I grew up in LA; both my parents are from California, but my dad's from the north and my mom's from the south. I lived for four years in England, and that certainly informs my idiolect, but for the particular questions asked here I'm definitely able to differentiate between inherited and actively learned.
1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks. A creek, a stream, or a brook. I think a creek's probably the smallest and a stream's probably the biggest, but I'm not 100% positive.
2. What the thing you push around the grocery store is called. A shopping cart. I learned to say trolley in England, and I do sometimes from force of habit, but it's actually a shopping cart. Or a grocery cart.
3. A metal container to carry a meal in. A lunch box? Err...
4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in. A frying pan or skillet.
5. The piece of furniture that seats three people. Probably a couch. Or sofa. I'd probably say couch, but I'm happy with either. A sofa's probably more overstuffed.
6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof. (Rain-)gutter. Drain. Rainspout. Drainspout. Gutter is definitely my first choice, though.
7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening. People sit on their porches? Must be in some other part of the country. ;)
8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages. Soda. Or soft drink.
9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup. Pancakes. Mmmm.
10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself. Depends where I get it! A sub, grinder, hero, hoagie... ;) I'm conversant with all those terms, but sub is my first choice.
11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach. Trunks. Swimming trunks. Preferably they're not wearing speedoes. :P But my Australian friend just returned my dad's that he'd left in Australia, and she gave me his "swimmers," which I'd never even heard!
12. Shoes worn for sports. I wear tennis shoes or sneakers on a daily basis; but cleats are usually for sports. I think it's asking about the former. (Once again, I picked up "trainers" in England.)
13. Putting a room in order. Tidying or straightening. My parents would tell me to clean my room, but that's a bit more thoroughgoing.
14. A flying insect that glows in the dark. Firefly!!! We don't have them here. :(
15. The little insect that curls up into a ball.Sowbug. Not a potato bug, because that's actually a different thing (with stripes!), and not a pillbug or roly-poly because that's silly.
16. 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. See-saw. Are there other names, seriously?
17. How do you eat your pizza? By the slice and with my hands. How's that dialect?
18. What's it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff? A garage sale. Or, I suppose, a yard sale, if you must.
19. What's the evening meal? Dinner. But when I was at camp (in Vermont), it was supper.
20. The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are? Well, I don't have a basement and never have, but I suppose that's what I'd call it. We've got a crawlspace under the house here and in LA. :)
21. What do you call the thing that you can get water out of to drink in public places? Drinking fountain or water fountain.
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