How to say, “You already got your payment/thank you.” Updt #103!

[gramma dishes]

Wow.  Reading about these wine prices reminds me why I'm sitting here drinking a vintage 2013 Coca-Cola, with notes of vanilla and high-fructose corn syrup.

Well, there's also the fact that alcohol tastes like floor cleaner to me... but mostly, I wanted to sound like a Vanilla Coke snob.

And you did it in such a truly cute way!   

[GlitterIsMyDrug]

Funny thing is, I don't drink coke. (And by coke, I mean carbonated beverages.) The only time I buy coke is when I'm having a party and I always feel it's overpriced. 

Thank you! No one else ever understands what I mean by coke.

Ok, back to the talk of wine and cats and cat sitters.

[Diane AKA Traska]

Funny thing is, I don't drink coke. (And by coke, I mean carbonated beverages.) The only time I buy coke is when I'm having a party and I always feel it's overpriced. 

Thank you! No one else ever understands what I mean by coke.

Ok, back to the talk of wine and cats and cat sitters.

Well, part of the problem is it's a brand name, and not one that's become genericized, such as Xerox or Kleenex.  And with Kleenex and Xerox, there's little actual difference between that product and a similar one... but Coke and Mountain Dew are so different from each other that I wouldn't accept one as a substitute for the other, if I were in the mood for the one requested. 

[lowspark]

It's a regional thing. Definitely a Texas thing, and it may extend further, I dunno. But around here, "coke" is understood to mean "carbonated beverage".

Me: Do you want a coke?
Guest: Sure. What kind do you have?
Me: Dr. Pepper & Sprite.
Guest: Ok, I'll have a Sprite, please.

So actually, around these parts, it has become generic. And it was that way since I was a kid in the 60s so it's been a while. I realize it's not that way all over, and that's why I qualified the term in paretheses upthread. 

[One Fish, Two Fish]

In SC, Coke is any fizzy beverage. 
"What kind of coke do you want?" 
"Sprite." 

[Diane AKA Traska]

The problem is, when people of different areas interact, it can end up looking like an Abbott and Costello routine.

[gramma dishes]

Here coke means Coke and nothing else.  Not Pepsi.  Coke!!   

All those other things in cans or bottles are called 'sodas', which in turn are not to be mistaken for a particular specific type of fountain drink with a variety of available flavors also referred to as sodas -- chocolate sodas, strawberry sodas, etc.

[Twik]

I must admit, the use of Coke as a generic confuses me as to how it works. Imagine if all beer was called Budweiser as a generic noun.

Patron: I'll have a Budweiser

Bartender: (gives a Molson)

Patron: NOOOO! I want a Budweiser!

Bartender: (gives a Labatts Blue)

Patron: NOOOOO.......

[Lynn2000]

And on the topic of soda, someone upthread had a good point, I thought, about how they would feel comfortable helping themselves to a can of soda in someone's fridge (under the general "make yourself at home" banner), if the soda was a very common thing like Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, etc.; but they would hesitate to help themselves to something more exotic-looking, like a brand of soda they didn't recognize (there's a lot of specialty ones, kind of like microbrews for beer I think).

In other words, they would feel comfortable using something they absolutely knew was common and inexpensive, but less comfortable using something that they couldn't immediately place or that seemed more rarefied. It seems like the couple in the OP (lo those many pages ago) had a reasonable expectation of being able to drink some of their host's wine, but I feel like they really erred by not sticking to kinds they knew or looking them up first. It's like they looked at the bottle and said, "Nope, never heard of this one, by default it must be something common and cheap, let's drink it."

Okay, this is not a floggable sin in life or anything but the assumption of "I don't know what this is, I'll use it" instead of "I don't know what this is, I'll leave it alone" would make me uncomfortable about our relative boundaries, so I probably wouldn't put them in a situation again where they could cross my boundaries. Though, I think I would still be friends with them, because they showed themselves to be honest and to have good intentions by replacing (mostly) the wine.

[GlitterIsMyDrug]

It's a regional thing. Definitely a Texas thing, and it may extend further, I dunno. But around here, "coke" is understood to mean "carbonated beverage".

Me: Do you want a coke?
Guest: Sure. What kind do you have?
Me: Dr. Pepper & Sprite.
Guest: Ok, I'll have a Sprite, please.

So actually, around these parts, it has become generic. And it was that way since I was a kid in the 60s so it's been a while. I realize it's not that way all over, and that's why I qualified the term in paretheses upthread. 

Yep! That's how I do it. Even when people come over it's "Can I get you something to drink, I have coke?", "Sure, I'll take a coke!", "Great, I've got Dr. Pepper, Mt. Dew, and Sprite, what do you want", "Uh, Coke?". I'm originally from Oklahoma but we moved around a lot before landing in the southwest, and my family is from scattered parts of the US. Lending me an fascinating speaking pattern. Thankfully most of my friends speak Glitter fluently now.

[sammycat]

It's a regional thing. Definitely a Texas thing, and it may extend further, I dunno. But around here, "coke" is understood to mean "carbonated beverage".

Me: Do you want a coke?
Guest: Sure. What kind do you have?
Me: Dr. Pepper & Sprite.
Guest: Ok, I'll have a Sprite, please.

