This struck me a while ago, but it’s really come to the fore as I catch up on the current series of 24. It’s this thing in American movies and TV programmes where they say things like “the suspect is heading north on”, “meet me at the south side of the building”, etcetera.

Maybe things are done differently across the pond and they’re injected with a compass at birth, but if someone asked me to head north, my first reaction would be, “Which way is that then?”

Is this simply an accepted device amongst writers to get around using genuine street or road names (especially when the action is on New York like in the current 24), or making new ones up?