Question: What is "The High Street"?
I've come across the phrase "high street" when visiting the UK. People talk about high street fashion or direct me to "the high street". What do they mean?
Answer: People in the UK use the term high street the way Americans use the phrase Main Street. A high street is the main commercial and retail street in a town. In big cities, each neighborhood or district will probably have its own high street. In a small village, the high street may have little more than a mail box, a public pay phone and a small convenience store. At the very least, a high street usually has a pub.
High street fashion describes mass-market retail style - the sort of clothing you will find in the chain stores. The more cutting edge and directional a retailer is, the faster it will interpret designer fashions for the high street.
And here's one last bit of confusion -- a town's high street may not be called "High Street" and a street with that name may not be the high street.
