"On The Other Claw...."

I've spent much of my time in Oklahoma, but I've lived in Arkansas and Maryland. I've visited Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Ohio, California, Texas, and Florida. And, of course, I read. So my answers will not all reflect my geographic roots.

A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks: Creek, unless it's especially muddy, narrow, and populated with aquatic vermin; in that case, "crick".

Similar rules apply to "wash" vs. "warsh" (greater physical force implied by the latter); "teach" vs. "learn" (likewise); and "wrestle" vs. "rassle" (the first one has rules).

The thing you push around the grocery store: Shopping cart or grocery cart.

A metal container to carry a meal in: Lunchbox or lunch pail.

The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in: Skillet, frying pan.

The piece of furniture that seats three people: Sofa, couch, divan.

The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof: The density, and resulting gravity, of this planet. Now, if you're talking about the metal construct that then funnels the water away from the roof, that would be a rain gutter or just "gutter".

The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening: Gazebo. If it's attached to the house proper, then "patio".

Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages: Soft drink or soda. Cola, if dark.

During a summer internship with Wal~Mart, I attended many of their Saturday morning meetings. At one of them, Coca-Cola presented Wal~Mart an "outstanding merchant" award. Afterwards, in the Q/A, one of my fellow interns asked, "So, do you guys sell soda, or do you sell pop?"

The response? "We sell Coca-Cola."

A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup: Pancakes, sometimes called hotcakes by certain Mc-stablishments. Can also be known as flapjacks, though rarely 'round these parts.

A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself: Hoagy, sub(marine) sandwich, sub(marine), po-boy.

The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach: Shorts, swimsuit, swim trunks, trunks, bathing suit.

Shoes worn for sports: Which sport? Cleats, tennies, tennis shoes.

A flying insect that glows in the dark: Firefly or lighting bug.

The little insect that curls up into a ball: Roly-poly.

The children's playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down: Teeter-totter, see-saw, lever.

How you eat pizza: Ideally, holding the crust and chomping directly on the acute angle. For pizzas with excessive thermal capacitance or crusts of insufficient structural integrity, with a knife and fork.

Where private citizens sell their household goods/stuff in their driveway/front yard: Garage sale, yard sale, lawn sale.

The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are: If climate controlled with the rest of the house, "basement". If not, "cellar".

The thing that you can get water out of to drink in public places: Water fountain, drinking fountain.