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Mr. Tom Posted 12 years ago
Vocabulary

The use of "parcel"

Hi

In my neck of the woods, the only word used to ask the waiter at a restaurant to pack the remaining food (so that you can take it home) is "Parcel".

Please parcel these sandwiches.
I won't ask him to parcel such little amount of food; I'll be embarrassed.

Could you tell me how this use sounds to native ears? What would be the typical native expressions for this situation?

Thanks,

Tom
  

Top answer

Mr. Tom Could you tell me how this use sounds to native ears? I have never heard that phrase.

— Mister Micawber

  • Mr.
  • Tom Could you tell me how this use sounds to native ears?
  • I have never heard that phrase.
  • 'Parcel' as a verb is an unfamiliar coinage.
  • Frankly, the only natural phrase I know is a very common, very informal one: Please give me a doggy bag for these sandwiches.
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8 Answers
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Mr. TomCould you tell me how this use sounds to native ears?
I have never heard that phrase. 'Parcel' as a verb is an unfamiliar coinage. Frankly, the only natural phrase I know is a very common, very informal one:

Please give me a doggy bag for these sandwiches.
I won't ask him to give me a doggy bag for such a small
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Thanks, MM, for introducing such an interesting term.

I need some light on:

I'd be embarrassed VS I'll be embarrassed.

I understand it like this:

If I ask him ...I'll be embarrassed.
If I asked him....I'd be embarrassed.

Could you please explain?

Tom
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As I see it you are correct.

However, this doesn't apply in the case below, because the construction mentioned isn't the same as the one below.

I won't ask him to give me a doggy bag for such a small amount of food; I'd be embarrassed.

It doesn't follow the if + conditional construction. You can think of it as if the "I'd be embarrassed" is a
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Around here people often ask for a to-go box.
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Parcel as a verb does sound quite natural to me. Just not in this case for some reason. Parcel to me means divide something up into smaller portions and potentially warp it. I might use "box it up" instead
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Blue JayAround here people often ask for a to-go box.
Interesting! For me, "to-go" is used only when ordering food (BrEng: take away) not to be eaten on the premises.
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Philip Blue JayAround here people often ask for a to-go box.Interesting! For me, "to-go" is used only when ordering food (BrEng: take away) not to be eaten on the premises.
It's to go when ordering, "Is that for here, or to go?" "To go, please", but if you ordered eat-in and cannot finish you ask for a to-go box.
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I don't hear 'doggy bag' much anymore.
I often hear eg I'd like to take this home, please.

Clive
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