As well as Twinkies, tampons, farting dolls, soup mixes, cottage cheese, cheap wine and drywall corners, I used to market housing developments, or as we called them, "neighborhoods."
My former housemate, Mark, and I both worked for a local home builder. (Not "House," but Home. Always.) I would lure them in with advertising ("traffic generation") and he would sell them a house ("conversion"). We became well-versed in the particular vocabulary niche of home sales. Phrases like nook: a corner with a desk, or butler's pantry: a hallway with cupboards. (There are so many more; feel free to share your favorites with us in the comments.)
I particularly loved the realtor phrase: "Master on the Main." This is not actually an archaic British Naval Fleet title but refers to the bedroom being at ground level. Such a flight of poetry, really, or maybe it's just me.
Anyway, this post is not about any of that particularly, it's about this sign that I noticed the other day in one of these upscale "communities." It seems to be a convoluted solution to avoid the otherwise tacky and depressing phrase DEAD END. It also has that curious construction often used by those for whom English is not their native tongue, but I dunno. I saw it and immediately thought of you, dear readers, knowing you'd appreciate it as I did.
"The Street Not Thru Kids": doesn't have quite the same ring, really.
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