Lines, Coves, and Squares in Newfoundland Names

N NAMING THEIR THOROUGHFARES, the people of St. John's and elsewhere in Newfoundland have used not only the widely known path, lane, street, road, highway, and highroad but have also evolved three other generics. Of these, two are found in the capital city, and many instances of the other are largely clustered in the Avalon Peninsula.1 A small number of cross-country roads, often running in almost a straight line from a highway to a settlement, have the generic name line following the specific. Sometimes they are named for the settlement or point which might be regarded as the terminus of the road, as in The Bauline Line, The Witless Bay Line, The Hodgewzater Line, Horse Cove Line, and The Salmonier Line. Other connecting roads-The Ruby Line and Doolings, Higgins, Roach's, Hurley's, Carey's, and Quigley's Lines--are based on family names. A short distance northwest of St. John's is The Indian Meal Line, which in similar fashion crosses the countryside between Portugal Cove and Torbay. The name The Back Line is quite accurately applied to short roads in The Goulds and in an area northwest of St. John's; the latter road is now officially named Ridge Road. Near Carbonear is The Line Road, and The New Line runs from Old Perlican to Lead Cove. Other connecting highways, The Hall's Bay Line and Ball's Line, lie not far from White and Green Bays, but are two hundred miles from St. John's. Without doubt other named lines will come to light. The most inclusive dictionaries of English are not helpful in explaining this use of the word In some situations a line is a boundary or limit of a topographical area, apparently determined by surveyors. The DAE2 best illustrates this usage: The boundary of a colonial town or colony. Sometimes preceded by a proper name. 1638 . . . butting southwest upon Cambridge line. (Line, n. II. 4. + a.) A compound also relating to a boundary and therefore different from Newfoundland usage is cited from Michigan

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