Street
neutral ground
What does neutral ground mean?
The grassy or paved strip down the middle of a divided street. Everywhere else in America it's a median; in NOLA it's where you set up your ladder to catch beads during Mardi Gras.
"Stake out a spot on the neutral ground by 9 if you want any throws."
Origin
After the Louisiana Purchase, Canal Street separated the French Creole quarter from the Anglo-American sector. The grassy strip down the middle was literally the neutral ground between two suspicious populations.
Frequently asked questions
What does neutral ground mean?
It's what New Orleans calls a road median — the strip in the middle of a road.
How do you use neutral ground in a sentence?
"We set up chairs on the neutral ground to watch the parade go by."
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