Trick question: If it's "quarter of four in Boston," what time is it in Seattle? Answer: "Twelve forty-five."

People in New England usually say "quarter of" and "quarter after" when telling time, but Pacific Coasters tend to say the number of minutes.

The fascinating book "Speaking American — How Y'all, Youse, and You Guys Talk" by Joel Katz (provides colorful maps depicting scores of regional variations, based on a survey of more than 350,000 Americans.

In this quiz based on Katz's book, try to match each term with the location where it's used.

1. Connecticut 2. Milwaukee 3. Oklahoma 4. North Carolina

A. garage sale B. tag sale C. rummage sale D. yard sale

5. Chicago 6. Missouri 7. San Francisco 8. New York

A. sneakers B. gym shoes C. tennis shoes D. running shoes

9. New York City 10. Mississippi 11. Minnesota 12. Pittsburgh

A. y'all B. you guys C. youse D. wins

13. St. Louis 14. Rochester, N.Y. 15. Buffalo 16. San Diego

A. freeway B. expressway C. thruway D. highway

17. Montana 18. Houston 19. Amarillo 20. New Orleans

A. frontage road B. access road C. service road D. feeder road

Answers:

1. B 2. C 3. A 4. D — It's a "tag sale" in Connecticut and western Massachusetts. "Garage sale" dominates west of the Mississippi, with "yard sale" prevailing in eastern New England and the South. In southeastern Wisconsin, it's a "rummage sale."

5. B 6. C 7. D 8. A — "Sneakers" race around the Northeast, but it's "tennis shoes" west and south of Pennsylvania all the way to the Pacific and Gulf Coasts. "Gym shoes" cram lockers in Chicago and Cincinnati, while "running shoes" fly in California.

9. C 10. A 11. B 12. D — While most northerners, westerners and southern Floridians call themselves "you guys," most Southerners predictably favor "y'all." But southwestern Pennsylvanians and Brooklynites hail one another with "yins" and "youse," respectively.

13. D 14. B 15. C. 16. A — "Highway," the most common term overall, prevails east of the Rockies, while "freeway" wins the Pacific Coast. Oddly, the New York State Thruway casts its shadow in Buffalo but not eight interchanges east in Rochester.

17. A 18. D 19. B 20. C — "Frontage road" prevails in most areas west of the Mississippi, while "service road" reigns on the Gulf Coast. "Access road" rules in western Texas, but "feeder road" dominates in eastern Texas.

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.