[Vocabulary] a machine in a park, two kids play with

[atabitaraf]

It's a see-saw in BrE, a teeter-totter in AmE.

Note from 5jj. This is not a pointless remark from atabitaraf, but a mistake on my part - see the next post.

 

[5jj]

I am so sorry, atabitaraf. While trying to respond to your question, I accidentally deleted your post and put my response in its place.

 

[atabitaraf]

Thank you 5jj!
That's probably because of this new feature. However my post was this:

In a park when your children go to play with machines you can see this. It is a simple mechanical machine for two kids to ride on.
The centroid point of a long metal axis is placed on a fixed point. The two kids are sitting on the both end sides of the axis. When one goes upward the other kid comes downward to the ground, then downward and upward vice-versa, again and again.
What is the name of this toy-machine in a park?

Any thing you want to do, whether to correct or leave it as a memory I agree professor 5jj.
Thanks again,
ata

 

[CarloSsS]

I think that see-saw is used in AmE, too. At least I heard Americans use the word in this context. I also checked that in a dictionary, and it says so too. Here's a proof.

Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary

 

[5jj]

On the link you provided, the picture shows the device with the words 'see-saw' and 'teeter-totter (US)'. As far as I know, 'teeter-totter' is the normal AmE term. Let's hope some native speakers of AmE can confirm this - or tell me it's not true.

 

[CarloSsS]

On the link you provided, the picture shows the device with the words 'see-saw' and 'teeter-totter (US)'. As far as I know, 'teeter-totter' is the normal AmE term. Let's hope some native speakers of AmE can confirm this - or tell me it's not true.

Since there's no BrE in parentheses after the word see-saw, I assume that it's not a BrE word only. And as I said, I heard Americans saying see-saw.
Here's another proof (note no (BrE) where it usually is when the word is a BrE word).
see-saw - Definition and pronunciation | Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

 

[5jj]

Here's another proof (note no (BrE) where it usually is when the word is a BrE word).

Please stop claiming that this is 'proof'. If a dictionary adds 'AmE' or 'US' to some definitions, then it is usually a BrE dictionary; if it adds 'BrE' to some definitions, then it is usually an AmE dictionary. You are nor a native speaker of AmE; neither am I. Let's wait for a native spaker of AmE to tell us what Americans call this thing.

 

[SoothingDave]

I would probably call it a see saw.

 

[5jj]

I would probably call it a see saw.

Interesting. I always believed (in my ignorance) that that word existed only on our side of the pond. Is that common in AmE, or is yours a local/regional term?

 

[SoothingDave]

Sorry, I can't really say, the subject doesn't come up a lot.

 

[Barb_D]

I don't know how localized it is. I use both terms. I grew up in New York and lived in New England and I'm pretty sure both terms were used there.

I think "teeter totter" is more fun to say, but I'm pretty sure you could use both terms in most part of the US.

 

[BobSmith]

Up until this thread, I had forgotten that I knew it as a "teeter-totter" as a tot. Shown a picture, I would have said see-saw.