A bubbler is what people in parts of Wisconsin and a few other places call a drinking fountain. While most Americans say “drinking fountain” or “water fountain,” if you ask for a bubbler in Milwaukee, everyone will know exactly what you mean: that metal fixture in the hallway where you press a button and water arcs up so you can take a drink.

Regional words like this are fascinating because they show how language varies across different parts of the country. If you moved from Wisconsin to California and asked someone where the bubbler was, they might look confused. But in Rhode Island, you'd be understood perfectly, because people there use the same word, too. These geographical language differences are called regionalisms, and they're part of what makes American English so varied and interesting.