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I have heard the terms go dutch and AA used to mean that, when two or more people eat at a restaurant, each will pay only the price of their own dish. Also treat is used to describe the act of one person paying for the meal of themselves and another.

  • Has anyone conducted a study on the terms used and their geographic distribution?
  • In which regions of the world are these terms used?
  • Are there other terms which might be more popular in North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand?
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closed as not constructive by simchona, Andrew Leach, Matt Эллен, Bravo, waiwai933 Jun 15 '12 at 15:45


I don't think this question has any one answer, so I'm voting to close. –  simchona Jun 15 '12 at 13:30
I need to obtain a general idea of which terms are used and where. A good answer would list at least a few of the most common terms and in which countries they are typically used or provide a link to a study or map. –  Village Jun 15 '12 at 13:45
That isn't what StackExchange or ELU is for, though. –  simchona Jun 15 '12 at 13:46
I thought this was English Language and "Usage". Typically, an examination of usage requires one to consider geography. I need to explain how to use these words. If people do not know where it is used, my explanation will be incomplete. –  Village Jun 15 '12 at 13:50
I did not ask for any opinions. I am looking for facts, statistics, or generalizations of those statistics, preferably supported by references. I am not asking for people to argue about one term or the other. I am not asking people "What do you personally use and where do you live?" –  Village Jun 15 '12 at 14:02

3 Answers 3

In Australia, to shout is used to mean to buy your mates something, usually a drink. I've also heard it being used as a noun, like in "this is my shout", meaning I'll get this one.

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"I suggest we (or Let's) split the bill" is also a common expression.

Technically, "splitting the bill" means calculating the entire expense then dividing it equally between all the participants. This is faster and more convenient, but could also be unfair to those who didn't order much.

Casually, "going dutch" can also be used to mean the same.

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This meal is on John

means that John will pay for it.

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Or it's on me today means that I am gonna pay today. –  Noah Jun 15 '12 at 13:46