So actually, around these parts, it has become generic. And it was that way since I was a kid in the 60s so it's been a while. I realize it's not that way all over, and that's why I qualified the term in paretheses upthread. 

Why not just say (general) you want a 'sprite' from the outset?    When I want a particular soft drink I specify fanta/lemonade/pepsi/coke/ginger ale in the beginning.

[flickan]

It's a regional thing. Definitely a Texas thing, and it may extend further, I dunno. But around here, "coke" is understood to mean "carbonated beverage".

Me: Do you want a coke?
Guest: Sure. What kind do you have?
Me: Dr. Pepper & Sprite.
Guest: Ok, I'll have a Sprite, please.

So actually, around these parts, it has become generic. And it was that way since I was a kid in the 60s so it's been a while. I realize it's not that way all over, and that's why I qualified the term in paretheses upthread. 

Why not just say (general) you want a 'sprite' from the outset?    When I want a particular soft drink I specify fanta/lemonade/pepsi/coke/ginger ale in the beginning.

Coke in the south is much like Q-tips are across the rest of America.  You generally don't write "cotton swabs" on a grocery list you write "q-tips"  Because it's become the new generic.

Down south coke is just the generic for soda.  And it's a big part of southern culture.  I've even heard orange soda referred to as "orange coke" which is kind of delightful.

[Diane AKA Traska]

It's a regional thing. Definitely a Texas thing, and it may extend further, I dunno. But around here, "coke" is understood to mean "carbonated beverage".

Me: Do you want a coke?
Guest: Sure. What kind do you have?
Me: Dr. Pepper & Sprite.
Guest: Ok, I'll have a Sprite, please.

So actually, around these parts, it has become generic. And it was that way since I was a kid in the 60s so it's been a while. I realize it's not that way all over, and that's why I qualified the term in paretheses upthread. 

Why not just say (general) you want a 'sprite' from the outset?    When I want a particular soft drink I specify fanta/lemonade/pepsi/coke/ginger ale in the beginning.

Coke in the south is much like Q-tips are across the rest of America.  You generally don't write "cotton swabs" on a grocery list you write "q-tips"  Because it's become the new generic.

Down south coke is just the generic for soda.  And it's a big part of southern culture.  I've even heard orange soda referred to as "orange coke" which is kind of delightful.

Again though, the problem arises in that a cotton swab is a cotton swab is a cotton swab.  Just to name a few.... Pepsi, Mountain Dew Code Red, ginger ale, root beer, cream soda, Sprite, orange soda, cherry soda, grape soda, and Mello Yello are all so completely different from one another that putting them all under the banner of "coke" would be like using the term "xerox" to mean copy, fax, telephone, intercom, email, text, IM, and VOIP.

[flickan]

I don't know how to explain it any better.  I grew up down south so it's natural to me.   Coke has become the word for sodapop.

If someone were to ask you, "Would you like a soft drink?" you might say, "Yes, what do you have?"  They might say, "Rootbeer, Orange Soda, and Coke"

In Texas the conversation goes, "Would you like a coke?"  "Yes, what do you have?"  "Rootbeer, Orange Coke, and Regular Coke" (or Coca Cola)

Once you accept that coke = sodapop it's very easy.

We have a lot of pride in our Coca Cola and our Dr. Pepper.

(I realize I'm repeating a lot of what others have said and I'm sorry, it's mildly distressing to me that people don't understand this off the bat because it's so ingrained-- though not nearly as distressing as finding out there are people who don't notice the difference between Coca Cola and Pepsi )

[wheeitsme]

It's a regional thing. Definitely a Texas thing, and it may extend further, I dunno. But around here, "coke" is understood to mean "carbonated beverage".

Me: Do you want a coke?
Guest: Sure. What kind do you have?
Me: Dr. Pepper & Sprite.
Guest: Ok, I'll have a Sprite, please.

So actually, around these parts, it has become generic. And it was that way since I was a kid in the 60s so it's been a while. I realize it's not that way all over, and that's why I qualified the term in paretheses upthread. 

Why not just say (general) you want a 'sprite' from the outset?    When I want a particular soft drink I specify fanta/lemonade/pepsi/coke/ginger ale in the beginning.

Coke in the south is much like Q-tips are across the rest of America.  You generally don't write "cotton swabs" on a grocery list you write "q-tips"  Because it's become the new generic.

Down south coke is just the generic for soda.  And it's a big part of southern culture.  I've even heard orange soda referred to as "orange coke" which is kind of delightful.

Again though, the problem arises in that a cotton swab is a cotton swab is a cotton swab.  Just to name a few.... Pepsi, Mountain Dew Code Red, ginger ale, root beer, cream soda, Sprite, orange soda, cherry soda, grape soda, and Mello Yello are all so completely different from one another that putting them all under the banner of "coke" would be like using the term "xerox" to mean copy, fax, telephone, intercom, email, text, IM, and VOIP.

Oi!  Let's not go there!

In certain parts of the US, any carbonated beverage is a soda.  Or a soft drink. Or a pop.  Or a coke.  Depending on what part of the country you happen to be in.  You can argue that it is improper grammar, but the fact remains that to a large number of people in the US, "coke" means any carbonated beverage.  And arguing will not change this fact.     It would be like trying to convince the English that they are not eating chips when they are indulging in deep fried potato wedges.