GO BACK. (Yeah, also really in two parts.) Garrett Wollman: > Actually, it's "DO NOT ENTER" and then about ten yards later "WRONG > WAY", except in California where they unaccountably put them on the > same post. Well, I've certainly *seen* "WRONG WAY - GO BACK" in the US, and I thought I'd seen it in California or another West Coast state. My recollection is of two signposts, as Garrett describes first, with "WRONG WAY" and "GO BACK" as separate signs on the second post. Either things have changed or there's some other state where they don't follow the recommended standard. Incidentally, during my unsuccessful attempts to Google up an example of the signs as I remember them, I hit this self-explanatory one: http://www.ilankelman.org/themes/trafficusawrongway.jpg SignatureMark Brader "We can get ideas even from a clever man." ... Toronto "Yes, I think you can. Even ideas you should msb@vex.net have had yourselves." -- John Dickson Carr My text in this article is in the public domain. > Mark Brader: >>> Well, that's because you have it the wrong way. On American >>> freeways it's WRONG WAY GO BACK. (Yeah, also really in two parts.) [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > http://www.ilankelman.org/themes/trafficusawrongway.jpg I don't think that "GO BACK" signs are used by DOT in the USA. Here's what they have: http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/HTM/2003r1/part2/fig2e-39_longdesc.htm SignatureSkitt (in Hayward, California) http://www.geocities.com/opus731/ >>Well, that's because you have it the wrong way. On American freeways >>it's WRONG WAY GO BACK. (Yeah, also really in two parts.) [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >described, but as with so much else, California freeway signage is >goofy. There's a report in The Times today of some local council putting "No left turn" signs on all of the exits from a traffic island (roundabout) so once on it, there was no way for the law-abiding motorist ever to leave it. SignatureRobin Herts, England > There's a report in The Times today of some local council putting "No > left turn" signs on all of the exits from a traffic island > (roundabout) so once on it, there was no way for the law-abiding > motorist ever to leave it. Excellent. Kafka lives on. SignatureRob Bannister Robert Bannister filted: >> There's a report in The Times today of some local council putting "No >> left turn" signs on all of the exits from a traffic island >> (roundabout) so once on it, there was no way for the law-abiding >> motorist ever to leave it. > >Excellent. Kafka lives on. I have firsthand knowledge of a one-way dead-end street whose entrance lies at 33 22'59.79"N, 111 58'11.08"W....r Signature"Keep your eye on the Bishop. I want to know when he makes his move", said the Inspector, obliquely. > In the UK one sees signs in public places that say "WAY OUT" where the US > observer would expect "EXIT". Yet I think one also sees signs that say > "EXIT" in the UK too, does not one? Yes. > In which case, is there some difference between "way out" and "exit" in BrE? No. Matthew Huntbach |
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