As you know, Americans call a high class restaurant, bar, hotel or other places a "posh restaurant..." How do the Americans call a low class one?
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5I don't think I have ever heard the word "posh" used by an American.– StoneyB on hiatusCommented Dec 28, 2015 at 16:59
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@StoneyB: Between driving around in monster trucks and spitting on the floor, who's got the time to learn dorky words, dude. That said, I once knew a guy from St. Louis who didn't know what OTSL stood for.– RickyCommented Dec 28, 2015 at 19:12
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@Ricky Not me, man: I was the BO manager for OTSL's very first season; I still remember the Albert Herring as the best-acted piece I've ever seen from an opera company.– StoneyB on hiatusCommented Dec 28, 2015 at 20:10
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@StoneyB: I loathe Britten, but apart from that, kudos to you, man.– RickyCommented Dec 28, 2015 at 20:18
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Yep, "dive" is a good one in American English. Source: Born and raised American.– user28196Commented Dec 29, 2015 at 1:45
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2 Answers
Posh is an ironic word. Use it with great care if you don't wish to be misunderstood.
That said, the opposite of a high-class restaurant would be
a dive
a grease pit
a burger joint
a greasy spoon:
depending on what, exactly, you wish to convey.
The antonyms of posh can be found in the thesaurus. Oh, and any establishment can be safely called a dump.
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1I knew the word "dive" but I was not sure that if Americans use it or not. Thank you very much Ricky. It was helpful– A-friendCommented Dec 28, 2015 at 15:33
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I think I'm more familiar with the term "dive bar," but clearly I understood what was meant. Excellent answer. I've also been enlightened.– phyrfoxCommented Dec 29, 2015 at 0:15
To add to Ricky's comment:
[US] a small, often unpleasant, shop, house, or restaurant:
It's just a hole in the wall but the food is good.
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1I've never heard hole-in-the-wall used to indicate unpleasantness, just small size. It may be a regionalism. Commented Dec 28, 2015 at 23:33
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