OT and apropos of nothing

[Adrian]

"Subdivision" is an Americanism for "housing estate".

[john james]

I clearly said houses, not a house.

[john james]

It isn't an Americanism.

[Adrian]

It isn't even remotely commonly used this side of the Atlantic, but is very widely used that side.

I'd call that an "Americanism".

[Chris French]

Yup, I don't think I've ever heard used in that context here.

[john james]

And in plenty of other places too.

More fool you, it isn't.

[john james]

Nope.

Doesn't make it an Americanism.

[Tim Streater]

Is the right answer. I knew that (having lived there for 12 years) but wanted to see what response we got.

It *is* an Americanism and is *not* used here, whatever comrade james may imagine.

[Davey]

We used to get a lot of lorries trying to make an impossible turn in front of our house, and every one was using a TomTom to navigate. I complained to TomTom, which meant I had to open an account with them, even though I don't have a TomTom, and then they said that they got their maps from a mapping company, and I should complain to them instead. So I did, and they responded favourably. But it still needed the individual devices to be updated before they received the amended data. There was at this time, a Forum on the Tomtom website, for people who had tried to get responses from the company, but had failed. These were usually concerning devices that failed to work after an update, and similar problems. Eventually, TomTom announced that it was closing the forum down. It was not due to a lack of posters, far from it.

[Davey]

As a Brit. who lived in America for over 30 years, I would say that it is certainly, without doubt, an Americanism.

[Tony Bryer]

Commonly used here. It describes the process of taking a piece of land and after getting approvals splitting it up into multiple serviced blocks which are sold off individually and the purchasers then get their own builders (usually one of the big names who have pattern books of standard designs) to build the house for them. Very different to the UK where one developer does the lot.

[Chris J Dixon]

"2. North American & Australian /NZ An area of land divided into plots for sale."

Chris

[Mike Barnes]

Sign nailed to a tree near here:

SATNAV WRONG. USE BRAIN.

[john james]

Nope, just not used in Britain.

Never said it was.

[john james]

You're wrong. It's used in a lot more than just America.

You might as well claim that housing estate is a Briticism.

[john james]

Plenty of places where one developer does the lot outside Britain too.

[Huge]

Yes it is.

[Huge]

Quite so. As a Brit whose parents have lived in America for over 30 years and having been there more times than I can recall, those parents both having been realtors at one time, the use of "subdivision" as being part of a housing estate is indubitably an Americanism.

[Davey]

And it might well be also an Australianism, but it's not a Britishism.

[Nightjar]

Probably ought to be in Polish and Hungarian as well.

There are official signs: